---

  The pouring rain violently soaked the delinquent King's body, as if the sky itself was sharing his profound sadness. It was accompanied by the heavy rumble of thunder, perfectly hinting at his crushing disappointment in the girl standing before him.

  "HUH??? V-V-VINS??? Y-YOU HAVEN'T GONE HOME YET???" Freya gasped in absolute shock, her eyes widening in sheer panic.

  "Can I ask you for one last favor? Please... just pretend we never knew each other!" Vins pleaded. His tone desperately wanted to break down and cry, but he was trying with everything he had to stay strong.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  "W-Why haven't you gone home yet?" Freya asked again, her mind racing in pure confusion and dread.

  "Earlier, the sky tried to stop me! Look, Sis Frey! The sky is pitiful, isn't it? It's crying and angry at the exact same time! It's okay, sky... Just cry! Who hurt you? Yes! It's okay, sky! I completely understand your anger! Maybe it's because of your disappointment, right?" Vins said poetically, his voice breaking as he held out a trembling hand, looking up at the pouring rain.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  "Vins... I-I can explain everything to you..." Freya stuttered, the horrifying realization of her mistake finally crashing down on her.

  In the pitch-black night, the lightning that repeatedly flashed across the sky reflected in Vins's eyes, which now looked entirely dead and empty.

  "I don't need any explanation, Sis Frey! Nothing's wrong at all!" Vins said coldly, still looking up at the sky and catching the freezing rain in his palm.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  Hearing Vins's lifeless words, Freya fell completely silent, utterly stunned.

  "I-I-I... I—" Freya stammered, hot tears rapidly streaming down her cheeks, mixing with the rain.

  Her desperate words were immediately cut off by Vins.

  He slowly turned his back to her and started to walk away into the darkness.

  "Congratulations, Sis Freya! You have just successfully shattered the heart of a man who literally just fell in love with you!" Vins threw over his shoulder, not even looking back.

  "Vins... Please... Sob!" Freya cried out, completely unable to hold back her tears any longer.

  Vins quickened his pace, walking away from where he was standing.

  "Vins! Waaahhh... Pleaseee... Just this one more time... Pleaseee... Sob!" Freya wailed, sobbing uncontrollably into the storm.

  Vins, who hadn't walked too far from her yet, only replied by silently raising his right hand—a dismissive, final gesture that the Student Council President could clearly see from his back.

  "Vins... Sob! Wait! Just give me one more chance, Vinsss... Sob! Waiiiiit... Let me explain first... Sob!" Freya screamed, her voice cracking as she cried hysterically.

  Vins completely ignored her. He just kept walking, leaving her behind in the cold.

  Freya aggressively lifted the soaking wet skirt of her sleeping gown and immediately sprinted toward Vins. Without a second thought, she threw herself into the freezing rain that made her fragile body shiver violently.

  As the heavy rain completely soaked her, her mind flashed back to all the beautiful, brief moments she had just shared with Vins.

  Freya managed to catch up to him and immediately threw her arms around him from behind, hugging him fiercely. She was truly, desperately not ready to lose the underclassman she had fallen for.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  "Please... Waaahhh... Don't go, Vins! Listen to me first... Sob! I-I love you..." Freya begged, burying her tear-soaked face into his wet back.

  Vins just stood there silently in the rain, hanging his head. He didn't respond to a single word she said.

  "I-I don't have any r-relationship with him anymore... Sob! I-I was forced to do it... Sob! Please believe me... Waaahhh..." Freya continued to plead, holding onto him for dear life.

  Vins slowly, gently pried Freya's cold hands off his waist and turned around to face her.

  He then held the girl's small, trembling shoulders. Forcing a tragic, heartbreaking smile, he said,

  "Sis Freya, please go inside! You might get sick out here... I'm sorry! And please forgive me... I'm truly sorry! My mind is trying so hard to believe what you're saying! But... but my heart is completely rejecting it!" Vins whispered, his voice trembling as he lowered his hands from her shoulders, sliding them down to hold her upper arms.

  With Vins's face so close to hers, Freya suddenly realized that the water falling from his face wasn't just rain. Hot, bitter tears were freely streaming down her underclassman's cheeks.

