Plan

HUXLEE

School garden, 1:34 PM

I cross my arms as I stare at Ciela. Standing casually beside her is Cyprus, looking completely comfortable, as if he actually belongs here.

"What?" Ciela asks, raising an eyebrow after noticing the way I'm glaring at the two of them.

I don't take my eyes off her. Instead, I point straight at Cyprus. "Why is he here?"

She lets out a small sigh. "We bumped into each other in the hallway. When he heard I was meeting you, he insisted on coming with me."

"And you let him?"

She simply shrugs, looking completely unapologetic. "You know him. He's ridiculously thick-headed. Once he decides something, there's no stopping him."

Cyprus places a hand over his chest in fake offense. "Whoa, hold on. Why are you two talking like I'm invisible?"

I roll my eyes before turning away from them. Without answering, I walk toward one of the empty tables tucked beneath the shade of the garden trees. The afternoon breeze gently stirs the leaves overhead, carrying the faint scent of freshly cut grass. I pull out a chair and sit down, and a moment later, Ciela and Cyprus take the seats across from me.

After a brief silence, Ciela leans her elbows against the table. "So... what made you change your mind about finding the admin?"

I let out a long breath before answering. "I just... don't want anyone else to go through the same humiliation I did." My fingers unconsciously tighten around the edge of the table. "Whoever this admin is, they're ruining people's reputations for entertainment. They don't care what happens afterward." I pause, remembering Nathalie's face. "And who knows? If this keeps happening, someone else might end up taking their own life again."

Cyprus's playful expression immediately fades. "Wait... what?" he asks, blinking in confusion. "Who took their own life?"

"Nathalie Ramos," Ciela answers quietly. "The student who was always ranked just below Huxlee."

I shoot her a look. "Don't describe her like that."

She looks back at me, confused. "Like what?"

"Like her ranking is the only thing that matters." I shake my head. "She was genuinely kind. If you actually talked to her, you'd know that. That's why it's still hard for me to believe she'd risk everything just to get higher grades."

Cyprus furrows his brows. "What exactly did she do?"

I stare at him for a second. Is he seriously this clueless... or is he just messing with us?

Ciela turns toward him with an expression sharp enough to cut glass. "She stole the answer sheet for an upcoming exam," she says flatly. "How do you not know this? Honestly, if you're just going to slow us down, maybe you should leave."

Instead of getting offended, Cyprus grins. "Come on. Don't be so cold." He points at himself with a smug smile. "I officially want to join this 'Find-the-Admin Operation.'"

Ciela lets out a disbelieving laugh. "'Find-the-Admin Operation?' Seriously? That's the best name you could come up with?"

Ignoring the two before another pointless argument starts, I cut in. "Can we focus?" I ask, glancing between them. "If we're actually doing this..." I lean forward slightly. "Where do we even begin?"

Silence settles over the table. Not the comfortable kind though. It's a kind of silence that lingers because none of us actually has an answer.

Cyprus scratches the back of his neck before looking at the two of us. "Okay... let's say we're really doing this. What exactly are we trying to find? The admin's name? Their face? Their motive?"

"All of it," I answer without hesitation. "We can't stop someone if we don't even know who we're dealing with."

Ciela taps her fingers against the tabletop as she thinks. "The biggest problem is that the admin leaves almost no trace. Every confession, every photo, every secret is posted anonymously. No one knows where the messages come from."

"But someone has to know something," I say. "Nobody can keep something this big hidden forever."

Cyprus leans back in his chair. "Unless it's not just one person."

Both Ciela and I look at him. "What do you mean?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Think about it. How can one student know literally everyone's secrets? Relationship drama, cheating scandals, exam leaks... even conversations that happen in private classrooms. That's impossible for one person."

I hate admitting it, but he has a point.

"It could be a group," Ciela murmurs. "One collects information. Another manages the account. Someone else verifies the tips."

"Or," Cyprus adds, lowering his voice dramatically, "they pay students for information."

I frown. "That would explain why the admin always has proof."

Ciela nods slowly. "Screenshots, video recordings, and photos. They're always posted with evidence. Whoever sends them has direct access."

A thought suddenly crosses my mind. "What if the admin doesn't gather the information themselves?" I say.

The two of them turn to me.

