"I don't know where your thunderstorm went. He originally said that he was bringing me to Disney to play, but when the two of us were having breakfast, he received a call and his expression changed. He left in a hurry and left me alone at the Lei family home. I had no choice but to call the spare tire. The spare tire said that he had nothing to do at Christmas, so he drove a special car to the Lei family home to pick me up... ". ..."

"Alright, I got it. " Ru Yu quickly cut off mu Yao's incessant chatter Then, she rubbed her forehead and said, "Mu Yao, wait for me at the entrance of Disneyland. Don't run around. I'll drive over immediately, but the distance is a little far. It'll take about half an hour. "

After hanging up the phone, ru Yu Bade Lin Yuxin goodbye and let her cook noodles at home or go out for coffee. She couldn't care about her anymore. She had to care about that little ancestor first.

The little ancestor was really worrisome. She should have called her when Lei Zhenyu was busy and left. She actually called Zheng Junji. Wasn't this making her owe Zheng Junji more and more?

There was also Lei Zhenyu. He clearly said that he had nothing to do today. Moreover, it was Christmas break. What could be wrong He actually left Mu Yao alone at the Lei family and ran away.

With this thought in mind, she took out her phone and called Lei Zhenyu while driving. However, a notification sounded from her phone that her phone was turned off. Alright, the case that he took on today was probably quite big. Perhaps he was discussing the case with the party involved.

Ru Yu did not investigate why Lei Zhenyu turned off his phone on Christmas. She at least quickly came out of Yu Xin's apartment and quickly went downstairs to drive. Zheng Junji was very sly She could not let mu Yao be corrupted by Zheng Junji at such a young age.

A certain stepmother, Xiao Qiao, was rendered speechless by ru Yu's thoughts. She could not help but remind her coldly, "Ru Yu, are you sure you are not confused? " Then why would Mu Yao be corrupted by Zheng Junji She was already worse than Zheng Junji, okay Perhaps, she had even corrupted Zheng Junji.

When ru Yu drove to the entrance of Disney, she realized that Zheng Junji was still here with Mu Yao. He did not leave at all. Well, it seemed that he wanted to treat them to dinner again.

Sure enough, she had just walked over. Before she could say anything, Zheng Junji spoke first.

"Mu Yao said that she wants to eat mountain city hotpot tonight. Because it's cold today, it's good to eat some pepper and pepper to warm the meat. I don't have any objections. Moreover, we've already booked a table for mountain city hotpot. Let's go. The three of us will eat hotpot together. " Zheng Junji had a look of not stopping until he was shocked.

"Zheng Junji, you're just a dog that can't spit out ivory. We're not familiar with each other. We just know each other. WHO's your family? " Ru Yu glared at him fiercely. She was so shocked by his words that she almost vomited blood Then she looked at Mu Yao and said, "we'll go back for dinner tonight. The hotpot is made with slop oil. Can we eat it? "

"What are we going back to the Lei family for? There's no one in the Lei family at the moment. " Zheng Junji leaned against the car door With a wicked smile on his face, he said Lazily, "Mu Yao said that I should be a spare tire. Now that Lei Zhenyu doesn't want you anymore and wants his Yu Xi, it's your turn to marry me, isn't it? "

"Can you say something more normal? " Ru Yu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry because of Zheng Junji. She saw that he was definitely looking for trouble because he had nothing better to do. He was afraid that the world would not be in chaos, so he said everything without thinking.

Five years ago, she replaced her twin sister to marry him who was burned beyond recognition and even became a eunuch. Five years later, when they met again, he pressed her against the wall in the corner A low voice sounded with doubt. "Is your daughter mine? " The corners of her mouth curled into a sneer. "Are you sure you have the ability to do that? " His originally cold face instantly turned into the darkness before the storm His voice was fierce and low as he growled, "woman, you are challenging me! "

First of all, I really want to thank all of my readers for reading this story from the beginning. Without your support and love i couldn't have achieved such reach. Some of you had to come from MangaToon. I'm sorry for the inconvenience you faced but I'm very grateful that you didn't stop reading the story. 




I never thought that it will be loved by so many people. Honestly it's still unbelievable for me. I originally planned to end it around 60- 70 chapters. But seeing how people enjoyed it, I kept on writing. Sadly I really hate dragging a story for too long. So, this is the end guys. English isn't my first language. I tried my best to overcome the boundary of words to express my true feelings. 







My plot is really not that uncommon. There are tons of stories about contract marriages. But what was different about my story was the variety. It's not toxic or filled with unnecessary drama. Simple and easily understandable. 




Theo and Stella are fictional characters but I did my best to make them realistic. They are both based on my personality (hehehe) , not fully though. Just like them all the characters are based on the people I know in real life. In many stories you'll see that male lead or female lead has abusive shitty parents. Okay, I don't really like that stuff. 




Some times parents does unlikable things for our well being. See, my parents aren't that good either but whatever they do, they do it for my well being. As a kid I used to hate them but now that I'm an adult I try understand them. 

 




I know I suck at romance but I can say with guarantee that all of you had a great laugh reading it, right? 







I posted this story on two sites, sadly I had to discontinue it on MangaToon as I received an offer to sign my story here in Webnovel. The offer came to me around the time I posted my 82 chapter. I knew that it'll be locked once I sign up. That's why I waited until the story is almost finished. For the sake of my readers I decided to let it be free until the time being. 







Now I've successfully signed up the novel. 







There will be a sequel. It's based on Stella's son Issac. Unlike this story, the sequel is completely opposite. You'll see lots of new things. It will be posted as a new book. Sadly it'll take some time before I start writing it. I already decided the name 







" Honey, please love me." sound good right? 







The tittle of the first volume " Honey, please love someone else" also has a meaning behind the naming. Share your opinion on what you think. 







The first volume was about finding love after marriage. The second volume will be trying to confess the love and eventually ending up with a marriage. It's mainly focused on Issac and his love story. Not sure if this will be romantic or not but you'll get a good dose of laughter.







I specifically love comedy genre. May it be movies, novels, anime, manga. I also enjoy reading psychological stories and gore manga. (Big fan of Ito Junji) 







I love making other laugh. Don't worry I'll try to improve my skills of writing romance. 







I also wanna mention my friend, who actually encouraged me to post my story. It been one year already & I'm really glad that I ended up posting it. 







When I was sixteen I used to write in wattpad but those stories never got any recognition. So, I stopped. But Webnovel gave me a grate platform to showcase my talent. I'm so happy that I started to write again. In fact I wrote two other books which was unplanned. Let's see how it goes. 




I wish to write a horror psychological story. Maybe someday in future. 







Take care everyone. See you in my next story. 


[ COMPLETE] 

I got married and now I’m cheating on her. 
Why am I cheating ? Well we did a certain agreement and now this is how our life is. 
Everything was going normal. I was having my own life and she was having her own. 



But things didn’t went like I wanted and I came to fall in love with her.


A story with less misunderstandings and more awkward situations between two people. Read the story to find out.

————————————————————————

This is my first story so I hope everyone can give it a try. Since I’m not a pro, there will be some mistakes and errors. Feel free to point out my mistakes. I just write in my free time, it’s my hobby. So read at your own risk. 





______________________________________________________


(The cover art isn’t mine

~ Credits to the owner ~ 

If someone is willing to make me one contact me please. )


_______________________________________________


My other stories are ~ 

—> I WAS REBORN TO BE THE EVIL QUEEN

—> MR. MERMAN AT MY CAFE

I hope you guys are doing well and everything is alright in these trying times. 
I haven't stopped writing, just focused on another story. I decided to just focus on one at a time. I like long stories so I am making this one extra long.
It will take me more than an year to finish, maybe even more depending on the situation. Some of you guys have been asking if i could just do one chapter a week for other stories.
That is extra work for me but i am willing to try. 
The current story I am writing is called Peerless Dad. You can go to chapter 62 of the story and leave a review before voting for what story you would like for me to continue on chapter 63. It will just be one chapter per week.
There needs to be ten reviews according to the instructions on chapter 62 before i will count the votes.
 
 
I don't expect any of you to actually review but I will give the choice so it is up to guys. No need to ask since I won't pick up any other story before I finish the current one. All of them are on hiatus.
 
What you can expect?
 
Naruto reborn and has Ei Enma as his spirit.
Spirits:
Nature Spirits
Fairies
Pixies
Ai Enma
Nemesis
Guilty Crown
Hestia
Naruto is in his twenties. He has his own organization and is rich. He moves to Japan after hearing news about increased ghost activity and becomes a teacher at the top of school in town.
Reincarnated as Naruto Uzumaki, so he has the same looks but family is completely normal. He has different parents and many siblings, aunts, cousins etc.
 
