Aiden woke up with another pounding headache after his subconscious revealed yet another word he doesn’t consciously remember, but for some reason, unconsciously remember. He slowly massaged his temple to somewhat ease the pounding in his head, closing his eyes to allow himself to relax a bit.

As soon as he closed his eyes, the voice of a child started echoing inside his head again, as if it’s on an unending loop, “I promise… I promise…” before another child’s voice, a voice that Aiden seems recognize, but could not seem remember - “Mee-Mee”, the child’s voice breaking, as if on the verge of tears.

Aiden quickly opened his eyes, his head hurting again, the pounding getting stronger the more he tries to remember the voice that was saying “Mee-Mee”. As if the more his consciousness tries to force his subconscious to break open his fragmented memories, his mind’s defense mechanism activates and prevents him from uncovering what his mind has sealed away. As the pounding became unbearable, Aiden got up, sitting on the side of his bed, giving up on trying to remember whatever his subconscious was keeping from him.

“Who’s Mee-Mee? Why can’t I remember any Mee-Mee?” Aiden asked himself, confused as to why his memory of this Mee-Mee seems to be hazy. He can’t recall any acquaintances, friends, or family members that are named Mee-Mee, although the weird thing was, every time those children’s’ voices echo inside his head, he automatically remembers the night his Mother and younger brother died.

Aiden was completely puzzled, did this “Mee-Mee” or the words “I promise” have anything to do with that night? Why can’t he remember any Mee-Mee? And what’s being promised? Is this some kind of false memory that was implanted in his head due to the trauma he received? Or is this part of memories that was sealed deep within his subconscious that was trying to break free? As Aiden thought deeply about this, he was getting more questions than answers, and at this point, he couldn’t really trust his memory, given that it had gaps, and a lot of things were hazy.

Aiden finally gave up, he shook his head before getting up from his bed to make himself a fresh cup of coffee, thinking that the caffeine might help with his headache. He left his bedroom with his phone in hand and went straight to his kitchen to brew some coffee. As he was doing so, he tried remembering what he was doing before he passed out, as he had no recollection of how he ended up from the ballroom to his bedroom, as if he got drunk and magically ended up on his bed.

While the coffee was brewing, Aiden opened his cupboard and reached for his coffee mug. As he closed the cupboard, his 6:00 AM alarm he has set to go off only on Sunday started blaring, with the alarm song being “It’s You” by Henry. The moment he heard his alarm, he dropped his coffee mug on his tiled kitchen floor, shattering it on impact.

Aiden’s face got flushed immediately, his hand shaking as he slowly raised it up to touch his lips, his heart beating fast as he remembered what happened between the moment he left the ballroom and ending up in his condominium. His legs suddenly got weak as he placed both his hands on the counter to support himself and prevent himself from falling on the floor.

“Damn that Thammasat Kid! Wha-What does he think he’s playing at!?” Aiden told himself, becoming flustered as he remembered Min kissing him twice last night – during the games and by the fountain.

Suddenly, he heard Min’s voice inside his head, “Aiden, I like you”.

“Shit! Did I really got confessed to last night!?” Aiden asked himself as he placed his hand on his face, his right eye covered by his fingers, his face blushing hard, “I got kissed before being confessed to as well!?”

Aiden was in a state of panic; he wasn’t sure if anyone saw or heard what transpired at the fountain last night. Then he suddenly remembered his first kiss happened in front of everyone who was at the welcome party, with members of the MJU press corps also in attendance, the grim realization means that their kiss was going to dominate the news cycle and he would have to deal with the fallout that was sure to follow.

“Shit!” Aiden cussed as he realized that the news would probably spread like wildfire the next day, knowing how tightly connected everyone is on social media at MJU, “Shit! Shit! Shit!” Aiden repeatedly cussed as he couldn’t think properly nor rationally, “I’ll have Angela do some damage control tomorrow!”

“No, that wouldn’t work, the damage is too big to contain at this point, maybe I should.. Shit!” Aiden cussed again as his mind drew a blank.

“I’ll issue an executive order to ban the sharing of any video or pictures of the kiss!” Aiden thought, but then quickly backtracked, “Shit, I can’t force people like that, that would be abuse of authority!”

“Maybe… Maybe.. I can order Amy and the ROTC to suppress any mention or sharing of the… Damn it!” Aiden cussed again, “That’s an illegal order! The ROTC won’t comply to that! What do I do!?”

“Okay, Aiden, breathe.. Relax.. Don’t panic too much, think..” Aiden told himself as he started breathing deeply, trying to calm himself.

“Fuck, there’s only one thing I can do now” Aiden finally conceded as he laid his head on the counter, sounding defeated, “I would just have to weather through this week, this is gonna be a pain in the ass”.

“Why is this happening to me” Aiden grumbled, hitting his phone to kill the alarm that was still blaring, his head still on the counter, “I’m going to kill that Thammasat Kid!” Aiden said, ironically his face was blushing as he uttered those words. After composing himself, he started cleaning up his shattered mug on the floor, feeling a sense of regret as the mug that broke was his favorite one.

Once he was done cleaning, he grabbed another mug from the cupboard and poured himself some coffee, before putting his phone on airplane mode to prevent anyone from disturbing him as he was planning on drowning himself with Student Council work to distract himself from the impending hell week that was for sure to come – at least for him.

Among the things on Aiden’s mind was filling the positions of Attorney-General, Student Ambassador Attaché, Secretary, ROTC Attaché, and Events Coordinator – respectively in the order of importance. Since Chancellor Gazmin granted Aiden expansive authority and autonomy in rolling out the new positions and choosing the most qualified students to fill the roles, he thought it prudent to tweak and expand the role of the Attorney-General, given the current predicament he was experiencing.

In addition to collecting intelligence within and outside the university, the Attorney-General, per Aiden’s amendments would serve as the defender of the Student Council as a whole if challenged in the Student Supreme Court, or the Student Courts. Additionally, the position will be tasked with interpreting the Constitution and By-Laws of the Mount Juliet Student Government, as well as exploring how much power and authority the Office of the Student Council President actually has, and by extension, the Student Council itself as the Executive Branch of the Student Government, though cognizant of the separation of powers bestowed upon the three branches.

In addition to the positions that Aiden was to fill, he also worked on the agenda for the Student Council the next day. Of course, since he’s also starting his part-time job at Café Confiture the next day, Aiden was planning on moving up the Student Council to 16:00 instead of the traditionally 17:00 meeting, a maneuvering that Aiden had to take so he wouldn’t end up coming in late for his first day at work. There’s also the press briefing that he had Angela set to answer questions in regards with the deal reached with the Hunters as well as other questions the student journalists might have, with the probability of him being asked of the events during the welcome party being brought up – an awkward and embarrassing affair that Aiden would have to answer on live TV broadcasted throughout campus.

The next day, Aiden headed to Mount Juliet even before the sun was up. Even though he stayed up all night working himself to near exhaustion on almost every organization and body he was a part of at MJU just to keep his mind off the impending storm that he was going to face, and more importantly keep his mind off of Min, who surprisingly became his sudden weakness – physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Aiden got to the Student Council room at around 5:15 in the morning, pretty much running on fumes as he only napped for a little over an hour, and with the cafés still closed, he doesn’t have any other source of caffeine, since he ended up finishing all his coffee at home trying to stay awake and alert as he worked on things that helped him keep his mind distracted and busy. Aiden turned the lights on his office as he entered, closing the door behind him before turning the temperature down to his comfort zone - 4.5°C.

After setting his office’s temperature, he turned on his computer to access his google drive to transfer all the documents and materials he worked on in his laptop. He then opened another window and dragged it to his other monitor and started typing up emails, the first addressed to Grace to compile a list of student candidates for the positions of Attorney-General, Secretary, and Events Coordinator, and have the list prepped before their meeting later in the afternoon, as well as updates on the Battle of the Bands; second was for Katrina and Kobe, to prepare a summarized list of clubs and organizations that have already submitted their budget request for the academic year; the third was for Moira to schedule a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to hear any updates and/or progress reports on the Japanese Club, the College of Global Studies and Social Sciences Student Advisory Board, the Foreign Clubs Association, the Student Ambassador Association, and the University Honors Society; the fourth was with Angela for her to see him immediately after she arrives on campus, and finally with Mingyu so they can discuss and finalized the first meeting for the International Student Organization.

As soon as he finished sending out his emails, Aiden opened his drawer, and luckily he still has one last bottle of apple flavored C2 left, although not caffeinated, it’s sugar contents was enough to keep Aiden going until the cafes open and he could get his much needed caffeine boost. Out of curiosity, Aiden opened all his social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, all of which doesn’t have friends nor anyone he’s following, to see if there were any reactions to what happened during the welcome party.

What Aiden thought would be a firestorm, turned out to be a complete inferno. Social media was ablaze all day yesterday as soon as word got out of what occurred at the welcome party, with Heidi Enriquez and the AG leading the said inferno, followed by Hazelyn Mendoza. MJU’s social circles were filled with the hashtags #JasperBankKiss #AidenMinKiss #MJUHotCouples and #ThePowerCouples trending.

Meanwhile, in the International House, Min unexpectedly woke up feeling thirsty, he reached for his phone and looked at the time – 5:20 AM. He gave a sigh before sitting up on the side of the bed, sliding his hand under his pillow to take out his favorite picture of Aiden, looking at it with a smile on his face, “Good Morning my snobby cappuccino prince” before kissing it and returning it under his pillow.

Min left his room quietly, his phone on hand, being careful to not wake up his suitemates. The living area was still dark, and so Min used his phone to light his way to the fridge. He got a bottled water out and started drinking immediately, somewhat quenching his thirst, he suddenly felt a cold chill at the back of his neck and a sudden presence standing behind him calling out his name, “Min…”.

Min froze in place, remembering those horror movies he used to watch back in Thailand, his heart beating faster as nervousness and terror took hold of him, the voice called his name again, then he felt a hand land on his shoulder. Min hurriedly turned around and screamed when he saw Ball standing behind him, his head covered with blanket, his face the only thing left uncovered, his cellphone lighting his face.

“Shiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Alai wa!? Ball!?” Min screamed, looking at Ball who seemed like he was shivering.

“Sorry Min! I didn’t mean to scare you; it was so cold in my room, so I came here” Ball replied in Thai as Min walked over to the light switch to turn the lights on in the living area.

“How long have you been here!?” Min asked as he placed his hand on his chest, still reeling from the scare.

“Around 30 minutes, I was whispering for your name when you walked towards the fridge, but you didn’t seem to hear me” Ball said, the blanket still over him, still shivering.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t hear you if you were whispering” Min said as he gave a sigh, before sitting down on the couch, with his phone on one hand, and the bottled water in another. Ball sat next to Min, removing the blanket that was covering his head.

