Kay smiled to herself.

So that is what he thought she had been doing all this time?

Kay was glad that she had learned to lip read. It had been extremely torturous and Yume had been a strict teacher. She had taken it out of curiosity and did not think that she would actually ever use it.

After all, she wasn't a field agent.

Now it served to be a very useful tool indeed.

She now knew that she had to be clear and straight to the point with Mark.

She hadn't wanted to be too mean to Mark as he wasn't a bad guy. He was rather chirpy and honestly, she wouldn't mind being friends with him. However, it was obvious that he wanted more, so she wasn't going to encourage him at all.

Since he was a nice guy, she didn't want to be mean to him. She had just refused his invitations by giving him excuses such as she was busy, or had to study and things like that.

After all, she was in the accelerated course and thus, had more assignments and work to do.

Kay had thought that Mark would eventually give up.

After all, what sort of guy would be willing to be constantly rejected like that, right?

"Yes, Mark?" Kay asked once he got close.

"Your class is over, right? Shall we go for dinner together?" Mark asked with a winning smile.

Kay had to admit, Mark was good looking. He had that 'boy-next-door' look that was refreshing. It was a small wonder that he was the heart-throb of campus.

But that's all it was.

There was nothing else about him that appealed to her.

It wasn't that Kay could not appreciate good looking people, but when you grew up with Kyle - and not to mention the other Elite Five that were good looking and had charms of their own ... it took a lot to impress her.

Her standards were naturally high. Being good-looking and nice wasn't enough to move her at all.

"I'm sorry, Mark," Kay said with an apologetic look.

"I know, I know," Mark said, putting up his hand and said the words she always used to refuse him, "You're really busy with work, right? But you still got to eat. Take a break. It won't be long and it'll recharge your energy!"

Kay gave him a smile and replied, "Yes, of course, I will eat. But I just don't want to eat with you."

Mark blinked rapidly.

Wait.

He put a finger into his ear and moved it about vigorously. He looked at her incredulously and said, "Sorry. I thought I heard you say that you didn't want to eat with me."

Kay gave him a dazzling smile, "Yes, I said that."

Mark blinked rapidly again, his mind not able to comprehend fully what she was saying.

By now, Lance couldn't stand it anymore and he started laughing out loud, hitting Mark on the shoulder hard.

"Come on, man, do you still not get it?" Lance said, grinning widely, "She doesn't like you."

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," Kay protested.

"So it means I have a chance?!" Mark recovered quickly.

"Yes," Kay said, "As much as a chance as Hell freezing over."

"Great!" Mark said, "At least there's still a chance!"

Now it was Kay's turn to blink rapidly.

She turned to Lance and asked, "Is he always like this?"

"You have NO idea," Lance said, his lips twitching.

Watching how these two good friends interact made Kay suddenly miss Kyle even more. It was a sense of déjà vu. Their closeness was obvious, similar to how Kyle and Xing Han are.

Mark seemed to notice Kay looking rather melancholy and he asked worried, "Hey, are you okay? You kinda ... look down all of the sudden."

Kay gave a smile that was tinged in a little bit of sadness, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just missing my brother. Seeing the two of you reminded me of him."

"Your brother? You have a brother?" Mark asked with interest, "Elder? Younger?"

Kay was surprised.

They didn't know?

Lance hit Mark at the back of his head, "Hey, that's a personal question. Stop it."

Mark rubbed the back of his head, and mumbled, "Well, I gotta know my brother-in-law now, wouldn't I?"

Kay and Lance looked at each other, as if reaching some sort of tacit understanding.

"He's hopeless, isn't he?" Kay asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, to my dismay," Lance said, "But he's harmless."

Then, with a gentle smile, Lance asked, "Come on, you look like you need some company today. Dinner, with us, no strings attached. I'll even keep him in check."

Kay was tempted.

"Is that even possible?" Kay asked, pointing at Mark who looked like a dog waiting for his treat.

He was standing there, stars in his eyes as he waited for Kay's answer. You could practically see the tail wagging behind him as he tried to appear nonplussed.

Lance looked at Mark, then at Kay and frowned.

"You're right," he admitted grudgingly, "He does look pretty hopeless, doesn't he? But trust me, he'll behave."

Kay thought for a while and then, answered, "Okay. I'll trust you this one time."

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"Your brother ... is Kyle Smith?" Mark was saying, his mouth wide open, "THE Kyle Smith? Zenith from John Wick?!"

Kay nodded, dipping her spoon into her lasagne, "I thought you knew. It wasn't a secret."

"How on Earth would I know that?!" Mark demanded, ignoring his own food.

Kay shrugged.

She honestly thought everyone knew.

After all, even those three stooges did, which was why they hadn't been too overt in their 'bullying' - if you could call it that.

"I was at the premiere with him," Kay replied, "And the media had a field day on that day."

After all, the missing Kyle heir actually attended the premiere.