♰

XANDER CLEANS HIS GLASSES with his shirt before putting it back on. He looked around the room to search for his phone, but then he suddenly heard shouting outside their dorm. He looks out from the window of his room and finds gaffers running away from the trap he created. The moment he saw the device doing its purpose, Xander couldn't help but smile proudly.

     "Looks like it's working well," Xander says.

     "Alexander! Have you already found your phone?" Keigo asks, opening the door to check on his roommate.

     "Sorry..." Xander answers, running to his bed to inspect it. After finding his phone under his pillow, the two serfs went out and joined the others at the cafeteria to eat dinner.

     Everyone was in a good mood, especially since their dorm was starting to look better than ever before. Xander's invention also helped a lot because ever since the traps were set up, the number of intruders declined. But what really hit the nail was the 4th year serf who was guarding outside, holding a baseball bat like he was ready for a zombie apocalypse.

     "My god, this is painfully boring," Vesper complains, yawning loudly before resting the bat on his shoulder like a gangster. "Where the heck are the gaffers? Why aren't they coming anymore?"

     "Looks like our decision to make you a guard is extremely effective," a voice suddenly says, making Vesper turn around to check who it is. When he saw that it was Max, he sighed and looked away.

     Max chuckled at the expected reaction and walked towards him. Vesper was sitting on the steps, so Max joined him and sat beside him before handing him a bottle of water and a plate filled with bland food. "Dinner," Max says before snatching the baseball bat from him. "And don't start telling me that I shouldn't have done such a thing because it's out of character. If you say shit like that again, I'm gonna punch you for real."

     Vesper was surprised, but he chuckled and took the plate from Max's hand with no question. Without any hesitation, he started eating.

     Max doesn't say anything and just looks from afar, staring at the garden just meters away from them. Vesper didn't say anything either, and he honestly didn't expect Max to even speak to him after what he said about his mother. But after swallowing the food down, he turned to look at Max and decided to tell him, "You're really different from how I thought you'd be."

     "You keep saying that, but I don't exactly understand what you mean."

     Vesper takes a deep breath, and then he looks away from Max as he explains, "I came from the previous generation of Crème de la Crème, a generation where you, Viktor, and the other kids weren't part of yet. My family just started getting recognized after my father opened up an IT company. We were considered new money, so you can only imagine how surprised we were when we received the letter that I was Crème de la Crème's Rank 12."

     "I bet you guys celebrated."

     "Oh, we did. My father boasted about it so much I even got interviewed in the news," Vespers explains with a chuckle. "The members of Crème de la Crème now are very secretive, and I bet you don't even know most of them anymore. But back then, especially when I was a kid, we were fuckin' A-list celebrities. We all attended parties together, had brunch, watched baseball games, and went to charities like we were the princes and princesses of England. It was so absurd that we even had the paparazzi in our tails."

     "W-Wait, seriously? You guys did all that?" Max asks in shock because he barely knows the members of Crème de la Crème, so he can't imagine doing all these things with everyone.

     "I know, it's stupid," Vesper says, taking a bite of his food before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "We were like commodities. We were the group that all the kids would be so jealous of and wanted to be part of, and the media made sure of that."

     "But I assume that wasn't the case at all," Max says, making Vesper sigh again.

     "It wasn't the case at all," he repeated. "I dreaded those parties and get-togethers. The members of Crème de la Crème were all assholes to the lower ranks, especially to me. And Vitus Von Hatzfeld? The previous rank 1 who became a member of Paradox? Damn, that guy was a real piece of shit. He used to abuse me because he said I didn't deserve the same spotlight they had. Even your cousin Don was a demon."

     "If it makes you feel any better, I hate him too," Max then says, and this time, Vesper laughs.

     "Anyway, after a couple of years, I was invited to enroll in J.S High, along with the other members of Crème de la Crème. Of course, I wanted to enroll there, it was the school everyone was talking about. But then, when we were at the meeting, President Janus said he was going to create a brotherhood with all the members of Crème de la Crème. At that moment, I knew I had to do something before I make mistakes I will never be able to fix," Vesper explains further, and Max finally understood what happened to him.