“So? What happened to you yesterday? I never saw you leave your room” Ball asked as Min smiled.

“I finally did it, Ball! I confessed to Aiden on Saturday” Min revealed, shocking Ball who wasn’t aware that Min was able to confess to Aiden, a massive tactical failure for M.A.S.S. for not being able to witness the momentous moment, although a complete strategic victory for them as Min was able to bring his relationship with Aiden to the next level.

“Really!? How!? When!? Where!? What did Aiden say!?” Ball asked excitedly, wanting to hear the details from Min so he could share it with M.A.S.S. later on the day.

“Yeah, after Aiden dismissed everyone from the ballroom, he slipped away, but I managed to catch him by the fountain where we talked about Yu-Yu the other night” Min said, as a smile on Ball’s face started forming, unable to hide the happiness he was feeling for his friend.

“So? Did you confess to him there?” Ball asked.

“I didn’t do it right away, for some reason I was hesitating, but then I ended up pulling him towards me and kissing him ag-“ Min continued before Ball interrupted him.

“You and Aiden kissed again!?” Ball reacted; his face slightly blushing, “How did he react!?”

“Well, yeah, he didn’t react whatsoever. After I kissed him, I laid my head on his forehead, and told him that I like him, then I kissed his nose” Min added smiling, blushing a little bit. Ball placed both his hands in his cheeks, after hearing  the details of the moment of the confession.

“Did Aiden say anything?” Ball asked, “Did he get mad at you?”

“Well, no, he didn’t say anything, he just moved away and walked off” Min said.

“You didn’t chase after him?” Ball asked, “You think he’s mad at you?”

Min shrugged, “I thought at that time I should let him be, he seemed completely flustered though”. Ball placed his arms around Min’s neck, “I’m so proud of you Min! To think you could charm the Student Council President like that” Ball teased as Min playfully pushed him away.

“That sounds like a complete change of heart Ball” Min said, confusing Ball.

“What do you mean?” Ball asked.

“Well, during orientation, you told me not to tease Aiden, but now you seem to fully support me when it comes to Aiden and all” Min replied wondering about why Ball was being so supportive all of a sudden.

“Well, I did tell you I will support you with whatever you want to do, that’s what friends are for you know!” Ball said with a smile in his face.

“Thanks Ball, I really appreciate you supporting me on this” Min smiled as they gave each other a high five.

“So Min” Ball asked, with a grin on his face, “When are you going to do it with Aiden?” he added teasingly, causing Min to blush.

“Fuck you Ball!” Min responded, grabbing one of the throw pillows and playfully hitting Ball in the face.

Ball just laughed as Min kept on hitting him with the throw pillow, the latter overpowering the former as they playfully fought on the couch. “Okay. Okay. I give up!” Ball conceded as Min stopped hitting him, his face a bit flustered.

“To be honest though, that’s not really on my mind right now” Min admitted as he placed the throw pillow where he got it, as the two of them settled down.

“Well, I’m just curious that’s why I asked” Ball chuckled, “In any case, I have a gift for you” Ball added as he opened his phone before sending something to Min.

“What is it?” Min asked, curious as to what Ball would be giving him.

“Check your phone” Ball said as he locked his phone and laid it on the couch. Min immediately opened the message that Ball sent him on LINE, and to his surprise it was pictures of Aiden, the same ones that Ball secretly took when their group ran into him the other day by MJU station.

“Where did you get this from!?” Min asked, surprised by how Ball managed to take pictures of Aiden without him noticing, or anyone who was present when Ball took the photos.

“We ran into Aiden, Monica and other international students on our way back from buying groceries, and I secretly took those pictures when everyone was distracted. I meant to give it to you, but I completely forgot” Ball said as he looked at Min who seemed really happy about the pictures of Aiden with glasses.

“Thank you Ball! I really owe you one for this!” Min said as he saved Aiden’s pictures on his phone’s gallery – a special treat than even the AG doesn’t even have.

“Don’t mention it, I’ll supply you with more pictures if I manage to take some” Ball said with a smile.

“I really appreciate this, you know” Min said, feeling extremely grateful for the wonderful gift.

“So, when are you going to see Aiden again?” Ball asked as he repositioned himself on the couch.

“Probably later tonight during the Student Council meeting” Min replied as he got up from the couch.

“Where are you going?” Ball asked as Min started walking towards his room.

“I’m going ahead and get ready” Min responded, “I suddenly felt motivated and inspired”.

“Ah, the power of love” Ball chuckled as he laid down on the couch, intending to nap a little bit before he starts getting ready for classes.

It was around 8:00 AM, and the majority of the student body has returned on campus after the weekends. As Aiden has expected, the main topic of discussion within the student body was the MinAiden and JasBan kiss that happened during the welcome party. Social Media was on overdrive with the pictures and videos of the kiss being shared, liked, and commented in breakneck speed, with the hashtags #MinAidenKiss, #JasBanKiss and #MJUPowerCouples leading the trends in that order.

The reaction amongst the students were mixed, but the majority was filled with excitement and glee, especially within the LGBTQ+ community that RJ is leading. Heide Enriquez and Hazelyn Mendoza, along with the AG and Jaspernatics were up in arms against the kiss, though their reactions were mostly kept on social media and not within campus. The unwritten rules and etiquettes in regards with the MJU’s Hottest which includes Aiden and Jasper, as well as the newly written rules in regards to the interactions with the international students that the student council released the previous week has kept everyone in check, and has prevented the students from exhibiting any reactions or movements that would risk the safety of Aiden, Jasper, Min, and Bank.

Although at the surface everything seemed normal, there was growing volatility underneath as the feelings of jealousy and envy started to take hold on some students who are diehard fans of Aiden and Jasper, this was also true with the small, but growing fan base of Min and Bank. The ROTC was well aware of this fact, and under the consent and advice of the MJU administration, has authorized Cadet-Colonel Belarmino to place all ROTC cadets on stand-by alert. Cadet-Major Del Rosario, acting without orders from President Kobayashi, increased the security detail around the International House, a precautionary step that Aiden would’ve taken anyways to safeguard Ball and Bank from any rogue members of the AG, Jaspernatics, and other students at MJU.

The precautionary actions the that MJU administration and ROTC were taking was in part due to the “Daebak Incident” that happened three years prior, when members of the then largest MJU organization, the K-Pop Club, fractured and resulted in a massive infighting, that left dozens of their members and other students injured. The incident resulted in the indefinite suspension of the said club and was recently replaced by the more moderated and supervised Korean Club.

The MJU administration and the ROTC used this hard-learned lesson to change their stance and become overly cautious when it comes to an invisible tense situations such as what was happening now to avoid another disastrous incident that could severely damage the image and reputation of the university, most especially now that they have international students on campus.

It was already 8:15 and Aiden was still cooped up in his office, trying to stay away from the eyes of the student body as much as possible, at least for the meantime, to avoid adding more fuel to the fire that was already engulfing social media. Aiden was working on Student Council affairs in one of his monitors, while the other was on MJU TV switching between WNN, Gossip Friends, MJU’s Hottest, and the Aiden Kobayashi Show to get a grasp of the situation happening on campus. At the same time, he was brainstorming ideas on how to at least shift the news cycle and current topics of discussion within campus to at least help stabilize and calm the situation.

While Aiden was working and monitoring the situation on campus, he heard a knock on his door, to which he quickly said, “Come in” without taking his eyes off of his monitors. The door opened and Angela walked in, carrying folders, a copy of the MJU Times newspaper, and her iPad.

“You wanted to see me Aiden?” Angela said as she stood by the door. Aiden quickly rolled his chair to the side so he could look at Angela.

“Yes. Close the door” Aiden said as Angela did what she was told.

“What’s the current situation on campus” Aiden added as Angela closed the door behind her, slightly shivering because of the temperature in the office.

“It’s somewhat normal, nothing that would require our immediate attention nor an intervention from the ROTC for that matter. Although the situation on social media is far different” Angela explained.

“The reactions and the noise on social media are already expected, though I’m honestly surprised that the students are restrained on campus” Aiden admitted as he commented on Angela’s report.

“I doubt anyone would dare go near you or Jasper, given that your respective fan base would cause a commotion, also, the new guidelines that we finalized with the Hunters last week has somewhat helped with the current situation as well” Angela replied as she walked towards Aiden’s desk.

“I think you should see this” Angela continued as she pulled the copy of MJU Times and placed it on top of Aiden’s desk.

“What’s this?” Aiden asked as he slid the folded newspaper closer to him.

“It’s the current issue of MJU Times that was published this morning” Angela said as Aiden unfolded to the newspaper, the front page showing a picture of the MinAiden kiss, and the JasBan kiss the headline reading “Mount Juliet University’s Power Couples”.

“Most of the copies have already been taken, I was lucky to even get my hands on one” Angela continued before Aiden folded the newspaper and handed it to Angela.

“This is starting to be a pain in the ass” Aiden commented before giving a huge sigh.

“Also, there’s something else” Angela said, as she started fiddling with her iPad.

“Now what?” Aiden asked as Angela handed her iPad over, “What is this?”

“It’s Heide’s reaction to the kiss, she went live last night and expressed her thoughts and opinions” Angela said as Aiden played the video, which was at least three minutes long. The video was full of emotions, and slight hints of anger and despair, as Heide rallied the AGs and her followers against the kiss, and railed against Min, although she stopped short of mobilizing her followers into doing something drastic.

“Should I do some damage control?” Angela asked as Aiden returned her iPad, “The MJU press corps has been emailing me non-stop asking for a comment”.

“The damage is too big to contain at this point; all we can do is to weather through this and hope that something else shifts the current news cycle and discussions on campus” Aiden responded.

“You have a point” Angela conceded, “What are your instruction in regards with the press corps?”

“We say nothing. Anything we say at this point will add fuel to the fire, one way or another” Aiden said before standing up from his chair, slightly wobbling due to lack of sleep and fatigue starting to kick in.

“Are you okay Aiden?” Angela worriedly asked when she saw Aiden wobble.

“I’m fine” Aiden said, rubbing his eyes trying his best to stay awake, “In any case, I have a favor to ask”.

“Send a message on the Student Council group chat. Inform everyone that I’m moving up the Student Council meeting today from 17:00 to 16:00” Aiden added as Angela typed her instructions on her iPad.

“Understood, is there anything else?” Angela asked before another knock came on the door, causing Angela to turn around and look at the door.

“Come in” Aiden said before the door opened revealing Grace to be the person knocking. As Grace entered, she shivered due to the coldness of the room before closing the door behind her.

