Jay-jay's POV
Where are you?!
Damn Pikachu! I've been looking for it for so long, but I can't find it. I've already ignored six Pokémon. It showed up in the Sightings, and then suddenly disappeared.
"Are you aware that you look like an idiot doing that?" Yuri asked.
I ignored him. I had been walking back and forth in front of our classroom for a while now. I really wanted to catch Pikachu. The Rizal Monument in front of our school was a PokéStop, so whenever someone used a Lure, you already know what happens!
"There! There! There!" I shouted when Pikachu appeared.
I threw a Poké Ball.
"Gotcha!" I cheered, waving my phone.
"Who did you catch?!" Ci-N asked excitedly.
He was the one who installed Pokémon GO on my phone. He also taught me how to play. Turns out, it's really addictive.
"Pikachu!" I answered, mimicking Pikachu's voice.
"Nice…" Ci-N said.
"There's a Pikachu here?" one of our classmates asked.
Even the other idiots came out and pulled out their phones to look for Pikachu. Turns out, they played Pokémon GO too.
So I was really the only one who was late to the game.
"Tss."
Was that Yuri or Keifer?
It was Yuri…
The king of the idiots wasn't here yet. I had no idea where he was, and I had no intention of finding out.
"What's going on?" David asked as he arrived.
"Pokémon," Ci-N replied.
David took out his phone. He was playing Pokémon GO too.
Pppfffftttt.
To be honest, this was making me hungry. I headed to the cafeteria to buy something.
Hep! I took the back entrance. My accomplice was Ate Lilia, the vendor. She was the one I gave a tip to before. We were friends now.
"Ate!" I greeted her.
"Keep your voice down… Someone might hear you," she warned me.
"Hehe, sorry… Can I buy a bottle of water?"
She quickly went inside to get one. I only gave her the payment when she returned.
"Thanks…" I said before leaving.
I was really thirsty. I had food in my bag, of course—couldn't risk letting the idiots get their hands on it.
I was about to leave when I noticed something near the trash bins at the back of the cafeteria.
Someone was there!
I approached slowly—who knows what they were doing?
A girl, still in uniform, and… crying?
"Miss?" I called out to her.
She looked up at me, and I could clearly see her swollen eyes. At the same time, she looked terrified of me.
"Please! Don't tell Aries I'm here! I'm begging you!" she pleaded, suddenly dropping to her knees.
"Oh no! Hey! Get up!"
"I'm begging you!"
"O-okay! I won't tell him! Just stand up!"
She calmed down a bit and slowly stood up. She fixed herself, and that's when I recognized her. Mica.
Her appearance was a mess, and she had a few scratches.
"Mica, right?" I asked.
She only gave me a small nod.
"W-what happened to you?"
She didn't answer but continued wiping her tears. I wasn't sure if she knew me, but I knew she was scared I might tell Aries she was here.
"Don't worry… I won't tell Aries. We're not even close," I assured her with a smile.
She still looked uneasy but forced herself to speak.
"B-because… T-the Section D students… T-they did this to me."
Section D?! Again?!
"Why?"
"I-I don't know… B-but I know Aries ordered it."
Damn! This was probably because of that 'flirty' incident.
"How long have they been doing this to you?"
"Since… since you and Freya had that fight."
I knew it! I should've told Aries the truth from the start. He didn't even bother to check if that witch Freya was telling the truth. Now things had gotten worse, and even innocent people were getting dragged into this.
"No one helped you? Your classmates just let this happen?" My voice was laced with irritation.
What the hell? No friends? No one stood up for her?
"N-no one… E-Ella would have, but she hasn't been coming to school."
What the hell? I felt sorry for this girl. I couldn't just leave her here like this. If those damn Section D idiots found her again, they might make things even worse for her.
"Come with me for now. I can't leave you here, or Section D might come back for you." I urged her.
I held her hand, but she immediately pulled it back, as if something was stopping her.
"I-it's not possible..." she said, avoiding my gaze.
Tsk!
"Why? Don't worry, I'm not taking you to Aries."
"I-it's not that... It's just..."
What now?!
"Tsk! Is it because of Calix?"
She looked a bit shocked but then lowered her head and nodded. I knew it! Now what? I can't just leave her.
"You have no choice... If I leave you here, who knows what might happen to you?"
"B-but..."
