Jay-jay's POV
Sir Alvin and Ma'am Cindy are married? They're married? Why? Since when? And why wasn't I informed? If I hadn't seen Ma'am Cindy here at Sir's house, I wouldn't have known. They're married.
If that's the case, then Sir is the real reason Keiren is here. It's not because Ma'am and Keifer are close.
"Fix your face." Kuya ordered when he noticed my scowl.
"I'm just thinking."
"You actually have thoughts?" he asked incredulously.
I clutched my chest and pretended to be hurt and shocked by his question. You've hurt me, brother.
"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" I asked irritably.
"Did someone hurt you?"
"No. But I ended up in a fight because of your stubbornness," he answered and raised his hand as if he was going to flick my forehead. I paused, remembering the gun he was holding earlier. That wasn't just any gun.
"Why do you have a gun? Where did you get it?" I fired my questions at him, and he fell silent for a moment.
"I have a lot of sidelines," he answered quickly.
I was about to ask more questions, but our attention was drawn to the approaching cars—two vehicles following each other. I knew one of them belonged to the King of Snakes, but the other was unfamiliar.
The two cars stopped in front of us. I wasn't wrong—Keifer was the driver of the first car. I waited for the driver of the second car to step out and was slightly surprised when I saw Sir Alvin. He didn't look like someone who drove fast.
"What's with this chaos, Angelo?" Sir asked Kuya. He didn't sound like Sir Alvin. His tone was strict and intimidating, as if one wrong answer would get you punched. This was far from the gentle and always polite Sir Alvin at school. I stared at him closely while he talked. His demeanor and speech were completely different, though his style of dress was the same. But this Sir Alvin stood straighter and had a more imposing figure compared to the slightly hunched Sir Alvin at school. Could he be Sir's twin? Maybe Sir Alvin has a twin brother, and they just happen to look exactly alike.
I waited for their conversation to end, still not taking my eyes off Sir. When he finally walked closer, I couldn't hold back anymore. "What's your name?" I asked.
He looked at me in confusion. Even Kuya and Keifer gave me puzzled glances. "You're Sir's twin, right?" I added.
Keifer shook his head with a smile, and Kuya let out a sigh.
"I-I don't have a twin," he answered. I stared at him, stunned.
"Then why do you look exactly like Sir? Are you his double hanger?"
Keifer burst out laughing. "It's doppelganger, not hanger."
Oh. My mistake.
"It's hanger. They changed the term. You're just always absent," I shot back at him before turning back to Sir's lookalike.
"Kuya, you shouldn't meet Sir. There's a saying that if the double and the original meet, one of them will die."
"I'll take note of that," Sir's lookalike replied and continued toward the car where Yuri and the red-haired woman were. He opened the door and woke Yuri, who had fallen asleep on our way here. I peeked inside and was shocked to see that the red-haired woman was gone.
"Kuya Angelo, the woman's gone," I reported, and he approached the car as well.
"Who?" Keifer asked, standing beside me.
We stepped away from the car a bit, and I started telling him what had happened earlier—the wrestling, the punching, the slapping, and the hair-pulling between me and the red-haired woman.
In the middle of my story, I suddenly felt him hug me.
"Hey! Hey! What's this about?" I asked, panicked. Kuya might see us.
"Don't do that again, please. Don't get yourself involved in gunfights. You don't stand a chance there. You got lucky this time, but what if you're not so lucky next time?" he said, clearly worried.
"I was just worried about Yuri. I couldn't stay still knowing he was in danger."
"For once, Jay, put yourself first." His tone changed, and I got irritated.
I pulled away from him.
"If I put myself first, what about our friends?"
He sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Look, you could've asked for help. Call the police or someone who knows how to handle a situation like that. You can help without putting your life on the line."
I couldn't help but let out my frustration. "Do you think I had time to think about that? I was in a rush. I was worried. I was panicking. My priority was making sure our friend was safe!"
"And if you get hurt, who will prioritize you?"
I froze. He had a point. I was in the middle of a shootout. It was just me and Kuya there, and even Yuri didn't know where I was. What if I had gotten hit? I'd be dead.
