With this question that I posed, I could determine whether Jillian would deny if she's pregnant, or will she admit and be honest with me.
It may be arrogant to ask such an immoral question, but I have to measure how far Jillian's honesty goes.
Befuddled, Jillian pressed her palm against her collar and said, "Where did that question come from?" she looked down. "Please. I'm not expecting a baby." she wistfully said.
One unconscious body language I noticed about Jillian was she always covered her neck every time she lies.
"Rumors has it. But I wasn't assuming that you actually were pregnant. To be honest, the thought of you, an innocent girl, getting pregnant never crossed my mind." I said.
Celia noticed Jillian's smile fading. Jillian was on cloud 9 when she came back from the restroom, but after I asked that obscure question, her joy drifted away.
Reacting over the awkward situation, Celia ended the topic and promptly changed it.
"Rumors are often fake and one-sided. We understand how hard it is for you to deal with these fraud statements, but just remember, Jillian, we'll always be on your side. Leo and I will never believe in any bad rumors about you."
"Thank you, Celia, and also you, Leo, for accompanying us tonight."
"Anytime." After I uttered this single word, Jillian regained her smile.
Then, they continued emptying their plates as I patiently waited for them to finish.
Throughout the time we spent in the coffee shop, I noticed Celia subconsciously glancing at her smart watch over-and-over.
It's as if she were tracking the time for something.
Eventually, the two of them emptied their plates and Jillian paid the bill using her school ID. Every Aspro student was given a modern and enhanced ID that contains our information, bank account, and everything. It's pretty convenient.
Celia proposed to linger at the lounge for a bit as they recovered from their overwhelmed stomach.
But after having a short break, we got out of the coffee shop. All in all, this dinner turned out to be a great success; I learned a lot, and even forged an acquaintance with an influential Prime.
"I had so much fun tonight." Celia said. "We should go out again sometimes, the three of us, and next time, it's my treat."
"Of course, we'd love that." Jillian said.
This is the part where we have to go separate ways and head back to our own designated dormitories.
"Alright, it's getting pretty late. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." I said.
"Hmm…" Celia scowled adorably. "Seems like you're forgetting something again, Mister Leo."
Clueless of what it is that I'm forgetting, I just said, "Good night?" Hoping that that's it.
"Jeez, Leo, think like a gentleman, will ya. Males have to make sure that females get back to their place safely, so you have to walk Jillian back to her dorm."
Class-A female's dormitory and the Prime student's dormitory are on the same compound. On the other hand, the dormitory I was staying in was in a different direction. However, the distance between our dormitories isn't too far, so I suppose I could spare some time and walk them to their places.
"Alright, I'll walk you home."
"Yippee!" Celia shouted.
With that, we ambled down the street as the two of them held hands whilst I followed behind them.
While walking, I can't help but notice Celia frequently checking her watch.
Then, when we're near Celia's dormitory, the rain heavily poured down.
Since were close by at the Primes dormitory, we hurried and took shelter for the rain under the frontage roof where the guard was abiding.
The wind is stronger than an umbrella. Dashing for the class-A female's dormitory where Jillian stays would be unimaginable due to the lightning blasting like gunshots in our ears.
With the strong wind almost swaying our torso, we head inside the Primes dormitory to ensure our safety.
"The weather forecast says the rain would last for a couple hours." Celia said without looking to her phone.
I opened my phone to check for the news and she's precisely correct, the thunderstorm will indeed last for quite a while.
"We should stay here at the Casa until the rain ends." Celia suggested.
The weather news was published 9am this morning, which means she planned this from the very beginning; maybe to make Jillian and I hang out in the Casa? So that's the reason why she's keeping track of time, because she knew that it will rain in this exact time.
~But still, what's the her purpose for getting us altogether?
The Casa was a 15-storey building and Celia told us that her unit was on the 9th floor. I'm not sure if it's coincidence, but Celia is also the 9 of Clubs. So if my presumption was right, each Primes are allocated in each floor matching their ranks.
That's good to know because it gives me a hint that Aaron would be at the 7th floor since he's the 7 of Clubs. I was planning to meet him for some business, so maybe being stuck in this place with these playful toddlers isn't bad, all things considered. Moreover, I can avoid the 12th floor where the haughty Queen of Clubs, Gena, is residing.
Gena is the only person who witnessed my true capability, so I must be cautious towards her.
Celia inquired to the receptionist if it's possible for non-prime students to stay at the Casa, and luckily, they allowed us.
After that, Celia guided us to the elevator and into her unit.
We entered and Celia welcomed us, saying, "Feel at home."
Jillian and I were taken aback as we gawked at her glamorous room. It was spacious and circuitous, unlike our regular dorms where we all sleep at a cramped place with only futons as our bed.
If this is the benefit of being a Prime, I might consider reaching that status too.
"Wow… Celia, do you really stay here by yourself? There's so many hallways and it's like a maze." Jillian said, amused.
