Chapter 65 - Accidental Love Triangle

I finally finished the last exam for the Midterms. As soon as I slid my paper onto the scanner of the robotic proctor, a soft chime echoed, and a bright A- flashed on the holo-screen. Huh. Not bad. I hadn’t exactly poured my soul into this Midterm—after all, Myrrh already had more than enough high marks to keep her scholarship on the Dean’s List—but I somehow managed to scrape a pretty good grade anyway. Well, I’ll take it.

I glanced over my shoulder as I left the examination hall. Myrrh was at the proctor’s desk, her neatly written answers disappearing into the scanner. When she noticed me watching, she flashed a soft, confident smile and waved lightly, her long greenish blonde hair swaying with the movement. I didn’t wait. Instead, I stepped out of the room, letting the door slide shut behind me.

Inside, Neil was still hunched over his desk, brows furrowed in deep concentration. Guess I’ll just wait for him outside.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I spotted Remuel leaning casually against the wall, eyes glued to his phone. His thumbs scrolled lazily through his feed, probably checking the latest drama or posting one of his infamous nonsense takes. Without a word, I walked up beside him, and just as expected, he was the first to break the silence.

“So, how was your score, Mister Topnotcher?” he teased, smirking as he tilted his head toward me.

“A minus,” I replied, shrugging. “What about you?”

“C.” Remuel scoffed, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Barely passed.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You had me fooled for a second. You were the first one to turn in your paper—I thought you knew all the answers and just breezed through it.”

“I just gave up,” he admitted with a lopsided, idiotic grin. “Honestly, I’m more worried about Cindy. If I barely scraped a C, she might score even lower... but at this point, I’ve given up worrying too. Haha.”

“I’m worried about Myrrh too,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “Advanced Calculus was actually brutal this time.”

Remuel let out an exaggerated groan and rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, you goddamn brainiac. You and Myrrh are guaranteed to pass. Stop overthinking it. Let’s focus on the real benefit of exams.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that supposed to be?”

He turned his gaze to the window, where the golden afternoon sun bathed the hallway in a warm glow. His expression softened as he admired the view, a rare moment of serenity from someone as loud as him. “Don’t you just love how school days end early during exams?”

I exhaled, then let a small grin creep onto my lips. “Yeah… I love it. It means we can game all we want for the rest of the day.”

“That’s the spirit!” Remuel snapped his fingers with a satisfied smirk. “Alright, let’s wait for Neil.”

Just as he said that, the classroom door slid open with a faint whoosh, and Neil stepped out. His eyes immediately locked onto mine—cold, serious, unreadable. For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then, in that silent exchange, he gave a subtle chin-up gesture. To most people, it would’ve looked arrogant, like a challenge, but I knew better. He was signaling me. A silent message: Meet at our spot.

I frowned slightly. What’s up with him?

Something was definitely going on.

As I scanned the hallway, I realized that Myrrh and Fei had already left the classroom—earlier than Neil, in fact. I must have missed them while talking to Remuel. The two were deep in conversation, flipping through their notes and discussing their answers from the Advanced Calculus exam. Myrrh’s brows were slightly furrowed in thought, while Fei nodded along, occasionally pointing at something in the notebook she held.

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“Hey, Neil!” Remuel suddenly called out, waving enthusiastically at our friend, who seemed lost in his own world, walking away as if he hadn’t even noticed us. “Let’s hang out!”

Neil barely spared us a glance. “I-I’m sorry,” he muttered, voice unusually soft. “I’m not feeling well.”

Then, without waiting for a response, he kept walking, his posture stiff, his steps unusually hurried. He wasn’t just ignoring us—he was avoiding us. More specifically, he was avoiding our circle.

I frowned. Is this about their fight? If things between him and Fei had gotten worse, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to distance himself, not wanting to drag the rest of us into their relationship drama. But still… something felt off.

I followed his path with my eyes and saw him veering straight toward the male restroom. That was my cue.

I tapped Remuel’s shoulder. “I’m gonna take a leak,” I said casually.

“Alright,” Remuel nodded, completely unaware of my actual intention.

I walked at a steady pace, keeping a few meters behind Neil without making it obvious that I was following him. When he entered the restroom, I gave it a few seconds before stepping in as well.

Inside, the air was cool and quiet, the faint hum of the ventilation system filling the silence. Neil stood by the sink, hunched over, water running as he splashed his face. Droplets clung to his pale skin, his dark brown hair damp near his forehead. His reflection in the mirror looked distant, troubled.

I stepped up to the sink beside him, pretending to clean my nose. The faucet hissed as I let the water run, but my focus remained on him.

Without turning my head, I muttered, “So… what was that message last night?”

Neil’s face remained cold, unreadable. He didn’t glance at me, didn’t even flinch. But when he finally spoke, his words were heavier than I ever expected.

"Consider it a warning from a friend. Steer clear of Fei Xian."

His voice was low, almost a whisper, yet it carried a weight that sent a chill down my spine.

“Pardon?” I let out a breathy chuckle, half in disbelief. Surely, he was joking.

Then he turned to me. His eyes—dark, sharp, and angry—locked onto mine, his expression so intense it nearly made me take a step back.

"Stay away from Fei Xian. This is for your own good."

The way he said it—it wasn’t advice. It wasn’t concern. It sounded like a threat.

“W-What!?” I burst out, my voice louder than I intended, laughter bubbling up out of sheer confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Neil’s jaw tightened. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. For a second, I thought he was going to swing at me. My muscles tensed instinctively, ready to dodge, but instead of throwing a punch, he just… stormed out.

Like some demented shithead, he shoved past me and stomped toward the exit.

“Hey, Neil!” I called after him, but he didn’t stop. Didn’t even acknowledge me. He just pushed open the restroom door and disappeared into the corridor.

I stood there, gripping the edge of the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My own face mirrored my thoughts—utter confusion.

More questions than answers.

Neil clearly didn’t want to talk any further. And judging by how pissed he was, maybe it was best to stay away from him for now.

As I stepped out of the male restroom, I immediately spotted Myrrh and Fei standing in the hallway. Myrrh’s sharp eyes were locked onto me, her arms crossed just below her chest, while Fei’s gaze was fixed on Neil’s retreating figure.

“Neil!” Fei called out, her voice carrying a mix of concern and urgency.

But Neil didn’t stop. He didn’t even flinch. He just kept walking as if her voice was nothing more than background noise.

“The hell is wrong with that guy?” Myrrh muttered, her arms tightening around herself in irritation.

I let out a half-hearted shrug. “Beats me.”

“I know Neil’s an idiot, but that sudden bipolar attitude…” Myrrh mumbled, furrowing her brows. “Is he on drugs or something?”

“You’re bipolar too, Myrrh, but nobody’s accusing you of being a drug addict.” I shot her a look. “That was rude.”

“Oh, forgive me, Saint Zaft Callahan.” Myrrh rolled her eyes dramatically, lips curling into a small pout. “I’m just pointing out that something is very wrong with Neil, thank you very much.”

Before I could reply, Fei suddenly bowed her head slightly, her tone soft and apologetic. “I-I’m sorry for Neil’s behavior, everyone.”

Both Myrrh and I turned to her.

“To tell the truth…” Fei hesitated, her fingers tightening around the hem of her skirt. “We… we had a fight after that celebration. And… I dumped him.”

My breath hitched slightly.

Fei sighed, rubbing her arm as if to comfort herself. “Maybe he’s just taking it out on himself. He probably just wants to be alone. I know I was selfish, but please… try to understand his feelings for now. Please give him some space.”

I stood there, dumbfounded.

Wait. Wait.

Did I just get myself caught in an accidental love triangle?