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BASES, ALSO KNOWN AS Brotherhood Bases, are areas within a campus that was chosen by a specific brotherhood. A brotherhood must choose an area in their House and submit it to the Brotherhood Association along with the reason why they chose it so it can get approved. These bases are inaccessible to white uniforms, except for the brotherhood's underlings. The brotherhoods also have full control of their base, and most of the time they can be found there if one wishes to meet with them.

     For instance, the stadium is a joint base for both the kings and the princes. If there is an official battle or event, everyone can enter the stadium. But during regular days, only the royals are allowed inside. Students who enter without permission will face consequences.

     "Thank god it's Friday!" Ari shouts while walking down the hall to their classroom.

     "Yesterday was still too crazy for me that I don't even feel the comfort of a Friday. Who would have thought our class's little prank would lead to that? I've never seen the vice president so angry," Felix says as he walks beside his friends Max and Ari.

      "Yeah, he didn't even need my help. Everyone involved immediately admitted to it after Blade left. Even Ervin helped rat some of them out," Ari tells them.

     "I bet he got mad since they were pinning the blame on the Jacks. Ervin didn't leave Jokers and continued his activities with them. It's just a pity that his so-called friends left him because of that. Just goes to show they were only hanging out with him because of his title," Max then says even though Ervin had bullied him a few times before.

     After Gavriil gave the lists of names to Blade, the three students involved in the prank were immediately called right after. Everyone knew that there would be consequences, but no one expected that they'd be kicked out of their class. Everyone was just surprised when their homeroom teacher, sir Barron, arrived and announced that the three students will be moving to Class C. They were only twenty students in Class II-A, but there are only seventeen of them now.

     "But the craziest part about all this was that the prince helped you. I bet our classmates thought you'd get in trouble, but instead, it backfired on them," Ari explains, and Max couldn't help but nod in agreement.

     Max didn't tell anyone about how the king asked the prince to assist him, but he knew that what happened yesterday was already enough to at least make his classmates stop doing anything reckless. And he didn't tell anyone about his encounter with Jokers' Brave either since he didn't want anyone to know he carried him in the middle of the fountain.

     "He didn't exactly help ME out. They only did it because someone disrespected the rules regarding their base. They would have done it to anyone," Max answers, and both Felix and Ari shrugged their shoulders as a response.

     When they got to their classroom, the three were surprised to see that a bunch of students was blocking the door.

     "Well this is a familiar scene," Ari says as he pushes the students away so he could make way for them. When they got inside, Max was surprised to see Ervin sitting on Max's chair. And on top of his desk was none other than the infamous Jack-in-the-box.

     "You got to be kidding me," Max says in disbelief as he approaches his chair.

     Some of his classmates looked at Max with a "serves-you-right" look. But before Max could even ask why he was given another box, Ervin gestures at it and says, "Open it."

     Max wanted to protest, but he knew nothing would come out of it. So without saying anything, Max turns the handle, and the familiar melody echoes inside the room. As soon as the sound finds its end, jack pops out with a note. Max takes a deep breath and takes the note so he can read it.

Little Toy,

Scared ya didn't I? Anyway, heard from Brave you wanted to talk. I'm not a person who would usually request an audience, but lucky for you I'm quite free.

Come to our base and let's talk. Let's see if you deserve those merit points you've gambled so much for.

- MJ

     Max couldn't believe what he just read. Even Felix and Ari, who read the letter with him, couldn't believe it either.

     "When the hell did you request to meet with Master Joker?" Ari asks with confusion on his face.

     Max got ready to answer him, but Ervin suddenly stands from Max's seat and says, "Follow me." And then he starts walking away.

     Max looked at his two friends, and they instantly knew what to do.

     "We'll explain it to sir Barron," Ari assures Max, while Felix grabs his suitcase for him.

     Max thanked his friends and followed Ervin. The two were awkward with each other since they had already clashed a few times before. It was so bizarre that Max could even imagine himself walking beside Viktor, and not with Ervin.

