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"SO, WHAT HAPPENED? WHY did you suddenly run off earlier?" Ervin asked as he and Max were walking down the stairs. The meeting with the Jacks finally ended, and the two were heading to the Great Hall to have their lunch with the others.

     After the meeting, Brave arrived with Joon's lunch. He stated that Master Joker demanded that Joon stay on the rooftop until lunch ends and avoid the Great Hall at all costs. Max didn't have a choice and left him there with the rest of the Jesters.

     "I met up with Meirion March," Max reveals to his friend without a second thought. "He told me everything that happened, about how they got acquainted with Payton Wolfe and what came after. And then I found out that there's actually two bullets inside that aluminum case."

     "Oh yeah, I heard about that from Master Joker too."

     "I can't believe someone remade the bullet," Max says next. "Things are even more complicated now. Hedeon said that three main suspects are involved in what happened, excluding the Revels and Payton Wolfe. The first one is Magnus McKay, who implanted the bullets in J.S High during the Elite School Convention. The second one was said to be in the House of Pawns..."

     "Master Joker said it was a black uniform who helped Payton get a hold of Revels," Ervin explains, which somehow made sense.

     "And now we have one more person. The kings suspect that it's someone from the House of Bishops, but I've stayed there for an entire month and I'm not even sure myself. Checkmates and the other brotherhoods already promised that they'll help look for the suspect, but there's no luck yet," Max explains further.

     "But have you thought of how that third suspect was involved?"

     "Wait, now that you said it..." Max pauses and thinks about it for a couple of seconds. "Could this person be the one who recreated the bullet? That's the only possible answer, right?"

     "That's actually what the brotherhoods suspect too."

     "Then the answer is in that bullet. Do you know where the other bullet is now? Has anyone examined it yet to see what its content is?"

     "I think Master Joker and Brave mentioned that Viktor has it," Ervin reveals, instantly making Max curse. Looks like there's no chance for him to know what that bullet is now. Unless...

     "Should I ask Gavriil to get the bullet for me?" Max wonders, instantly making Ervin grin.

     "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that you two are like a thing. Asking that kind of favor won't be much of a problem," Ervin teases, instantly making Max laugh. He didn't even deny it, nor did he act shy or embarrassed.

     "Imagine being a student council vice president and an underling of the kings. My friend's boyfriend is definitely terrifying," Ervin continues as he drapes his arm around Max's shoulder. "No wonder Keigo gave up so easily."

      "Come on now, give Keigo some respect," Max answers, making Ervin chuckle this time.

      "But now that I think about it, are you going to ask Gavriil to the Spring Dance? You know, this dance is some sort of tradition for us. A few would usually attend it alone, but most of the time students would bring someone with them. And in J.S High's customs, both here and our sister house, your partner is someone you deeply admire and respect," Ervin explains to Max, making Max unconsciously touch his bracelet.

     When Ervin sees the worry on Max's face, he pats Max's head and adds, "But don't think about it too much. I'm sure you're going to be asked by a lot of the students here, or maybe even from the House of Queens. Better yet, maybe the vice president would have the courage to flaunt you. Who knows."

      "You're making it worse," Max complains. "Maybe I should just go with you, Ervin."

     "Am I being proposed by the Max Sinclaire right now?"

     "Oh shut up."

     Ervin laughs, his arms still on Max's shoulder. "I'd love to bring you, but my girlfriend might get mad."

     "Wait, what?!" Max shouted, his voice echoing down the empty hallway. "You already have a girlfriend? Why didn't you tell me?"

     "You're acting like it's a big deal," Ervin defends. "We've only dated for two weeks. I met her when I had a competition in the US. Things have been good, but she's the daughter of some state Governor or something. She doesn't want to talk about it but I always notice the bodyguards following us."

     "Oh my god, no wonder you've changed so much!" Max says, and Ervin pinches his cheek this time.

      The two laugh with each other, but after a while, Max looks at Ervin and smiles at him sincerely. "Congratulations, Ervin. She's very lucky to have you."

