♝

"AND THAT IS ALL for Omega Society's presentation. Thank you, everyone, for visiting our club. And once again, I am Max Sinclaire, the club leader of Omega Society. I hope you all enjoy the rest of the afternoon," Max finishes. The lights then turn on, and the guests in front of him start clapping their hands before standing from their seats to leave.

     Max, Felix, and the rest of the Omega Society were in an empty classroom. They just finished their club presentation, and thankfully, about 15 guests visited them. Max was also glad that Eren and the others were able to burrow a room for their presentation because their actual clubroom would have been too small for them.

     "Max, should we leave the display here and just pack up at 5 PM? There are still some walk-ins who are checking them out," Eren—their club's freshman representative and Felix's secret apprentice in Crazy 8—explains, referring to the booth that had body bags and a large board that shows an overview of their club's purpose.

     "Alright, we can just leave it here for now. Just stay here with the rest and entertain the walk-ins' questions. But close the room up when you need to have a lunch break. We don't want anyone stealing our uniforms again," Max explains, and Eren nods his head and walks back to the display, where some guests are taking pictures.

     "Looks like it's a wrap. I wasn't expecting a lot of people to come, but I guess that's all thanks to you," Felix says as he approaches Max.

     Max, who is putting his laptop back in his bag, doesn't even notice Felix anymore, so Felix carefully touches Max's shoulder, making Max flinch.

     "O-Oh, Felix, sorry."

     "Max, are you okay?" Felix asks with a concerned look, and Max instantly puts a smile on his face so his friend wouldn't worry.

     "It's okay, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired since I had to finish that report last night. I'm glad it went well," Max lies, and Felix can tell that he is lying, but he doesn't ask him about it anymore.

     Ever since the incident happened, and ever since Max talked to Jontell yesterday, Max has looked completely distracted. His friends don't exactly know what's occupying his head right now, but Max can honestly only think about his mother.

     Jontell mentioned that Luna met up with his mother just a week before the bombing incident that killed the Stepanov Clan. When you think about it, the bombs that were found during that incident were manufactured by the Alexeev family, but the buyer was the Rosario family. Based on what Jontell had said, the Rosario family resold those bombs to an unknown buyer. And in between all this, Luna just so happened to meet up with the lady of the Rosario family.

     If we connect all this together, it definitely makes a very obvious conclusion. It's simply implying that Luna was—

     "Max," Felix called out for the second time, snapping Max back to his senses.

     "S-Sorry, did I zone out again? I must be really tired after that incident with Jontell yesterday," Max says instead, and Felix sighs and stares at Max with worry. But just as he was about to say something to Max, three very familiar white uniforms suddenly approached them. It was Lennox Connery (House of Rooks), Nicolás Vega (House of Knights), and Tsukumo Asahi (House of Bishop). Three white uniforms that Max considered as his teammates during the Mr. Brains and Brawn pageant.

     "Max! We finally get to meet each other like this," Nox says, reaching out to give Max a quick hug, which Max gladly accepts.

     "It's nice to finally see you all here. I'm sorry I wasn't able to notice you guys because the lights were off earlier, but did you watch the presentation?" Max then asks them.

     "We did. We were just at the back," Nicolás then answers. "To be honest with you, the way you guys are using the Omega Society is very different from ours. We should share this when we get back."

     "We literally call the Omega Society janitors," Nox truthfully says.

     "Ours was disbanded because no one wanted to join the club," Asahi then adds with his usual monotone voice, instantly making Max look back at him.

     "Asahi, it's really good to see you," Max says with a respectful bow, making Asahi give out a small smile.

     "Oh yeah, by the way, this is one of my closest friends, Felix Campbell," Max then introduces him, and Felix instantly puts on his innocent face to happily wave to them.

     "Wait, Campbell? You mean the heir to Campbell Beverage Inc? That Campbell?" Nicolás asks in disbelief, surprised to see that Felix is actually this small and innocent-looking.

     "Outside titles don't matter here, so don't even mention it. But we met at the Great Hall last time, right? It's great to finally meet with you all like this," Felix says, and Nox and the others look at each other before looking back at Felix with a smile. Somehow, they found him cute, which was exactly how Felix wanted them to think.

     "So you guys are really friends with—" Before Asahi could even finish his statement, Nox suddenly points at Max's collar and screeches, almost like he saw a ghost.

     "What are you doing? Didn't your parents teach you not to point at people?" Nicolás scolds, but when he looks at what Nox is actually pointing at, his jaw drops in an instant too. Even Asahi was surprised to see it.

