♛

MAX STARES AT HIS reflection in the mirror as he fixes his necktie. Today was the most awaited banquet, and according to the invitation that Keigo handed to him yesterday, he was required to wear his best attire.

     "You look rather dashing," someone says behind him, and Max smiles as he looks at Marcus through the reflection in the mirror.

     Marcus approaches his brother and stares at him from head to toe. "You look like you're going to meet the queen," he teases, and Max laughs and looks back at his reflection and replies, "The princes, actually."

     Marcus doesn't say anything and just stared at Max with a proud look on his face. He heard what happened with the top 10, and even though Max can't say anything, he knows that his brother had everything to do with it. And the fact that Max was able to do all that within five days speaks volumes.

     "You've really grown. There's nothing else a big brother could ever ask for," Marcus then says, making Max narrow his eyes as he looks at him.

     "Why are you suddenly being weird?" Max then asks, and Marcus just chuckles.

     After fixing his coat for one last time, Max then heads to one of his drawers and opens it, pulling out a small container. He opens it and takes something out before walking back to his brother. "Can you help me wear this?" He then asks, and Max hands over the item to him.

     Marcus didn't know what it was, but when he looked down at his palm, he couldn't help but be surprised. It was the brooch that he gave Max on Christmas Eve. "You're going to wear this?" he asks, trying to hide how happy he was about that fact.

     "Why yes, am I not allowed to wear it?" Max then asks him.

     "N-No, of course, you can. Let me help you," Marcus replies as he cleared his throat and faces his little brother. He then moves closer and pins the brooch on his collar before stepping back to look at him again.

      "Perfect," he says, and Max turns back to the mirror to check his reflection. When he saw what he looked like, he couldn't help but smile at himself. It seems that the brooch was the perfect touch after all.

     "Well, looks like you're ready," Marcus says before putting his hands inside his pocket. "I don't know what else to say, but I have some advice, not as your big brother, but as a duke of J.S High. During the banquet, PHD will grant one of your wishes. What you're going to ask for is still a test. They'll see what you really are based on what you'll ask of them, so I hope you think carefully first."

     "I see. Thank you," Max says, and Marcus pats Max's shoulder for one last time before walking to the door. Before heading out, he looks over his shoulder and tells Max, "By the way, your chaperones are here. They've been waiting since earlier."

     "Chaperones?" Max confusingly asks, and Marcus steps out of the room, opening the door wider to reveal two dashing men who were waiting for Max outside.

     "Gavriil?! Keigo?!" Max asks in shock, and the two walk inside the room, Gavriil with a smile, and Keigo with a nervous wave. Gavriil entered the room first, comfortable enough to not feel awkward about entering someone else's bedroom since he's already been there a couple of times now, while Keigo was hiding behind him, trying his best not to act like a fool.

     Max looks at the two and crossed his arms, staring at them from head to toe. "Now what brings you two fine gentlemen in my bedroom?" Max asks.

     "As per the king's request, I'm here to drive you to the banquet," Gavriil reveals.

     "And I'm here to be your partner, of course, with Gavriil's permission," Keigo then adds, making Max chuckle.

     "Wow, now I feel like a prince myself," Max jokingly says before looking at Keigo. "I'm glad you're coming with me to the banquet. It wouldn't have felt right if I came alone even though you did most of the work."

     "Oh please, I'm just a mere hacker," Keigo replies, and Max shakes his head and corrects him, "Well, a mere hacker just got us an invitation to the banquet so I don't know what you're on about."

     Keigo was flattered by the compliment as he tries his best to hide his ears which were slowly turning red. He then clears his throat and looks at Max before saying, "Well, I guess I should give you two your alone time first so I'll wait for you downstairs. And Max, you look good by the way."

     "You too," Max replies, and Keigo pats Gavriil's shoulder before heading out of the room.

     As soon as Keigo was gone, Gavriil puts his hands inside his pockets and walked closer to Max. "I can't help but agreed with Keigo. You do look good today. Probably way too good actually."

     Max laughs at the comment and walks to his dresser where his collection of colognes could be found. While checking the scent that would fit his outfit, Gavriil walked towards the bed and sat on the edge, staring at Max with a soft and loving expression.

     "It felt like yesterday when you two were in my apartment looking for articles about the auction. Now you're getting ready for a banquet that PHD themselves hosted. Sometimes I feel like you're going way too fast," Gavriil honestly says.

