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The sudden declaration made her pause and run his words over and over again in her head before the realization hit. And when it did, it hit hard, brutally and mercilessly. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she struggled to put her feelings of shock and betrayal to words. He watched her quietly and for once, he wasn't smiling.

"Jay," she managed to say. "He knew Wei Wei would die."

A dip of his head was all the answer she needed. "And Reese? Nick? Noves?" His expression didn't change but that was all the confirmation she needed. (Y/n) turned around and paced in circles, anger pushing away her initial fatigue caused by the morning. Neveah was right. The P4 knew more than they let on. She almost didn't believe it—even Jaehyun?

The blond had been acting a little suspicious when they crossed paths in Autumn Hall but she had brushed it off as his awkward personality. But if what Kieran was saying was true and Jaehyun already knew all the others were going to die, then why didn't he tell her? Why didn't he warn me? That made his claims of helping her bullsh*t.

"You expect me to believe your stupid clique thing already knew who's going to die?!" (Y/n) shouted incredulously. "What, do you have a list or something?"

He winced. "That's not a farfetched idea either—"

"So instead of a game of luck, this is an organized killing spree?" She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "None of us had a chance, did we? The richest would win because of the headmaster's stupid, fudging, twisted mind. And you fudging knew this, Kieran. So why tell me now? Tell me, Kieran. Why?"

Pain flashed across his face, almost taking her by surprise until she reminded herself of the reason for her anger. "Talk," she seethed. "Stop keeping things from me!" Everyone seemed to be doing that ever since the start, and I'm tired of it.

He ran a hand through his hair tiredly. His golden eyes lost their shine and she could see a hint of sadness in them. "You weren't supposed to be on the list," he said finally. "Every Game the headmaster has a list of participants and the people he's chosen to pick off. It's a Game where only one is guaranteed to win, but things changed since the 24th Game where we cleared it without deaths and the 25th Game, where no one won but two people survived—"

"Get to the point." Her voice was biting and harsh, but she didn't have any room for remorse.

"Trish-chan's plan was to use this year's Game to secure himself the spot as headmaster," the white-haired male sighed, defeated. "The rest of us weren't going to do anything at first, but the idea of getting him in our threat and using his family's power to grant any of our wishes was rather tempting. We all had things we wanted. Leo-chan wanted safety for his brother, especially since he's given up his family's wealth."

"And you and Jay? Why are you helping him?"

"At first it was to pass the time," Kieran admitted. "School is boring. Life is boring. Everything comes too easily for me. I don't even know the meaning of hard work." In any other context, (Y/n) might've smacked him for the arrogant words but his tone was anything but. He almost sounded resentful.

"But things changed," he continued, his eyes shifting from the side and the faraway look left his eyes. "The first thing Tristan didn't calculate was you."

(Y/n) frowned and pointed at herself. "Me?"

"Yeah. You became friends with Jay. That almost ruined everything he was working for. He was probably extremely hostile to you in your tutoring sessions, right?"

She didn't comment on how he knew that. "More like rude."

"You can't blame him when you come in and mess up plans he's been laying out for more than five years now," Kieran chuckled dryly. "Unintentional or not. Back to Jay, he's the type to let things go over his head. What starts out as an innocent friendship with him becomes an obsession. It's not my story to tell, but the guy never really had any friends in his life. As the heir to Kim Enterprises, it's a given. So he agreed to help Trish-chan as long as you were kept safe."

"And Leon? He didn't act like he was only doing it for his brother."

"We're all messed up, love. You have to understand that, and he's no exception. He takes to people and gets a twisted sense of overprotectiveness towards them. It's never happened before; you're the first."

She frowned, a memory rising up in the murky depths of her mind. "Does it have something to do with—what's her name—Dern something?"

"Deryn, yeah. She's Leo-chan's sister. She was kidnapped years ago and their father never did send out a search party since he was too busy with his campaign. Their mother killed herself because of it and he's resented his father ever since."

