Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 52: X Starling

Chapter 52: X Starling
The holidays were over. Time for school.
The winter sun was pale and weak, barely piercing the thick gray clouds that hung over the city. Inside the Salazar mansion, the heating was set to a perfect, comfortable temperature, but Nathan felt cold to the bone.
Isabel explained to him that the uniform had been prepared especially for him, considering the new school year had already started. When she offered to help, Nathan quickly refused. He insisted on doing it himself. He didn’t need any help.
Isabel finally left.
Nathan stared at the uniform laid out on his bed. X Starling Academy. The name alone sounded expensive. The uniform was even worse: a charcoal wool blazer with the school crest embroidered in silver thread, a thick cashmere sweater vest, and a heavy winter coat that probably cost more than Nathan’s entire salary over the last two years.
Nathan stood in front of the full-length mirror. He didn’t recognize the figure staring back at him.
"I look like a penguin," Nathan muttered, tugging at the collar. The clothes were so comfortable and warm. They felt expensive.
He had spent seventeen years fighting for scraps, wearing second-hand hoodies and jeans with holes that weren’t a fashion statement. Now, the fabric touching his skin probably cost more than an orphanage’s official car.
The door to his room burst open without a knock.
"Nathan! It’s snowing!"
Nael breezed into the room, bringing a wave of energy that Nathan was entirely unprepared for at 7:00 a.m. Unlike Nathan, who looked like he was wearing a costume, Nael wore the uniform as if he had been born in it. The tie was perfect, the blazer fitted his shoulders immaculately, and his hair was styled with effortless precision.
"Can’t you knock?!" Nathan groaned, turning away to grab his socks.
"Ah, sorry! I’m just excited!" Nael apologized quickly, then walked closer with a wide smile.
"We’re finally going to school together! I hope we have the same class! I can introduce you to the fencing team, and—"
"What is fencing?!" Nathan snapped, aggressively pulling on his socks. "And I don’t need you to introduce me to anyone. I don’t want to waste time. I need to graduate soon."
Nael’s smile faltered slightly, but then he realized Nathan might not be able to join extracurricular activities since he needed to focus on catching up academically. Even Nael himself, could only take one extracurricular activity at school, and most students had obligations outside of it anyway.
Nael stepped closer, looking at Nathan. "Your tie is crooked. Here, let me—"
Nathan flinched. "Don’t touch me. I can do it myself." He immediately stood up after putting on his shoes.
"But it’s a Windsor knot. It’s tricky if you haven’t—"
"I said no!"
The air in the room shifted instantly. The temperature seemed to drop as steady footsteps were heard outside the half-open door.
Alexander Salazar appeared at the threshold. He was dressed in a three-piece suit that swallowed the light, a long black wool coat draped over his arm, and black leather gloves already pulled on.
Nael straightened immediately. "Morning, Alex!"
Alexander glanced at Nael and smiled. "Morning. You’ve already annoyed your brother this early."
"I didn’t annoy him. I wanted to help!" Nael protested, refusing to be called a nuisance.
Alexander walked in, chuckling softly. His calculating gaze fixed on Nathan’s disastrously tied necktie.
"Come here," Alexander ordered.
"It’s fine," Nathan grumbled, shielding his neck. "It stays up."
"You look like a drunkard. Come. Here."
Nathan hesitated, then shuffled forward, resentment burning in his chest. Alexander dropped his coat on the bed and reached out. Nathan braced himself for a rough tug, but Alexander’s gloved hands were surprisingly precise, almost gentle.
He undid Nathan’s messy knot and began to reweave the silk.
"X Starling is not a public playground, Nathan," Alexander said quietly, eyes focused on the fabric. "It is a viper’s nest. Appearance is your first shield. If you walk in looking weak, they will eat you alive."
"I can fight," Nathan muttered.
"We do not fight with fists there. We fight with presence and brains." Alexander tightened the knot, firm, perfect, centered. He smoothed down Nathan’s lapels and stepped back. "Better. Now, let’s go."
Alexander’s words only made Nathan more anxious. After all, he was about to enter a new school, a new environment, everything unfamiliar. He had to adapt.
Negative thoughts flooded his mind. What if he failed the exams? What if he couldn’t adapt to people who were known to be elite?
Nathan grabbed his bag and walked with an unfocused gaze. He didn’t even listen to Nael’s chatter as they walked together.
Down in the foyer, Louis was waiting by the door with a warm smile.