“Why is it so cold here!?” Grace commented as Angela forced a smile.

“That’s what I thought as well when I entered” Angela said, looking at grace who was rubbing her hands.

“Did you need something Grace?” Aiden asked, “I wasn’t expecting you to be here this early”.

“I was close by and thought I should let you know in person” Grace replied, still rubbing her hands together to keep them warm.

“Let me know what? Is this related to what happened during the welcome party? If so, Angela already briefed be about the situation on campus and on social media” Aiden said, his voice as cold as the temperature in his office.

“Well, no. It’s about the Battle of the Bands, actually” Grace said, catching the attention of Aiden.

“What about the Battle of the Bands?” Aiden asked as Angela listened on.

“The Music Club President called me this morning and informed me that the preparations and theme for this year’s Battle of the Bands have been finalized, and they are preparing to make the announcement today. I thought I should inform you” Grace explained the situation.

“Wow, I didn’t expect them to finalize everything so fast, I was thinking MJU’s Hottest would announce their new list before the Music Club could make their announcement about the Battle of the Bands” Angela commented after hearing what Grace had to say.

“What did you just say?” Aiden asked as he looked at Angela.

“Oh, we were watching the weekend broadcast of MJU’s Hottest and they said that they were going to release their new hot list this week, which would also incorporate the international students” Angela said, causing Aiden to place his hand on his chin, as if he just had an idea.

“I heard about that as well, though I don’t know when they would be releasing the list, it would be interesting to know the new line up, and who among the international students would rank” Grace said.

“That’s it!” Aiden said, grabbing the attention of Grace and Angela, “We could use those to change the narrative and news cycle this week”.

“What do you mean?” Angela asked as Grace looked at Aiden, somewhat confused.

“As Grace already knows, Chancellor Gazmin has approved the expansion of the Student Council during the welcome party, and I emailed Grace earlier to start looking for candidates for the position of Attorney-General, Secretary, and Events Coordinator” Aiden said, planning on taking advantage of the impending release of The Hunters’ new Hot List, the Battle of the Bands, and the expansion of the student council.

“About that, I thought we’re going to have a Student Ambassador Attaché and ROTC Attaché as well?” Grace asked, confused as to why Aiden only asked her to find candidates for three of the five new positions.

“I already have people in mind for those two positions. I’m planning on making Amy the ROTC Attaché, and as Chairman of the MJU Student Ambassador Association, I already have several candidates in mind to fill the position of the Student Ambassador Attaché, hence I only asked you to find candidates for those three positions” Aiden explained.

“By the way, what is the Attorney-General? I don’t recall you saying anything about that during our last meeting” Grace further inquired.

“About that, Chancellor Gazmin asked me to change the title of University Intelligence Officer to something different, as it sounds authoritarian in nature, hence the position of Attorney-General” Aiden replied.

“That makes sense, so what are you planning to do?” Grace asked, wanting to know what Aiden’s plan is.

“Right, Aiden was saying earlier about something that can shift the news cycle and discussions on campus, I’m guessing he’s planning on announcing all three to the student body to shift the focus of the students” Angela deduced.

“Correct. Angela, move up the press briefing to today at noon, inform the MJU press corps” Aiden instructed as Angela started typing on her iPad, “Grace, contact the Music Club President, have him attend the briefing today so he can announce the mechanics of the Battle of the Bands”.

“Right, I’ll let him know” Grace said before pulling her phone out of her pocket.

“Also, Angela, get in touch with Oscar. Tell him to meet me here in my office as soon as possible” Aiden added causing Angela and Grace to stop what they’re doing and look at Aiden, curious about Aiden’s last instruction involving one of the leaders of the Hunters.

“Oscar?” Grace asked, still holding her phone “How does Oscar factor in all of this?”

“As the leader of the Hunters, and by extension the chief architect of MJU’s Hottest, he has the power to expedite the release of the new MJU’s Hottest list if necessary. I plan on persuading him to join the press briefing later and have him announce the release date of their updated list” Aiden explained, “That news should be big enough to derail the current discussions about the kiss, and alter the news cycle in a more favorable direction, making it easier for us to contain this fallout”.

“That might actually work, if you can actually persuade Oscar to go along with your plan” Grace replied after hearing Aiden’s plan of action.

“He’s probably more amenable at this point, given that he fully supports the MinAiden kiss” Angela added as Aiden slowly shifted her focus towards Angela, giving her a cold, piercing stare.

“Never mention that weird name in my presence again” Aiden coldly said, causing Angela to cover her mouth, her eyes widened after realizing her slip up.

“I-I’m sorry Aiden” Angela apologized as she gave an awkward smile, “I promise I won’t say it again” she added as she raised her hand up.

Aiden clicked his tongue, annoyed at the newly coined portmanteau that was a direct consequence of his unpleasant and unexpected first kiss, “In any case, carry on with your instructions, update me with any progress on your end. That’s all I need for now”.

“Understood, I’ll let you know once I hear anything from the Music Club President” Grace said before opening the door behind her.

“I’ll go ahead and inform the press corps about the change of schedule for the press briefing. I’ll contact Oscar afterwards and have him report to your office as soon as possible” Angela replied.

As Grace and Angela were about to walk out of his office, Aiden suddenly called out to them, prompting the two girls to look back at Aiden, “By the way, Grace, I’m changing our meeting time starting today. From this day onwards, our weekly Student Council meetings will be at 16:00”.

“Why the sudden change of time?” Grace asked as Angela looked at Grace, and then Aiden.

“Personal reasons. In any case, inform everyone else on the group chat so they’re aware of our schedule change” Aiden instructed, his arms crossed, “You can scratch that off your list Angela, Grace will do it”

“You know, it’s not that hard to get on your phone and send it yourself” Grace responded teasingly, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, “But, since it’s an order from the Student Council President, I’ll go ahead and inform everyone else” she added, smiling teasingly before she and Angela left the office.

Aiden gave out a sigh as the door closed, “To think Grace has this side to her, such a pain in the ass” he commented as he shook his head before sitting back on his chair. As soon as he sat down, Aiden clicked his tongue, “MinAiden, huh? That’s probably the most stupid name I’ve ever heard” he whispered to himself, slightly blushing as he said his and Min’s ship name.

Meanwhile, Jasper was walking by the hedged area of the student center, eating an ice cream cone as he headed to class, when he noticed a student on the ground close to the hedges seemingly looking for something. Curious, Jasper approached the student, taking off one of his ear buds, “Hey, are you okay?”.

The student stopped moving before slowly standing up and facing Jasper, “P’Jasper!” Bank cried out, his eyes somewhat teary, “I lost Wolf Card!”.

“Bank!?” Jasper said as he walked up to him, his polo covered with dirt, his face smudged with dust that got wet from his sweat, “Where did you last see it? Where’s Ball and Min?” the other boy added removing his other earphone, tying both of them around his neck.

“Ball and Min go class” Bank said, his voice breaking, his face flustered, “I skip class to look for WolfCard” he admitted as Jasper smiled.

“Come here” Jasper said, holding onto Bank’s arm as he guided him to a nearby bench. After sitting down, Bank just kept his head down, “Don’t look so down Bank, even if you can’t find it, we can always get another one at the Registrar’s office” Jasper explained, still holding his ice cream cone.

Bank raised his head up and looked at Jasper, his face slightly pouting, “Really?”.

“Yeah! If you want I can go with you to get another one” Jasper offered before his ice cream cone started dripping on his hand. Jasper almost immediately licked the part of his hand where the ice cream dripped as Bank looked on.

“Bank, you want some?” Jasper offered as he moved the ice cream cone towards Bank, who seemed a bit reluctant, still distressed that he lost his WolfCard.

“It’s good!” Jasper smiled, trying to convince Bank to try the ice cream cone he’s eating, “Though, if you think it’s gross, I completely understand” Jasper added as Bank shook his head.

“It’s okay, P’Jasper, me try” Bank said as Jasper moved the ice cream cone closer towards Bank’s lips, which looked naturally pink.

Bank leaned towards the ice cream cone that  Jasper was holding a slowly took a bite from it, followed by Jasper. As Bank swallowed the ice cream, he licked his lips, savoring the vanilla caramel ice cream he just tasted, this somewhat help Bank calm down, as he smiled a little bit.

“Hey! You smiled!” Jasper smiled, “I knew that would work, if I’m feeling anxious or distressed, I always buy a vanilla caramel ice cream, it always makes me smile”.

“Oh, wait” Jasper said, as he reached his right hand towards Bank’s face, “There’s something on your face”.

“P’Jasper?” Bank said, surprised at what Jasper was doing.

“Hold still for a second” Jasper said as he used his thumb to wipe off  a smudge of ice cream on the side of Bank’s lip, “There we go, it’s gone now”. Naturally, Bank blushed, lowering his head a little bit.

“Khob Khun Krub, P’Jasper” Bank whispered, trying to hide his smile.

“Mai Pen Rai Krub, Nong’Bank” Jasper replied, surprising Bank who tilted his head back up, looking at Jasper who was smiling, looking proud that he was able to reply in Thai.

“You speak Thai?” Bank asked, looking surprised and excited, “You say it really good!”.

Jasper just laughed before ruffling Bank’s hair, happy that he was able to say ‘You’re welcome’ in Thai properly, “I was watching some Thai videos on YouTube the other day, and I thought I should learn how to say ‘Thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’ in your language”.

“Also” Jasper added as he slowly ruffled Bank’s hair, “About that kiss during the welcome party..”

“It’s o-okay P’Jasper, me don’t mind!” Bank stuttered, his face slightly blushing before Jasper softly squeezed his cheek.

“I know it might cause some inconvenience for you, especially from my fan base, but me and Cappuccino Power will be there to protect you” Jasper explained, slowly and clearly so that Bank could understand what he was trying to say.

“Me, going to be okay! P’Min and P’Ball will help me!” Bank proudly said, reassuring Jasper that Bank will be at least protected by his suitemates.

“That’s good to hear” Jasper replied as he ruffled Bank’s hair again. Their bromance was interrupted by Cadet-Major Del Rosario who loudly cleared her throat, flanked by Cadet-Captain Francisco and two other cadets.

“Apologies for the interruption, Mr. Hernandez, Mr. Chungwatana” Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she gave a salute, the other cadets followed suit. Jasper immediately removed his hand from Bank’s head as the two stood up from the bench.

“Amy, Rebecca! What’s up!?” Jasper greeted as Bank stepped slightly behind Jasper, slightly nodding his head in acknowledgement of the cadets’ presence.

“We were heading towards the International Exchange Program Office, but then we noticed the two of you here” Cadet-Major Del Rosario explained, ending their salute.

