Accordingly, the only thing that I was aware of was that I would meet up with Sana and spend time with her, just as Hyunda suggested.

However, it didn't cross my mind that Yulia would meet the two of us.

"Hey! We just watched a really funny movie, Yulia!"

Helplessly enthusiastic and simultaneously unaware that Yulia was most likely viewing her not in the strong insights, Sana, despite that, reached out to Yulia without a second thought.

"Okay. Sana, can I have some time with my boyfriend or not? I don't want to interrupt something if I'm in the way."

As of lately, I've been detecting some intense sarcasm in Yulia's words. I don't feel like it's a coincidence that this is only happening now.

Does this mean that she's secretly mad?

"Yeah, of course! You don't even need to ask! Bye-bye!"

On her way out, independently, Sana left us alone. Sincerely, this was an awkward moment as I didn't know what to say.

For the very reason being... I didn't have any idea that Yulia would be here in the first place. Hyunda, this has to be your doing. I know you to the point of being able to tell that this isn't a coincidence.

This means that I should comfort Yulia out of her doubts right now if this is your doing, Hyunda.

"Hey. What's wrong? You're not going to say anything, Yulia?"

"I'm trying to think about what I want to say. But, you're not making this easy for me. Do you really even love me?"

"What sort of question is that? Of course I do."

We started walking to a nearby cafe, which implied that from the looks of it, we were going to have a really long talk.

If I was someone with minimal moral standards, I would definitely just stop this activity right now. It sometimes strikes me as odd how I'm able to lie so well when others just aren't.

Yulia's an unfortunate individual. Out of all the people in this world, she is currently in a supposed relationship with arguably not one of the best; as a matter of fact probably one of the worst.

"I don't know about that. Maybe I'm just too new to this sentiment but I get the feeling that you should prioritize me more than anyone else. Or, at least that's how I feel about you. I prioritize you above everyone else."

Considering how you barely have anyone else to prioritize, that's saying a lot, but I obviously won't say my honest thoughts out loud.

Though, with all things considered, eliminating her doubts might just not do the trick here. Which means I'll have to try something else.

"Is this about Sana and how I spend time with her?"

"...Sorry."

I'm surprised that Yulia didn't bother to deny it. However, it's just natural. All the hints have been indicated towards the supposed fabricated fact that I prioritize Sana over Yulia, which should not happen based on the current status between us.

In a table for two, almost at the beginning of the entrance, with a window view, we sat down and faced each other.

It's really all just better if I'm honest while still not being honest.

"That must've left you quite confused. You're probably thinking why I don't spend time with you as often as I spend time with Sana, right? Well, that's for a reason."

"That being?"

"I was discussing with her the whole time ways of actually making our relationship flourish. Originally, I intended on telling you this way earlier so you wouldn't have to feel like I was tricking you or anything like that, but then Sana told me that it would be better if I didn't do that. Her reasoning was that I needed to learn one very simple thing... Being unpredictable. And the key to doing so is to be as mysterious as possible. Which is why, I'm sorry that you doubted me, Yulia."

This did not happen. I am quite literally and figuratively making this up. However, with all events taken into consideration, it's not hard to believe that this was actually the case.

Especially when Yulia just flashes a smile out of relief like that in front of me while placing her hands on her chest.

"Oh... That's... a relief... Haha, so that's what was happening! Now I understand why you didn't tell me and why Sana also hasn't told me a single thing..."

Actually, the whole reason as to why Sana hasn't told you anything is because we have been holding talks about how to make Yulia happier and how I should direct myself as her boyfriend.

That also implied that we had to keep this talk a secret from Yulia because it would all be supposedly be ruined if she knew that ahead of her time. However, now that Yulia is starting to doubt us, I need to console her emotions by telling her the half-truth.

"Yeah, that was why. But, I didn't really like the whole idea, sorry. It was never my intention to keep you in the dark all this time. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes, I think I can. Actually, you don't need to apologize. That was just me being paranoid and a bit freaky. Sorry, I'm still so new to this feeling that I just found it strange. But... Why did you feel like you needed to consult Sana about this and not me?"