"And you?" She fixed her eyes on her face, willing herself not to look away. There was a strange clarity in her mind even through her anger. "Is personal amusement the only reason you're here?"

His silence was unsettling. The room was quiet save for the soft sounds of their breathing, as his eyes ran across her face, searching for something she wasn't sure of.

His smile was pained. "Go to the Main Hall," Kieran said finally, dropping his gaze and turning away. "Take the nearest staircase, turn right, and the first door down the hallway is what you're looking for."

With that said, he offered her one last smile and turned on his heel. And then he was gone.

(Y/n) recovered after a moment of stupor and shook her head. The male's words ran clearly in her head. It answered some of her questions but not all. Why was he here? Why did popsicle want to become headmaster so badly he'd let his classmates die? What do I have to do with all of this?

Her feet carried her out of the classroom. She looked around both sides of the hallway, but the white-haired male was already nowhere to be seen. Down the staircase, right, and first door of the hallway, she remembered. Even though her head told her it could be a trap, the strange emotion lingering in his eyes when he spoke to her was genuine.

(Y/n) didn't know what it what, but she decided to trust that light she saw in his eyes. People's eyes don't lie. There's a reason they say it's the window to their soul.

Her heartbeat quickened as she took the staircase all the way to the ground floor and to the Main Hall. Following his directions, she went past the main sitting area and the rooms that branched off it. A wall of windows next to her showcased a pale glowing sun making its trek to the zenith of its hike.

She arrived at the room. It looked like an ordinary office but the windows were covered and the lights off. Holding her breath, she tested the knob. It was unlocked.

Not knowing what else to do, she steeled herself and pushed the door open.

The room was empty. (Y/n) didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed by that fact. It was in fact an office with long mahogany tables and piles of sorted and unsorted papers lounging on the wood. Printers and state-of-the-art computers sat in a corner with a mini-refrigerator leaning against the wall. Next to it was a counter complete with a sink, a cupboard, a microwave, and of course, a coffee machine.

She didn't bother to turn on the lights and instead stayed rooted to where she was. Why did he tell me to go here? It was a normal office, nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing jumped out at her as she decided to take a cautious step deeper into the room

"Found you!"

(Y/n) nearly fell over as someone—or something—tickled her sides. She spun around, her hand flying towards the table to grab the nearest weapon (which happened to be a binder) and brandished it in front of her threateningly. "I have a binder and I'm not afraid to use it!"

But the figure only laughed, the sound so warm and familiar that her fingers slackened, the binder falling from her hands. Even through the guise of the darkness, she could make out a pair of emerald eyes that sparkled at her with mirth. The sight brought a feeling of relief, joy, and fatigue all at once.

The figure laughed at her wide eyes and gaping jaw. His tone was teasing. "What, no hug for me?"

She wasted no time in jumping into his outstretched arms. "Reese!"

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After making themselves comfortable in the room, turning on the lights, and making sure he was okay, instead of asking him where he was like a normal person, (Y/n) started by smacking his arm.

"Ow!" Reese recoiled at the impact and whined, rubbing his arm with a pouting expression. "Why'd you do that, (N/n)?"

The nickname almost made her cry with relief. She almost couldn't believe he was here, but she kept it all in. "You're a dumb donkey," she muttered, sagging against his shoulder so he couldn't see her face. She relaxed into his familiar smell of peppermint and a hint of chocolate. "I hate you."

He grinned cheekily. "No, you don't. Who could ever hate the great Reese Grayson?"

(Y/n) laughed, hiccuping through the tears that threatened to spill down her face before it morphed into a scowl. "Shut up. I still hate you." But she didn't mean it, and both of them knew that.

The redhead laughed quietly before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and patting her back. "It's okay, we're fine now," he said soothingly. "Damn, (N/n). That's a lot of salt and water you're wasting—ow!"

The (h/c)-haired girl glared at him and wiped her eyes. "You suck. I'm unfriending you."