“Oh? Did you need something from us?” Jasper asked before Cadet-Major Del Rosario walked up to Jasper, with Cadet-Captain Francisco behind her, the two cadets remaining in their positions.

“Not really, but since Bank is here, now we do” Cadet-Major Del Rosario said before pulling something out of her combat uniform’s breast pocket.

“This is yours, right Bank?” Cadet-Major Del Rosario continued with a smile on her face as she handed over a card, which Jasper took and quickly looked at.

“Hey, Bank! It’s you’re WolfCard!” Jasper said, sounding excited, as he passed the WolfCard to Bank, who seemed relieved that he got his missing WolfCard back.

“Where? WolfCard?” Bank asked as he pointed at his WolfCard.

“One of our patrols found it just outside the International House, we were going to bring it to the International Exchange Office, but we didn’t expect to see you both here” Cadet-Captain Francisco explained.

“Khob Khun Krub! Thank you!” Bank said with a smile on his face as he gave Cadet-Major Del Rosario and Cadet-Captain Francisco a wai, expressing his deep gratitude to them for locating his WolfCard.

“Cadet-Captain Francisco” Cadet-Major Del Rosario called as Cadet-Captain Francisco took a step forward.

“Ma’am!” Cadet-Captain Francisco replied as she stood at attention, Cadet-Major Del Rosario keeping his eyes locked unto Jasper.

“Escort Mr. Chungwatana back to the International House, tell him to clean up and get a change of clothes, and inform either Mr. Nontanakorn or Mr. Pattaya about the situation” Cadet-Major Del Rosario ordered.

“Yes, ma’am!” Cadet-Captain Francisco saluted in acknowledgement of her orders before she walked towards Bank and told him to follow her back to the International House. As Cadet-Captain Francisco and Bank walked out of the area, Cadet-Major Del Rosario ordered the other cadets to go with Cadet-Captain Francisco, which they promptly followed.

“Is there something wrong?” Jasper asked as he noticed Cadet-Major Del Rosario staring at him.

“Do you have a moment, Jasper?” Amy said as she took off her beret.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Jasper asked, “Did something happen?”

“I’m taking my beret off because I want to talk to you not as a Cadet-Major in the ROTC, but me as an individual and student here at MJU” Amy began.

“So, what’s the deal with you and Bank?” Amy asked in a straightforward tone, taking Jasper by surprise.

“What do you mean by that?” Jasper asked, still holding on to the ice cream cone that was already melted.

“Do you like him? Is it just a small bromance? Or are you just being overly friendly with him?” Amy asked, her face looking serious.

Jasper chuckled, he wasn’t expecting Amy to be asking some straightforward questions like she just did, “Hey, if you’re implying that I like Bank or anything, I don’t. Let’s be clear on that”.

“Good, you should also make it clear to Bank that you don’t have that kind of feelings for him!” Amy shot back, slightly raising her voice.

“What’s with you Amy? Why are you so worked up by how I interact with Bank?” Jasper asked, confused as to why Amy raising her voice.

“I don’t know if you haven’t noticed, or you’re just ignoring the facts in front of you, but Bank obviously has feelings for you. I don’t know what you’re playing at, but if you’re just playing with his emotions, I strongly recommend that you don’t” Amy explained.

“Why does it matter to you?” Jasper shot back, “Don’t put your nose in other people’s business!”

“Let me remind you, Jasper. That as the ROTC officer under the direct command of the Student Council, my job is to ensure the safety and security of the International Students, this includes keeping them from harm – physically and emotionally. I understand that you’re one of Aiden’s closest friends, but I cannot allow you to continue approaching Bank in a kind of way that would make him fall for you if you’re not going to commit to a relationship with him. I strongly advise you to be honest with Bank and tell him that you don’t have any feelings for him before he falls in love with you to the point of no return” Amy continued; her hands placed on her waist.

“I rather not have Bank’s heart crushed, ruining his experience here at MJU. It goes against the wishes of the Student Council President and the University Administration” Amy added.

“How can you even be sure that Bank has feelings for me?” Jasper asked, challenging Amy’s claim.

“Can you not tell how he reacts when you ruffle his hair? How he acts when you’re being nice to him? I’m not even around the two of you that much, but when I do, I notice it immediately” Amy replied.

“Try to be sensitive around those things, Jasper. It’s hard enough when girls get heartbroken from the guy they like, you have no idea how crushing, devastating, and depressing it is for a guy to get hurt by a guy they like. A girl loving a guy is different from a guy loving a guy, it takes tremendous amount of courage and emotional will to do something like that, especially in our judgmental and close-minded society” Amy continued, leaving Jasper silenced.

“So, you’re telling me, that Bank has feelings for me?” Jasper asked.

“I know what I see, it’s up to you to figure it out for yourself whether what I’m telling you is true or not. Truth be told, I’m not sure if you’re just ignoring it, or you actually don’t notice. I just hope it’s the latter and not the former” Amy said.

“How can he have feelings for me? We’ve only known each other for such a short time!” Jasper responded.

“Look, Jasper. Love doesn’t have a set rules that says you have to know someone for this amount of time to fall in love, sometimes people just fall in love with someone at first sight. I don’t know what kind of situation it is with Bank, but I feel like he’s getting all the wrong signals from you being so nice to him all the time. You may see it as random bromance or skinship, but have you ever stopped to consider he might be seeing it as something else?” Amy asked, causing Jasper to think properly.

“That’s why, if you’re not wanting to commit, I suggest you tell Bank now. It’ll be easier to hurt him now, than have him expect and fall for you even more before you drop the news” Amy suggested, as Jasper’s eye softened at the realization that Amy might be right.

“Is-is there a way where I don’t end up hurting Bank?” Jasper stuttered as he looked at Amy straight in the eye, genuinely worried and concerned about the prospect of hurting Bank’s feelings.

Amy can see it in Jasper’s eyes, that he doesn’t want to hurt Bank in any way, but she can’t afford to sugar coat any words and make the situation worse, “You’ve already passed that point of no return”.

“That kiss this weekend was the fine line you should’ve never crossed. That’s why it’s imperative that you tell Bank now before you hurt him even more in the near future” Amy recommended before putting her beret on, “If you’d excuse me Mr. Hernandez, I’ll be returning to my post” Amy saluted Jasper before returning to her station, leaving Jasper by himself, reflecting and thinking hard about what Amy said.

Meanwhile, Oscar just entered the Student Council room with his pink sweater tied around his neck, and high heels clacking on the floor. He was about to knock on Aiden’s door when he heard a voice called out “Come in!”.

Oscar backed off a bit before opening the door, as Oscar entered, he quickly shivered and commented on Aiden’s office’s temperature, which was well below his comfort zone, “I’m not sure if this is a meat locker or the office of the Student Council President”.

“Can it, Oscar” Aiden replied to his comment, “I have a favor to ask you” he continued as he got up from his chair, walking in front of his desk before leaning on it.

“To what do I owe the pleasure? President Kobayashi” Oscar asked, his voice sounding flirtatious.

“I need you to attend our press briefing at noon and announce the release date of the updated MJU’s Hot List and any other announcements you may have as it pertains to it” Aiden bluntly instructed but did not seem to faze Oscar one bit.

“That’s quite a tall order, Aiden. You know that’s gonna cost you” Oscar said as he walked up to Aiden with a grin on his face.

“Fine. Name your price” Aiden replied, determined to get Oscar on board with his plan, so determined in fact that he’s practically willing to give Oscar a blank check.

“I only have two conditions that I need you to meet” Oscar said, enjoying the fact that he could ask Aiden for anything.

“Name it, and do hurry up, we have less than three hours before the press briefing starts!” Aiden said with his usual cold tone.

“First, I want an exclusive interview with Min at MJU’s Hottest” Oscar said, naming his first condition.

“Consider it done. What’s the other one?” Aiden asked, a sense of rush and urgency coming from his voice.

“I want a selfie of you and Min together, for myself” Oscar giggled as the thought of Aiden and Min on the same selfie together made him excited.

“Are you out of your mind!?” Aiden exclaimed, “I’m a man of my word, I’ll do anything you want me to do, but don’t ask me for something I can’t give!”

“I expect that selfie before the press briefing starts. Like you said we have less than three hours left” Oscar said as he walked out of Aiden’s office, imitating the ticking sound of the clock.

“Ah, for fuck’s sake!” Aiden whispered as he buried his face on his hands, “Very well played Oscar, very well played. I guess that’s a checkmate on me, huh?”. Aiden groaned, walking to his door to close it before he started pacing around his office, trying to think how he could fulfill Oscar’s second condition with the amount of time he has.

“Shit, what’s that Thammasat Kid’s schedule!?” Aiden asked himself before sitting back down on his chair and accessing Min’s files again.

“Damn it! He’s in accounting class now, and he doesn’t have a free time until just before the press briefing starts!” Aiden said somewhat panicked, “He really pushed me into a corner here, I would have to pull him out of his accounting class at this rate!”

Before Aiden could do anything else, he took out his phone and sent a direct message to Moira via LINE and instructed her to type up a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) for Oscar to sign in regard to the selfie he was going to take with Min. Of course, Aiden never mentioned anything in detail to Moira, except for her to write the NDA and have it done before the scheduled press briefing at noon.

After sending his message, he looked at Min’s schedule again to check the room number and who the professor for his class is - GSB – 201; Dr. Leo Crisostomo.

“Damn it, why did he have to choose a terror professor for his accounting class!? I have no time for this!” Aiden commented, “Shit, I just have to knock, excuse Min, take the damn selfie, and then shove him back in the classroom. Okay. That’s the plan” Aiden told himself as he got up from his chair.

Aiden was looking at Moira’s reply as he walked towards his door, his eyes still glued on his phone. When he opened the door, he failed to notice Min standing outside his office, causing him to collide with the taller boy, his phone accidentally falling on the carpeted floor. “Shit! I’m sorry, I di-“ Aiden apologized as he grabbed his phone on the floor, being interrupted mid-sentence.

“Aiden, are you okay?” Min asked, carrying a drink carrier that has two drinks in it and plastic bag from one of the cafes across the street from the university - using his credit card to purchase the food and drink.

“Thammasat Kid! What are you doing here!? Aren’t you supposed to be in your accounting class!?” Aiden asked as he stood back up, confused as to what Min was doing outside his office.

“Oh, our professor cancelled our class today. I ran into Angela earlier and she said you could use some caffeine and some sugar, so I bought you something from a nearby café” Min explained.

“This saves me a whole lot of trouble then” Aiden said as he walked back into his office, “Well, don’t just stand there, come in”. Min followed Aiden inside, closing the door as he entered. Surprisingly, Min wasn’t bothered by the temperature inside Aiden’s office, unlike the previous visitors earlier in the day.