     "I'm surprised you didn't leave your Jack title," Max suddenly says so he could at least break the ice. "Honestly, ever since I received the box, I expected that you'd shove me in a locker or throw snakes at me. But you never actually did anything. Of course, it's not something that I'd thank you for but—"

     "I'm sorry."

     "What?"

     Max looks at Ervin with shock, but Ervin doesn't stop walking like he didn't say anything strange. So without looking back at Max, he continues, "There are three types of heirs in this school Sinclaire. There are business heirs, political heirs, and professional heirs. You guys from business-running families are always the high and mighty. Those from a political family manages to cope up, but then us, students who are sons of doctors, lawyers, and even engineers, we're always looked down upon even if we rank high."

     Max was surprised by the sudden explanation. Max always knew that students of J.S High are from people from respectable families and not just those who come from the business world. Ari for instance came from a family of authors and noble prize winners. Max, who's a son of business tycoons, never found a separation between them. But maybe that's a privileged observation since he doesn't experience any discrimination that directly targets his family.

     "There's only a couple of us so it's not entirely an issue. Money isn't always a problem either, but what are we in a school filled with heirs like your kind?" Ervin then asks, now looking at Max.

     "Why are you telling me this?" Max asks back.

     "I'm not justifying my actions, but I just want you to know why I did what I did. In this House where the weak will be devoured, you have to do everything to survive," Ervin tells him, and Max couldn't say anything about it anymore.

     Max takes a deep breath and nods his head in understanding. But before he could even say anything, the two arrive at their destination.

     Ervin opens the door, revealing the rooftop area where all the members of Jokers could be found. One was lying on the bench, four were playing basketball, and Krist Hyusen - their Master Joker - was leaning on the edge just looking at the beautiful view of the campus.

     They looked like normal students that it was too surreal.

     "So this is where they usually hide?" Max whispers to himself.

     "Masters, I've brought the target," Ervin says with a bow.

     Brave, who was lying down, immediately stands and jogs his way to pat Ervin on the shoulder. "Thank you for delivering the package. You may now leave."

     Ervin nods his head, and without saying anything else, he leaves.

     Brave smiles brightly and suddenly drape his arms around Max. "Welcome to our base little toy," Brave happily tells him. Max, who doesn't like anyone touching him, immediately pushes him away. Thankfully Brave just laughed it off.

     "Heard what happened with PHD yesterday. You're really something Sinclaire. Who would have thought they'd declare a Prince's Law this early in the year?" Brave adds.

     "Well, Mj's waiting," he says as he points at Krist who was concentrating on something else while the rest of the members of Jokers stopped what they were doing so they could eavesdrop on the two's conversation.

     Max nods his head, thanks Brave, and walks his way towards Krist. Krist doesn't react, so Max stands beside him and looks at the exact scenery that the master joker was looking at.

      "So did you call me here to talk or to simply look at the campus with you?" Max asks without looking at the person he asked the question to.

      Krist chuckles and suddenly points at the fountain where the large statue of Janus can be found. Max realizes that this must have been the exact spot where Brave saw him inside the fountain yesterday. This must also have been the spot where Jokers saw Brave carry Max like a boy in distress.

     Max was expecting Krist to make a joke out of it, but to his surprise, Krist said something different.

     "J.S High stands for Janus Sinclaire, but the image isn't president Janus, but the Roman god instead. Janus is the god of doorways, gates, and transitions. He has two faces, which represent the past and the future. He's the middle ground between the concrete and the abstract," Krist suddenly explains before finally looking at Max.

     "It's almost telling us that when we step out of the gates of this school, our lives outside is what's concrete, and all this...that's abstract. It's all just a concept...an illusion."

     Max farrows his brows and looks back at Krist with total confusion. "Why are you suddenly being so philosophical? Did I come here to be lectured by you?"

