The shy girl he wanted to protect...
Might be hiding a darkness even he couldn't understand.
Jay Jay's POV
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my mother yelling from downstairs.
"JAY JAY!"
I groaned.
Five more minutes.
"JASPER JEAN MARIANO!"
Never mind.
The government name had appeared.
The situation was critical.
I immediately sat up.
"I'm awake!"
"Then explain why you're still upstairs!"
Good question.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting at the dining table.
My mother placed pancakes in front of me.
"Eat."
"Yes, ma'am."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you acting obedient?"
"...Because I love you?"
"Suspicious."
Fair.
Mom wasn't easy to fool.
Especially when it came to me.
She worked long hours but somehow always noticed everything.
Including things I wished she wouldn't.
Like bruises.
Or secrets.
Or the fact that I was currently trying very hard not to think about a certain senior with bluish-grey eyes.
My mother suddenly looked up.
"You have Unit Tests next week."
My soul left my body.
"Oh."
"That's all you have to say?"
"No. Internally, I'm screaming."
Mom laughed.
"Good."
"Good?"
"Fear builds character."
"Therapy also builds character."
After breakfast, I grabbed my bag and headed outside.
The neighborhood was already awake.
Mrs. Dela Rosa watered her plants.
Mr. Fernandez walked his dog.
Three neighborhood children were chasing each other through the street while screaming dramatically.
Normal morning.
The youngest child spotted me immediately.
"JAY JAY!"
Oh no.
Tiny humans.
My greatest weakness.
A six-year-old girl named Sophie ran toward me and attached herself to my arm.
"Carry me."
"Sophie."
"Carry me."
"Sophie."
"Carry me."
I sighed.
Then picked her up.
The tiny dictator smiled victoriously.
"School again?" she asked.
"Unfortunately."
She nodded seriously.
"My kindergarten teacher is scary."
"Mine too."
Meanwhile, three houses away—
The Watson Estate looked like a completely different world.
Mark's POV
Breakfast at the Watson Estate was always quiet.
Too quiet.
My father sat at the head of the table reading reports.
My younger cousin Ethan sat beside me looking half asleep.
And I was trying not to think about a mysterious fighter.
Again.
"Mark."
I looked up.
Father was watching me.
"You're distracted."
Dangerous observation.
"No, sir."
"You haven't touched your coffee."
...He had a point.
Ethan suddenly spoke.
"Maybe he has a girlfriend."
I nearly choked.
Father lowered the newspaper.
The room became significantly more dangerous.
"No."
Ethan grinned.
"That's exactly what someone with a girlfriend would say."
I considered launching a bread roll at him.
Thankfully, my father changed the subject.
"Be careful this week."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"The disturbances are increasing."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Serious.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
The same feeling I had sensed in the cafeteria yesterday.
And suddenly—
I remembered Jay Jay's frightened expression.
My chest tightened.
Again.
Holy Saint Academy
The moment I entered school, chaos greeted me.
Literally.
Raf was running through the corridor.
Noah was chasing him.
Aileen was chasing both of them.
And a teacher was chasing everyone.
"COME BACK HERE!"
"No!"
"RAFAEL!"
"NOAH STARTED IT!"
"I WAS SITTING!"
I blinked.
Normal.
By first period, everyone had settled down.
Mostly.
Mrs. Salonga entered carrying papers.
The class immediately looked nervous.
Never a good sign.
She placed the stack on her desk.
"Unit Tests begin next Monday."
Silence.
Then—
"No."
It was Noah.
The class erupted.
Mrs. Salonga adjusted her glasses.
"Would you like to elaborate, Mr.
Fernandez?"
"No."
"Understandable."
Raf slowly raised his hand.
"Can we respectfully decline?"
"No."
"What if we disrespectfully decline?"
"No."
"Worth a try."
The class laughed.
Even Mrs. Salonga looked amused.
Slightly.
Very slightly.
Aileen opened her notebook immediately.
Of course she did.
She was responsible.
Unlike the rest of us.
"We should start studying."
Raf looked horrified.
"That sounds terrible."
"It's called preparation."
"I prefer optimism."
"That's not optimism."
"What's it called?"
"Academic self-destruction."
I laughed quietly.
For some reason, these idiots made school feel easier.
Lunch Break
The cafeteria was unusually crowded.
Students were discussing exams.
Or panicking about them.
Sometimes both.
Noah dropped into a chair beside us.
"I have a strategy."
Aileen looked hopeful.
"You're finally studying?"
"No."
She sighed.
"My strategy is lowering everyone's expectations."
Raf pointed dramatically.
"A visionary."
Meanwhile, across the cafeteria—
Mark sat with Lucas and Selene.
And unfortunately...
My eyes immediately found him.
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
Lucas noticed first.
Of course he did.
The man had the observational skills of a professionally nosy raccoon.
He leaned toward Mark.
"She's looking."
Mark ignored him.
Lucas grinned.
"She's definitely looking."
"I know."
Lucas blinked.
"...You know?"
Mark froze.
Oops.
Selene nearly laughed.
Which was equivalent to witnessing a solar eclipse.
Rare.
Dangerous.
Historical.
After School
The walk home was peaceful.
The streets glowed beneath the golden afternoon sun.
Children played basketball.
Vendors sold snacks.
Students wandered home in groups.
For a moment...
Everything felt normal.
Then the bracelet on my wrist became warm.
Again.
I stopped walking.
The strange silver symbol etched into its surface flickered briefly.
Just once.
My heartbeat quickened.
No.
Not again.
A cold breeze moved through the street.
And for a second—
I thought I saw a dark figure standing at the far end of the road.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then it disappeared.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Something felt wrong.
The bracelet had reacted twice now.
Once in the cafeteria.
Once today.
And deep down—
A feeling I couldn't explain kept whispering the same thing.
Something is coming.
Meanwhile...
At the Watson Estate.
Mark stood beside his bedroom window staring at the night sky.
Thinking.
Again.
About the fighter.
About the strange energy.
About Jay Jay.
And for reasons he still couldn't understand—
Every path somehow led back to her.
Far above the sleeping city...
Clouds gathered silently.
Dark.
Heavy.
Waiting.
As if the universe itself knew...
That the ordinary days were almost over.
And the real story...
Was finally about to begin.