“Did you need me by chance?” Min asked as he laid the drink carrier and the plastic bag on the coffee table in front of the armchairs.

“Yes, actually” Aiden cleared his throat, his head slightly facing away from Min, his face lowkey blushing.

“Damn, I didn’t think I’d run to him so soon. Don’t think of the kiss, don’t think of his confession, just focus on the press briefing” Aiden thought to himself before Min called out to him, “Aiden?” breaking his inner monologue.

“Anyways, as I was saying, I have a favor to ask you. For the record, this is strictly a Student Council affair, nothing personal or anything like that” Aiden explained.

“What is it?” Min asked, sitting on one of the armchairs, “I’m not going to any more meetings am I?”

“Of course not, that was a one-time thing” Aiden replied, feeling flustered just being alone at the same room with Min, “I need you to take a selfie with me!”

“A selfie!?” Min quickly blinked twice before a grin formed on his face, “I’ll take a selfie with you anytime”

“This is also a one-time thing! Don’t let it get through your head” Aiden said as he prepped his phone to take the selfie. Aiden turned his back towards Min as he tried to get a good angle to take the selfie that Oscar wanted to satisfy his final condition. Just as Aiden was focusing his phone, he suddenly felt Min grab him from behind, his arm around his waist, and forcibly sitting him on his lap, “Mi-Min!? What the hell!?” Aiden reacted as he awkwardly sat on top of Min’s lap, the taller boy’s arm around his waist.

“If this is going to be a one-time thing, I want it at least to be special” Min said as he removed his arm around Aiden’s waist and actually hugged Aiden from behind, resting his chin on Aiden’s left shoulder, “You should at least set a timer, so you have a chance to pose” Min suggested, Aiden reluctantly complying.

Aiden is completely flustered, his heart beating faster again, wondering how he ended up around Min’s arms again. All he could think of at this point was how he needed to get the selfie quickly so he could get away from Min, he was also chanting the words “This is for the students” repeatedly inside his head.

Aiden put a five second timer for the camera before extending his arm out, far enough where it shows the both of them in the frame before pressing the capture button, beginning the countdown. Aiden put on a semi-annoyed/bored pose that still looked cool, with Min laying his chin on Aiden’s shoulder, his head against Aiden’s ear. As the timer counted down, Min softly and caressingly whispered in Aiden’s ear, “Smile my snobby cappuccino prince” causing Aiden to blush which was caught in the picture.

Aiden quickly got up from Min’s lap to check the picture, as Aiden was about to look at his phone, Min grabbed his phone from behind, before quickly sending the picture to his phone as a form of remembrance, “I want to at least have a copy of our selfie in return for helping you”.

Aiden clicked his tongue, “Damn it Thammasat Kid! You can’t just do anything you want you know!”

“I’m sure I could persuade you” Min replied as he checked out the photo he just sent to himself.

“I highly doubt it!” Aiden countered before looking at the picture, he quickly winced at the picture as they looked like an actual couple, “I swear to God, I’ve given up most of my dignity because of this position”.

Min just smiled when he saw their selfie, quickly using it as his lock screen wallpaper before pulling one of the drinks from the drink carrier, and giving it to Aiden, “Here, this for you”. Min said as he handed Aiden a large iced cappuccino.

“What’s that?” Aiden asked, hesitant to take the drink Min was handing to him.

“It’s a large iced cappuccino with four shots of espresso, that’s how you like it right?” Min said as Aiden’s eyes softened, his left brow raised up a bit – indicating he was keen on what Min was giving him.

Aiden quickly grabbed the iced coffee and started drinking, his aura seemingly changing as his body was infused with a dose of caffeine, “How do you even know how I like my iced cappuccino?”.

“I got a quick glance of what was written on that empty cup you threw at me in the control booth during the Student Organization Fair, and I figured that’s what it meant” Min explained, causing Aiden to sigh in disbelief before taking another sip of his drink.

“I mean, that’s what couples do right? I’m your boyfriend after all, so I should know” Min teased, causing Aiden to spray the cappuccino he was drinking out his mouth.

Min laughed at Aiden’s reaction before the latter placed his drink on top of his desk, “Don’t even say things like that! First off, we’re not a couple! Second, I never said anything about you being my boyfriend!”.

“Well, since I already told you my feelings, it’s Boyfriend Presumptive now, actually” Min chuckled, “Basically, all that’s left is for you to respond to my confession to make it official between us”.

“That’s if I actually return your feelings, Thammasat Kid” Aiden rolled his eyes as he grabbed a box of tissue out of his drawer. Min grabbed the other iced cappuccino from the drink carrier, which was basically identical to what Aiden has, although Min isn’t really much of a fan of drinks with large doses of espresso, he convinced himself that he needs to at least try the things that Aiden likes, and see if he could learn to love them too – small things that Min has been trying to do for Aiden.

Min shuddered after taking a sip of the iced cappuccino that was loaded with espresso, catching the attention of Aiden, “What the hell is that reaction?”. Min took another sip of his drink, repeating the same reaction he had.

“If you don’t like it, why do you keep on drinking?” Aiden asked, his brows furrowed.

“I’m trying to see if I could also like the things you love” Min replied as he took another sip, the struggle on his face evident as he continued to force himself.

Aiden scoffed, rolling his eyes he said, “Why would you do something so stupid?”.

“Because I like you. That’s all the reason I would ever need” Min responded with a smile, “I could’ve said that I love you, but I feel like we’re not at that point yet”.

Aiden was left speechless as Min expressed his true and honest feelings. Although Aiden is cold, blunt, and somewhat sarcastic, he was able to respect Min for being able to talk about his feelings so openly, without any hints of regrets, shame, or embarrassment, hence his decision not to say anything witty in response to what Min just said.

Out of curiosity, Aiden nonchalantly asked, “At what point do you feel like saying you love me then?” before grabbing his iced cappuccino and taking a sip.

Min laughed as if not realizing the gravity and weight of Aiden’s question, “Probably when you fall for me as well, maybe then, I’ll tell you with all my heart that I love you”.

As Min finished answering the question, it hit him, “Wait? Why are you curious? Don’t tell me you want me to start saying I love you?” he teased as Aiden’s eyes widened.

“Of course not! It was just a simple question! Don’t make mundane things bigger than they actually are, Thammasat Kid!” Aiden fired back.

Min laughed as he pulled out a Styrofoam box from the plastic bag he placed on the coffee table earlier, handing it towards Aiden, “Here you go”.

“What the hell is this?” Aiden responded, not looking interested at the slightest.

“I also got you something to eat” Min smiled as he tried to hand Aiden the box, which the latter was still hesitant to take.

“It’s nothing bad, here” Min added as he opened the box, revealing a multilayer coffee cake with toffee. Aiden’s left brow raised up, his eyes once again softened as he locked his gaze towards the cake that Min was holding, “You want it, Aiden?”.

Aiden nodded his head as if he was a kid, still holding his iced cappuccino, the sight made Min smile as he looked like a kid really wanting the tasty treat, “Do you want me to feed you?” Min asked teasingly.

“To hell with that! I can feed myself you know!” Aiden replied, slightly blushing at the suggestion.

“Shouldn’t we at least practice? I mean, we’re going to be a couple anyways” Min teased further as Aiden clicked his tongue.

“What makes you think I would agree to become your boyfriend?” Aiden asked, internally being backed into a corner by Min’s aggressive line of assumptions and insinuations.

“I’m not thinking about it, but somehow, I feel like you will, at the right time” Min responded, the pureness and honesty of his answer shook Aiden to the core, as if he knows deep inside that Min might be right, although he hasn’t realized it yet.

Aiden took the box from Min’s hand, placing his drink on top of his desk before he started eating the cake. Min only watched with satisfaction in his face as Aiden seemed to enjoy the cake he bought for him. Aiden was quick to eat the cake, as he was about to eat the last piece when Min’s stomach suddenly growled, loud enough for Aiden to stop eating and look at Min.

“Have you eaten anything?” Aiden asked, “If not, you may leave and get something to eat”. Min semi-pouted at the suggestion but was willing to do what was asked of him. Before Min could do anything, Aiden realized his words came out harsher that he meant it to be.

“Wait” Aiden said, looking away from Min, “You can have the last piece of the cake” he continued as he handed the box towards Min who looked happy and grateful but was trying to hide it.

Min leaned forward, opening his mouth and made an “Aaaaaah” sound, telling Aiden to feed him the last piece of the cake. Aiden looked at Min after hearing the sound he just made.

“Fine, I’ll make you a deal” Aiden said, taking advantage of the opportunity to get something out of Min, “I’ll feed you, if you delete our selfie from your phone”.

Min’s expression changed as he slowly closed his mouth, torn between being fed by the person he loves, a one-time satisfaction versus keeping their selfie together, a memento he can keep forever. Min was obviously torn between the choices offered to him by Aiden.

He knows that this moment may never come again, given all his talk earlier about Aiden being his boyfriend, Min actually has doubts that it would become a reality, given the time-constrictions he has in the Philippines, and Aiden’s unpredictability. But then again, if he deletes the selfie, he might equally never get the chance to take another picture with him in that kind of way again, given that Aiden will probably have his guard up when it comes to those kinds of things.

Min was severely torn, but ended up choosing being fed. Had M.A.S.S. been in the room, they probably would unanimously agree that it was probably the dumbest choice between the two. Though one can’t blame Min, since he would have the sweetest memory with Aiden locked in his memories and his heart.

Min reluctantly pulled his phone out, unlocking it before giving it to Aiden, letting him delete the picture. A gesture of complete trust, honesty and transparency in his part, “Can’t you delete it yourself?” Aiden asked, looking at Min who seemed defeated, but was trying to hide it in a veil of fake smile.

“Consider this as a gesture of my openness to you. I don’t think I can bring myself to delete it, so I’ll let you do it in my stead” Min explained as Aiden took Min’s phone. Aiden went to Min’s gallery and quickly deleted the selfie, he then went to his settings and changed his wallpaper, forever removing it from Min’s phone. Aiden also searched Min’s cloud storage to make sure no other copies or backups are left before returning it to Min.

“Here” Aiden said as he used the spork to grab the last piece of cake, “Be quick about it Thammasat Kid”.

Min slowly leaned towards Aiden, opening his mouth before Aiden fed him the last piece of cake. Min smiled, although Aiden could easily see in his eyes that he was somewhat upset and sad that his copy of their selfie was forever gone. This somewhat bothered Aiden, because although he knows that it made Min sad, he was still smiling and trying to be happy in front of him, causing Aiden to silently tell himself, “Is this what love means? Faking a smile even though it’s how he really feels?”.

