Part 03: The Other Wolf Pup
When the freight elevator eventually reached the ground floor, the doors slowly opened and the dimly lit receiving dock of the Humanities Building greeted Aiden. The shouts and squeals of the students can be heard from behind the dock doors as Aiden slowly got off the elevator before falling on his knees, a myriad of emotions overflowing.
Aiden felt a great sense of guilt for having people protect him and placing themselves in unnecessary risks because of him. The situation earlier with Jazz, Fujiyoshi, Cadet-Captain Francisco, and her team reminded him of what the Gutierrez family and their household staff did for him during his most vulnerable years, risking themselves to protect him and the truth of his survival from his father.
The overflowing emotion and sense of guilt stems from the fact that Aiden's greatest weakness was seeing other people get hurt because of him, most especially when others put themselves in harms way in order to protect him. This weakness is the only thing in common his current persona has with his old self, and seeing the people that protected him earlier, as well as the students that got hurt chasing after him stirred raw emotions within him – hence his passive-aggressive reactions to the times Cadet-Captain Kim violated his personal space and allowing him to put his hands on him on multiple occasions.
This weakness stems from the trauma of losing his mother and younger brother, the same weakness also further fuels his fear of losing anyone else, a vicious cycle that Aiden has found himself in, and is something that he is unable to break free from, hence the reason for distancing himself from other people, adopting a cold and distant persona, and why he chose to live by himself instead of staying at the Gutierrez mansion.
As Aiden reflected on these things, a tear rolled down his cheeks, internally blaming himself for everything that was happening, inconveniencing everyone in the university, and placing the ROTC in unnecessary risk in order to protect him and clean up the mess that he made.
Aiden knows that he has to take responsibility for what's happening outside, the thought of Jazz, Fujiyoshi, Cadet-Captain Francisco, and the others carrying out their duties and risking their safety for him, helped steeled his resolve, and get the situation quickly under control.
He knows that at the moment, only he has the power and ability to stop the rush that's happening. After wiping the tear of his cheek, he got up and scanned the area and looked for a way to escape the receiving dock without being noticed by the students outside, or he risk wasting the efforts of those who protected him until that point.
As he scanned the area, he noticed a half-open locker and decided to see whether there was something in there that he can use to get out of the receiving dock. When Aiden opened the locker, he saw a blue coveralls that are worn by the maintenance staff, as well as a cap, and a box of facemasks – left over from when the university still mandated the wearing of masks due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
As soon as he saw the coveralls, it gave him an idea and quickly wore it over his uniform, putting on the cap, and facemask to cover his face. He then took an empty tool bag and stuffed his backpack inside before walking towards the exit. Just before he opened the door, he took a deep breathe and wished that this gamble of his would pay off.
After leaving the receiving dock, he was surprised to see that the situation outside was a lot worse than he initially expected. The number of students surrounding the Humanities Building reminded him of the political rallies that was held earlier in the year during the midst of the Presidential Election campaign, where throngs of people showed up to support their candidate.
Although the immediate area of the Humanities Building was surrounded, the bulk of the students were concentrated in the quad area, where the majority of the ROTC Companies were trying to get a hold of the situation. Aiden knew he was short on time, the longer that he remains on campus, the longer the struggles of the ROTC would continue, and the risk of more students getting hurt becomes more likely.
When Aiden managed to clear the large group of students concentrated behind the Humanities Building he noticed a squad of ROTC Cadets trying to breakthrough the crowds, and he was able to correctly deduce that it was the retrieval team that was sent to meet him at the receiving dock of the Humanities Building. After seeing the retrieval team, he suddenly remembered the ROTC Officer who shoved him in the freight elevator, cleaned his wound, and protected him from the flying light stick.
Aiden wondered who that person was, as well the two other ROTC Officers with Cadet-Captain Francisco, then it suddenly dawned on him that it might be the new unit that Cadet-Major Del Rosario was talking about earlier that caused the commotion in the quad. Even though their pictures and videos had widely circulated around campus, he hasn't had the time to see it for himself since his first priority was getting the situation with the AGs and the MGs under control.
Although he was frustrated with the Nirvana team earlier due to the commotion they caused, he was able to easily let go of that frustration since their actions resulted in the safe evacuation of Jazz and Fujiyoshi from the midst of the chaotic rush. He also overlooked the blatant violation of his personal space by Cadet-Captain Kim because of this, and due to him being emotionally stirred, which greatly blurred his rationality.
After Aiden reached the nearest gate, he quickly removed the coveralls, cap, and the mask before getting his bag out of the tool bag. After leaving the things he borrowed to the guard on duty, he quickly made his way out of campus, since he was leaving the university anyways, he decided to head straight to Café Confiture for his shift. While he was walking, he put his earphone on in one ear before making a video call to the Student Council Room, ROTC Central Command Center, and the ROTC Intelligence Division Situation Center to update them of his status, and his plan of action to disperse the students.
When Aiden's video call connected, he was greeted by Grace and Moira from the Student Council Room; Cadet-Colonel Belarmino from the Central Command Center; and Cadet-Major Del Mundo from the ROTC Intelligence Division Situation Center. Since most of the offices and buildings on campus are connected to the internet via optical fiber, they weren't affected by the slowdown of the WiFi. Although it was a video call, Aiden was the only one who didn't turn on his video, and his image on the four-window screen only has a text that reads: "Sound Only".
"President Kobayashi!" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino and Cadet-Major Del Mundo said in unison.
"Sir, are you alright!? We've sent a retrieval team for you per Cadet-Captain Francisco's request, they should be in your location in about 5 minutes" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino Reported.
"Aiden! We're currently monitoring the situation, and it's not looking good!" Grace added.
"President Kobayashi, visual image from our drone shows more and more students are congregating in your position as we speak. If this keeps up, Cadet-Captain Francisco's team, and the retrieval squad will be completely cut off from the rest of the ROTC Companies" Cadet-Major Del Mundo joined in as everyone talked simultaneously to the point of drowning each other out.
"I need you all to be quiet for a minute!" Aiden said in his commanding voice.
"First of, I've already left the university. Cadet-Captain Francisco and her team ensured that I did" Aiden revealed to the shock of Cadet-Colonel Belarmino and Cadet-Major Del Mundo.
"What's your current location sir!?" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino asked.
"My location is not important, but I did leave via the university's east gate" Aiden revealed.
"We'll send a team of-" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino replied but was cut off by Aiden.
"Cadet-Colonel Belarmino, Cadet-Major Del Mundo, and Grace. I need you all to leak that I was last seen at the University's East Gate to the students on campus" Aiden ordered, blindsiding the ROTC Officers.
"Is that a wise move President Kobayashi!?" Cadet-Major Del Mundo responded.