     Max picks up a bottle of cologne and sprays it on his wrist and neck. "Really? I feel like I'm going too slow actually," Max replies. "But whatever the pacing is, I'm glad things worked out, and I'm also glad that Keigo got the chance to finally prove how good he really is. If he creates that system that will better keep track of the merit points, students will no longer have a reason to do things illegally," Max then says, turning back at Gavriil who was still staring at him.

     "Keigo is a remarkable white uniform with an amazing set of skills. It would be great if he becomes a member of the Elites. He'll probably fit the treasurer's position better so he'll also have power and protection over the school funds," Gavriil honestly says, now standing from the bed so he could walk closer to Max.

     "That's actually an idea that I've been pondering upon."

     "Is that so?" Gavriil asks, reaching out to touch Max's hair. "It really would be interesting if the members of the Elites changed. Imagine, you as the president, Keigo as the treasurer, and me as your vice. Who knows what would happen to J.S high if that were to happen."

     "You're already planning our future?" Max jokingly asks, and Gavriil grins and grabs him by the waist, pulling him close and giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Of course. I have to," Gavriil replies.

     Max smiles and leans close to kiss Gavriil again. The two lock lips for a couple of seconds, but Max pulls away right after. Gavriil chuckles as Max tries his best to catch his breath. He then reaches out for his pocket and uses it to wipe Max's lips.

     "Too much?" Gavriil teases, and Max hits his shoulder before pulling away.

     Gavriil laughs at the reaction, and Max heads to his desk to take his phone, wallet, and invitation.

     "Anyway, Keigo would probably be the first one to get in the Elites before I could," Max then states, putting his phone in his pocket and looking at the invitation again.

     Gavriil furrows his brows at what Max meant, so he looks at Max and asks, "What do you mean?"

     "Well, with the system now changing, don't you think I have something that I have to return?" Max clarifies, and Gavriil was still confused, unsure what he was talking about.

     "You don't remember? It's the points when I was suspended. You said you didn't remove the 1000 points from my student account because every point matters," Max finally says, surprising Gavriil because he almost forgot about that himself.

     "It would be hypocritical of me to keep that after everything I did, so I still have to—"

     "I lied." Gavriil suddenly cuts off, and Max, who was about to open the banquet invitation, stops and looks back at Gavriil with shock, almost like he just uncovered one of the world's greatest mysteries.

     "What?"

     "I knew you were going to worry about it, so I told you that I wouldn't take it, but I did. I still took your points," Gavriil explains, now confusing Max even more.

     "What are you talking about? The number of points I have didn't change. How could you have..." As Max was about to end his sentence, a sudden thought suddenly came to mind. Max stops and pauses for a while, but after realizing something, he looks at Gavriil with his eyes wide from shock.

     "N-no, Gav, you didn't."

     Gavriil doesn't say anything and just shrugged his shoulder, making Max close his eyes and massage his temple. "Is this the reason why your points didn't increase as much last reranking? It's because you gave me yours?" Max asks.

     "M-maybe?" Gavriil answers with a hint of hesitation because he knew that Max was going to be mad about it.

     "Gav, Richard Young is a couple of points away from taking your place. You should have kept your points! You told me yourself, that every point counts. What happens if Richard catches up to you now? What will happen then?" Max tells him, and Gav takes a deep breath because this was the exact reaction that he was trying to avoid.

     "Leigh, calm down. It's alright," Gavriil tries to say, grabbing Max's shoulders. "Have some faith in your boyfriend. I won't let anyone else take my place. You needed the points more than I did, and that was a risk I was willing to take."

     "But Gav—"

     "I'll stay where I am and wait for you till the end, okay? Don't worry about anything else," Gavriil reassures him, and Max finally sighs in defeat and nods his head in understanding.

     "Now let's go. Your escort is waiting for you."

...

Max adjusts himself in his seat before looking at the man beside him, Kawanishi Keigo. Keigo looked nervous, probably because this was his first banquet, or because he was sitting close to Max in a car while his boyfriend drove for them.

     "Relax Keigo. I won't bite," Max suddenly says when he noticed Keigo stealing glances at him.

     Keigo awkwardly laughs it off and looks away from Max, making Max smirk. When Keigo was no longer looking at him, Max pulls the invitation out of his pocket. He read it yesterday, and surprisingly enough, it was just a literal invitation. There wasn't any type of note or even a short congratulations.

     "Marcus and the others mentioned before that PHD has only hosted a banquet once, which means I'm the second one to ever get an invite at such an exclusive event. I never asked, but who was the first one?" Max hides the invitation as he looks at Gavriil and Keigo.

