7 Chapter 6

A sound of chirping birds outside the window woke up a sixty-eight-year-old man, indicating that the sun already shines across the sky. He stands up from his bed and went inside the bathroom to do his early morning routines. Wearing his Japanese traditional clothes, he walks towards the window and opened it.

The calm scenery of morning greeted him, making him smile. The cold temperature of their place gets colder than morning and than the rest of the day. Morning dew caking the flower petals and every leaf of the tree, even the grass.

Their neighbors waved at him as they saw him leaning at the window frame while staring at the people who woke up early to start their day.

"Ohayo Mr. Miyazaki!" A little girl with pigtails wearing a school uniform and pink backpack greeted him while waving her both hands in full energy. Their neighbor's seven-year-old cheery daughter went up to the same school as his granddaughter. She smiled at the old man, showing her hippo-like teeth. The old Japanese man smiled and waved back at her before she went inside the white car together with her nanny. After the little girl leaves the old man stands up straight before he folded the sheets of his bed. After doing that, he went into his granddaughter's room and knocked thrice.

"Trance! Wake up now!" He yelled before going to the kitchen downstairs to cook breakfast for both of them.

"Grandpa," Trance called him as he places the two bowls filled with ramen and two plates with rice and grilled steak on the table. After doing that, he pulled the chair and sit on it.

"What is it?"

"Yesterday while I was in the cafeteria with my friends and two of them act strangely when I tell them your name." She replied before digging her food. Her grandfather stopped pouring the tea on his cup and looked at her with confusion written all over his face.

"Is that Hary and Bryle? I know two of them are strange kids but why?" Trance shook her head gently after swallowing the food she's munching.

"Not them. It's my two new friends." Her grandfather furrowed his brows with white strands, guessing who's his granddaughter referring to. Minutes of staring at Trance, he decides to ask a question regarding his granddaughter's new friends.

"Who are they?" Trance took a glance at her grandfather before averting her attention back to her plate.

"Hiro and Haru, they even have the same surnames as ours." She answers. Yumi nods before eating his food and takes a sip of his tea.

"Two of them sounds troublesome kids." He sneers. Trance shook her head.

"Well, I can't tell, grandpa. Haru can perfect a quiz without reviewing and also Hiro. Both of them are nice to me. But I can't say anything about them being troublesome. It's hard to judge someone without knowing the whole truth." Trance is about to speak up again but the doorbell rang three times in a row.

"I'll check it." Trance said before standing up on her seat and went outside. Yumi finished his food earlier than Trance and now he's busy on his soup.

"Good morning grandpa!" The loud and cheerful voice of Hary greeted him as they entered the house. His morning cheery face and smile warmed the old man who stopped eating for a while and stood up from seating.

"Oh! It's you Hary, Khiel, and Bryle." Yumi smiled as the three boys bowed politely at him.

"Good morning grandpa Yumi," Khiel said as he bowed at him.

"We're here to pick Trance," Bryle said after standing straight and looked at him.

The old man smiled, showing his signature pearl-white and complete teeth.

"Why don't you have a seat first and eat first?" He invited them. The three boys smiled more while Trance went back to her place and continue eating.

"Thank you, grandpa." Hary thanked him before seating beside Trance. Khiel and Bryle refused at the first but their stomach grumbled. The two did the same too because they don't have any choice since none of them eat breakfast. Trance's grandfather will never stop and keeps on saying that 'If you don't eat, I'll stuff all of you'. He's like a caring and thoughtful grandmother who went into panic mode after finding out that her grandchildren haven't eaten yet.

"Here." Yumi placed the tray with three bowls and plates with rice and fried eggs and grilled steaks on it then the cutleries. The three boys take plates and cutleries from the tray for themselves before the bowls full of ramen.

"Grandpa, do you accept an eighteen years old boy as your illegitimate grandson?" Hary asked the old man who's busy reading the morning newspaper, making the old man laugh and fold the newspaper before he took a sip on his tea.