Later on the day at the Student Council press briefing room, the members of the MJU press corps were beginning to assemble as some members of the university staff are finishing up on the lectern and the stage where President Kobayashi and his guests will be speaking.

The Student Council press is as large as the main area of the Student Council room. The back of the room is where the lectern is located, on top of a stage a couple of inches from the floor. The lectern itself is made out of wood with the seal of the Student Council attached in front of it. Behind the lectern to the left is the Philippine Flag, to right is the Mount Juliet University Flag, and at the center just in front of the curtains, attached to the ceiling is the logo of the university. Behind the curtains is a wall which hides the stairs that leads below the briefing room, an area where members of the Student Council and their guests can wait until the press briefing starts. This area is accessible by openings on either side of the lectern and is where the Student Council members will emerge from when the briefing is about to begin. The waiting room below is also accessible from a different area of the university center which is key-card access only.

In front of the lectern, just above the first row of seats for the press corps are stage lights that are focused on stage. There are seven rows of leather theater chairs, with nine chairs on each row. The other end of where the lectern is where most of the cameras are located to broadcast the announcement live throughout the university. Behind the camera row is the control booth were the audio and video equipment are located, manned and operated by communication students. On each side of the control booth are openings which leads to the entrance to the press briefing room. On either side of the theater seats are area where photographers can stand to take pictures of the press briefing.

As with any press briefing headed by the Student Council President, all activities and classes at Mount Juliet are temporarily suspended so that students, faculty, and staff could hear any announcements that the Student Council President may have. This is also a form of respect and projection of power and influence for the Student Council as a whole and underscores the importance the body holds in the university. All types of communication medium under the control of the MJU media will automatically interrupt their regularly scheduled programming and broadcast the press briefing live.

Members of the Student Council present for the press briefing that are waiting below the briefing room are Aiden, Grace, Moira, and Angela, they are joined by Oscar and Music Club President, Jonathan Lopez. As the group are waiting, Aiden had Oscar sign the NDA that he had Moira type up, before sending him the selfie he took with Min earlier in the day, to the glee and delight of Oscar who was finally onboard with Aiden’s plan.

This was the first time Aiden will be showing himself to the press corps and the university since the welcome party, and he was already bracing himself for the imminent flood of questions in regards with the kiss that happened. Although he’s personally shaken and troubled by it, the thought of facing the press corps and the university enabled him to compose himself, filling himself with the role of Student Council President and closing off any kind of individuality or personal emotions or feelings he might have about the affair that transpired during the party.

As tradition dictates, the Public Relations Officer, who also acts as the Student Council Press Secretary would start the press briefing five minutes early and then transition to the Student Council President who would formally begin the event, announcing the main topics of the press briefing before letting the press corps ask any questions that pertains to the university as well as any affair that the Student Council oversees. On average, regular press briefings headed by the Public Relations Officer lasts about half an hour, and any briefing headed by the Student Council can last up to forty-five minutes to an hour.

The press briefing room was filled with chatters and laughter when the “stoplight”, a series of three lights above the openings behind the lectern turned from green to yellow, indicating that the press briefing was about to begin, somewhat lowering the chatter noise a bit. A few minutes later, the light turned red, indicating that the cameras are now broadcasting live, and that the press briefing was about to start. After a few seconds, Angela emerged from the left hand opening behind the lectern from the press corps’ perspective and walked towards the lectern, with flashes and sounds of camera clicking replaced the chatters in the room.  

As Angela stood at the lectern, she greeted everyone with a smile on her face, “Good Afternoon everyone” as the entire press corps and everyone else present greeted her back.

“Thank you all for coming, and I would like to welcome everyone to the first Student Council Press Briefing this academic year. Today, President Kobayashi will be announcing major changes that will affect the Student Council as well as the student body as a whole. In addition, the leader of the Hunters, Oscar Hernandez and MJU Music Club President, Jonathan Lopez will be doing major announcements as well as it pertain to their respective organizations” Angela said in her opening speech as the press corps started clamoring for answers, their voices overlapping before Angela slightly raised her hand to bring order in the briefing room.

“I understand the MJU Press Corps has a lot of questions, but I would like to ask everyone to please refrain from asking any questions until after the announcements are over” Angela added.

As Angela finished speaking, the remaining Student Council Officers, together with Oscar and Jonathan emerged from the same opening where Angela came out of earlier, causing everyone’s attention to shift towards their group, as another round of flashes came from the camera.

“Members of the MJU Press Corps, please welcome our Student Council President, Aiden Kobayashi” Angela announced as Aiden made his way towards the lectern. As Aiden walked, the entire press corps stood up as a sign of respect to the Student Council President. Angela stepped backwards and stood behind him, to his left-hand side. Grace, Moira, Oscar, and Jonathan followed suit, and all stood behind Aiden, on his right-hand side, with Grace closest to Aiden, then Moira, Oscar, and Jonathan in that order.

As Aiden stood at the lectern he signaled for everyone to sit down, which everyone promptly did before beginning his speech as flashes from the cameras continued to go off, “Good Afternoon” Aiden said, his usual tone filling the entire room as everyone greeted him back.

“Like Angela has already mentioned, I do have a major announcement to relay to the entire MJU campus. Last week, during the Executive Council meeting, I submitted a proposal to expand the current 8-member Student Council to a 13-member organization. In addition to the position of the International Student Representative which has been formally and officially recognized by the Executive Council as a legitimate and new member of the Student Council, the positions of Attorney-General, Student Ambassador Attaché, Secretary, ROTC Attaché, and Events Coordinator will be added. Currently, we are compiling lists of suitable candidates to fill the position of Attorney-General, Secretary, and Events Coordinator” Aiden announced to the surprise of the press corps who promptly wrote down and/or typed what he just said as multiple camera flashes illuminated the room.

“As of this moment, I’m appointing Cadet-Major Amy Del Rosario, commander of the 1^st and 2^nd ROTC Companies as the first ROTC Attaché, and will be charged with liaising between the Student Council and the ROTC while retaining her command authority” Aiden added.

“As the Chairman of the Mount Juliet Student Ambassador Association, I will be choosing from within our rank and file Student Ambassadors who will fill the position of Student Ambassador Attaché, who shall serve as a liaison to our Student Ambassadors who, in the near future will be posted at our partner universities abroad, as well as liaising with our future Student Diplomatic Corps, which will be composed of Student Ambassadors sent to us by our partner universities to facilitate student level relationship and discuss ways to improve our International Exchange Program and allow for our International Students to have a direct line of communication to their home universities, and vice versa” Aiden continued.

“To that end, we shall be announcing by the end of this week who will be named in the still vacant positions, and they shall be sworn in as new official members of the Student Council” Aiden concluded as the press corps started clamoring again. Aiden raised his hand slightly which quieted down the room before he introduced Jonathan Lopez who then took the lectern.

“Good Afternoon everyone, my name is Jonathan Lopez, this academic year’s Music Club President. On the invitation of the Student Council President, I’m standing before you to announce that our club have finalized the details pertaining to this year’s Battle of the Bands” Jonathan announced to the excitement of the press corps who started writing/typing down what he said as the cameras flashed again.

“The Battle of the Bands will be held on September 16, 2022 at Mount Juliet’s Central Field. The main theme for this year will be love songs, any genre, any year. Registration period starts tomorrow at noon and ends on Friday, so for any bands who want to participate and register, please come to the Music Club room or to one of our registration booths that will be setup tomorrow in and around the student center. We look forward to hosting Mount Juliet University’s Battle of the Bands 2022!” Jonathan added to the further excitement of everyone.

“More details and mechanics for the Battle of the Bands will be announced via our social media, and the official posters will be up by next week. Before I end my announcement, I would like to extend our thanks, on behalf of myself and the members of the Music Club to President Kobayashi and the Student Council for allowing us to announce this during this press briefing, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day!” Jonathan concluded as he handed over the lectern back to Aiden, the two shaking hands before the latter took the lectern again.

Jonathan’s announcement reverberated throughout campus, it’s effectiveness of denying further oxygen to the kiss that happened during the welcome party was beyond Aiden’s expectations, albeit he doesn’t know it yet. The Battle of the Bands is one of the “Big Three” events during the 1^st semester at Mount Juliet, ranked by popularity, turnout, and social media traffic, the other two events under the “Big Three” are Foundation Day and the MJU Olympics which are also major events later in the semester that are being looked forward to ever year by both the student body, and the university faculty and staff.

“Thank you for that announcement Jonathan, let me assure the Music Club that the Student Council will provide any and all assistance to your club to make this year’s Battle of the Bands a success” Aiden said, “Next, we have Oscar Hernandez from the Hunters who is also making a major announcement” Aiden continued as he invited Oscar to the lectern.

Of course, Oscar was basking in the attention he was receiving as camera flashes went off in his face as the press corps anxiously await for what his announcement is going to be. Grace, Moira, Angela, and Jonathan we’re forcing a smile as they watched Oscar doing weird poses in front of the press corps, as if he was doing a photo shoot for a fashion magazine - Aiden remaining stoic amidst the spectacle.

“Alrighty, beautiful and lovely people of the press corps! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to feel like an actual model for a few seconds” Oscar began as laughter erupted in the briefing room.

“In any case, per the request of President Kobayashi…” Oscar paused as he turned to face Aiden, slowly flashing his long fake eye lashes, as Aiden felt a light chill run down his spine.

“Per the request of our handsome Student Council President, I was also invited to join in the press briefing to announce the release date of our new MJU Hot List” Oscar began causing the press corps to lean forward in anticipation of his announcement.

“Because of President Kobayashi’s request, the Hunters will be expediting the release of our new Hot List. Originally, it was schedule to be released this Saturday, but I’ve ordered my team to have it released by Wednesday at the latest” Oscar announced as the press corps started writing/typing what he said, with some of the female journalists flailing at the announcement.

“I hope everyone looks forward to our new hot list!” Oscar concluded, giving a wink before handing the lectern over to Angela.

“Right, thank you for that exciting announcement Oscar, and now to the final segment of the press briefing, we will give the press corps a chance to ask anything related to the Student Council, university, or any of the announcement that was just made. Please keep order, decency, and decorum when asking questions” Angela announced before she handed the lectern back to Aiden, who was internally reluctant to face the questions the press corps was going to throw at him.

As Aiden predicted, he was hounded by the press corps with questions mostly related to the kiss, but the narrative was soon pivoted towards the expansion of the Student Council, the Student Ambassador Corps, and topics regarding the International Students. Of course, both Jonathan and Oscar got a share of questions from the press corps, as it relates to the Battle of the Bands and the MJU Hotlist respectively. The press briefing ended up being an hour long affair, but Aiden’s plan managed to work, after the press briefing, Angela reported that there has been a shift in the news cycle and chatters on social media, with the Battle of the Bands, the new MJU Hotlist, and the expansion of the Student Council trending.

