Plaza. 4:15 pm.

On the plaza's center table, Arkalee, Kawahara, Tatsu, Yulia, and I, were ready to hold the mini-meeting, to decipher Hyunda's location.

Almost an hour had gone by but from the looks of things, it all might assemble to nothing. Simply because Kawahara is far too cunning in scenarios like these.

Speaking of Kawahara, as soon as he got his cocoa, he sat down on the table, and subsequently, after a massive sip of his blazing hot-temperature cocoa, he addressed his words.

"Let's start off with something basic. Mutual perspective."

"Mutual perspective?"

Impatient as always, Arkalee couldn't help herself.

"Yes. In other words, I will interrogate you four and see what you would do if you were in the bastard's place."

"Okay, first of, stop addressing Hyunda by 'bastard'. That's not acceptable. Call him by his name! Also, what's the point of this?! We are losing time, for crying out loud."

Typical Arkalee. She doesn't want to understand the point of Kawahara's point and starts to cry about the most simple things. However, that's pretty good, because we are wasting her time and by wasting her time, Hyunda can stay safe.

Also, what happened a while ago was pretty lucky. Luckily, I managed to delete our entire texting history before Kawahara could catch my act. Nevertheless, that didn't erase his suspicion, as it only did the opposite.

"Not happening. A bastard's a bastard. Also, you'll see the point soon enough. Crybaby, go!"

I still think that 'leech' is more accurate than crybaby yet despite my inner complaint, Arkalee took her turn immediately.

In the process of doing so, she started blushing...

"Um, okay, so I have to imagine that I am Hyunda, right, right?!"

"..." x4.

Awkwardly, we all posed a transient silence, that was broken by Yulia a few seconds later.

"What Kawahara is trying to insinuate in simpler terms is... What would you do if you were Hyunda right now? Where would you go in order to completely hide? The school is pretty big, so think about this well."

While I don't know where Hyunda currently is, I am indeed curious to know how he can supposedly escape Kawahara's methods of searching.

Just what are those methods though?

"Yeah, I noticed, Yulia. Well, I would obviously surrender, haha. I mean, what's the point? I am going to find him eventually, hahaha."

Not sure what I was expecting.

Simultaneous to my inner thought, Kawahara expressed his sudden discontent right away.

"Unbelievable. Simp, next!"

"How many times do I have to say... Bah, okay. So, Hyunda, right? Before speaking my mind about this, aren't there just way too many places in this school to hide?"

Tatsu's correct. There are far too many places to hide at this point.

In agreement, Kawahara replied back, calmly.

"In theory yes. However, what we are looking for are places to hide that normally aren't accessible to outsiders in general. Public places, therefore, are out of the equation."

So he noticed...

"Then, dorms?"

"That's the basic choice. But no. I can confirm that the bastard is not inside our dorm."

"How do you know that, Kawahara?"

"Are you questioning my resources?"

"Yes, I am."

Although Tatsu doesn't know, if I had to take a guess, Kawahara's probably referring to either Kuzan or Rayazaki. Even Akihiko could fit the bill.

There's also the fact that Hyunda could hide in King George's room, probably. However, the main problem with this is that, if all of those three are at the borderline of the dorm's entrance, then it would be quite literally impossible not to spot Hyunda, so I sincerely doubt that Hyunda would go for such a bad choice like this.

"Very well then. The bastard could not have entered the dorm because I have ways of knowing whether or not he has entered. However, is that all? Is that your guess? You would attempt to hide in your dorm if everyone was out for your location?"

"...Yes."

"Pathetic. That's the most obvious choice of all. You, next!"

Pointing out to Yulia in a feat of rage, Kawahara persisted with the order after Tatsu brought disappointment to the table.

It was still better than Arkalee's answer...

"I have a name... But, if I was Hyunda, I would hide in a place that has little to no public access. It's impossible to leave the school, right?"

"Haha, I wouldn't be too sure about that, Yulia. After all, this is Hyunda we are talking about! He surely must've thought about a place that no one would be able to guess."

"No, but... Arkalee, that doesn't really matter. On the assumption that Hyunda is inside the school grounds, he would have to hide in a place where our entrance would usually be restricted. Tatsu's option isn't so bad... But, would Hyunda, like, invade a dorm just like that?"

From left to right, in response to Yulia's question, Arkalee waved a no signal with her forearm and hand.

"No, no, that's impossible. Because that would imply that he would have to interact with other girls and that's quite literally impossible."

The hell?

"Why is it impossible though?"

Unable to contain my silence, I spoke to Arkalee, who looked at me in response as well as the rest.

"It just is. He promised me that he wouldn't talk to other girls sooooo. Yup, impossible!"

Would Hyunda actually keep his promises though?

Doubt it.

Nevertheless, I returned back to my silence, which allowed Yulia to proceed.

