Hanky looked at Ketto, noticing how happy he was to have the ring back. He smirked. "Why don't you appreciate me?"
Ketto glanced at him with disdain. "Are you kidding me? Why would I need to say thank you?"
Hanky raised an eyebrow. "I helped you find your ring."
Ketto's voice turned cold. "Don't even mention it. I'm not thanking you for that. You just found it by accident. Don't exaggerate your contribution."
Hanky shrugged. "I should have known you were this kind of person. I should have stepped on your ring and thrown it away."
Ketto replied coldly, "Go away. Leave me alone. I don't want anything to do with you."
Hanky's expression hardened. "Are you itching for a beating? Want to taste my fist?"
Ketto turned his head toward Hanky, unflinching. "That's just your violent side showing. Besides hitting me, what else can you do?"
Hanky fell silent. He didn't know what to say. Ketto's words had landed uncomfortably close to the truth.
Ketto turned and started walking back toward the school.
But Hanky wasn't done. He quickly caught up and, without a word, grabbed Ketto and hoisted him high into the air.
Ketto yelped. "What the hell?! Are you crazy? Put me down right now, or I swear—"
Hanky just smiled. "You said all I can do is hit you. So this time, I won't hit you. But this will help you remember."
"You're insane! You're a terrible person! I hate you!"
Hanky ignored the protests and carried him for a long distance, Ketto kicking and yelling the whole way.
Suddenly, a voice boomed from the teaching building. "What are you two doing?"
It was the school manager, and he looked furious. "Don't you know how dangerous that is?"
Hanky reluctantly lowered Ketto to the ground.
The manager continued, "I don't want to see this kind of dangerous behavior again. I'll let it slide this time, but next time I catch you doing something like this, there will be consequences. Remember my words—I'm not joking."
The manager turned and walked away.
Ketto glared at Hanky. "This is all your fault. Every single time I'm with you, something bad happens to me."
Hanky's face changed. Up until that moment, he had been teasing Ketto, playing around. But these words struck something deeper. He didn't say anything. He just turned and walked away.
Ketto watched Hanky's back as he disappeared down the hallway. A pang of regret hit him. He realized his words had been too harsh. He felt ashamed.
When Hanky and Ketto returned to the classroom—first Hanky, then Ketto—the other students could immediately sense that something was wrong. Hanky was in a noticeably bad mood. No one knew what had happened, so they could only guess.
When Ketto sat down, Addy turned around, curious. "What happened? You okay?"
Ketto just shook his head and glanced toward Hanky. "I'll tell you later."
The bell rang, and class began. But Ketto couldn't focus. His words echoed in his mind, and he regretted them deeply. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how to open his mouth. He was torn with conflict.
Because he wasn't paying attention, he didn't hear the teacher call his name. It wasn't until Addy turned around and nudged him that he snapped back to reality.
The teacher was not pleased. "Ketto! Are you with us today?"
The teacher scolded him sharply before moving on. Ketto sat in silence, feeling the weight of the day pressing down on him.
After class, Addy turned around again. "Okay, spill it. What happened before?"
Ketto hesitated, then told him the story—or most of it. He left out the more embarrassing parts, the moments that felt like black marks on his personal history. Even so, Addy's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Oh my god," Addy said. "If you weren't the one telling me this, I wouldn't believe it. That's insane."
Ketto just nodded. He didn't want to say more.