Fenix, naive and innocent, felt nothing was amiss.

"This is my boss, Lion," he introduced, gesturing to both sides.

"Boss, these are my friends, Lancelot, Alfred, and Derek. Lancelot Bro and Alfred will work at Lion Corp in the future!"

Lancelot took a deep breath, stepped forward, and extended his hand with a full smile, "Boss Lion, nice to meet you!"

Lion glanced down at Lancelot's hand, hesitated slightly, then reached out to shake it.

Surprised by the roughness of Lion's hand, Lancelot recovered quickly and grinned, "Pleasure to meet you!"

Lion, who didn't know the meaning of modesty, nodded and withdrew his hand, "Mm."

Derek pinched the daydreaming Alfred hard and pushed him forward to shake hands one by one.

To Lion, the trio, who hadn't yet left school, were as clear as water; their gaze toward him held scrutiny and hesitation, but toward Fenix, it was filled with concern.

Lion's lips curled slightly.

Fenix seemed to have made some good friends.

"Come on, let's go," Fenix chirped happily, oblivious to the subtle tension between the two groups, "Boss said he'd treat us to dinner!"

The trio from Room 302 responded, watching Fenix walk beside Lion without any discomfort, they looked at each other, then followed.

Lion glanced at the curious onlookers and asked, "What happened?"

Fenix climbed aboard the shuttle and replied, "Boss, you won't believe it, someone invited me to smash their head."

Lion: ?

"I've never heard such a strange request," Fenix said, "but since they sincerely asked, of course, I obliged."

Lancelot: "..."

Derek: "..."

Alfred: "..."

What nonsense are you spouting?

Saying that doesn't make you feel guilty?

Do you even believe yourself?

Fenix: I do.

Lion believed him too, but he knew something was off with Fenix's explanation.

So he turned around and looked at the three sitting behind them.

"What happened?" he asked again.

Lancelot summarized, "Someone provoked him, and he accepted the challenge in the heat of the moment."

Lion nodded and looked back at Fenix.

Fenix shrank his neck and whispered, "I didn't cause any trouble."

"I don't care if you caused trouble," Lion said, "as long as you know where to draw the line."

Fenix cautiously glanced at Lion, relaxed instantly when he saw no displeasure, and said proudly, "I'm more aware than Ferran!"

Lion paused, "Comparing yourself to him?"

After saying that, Lion's face showed obvious disdain.

Fenix: ?

Boss, you don't have to be so biased against Ferran.

What did Ferran do wrong?

He's just a silly dog; don't set the bar so high.

Fenix slapped his forehead, "Where's Ferran?"

Lion blinked, "Still losing weight."

"Oh."

They got off the shuttle and into Lion's car.

The car was quiet.

Fenix and Lion sat in front, while the trio faced each other in the back, outwardly calm but inwardly agitated.

Their minds were filled with unease and questions.

For instance, Fenix's interaction with Lion didn't seem like that of a boss and a little manager.

For instance, Fenix and Lion seemed to share a secret code that only they understood.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

For instance, Lion's instinctive closeness to Fenix made them, as bystanders, feel a bit awkward.

Lancelot tried to hold back but couldn't resist raising his head to look at Alfred and Derek, then immediately started a group chat.

Enemy Reconnaissance Camp (3)

Derek: "Damn!"

Alfred: "Damn!!"

Lancelot: "Damn!!!"

The trio lined up, feeling they had finally regained a bit of themselves.

Lancelot: "What's going on?!"

Alfred: "I feel something is off."

Derek: "To be honest, yes."

Alfred: "Workplace... harassment?!"

Lancelot: "Not necessarily. Based on my observation of Fenix, he probably wouldn't realize it even if he were harassed."

Derek: "Indeed."

Alfred: "Okay, fellas, don't panic! Let's observe more."

The trio agreed, put down their terminals, and continued observing.

This was Fenix's first time sitting in the passenger seat.

He looked around and noticed the snack box was in the back.

Lion turned his head, "What do you want to eat?"

Fenix didn't lift his head, "Barbecue!"

Lion casually searched for a decent barbecue restaurant, started the car, and drove off.

Fenix turned his head to look at the trio in the back, wanting to mention snacks under the second-row seat, but then remembered they were cat snacks.

Fenix wanted to scratch his head but was stopped by his hat.

After sweating so much during the afternoon workout, having the hat on was a bit uncomfortable.