     "Thanks, Max. Yours is very lucky to have you too," Ervin replies. "But just a heads up, don't tell Ari and Felix about it, okay? I haven't told them yet because I know they will never shut up about it. Ari especially. Don't tell Keigo about it either. I don't want him to start looking through Diane's entire background."

     "So her name's Diane," Max says instead, and the two started smiling like idiots until they finally arrived at J.S High's infamous Great Hall.

     Max hasn't been to the Great Hall since he got back, so hearing the loud noise from outside already made him feel excited. After all, a lot of things happened in this very hall. It's literally the heart of J.S High. And aside from the stadium, this is the only place where everyone can be gathered together.

    "I can't believe I missed a cafeteria," Max admits as the two finally make their way inside.

     The Great Hall was as rowdy as ever. Most of the students were eating at their designated tables. Some were running around while higher-ranking white uniforms were picking on a third-year serf who was too afraid to fight back, but no one seemed to care. Or rather, they know better than to fight other people's battles for them.

     Everyone was doing their own thing, but as soon as Max and Ervin made their entrance, a bunch of white uniforms immediately stood up to touch their chest and acknowledge the white uniforms. These white uniforms were none other than the underlings of Max's protectors. The Jacks, the Lighters, and even a handful of Roses–who don't usually do such a thing but since Max came back after so long, they thought it was only fitting.

     The rest of the white uniforms were also murmuring to each other, unsure of what to feel now that Max was back.

     "Imagine if they find out you're a member of the Elites now," Ervin whispers in Max's ear, making Max nudge his friends' side.

     The two walked in the middle, and as soon as they arrived at their usual table, everyone went back to doing their own thing.

     "Look whose back," Ari says while eating dessert like a grumpy kid.

     Max smiles, and then he looks at the two long tables that are mostly filled with students in black uniforms. A sight that you can only see in the House of Kings.

     "What took you so fuckin' long?" CJ asks, drinking from his juice box.

     "How's your injuries?" Hans asks next.

     "Seeing Max back is making me tear up. I'm so happy," Marcus says right after, making Khian hit him for acting weird again.

      "You really have a brother complex," Anthony then comments, and Max couldn't help but smile, glad to see them all again like that.

(Just a refresher, this is their table arrangement in the Great Hall. But since Keigo isn't there yet, Krist forces Rome to sit in his seat for the time being.)

     "How's the meeting? Is Brave already at the rooftop?" Krist asks as Max and Ervin finally take a seat.

     "Yes, he's there guarding Kim Hee-joon," Ervin answers.

     "I still don't think Brave can protect Kim Hee-joon by himself. If Busters ambushed him, he's a goner. If that happens, Joon might end up protecting him instead," Arjun points out, which the others agreed on. When Arjun mentioned the kings, Max looked at the other balcony and noticed that Busters was nowhere to be found.

     While settling down, a waiter arrived with their food. "You guys only have 15 minutes left before lunch break ends. You better finish your food fast," Felix reminded them.

     "Brave is just there to keep an eye on that ice prince. But even if we leave him alone I don't think Viktor would have the guts to approach him, especially after what Max said during the assembly," Krist pointed out, and the other brotherhood members unconsciously looked at the Sinclaire brooch on Max's collar.

     Max felt them staring, so he chewed his food and swallowed it down. "You gotta stop staring at it or I'm gonna be tempted to take it off."

     "Please don't," Red warned, and Max continued eating again before remembering something.

     "Oh yeah, Siren, thank you for calling Revels for me. Meirion March was very helpful."

     "My pleasure," Siren answers while finishing her salad.

     "You already met up with March? What did you two talk about?" Hans asked this time.

     "Three," Max corrected. "Kim Hee-joon was with me," Max revealed surprising everyone.

    "You let that Ice Prince face Meirion March? Wow, you're crazy," CJ commented, which is ironic considering he said it.

     Max shrugged his shoulders like it wasn't a big. "I mean, he didn't do anything dangerous. In fact, Joon acted like he didn't care that he was the one who shot him. He was more concerned about the bullet. Well...both bullets."