"The students involved are after me, and not the ROTC trying to put them under control. This rush will completely collapse once the students learn that I'm already outside campus, and they will try to find me outside university grounds. Once this happens, it will release tremendous pressure from the ROTC in the quad, as well as Cadet-Captain Francisco's team inside the Humanities Building" Aiden explained as both Cadet-Colonel Belarmino and Cadet-Major Del Mundo felt uneasy about the recklessness of the order, Grace and Moira however, quickly caught on to what Aiden was trying to do.
"You're asking us to lead all those students… to you?" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino said as he fell back on his chair, the other ranking ROTC Officers around him as shocked as he was.
"He's not asking Cadet-Colonel! Your Student Commander in Chief has issued a direct order, do it!" Grace quickly jumped in, as Cadet-Colonel Belarmino reluctantly gave the order to the controllers.
"Once the students have been redirected here, order the ROTC Companies on the field to ensure that their movement is unimpeded and that no other student, faculty, and/or staff are caught in it. Once the Humanities Building and the quad has been cleared, I need Cadet-Major Del Rosario to retrieve Cadet-Captain Francisco's team that are still inside the building. Once the number of students in the Area of Operations have been reduced, the ROTC may begin the mop up operations" Aiden continued.
"Cadet-Major Del Mundo! I need your division to scour any and all intelligence you can gather from the AGs and figure out how we missed that Press Conference that Heide held! I don't want any stones left unturned, and I need a report by tomorrow at 09:00!" Aiden added as Cadet-Major Del Mundo clicked her heels and stood at attention.
"Grace! The emergency meeting I called for today is cancelled until tomorrow at 09:00. I want you and the remaining officers to come up with damage control proposals. Instruct Angela to draft and release a statement today condemning in the harshest possible terms the irresponsible and reckless move by Heide. Moira, I need you to personally inform Heide Enriquez that the AGs are hereby suspended indefinitely from any further activities and gatherings effective at 00:00 tonight, pending an investigation. Also, draft an executive order that will temporarily reinstate the "Collective Will" Rule that would cover everyone in this year's Top 10 in the Hotlist, and any other students that are at risk of being rushed" Aiden ordered his officers, his tone of voice hinting vexation, as everyone who heard his orders to the Student Council were caught off guard, especially the members of the ROTC. Although it was something that they expected to happen, they didn't think the President Kobayashi would act so quickly to limit the damage of the rush.
"Tell Beatrice to send an email to the Student Senate President, the Student Speaker of the House, and The Executive Council in that order informing them of the situation that transpired, and the steps that we are currently taking. Also, tell Christopher to clear my schedule tomorrow, we'll be busy doing some major damage control all day" Aiden continued as Grace and Moira acknowledged his instructions.
"Tell Min to inform Monica Sawyers and the rest of the International Student Council that the situation is being brought under control, and that we'll share information to our investigation as it progresses" Aiden continued as Grace and Moira looked at each other before the former spoke.
"Aiden, Min is not here. I had Aaron, Kobe, Christopher, and Sherwin evacuate him to the International House after the Press Conference, given that Heide painted a target on his back" Grace revealed.
"Under the circumstances, that was the best course of action" Aiden responded.
"Cadet-Colonel Belarmino, what of the security of the International House?" Aiden then asked.
"The 17th and 18th ROTC Companies under the command of Cadet-Major Ava De Castro have secured the premises of the International House, reinforcing the detachment from the 1st and 2nd that are currently on guard duty there" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino responded.
"Although I'll be signing an executive order tomorrow temporarily reinstating the "Collective Will" rule, I'm still concerned for the safety of the International Student Representative. I would like to request the ROTC to provide a team to act as his escort until this situation blows over" Aiden replied.
"Of course sir, considering the current circumstance, that would be the best course of action. I'll relay your instructions to Cadet-Major Del Rosario once they've finished their operations at the quad and Humanities Building" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino responded.
"I appreciate that Cadet-Colonel, the last thing we need right now is for any of the AGs ambushing the International Student Representative. An incident like that will certainly cause major problems between Mount Juliet and Thammasat University" Aiden commented.
"In any case, this commotion is too big to turn a blind eye to. I need the ROTC to join in on the Student Council emergency meeting tomorrow. I expect your attendance Cadet-Colonel Belarmino, you as well Cadet-Major Del Mundo" Aiden said as the two officers saluted.
"This will be all for today. I expect continued updates until the situation on campus has been brought under control. Send those updates via email, and I'll read through them tonight" Aiden continued.
After Aiden ended the video conference, he pulled out the earphone from his ear before giving out a deep sigh, exhausted and vexed at what happened today on campus. When he wished earlier in the morning that he gets tired so he could sleep, this wasn't exactly what he had in mind, nor did he expect something this big would happen today of all days.
"I swear to God I can't have any peace and quiet" Aiden whispered to himself before he started walking again as he headed towards work.
As Aiden was walking, he heard a commotion coming from an alleyway, an eerily familiar scenario which gave him Déjà vu. When Aiden walked in front of the alleyway's opening he saw a student being held by the collar and pinned against the wall – a much less violent scene than what happened yesterday.
As much as Aiden wanted to ignore it and get to work, he couldn't just walk away after seeing what was happening, and he feels like he owes it to AJ and JJ to at least help this student out, since he initially ignored their plight which ended up with JJ being beaten almost to a pulp.
Aiden gave another sigh before walking into the alleyway. As he got closer, he almost cringed when he realized that the bullies were the same ones from yesterday, albeit had band aids and gauzes on different parts of their faces. The student being bullied this time was as defenseless as AJ and JJ, but unlike them, this one seems to be pushing back, albeit with words, and not with his fists – although Aiden could see that his legs and hands were somewhat shaking.
"Yo!" Aiden called out to the bullies, "It's literally just been a day since we met, and here you are, back again at what you guys do best" he continued as the bullies and the student being bullied looked at him.
"Shit! Run!" Ryan said as he and his posse quickly ran away after recognizing Aiden, dropping the student he pinned on the wall.
"That's what I thought" Aiden sighed before he looked at the student who got pinned on the wall, his blue sweater wrinkled and has dirt on different places.
"Hey, are you okay?" Aiden asked as he walked towards the student, as he got close, his foot accidentally hit something, which slid on the rugged pavement.
Aiden looked at what his foot hit and saw that it was a camera. He picked the camera up and upon closer inspection, he noticed that the back screen was cracked, and the lens were broken beyond repair. He then shifted his attention at the student who already got up and started dusting off his sweater.
"Is this yours? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kick it" Aiden said as he handed the camera to the student.
