"Allé, you bien?" Michelle asked as Alina, after refreshing herself, left the washroom. Despite washing her face and emitting a bright look with rosy cheeks, Alina still had a pale complexion. As they started walking down the halls of the school, Asami caught up with the two.

"Hey, what's up? What happened?" Asami asked bubbly and Michelle glared at her. Her attempts to lighten the mood wasn't helping, it was only annoying Michelle.

"Nothing, just thinking of something," Alina said, refusing to elaborate further with a shake of her head. Right now, she wasn't in the mood to talk. She wanted to punch something, especially if it was a tanned smirking face that was covered in a messy stubble.

"Oh. Okay," Asami said, quieting down quickly velour looking around. "Hey, I’m gonna go look for Emily. What about you two?"

"We'll go to la Dome," Michelle responded. Alina said nothing but sent a grateful look to the former.

"Good idea. Always eat when you're upset, it does wonders for your thighs. Well, I'm going! Pwah!" Asami blow kissed towards the two before running off.

"Elle t'aime vraiment beaucoup," Michelle muttered under her breath while smiling at Alina.

"Ungh, please don't say that … I'm getting goosebumps," Alina shuddered and replied before the two looked at each other and laughed. Alina had already figured it out without Michelle telling her, it was pretty obvious that Asami was crushing on Alina. Unfortunately, she only viewed Asami as a friend.

"Feeling meilleur?" Michelle asked and Alina nodded.

"A bit better, yeah," Alina looked at Michelle and smiled. "Thanks."

"Aucun problème," Michelle said. "Now, shall we?"

Alina nodded and the two left for the Dome, which they reached with little to no problems. The two lined up to buy their meals when they heard a commotion in front of them. Pushing through the crowd, they came across Markus, who was stepping on a student while others watched. Most looked on in amusement while others were too afraid to interfere. Alina narrowed her eyes when she saw Markus shaking that student for money.

"Hey, Michelle …" Alina cracked her knuckles and was about to continue when Michelle interrupted her.

"Je connais," Michelle said while shrugging. "I won't stop you."

Markus had taken the students money and was grinning when Alina approached him from behind. Kicking the back of his knee, she forced him to kneel.

" - The fuc-!?" Markus cried out as he struggled.

Alina sent a current flowing through his body, stunning his muscles into spasms while she grabbed his head by the hair and pulled it down, forcing him to look up at her.

"Hey there, Marky," Alina said with an evil grin. "Sup? Think you could help me? I'm a bit low in cash."

"Screw you, you bitc-!" Markus tried swearing at Alina who narrowed her eyes when she saw his angry face.

Without waiting for him to finish, she slammed his head sideways into the glass display that was showcasing the large variety of lunch meals. Stars lit Markus's sight as the low ringing enveloped his hearing.

"What was that, Marky?" Alina asked in a low voice.

"Here! Take what you want just leave me alone!" Markus cried as he handed her the money he took from the student.

"Atta boy, Marky!" Alina said while mockingly tapping his cheek in a rewarding manner as she would to her dog. She then shoved him aside roughly while clicking her tongue. "Now, get."

Markus, who scrambled up, swore under his breath and was about to run off when he noticed that he landed next to a pair of elegant shoes. Flaring up at first, he suddenly realized that only teachers would be dressed in those shoes and formal pants. He looked up and saw Jason looking down at him with a frown. In his arms was Alice, who seemed to be drifting off on his shoulder.

"Really, kid? Really? Bullying?" Jason said while turning to gaze at Alina. His voice was mired with exasperation and disappointment, the onlookers were certain that he didn't approve of what Alina did, no matter her reasoning.

Alina herself wasn't interested in what Jason had to say as she was still fuming at him. She wanted to have a friendly chat with Jason about Alice. She stood with her arms crossed defiantly, tapping her fingers on her arm while glaring at him with a tilt of her head.

"What did I say about bullying?" Jason asked in lecture mode. Alina didn't respond so Jason continued. "I taught you better! You don't leave evidence of your bullying behind! I mean look at him! Look at that bump you left on his head!"

The onlookers almost collapsed from his words, each and every one of them were glancing at Jason incredulously. If they were watching him from a distance, they would assume he was teaching her not to bully.