Story Elements:
Street fighters
KOF
Dxd
HOTD
Kim possible
Gunpla
Myth
Fate
Ikkitousen
Gunpla
Guilty Crown
Hell Girl
Naruto
Junji Ito
Lovecraft
Chainsaw
Danny Phantom
Pokemon 
Shaman King (Core)
 
Arcs:
Swim club arc
Student council arc
Delinquent's arc
Gunpla arc
Sports club arc
Zombie arc
Sobet arc
Business Hitman arc
Chinese mafia arc
Russian dolls arc (Cammy)
New York arc (Kim possible)
Ikkitousen arc (Another school)
Mahou shoujo arc (Another school)
Oni arc (Shuten)
Orochi arc
Hospital arc
Ai Enma arc
Guilty crown arc
Mind controller arc
Ghost hunter arc
Feud with the clans
Olympus
Asgard
Egypt
Mythical beast
Agents
Shaman Organizations
Warriors
Necromancers
Elves
Beastmen
Dwarves
Demons
Horrors
Yokai
Pixies
Fairies
 
 
 
Spirits:
Sobet
Ra
Isiris
Apophis
Odin
Gilgamesh
Fire Spirit
Earth
Water
Wind
Lightning
Light
Darkness
Ice
Gravity
Lava

Journey to a new world to prepare for an inevitable fight and prepare for the conquest of the Universe as the Will of Humanity, the Emperor of Mankind.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. 
A.U. Naruto with proper training and ninja mindset.

One had to know that even Chi Tianfeng, when facing Chen Chong, would be able to see through the latter's cultivation in an instant! No matter how the latter tried to hide his cultivation, it would be useless! But this random kid that he'd bumped into out of nowhere was not only successful in concealing his cultivation, was even successful in dealing him a fatal blow right when his guard was relaxed!
Jiang Junji was a Saint level expert, a peak level character of this world. How quick was his reaction? The instant the sword stabbed into his body, he instantly sealed his meridians and forcefully hardened his flesh and muscles to a point where they were akin to steel. However, he was still a step too late. The sword Qi had already entered his body, and exploded!
His body spiralled through the air, causing a shower of blood to rain down from the sky, before disappearing again. Then, he fell awkwardly to the ground. His eyes were wide open with shock and disbelief as he looked at the youth before him. The innocent light in that youth's eyes were slowly morphing, turning as vicious as a poisonous snake!
He did not rush to counterattack immediately. Instead, he retreated instantly with a speed akin to lightning. This retreat directly created a 50 zhang distance between them! Then, he took out a greenish root-like object and stuffed it into his mouth. Thereafter, he chewed rapidly and swallowed. Then, with a flip of his hand, a seven-colored jade stone appeared in his palm. Grabbing the little jade stone, thick, white mist rose out of his body. At the same time, the little jade stone in his hand shrunk with visible speed, finally disappearing completely…
Jun Moxie could not help but to cluck his tongue with disbelief!
A Saint realm expert was truly different from any other experts he had ever met! They were seriously difficult to deal with!
Young Master Jun originally was quite confident since his sword had plunged into this perverted Saint's heart! This was definitely without question! Coupled with that, the destructive sword Qi had been released into his body, detonating. His internal organs must have suffered serious damage! Such grievous injuries should have left him dead without a doubt!
But this shemale thing had received such a great injury, but somehow only lost that little bit of blood. After that, just by chewing on a green root and using up a strange jade stone, he seemed to recover from the injury!
How is that possible?
This was simply too… perverse!
Mei Xueyan had told him about a Saint's powerful abilities and inconceivable recovery skills, and he'd also guessed that his second level Venerable cultivation would most likely not be able to hurt a Saint expert at all in a direct confrontation!
Even if it were a sneak attack, it would not necessarily be possible either! TSo-called sneak attacks were basically impossible against Saint realm experts! Even if one was only an inch away, their reaction would be fast enough to block the attack!
Even if he used Blood of Yellow Flame and put all of his strength into one strike, it would not necessarily be enough to break a Saint expert's defenses! If one wanted to deal with this class of experts, it had to be under a situation of complete surprise, when the former's defenses were completely down. Even if one managed to succeed in the attack, there must be an instantaneous burst of damage to follow up, claiming the Saint's life in one strike!
Otherwise, if the opponent was given even the slightest chance to retaliate, the one who died could be him!
The difference between the two was simply too massive!
Thus, the instant that Jun Moxie saw Jiang Junji, he had already decided on a plan to deal with him, executing the death blow at the closest distance! In other words, an assassination at zero range!
This method was certainly effective, and it had been proven to be a success as well. However…
The effect was not as good as he had expected…
What he didn't know was that Jiang Junji's heart right now was filled with terror to an extreme level!
Jun Moxie's sudden stab was not only enough to be lethal; it was completely enough to vanquish his life and his soul! If this sword's target had not been him, Jiang Junji, but another Saint level expert, it would have been fatal!
Even if they received treatment immediately after being stabbed, they would still have to spend at least several years to dozens of years to fully recover from it!
Such a heavy injury was something that even Saint level experts would not be capable of withstanding!
However, he was Jiang Junji! A person who had the bloodline of the Outsiders!
Although Jiang Junji was a half-bred bastard and was conjoined like them physically, he had still inherited the dirty characteristics of the Outsiders! That was, although he had only one body, there were two souls in his body! Thus, he had two sets of cultivateable veins! Furthermore, they would achieve a special Yin Yang balancing effect which he could swap between freely at any time!
Him spending one day cultivating was equal to to two people cultivating for a day! Adding in the supplementary effect of his Yin Yang balance, one day of cultivation could rival three days of cultivation for others of the same level! Putting it in another way, if he cultivated for 100 years, it would be the same as another Saint cultivating for 300 years! That difference was truly massive!
That was why he had been able to reach the Saint realm in such a short time!
And it was also because of this special characteristic that he was able to escape from Jun Moxie's blade, even managing to "recover" to a full state.
However, Jun Moxie's attack was not completely without any use. In fact, it had done significant damage. This sword had utterly destroyed the male soul in his body! Today just so happened to be the day when his female self showed up. So although he looked fine on the surface, he knew that he would never be able to turn back into his male form anymore! More importantly, his special Yin Yang balancing double cultivation ability was gone!
This one sword had directly "castrated" him and chopped away one half of his body!
How could he not be enraged!
However, Jiang Junji was not a fool! He had already sensed that all this had been an elaborate trap set just for him! After receiving such a heavy injury, Jiang Junji did not think about seeking his vengeance. Instead, he was preparing to directly flee.
As long as the green hills remained, there would never be a shortage of firewood!
In case the other party still had some powerful traps waiting for him, he would truly be in danger. Perhaps even his female half would not be spared…
But, just as Jiang Junji was preparing to flee, the youth across from him revealed a strange expression upon seeing that he was fine. With a shriek, the latter turned and ran! That speed was incredibly quick, exceeding all expectations!
This was no different from a panic stricken stray dog or a fish escaping the net!
In just the blink of an eye, he'd already escaped a hundred zhang away! From the looks of it, this kid was about to disappear from Jiang Junji's sight completely!
He was successful in sneak attacking me, so why's he running?
Seeing his opponent flee, Jiang Junji instead suddenly lost his desire to flee as well! In that moment, he was grinding his brains painstakingly: What is going on? Could it be… that kid is alone? The moment this thought popped up, Jiang Junji's rage erupted! Just a mere junior? To think that he trapped me and caused me to fall into such a wretched state?
Absolutely intolerable!
When he looked again, that youngster had completely disappeared without a trace!
Jiang Junji howled with rage. "Damn brat! You truly have the guts to dare to injure this lady! And you still want to run?" This voice was no longer gentle. Instead, it was filled with frigid chill!
Jiang Junji snorted coldly, and his spirit sense surged out. In practically an instant, he had already locked down on the fleeing youth's escape path! In such a short time, the little bastard had actually escaped 40, 50 li away! He had dashed into a dense forest! If not for his spirit sense being vast and quick, he might have lost track of that sneaky brat!
From the looks of it, this youth was truly fleeing with all his might! Judging by the power he'd shown in the previous strike, he had already reached the second level of the Venerable rea,m! And in the mere blink of an eye, he'd escaped 40, 50 li away. It was obvious that even a second level Venerable would need to expend all their energy to reach such a speed!
Furthermore, the kid had chosen to flee in the path of the more desolate areas filled with other wildlife like rabbits, chickens, and even wolf packs. He dashed into the wolf pack, startling them and causing them to run in all directions, creating an illusion that he'd run off in many different directions!
Right now, the youth had already dove deep into the forest, and was about to pass through it at any moment!
Jiang Junji roared with rage. "Little bastard, I'll see where you can run off to!" His body moved, and with a shua sound, he disappeared from the spot as he used his full strength and chased madly! The hatred in his heart grew denser and denser, to a point where it was becoming unquenchable!
If the youth had not fled, and instead rushed forward for the kill, Jiang Junji would have turned and ran instead! Although this kid's second level Venerable cultivation was not noteworthy in his eyes, Jiang Junji would have suspected that there were further traps. Otherwise, how would the kid try to kill him there? He was a Saint level expert!
But the moment he started fleeing, his greatest suspicion disappeared, and he disregarded everything to give chase!
Damn brat, so it turns out that you don't have a helper! What amazing guts ah! A mere second level Venerable actually wants to assassinate me, Jiang Junji, a Saint level expert! Right now, Jiang Junji was feeling like a fool who'd capsized a ship in a shallow ditch!
The full speed of a Saint could cover a thousand li in a single breath; just what kind of a terrifying speed was that!
Jun Moxie had just dashed out from the forest when a figure flashed and appeared before him. A pair of eyes filled with killing intent was fixed on himself!
"F*ck! You crazy half-breed bastard! How could you be so fast!" Jun Moxie cursed with rage and turned around, dashing back into the forest again.
Just the single insult of "half-breed bastard" was enough to anger Jiang Junji till his eyes turned blue. Boiling with rage, he exploded. "Brat! You're still trying to run!" Pushing out fiercely with his hands, a loud boom rang out as the trees before him were all blasted into the sky! Following that, Jiang Junji dashed into the dust cloud!
This strike was a truly indiscriminate attack! The attack range was several tens of zhang wide, and everything fell into its boundaries! This kind of terrifying power was definitely not something a second level Venerable could endure!
Jiang Junji was fully confident that his target had suffered heavy injuries from this attack! However, he was naturally unwilling to let his enemy die so easily! For such a despicable brat, Jiang Junji was determined that he would at least torment him to a point where he begged for life and wouldn't attain it, and wished for death but could not die for ten years before letting him die!
Even doing that was still going too easy on him!
Jiang Junji passed through the dust cloud, smiling coldly as he looked up. About 30 zhang away, a youth's body was slumped against a tree, blood flowing freely from the corners of his mouth and his eyes listless! Quite clearly, the lad had suffered a grievous injury from this strike, and then ran out of energy, causing him to be slammed into the tree! Only now was his body sliding down…
This point was easily ascertained just by looking at the deep indentation on the tree's trunk!