"W-what?! Nooo, don't do this to me, (N/n)! Here, I'll buy you a new pillow! Wait no, two pillows! Make that three!"

A moment of silence followed as the two were at a loss for words. That never happened between them; they were always laughing, chatting, or making trouble together ever since they were kids. There was no peace and quiet when you threw Reese Grayson and (Y/n) White into the equation.

"You—" (Y/n) and Reese said at the same time. "You go first," the redhead continued. "What happened when I was gone?"

As she filled him in on all that happened and broke the awful news, his face fell and he turned away. "Give me a second," he whispered, shifting his long hair so it hid his face. "T-that's a lot to take in all at once. I-I'm sorry."

Her heart broke for him, but she couldn't help but think, at least you're still here. She knew how painful it must be for him to hear all that, especially when things were just getting started between him and Isla. To be suddenly pulled away from everything you knew, that wasn't something someone could take in with just one day.

But Reese was stronger than she gave him credit for. He quickly rearranged his features until there was no trace of his sadness. Only his usual playful smile. "At least no more calc homework, aye? That stuff's torture."

She laughed bitterly in response. "You could say that again." The tears almost started again. She was barely able to stop them.

Reese's smile faltered and he mumbled an apology before swiftly changing the subject. "How many people are left?" He asked in a light tone. "I lost my phone so I couldn't get any text messages."

"Five," she answered. "Six including you. Where have you been? We were sick worrying about you."

He made a helpless shrug. "I was knocked out for a while. Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on some water and crawl away from the room"—his voice turned teasing—"I can now say with confidence why girls are crazy about jasmine perfume. It's a killer, alright."

She snorted and shook her head in mild amusement. Part of her wanted to scold him for taking his near-death experience too lightly, but for the most part, she was just glad he was back safe. "What's killer is your phone addiction. For once you're not attached to it. Who do I have to thank?"

"Hey, I'm not that addicted!"

"Going to the bathroom with your phone with you?" She lifted an eyebrow. "Uh-huh, that's what I thought. It's almost worse than your theatrics."

His gorgeous emerald eyes lit up in passion and she shoved down the urge to facepalm. "'Oh Romeo, oh Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?'" He said with a wink.

"Oho, so I'm the man in this friendship?"

His face blanched. "What—no! You know what I mean!"

Reese and his trademark idiocy are back, folks. The relief that crashed down around her wasn't enough to stop her from laughing and continuing to poke fun at him. The two bickered and bantered, settling into their usual rhythm that generally resulted in her throwing something at him as he taunted her.

His eyes twinkled mischievously. "Isn't this a great time to break rules? Sneak into rooms we're not supposed to? I always wanted to explore the school but it landed me in detention every time."

"Serves you right," (Y/n) snorted, running her fingers through her hair in an effort to untangle it. She hasn't exactly been tending to her personal appearance lately aside from showers. "Whoever told you waltzing into Mr. Rayne's office dressed like a pirate was a good idea? And don't get me started on the time you dressed up as a cafeteria worker and no one knew until Mr. Fitzgerald was ordering his weird chia seeds drink and they dragged you out."

The red-haired male flashed her a wicked grin, looking awfully pleased with himself as he struck a pose. "What can I say? Thank you for your compliments. I know I'm awesome."

"I'm allergic to your ego so I break out in sarcasm."

"You're so mean, (N/n)!"

They exited the room into a grand hallway that arched upwards, light spilling through the intricate stained glass before melting down the sides of the walls. The four Halls were all beautiful in their own way, but the Main Hall was something else alright.

Reese was still dressed in his uniform, she noticed, with the white blazer and matching white slacks. He's always added his personal touch to it, be it something as simple as an untucked collar or a scarf wound around his neck—one time for Halloween he draped crosses and chains all over himself—but this time, he didn't do anything to the uniform. It was neatly buttoned up, and it puzzled her.

He didn't seem to notice her confusion as he looked at her excitedly and pointed at a door. "Isn't that the attendance office? Let's—"

"No." She shut it down before it could even start. She already knew what he was going to ask her.