"I've told you before, if you're gonna beat someone up, make sure you don't leave evidence behind. Couldn't you have just aimed a kick at his balls? He'd be down and no one would know if you kicked fast enough. Better yet, you don't need to kick them physically, just tase 'em," Jason said while gesturing to Markus.

A chill passed through the crotch of every male student that heard him, and they all subconsciously leaned forward as though to protect themselves. Markus was between tears as well; wasn't this just pushing him off the ledge?! He would rather die than get his crown jewels electrocuted.

"All right, show's over people. Get a move on, c'mon, let's go! Go!" Jason ushered the crowd away before moving to Alina and Michelle.

Alina ignored Jason and walked past him to the student that Markus bullied. He was still on the ground with his head lowered, refusing to look at anyone.

"Here you go, bud," Alina said as she handed the money she took from Markus back to him. The boy slapped her hand away and glared at her accusingly.

"Did that make you feel better?" He asked with spite. "Needed a boost to fill your ego? Couldn't help but deign us with your heroics, Queen of Electricity?"

"Uh … you're welcome?" Alina answered sarcastically. She was slightly offended that she was receiving this behavior after helping the bullied victim get justice.

"I didn't ask for help! Especially from an egoistic sixer like you!" The student spoke with venom, surprising Alina before he dashed off.

"Let him go, kid," Jason said when he saw Alina raising her hand to call after the boy.

He sighed inwardly when he thought of what the student said. From a perspective, Jason understood where the boy was coming from. Alina's aid wouldn't be helping him, instead, it gained Markus's ire who would no doubt increase his bullying, focusing his rage on the boy instead of Alina who he couldn't beat. And Alina wouldn't be there to intervene every time.

What also didn't help was Alina's position in school, her level and the fact that the strongest teacher was her brother made her more pompous and arrogant to others, especially the lower leveled students; she was like those second-generation nouveau rich baddies from a webnovel. That wasn't all though, he could feel tension simmering between the lower and higher level Espers, not only in school but also in the city itself. The cracks in the system were spreading and he was sure that it wouldn't end well.

Shrugging his thoughts aside, Jason put Alice down and looked around for a moment. "Where's Emily and Asami?"

Just as he finished, he quickly moved to a side as a small fist breezed past his face. Wind flowed past the clenched fist and ruffled his hair. Jason felt some cold sweat drip down his forehead when he realized how much strength was in that punch.

"The hell?" Jason stared at Alina who lowered the fist she aimed at him with once he dodged her punch. "What was that for?!"

"For being an ass!" Alina hissed and Alice looked at her with a shocked expression. She didn't expect her aunt, who was normally so nice, to be so ferocious. Sure, it was fine to punish bullies, Alice had no qualms about that, but why attack her dad?

"What? I'm always an ass," Jason replied confusedly, unaware he was digging the hole deeper. "That never bothered you."

"Alice, stay with Michelle. You, with me, mister," Alina gestured at Jason, telling him to follow her before stomping off.

Jason looked at Michelle with a questioning gaze, silently asking her what was wrong. To his surprise, Michelle refused to look at him. Instead, she smiled at Alice and walked off while holding her hand.

Man, Jason thought as he followed Alina. Must be a bad hair day I'm having. Or maybe Alle's got her period and Michelle's finding it awkward? Yeah, that should be it. Fuck, I don't have chocolate with me.

"So?" Alina asked. Her arms were crossed and she was staring at Jason as though she had caught him in the middle of a crime red-handed.

"... So …" Jason repeated bemusedly. "So what again?"

"Alice," Alina said quietly. "When were you gonna tell me she was your daughter? Why didn't you tell me that Katelyn had a clo -"

Alina stopped when her voice broke, it was taking every ounce of her being to not snap and yell at Jason. She wanted to hear his excuses before she condemned him.

"I know she's a clone, Jason," Alina finally said once she calmed her nerves.

Jason's smile faded and he looked at Alina with a leveled gaze. He put two and two together and figured that Alina must have overheard his singing.

"Who else knows?" He asked with a sigh.

"Michelle and Asami," Alina replied and Jason looked away, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.

No wonder Michelle refused to look at him. He wasn't an idiot, he knew that Michelle was infatuated with him, but he assumed it was just like every other teenage girl when they're young; it was just a simple crush, similar to the ones girls had for idols, rockstars, or whatever they were into.