Jun Xie was the number one assassin in modern earth. His skills and knowledge in the field of assassination were unparalleled, his accomplishments unprecedented, his reputation terrified the entire underworld. However, during a mission to retrieve a mystical treasure, a mishap occurred…

He is now Jun Moxie, a sixteen year old super level debauchee, sole heir to the declining Jun family. A family of valiant heroes, left with an old grandpa, a crippled uncle and a debauchee as the sole heir! Accepting the world’s criticism and cold stares with a smile, his new journey begins! His life will be carved by his own will! Rise to the top! Evil Monarch Jun Xie!

“This cup I toast to those I’ve killed in my past life. Forgive me, for there is no chance for you to have revenge. Gulp!

This cup I toast to those whose life I will take in my new life. Forgive me, for you are fated to die by my hands. Cheers!”

Aliyah/Junji POV

After that exhausting day I finally get back to my home with servant Xhanya
Xhanya: I'm going now Princess. Queen Sarah must be waiting at my report for today

Aliyah/Junji: Wait Xhanya,may i ask you something?

Xhanya: Sure, what is it?

Aliyah/Junji: About Yuho. Are we really in a good relationship before?

Xhanya.: Oh,is that it? Yes you were. I still remember that you were always telling me stories about Prince Yuho and how you're date went out (smiles). Why did you ask that?

Aliyah/Junji: It's nothing. Okay get going now and be careful.

Xhanya: Bye Princess! (Walks away)

Aliyah/Junji: So... Junji also really fell inlove with Yuho. Okay I must not ruin it. Aliyah! You can do it! Make Junji and Yuho's life the way they want it to be okay!? Oh gosh, I suddenly feel how tired I am today. I think I must go to bed now. (Change my clothes and go to bed)

(Knocks on the door)

Aliyah/Junji: (wakes up) Arghh!Why did Xhanya will come here early in the morning when i'm still sleeping!? Gosh (murmurs) Wait I'm coming! (stands up and opens the door) (Brush her eyes) Xhanya what comes into your mind to come such early in this..(looks at the person who knocks) Holy crap! (leans back) 

Yuho: Hi junji! Did i wake you up?(smiles)

Aliyah/Junji:His smile is very sweet (said to her mind) Ah.. No not really... You just surprised me. Well, what brings you here early in the morning?

Yuho: May I come in first?

Aliyah/Junji: A...Huh?Oh yeah,yeah come in come in!

Yuho: (steps inside) Did I really not wake you up?

Aliyah/Junji: No, no you didn't. Actually I was awake a while ago so you didn't really wake me up 

Yuho: Really?

Aliyah/Junji: Yes. Yes ofcourse!

Yuho: It seems like i really did (smiles at me

Aliyah/Junji: W..what? 

Yuho: I just thought that you wouldn't open the door with that look if you are already awake before I came so I realized that you were shocked and got panic to open tge door (giggles)

Aliyah/Junji: What are you saying?

Yuho: Did you already look yourself in the mirror before opening the door for me? (still giggles)

Aliyah/Junji: What? What is there something on my face?

Yuho: Look at it. (grabs the mirror and grabs Junji and sat her down) Look you even have gounds on your eye and dry saliva near your mouth (laughs)

Aliyah/Junji: Oh gosh! (stands up and walks away)  This is embarassing!(blushes) How dare you laugh at me huh!

Yuho: Oh sorry. I just can't help it (laughs again)

Aliyah/Junji: You boastful guy! (run towards Yuho and kicks him)

Yuho: Ouch! Okay okay i'll stop (laughs)stoooooop(Junji stops) Oh gosh, you're good at kicking (laughs a bit) Well, even if you look like that, you still look beautiful (smiles and sat down) And... i'll pretend that I didn't saw the princess of Guishing who looks like that cute girl who wakes up with a gound on her eyes and dry saliva near her mouth (laughs)

A girl who was involved in a car accident and in a comma. her soul travels to her past hundred years ago and everything was changed..

A Collection Of Horror Stories. For The Fans Of H.P. Lovecraft and Junji Ito.

The day had arrived and both 1st year and 2nd year students were lined up at the school coaches. Today was the day they went to Myoko City, more specifically, Lotte Arai. They all had their luggages ready to be placed in the stomach of the coach.

Yuki stood there alone, quietly scrolling through his phone when a shadow casted over his being. There stood Hideaki with a grin on his face, one Yuki somehow automatically returned. Yuki then tilted his head, his white hair falling over his face a bit. Eyebrows tilted up to question what Hideaki wanted. 

"Let's sit together." Hideaki beamed. Yuki cheeks were dusted with a light blush, unable to give the green haired boy a straight answer without stuttering. He just nodded his head and gave a closed eyed smile of approval. 

Then they both walked to the coach and got inside. Everyone was already seated, so both Hideaki and Yuki walked to the back of the coach. Soon thereafter, the coach was on its way to Myoko City.

The whole journey was something. Wannabe class clowns were making a ruckus causing Akari to yell at the top of her lungs in order for them to simmer down and shut up. 

However, a pair at the back of the coach sat in an uncomfortable, awkward silence. The pair this atmosphere was killing was Hasegawa Ichiro and Suzuki Daichi. The reason for the awkwardness differed for the two.

 For Ichiro, it was the lack of conversation that was going on. For Daichi, it was the fact that such a talkative, popular dude was sitting next to him of all people. He gently laid his head on the window and focused on the view outside, a view that was gradually blurring together. 

His thoughts then going back to the mountain of homework he would proddingly go through. His thoughts were snapped out when he felt a benign tap on his shoulder. He unwillingly turned around, coming face to face with a grinning Ichiro. 

His cheeks flushed a bright red before it settled down again. "Can I help you?" He meekly asked, wanting to get the interaction over and done with. Ichiro kindly asked if Daichi had a book to read. The smaller boy nodded. He handed over a manga he had been reading, 'Not even human bones' by Junji Ito. 

He had hoped that this would be the last of the unwanted interaction, but oh boy was he wrong. Ichiro was intent on speaking with Daichi despite the latter boy's feeling of discomfort. The stares that he was receiving intensifying by the minute. 

This was going to be long. 








Art by Ney or @Cognacbear on twitter. I used canva to make the cover


" Hey you're Akagi Yuki the snowboarder, righ?"