"Hary, I told you, you can stay here. Even Bryle and Khiel, since the three of you, are most likely my grandsons." He vents out a throaty laugh.

"So can I stay here then?" Hary asked him again with full of hope and motivation in his tone. Yumi laughs and nod.

"There are four spare rooms here so why not?" He said. Three boys looked at their president and also their only girl best friend who's busy eating ramen. She only eats a small amount of rice and even her ramen, her grandfather can't nag since his granddaughter eats like a cat.

"If grandpa allows you to stay here, I'm not my grandpa," Trance responded before sipping the soup.

"I love you Trance," Hary said sarcastically and his smile dropped. His cheerful aura went into a gloomy one.

"Do you think I'm going to let you do house chores too?" Hary's gloomy face lightened up and give his youngest friend puppy eyes.

"Ye---"

"Of course I won't let you do that." Hary's mood turned sour again and playfully nudge Trance's shoulder. She laughed hard while looking at Hary as if her best friend is a comedian or some clown who cracked up some funny joke.

"Just kidding. You can stay here." Trance said as she calms herself.

"Man, grandpa's ramen is the best." Khiel complimented him after he finished the second bowl of ramen while Hary and Bryle are keeping themselves busy eating the food.

"Hey, we're getting late. Finish that food before we get punished again." Trance said while tying her hair into a ponytail. Two of their friends nod while her grandfather is busy watching the two boys with the glint of happiness on his eyes.

"Yeah. Getting electric shocked three times in a row hurts like a hell." Khiel agreed.

Her grandfather heaves a problematic sigh as he placed the four lunch boxes for his four students at the table.

"Even if I sent a letter to your school, the rules will still be the rules. It's a great relief for me when they let you like the normal students. Just don't mention the guards and the bracelet with a tracking device that neutralizes each of you when you don't follow the rules." Yumi said. The three boys nodded while Trance grabbed her bento box and placed it inside her bag.

"I remember when we got all neutralized because Ash gets caught when he attempts to ditch," Bryle said and his two remaining friends nod.

"That hurts bro," Hary said as he hugs himself and shivered. The horrible memory of them got neutralized by their bracelets until they fell on their knees played on the four teenagers' minds.

"Yeah. That was my first day too and I passed out." Trance agreed.

"We can't whine or what else, Priam Videlle is the only school who accepts delinquents like us." Bryle retorted before putting the bento box on his backpack and zip it. Khiel and Trance helped their grandfather to clean up the table before they put their bags on.

"Grandpa, we're going now." She placed a kiss on her grandfather's cheek and hugged him. The three boys hugged him too but they all receive a hit on the back of their heads.

"What was that for grandpa?!" Khiel queries him while rubbing his aching head. Bryle and Hary rubbed their aching heads too while asking themselves what they did wrong.

"Remove those piercings. You look more like drug addicts than students. Aight! Remove them! Quick!" Three of them scratched their heads before obeying the old man. Trance laughed silently while watching them removing the countable piercings on their ears. Her friends treated her like their younger sister and Trance treated them like her own brothers too since she doesn't have any siblings. Her grandfather treats her friends like his own grandsons and her friends treated him like their grandfather too. It's fine for both of them if the three boys stay in their home because they don't have any family since only two of the remaining members of their family.

"See? You look better." Her grandfather said. The three boys laughed and smiled before Hary speak up: "Grandpa, I know I look good. Small thing." the American boy nonchalantly said, gaining some smack on the shoulder from his friends.

"Whatever Hary. Stop imagining." Yumi throw his hand in the air and waved it. Khiel and Bryle laughed and almost ended up crying. Their faces are red because of the small boy.

"W-We...Pfft!" Trance tapped Hary's shoulder before covering her mouth and laughed together with her two friends. She let out a deep breath and looked at Hary once again, this time she's wearing her stoic mask but her electric blue orbs remained blank as usual.