"Yes. Thank you" the student said before slowly taking the camera from Aiden's hand before inspecting it himself, sadness written all over his face as tears started rolling down his cheeks.
"Are you okay? You hurt anywhere?" Aiden asked after seeing the student cry.
The student shook his head as he held dearly on his camera before doing a deep squat. As Aiden looked on he could tell that the camera had sentimental value to him, enough that he would cry about it. He felt bad, but he didn't know what to do in this kind of situation, since he hasn't seen or encountered something like this in a long time – the sight also made him touch his pendant under his polo.
Seeing the student cry in front of him like that reminded him of Itsuki back when he was younger, and there was always one thing that could calm him down and make him stop crying, which Aiden thought might work in this situation. Although he felt awkward since he doesn't really feel comfortable doing it to a complete stranger that he literally just met and has only exchanged a few words with.
But seeing the student in such a pitiful situation enabled Aiden to overcome the awkwardness he was just feeling and walked towards the student before bending over and patting the student's head, before softly ruffling his hair, "Hey, don't cry. It'll be okay" Aiden said awkwardly, his face blushing.
"Your camera might be broken, but I'm sure the SD card is still intact. So whatever photos you may have taken can still be recovered" Aiden said as he tried to comfort the student, who slightly nodded.
To Aiden's surprise the student was able to calm down and somewhat stop crying, a relief for him since he didn't know if that would work in that kind of situation, and especially for a teenager in front of him. In Aiden's mind it would have been an extremely embarrassing and awkward scene if that didn't work since he would look like a weirdo trying to take advantage of a defenseless kid.
After a few seconds, the student finally stood up and looked at the camera, then Aiden, "This is actually a gift from my Mom, and has sentimental value for me" the student spoke, his eyes still red from crying.
"I got it for my birthday last year" the student continued, sniffing.
"I'm sorry to hear that" Aiden said, unsure what words he can use to comfort the student, "I'm sure your mom would understand if you explained her the situation" he continued as the student slightly nodded.
"Here, use this to wipe off your tears, and clean your face up a little bit" Aiden added before handing the student his handkerchief.
"Thank you" the student said as he took the handkerchief, using it to wipe his eyes, then his cheeks.
It wasn't until then that Aiden noticed that the student looked like a high school student but couldn't really tell which school he was from since his sweater was covering his school's patch. Although he wanted to assume he was also a Mount Charlotte Student, since the kids that were bullying him were from that school, he didn't feel comfortable asking the student since their encounter was already awkward as it is.
Aiden also noticed that the student was slightly taller than him by a few inches and looked slim. From his initial profile of him, Aiden deduced that he may be the timid and shy type by observing his body language, and he doesn't seem to be open like AJ and JJ were. Aiden theorized that the student might be of Japanese, Chinese, or Korean descent based on his facial features – but which exactly, he couldn't figure out.
After the student wiped off his tears and cleaned up his face, he tried to return the handkerchief to Aiden, but he politely declined, saying "You can keep it, you need it more than I do".
"Are you sure?" the student asked as Aiden nodded his head.
"You don't seem to be injured. I need to get to work, so I'm going on ahead. I hope you get home safely and not get caught up in any more trouble" Aiden said before walking away from the student.
Before Aiden could walk off, the student managed to get a glance of the patch on Aiden's breast pocket and realized that he was a student at Mount Juliet University. But before he could say anything else, Aiden had already walked off. As he walked towards the street, the student followed him with his eyes before he disappeared after turning the corner.
The student gave out a sigh before taking a SD Card Camera reader out of his bag and plugging it in on his iPhone. He then took the SD card from his damaged Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and inserted it on the SD card reader, which allowed him to access the photos from his phone.
"I didn't think Ryan and his friends would really target me after releasing those photos to the entire school" the student lamented as he swiped through the pictures he took.
"I wonder who that person was? I didn't even ask for his name and thank him properly" the student added before looking at the handkerchief that Aiden left him.
As he scrolled through the pictures he took, something caught his attention which caused him to zoom in on the picture he was looking at, "Wait.. But that's.. I've never heard of that place before.." he commented before going to his web browser and started typing something.
Meanwhile in Café Confiture, Dani, Beans, and Chief were watching WNN on Dani's iPad, which has been covering and reporting on the rush that just happened. The student reporter on the scene was giving out updates about the dispersal operations that the ROTC was doing, and the mop-up operations that they were going to undertake afterwards as the camera focused on the background, showing the quad with multiple ROTC cadets directing the remaining students out of the area.
"Wow, that looked wild! I hope Aiden's okay" Beans commented as they watched WNN's live broadcast.
"For real, that rush looked so crazy, I hope no one was seriously hurt" Dani added as Chief started getting concerned about Aiden who was at the center of the rush.
"Maybe I should give Aiden a call, I'm worried about him" Chief said as she pulled her phone out from her pocket, she was about to call when Beans called out to her.
"That may not be necessary, Sis!" Beans said as she saw Aiden walking towards the glass door, pointing at his direction, "Looks like the Poker Prince made it out okay".
When Aiden entered Café Confiture, Chief was able to breathe a sigh of relief before placing her phone on the counter top, "I was just about to call you!".
"It seems like you had a bad day!" Beans joked as Aiden approached them.
"That's a serious understatement" Aiden said as he stood in front of Dani, Beans and Chief.
"Are you okay Aiden? You have a band aid on your face" Dani pointed out as Aiden touched the band aid.
"Yeah, just a scratch. Nothing too serious" Aiden replied as he saw WNN's live broadcast on Dani's iPad.
"I'm glad. We were just watching what happened at Mount Juliet. It seems like some of the students and ROTC Cadets received minor wounds" Chief said as she looked at Aiden.
"I was afraid of that. Everything happened so quickly that even us in the Student Council and the ROTC were caught off guard" Aiden admitted, alluding to the surprise press conference that Heide held which triggered the massive rush, "I even ended up getting caught in the middle of it as well as other students".
"How will the Student Council and ROTC respond to what happened?" Dani asked, curious as to what Aiden's course of action would be.
"Naturally, the AGs activities will been suspended pending an investigation. The Student Council, and the ROTC will be dealing with the massive fallout and the investigation tomorrow" Aiden sighed.
"It seems like you're going to have a busy day tomorrow" Beans commented as she noticed the exhaustion on Aiden's face but decided not to point it out in consideration of what he just went through.
"Considering what just happened, and what's going to happen, I think you should take the day off today and tomorrow so you could at least rest and unwind" Chief suggested as Beans and Dani concurred.
"No. I'll be fine" Aiden quickly responded, an obvious sign that he didn't even consider the suggestion.
"If I take the day off, I'll only end up thinking of what happened earlier. I rather stay busy and distract myself from that affair until I actually cross that bridge" he continued as Chief gave out a sigh.