He stepped closer and took both my hands, bringing them to his lips and kissing them. Did I wash my hands when I went to the bathroom earlier?
"You can't blame me for worrying. That's why I left—to make sure you'd be safe. So please, listen to me."
I nodded slightly. "I can't promise, but I'll try."
"That's good to hear," he said, smiling. He held my hands for a few more moments.
I was about to pull them away when we heard Kuya calling us, and we quickly let go. "You two, get inside!" Kuya said, already heading into the house. I scratched my head and followed him, sneaking a glance at Sir's lookalike as he adjusted his shirt buttons. They really do look like they were split from the same seed. Could he be Sir Alvin's long-lost brother without them knowing? But if he didn't know, why was he here?
I turned to Keifer. "Why is Sir's lookalike here? I thought they weren't twins?"
He chuckled. "That's Sir Alvin."
"No way." He nodded.
"He just acts differently at school."
Oh, so they're the same person. Wow, Sir really has that side to him. But he didn't even bother to clarify. He just let me think he was someone else. What a snake. I kept walking, quietly throwing dirty looks at Sir and whispering curses under my breath. I hope his stomach hurts. When we got inside the house, I immediately sat on the sofa. I had already explored this place earlier when we arrived. Kuya and I had gone back outside to wait for Keifer. I thought we'd have our discussion in the living room, but they all headed toward the backyard.
I tried to follow, but Kuya blocked my way. "Stay here. Only we'll talk."
"W-wait… why am I not included?"
He shot me a stern look. "I said stay here."
I didn't argue and just let them go. I returned to the sofa and sat down. It was frustrating not being part of their conversation. I wanted to know what Yuri's plans were and where he'd stay now. His house was nothing but ashes atop that building. Where would he live now?
I glanced at Ma'am Cindy, who looked like she had just come from the kitchen since she was still wearing an apron. My mouth fell open when I saw who was behind her. She was holding the red-haired woman by the hair. I thought she had managed to escape because she had suddenly disappeared from the car.
"L-let go," the red-haired woman said. Her mask was gone now. I could clearly see her smooth face—and there was no mistaking it—she was the same woman from the mall who had bumped into me and gotten into a hair-pulling fight with Yuri.
"Not until you tell me who you are and why you're on my property," Ma'am Cindy demanded angrily, slamming the woman's face against the wall while twisting one of her arms behind her back.
"Where are they?" she asked me. Shaking, I pointed toward the backyard door. Ma'am Cindy sighed and dragged the woman outside. Of course, I had no choice but to follow. Yes, the spirit of gossip is alive and well.
They immediately turned to us when they saw us approaching. Add to that the loud sound of the door closing because I let go of it too quickly.
"Who's that?" Sir Alvin asked Ma'am Cindy. "I saw her lurking outside," she replied.
Kuya and Yuri looked at me. I didn't know what to say, so I just scratched my head.
"She's with us," Yuri said while looking curiously at the red-haired girl.
Ma'am didn't want to let go of her just yet, but Kuya Angelo confirmed what Yuri said. The red-haired girl quickly stepped away and glared at Ma'am Cindy while rubbing the arm Ma'am had been holding earlier.
It looked like the conversation between Kuya and the others got interrupted and wasn't resumed because they all started walking inside one by one. Sir Alvin went first, accompanied by Ma'am Cindy.
"Did you get hurt?" Sir asked his wife. "What kind of trouble is this again? Whenever Angelo is around, I always get a bad feeling," Ma'am replied.
I didn't hear the rest of what they were saying because they were already inside the house.
Kuya and Keifer followed next. The King was about to approach me, but Kuya grabbed him by the collar and dragged him inside the house.
"Hey!" the King of Snakes shouted.
He even looked at me as if asking for help, but I could only grimace in response.
I was about to enter too when I heard Yuri speaking. I didn't understand it because they were talking in Japanese. It looked like he was trying to get to know his hair twin.
I didn't get it.
Not wanting to disturb them, I decided to turn around and head inside, but I hadn't gotten far when someone grabbed my hand. When I turned around, I saw Yuri facing the girl and slightly pointing at me.