     "Why did you enroll in J.S High?" Krist finally asks instead of answering Max's question.

     Max was surprised by the question, but deep down he knew that it was going to come up sooner or later. He glances at Jokers who looked like they were minding their own business even though it's obvious that they're eavesdropping, then he looks back at Krist and answers him, "I've been asked the same question before, and I feel like now I don't even have an answer myself. Is it recognition? Boredom? Pleasure? Maybe I'm just like Janus. Maybe I just want to settle something in my past while looking at the future."

     "Your past?"

     Max takes a deep breath and nods his head, "About my mother, and about how the only thing that makes me remember her more is because of—"

     "Viktor," Krist finishes for him, and Max doesn't say anything and looks at the scenery instead.

     "The past can sometimes be very unpleasant. I don't know your mother enough, but I knew yours and Viktor's family were in bad blood with each other. Sadly both were killed, and no one was left to blame for it. It must be hard on your part since Viktor's now right there in front of you, but you're not even allowed to reach out to him," Krist explains, suddenly making Max chuckle.

     "Then it looks like we have something in common," Max tells him.

     Krist looks at Max, ready to ask him about what he meant. But when he saw the grin on Max's face, Krist smiles in defeat and nods his head in understanding.

     "Didn't know you'd notice the gun, but to answer your curiosity, yes, it was given to me, but not by Viktor," Krist answers, and that actually surprised Max since he assumed that it was.

     Max looks back at Krist and properly faces him this time. "Alright, then can you answer another one of my curiosities?" He asks.

     Krist nods his head to grant him permission, and Max immediately asks him his second question. "Why did you target those students? Why did you bully them to such an extent?"

     Krist sighs upon hearing the expected question. Jokers heard it too and finally decided that it's time for them to take their leave, so they briefly excused themselves and left the rooftop completely.

     "There's no single answer to that question. At first, it was for the fun of it. 'Let's give boxes to anyone who talked shit about us,' that's what I declared to the members of Jokers. We were the lowest in this house, so we were the center of the joke. You wouldn't believe how many boxes we'd give out in a week," Krist says before laughing to himself, remembering how crazy that must have been.

     "At first we didn't break any rules since we were only doing harmless pranks for the sake of laughs. But to keep up with our custom, that's when we realized we needed underlings," Krist explains, suddenly grabbing his collar so he could touch his brooch.

     "I told the Jacks the exact same thing I told my Jokers, and that's when shit went down. Receiving a box meant hell for the white uniforms thanks to what our underlings did to them. It wasn't mere pranks anymore, and some ended up getting hurt. I couldn't stop them because they were white uniforms, and they weren't entirely breaking any rules. But the truth is, I just didn't care anymore. Everyone already thinks we're jerks, so let's just live up to the name, right?" Krist says as if he was telling that to himself.

     "Then where does your father come in? Why did you target homosexuals too?" Max then asks, and Krist looks at Max with surprise.

     "So you knew that too huh? Who told you? Marcus?" Krist asks, but he didn't look angry about it, so Max answered, "Khian."

     Krist laughs and shakes his head like he expected that to happen.

     "There will always be a time where we do some stupid things to resolve some stupid issues. I hated them like they were germs that I had to wash away. I gave them boxes to satisfy myself but nothing changed. I was still too angry," Krist explains, the regret present in his eyes.

     "They reminded you of your father? About what he did to your family?" Max asks, and Krist shakes his head to oppose it.

    "N-No...I don't actually know. Cheating is cheating, regardless of gender. My mother just couldn't comprehend the fact that my father cheated on a man. And to add fuel to the fire, my loving brother ended up being gay too," Krist explains, surprising Max.

     Max doesn't comment about it so Krist continues, "My father took my brother away to protect him since mom would hurt him almost every day. My father said he'd come back for me and take me with them...but he never did."

     Krist clenches his fist after remembering his younger self waiting for his father every day. He'd wait for a mail, or a message, or anything, but his father never came back. He was a fool to wait.