"Don't push yourself too hard though, and rest if you need to" Chief reluctantly agreed, knowing full well that Aiden wouldn't do something once he has set his mind against it.
"If you plan on working, let me at least make you your usual. Your shift doesn't even start for another 45 minutes, so try to at least relax until then" Beans said before she started making a hot cappuccino.
"Appreciate it Beans" Aiden said as he removed his bag and placed it on an empty chair in front of the counter before sitting on the chair next to it.
"Just let me know if you need help with anything, okay?" Dani smiled.
"Thank you, will do" Aiden responded before Dani checked on the customers that were already inside.
After a few minutes, Beans was finally able to finish making a hot cappuccino, even adding five shots of espresso instead of the usual four, considering that Aiden has had a rough day, and could use a large dose of caffeine if he was going to be able to function properly for the duration of his shift.
When Aiden smelled the sweet aroma of the cappuccino, his mood slightly improved, and he was able to slightly relax as Beans placed the cup and saucer in front of him.
"Here you go Poker Prince" Beans said as she watched Aiden take in the aroma of the drink, before slowly taking a sip, his face, and tensed shoulders visibly relaxing.
"Kuya Aiden!" a familiar voice suddenly called out as Beans and Aiden simultaneously turned towards the door and saw AJ and JJ walking towards them. "AJ! JJ!" Beans cheerfully greeted back.
"Ate Beans! Kuya Aiden! How are you guys?" AJ greeted with a smile, a completely different expression than what he and JJ had the day before.
"I'm good! Although I can't say the same for Aiden though" Beans replied as AJ and JJ flanked Aiden, the latter to the left and the former to the right.
"Oh man, you look like hell. What happened to you?" JJ asked after seeing what Aiden looked like as he placed his cup and saucer on the counter table.
"I didn't think you could be so straightforward" Aiden replied as he looked at JJ, his face still has band aids on it, and some bruises, "Then again, I could say the same for you, your face isn't exactly picture perfect". The dry response made Beans and AJ laugh, as JJ nodded his head in acknowledgement that he was burned by that quick and brutal comeback.
"What happened to you Kuya Aiden? Why is there a band aid on your cheek?" AJ asked with a concerned and curious look on his face.
"Oh! There was a huge rush earlier on campus, and Aiden was in the middle of it" Dani suddenly joined in as she walked towards the counter.
"Ate Dani!" AJ greeted with a smile as JJ waved at her.
"Hi AJ! JJ!" Dani greeted back with a smile, "How are you guys?"
"We're good! JJ's face is a whole lot better than it was yesterday, and some of the swelling went down" AJ replied as Dani breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's a rush?" JJ asked as he looked at Dani.
"Oh.. That's.." Dani hesitated, unsure whether or not it was okay for her to share Mount Juliet internal affairs to Mount Charlotte Students.
"It's fine Dani" Aiden said after noticing her hesitation, "Mount Charlotte's administration would've heard about it by now. The public would probably get wind of that as well given the scope and magnitude of what happened today, that's something that can't be kept a secret for long or spun in a PR perspective" he continued before taking another sip of his cappuccino.
"I see your point" Dani concurred before turning her attention to AJ who she was closest to.
After receiving Aiden's blessing, Dani started explaining to AJ and JJ what a rush is, and the role it plays in the student culture and traditions at Mount Juliet. Afterwards, she showed them some rush videos on YouTube that happened before, as well as the one that happened earlier, including the WNN broadcast.
AJ and JJ were clearly at awe and surprised by the "Rushes" that happens in Mount Juliet, what was equally surprising to them was how a lot of students participate in it, knowing that there's a possibility that they may get hurt or injured – even more surprising was how Aiden was a popular figure at MJU.
"Wow, I didn't think that Kuya Aiden would be so popular" JJ commented as Aiden continued sipping on his Cappuccino.
"I know right? Who would think that this cold and uninterested Poker-Faced Prince would be popular" Beans chimed in as Aiden subtly rolled his eyes.
"Truth be told, Aiden doesn't even try to get people's attention like that" Dani smiled.
"I guess the law of attraction only works backwards for Kuya Aiden" JJ added as everyone gave a chuckle, Aiden could only scoff in response.
"I mean, jokes aside. Kuya Aiden is actually cute and handsome if you ask me personally. I could see why he's popular at your university" AJ smiled.
"Lucky me" Aiden sarcastically said as he placed his saucer and cup down.
"Give Kuya Aiden some noodles!" JJ quickly responded to everyone's laughter.
(T/N: "Lucky Me" is an instant noodle brand in the Philippines; JJ's response is a typical response between friends as a joke when they do something cool, amazing, or just a quick comeback. In Tagalog, JJ would've said "Bigyan ng noodles yan!", and in this case, JJ was making fun of Aiden, using the words he used)
Just as everyone was having fun at Aiden's expense, Chief came out of the kitchen after hearing all the laughter happening at the Barista Counter. When she saw AJ and JJ, she quickly greeted them with a smile, "AJ! JJ! It's good to see you two again!"
"Chief! Sorry for dropping by unannounced!" AJ replied.
"It's fine, this is a Café after all, people drop by unannounced all the time!" Chief laughed.
"Touché" AJ laughed.
"So how are you feeling JJ?" Chief asked as she looked at him.
"A whole lot better. Thank you again for helping me and AJ yesterday. I appreciate it" JJ smiled.
"It was more Aiden than us, actually" Chief clarified.
"That is true. Thank you again Kuya Aiden!" JJ said as he slapped Aiden's back, horrifying Chief, Beans, and Dani who knows that Aiden doesn't like being touched like that. But to their surprise, he didn't even react to it or say anything witty – he only gave a huge sigh in response.
"So.. So, what brings the two of you here?" Chief asked as she looked at AJ.
"Oh, that! JJ and I actually decided last night that we'll be hanging out here starting today, since we really appreciated the help that everyone gave us yesterday, plus we love the food and atmosphere here!" AJ excitedly revealed to the delight of Dani, Beans, and Chief.
"We're not really welcomed by our peers at our school, and not a lot of people want to associate with us after we revealed our relationship. We do have friends, don't get us wrong, but we try to not hang out with them too much, since we don't want them being ostracized like us through association" JJ revealed.
"Well, you two are always welcome here! Come as much as you like!" Chief said with a smile.
"Thank you! By the way, what do you recommend for dessert and drinks?" AJ asked.
"Depends on what kind of desserts and drinks you prefer" Beans responded.
"What does Kuya Aiden usually get?" JJ asked, curious to Aiden's dessert and drink preference is.