"We need to go now." She faced her grandfather before waving again and hop inside of Khiel's car's backseat.

"We're going now, grandpa. We'll be at home at 7!" Hary said before hopping at the backseat too then shuffled beside Trance. Khiel was seated at the driver's seat while Bryle was seated at the passenger's seat.

When the four finally out of the sight, Yumi went inside and locked the gate. He went into the garage to pick the gardening tools before going to their garden to take care of the plants.

He picked the water sprinkler to water the flowers and other plants he has in his garden. The birds living on the top of the cherry blossom tree sing as the cold wind blows through his gray hair and pierced into his wrinkled pale skin. Yumi put down the water sprinkler and closed his eyes to feel the wind's cold November breeze.

As he opens his eyes his gaze darted at their pond with ten koi fishes swimming on it and countable mesmerizing water lilies.

"I wished that I'm doing this kind of thing with your right now, Heidi." A tear escaped from his eye as the image of his wife standing on their pond's bridge flashed to his mind.

"But you know? When every time I looked at Trance, she reminds me of you and one of our daughters." He laughed and heave a deep sigh then looked into the sky.

"Time flies fast. If you're alive, our home will probably get livelier. I'm not getting younger too but I can still dance." He added.

Yumi grabbed the water hose this time and turned on the faucet where the hose is connected before he starts watering the vegetables.

While keeping himself busy watering the vegetables, the old man got alerted when he feels someone's presence behind him but he continued on his doing and act like there's no one standing behind.

"What makes you come here? Did you just ditched at your class?" He asked before letting go of the water hose and looked at someone behind him. He got no response yet the person remained to seat in his place.

"You probably missed playing poker with an old man." Yumi grinned and he stares at the person seating at the mini bridge's post. It's wearing a fox mask and black plain traditional clothes like what he's wearing. The person tilted its head, making the old man vent out a laugh but Yumi's eyes darted at the blades on the person's side.

"Ojīchan." The person inside, its deep and raspy voice makes the old man's gaze averted at the face covered with fox mask.

"Why don't you have tea with me inside?" He ina visited a masked person before he turns off the faucet and passes through the person seating on the bridge's post. His eyes darted at the two familiar blades tied on the person's waist before he looked away and opened the old-style sliding door.

"Come on, we have many things to talk about inside! Quick before I beat you!" The person stood up from sitting and walk towards him. Yumi smirked as he looked up from the six-footer masked man. He's tall but the man is way taller and that makes him only reached the man's shoulder.

"It's been four years since the last time I saw you and now we got united again. What kind of trouble have you gotten into the inside of four years?" Yumi asked as he placed the tray with two teacups and a teapot.

"Nothing much, Ojīchan." The person answered. The mask remained to hide his face but it won't hide the enigmatic and mystical phoenix-like orbs.

"Nothing much to destroy a country's economy?" His mocking words got followed by his humorous laugh as he placed the teacup in front of the masked man and pour some tea on it.

"I know what you did. Don't deny it." Yumi said in a stern voice while wearing his serious face as he stared at the mask.

Their history class finally ended and the classroom went chaotic again. Trance leaned into her desk while quietly staring at her classmates who are stabbing each other using their pens and some of them are minding their businesses.

Ash stood up from his seat before he sneaks up to went on the last row and pulled the chair beside her then seat on it. Trance didn't bother to took a glance at her classmate and continued watching the rest.

"Where're the twins?" Ash asked her before he leaned on Haru's chair.

"Out. Why?"

"Can I ask you something?" Ash lowered his voice this time since he's worried and also anxious that Felix might hear him.

"About what?" Trance's voice remained low, making her voice invisible throughout her classmate's random noise. Ash looked around to make sure that no one hears them before he leaned into his classmate.

"Are you and him know each other ever since?" The class president furrowed her eyebrows at him before she shook her head.

"Who are you talking about?" Ash gave her a meaningful look but Trance remains on furrowing her brows at him.

