Chapter 208: Control Them Both Wolf and Max had eventually been called in. Compared to how they had felt earlier that same day, there was a noticeable shift in their demeanor. They were walking with a little more confidence, standing taller, no longer weighed down by the tension of wondering where they stood. Originally, the two had believed they were on thin ice with the Rejected Corps. But after what had happened, they figured things might be turning around. Their display of strength during the earlier conflict had clearly made an impact, at least, they hoped so. They imagined Dud and Na had spoken up on their behalf, put in a good word or two. After all, even those two had seemed impressed by how much they’d managed to contribute. It wasn’t luck either. Both Max and Wolf were getting stronger, and fast. Each skirmish, each fight, it was sharpening them. They were improving in real time, and it showed. Maybe, just maybe, they’d made up for not showing up the other day. That misstep had been lingering in the back of their minds ever since. As usual, when standing in front of Chrono’s desk, the two of them stood as straight as soldiers reporting for duty. Chrono glanced up at them with a raised brow. "I heard you two did a good job today," Chrono said, his voice even but laced with something harder beneath. "So, as usual, here’s your payment for the day." He chucked the wad of cash toward them, but there was no grace in the gesture. It was tossed with a bit of aggression, like a reminder that their status here was still uncertain. Wolf fumbled slightly trying to catch it, his hands clumsy with nerves. He forced a wide, fake smile onto his face, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. Max, on the other hand, snatched his payment mid-air with sharp, reflexive precision. He remained calm, but he could feel Chrono’s gaze narrowing on him. "Now that the praise for today is out of the way," Chrono continued, his eyes shifting and locking directly onto Max, "I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while." He leaned forward slightly, elbows pressing into the desk. "I already know his answer," Chrono said with a tilt of his head toward Wolf. "So I want yours. Why didn’t you show up yesterday when I called for you?" There it was. The moment Max had been bracing himself for. He had known Chrono wouldn’t just let that slide. Even if they’d proven themselves useful today, that absence wasn’t something a man like Chrono would forget so easily. Max took a small breath. He had an answer, he wasn’t sure if it would be good enough, but it was honest. "There was an issue between schools," Max explained calmly. "As the head of my current school, and because of the position I hold, I needed to handle it personally. It’s a position I still hold, even now." He gave a small bow, a sign of respect meant to smooth things over. But from the look on Chrono’s face, it clearly didn’t do much. The older man was holding a pen in his hand, and the veins bulging on his wrist showed just how tightly he was gripping it. "So what you’re telling me," Chrono said slowly, his tone tightening like a coil about to snap, "is that you actually think your school troubles are more important than what’s happening in the Rejected Corps?" There was silence for a second, just enough for the tension to thicken. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖 "You refused to show up... because of some high school crap?" SNAP. The pen cracked in his grip, broken clean in two. Ink spattered across the surface of the table like blood from a fresh wound. One half of the pen rolled off the desk, landing on the floor with a soft clack. Max didn’t flinch. "I understand," Max said, keeping his voice steady. "The Rejected Corps is absolutely more important in the grand scheme of things than anything going on at school. I just didn’t realize... I didn’t think the Corps would need us that badly that day." He paused for a beat, then added, "I’ve seen how skilled your members are. How easily things have been handled before. It wasn’t until today that I saw how strong your opponent truly is. I made a mistake." Chrono didn’t speak right away. Max pressed on, knowing this was the only chance he’d get to explain himself properly. "But the position I hold at school, it’s not something meaningless either. I’m the leader of the delinquents. The students there, they respect me. It’s what allowed me to earn the chance to even join the Rejected Corps in the first place. Without that, I wouldn’t be standing here." There was a flicker of something behind Chrono’s eyes. Maybe understanding. Maybe not. "You really have an answer for everything, don’t you?" Chrono said, his voice heavy with sarcasm as he slowly rose from his chair. There was a sharp edge in the air, a shift that made Wolf tense up immediately. His fingers twitched at his sides, subtle, but noticeable. He wasn’t sure what Chrono would do next, but he was ready to act if things escalated. "I already told you to drop out," Chrono snapped. "No gang is going to give a damn about the respect you have among a bunch of stupid high schoolers. They’re nothing!" His rage had reached its peak. Without warning, Chrono grabbed the broken tip of the pen from his desk and hurled it at Max. It struck hard and fast. Max barely had time to react as the sharp edge skimmed across his cheek, leaving a thin, shallow scratch. A faint red line appeared, the blood just beginning to bead. Chrono stood there, breathing heavily. His jaw clenched, his hands balled into fists. There was more he wanted to say, more he wanted to scream. The truth was, he wanted to blame them. He wanted to lash out and tell them that because the two of them hadn’t shown up the day before, they’d lost good men. That their absence had cost the Rejected Corps dearly. But he didn’t say it. Because if he did, if he admitted that, it would mean the gang had depended on them. That they were needed. And that was something Chrono could not afford to let them believe. Giving them that kind of leverage, letting them think their position held that much weight, that was dangerous. "I understand," Max said, his voice calm and steady despite the sting on his face. "Above all else, the Rejected Corps matters more than anything. I didn’t understand that before, but I do now." He bowed his head slightly again, but this time it felt more grounded, less like appeasement and more like a silent vow. "I won’t take it lightly. The next time you call, I’ll be there, no hesitation. Please understand, before I even joined the Corps, there was unfinished business I needed to settle. But that’s behind me now. I can bring my full attention to the Rejected Corps." Chrono’s glare didn’t soften, but he didn’t say anything else either. For a moment, it looked like he might explode again, but instead, he just waved his hand at them. "Get out. I’ll call you when I need you," he muttered. "And we better not have this talk again." Max gave a short nod, and both he and Wolf turned around, walking toward the exit without another word. Once they were out of the room and around the corner, Max slowly raised his hand and touched the fresh cut on his cheek. ’That was close,’ he thought. ’I nearly jumped that desk and grabbed him. If I was still the old me... I might have done it without thinking.’ Wolf glanced sideways at him, his expression unreadable. "It’s a good thing you didn’t do anything," he said at last. "If he’d thrown that pen at me, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to hold back." Then, he added with a smirk, "Well... maybe with the amount of money you’re paying me, I would’ve thought twice." Max chuckled under his breath. The mood was still heavy, but Wolf’s comment helped ease the tension, even if just a little. Meanwhile, back in the office, Chrono remained seated, the air in the room still thick from his outburst. He leaned back in his chair, taking a long, deep breath, his chest rising and falling slowly. Na and Dud stood silently across from him. Chrono finally looked up. "You were right, Na," he said, his voice low and tired. "You could see it, the way they spoke to me, the way they walked in..." He paused, almost like the truth was hard to admit. "They don’t respect us. Not really. Not for what we built. They don’t get how dangerous a gang like this is, how serious this life is." He looked down at the ink-stained desk, his jaw tightening again. "Maybe I pampered them too much," he continued. "Trying to lure them in, trying to get them on our side... but that was a mistake. We can’t keep giving them leeway. We can’t let them believe they’re untouchable." His eyes flicked up toward Dud. "Dud, proceed with what you were doing," Chrono ordered. "And make sure you rein the two of them in. I don’t care how good they are, we either control them now... or we’ll have to crush them later." Dud gave a short nod. The decision had been made. From this point on, things were going to change.