After school, Dong Fang Yue Chu ran toward me, waving excitedly.
"Wait, up! Richard! Alicia and the Black Roses want to see us!"
"Why?" I asked unenthusiastically. I had originally planned to head to our society room to train with our juniors and perhaps even impart some of my experiences during the training camp to them, so that they could improve themselves.
"Something about gathering up the members involved in the training camp. You should join us too!"
"Don't want to."
"Come on, don't be like that." Dong Fang Yue Chu scowled at me. Knowing him, he would drag me there if he had to, so I just sighed and raised my hands in surrender. Shaking my head, I followed my president.
"Ah, you two are here!"
Alicia and Miranda waved at us when they caught sight of us. Lately, Miranda had stopped being hostile toward us, especially after the second day of the training camp when the other guys and I helped to clear the obstacles for the group during our run through the forest track. She had finally acknowledged that I wasn't as trashy as she first thought I was.
"Good to see the both of you," Miranda greeted us with a smile.
"Same, same." Dong Fang Yue Chu nodded. "You guys called?"
"That's right." Alicia nodded. "Richard, Yue Chu, there will be a gathering at 8.30pm. A few of our friends from the training camp will be coming."
The first people to come to mind were Theodore and Craig. Though I couldn't exactly call us bosom buddies, we were still comrades who experienced the rigors of the training camp together. I wouldn't mind hanging out with them.
"It's a karaoke session," Alicia added with a giggle. "So get ready to sing."
I quickly began thinking up excuses to give this a miss. I wasn't a fan of karaoke, and my singing was terrible. Needless to say, I was tone deaf, and my voice sounded like fingernails scratching on the blackboard.
"Make sure you come, Richard," Miranda told me. I felt as if I was trapped when I saw her bright and grateful smile. "A few of our Black Rose members want to thank you for taking care of us during the training camp. Me, included."
Fuck! Why did she choose this moment to be nice to me?! I would rather she treat me as she did in the past and complain to Alicia about inviting "trash" like me.
"Uh, today is a bad day for me…I have training in my dad's dojo…"
"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to your dad for you." Dong Fang Yue Chu nodded toward Miranda and Alicia. "I'll make sure he comes. I'll drag him along if I have to."
TRAITOR! I'll remember this! You'll pay for betraying me!
"I'll see you tonight then!" Dong Fang Yue Chu waved as he watched Alicia and Miranda go. Behind, I slumped down in despair.
"Please spare me…I don't want to go to a karaoke session."
Dong Fang Yue Chu crouched down and swung both his hands downward. "Just do it!" he ordered sternly. "Don't ruin the party. Join in and sing a couple of songs."
"I can't sing."
"So what? It doesn't matter. This isn't a singing competition or a music exam. The point of the party is to enjoy yourself! Just have fun and sing your favorite songs!" he stared at me. "I'm sure you have favorite songs, right?"
Yet another reason why I didn't want to go to the karaoke session. The only music I listened to was anime music. If I were to sing that during the karaoke session and expose myself as an otaku, it would…be embarrassing. Then again, most people already knew about my hobbies and interest in Japanese manga and anime, so there was no point hiding it.
Damn it.
Sighing, I nodded. "I'll let my dad know tonight…"
*
What? Were you expecting me to suddenly spring an info dump on cross wheels and the history behind the person who invented it? Or about people speculating about some random overpowered person in the OP being from the Assassin clan? Nah, I'm not exactly enthusiastic about seeing readers screaming about fillers and whatever in the comments.
Anyway, we had some time before the gathering at 8.30pm, so I naturally returned to the Ultimate Outcast society room to train and give some advice to my juniors. It didn't take long before evening drew near. Dong Fang Yue Chu dismissed the juniors, and then dragged me along.
I would have asked the three first year students to come along, but this was a gathering for students who participated in the training camp. Alicia and Miranda didn't invite them. As such, it was inappropriate to bring my whole society there, especially since Theodore and Craig probably wouldn't bring their other members along as well.
As I suspected, those two guys came by themselves. We ended up running into each other outside the school gates.
"You guys…" Craig waved at us. "Going for the gathering too?"
"Yeah," Dong Fang Yue Chu replied. "What about you?"
"Yup."
"It's at the Jing Tian Mall, right?" Theodore asked uncertainly, glancing at his phone. However, he couldn't find the message or email because Alicia had told him verbally instead of over the phone. I wondered why she didn't just send a mass email to all those who participated in the training camp. Would have been more convenient and saved a lot of time.
"That's right." Dong Fang Yue Chu was on top of everything. Since it involved social activities, he was in his element. The president of Ultimate Outcast was the type who enjoyed hanging out with friends and girls. He wasn't exactly the type desperate for women to the extent where he would attempt to flirt with every girl he met, but…well, he was a normal guy. I guess?