"I didn't. Sana called out to me and spoke about certain things. How I wasn't there for you, even minimally. How I wasn't exactly opening up to who I am. How being a boyfriend isn't just about having the ability of being honest with you but actually wanting to know everything there is about you. Lots of stuff that I basically didn't realize on my own. She's a really good friend to you, you know? Because she said that this was all for you."

Hyunda should pay me some money for all this acting. How hasn't Hollywood hired me yet?

Look at this peak acting. Please tell me this isn't worthy of an oscar.

Okay, now I'm just sadly overrating myself, it's not that hard to pull this off.

"Ahhh... I am such a dummy. So stupid... I should've never..."

"Hm? What's wrong, Yulia? Heeeey, teeeeell me."

Since Yulia was looking down and mumbling onto herself after reflecting on what I had just said previously, I leaned in and closed in on her face and saw the depressed facial expression that she was wearing full of regret.

"I doubted my best friend and that's because I was starting to believe in something that was stupid and the worst part is... that something came from a stupid and obnoxious person! I should've known better! I'll never doubt Sana ever again!"

Her sudden burst of enthusiasm came as a surprise to me, but what came to me more as a surprise was when Yulia mentioned that she believed in something stupid that came out of someone stupid and obnoxious.

"Wait, Yulia. Who are you referring to exactly?"

"Oh... Um, that's irrelevant now! Because the person never mattered in the first place."

"No, but I want to know who it was. Did someone torment you while I was away?"

Or rather, was it Hyunda who did this? Then, does that mean that you already started to play around with her mindset?

I see, so you do make early moves in scenarios like this. As I thought, although you say that you hate responsibility, you are going way too far.

I never actually bought what he said about repaying me. This feels so exaggerated that it's making me believe that he's just using that event as an excuse to exercise his power right now.

"You're worried...?"

"Well, yes. Should I not be worried when there is someone out there that might've harmed my girlfriend psychologically? Tell me who it is so I can do something about this."

Weirdly enough, Yulia's probably viewing my current action as that of a boyfriend who wants to protect his girlfriend from all the possible dangers this corrupt world has to offer.

Thus, she has no idea for what reason I actually want to know this.

"Mhm...! You're finally showing some emotion! How nice!!! I was getting worried that you might never show me your caring side but this is surprisingly satisfying. But, not to worry. I'm not a damsel in the distress. I can defend myself. It would be pathetic of me to let someone so insignificant overpower me psychologically. Plus, I do have experience against that horrible stereotype."

Did I show emotion? So pretending to care is the equivalent of showing emotion? Or was it my facial expression that emitted some sort of emotion in it? That would explain it.

Otherwise, I just can't see it. However, I suppose that my voice was less monochromatic and way more vivid than usual.

"If you aren't going to tell me who the person is, then what is this stereotype that you speak of?"

Yulia, this time around, leaned closely while looking to her right and left before speaking to me. Apparently, her upcoming words were important so I increased my focus.

"Listen... I'm talking about narcissists. Narcissists are those that value themselves on a very, but very absurd degree and when something doesn't go along their way, they attempt to twist every argument and mentally abuse others in order for them to gain a wider sense of superiority. They also strive to raise their self-esteem by lowering the self-esteem of others. And I was just about to let one have his way on me..."

"So it's a he. But if you have experience against that stereotype then why would you let him overpower you mentally? Ah, sorry... He didn't overpower you, because you were strong enough to resist his intentions."

Though how exactly is Hyunda a narcissist? Hyunda is---

Actually...

What exactly do I know about him? He rarely tells me anything regarding himself. Even when we are talking he indirectly references other topics without ever mixing his entire self into it. He also doesn't brag about himself, so in other words...

I don't know anything about him.

