♝

FELIX STARES AT THE door in front of him. He didn't want to go inside since there were a lot of things on his mind, and one of those things is the fact that he has to hide his real identity from his friends. He doesn't say anything and reaches out to touch his shoulder. After trying to compose himself, Felix puts a serious expression on his face before finally going inside.

    The room was an empty space that was covered in black. The walls were black, the ceiling and even the floors were also black. The only thing inside the room were chairs with numbers and spotlights above each chair.

    Felix enters the room and sees someone standing in the middle, holding a cane. The figure was tall and intimidating, and even though the unknown figure was wearing a mask, Felix instantly knew who they were.

    He walks towards the chair with the number 7 engraved on the crest rail. Standing in front of the chair, he looks back at the black uniform who's standing in the middle of the room before going down on one knee to greet her. "Siren," he say.

    "Felix," Siren greets back, and Felix got up and stood up straight, facing their leader with no hint of fear.

    "You have never called me like this during classes. I hope you understand that it was a very risky request," Felix says, and Siren nods her head, understanding Felix's concern full well.

     "I understand and I greatly apologize for it, but one of our whisperers told me something interesting. I heard you have a new club advisor," Siren says, instantly making Felix sigh by just remembering it.

     "Skyler Hansen, rank 13. He is our new advisor," Felix shares, and at that moment, he notices Siren suddenly clenching her fist, almost like something about that name irked her.

     Siren was silent for a couple of seconds, but then she says, "Felix, I asked you to join Omega Society because it doesn't catch too much attention, but it seems like it's not the case anymore, especially with that flashy new advisor of yours."

     "Well it's not like I—"

     "And you even ranked up and became a gaffer. There was a reason why you've been a serf for a long time. Why did you suddenly disobey me like this Felix? I am very disappointed in you," Siren says, her voice so soft that Felix didn't even feel like he was being scolded.

     Felix doesn't answer his leader, so Siren takes a deep breath and asks him instead, "Have you done what I've tasked you to do?"

     Felix remembered what the task was supposed to be. It was something that Siren asked him to do since the very first day of school. It was a task that no other member could do besides him.

     "I'm not your homeboy. If you want to do something then do it yourself," Felix bravely answers, and the response was something that Siren did not like one bit.

     Siren doesn't say anything, but then she walks closer to Felix, still holding onto the cane that she's always been holding. "You are becoming more and more difficult to control every passing day, Felix. Ever since you've been acquainted with that child, you've been acting insolent. Is this what you've been learning from him?"

    Felix was confused on who Siren was referring to, but an angry expression instantly appears on his face when he asked, "Do you mean Max? Because if you are then you better watch your mouth. Max is the only person in J.S High who knows the real me. I will not allow you to do anything to him."

    "Is that so?" Siren asks, reaching out and holding Felix's chin.

    "My decision still remains Felix," she says. "I hope you know that you can act all you want, but nothing will change. You are still number 7 in our brotherhood. You're still a respectable member of Crazy 8."

    Felix doesn't say anything and just clenched his fist in anger. He wanted to push Siren away from him, but he knew damn well not to touch her, especially with that cane she's holding.

    Felix remembered a time when someone dared touch Siren, and that unfortunate man got wounded on the arm because the cane that Siren was holding was actually a very thin yet sharp blade. It was her weapon. Unlike the other brotherhoods, Siren doesn't use a gun.

     "That child is the only person in J.S High who knows the real you? Don't make me laugh Felix. What if I tell him you're a member of Crazy 8, how do you think he'll react?" Siren asks, and Felix's eyes immediately widened from shock. "If you're so confident about his trust for you, then what do you think he'll do?"

    "D-don't you dare tell him anything. I'll fucking kill you," Felix warns, and the panic in his eyes made Siren smirk underneath her mask.

    She lets go of Felix and moves away from him before saying, "What do I gain from doing that anyway? Out of everyone in this house, you know full well that I do not reveal a secret if I do not gain anything from it. I'm only going to waste my time for doing something so foolish."

    "Are you certain? You're not going to tell him?" Felix asks, making Siren chuckle again.