"Okay... I think we have to think about the places where our entrance would be forbidden. Not like entirely forbidden, but suddenly forbidden."

"What do you mean, Yulia?"

"Um, you see... Kinda like how when you go watch a movie, if you are late, you can't enter it, right? Places like those... So---"

"Wait, wait. That's a really fucking good one."

Taking his phone out of his pocket with lightning speed, Kawahara, after saying those words and interrupting Yulia in the middle of her speech, shocked us with his abrupt enthusiasm and a manic smile that was all over his face.

"Wait, what did you realize?! Tell me!"

Arkalee, not sustaining the suspense that Kawahara was creating while almost smashing his phone just by tapping with his fingertips aggressively on his phone screen, asked him that.

Furthermore, she also rose up from her seat, crooking her posture all the way to the front just to get his attention to speak, which was ultimately futile, however, after a short while, after being done with his deal on his phone, Kawahara spoke, not to Arkalee only but to all of us.

"Has anyone here ever went to the theaters?"

"No..." x3.

"Yeah, I have."

Despite Arkalee, Yulia, and Tatsu's negative replies, I told the genuine truth as I already went to the theaters with Sana.

Saying this brought a little bit of sadness to Yulia preemptively but it was almost transient as it didn't last for more than a single second.

"Dan, what is it like? Describe me in detail. Don't be lazy!"

"Fine... First of all, just like any theater's, there are movies on top of the outside of the theater's room, so you know what movie to pick. The peculiar vision really helps. Also, if this helps, while it does display new movies, it also displays older movies, which is awkward, if you ask me, but fun at the same time."

"Dan, I said to describe me in detail, not to tell me your thoughts on the details. Very big difference."

"Fuck you. Anyway, as I was saying, there are the reception lines, around 2 to 3, but the majority of the times, only one is open because not a lot of people go there now due to the festival, you see."

"That's relevant. Go on."

Why is that relevant though?

"Oh, yes. Some of the receptionists look like students, so there's a slim chance that they are there on a part-time job. But, what are the odds?"

"That's also pretty relevant, Dan. Continue."

Scratching the back of my hair, I continued as it was issued to be.

"Either way, you are allowed to buy tickets to the respective movie, but once you go inside the hall that has the movies' rooms, before that, you have to handle your ticket to the guard. After that, you are free to do whatever you want. I mean, you go and watch your movie in the respective room, that's it."

"So that's it? You didn't bother to look further except just directing yourself to the specific room and watch your movie?"

"Yeah. Why would I do that? No sense."

"Disappointing, Dan. Nonetheless, that was helpful. Also, the bastard's playing it well."

Concluding that trade of words about the theaters, Kawahara pulled out his phone once more and directed those words to all of us.

Tatsu, curious, spoke melancholically.

"What do you mean? Have you found him?"

"No. But I'm positive that he's inside the theaters right now. There's just something missing here. He, alone, wouldn't be able to pull this off. Therefore, he needs the help of someone else."

"You're so stubborn! That's impossible! He only relies on me and so, your suggestion is invalid."

Exasperated, Kawahara and I traded monochromatic expressions with one another, as if having the same thoughts of annoyance regarding Arkalee.

Kawahara defended himself consequently though.

"I don't hate to burst your bubble, so here's the truth. What you just said is not true, at all. Right now, he's undoubtedly relying on someone. Nothing you say to me can make me look past my assumption. As it stands, I'm pretty confident that he's somehow dodging my methods. So you want to play huh?"

No argument can be made against Kawahara once he sets his mind onto something, which is why he can be so dangerous.

Once he believes in something and it goes according to his rationale, then he will follow it.

Arkalee, on the other hand, wasn't so happy about this.

"Nonsense! That's just not true and---"

However, someone decided to interrupt the drama queen before she could go on an emotional rampage.

That person was no other than Tatsu.

"Wait, Kawahara. That doesn't make much sense. Don't you have to eventually leave the theaters? Can't you just catch the bastard then?"

Did Tatsu just call Hyunda 'bastard'? You hate to see it.

Nonetheless, that calmed Arkalee down, for some strange reason, so she stopped her emotional onslaught.

"Good fucking point, my guy. High five."

Tatsu, probably not caring about the fact that he just called someone a bastard out of hatred, joined Kawahara's palm with a huge high five.

Slowly backing off in shame, Tatsu gave Kawahara the option to talk once more.

"However, that's what he wants us to think. He wants us to think that just because he's inside the theaters right now, that he would be vulnerable to this. Here is the part where we surprise the hell out of him. But first, we will split and do an actual search."

"Actual search?"

"No, wait. I forgot to question a certain thing. That almost slipped my mind. This is actually very important."

Out of all the people in this table to look at, Kawahara picked me, once again.

As he did that, I felt a sensation of anxiety creeping inside my soul.