  "I'm sorry! I've really tried my best... Forgive my heart for rejecting you, because it's already been hurt too much... Please go back inside now, okay? Don't worry about me anymore... Maybe it's just my destiny to be shown something painful like this! Once again... I'm sorry... Please just pretend we never knew each other! Thank you for everything, Sis..." Vins choked out, on the absolute verge of breaking down entirely, as he finally let go of Freya's arms.

  Vins turned and walked away, leaving Freya completely alone, bathed in the freezing rain.

  "Vins... I'm so sorry! I love you! Waaahhh... Vins!" Freya screamed at the top of her lungs.

  She collapsed to the wet asphalt, sitting in deep, crushing despair. She cried her heart out in the pouring rain, helplessly watching the person she loved walk out of her life.

  Vins slowly disappeared into the pitch-black night that swallowed the quiet alley.

  The freezing night, combined with the agonizing reality of Vins's departure, made a suffocating feeling of absolute loneliness tightly envelop her.

  "Vins... Sob! Sob! Waaahhh..."

  Suddenly, the front door to Freya's house swung open, and her mother rushed out.

  "What is it, dear? Why are you screaming out here? It's already nigh— FREYA???" her mother gasped, having just woken up.

  She quickly grabbed a large umbrella and immediately ran out to her daughter in the street.

  "Mom... Sob! Vins... Vins saw me alone with Bro Riyad... Waaahhh..." Freya wailed, sitting in the middle of the flooded street, desperately wiping her tears while hanging her head in shame.

  "Oh my God! Honey... Let's go inside first! You're going to get sick! You can tell me all about it inside, okay?" her mother urged, pulling her devastated daughter up from the cold ground.

  Freya weakly stood up after hearing her mother's gentle words, and her mother tightly wrapped an arm around her, guiding her back to the safety of the porch.

  Once on the dry porch, her mother immediately wrapped a thick towel around her shivering shoulders.

  "Dry your head first so you don't catch a cold, okay? How on earth did he see you with Riyad? Are you still in contact with him?" her mother asked softly, gently helping Freya dry her long, soaked hair.

  Freya was completely silent for a moment after hearing her mother's questions, before suddenly throwing her arms around her mother's waist.

  "I-I haven't been able to fully cut off Bro Riyad because of a specific reason, Mom... Sob! Waaahhh... I-I didn't know! I didn't know that Vins was still hiding nearby when Bro Riyad showed up! Sob! My feelings for Vins have become so incredibly deep, Mom! Waaahhh... B-But because of that one thing... I have to stay tied to Bro Riyad! Sob!" the girl cried, hiccuping violently as she hugged her mother tight.

  "I honestly thought you were already completely done with Riyad, sweetie... It's alright! There, there... You really should have just been honest with Vins from the start, if you still had unresolved baggage with Riyad, okay?" her mother sighed, comforting Freya by gently stroking her hair and resting her chin on her daughter's head.

  "I regret it so much, Mom... Why wasn't I just honest with him? Sob! If I had known it would end up destroying him like this... I would have been honest from the very beginning! Sob!" Freya sobbed into her mother's chest.

  "It's okay... Tomorrow, try to contact Vins! Or try going directly to his house to see him... You need to explain everything to him properly! But for now, my sweet girl... Let's get you into some dry clothes and get some rest, okay?" her mother advised, gently leading her inside.

  Freya only responded with a weak, defeated nod.

  The freezing cold of the night kept Freya wide awake in her dark room.

  She couldn't stop thinking about Vins's tragic words when he finally let go of her shoulders.

  The haunting image of Vins's face, crying silently in the rain, made a suffocating feeling of guilt bore incredibly deep into her shattered heart.

  Upon Vins's arrival at his own home...

  "Assalamualaikum..." Vins greeted, entering his house with a completely dead, weak voice.

  "Wa'alaikum salam... Why are you home so late, Vins? And why the hell are you playing in the rain? You should have taken shelter somewhere! This kid has such terrible habits! You love the rain way too much! It's honestly strange, y'know?" his mother scolded lightly, having stayed awake waiting for her son.

  "Sorry, Mom... I'm just gonna go straight to my room..." Vins replied in a hollow voice. He didn't even have the energy to pay attention to his mother's nagging.

  "Alright! Go shower your head right away so you don't catch a fever!" his mother ordered, showing her typical, nagging concern for her son.

  Vins didn't bother answering, which immediately made his mother wonder about his strange behavior, as he wasn't anywhere near as cheerful or talkative as usual.

  Completely ignoring his mother's advice to shower, he walked straight into his dark room and mechanically changed his wet clothes.