"And yeah, it was hard. For all of us," Alina added as he sighed. They both understood what she implied but neither of them elaborated. Instead, Jason tried to explain the situation.

"I didn't want to tell you so soon," Jason said in a low voice, trying to explain his reasoning. "I … I know Katelyn's a … it's difficult to talk about her and I didn't -"

Jason stopped and took a breath before continuing. "I didn't want to open that wound again."

"Well, good job in failing so spectacularly," Alina said, sarcastic admiration apparent in her voice while she clapped 'gleefully'. "Are you still gonna keep me in the dark?”

Jason looked around for a moment, trying to buy time as he mulled over how to tell her. “I don’t know much -”

“But you have a guess, as always,” Alina interrupted in an unamused voice. “So just spit it out.”

“She’s not a clone,” Jason replied slowly and Alina raised her eyebrows.

“Then is she your real …?” Alina asked before her eyes widened. “No way … you and Katie were ... you guys had a kid before we even meet?!”

“No!” Jason shook his head, his brows furrowed at her comment. “Katelyn was what? Fourteen at the time? There's no way she - we - No. No, she’s a homunculus.”

“An … alchemical clone?” Alina asked for verification in a bemused voice. At the same time, she looked over at Alice who was with Michelle.

“Yes, the alchemical product. But no, not a clone,” Jason explained quietly. “A clone is an exact duplicate of the donor’s DNA while a homunculus is a variety of genes spliced together, like - like Frankenstein. She has mostly her mother’s DNA, but there is some of mine added along with other … stuff.”

“Stuff?” Alina repeated in a disbelieving voice.

Jason forwarded the DNA test he had conducted on Alice to Alina. As she read on Jason pointed out the discrepancies. “See that? About thirty percent of her DNA is unknown, it’s not human. That's why she looks like her mother but appears to look older than she is. And it's also why she looks so … perfect. Almost like a doll.”

“... Does she know?” Alina finally asked while biting her lower lip.

“She’s a bright one, so … she probably figured it out,” Jason said with a hint of a sigh. "She's amazing, that kid."

He turned to look at Alice with gentle eyes full of proudness and Alina lost herself in his smile. She felt happy at seeing his genuine smile, one that showed that he was progressing into a better person. His smile faded when he saw Alina staring at him with a slight smirk.

“What?” he asked defensively.

“Is … is that a grin I see on your face? Not a fake one? Ah, oh my god … you’re genuinely … you can actually smile! Wow!” Alina said in mock surprise as she gasped, the grin on her face also prominent as she started to laugh at Jason's awkward eyebrow twitches.

Alina's anger against him had simmered down and her face softened when she realized that he had only discovered the truth about Alice recently and that he didn't hide it from her for long. There were still many unanswered questions, like who created her and why but Alina was willing to let it go for now and instead tease Jason who seemed more alive than she had ever seen before.

“Haha, that's, that’s real cute,” Jason said before looking at Alice. His smile faded as he thought of Katelyn and turned to look at Alina, he was still hesitant to tell her the truth about Katelyn.

"And there it goes, never to return again," Alina said when she noticed his pensive stare and the frown that came along with it. "What are you worried about now?"

Jason moved his eyes between Alice and Alina before clearing his throat. Again, due to his fear and shame, he decided to tell her later rather than sooner.

"It's just … I've never … this is … it's all really ... daunting," Jason finally said. "I am happy to be a father, thrilled even. But, I won't lie and say I'm not apprehensive about it."

Although he avoided admitting to her his mistakes again, Jason wasn't lying. From this morning, when he realized the truth about Alice, he had been worrying about this nonstop, especially after Alice told him that she would be leaving soon. He turned to look at Alice who was having a silent staring contest with Michelle.

Despite liking Emily more than the others, Jason noted that Alice seemed to also like Michelle as well, but in a more subtle way. Perhaps it was because Michelle was similar to Katelyn, her mother. The two had the same stoic expressions and quiet demeanor, only one was a staunch unyielding soldier and the other was a formerly submissive maid.

"I've always wanted parents," Jason explained as he looked back at Alina. "But, I don't - I don’t know what parents do. How - what am I supposed to - how am I going to raise her? You know better than anyone how lousy of a brother I am, and now? Me, a dad? I just … I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"I don't think anyone is ready when they get a kid," Alina answered before punching Jason playfully on the shoulder. "But hey, I'm around, right? So is everyone else. We'll figure it out."