     "That's why you revoked your title," Max says in realization. "That's why you left."

     "I didn't want to be a member of Paradox, and at the same time, I couldn't take the pressure anymore. All throughout my time in that group was just literal hell," Vesper says before looking down at the tattoos on his arm. Max looks down as well, and then he finally notices the scars that were hidden beneath them, scars from the abuse he probably got from those heirs. Max instantly felt bad for him, but he knew that Vesper didn't want his sympathy, so he said nothing.

     "Even when I revoked my title, President Janus still invited me to enroll. I thought I'd be safe after leaving that dreadful group, but I was wrong. I was far from safe. That's why I started getting into fights. I knew I had to at least be strong to defend myself. But shit just kept going downhill. In the end, I lost the game I didn't even want to play in," Vesper finishes as he finally turns to look at Max, his expression completely different from what he usually shows to others.

     "That's why I get a little spooked when you act kind. I never met an heir with your standing to have such a character," Vesper says, making Max genuinely smile, happy to have received such a compliment.   

     "I guess it's because you haven't met my friends yet," Max then answers. "The new members of Crème de la Crème are different. I can feel it. I think as pretentious as it may sound, we all just want to escape the family names that have already defined us before we could prove ourselves."

     "I guess you're at least right about that," Vesper surprisingly agreed, remembering Class I-A, a class filled with heirs who simply wanted to make a change. Vesper might not have been able to graduate and see how that class fully changed J.S High, but when he left, he had a sense of relief. He saw those kids and thought..."Our future will definitely be bright with them."

     "But I think my character is heavily influenced by the fact that I lost my memories," Max casually says while Vesper continues eating the dinner that was handed to him. "I'm sure you've realized since Elijah told me we met before, but I don't remember you at all. That also means that I don't remember who I was before too, which sucks. Nothing is more painful than looking at the mirror and seeing an empty shell."

     Vesper finishes his food and puts the plate down before drinking from the water bottle. After wiping his mouth with the back of his hand again, Vesper turns back to Max and tells him, "But does that even matter? Most of us won't be the same as we were when we were kids. It's just how things are. It's either you get stuck in the past or move on."

     "I know, but I can't help but miss him...my younger self that I can't seem to remember," Max says with a sad expression. Vesper stares at him and gets ready to say something, but then he sees a bunch of dwellers walking their way, so Vesper sighs and stands from the steps before grabbing his baseball bat.

     "Looks like dinner break is over. Thanks for the food, but I'm gonna go back to work," Vesper says, and before Max can even give a response, Vesper walks towards the intruders so he can scare them off.

     Max watches Vesper with a smile, but while he's watching him, a memory suddenly flashes before him, startling the young heir.

     "You should behave yourself. You'll be meeting the older members of Crème de la Crème. Even though you're new, you're still number two, so you should flaunt your status well," a woman's voice echoes in Max's ear, making Max close his eyes while he massages his temple.

     "That's Elijah Memphis Valor. He's newly appointed as well, but you should be wary of him. His mother is a CEO of a luxury fashion house and company, while his father works as a..."

     "Mother, where are Viktor and the others?"

     "You're not listening to me again."

     "But mother—"

     "Enough with you. Cindy Lin and the others probably won't attend this party. They obviously wouldn't waste their time with these lower-ranking heirs, but we'll use that as an advantage. That's what I taught you, remember? You're gonna act compassionate so that others will think you're one of them. That's how you'll climb the ranks," the woman, who was actually Luna Lemiuex-Sinclaire, explained as she tightly held onto Max's hand, dragging him inside the hall filled with strangers.

     "Luna! I can't believe you came to the event with your son! The Stepanov and the Alexeev family said they wouldn't come, so I'm glad you're here."

     "Of course, we'd come. Who would want to miss this opportunity?"

     Max tried hiding behind his mother while Luna continued greeting the other guests. But while he was hiding, he spotted an older boy standing at the corner of the hall. A bunch of other older kids were surrounding him, and for a quick second, Max saw a glimpse of his bruised face. Max was surprised to see him looking like that in public. Did no one see him? Does no one care that he's hurt?