    "Your cute side is showing my dear, and you know I'm weak to that," she teases. "But yes, I won't. "

    Felix didn't want to admit it, but he trusted Siren. Despite her questionable personality, Siren is true to her words. No secret has ever been revealed without her benefit.

     "Well, I guess other than a threat I have no reason to reveal your identity to that child. In fact, even if you tell him before I do, it wouldn't really change anything. Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire isn't my target. I have someone else that I'm looking into, and that child is the least of my concerns," Siren truthfully says, pulling his sword out of its case that looked like a cane, the silver blade shimmering thanks to the light above them.

    "You do know Max is trying to conquer you next," Felix reveals, making Siren laugh louder than she usually does.

    "Me? What kind of mockery is that?" Siren asks, suddenly swinging his sword towards Felix, the blade just inches away from Felix's neck.

    Felix doesn't even flinch, so Siren smirks again before carefully pulling the sword away from him. "If he wants points you can just give him some, you're a brotherhood member after all. The total points we can give is 1500 MP. I think that will suffice, don't you think?"

     "Don't belittle my friend's honor like that. Merit points aren't the only reason why he's doing this," Felix immediately says, making Siren smirk.

     "Well I don't have time to play games with him, unfortunately. If he doesn't want our points then he has to move on to the Royals next so he doesn't end up wasting his time. Like I said, I have to handle a more serious matter than getting involved with that child," Siren says before finally putting her sword back.

    "As I asked you before, I hope you're working on that task I assigned you to do. We're still investigating five people, and that man is one of them. The reason why I asked you to be in Class A is because of this very reason," Siren says, making Felix sigh.

    "The task is very...difficult," Felix reveals, but Siren didn't care. Felix had to think of something to complete the task no matter what.

    "Difficult isn't an excuse. As I asked you before, you are to investigate Gavriil Ivanovich Alexeev and his family. I want you to know where his family is now, how they're involved with the Stepanov bombing, and why they're being protected by the Cullen Family. Is that understood?" Siren asks, and the way her aura shifted made Felix unconsciously gulp.

    "I will not tolerate more disobedience from you Felix. You do not want to anger me. Do something foolish again and I will get involved with that friend of yours. And best believe his secrets isn't the only thing I'll reveal," Siren says as a final warning. And even though Felix has been acting stubborn since earlier, he was forced to bow to his leader before saying, "I understand, my marquis."

...

The next day came by fast and Max has not said a single word ever since yesterday. When he found out about Felix being a member of Crazy 8, Max ran away because of complete panic. He regretted it though because he wanted to hear more from their conversation, but Max knew that it was better not to know anything for a while, especially since it would be easier to pretend that way.

    "I know we have secrets, but why didn't you tell us Felix?" Max whispers underneath his breath before giving out a loud sigh.

    "Master?" a voice suddenly calls out, almost making Max flinch. He looks up and sees his butler, Étienne, looking back at him through the car's rearview mirror.

     "Master, we're here," he says, and Max looks around and realizes that they were already in J.S High. Max takes a deep breath and massages his temple in frustration. He's been thinking about this so much that he forgot about what he has to do with Sky.

    Today's the first day of club month and Max still doesn't know what he'll do to handle their new advisor. Everything's just a mess now.

     "Is there a problem, Leigh?" Étienne finally asks him with a worried expression. Max was hesitant to answer, but he knew that his butler was someone that he could at least trust when it comes to things like this.

     "What do you do when a close friend of yours has kept a secret from you; a secret so grave that you couldn't even wrap your head around it?" Max finally asks, surprising Étienne because he never thought that Max would ever ask him such a thing.

     Étienne thinks about it for a while, but then he asks, "How grave?"

     "I mean, I've known for a long time that Felix is more than just who he portrays himself to be, but it was never an issue to me. It was who he was so I understood him regardless. But after finding out about this secret, I just...I don't know. Something inside me doesn't feel right," Max truthfully answers, and for the first time, Étienne felt relieved.

    For the first time, Max was worrying about his friends and not about their stocks getting lower. This was a question that Étienne never thought he'd hear from his workaholic master so Étienne couldn't help but hide a smile.