  His older sister was seen sleeping soundly in the room right next to his.

  ---

  The next morning...

  His older sister was busy getting ready to leave for work. She peeked into his room and saw Vins just lying flat on his back, staring blankly at his bedroom wall.

  "It's super rare for you not to work out! Usually, on a weekend morning like this, you're already outside exercising..." his sister commented, immediately noticing her little brother's highly unusual, depressed behavior.

  "I'm not in the mood!" he muttered, lazily tracing his index finger along the wall as if writing something invisible.

  As an adult much older than Vins, she instantly deduced the exact reason for her brother's strange, gloomy mood. His older sister immediately decided to ruthlessly tease him.

  "You're heartbroken, aren't you? Right? I KNEW IT!!! Moooom... Little bro is totally heartbroken!" his sister yelled loudly, teasing him while purposefully calling out to their mother in the kitchen.

  "YOU'RE SO DAMN NOISY, OLD LADY!!! JUST GO TO WORK!!!" Vins snapped aggressively.

  "WATCH YOUR MOUTH, YOU LITTLE BRAT!!! Hmmm... Is it a pretty senior or a classmate? Or is it still because of Belina? Oohhh... Just be honest with your big sister! Come on... HAHAHA..." his sister continued to mercilessly tease him as she finally left the room.

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  Vins just stayed completely silent and chose to ignore her.

  Vins ended up locking himself in his room for the entire day. His mother, who grew increasingly confused and worried seeing her usually active son so paralyzed by sadness, started to genuinely fear for his health.

  His mother came to his room, bringing a plate of breakfast. However, when she returned later with a glass of warm tea, she saw that Vins still hadn't touched a single bite of the food she brought.

  "What's wrong, dear? Come on, tell me all about it..." his mother coaxed gently, sitting on the edge of his bed.

  "Nothing's wrong, Mom... I'm just really not in the mood to do anything today!" Vins lied, staring at the ceiling.

  "Your sister said my handsome son is heartbroken? Just how beautiful is this girl that she actually managed to make my strong boy drown in so much sadness?" his mother asked softly, gently stroking his hair, which actually made Vins feel a little calm.

  "Don't listen to her, Mom... She's just crazy!" Vins deflected, insulting his sister because he was still highly annoyed by her loud teasing.

  "Alright... I'm going to head back and continue cooking now... When you're finally ready to talk, just call me, okay?" his mother smiled sympathetically.

  Vins only replied with a small, appreciative nod.

  After his mother left the room, Vins felt overwhelmingly sad again, as the brutal memories of last night's events flooded his mind.

  He honestly didn't understand why this specific betrayal felt so agonizingly painful in his chest. The entire incident from last night was something completely new and terrifying to his young heart.

  Just like Freya, he hadn't been able to sleep a single wink all night.

  He tried to compare the dull ache in his chest from Belina's departure to the sharp, violent sting of betrayal by Freya. According to him, the pain was clearly on two entirely different levels.

  When the innocent girl he liked in his childhood left him, he only felt a recurring, melancholic sense of despair. It was completely different with the Student Council President.

  For him, this new pain felt like a literal knife repeatedly stabbing into his chest. He would occasionally clutch his broad chest, trying to massage the phantom pain away.

  "It's true, isn't it? It's honestly way better to feel intense physical pain than emotional pain! This feeling really leaves a permanent, bleeding mark on my mind and my heart... DAMN IT!!!" he cursed to himself.

  In the midst of his dark emotional turmoil, he suddenly heard a strange woman's voice coming from his living room.

  Because it was a common habit for the neighbors to call his parents by his name, everyone in the neighborhood referred to his parents as "Vins's Mom" or "Vins's Dad". This unfamiliar woman was no exception.

  "Vins's Mom... Did my sister leave the spare house keys here?" the woman asked politely.

  Vins heard the voice through his door, and it sounded incredibly familiar. It had a very slight, distinct mixture of a Jakarta and Sundanese accent. The soft voice sounded almost exactly like Belina's when she used to talk to his mother back in the day.

  Vins, who genuinely thought it was Belina returning, instantly shot up from his slump and frantically tried to tidy his messy hair.

  He then ripped open his bedroom door.

  "BELINA!!!" Vins yelled happily, a massive smile breaking across his face as he stepped out.