"...He used factors that were somewhat relevant but I won't let my mind sway any further. Because it was my fault for even believing in what he had said, minimally... I told myself many times that his words were a lie but after witnessing certain coincidences, my mind just automatically started to believe in what he had told me despite the fact that I didn't want to believe in what he had told me..."

"Yulia, are you sure you don't want to tell me who this guy is? I will just talk to him and tell him to stop bothering you. We can interact with the rest now. It's fine. Just tell me, please. I'm worried about you."

"It's okay now. Just the fact that you are finally showing a good deal of emotion is enough for me. You should do that more often. You always seem really out of it whenever you are around the others which is why I would like for you to be yourself around me..."

I've done that once and it went horribly wrong.

What you are referring to as 'yourself' is probably just the side of me you think you don't already know and that I purposely hide it from everyone else.

Unfortunately for you, I am not that interesting.

"I'll try. No guarantees though. Self-expression doesn't exactly come included when we are talking about me..."

"Yeah, I know that hahaha... By the way, by the way... You need to tell me more about yourself. Like, what was your life like before coming here...?"

Out of the sudden, Yulia just went ahead and asked perhaps the most personal question yet.

A question, so personal that I immediately got skeptical about answering it.

"You won't like it. It's not as interesting as you think. Actually, on second thought, I want to hear your version of the story. Because it's probably way more interesting than my version."

More like I don't remember half of the details.

"Ehh? Come on... I'm really curious about it. It has this mysterious vibe to it and I love mysteries!"

"No, that's precisely why you'll be disappointed. Because it's nothing mysterious nor compelling as you might think it is."

If Yulia insists on this matter too much, then I might be forced to tell her a lie, but considering the topic at hand, I would say that I would have to think of a big lie.

And honestly, I'm just not feeling like it.

"I don't buy it... Whenever someone says that something isn't interesting then it means that it's one-hundred percent interesting! Which is why I'll listen to it!"

She's dead set on this... I'll try this from a different angle then.

"Even if you listen to it, you won't learn anything new from it. Also, do you remember how I said that I don't know what I did to get such a high jail sentence? The same can be applied to my mediocre past years. As a matter of fact, they are so mediocre that I have forgotten half of it. So, we should just settle it with yours. It doesn't have to be interesting, in case you are wondering."

"So you wouldn't like it if it was interesting!? Do you prefer it to be boring?"

That's not what I said...

"No, I'm just saying that if your version of the story is boring, then I don't mind. You might think it's necessary for you to tell a really interesting story in order to get me hooked, but if you consider your life to be mediocre thus far, then I'll still listen to it without complaints. I don't want you to think that I have these high expectations..."

Yulia already told me that she wouldn't reveal what she has done. Or rather, she gave me a helpful hint by saying that she didn't do it.

Even when I tried to argue that if she didn't do it that she might be here wrongly, she argued back saying that was not the case.

I can only conclude that even though she didn't do the crime or crimes, she's partially and probably responsible for it or them.

Plus, on the bright side, upon hearing my words of consolation, Yulia looked less skeptical as she brightened up a bit.

"You'll have to tell me eventually, alright?"

"Alright."

If that ever happens then Hyunda's plan has failed. I feel like a complete side-character in this whole event. Whenever Hyunda's involved, it's like everything suddenly gains a sense of variety and diversity instead of being far too one-dimensional.

Multiple people serving different purposes for his goal. Does he even have a goal in general?

As I internally asked myself those questions, Yulia looked ready to speak out her honest mind, which was ultimately indicated by her brief inhaling.

"I never really could relate to my parents deeply. Or rather --- it never went to a state beyond normal. However, that wasn't really the case. My father was a drunk womanizer who would treat my mother just as an object... The worst part about it was that my mother only stayed with him because of me as she didn't want me to have a bad childhood. Yet, that didn't really matter to me, because I was always enjoying my time with my grandma! It was really, really fun!"

From the looks of it, Yulia's probably telling the genuine truth here.

