Miguel turned around and heard Necho say,
"Why would he go with you? And what same place? Did you forget that kris had an amnesia?"
Miguel, realizing his mistake, stepped closer to Kris and whispered low so that the only person that could hear him is Kris,
"Meet me on the 3rd floor, room 13, the club room."
Kris hesitated for a moment, unsure. But the way Miguel was speaking to him, so different from before—polite, almost careful—made him curious. Against his better judgment, Kris nodded.
"Alright, I'll be there."
Miguel hearing Kris' confirmation he nodded and walked away.
Necho shot Miguel a sharp look, stepping up beside Kris.
"Are you sure? Why would you even go with him?"
Kris gave his two friends a reassuring smile.
"It's fine. I'll be okay. I'll call if something happens."
Before heading up, Kris quickly dialed Cillian's number.
"I'll be about 30 minutes late. Can you wait for me at the entrance later?"
Hearing Cillian nagging over the phone about him going to where he was, he shook his head and dropped the call.
As he made his way to the third floor, Kris accidentally bumped into Adam.
But instead of Kris falling, it was like Adam had hit a brick wall.
Adam crashed to the ground, clutching his shoulder.
His face twisted in pain, covering the fact that he wanted to bump into kris on purpose but instead it was him who was on the floor instead, but his pride wouldn't let him admit it.
"I tripped," he muttered, trying to stand up quickly.
Kris raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, deciding to just continue to the club room.
Belle, who was following Kris saw the scene unfold, misinterpreted it.
She thought Kris had purposely told Adam to back off, as if protecting her.
Her eyes widened in surprise, her heart skipping a beat.
'Is Kris... standing up for me?' The idea sent a rush of warmth through her, and for a moment, she couldn't look away from Kris.
'He didn't even say anything,' she thought, her mind racing.
'But the way he handled it... It's like he's sending Adam a signal saying the I'm his property without needing to say a word.' Belle's cheeks flushed slightly as she continued to watch him, misreading the situation entirely.
She glanced at Adam, then back at Kris, who was walking away, completely unaware of her thoughts.
To her, it felt like a silent act of protection, something she hadn't expected from him.
'He still loves me, I'm sure of it.'
She clutched her heart assuring it that kris still has feelings for her.
Kris, completely unaware of Belle's thoughts, continued on his way to the place Miguel had mentioned.
His mind raced with caution, preparing himself for any potential danger.
When he reached the third floor and found room 13, he took a deep breath, slid the door open, and braced himself for the unexpected.
What he saw left him speechless.
Miguel, now wearing glasses, sat comfortably with a group of older students.
They were all gathered around a projector, intensely watching something.
Kris blinked in disbelief—it was an episode of Data Beast Adventure, the popular series following the characters Lily and Dally on their quests.
The scene playing out on the screen was an epic battle, but Kris was too stunned to focus on the details.
Miguel looked up and spotted Kris standing in the doorway.
Without a word, he gestured for Kris to sit down next to him.
The whole situation felt surreal to Kris, who just moments ago had been preparing for a confrontation.
Now he found himself invited into what seemed like a casual watch party.
Still in shock, Kris hesitated but then slowly stepped inside, unsure of what was going on.
Miguel adjusted his glasses, a flicker of nervousness in his eyes. He glanced at Kris, then back at the screen before letting out a sigh.
"I'm... sorry, Kris," Miguel began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I thought your amnesia was fake. The latest episode of Data Beast Adventure had a character with amnesia, so I thought you copied the character and was playing the part."
Kris frowned, still unsure where this was headed.
"That's why I pulled that stunt earlier," Miguel continued, his voice softer now.
"We had this plan last week... to make Belle fall for you. It was supposed to be part of some dumb strategy, where I would pick on you and then Belle would interfere, but things got out of control."
Kris stayed silent, his confusion growing. Miguel shifted uncomfortably in his seat but kept talking.