     "T-The brooches...the brooches on your collar. Are those real?" Nox asks in disbelief.

    Max looks down at his collar in confusion, but when he realizes what they are actually staring at, he chuckles and looks back at his old friends before telling them, "It's been so long since we last met, but a lot of things have changed. After all, I made a bold statement during the presscon. I don't want to embarrass myself after that."

     "During the welcoming remarks, when you mentioned being the conquerer of the barons and the other brotherhoods, I didn't really understand the level of what that meant. But it seems like you've done something here that no one has ever done before," Asahi explains before staring back at Max's eyes. "There's also something different about you now, Sinclaire. You're eyes...they're very—"

     Before Asahi could even finish his sentence, Max immediately looked away from him and laughed, almost like he was afraid that Asahi was going to reveal something about him, something that would make them realize that the change that Max spoke of might not entirely be a good thing.

     "Anyway, what are you guys planning to do for the rest of the afternoon? I heard there are a lot of clubs still scheduled to present later. If you want, I can even accompany you to Alpha Society's room," Max then suggests.

     "Max, we promised Keigo that we'll visit his club," Felix suddenly reminds him, making Max scratch the back of his head because he completely forgot about that as well since his head is still preoccupied with his conversation with Jontell.

     "Oh, that's right, I totally forgot about that," Max says, trying to laugh it off. "Then shall we visit their booth instead? Would you like to come with us?"

     "That sounds like fun. Let's go. I'll message Gengxin and the others too and tell them where we're going," Nicolás answers as he and Max walk out of the room.

     "When did you become close with them?" Max confusingly asks.

     "It's all about charms, Max. They can't help it," Nox jokingly replies, following the two of them out.

     Asahi continues to stare at Max too, but before he can walk out of the room as well, Felix grabs his arm to stop him.

     "What are you doing?" Asahi asks with furrowed brows. But when he saw the expression on Felix's face, he instantly knew that something was wrong.

     "You're Asahi Tsukumo, and based on what I know about you, you're an underling of a very powerful brotherhood," Felix reveals, making Asahi look at him with surprise, especially since Felix's demeanor was now more tough and serious compared to his cute and innocent persona earlier.

     "And based on what you said, you're not an ordinary white uniform either," Asahi replies, pulling his hand away from Felix with little to no effort.

     The two of them stare at each other for a while, but then Felix takes a deep breath and looks around the room before telling him, "Follow me."

     "How about the others?"

     "As you can tell, Max is already too preoccupied to even notice that we're gone. We'll join them later," Felix explains as he heads to a restroom nearby, Asahi following right behind him.

     There were a couple of white uniforms there, but Felix gave them a smile and told them, "Would it be alright if you all leave for a second?" Felix kindly asks. And because he was a gaffer, and someone who belonged to Max's circle, no one questioned him, and just left the restroom without any fuss.

     As soon as they were gone, Felix locked the door. For extra measure, he even checks each cubicle, making Asahi furrow his brows in confusion.

     "You look like you're planning to murder me," Asahi says.

     Felix, who was still busy opening each cubicle, casually tells him, "You're Asahi of St. George Academy, a member of the Newspaper Club and a gaffer. You rank high for a third year, rank 14 to be exact. And you're a well-known underling of rank 8 brotherhood, the Archers."

     "Am I supposed to be impressed? This was already announced during the pageant. These aren't hidden information," Asahi explains, and Felix finally looks at him with a smirk on his face, making Asahi feel uneasy.

     "You see, Tsukumo Asahi, I am very good with secrets," Felix says as he starts walking closer to him. "Ever since you let Max win the pageant, I always kept an eye on you. It wasn't so hard looking for information about you because we actually have little birds with masks in your house too."

     "What are you talking about?" Asahi asks, slowly backing away until he reaches the wall.

     "You became an underling of the Archers because you're scouting them. But the truth is, you're actually a Castling, an underling of rank 7 brotherhood, Checkmate, under direct orders from Uchdryd Rease. Is that impressive enough, Tsukumo Asahi?" Felix asks, and Asahi's eyes immediately widen in shock. Soon after, he finally realizes who Felix is and quickly pushes him off him.

     "Y-you're a marquis...you're a member of Crazy 8," Asahi reveals, making Felix start laughing.

     "Wow, you really are Uchdryd's pawn. You catch on fast," Felix says, turning away from Asahi to look at himself in the mirror. "Uchdryd knows a lot of information since information is the basis of his brotherhood. But we're still the master of secrets. We know a lot of things that he doesn't. Could be why he's scared of facing Siren."

