My Counterattack System After Reborn

Chapter 25: Rule Number Three

Todd and his brothers from the Crew Cut Alliance were helping in the dining hall, but they were also keeping an eye on the basketball court where Caleb was playing a casual game of 21 with a smaller student.   

Suddenly, the boy accidentally hit Caleb, and his healers went into Fight Mode. They surrounded the smaller student, and they began to beat him. Todd smiled when he saw this. Finally, the Crew Cut Alliance would be put to the test. He turned to his allies and said, "Brothers! One of our classmates is in trouble. Quick! Follow me!” The reason that he was smiling was that he saw this as another opportunity to increase his  Slap-Face Numerical Value. 

***

By now, half of the students were part of the Crew Cut Alliance. The other half remained skeptical. Based on Todd’s previous behavior, everything that he was doing seemed to be out of character. Because of that, most of the teachers did not trust him either, and Mr. Kang was more suspicious of him than the rest of them combined. By belittling him in public, Todd had made it personal, and he kept his eyes open for any foul-play.

Of course, Mr. Kang was not the only person looking to get Todd in trouble. Caleb’s people were equally eager. They were disappointed that Todd had blocked Caleb’s rise to power. They did not trust his sudden altruistic behavior. They were embarrassed by how the Crew Cut Alliance had protected the smaller boy on the basketball court, and they were out for blood.

One of the healers looked up at Todd and said, "Boss, Todd is so arrogant. He obviously does not take you seriously. Would you like us to surround him at the school’s gate? Let him know that you are the real boss around here?" 

From where they were talking, they could see the Crew Cut Alliance working together with the security guards. They got along very well and looked very cool, which made Caleb feel a little envious.

Caleb turned to see who had spoken and was shocked to see that the healer had a Crew Cut. He kicked him so hard that he fell on his ass. Then he spat at him and he cursed him. "Damn you!” he roared. “How dare you shave your head? If you want to Join Todd's alliance, then do it!” 

The healer with the Crew Cut hung his head in shame and watched as Caleb led the others away. He had had this hair cut for two weeks. At the time there had been no Crew Cut Alliance. Who would believe such a story, though…?

***

Todd hung around outside during the breaks between classes, but he made a point of attending all of his classes and sitting respectfully. The Crew Cut Alliance’s third rule stated that you were not allowed to violate school rules, and because Todd wrote the rules, he had a responsibility to follow them and set a good example for everyone else.

When there were about five minutes before class, Todd told his peers to go in and return to their classes. Until then, they had been discussing girls and staying out of trouble. It was important to all of them that they follow the rules so that they set themselves apart from Caleb and his healers.

When Todd walked into the classroom, Eve Roberts glanced at him and a hint of disappointment showed in her eyes. She had thought that Todd would start to study seriously, but he had not. Somehow, though, his grades had improved. But it seemed to her that he had found a way to get by without putting in the actual work.  She was also concerned about how much attention he was receiving from other girls. Todd and his Crew Cut Alliance had been buying girls their breakfast and helping them fetch water. Eve did not know why that bothered her, but it did. It made her sad and it made her heart hurt. 

Eve’s face turned red as she realized that she had no right to be disappointed. After all, everything that Todd did was good.  The problem was that, until this moment, she had not admitted to herself that she liked him; not that it made any difference. Now that she knew her mind, she did not know what to do. If she confessed her feelings, no one would believe her. They would think that she was only after his money.

Things might be different now, though – Eve thought hopefully. She had heard a rumor that D.S.G. Unlimited had one foot in the grave. If something happened to level the playing field, things would be different. Thus, the thought of Todd losing everything pleased her.

Eve found it difficult to read social cues, so it was hard for her to tell if he liked her or not. All she could think to do was stand up for him when she could and try to make herself seem important to him. Then, whenever he asked anything from her, she did everything she could to help him.

Over time, it seemed to Eve that Todd was going out of his way to be around her, and that pleased her. She hoped that he was studying as hard as she was. That way, they would both be admitted to a good university the following year. Then, if Todd still liked her, and he pursued her, she would agree to be with him.

Whenever Eve thought about them walking the campus's trails, boating and kissing on the unmanned lake, her face turned red. Her biggest fear, though, was that Todd was too invested in the Crew Cut Alliance. If he did not keep his priorities straight, he would never get into university.

Eve sighed as she turned back to her books. She thought – If I don’t get my head out of the clouds, I won’t be going to University either…

Todd looked up at the board. The topic of today’s discussion would be the difference between Socialism and Capitalism. He still pretended to take the class seriously, but he was usually operating the Pretentious system. He was not aware of the fact that Eve was watching him, that she could tell that he wasn’t paying attention, or that he was disappointing her.

Todd opened the Mall and checked his recent gains. He clicked on the character attributes of the icons in Groceries, and when he fixed his eyes on his current Slap-Face Numerical Value, which was only 12,100, he gasped. He had expected much more!

Suddenly, the mechanical voice in his mind spoke up. It said, "If similar behaviors are repeated, the rate of increase for the Slap-Face Numerical Value will reduce in increments."

Todd thought about that for a few moments. He had noticed this peculiarity, but until now he had not understood it. Only now did it make complete sense; the first time he did an action, such as kicking someone in the face, he received the ultimate reward for that action. But every time after that, when he kicked someone in the face, the reward would be slightly less until, eventually, the reward would be insubstantial.

12,100 Slap-Face Numerical Value – Todd sighed. He had expected more. But if he traded it for gold, then traded the gold for cash, he would have enough to stay afloat a while longer, and that was the important thing. Of course, he would have to make some lifestyle changes, but those had already begun. For example, he had not eaten at a restaurant in over two weeks.

If things did not improve, Todd worried that he might lose his car. He was optimistic, though. Now that he knew the rules, there was no reason why he could not do better.