Yuki sat there in shock. No one knew who he was so far and that was going well for him. 

" How do you know me. "

" I'm your biggest fan

×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××
"You're interested in snowboarding huh." Ichiro peered over Daichi's shoulder, causing the poor boy to freeze up. 

"Y-yeah." 

"That's cool. Wanna join the snowboarding team then." 
×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××
A new sport is introduced into the Inazawa's school curriculum. Since they are able to fund this sport they choose it. Snowboarding. 

4 lives, 4 separate ribbons, 4 hearts intertwined into pairs. 

Akagi Yuki is a transfer student from Zurich, Switzerland at Inazawa. Before coming to Japan , he was a national champion in the snowboarding world. However, after a traumatic incident, he begs his parents to take him to Japan , leaving both his home and the sports behind. That's when he moves to Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Hise Hideaki is the class clown but also the hottest fish in the water. He has a passion for snowboarding and make his rich parents go to Switzerland every Christmas to do the sport. When Yuki enters his class, he can't help but follow him around because he is The Yuki , he's favourite snowboarder. 


Suzuki Daichi is a snowboarder in the making. Because of his small appearance, his quiet nature and a person who keeps to himself. He becomes the centre of some malicious rumours and even more malicious bullying. He starts to become even more closed off, even to the point where he will miss days of school. 

Hasegawa Ichiro is a jock, who's known as the jack of all trades and the master of all. He's exceptional in academics, sports and his sex life. He also harbors a love for snowboarding However, his interests lies in the quiet classmate Daichi . His interest then start to turn into something more. Feelings he's not sure will be shared.

This is S.N.O.W. The life of 4 people intertwined by two things, snowboarding and Love

Ramones melihat gadis berambut hitam dan pendek itu keluar melewati pintu masuknya. Dia mencubit dagunya dan penasaran siapa gadis ini. Orang yang mencari informasi tentang bunga empat warna itu bukan orang sembarangan. Namun dari kelihatannya, dia belum mengerti sepenting apa bunga itu.
Hal yang dia katakan ke gadis itu adalah kebenaran. Bunga itu memang bisa membuat hewan berubah jadi monster, namun yang paling penting adalah fakta kalau bunga itu bisa memutus perlindungan dewa-dewi.
Hal ini sangat penting untuk orang dengan tujuan tertentu.
"Mungkinkah ... Ankasin?"
Nama itu adalah nama yang sudah tidak pernah terdengar lagi. Dulu, Ramones sempat mencari gara-gara dengannya, dan sempat ketakutan akan diburu olehnya. Sekarang, Ramones yakin dia bisa kabur hidup-hidup dari Ankasin ketika berada di masa kejayaannya, apalagi sekarang, ketika dia sudah tua, renta, dan sangat lemah.
"Tapi ada baiknya aku kabur dari sini. Dari ucapan gadis itu, Ankasin ingin melakukan sebuah ritual."
Jika ritual ini sukses, ada kemungkinan Ankasin akan kembali ke masa kejayaannya.
Ramones menghela nafasnya, kota Desantra ini sangat tenang, asri, dan damai. Tidak banyak hal besar terjadi, dan sangat baik untuk kesehatannya. Namun mau tidak mau dia harus pergi dari sini. Dia belum mau mati, tidak mau berurusan juga dengan Ankasin.
"Mending pindah ke Kerajaan Saatzis."
Katanya, akhir-akhir ini di sana ramai, jadi bisnisnya pasti laku keras di sana.
***
Setelah keluar dari toko Ramones, Tina berjalan kembali ke kota. Dia tengah berjalan di pasar yang sangat ramai. Gerobak dan kereta kuda lalu lalang, orang-orang berjalan berdempetan, sampai pada titik pundak mereka bersentuhan, dan teriakan para penjual di bawah toko semi permanen membuat pasar ini bising. Fakta kalau sekarang sudah siang membuat tempat ini lembab, panas, dan tidak nyaman.
Tina tidak terlalu suka dengan keramaian ini. Hidup di hutan membuatnya terbiasa dengan kesunyian.
"Semangat Tina! Apa yang dikatakan Naruto kalau lagi dalam masalah? "Aku gak bakalan nyerah dattebayo!" Kan yah?"
Terus terang, Naruto bukanlah kartun favoritnya. Dia lebih suka kartun lain, genre olahraga, dan penuh sama cowok tampan yang keringetan. Sayang, ingatannya tentang hal lain samar. Yang sangat jelas di kepalanya adalah Naruto, apapun alasannya. Setidaknya, ingatan ini ada hikmahnya, sepertinya, banyak sihir di dunia ini yang bisa dibentuk untuk mereplika jurus di kartun Naruto.
Tina sampai ke area luar pasar. Di sini lumayan sepi. Ada jarak beberapa jengkal antara pundak orang yang tengah belanja, dan gerobak dan kereta kudanya juga jarang.
"Harusnya di sekitar sini."
Dari alamat yang diberikan Ramones, rumah Junji, seorang insinyur sihir berada di area luar pasar. Ketika Tina mengatakan ciri-ciri yang lebih detail, Ramones mengatakan kalau Tina akan tahu ketika sampai.
Ketika Tina berdiri di sebuah rumah yang mencolok, Tina mengerti dengan ucapan Ramones.
Rumah di depannya megah, dengan arsitektur yang ... futuristik. Pilar yang menyangga balkon di depan rumah bentuknya kotak, tapi memutar dan membentuk spiral aneh. Cat rumahnya warna hitam, namun warna hitamnya memantulkan cahaya matahari, jadi kelihatan mengkilap. Tina berjalan melewati gerbang yang tidak dikunci dan mengetuk pintu berwarna cokelat ini.
"Selamat siang! Paket!" ucap Tina.
"Paket?" terdengar suara dari dalam, diikuti dengan langkah kaki. Ketika pintunya terbuka, dia melihat seorang pria kira-kira berusia 40 tahun, rambut di kepalanya mayoritas hitam, namun tidak sedikit yang warnanya memutih. Dia mengenakan kacamata bulat dan kantung mata besar menggantung di atas pipinya. Dia mengenakan jubah abu-abu yang longgar dan kumal.
Ketika melihat Tina, dia mengernyitkan dahinya, "kamu kurir?"
Tina menggeleng, namun segera mengangguk.
"Benar atau bukan? Pilih salah satu."
"Secara teknis, saya bukan kurir." ucap Tina. "Tadi saya pergi ke pak Ramones, dan karena beberapa hal, saya diminta nganterin paket ini ke bapak. Bapak Junji kan yah? Insinyur sihir."
Dia mengangguk, jadi Tina menyerahkan kotak titipan Ramones ke Junji.
Dia menghirup bau dari kotak itu, dan tersenyum lebar. "Akhirnya pesananku tiba juga! Dengan ini, harusnya aku punya data yang cukup buat bikin mekanisme pendeteksi gelombang suara!"
Dia menatap Tina dengan mata yang berbinar, "makasih yah dek, paket ini berharga banget buat saya. Saya jadi gak enak karena kamu repot-repot nganterin sampai ke sini."
"Gak masalah kok," ucap Tina, tersenyum lebar, "tapi kalau bapak merasa sungkan, saya ada hal yang ingin ditanyakan."
Junji tersenyum, "kalau gitu ayo masuk. Ngobrolnya di dalem saja."
Tina digiring ke sebuah ruang tamu. Ruangannya megah. Ruang termegah yang Tina masuki di dunia ini. Di dinding, ada beberapa lukisan yang cantik. Satu pemandangan gunung dan satu potret seorang gadis yang tengah berpose dengan elegan.
Junji memberikan segelas air putih, yang Tina terima dengan senang hati. Dia haus.
"Jadi apa yang pengen kamu tanyakan?" ucap Junji. Dia duduk sambil memangku kotak yang Tina kirimkan.
Tina menceritakan perjalanannya ke Ramones, terutama tentang informasi tentang bunga empat warna.
"Saya gak punya ilmu di bidang tanaman obat," ucap Junji, "kayaknya kamu salah orang."
"Gak juga kok pak Junji," ucap Tina, "bunga ini sepertinya bahan untuk sebuah ritual tertentu. Dan kata pak Ramones, insinyur sihir tahu banyak tentang ritual sihir."
Junji mendengus, "ritual sihir. Menyebut istilahnya saja bikin lidah saya pahit! Insinyur sihir memang mempelajari ritual sihir. Yang kami lakukan pada dasarnya adalah upgrade dari ritual sihir. Kamu tahu tentang proses pembuatan alat sihir?"
Tina menggeleng.
"Sederhananya seperti ini. Untuk membentuk sebuah sihir, diperlukan dua komponen, satu adalah mana, dan satu adalah yang membentuk mana."
Tina tahu dengan itu. Penyihir adalah orang yang bisa membentuk dan memanipulasi mana soalnya.
"Proses pembuatan alat sihir juga sama. Bedanya adalah di komponen pembentuk mana. Penyihir menggunakan jiwa masing-masing, tapi alat sihir menggunakan lingkaran sihir untuk membentuk mana."
Tina mengangguk. Konsepnya tidak asing. Ibaratnya, sihir yang digunakan orang adalah sihir yang dibentuk manual, dan alat sihir dibentuk secara otomatis menggunakan formula—yakni lingkaran sihir.
"Ada banyak monster yang ketika dibunuh memberikan skill untuk membuat lingkaran sihir. Dan sejarah lingkaran sihir sudah ada dari awal sihir itu muncul. Saat itu, lingkaran sihir digunakan via ritual. Semua insinyur sihir wajib tahu tentang ritual sihir, tapi menurut saya sih, hal itu udah gak berlaku di zaman sekarang. Ritual sihir itu sudah ketinggalan zaman."
"Jadi ya, saya tahu tentang ritual sihir," ucap Junji. "Apa pertanyaanmu memangnya? Kamu lagi belajar sihir ritual?"
Tina menggeleng, "ada orang lain yang tengah menyiapkan sebuah ritual, dan saya penasaran dengan ritual ini. Ritual ini menggunakan bunga empat warna itu sebagai salah satu bahannya, jadi saya pengen tahu ritual macam apa yang membutuhkan bunga itu."
Junji mengusap dagunya, beberapa saat kemudian, dia berdiri dan mengambil sebuah buku di rak bukunya. Dia berdiri di sana sambil membolak-balik sebuah halaman. Ketika sampai di halaman tertentu dia mengangguk, lalu kembali.
"Ada beberapa ritual yang memakai bunga itu, tapi saya perlu tahu beberapa hal lagi sebelum loncat ke kesimpulan."
Tina memutar otaknya, dan ingat dengan sesuatu yang penting. "Kalau gak salah, ritual ini cuman bisa dilakukan beberapa bulan lagi."
"Beberapa bulan lagi?" ucap Junji, "ketika rasi bintang ... apapun namanya itu, sejajar?"
Tina mengangguk, "berkaitan juga dengan iblis mungkin?"
Junji mengangguk. "Ada catatan tentang sebuah ritual sihir yang dulu dipakai sebuah suku di selatan Kerajaan Saatzis, fungsinya untuk membentuk sebuah oasis."
Sihir ritual untuk membentuk sebuah oasis? Terdengar luar biasa. Oasis itu berisi air dan tumbuhan. Apa maksudnya ritual ini bisa membuat oasis tiba-tiba muncul begitu saja? Lengkap dengan tanamannya?
"Ritual sihir ini agak ... kejam sebenarnya, karena setahu saya, mereka mengorbankan anak kecil untuk meminta ke roh yang ada di dimensi lain."
Tina berkedip beberapa kali, lalu pandangannya perlahan melebar, "maksudnya pengorbanan manusia?"
Apa maksudnya guru Ankasin akan mengorbankan seseorang?!
"Beruntungnya sih, ritual ini sudah tidak pernah dilakukan lagi. Ada orang yang tidak rela anaknya dijadikan korban, dan menemukan sebuah cara yang lebih baik. Yakni, dengan menggantinya dengan monster. Tapi, monster itu merepotkan kalau ditangkap hidup-hidup, mereka bisa meledakan jantung kristal mereka. Itu alasan kenapa gak pernah ada monster yang berhasil didomestikasi."
Kalau dipikir-pikir, Tina memang tidak pernah mendengar ada kabar monster diternakan. Beberapa bagian dari monster tertentu itu punya manfaat. Bisa dijadikan obat atau dijadikan perlengkapan atau senjata, jadi tidak aneh jika ada orang yang berusaha menjinakkan dan memelihara mereka. Namun Tina tidak pernah mendengarnya. Mungkin ini adalah alasannya.
"Terlepas dari sisi religius, menangkap monster hidup-hidup itu sulit. Jadi, orang ini menggunakan bunga empat warna untuk mengubah hewan menjadi monster."
"Jadi monster yang berasal dari hewan itu jinak?" ucap Tina.
"Enggak juga. Cuman, akan ada waktu sebelum hewan ini diklaim oleh kegelapan dan memiliki insting sebagai monster, dan di waktu ini, monster ini bisa dijadikan sebagai pengganti pengorbanan manusia."
Tina berusaha mencerna informasi yang dia dengar. Jadi, kelihatannya guru Ankasin ingin memecahkan kutukannya dengan meminta ke iblis dari dimensi lain?
Tina tahu tentang dimensi roh. Di dunia ini, pengetahuan tentang dimensi lain adalah pengetahuan umum. Diketahui beberapa dunia lain memiliki penghuninya. Yang religius mengklaim ada dunia khusus tempat tinggal dewa-dewi dan malaikatnya, ada dimensi khusus untuk iblis. Namun yang paling terkenal adalah dimensi spirit.
Spirit ini banyak yang tidak punya pikiran, namun ada beberapa spirit langka yang punya kesadaran. Dengan skill tertentu, seseorang bisa memanggil roh atau spirit dan menggunakan kekuatannya.
Tina ingin berpikir kalau guru Ankasin akan memanggil spirit, namun kemungkinan besar dia akan memanggil seorang iblis untuk memecahkan kutukannya.
Ini terdengar berbahaya.
"Apa guru Ankasin serius mau melakukan ritual ini?"
Sebenarnya apa kutukan yang ingin dia pecahkan?
"Ada pertanyaan lagi yang ingin kamu tanyakan?"

