Surviving as the Second Main Lead: Second Lead's POV

Things returned to how they were for Horas after that run-in with Reed and things had calmed down somewhat.

And by that, Horas meant that there was no unnecessary backlash or rumors that spread due to yesterday's fighting. No civilian had gotten injured as well which was nice. It provided them with a much-needed buffer from the public backlash.

Horas had gotten ready in a hurry once the day had started and accompanied instructor Harris as he taught his class. It was an interesting class for sure but Horas was not able to pay attention to it.

He was not the only one distracted in the class as well. Howard also had a distracted look on his face and could not focus on the class. And unlike Horas, Howard was not lucky enough to escape Instructor Harris's eyes.

"Howard Spencer, is the class boring for you? If so, then would you like to solve this question on the board?"

Howard jolted as soon as he was called and walked over to the board. He looked at the question, only to realize he did not know how to solve it. He was at a loss for words.

"Howard, the answer is 1."

Emma, being her good friend, tried to help Howard out secretly. But her voice was loud enough to echo in the classroom. She looked startled and blushed at her mistake but the harm had been done.

Instructor Harris's face went red with anger as he looked at Emma.

"I see that *someone* is extremely eager to help out a dear friend. Then, why don't you come up here and solve the next question, Emma Dew?"

The class flinched as one when they noticed how angry Instructor Harris had gotten at Emma for helping Howard out. Emma was ready to cry when she got up and walked to the center of the call.

She looked at the question Instructor Harris had written on the board and gave up. She could not solve it even in her dreams. It was too advance for her brain to comprehend.

"What's wrong, Emma Dew? That should be easy for you, right?"

Instructor Harris's words were sharp and biting. He was not holding back in his insults today and there had to be a reason for this to happen.

'I guess I should interfere now before Instructor Harris manages to harm someone mentally forever. Emma is already beginning to look a little uncomfortable.'

Horas got up from his seat and quickly made his way to the front of the class. He also picked up the question book from the table and handed it to instructor Harris.

"Sir, we have not covered this topic yet. You should not ask students question they won't be able to answer."

Horas whispered these words to Instructor Harris so that no one else could hear them. Instructor Harris looked startled and finally noticed what the question was.

"Alright class, this is enough for today. Make sure you turn in your club application in two days or you will get a penalty."

There was still half an hour left for the class but Instructor Harris looked done. Something huge seemed to have happened for him to be out of it.

The class looked happy to see their instructor gone from the room. They cheered as soon as they were free of instructor Harris's horrible mood.

Emma Dew looked at Horas with glitter-filled eyes. She seemed to be misunderstanding some things on her end but Horas was not kind enough to correct her thought process.

The sound of footsteps followed Horas into the hallway. He tried not to notice them but it was difficult to do when the footsteps were so loud. Someone was running after him,

"Horas, wait a minute, Horas. I need to ask you a question and it's urgent."

Horas kept on walking, not stopping for even a single second. He knew that as soon as he stopped, he would be caught by Howard and Emma.

Horas was about to ignore them harder when some teachers turned from the corridor in front of him. He could no longer pretend like he did not hear the people behind him calling for him.

Horas's sudden stop startled Howard and Emma but they came around fast enough.

"What is your business with me?"

Horas knew he was being rude. A good person who has heard Howard and Emma out but he was avoiding getting close to them.

Emma looked a little discouraged at the harsh words but Horas was determined to talk to him.

"H-Horas, what club do you recommend for me to join? Which one are you a part of? I want you to be my mentor."

Howard's eyes were shining when he looked at Horas. The look of admiration sent shivers down Horas's spine but he held his breath.

"I don't think it is a good idea to follow me. There is a big gap between your skill set and my skill set. I think you should join the club that can help you."

Howard looked even more excited than before at being rejected. Emma tried to speak but Howard was not going to take 'no' for an answer.

There was one irritating person Horas found hard to deal with. So when another one joined, he should have realized that he had lost.

"Hey, what is going on here? I heard something about joining a club. Are you deciding which club you are joining Howard Spencer? Tell me so that I can join the same one."

Regine walked over to the group with shining eyes. She was interested in Horas since he had placed first in the entrance exam with a perfect score.

And she was even more excited to see Horas, one of the most infamous people in the academy together. It was a thing worth getting involved with.

"Nothing is going on here. You all should pick what you are good at and join that club."

Horas quickly evaded this topic. He had a feeling that something would go wrong if he encouraged these kids to join him.

"Horas, don't be like this. I admire you so much an-"

"A club with the infamous 'Grim reaper of the Esper's academy as a mentor? It sounds good. I want to join in as well. Let me join in Howard Spencer."

Regine looked excited at the idea of joining the two most infamous people in the academy. She was trying to further her connections with important people.

And from her spying around, she knew that Howard Spencer had mad connections with higher-ups. So Regine was going to take advantage of him.

"I have told this to you once and I will tell this to you again, I am not a part of any club. Now go and join a club that actually suits you."

Horas lied with a straight face. He was, in fact, in a club as an advisor. Every teacher, be it a permanent position or a temporary one like Horas, was required to choose a club to lead.

Horas had picked the first club he saw but he never went to any meeting for those clubs.

"Hmm, but are you sure-"

"Yes, I am sure. You all should start heading toward your next class. Instructor Harris let you off easily but your other teachers will likely not be as nice today."

This was Horas's warning to these meddling children. They did not understand why Instructor Harris was in such a foul mood but Horas knew that if one instructor was in a bad mood, every instructor was in a bad mood.

He pitted these children who had to deal with such moody teachers today.

Horas was about to head to his regular scheduled class when his system buzzed. Principal Marble was calling for him in her office. Her message sounded a little agitated which gave Horas a bad feeling.

That bad feeling only amplified once Horas stepped into her office. Principal Marble had a serious look on her face.

"Come and take a seat Horas. There is something I need you to do for me and it's urgent. And before you make any excuses, I know your schedule and I know you are free for the next many days. You cannot get out of this schedule."

Horas opened his mouth and closed it. Principal Marble had shut his protest down even before Horas had made it.

His body obeyed Principal Marble's command without him meaning to. She was just too powerful for him to go against.

She pushed a small envelope toward Horas and he carefully picked it up. He opened it up slowly and dreaded what it said.

'Shit, I knew this would happen when the protagonist talked about clubs and all. I would be called here no matter what, huh?'

And since principal Marbel had made such a decision, Horas knew that there was no point in trying to stop her from getting him involved. All he could do was swallow his words and prepare for the worst.

"I understand. This club orientation is the only thing I will have to attend this year in relation to club activities, right? Then I will do as you asked of me."

Principal Marble looked satisfied with the reply she got and she was relieved as well. She had achieved her goal here