Third Person POV
Lunch is almost over.
Plates are half-empty, laughter still floating around the table, when Keiren—who has been suspiciously quiet for a full two minutes—sets his spoon down.
Everyone should have seen it coming.
Keiren looks around, eyes bright. "I have a question."
Silence.
Keifer stiffens. Jay closes her eyes. Eces freezes mid-bite. Section E collectively leans back like soldiers sensing an ambush.
"Yes?" Keiren says politely, already smiling. "Actually… many questions."
Keigan mutters, "Here we go."
Keiren turns to Keifer first. "Kuya."
Keifer nods carefully. "Yes?"
"Why did you and Ate Jay wake up at the same time today?"
Jay chokes on water.
Keifer coughs. "Because— adults do that."
Keiren frowns. "Together?"
Eces lowers her head, shoulders shaking.
Keigan tries to help. "Schedules."
"Oh." Keiren nods, then immediately turns to Jay. "Ate."
Jay looks at him with fear. "Yes?"
"Why are you wearing Kuya's hoodie when you have your own clothes?"
Section E watches like it's a tennis match.
Jay answers fast. "Laundry."
Keiren blinks. "All your clothes were dirty?"
"Yes," Jay says firmly. "Every single one."
Keifer adds, "Tragic day."
Keiren accepts that… for exactly three seconds.
Then he looks at Eces.
"Ate Eces."
She looks up warily. "Yes?"
"Why were you and Keigan smiling when Kuya said 'I am a husband'?"
Keigan groans. "Why am I involved?"
Eces answers calmly, "Because it was funny."
Keiren tilts his head. "Marriage is funny?"
Jay says, "Sometimes."
Keiren considers this deeply.
Then—he turns to Section E.
"Why do all of you keep calling Ate Jay 'Mrs Watson'?"
Ci-n opens his mouth.
Keifer immediately says, "Do not answer that."
Felix shrugs. "Because she married Watson."
Keiren's eyes widen. "So when people get married, they share names?"
"Yes," Jay says.
Keiren looks impressed. "That's efficient."
Keigan snorts.
Keiren then points at Jay's neck. "Why does Ate Jay have many mosquito bites only on her neck?"
Eces slams her glass down. "OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH QUESTIONS."
Keigan is fully laughing now. "Seasonal mosquitoes, remember?"
Keiren nods seriously. "Very smart mosquitoes."
Keifer rubs his temples. "I need coffee."
Jay hides her face in her hands.
Keiren finally smiles, satisfied. "Okay. I'm done."
Everyone exhales in relief.
Then he adds, casually—
"Oh. One more."
NO ONE breathes.
He looks at Keifer and Jay, completely innocent.
"So… when will I get a sister or brother?"
Dead silence.
Eces loses it.
Keigan wheezes.
Section E collapses into laughter.
Jay goes red from head to toe.
Keifer stares at the ceiling like he's questioning every life choice.
"…After exams," Keifer says finally.
( Important caution ⚠️ , Don't take this seriously, Keiren is not getting any sibling after exams )
Keiren beams. "Okay."
And just like that, he picks up his spoon and keeps eating—
while the entire table mentally recovers from emotional damage.
Eces's POV
I should've known.
The moment Keiren went quiet, spoon resting neatly beside his plate, eyes doing that thinking thing—this lunch was doomed.
Kuya Keifer was still eating. Ate Jay was relaxed. Section E was loud.
A perfect setup.
"I have a question," Keiren said sweetly.
Every single muscle in my body tensed.
Kuya Keifer slowly looked up. "Didn't you already ask… many?"
Keiren smiled. "These are follow-up questions."
Keigan muttered, "We're not surviving this."
Keiren turned to Ate Jay first. "Ate."
She smiled carefully. "Yes?"
"Why were you walking very slowly this morning? Like your legs were tired?"
I choked.
Actually choked.
I bent forward, coughing, trying not to laugh, while Keigan patted my back way too hard. Kuya Keifer froze. Ate Jay's face went red in under two seconds.
"I exercised," Ate Jay said quickly.
Keiren blinked. "At night?"
I had to cover my mouth. Section E absolutely lost it.
Kuya Keifer slammed his hand lightly on the table. "Next."
Keiren nodded obediently and turned to him. "Kuya."
Kuya Keifer sighed. "Yes."
"Why were you massaging Ate Jay's legs if she only fell?"
I wiped tears from my eyes. "The floor is dangerous," I offered helpfully.
Keiren's eyes widened. "Very dangerous."
Keigan laughed. "We should sue the floor."
Then Keiren turned to me.
"Ate Eces."
I straightened immediately. "Yes?"
"Why do you and Keigan always stop jokes before they get bad?"