     Asahi takes a deep breath and continues to stare at Felix. He wasn't expecting to meet a brotherhood this way, let alone a member of Crazy 8. Uchdryd already warned him that Siren has more eyes than kiss marks. He should have expected something like this to happen. He should have been more cautious.

     "What do you want from me? I don't have any useful information for you. You said it yourself," Asahi says, and Felix smiles and fixes his peak cap before looking back at the white uniform.

     "Oh, but you do. There is information that I want to hear from you," Felix tells him. "You are aware that there's a spy among the guests, don't you?" Felix then reveals, making Asahi's body freeze.

     "You're looking for him too, am I right?"

     "H-How did you..."

     "Siren told me that the brotherhood leaders had a meeting once. They said that an anonymous messenger gave out a warning, a warning that said that a storm would be falling upon the great houses. You know something about this, don't you?" Felix asks him, and the look in Asahi's eyes already confirms that he definitely knows something about this matter.

     "I don't know what you're talking about," Asahi lies, making Felix smirk.

     "Tsukumo Asahi, it's not a good idea to lie to me. You don't know what the Archers will do once they find out you're really an underling of Checkmate. And believe me, I have ways to let them find that out," Felix warns while holding onto the Archer's brooch on Asahi's collar. Despite his appearance, Asahi gulps in terror.

     "We don't know who he is," Asahi finally reveals. "Lord Uchdryd and I also came here to search for him, but we couldn't pinpoint who it could be. For a time, we thought it would be Jontell, but—"

     "It's obviously not Jontell Rosario. Anyone can tell that he's not interested in our school. He's more interested in the people in it. It's someone different. Someone who is not important enough for us to suspect," Felix casually explains before looking away from Asahi again.

     "That spy could be sent by anyone, but believe me when I say that we don't know who it is. We tried looking for clues, but there's nothing," Asahi then tells him, and Felix starts staring into his eyes deeply, almost making Asahi hold his breath. When Felix finally looks away from him, he releases a heavy breath and holds onto his chest.

     "Based on your reaction and body language, I can tell that you really have no idea who that bastard is," Felix says, now with a bored tone. "I thought I might get something from you, but I'm disappointed. I guess we're both in a checkmate here."

     Asahi continues to stare at Felix and doesn't say anything to him anymore before finally walking towards the door. But before he could even grab the doorknob, Felix stopped him again for the last time. "By the way, during the pageant, did you tell anything to Max?" Felix asks, and this time, Asahi scoffs at him.

     "Aren't you a master of secrets?" He asks while looking over his shoulder. "You should know everything about him by now."

     Felix looks back at Asahi, and the seriousness on Felix's face surprises him. "When it comes to Max...he is the only exception. He is one of the few people I know who I'll never take secrets from."

     Asahi was surprised by the sudden change of mood. He wasn't supposed to answer Felix anymore, but then he takes a deep breath and tells him, "As per Lord Uchdryd's orders, I only warned him about the storm that is about to fall on us. I don't know why, but I think our leader believes Sinclaire might be able to help with this situation somehow."

     "I'd punch your leader for ordering such a thing," Felix suddenly says. But then he sighs and massages his temple before adding, "But I can't seem to deny his statement either."

    Felix turns his head and looks at his reflection again. As Max goes further into the secrets of J.S High and acquires more brooches, Felix fears that Max may end up falling into a hole where none of them will be able to reach him.

     What kind of storm is going to fall upon them?

     All of them could only wait now.

     "Alright, we should go before Max finally notices that we've been gone too long," Felix says, pushing Asahi away from the door and heading out first, making Asahi sigh and follow behind him.

     The two of them went to the Programmer's clubroom as if nothing had happened. Keigo and his clubmates were already presenting, while Max and the others were sitting at the back.

     "There you two are. Where did you go?" Max whispers as Felix sits beside him.

     "Eren and the others needed help moving a couple of displays, so I asked Asahi to carry a few things," Felix explains without batting an eye, making Max nod his head with no question.

     "By the way, I forgot to ask you yesterday, but did you and Jontell have a good talk?" Felix then asks.

     Max, whose eyes were glued on the projected screen in front of them, doesn't even look at Felix as he answers, "Kinda. It wasn't much of a talk, though, but we were able to work things out somehow. We don't have to worry about him anymore."

     "That's good. But if there's something bugging your mind right now, just let me know, okay? We're always here for you no matter what," Felix genuinely says, making Max look at him with a smile.

     "Felix, did Ervin really jump down that building, or was it you?" Max jokingly asks, making Felix give him a quick nudge before looking back at the front where Keigo and his clubmates are presenting.