     "I think I heard about it when I was a second year, but that was three years ago so I don't remember much," Keigo answers before looking at Gavriil through the rearview mirror. "What about you vice president? You know who it was?"

    Max and Keigo waited for Gavriil's answer. Their curiosity grew stronger because it took Gavriil a while before actually giving a reply. But when Gavriil stopped at a red light, he finally looks at the two and answered, "I don't remember his exact name, but the first invitation was given to the Elite's previous vice president."

     As soon as Gavriil answered the question, Max and Keigo were left speechless. For some reason, Max had the idea that it was just some random white uniform. He should have already expected it was someone as powerful as a vice president.

     "The previous vice president?" Max asks, and then he remembered that there was a time that Gavriil stopped his studies, which means someone else was ranked 2 before he came.

     "Wait, during the time Grey was the president in the Elites, were you not the vice?" Max asks, and surprisingly enough, Gavriil shook his head as an answer.

     "Yes, I only became the vice president when I reenrolled as a first-year in J.S High, and that was Ian's second year for being a president. That's when I became classmates with Ari and the others," Gavriil explains.

     "Oh yeah, that's right, when I enrolled in J.S High, I didn't even know who Gavriil was. In my second year, I had to stop my studies too so I could finish my father's court trial, and when I returned to J.S High, he was already the vice president. If I remember correctly, the previous vice president at that time was Levi—"

     "Leviathan Dubois," Gavriil finishes when he finally remembered the name. "He was Grey's vice president, and he was still the vice president when Grey died and when Ian first took over."

     "What happened then? Why haven't I heard of him before?"

     "On his second year, just a week before the school year ended, he received an invitation," Gavriil reveals, surprising both Max and Keigo.

     "Like you two, he did the tasks without anyone's help. You both know the risks and the dangers of the tasks given to you by the princes, right? Well, Levi fucked up."

     Max and Keigo looked at each other when they heard what Gavriil had to say. The mere thought of fucking up made them nervous because if the two of them made just one single mistake, they would have wrongfully blamed someone and got them in trouble.

     "I'm not sure what his tasks were since no one is allowed to find out about it other than him, but while Levi was finishing his tasks, he made the wrong calculations, and that got him expelled," Gavriil finishes, leaving the two speechless.

     The fact that they could have been expelled too if they weren't careful enough made Max and Keigo gulp. I guess they just got really lucky too.

     "That's kinda sad for him," Keigo honestly says. "And if my memory serves me right, he was a pretty chill vice president too. I think he was a bit mysterious, but he got the job done," he then adds.

     Max wanted to ask more about this Levi person, but then something came up and Max's body suddenly froze. "Leviathan Dubois...Dubois...where on earth have I heard of that surname?" Max mumbled to himself, trying to remember where he heard that name before.

     "Leigh, are you okay?" Gavriil asks when he noticed that Max was looking a little distressed.

     Max thought about it for one last time, but when he couldn't remember it anymore, he just sighed and gave up. "It was nothing, don't worry about me," Max says, and Gavriil just nodded his head in understanding even though he knew that it wasn't nothing at all.

     The three continued to enjoy the car ride in silence, preparing for what is yet to come. Max, on the other hand, remembered what his big brother told him before they left. He said that the desire that you wish to be granted is also a task that will make PHD know what kind of person you really are.

    There was also a particular line that was mentioned on the first invitation that he received five days ago. It talked about how Max was able to fit all their criteria except one. What was that one thing? Was he able to prove it during the tasks?

     And then there's the desire that the princes' promised to fulfill. Max doesn't know what to ask because he still hasn't really thought of it yet since he's been so busy with the tasks, but if the time comes when they finally ask him about it, Max is certain that something will naturally come up. For now, he has to worry about the main reason why PHD gave him the invitation in the first place.

     They have to have a purpose. PHD won't just give Max an invitation because they felt like it.

     "Looks like we're here," Gavriil says, making Max leave his deep thoughts. He quickly looks out of the window to check where they were. Max didn't really know what he was expecting, but then he realized that they were now in the middle of a forest.

     Max wanted to ask where they were, but when Gavriil made a turn, an abandoned castle welcomes them, making Max and even Keigo leave their mouth wide open in shock.

     "Where the fuck are we?" Keigo asks, and Gavriil parks the car in front of the entrance before looking back at the two passengers behind them. "Well then Mr. Kawanishi and sir Sinclaire, as the king's underling, I welcome you to PHD's most awaited banquet. Enjoy the feast, and make sure your desires are full."

- END -