"The amnesia changed you, Kris. what you did made me remind me of my dad, and... that scared me the heck out of me," he admitted, his voice quieter.
"When you said that word earlier with a stern voice, it triggered a lot of old stuff. It really shook me." He paused, looking embarrassed.
"I know I act like a thug, but that's just a front. I do it to make my dad think I'm tough. Because if he ever found out what I am... well, you know what would happen."
Miguel grimace of the things that his dad would to him if he ever find out, he hesitated before continuing. "You're the only person who knows the real me. Not even my closest friends know about my love for anime and games. Only you... and these seniors who really don't care."
He gestured to the older students watching the screen, barely paying attention to their conversation. "They're just here for the show, like me and you."
Miguel sighed, then looked back at Kris. "I guess, in a way, I trusted you with that secret. So when I thought you were faking the amnesia, I thought it was the go signal to do the plan and you know how it was."
Miguel sighed again, rubbing his temples as if the weight of it all was too much. "I'm sincerely sorry about earlier and I hope you and I can remain friends, since you're the only genuine friend I have."
Kris looked at Miguel, bewildered of what he had just heard.
He took a moment to process everything before speaking.
"Miguel, your secret stays with me, and if I had my memories, I would've forgiven you and we will remain friends still" Kris said firmly, meeting Miguel's gaze with sincerity.
Miguel's expression softened as he saw the honesty in Kris's eyes.
A smile broke across his face, genuine and relieved.
"Thanks, man," he replied, his voice filled with gratitude.
They both turned their attention back to the screen, watching the latest episode of Data Beast Adventure together.
The tension eased as they settled into a comfortable silence.
Kris watched the screen with fascination, then turned to Miguel, curiosity in his eyes.
"Hey, do you know why I had a crush on Belle?"
Miguel listened, nodding as he pointed at the screen, where the female main character 'Lily' was instructing her Data Beast to attack her opponent's data beast.
Kris squinting his eyes, captivated by the action. Suddenly, he gasped, dumbfounded about what he realized.
"Wait a minute... That character looks just like Belle."
He couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance. The way Lily commanded her Data Beast with confidence reminded him of Belle's fiery spirit, It finally hit him why the old kris was so smitten, he quickly connected the dots.
Miguel chuckled, glancing at Kris.
"You used to say you'd marry Lily if she were out there somewhere. But when you noticed how much she looks like Belle, you pointed it out and said you'd marry Belle instead."
Kris shrugged, a small smile on his face.
"Yeah, I guess I finally know where the obsession comes from, but that wont be a problem anymore."
As they chatted, Kris glanced at his watch, noticing it was about to hit the 30-minute mark.
He knew he had to say goodbye soon.
He stood up and looked around the room.
"Alright, guys, I better get going."
"Take care Kris, See you at the evaluation exam tomorrow!"
Miguel waved his hands, a casual smile on his face.
Kris nodded and made his way toward the entrance of the school.
His thoughts drifted back to the unexpected conversation with Miguel. It was still hard to process, Miguel apologizing, and him opening up about his insecurities, and even confessing that his whole tough act was just a front.
Kris couldn't help but feel a strange sense of sympathy for the guy who he once thought was just a bully.
"Who knew that the Old Kris was this friendly?" Kris thought, shaking his head slightly.
As strange as it was, it felt like they had both gained something from that talk.
As he went down, he noticed the corridor was empty, the usual noise of students long gone. He spotted Cillian waiting at the entrance, tapping at his phone.
Cillian lifted his head smiled as he noticed kris, relief evident on his face.
"Hey! I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me, Young Master!" Cillian exclaimed.
"Sorry! I lost track of time."
He gestured for Cillian to follow as they began walking to where one of the guards would fetch them.
Cillian glanced at his watch, then looked at Kris with a grin. "Looks like you're just in time. I was about to head inside to look for you!"
Kris shrugged and smiled. "I discovered a lot about me today."