*Sigh*
Hiatus dalam waktu yang tidak ditentukan.

CHAPTER 24

I stayed in the hospital for about 4 days habang si Zero naman ay nakauwi na 2 days ahead of me.

Sa mga araw na iyon ay pasalit-salit na dumadalaw ang magkakapatid sa akin pati na rin ang mga kaibigan kong sina Wax at Alex. Minsan ay sinasama rin nila si Migo at Andrei pati na rin si Ariah. Nagdadala sila ng notes and some reviewers para mabasa-basa ko at hindi ako ma-behind sa lessons namin lalo pa at malapit na ang preliminary exam.

Ipinauwi na rin ni Wax sa amin ang mga gamit kong nasa kanila. Nakakahiya pero gaya ng lagi niyang sinasabi ay huwag ko na lang daw iyon alalahanin.

"Are you really sure na gusto mo nang umuwi?" tanong ni Ninong Zeke. 

Kasama niya ngayon si Zero na narito na hospital and it's Sunday today. Nakiusap ako kung pwede na ako makalabas dahil bukod sa nababagot na ako rito ay ayokong mas marami pa akong ma-missed na lessons. Mag-iisang buwan pa lang ng school year pero andami ko nang absent.

"Opo, gusto ko na talagang makauwi," sagot ko.

"Alright. Basta ang sabi ng Doctor, magpahinga ka pa rin ng isang araw bago ka pumasok."

"Tuesday," sabi naman ni Zero.

Napabuntong hininga na lamang ako. "Fine, opo yes po."

Inayos na nila ang mga gamit ko at matapos nito'y binuhat naman ako ni Zero upang ilagay sa wheelchair na itinulak niya papunta sa kinaroroonan ng sasakyan nila habang si Ninong naman ay nanatili lamang na nakasunod.

Wala sa sarili naman akong napairap. Kaya ko namang maglakad pero bakit kailangan pa akong i-wheelchair. Para tuloy akong baldado nito hmp. Isinawalang bahala ko na lang 'yon at hindi na nagreklamo pa. 

Halos kalahating oras na nagmaneho ang driver nila Ninong bago kami makauwi ng mansion. Ipinagtulak mulu ako ni Zero hanggang sa sala at tumigil nang nasa tapat na kami ng hagdan.

"Bakit?" tanong ko.

Hindi siya sumagot, bagkus ay binuhat niya ako in a bridal way.

"Hoy! Ibaba mo nga ako, andito ang Dad mo oh!" inis na bulong ko sa kaniya.

"So what?"

"Zero naman."

He chuckled. "Kaya ba kitang iakyat sa kwarto mo kung hindi kita bubuhatin?" tanong nito. 

Napatahimik na lamang ako dahil may punto naman siya. Dahan-dahan siyang umakyat sa hagdan habang maingat ang pagkakahawak sa akin, making sure na hindi magagalaw ang sugat kong dahilan ng aking pagkabaril. 

Nang makarating sa tapat ng kwarto ko ay ginamit niya ang isang kamay upang buksan ang door knob tiyaka ako pinasok at inilapag sa kama.

