Chapter 4: The Hero Punches First, Asks Questions Never
Introduction: A Misunderstanding on Steroids
The *System* had decided.
Leon was going to die today.
Not in some heroic final battle. Not in an epic duel.
No.
He was going to die in a **high school cafeteria brawl**.
Why?
Because **Adam, the protagonist, had been system-coded to kill him.**
### **Meanwhile, in the Garden…**
Sophia was quietly reading a book, enjoying the rare moment of peace.
Then—
“ADAM IS GIVING DIVINE PUNISHMENT TO LEON!”
“HOLY SH*T, HE’S BEATING HIM TO DEATH!”
“JUSTICE HAS ARRIVED!”
The words hit her like a slap.
Sophia’s eyes widened.
**Divine Punishment? Adam? Leon?!**
A pit formed in her stomach. Without thinking, she dropped her book and ran toward the cafeteria.
### **Back to the Carnage…**
Leon was **already regretting** every life decision that led him to this moment.
SMACK!
His face met Adam’s fist. Again.
His body hit the floor. Again.
The cafeteria was **cheering.**
“YEAH, ADAM! BEAT HIM UP!”
“MAKE HIM PAY FOR SOPHIA’S SUFFERING!”
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Leon, wheezing, spitting out blood: **“Wait. I— *cough*—what suffering??”**
His vision blurred. Through the haze, he spotted someone in the crowd.
**Eleanor. His ex-fiancée.**
She wasn’t smirking.
She wasn’t laughing.
She just stood there—**cold, unreadable, indifferent.**
Like this brutal beating was nothing more than **justice.**
Leon’s soul left his body.
…Okay. No help there.
Professors?
Nowhere.
Random students?
Chanting **"DIVINE PUNISHMENT! DIVINE PUNISHMENT!"**
**Oh. Oh, he was doomed.**
Adam raised his fist again—**but then—**
**“STOP!!”**
A voice cut through the chaos.
### **Sophia’s POV: This Isn’t Right**
Sophia stood in the doorway, out of breath, heart pounding.
The scene before her was **horrific**.
Leon lay **bloodied, barely conscious, his face swollen.**
Adam stood over him, breathing heavily, **his knuckles covered in blood.**
And everyone was **cheering.**
Sophia’s stomach twisted.
**This wasn’t justice.**
This was **cruel.**
Leon **wasn’t fighting back.** He wasn’t resisting.
He just **laid there**, taking every hit like he **deserved it.**
Something was **wrong.**
"Adam," she said, stepping forward. Her voice shook, but she forced herself to speak. **"Stop. Leon didn’t bully me."**
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Adam blinked. **“…What?”**
Sophia clenched her fists. “Leon… never hurt me.”
Gasps.
“What are you saying? He made you suffer for years!”
“No,” Sophia said firmly. “He—he’s been trying to talk to me these past few days. I think… I think he wanted to apologize.”
Leon, **barely conscious**, flinched.
Oh no.
OH NO.
THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN.
**WHY WAS SHE DEFENDING HIM?!**
**SYSTEM WARNING: EMOTIONAL DAMAGE INCOMING.**
Before he could stop himself, **his body moved on its own.**
Leon’s trembling, bloody hand **grabbed Sophia’s sleeve.**
His lips parted, and—
**“I deserve this,”** he whispered.
Sophia **gasped.**
Adam **glared.** “SO YOU ADMIT IT?!”
“No…” Leon choked. **“…I just wanted… to apologize… for what I did to you…”**
A single tear rolled down his battered face.
**The cafeteria lost its f***ing mind.**
“HE’S CRYING???”
“THIS BASTARD FEELS REMORSE?!”
“IS THIS A TRAGIC REDEMPTION ARC?!”
Leon, internally: **WAIT, NO, WHAT—?!**
### **SYSTEM ACTIVATED: <TRAGIC VILLAIN’S TEARS>**
**Leon: "WHAT THE F*** IS THIS SKILL?!"**
**System: ["Tragic Villain’s Tears" is a passive skill that activates when you are beaten near death. It makes you cry involuntarily, making others assume you are a suffering, noble villain.]**
**Leon: "WHY THE HELL AM I CRYING?! I’M NOT A F***ING ACTOR!"**
Sophia’s **eyes widened.**
His **tears weren’t fake.**
They were **real.**
She could feel **his pain.**
For the first time, **she truly saw him.**
And she felt **horrible.**
Because—
**Leon never actually hurt her.**
Unlike the other nobles, **he never insulted her, never hit her.**
He was the **only noble** who ever tried to **apologize.**
And now—**he thought he deserved this.**
Tears welled in **her** eyes.
“Leon…” she whispered, kneeling beside him. “Come on. Let’s get you to the nurse.”
She gently placed **his arm over her shoulder.**
The crowd **gawked.**
A villain… being saved by the girl he ‘hurt’?
THIS. WAS. PEAK. DRAMA.
### **SYSTEM ACTIVATED: <CONVINCE STRIKE>**
Leon’s **mouth moved on its own.**
**“I… I bullied you because I wanted to be friends… but my trash personality made me do it…”**
Sophia gasped. **“You just… wanted to be my friend?”**
Leon, internally: **WAIT NO STOP I DIDN’T MEAN THAT—**
**System: [Success! You have convinced Sophia that you only bullied her due to a tragic personality flaw!]**
Leon’s soul left his body.
WHAT THE HELL KIND OF SKILL WAS THIS?!?!
But it was **too late.**
Sophia’s **guilt doubled.**
“Leon…” she whispered, voice shaking. “I—I’m so sorry… this whole time… I misunderstood you…”
Leon, internally: **NO, NO, YOU UNDERSTOOD ME JUST FINE—**
But it was **too late.**
Sophia, overwhelmed with emotion, **dragged him out of the cafeteria.**
The students **watched in shock.**
Adam just stood there, fists still clenched.
“…What… just happened?”
### **The Nurse’s Office… And A New Threat Appears**
Leon limped into the nurse’s office, **half-dead.**
Sophia **wouldn’t stop looking at him.**
“…Are you okay?” she asked softly.
Leon, who had suffered **the worst day of his life**, groaned.
But before he could answer—
**The door creaked open.**
A new presence **entered the room.**
Leon felt the **temperature drop.**
A chill ran down his spine.
This aura…
This **terrifying, overbearing presence…**
A girl stepped forward.
Tall. Elegant. Commanding.
She looked down at him with an expression that was **both smug and disgusted.**
**“…So. My idiot little brother got himself beaten up in public,”** she mused.
Her eyes gleamed.
**“How pathetic.”**
Leon’s **soul left his body.**
**Oh no.**
**Oh no.**
His **step-sister** had arrived.
**To Be Continued…**
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