Chapter 80
The Question Nobody Could Answer
The milk tea shop was finally emptying out.
The sun was beginning to set.
Orange light spilled across the street while students slowly headed home.
Section E had somehow spent almost two hours arguing, laughing, stealing each other's food, and accusing Drew of financial crimes.
A normal day.
Or at least as normal as life could be around them.
"Who ate my fries?"
"Blaster, you ate your own fries."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"YES."
Jay rolled her eyes.
Idiots.
All of them.
The group slowly exited the shop together.
The evening air was cooler than before.
Students were scattered across the sidewalks.
Cars passed by.
Everything felt ordinary.
Until it wasn't.
Jay stopped walking for half a second.
Nobody noticed.
Except Yuri.
Across the street sat a black luxury sedan.
The windows were tinted.
The engine was still running.
It looked completely out of place among the surrounding vehicles.
Most people wouldn't think twice about it.
Yuri did.
Because people like him noticed things.
And because he recognized the level of wealth that car represented.
Not the exact model.
Not the owner.
Just the kind of people who usually sat inside vehicles like that.
Powerful people.
The kind who didn't wait outside schools.
Jay's eyes lingered on the car for a second.
Then she looked away.
Too quickly.
As if she'd made a mistake.
Yuri immediately noticed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The group continued walking.
Nobody else seemed aware of anything unusual.
Then Yuri spoke.
Quietly.
Only loud enough for one person.
"Do you know the people inside that car?"
Jay froze.
Just for a moment.
A tiny moment.
So small that nobody else would've caught it.
But Yuri did.
Because he was watching.
Her expression didn't change.
Her breathing didn't change.
Her posture didn't change.
Yet somehow...
Something had.
Then she smiled.
A perfectly casual smile.
"What car?"
Liar.
Yuri almost laughed.
Not because she was bad at lying.
Actually, she was very good.
Too good.
That was the problem.
The better someone was at hiding things...
The more suspicious they became.
Yuri looked away first.
Choosing not to push.
"Nothing."
Jay nodded.
And started walking again.
Conversation over.
At least on the surface.
A few steps ahead, Keifer glanced back.
His eyes moved between Yuri and Jay.
Neither looked bothered.
Neither looked uncomfortable.
Yet something felt strange.
Keifer couldn't explain it.
And that bothered him more than it should have.
Because lately...
There were a lot of things about Jay he couldn't explain.
---
The next morning arrived faster than anyone wanted.
Especially David.
Who looked personally betrayed by the existence of mornings.
Section E gathered in their classroom.
The usual chaos had already started.
Ci-N was running from Blaster.
Blaster was threatening violence.
Drew was somehow asking for money before first period.
Everything was normal.
Until Rory walked in holding his phone.
Looking horrified.
"Guys."
Nobody looked up.
"Guys."
Still nothing.
"GUYS."
Now everyone looked.
"What?" Edrix asked.
Rory stared at them.
Then slowly turned his phone around.
"What is this?"
The screen displayed their group chat.
The same group chat that had been dead for weeks.
The same group chat everyone had forgotten about.
The same group chat that now contained—
183 unread messages.
The room went silent.
Ci-N looked proud.
Immediately suspicious.
"You."
Ci-N gasped.
"You accuse me?"
"Yes."
"Without evidence?"
"Yes."
"That's unfair."
"Was it you?"
"...yes."
The room exploded.
---
Meanwhile, Jay was sitting near the window.
Watching the chaos unfold.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
Then her phone vibrated.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The smile disappeared.
The name on the screen made her chest tighten.
Aurora.
Jay immediately rejected the call.
Then another message appeared.
Aurora: Call me.
Another.
Aurora: It's important.
Another.
Aurora: Stop ignoring me.
Jay sighed.
That woman was relentless.
She quickly locked her phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
Unfortunately...
Someone was watching.
Keifer.
Again.
Not because he was trying to invade her privacy.
The name had simply appeared for a second.
Just long enough.
Aurora.
The name sounded familiar.
He couldn't remember why.
But it nagged at him.
Like a puzzle piece sitting in the wrong place.
Before he could think about it further—
"KEIFER."
Ci-N appeared dramatically.
"Save me."
"From what?"
"Blaster."
Reasonable.
---
Lunch arrived.
Then classes passed.
Then dismissal came.
An ordinary day.
Until Jay reached the parking lot.
And saw the same black luxury sedan waiting outside.
Again.
This time she didn't stop walking.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't react.
She simply opened the rear door and got inside.
The car immediately drove away.
No explanation.
No goodbye.
Nothing.
Unfortunately for her...
Yuri had seen everything.
And this time...
Keifer had too.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them moved.
They simply watched the car disappear down the road.
Then Yuri finally broke the silence.
"That's the second time."
Keifer looked at him.
"What is?"
Yuri shoved his hands into his pockets.
His gaze remained fixed on the empty street.
"The car."
A pause.
Then—
"There's something we're missing."
For the first time since meeting Jay...
Keifer found himself wondering the same thing.
Who exactly was Jasper Jean Mariano when nobody was looking?
---
Some mysteries don't begin with strange events. They begin with familiar people suddenly becoming strangers right before your eyes 👀.