"Ehh, why not?" He whined. "Please, for your best friend? I really need my absences erased!"

(Y/n) turned to look at him blankly. There was a hopeful glint in his eye that soon faded away with her next words. "Keep dreaming, Juliet."

"Boo, you're boring."

"Thanks. And you're an idiot."

For the next few hours, the (h/c)-haired girl almost forgot the severity of the situation they were in as Reese broke countless school rules and dragged her around behind him. They threw paint on the banisters, he climbed up onto the chandelier (which almost fell down because of his fat a**), obnoxiously littered the hallways with marbles, and drew mustaches on the portraits that lined the Main Hall.

(Y/n) took sadistic pleasure in vandalizing the current headmaster's portrait slowly. Headmaster Knight looked younger than she thought. She's only seen him once and at the entrance ceremony, but she's long forgotten. The man was a spitting image of Tristan, only with silver eyes instead of blue. Even through the canvas, the headmaster exuded the presence and confidence of a man sculpted into wealth.

They were way too similar, and the uncanny resemblance made her shudder. She suddenly felt out of place.

A cackle from behind her made her look over her shoulder. Reese was grinning as he drew a—well, an ice cream cone on the portrait of his father. Like Reese, Hunter Grayson didn't have the rugged features his name suggested. Instead, he had the perfect look of a hero from a Romantic painting, much like the ones she'd studied in art class. The background was serene and placid, but that's where all the serenity stopped.

The vice headmaster's smile was more of a smirk and a wild one at that. Where Reese was boyish at most with a playful and mischievous grin, his father was the older version with more recklessness in his face.

Hunter Grayson was the one with countless speeding tickets, and yet he yells at Reese for switching his spoon and fork at dinner. Fatherly love.

(Y/n) shook her head in amusement. "Your dad's going to throw a fit when he sees that."

"He'll never know it's me," Reese crowed as he gave his father long eyelashes.

"You're so immature." But she was laughing. "It's kinda obvious who it is. Who else would dare to vandalize the vice headmaster's portrait other than his son?"

The redhead's face paled. "Oh, sh*t you're right." Then he shrugged. "Oh well. The old man will just tie me to a tree again. No biggie."

"Should I be concerned it happened more than once?"

"Nope!"

He dusted his hands off and nodded seriously like an artist examining his work. "I could get famous for this. Eh, I'm bored now. Let's go!"

(Y/n) had an unpleasant expression the whole time Reese dragged her around the school and out the back door. Fear filled her chest before she realized she had already turned off the guns. Good thing I did. They went through a grand archway that flowed seamlessly into a courtyard with immaculate gardens and manicured lawns, marble statues of humans or beasts standing proudly among the grass. They ran on and off the cobblestone path until a large building came into sight.

Autumn Dorm, a handsome-looking manor flanked by lush trees with the never-fading scent of cedarwood and cinnamon. She took a deep breath and let it out, all her worries and fears seemingly flowing out of her.

Reese barged through the gate and strutted through the front doors before running up the steps with an unfortunate (Y/n) behind him. He found his room and threw the door open, crowing, "Honey, I'm home!"

The (h/c)-haired girl rolled his eyes. "As in your anime waifus?"

He shrugged and grinned at her. "Don't worry, I still like you more than Mikasa."

"You like me more than a 2D character. Thanks, I'm flattered."

"...Your sarcasm really stings today, (N/n)."

She smiled sweetly at him. "I try." She took a look around his room, at the clothes slung over furniture and the manga that littered the floors. "Why are we here again?"

He looked at her. And then at the ceiling. He shrugged and smiled. "Dunno. I felt like it."

This kid. "You made me run here for...nothing?!"

"Whoops, haha—wait, why do you look like that? Wait, (N/n)—not the face!"

