Hugo and Collins stood awkwardly in the middle of the dorm room, the pink thong still hanging in the air like an unwelcome ghost.
Collins' eyes widened in panic, and he snatched the thong from Hugo's grasp, stuffing it back into the box with the urgency of someone trying to hide a crime.
His speed had been so fast, Hugo doubted he had a speedster system or something.
"Okay, okay! Let's just pretend that never happened," Collins stammered, forcing a laugh that sounded more like a wheeze.
The atmosphere was thick with embarrassment, and Hugo could almost see the blush creeping up Collins' neck.
Hugo kept a calm expression on his face but was inwardly laughing. He felt quite pleased. So the almighty Collins could also get flustered?
And all it took was a pink thong?
A pink thong with surprisingly good texture and that smelled like peaches?
Hugo jolted when he realized he had held the cursed material in his hands. His face grew grim and his brows knitted.
He gritted his teeth and asked, "I really don't want to know, but due to some safety concerns, I have to ask. How did you get this thong?"
Collins chuckled, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Look, it's for role-play! You know, like… For fun!" He glanced nervously at the box, clearly wishing the ground would swallow him whole.
The moment Hugo heard Collins' words, multiple traumatizing images filled his mind.
He shook his head to clear the effects of the terrible soul attack, but his brain kept churning out the disaster scenes including Collins and a pink thong non stop.
There was one particular question he wanted to ask but at the same time didn't want to ask as well. He struggled internally for some seconds before his curiosity won out in the end.
"Role-play? Who wears the thongs in this scenario?" Hugo asked, genuinely puzzled.
Before Collins could respond, his phone buzzed, and he fished it out of his pocket. "Yo, babe! You're nearby? Awesome! Bringing your bestie? Great!"
Hearing this, Hugo waddled over to his room at top speed. He had clearly heard that some girls were coming over, he needed to hurry and hide away!
Just as he was about to enter his room, Collins suddenly blocked his way.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To my room, aren't you having visitors?" He was trying to look as calm as possible and not make it obvious that he had something to hide.
Something about an ass dragon...
"Actually," Collins said, his eyes glinting with mischief, "I have a plan."
Hugo leaned away, a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Wait, what's the plan?"
"We each take one girl. That way, they won't disturb each other. Easy peasy!"
Hugo frowned. His brows rose up. Did this lad think he wasn't in the know?
Who didn't know that all gorgeous girls had ugly, short, pudgy besties?
"Easy peasy? I don't think that's how this works! What if your girl has a short, fat bestie?" Hugo blurted out, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios.
Collins rolled his eyes. "Not these girls! They're both beautiful! Trust me!"
Hugo felt a mix of hope and dread ignite within him. "Really? Okay, I'm in!" He hurriedly brought up his system interface and checked the duration of his aura.
Upon seeing that it had refreshed and he still had his full one minute of time left, he became more excited. "Time to impress!"
They both rushed to tidy up their appearances, smoothing their hair and adjusting their clothes like they were about to face an angry mob of fashion critics.
Moments later, there was a soft knock on the door. Collins threw open the door like a game show host unveiling a prize. "Showtime!"
The door swung open, revealing two stunning girls who looked like they had just walked off a magazine cover. But as they stepped inside, Hugo and Collins exchanged bewildered glances. They were identical twins!
Almost like clones!
Collins blinked, his mouth moving soundlessly. "Uh, so… which one do we go for?"
Hugo wanted to face palm. What sort of boyfriend was this? He couldn't even identity his own babe!
Hugo and Collins stared at each other and suddenly frowned. There was a sudden tense silence between them. They each knew what the other was thinking...
At once, both Hugo and Collins barked, "Left!"
The two girls jolted and stared at the boys strangely. Why did it suddenly seem like they were fighting?
Collins tried to play it cool. Seeing as he and Hugo had both picked the same girl, he gently tousled his hair and flashed a dazzling smile at the girl on the left, who happened to be the sexiest.
"Hey there, I'm Collins. So glad you could make it!"
Hugo tried to match his charisma and calm, even if he felt like he was about to be squashed by a giant boulder of awkwardness. "I'm, uh, Hugo. Nice to meet you!"
"Collins? It's me, Tilly. That's my twin, Lily."
The girl on the right stepped forward with a slight frown. It was obvious she was Collins' true girlfriend and the girl on the left was her bestie.
Seeing this, Collins smiled wryly and swiftly changed targets. He walked over and grabbed her hand, leading her to the sofa. "Of course I know it's you, how wouldn't I identify my baby. I was only being polite to your sister."
Bloody liar!
Hugo shook his head in amazement and moved closer to his target.
Soups hot, ready to launch! It was time to attack!
Just as they all settled onto the sofa, one of the twins—which happened to be Hugo's target—burst out laughing while checking her phone.
"Is that another meme about the Ass Dragon?" Tilly asked, barely able to contain her amusement.
Hugo's face drained of colour. He shot Collins a panicked look, his heart racing as memories of the auditorium incident flooded back.
He knew this dreadful feeling...
His past was catching up with him!