    "I understand your frustrations Leigh, but let me ask you this," Étienne says before turning around so he could look directly at Max's eyes. "Does this secret change the friendship you have with each other? Does knowing his secret make him less of a friend to you?"

     Max was surprised by the question, but he seriously thinks about it for a couple of minutes.

     Felix has been a true friend to Max ever since he studied in J.S High. Regardless if he was a member of Crazy 8 or not, Max felt Felix's sincerity. And to think about it, it was Max who asked Felix to join him. Felix didn't force himself to be friends with him so there's no reason to be suspicious. In fact, Ari was more suspicious than Felix when they first met.

     Felix probably doesn't have any ill intentions, and maybe the reason why he hasn't told them about this is because he doesn't want Max to be acting the way he's acting now.

     "No, it doesn't really change anything," Max finally answers, making Étienne smile.

     "Then there's your answer. If you're so bothered by it then ask him directly. I think if he's your real friend he'll be able to explain his reason to you," Étienne says, but Max shakes his head instead.

     "It's fine. I can wait for him to tell me about it himself. I have secrets and so does he. Felix has never forced me to tell anything to him so I'll do the same," Max explains, and Étienne nods his head in understanding.

     "Thank you Étienne. You really do give the best advises even though you can be an ass sometimes," Max then says, and Étienne chuckles before reaching out to pat Max's head before heading out of the car to finally open the door for him.

     Max takes a deep breath, grabbing his bag as he steps out of the car.

     "Have a great day master," Étienne says, bowing to Max.

     Max nods his head and goes up the steps to the Keep, heading straight to Omega Society's clubroom. When he got there, Max was about to grab hold of the doorknob to open the door when someone suddenly touched his shoulder.

    The action startled Max and he was literally seconds away from tackling whoever this person was, but when he saw who it is, Max immediately stops himself.

    "Felix!" He shouts from shock, and Felix, who knew how cautious Max is after everything that happened to him before, immediately takes a step away from him and says, "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

    Max doesn't say anything and stares at Felix for a couple of seconds, making Felix tilt his head to the side, wondering why Max was even staring at him in the first place.

    Felix was about to ask what the problem was, but then Max smiles at him and suddenly reaches out to him, patting his head like how he always does. The action made Felix blush, but he doesn't push Max's hand away.

    "Good morning Felix," Max says with a soft voice, and Felix immediately nods his head before smiling back at him.

    "G-Good morning."

     The two of them finally head inside their clubroom. Everyone was already inside, including the freshmen members who weren't very pleased with their new advisor after hearing about it from Eren and Payton.

     "First they give us a shitty room, and now they give us a problematic advisor?" one of the omegas commented as Felix and Max entered the room.

     When they saw the two make their appearance, the 1st-years immediately stood from their seats to greet them. Felix was thinking that they could be greeting Max, but then he remembered that he's now a gaffer too who's now wearing a golden armband. The attention was still very new to him.

     "Please, you don't have to stand," Max casually says since he's been to this situation a couple of times now. "A simple good morning would be fine," he says instead, and the omegas did greet him a good morning.

     The rest of the omegas sat down on their long table as Felix and Max sat on Payton's left and right side respectively.

     "We're glad you're here. Sky said he couldn't come because he has a photoshoot, but he left this in our table," Payton says before pulling out a white envelope with Omega Society's logo engraved on it in gold.

     Max takes the envelope and inspects it. "You haven't opened it yet?" He asks them.

     "Heaven's no. Who knows what's inside that thing. I don't want to see what's written on it and get the blame for it later," Payton truthfully reveals, and the other members couldn't help but nod in agreement.

     "This is seriously stupid. Look, he can't even attend our first club meeting and he expects us to do shit for him? He's delusional," Max says, throwing the envelope back on the table.

     "I could easily talk to Dustin Griffiths if I could, but I heard he doesn't handle the clubs anymore. Heaven J. Carter does," Payton says with a worried tone. "I've been sending emails to him, asking for a followup with the new clubroom but he hasn't replied to me. It's almost as if they want us to get dissolved."

    "Don't even try anything. That guy's trouble," Max says, especially after knowing how Heaven betrayed Cj.