"He usually gets a hot cappuccino with four extra shots of espresso and coffee crumble cake with truffles" Beans quickly replied to the amazement of AJ and JJ.
"AJ and I will try that, without the extra espresso shots, please!" JJ said, as AJ quickly clapped his hands.
"Alright! 2 Hot Cappuccinos and 2 Coffee Crumble Cakes with Truffles! It'll be right out!" Beans said as she repeated their order for confirmation.
"Ah! Ate Beans, it'll only be Coffee Crumble Cake with Truffles. AJ and I will share the cake" JJ quickly corrected her as everyone responded with an "Awwwww", while Aiden took another sip of cappuccino.
"We always share our food Ate Beans, plus AJ likes it when I feed him" JJ added before Aiden spit his cappuccino inside his cup.
"You okay Aiden?" Chief asked as she looked at Aiden who placed back the cup on top of the saucer, lightly hitting his chest as he coughed.
"I'm fine, I accidentally drank too much at one time" Aiden replied as he waved his hand in the air.
In actuality, when JJ said that AJ likes being fed the memory of him feeding Min in his office after asking for a selfie that Oscar demanded flashed in his head, causing him to quickly spit out the cappuccino he was drinking. Suddenly remembering that moment made him conscious around AJ and JJ, as this was the very conundrum he was pondering about in the wee hours of the morning.
"Don't go dying on us Poker Prince" Beans joked as she prepared to make AJ and JJ's order.
"Don't count on it Beans" Aiden quickly responded as Beans gave a chuckle.
"Anyways, you two enjoy your drinks and food, okay? I need to get back to work" Chief said as she excused herself before returning to the kitchen. Dani was about to excuse herself as well when her phone started getting a stream of notifications from her phone, which everyone in the Barista Counter heard.
"That's a lot of notifications Ate Dani" AJ commented as Dani took her phone out of her apron to check what the notifications were about, after seeing what it was, her eyes widened.
"What is it Ate Dani? Did something happen?" JJ followed up, this time it caught Aiden's attention who turned around and looked at Dani, who then looked back at him.
"Now what?" Aiden sighed as he could already tell that something back at Mount Juliet was happening.
When Dani showed Aiden what she was looking at, Aiden could only whisper "For fuck's sake". It was a live broadcast from Heide Enriquez via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram airing her grievances after Moira informed her of the AGs indefinite suspension from any and all activities.
"She just never gives up does she?" Aiden commented as he watched the live broadcast, AJ and JJ once again flanking Aiden as they also watched the video.
"Good evening to all members of the Aiden's Guardians, and to everyone that is watching this broadcast. I have a very important announcement to make which concerns our organization. I have been informed by Student Council Chief of Staff Moira Sato a few moments ago that by orders from Student Council President Aiden Kobayashi, our organization, Aiden's Guardians have been put in an indefinite suspension as a result of the rush that happened earlier this afternoon. I've also been informed that this is being done as the Student Council and the ROTC investigate the series of events that led to the rush that has left dozens of students with minor injuries – both from our organization and the ROTC" Heide announced as Aiden, Dani, AJ, and JJ watched.
"Where are you going with this, Heide…" Aiden whispered as he started having a bad feeling.
"According to Chief of Staff Sato, the AGs suspension will begin at midnight tonight, until then we are still able to conduct our activities unimpeded in accordance with the order by the Student Council President. To that end, I'm instructing all AG Divisions to start preparing for our impending suspension and inform our followers and fans outside the university of this unfortunate turn of events. Furthermore, I would like to inform our members and followers within the university to abide by the suspension of our activities and avoid starting any rushes until this matter has been resolved" Heide continued.
"I trust that all of our members would comply with this order from the Student Council President and our organization's stan. Hopefully, once this matter is resolved, we could go back to business as usual, and we can repair that damage that was unjustly done to our organization's reputation and image. Before I end this live broadcast, I would like to inform everyone who is watching that I will be fulfilling the promise I made when I held the press conference earlier this afternoon" Heide added as Dani reacted in a puzzled and confused expression.
"Due to the diligent and hard work of our Intelligence Division, I' am able to finally deliver you the promise that I made to everyone earlier. This will be the last gift I shall impart to all of our members before the ordered suspension of our organization begins and shall act as a bulwark against the MGs malicious and undeserving ship in the form of #MinAiden!" Heide continued as she railed against her organization's rival.
"What the hell is she doing now!?" Aiden strongly reacted as his eyes widened.
"What is MinAiden?" AJ asked as he and JJ looked at each other, Aiden sitting between them.
"I would like to present, the AGs official ship with Student Council Aiden Kobayashi!" Heide announced with confidence as she showed a video projected on a projector screen. The video that Heide was showing is that of Cadet-Captain Kim during the flash rush in the quad earlier in the morning, the video of him protecting Aiden from the flying light stick, him cleaning up Aiden's scratched cheek, putting the band aid on it, followed by a video of them heading to the freight elevator – edited with music for maximum effect.
"OMG! He's cute! And handsome too! Is he Korean!?" AJ excitedly commented as JJ looked at him weirdly.
"Oh, wow! You've got to hand it to Heide, she has good taste" Dani jokingly commented as Aiden looked at her with disappointment before shaking his head.
"For fuck's sake, Heide just won't give me a break now will she" Aiden said, clearly frustrated by Heide's final act prior to the AGs suspension.
Just then Aiden's phone started ringing, when he took it out of his pocket, he saw that Beatrice was calling him, "Now what?" he sighed as he got up and answered his phone, Dani returning to her work.
"If you're calling about Heide's live broadcast, I've already seen it. I'll have Angela do some damage control with the Student Press tomorrow" Aiden opened after answering the phone.
"I wasn't really calling about that, but now that you've mentioned it Grace, and Moira are already working on a countermeasure against it. That live broadcast threw everyone off guard and now Angela is raging" Beatrice reported as Aiden rubbed his forehead.
"Well, that's to be expected. Angela will be the one handling the Student Press tomorrow, and she will definitely receive a lot of flak for it" Aiden responded.
"That is true. The student press here seems to have a reputation for having aggressive line of questioning, I feel bad for Angela for having to deal with that" Beatrice responded as she sympathized with Angela.
"So, what did you call me for if it's not about Heide's live broadcast just now?" Aiden asked, pivoting the topic of their conversation.
"Yes, about that. I have an update on the Mount Charlotte matter" Beatrice reported.
"I completely forgot about that to be honest, with everything that's happening that matter completely slipped my mind" Aiden admitted as he momentarily closed his eyes, "So, what news do you have on that end? Did you make any progress? I could use some good news right about now".
"I wouldn't call it much progress, sir. But I found out from one of the Mount Charlotte alumni here on campus that the reason that the Student Council information is not up on their website is because the election has been thrown to the schools administration for adjudication" Beatrice reported.