  However, the harsh reality Vins faced was not Belina at all, but a strange, 21-year-old woman with shoulder-length hair whom he had absolutely never seen before in his life.

  His loud shout completely caught the attention of the woman, who was standing near the front door chatting with his mother.

  The woman let out a small, amused laugh at Vins's funny, dramatic misunderstanding.

  "Oh, sorry... My mistake..." Vins mumbled, his face turning red as he quickly retreated and slammed his bedroom door shut again.

  "Who was that? Is he your son, Vins's Mom? He's super cute!" the woman complimented, holding out her hand to receive the keys from Vins's mother.

  "Yes... That's my son named Vins, the one you usually use to call me, Sis! Hahaha... Here are the keys!" Vins's mother laughed, handing over the metal keys.

  "Oh? Really? He definitely got good genes from his beautiful mother! Thanks, Vins's Mom!" the woman praised smoothly.

  "Hahaha... You are really something, Sis... You're welcome!" Vins's mother beamed.

  Inside his room, Vins once again found himself comparing Freya to Belina because of that random woman, as if the stranger had forcefully reminded him of his past.

  This time, it wasn't about the emotional pain he felt from the two girls. He actively compared Freya and Belina based on how they treated him.

  In Vins's mind, Freya only had a face as cute as Belina's, but definitely not her attitude. Belina had a naturally sweet, calming, and innocent nature. Freya, on the other hand, was much more like Karina—wild, bold, and incredibly aggressive in her frontal actions.

  He couldn't deny it; in his honest opinion, Freya possessed all three major elements from every single girl who had ever managed to enter his heart. The bold and wild nature of Karina, the cute and spoiled face like Belina, and the mature, highly intelligent demeanor like Ivana.

  This realization only made him deeply regret the spontaneous, dramatic action he took last night with Freya. He felt incredibly foolish for making such an instant, absolute decision, simply by blindly following his unstable, raging teenage emotions. He realized that Freya was the absolute perfect embodiment of the three girls before her.

  Now, sitting in his room, he actually secretly hoped that Freya would come to his house to see him. To apologize properly and explain her true intentions to him.

  But, like a highly unstable teenager, he suddenly changed his mind again. He stubbornly decided that he was not some cheap, easy guy she could just play with. He then aggressively dismissed his recent hopes of reconciliation.

  ---

  In the late afternoon...

  Vins was starting to get incredibly bored because he had been cooped up inside his stuffy room almost all day. He had been a highly over-protected child since he was little, which eventually forged him into a restless teenager who absolutely couldn't stand staying in one place for too long.

  He suddenly remembered that he had a massive assignment on the reproduction of living things for his science class. His strict science teacher had instructed the students to write a detailed paper on the topic.

  He decided this was the perfect excuse to leave his house and hurried to pack his bag to hit the HOKI internet cafe to do his science homework.

  It appeared no one else was home. He grabbed his bag and quickly slipped out of the house.

  As if it were fated by the universe, he bumped into the 21-year-old woman at the exact same time he was leaving his front gate.

  The woman immediately greeted him with a bright smile.

  "Oh? Hi, Vins! Where are you going?" the woman asked cheerfully.

  Vins, who had been so lost in his deep sadness this morning, hadn't gotten a clear, solid look at the woman's face. After meeting her now and seeing her directly under the afternoon sun, his male instincts instantly kicked in without him even realizing it.

  "Huh? Is this the woman who asked for her house key from Mom earlier? Her face is actually pretty damn cute!" thought Vins to himself, slightly mesmerized.

  "I'm heading to the main road, Sis! I'm going to the internet cafe!" Vins replied politely.

  "Oh, what a coincidence! I'm also heading to the main road! Can I walk with you? I haven't lived in this area for very long... So I honestly don't really know the way around here!" the woman requested.

  "Oh... Alright, Sis... Let's go, just follow me!" he offered casually.

  On their way, Vins walked slightly in front of the woman.

  He felt a little strange and awkward walking side-by-side with her. In his mind, he was terrified of being wrongly judged by the nosy neighborhood gossips, mainly because the woman was noticeably shorter than him.

  Her actual age, 21, didn't match her youthful face at all, which made her look exactly like a high school girl. That's why he was paranoid they would assume the older woman was his new girlfriend.

  Not long after, his pet cat, which he had cared for since childhood, came trotting up to him from an alley. The cat was bright orange, or what's commonly called a ginger cat. True to its street reputation as being incredibly brave and aggressive compared to other breeds, its muscular body was covered in old, jagged scars, proving it often fought brutal turf wars over territory.