"Yeah …" How do you figure out the method to fixing this mess I'm in? Jason thought. How? I screwed up with Katelyn and now Alice … Elizabeth ...

Jason smiled at Alina again but failed to notice the disappointment in her eyes. She lived with him long enough to know when he fakes a smile, and right now, she knew he was just smiling for the sake of it.

Good grief, She thought. Can't he just stop thinking about it all and focus on the good for just a little longer?

A message interrupted her and Alina checked her phone. A rather bashful smile etched her lips and she slightly moved away from Jason who looked on incredulously. He rubbed his eyes when he saw her texting back enthusiastically with a bigger smile. Then, realization hit him and he smacked his forehead while looking upwards.

"It's Ken boy, isn't it?" Jason groaned and Alina hastily locked her phone before putting it away.

"No, it's not. Why would you think that?" Alina asked with that silly smile still on her face.

"Oh, I dunno … maybe cause you look like this?" Jason made a comical face, a lopsided smile while batting his crossed eyes with sickening infatuation. "Heuheuheu."

After giving a stupid girlish giggle, his face changed in a spilt second, turning serious with a hint of annoyance present between his lips.

"Ungh, weirdo," Alina muttered.

"That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw your face," answered Jason, earning Alina's ire as she flared up.

"I did not have that kind of look!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Wanna bet, then?" Jason asked with a snigger. "There are cameras everywhere, I'm sure Ava can-"

"Don't you dare!" Alina hissed before relenting. "So what if it's Ken? Is that a problem?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's a real problem," Jason nodded seriously with his arms crossed. "I don't like him."

"You don't like any dude that hits on me!" Alina pointed out. "You do the whole 'Oh you hurt my sister, I break your neck' routine! With. Every. Single. Guy!"

"And you sabotage every date I bring home!" Jason shot back. "You even told the recent ones how I peed in bed till I was twelve! Twelve! Which wasn't even true!"

"That's to save them from your grubby hands!" Alina returned fire.

"Oh really?"

The two glared while nearing each other before they both burst out laughing a moment later.

"Ok, ok. I may have overdone the protective part," Jason said. "But you gotta admit, every brother needs to say that at least once to the boys that date his sister."

"Yeah, and I may have been pulling your leg when I told those girls that lie," Alina admitted sheepishly.

"May have been?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't sweat the details," Alina replied dismissively.

"Ok. So, truce?" Jason asked. "I don't scare Kenny away, and you don't trick my girl away?"

It was only a matter of time before Alina found out about both Katelyn and Elizabeth, and Jason sure as hell didn't want her to push them both away, especially Elizabeth. Specifically Elizabeth.

"Oh?" Alina looked at Jason with interest. "What's this? You're seeing someone?"

"Something like that," Jason replied evasively. "It's ... complicated."

"Considering that you're seeing some chick while your daughter, from another chick, is, you know, here?" Alina asked cheekily and Jason deflated faster than an air balloon. "Yeah, yeah. That's pretty complicated. It'll make you look real good to your new date. I can even see it already: 'Oh yeah, by the way … I have a daughter. But I've only got eyes for you, babe'. Yep. That'll work out really, really, well."

Jason said nothing but slouched his shoulders as Alina sent barraged him with a critical hit. He wasn't sure how to explain this to Elizabeth either, especially since they were now technically married.

"Oh quit sulking," Alina said after a while, rolling her eyes when she noticed how down Jason appeared and stopped poking fun at him. "It's a truce then. We mind our own … relationships without sabotaging the other. Deal?"

Alina lifted her pinky finger to Jason who connected his own to it.

"Pinky swear," Jason said with a smile while crossing his other hand's fingers behind his back. What he wasn't aware of was that Alina was doing the same, just in her mind. The two walked back to Michelle and Alice, both of them were impatient for their return.

***

Asami walked through the campus looking for Emily. While she walked, she was preparing the video clips of Jason singing for the school forum along with a tabloid-style article about how melancholy the hottest teacher was. Halfway through, she passed a group of girls and overheard their conversation.

"Still … are you sure it's okay?"