     "M-Mother...a kid is hurt," Max said while tugging Luna's dress, but Luna only slapped his hand away while she persisted in talking to the other adults with a fake smile.

     Max held his aching hand before turning to the older boy again. The other kids were clearly picking on him, and for a second, Max almost took a step to go in between them. But before he could even move a muscle, someone suddenly grabbed him and carried him up, surprising the young master.

     "Maximilian, why are you hiding behind your mother?" Someone suddenly says, making Max look up.

     "F-father?"

     "Denzel! You made it! Come and have a drink with us."

     "I'll pass, I still have a few documents to read when we get back. And besides, my son here looks hungry. I'll chat with you all later, so humor my wife for the time being," Denzel, Max's father, says with a smile as he continues to carry Max in his arms.

     Luna smiles at the sight of her husband, but then she leans close and whispers something to him. In an instant, the smile on Denzel's face vanishes, and he immediately walks away with Max still clinging to him.

     At that time, Max didn't understand what that look meant and why Denzel was so upset. But now he remembered. He remembered what his mother whispered in his ear that caused his father to act the way he did. And that memory felt more painful than the bruises he saw on that kid's face.

     "The boy is embarrassing me. Did you not teach him how to act like a proper heir? He really is your son."

     "Max," another voice suddenly calls out. Max blinks and realizes that Vesper is now standing in front of him, unconscious dwellers lying on the ground behind him. "You okay? You blanked out for a second there."

     "Elijah was right. I really did meet you once at a party," Max says, making Vesper furrow his brows in confusion.

     "Well, yeah, it was years ago, but we spoke a little after that event. But I guess your mother scolded you for that. She probably didn't like you talking to such a lower-rank heir," Vesper jokingly says before wiping the blood off from his baseball bat.

     Max stared at him, and then he remembered how beaten up he was during that party, yet people didn't seem to care. They enjoyed their wine, their food, and their conversation, but no one paid any mind to the young teen who was covered in bruises. The mere thought of it almost made Max vomit. Everything about the rich was sickening.

     "Vesper...I'm sorry," Max suddenly says.

     "What are you apologizing for again?"

     Max opens his mouth and gets ready to tell him about the memory he just had, but he stops himself and decides to let it go. "Nothing. I just felt like apologizing to you," he says instead.

     "Ha? What a weirdo. I don't really understand you kids anymore," Vesper says as Max finally gets up from the steps. He dusted off the back of his pants and tried his best to forget about such a memory. This shouldn't be the time for him to start remembering something so unpleasant.

     "I'll head back first," Max says as he turns to the door. Before reaching out to the doorknob, he stops himself and suddenly remembers something else that's currently much more important. "By the way, Vesper, you were a gaffer before, right?"

     "Me? Well, I was, but just for a couple of days. I got into a fight with that brotherhood leader, so I eventually got demoted. It doesn't really matter to me anyway," Vesper answers.

     "So you don't have a clear idea of their dorm's interior?" Max then asks, and without even explaining anything further, Vesper could already tell that Max was planning something interesting.

     "It's a shame that I don't."

     "Really? Looks like Asahi is my only hope."

     "Asahi? You mean Tsukumo Asahi?"

     "Yes. You know him?"

     "I know him enough," Vesper answers. "You want to speak to him? I can arrange that if you want."

     "You can?"

     "I mean, yeah, he's Uchdryd's underling," Vesper then blurts out. But when he saw the shocked look on Max's face, he immediately cursed and looked away from the heir. He forgot that Asahi is secretly working for Uchdryd. He's known as an underling of Archers, and Max probably knows that too since they were in a pageant together and Max saw Archers' brooch on him.

     "BND told me Tsukumo Asahi is an underling of Archers," Max finally points out, and Vesper massages his temple in frustration before looking back at Max with a nervous smile.

     "I'll arrange a meeting with you two tomorrow, so forget that I said anything, alright? Uchdryd Rease is gonna use this against me again, and I'm already inches away from losing my mind if I follow one more order from that demon," Vesper says, and Max doesn't know if he should just be shocked or if he should just laugh at how ridiculous this became.