"Pretty much. It was kinda boring, though, having no one to talk to kills me." Celia said, harrowing.
~So that's why she lured us and got us stuck here, only to nullify her loneliness. What she did was clever, but it was too desperate and not worth the effort.
"I mean, we're here right now, so… Let's make the best out of it." Jillian replied to Celia.
"Of course!"
Celia then guided us to the living room. We settled on the couch as the two of them checked the gift that the boy gave to Celia earlier. After Celia read the letter, she took out the chocolate inside the bag and they shared it.
"Want some?" Celia offered me a bar.
"I don't like sweets."
"M-kay."
After finishing the whole bar, Celia stood up and walked over to the roofed balcony, observing the rain.
She then went back to us and said, "It doesn't seem like it's stopping any time soon. My unit only has one bedroom, so in case the weather doesn't get better, you two can sleep in my room and I'll sleep here on the couch."
"Alright, that's not going to happen. I'm leaving." I promptly get out of the couch, preparing to leave.
Celia rapidly grabbed me by my wrist, beaming. "Hey-hey, I'm just kidding, Leo. Okay… You can have the bedroom by yourself while Jillian and I sleep on the couch. How's that?"
I glanced at her hand, also feeling her gentle grip on my wrist. Then I looked back at her enigmatic face and suggested, "You and Jillian can have the bedroom. I'll sleep on the couch."
"Oh, you're starting to sound like a real gentleman. I like that." she said, still holding my wrist.
~So she's a tactile person.
Dealing with this kind of person is a pain in the neck for me because they're too clingy and I'm sensitive to physical touch. But if this is a way to get Celia on my side, then I'll endure the discomfort in order to befriend her.
"Anyways, the night is still young, why don't we take a breather at the movie theater? There's this new romance series that just came out recently. It was overhyped through the internet so we must watch it while it's fresh before the spoilers spread like wildfire."
"I was also looking forward to that series. Let's binge watch it!" Jillian exclaimed.
"The movie theater was right across this hallway. Let's go, I'll guide the way."
"~Where's the bathroom?" I asked abruptly.
"Huh? You had the worst timing, Leo. The bathroom is right beside that kitchen yonder. We'll go ahead of you, make sure to join us when you're done."
"Okay."
Then, they walked down the hallway and I waited for them to enter the movie theater room.
And when they're gone, I went straight out of her unit, ignoring the bathroom.
Using the bathroom to do something in secret is the oldest trick in the book. But it always works, so what can I say?
After leaving Celia's unit, I used the elevator and descended to the 7th floor where Aaron resides.
Exactly when I got to Aaron's unit, he went out to face me and welcomed me inside; I didn't even knock on his door and yet he came out almost instantly. It's as if he knew I was coming.
I followed Aaron and he led me into his self-organized bedroom.
He sat in front of his open computer whilst I sat on the edge of his bed, right behind his gaming chair.
I noticed his computer, displaying multiple columns of live CCTV footage of the entire Casa.
~So that's why he knew I was coming.
At any rate, the facilitator of this Casa would certainly not let a student hold control of their CCTV, so I presume Aaron secretly hacked their system to access it.
"So… what brought you here? Surely you won't pay me a visit without something important to discuss."
"I have some information that I think you'd like to hear. But before we get to that, I have something to ask you first. You're in flight 6 at our previous test; the flight where a student was pronounced dead. It was confirmed a suicide when the news got out, however, I just have a hunch that you're involve with that incident."
"I poisoned him." He admitted, straight forward. "He's another subject of the Independent Human Project, but he's a huge experimental failure, so I killed him."
The fact that Aaron killed a fellow Aspro student without remorse is a warning that I must be careful with him. Even if there's an alliance between us, there's still a chance that he'll do the same thing to me, considering he did it to another IHP subject just because he didn't meet their standards.
Moreover, it got me wondering why it is like Aaron was on the IHP's side.
"He doesn't have any relatives so his demise will slide through without troubles, so if you may, let's proceed to a more significant discussion." Aaron said.
I don't particularly care if someone dies, so I suppose I shall get down to business. "I obtained this information from a student in the upper class. But of course, this valuable information comes with a price."
"Isn't it hubris of you to ask for payment when we're on the same team?"
"Take it or leave it."
"How much do you want?"
"Only a substantial amount… 100 thousand."
"So you're talking big. This information must be worth the price."
"Of course. I need the money tomorrow."
"Hmm… Okay. I'll send the payment through your bank account tomorrow."
As Aaron was still busy on his computer, I slid my gaze across his room and spotted a rather expensive brand of lipstick lying on the ledge.
"I got this information from an upperclasswoman… So basically, there'll be a massive exam tomorrow and it will take place in the forest. This exam was purposely designed to reduce a few students in this academy. Many are bound to fail."
I continued explaining the exam tomorrow and gave him meticulous statistics on the best strategy to dominate.
After a long discussion that felt like 30 minutes, we concluded with that.
I left Aaron's unit while pondering whose lipstick was it on the ledge.