As Aiden, Grace, Moira, and Angela was heading back to the Student Council room for a quick debrief, the “Cappuccino Power” GC started lighting up, catching the attention of Moira and Angela, since Aiden’s phone’s notifications were off, and Grace wasn’t in the GC, they weren’t able to react.

“Hey, guys! Has anyone seen Min? We haven’t seen him at all this morning” Ball messaged on the GC, causing Moira to report the situation to Aiden.

“Aiden!” Moira called out as they reached the Student Council room, “Have you seen Min this morning?”

“Why? What about that Thammasat Kid? He showed up my office this morning” Aiden said as he slightly looked at Angela, since it was because of her that Min went to his office that morning in the first place.

“Ball says he hasn’t seen him all morning” Moira reported.

“That Thammasat Kid’s probably in class or something, tell Ball not to worry too much” Aiden said as he dismissed Moira’s concerns before entering the Student Council room, followed by Grace. Moira messaged Ball on the GC and relayed Aiden’s message before silencing her phone as she and Angela followed Aiden and Grace inside to start their debrief.

It was around 13:45 when they finished the debrief, which consisted of talking about the current news cycle and current trends, their next steps in further containing the fallout and controlling the narrative, as well as talking about what they will be discussing during their weekly Student Council meeting later, and arranging Min’s interview in MJU’s Hottest which Aiden and Oscar agreed on.

Grace was the first to leave as she has class, while Aiden, Moira, and Angela remained seated at the conference table, watching WNN and monitoring the situation on campus closely. Although Aiden has classes, he’s allowed to miss so long as his reasons for missing are related to the Student Council, this privilege also extends to all members of the Student Council and could use this privilege whenever they see fit. Of course, given Aiden’s impressive academic standing, he can afford to miss multiple days of classes, and still come out on top, given that he can effortlessly catch up to his classes, and even does extra credit activities to further boost his grade.

When Moira checked her phone, she was surprised to see that the “Cappuccino Power” GC was full of messages, exchanged between Ball, Aaron, Mingyu, Jasper, and Katrina. When she opened it, she quickly backread on all that was talked about, and apparently Min has his phone shut off, and has missed his afternoon classes, and is still nowhere to be found. Angela who was also backreading looked at Moira before the latter informed Aiden again, albeit hesitantly.

“Aiden, about Min…” Moira said taking Aiden’s focus from the television.

“Now what?” Aiden responded, sounding uninterested at the slightest, “What about the Thammasat Kid?”

“He’s still missing, and apparently he missed his afternoon classes” Moira reported, expecting Aiden to say something smart, but was surprised when Aiden took his phone out and started reading the conversation in the “Cappuccino Power” GC.

“Does Ball have any idea where Min could’ve gone?” Aiden asked Moira, as the latter messaged the GC, to which Ball replied in the negative, followed by another explanation that he, Bank, Jasper, Aaron, Mingyu, and Katrina have searched the entire university to no avail.

“Should we ask the ROTC for support?” Moira asked as she and Angela looked at Aiden who seemed to be in deep thought.

“Did anything happen for Min to act strange like this?” Aiden sent to the GC, surprising everyone.

“The only reason that I know for Min to act this way if he’s sulking. He’s never pulled anything like this since Middle School though” Ball explained.

“I’ll take care of it, you all go back to whatever you have been doing” Aiden replied, confusing everyone who read his message.

“Aiden, should I inform Amy?” Moira asked again as Aiden got up from his chair.

“No, I’ll deal with this myself. You two stay here and continue monitoring the situation, let me know if anything changes both on campus and online” Aiden said before leaving the Student Council room. Moira and Angela were left speechless, not knowing what Aiden was going to do, nevertheless, they followed his instruction with Moira monitoring the news, while Angela kept a close eye on social media.

Aiden went to the central cafeteria, where there was still a sizeable amount of students, not minding the stares, squeals, pictures and videos being taken of him. His only concern at the moment was dealing with Min, who according to Ball, was sulking, and Aiden has a pretty good idea what he was sulking about, and most importantly, he already knows exactly where Min is.

After buying something from one of the stalls, he made his way to the ground floor of the student center and entered a corridor which was a key-card accessible only for staff, which he was able to open thanks to the access privileges that Vice Chancellor Gutierrez gave him. As soon as he entered the empty corridor, he walked a little bit before reaching a window, he then opened it and jumped out.

Aiden landed outside the student center, the area where he’s at is the place he and Min met for the first time, the hidden area behind the hedges that Min accidentally found on his first day at Mount Juliet. Just as Aiden had suspected, Min was hiding here, sitting on the grass, his back against the tree he was leaning on when they met. Since Aiden was coming from behind, Min didn’t notice him approaching and as Aiden got closer, he noticed Min’s air pods protruding from his ear.

When Aiden got in front of Min, he found that the latter was sleeping, much like how Min found him during their first meeting. Aiden gave out a sigh as he pulled out a cold apple flavored C2 from the plastic bag he was carrying before placing the cold drink on Min’s cheek, immediately waking him up.

“What the!? Aiden!? What are you doing here!?” Min asked in a surprised tone before Aiden dropped the drink on Min’s lap.

“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you hiding out in my hiding spot?” Aiden asked as Min got up from the ground.

“Oh, it’s nothing” Min responded softly, averting his eyes away from Aiden.

“You’re not a very good liar are you? I didn’t think you would sulk about me deleting the selfie from your phone this morning” Aiden said, surprising Min.

“How did you know?” Min asked, surprised how Aiden was able to figure everything out.

“It was pretty obvious from your sad attempt to hide your feelings this morning” Aiden said as he opened the other C2 in the plastic bag.

“I’m sorry, Aiden. It’s just, that was a really important picture for me” Min admitted, his voice soft and disappointed, his face looked like a sad puppy, which Aiden wasn’t able to resist.

Aiden clicked his tongue, “Give me your phone” he commanded as Min followed without any hesitation.

“Aren’t you going to at least unlock it?” Aiden added his face looking impatient.

“Oh, sorry. The password is my birthday, its-“ Min said before being interrupted by Aiden.

“022103. I got it” Aiden said as he inputted the code to Min’s phone which unlocked it.

“How, do you know that?” Min asked, surprised that Aiden knew when his birthday is. He was shocked but was happy in the inside that Aiden knows his date of birth, causing Min to slightly smile at the sudden and unexpected revelation.

After a minute, Aiden threw Min’s phone back, “You’re not to let anyone know about this, got it!?” he instructed, his voice cold and commanding, but was a little shaken.

Min was confused at what Aiden did, and so he looked at his phone, and to his surprise, his phone’s wallpaper was their selfie from that morning. He checked the gallery and Aiden has sent the picture again, which made him really happy.

“Why?” Min asked, his eyes sparkling, “Why would you send it to my phone? I thought you didn’t want me to have this selfie?”.

“Because you’re sulking, and Ball and the rest of Cappuccino Power has been blowing up the GC” Aiden responded, “You should contact everyone and let them know you’re feeling better now”.

“Is that really the reason why?” Min pressed, causing Aiden to slightly blush.

“Of course Thammasat Kid! What other reason could there be!? I’m trying to make sure that the whole student body wouldn’t cause any incident because of what happened during the welcome party, and this is the last thing I need to be dealing with right now” Aiden forcibly explained, avoiding eye contact with Min who couldn’t help but smile.

“Right. You know, Aiden, you’re not really good at lying either” Min chuckled, causing Aiden to become flustered.

“Whatever! I’m returning to the Student Council room, don’t forget to message the GC!” Aiden said dismissively before walking back towards the window he used to enter his hiding spot. As he was about to climb through the window, Min called out to Aiden, “Thank you Aiden, I really appreciate it. I love you!”

The last words that came out of Min’s mouth caused Aiden to hit his head on the window pane, and snagging his foot on whatever he was stepping on to get through the window, causing him to fall on the floor of the student center corridor. Min laughed after seeing what happened to Aiden before the latter put his arm out of the window and gave Min the middle finger before walking back to the Student Council room, his pride, dignity, and his head hurting. Min laughed again before drinking the C2 that Aiden gave him, smiling at the fact that Aiden fed him that morning, and he got their selfie back. After finishing his drink, he turned off his phone’s airplane mode and a gush of notifications and messages greeted him. He did as Aiden instructed and messaged the GC. Unbeknownst to Min and Aiden, Cadet-Major Del Rosario was leaning on the other side of the hedges, and had listened in on them, a smile on her face formed after hearing Min say “I love you” to their Student Commander-in-Chief.

Later that afternoon, at the Student Council room, there was a sense of awkwardness between Min and Aiden, with Amy the only one in the room knowing the reason why, though she kept it to herself and not allow herself to be exposed. Aaron, Katrina, Moira and Angela expressed their concern and relief after finding out that Min was doing okay, with Moira revealing that they almost deployed the ROTC to start looking for him – again.

Of course, Aiden quickly ended their conversation as they started discussing several different topics at hand, which included the list of students that Grace had compiled for the positions of Attorney-General, Secretary, and Events Coordinator. The student candidates came from the different colleges at MJU, with wide-ranging backgrounds, accomplishments, and specialty, which the group debated on. The positions of Secretary and Events Coordinator were easily approved by the Student Council, however, they hit a huge obstacle when it came to the candidate for the position of Attorney-General.

The group agreed that the student to fill the position should come from the College of Law but were divided over whether the candidate should be a sitting Judge in the Student Court, a prosecutor, or an experienced defender. Another area that was hotly debated was whether they should go for someone already well known in the College of Law, or they should pick someone lesser known.

The argument for selecting a well-known student from the College of Law was that it would make them easily identifiable, using their established popularity and connections to quickly consolidate support for their candidate, and position the Student Council in the good graces of the College of Law. The argument against this was that people might perceive the Student Council as somewhat elitist and only choosing their candidates based on their popularity and connections instead of their merit and accomplishment, regardless if they are popular or not.

The deadlock came to pass when Aiden suggested that he will think over the pros and cons of both side’s arguments, and if need be, he will find a suitable candidate outside the list that Grace has provided them. This compromise was easily accepted by both sides and the debate over the Attorney-General was temporarily put aside – for now.

The next agendas of their meetings went faster, which included the budget for the organization and clubs, progress on the scheduling of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff’s meeting, discussion on the finalization of the proposal for the international student outing, the International Student Organization meeting, containing the fallout from the welcome party, updates and reports regarding Monica Sawyers’ probation period, Min’s exclusive interview with MJU’s Hottest, and the agreement that the Student Council reached.

