Jay-jay's POV
"...Class, the day after tomorrow, you will make a report! I want you to form your groups now so we can finish quickly and won't have to take it home!" Ma'am said.
"Okay..." the troublemakers answered in a bored tone.
They should at least show a little enthusiasm. It's embarrassing for the teacher—she might think we're not listening.
But we're really not listening.
"Should we just team up with David?" Ci-N asked me.
I turned to David, about to ask if he was okay with it, but he was talking to someone.
I faced Ci-N again. "I guess it's just us then."
Ci-N suddenly grinned mischievously. "Just us?"
I shot him a glare. He was thinking of a different kind of 'just us.' This guy is seriously abnormal.
"Behave... or you'll regret it," I warned him.
He just laughed. This kid, seriously. But I'd rather have him like this than when he's all silent and acting like he's carrying the weight of the world.
Kkkrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnggggggg!!!!
There it is! Lunchtime! Time to feed my little minions—just kidding!
I took out Keifer's lunch from my bag. Of course, his meal is special—so that 150-peso lunch is worth it. It would be embarrassing otherwise!
Looks like the King of Serpents couldn't wait any longer; he approached me on his own to get his food.
"This is it?" Keifer asked.
"Yeah... What did you expect? A lunchbox the size of my bag?"
"Tss. I'm just confirming," he said and took the container from me.
I was about to leave for our usual hangout spot, but Keifer grabbed my arm.
"Eat here," he ordered.
"No," I replied, shaking my head.
"Why do you all eat over there?"
"Because we want to."
Keifer looked to his side and signaled someone to come over. He whispered something to them, and they immediately left. I just watched him, then glanced at his hand still holding my arm.
He's acting possessed again!
Suddenly, David and Ci-N walked in. They had gone ahead to our hangout. Even Yuri came in, carrying a paper bag. Mica and Calix followed, holding hands. So sweet!
"Why did you call us here?" Calix asked Keifer.
Keifer finally let go of my arm and faced them. "From now on, no one eats on the second floor! Everyone eats here—including you all."
Yuri looked at me, silently asking, Did something happen? Even though he was confused, David and Ci-N just walked over to me.
"Did you fight with Keifer again?" David asked.
"No! I have no idea what's wrong with him."
"Let's just eat," Ci-N suggested.
We rearranged the tables, pushing them together. We also called Mica to eat with us since she looked awkward.
The troublemakers around us just watched, like vultures waiting to snatch food. Some were even drooling—ugh, rabies?! Just kidding. It's just the food in front of us.
Our meals looked so simple compared to Mica's lunch—chicken fillet with some fancy sauce. It smelled amazing.
I saw Yuri sit in his chair. He seemed hesitant to join us.
"Yuri! Sit here!" I called him, pointing at the seat beside me.
He looked at Keifer first before walking over. I handed David and Ci-N their food. It felt like we were having a picnic! So fancy!
"W-what did you bring for lunch?" Yuri asked me.
"This..." I said, showing him my food.
Fried chicken with some vegetables on the side. I didn't know what kind of veggies they were—the maids at Auntie's house cooked it. I was just in charge of eating.
"Do you want to switch meals?" Yuri offered.
He took out the food from his paper bag—SUSHI!! I grinned and quickly handed him my lunchbox. He gave me a pack of sushi in exchange.
Woooooooooohhhhhhh!! Sushi! Sushi!
"Uhmmm... Shouldn't we offer some to your classmates?" Mica asked.
The troublemakers immediately reacted.
"Offer it to us."
"Yeah, that's right!"
"Go ahead! Offer some!"
"We won't say no."
They were instantly met with a sharp glare from Calix. "Shut up!"
They all looked like kids who didn't get candy. Honestly, we looked like we were eating in a restaurant while the people around us looked like beggars.
Wow, I sound so harsh!
Keifer suddenly walked over, carrying a chair. He squeezed himself between me and Ci-N, so now I was sitting between him and Yuri.
Admit it... he looked sad eating alone.
We all exchanged glances, confused by his actions. Even the troublemakers watching us eat seemed surprised.
"Jay! Give me some of that!" Ci-N suddenly broke the silence.
"Later..." I replied.
