Jayjay's POV
"Jay... Ice cream..." C-in whined, but I ignored him.
"Ice cream... Ice cream..."
He's been pestering me for a while now. I'm annoyed because I always have to get him food, and he never cleans up after himself. He's so lazy!
"Jay... Jay... Jay... Jay... JAY!" he suddenly screamed.
I slammed my hand on the study table in frustration. So annoying!
"Enough already! It's late! Go to sleep!" I yelled at him.
He suddenly started sniffling and rolled onto the floor.
"Jayjay is being mean to me!" he cried.
Oh, crap.
Why does it feel like this brat's craziness has gotten even worse?!
He only got bitten by a cat, and now he's acting like this. Could it be that the rabies has reached his brain? This is bad!
Should I take him back to the hospital… or straight to a mental institution?
"Fine! I'll get you some!" I said and quickly left the room.
I had no choice!
I went straight to the kitchen, but when I got there, the ice cream was gone. Aries had taken the last one. I caught him grabbing a spoon while holding the ice cream in his other hand.
"Can I have that instead?" I pleaded.
He just glanced at me and rolled his eyes as he walked past. Pfftt! Selfish jerk!
Now I was screwed. No ice cream meant dealing with that brat's tantrum.
I returned to the room and slowly opened the door, hoping he had fallen asleep.
No luck. He was wide awake. Fully alert. Alive and kicking!
"Where's my ice cream?" he asked.
"It's gone."
He immediately started sniffling again and rolling around on the floor.
I scratched the back of my head in frustration.
"I'll just buy you some." I said as I grabbed my phone and wallet from the table.
He suddenly stopped crying and stood up.
Huh?
"Get me a midnight snack too." He said and handed me money.
"Why don't you come with me instead?" I asked, annoyed.
"Nah… You got this. You survived until seventeen without me. This is nothing." He said as he sprawled on the bed. "...Hurry up."
Wow.
I was left speechless, amazed at how much of a pest this kid could be. Unbelievable!
I walked out without saying goodbye, figuring everyone was probably resting already. I grabbed my bike from the garage. The road was dark, but thanks to the streetlights, I could see my way. Next time, I should get a flasher for my bike so I can ride at night without feeling so uneasy.
This brat is such a hassle!
I headed to the Mini Mart near our place. It's open 24/7, so I can buy anything anytime. I parked my bike and went inside. The place was nearly empty—it was late, after all.
I had the Mini Mart all to myself!
As I was choosing an ice cream, I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I didn't move right away—I wanted to see what this person was planning.
I glanced at the reflection in the glass door of the freezer, hoping to catch a glimpse of their face, but it was too difficult to see.
"You're taking too long to decide." The person behind me suddenly spoke.
Wait! That voice—
"David!" I shouted, spinning around to face him.
He smiled at me, and I immediately smacked his chest.
Damn it! He scared me!
"Ouch! What was that for?" he asked, annoyed.
"You scared me, you idiot!"
He suddenly burst out laughing. "It's because you looked so serious. You're just picking ice cream, why do you look so intense?"
"I'm choosing, okay?!" I snapped before turning back to the freezer.
Annoying!
"Are you busy?" he asked.
I shook my head without looking at him. I just needed to find C-in's favorite flavor.
Rakki—wait, no! Rocky Road!
Rocky Road, where are you?! I need to smack that brat in the face with you.
"Do you want to eat first? My treat." David offered.
I immediately turned to him and grinned. "Let's go… the ice cream can wait."
He smiled and shook his head. Well, it's rude to turn down free food. Besides, it's rare to stumble upon a free meal.
I only got juice and a pre-heated sandwich since I was still full. I regretted eating too much at dinner.
"You really went out just to buy ice cream?" he asked.
I nodded. "For the brat staying at my house."
"C-in... Why didn't you bring him with you?"
"Ugh, that kid is so lazy!"
"Can't argue with that."
I unwrapped my sandwich and waited for it to cool down.
"What about you? Why are you out this late?" I asked.
"I can't sleep. Overthinking, I guess." He lowered his head slightly.
"About what?"
"I don't know."
"What's on your mind?"
"A lot of things."
"Come on, just tell me!" I pressed.
"You wouldn't understand. It's just some random stuff."
I pouted. Since he didn't want to talk, I had no choice but to focus on my sandwich instead.