"Salamat," sambit ko.

Umayos ako ng pagkakahiga at isinandal ang aking ulo sa headboard ng kama habang siya naman ay umupo sa gilid nito.

"Balik ka na sa kwarto mo, kaya ko na ang sarili ko. Magpahinga ka na."

"It's fine. I'm all well," sagot naman niya.

"Hindi ka na nakapunta sa school nang dahil sa akin. May meeting kayo ngayon 'di ba?" Nilingon ko siya. "Hindi "Hindi ka na dapat sumama sa pagsundo sa akin."

He gave me a smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll do anything for you."

Dug dug dug dug.

Muli ko na namang naramdaman ang mabilis at malakas na pagtibok ng puso ko. Itong lalaking ito talaga, napakalakas ng gayuma sa'kin.

"You hungry?" biglang tanong niya. Napatango na lamang ako dahil nakaramdam din ako bigla ng gutom. "Okay just wait here, I'll cook for you," nakangiting sabi niya at lumabas na ng kwarto ko.

A smile formed on my lips. I'm falling more and more deeper.

—

TUESDAY came and pumasok na nga ako ng school. 

As usual, sabay-sabay na naman kaming pumasok ng magkakapatid. Nakasakay sila sa mga sarili nilang sasakyan habang ako nama'y sa sasakyan ni Zero nakisabay. Kung bakit ba kasi hindi na lang nila ako bilhan ng sarili kong sasakyan at turuan akong magmaneho? Well never mind.

Nang makarating kami sa campus ay inihatid na naman nila ako sa aking classroom. Pagkahatid nila sa akin doon ay hindi ko alam kung late ba talaga ako o kung masyado lang napaaga ang pagpasok ng prof namin sa subject namin ngayon na si Prof I-don't-know-who dahil nandito na siya agad.

"Good morning po," bati ko sa kaniya sa aking pagpasok.

"Good morning Miss Maximus," bati nito pabalik. "Wait a minute, sinabihan na ba kitang maupo?"

Hindi ko siya makapaniwalang tiningnan. Ano na naman ba ito?

"Bakit po?" tanong ko.

"Simple. Hindi pa kita pinayagan," sagot niya at tumayo mula sa teacher's chair. 

Nagsimulang magbulungan ang mga kaklase ko sa subject niya. 

"Shut up!" bulyaw niya tiyaka muling bumalik sa kunwari'y mabait na expression ng mukha niya. 

What a double-faced.

Muli nito akong nilingon. "You've been out for so many days. Would it be unfair sa mga kaklase mo kung bibigyan ka na lang namin ng passing scores sa mga na-missed mong activities dahil lang sa nakiusap ang Daddy ni Zero?" 

"It isn't. Pero valid reason naman po kung bakit ako nawala 'di ba?" sagot ko.

"Anong valid doon? Sinong tanga ang magpapabaril at idinamay mo pa talaga ang presidente ng student council? Paano kung may masamang nangyari sa kaniya?" tanong ni Professor Protacio kaya naman hindi ako makapaniwalang natawa. 

'Yong totoo, don't tell me kaya siya ganiyan dahil may gusto siya kay Zero?

A grin formed on my lips. "Kung hindi dahil sa pagkakabaril ko, hindi mahuhuli ang gang na 'yon and their illegal doings inside the school. Hindi po ba dapat ang mga teacher na gaya ninyo ang nangunguna para walang mga gano'n na mangyari? This is already Amadeo University pero may mga ganito pa ring pangyayari. Besides, why are you more concerned with Zero when in fact I'm the one who got shot here? Don't tell me Sir that you had something for him?"

Agad naman itong napatahimik bigla sa sinabi ko at halata sa mukha ang sobrang inis.

"Deb is right," sabi naman ng isa sa mga kaklase ko.

"I agree," dagdag pa ng isa.

"Sir, are you gay?" tanong naman ni Alex na bahagya ko namang ikinatawa.

"Quiet!" kinalampag ni Sir ang lamesa. "Kung masasagot mo ang mga tanong ko, pwede ka nang umupo at pasado ka na sa mga na-missed mo. Is it a deal?"

Gusto ko sana siyang pagtawanan sa naging suwestiyon niya dahil for sure muli ko na naman masasagot ang mga ito nang walang kahirap-hirap pero baka mamatay na siya sa galit. Tumango na lamang ako dahil wala naman akong ibang choice kundi ang sagutin ang mga iyon. Kung iyan ang gusto niyang laro, then fine. I'll be willing to play. Pansin ko rin naman na hate na hate niya ako. Seriously, ano ba talagang ginawa ko sa kaniya?

But never mind. Dogs bark when they don't know the person, as well as people too.

We tend to hate someone even without valid reason and I guess it's only a human nature. Well, insecurity maybe?

I just stared at him when he continued talking. "I'll be asking you random questions. If you can answer all of it, pasado na rin kayong lahat ng mga kaklase mo sa 500 item quiz na ipapasagot ko sana ngayon."

"Yeah sure," bored na sagot ko.

"In what country is Ericsson's headquarters located?" tanong niya.

Napaisip ako bigla. Ericsson who? Andaming Ericsson sa mundo, so sino ang tinutukoy niya?

He let out a grin. "Mukhang unang tanong pa lang ay hindi mo na alam ang sagot."

"Wait," sabi ko tiyaka inisip itong mabuti. Parang nabasa ko na ito at technology related siya. "Sweden."

Napa-tsk na lamang ito. "What a luck," hindi makapaniwalang sabi niya. "Mext question, where did Napoleon died?"

"St. Elena Island."

"What year did Christopher Columbus discovered America?"

"1492."

"Who played the title role in 2004 movie catwoman?"

"Halle Berry. Is that all Sir?" tanong ko. "Pwede na ba akong umupo?"

He seemed annoyed that I can answer all of his childish questions. Napangisi na lamang ako.

"Of course. Basta masagot mo lang ang huling tanong ko," nakangisi ring sagot niya.

I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about it.

"When, where and how the wealthiest family in our country died?"

I felt a sudden coldness because of his question. It made me flinched. 

A-Ang pagkamatay ba ng mga magulang ko ang tinutukoy niya?

"Why? Mahirap bang sagutin ang tanong ko? For sure naman na masasagot mo iyan dahil ikaw ang pinakatatago nilang anak." Nakangiti itong lumapit sa akin. "How does it feel na hindi ka pinakilala ng mga magulang mo sa publiko? Aren't they proud of you? Or mayroon silang tinatago?"

"A-Anong ibig mong sabihin? May alam ka ba sa nangyari?" 

He again grinned and was about to say something nang may estudyante ang bigla na lamang tumawag sa kaniya.

"Excuse me Sir, pinatatawag po kayo sa office," sabi ng estudyante.

"Susunod na ako," sagot naman ni Professor Protacio at muling ibinaling sa akin ang tingin. "Please have a seat Miss Maximus. Exempted na kayong lahat sa 500 item quiz. Good bye." 

Nginitian pa niya ako bago lumabas ng classroom. Naikuyom ko naman ang mga kamao ko. 

Bakit niya alam na anak ako nina Mom and Dad? May kinalaman kaya siya sa nangyari sa amin?

Ano ba talagang tinatago mo, Sir Protacio?

—

"OO, ang galing talaga ni Deb. Nasagot niya lahat kanina nang walang kahirap-hirap mga tanong ni Prof. Protacio."

"Talaga?"

"Oo nga. Ang sungit talaga ng prof na 'yon."

"Ako nga rin eh, ayoko sa professor na 'yon."

"Well mabuti na lang at may gaya ni Deb na kaya siyang sagutin. 'Di ba Deb?"

"Hey Deb, you're spacing out."

Napabalik na lamang ako sa wisyo when Alex snapped me out using her fingers.

"Bakit?" wala sa sariling tanong ko.

"Ang lalim ata ng iniisip mo," puna naman ni Wax. "May problema ba, Labanos?"

Kapwa ko sila tinapunan ng tingin. Nasa garden na naman kaming tatlo ngayon dahil wala munang klase. Ipinatawag kasi muna ang lahat ng professors sa faculty at magkakaroon ata sila ng meeting regarding the upcoming exam.

Napabuga ako ng hangin. "May naalala lang," sagot ko.

Hindi pa rin kasi mawala sa isip ko ang nangyari kanina. Is Professor Protacio  the one who's behind all of this? What does he mean when he said na may tinatago sa akin ang mga magulang ko? Ito ba ang dahilan kung bakit maraming gustong magtangka sa buhay nila?

Mom, Dad, kilala ko ba talaga kayo?

I really don't know. Andaming tanong na ang bumabagabag sa isipan ko. Hindi ko na alam kung anong paniniwalaan ko at kung kanino ako magtitiwala.