Lion: "Uncomfortable?"

"Not really," Fenix shook his head.

Lion recalled something and pressed a switch.

The cabinet next to the mini-fridge in the backseat opened, revealing brand new towels.

Lancelot, who had seen more of the world, recognized the logo on the towels right away.

Relaxation towels, made of special fibers designed to massage and relax muscles post-exercise, specifically for high-end athletes.

These weren't cheap and were specially supplied to certain individuals.

Lion turned around.

Lancelot swiftly handed the towel to him, feeling he had never been more alert in his life.

The trio watched Lion remove Fenix's hat and quickly cover his head with the towel, their faces contorting momentarily.

Enemy Reconnaissance Camp (3)

Derek: "Light a cigarette.jpg"

Lancelot: "Hand holding a cigarette, trembling slightly.jpg"

Alfred: "I'm a bit worried right now, which dad can analyze this situation?"

Derek: "Calm analysis, maybe he's treating him like a little brother, like a wild older brother."

"..."

Hmm, sounds plausible!

The trio fell silent for a moment, then Lancelot was struck by a realization.

Lancelot: "!Amazing discovery!"

Alfred: "???"

Lancelot: "Known:

I = Fenix's wild older brother

Lion = Fenix's wild older brother

Therefore, I = Lion!"

Alfred: "Keys cost three bucks each, do you have one? Do you have a clue?"

Lancelot, struggling: "Think about it, aren't we taking care of Fenix the same way?"

Derek: "? No, I can't imagine holding Fenix's chin!"

Alfred: "Hell no, stop spreading lies!"

The trio fell silent.

After a while, Lancelot glanced at Fenix, who was fiddling with the car stereo, and sighed deeply.

Fenix heard the sigh and turned to look at the trio, deciding not to fuss with the music and simply clicked to play Athena's songs.

Fenix, with a towel on his head, asked, "Bro Lancelot, why are you sighing?"

Lancelot blurted out, "Just thinking life is tough."

After a month apart, why does it seem like our little brother is about to be snatched away?

It feels like we missed several seasons of the plot.

This shouldn't be happening.

During college, Fenix, who often received love letters and confessions, showed no interest in dating whatsoever.

No matter if the admirer was male or female, Fenix always politely declined.

He always said the timing wasn't right.

Lancelot pondered and patted the front seat.

Fenix turned around and heard Lancelot ask, "Fenny, hasn't the timing for dating arrived yet?"

Fenix didn't understand how the conversation had veered this way.

He shook his head, "Not yet, why?"

"Just that someone asked us to pass you a love letter," Lancelot said.

This wasn't uncommon, so Fenix didn't find it odd.

He waved it off, "No need to pass it."

Lancelot responded with an "oh."

Lion, overhearing their conversation, casually asked, "You're particular about timing for dating?"

Fenix: "Yes."

Lion: "What timing?"

Fenix sighed, "No timing, actually, I'm a proponent of being single."

The trio in the back were stunned.

Alfred wondered, "Why haven't you mentioned being a proponent of being single before?"

"Afraid of upsetting you guys," Fenix said, feeling quite considerate, "After all, you're forced to be single, whereas I choose to be single."

Damn!

What kind of talk is that from a little brother!

Alfred was furious.

If it weren't for Lion here, you'd be dead meat!

Enemy Reconnaissance Camp (3)

Lancelot: "How do we interpret this?"

Alfred: "Not sure, but it depends on Lion."

Derek: "To be honest, yes."

Lancelot: "Stop agreeing and give some meaningful insight."

Derek thought and said straightforwardly, "I think Fenix is quite stable."

Alfred: "Stable in what way?"

Derek: "Stable because only money can sway him."

Lancelot: "Lion isn't short of money."

Derek: "So Fenix is stable."

Alfred: "Stable enough to date Lion?!"

Derek: "Exactly."

The trio fell into a silent contemplation once again.

"We're here," Lion announced.

The trio hurriedly got out of the car.

Fenix threw the towel aside and touched his head.

"Can I go without the hat...?" Fenix mumbled.

"You chose to come out," Lion said, "so wear it."

Fenix sighed, put on the hat, and unfastened his seatbelt.

Lion always preferred restaurants with strong privacy measures.

These kinds of places usually weren't cheap.

Fenix mixed in with his astonished friends, feeling like he was touring a grand garden.