    "But have you thought of what we could do instead?" Eren then asks, looking at Max since Max told them that he'll handle everything himself.

     The rest of the members of Omega Society looked back at Max too, a glimmer of hope present in their eyes, even Payton.

     "As I suggested, we're not following Sky's orders. We'll leave the envelope here, untouched. We can't make him leave our club then he can't make us spread secrets for him," Max firmly explains. "Until I think of a way to make Sky change his mind, we're not doing anything."

     "Then what do you suggest we do for the time being? This month is supposed to be the time where we get a lot of points from our club. We can't just be doing nothing," another member points out.

     Max completely understands their concerns, especially since they're first years, so he tries to think of something.

     "Our club isn't designed to be an active club. We can only really do things if a brotherhood gives us an assignment, and as we all know, that happens rarely," Max says before looking back at Felix and kicking his leg under the table, practically begging him to make a suggestion

    Felix flinches, but then he immediately clears his throat and thinks of something on the spot. "W-Well...we could always go back to our old ways."

    "Old ways? You mean cleaning?"

    "If you guys are cool with that of course. Last year with the previous Omegas, we helped clean brotherhood bases and even helped set traps for Jokers. We only received a couple of points though, but it's better than nothing," Felix says.

     Max and Payton looks at the rest of the members, and Max could tell that they weren't too thrilled from what they heard. So Max takes a deep breath and seriously tells everyone, "If you're worried about your image then you shouldn't have applied for this club. Whether it's disposing a body bag or mopping floors, our society is a noble club as long as its members believe that it is. Is that clear?"

     The 1st-years looked at each other, still unsure about the idea of cleaning bases for points, but Max's speech somehow made it seem fulfilling.

     "It's better than doing nothing, right?" Eren - the first-year representative - says, and everyone finally agreed to it too.

     "Then that's settled. Everyone, wear your full gear," Payton says, and the members immediately went to their lockers, taking out their black coverall suit, their black latex gloves, and even their black face shield and mask.

     While everyone was getting ready, Max pulls out his phone and tells Payton, "I'll ask Master Joker and the others if they have a clean-up job for us so we don't have to ask around."

    Payton nods his head so Max started calling the leaders that he was close to while Payton and Felix also got ready.

     Max, Payton, and even Felix knew that the freshmen members are embarrassed by all this. Other clubs are making robots, planning music festivals and even writing research papers to be sent internationally, while their club is going to clean bases and maybe even scrub toilets. They're not going to lie and sugarcoat it; they know they feel ashamed. But until they don't open that envelope, wiping windows and mopping floors is their best option.

     "Guys, just got an approval from Master Joker. Thanks to Cj and the rest of cigarettes, the rooftop's drain is clogged with cigarette buds. He's willing to give us fifty points if we clean up their base," Max tells everyone before hiding his phone in his pocket.

     "Fifty points is enough, right guys?" Payton asks, trying to lighten up the mood.

     "Right!" They then shout back, making the three older members smile.

     "I'm proud of you guys, really," Max says, and Eren and the others smile back at him until Max finally wore his omega society uniform too.

     After getting ready, the club went to the rooftop to clean up. Others saw them and laughed, but Max and the others kept their chin up high. There was nothing wrong with what they were doing. But as the Omega Society did their duty with great pride and honor, a certain club advisor arrived in their club room.

    Sky, who just finished with his job, hurriedly went to Omega Society's clubroom to see what they were doing. But when he got there, he was surprised to see that the room was empty, and in the middle of the table was the envelope that he left there yesterday.

     "I see..." Sky says as he grabs the envelope. "You're all doing a silent protest. How delightful."

     Sky smirks and opens the envelope. He reads the content and laughs at himself before looking out of the window. Their club room had a perfect view of the courtyard, and in the courtyard, Sky could see the white uniforms preparing booths and other activities for their respective clubs.

    He chuckles and looks back at the paper that he was now holding before crumpling it. "If you think I can't make you do what I'm asking you all to do then you're absolutely wrong. Omega Society...let's see how good your club really is at cleaning dirt."

- END -

For reference, this is Siren's mask and cane. While the mask that's all black is what the other members wear.