MORRIE

I DIDN'T have any problems with my brother visiting me in the university. After all, he had every right to be back here since he's an alumnus and a legend in our House. He's also the Quadetective Tournament champion four years ago. It wouldn't come as a surprise if they invited him over for some advice in this year's competition. His insights might make the games more thrilling.

It's getting late, so my brother decided to stay in the Moriarty Manor. He must have missed this Western-style place where he stayed for four years. We went to the lounge and sat across each other. Because we had an important visitor, a hot cup of tea was served to both of us and the area became temporarily off-limits to my other Housemates. A classical music was playing in the background. Bach, I think? Such was the privilege that someone like him and me could enjoy. We could have any room in this manor for ourselves.

I had to admit, it felt strange for us to be together in the same room. Perhaps I wasn't used to it because it had been a while since we enjoyed each other's company. He's working in the Bureau while I was attending this university. We didn't have any bonding moments for the past two to three years.

"Pinapakumusta ka pala nina Mama at Papa," my brother broke the silence between us. He blew the steam off his cup and sipped from it. He was enjoying its aroma. "They're wondering when you're going to pay them a visit. They miss you so much."

"Probably during the summer break." My right hand held the teacup while the left one lifted the saucer. "Send them my love once you return home."

We're not allowed to leave the campus during weekdays or weekends, except for important and emergency cases. The only times we'd be allowed to stay longer outside the university was during the semestrial break in October and the summer break in April and May. We're already in January so we're just a few months from being allowed to take a short vacation.

"What are you up to right now?" I asked, gently placing the teacup on the saucer. "Aren't you supposed to be in a covert operation? Wala ka bang secret mission ngayon?"

"Kahit kapatid kita, hindi ko pwedeng sabihin sa 'yo kung ano ang iniimbestigahan ko," my brother answered with a smile. "But don't worry. I won't be in harm's way, if that's what you're worried about."

I wasn't that worried about him because I knew that he could handle any situation. He was a graduate of this university and he had the necessary talents to survive and thrive. He wouldn't have been accepted in the Bureau if his skills weren't top shelf.

"Let's talk about you!" He placed his teacup on the circular mahogany table between us. There's something in the way his lips curved that concerned me. What kind of intrigue would he throw at my direction? "How's your student life so far? Nag-e-enjoy ka naman ba rito?"

"Of course, I do." I also placed mine on the table. My hands rested on my lap as I crossed my legs. "I'm learning a lot from our lessons and applying them in our practical tests. The people here are good to me, too."

"How many girlfriends have you had so far? Do you currently have one?"

"What?" My eyes narrowed at him. I knew that question was coming, but I pretended to be caught off guard. He wouldn't miss the opportunity to pry into my personal life.

"Girlfriend. Jowa. Shota. Teka, bakit parang first time mo pa lang marinig 'yan? Oh, don't tell me that you still haven't found the one?"

"I'm more focused on studying and proving that House Moriarty is the number one house," I answered bluntly. There's no need for me to try and make some excuses. "I don't think I have the luxury of time to entertain any potential relationship."

"Ang hina mo naman!" My brother clicked his tongue repeatedly. "You have the blood and the genes of a Moreno in you. Malamang habulin ka rin ng mga babae rito. Back in my day, I had . . . how many girlfriends? Ugh! I've lost count already! Basta I had a number of admirers not only from my own House, but also from the others. Imagine-in mo, laging may lamang love letter at gifts ang locker ko. I became more popular when I joined and won the tournament. Ah, good old times!"

"Magkaiba tayong dalawa," I countered. I didn't enroll here to compete with him in terms of number of girlfriends. "You have the ability to maximize your physical qualities and intellectual prowess to charm women—and men, too—while I'm not interested in anything along those lines. I prefer mental challenges. Though if getting into a relationship is necessary to achieve a certain objective, I might seriously consider it."

That summed up my principle. Every investment that I put on people and actions must have some returns to me. Otherwise, there's no point spending my time and effort on them.

He propped up his arm on the armrest and rested his chin on his palm. He kept his gaze on me. The colors of his eyes—yellow on the left while red on the right—caught my attention. If he's trying to check if I was lying, he'd be disappointed. "Sayang naman kung hindi mo ima-maximize ang assets mo. When I was competing in the tournament, even girls from the other Houses cheered for me. Meron pa nga silang hawak na banners na nagpapakita ng support sa akin. Then their Housemates would scold them for supporting the enemy."