"Adjudication? For what?" Aiden further inquired.
"It appears that the election was being contested due to unsubstantiated reports of vote buying and other anomalies regarding the previous year's Student Council Election. Although the elected Student Council President has been allowed to take his post, the school's administration has curtailed his authority and powers and will not be updating the information on their website until their investigation has concluded" Beatrice explained as Beans served AJ and JJ's food and drinks.
"That's an unfortunate turn of events. Did you find out the name of the elected Student Council President?" Aiden asked, disappointed in the lack of progress in that area.
"Unfortunately not. The alumnus we interviewed only heard it from his lower-classmen friends that are still in Mount Charlotte, and they didn't talk about it in detail" Beatrice replied as Aiden turned towards the Barista Counter and realized that there are two Mount Charlotte Students in front of him that he could get that information from.
"Beatrice, I'm going to have to call you back. I may have a solution to our problems on that matter" Aiden said as he ended the call, putting his phone back in his pocket as he walked towards the Barista counter.
"AJ, JJ" Aiden called out as he approached the counter, "I have a question I want to ask the two of you" he continued as he wore a serious expression on his face.
"Yes, Kuya Aiden?" AJ asked, curious as to what he wanted to ask.
"I just heard that the Student Council election at Mount Charlotte is under investigation by the school's administration, is that true?" Aiden asked as AJ and JJ looked at each other before looking back at him.
"Why the sudden interest in our Student Council election?" JJ asked, curious as to why Aiden would be asking something so random.
"The Mount Juliet University Student Council has something we would like to discuss with the Mount Charlotte High School Student Council, however, we couldn't seem to find any information about them in your school's website or anywhere else" Aiden responded.
"And I just heard from one of my officers that the Student Council election at your school is currently under investigation by your administration for alleged vote buying and anomalies" Aiden continued.
"Wow, I didn't think you could gather that much information about our school's closely guarded secret" JJ responded, impressed by how much Aiden has learned.
"Everything you just said is true. The Student Council election has caused a mess at our school" AJ added.
"It's the biggest scandal that ever-hit Mount Charlotte since the 'Jack the Ripper' incident four years ago, and it has thrown the administration into a frenzy" JJ revealed.
"What's this 'Jack the Ripper' incident?" Aiden asked, curious as to what that incident was since he was still at Mount Charlotte around that time, and he has never heard about it.
"Oh, it's the story that upperclassmen tell the freshies and transferees. It's about this sophomore student that beat the child of a real estate company CEO in their home economic class. From what we heard, he suddenly beat the crap out of him for no reason" JJ explained.
"From what we're told, this student was really well connected that even the father couldn't press charges against him, and that he eventually removed his son from Mount Charlotte. They said after that incident, a lot of rich kids were afraid to go near him" AJ added.
"Apparently after that kid graduated from Mount Charlotte, they started calling him 'Jack the Ripper' like that murderer from England" JJ continued.
Aiden cringed at the story that AJ and JJ just shared, well aware that it was him that they've dubbed as 'Jack the Ripper', an unfortunate nickname that has such a negative and notorious origin. The fact that the story has been so twisted made Aiden cringe and embarrassed as it was an incident he never wanted to remember or even think about. It was also a time where he was emotionally impulsive and hasn't been able to properly control his feelings like he does now.
"Are you okay, Kuya Aiden?" AJ asked as he noticed the slight cringe on Aiden's face.
"Yeah. I'm fine, I just think that story was cringey and exaggerated" Aiden responded.
"The faculty seems to defend this 'Jack the Ripper' especially Ms. Bernardo, the Home Economics teacher who was involved in that incident. That's why AJ and I think that that's not the actual story, and there was more behind it than what's been spread around" JJ commented.
When Aiden heard the name of the Home Economics teacher he defended he was reminded of how she thanked him for standing up for her when no one else did. Back then, he didn't think too much about it, but now that he thought about it, it was the first time he actually stood up for someone who was being abused and bullied by the rich and powerful – an action which came for his hatred of the abusive privileged.
Unbeknownst to Aiden, that wasn't the first time that he stood up for someone, as his Praetorian Guards would argue, backed up by their own personal experiences with him.
"In any case, we've got sidetracked from our actual topic" Aiden reminded AJ and JJ.
"Oh, right! You were asking about Mount Charlotte's Student Council" AJ said.
"What did you want to ask about our Student Council?" JJ added.
"To be more specific, I'm curious about the elected Student Council President" Aiden said as he specified the subject he wanted to talk about.
"The Student Council President? What about him? We don't know him personally so we might not be much of help in that area" AJ responded.
"Do you happen to know his name at the very least?" Aiden further inquired.
"Yes. His name is Archie Lloyd Tan, he's a Senior" AJ said, finally giving Aiden the piece of information he needed to move forward with the requisition of Mount Charlotte's ROTC. All he needed to do now is find a way to contact him so they could proceed.
"What kind of person is he?" Aiden asked, trying to get gist of what he's going to be dealing with.
"To be honest, we're not quite sure. He seems like a nice person, he's not well liked but he's not hated by the student body either" JJ answered as he took a sip of his cappuccino.
"That seems a little vague don't you think? I mean he is your Student Council President, shouldn't you at least know a little more about him?" Aiden pressed.
"Well, for one most of the rich kids don't like him. Secondly, not a lot of our ROTC cadets respect him. Thirdly, he's not the most charismatic person at school. Lastly, he can be indecisive and is easily influenced and swayed by other people who has a more dominant personality" AJ explained as Aiden sighed.
"Not exactly traits that would make a good leader truth be told" Aiden commented.
"That's the reason why some of the rich kids want to remove him from office by spreading that awful rumor about election anomalies and vote buying" JJ continued.
"Everyone at Mount Charlotte knows that Archie won fair and square, but his opponent is a bit of a sore loser, and he created this mess to delegitimize the Student Council elections. The rumors that were spread at school was aimed to discredit the credibility of the elections in general" AJ explained.
"Would you rather Archie not be Student Council President?" Aiden asked.
"It's not that we don't want to, don't get me wrong. But like you said, he doesn't exactly have the traits of a good leader that's why a lot of students are doubtful if he could effectively lead the Student Council" AJ responded as he defended his argument.
"If that was the case, why did Archie won the election?" Aiden further inquired.
"The election was basically split into two camps – the rich kids and the rest of the student body. Truth be told, the election was really close, Archie won the election by only fifteen votes. It didn't help that his opponent is known to use his parent's money and influence to get what he wants and uses this fact to terrorize those who aren't part of their class" JJ explained.