Barbecue definitely went well with beer.

Even with Lion present, the young people couldn't resist the urge to drink and let loose.

Lion, who had already eaten dinner, watched the youngsters getting tipsy from a few gulps of beer.

Finally, his gaze settled on Fenix, who hadn't touched any alcohol. "You're not drinking?"

Fenix licked the chili powder off his lips, "Nope."

Lion raised an eyebrow, "Bad tolerance?"

Fenix turned to look at his boss.

Nonsense!

Fenix could drink a whole cup!

Fenix remained silent.

That silence confirmed his poor tolerance.

Lion slowly peeled a shrimp and asked, "Why are you a proponent of being single?"

Fenix: "Because I have trauma related to dating."

Lion was intrigued, "Oh?"

Fenix silently closed his mouth.

Sigh, can't talk about it.

Fenix's trauma mainly stemmed from Athena.

Challenging danger and extremes was perhaps human nature.

The more dangerous someone was, the greater their allure.

Thus, most Athenas were drawn to dangerous characters, leading to bloody romances.

In the Asmodeus route, the HE involved Athena personally slaying Asmodeus!

That was absurd.

It highlighted the idiocy of the creators!

This had inflicted deep psychological trauma on Fenix, who was in the throes of adolescence and full of romantic fantasies.

For a long time, Fenix associated dating with bloodshed, either killing or being killed.

Even now, not much had changed.

Fenix took a deep breath.

Boss, you have no idea how difficult dating can be.

Fenix gave Lion a skewer of potato chips, sidestepping the topic, "Boss, try the potatoes!"

Lion raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.

Actually, Fenix being a proponent of being single was fine with Lion.

Just the thought of his cat meowing in someone else's arms made Lion uncomfortable.

If it happened right in front of him, that person would likely be shot dead.

Scaring the cat wouldn't be good.

So being single was great.

Lion placed the peeled shrimp in Fenix's bowl.

Fenix, munching on the shrimp, discussed post-dinner plans with the trio.

"Where else?" Alfred tapped his bowl, "Basketball, movies, KTV, board games, video games, dancing, real-life escape rooms, and shooting..."

Lancelot smacked his lips, "Let's dance."

Fenix was about to nod but then realized the time issue.

"Maybe not, we need to pack our luggage."

The trio paused, turning to look at Fenix.

Right!

Tomorrow was their last day of freedom.

Afterward, Lancelot and Alfred would become office workers, and Derek would depart for the Imperial Star.

Lancelot clicked his tongue, "True, the first phase of the management training program is at headquarters, and we need to move into the dorms."

Four people needed to pack their bags.

Lion dropped them back at the school and waited in the parking lot.

He watched Fenix and the trio board the shuttle.

The tipsy group shivered in the night breeze.

Suddenly, Lancelot sprang up, slapped the seat, and shouted loudly, "Fenny!"

"??!"

Fenix jumped, "I'm here, I'm here."

Lancelot burped, "Lion treats you so well, coming to pick you up specially."

Indeed!

Probably worried about my safety!

Boss is the best!

Kind, considerate, understanding, tall, rich, and handsome.

Just as Fenix was about to praise Lion, he heard Lancelot say, "But as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished!"

Alfred chimed in, "Bro Lancelot is right!"

Derek echoed, "Right!"

"...Ah?"

Fenix felt he was out of sync.

Lancelot spoke earnestly, "There's no such thing as kindness without ulterior motives, especially when you can't reciprocate equally."

Got it!

Fenix understood.

They were reminding him to return Lion's kindness, right?

Fenix felt he finally caught up with his brothers' thinking.

He was moved, "Bro Lancelot is right!"

Lancelot was relieved, "Right? What could Lion possibly want from you?"

He wants my awakened body to cure his illness.

Fenix thought.

But he also felt that merely an awakened body wasn't equal to Lion's kindness.

However, he couldn't share this with his brothers.

This topic was off-limits, but Fenix had plenty of cheeky remarks.

He blinked and blurted out, "What else could it be? He must want my youth, my looks, and my cuteness!"

???

Wow!

You knew?!

The trio was shocked, then realized something, widened their eyes, and wailed, pounding their chests.

Heavens!

You knew everything and still acted so close!

You naughty brother!

And you're practically throwing yourself at him?!

Author's Notes:

Lion: Singleness is good.