Jay's POV
"Felix almost stapled his own finger."
"He stapled his sleeve to the curtain."
I laughed immediately. "That was even worse."
The sky above us had already turned orange by the time Keifer and I finally left school.
Festival preparation had completely destroyed everyone.
Especially Yuri.
I was pretty sure he lost faith in humanity around the third hour.
The streets were quieter now.
Cool evening wind.
Streetlights slowly turning on.
And somehow…
walking beside Keifer felt strangely easy.
Too easy.
"You know," Keifer said casually beside me, "your class is actually insane."
"Correction," I replied proudly, "our class."
He glanced at me.
Then smirked slightly.
"…You admitted it."
I blinked. "…Oops."
"That's growth."
"Don't make it emotional."
A small laugh escaped him.
There it was again.
That stupid feeling in my chest.
Honestly annoying.
We crossed the road slowly while continuing to talk.
Or more accurately…
while Keifer kept bullying me.
"You almost killed Felix with tape."
"He deserved it."
"He screamed for help."
"He was dramatic."
"He yelled 'tell my family I fought bravely.'"
I laughed so hard I almost walked into a pole.
Keifer grabbed the back of my hoodie immediately and pulled me back.
"Careful."
I looked up at him.
Still laughing slightly.
"…You know you worry too much?"
"You almost fall every two business days."
"That's fake news."
"You fell off a desk literally today."
"The desk attacked me first."
Keifer shook his head.
Then quietly laughed again.
And for some reason…
seeing HIM laugh felt rare.
Like something people didn't notice enough.
The wind moved slightly through his hair.
Streetlights reflecting softly against his eyes.
Annoyingly handsome.
Very annoying.
"You're staring," he suddenly said.
I immediately looked away. "I was not."
"You absolutely were."
"You have no proof."
He smirked.
"You laughed more today."
I blinked slightly.
"What?"
"Today," he repeated calmly, "you laughed more."
I stared ahead quietly for a moment.
Then shrugged. "…Maybe your suffering entertained me."
"That's probably it."
But somehow…
his voice sounded softer than usual.
We turned into a quieter street.
Less people.
Less cars.
Mostly silent except for distant traffic sounds.
Then suddenly—
Keifer slowed slightly.
The playful expression disappeared from his face.
Immediately.
My smile faded too.
Because I noticed it.
That school president instinct of his.
Observing.
Watching.
"What?" I asked quietly.
He looked ahead calmly.
"…We're being followed."
The air instantly changed.
I casually glanced behind us.
Three men.
Dark clothes.
Walking too closely.
Not normal.
Not accidental.
One of them suddenly smirked when he noticed me looking.
Yeah.
Definitely not normal.
Keifer quietly moved slightly closer to me.
"Stay behind me."
I almost laughed.
"Keifer."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
One of the men finally spoke.
"Well well," he mocked lazily.
"The school president."
Another one looked at me and grinned.
"And MJ."
My eyes narrowed instantly.
How the hell—
Keifer noticed my expression immediately.
"You know them?"
"No."
But the way they said MJ…
they definitely knew me.
The tallest guy cracked his knuckles slowly.
"Boss said to bring the girl."
Keifer stepped forward slightly.
"The girl has a name."
The man smirked. "Not interested."
Then another one pulled out a metal pipe.
My expression immediately darkened.
Keifer quietly cursed under his breath.
The street suddenly felt too quiet.
Too empty.
Then the tallest guy smiled.
"Make this easy for us."
I slowly took one step forward beside Keifer.
And smiled slightly.
"Unfortunately," I said calmly, "I've never liked easy."
One of the men charged first.
And the last thing I heard before everything exploded into chaos—
was Keifer saying:
"Jay, don't do anything reckless."
Too late.