"Although Archie lacks the necessary traits found in a leader, he was the better choice over someone who is privileged and cannot level with the ordinary students. Archie did have a good platform that he ran on during the campaign, and he could've convinced a lot more students to vote for him if he was a bit more confident and charismatic" AJ continued.
"I can't say he's a bad kid, he does things with good intentions, but more often than not he tends to make some situation a lot worse than what it should be. AJ and I are grateful for him for trying to stand up for us earlier at school, but I feel like he just added fuel to the fire" JJ added.
"What do you mean? Did something happen at school?" Aiden asked.
"Apparently, Archie found out about what happened to AJ and me yesterday, and he suddenly decided to take matters into his own hands. He confronted those bullies you fought off and it turned messy. All he accomplished was stir up the hornet's nest than actually solve the bullying situation" JJ revealed.
"I feel bad for him though, his officers didn't even back him up" AJ said as he sympathized for Archie.
"To be honest, I don't know what to feel about this Archie person. He sounds like a good kid but when it comes to his leadership abilities, I'm a little unimpressed. But like you said he is the better alternative to the other candidate" Aiden said as he gave another sigh.
"Well, that's only our first impression of him. Like AJ said earlier, we don't know him personally so we really can't say much about him, other than what we've heard and see him do" JJ said.
"Do you know a way I could contact him?" Aiden asked as the front door of the Café opened and customer came in, checking out the interior of the Café like it was his first time there.
"Oh, why don't you ask him yourself Kuya Aiden" AJ said as he pointed to the customer that just came in.
"Hey! President Tan, what are you doing here?" AJ called out to him as Aiden and JJ turned towards Archie who was approaching the Barista Counter.
"Wait, you're Mount Charlotte's Student Council President!?" Aiden quickly reacted after recognizing the student that just came in.
"You guys know each other?" JJ asked as he looked at Aiden.
"Not exactly. You could say we crossed paths before I got here" Aiden replied as he facepalmed himself, remembering how he comforted Archie in the most embarrassing and humiliating way.
"Mr. Javier, Mr. Jimenez. I didn't expect to see you both here" Archie said as he stood in front of JJ.
"I mean, this is mine and AJ's new hangout spot. What about you? What are you doing here? And how do you know Kuya Aiden?" JJ asked, curious as to why Archie was there.
"Aiden? Is that your name Kuya? I was actually looking for him, I wanted to properly thank him for saving me from Mr. Abaya and his friends earlier" Archie revealed as AJ and JJ looked at Aiden who just removed his hand from his face.
"From Ryan? Wait, did they gang up on you too!?" JJ asked as Archie nodded.
"I mean, you did spread the pictures of them beating JJ at school earlier. Obviously they would want to get back at you for that" AJ said.
"I was only trying to help. I accidentally ran into you guys yesterday and took some pictures of the fight that happened. I thought with some evidence it could at least dissuade Ryan from bullying other students" Archie revealed to the surprise of Aiden.
"I sure hope to God I'm not in those pictures that you shared at Mount Charlotte" Aiden commented after hearing what Archie said.
"Oh no! It was only the fight between Mr. Javier, Mr. Jimenez, Mr. Abaya, and his friends that I shared. I didn't share the picture of you beating them up" Archie responded as he tried to avoid eye contact.
"Good, that would've been really problematic for me if pictures of me beating up High Schoolers leaked" Aiden said as he breathed a sigh of relief.
"That would've ruined your reputation and credibility at Mount Juliet" AJ commented.
"That would be a good headline 'Student Council President beats up High School kids in back alley' it'll sure be the scoop of the year" JJ joked as Aiden gave him a death stare.
"You're Mount Juliet University's Student Council President!?" Archie reacted with shock at the revelation he just heard from JJ.
"Yes he is! He's also the most popular student at MJU!" AJ added with a smile on his face as Bean returned to the Barista Counter after hearing the conversation happening.
"Oh, a friend of yours AJ? JJ?" Beans asked as she leaned on the counter.
"I wouldn't really say he's our friend. This is actually our Student Council President Archie Tan" AJ said as he introduced Archie to Beans.
"Nice to meet you Archie!" Beans greeted him, "So what brings you here?"
"Poker-Prince apparently saved him from the bullies that beat me up yesterday" JJ responded.
"Aiden, I didn't think you had the habit of saving defenseless High School kids" Beans teased.
"I don't. I just so happen to be passing by when I saw him being ganged up on" Aiden replied as he looked at Beans before turning his attention to Archie.
"So? How did you even find this place?" Aiden asked.
"I saw the name of this place on the apron you were wearing yesterday when I was looking at the pictures from my camera's SD card. I searched the name up and it led me here" Archie explained.
"I actually just came here to properly thank you for saving me earlier. I didn't expect that I'd run into some of the students from my school" Archie continued.
"Since Archie's here, go ahead and ask for his contact information" AJ suddenly chimed in.
"My contact information? For what?" Archie asked in a confused and puzzled tone.
"Kuya Aiden here wants to know your contact information" JJ chimed in.
"Why?" Archie asked as he looked at Aiden.
"The Mount Juliet University's Student Council actually has an official matter that we would like to discuss with you and Dr. Marites Quiambao" Aiden revealed.
"What's it about? If you don't mind me asking?" Archie said as he felt intimidated by Aiden's presence.
"Mount Juliet needs to requisition Mount Charlotte's ROTC for our upcoming Battle of the Bands Festival, and according to our research it would require the consent and approval of both the current Principal and incumbent Student Council President of Mount Charlotte" Aiden explained.
"So that's why you were interested about our Student Council, and Archie" AJ said as he pieced together why Aiden asking about it.
"Yes, that's the reason why" Aiden replied, "It wasn't helpful that Mount Charlotte hasn't updated their website regarding their Student Council for this academic year, and the stringent privacy policy of your school didn't make things easier either" he added as Archie lowered his head and held his hands together.
"But now that you're here, let's exchange contact information so I have a direct link to my counterpart. It will make things a lot easier from here on out if we have a line of communication" Aiden continued as Archie slowly nodded his head before taking his phone out.
"Alright. I will discuss this matter with my officers, and I will reach out to you in the next couple of days so we could get this matter concluded" Aiden said after exchanging contact information with Archie.
"Is.. Is there anything that you need me to do?" Archie asked.
"You don't have to do anything, we'll take care of the paperwork and other preparations. We just need you and Dr. Quiambao to consent to our requisition request" Aiden replied as Archie nodded.
"I understand. If you need anything else from me, just let me know and I'll do my very best to assist" Archie said in the most timid tone.
"I appreciate it, thanks" Aiden replied before sending a message to Beatrice, and Cadet-Major Del Rosario, informing them of the progress he just made on the Mount Charlotte matter. As Aiden communicated with his officers, Archie approached AJ and JJ.