      "So you know about it now."

     "Yeah, it was a shocking revelation," Max answers while looking at Krist. "The remodeled bullet is lethal. I don't know anything about it yet but I'm already guessing that the bullet is stronger than what Chairman Valor sold. It might even had the intention to kill the target."

     "You guessed it right," Anthony—Cigarettes' second strongest—confirmed. "Before the bullet was surrendered to Viktor, we had a quick look at it. I'm no expert but looking at it once is enough to know how deadly it is."

     CJ then pushed Krist away and leaned towards Max before adding, "But if you want to know more about it you might want to ask the vice president. If anyone is an expert on weapons, it's the Alexeev Clan. They're a military weapon company after all."

     "I was already planning to," Max answered, and in an instant, everyone at the table started grinning. Even Rome was grinning, so Max reached out to him and pinched his nose, making the others laugh.

     The group of friends ended their conversation regarding the suspect and continued with something else. While finishing their lunch, Max finally told everyone everything that happened at St. George Academy. From his first day with the serf to the last day when everyone surprised him and thanked him for helping them.

     Of course, Marcus ended up tearing up, while the rest of his protectors were proud of him too and assured him that Max made the right choice of helping the House of Bishops even though his real mission was to help Joon. But after all that, no one said anything about what happened in Germany, which Max was also thankful for. Max doesn't really want to ignore Klyde Vitus Von Hatzfeld's death, but there's always a perfect time and place for such a conversation, and everyone at the table knows that.

     Once again, the two tables became loud. The white uniforms couldn't help but glance at them, but they weren't annoyed. In fact, some were glad. Max radiated so much. He had the ability to pull anyone to his side, and that's something that Max hadn't even realized himself.

     "What Committee did you choose Max?" Marcus asked as he and the rest of the brotherhoods—including Ari, Felix, and Ervin—were walking out of the Great Hall since the bell finally rang.

     "I'm in the Food Committee."

     "Really? I hope I get to pick that," Marcus prayed.

     "Oh yeah, the brotherhoods are going to join the committees now."

     "Our class advisor decided that we'll draw lots instead because during our homeroom period everyone wanted to be sponsors," Siren explained, making Max chuckle because that's exactly what happened to them earlier too.

     "All I'm hoping is that Viktor won't be in Programs," Ari honestly reveals, making Hans—his leader—look at him with distaste.

     "You're in the Programs Committee? We're doomed," Hans complains, and Ari immediately shows him the middle finger, which the Prince isn't pleased about, but he surprisingly doesn't do anything. Hans always acts like he hates Ari, but everyone's pretty sure that he's proud of him, especially with all the achievements he's gotten so far.

     "Well then, we'll see you later little toy," Krist says, patting Max's head and walking off with the rest of the jesters.

     "Take care of Joon!" Max said back before getting pinched on the cheek by the count, CJ.

     "Just go to us if you're planning on doing something. I do illegal stuff too," CJ offers, winking at Max and then chasing after Master Joker, the members of Cigarettes following behind him.

     "They never grow up," Hans sighs this time. "Anyway, if you feel anything, head the the clinic and don't just endure it. I'm sure the battle we had last time still has some side effects."

     "Don't tire yourself too much too," Siren adds.

     "I will. Thank you."

    Hans didn't smile, but he quickly patted Max's shoulder before walking off as well with Siren and the rest of BND, leaving Max with his three friends.

     "Those brotherhoods really care about you," Felix says, standing beside his dear friend. "It's really good to have you back, Max. I think they feel the same way too."

     "Oh please you're thinking about it too much," Max replies with a smile. "Now let's go. Don't wanna miss our afternoon classes."

...

"Okay, you're tracking the height of water in a tank as it's being filled. The graph of the water level over time is smooth—no sudden jumps. The steepness of the graph, or its slope, at any given point, tells us how fast the tank is filling at that moment. What do you call this slope?" Mr. Grégory Hutchinson, the fourth-year calculus professor, asks the class of IV-A.