His natural confident attitude along with his oblivious supernatural smirk was enough to tear down years of confidence built up.

"Dan, who did you go with during that time you went to the theaters?"

Tricky question. Why would Kawahara ask this? Does he benefit from the answer that I give him?

If I say that it was Sana, then what does that mean exactly to Kawahara? I don't know. His perception is beyond mine. As far as I'm concerned, saying that I went with Sana should backfire.

But, before I could reply to Kawahara, Yulia swiftly took my place in the conversation.

"How is that any of your business?! Do you even have the definition of privacy inside your brain!? I'm a thousand percent sure you don't, Kawahara!"

"Zip it. I'm talking to Dan over here! So, who did you go with?"

"Don't tell him. He doesn't have to know."

"So you got something to hide? Is that it? It would seriously contribute if I knew who you went with."

Why is Kawahara assuming that I went with someone else? Just what the hell is the reasoning for that anyway?

Yulia's oddly on the defense here, so I decided to help her with that.

"I didn't go with anyone, Kaw---"

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. Who?"

...........

Why is he so persistent with this...?

"Why do you think that I went with someone, Kawahara? I could've just watched the movie on my own, for the record."

Instead of speaking with his words, Kawahara went to his phone again and after a few seconds, he showed us a picture of me and Sana entering the theaters.

Naturally, this set Yulia in madness.

"How dare you! You stalked them?! What is wrong with you?! You are so mentally insane, Kawahara!"

"That's actually not possible. Insanity is a legal term---"

"Oh my god, you are so repulsive, you creature! Just admit that you stalked them! Also, if you knew then what's the point of asking that question!? Did you do that for your own entertainment!? Sicko!"

"Partially. But, see, this had an ulterior point. As you all know now, Sana and Dan went to the theaters, so here is the ultimate thing that all of you have to understand. There's a 60% chance that she's helping the bastard out."

Eventually, I would like to know how Kawahara got that picture and it's certainly creepy, but what he just said greatly took my interest right away.

Still, he got up from his seat and sipped all of his cocoa without any fear before speaking to us all one last time.

"Alright, here's the deal. We will split each other and we will search for the bastard in every possible location in the school that we can. HOWEVER, you are not allowed to search the theaters. Because, otherwise, it will ruin all of this. Yes, I'm talking to you in specific, crybaby! Avoid searching the damn place. Yulia, Tatsu, keep an eye on her. Dan and I will search for other areas on our own. When it's 6 pm, we will meet at the theaters' entrance. Don't be late!"

Without any complaints, we went separate ways and started our search throughout the whole school.

6 pm. Theaters' entrance.

Reunited, we five stood back at the entrance of the theaters.

Yulia looked happy to see me, so I flashed a smirk in response, however, Arkalee was biting her nails off while upholding an obsessive-compulsive look on her eyes, which left Tatsu in the middle of perplexity.

"Without a doubt, we didn't find him. We all surely went to all places available that we could, right?"

Kawahara's correct. I don't know about Arkalee, Yulia, and Tatsu, but we both couldn't find him.

Now, I do realize that I'm doing a bad job. My job is to keep Arkalee away from Hyunda, but I've also mentioned how that's most likely impossible, right?

Here's why it's impossible.

"Where, where, where, where, where, where are youuuuuuuuuuuuu?!"

With words that crept us all out transiently, Arkalee didn't hold back in expressing her despair. She further continued that, while looking on the ground and stomping on it, simultaneously.

"There's only one hour left... One hour left! God, we have to find him! He's in there, isn't he?! Come on, what are we waiting for?! Let's go already!"

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Arkalee, out of patience, attempted to leave the entrance, but Kawahara was having none of that, as he firmly held her in her place with his hand on her wrist.

"What are you---"

However, it wasn't just Arkalee. Kawahara, out of sheer force, pulled the four of us into the left side of the entrance while emitting the symbol of silence with his index finger supremely tall on his thumb.

"Silence. Here is where we will play the game for real. Give me ten seconds."

If Kawahara's intentions were to get into a physical fight, then my stance would change, but given that it was not, I held myself back.

Plus, Kawahara took a picture of something while hiding himself and only sticking out his arm.

As soon as he was done, he quickly shifted his position to the center and showed us his picture.

Upon that action, Yulia was the first one to speak.

"...Sana?"

"I said 60% chance, right? Scratch that. That's a fucking 90% chance now. Now, let's think about something. What could she be doing here?"

"Watching a movie?"

"Thanks, Captain Obvious. Really helpful."

While I do agree with Kawahara that Tatsu was completely obvious with his reply, what was the point of asking that if he already knew the sort of reply he was going to get?

"But yes, that's correct. She's here watching a movie. Or rather --- she's going to watch a movie. If the bastard is inside the theaters' rooms, then he has to be in the same as Sana. You could argue that it's possible that he might be in a different one, but the chances are way higher when you consider that he might be in the same room as her."