"T-The guy who--Aish! The guy seating four chairs between us." He explains while keeping his voice low. Trance shook her head as she answers.

"No, we're not." Ellreign answers before she went back to watching her classmates. 

"Never let your guard down when he's around. Because he knows something about----" Ash immediately stopped from talking and cover his mouth using his hand with fingers full of silver rings as he saw how Trance's hands balled into fists, indicating that someone he's talking about is here. In front of them.

"I guess you're Ash Freud." The wicked one said with a dimpled smile crept into his lips. Ash clamped his eyes shut as he feels his heart pumped fast because of fear. He tried to calm himself while fear is building upon his system and his palms are getting sweaty. Ash faced Felix with his normal expression but it seems like he failed when he met the void whose disguised as gray orbs.

"Y-Yep. I am." He cursed ten times mentally after he heard himself stuttering. Felix's lips tugged into a bigger smile while his eyes are full of averse.

"Stay away from this girl," Felix said as he placed his hand on Trance's head and mess her hair. Trance growled at him, making him chuckled.

"Such a feisty lady. Want me to kiss you again?" He asked. Trance slapped his hands away but Felix is way more determined to touch her again so he held her hand before he looked at Ash but Trance pulled her hand while Felix is busy with her classmate. Ash swallowed the fear before he spoke up and clenched his hand.

"She didn't want to get touched by those filthy hands. Don't touch her." Ash nonchalantly said.

"Filthy you say?" Felix let out a laugh. A maniac one that calls everyone's attention.

"You call that as an insult?" Trance tugged Ash's uniform's cuff and signaled him to don't do anything but Ash is full of determination to fight him.

"Who said?" Felix smirked.

"No one said. But you're way filthier than my hand." His words make Ash's blood boil. Felix's expression softened when his eyes landed on Trance.

"Who are you to command me?" Trance is about to speak up but Ash lost his patience and punches Felix to his left cheek, making him step backward and almost lost his balance. Felix held his cheek and looked at Ash in a blank expression. Trance immediately stood up from her seat because of Ash's sudden action.

"For a gangster like you, you're quite impressive. But you punch like a girl." Using his swift hand, Felix grabbed him by his collar and slammed him into the desk beside them. Those chairs and desks where Ash landed first before he fell into the ground scattered and fell into the ground. The gangster groaned in pain as he rolled and use his aching arms to stand up.

"You want a fight?" Ash fixed himself and put himself into a fighting stance. His bravery is enough to make Felix smirked in amusement and not enough to make himself a toy that gives temporary happiness to a spoiled brat kid.

Ash tried to punch him again but Felix catches his hand and punches him on his abdomen. He let go of the gangster's arm before another punch landed on his face and a kick in his side, making Ash fall once again but this time in the direction where Yen and Shin are sitting at. The two boys immediately stood up and went into the side.

"You're aware who am I, right?" Felix said as he lowered himself down to the crouching boy's level. His cold eyes landed on the boy's bleeding nose before he stood up and averted his gaze in full of grimace on the crouching boy's figurine.

"Stop it now!" Trance yelled while trying to escape from Samuel's grasp. Ash tried to open his swollen eyes after he hears their president's plea. The rest of the class are silently watching them and none of them dared to step forward to stop Felix from beating Ash.

"Samuel," Felix called his twin brother, indicating him to took Trance away from them. Samuel nod and tried to pull the squirming and yelling Trance away from the both of them.

"Let go of me! You coward! Don't hurt Ash! How dare you hurt my classmate?! Who do you think are you?!" Trance yelled once again while trying to escape from Samuel's grip on her arm. Felix swings his feet and landed a kick on Ash's abdomen, making the gangster coughed blood.

"Don't touch me too! I said let go of me!" She yelled at Samuel but the boy who's holding her remained on his straight face.

There's no Haru and Hiro right now to help her since the twins received a call from their dean.

"Call the guards bro, Ash opened the gates of hell," Johann said to his classmate while looking at Ash.

