Location: Homecoming Class, SilverUp Academy
Date: 2nd June 2035
Time: 3:11 p.m.

"Thank you everyone for volunteering to stay and help all of us to bake something for the festival that is coming up!" Fiona said, as she smiled at everyone, "Our club's activity has finally ended, all of you can finally be dismissed."

Just as she said that, everyone started to gather their belongings and started to walk out of the class with their friends. I cleaned up my table and cleaned the kitchen's tools, and put it back to where it was supposed to be. I started to pack my belongings and ready to go out, only to get stopped by Fiona.

"Phoenix, could you stay behind a bit?" Fiona asked me as I was almost done packing my stuff and already in front of the door. I slowly turn around to her and tilt my head to the side.

She knows about my confusion and give a smile for it that means she's understand, "I called you here because Colby have told me something," She can see me suddenly tense up at the mention of Colby, "Don't worry, you are not responsible for whatever shenanigans he pulls off, but he came here to ask for my permissions if you can be free at around, 2:00 p.m. maybe, when it's the day of the festival."

I was surprised by that, Fiona continued, "I do recall I assigned you to be at the stand for around 10:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. So maybe you still have time to hang around with him." She said, as she held up a small package that seemed to be something inside, "I have heard from a little birdie, that Colby loves a weird combination in his snack. So, if you have found him at any chance, this is his gift."

She gave me the small package, I took a peak at what it is. It's a cookie, but all of them seem a bit different to some. I look up at Fiona, she knows what I'm gonna say, "Some of those cookies are made by some students that have once joined this club, and those cookies are called rejection cookies-"

Isn't that a bit harsh???

"-The reason behind the name is because the judges have once tried it and rejected the cookies, some of them did get banned from the kitchen for almost giving food poisoning to the teachers. But you could say, some of them also found it very unique. Luckily, there's more of those cookies before they become rotten..." Fiona explained, her gaze slowly shifts to soft gaze as she seems to be reminiscing about something as she keeps looking at the package.

"Anyway," Fiona continued and looked at me, "Make sure that raccoon won't come back here if he wants more of these cookies, got it?"

"Mm, yes..."

"Good." She said with a grin, "Alright, you can leave now, Phoenix."

I smile back at her and wave to say goodbye. Finally, I am leaving the Homeroom Class. As I get out, I already see Colby from the back. I can tell it's him after being friends with him, I can finally know how to tell it's him. His posture, his gaze, what is his usual get-up...

Alright, I sound like a stalker now...

Before I could shout his name, I noticed he seemed to be having a conversation with someone... Two girls, both of them wear full school uniform-

Wait, SilverUp Academy's students have to wear their full school uniform, they have a spare sports uniform in case they have Physical Education or something happens to their school uniform.

Colby hates the students from SilverUp Academy, yet, he talks to those girls...? I am not jealous, just... Confused... and a bit curious...

Seeing the conversation is still ongoing, I don't think I have any guts to interrupt it. Before I could go away and be unnoticed by any of them, one of the girls took notice of me.

"Hey! Pheeny boy!" one of the girls said, as she shouted at me, Colby quickly turned and gave a wide smile upon seeing me.

"Nix! Finally, your club is over!" Colby quickly goes towards me as he says that. The two girls walk slowly towards us from behind Colby's.

"Um, yeah..." I said and let out an awkward smile. Colby still looks at me with a smile and his eyes seem more bright despite the dark colour of his eyes.

"Phoenix Saxon, was it?" I looked up as I heard my name. One of the girls looked at me with a warm smile, almost like a mother, "I remember your bad impressions of Ray and Afuru, correct?"

"Wait, wha-"

"You're not very subtle, y'know?" The other girl giggled, as if she remembered something, "I remember our first meeting!"

First meeting... Oh, she's the one-

"Let me properly introduce myself," the same girl who's making sure my name is my name said, "My name is Isabella Marshall, Treasurer of Student Council. I'm in charge of all the money and funds that's going to be used for some event and the festival that is coming up."

"And I'm Nicole Hyde! Remember me in the interrogation room?" Nicole, yes I remember her now, said and let out a grin, "I still remember the face you made when you see Afuru. I love to see it again!"

"Thank... you..?" I said, feeling a bit confused.

"Awh, see Izzy! That's the face he made, it's cute!" Nicole said to Isabella, who she calls Izzy.

