Chapter 003.3: I Don't Lie

"So what did mom said to you?"

"Uh, she asked me why I hurt you and why do I need to harm you just because we're in a quarrel.... I think your mother hates me."

"Why'd you say that?"

"Well, I told her we aren't fighting but she's probably not convinced. W-We're not in a fight right? You'll not leave me right? Are you actually hiding any hidden frustration from me? If I did something wrong, please say it to me. Hey! Tell me!"

"Calm down for a second. I am not mad okay? It was all Crystal's fault. She fed mom a lie and mom took it seriously."

"Really? You're not lying to me?"

"I am a liar but I don't lie unnecessarily."

"But you lie for fun."

"Err, that's necessary for me. Anyway, mom isn't mad and I won't leave you. Did mom shout at you or something?"

The possibility of her shouting is low. I am not even sure if she could really shout loudly. With the way she speaks and with her personality, that's just less likely to happen.

"No she didn't."

"Then why did you assumed she hates you?"

"She was just probably holding herself back given that she was still talking to someone younger to her. But in fact, she was already in the verge of exploding deep inside her. I'm really worried Mark! What if she went between the two of us? What if she wanted us to separate? I'll have no chance of winning against her! She's your mother. And you're not really bound by me and I'm not your priority! So you will probably choose to obey her. Ah! Oh no! Wait Mark! Don't leave me please. I am not saying you should go against your mom. But we could still be in a relationship even if it's a secret. Just don't leave me! I won't be able to take it. Okay?"

She tightly hugged my arm and her eyes are getting wet. She has an expression of both sadness and fear plastered on her face.

Uwaah, she's scaring herself fufufufu.

"Wait wait wait! Why are you being pessimistic? Mom wouldn't do what you just said. She won't interfere to our relationship. She isn't like that."

"What if she's just hiding it but plans to do things in the shadows?"

"She won't."

"How can you be so sure she won't?"

Oh hell, how can you be so sure she would?

Fufufufu. She's not convinced. I need to give her something with link to the fact that I won't leave her to help her rationalize this.

It doesn't need to make sense. Her consciousness just need something related to this and let her make sense of it herself.

I grabbed her shoulder and showed her the bite mark on my left forearm that she gave me yesterday.

"You see this? You already own me okay? This is a physical proof that I won't abandon you."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yeah."

"Ehhhh~?! Really?!"

"Yeah."

"Ehehehe~ That's so sweet."

That should do it.

But wow. Her mood shift is incredible.

Hmm?

She went in daze.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer me but instead grabbed my right arm and instantaneously pulled off the band aid on the bite mark Crystal gave me yesterday night in the bathroom.

Eli-chan looked incredibly dazed and she remains motionless with wide open eyes.

"Don't overthink again. This is caused by Crystal. We fought yesterday night and besides lying to mom, she also bit me. This is just one of my battle scars."

"Eh?"

She woke up from stupor and the light in her eyes returned.

"Yes."

"But she bit you. She now owns you as well."

"Fufufufu. She's my sister. I'm not into incest okay?"

"Okay."

<<06:30>>

I caught a glance of the time from the wall clock on the hallway of the 3rd floor of this building we're currently standing upon.

"Let's go Eli-chan. Flag ceremony is about to start."

"Ah. Right."

"What's wrong?"

"Hehehe~ I'm tasked to lead the singing of our school anthem today."

"Heh. You have a beautiful speaking voice so I'm pretty sure your singing voice does as well. Do your best Eli-chan. I'm looking forward to it."

"Eh? You praised me?"

"Yeah?"

"Ehhhh~?! Really?!"

"Yes."

"Mmm~ Yay! I got praised! I got praised. Mark complimented me!! Yaaaa~y~! I got praised! I got praised. He praised me!"

"......."

She's jumping but she is trying to suppress it while her palms are pressing on her cheeks so the result is rather cute.

I don't know how to react to this visual.

"Mark!"

"What is it?"

"Listen to me sing okay? I'll do my best!"

"You seem so excited. You'll just sing the school anthem you know."

"But you're looking forward to it!"

"Huh?Alright?"

"Listen to me okay?"

"I would. Anyway, you should go because you still need to prepare. Meanwhile, I'll call our classmates."

"En!"

Then she ran off excitedly. And I started walking back to our classroom....

*BAM!*BAM!*BAM!*

I slapped the blackboard explosively.

But why do they call blackboard a ‘blackboard’ when it's within the green spectrum?

"What the hell Reverren!!"

"Hey!"

"You scared me!"

"What was that for?!"

"Well well calm down. Why are you all overreacting? Anyway, we should go to the field. Flag ceremony is about to start."

"Ehhh..."

"That's tiresome."

"I'll just stay here."

"It sounds to be a pain in the ass."

"I'm currently in-game and I'm about to win. It looks like I'll be the MVP as well."

"Who's the one recording the attendance? Ms. secretary is as late as usual."

" Don't be rude! She lives far from school you know. Ma'am Iris suggested that when the secretary isn't available, the responsibility of recording the attendance at the flag ceremony would be given to the one who will lead the class prayer."

"First row last week and I was the one who led yesterday. So.... Uh, it should be ‘Jet’ who sits next to me!"

"Martini? What the fuck! Don't expect anything from that arrogant bastard!"

"Yeah right. He won't even do his cleaning duty even if ma'am Iris told him so. Let alone listen to us. He might even-- no he will really get mad at us!"

"And prayer? Does that damned soul know how to pray?"

"He's an asshole!"

Poor Martini getting dissed behind his back. I wonder how he'll react if he heard this recording.

I squinted my eyes as I pressed the stop button of my voice recording app on my phone.

I'll anonymously send this to his FB account fufufufu~

"Then it should be you next."

"Luh? I am for tomorrow. Besides, I won't go anyway."