"Kawahara, how many times do I have to tell you!? That's just not possible. Hyunda would never do that! He promised!"

"Whatever, crybaby. Here's how it's gonna go down. First of all, I want you all on your knees!"

We were about to argue back at Kawahara's suggestive words, but as soon as we witnessed Kawahara kneeling down and taking a small peek at the reception line, we followed his example and took a look at what was happening.

From afar, we witnessed Sana seemingly purchasing her ticket. However, we were so damn far that we couldn't witness whether or not it was one or two.

"Goddamn it, this distance is so fucking bullshit, but we can't get close. Fuck!"

Kawahara's angry retort was understandable. In the sense where getting Sana to witness us might backfire.

Hyunda, also, I'm sorry, but I'm really curious to know how you are getting out of this one. There's no more room for argument, as we speak.

These four pests, myself included, are dying to know your location.

"Fuck, she's not showing her tickets. She's hiding them instead. What the hell? Why is she doing that? No fucking sense..."

Kawahara, once again, spoke angrily.

"So, what do we do now, Kawahara?"

Tatsu, not knowing the next step, asked Kawahara that.

We all glanced at Kawahara's face in order to tell us some sort of clue, but he eventually spoke.

"We question the receptionist. But first, I need you to contribute!"

By that, he was referring to Yulia.

Yulia, looked surprised, as Kawahara pointed at her as if she was essential for this to suddenly work.

"Me...?"

"Yeah, you. Give Sana a call and ask her where she is. We all know for a fact that she's fucking inside, so if she lies, then she's covering for the bastard, one-hundred percent!"

I'm surprised Arkalee isn't arguing back. She looks like she's thinking about something while maintaining a semi-pissed off expression.

That's mysterious.

Furthermore, as I checked the time on my phone, I noticed that it was 6:05 pm.

"Alright... Just a second."

"Speakers mode, if you may."

"Fine..."

Thus, just like that, Yulia delivered a call to Sana.

6:04 pm.

On my way back, once again, I witnessed Hyunda mumbling to himself some words, for the second time.

However, despite that, I just went ahead and informed him of the success in my task.

"Hyunda, it worked! Well, why wouldn't it work, right?! That was so much! Just how did yo---"

"It's running out. Soon enough, no... It's getting closer. The chances are rising."

Speaking words that I can't understand, Hyunda, still on the floor, got up, and spoke to me.

"Sana, this might be sudden, but do you always reply fast to Yulia? In terms of calls?"

"Huh? Well yeah! She's my bff!"

But why is asking that...?

"I see. In the case that she does call you, could you tell her that you are inside the 'Superbad' room? Just in the case that she calls you and asks you where you are and what room you are, alright?"

...What? But why would Yulia just call me and---

"Oh..."

"Pick up fast and remember my words."

"Okay, I got it."

Out of instinct, I picked up the call swiftly without wasting any time.

6:05 pm. Theater's entrance.

"Sana?"

Loud and clear, we could all listen to Sana's upcoming words, as expected of the speaker's mode.

"Yulia? Heeey! What's up!?"

Sana, with enthusiasm, replied.

Kawahara, on the other hand, firmly looked at Yulia, as if to remind her what she had to do.

"Nothing much, Just wondering what you are up to. Where are you? I wanna meet up with you!"

With a thumbs-up, Kawahara indirectly praised Yulia's words.

"Oh, I am inside the theaters right now! I'm watching Superbad! It's really, but really funny! Oh... Sorry, maybe I should've told you that I was coming and invited you along. The thing is, I wanted to leave you alone with Daniel so you two could have more time, y'know?"

Awkwardly, I was forced to face Yulia's bright radiant smile that somewhat forced me to blush, almost as if it was a natural reaction...

"Thanks! But I---"

Yulia cut her speech because Kawahara did the throat cut gesture, signalizing Yulia to end the call.

"Something important came up! I'll give you a call later! Enjoy the movie!"

Hastily, Yulia ended the call without any mercy.

Thus, we returned to our previous state.

"Okay, what was the point of that exactly?"

"Simple. We check the 'Superbad' agenda. If it matches and it starts at 6:05 pm, then she didn't lie. Otherwise, she did. Got it?"

Oh, I see.

That makes sense.

If Sana is lying and the agenda doesn't match, then chances are, she's covering for Hyunda while lying about this.

Plus, we can just capitalize on that mistake and snipe the movie that is starting. By doing that, we can know which movie is starting, and thus, we can, ultimately, hopefully, decipher Hyunda's location.

"Alright, let's go and check it, then!"

Notwithstanding the suspense, Arkalee got up and thus, we directed ourselves as a group to the receptionist.

There was no line, as the whole thing was somewhat deserted at this point. It was getting pretty late, so to speak.