     "I guess if you're offering such a deal, then I'll take it," Max says as he opens the door so he can finally head back inside. "Anyway, it was nice chatting with you, Vesper Hugo Cinna. Keep up the good work."

     Vesper doesn't say anything as Max steps inside. As soon as he was gone, Vesper took a deep breath and touched his arm again. Like Max, Vesper couldn't help but remember a memory he had in the past, which was a memory he might not be able to forget even if he tried.

     "Are you okay? You're hurt. Where are your parents?" Vesper remembered a man approached him during the party that Max mentioned earlier. "You should get that treated. Come on, let's look for someone with a first-aid kit."

     "T-thank you, sir."

     "By the way, what's your name?"

     "Vesper Hugo Cinna, sir."

     "Oh, Cinna, the family of geniuses. Well, my name is Denzel Sinclaire. My son actually wants to speak with you, so after you get treated, I hope you can say hi."

     Vesper covered his mouth as he tried not to smile at such a childish memory. "I guess now I'm certain that he really is Denzel's son," Vesper says before turning away and holding his baseball bat tight, reminiscing about the 7-year-old boy he met who was the kindest of them all.

...

Saturday finally came, and the campus was completely silent as the students decided to sleep in and enjoy their weekend. Max, on the other hand, was already wide awake. He decided to jog around campus to keep up with his usual morning exercise routine. But other than that, he was also meeting up with an acquaintance thanks to Vesper's help.

     "What time is it?" Max asks, looking at his watch as he arrives at the Garden of Eden, sweat sliding down his skin as he tries to catch his breath. He looked around the area to check if the person he was meeting with was already there. It was still a few minutes early, so Max wasn't really expecting to see him, but when he caught a glimpse of a beautiful man sitting on the bench just beside the fountain, Max couldn't help but smile.

     "Asahi," Max called out.

     Tsukumo Asahi, a third-year gaffer and Mr. Brain & Brawn's 1st runner-up, was reading a book and drinking tea when he spotted Max jogging toward him with a bright smile. Asahi wasn't the type to show his expression, but when he saw the heir, he couldn't help but smile back at him.

     "Max, we finally meet," Asahi says, closing his book and standing from his seat to properly greet him. "It's good to see that you're slowly adjusting here."

     "It's good to see a familiar face as well," Max answers, stopping in front of Asahi, who offered him his handkerchief. Max respectfully declines it as he pulls out his own towel to wipe his sweat. "I apologize if I came in such a state. I didn't have time to wash up and change. I was afraid that if I did, the gaffers would see us," Max explains.

     "No, it's fine. Please, let's take a seat and enjoy the morning breeze," Asahi suggests, taking a seat first before Max.

     "The last time we saw each other was during our trip to Japan," Max explains with a chuckle, remembering how everyone was so surprised when Keigo planned to go to a different country without even telling them. "But I really am glad to see another familiar face here."

     "I bet it's reassuring that Kawanishi Keigo transferred here with you," Asahi replies. "We also got to meet like this, too. And I hope you get to speak to Nicolás Vega as well when you get the chance. I haven't particularly spoken to him yet since it's been a little difficult, considering how he's in the Dwellers Division."

     As Asahi was talking, Max immediately looked back at him with confusion. He didn't understand why he would mention Nicolás Vega all of a sudden, who Max remembers is a student of the House of Knights. But as he was trying to make sense of it, he instantly remembered the brooch he was wearing during the pageant.

     "T-That's right... Nicolás. He's an underling of the Gallants. They got promoted, which means he got transferred here too," Max says, a smile instantly appearing on his face when he realizes it.

     "I'm surprised you forgot. I thought you would have known that from the very beginning," Asahi states.

     "I mean, I have a lot on my plate right now," Max truthfully answers. "But you said he's in the Dwellers Division, right?"

     "That's right."

      Max grinned, and then he looked back at Asahi and told him, "Well, what do you know? Things just got very convenient for me."

- END -