  The cat's name was Kukun. A tough male cat that had actually gone missing for a few years because of its wild, untamed nature. Vins had originally found him when his mother was taking him to school back in the second grade. The cat was incredibly cute back then because it was still a tiny kitten. The kitten had stubbornly followed his mother's bike from behind, meowing desperately as if it genuinely thought they were its mother. This managed to melt the hearts of both his mother and him, leading them to decide to adopt and care for it.

  "You've gotten so huge, Kun! You look exactly like a street thug now! Hahaha... My handsome ginger boy!" Vins laughed, squatting down and roughly stroking his beloved cat, which he had just happily reunited with.

  "Meow... Purrr... Purrr..." the scarred cat replied affectionately, purring loudly and rubbing against its owner's leg, despite looking incredibly fierce and battle-hardened.

  Seeing Vins's pure, unadulterated affection for animals, the older woman's heart completely melted from watching his gentle care.

  "He is so incredibly kind to animals, huh? What a warm, gentle heart!" the woman thought to herself, smiling softly.

  "Byeee, Kun! Take good care of yourself out there, okay?" Vins said, giving the cat one last pat.

  "Meow... Purrr... Purrr..." the cat replied, watching him stand up.

  The cat's raspy voice was honestly one of Vins's favorite sounds in the world, as it had saved him from crippling loneliness several times back when he had absolutely zero friends.

  Vins got up from his squatting position and quickly started power-walking again. But the loyal cat followed right behind him, as if it missed him terribly. Vins walked so fast with his long, athletic strides that the woman was quickly left behind in the dust.

  The woman frantically hurried to speed up her pace because she was falling way too far behind Vins.

  "Vins... Wait up for me!" the woman called out, jogging to catch up to Vins's quick steps.

  Vins stopped and casually looked back over his shoulder with his narrow, sharp eyes, followed by his cat, who also stopped faithfully beside him.

  "Yeah, Sis? Oh, right! My bad..." Vins apologized.

  Seeing Vins look so effortlessly cool and masculine from behind made the woman completely fall under his spell for a second.

  "Huh? Why does he suddenly look so incredibly masculine and mature? Wait, what the hell am I saying? Don't... Don't do this! Vins is literally still a kid!" the woman scolded herself internally, her face flushing.

  Vins stopped completely, turning around to wait for her.

  "Hahhh... You walk so incredibly fast, Vins! Hahhh... I had to try so hard just to catch up to you! Hahhh..." the woman complained, panting heavily and out of breath as she reached him.

  "Oh, really, Sis? I was honestly just walking normally, actually!" Vins explained, genuinely confused.

  The exhausted woman put both of her hands on her knees to catch her breath, which forced her to look up at Vins's face from below.

  "His face is actually incredibly cute when you look at it from down here... EH??? NO WAY!!! DONT THINK THAT!!! SNAP OUT OF IT!!! COME ON... HE'S STILL A DAMN KID!!! WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ME???" she panicked internally, her heart racing.

  "Vins... Wanna come with me to the stall real quick?" the woman asked, straightening up.

  "Oh? Okay, Sis!" Vins replied, giving her a casual thumbs-up.

  They finally arrived at the main road, a bustling street filled with locals enjoying the late afternoon breeze. Some seemed to be heading home from a long day at work. Kukun the cat, clearly unaccustomed to the loud noise and dense crowds, finally abandoned Vins and the sweet woman, darting back into the alleys.

  They stopped at a traditional Madura-style convenience stall. Vins, who was awkwardly waiting at the side of the road, was suddenly surprised when an ice-cold bottle of soda was thrust right in front of his face.

  "Here... This is for you!" the woman smiled, offering him a bright red, strawberry-flavored soda.

  "Oh? You really don't have to, Sis! Just put it back in the showcase!" Vins replied, politely refusing.

  "Don't turn it down, Vins... This is just my small way of saying thanks for showing me the way! Come on... Please... Take it! You know it's not polite to refuse a sincere gift!" the woman insisted, almost begging for Vins to accept her treat.

  "Huh? A-Alright, fine! Thanks, Sis!" Vins relented, taking the freezing bottle from the woman's hand.

  They then continued walking down the busy sidewalk.

  Feeling bad about the awkward silence between them, Vins decided to try and start a casual conversation.

  Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

  "What's your name, anyway, Sis?" Vins asked, wiping his mouth after chugging the sweet beverage the woman gave him.

  "My name? My name is Clarista! But you can just call me Rista! Hehehe..." the 21-year-old woman answered brightly.

  "You have a really good name! Nice to meet you, Sis Rista! You probably already know my name, right?" Vins asked with a smirk.

  "Hehehe... Yeah, I already know your name because of that classic Indonesian habit of using a child's name to call their parents! Hahaha..." Rista laughed.

  "Yeah! Hahaha... Where are you originally from, anyway? Your accent sounds like it's straight from the Sundanese area, right?" Vins guessed accurately.

  "Yeah... I'm really from Sunda! I'm originally from Sukabumi! Do you know where that is?" Rista confirmed, her distinct, melodic Sundanese accent shining through.

  "Oh, Sukabumi! Of course! The West Java area is awesome! The air up there is so cool and refreshing!" Vins praised.

  "It really is! It's so completely different from when I first arrived in Jakarta! It's so unbelievably hot here..." Rista complained, fanning herself.

  "Yeah! You're totally right about that! Are you here for work, Sis Rista? Are you a relative of the person living next door?" Vins interrogated her, sounding exactly like a nosy reporter.

  "Yeah... I'm staying with my relative for a while... But no, Vins! I'm actually running away from some heavy problems back in my hometown..." Rista answered, her bright smile fading as she hung her head.

  "Oh! Really? Hang in there, Sis! All problems eventually have a solution! No need to worry yourself too much about it!" Vins said gently, trying his best to comfort the older woman.

  "Yeah... Even though I honestly don't know if things will ever be able to go back to the way they were..." Rista sighed sadly.

  "What do you mean about going back to the way they were?" Vins asked, genuinely curious, as he twisted the cap off his bottle again.

  "I am officially a young widow now!" Clarista confessed bluntly to Vins.

  Vins, who was mid-gulp, violently choked upon hearing Rista's shocking confession.

  SPLUTTER!!!

  "Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!"

  "Huh? Vins? Are you okay?" Rista panicked, immediately grabbing Vins's broad shoulder.

  "Cough! Cough! I'm fi— Cough! Cough!" Vins tried to reassure her, but his words were cut short again by the agonizing, burning sensation of strawberry soda trapped in his windpipe.

  Vins collapsed and sat down hard on the edge of the sidewalk. A highly panicked Rista quickly sprinted to a nearby stall to buy a pack of tissues and a fresh bottle of mineral water.

  "Cough! Cough!"

  Rista sprinted back with the tissues and the bottled water in hand.

  "Oh my goodness... Are you okay, Vins?" Clarista asked frantically, bending down on her knees right in front of the seated Vins.

  Without even realizing what she was doing, she instinctively grabbed a soft tissue and began gently wiping the spilled soda from Vins's mouth. This sudden, intimate proximity caused their eyes to lock instantly.

  They completely froze, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Vins could clearly see every beautiful, delicate feature on the sweet face of the 21-year-old girl. They were completely lost in each other's intense gaze.

  Seeing Vins's face suddenly flush a violent shade of red, Rista immediately panicked and pretended to be busy again, wiping his mouth incredibly awkwardly.

  "Hahaha... Oh my... Vins... Please be careful next time!" Rista stuttered, frantically wiping Vins's chin.

  "Hahaha... Cough! Cough! So sorry, Sis... Cough! Cough!" Vins replied, his heart hammering as he felt the exact same electric awkwardness as Clarista.

  They were both highly aware of the intense, romantic tension but desperately tried to pretend nothing had just happened. There was just one massive, embarrassing thing they both didn't realize.

  "Wow! The Perverted King is truly moving up in the world!" a familiar, mocking voice called out, insulting him from behind.

  "Vins is Vins... Vins is a stupid bastard!" another familiar voice chimed in.

  The incredibly familiar voices made Vins snap his head toward the source.

  Vins's eyes widened in absolute horror, followed by a highly confused look from Clarista.

  "Please, Madam President... Our surveillance job here is officially done! The rest is entirely in your hands!" Doval announced loudly, saluting dramatically.

  "I'm absolutely not getting involved in this bloodbath!" Edrik chimed in, whistling innocently and turning his back to the incoming carnage.

  "Eh? Y-You guys???"

  ---

  -To be Continued