     "My family broke apart and I didn't understand why. But my mother told me every day that gay people destroyed our family. I got so mad, and you know why I got so mad at those people?" He asks, and Max shakes his head as an answer.

     Krist's expression turns into complete anger as he continues, "I got mad not because of their orientation. I got mad because they reminded me of my father and brother. They told me they'll come back for me, but they never did. My mother practically tortured me every day. She was so afraid I'd become like them that she forced women to—"

     "Enough." Max quickly says when he saw Krist's hand start trembling.

     Now he understands everything.

     Krist isn't mad at his father. He's mad at his mother. And seeing gay men reminded him of her, not him.

     "That's enough," Max repeated.

     The two didn't say anything anymore, but they enjoyed the comfort of silence for a few minutes while looking at the fountain in front of them. Max gave Krist the opportunity to compose himself. And if he didn't want to continue anymore, Max wasn't going to force him to.

     "You miss them don't you?" Max asks after a while.

     Krist takes a deep breath. Even though he wanted to deny it, he slowly nodded his head to confirm it.

     Max takes a deep breath and lets the wind blow gently on his face before saying, "You don't have to mask your pain; you deserve to show it. But what you don't deserve is hurting others. Those people aren't like them. Your father was wrong for cheating on your mother, and your mother was wrong for doing all those things to you, but the hardship you've faced in the past doesn't give you permission to become the hardship of others in your present. Your mother made it seem like being gay is a mistake, and what you're doing is making those students feel the same way."

     Krist looks back at Max, and Max suddenly pats the leader's head like what Marcus would do whenever he was encouraging him. Krist was caught off guard, but surprisingly enough, he doesn't push Max's hand away.

    "You're a baron and a master to your loyal Jokers and Jacks. I told you the other day that if I ask you what you've done that's worthy enough to label yourself as a Baron, what would you be able to answer me? I hope before you graduate you'll be able to give me that answer," Max says as he puts his hand down, and Krist faces Max and suddenly smiles at him.

     "You know, I actually might have an answer."

     "And what is that?"

     "As a baron, I was able to assist the future president of the Elites," Krist answers, surprising Max.

     Krist chuckles at Max's reaction before removing his glove and showing his hand. Max stares at it for a second, but he grabs it eventually and shakes it.

     When the two lets go of each other, Krist wears his glove back and puts his hands inside his pockets. "You really remind me of him."

     "Who? Viktor?"

     Krist slightly shakes his head and answers him, "No...our old president."

     Max furrows his brows in confusion. But even though he wanted to ask about it so badly, he knew that he wasn't going to get an answer from Krist anymore, so Max takes a deep breath and looks at Krist before smiling back at him instead. "You know what, I think I don't need the merit points anymore."

    Krist was honestly surprised by the sudden decision of the young heir. But before he could even ask him the reason for the sudden change of heart, Max start walking away from him.

     "This was a good talk Master Joker. Hopefully, we get to do this again," Max says while waving his hand goodbye.

     "Hey, little toy!" Krist suddenly calls out.

     Max pauses and looks over his shoulder to look back at Krist. Krist pulls something out from his pocket and suddenly throws it at Max. Thankfully Max was able to catch it before it could fall to the ground.

    Max opens his fist to check what the item was. To his surprise, it was a golden brooch. Not a Jacks brooch that their underlings have, but a crown that looks like a jesters hat.

     Max immediately looks at Krist's collar after seeing the crown. Every brotherhood leader has two brooches. One was a brooch that represents their brotherhood logo, and the other was a crown. Those two brooches are supposed to be connected by a golden chain, but to Max's surprise, Krist didn't have the crown brooch anymore.

     "Why are you giving this to me?" Max asks.

     "Hold on to it," he says, making Max's eyes widened from shock.

     "Can you do that?" Krist then asks him.

     Max stares at the brooch for a couple more seconds before clenching on to it with determination. "I can."

- END -