The way she's speaking packs quite a lot of emotion behind it; as every time she speaks, it gets progressively harder for her to continue with her words.

"But, that really didn't last for long. Eventually, my grandma died and I, well... Hit a state of depression when I was six years old. Don't worry though, I got myself back up eventually as well..."

Why would you hit a state of depression over someone's death? It doesn't matter how much you love someone, that person will nonetheless die when their time is up.

This is one of the things that I can't understand. If everyone is destined to die then why do people nevertheless idly hope that they won't feel sad despite knowing that their loved ones will die?

Is that a state of delusion or something?

"After that, as you might've already guessed, I moved here to Japan. My mother decided to abandon my father since she was tired of getting progressively cheated on. Integrating here was quite hard due to the language barrier but with time and practice, I got over it eventually. At the age of nine, I witnessed my mother fall in love again for another man that looked promising at first but..........."

It didn't take me a single second to guess why Yulia looked down immediately.

Thus, with confidence, I went ahead and spoke under a certain assumption.

"It's related to the stereotype you mentioned earlier, isn't it?"

"Yes..."

It didn't take me any supposed time to realize this because Yulia had already implied that she had a grudge against the stereotype, so it's safe to assume that I hit the nail in the coffin when she brought that up.

There's also the fact that her father isn't exactly a narcissist. He's just a womanizer, according to her description.

Though, this isn't to imply that her father couldn't belong to the narcissistic stereotype.

"If it's hard for you, then don't feel obliged to speak. I understand. This guy that your mother fell in love with had secondary and wrong intentions and didn't treat her right. It must've been hard for you."

Although I say this, I can't exactly relate to her worries.

At all.

"...Thanks for actually comprehending... You got better, Daniel. I'm really proud of you in that sense. You used to be really rude and from my past perspective, you just couldn't seem perceivable as a morally right person; as you struggled to understand emotional struggles. However, just from this talk alone, I can tell that something has changed. We should do this more often, because then... I'm sure you'll open up and then I'll help you become more affectionate along the way."

"Aren't you responsible for being my link of emotion though? Would I be able to be this open without loving you?"

"Gosh, if you put it like that then I'll get slightly high of myself, you know?"

"Maybe I want you to feel that way. I am giving you these words so you can feel confident, so trust me when I say this: I probably couldn't have gone this far and talk this openly to someone if it wasn't for you."

"Probably...?"

"Oh, sorry Yulia. That's a 'definitely' not a 'probably'. I thought you already knew that but you don't?"

"....Not fair..."

I did do that on purpose which made her blush intensively just now. It's just such a shame though. Maybe in another life where I actually had a decent personality, we could have this talk with each other while being mutually honest.

You really don't deserve this. Which is why I'm counting on Hyunda to terminate our relationship.

Because then, in the future, hopefully, you'll find someone that actually treasures you for what you are and for what you have to offer. I'm not a complete monster, all in all.

I do believe that everyone should give a try and be happy.

It's a different matter if the person actually deserves that happiness though.

"Oh... Kawahara's calling..."

If Kawahara is calling, at the brick of the afternoon, then something important must be up.

Thus, as I attempted to answer the call, Yulia, against my expectations just went up and snatched my phone away from my right hand and answered the call instead.

"Hello? Cowardhara is that you? Yes, it's me. I am not a bitch, stop cursing randomly. What? It is randomly! You don't have a single valid reason to curse at me like that! Also, stop calling Daniel! We are in the middle of something important right now! What do you mean what you have to say to him is more important?! I'm hanging up! If you call back I'll erase your contact from Daniel's phone!"

Talk about aggressive.

Regardless of all that aggression, Yulia gave my phone back pretty nicely and civilized.

Yulia looked pretty pissed off, however. Kawahara is just that guy in everybody's class that receives all the possible hatred the world has to offer.

"He won't call back after that one. So, let's instead---"

But he did. On top of the table, I left my phone's screen exposed, and Yulia and I simultaneously instantly noticed that Kawahara indeed was making a call.

