Just as they finished eating and were on their way back to their classroom, Justin received a call from a person named Seren Murphy.
"Yes?"
"What do you mean yes? I've been asking you to send me a video greeting for Elson, and you still haven't sent anything! His birthday is coming up! How many times must I remind you?!"
With her loud voice, despite not being on speaker, the others heard her loud and clear.
"Can't you lower your voice a bit? I haven't even put you on speaker, yet everyone has already heard you," Justin berated.
Seren Murphy was the younger sister of Elson Murphy. Seren was the same age as them, and Elson was five years older.
"Then send me the video greeting I've been asking for!" she insisted, though her voice was noticeably lower.
Justin clicked his tongue.
"Did you just click your tongue at me?" Seren heard it clearly.
"No, I did not," he replied while rolling his eyes.
"You just rolled your eyes, didn't you?" Seren once again guessed it right.
"I did not," Justin retorted.
"You did! I know you too well not to know what you're doing based on the tone of your voice!"
"Can't you lower your voice? What will you do if you damage my eardrums?" he complained.
"Who cares about your ears?" she argued.
"I'm a musician who needs my ears. Will you take responsibility if you damage them with your shouting?"
Then he tilted his head, feeling like he had this conversation not too long ago.
As if on cue, he felt a sudden burst of twinkling lights coming toward him from the side.
He slowly turned, like a person in a horror movie turning to see a ghost.
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
Beatrice, Kenneth, and Luca turned to him in shock.
Gabriel and Harmony raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if he had gone crazy.
Even the students who were still in the hallway turned their way after hearing his shout.
"How dare you shout in my face!"
"How dare you shout in my ear!"
Kathrine and Seren spoke at the same time.
When Justin turned his head, he saw Kathrine looking at him in a hopeful manner, her eyes twinkling brightly as if stars were coming out of them.
It was an involuntary reaction that made him scream in surprise.
"Have you gone crazy?"
"Have you gone crazy?"
Once again, Kathrine and Seren said it at the same time.
"Hmmm, who was that?" Seren asked, noticing that she was having a duet with someone else.
Kathrine heard her voice and, without asking for permission, took the phone from Justin.
"Hi, this is Kathrine Oscar. Elson Murphy has already met me and the others. We're Justin's friends."
"Oh, friends of my cousin! Nice to meet you. I'm Seren Murphy, Elson's younger sister. I'm the same age as you guys."
"We've heard about you asking this cousin of yours for a video greeting. Is Mr. Elson's birthday near?"
She couldn't call him Mr. Murphy because Justin had the same surname. So she chose to call him by his name.
"Yes, in a week—the 25th of January. And that cousin of mine hasn't sent anything. My cousin will be 24 only once," Seren complained.
"I get what you mean. It's not every day you ask him for something, yet here he is not granting your simple request."
"Right? And he even acts angry with me? How can he be so mean?"
"Geez, he is not human at all."
Justin was agape.
He looked at his friends while pointing at Kathrine.
"That's my phone, right?" he asked in disbelief.
The group nodded.
"And the one on the other side was my cousin, right?"
Kenneth chuckled, placing his arm around Justin's shoulder.
"I guess I get it now why you always so easily go at it with Kathrine. She resembles someone close to you whom you act the same way with."
"That's not the point, is it?" Justin looked at him with furrowed brows.
"Sure, sure, it's nothing. I'll have our group make a video greeting instead of just your cousin," Kathrine said after a while.
"Okay, I'll be waiting," Seren happily replied before bidding her goodbye.
Kathrine did the same before returning the phone to Justin.
Justin turned the phone over and over again.
"My hands aren't sweaty, nor were they dirty," Kathrine frowned.
"I'm checking if this is really my phone," Justin replied.
Kathrine raised an eyebrow before rolling her eyes. Then she turned to the rest.
"Seren requested a video greeting from all of us. Can we do it?" she asked.
"I don't see anything wrong with that. We've met him already, and he even treated us to something. Even gave us some stuff," Beatrice smiled.
But there was a knowing glint in her eyes. She didn't expect Kathrine to experience this kind of attraction.
What was it called? Love at first sight? Or was it love at first meeting?
But one thing was sure: Kathrine wouldn't act this way if she wasn't attracted to Elson.
"Sure, why not," Kenneth followed.
"I don't mind," Luca answered.
Gabriel shrugged.
"I'll pass on that. I don't know that person," Harmony rejected.
Thinking back, Harmony wasn't there when they met Elson. So no one pushed her to join.
"Then it's decided," Kathrine clapped her hands.
"Wait, what about my decision?" Justin was flabbergasted.
"Seren said it doesn't matter if you join or not since you didn't do anything, even though she asked for it a week ago," Kathrine shrugged.
Then she clung to Beatrice's arm, "How should we go about the greeting?"
Beatrice started brainstorming with her. Kenneth followed, and even Luca joined in. Gabriel silently walked behind them, not minding what they were planning.
Justin's jaw dropped as he watched his friends plan the birthday greeting for his cousin.
Harmony looked at him before walking ahead.
"What—?"
Justin was left alone standing in the hallway while his friends discussed when and where they would take the video.