"Why not? She deserves it for stealing him away! Besides no one will care, she's just a level zero."

"I heard she leveled up … what if she reports it?"

"So? Who cares? At least she learnt her lesson."

The group of four left Asami's earshot but her eyes narrowed from what she heard.

She, they said. Don't tell me …

With a sinking feeling, Asami followed the path they came from and paused once she saw the washroom. Following her instincts, she entered the washroom and checked the cubicles. She noticed one was locked and knocked on it gently.

"Emily, you in there? You alright?" Asami asked.

"Asami?" Emily called out. Asami could tell that her voice was stiff with more than just her stuffy cold.

"Can I come in?" Asami asked. She waited patiently as Emily hesitated but, eventually, the latter opened the cubicle's door.

Asami hissed a breath in when she saw Emily's condition. The outfit she borrowed from the Loft was left in tatters, preventing her from leaving the cubicle since her body would be on display. On top of it, chunks of her hair were missing, the haphazard cut was apparent as parts of her hair were still long. What surprised Asami was the lack of response Emily had. She was hurt by what happened, no doubt, but she had a rather dismissive look in her eyes.

"Holy," Asami said. She thought back to the girls she passed and couldn't help but feel indignant. How could they be so vicious? "This … this is too much."

"No less than I deserve," Emily said, truly believing that. She understood why they did what they did, especially since the one that led them, Rachel, was her former friend. Unfortunately, she hated Emily with a passion. After all, which girl would like seeing their crush or boyfriend spur them for someone else? For, in their eyes, a slut who seduces everyone?

"Could - can you help me find something to wear?" Emily asked with her head down, refusing to look at Asami. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing the latter's look of sympathy.

"Sure, I'll be back soon," Asami said as he quickly took off. Emily closed the cubicle's door again and waited silently, thinking about her situation instead. She decided to skip school and fix her hair before checking the arcade.

After gathering some clothes from her girlfriends, Asami returned and handed them to Emily.

"Here. It'll be harder to notice your hair with this on," Asami handed Emily a sunhat when she exited the cubicle. Her outfit was a white t-shirt that was long and a pair of colorful leggings. She also tied a knot at the front of the shirt, exposing a bit of her belly button while making the shirt look more fashionable.

"I'm heading home," Emily said after putting the sunhat on. The straw hat, while seemingly off place with the outfit, hid the snippets of missing hair perfectly while covering a bit of Emily's face, much to the latter's relief.

"Nope, not happening," Asami said as she grabbed Emily's arm and hooked herself to it, preventing the former from escaping. "Right now, we're gonna go to the salon, get a new haircut, a pedicure, and maybe some ice cream."

"Asa-"

"Look Em, I get it," Asami interrupted in a serious voice. "I know you want to be alone right now, but that's not what you need. What you need is to hang out and forget about all ... this. So let me be a good friend and help you."

"All right," Emily answered after a moment. Her heart was warmed by Asami's actions, and she felt like she was a true friend.

"Great!" Asami cheered. "Let's sneak out from the side. There's an exit that used to be locked till Jason arrived."

***

Melanie watched Asami and Emily leave the school grounds from the window of the student council's office. She knew what had happened to Emily and she could have intervened if she wanted to, but Melanie refused to do so. She felt that it was necessary for Emily to grow and handle these situations alone; if she couldn't handle this little bit of harassment, then she wasn't worth much to Melanie, nor would she be worthy to fight for Jason. Melanie sighed after looking away while signaling to Olivia to approach her.

"Don't mark Chiba and Caldwell as absent. They have my permission to leave school early," Melanie said to Olivia who nodded reluctantly. The latter felt irked that Melanie was allowing students to break the rules but acquiesced, regardless of her opinion.

A message came from Melanie's comms and she opened her holo-phone to check it. Reading the mission briefing from the Council, Melanie raised an eyebrow before watching a video clip on her holo-lens. It was a short clip of Jason fighting Katelyn and the latter escaping. A giggle escaped Melanie's lips, lighting the room with her peal of laughter that surprised both Olivia and Enzo.

"Well, isn't that interesting," Melanie muttered while ignoring the two and smiling viciously, her eyes never left the screen which was frozen on Katelyn’s blurred face. "I was just thinking on how to find you … miss rival tramp."