Regardless, that didn't stop us and so, upon reaching the reception line, the receptionist spoke to us.

The receptionist looked far too young and from the looks of it, he's also a student at this school.

Probably on a part-time job that the school allows him to be in.

"Hello there! How can I help you all?"

With a bright smile, he receives us and treated us with immediate hospitality.

Out of all of us, Kawahara spoke with confidence as always.

"What movies started at 6:05 pm?"

"Funny you ask! All of them! Ah, except for one. Birdman! It starts at 6:10 pm! Just three minutes from now!"

"I see. Thanks for the info. Also, did you by some chance see a silver-haired individual passing by?"

Finally getting down to the essential question, Kawahara created suspense within the atmosphere, as we waited for the receptionist's reply.

However, we were taken aback when the receptionist replied with sudden enthusiasm, implying that he had knowledge about this.

"Ah! Are you talking about someone who has a really apathetic look on his face along with silver-hair?!"

"Excuuuuuuuuuse meeeeeeee?! What the hell do you mean by----"

It's a good thing Kawahara interrupted Arkalee right away before she could scare the receptionist.

"I see. Very valuable. Also, three tickets for Birdman! Love the damn movie!"

"Got it! Also, I think I saw the individual go to the dining area... He looked like he was in a hurry. As if he was trying to run away from something. Well, not sure if that helped you or not, but just wait a minute, I'll give you the ticket right away."

Leaving that massive hint, Arkalee flashed a gigantic smile, but Kawahara didn't.

As a matter of fact, Kawahara distanced himself from the receptionist and went to the center of the large room while telling us all to come over.

Naturally, we did such and we ultimately heard what he had to say.

"It shouldn't be a surprise, but that's massive. Therefore, his location could already be open to discovery."

"What do you mean could?! He's in the dining area! The receptionist even described him as an individual that was trying to run away from something! That's obviously Hyunda!"

"Simmer down, crybaby. You're way too gullible. Tatsu. Yulia. If you don't mind, could you check the dining area?"

"For what purpose though, Kawahara?"

"That's simple, Tatsu. We can't trust everything we hear these days. In other words, while you two will search for him, we will do our investigation here. Therefore, we shall split up, again. Dismissed."

Apparently, they agreed with Kawahara's reasoning, as Yulia and Tatsu burst off to the dining area which was still considerably faraway.

Nevertheless, despite that, Kawahara simply erupted a devilish grin from his lips and started to lowly laugh in front of us before addressing his new words.

"As you noticed, I bought three tickets for us, and here is what we will do. We will, collectively, check every room and we shall start with the Superbad one. He is without a doubt in one of the rooms. He has no way to escape. I had to let Yulia go away because she wouldn't agree with this. So, with that said, grab your fucking tickets, and let's go."

Given that Kawahara paid for those three tickets, we went straight to the hall's entrance and started out endeavor.

Joker's room. At the exact same time.

"Sana."

"Mhm? What's up? Another favor? You're relying on me quite a lot, haha."

On our seats already, we were ready to rewatch the movie, as five minutes had already passed.

"Yeah, sorry. Could you tell Yulia via texting that you were feeling sick and you went to the dorm ahead?"

"Hyunda, I hate to lie to Yulia..."

"It's part of the thrill. The climax is almost done. We are soon arriving at the conclusion. However, the conclusion won't be a phenomenal one, unless you do this. Please. It's just a text. Also, you can use that as an excuse to get Yulia to talk to you later, right?"

"That's... Mhm... Alright. But the conclusion better be worth it."

"Surely."

Well, I've come thus far, so what's the harm? Plus, it's not like I'm lying out of spite, it's just for the sake of seeing what he has to offer. I do want to see the conclusion of this and what it will lead to.

Ultimately, I delivered that text to Yulia.

Superbad room.

On our way to the room, even though we were supposed to watch the Birdman movie, we 'accidentally' entered the Superbad room.

Given that the entrance was located below the seats, we couldn't witness the people that were seated yet Kawahara dashed forward and after glancing upon the individuals seated, he laughed a tad bit.

Arkalee also went to check with Kawahara.

As for me, I felt my phone ringing and saw the message that Yulia left, saying that Sana was feeling sick and that she went ahead to the dorms.

"Wait, guys. Come here."

Giving Kawahara and Arkalee a short notice, I signaled them to come here with the light of my phone.

Upon clashing with the text that I showed them, they grew further skeptical.

"The hell... No, I'm not buying it. We will check every room respectively. Also, Dan, try and open that door."

Kawahara pointed at the door that was located on the right side of the entrance. The door itself looked like a utilization space, similar to that of a pantry.

Meanwhile, Arkalee was too busy creeping every single spectator with questions about Hyunda's whereabouts.

As for the door itself, it didn't budge. Not one bit.

"Nope. Nothing. Why did you want to check though?"

