My Rival Turn Into Lover

Chapter 3: The Meet Up

"Let's go find a table first," James suggested, scanning the bustling, softly lit dining area.

"Alright, sir," we chorused, following closely behind him.

But the restaurant was packed, and as James turned a sharp corner near the booths, he accidentally collided with someone heading in the opposite direction. The impact caused the other guy to stumble back.

"Watch where you're going, idiots!" the guy snapped, his voice sharp and dripping with arrogance.

Harry immediately stepped forward, checking on our leader. "Are you okay, James?"

"I'm fine," James muttered, adjusting his jacket and looking up at the stranger.

Beside the aggressive guy, his companion froze, his eyes narrowing as he locked onto James. "James... wait. I’ve heard that name before. Back at our old school a couple of years ago."

The first guy smirked, a cruel, mocking look washing over his face. "James... Oh, right! The one who called himself a genius student, followed by his little pack of dogs: Sebastian, Harry, Edward, and Jacob."

The second guy chuckled, crossing his arms. "Wait, so that means we’re going to battle them next month? Since it’s a school-to-school tournament?"

"Yeah, it’s their school. Man, this is going to be so interesting, hahaha!"

Sebastian’s jaw tightened, his posture instantly turning rigid as he stepped out from the shadows of the booth. "Mondraco. Xavier."

Edward’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell are you two doing here?!"

Xavier scoffed, looking at us as if we were dirt beneath his expensive shoes. "Isn't it obvious? We're here to eat. Did you honestly think you were the only ones gaining more knowledge? We've grown, Edward. More than you can possibly imagine."

Harry let out a dry, humorless laugh. "So what if you've gained a little knowledge? You honestly think your intellect is anywhere near our level?"

"Don't underestimate us, Harry!" Mondraco hissed, taking a threatening step forward.

Jacob intervened, a cold, mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, look at this childhood drama. You get so angry just because Harry pointed out the obvious? It’s the truth, Mondraco. You’re still just a child playing pretend."

Mondraco broke into a loud, mocking laugh that drew stares from the neighboring tables. "Hahaha! Keep talking. Just kidding, we actually challenged the elite genius academy recently and utterly defeated them. We even challenged Professor William, and the great man couldn't even answer our questions. Oh, and the best part? We challenged that famous 'genius girl' from your new school a while back. We gave her a question so ridiculously easy, yet she failed miserably. Absolute trash, hahaha!"

At the mention of Evelyn being humiliated, something inside Sebastian completely snapped.

His teeth ground together so hard his jaw began to ache. The cold, indifferent facade he usually wore crumbled away, replaced by an aura so dark and terrifying it felt like the temperature in the room dropped to sub-zero. His eyes turned into the cold, emotionless eyes of a predator—pure death glare.

"Enough," Sebastian said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a terrifying, lethal weight that cut right through Mondraco's laughter. "We will show you at the event. I will make you deeply regret every single word that just left your mouth."

Mondraco sneered, trying to hide the brief flash of fear in his eyes. "Regret? Hahaha! Come on, fight us right now if you're a true genius, Sebastian!"

"We aren't going to waste our time fighting you today," Sebastian replied, his voice deadpan and dangerous. "But at the event, I will use my knowledge to drag you and Xavier down to the absolute bottom. Where you belong." He turned his back on them, his dark coat shifting. "Let's go. Harry, grab our orders."

"On it," Harry said, quickly stepping up to the counter to collect the takeout bags.

As we walked away, Xavier yelled after us, "Hey, you rats! Don't forget, there are ten of us representing our school in this event! See you there, hahaha!"

The ride back was completely silent, the heavy tension suffocating the inside of the car.

Harry looked through the rearview mirror, his voice quiet. "Sebastian... are you okay?"

Sebastian stared blankly out the window at the passing neon signs of the city. "Just take us home. We have classes tomorrow."

James sighed, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry for what happened back there, guys. If I hadn't bumped into them—"

"It's okay, James," Edward interrupted gently. "It was bound to happen eventually."

When we finally arrived at the house, the atmosphere was still heavy, but the exhaustion was setting in. James carried the takeout bags into the kitchen. "Let's just eat. I'm starving right now."

"Alright," we muttered, sitting down at the table.

Even as he ate, Sebastian couldn't shake the burning fury consuming his chest. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard Mondraco mocking Evelyn and looking down on everything they had built. He slammed his chopsticks down and stood up.

"I’m going to the study library," Sebastian announced, his voice tight. "Follow me there as soon as you're done eating. We need to study. More than we ever have before."

"Yes, Seb," Harry, Edward, and Jacob replied seriously.

James looked up from his plate. "I'll join you guys as soon as I'm done cleaning up the table."

True to his word, Sebastian buried himself in books, staying up all night under the dim glow of the library lamp, analyzing every possible academic strategy. The rest of the guys joined him, the quiet scratching of pens filling the room.

Around 3:00 AM, Harry paused, tapping his chin with his pen. "Hey... what if we form an official group for this event? Just like we had a faction back at our previous school."

Edward looked up, rubbing his tired eyes. "That's actually a good idea. But what should our group name be?"

James thought for a moment. "How about Del Naira?"

Jacob winced. "Sounds a bit weird."

Sebastian stopped writing. He slowly closed his textbook, the heavy thud echoing in the quiet room. He looked up at his friends, his eyes glowing with an intense, otherworldly pride.

"How about... The Absolute Being?"

Harry blinked, leaning forward. "Why The Absolute Being, Seb?"

Sebastian’s voice grew soft, almost reverent. "Because God gave us a gift. We are more brilliant than anyone else in this world, yet we choose to hide it. We possess knowledge of everything, yet we keep it in the shadows. Even our appearance—we mask who we truly are. We were blessed by a higher power for a reason. That’s why our group name should be The Absolute Being."

A profound silence fell over the room. James, Harry, Edward, and Jacob stared at him, completely moved by his words.

Suddenly, soft sniffling broke the quiet. Harry and Edward were quietly crying, the weight of Sebastian’s words hitting them deep in their chests. They had always struggled with the burden of their hidden genius, and hearing it validated as a divine gift overwhelmed them.

"Okay," James said, his voice thick with emotion as he checked the clock. "We have a name. But now, we seriously need to get some sleep."

Sebastian stood up, a calm resolve finally settling over him. "Goodnight, everyone."

"Goodnight," they chorused back, turning off the library lights as they headed to their rooms, ready for whatever the next month would bring.