"My homie Kyle will cry at my funeral if Valdez found me going outside to call guards," Prince said.

"Call them now Liam," Kyle said and nudge Liam's arm but the silent boy remained quiet and dusted off his arm where Kyle nudge him.

"Khiel, you should call them," Bryle whispered to the male beside him. Khiel tapped Hary's shoulder but the smaller male also refused.

"You coward! Fool! Why do you need to command someone to hold me?! Are you afraid that I might knock you again?! Huh?! Felix Valdez?!" Felix grinned and walk towards her. Trance gulped two times as the wicked guy stopped inches away from her. When Felix is now away from Ash the rest of her classmates rushed to help him and carry him into their school's infirmary.

"Where's your bravery President?" He signaled his brother to let go of Trance before he lowered his face at hers.

"I'm here now and you're finally free." Trance glared at him and hit him seven times but instead of getting mad at her, he just laughed.

"You b*stard! How dare you?!" Trance is about to him but he held her wrist and kissed her hand. She grimaced then she wiped her hand.

"He started it anyway," Felix said before sliding his arms on his pocket and stared down at the small female in front of her. She's glaring at him while she's clenching her skirt.

"I let you annoy the heck out of me but you hurt my classmates! I know we're futile students but you hurt him! He has nothing to deal with you!" Trance yelled.

"I hate the girl who's b**ching around. I usually put them on their places but." He caresses her cheeks before he leaned on her ear. Trance got stunned when she felt his hot breath fanning her ear but that's not an excuse for her anger to fade away. She's fuming mad at him. She wants to curse him to death. She wants to hit him many times in an exchange for hurting her classmate.

"You're an exemption." She pushed him away and send death glares at him. Trance wanted to him again but she's trying to get hold of herself. Samuel leaves the room too, making only the two of them left inside.

"Exemption my ass! You a**hole stop acting like a superior. Your face makes me sick. Don't you dare to touch me ever again." Felix just smirked.

"You can say that to me many times. Let's see how high your ego is when the time comes that you need my help." His words make Trance raised a brow.

"I will never seek your help, Felix. I can handle myself. Stop saying that to my face. I know how to handle things. I don't need a knight in shining armor. I need peace of mind that all of you never gave to me since the day you come here." She emphatically said.

"If you think that I might get myself into a big trouble and I will beg you on my knees to help me, I will never do that," Trance added. Felix smiled in amusement while his eyes a take a good look at her face as if he's memorizing every small detail of her face.

"Oh really?" He mockingly asked her.

"Let's have a game then," Felix said with a playful yet dangerous tone as he met her blank gaze. Waiting for her response but minutes of silence she remained looking at him blankly.

"Seems like Trance Miyazaki are doubting on this one."

"I'm not." His smile got replaced by a playful grin and that makes Trance feel that something unpleasant might happened again.

"Great. So what game we're going to play." He placed his hand under his chin and tapped his index finger on his chin. Trance furrowed her brows before she sent death glares on him again.

"I hate childish acts. If you want to mess around to that tomorrow." Trance monotonously said before she walked away. She's about to open the classroom door but she mentally cursed when she found out that the door is locked outside. She tried to do the same on the second door but it is locked too like the first one.

"Why do they need to lock this?" Trance murmurs before she faced Felix.

"The doors will remain locked if you don't participate." He sneers. Trance ignored him and pulled her chair then seat on it.

"What game is that? It's unfair. You forced me." Felix let a throaty and dark laugh before he pulled the overturned chair on the ground and sit on it. He's now facing Trance with a playful smirk on his lips.

"Well, it's just a simple game. If you successfully alleged your words, I won't bother you anymore even our classmates. But! If you failed, you have to something as my prize." He said before he placed his veiny hands on his jaw while his slender fingers tapping his temple.

"Deal or no deal?" Trance looked at him while she's thinking about agreeing or not. Her mind is full of hesitation but after minutes of thinking, she finally made her decision.

"Deal."