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Reese's dorm was no luxurious suite. Maybe it was before he trashed the place, but it most definitely wasn't now. So Tristan's presence amid the clutter and junk made him look like a Roman statue accidentally tossed in the surrealist art section of the museum. Cross-legged and folded hands with a permanent icy glare in eyes and a hard line as his mouth, make that more of an angry artist's impression of Poseidon crossed with Hades. The frowny face emoji was made for him.

Reese looked completely at ease from the corner of her eye. He wasn't as relaxed like he was before, but he didn't tense up or looked afraid as many did when they saw the blue-haired male. Good job not stroking his ego, she thought with approval. Tristan Knight was pride incarnate, and he knew it. There was no need to feed him anymore.

"Welcome to my humble home—" Reese started only to be cut off.

"Spare me the pleasantries," Tristan interrupted. "I see you're alive, Grayson."

The redhead didn't bat an eye. "What, disappointed?"

Tristan ignored him and switched his attention to the (h/c)-haired girl. She offered him a blank face under his piercing eyes. "The two of you have been breaking far too many rules," he said finally. "Both school rules and Game rules."

Oh, so that's what this is about? She shrugged a shoulder, pushing down the anger that rose up inside her at the sight of the male. How dare he show his face in front of me? "If you're here to state the obvious, I can show you the door."

His eyes narrowed as Reese choked on a laugh. (Y/n) was unfazed, her eyes locked with his in a staring contest neither of the two was willing to lose. If he thought she'd be intimidated by him, he was in for some disappointment this time.

Unfortunately, he didn't break his gaze and (Y/n) had to look away once her eyes started to hurt from being open too long. "Very well," the male said. "I'll get to the point. How much did Fujikawa tell you?"

"What makes you think sn—Kieran told me anything?" (Y/n) rubbed her eyes as Reese's gaze turned confused as he looked at the two.

"Am I missing something?" He asked. "What's Foojica? Is that some kind of food?"

"Don't play coy with me, (Y/n)," Tristan brushed over Reese's comment without a second glance. "I am aware of everything that happens in this school—"

"So you admit it yourself," the (h/c)-haired girl snapped. "How much of it? Did you just arm them? Point them in the direction of their next victims and hope someone dies?" She paused and shook her head with an emotionless laugh. "No, that's not you. You'd have a plan. This is no game. It's a hit list, and you knew they were going to die one way or another. How? Your dirty connections found out for you?"

His expression remained blank, which only fueled the rage that filled her veins and bubbled up to the surface. "He said you were working with Mr. Howards," she spat, a surge of anger turned fear washing over her as her eyes snagged on Reese's confused face. "You put him up to it. Then you killed him. Did he know?"

"I do not have any reason to answer you," Tristan said coldly. His continued stoicism made her hands curl into fists. "But I will say his death was not part of the original plan."

"The plan? You would kill so many people just to become the headmaster? And then what, you'll kill your father like you did to my friends?"

Barely, she saw his mask falter before it was back. "Howards requested to be the Seeker. I granted that wish, but I did not kill your...friends."

She scoffed indignantly. "You honestly expect me to believe you had no hand in it? Indirect murder is still murder."

His jaw twitched. "It's the truth." A note of anger finally entered his otherwise toneless voice. His eyes flickered to Reese.

"He's staying," (Y/n) seethed before he could say anything. "And tell me—how did Izzy die if you killed Mr. Howards? Are you lying to me?"

Tristan's eyes held hers firmly. His gaze was steady. "I would not lie to you," he said, his voice softer. "And I said it before, but I'll say it again. I did not kill your friends."

Reese had enough. His emerald eyes were aglow with green acid as he glared at the other male, shooting to his feet. "You're telling us you knew they died but you had no part in it?" He snorted. "Funny story, but make it more believable if you're going to lie."

The male's eyes narrowed. "I never lie. Do not accuse me of doing so, Grayson."