"What if students are doing the work for them?" I continue. "Think about it. The account probably receives hundreds of anonymous submissions every day. The admin just decides what gets posted."

"Which means..." Cyprus says.

"The real problem isn't only the admin," Ciela finishes. "It's the people feeding them information."

Another silence falls between us.

That possibility feels even worse. I've been so focused on finding one person that I never considered there could be dozens of students willingly helping them.

Cyprus suddenly snaps his fingers. "I have an idea."

Ciela sighs dramatically. "I'm already worried."

He ignores her. "What if we bait the admin?"

My eyebrows rise. "Bait them?"

"We spread a fake secret."

I exchange a glance with Ciela.

Cyprus leans forward, clearly getting excited by his own idea. "We make up a rumor that only a handful of people know. If that exact rumor gets posted in the group chat, we'll know someone in that circle leaked it."

"That's..." Ciela pauses.

"...actually not terrible," I admit.

She looks almost offended. "I was going to say that."

Cyprus smirks proudly. "See? Under this handsome face is a beautiful brain."

"Debatable," Ciela mutters.

I ignore them and think the plan through.

"It could work," I say. "But only if every group hears a different version."

Cyprus tilts his head. "Different version?"

"If we tell one group that I got caught cheating, another group that I'm transferring schools, and another that I'm secretly dating someone then whichever version appears on the admin's page tells us exactly which group leaked it," I explain.

The smile slowly disappears from Cyprus's face. "You're scary."

"I'm serious," I say.

"So am I," he replies.

Ciela crosses her arms over her chest, her brows knitting together as she thinks for a moment. A small smile slowly curves on her lips before she nods in approval.

"The idea is solid. Let's do that,” Ciela says.

A rush of excitement bubbles inside me, and I can't help smiling back. "Really? Then... when do we start?"

She raises a brow, the corner of her mouth lifting into a playful smirk. "Why don't we start now?"

My eyes brighten immediately. "That's actually a great idea."

Without thinking, I raise my hand toward her. She grins and slaps her palm against mine in a satisfying high five. Before I can pull my hand away, Cyprus suddenly reaches over with an eager smile and raises his hand too, silently asking to join in.

Hmm... he did help come up with the idea earlier, and he's part of this too. I guess it wouldn't hurt to high-five him as well.

With a quiet sigh, I decide there's no point leaving him out. I lift my hand again and high-five him as well.

The moment our palms meet, I notice that his eyes never leave mine. He's smiling—warmly, almost proudly—and for some reason, it makes me strangely uncomfortable.

I quickly pull my hand back and stand from my chair, brushing imaginary dust from my clothes just to give myself something else to focus on.

"Let's go," I mutter.

"Hold on." Ciela raises a hand to stop me. "We haven't talked about the rumors we're actually going to spread."

Right. I completely forgot about that.

I let out a quiet breath and sit back down, leaning forward as I organize my thoughts.

"Okay..." I begin. "Ciela, you'll spread the rumor that I have a sugar daddy. Cyprus, you'll tell people there's a nude photo of me floating around online. You can use an AI-generated image with my face. As for me..." I pause for a second before continuing. "I'll spread the rumor that I've been taking ADHD medication just to stay focused on my studies."

"What?" Cyprus blurts out. He stares at me as if I've completely lost my mind. "Isn't that way too much? I'd rather spread the rumor that you're dating me than tell everyone you have a sugar daddy or nude photos."

His face twists with obvious disapproval, and for the first time since we started planning, he actually looks uncomfortable.

"You don't have to go that far, idiot," Ciela says, rolling her eyes at me. "You already have enough scandals attached to your name. Let me be the one people talk about this time."

I immediately shake my head. "No. I'm fine with it. You don't have to ruin your own reputation because of me."

Ciela lets out a dry laugh, but there's no amusement behind it. "My reputation is already ruined, you know. So here's what we'll do instead. I'll spread the rumor that I'm using drugs—maybe marijuana. Cyprus can tell everyone I have a sugar daddy, and you..." She points directly at me. "...you'll spread the rumor that I sent you a nude picture of me."

I lower my gaze to my hands, nervously rubbing my fingers together as anxiety slowly settles in my chest.

"B-But..." I whisper before looking back at her. "How am I supposed to spread something like that?" I force out an awkward laugh, though it sounds more pathetic than amused. "I don't even have friends. And... nobody really talks to me."