The four of us reached the K-box that Alicia told us to meet up in. None of us knew what to do and ended up waiting outside the K-box, looking lost. From what the receptionist told us, Black Rose hadn't arrived yet.
"What should we do?" Theodore asked. Dong Fang Yue Chu rolled his eyes and replied as if it was obvious.
"We wait."
Well…truthfully, that was pretty obvious. What else were we supposed to do?
Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long. About ten minutes later, Alicia and the rest of Black Rose finally arrived. To my complete lack of surprise, they were mostly beautiful girls from Black Roses which included Alicia, Miranda and two more who I had briefly exchanged a few words with during the training camp. Too bad Elliot, Nicholas, Jin Hao and Aoi weren't present. They were the members of Black Rose who I was familiar with.
Not that I needed to worry. The two girls kept a respectful distance from me, allowing Alicia to approach me.
"Sorry. Have you guys been waiting long?"
"No, we just got here," Dong Fang Yue Chu answered smoothly. Damn, but the guy really knew how to talk.
"Okay, let's go! I've reserved a room for everyone…"
Just before Alicia could head toward the counter, someone else appeared.
"Hey! Don't forget about me!"
Pearl Pang arrived, sashaying toward the K-box with a wide grin on her pretty face. She waved toward Alicia and Miranda.
"We didn't forget about you, Senior Pearl," Alicia assured her with a smile of her own. "We were just about to head to the room first."
With the group gathered, we registered at the counter, and was led to one of the karaoke rooms. Flooding into the room, we settled into the couches that were laid out and began ordering some drinks. Dong Fang Yue Chu also reached out to activate the television and switched on the karaoke system. Picking out the microphone, he offered it toward the girls from Black Roses.
"Okay, who wants to go first?"
"Why don't you go ahead?" Miranda suggested, but Dong Fang Yue Chu shook his head and revealed a sly grin.
"Ladies first."
The guy really knew how to talk.
Pearl took the initiative and started off on some current pop song I had never heard of before (because I only listened to anime music). Even as she enjoyed herself and a few of the others listened, most of the group chatted among themselves. Alicia had somehow ended up seated beside me, and she tilted her head toward me.
"Do you go to karaoke often, Richard?"
"No, not really. Very rarely." I coughed, trying to hide my embarrassment. This atmosphere really didn't suit me. I wished I was back in my dad's dojo and training instead of hanging around this weirdly colored room with loud music. Even I didn't turn my anime music up this loud. I could barely hear Alicia over Pearl's melodic voice.
Then something struck me when I glanced around the room to avoid looking directly at Alicia. Scratching my head, I inquired.
"Where's the members from Holy Saints?"
I found it weird that they weren't present. Harrison, Adam, Terence, Cody and Lily had participated in the training camp as well. While Adam was eliminated, the rest weren't, and as such they should have received an invitation into this karaoke session as well. I was aware that Black Rose and Holy Saints were rivals, but they should still have good relations with each other.
"I invited them, but they had a gathering of their own." Alicia frowned. "President Harrison said he was busy, while Vice-president Lin Zhan Long organized their own separate party for Holy Saints. It doesn't just include those who joined the training camp, apparently."
"I see."
"Your turn, Alicia!"
Just when the conversation ended, Pearl finished her song. Naturally, she extended her microphone toward a stunned Alicia, who shyly took it. Unlike Pearl, Alicia chose a more subdued song, filled with melancholy and romance. The kind of song you would hear at a church, but without the religious elements.
The rest of the session continued in this fashion, with everyone taking turns to sing. I managed to escape somehow, deferring to the others and pushing the microphone toward someone else. However, Dong Fang Yue Chu eventually thrust the microphone at me and insisted that I joined in.
"Come on, don't be so anti-social. You're the only one who hasn't sung yet!"
"Yeah, I've sang three songs already! You should get a turn!" Pearl added.
With a sigh, I resigned myself to humiliation, and picked a song from an anime I had watched recently. Hmm, they really updated the system. To think they had even had anime songs recorded in it.
The thing about anime songs was that they were sing by official bands and professional singers, so even if they were used as the openings or endings of anime, the official MTV videos for the music were still those of the bands or singers. So no one could tell it was an anime song unless they had watched the anime like I did.
I was saved. Phew.
After trying my best to sing along with the music and botching the lyrics, I bowed and hastily returned to my seat. The rest clapped, and Theodore took over. Dong Fang Yue Chu was right. To my immense relief, no one cared about how terrible my singing was. They were caught up in the atmosphere and having fun. The joy was hanging out and socializing, not evaluating each other's talent in music.
Just when I was about to relax, someone suddenly kicked the door to our room open. Everyone fell silent and turned to stare at the figure who rudely intruded into our space, bellowing.
"All of you, shut up! You guys are howling like banshees and making too much noise! Are you looking for trouble?!"