"Y-Yuri," I called out in surprise.
"She's with me that day. You accidentally ran into her," he said, looking at the red-haired girl.
It seemed like Yuri was reminding her of our first encounter.
The girl stared at me from head to toe. I even flashed a peace sign even though I remembered we fought earlier.
"I remembered," she said, raising an eyebrow after giving me another once-over.
Oh, I smell attitude here. Round two already?
I leaned in closer to Yuri and whispered, "She's still mad at me. We fought earlier."
He furrowed his brows at first, but slowly remembered the scene he had walked in on earlier, right before he hit the girl on the head and knocked her out.
"Why did you fight?" he asked me innocently.
I immediately pulled my hand away from his and smacked him.
He held the arm I hit.
"Why is she in your house anyway? Isn't she involved with those who attacked you? Maybe she's a thief too!"
"A thief?"
I stared at Yuri in confusion. He seemed so stressed he couldn't even remember that they were broken into and there was a shootout.
"You were robbed! And then you caught them, which is why there was a shootout! Remember?" I tried to jog his memory.
He blinked a few times before scratching his head and awkwardly nodding.
"Y-yeah, you're right. They were thieves," he confirmed, but I wasn't entirely convinced.
"By the way, why do you even have a gun?"
His smile faded, and his expression turned serious. He glanced at the red-haired girl before looking back at me and smiling again.
"I need it for protection."
I nodded slowly, accepting his answer. "I thought maybe you had a side gig like Kuya," I teased. "But you haven't killed anyone yet, right?"
He froze, and I noticed his face pale slightly. My small smile quickly disappeared and was replaced by concern. I started getting a bad feeling, but it vanished when he gave me a sweet smile.
"Of course not. I just damage them a bit and then run away," he explained, and I sighed in relief.
But I couldn't deny that there was still a hint of doubt in me. I didn't want to push him, but it was hard because he kept so many secrets. I really wanted to help him, but how could I when he wouldn't let me?
I froze for a moment when I noticed the red-haired girl. Her eyebrows were raised so high as she glared at me and Yuri. She was probably getting annoyed because we were ignoring her presence.
"M-maybe we should get inside," I suggested and walked ahead.
I felt Yuri following closely behind. I immediately spotted Kuya waiting for us and signaling us to follow him to the living room. We quickly obeyed. I sat in the corner of the sofa, and Keifer sat next to me — but before he could settle, Kuya slipped between us.
"Move," Kuya ordered threateningly.
"Tss," Keifer responded, sliding over to give Kuya space.
If I weren't annoyed with Yuri, I would've laughed. He looked like a kid who didn't get what he wanted, complete with dramatic eye rolls.
You're no match for Kuya Angelo. Hehe.
I turned my attention to Sir Alvin and Ma'am Cindy, who were approaching us. The married couple exchanged glances before speaking.
"Keifer," Sir called the King of Snakes. "Are you taking Keiren home?"
Keifer nodded. "Yeah, it's safe for him to go home now."
Ma'am Cindy didn't seem happy with the King's answer. She nodded sadly and stayed quiet beside Sir.
"As per what we discussed, Yuri will stay here for a while. We can't say if it's safe for him to move into his new place yet," Sir added, but his words were interrupted when the red-haired girl entered the room. All of us turned to look at her.
What an attention-seeker. Feeling like a VIP?
"Is it okay if I stay here with Yuri?" she asked, struggling with her English.
We all looked at Yuri, who was clearly shocked by her question. We were just as surprised.
"It's a no. We don't know you, and I don't like strangers in my house," Ma'am quickly answered.
"But Yuri knows me—"
"Wait! I just officially met you today," Yuri interrupted in a panic.
They exchanged words in Japanese again. The red-haired girl remained unfazed, showing no reaction.
I was amazed when Ma'am Cindy suddenly joined their conversation — in Japanese, too. Even Yuri looked surprised. It seemed they reached an understanding because the red-haired girl quickly agreed to something.
"I'll take them to town so Yuri can get his things and this girl can go home," Ma'am said, pointing at the red-haired girl.