While eating, I heard my phone go on. I took it out of my pocket and saw the name of that annoying snake king.
From: King Snake
Message: Where are you?
I scowled. No way was I replying to that jerk. Why does he even care where I am? He acts like he's my boyfriend—worse than my so-called fiancé.
"What's wrong?" David asked.
"Nothing… probably a wrong send." I lied and continued eating.
"It's Keifer, isn't it?" he asked, and I immediately choked.
"...I knew it."
"Cough How—cough—did you even know?" I asked.
"Instinct." He smirked arrogantly.
Ugh! There he goes again — Mr. High-Class Instinct. And it's always spot on!
How do you even get that kind of instinct?
I took a sip of my juice, hoping to clear my throat.
"Are you and Keifer a thing now?"
I immediately spat out my drink, nearly choking to death in my seat.
Damn it!
My throat hurts! Damn it! It burns!
"S-sorry..." David said, supporting me and handing me a tissue.
"D-damn cough... Damn it cough!"
He suddenly burst out laughing. If I weren't on the verge of tears from choking, I would've killed him with my glare.
What kind of question was that?! He totally caught me off guard!
Once I started feeling better, I quickly took another sip—just in case this David decided to throw another shocking question at me.
It still hurts!
"You spilled on your shirt." He handed me another tissue.
I took it and wiped my chest, making sure to pull out my necklace. It felt like it got wet too.
As I kept wiping, I noticed David staring intently at my chest.
This idiot!
"I'll poke your eyes out!" I threatened.
"Huh?"
"Your eyes! Stop staring so much!"
"S-sorry... It's just your necklace. Why is there a ring attached to it?"
I instinctively held the necklace—the engagement ring. Right… they didn't know about that.
"I-it was given to me, but I can't wear it, so I just put it here." I lied. He nodded, accepting my answer.
"...W-who gave you this necklace, anyway?" I quickly changed the topic. If he asked who gave me the ring, I wouldn't know what to say.
"Wow, you're really slow..." he said, making my eyebrows knit together. "...After all this time, you still don't have a clue?"
Damn this guy!
"Just tell me already!"
He took a deep breath and leaned slightly closer.
"What was on the box?" he asked.
"Nothing... except for Poseidon's Trident symbol." I answered.
"Exactly! That's your clue."
But I don't know any Poseidon! Damn it!
From Christmas to New Year's, I've been thinking about this, but I still have no idea!
"Huh?"
David smacked his forehead and took a few deep breaths.
"Do you know any of Poseidon's children?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Poseidon has tons of kids in Greek mythology."
"You don't know a single one?"
"The only one I know is the fictional character Percy Jack—"
I stopped mid-sentence.
Jay-jay, you idiot!
I looked at David, who was smiling at me as if saying, "See?" Damn it!
Google exists, but it's like I don't know how to use it. Why didn't I think of that sooner? So annoying!
But wait! If Percy was the one who sent this…
"Do you meet up with Percy?" I asked him.
"No… He just sent that to me."
"B-but you talk to each other?" I pressed.
David stared straight into my eyes. Damn it! My head was already hurting from overthinking, and yet the answer was right in front of me this whole time.
It must be serious!
"He calls whenever he feels like it. We don't have complete communication." He answered, and I nearly collapsed in frustration.
That's so unfair! So annoying!
I grabbed David's hand and looked at him with pleading eyes.
"David! Please… I-I really want to talk to him." I said.
He stared at my hand, and honestly, his hand was freezing. I had no idea how long we stayed like that until he suddenly pulled away and took a deep breath.
"I can send him a message, but I can't guarantee that he'll reply." He said and picked up his phone.
He started typing and then held up his camera toward me.
"Smile." He said.
But before I could even smile, I already heard the camera click. That bastard!
"You didn't even let me pose properly!" I said in frustration.
"Send." He said, lowering his phone onto the table.
We both stared at it for a few minutes. I was itching to grab David's phone and spam Percy with messages.
Damn it! Why the suspense?!
I had already finished my sandwich and juice. I even ate David's food too, but still, nothing. Until suddenly, his phone lit up with a "1 Message."
David picked it up and read the text. He even hesitated for a moment, as if debating whether to read it out loud.
I stared at him intently, determined to hear what it said, so he had no choice.
But I froze when I heard the contents of the message he read aloud.
"Remove that ring from the necklace... Or I will kill Yuri when I get back there."