I thought for a second. "Because we listen."
Keiren nodded seriously. "That's smart."
Keigan glanced at me, something unreadable in his eyes, before looking away.
Then Keiren looked back at Kuya Keifer and Ate Jay.
"Why do married people sit very close?"
Ate Jay answered softly, "Because we like it."
Keiren gasped. "Marriage gives sitting permission?"
"Yes," Kuya Keifer deadpanned. "Unlimited."
I laughed again.
Keiren wasn't done. Of course he wasn't.
"Why did Kuya lock the room last night?"
The table went dead silent.
I felt my soul leave my body.
Kuya Keifer didn't even flinch. "Privacy."
Keiren tilted his head. "From mosquitoes?"
I LOST IT.
Keigan nearly slid off his chair laughing. Section E was crying. Ate Jay hid her face. Kuya Keifer rubbed his temples like he was reconsidering parenthood.
Then Keiren's voice softened.
"Why does Ate Jay smile more now?"
I stopped laughing.
Everyone did.
Kuya Keifer answered quietly, "Because she's happy."
I looked at Ate Jay. She really was smiling—soft, warm, safe.
Keiren nodded, satisfied.
"Last question," he said brightly.
No. No no no.
He looked at Kuya Keifer. "Kuya… do you love Ate Jay more than coffee?"
Kuya Keifer didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Ate Jay's smile widened.
Keiren grinned. "Good."
He picked up his spoon like nothing happened. "Okay. I'm done."
I leaned back in my chair, exhausted, laughing, warm.
If this was family—
I thought—
I could get used to it.
Third Person POV — Exam Panic Chaos
The laughter from lunch hasn't even fully settled when Felix suddenly freezes, phone halfway to his face.
"…Guys."
No one pays attention.
"Guys," he says again, louder this time.
Ci-n sighs. "If this is about mosquitoes, I'm leaving."
"Our exams start next week."
The table goes dead silent.
Then—
"WAIT—WHAT?!"
"NEXT WEEK?!"
"WHO DECIDED THAT?!"
"I WAS STILL RECOVERING FROM A WEDDING!"
Keifer closes his eyes like he's summoning patience. Jay blinks. "Sir Alvin literally told you."
"We thought he was threatening us," Rory mutters.
Keigan leans back. "Teachers don't threaten. They warn."
Keiren, calmly finishing his dessert, looks up. "That's not enough time."
Everyone turns to him.
"…You're stressed?" Drew asks.
Keiren nods seriously. "Yes. Exams need preparation. Otherwise answers get confused."
Keifer points at him. "Finally, someone responsible."
Felix claps his hands dramatically. "Emergency meeting. We study."
Groans ripple through the room.
"Together," Felix adds.
Louder groans.
Keifer shakes his head. "I'm not leading this."
All eyes snap to him.
Jay smiles sweetly. "Please?"
Keifer exhales. "You're using the wife card."
She doesn't deny it.
"Fine. One hour."
Cheering erupts.
Books appear everywhere. Notes spread across the table. Someone opens the wrong subject.
"Why is there physics here?!" Kit panics.
"That's chemistry," Ci-n corrects.
"That's worse!"
Keiren flips through a book and frowns. "Why do formulas change but numbers don't?"
No one answers.
Eces, quietly reading, says calmly, "Formulas explain relationships. Numbers are values."
The room slowly turns toward her.
Felix blinks. "…You just solved my confusion in one sentence."
Eces shrugs. "It's logical."
Keigan watches her, impressed, trying not to make it obvious.
Rory squints. "Since when are you this good?"
Eces replies flatly, "Since always."
Keifer smirks. "Told you."
Jay nudges her. "Congratulations. You're the tutor now."
Eces shakes her head. "I refuse to explain things to people who argue with the book."
Felix clutches his chest. "She's brutal."
Study chaos follows:
Keiren organizes notes by color and date
Denzel studies the wrong chapter with full confidence
Ci-n invents mnemonics that confuse everyone
Keifer threatens to confiscate phones
Jay keeps the peace with snacks and water
At one point, Emilia's name slips into the conversation.
The room stills.
Keifer's voice turns firm. "She won't be a problem."
Keigan adds quietly, "Not anymore."
Eces doesn't look up, but her shoulders ease just a fraction.
Felix finally declares, "Break!"
Everyone collapses in their seats.
Keiren looks around the messy table, satisfied. "This is efficient chaos."
Eces glances up, surprised—then allows herself a small smile.
"…Yeah," she agrees softly. "It is."
And for once, the fear of exams feels lighter—
because none of them are facing it alone
+++++++++++++++
Spoiler alert ⚠️
A truth is going to reveal in the next chapter!!!!
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