"How long have you both known Kuya Aiden?" Archie asked.
"We literally just met him yesterday" AJ replied as he took a sip of his cappuccino.
"Is he always that intimidating?" Archie asked visibly embarrassed by the question.
"I wouldn't say he's intimidating. He does have a poker face and always remains stoic, but I'm not really intimidated by him or anything like that" JJ responded as AJ nodded in agreement.
"I guess it's just me huh?" Archie said as he softly bit his lips.
"Don't worry too much about it! Aiden is always like that, he might look intimidating, but he's actually a real softie on the inside" Beans suddenly interjected when he saw how down Archie looked.
Meanwhile, back at Mount Juliet the ROTC finally managed to disperse the majority of the students at the quad and has begun mop-up operations. At the same time, the Nirvana team and their support squad was finally able to emerge from the Humanities Building after being trapped by the students who participated in the rush. When they approached the emergency medical field tent set up by the 24th ROTC Company, they were greeted by Cadet-Major Del Rosario.
"Cadet-Captain Francisco, I'm glad you made it without any injuries" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as the members of the Nirvana Team and their support squad saluted her.
"What about President Kobayashi?" Cadet-Captain Francisco asked out of concern.
"President Kobayashi is fine. It was because of him that we managed to get the situation under control as fast as we did" Cadet-Major Del Rosario replied.
"What do you mean ma'am?" Cadet-Captain Francisco further inquired.
"President Kobayashi left the university and ordered Central Command and the Student Council to leak the information that he was last spotted at the East Gate. His plan worked, and it redirected the students outside the university which helped clear the quad of students, making it easier for us to disperse the remaining students here" Cadet-Major Del Rosario explained.
"He's as reckless as ever" Cadet-Captain Francisco sighed before sitting down on the grass.
"Aiden will be Aiden, Cadet-Captain Francisco" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said before walking towards the Nirvana team who looked extremely unkempt and exhausted.
"Good work out there Nirvana team" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she commended their actions.
"Thank you ma'am!" Cadet-Captain Kim said as Cadet-Lieutenant Heo and Cadet-Lieutenant Shin laid on the grass, trying to catch their breathes.
"You've proven your abilities to protect President Kobayashi, I can say with confidence that you're ready to carry out your team's primary mission" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as Cadet-Captain Kim fell on his knees from exhaustion.
"Rest up for tonight Nirvana team, you all deserved it" Cadet-Major Del Rosario added before walking up to the Nirvana tea, support squad which consists of Cadet-Sergeant Cruz, Cadet-Sergeant Trinidad, Cadet-Corporal Domingo, Cadet-Lieutenant Tanaka, and Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki.
"I would like to thank all of you for providing support for the Nirvana team, you all did exemplary today especially while being outnumbered by the AGs and the other students" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said.
"Thank you ma'am! On behalf of the support squad we appreciate your words" Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki said before sitting down on the grass.
As Cadet-Major Del Rosario finished commending and checking up on the Nirvana team and their support squad, the sound of clicking boots started getting louder before a voice called her from behind. When she turned around, she saw Cadet-Colonel Belarmino, flanked by Cadet-Major Del Mundo and Cadet-Major Francisco approaching her.
"Sir!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she clicked her heels before rendering a salute.
"First of all, well done on bringing this situation under control. This could've spiraled into something worse if it wasn't for President Kobayashi's reckless, but effective plan" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino said as Cadet-Major Del Rosario lowered her arms.
"Thank you sir. We're nearly done with the mop up operations, and reports are coming in from our teams that most of the students have left the university for the day" Cadet-Major Del Rosario reported.
"Good, at the very least we managed to prevent things from dangerously spiraling out of control" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino commented, "But that's not the reason why I came out here in the field".
"Sir?" Cadet-Major Del Rosario asked in a puzzled tone.
"We've received orders from President Kobayashi to protect the International Student Representative since his safety was also compromised by Heide Enriquez after her press conference" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino said as she handed Cadet-Major Del Rosario a folder.
"Your new orders are to protect Representative Nontanakorn in addition to President Kobayashi. With that in mind, I'm elevating Nirvana team to a squad. Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki, Cadet-Lieutenant Tanaka, and Cadet-Corporal Domingo will be officially transferred to the 1st and 2nd ROTC Companies and assigned to the Nirvana Squad" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino continued.
"The Nirvana Squad will be divided between the Nirvana team and the Support team, the latter will be under the command of Cadet-Lieutenant Suzuki, with Cadet-Lieutenant Tanaka as his second in command, they will be charged with the protection of Representative Nontanakorn. Cadet-Captain Kim will retain his command of his team and will continued with their primary mission" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino added.
"Sir!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she gave a salute.
"Also, President Kobayashi has called for an emergency meeting with the Student Council tomorrow at 0900 hours. Cadet-Major Del Rosario, Cadet-Captain Francisco, and the Nirvana team will also attend this meeting as well. That is all" Cadet-Colonel Belarmino finally concluded before excusing himself.
"Well, it looks like you'll be staying at the barracks tonight" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she looked at Cadet-Captain Francisco.
"It looks that way" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied.
"Not really keen on breaking the news to Aiden about his personal guards unit" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as she looked at the folder she was given.
"I don't envy you at all. The only thing I could say is good luck" Cadet-Captain Francisco replied as Cadet-Major Del Rosario scoffed in response.
"With all the other things going on, I can only imagine how Aiden would react" Cadet-Major Del Rosario said as Cadet-Captain Francisco took a deep breathe.
"Nirvana Squad! We have our orders! Move out and get some sleep tonight! Nirvana team, you will officially meet President Kobayashi and the Student Council tomorrow, look your best!" Cadet-Major Del Rosario announced as the Nirvana squad groaned in response before they moved out from the quad.
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor Gutierrez was still in her office looking out the window as she pondered on her decision about assigning the Nirvana team to protect Aiden after the rush that happened earlier, and the video that Heide Enriquez unleashed to the entire university which announced the AGs official ship: Cadet-Captain Kim and Aiden – an unforeseen development that made her doubt her decision.
"I will just have to push through with this, regardless of these unforeseen developments" Vice Chancellor Gutierrez whispered to herself as she turned her head and looked at a piece of paper on her desk that has a header which had the logo of the Labrador Group of Corporations.
Later that evening Aiden was finally able to get home after a long and exhausting day. After entering his condominium unit, he immediately went to the bathroom and took a long hot shower before changing to his sweater and shorts. Before heading to sleep, he set the temperature of his unit to the lowest setting and then slowly walked to his bed. The moment his body met his mattress he immediately passed out, unaware of the things that would unfold the following day.