     Everyone in the room was quiet and listening attentively, one reason is because they want to learn, while the other reason is because not only do they have President Ian Rothman and Secretary Richard Young in their class, but because Kim Hee-joon is there now too.

     Joon, who would care less about class, sighs and looks out the window with a bored look on his face. While staring outside, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrates. He takes his phone out and sees a message from Blade and the others.

     Blade sent a picture to him with the rest of PHD. They were in their dormitory, and Killshot was sleeping on the couch, a mustache drawn on his face. Joon couldn't help but give out a small smile. He always had a soft spot when it comes to his brotherhood.

    "Mr. Kim, " Mr. Hutchinson suddenly called out, grabbing Joon's attention as he hid his phone back inside his pocket.

     "The slope is a derivative," Joon answers before Mr. Hutchinson can even say anything to him.

     "That's not really what I was supposed to say but that's also correct," Mr. Hutchinson says before going back to the lesson.

     Joon sighed and looked out of the window again, but while he was admiring the view, someone suddenly tapped his shoulder. Joon wanted to ignore it because he knew exactly who it would be. But when the person wouldn't stop tapping him, Joon sighed and finally turned around.

    Sitting behind Joon, who wouldn't stop bugging him since this morning, was none other than the Supreme Student Council President, Ian Rothman.

     "Do you have a Scientific Calculator? I left mine at the office," Ian whispers, making Joon roll his eyes back in annoyance.

     "Do I look like I have one?" Joon asks back, showing that he doesn't even have a notebook or pen on top of his desk.

     "What committee will you be joining?" Ian changes the subject before Joon looks away from him again.

     "Stop talking to me."

     "I need to know so I can ban Viktor from joining it."

     "Food Committee," Joon answered with no hesitation as soon as he heard Viktor's involvement with the question.

     The Elites president smiled in delight. "I knew you'd choose that. You know, since you like doing banquets and all that."

     "When will you learn to stop talking?"

     "Kim Hee-joon!" Mr. Hutchinson called out again, and Joon immediately faced the board, looking at their professor who was staring directly at him.

    Joon was about to say something, but then Ian raised his hand and explained, "Sorry, I was annoying him. It won't happen again."

     Mr. Hutchinson was surprised that Ian would admit such a thing, but the professor only sighed and continued with their calculus lesson.

     After that short commercial, Ian didn't bother Joon anymore, and after two more hours of academic activities, the bell rang, indicating that everyone could finally go home.

     The students of class IV-A stood from their seats and packed their bags while the others started cleaning the room. Joon got up too and grabbed his bag. Without saying goodbye to anyone, Ian approached him again, Richard Young—who didn't look as happy about Joon as Ian was—standing beside the president.

     "Joon, you got a minute?" Ian says.

     Joon wanted to ignore him, but he knew that wouldn't be possible so he stopped and turned to look at the elites.

     "Preparation for the Spring Dance will start on Friday. I was hoping to make you the chairman of the Food Committee so that you can—"

     "No," Joon says before Ian can even finish his sentence.

     "Come on now, you're in a position where everyone will follow you. Besides, this will be a great opportunity for you to mingle with other white uniforms," Ian insists, almost making Joon laugh.

     "I'm not here to mingle with anyone. I'm not here to make friends. And I'm definitely not here to help in a stupid committee that I'll only be forced to join."

     "Is that so? What the fuck are you here for then?" Ian suddenly asks, his question sounding more intimidating since he was still smiling when he asked it.

     "I really don't like you," Joon bluntly said, but Ian only chuckled, not even offended by it.

     "Alright, let me make a deal with you then. If you agree to be the chairman of the Food Committee, I'll invite a brotherhood from a lower house to be our school's guest. I think PHD would be a good choice, don't you think?" Ian asks Joon, knowing damn well that Joon would take the bait.

     Joon couldn't even react. All he could think of was that Ian really was a great president because he knew exactly how to make him agree to his stupid request.