There's no question that he had charisma. It's a piece of cake for him to get along and get the support of the students who didn't share the same color as him. It's a quality that I unfortunately didn't possess. Even if I had that talent, I wasn't keen on using it.

"How about that Holmesian girl? The one in ponytail?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows. "Hindi mo ba siya type? Mukhang interested siya sa 'yo. Grabe siya kung makatingin. There's something in the way he looked at you."

I chuckled. Even the legendary Arturius Moreno could misunderstand someone's gesture. "You mean Harriet? She's my classmate and my rival. She looks at me that way because she's mad at me. Her glances don't have any romantic undertones."

"You know what they say." He lifted his teacup and brought it close to his lips. "The more you hate, the more you love." Then he sipped.

What an absurd notion. There's no way on earth that someone like Harriet would develop any feelings for me. She'd rather be alone than be with me even if I were the only man left in this world. If we're the only passengers in a sinking ship and she had two life vests, she would wear them both and leave me behind. That's how intense her negative feeling was toward me.

"There's a chance that she might be the Holmesian representative for the tournament," I blurted out. "I'm more concerned about defeating her than developing any feelings for her."

"That can make your relationship much more interesting. Academic rivals turned lovers . . ." His eyes had a dreamy look in them. "It's a popular trope in fiction. Ah! Naging curious tuloy ako kung paano made-develop ang relationship n'yo. The girl hates the boy, while the boy isn't interested in love."

I didn't want to add fuel to whatever fantasy that he's imagining, so I chose not to reply anymore. Instead of seeing Harriet as a potential love interest for me, he should consider her as a serious threat to our dream of defending the championship title—should she be chosen as the champion of House Holmes.

To be blunt, I wanted her to be the representative so I could show her that I—and our House—was superior to her without a doubt. If it's not going to be her, then I might breeze through the tournament. Representatives from the two other Houses might stand a chance againt us, but they might not come close to the threat that Harriet could bring.

No one's more threatening than a person who swore to take you down.

"Speaking of tournament, ready ka na ba?" my brother asked, crossing his legs. "Hinahanda mo na ba ang sarili mo para sa matinding bakbakan?"

"Do I have any choice?" I asked back. It's not like I could refuse the honor of being our House's representative. "The expectations from the House Council are building up. Whether I'm prepared or not, whether I like it or not, I have to be ready. I'm your younger brother and I'm expected to perform the same way that you did four years ago."

"Oh, don't feel so pressured! Alam kong mabigat na responsibility ang dala ng surname at connection natin bilang magkapatid. But you're not alone in this fight. I'll be here. I'll be right behind you. Giving you advice. Supporting you in every way that I can. You're a Moreno. I won't let you lose."

"I hope that this year's tournament won't be a proxy war," I replied. Maybe it's time to be perfectly candid with him. "I want to be the player, not a piece to be moved on the chessboard."

"What do you mean?"

"You and that Holmesian alumnus with the black cat . . . You two didn't seem to have the best relationship when you were still students here. He looks like he has an axe to grind with you."

"Ah, yes!" My brother reclined in his couch. "I'm pretty sure that Roan will be mentoring whoever the Holmesian champion is. And I'm expected to be mentoring you as the Moriartian champion. In a way, parang maglalaban pa rin kami, pero bilang advisers n'yo. You will still call the shots in the arena."

Knowing what he's capable of, I hoped that I wouldn't be a puppet whom he could control with his invisible strings. I didn't want to be a character in a role-playing game where he's the player who had full control over me. I was a puppetmaster too, that's why I knew the danger of being manipulated.

"Let's say that Harriet will become the Holmesian champion," my brother began, looking down on his teacup. "Do you think . . . you can manage to get close to her, if I ask you to? Given your complicated relationship, can you extend an olive branch to her and be friends?"

My eyes squinted at him. "Why will you ask to me do that?"

"I heard that Roan is in charge of investigating the failed assassination attempt at the chancellor's life." The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice became serious. "Instead na mag-focus siya sa imbestigasyon, nagawa pa niyang maglaan ng time sa pagme-mentor sa Holmesian champion. I know Roan. This isn't just him multi-tasking. I believe that the two actions are connected."

"And how does Harriet fit in the picture?"

"If my hunch is correct, he would tell her about his plan," he answered. "Kung magiging close kayong dalawa at magiging comfortable siya sa 'yo, baka mai-share niya kung ano ang plano ng kanyang mentor. As an alumnus of this university, I also want to help him out while I'm here. But I know that he won't let me. This is his cake, and he doesn't want others to take a slice."

