"What the hell is going on with you? You really hanging out with someone like this now?" Tedy said, pointing straight at Deril, laughter bursting from his mouth.

Yefi chimed in with a wide grin, "Seriously, man, what happened? You run out of girls? Where's Clarissa? Isn't she your girlfriend? Or did you two break up already? Because damn, this is desperate."

He eyed Deril from head to toe, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and confusion.

But what they got in response was something they couldn't have expected. Edward simply stared back at them with his usual icy eyes, as if their presence was more annoying than welcome. No denial, no explanation, no reaction at all.

That silence unsettled them. Tedy and Yefi exchanged a look, their earlier grins fading into concern.

"Dude… do you think he's been hypnotized or something?" Tedy whispered.

"Hypnotized? Come on, we're not in some cheesy movie," Yefi shot back, but his eyes stayed narrow with suspicion. "Still… his vibe is way off. This isn't Edward."

After a few awkward attempts to joke around. None of which drew a single response, they gave up.

"Well, alright, bro. Hope you snap out of it soon," Tedy muttered, giving Edward's shoulder one last pat before the two walked away, shaking their heads in disbelief.

Once they were out of earshot, Deril, who had been doing his best to hold back his laughter, finally let his smile widen. He tried to keep his voice light as he mumbled under his breath, "Serves you right... acting all high and mighty just because you're rich. Hmph."

Moments later, the cafeteria lady arrived with their food. The middle-aged woman stared at the table with visible confusion, even glancing back again just to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

She knew Deril... everyone on campus did. And she definitely knew Edward, with his reputation for being exclusive, cold, and untouchable. Seeing the two of them sharing a meal?

To her, it was as strange as watching a cat and a dog sit down for dinner without trying to claw each other's eyes out.

Deril had only planned to mess with Edward, a little show-off moment in front of the cafeteria. But the longer he sat across from the guy, the stranger it all felt. Edward wasn't reacting the way Deril had pictured.

There was no scowl, no string of curses, not even an attempt to escape this ridiculous situation. Edward's face was completely expressionless, blank. As if emotions didn't apply to him. Especially the kind Deril was hoping for.

Deril furrowed his brow. "Huh? Why's he just sitting there? Most people would be yelling, slamming their spoon down, or straight up running away if I pulled this on them." He squinted at Edward's unmoved face.

"But…" That mischievous smile crept back onto his lips. "Isn't that even better? Now I can mess with him as much as I want, and he won't even notice. Hehehe."

The grin on his face was almost childlike—like a kid who had just found a new toy. Deril picked up a spoon and fed Edward a bite of rice with exaggerated flair. He loosened his wrist, swayed his body slightly, and used an over the top, cartoonish voice. "Aaaah, open up for me, baby…"

What happened next made dozens of eyes in the cafeteria go wide. Edward. The arrogant student who never let anyone get too close, actually opened his mouth without protest. The spoon went in easily, and Edward calmly chewed the food like nothing was out of place.

Laughter erupted from nearby tables. Some students smacked the table with amusement, others whistled mockingly, and a few were already recording the moment on their phones. Deril? He just got more excited.

"Look, guys!" he shouted, raising his voice so everyone could hear. "Turns out Edward is actually super sweet when you feed him. Doesn't quite match that too cool for anyone vibe, huh?"

More cheers followed. Some students mimicked Deril's dramatic style with their own silly voices, adding to the chaos. Edward didn't flinch. If anything, his blank stare made it look even more like he'd fallen for the prank completely.

After a few more exaggerated spoonfuls even going so far as to wipe Edward's lips with a tissue while grinning like some doting partner. Deril leaned back in his chair, arms crossed casually. But his face still wasn't satisfied.

"Nope. Not enough."

"I can't just stop here. This is too good to waste on a bunch of cafeteria kids," he muttered under his breath.

"I need to take him on a little tour… let the whole campus see how romantic we are."

He quickly grabbed Edward's hand again. "Come on. Let's go for a stroll. Say hi to everyone," he said, deliberately loud so the nearby tables could hear. More students burst into laughter, some rushing out of the cafeteria to keep following the drama.

