After the fight, Arthur was the first one to leave the gym. His steps echoed down the hall until the door creaked shut behind him, leaving only the low hum of the lights of the gym behind.

The air felt heavier once he was gone; Ryan and Maya both took a deep breath of relief. It felt like the room itself exhaled with relief—and now only Ryan and Maya were left standing there, facing the weight of what just took place a while ago.

Maya sat down on a wooden bench, fixing her ponytail as she wiped down the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked completely exhausted, but her eyes were sharp.

She slowly looked towards Ryan, scanning him down with some suspicion in her eye before her voice came, firm. "Alright... now tell me what you got yourself into." Her face was unreadable as her eyes kept fixed onto Ryan. "This doesn't seem like some normal thing."

Her tone wasn't playful and cheerful like usual; it was filled with caution and worry—the kind that made Ryan's stomach twist.

He shifted awkwardly as he took his hand to his neck—scratching the back of it. His shirt was completely drenched in sweat, his arms were sore, and his mind was still spinning from everything that happened. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, trying to find the right words to use in this situation, which'll convince Maya.

"I..." he muttered as his voice stayed low. "I might've done something stupid... I definitely know that what I did was stupid."

Maya looked at Ryan as she scanned him whole, eyes filled with worry as she let out a deep sigh. "What did you do, Ryan? Define what you mean by "stupid" to me."

Ryan hesitated a bit, lips parted as he spoke. "I... took something from West High Crew. Something sort of supplies. Daniel helped me to do all this; we fought the guys and took the packets and hid them from the West High Crew."

Maya blinked in confusion, clearly caught off guard. Her eyes widened as she spoke, her voice loud. "Wait, you did what!?"

"Yeah," Ryan muttered under his breath as he leaned down to fix his trousers. Ryan admitted to it. "Those packets—they were filled with the cocaine. They're selling that shit in our school, to students. I couldn't just ignore it and let it all happen." He said as he leaned back up, looking at Maya straight into her eyes.

Her mouth opened slightly, then closed. For a moment she looked at Ryan in utter disbelief—like she didn't recognize the guy who was in front of her. It was not the same Ryan she knew.

"You made them into your enemy," she said slowly as her eyes stayed locked onto Ryan; the glimpse of worry was clearly visible in her eyes. "Do you even realize what you have done, Ryan? Those people don't forgive, and they are strong enough to take anyone out of their way."

He looked down, a small tired smile curled up on his lips, as his voice came out low. "Yeah, today I have realized that much."

Maya continued asking the questions, voice filled with worry. "And you did all of this alone?"

"No," he said. "Arthur's helping."

Maya let out a deep sigh as she rubbed her temple with her two fingers. "Arthur Cain is helping you? Wow, this really is serious then, and I never thought he would meddle in the business of some randoms." She said as she put her hand under her chin, thinking.

She stood up and stretched a bit, making the blood flow better in her body. She looked at Ryan and gave a soft smile. "This might be too much for you alone," her voice came, cheerful like usual. "You'll need more than muscles and luck. I'm in; let me do the work as the brain of the team."

Ryan blinked in confusion as his eyes widened a bit. "You what?"

Maya's grin widened as she tied her hair back into a ponytail. "I want to help you too," her eyes filled with motivation. "I'm tired of being the number five in my club. I want to be stronger—and if I'm with you and Arthur in this, then I'll get to fight those guys, and I'll be able to improve."

For a second Ryan just stared at her in confusion, scanning if she was joking or not. Then he smiled, a little helplessly. But it was genuine as he raised his fist up in the air next to Maya's front.

"Yeah, you're welcome in the crew, Maya. The more the better," he said.

[Sub Quest 2: Recruit members.]

[Progress: 2/5 members]

[Rewards: ???]

Ryan looked at the system's panel, which was hovering in the air in front of his eyes, shimmering slowly with the blue light.

'2 members, 3 more to go. I might have some people in my mind, but I'm not sure if they'll agree to join me on this or not.'

Host, don't overthink. They will join you; even Arthur gave in and joined you.]

Ryan gave a soft nod as he looked back at Maya, who had a soft smile on her face.

Maya grinned as she lifted her fist up and bumped it with Ryan's fist. "Damn right, Ryan."

They both laughed; their voices echoed in the hall of the gym—short, tired laughs, but it helped to ease the tension in the room. For a moment, the feeling of fear hanging in the air cooled down a bit.

They both together went to the gym's main door; they left the gym, and the door shut behind them. They both walked in the hallway together, staying silent, like they were thinking about something important.

When they reached Ryan's classroom, Maya waved as she went back her way. Ryan made his way back into his class; his mind was racing the whole time.

The floorboards creaked under his shoes; sunlight was coming inside the classroom from the tall windows, making long strips of golden light across the hall.

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