My eyes observed his face which somewhat relaxed. I sensed that he didn't tell me everything. He's holding back information. I wondered what that was.

"I can't promise anything." I went for a safe answer. No guarantees. "Harriet and I being comfortable with each other was close to impossible. But I'll try."

"Knowing that you'll try is good enough for me! Gusto ko sanang mag-focus ka sa tournament, pero naisip ko kung pwede mong isingit ang task na 'to. Anyway, your Council must be doing something to—how should I put it gently?" My brother averted his gaze for a second. "Ah! To increase your chances of winning. You know what I mean, don't you?"

Changing the subject abruptly, huh? I nodded. "They planned to discourage strong contenders from the other Houses by convincing them not to accept the privilege of being the representatives. But something unfortunate happened last week. The plan was derailed."

"That's tragic." He clicked his tongue repeatedly. "Wait, maybe you meant that Plan A was derailed. As Moriartians, we both know that we don't stop at one letter. We can go on and use the entire alphabet, if need be."

"Of course. I heard that they already have another plan in place, though I'm not privy to the details."

"I thought you're a consultant of the Council?"

"Things have changed since that incident." I leaned my back against the soft couch. "They're being cautious on who they should let in the plan. But I don't mind being kept in the dark. Perhaps it's better for me to know nothing at all, particularly if the plan would be exposed later on."

My brother pointed a finger at me, slightly leaning forward. "Right! You can insulate yourself kapag nabuking ang plano nila. But I trust that they'll be extra careful not to let any leaks or worse, exposés."

"As long as there isn't a traitor inside the House who will sabotage every move of the Council," I added. "I don't want to doubt a fellow Moriartian, but if I consider all the factors, the possibility of a traitor is most likely."

"A rat in the cage of ravens, huh?" He smirked, the teacup close to his lips. "Good luck to that person. Dapat ay manalangin na siya sa lahat ng santong kilala niya na hindi siya mabubuko ng mga tao rito. Dahil kung hindi, sobrang malas niya—"

The doubledoor to our right swung opened. Heavy footfalls followed.

"Art!"

"Yohan!" My brother quickly put down his teacup and got to his feet to greet our incumbent House leader. The two went for an embrace, patting each other on the back. "I hope you don't mind if I paid this Manor a visit and enjoyed a hot cup of tea here in the lounge. I really missed this place! Brings back some good memories."

"Ano ka ba? Wala 'yon! You're an alumnus of our House. Once a raven, always a raven. You're very much welcome here!" Yohan waved his hand around him. "We've just concluded our council meeting. If I'd known that you're here, I would have adjourned it early."

"Your council meeting is more important than saying hello to a senior," my brother replied. "Hindi naman ako nainip. I've been chatting with my brother since we got here."

Yohan looked at me sideways. "I bet you're giving him advice on how he'd win the tournament? Mabuti't nasa side ka namin. Confident akong mataas ang chance na manalo ang kapatid mo at mag-back-to-back champion tayo! 'Di ba, Morrie?"

I forced a smile at him. It's not in my character to make such bold statement. I still didn't know who the representatives of the other Houses would be. Therefore, I couldn't make any analysis on our chances of winning. I didn't want to be boastful without any given data.

"I heard from Morrie that you're discouraging potential representatives from other Houses, but something happened that derailed your plan?" my brother asked.

"Ah, just a minor setback! Wala kang dapat ikabahala. Gagawin namin ang lahat para masigurong sure win na tayo sa tournament. Will I let House Moriarty down under my leadership and during this crucial year? Of course not!"

"That's good to hear! I must say . . . mas aggressive kayo ngayon kumpara noong panahon ko. We wouldn't have thought of eliminating the competition before the tournament could even start."

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say."

If I were a scrupulous student of this university, I would have protested against the methods that the Council might attempt at doing. That wasn't fair and square. That shouldn't be done. Unfortunately, I'm not a scrupulous student. I'm a member of House Moriarty. Our cunning was our greatest asset, and we managed to reach greater heights because of it.

"We'll clear your path to victory," Yohan told me. "Once more, House Moriarty will be known for its greatness. Think of it as our destiny."

This might not sit well with the other representatives or their Houses, but this was how we do things.

Our priority in this game was to win, and all we could care about was winning. We would claim victory no matter the cost and consequences.

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