"See? Kanina pa iyan tulala simula no'ng sinagot niya mga tanong ni Sir," usal ni Alex.

"Anong bumabagab sa'yo? We're here, you can tell us. What are friends are for, right?" tanong ni Wax.

I heaved a deep sigh. "Wala naman. Iniisip ko lang 'yong upcoming exam. Next week na 'yon 'di ba?"

"Yon ba? Oo nga eh."

"I'm just a little bit worried," sabi ko.

"Ikaw? Weh? Ang talino mo kaya," sabat naman ni Alex.

"Hindi rin. Andami ko kayang na-missed na mga lessons. Paano kung hindi ako makapasa?"

"We'll help. Papahiramin ka naman namin ng notes eh."

"Hindi sa lahat ng subjects ay magkaklase tayong tatlo."

"Edi hihiraman ka namin," usal ni Alex.

"I agree," pagsang-ayon naman ni Wax. "Sabihin mo lang kung anong subjects at hahanapan ka namin ng notes." Inakbayan ako ni Wax. "Wag mo na isipin 'yon Deb. Baka makasama pa sa'yo. Hindi ka pa nga masyadong magaling eh. Don't stressed yourself out. Magiging ayos din ang lahat labanos," aniya.

Tinitigan ko na lamang siya at binigyan ng isang ngiti.

"Ehem," tikhim ni Alex. "May dapat ba akong malaman?" nang-iintrigang tanong nito.

Agad ko namang tinanggal ang pagkakaakbay sa akin ni Wax. "You're getting it wrong. We're just friends."

"Yeah, friends." Halata sa boses ng kaibigan kong lalaki ang lungkot.

"Hay nako kayo. Deny-deny pa kasi."

"Alex! Wala nga kasi," inis na depensa ko.

"Oh ba't defensive?" 

"We're just friends Alex," pag-uulit ni Wax sa sinabi ko kanina.

I just looked at him confused. Hindi ko kasi maintindihan kung ano na ang tono ng boses niya.

"But what if lang ha, kung may mamagitan sa inyo?" tanong nito.

Napaisip naman ako at napaiwas ng tingin kay Waxryll. 

Hindi maitatangging halos lahat ng magugustuhan ng isang babae ay nasa kaniya na. Bukod sa maganda ang kaniyang personality ay biniyayaan din ito ng gwapong pagmumukha. Who wouldn't fall for him right? 

Siguro, if given the chance...

Naputol ang pag-iisip ko nang magsalita sa Waxryll. "If ever may mamagitan man sa amin, alam kong hanggang best friends lang 'yon. Right Deb?" he asked, looking at me.

I looked back at him, straight in the eyes. I don't know why but I felt like he doesn't like what he just said. It's like he wanted me to correct it.

I gulped. "I—"

Nahalata siguro ni Alex ang tensyon kaya nama'y muli itong nagsalita. "Never mind that," aniya. "Aha, I have an idea!"

"Ano?" tanong ko na lamang.

"Kaya ka ba kinakabahan sa exam dahil gusto mong makapasok sa Top 23?" tanong nito.

Muli akong napaisip. Muntik ko nang nakalimutan ang tungkol dito. Ayoko na sanang bigyang pansin ito but the Vice President is expecting me to be there.

"I guess?" 

"I have an idea," sabi ni Alex.

"Ano 'yon?" sabay na tanong namin ni Wax. Napalingon na lang kami sa isa't isa at sabay na natawa.

"Why not magkaroon tayo ng group study? At my house, sa Saturday. Wala ang parents ko for a business trip kaya naman pwedeng-pwede kayo ro'n."

"Sounds fun," sagot ko. "Siguraduhin niyo lang na review talaga ang gagawin natin at hindi kung ano."

"Oo naman girl, anong akala mo sa'kin?" 

"Tayong tatlo lang?" tanong naman ni Wax.

"Ang boring kung tayong tatlo lang. Dalhin mo mga pinsan mo at aayain ko rin ang boyfriend kong si Junji."

"What about me?" I asked.

Bahagya itong napaisip. "Dalhin mo sina Zero at ang mga kapatid niya," nakangising sagot niya.

"What about us?"

Sabay-sabay kaming napalingon sa nagsalita— si Zero kasama ang mga kapatid na sina Zyler, Zyche at Zyron.

"Anong ginagawa niyo rito?" tanong ko.

"We got bored, wala rin kaming klase kaya pumunta na kami rito sa pagbabakasakaling nandito ka and voila, you're here," sagot ni Zyron.

"What about us?" pag-uulit ni Zero.

Si Alex ang sumagot. "We're planning to have a group study this coming Saturday for preparation for the upcoming preliminary exam. It will be held in our house. Wanna join?"

"Sounds good," sagot ni Zyler.

"I agree," dagdag pa ni Zyron. "What about you Zyche and Zero?" tanong nito.

"I'll go," sagot ni Zyche.

"What about you, Zero?" 

"The next time that you're planning something like this and Deb is involved, inform me first." 

Napairap na lamang ako dahil sa sinabi niya. Ano na namang connect nito sa akin?

"So, is that a yes?" tanong ni Alex. Zero just nodded.

"Then it's settled! We'll be expecting you to be there!" Halata sa boses ni Alex ang excitement.

"Group study ha? Study," paalala ko. Ngumisi lamang ito bilang sagot. 

Geez, I have a bad feeling about it.

—

"ANG sabi mo group study, bakit party?!" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko kay Alex pagkarating namin sa mansion nila.

It's already Saturday night at narito na nga kami sa kanila para magkaroon sana ng group study pero iba ang nadatnan namin. There are a lot of confetti everywhere at may malakas na tugtog na sumalubong sa amin pagpasok namin sa loob. May naka-display ring disco light sa gitna ng receiving area nila at may mga iba't ibang klase ng alak na nasa center table.

"Did you just tricked us?" Zero asked in disbelief.

"No, wala akong nilinlang sa inyo. Nabasa ko kasi sa Internet na we don't need to stress ourselves in studies since we're still young. Hindi naman masama kung magsaya tayo minsan 'di ba?" 

Napairap na lamang ako. "I can't believe you Alex. Aral ang pinunta namin dito, hindi party," sagot ko. "Uuwi na kami."

"Deb naman, huwag muna please?"

"Uuwi na kami, salamat na lang," sagot ko at tinalikuran na siya pero may kamay na lamang ang biglang humawak sa braso ko.

"Zero?" 

"She's right. You need a refreshment like this."

"Pero—"

"You've been stressed out. Why not have fun sometimes?" tanong niya.

"B-But—"

"But?"

"I-I don't drink." Napaiwas na lamang ako ng tingin.

"Did I asked you to drink? I said, you just need a little refreshment," aniya.

I heaved a deep sigh. "Okay, sabi mo eh."

Naglakad na ako't naupo sa sofa. Tinabihan naman ako ni Zero at ng mga kapatid niya. Nandito na rin sina Wax kasama ang mga pinsan niyang sina Migo, Andrei at Ariah at ang boyfriend ni Alex na si Junji. 

Ilang sandali pa ay nagsimula nang magparty ang mga ito pero nanatili lamang akong nakaupo at inilabas mula sa bag ko ang mga notes ko. Nanatili lang ding nakaupo sa tabi ko si Zero.

"Why don't you join them?" Inginuso ko ang mga kaibigan naming nagkakasayahan na.

"I'll just stay with you here," sagot niya. "Hindi ka pa ba talaga nakakainom ng alak?" 

"Hindi naman sa gano'n pero taong bahay lang kasi ako. I don't usually go for a night out or a party like this. Nasubukan ko nang makainom like wines and such pero mababa ang alcohol tolerance ko. Isang baso lang siguro at plucked down na ako agad," natatawang sagot ko.

"Hindi ka nga pwedeng uminom lalo na kung mag-isa ka. Baka may makakita pa sa'yo sa gano'ng sitwasyon at gawan ka ng masama," aniya.

"I know right."

"But tonight it's different. It's fine, you can have a drink. Nandito naman ako eh," sabi niya.

Tinnitigan ko si Zero. "Sigurado ka ba riyan? Pero huwag na siguro, mag-aaral na lang ako."

"Deb, don't stress yourself too much."

Napabuntong hininga na lamang ako. "Hindi naman 'yon ang pinagkakastressan ko eh," sagot ko.

"Then what?"

"It's about my parents and Professor Protacio."

"What about them?" takang tanong niya.

"I think may kinalaman si Sir sa nangyari sa amin."

Mas lalo itong napatitig sa akin at hindi ko mawari kung ano ang iniisip niya. Ang hirap talaga basahin ng lalaking ito.