Reese waved it away. "Misleading and hiding the truth is the same as lying. You're a sick bastard, Knight." Then to (Y/n), "Don't listen to him, (N/n). Let's leave and get out of here." He extended a hand to her. "We don't have to win this game or whatnot. Let's just go somewhere safer. I have a villa we could stay in."

Tristan rose to his feet, his eyes flashing angrily. (Y/n) stared at him in shock. The blue-haired male was always calm and collected save for the times he lost to her, and these actions were unusual for him. "You will go nowhere," he said in a dangerously low voice. "You accuse me of withholding the truth when you're no better yourself."

"I'm (N/n)'s best friend. And you're her friends' killer. Isn't it obvious who's more trustworthy?" Reese seized her hand and tugged her to her feet. "Let's go before he tries to kill us. Who knows if he hasn't poisoned the air already?"

(Y/n) opened her mouth but no words came out. Steeling herself, she made her decision. She dug her feet into the floor. Reese looked back in surprise and gave her a questioning look. "(N/n)...?"

"I still don't understand," she admitted, drained. "Why go through all this effort? If he didn't kill Izzy, who did?" She lifted her (e/c) eyes to the redhead pleadingly. "You know I don't like things without logic. I need to ask him."

"Remember the last time I let you do that?" His hand tightened around hers. "We got separated and you almost got killed. Hell if I'm going to let that happen again."

"Reese." She held his eyes with her own. "Please." There are things Tristan won't say if he's here.

He searched her face, his eyes a mixture of worry, anger, and defeat. Finally, he sighed and released her hand. "Fifteen minutes," he said. "No, ten. Then I'm coming in."

"Thanks, Reese's pieces."

The redhead rolled his eyes and ducked out of the room. He pointed at his eyes and then at the blue-haired male who stared impassively back. "I'm watching you, bluebell." When he was gone, (Y/n) turned back to Tristan. Hundreds of questions welled up her throat and disappeared as soon as she tried to reach for them.

"P—Tristan," she began slowly. "How did you know?"

Her words were vague. If taken out of context, it could mean anything. But Tristan seemed to understand. "How do you think you were able to receive all those messages?" He replied smoothly. "How was the headmaster able to know who died and who killed them?"

"The cameras...?"

"Cute idea, but no. Evading the cameras is easy. Using them is not." He lifted his eyes to hers. "You already know the answer, (N/n). And you know what it means."

The realization made her freeze, a sinking feeling filling her stomach. He doesn't. The kills are pre-planned, but the murderers aren't guaranteed. Which means, it's too easy to kill someone and pretend the Seeker did it.

"You're a monster," was the only thing she could say. "Both of you—all of you. You're all monsters!"

To her surprise, he smiled. "The first compliment you've ever given me," he chuckled. "It's an honor."

"Fridge you."

"I'm afraid I don't understand what that means."

"Then who killed them?" (Y/n) said, ignoring him. "Are you saying it wasn't Mr. Howards who did it?" He still killed Lucy!

"He was responsible for most of the kills, no. Though a few weren't his work although they were under his name. Like Nova Charlot, for one."

"You still didn't answer my question. Who?"

His brows dipped into a frown and for the first time in her life, she saw him look troubled. "That's the problem. I don't know. I do have a suspect, but you wouldn't take it very well."

"Try me."

But he was shaking his head. "Nevermind, it's not important right now." He changed the subject before she could protest. "What did Fujikawa say to you?"

"You really like making things your way, don't you?" She muttered under her breath.

"It's only natural."

She flinched when she realized he had heard her. Curse his sharp ears. He was still waiting for her answer. "Nothing much," she said with annoyance evident in her voice. She wanted him to know she wasn't having any of it. "We dissed you guys and you deserve it."

He still looked suspicious. "Is that all?"

"What else would it be?" (Y/n) rolled her eyes. "Secret government plans to an underground facility you're secretly using to make nuclear weapons."

"That's an interesting idea. I'll take it into consideration."

"No...that was called sarcasm so please don't."

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A/N: Let's all throw a star ⭐ to welcome Reese back! *has no shame*