"Just stay away from him."
She really had no choice. So even though she was reluctant, she finally came with me.
There weren't many students around anymore, so no one would see her like this since the bell had already rung.
We went straight to the restroom. She needed to clean herself up. The wounds on her arms and knees also needed to be washed.
There was no one inside. I checked the cubicles too—empty. But ghosts? Probably there. Just kidding!
I'd be scared if there really was one!
I took out my handkerchief, wet it, and wiped her face.
Her cheeks and neck were red. It looked like someone had hit her and strangled her.
She also tidied up her uniform.
"Maybe you should take a bath..." I mumbled.
"Huh?!"
"Nothing..." I answered.
While she was fixing herself up, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
"Mica..." I began. "...say this: Freya is mean."
I originally wanted her to say that Ella was flirty, but someone might overhear us. "Freya is mean" would do.
"W-why?"
"Just do it… and make it sound dramatic."
Even though she wasn't sure, she cleared her throat and got ready.
"Freya is mean," she said in a dramatic voice.
I clapped my hands while grinning. "Confirmed!"
"Huh?!"
"Freya was the one who said it, not you. Even though your voice was dramatic, it was still low."
"Why?"
"I just remembered the voice of the person who said the 'M' word. It was dramatic and high-pitched. It was definitely Freya!"
"Jay... Even if you're sure who said it, it won't matter if Aries won't listen to you."
She had a point. That's why I needed to find a way to talk to Aries and make him believe me.
"I'll figure something out."
Mica just nodded and continued fixing herself.
Once she was done, even though she didn't look much different, I pulled her along to Section E's classroom.
When we got there, I saw Ci-N standing by the door. Looks like we didn't have a teacher yet.
"Jay… Where did you—Oh my! Why is she with you?!" Ci-N exclaimed.
I ignored her and walked straight into the room.
Of course, since I was with Mica, the first person to react was Calix.
"Mica!" Calix called, trying to approach her.
Mica immediately hid behind me. Calix seemed to notice and turned his attention to me instead.
"What happened?" he asked.
"It's a long story, but she's staying here for now," I answered.
I made her sit on the bench next to mine. Some of our classmates also gathered around, curious.
I took out some alcohol from my bag and applied it to the wound on her knee.
"Ow..." Mica softly complained.
"Jay! Be gentle!" Calix scolded me.
This guy! We're right next to each other! Why does he have to yell?!
"You're so loud... I'm not deaf," I sarcastically replied.
Mica took the bottle of alcohol from my hand. "I'll do it myself..."
"Won't Aries get mad if he finds out she's here?" Kit asked.
"He's already mad..." I muttered.
We looked ridiculous, gathering here like this. What should we do about Mica's situation?
Those Section D people were another problem. I should really keep her away from them. And I needed to talk to Aries about this. I just hoped he'd listen.
"What's going on?" Yuri asked as he entered the room with Keifer.
Everyone, including me, turned to look at them. No one spoke until Keifer approached us.
His eyebrows furrowed as soon as he saw Mica.
"What is she doing here?!" Keifer asked me authoritatively.
"I need to keep her away from Section D—"
"So you brought her here?!"
"Y-yeah, kind of..."
"Tss."
I could see Keifer's irritation. He even rubbed his temple.
"Keifer... Let her stay here, please," Calix pleaded.
Yuri also stepped closer. "What if Section D comes after us instead?"
"Then I'll deal with them," Calix replied.
"No... She can't stay here," Keifer interrupted.
I stood up from my seat. "Keifer, come on! I can't just leave Mica with Section D! What if they do to her what they did to me?!"
Keifer looked straight into my eyes. He was completely serious.
"We can't interfere in their conflict," he answered.
I let out a deep sigh. Does Keifer have no compassion at all? I get that he doesn't want to get involved, but Mica is a girl.
What if I was right, and they did to her what they did to me? At least I could fight back—or wait!
"You don't want to interfere in their conflict, but you got involved in my fight."
He looked at me again, as if deep in thought. He seemed to be mulling over what I said.
"That was different... You're different... She's different..." he replied.
"It's not different... My fight was with Section D, but you still showed up to help me."
Keifer got even more irritated by my response. But I was right! I saw him bite his lip and shake his head. There's nothing wrong with interfering if your intentions are good.
I just hope he lets Mica stay here.