    After a long and engaging thirty-minute talk, the presentation was finally over, and everyone started standing from their seats.

     "Everyone! If you want to have your own J.S High I.D, you can line up here!" The club's leader announces as Keigo runs to where Max and the others are so he can greet them.

     "Hey! How did I do?" Keigo asks with an excited look on his face. But before anyone could even answer him, Keigo then looks at Nox and the others and starts pointing at them like the real pageant fanboy that he is. "It's you guys! I should have done a better job if I knew you were coming to watch. But then again, I thought you wouldn't because you almost got into a fight with Ari."

     "W-Wait, what?" Max asks in shock since he hasn't heard anything about this yet since he wasn't there during the encounter.

     "That's not really important," Felix immediately interrupts, glaring at Keigo first before looking back at Max. "Tomorrow's the last day of the convention. We should do something before we all go back to our normal lives."

     "You're saying that like we'll never get to see each other again. Why don't we have a get-together this weekend? Like an after-party. I'll even invite some other guests that we're close with," Nox suggests, and Keigo instantly nods his head in excitement. Felix even agreed to it, but it's not because he simply wants to hang out with everyone but because parties like these are great ways of extracting information from someone, especially when they're drunk.

    "That's actually a good idea, but can we do it on Sunday? I have an agenda for Saturday. I can't miss it," Max says with a shy smile while awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

     Nox and the others thought that he might just be busy with his company, but Felix and Keigo instantly looked at each other with grins on their faces. They could already tell what that shy smile meant. It only meant that Max's agenda on that day was definitely...

     [Flashback: At Hall of Janus]

     As soon as Ian is gone, Max looks at Gavriil and awkwardly scratches the back of his head. He was certain that he was there to scold him, but to his surprise, Gavriil grabbed him and gave him a tight embrace.

     "Thank god you're safe. I thought something bad happened to you when I heard that bomb sound," Gavriil suddenly says, surprising Max.

     Max didn't know what to say, but then he felt Gavriil's body trembling, instantly making Max bury his face against Gavriil's shoulder, hugging him back even tighter.

     "I'm okay," he whispers. "Don't worry, I'm okay," Max continues to say, hoping Gavriil wouldn't be able to notice how terrified he truly was too.

     When Gavriil pulled away from him, the two of them stared deeply into each other's eyes. The vice president leans close and almost touches his lips against Max, but he quickly stops himself and moves away from him instead.

     "If you're ever planning to do something like this, you have to tell me, okay? I'm still your boyfriend, right?" Gavriil then asked, almost like he was trying to confirm it for himself. Max wasn't expecting to hear such a question, but he smiled and reached out to touch Gavriil's cheek before leaning in to give him a quick kiss. "Of course you are," he whispered.

     Gavriil was surprised, but then he smiled and leaned toward Max to give him another kiss. But before he could even do so, the two of them suddenly heard someone approaching them.

     "Vice!" Someone shouts from the other side of the hallway.

     Gavriil and Max turned their head and saw Secretary Richard Young and School Rep. Heaven J. Carter running towards them.

     "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the professors are looking for you in the courtyard. They want you to speak to the guests and explain the current situation," Richard explains, making Gavriil sigh and massage his temple in frustration.

     "Alright, I'll head there immediately," Gavriil answers, and Richard and Heaven nod their heads before running back downstairs where the others are.

     "Looks like I have to go," Gavriil says, but Max immediately grabs his hand to stop him.

     "Gav, wait, there's so much I want to tell you..."

     "I know, baby, but I have to go first," Gavriil says, reaching out to fix Max's peak cap for him. "You know what, let's go out this weekend. Let's meet somewhere and talk. Okay? I'll listen to everything you have to say."

     "Okay," Max replies, finally letting go of Gavriil's hand.

     Gavriil looks at Max again, and then he smiles and leans over to give him one last kiss. "You were brave today, Leigh. I was very proud of you."

     Max smiles back at him, and then Gavriil finally runs off to finish his duties like the responsible Elite vice president that he is.

     [End of flashback]

     "Well, Sunday works just fine. I can clear my schedule by then," Nicolás says, and everyone nods their head in agreement.

     "Anyway, Gengxin texted me and told me that they were at the swimming pool area watching the sports club presentation. We should head there too," Nox then says.

     "Oh! That's perfect. Ervin's there, and I heard that his little brother would be there too," Keigo replies, and everyone nods their head to agree with him.

     The six of them left the room and started walking to where the swimming pool area could be found, laughing without care, unaware that someone out there...was quietly lurking in the shadows, secretly watching and waiting for the perfect time to finally strike.

- END -