Before Yulia could rush in, I stopped her hand from completely reaching out to my phone, which rose her eyebrows quite a bit.

"Hold on, hold on. Don't get mad. I do have something to say to him and he's not calling me out for no reason. There's actually a very valid reason for this..."

What's the harm in explaining the whole thing? That we are currently doing questionable things regarding those certain six individuals that Kawahara harbors a deep hatred for...

If Yulia asks, then I don't really mind explaining it.

"Really...? I don't want you to think that I'm obsessing over you or that I'm annoying. I did become skeptical lately, so if I'm being too annoying, please tell me. I can't control it that well."

How surprising. She isn't actually arguing back. Instead, she's showing maturity and reflecting on her attitude.

Hyunda, I don't know if this is all going accordingly to your plan or not, because, from the looks of it, she might just never budge at this point.

"Nah, you're not annoying, but as I said, there's a reason behind it. I'm going to pick the call up now, okay?"

"Okay..."

Though, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to answer a call from Kawahara right in front of Yulia.

Well... It can't be that bad...

"Hell---"

"Yo, what the fuck did that bitch just say about me!? I fucking swear Imma rip her head off and pee on her while sticking popsicles on her motherfucking eyeballs!"

"Oh yeah, I definitely think the weather is good too!"

In order to make Yulia think that we are actually holding a normal conversation and not a conversation that is highly offensive to her, I made a statement about the weather, which is actually true.

Even if the sky is a bit clouded and the temperature is still slightly chilly.

"I get it, Dan. You're in front of the thot. Buckle up though, we need to meet up. Also, I did manage to recruit someone else to the parade. With that said, I'm in the hideout. If you don't show up here in ten minutes and it's because of the thot then I fucking swear Imma spray her eyes with pepper sauce!"

With maximum aggression, Kawahara terminated the call.

Curious about what Kawahara had said, Yulia couldn't resist the desire of asking.

"What did the garbage say?"

Why are they so hostile to one another? I don't think I've witnessed a single positive interaction when it comes to these two.

From the previous events and dialogues to my understanding, Kawahara might have some sort of grudge against blonde women in general, which, coincidentally, blonde is Yulia's hair color...

On the other hand, Yulia also completely hates Kawahara. However, I can actually understand her reason for hating him. If it's due to his immense narcissism and self-over-glorification, then I don't see how she wouldn't hate him.

Kawahara's also super brash with his vocabulary.

"He wants to meet up and I'm required to come."

"What? Required?! No, you're not! You are not his object!"

"But Yulia, although I said that, it's out of my free will. And besides, I do believe that attending this is quite important. Though, I got to go now. I can explain to you the reason later, alright? I'll give you a call once I'm done. You should spend time with Sana or Arkalee if you are feeling bored. Later."

"Alright, later! Love you..."

"Love you more."

After we shared a goodbye kiss, I exited the scene and directed myself down south.

However, as I passed through block F before I could reach my dorm, a group of multiple individuals came out of one of the corners and faced me up closely while attempting to be intimidating.

To be more precise, their way of facing me, was by blocking my way entirely.

"Skran, is this the guy?"

"I'm positive, Krale! The picture matches."

Two of the scrawny individuals traded that exchange of words with one another while analyzing the picture on their phones to see if it matched with mine.

Which means that this was personal.

"Move. I'm in a hurry."

Fairly reasonable, right? If someone's in a hurry and you are in their way, just by moving out of the way, you are allowing that person to be free to do what he/she wants, right?

So, despite knowing that, why are they all just pathetically smirking with boastful confidence?

"Not happening!"

No students are around except us because block F is usually a very deserted area, so, hypothetically speaking, if a fight were to occur, then this could escalate without any notice.

The worst part about this is that the cameras are facing the wrong way, damn it.

I could just drag them out to a zone where they are facing the cameras, but they are precisely blocking the way.

Which means...

"I guess not..."

God damn it.