My leave ended like the parts of my laptop—I sold each piece, stuffed my pockets with money, and used it to buy myself some McDonald's. Priorities, right?
Now that I don't have a laptop, I'm using the computers in our school library to study and update my student daily report. Nothing screams "dedicated student" like using school resources to fix my own mistakes.
It's been two weeks since the hacking and deletion happened, and by the sweet words of the devil and the love of God, I'm still well and alive—yet slightly haunted by my conscience. Perhaps my visible descent into madness was too obvious, because my dear father suggested that I stay at my uncle's place in China to "recuperate."
Yeah, no. Duh, thank you.
I need to finish the remaining three months of my second semester before I can taste the sweet freedom of vacation. I'm not aiming to be one of the best students, nor do I care about Latin honors. Even if my grades are floating around 1 and 1.25, let's be real, my brain might have knowledge, but it definitely lacks common sense.
The ink stains on my fingers were proof of my suffering. My pinky and the edge of my palm were dyed black and green from writing way too much for the notes I had to submit before prelims ended.
Still, I was pretty chill about it. The deadline was tomorrow, and I was only two slides away from the finish line. But laziness is my animal spirit, so after writing down a few more things, I packed up, turned off the computer, and left the library.
After retrieving my digital passport from the librarian, I stepped outside, immediately greeted by the scorching heat. Compared to our fully air-conditioned classrooms, cafeterias, libraries, and even restrooms, the open space made my skin feel like it was being air-fried.
I squinted against the harsh sunlight, raising an arm to shield my eyes as I continued walking.
And that was when my clumsiness, because of course, it had to be my clumsiness and not my favorite brand of stupidity, spiked up, and I accidentally bumped into someone. My things fell, though not dramatically. This wasn't a romance drama, and I wasn't about to start picking up my stuff in slow motion.
The man I bumped into was tall—really tall. He was wearing a suit, which was wildly out of place in a university where everyone was either dressed like a fashionista or wearing the mandatory uniform. But the most striking thing about him? He was blonde. And everything about him screams: "I have money, and you don't."
"Sorry," he said. His tone was polite, maybe even sincere, though I wasn't sure if it was out of actual guilt or just force of habit.
Well, it 'was' an accident. And to be fair, it was partially my fault for not bringing my photochromic anti-rad glasses… or at the very least, sunglasses. Stupidity at its finest.
"Are you busy?" he asked, looking at me like I was a mushroom that lacked height. Which, to be fair, was true.
I nodded, still squinting up at him. "What is it, Sir?"
"Do you know Professor Santiago?"
The moment I heard the name of my favorite old man—my teacher for three subjects that blessedly made my classes end early—I started nodding like a chicken pecking at the ground.
"Yeah, he's on the third floor of the Lauren Building. Just take the room on the right side near the stairs. If he's not there, he's probably in the auditorium. By the way, it's behind the Lauren Building, Sir."
Blondie raised a brow. "Sir?"
I blinked. "Uh, yeah. That's what I said."
His lips twitched, like he was amused. "Do I look that old to you?"
I gave him a once-over. Suit? Check. Expensive-looking watch? Check. Overall rich CEO energy? Big check.
I shrugged. "Well, you don't look like a student, so… respect, I guess?"
He exhaled through his nose, and I couldn't tell if it was a laugh or just disappointment in humanity. "Fair enough."
With that, he gave me a short nod and walked off in the direction I pointed. I watched him for a moment before gathering my fallen things.
Weird encounter, but whatever. Not my problem.
Or so I thought.
Because the next day, while I was peacefully typing away on the school library's computer, someone sat down beside me. And when I turned to look, guess who it was?
Yup. Mr. Blond and Suit-y.
I stared at him, then at the empty seats all around us, then back at him. "You do know there are, like, twenty other places to sit, right?"
"I know." He gave me a slight smirk. "I just prefer this one."
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
But whatever. Not my business.
I went back to typing, fully prepared to ignore him. But then he spoke again.
"What's your name?"
I paused. "Why?"
"Curiosity."
I narrowed my eyes. "Is this the part where you tell me I've been selected for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a multi-level marketing scheme?"
He chuckled. "No."
"Then I'm good." I resumed typing.
He hummed, resting an elbow on the table. "Are you always this wary?"
I snorted. "Buddy, I live in a world where my professors say 'this will be an easy exam' and then hit us with a twenty-page essay. Trust issues are necessary for survival."
This time, he actually laughed. It was brief, but it was there. "Interesting."
"Glad I could entertain you," I muttered, still focused on my report.
Then, without warning, he leaned in slightly. "You're a student, right?"
I gave him a deadpan look. "No, I'm a secret agent undercover as a broke university student."
"Fascinating."
I groaned, finally turning to face him. "Okay, seriously, what do you want?"
His gaze lingered on me for a second before he finally said, "You're quite knowledgeable. I need someone with your… skillset."
I blinked. "Skillset?"
"Yes." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "I'm looking for someone good with computers."
Oh no.
Oh, *hell* no.
This was either a trap, a setup, or some kind of social experiment, and I wanted *no part* in it.
"Sir—"
"Arése."
"What?"
"My name," he clarified. "Arése Len."
I frowned. "Okay… Sir Arése."
He sighed, probably regretting this conversation already. "Just Arése is fine."
"Sure, Sir Arése."
A muscle twitches in his jaw. "Are you doing this on purpose?"
I gave him my most innocent look. "Doing what?"
He exhaled slowly. "Never mind."
With that, he stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his suit. "I'll be seeing you around."
And just like that, he walked off, leaving me utterly confused.
What the hell was that about? Whatever. Not my problem.
Yet.