"Just a suspicion, but if it doesn't budge, then it's locked. Considering I don't want to cause a ruckus, I rather not go out of my way to do so. After we are done here, let's check every other room. In the end, if he isn't here, then he has moved out. Got it?"

"Damn, Kawahara. You are taking this pretty seriously. Is this about what I said back then? About joining you?"

"Partially. But, I have another motive. I just know. I know that the bastard's fucking with me. He thinks that he can get away with this foolery."

He seems pretty mad.

"Also, ask Yulia to text Sana if she knows about the bastard's whereabouts. We might just find what we are looking for."

"Alright."

On Kawahara's decree, I texted Yulia exactly that and Yulia gave me a short confirmation that she was about to text Sana.

Regardless of that, after Arkalee came back empty-handed, we moved out to another room. Considering that there are ten in total, we were still far from the last one.

Joker's room. At the exact same time.

"Sana."

"Oh, what, what?"

"It's time."

"Time for what, exactly?"

"To win, of course. Get up. We need to make a short stop."

With force, he took ahold of my right wrist and started to drag me out of my seat, however, not in a complete savage way that I felt like he was forcing me, as I just went along.

"Wait, where? Will we leave the room? But I thought that we were going to watch the movie..."

"And we are. This will just take five minutes. Follow me."

"Yeah, okay..."

As we made way to the room's entrance, I received a text from Yulia and Hyunda took notice of that.

It appears that he wants to know...

"Wow... It's about you, haha!"

"What does it say? If you don't mind telling me, that is."

"Ah, not at all. She's asking if I know where you are. So, what reply do I give her?"

At this point, I already know what he's going to say. This is sorta fun. It feels like we are partners in crime or something.

I didn't know that this thrill could be this addictive.

"Damn, Sana. You're better than I expected."

"Hehe, of course. So?"

"Dining area, obviously. But tell her that I might've already left to go somewhere. Further, tell her that you only caught a glimpse of me eating when I was almost done eating and that is why you think that I left already."

"Jesus, that's a bit too detailed. How does your brain keep up?"

"Onions keep me alive."

"Hah, what?"

"Nothing. Either way, tell me when you are done. You're a fast typer, right? Show me what you got. Twenty seconds. Go!"

As soon as Hyunda declared that, I typed all of that to Yulia as fast as I could, in order to beat his expectations.

Thus, in fifteen seconds, I did all of it, which was unthinkable at first, but for some reason, I managed to pull it off.

Ultimately, I showed him my phone's screen and got smug about it pretty quickly.

"Heh, that's what you get."

"Bravo, bravo. Now, let's hide, shall we? We don't have much time if we are being honest right now..."

"Okay, but where?"

We were standing at the room's entrance, specifically speaking, right in front of a door. I did take notice of this door, but Hyunda is firmly looking at it while pulling out something from his blazer's pocket...

"Here. Inside this small cramped space."

"Huh? Why? No, wait, better yet, how? I'm pretty sure it's locked! As a matter of fact..."

Wanting to confirm whether or not it was locked, I went ahead and showed him that it was locked, as I couldn't simply open the door lock.

"There, it's locked. So, we can't get in there. And, what's that?"

Although I said this, I was already firmly aware of its appearance, as it was a dark-blue key that Hyunda had inside his blazer's pocket.

To further surprise me, as Hyunda slid the key inside the door's lock, I heard a clicking sound and that made me awe immediately.

"W-Wait did that just...! It's open! It's really open! But how?!"

"I carry this for tough occasions such as these. I called it 'omnikey', but you are free to refer to it as you like. Get inside."

"Omnikey... Wait, does that mean that you can open like anything you want?! The hell! You'll have to explain how that works! Also, this is small as hell!"

"That's a lot of 'hell', miss. Be careful, your imaginary god might judge you and smite you down."

With those words out of the way, I entered this dark small space that had no illumination whatsoever.

Hyunda closed the door, but soon enough, I felt my body clashing with his, which caused me to feel straight-up embarrassed. Nonetheless, I didn't react in an exaggerated way, even if I wanted to.

"Alright, explain yourself, mister."

"I don't want to lose sight of you in this dark space, so it's a greater move to have you be in my sight. But, given that this is a dark space and that I can't see you right now, I need to know where you are. Which is why body connection is the only choice. Does this bother you?"

"Oh, you mean the fact that you are basically feeling my boobs?"

"I mean, yes. They are pretty fine, I gotta say."

"Why thank you, Hyunda. So, do you want your dick to be chopped off or will you continue to praise my body parts in a very blunt way?"

"Spare me."

Accidentally, as I was in the middle of laughing lowly, I moved my right hand and I felt a hard structure of his body that I had no knowledge of. It was located more in the middle, as I attempted to locate the exact area.

With my right hand, as I continue to unknowingly feel that zone of his body, I noticed it immediately.