"Good morning, young masters," Louis greeted them. "The car is warmed up."
"Morning, Louis. I’m riding with you," Nathan said. This month was Nael’s turn, but Nathan didn’t want to go to his new school with Jack.
Nael blinked. "What? No! Louis drives me. It’s my turn this month. Or we can go together!"
"I am not riding with you," Nathan hissed, keeping his voice low.
"But—" Nael looked hurt, grabbing Louis’s sleeve. "Louis, tell him! We fit in the back!"
"I... well..." Louis looked between the identical faces, one pleading, one furious. He completely lost.
"I’ll walk then," Nathan decided. "I’ll take the bus."
"You will do no such thing," Alexander said, having just finished speaking with Huan as he approached. "Louis, bring the Phantom around. We will go together."
The silence in the foyer was deafening.
"You? Why?" Nathan asked, horrified.
"It’s your first day. As your guardian, I have a meeting with Principal Halloway to finalize the donation paperwork." He looked Nathan up and down. "And to ensure you actually walk through the front doors, not out the back."
Nathan immediately fell silent. "But why do we have to leave together?"
"Get in the car." Alexander would not take no for an answer.
Louis breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally free from the twins’ quarrel.
The ride was a special kind of torture for Nathan.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom glided through the snowy streets. The world outside was gray and freezing, but inside, the heated leather seats and climate control created a bubble of suffocating luxury.
Alexander sat in the back with them, forcing the twins to sit on either side of him. He acted as a human wall, reading s on a tablet while Nael tried to talk over him.
"So," Nael leaned forward, trying to catch Nathan’s eye, "avoid the cafeteria sushi on Tuesdays. It’s fresh, but the line is too long."
Nathan stared out the window, watching snowflakes melt against the glass. "I don’t like sushi."
Even though Nathan rarely listened or responded, Nael didn’t mind. He continued explaining things anyway.
Finally, the car slowed. They had arrived.
The driveway of X Starling Academy was a parade of excess. Bentleys, Range Rovers, and limousines dropped off students wrapped in designer coats. The architecture was imposing, gothic stone, high arches, iron gates that screamed exclusivity.
When the Salazar Rolls-Royce pulled up to the curb, the atmosphere shifted. Nathan had never been the center of attention like this before.
The gazes weren’t admiring, more curious. After seeing Nael, recognition flashed immediately. But when Nathan stepped out, those gazes returned, sharper.
There were two Nael Salazars?
Alexander told Nathan to get back into the car. "We need to see the principal."
Nathan sighed. He had hoped to follow Nael inside.
Alexander turned to Nael. "Go to class."
Nael nodded and waved. "Bye!"
Ten minutes later.
Principal Halloway was nervous. His office was warm, filled with mahogany furniture and the scent of old books, but Alexander Salazar’s presence turned it into a freezer.
Alexander sat in the leather guest chair, legs crossed, perfectly relaxed. Principal Halloway shuffled papers nervously.
"We are... truly honored to have Nathan join us, Mr. Salazar," Halloway stammered. "Though, looking at his transcripts from his previous... public institutions... there are some significant gaps. French, advanced calculus, art history—"
"He is a quick learner," Alexander said flatly, glancing at Nathan.
Nathan remained silent, anxiety creeping in. No matter how smart he was, he had never taken French. And what was the point of it anyway?
"Of course, of course. But we usually require an entrance exam, to ensure he fits the—"
Alexander reached into his jacket and pulled out a check, sliding it across the desk without a word.
Halloway looked at the number. His eyes widened. It was enough to build a new library wing. And a heated pool.
"The heating system in your library is outdated," Alexander said, checking his watch. "I noticed it last winter during the gala. It must be terrible for the students’ focus. Consider that handled."
Halloway swallowed hard and took the check. "I... see. Yes. A very generous observation."
"Nathan will struggle," Alexander admitted, his voice dropping. "But I’m sure he will try his best."
Halloway nodded quickly. "I understand. Since Nael is in an advanced class designed for exemplary students, I can’t place Nathan there. He needs time to adapt. I’ll assign him to a regular class."
Alexander leaned forward slightly, then nodded. That would help Nathan.
"That’s fair. Just please, take care of him."
"Of course. Our professors are professionals. Nathan will catch up."
After saying goodbye, Alexander left. Nathan followed a woman out of the office toward his classroom.
And in his new class, just as he tried to calm his nerves, he saw a boy sitting at a desk in the middle of the room.
A boy with red hair and freckles.
Franc!