Keifer started eating, so we did the same. I'd figure out what was wrong with him later.
But it was a bit annoying—while we ate, people were watching us. Did they really have to stare?
Someone tapped my shoulder. I looked and saw it was Denzel, holding out his hand to me.
"Come on, share a little..." he whispered.
I eyed him suspiciously. Meanwhile, Eren was already sneaking bites from Ci-N's food.
Calix was busy shooing away the guys approaching Mica—he had completely forgotten about his own food, which had already been snatched by a vulture.
Kit, Edrix, and Rory were circling around David, but he was ignoring them.
Then my gaze landed on Felix.
He was just looking at us, and when our eyes met, he quickly looked away. He put on his headphones and buried his head on the table.
Why does he keep avoiding me?
"Jay... give me some," Denzel called out to me.
Since I'd already eaten enough, I handed him the rest. The others immediately flocked to him.
"Why did you give it away?" Yuri asked me.
"He's persistent. And I've already eaten a lot, so it's fine."
"If you give to one, you should give to everyone," Keifer suddenly interjected.
"How am I supposed to give to everyone?"
"If you can't give to all of them, then don't give to anyone," Keifer said.
But that would be unfair to them.
"Can you bring food for all of them?" Yuri asked.
"No! There's too many of them."
"I can't bring food for them anymore. Grandpa caught me before, and I'm sure the people at home will forbid me now," Yuri added.
"Don't worry about it if you can't. Let them be. They can bring their own food, but they're just too lazy to do it," Keifer said.
This guy is so heartless!
He seemed to forget that he and Yuri were the ones who decided not to let them go to the cafeteria. If they hadn't done that, Aries might have just left them alone.
"We could cook for them," I suggested.
Yuri looked at me. "Here?"
"Yeah... You guys have a rice cooker, right? And some pots and—"
"You can't use those," Keifer cut me off.
"Someone owns them," Yuri added.
"Who?"
"Superman," Yuri replied.
I suddenly burst out laughing. They sounded like kids! But I stopped when I saw that Keifer and Yuri were completely serious. Even Ci-N and David were now looking at me.
"Jay... We actually have a classmate named Superman," Yuri reminded me.
No way.
"You're kidding, right?"
I looked at David, and both he and Yuri nodded.
There really is? I should start listing their names down. I've been here for so long, and I still can't remember everyone.
"Are you serious?"
"Stupid! He's the one who only shows up two or three times a week!" Keifer said.
"Some people call him Eman," David added.
Eman? Eman? Eman? Eman!
Now I remember! He was the one who got mad at me when he found out I used the electric frying pan. I didn't pay him any attention back then because I was too worried about Ci-N.
"Do you remember now?" Yuri asked.
I nodded. "That stuff belongs to him?"
"Yeah... He used to cook here. But he got lazy because no one helped him," Ci explained.
I glanced around. Looks like he's absent again. That guy is always missing. Doesn't he worry about failing?
"He's not here if you're looking for him," Keifer said.
"I wanted to talk to him."
"He's probably at their restaurant," Yuri answered.
Whoa, rich kid. They have a restaurant?
"When do you think he'll come back to class?"
"He might not come back at all," Calix suddenly chimed in. We all turned to look at him. "...I heard their restaurant is struggling, and he's the only one managing it."
"Why him? Doesn't he have parents?"
"His mom only cares about appearances. And his dad got into an accident—his arm got burned, I think—right there in their restaurant," Calix explained.
Poor guy. Just because his name is Superman doesn't mean he's as strong and resilient as the real Superman.
"Do any of you know where their restaurant is?"
"Why?" Yuri asked.
"Let's go visit him."
Keifer looked at me like he was saying, There you go being a meddler again.
I'm just concerned, okay?
"I'll go with you later," Yuri suddenly said.
"Me too! I'm coming!" Ci-N shouted.
"Count me in," David said.
"Let's go, Baby," Mica said to Calix.
Calix had no choice but to agree.
"We'll come too..." some of the other guys added.
Keifer was the only one who hadn't spoken, so we all turned to look at him.
"Sigh... What else can I do? I'll come too," he said, making everyone cheer.
Nice! Operation: Visit Superman!