"Wait, you have ab---"

"Sorta rude for you to say those words but then touch in parts where you aren't supposed to, don't you think?"

Embarrassed, I took my hand off his abdominal area and further unable to eliminate my embarrassment, my words came out pretty shy.

"U-Um, sorry, I just had no idea that you, um... No, wait... Why are we here, Hyunda?"

"About time you asked. You see, we have to stay here for a great total of five minutes. Because, accordingly, any second now, a group of individuals will walk in."

"Are you talking about the girls...?"

They just don't leave him alone, huh?

"No. We will have very familiar guests here, any second now. I need you to not make a single noise, alright?"

Familiar guests? The only familiar guests I can think of are my own classmates.

Arkalee, maybe? Yeah, that would make sense.

"Sure... But, I didn't hear you lock the door. What if they decide to attempt to open the door? They should be able to find us, just saying."

"I could do that. Locking the door is an option, but what's the fun in that?"

"Um, Hyunda? Won't that mean that if they do that that they will find us?"

Or am I missing something?

"They are free to try. I'll just use my left hand and use force to create an illusion that the door is actually closed when it's not. Try not to laugh when you realize that they were forced into thinking that the door is locked when it's not."

Wait, is he serious? Doesn't that require like a brutal amount of physical strength...?

Didn't he place last in the sprint test? I guess maybe running isn't his strongest suit?

"Hehe, alright."

Loudly, after I said this, we both heard the entrance door almost being slammed and along with it, some familiar voices that could be heard from the outside.

"This is it. Last fucking room. He's either here or he's not. Dan, Arkalee, check the above seats, I'll handle the below ones. No one's in the medium ones, so get going. We are losing time, as we speak."

That was Kawahara just now.

And he mentioned Dan, which is undoubtedly Daniel, and he also mentioned Arkalee.

What the hell? They are here? The three of them?

By the way, since our bodies are so collected together, it's been getting pretty evident that Hyunda, without a doubt has them.

"You can talk for the next twenty seconds. Low though."

"Okay... Why are they after you...? Arkalee is one thing. But, Daniel and Kawahara? What?"

"I told you, I'm popular. For different reasons altogether though."

"I see, I see. Also, you are a show-off, by the way."

"Am I? But I don't show off, do I?"

Is he serious now? I am feeling something that is the equivalent of a rocky texture and I am positive that it goes beyond six. Because you know, as if six weren't, like, enough already!

"Wow, must be nice for you. You can just use them so any girl falls for you. Because, you know, girls nowadays just want abs and abs."

"So you like abs?"

"Can't deny it. But, when they come from a playboy, then that's a big no."

"How am I a playboy, Sana?"

"Are you kidding me? You---"

My almost silent rant couldn't be allowed to go on, as Hyunda forcefully placed his right hand on my mouth while assumably, his left hand is on the lock.

Furthermore, with his body, he simultaneously pushed my body to the back of the door, while putting his right knee in the middle of my legs.

This guy is so bold!

"Where the hell is he?! He has to be in a place where he can't be found! Like, in the principal's office!"

Arkalee is on the verge of defeat, as her words are starting to sound just like how a wounded hound howls after getting stabbed in the liver multiple times.

Arkalee...

You don't know the concept of privacy. That's why you and Hyunda just won't...

"How many times must I tell you, crybaby? He can only be in places like this where you are only restricted from entering accordingly, not permanently."

Yet here you are, Kawahara.

Are we seriously losing our time just because of them? What the hell. These brutes are trying so hard to invade his privacy, for what reason exactly?

"Oh..."

That was Daniel right now. Did he realize something?

"What?"

"Kawahara, Yulia's saying that Sana told her that she saw Hyunda in the dining area. But that he probably already left because he was almost done eating. Well, isn't that our clue? First the receptionist, now Sana."

How the hell...

Why is Yulia telling Daniel this? No, wait. Wait, wait...

Yulia's only telling this because I texted her that info. But, the one behind it is...

"......Am I overthinking this...?"

"You probably are. I mean, where else could he be?"

I hope Kawahara doesn't bother to check the door... He has no reason to.

He should just listen to Daniel's words and back off.

"Alright, I get it. I won't ignore the evidence. Though, before we leave... Dan, can you try and open the door? Use all your strength in the process though."

........!!

"You do realize that I'm gonna break it, right?"

"It is what it is."

"If it doesn't work, then we are leaving. Actually, Arkalee already left."

"Fucking crybaby. Worse than 3-year-old children. I thought that was impossible, but the more you know. Alright, do it."

What happened next was the trembling sound of Daniel trying to force his way by breaking the door lock with his sheer physical force.

But, given that it wasn't happening, Hyunda was being successful.

Out of curiosity, I tried to feel his left arm and as I did, I could only feel a rigid texture and well-developed muscles.