Before their meeting was formally ended, the discussion regarding the Attorney-General was brought up again, leading to another round of debate. To quickly wrap things up, Aiden further suggested that he will be scouting the College of Law and attend Student Court hearings to see if they could find any other suitable candidates that Grace might have overlooked. Additionally, he suggested that the leaders of the two sides of the debate accompany him so that they could settle that matter right then and there if they somehow find a suitable candidate outside from what Grace has compiled, to the agreement of both sides.

As the meeting ended, Cadet-Major Del Rosario formally thanked Aiden for being named as the ROTC Attaché, which most of members of the Student Council already knew was coming as Aiden has invited Amy to all Student Council meetings since the academic year has started. Min for his part also thanked Aiden for making his position an official part of the Student Council, to which Aiden said was “necessary” given that the international students would become an integral part of the student body, hence needed to be properly represented in the Student Council.

Aiden was the first to leave after the meeting concluded, instructing Moira to write up a summary of the meeting and email it to him once she’s done as he left, he also gave similar orders to Katrina and Kobe in regard to the club and organization budgets. Of course the members of the Student Council were wondering  where Aiden was going in a hurry, with Grace telling them that it was for “personal reasons”.

Of course, the Student Council members took it at face value as no one dared to ask Aiden any details, lest they face his sarcasm and cold attitude, which no one was in the mood for, considering that Aiden has already had a rough day, given that he had to deal with a massive fallout from the kiss that happened during the welcome party and the MJU press corps. Grace and Kobe were the next to leave, followed by Amy, Min, Katrina, and Aaron. Moira and Angela stayed behind to finish up things and clean before leaving.

As Moira and Angela left the Student Council room, the former sent a message to the M.A.S.S. GC asking the others to meet them at the west gate. The group then convened at the café they went to last week, before proceeding to talk about any and all updates in regard to Min and Aiden. Ball dropped the bomb on the squad when he told them the details of Min’s confession. They also exchanged pictures that they might have had of the two before they started talking about their strategy moving forward now that Min has already achieved his initial goal of confessing to Aiden.

The squad decided that they will continue supporting the two in the shadows and will use any and all possible opportunity to strengthen and improve their relationship. They also agreed on using their positions and social standings at MJU to ensure that no third party can interfere between Min and Aiden.

Aiden arrived at Café Confiture 30-minutes earlier than he planned, which surprised him, given he had to take a longer route to ensure that no one from MJU noticed or followed him. The doors were still locked when he arrived, having to call Beans to unlock the door for him so he could get inside. After being let in, he immediately went to the staff locker rooms, putting his bag inside the locker he used to use when he was working there during the summer. He took his apron out of his bag, putting it on top of his white polo and jeans, before clipping his name tag on his apron. He looked at the mirror inside his locker and ruffled his hair a bit, before heading towards the bar where Beans was making a cup of hot cappuccino for him.

“You look rough Poker Prince” Beans commented as she poured the cappuccino in a white cup placed on top a white saucer, “You better drink up, it’s going to be a long night”.

“It should be fine” Aiden said as he pulled the saucer towards him, “Working here is a lot easier than dealing with the entire MJU student body” he admitted before taking a sip of the warm drink that Beans gave him. As he was drinking, Chief and Dani entered the shop, the former picking up the latter on campus.

“Oh, Aiden! You’re early!” Chief greeted as she and Dani walked up to him.

“Well, it is my first day, it would be rude showing up late” Aiden replied before taking another sip of his cappuccino.

“By the way, Aiden. I saw your press briefing earlier. Sounds like you’ve had a rough day” Dani commented as she and Chief stood beside Aiden.

“What press briefing? What was it about?” Beans asked, looking at Dani.

“The Student Council held a press briefing today, Aiden talked about the expansion of the Student Council, the Music Club President also gave an announcement in regard to this year’s Battle of the Bands, and the leader of the Hunters announced an expedited release of the new MJU Hot List as well” Dani explained as Beans and Chief nodded in unison.

“They also talked about the k-“Dani was about say something when Aiden cut her off.

“I’d stop right there Dani” Aiden said in a cold voice a he slowly returned his cup on top of the saucer.

“Right. I won’t mention it again” Dani responded with a smile before heading towards the staff locker room so she could get read.

“What was that all about? So what did you not want Dani telling us?” Beans asked Aiden to the latter’s annoyance.

“If I tell you, then it would make the “Not telling” part moot doesn’t it?” Aiden sarcastically responded as Chief laughed at Aiden’s response.

“He does have a point you know” Chief told Beans who conceded to Aiden’s point before pulling the saucer towards her and started washing the cup Aiden used.

“If all possible, I rather not have any conversation regarding MJU while I’m working here, it kinda defeats the purpose of working here to get away from all the things happening on campus” Aiden requested, his face looking the same, but was somewhat drained and exhausted.

“Alright, I understand. No MJU things while you’re working here, got it. I’ll let Dani know” Chief said before heading towards the staff locker room.

“Appreciated, Chief!” Aiden said before he started putting down the chairs that were placed on top of the tables, preparing the main area of the café for the arrival of the customers.

“Such a diligent kid” Beans whispered to herself as she watched Aiden get to work, chuckling at the sight as she finished washing up the cup.

Just as Aiden was preparing the main area of the café, Beans turned on one of the televisions in the common area to at least provide some background noises as she and Aiden worked. As the television was blaring, a sudden breaking news interrupted the programing. This caught Beans’ attention and turned it up as the newscaster started giving out details.

“We have breaking news! The President, Chairman, and CEO of the Labrador Group of Corporations, Carlos Labrador has just returned to the country after historic business dealings in Thailand. The deal that the Labrador Corporation has sealed will boost the trade and technology exchange between the private sectors in Thailand and here in the Philippines. Malacañang has welcomed this development as it directly helps the administration’s agenda in its campaign to strengthen cultural, economic, and military ties with Thailand. This is what Chairman Labrador has to say with their newly concluded deal” The Newscaster said as they played a recorded video of Chairman Labrador after arriving at NAIA.

Aiden shifted his eyes towards the television as images of his father was shown, he fisted his hands as his anger towards his father stirred inside him. He wanted to release what he was feeling but knows he couldn’t since he’s at work, and it risks revealing his true identity to everyone. He knows that if his father learns of his survival, he would go after everyone Aiden has associated with and use legally questionable tactics to oppress them for keeping his survival a secret, regardless if they knew about it or not.

“We’re excited and looking forward to our new business partners in Thailand, and we also welcome our renewed and strengthened business relations with our oldest and reliable partners. I hope that with these new deals, we could expand our market in other sectors of the Thai economy and continue to bring prosperity to both Thailand and our country” Chairman Labrador said before being escorted to his vehicle.

“Accordingly, in a press release by the Labrador Group, they have said the Chairman Labrador, and his wife, Vice President for Operations, Clara Eunice Labrador will be travelling on a three-week business trip in Europe to seal a comprehensive business deals with European companies and corporations before returning to the country” The Newscaster concluded before the regularly scheduled program resumed.

Aiden tried to control his emotions before it got the best of him, he calmly breathed in and out to calm himself down before anyone could notice his sudden change of mood. As he was trying to get his emotions controlled, Dani came out of the locker room before Beans made a comment, “Did you see the news?”.

“What news?” Dani asked as she walked towards Bean, “Did something happen?”

“It’s about the Labrador Group. That family is super rich, and well connected!” Beans commented.

“I mean, they are the richest family here in the Philippines, and their business dealings allow them to have connections even within the government” Dani said, “I heard they also have a son who’s studying abroad!”

“It must be nice to be married into that family!” Beans commented as Dani laughed at her comment.

“This is true. Imagine being married into a family with all that money” Dani added.

“I’m stepping out for a little bit!” Aiden suddenly called out before walking out the front entrance. Causing Dani and Beans to look at each other.

Unbeknownst to Dani and Beans, he overheard their conversation, not knowing about Aiden’s personal history. Of course their comments infuriated Aiden, for obvious reasons, but he also understood that they have no idea that he used to be member of the Labrador Family, and the only things left tying him to them is his blood and his pendant that would prove his identity and position as the legitimate successor to the Labrador Group of Corporations, and not his half-brother, who was born through a mistress while still married to his mother - the son that Dani was talking about. That same mistress is the same woman his father eventually married, this fact made Aiden remember his mother and younger brother, who died because of his father. His anger is also directed towards his step mother and half-brother who also played a role in their deaths.

Aiden went outside to cool his head, trying to think of something to calm himself down quickly before the customers start coming in. The last thing he needs is snapping at a customer and losing his job on his first day back, he tried brainstorming but couldn’t think of any happy thoughts that could calm him down, given that all the thoughts and memories he had was filled with sadness, sorrow, and anger.

Most of his happy childhood memories are associated with his mother and younger brother, and every time he thinks of them, his mind automatically directs his memories to the night they both died, whatever memories he might have left has become warped, “What the hell should I do?” Aiden whispered to himself.

“All of my memories are completely unreliable, and anything else that isn’t just reminds me of mother and Itsuki’s death” Aiden commented as he struggled to find even a single ounce of memory that could abate the anger he’s feeling.

Just then, he felt his phone vibrating in his apron, he reluctantly took it out and saw that Min sent him a message on LINE, he opened it and read his message,

“I hope you’re doing okay, Grace told us earlier you have personal reasons for leaving early. Don’t forget to eat, and make sure you sleep early!”

Aiden sighed at Min’s message, “Why does he message me like I’m his girlfriend or something?”. Before Aiden could do anything else, another message came from Min, this time, sending Aiden their selfie together from that morning, followed by another message,

“Be safe my snobby cappuccino prince! *Heart emoji* *Flying kiss emoji* *Hug emoji*”

Aiden clicked his tongue, annoyed and irritated by that fact Min is acting like they’re a couple. He then shoved his phone back into his apron, before walking back inside Café Confiture, his anger was replaced by annoyance and irritation towards Min. Aiden didn’t notice, but the effect that Min has on him allowed for his anger to greatly subside, and left him feeling a bit lighter than when he walked out.

When Aiden returned inside, Beans quickly called on him, “Hey! Poker Prince! You okay?”

“I’m fine” Aiden dismissively responded; his only thought right then was slapping the hell out of Min for sending him cheesy messages. Just as Aiden was reaching towards a damp towel by the sink next to Beans, the door opened, and a customer walked in.

Aiden turned around and greeted their first customer for the night, wearing his expressionless and stoic face, he greeted the customer without his cold tone, “Welcome to Café Confiture!”