"Brother Mikey, your abs are amazing to the touch."
Mikhall felt his face heating up for the nth time now after remembering what Antonio said to him yesterday.
"Hey bro, are you okay? You look like you have a fever."
Pierre, Mikhall's childhood friend and classmate from first year until now, asked.
"I'm fine."
Mikhall replied and tried to erase the thought inside his mind for the time being.
They are currently on a wide green field for their combat training right now.
There are currently five sections gathered on the open field including Mikhall's section.
Two sections for military forces, one for marine and naval forces, and one for air forces.
The four sections have a population of fifty to seventy students and all of them are wearing army green active dry t-shirts, cargo pants, and combat shoes.
The other one section is Mikhall's section, with only twenty students that are dressed in black fitted long sleeved shirts, cargo pants, and combat shoes.
Their training is a combination of the army, navy and marine, and air forces' training.
"Thank goodness, it hasn't started yet."
Fernando, another childhood friend and classmate of Mikhall, muttered as he sat beside Pierre while slightly panting.
There is only a minute left before their training session will begin.
"This is the first time that you're almost late, what happened?"
Pierre asked and handed Fernando a bottle of water.
Fernando drank the water and smirked as he glanced at Mikhall.
He then opened his mouth and excitedly started speaking.
"Well, I saw a very interesting—"
"ATTENTION!"
However, his words were cut off when the officer in charge of their combat training shouted as he stood in front of them.
Immediately, everyone in the field started standing and lining up in an orderly manner.
"Mikhall Grimmer, Fernando Clemente, and Jung Pierre."
The officer in charge called on three names from Mikhall's section.
"Sir! Yes sir!"
Mikhall, Fernando, and Pierre, simultaneously responded to the officer in a firm voice.
The officer then commanded.
"Grimmer, train the special forces and military students together."
"Yes, sir!"
Mikhall answered.
"Jung, lead the training of the naval and marine students, and Clemente, don't show mercy when you spar with each of the air forces' students … These two forces needed to train their body even if they are not part of the ground force."
The officer said and immediately the strenuous combat training began.
After two hours, loud pants and groaning covered the area of the open field.
Mikhall frowned at the smell of sweat hovering around him.
He quickly walked away from the open field until he couldn't smell anymore.
"If the officer hadn't monitored us the whole time, I would have gone easy on them."
Fernando said as he followed Mikhall to the bench across the open field.
Mikhall glared at his friend who sat beside him with beads of sweat all over his body.
"Get away … you stink."
Mikhall coldly said, making Fernando pout and moved away from him.
Seconds later, Pierre also arrived where they were and sat between them.
"How unfair, the two of you are sweating too but why am I the only one that smells bad?"
Fernando grumbled as he looked at his two friends wiping their sweats.
Mikhall scoffed at his words while Pierre looked at him and sincerely answered.
"I don't know, maybe part of genes? Anyway, why did you almost become late today?"
At Pierre's statement, Fernando smirked and stared at Mikhall who was opening another bottle.
He then started speaking at the same time Mikhall drinks the water.
"I talked to Antonio."
Cough.
Mikhall felt the water going the wrong way and coughed for several seconds after Fernando finished speaking.
It took him quite a while to calm his coughing.
He raised his head and stared at Fernando coldly.
"What do you mean you talked with Antonio?"
Pierre asked confusedly to Fernando.
Fernando chuckled at Mikhall's reaction before he said.
"Don't look at me like that, Mikhall … It's just a coincidence."
He then started explaining.
Francisco, his younger brother, enrolled himself in the Grand Performing Arts Academy last month and told Fernando about it.
At first, he felt disappointed that Francisco didn't want to go to the same school as him but he soon supported his brother's decision to become a movie director.
And early this morning, when he drove his brother to the academy, the latter excitedly asked him to go with him somewhere.
As a good brother to his sibling, he went with his brother inside the academy.
Francisco dragged him to one of the rooms in the acting department building.
Francisco excitedly peeked inside the door of the room when all of a sudden, it burst open.
Antonio, who was holding the doorknob, looked at them in surprise before he greeted them cordially upon remembering them being with Mikhall at the main Paraiso Cafe.
"Oh! You're Brother Mikey's friends, hello … that's what Antonio said and I just found me and my brother talking to him as if we've known each other for so long, he's so cute hehe."
Fernando imitated Antonio's way of speaking as he ended his explanation there and looked at Mikhall with a teasing expression.
"That's my explanation, Brother Mikey~"
He added with his eyebrows dancing up and down above his eyes.
Mikhall glared at him and said.
"Don't imitate Antonio and don't call me like that, it's disgusting."
"Pfft! Hahahahahha!"
Pierre laughed at them before turning serious.
He then spoke.
"I want to talk to Antonio too~"
Pierre thought that it was unfair that he was the only one who didn't manage to talk with Antonio until now.
Ever since he was still a child, he already knew and saw Antonio but couldn't find an opportunity to talk to him because of a lot of hurdles.
It was his long dream to talk to Antonio even for a bit
Yet now, seeing the three of his friends being acquainted with Antonio, he can't help but feel disappointed and down.
Fernando stopped teasing Mikhall and looked at Pierre with an expression that says he doesn't know what to do.
"Hey, it's just a coincidence that I talked to Antonio today, okay? Who knows, maybe when we walk out of the school later, we will bump into him hahahaha."