"I knew it."

Napatanga na lamang ako sa sinabi niya. "Anong ibig mong sabihin?"

"He's acting very suspicious. Matagal ko nang naiisip na may tinatago siya and now that you've told me about that, I think may kailangan tayong gawin."

"Ano naman 'yon?" tanong ko.

"Let's investigate about Professor Protacio."

HIS SERIES #1

Magsisimulang magbago ang buhay ni Deb nang mamatay ang mga magulang niya at siya na lamang ang naiwan upang magmana ng bilyon-bilyong kayamanan ng mga ito. Maraming panganib ang nakaabang sa kaniya kaya naman siya'y kinuha upang protektahan ng kaniyang Ninong at matalik na kaibigan ng kaniyang mga magulang.

Akala niya'y magiging maayos na ang lahat matapos nito pero nagkamali siya dahil mas lalo pa palang gugulo ang buhay niya dahil makakasama niya sa iisang bahay ang apat na anak na lalaki ng Ninong niya. 

Paano niya pakikisamahan ang mga ito gayong pagdating niya roon ay pinagkamalan siyang bagong babae nito? Sino kaya sa apat ang magiging kakampi niya?

"As long as you're on my embrace, you can't escape."

And who's embrace is that?

CAPTIVE OF HIS EMBRACE 
Genre: Teen Fiction

Francis:

"Hello Mate" I can hear someone's voice, someone is here, standing beside me and talking to me, who is he? I said nothing

"Hi mate, are you busy?" He said again, what this guy's deal? I don't wanna talk to anybody else, I should go somewhere else from here, I stand up and start to go, I should go to the trees, the big tree which is in the garden of the school, there I can read the book, I can see him behind me, he's following me, why? He should fuck off, I don't wanna talk to him, I should turn over and say something

"Hey, what do you want?" I shouted, he's standing still and looking at me

"Tell me" I shouted again, he put his both hands on his pocket, is he gonna take out something? Something dangerous? What should I do? I have to run away, who the fuck is he?

"Don't worry mate, I just wanna talk to you" he said, what should I do? Should I hear him out? He doesn't look like a dangerous guy

"Okay tell" I said closing the book and putting my both hands behind myself

"Which book are you reading?" He asks, is he also a book nerd? Should I tell him the name? 

"Misery" I said with a deep voice

"What?" He asks, I think he didn't hear me

"Misery by Stephen King" I said, this time a bit louder, I think now he can hear me

"Oh, I wanna read it too, can I borrow it from you?" He said, I haven't even completed the book yet and I don't even know him, why would I give my book to him? I don't know what to say, I am just standing still with a very weird smile on my face

"Don't worry, you can give me after you complete the book" he said again, who the fuck is he? I should do some research about him

"What is your name?" I ask

"Oh sorry, I forget to introduce myself, My name's Alex Smith" he said with forwarding his hand to shake with mine, I slowly take my hand towards him and grab his hand

"My name's Francis" I said shaking his hand, I can see a smile on his face, his name is Alex, I should find something about him

"You have a class right now?" He asks, what should I say? I don't have any class right now

"No…. No I haven't" I said, oh man, I will never be able to talk to some stranger properly

"That's great, wanna grab a cup of coffee with me?" He asks, I don't want to, I should say this

"Yeah, fine" I said, what the fuck? Why do I say something like this? He's smiling

"Let's go mate" he said, what should I do? I don't wanna go, he's walking in front of me and I am behind following him, I can see the cafeteria, we sit down, he ordered two cups of coffee, I feel so awkward, I am sitting in silence, he's also sitting in silence, it's so weird, I wanna go away, I don't feel good talking to him, I don't know why, the coffee is here, I can see him picking his cup and taking a sip

"Drink it mate" he said, looking at me and my coffee, I nod my head and start to pick the cup, I take a sip from it, he's still looking at me, is he gay? Did he like me? 

After 15 minutes:

Now he's only talking, talking about him, about his house, his car, his interest, it just makes me feel bored, I wanna go away from him, he's just another boring person, how can I go? Oh yeah I have an idea

"Hey mate, I have to go, my class is in 10 minutes" I said, I can see the smile which was on his face vanishing, it's gone, he's not smiling anymore, I stand up

"Let's exchange the number, yeah?" He asks I don't wanna but that's fine, I can give him my number

"Yeah sure" I said, he gives me his phone, I dial up my number and gave it back to him, he's checking his phone to see my number, I start to go

"See you later" he said, I turn over

"Yeah see you" I said, I have left the cafeteria, I am going towards the school, I am all confused, no one ever wants to talk to me in school but why him? There could be something else, I gotta find out, I am in front of the school, I enter the school, I should go to the bathroom, I am going towards the bathroom, I am here in front of the bathroom, I enter it, I can see Joe, standing in the bathroom, looking up

"What are you looking at?" I ask, he said nothing, is he busy? I should ask him about Alex Smith, he could know something about him

"Hey Joe" I said, he turns his head and attention towards me

"What?" He asks

"Um… there's this guy named Alex Smith" I said, he said nothing

"He wanted to talk to me, so I was wondering that do you know anything about him?" I ask

"Alex Smith, yeah I know him" he said

"Really? Tell me something about him" I said, he smiles

"It seems like you got a friend mate, good for you, now you will not be alone in the school" he said, I said nothing, I don't know what to say, he ain't my friend, I don't want any friends

"Well Alex is a good guy, his both parents died so he has to work too, he works during nights, he's alone too" he said, Joe knows many things about him

"Woah Joe, you know many things" I said, he smiles

"I know many things about every other guy" he said, Woah, it sounds a bit creepy, this guy is hard to understand, anyway I should go now

"Thank you Joe" I said, he once again looking at the top, at the ceiling, what is wrong with him? 

"See you later" I said, still no reaction or reply, why the fuck he's looking at the ceiling, anyway he can do whatever he wants, I left the bathroom and start to go towards the garden again, I wanna be with the trees and nature right now, so he's also lonely and wants a friend, I am also alone but I don't want any friend, should I help him? By being his friend? I can hear the message notification on my mobile, I take out my phone from my pocket

"It was nice talking to you, I hope to see you again" the message said, I guess that it is from the same guy Alex, what should I reply?

"Yeah mate, sure" I replied, it's fine, he looks like a nice guy, now I should read the book, I really like Horror stories but why did he ask for this book? Did he also like horror contents? I should ask him, next time, I will ask him whenever we meet

One week later:

I am sitting in the cafeteria with him, he calls me daily to come and meet here, once again drinking the coffee, it's been a whole week, he seems a really nice guy, although I haven't opened my mouth too much in front of him, I know I am the king of the introverts, what can I do? I should ask him whether he likes horror things or not

"Hey…. Alex" I said, my voice trembles

"Yeah?" He asks

"Do you like Horror things?" I ask, he took a stop, I can see his face, reactionless, why? I did not have to ask this, it was a mistake, what should I do?

"It's okay if you don't..." 

"Yeah I like horror and creepy things" he said cutting my sentence, okay that's great, we do have something common in between

"Yeah? That's great" I said, he smiles

"I have read many horror novels, comics and Mangas, my favourite mangaka is Junji Ito" he said excitedly

"Junji? That guy is a legend, I have read some of his works too" I said, I can see the excitement in his eyes, now I can talk to him about something too, 

"I have some of his works in my house, if you are free then we can go there" I said

"Yeah sure" he nods his head and said

"Great then, let's go" I said, I stand up, he did the same too, we are going to my house, I will let him see how big a horror fan I am, I am walking front and he's walking behind me, we are here in front of my house

"This is it, my house" I said, I turn over to see him, he's just looking up, at the house

"Your house is so amazing" he said, I smile

"C'mon, let's go inside" I said, we went inside, I can see my sister watching TV, she turns over and saw me

"This is Alex, my friend" I introduced Alex to my sister

Do I love you more or the blood? That's the question that's always been on my mind since the first time I saw your face, why are you here? Are you here for me? What is wrong with me? It's fine, I now get it, you are here for me, I will get the love from you, you will love me I know that, I just can't control myself whenever I see you, is it the love? Do I really love you? Yes I love you but you are not safe here, you need someone, someone who can protect you and I am the one, I will protect you no matter what even if it means killing someone!!!!

junji ito Novel

First Marriage, then love: wife, never divorce

Honey, please love someone else

Emperor of Mankind (Naruto X Justice League)

Otherworldly Evil Monarch

A Journey to the Past

The Horror Collection: A Collection Of Horror Stories (Not For The Faint-Hearted)

S. N. O. W (BL)

Cuman Aku Tanpa Sistem Level-Up

ito

CAPTIVE OF HIS EMBRACE

My Beautiful Girlfriend

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