Deril led Edward through the main corridor. Every time they passed a crowd, he made sure to wave and speak in a deliberately flirty tone. "Hiiiii, this is Edward. He's my friend… but, you know, more than just a friend, hehe."

Edward continued walking beside him without pulling his hand away or saying a single word. That total lack of resistance made the scene even more surreal.

Some of the girls who used to idolize Edward now stared in stunned disbelief. They whispered to each other, hiding their faces in secondhand embarrassment, as if their idol's reputation had just crumbled before their eyes.

"Wow. Edward really hit rock bottom."

"Didn't he used to be impossible to approach? And now this?"

"No wonder he ignored Clarissa. Guess that explains a lot."

The gossip was loud enough for Deril to hear clearly. He held back laughter, walking with a growing sense of triumph. The more people watching, the more satisfying this all became.

Eventually, the two of them arrived at the basketball court. The university team was mid-practice, and the crowd around the sidelines was lively. Students were scattered along the white lines, cheering, laughing, and yelling with all the chaotic energy of a game in full swing.

Deril dragged Edward right to the edge of the court, standing amongst the crowd. "This is it," he thought. "This is where the real audience is. Time to crank it up."

He gripped Edward's hand even tighter and suddenly lifted it into the air like a victory trophy. "Say hi, everyone! This is my Edward, eheh~" he said loud enough for several players on the court to stop and look their way.

The reactions varied. Some players laughed out loud, others raised their eyebrows in confusion. Edward stood beside Deril like a statue, expression blank, like someone accidentally dragged into a circus he didn't sign up for.

Meanwhile, Deril stood proudly on the sidelines of the basketball court, flashing a smug smile that hadn't left his face since the moment he pulled Edward into this whole mess.

He glanced sideways at Edward, still quiet, still unmoved. "Hah… this is like a dream," he thought. "Edward, cold, arrogant, untouchable Edward—is just standing here like some pet, letting me do whatever I want."

But that satisfaction started to twist, becoming something darker. Memories bubbling up from the past. Edward's mocking voice. His laughter. His cruelty. The things he said back then started flooding back into Deril's mind.

"Hey, don't act like you belong at basketball tryouts. That sport's for real guys, not someone prancing around like you."

"Who even wears a headband to play? You look like a clown. Just go practice your catwalk or something." More laughter. His whole gang joining in.

Deril clenched his teeth. His grip on Edward's hand tightened. "Arrogant bastard," he muttered silently.

"Now look at you. I'm going to make sure you're humiliated even more than you ever made me feel. Everyone's gonna see it."

He turned to Edward, his wicked smile returning. "Hey, Ed… what do you think about doing something a little more fun?" he said loud enough to catch attention again.

Curious eyes turned toward them, waiting for Deril's next move. The flexible, flamboyant young man leaned in closer to Edward's ear, pretending to whisper, but just loud enough for people nearby to catch a bit of it.

"What if you gave me a piggyback ride around the court?"

His eyes sparkled with challenge. He could already picture the crowd bursting into laughter, phones recording from every angle, the campus gossip exploding overnight.

Edward still didn't respond. That eerie obedience only made Deril feel even more in control. "God, this is gonna be legendary. One lift, and his life's over," he thought, barely able to contain his excitement.

But just as he was about to repeat the request more loudly—

Time stilled.

To Alaric who had been watching from behind a pillar near the corridor—the basketball players in motion suddenly slowed, like they were moving through thick air. He narrowed his eyes, sensing something off.

The ground beneath Deril's feet trembled ever so slightly. So did the benches, the students around them, even the basketball bouncing on the court. Just a little too fast, like something unseen was shifting the rhythm of reality itself.

"What the hell is going on?" Alaric squinted, eyes fixed on Edward, still standing like a statue beside the flamboyant boy.

His heart started pounding. A sharp, instinctive tension crawled up his spine. And then, it clicked.

He recognized the signs. "Shit… I think the effect's about to wear off."

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