Fernando said that last statement to comfort Pierre without knowing that his words would come true.
Mikhall looked at them and shook his head before standing up.
He then shouted.
"ALRIGHT, BACK TO TRAINING MILITARY AND SPECIAL FORCES STUDENTS!!"
Groan.
Mikhall's declaration earned a lot of groans and protests from other students.
Seconds later, Fernando and Pierre also called the students under them to continue training.
. . .
Meanwhile, inside the Grand Performing Arts Academy …
"That's excellent, your acting just now is perfect, Antonio."
Alexander Hughes, the acting coach of the only acting section in the whole academy, praised Antonio.
The acting class has been given an activity by Alexander earlier to showcase their acting skill impromptu.
Alexander allowed them to take one small envelope each as soon as he entered the room.
Each envelope contains different movies' famous scene's scripts.
He then gave the acting students fifteen minutes to practice their lines.
Antonio was the first one to be randomly called and thanks to his good memory, he splendidly delivered his lines in front of everyone.
"Thank you, Teacher Alex."
Antonio replied to his teacher's compliment and headed back to his seat while hearing his fellow classmates applauding him.
"Next is Arata Fuji."
Alexander called the next performer and Fuji showed a good acting style although there is some kind of stiffness in his acting.
The impromptu acting activity continued until each one of them finished.
"Gosh Antonio, you're acting a while ago was so good~"
Heather genuinely as soon as their morning class ended.
"Thanks, you too, you did great."
Antonio returned the praise as he stood up from his seat.
"Where are you going for lunch, Antonio?"
Fuji asked from beside him which Antonio immediately replied.
"The academy's cafeteria."
The three of them then headed to the cafeteria and ate there.
"I should bring my own lunch tomorrow."
Antonio muttered as soon as he finished eating.
"Yeah, the line was too long."
Heather also commented.
"Yeah, and the food here doesn't taste good."
Fuji said as he glanced around them.
Since a while ago, their group seems to garner a lot of attention wherever they go.
Even here in the cafeteria, the students eating are repeatedly glancing or staring at their direction.
He shook his head, already knowing the reason why people are very attentive to them.
The three of them have visuals that are above average so of course, they would receive different kinds of stares.
"Should we go now and look around the academy?"
Heather asked excitedly as she wants to see every corner of the academy.
Antonio looked at his watch and since there is still an hour left before their afternoon class begins, he nodded his head at Heather.
They then began to sightsee around the academy.
However, they immediately realized that an hour isn't enough to tour around the academy because of how big it is.
After an hour of looking around the academy, they headed to their classroom and proceeded with their afternoon class.
. . .
Yawn.
Fuji covered his mouth as he yawned while following Antonio and Heather outside the room.
Their afternoon class has just ended and he wants to go home immediately to take a nap.
"Where are you going after this, Antonio?"
Heather asked as they walked toward the gate of the academy.
"I'm going home."
Antonio said, already pondering what he will cook for tonight's dinner.
"Hmm? Home here in Ondoa?"
Heather asked again, quite curious on where Antonio is living right now.
Antonio immediately read her expression, so he just answered succinctly.
"I'm staying at the condominium building a block away from here."
"Really? You mean the Paraiso Residences, right? I'm staying there too as we have no house here in Ondoa—I'm on the eighth floor, how about you?"
Heather enthusiastically chattered.
"I'm on the fifteenth floor."
Antonio honestly said.
Although he wants to stay low-key, he doesn't want to lie to people who are showing him genuine kindness and friendship.
The Paraiso Residences is a condominium building that is quite different from other condos.
The condo units in the Paraiso Residences are all owned by the Legaspi family and they have no plans to sell the unit to other people, no matter how much an individual is willing to pay them.
Instead, the units of the building are for rental purposes only with each unit differing in prices according to their floors.
The higher your unit's floor is, the higher your rental fee is.
Moreover, because the building is owned by a very influential family, only those who have high financial status can afford to rent a condo unit there.
If Heather easily told them that she's staying in that building, it only means that she trusts them enough to the point that she's willing to let them know how wealthy she is.
So of course, Antonio returned her trust with the same level of trust as well.
"Then, should we all go home together?"
Antonio said, making Heather look at Fuji who was walking on the other side of Antonio.
"Are you staying there as well, Fuji?"
"Yeah, on the tenth floor."
Fuji simply answered before he yawned again.
As they finally walked past the large academy gate, Antonio's eyes quickly moved to the Imperial Defense Institution across from them.
His eyes then widened and a smile formed on his lips.
"Brother Mikey!"
He shouted as he saw Mikhall's figure exiting the institution.
Mikhall seems to have heard him as he immediately looked at him and smiled.
Mikhall quickly went to him and gently pinched his cheeks.
"How's your day in school, Yoyo?"
"It's good Brother Mikey, how about yours?"
"It went well."
The two of them exchanged lines together while smiling at each other warmly.
As Antonio and Mikhall talked to each other like that, there are four people who are looking at them with different kinds of expressions on their faces.
Heather, Fuji, Pierre, and Fernando.
They stared as Mikhall's hands went from pinching Antonio's cheeks to patting Antonio's head and to his arms hugging Antonio tightly.
Their expressions changed every time Mikhall did all sorts of things to Antonio.
"H-hey, don't forget that we're still here, dude."
Fernando complained to the two people who seemed to have forgotten their surroundings for a while now.