His firm and uptight shoulder felt so developed that it contrasted the slender look that he gives. Furthermore, as I allowed my hand to incline into his triceps, his brachii muscle felt like a rough diamond that could only be described as unbreakable and thick.

Rippled structures to follow that could only be described as tense and stable were felt. Even through his current task, he didn't shake a single bit, thus implying that it was nothing to him.

I know for a fact that he wouldn't stop me now that he's busy matching Daniel's strength. Or is it Daniel that's trying to match his strength?

"What the fuck? I... I literally can't. What the hell is this lock made of?! Pure steel?"

"No... The material is way more solid and it's definitely not steel. Alright, my turn now."

Okay, since it's Kawahara's turn, considering how he always boasts about his physical strength, I'm sure that even Hyunda won't be able to let loose now.

I've witnessed Kawahara's physical body structure since he enjoys showing off quite a lot and I can only say that a build that ripped is not something to laugh at.

But...

"The fuck? What? Huh? No fucking way."

The trembling sound from the lock being constantly warped, or rather, the attempts of being warped, were no cause for Hyunda, as his muscles didn't vibrate at all; maintaining their firmness permanent throughout it all.

Nevertheless, Kawahara was not done, as he persisted even further, from the looks of it.

"How the fuck?! What the fuck is this made of!? Titanium?! Tungsten?! Inconel?! Chromium?! This shit makes no fucking sense! I'm trying to bust through this lock but it's just not budging! Rough motherfucker, I'll bring you down, just you wait---"

"Kawahara, the guard is here...!"

"Oh shit. Run."

On Daniel's signal, footsteps that would match those of a person who was running for his life were heard. Thus, I instantly assumed by Daniel's words that the guard had shown up and that they were forced to retreat.

I don't know if right now is a good time or not...

Should I speak?

"Are you having fun, Sana?"

"Eh? Ahh, that was pretty fun, yeah! They were actually convinced that the door was locked!"

"Kawahara wasn't, but the rest, yes. Also, a certain person did a really good fucking job."

"You mean me, right?"

"As well."

As well...?

"What do you mean by that? If it wasn't for me then this wouldn't have worked, right? Or am I wrong, Hyunda?"

"Certainly, without you, this wouldn't be possible."

"See, I told you so---"

"By the way, Sana."

"Mhm? Yeah?"

"Are you having fun?"

Why did he just ask me the same question twice?

"I already said that I was."

"Right. Let me rephrase that --- Are you having fun indulging yourself into particular parts of my body?"

"Ah..."

Crap. I never took my hands out of his body. Even through his uniform, the sentiment is so real that it's almost as if I'm touching the naked muscle.

"But, you know, Hyunda, you do have your knee still stuck in-between my legs. It's only fair play."

"That's true. So, you don't mind the fact that I have my knee in the middle of your legs? My bare knee breaching the edge of your skirt? Are you fine with that?"

"W-Well, I can't let you think that you have the upper hand here so..."

"So, it's a yes? Then, do you want to take it to the next level?"

...Wait, what!?

"What are you talking about?! Come on, we are gonna miss the movie at this rate---"

Although I tried to reach the door lock, Hyunda's hand was already there, which didn't allow me to open the door.

Wait, but that means...!

"Sana. We are at that age. We are bound to reach a state of mind where we will want to not care about everything else and commit one single act based on lust. No one will come. I can lock the door. If you don't raise your voi---"

"W-W-W-What the hell are you talking about?! I can't believe you just suggested that!"

"I mean, do you not want to do it? For the record, I also carry a condom with me all the time. You might think that it's nonsensical but I actually beg to differ. Nowadays, you never know when you might get laid, so--"

"Not one more word! Let's go back and watch the movie or I'll scream!"

"Relax girl. It was just a joke. I was faking it."

"Wow. Just wow. Now you've done it."

Thankfully, he removed his hand from the door lock, which allowed me to open the door and retake my seat.

Currently, I am very angry. Gosh, I hate playboys like him.

"Oh, come on! You don't have to be mad. While it's true that I carry a lot of things with me, you know what I also carry with me? Lots of kindness and caring."

"That's weird. Considering that you carry lots of things, you clearly don't carry decency."

"That's just not true."

"Nope, don't care. Don't talk to me for the next hour. Just be glad that I'm not moody to the point of exiting the room right now."

"Wait, Sana. I'm really serious. It was just a joke."

....??

I had to stop halfway on my way back to our seats and face him in the middle of this poorly illuminated room that only had the light that the movie was emitting throughout the room.

"You keep on saying that it was a joke, but then you say that you were serious. What the hell, decide."

"Aw, what's the matter? Are you feeling insecure?"

"Wow, I fucking hate you."

But you know what I hate more about you, Hyunda?

The fact that you make me laugh even when I'm mad at you.

Jerk.