"Yes, I can see that, Nicole." Isabella said calmly to Nicole's statement, still with the motherly act, "Forgive us on behalf of Afuru and Ray. He seems to be more stressed than usual..."

"It's alright..." I said, I can assume she meant Ray on the first one as I can see she seems to be ready to say something next.

"And Afuru is... Well, she's Afuru."

...Yeah, that sounds about right...

I sigh, "Well, it's alright I guess..."

Isabella looked at me with the expression of a mother proud of their child's decision. She turned to Nicole, "Well, it seems like we have nothing else to say anything here. Goodbye Colby, please take care of Ray."

"No." Colby replied back quickly.

"Hehe, deny it all you want! It won't last long!" Nicole said as she followed Isabella, who's already walking away.

As both of them are already gone, I give a look at Colby, who knows I was giving him a look, "Yeah... Both of them are from the Student Council."

"But didn't you say, you hate the Student Council-"

"Ah, ah, ah! I hate Afuru and Ray from the Student Council. I never said I hate all the members of the Student Council. Their chills." He said, "Nicole is cool. Izzy is like a big sister or mother figure. Nicholas is fun to tease. Damian is chill."

"Damian?" Who's that?

"Damian Trovert, a Secretary of Student Council if either Ray or Afuru were absent, which is rare for them." Colby said, "He was supposed to have graduated last year, but something happened and he had to redo his semester..."

"So, his age would be..."

"18-years-old." Colby answered.

I wonder what happened that had made him redo his semester...

"Anyway, what's that?" Suddenly I snap out of my thoughts as Colby asks something to me. He pointed at the small package that Fiona gave me to give it to him.

"Fiona gave me this for you," Colby seems so surprised and tries to say something but I say something first before he could, "I think you're gonna like this."

Just as I hand out the package, he looks at me for a second and back at the package. He opens it slowly as if this isn't the first time someone tried to prank him before.

After he opened it, he was taken back and looked back at me again and looked back at the cookies in the package. I can see he slowly took the cookies and put them in his mouth. He tasted it very slowly until he took another and ate it again.

I want to tell him to eat it slowly but he still seems to be so into the cookies more than anything I try to tell him. Until all the cookies were gone, he put the cookie package in his pocket, which said the package was nothing but a wrapped cloth.

He looked up at me again, his face seemed hesitant and he looked away from looking at me, "Thanks for the cookies, Nix..." he said.

"It was not from me, Fiona gave it to me for you. She knows about your love for weird combination food and gave the cookies as an offer." I said.

"An offer?" He seems to be confused.

I smiled warmly at my friend, "Well, even if you were known as a daredevil prank master of the school, you ask for her permission to let me hang out with you during the festival. She thought giving this gift is an approval that she is letting you take me after my shift." After I said that, I could see the look of surprise on his face turn to relief and let out a warm smile. For the first time in my life, the smile he let out was nothing but a mischievous and devil grin. But now, this smile is nothing like before... It's warm...

"And also for you to not bother her club again and eat our food." I will add another thing from Fiona.

"Oh, fuck her-"

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Location: Market Store
Date: 2nd June 2035
Time: 5:13 p.m.

"That would be 19£, young man."

I give the money to the lady on the cashier as she takes it and gives me the stuff I need for the ingredients I'm gonna need it for.

After that, I left the store and walked through the same road from my house. Colby already left to go back home, Alexis stayed at the dorm.

Just as I walk, suddenly someone bumps on my left side. Usually a normal bump is not usually hurt, so why in the world do I almost fall from that?!

I glance to see the person who bumped onto me. It was Ray...?

Why is he here? Colby said he was still training in his Fencing Club, so why is he here? And almost seems to be in a hurry with how much sweat he has and that exhausted look on his face?

"Ray...?" I said his name, my only response from him was that he flinched but didn't turn around, instead he ran away from me.

I was a little shocked and surprised by his actions. Before I could go and ignore all of that, suddenly Nyx came out.

"Follow that guy!" They shouted as they pointed at Ray.

I turn to them, a bit confused and surprised by that demeanour of demanding from them. Before I could think of anything to ask, suddenly I felt myself teleporting somewhere... Darkness...

I blink again and see that I am where I am standing... What was that...?

"Phoenix?" I turn to Nyx, who calls my name. I nodded at the wraith to show that I am alright. My only concern is what happened to Ray.

I hope I can catch up to him as I follow where he has left before.