"Heh. I'll stay here as well."

"Just write our names on the attendance and that should do it."

"But ma'am Iris--"

"It should be fine as long as there would be no sucker for ma'am who will tell it to her."

Fufufufu. I'll tell you all on her.

"Yeah. Besides, ma'am Iris doesn't come to our line anyway."

"Fufufufu. What do you mean ‘she doesn't come’? She does you know. She's always there overseeing us somewhere nearby. You just all don't notice her. Besides, there are officers recording which class attended and which class didn't. She'll eventually find out."

"Wait really?"

"Yeah. I don't lie you know."

"Uhh..."

"We'll stay. We're still playing. She won't notice that we're missing anyway."

"Or we could just say we're late."

"That's unfair. Hell no!"

"I won't go as well in that case. Let's all get scolded."

"Beside, we have classmates in the SSG isn't it. Just tell them to record us as present."

"That's a very intelligent idea. But like the hell they will comply. And Eli-chan will lead the singing of the school anthem."

"What?"

"‘Eli-chan’? Oh Hecate-- Eh? Wait what? What did you just say?! Hecate will be singing?"

"Yeah."

"Really?! Holy shit!"

"That's nice!"

"Ms. Hecate will be singing guys!"

"I want to hear her sing!"

"Let's go!"

"Bring our banner!"

"On it! Wait, girls! Can we borrow your light sticks?"

"Uh yes?"

"Get your asses moving! We can't miss this divine event. I might win the lottery today."

"I think this is why I'm winning this rank game despite my teammates being bunch of pathetic idiots!"

Bloody hell. Whatever is going on here? Is Eli-chan this popular?

"Hecate is really popular to the boys."

"Well she's beautiful."

"What do you mean by that? She's also popular among girls you know!"

"I wanted to be her boyfriend."

Huh?

"Wait. She's my girlfriend!"

They laughed at me.

"Hahaha! Reverren, you're still going on with that? It's been almost 4 weeks since you first said that you know."

"Well we understand that it's really such a big achievement to be her boyfriend but although you're a good guy and a remarkable person, you're tarnishing her name with that kind of lie."

A walking out through the front door male classmate patted my shoulder when he passed by me.

"I'm not lying."

"Okay okay. Suit yourself but keep it in our class."

"You're already lucky that you seem to be a pretty close friend of Ms. Hecate. You also gave her a very intimate nickname which she accepted and she's even playing along with you. Unlike us who can't even talk to her for more than a minute, you're too lucky."

You're just afraid.

And I think I know why they all don't believe my claims.

Eli-chan and I are low-key. Only few know that we're really dating. And those people obviously doesn't go around shouting, ‘Elizabeth and Mark are dating!’.

We don't flirt in public that much and in fact, it's pretty rare.

When a classmate asked me why I'm so intimate with Eli-chan last month, I said it's because we're in a relationship. But they took it as a joke.

They even clarified it with Eli-chan yet they still thought she was just playing along with me.

They all see me and her as a very close friend who's playing as a couple.

Well whatever.

"Good morning Mark-kun."

I woke up from my thoughts and turned around to see Jeremy smiling slightly at me.

"Hello Jeremy."

"What are you standing there in daze for?"

I looked around and noticed that all my classmates had left.

"Just lost in thoughts. Anyway, why are you still here? I thought you already left with Mae-chan and company."

"They invited me but I was waiting for you. I just went to the toilet. Sorry if I was late."

"Oh hell thank you. But let's go or we would be late."

"Let me lock the door."

"Alright."

--In the school's open ground in front of the biggest and one of the oldest building in our school named ‘Gabaldon’.

{....In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit. Amen.}

After the prayer, comes the national anthem. So everyone, students and teachers alike, put their right hands on their left chest to show respect to the flag.

{♪Bayang magiliw, perlas ng silanganan. Alab ng puso sa dibdib mo'y buhay.......♪}

‘Lupang Hinirang’ or the ‘Chosen Land’ is the title of the national anthem of the Philippines.

The music was composed in 1898 by Julián Felipe, and the lyrics were adopted from the Spanish poem ‘Filipinas’, which was written by José Palma in 1899.

The song expresses the aspirations, longings, dreams, ideals, commitment and determination, nationalism and patriotism, sentiment and spirit of the people.

So while the anthem was being sung by everyone, no student dares to chatter with one another because it's obviously disrespectful. And in fact, disrespect to the flag could put you behind the bars.

After it was finished, what follows next is the school anthem.

"Oi, I heard Ms. Hecate will be leading the singing today."

"Is it true?"

"It's true. My friend in the SSG told me so yesterday."

"Nice. I wanted to hear her sing."

"She must have a heavenly voice right?"

"Yes of course."

"Shhh! She's coming up the stage."

Listening to this murmurs, I feel dumbfounded.

So not only my classmates but other class sections wanted to hear Eli-chan sing as well?

"Mr. Reverren!"

Hmmm...?

Ma'am Iris called my surname from behind. I turned around and saw her several inches away beckoning me to come to her.

I looked at the stage then to her. I chose walked towards her.

"What is it ma'am?"

"Please bring three boys with you and come to the second gate to pick something up. Deliver it then to the classroom."

"Eh? But the ceremony is still going on."

Well it's finished after the school anthem or perhaps after an announcement if ever there is one.

"It's alright."

"What do we need to pick up ma'am?"

"A new locker."

"Can't the school staff do it? And why do I need to be one of the guys to help out?"

"The staff are already helping but they're not enough. Those lockers are ours anyway so we need to help. Is there a problem?"

"Uh.... Fufufufu. No problem ma'am. I'll be going now."

"Thank you."

I looked at the brown haired girl on the stage and squinted my eyes.

Oh hell, I'll just sneak out.

And so I left the field.