     "If you take that back I'm gonna ask the Jacks to prank you for a whole month," Joon replies, and Ian starts laughing again.

    "Wonderful! I'm going to trust you on this. Don't worry, all members of the Elites were chosen as chairpersons so if you have any concerns don't be afraid to ask. Also, please ask Omega Society if they're willing to help with the cleanup after the dance. They're the only students here who will be willing to take the job," Ian says while Richard sighs, probably tired of how much of an extrovert their president is.

     "Omega Society?"

     "That's right. Sinclaire is their club leader so I think you can make a favorable agreement. Assure them that they'll be well compensated, understood? And if they agree, tell him to message me as soon as possible," Ian requests, and before Joon can ask anything further, Ian and Richard start walking off.

     "I'll see you tomorrow, Joon. And ask Max about that request immediately. If you make me wait till tonight I'm going to force you to eat lunch with me tomorrow," Ian says before finally leaving the room with the Elites Secretary.

    Joon isn't the type to be left speechless, but Ian definitely left him in such a state. There was something about the president that made you unable to disagree with him. You tend to just listen to him while he speaks and Joon finds it annoying.

     It's a trait that Max is good at too.

     "Those Elites really know how to annoy me," Joon complains as he walks out of the room, the students in the hallway avoiding him the moment they spot him.

     Thanks to Ian, Joon had no choice but to head to Max's classroom to ask him about the clean-up job. The higher years were already cautious of him, but when he arrived at the Hall of Caelus where the sophomores are found, the white uniforms looked at Joon like he was a wanted criminal, avoiding him like a plague.

     Joon didn't really mind it and walked past the other rooms. When he arrived at Class II-A, Joon opened the door without knocking, immediately making the noisy class quiet down in an instant. Someone even gasped.

     "Where's Sinclaire?" Joon asked in a serious tone, and everyone immediately pointed at Max who was busy packing his things.

    Max didn't even notice Joon as Joon walked inside the room and approached him. But as the Ice Prince was about to reach Max, someone suddenly grabbed his arm, forcing Joon to stop and look at him.

     "What are you doing here?" the Elites Vice President, Gavriil Alexeev, asks, making Joon roll his eyes back again.

     "I really hate the Elites," Joon mumbled before pulling his hand away from the vice's strong grip.

     Max, who was still busy fixing his bag, was tapped on the shoulder by Ari who was still too stunned to see Joon in their classroom. Max looked at Ari confusingly, but then he turned around and saw Gavriil and Joon staring at each other like they were ready to throw punches.

     "Joon? What are you doing here?" Max asked.

     Joon looked at him and was about to ask him about the clean-up job like what Ian requested him to do, but then Gavriil interrupted him again.

     "I asked you the same question. You can't just barge in here and you know that," Gavriil reminded him.

     Joon started to get irritated. He was already in a bad mood after their meeting with Meirion March, but now the Elites wouldn't leave him alone, which he clearly knows is thanks to President Janus, who probably asked them to always look after him while he's a white uniform.

    Joon never realized how noisy everything really is. He's always been comfortable with the silence of his throne as a prince and with the presence of PHD and the kings. But now that he's a white uniform, everything just easily irritated him–a trait that the old Joon used to possess. After all, the Ice Prince isn't the type to show any emotion.

     "If you need to say something, wait for them outside the classroom," Gavriil continues, and Joon finally snaps.

     Others might think Joon would erupt, but no. Out of complete spite, instead of lashing at the vice president or asking Max about Omega Society, Joon purposely made his expression look softer. He then glanced at Gavriil first before looking back at Max and saying, "I've been waiting for you. Let's go home now. Please?"

     As soon as Joon said those words, everyone's mouth dropped to the floor, even Max himself.

     Gavriil, on the other hand, looked at Joon like he heard it wrong. Max hasn't really told anyone about Joon living with him. He especially hasn't told Gavriil about it, but based on his reaction, it's a newfound information that the vice president isn't going to be very pleased about.

     "J-Joon..." Max says before slowly looking at the vice. "Run..."

- END -