The red-haired girl walked toward me. I was stunned when she suddenly squeezed into the corner seat next to me, forcing Keifer and Kuya to shift over.
I stared at her in confusion, but she just raised an eyebrow at me.
Oh, she's got an attitude. Should I just pull her hair again?
When everything settled down, Sir Alvin spoke again.
"Yuri still needs to tell us what's going on." I nodded in agreement. "We can't get involved in something we don't understand."
Yuri stayed quiet. It was clear he still didn't want to talk, but Sir and Kuya were getting impatient. And so was I.
"You don't have to get involved in my mess."
"Don't give us that crap," Keifer snapped. "You called me for help, which means you can't handle this on your own anymore. If you hadn't dialed the wrong number, I would've been the one who showed up."
Yuri took a deep breath and ran his hands down his face, clearly feeling defeated.
"Okay, I'll tell you everything. But not now. Please let me rest first," he pleaded.
The exhaustion on Yuri's face was obvious. I couldn't blame him. What mattered was that he was finally ready to tell us the truth.
"Don't force him," Ma'am said. "Let's focus on what we can take care of for now."
Ma'am had a point.
Sir sighed deeply. "I'll prepare his room," he said, walking away.
"I'll finish what I was cooking," Ma'am said, turning to Yuri. "Then let's eat before we get your things."
Yuri nodded in response. Ma'am headed back to the kitchen.
I couldn't help but feel irritated by the girl sitting next to me. She kept rolling her eyes at me like I was the source of all her life's misfortunes.
I glared at her, but then her knee bumped against mine. I almost yelped in pain, if not for the thought of my brother sitting beside me. He might scold me if he found out I was arguing.
I knew it would only lead to a fight, so I decided to stand up instead. They all looked at me at the same time.
"I-I'll just help Ma'am Cindy," I reasoned, even though I really had no intention of doing so.
I just wanted to get away from the red-haired girl. I was itching to cut her hair.
Where could their scissors be?
My brother nodded, allowing me to go. I glanced at Keifer, who was looking at me.
"What?"
"Are you really going to help?" he asked teasingly, which made me scowl.
"Let her be. She's hungry," my brother answered him, and they all laughed.
I just rolled my eyes and walked toward the kitchen, but I was surprised when the red-haired girl passed in front of me. She got ahead of me and immediately approached Ma'am Cindy.
She spoke Japanese, and they started talking. I suddenly wanted to go back to the living room where my brother and the others were.
I had no chance against her.
"Mariano, do you need something?" Ma'am asked when she saw me standing and watching them.
"I was hoping to help," I said.
She nodded and motioned for me to come closer. "Please chop these," she said, referring to the vegetables on the table.
I stepped forward and was about to grab the knife, but the red-haired girl beat me to it. Ma'am Cindy raised an eyebrow but turned her back on us and faced the stove where she was cooking.
I just took the smaller knife and reached for an onion, but once again, the red-haired girl got ahead of me. I let her be since there was still one more onion to peel and chop.
After the onion, I moved on to the other vegetables. I couldn't help but wonder when I noticed that most of the chopping was already done, almost everything finished. I glanced at the red-haired girl, who seemed like she was in a race, peeling with lightning speed.
"Done," she announced after finishing her task.
I just finished what I was doing. As much as I wanted to ignore her, I couldn't help but notice her. It felt like she was competing with me, and I didn't understand why.
Was there a contest? What's the prize?
Ma'am Cindy took the vegetables we had prepared and arranged everything by the stove.
"Clean the table," she ordered.
And as expected, the red-haired girl rushed again. I chose not to move and just watched her do everything.
Go ahead, show off.
Ma'am Cindy also told us to set the table. And, of course, the red-haired girl raced again. She even shot me a glare when she finished.
I wanted to laugh at her. Because of what she did, there was nothing left for me to do. I was perfectly fine with that—I had no plans to show off like she was doing. In the end, there was no prize anyway.
The only thing I didn't understand was why she still seemed like she was competing even while we were eating.
I was so tempted to pull that red hair.