Attachment

HUXLEE

12:34 PM

After reading the admin's message, my heart drops to my stomach.

I don't waste another second. I shove my phone into my pocket and rush out of the comfort room, nearly slipping on the wet tiles in my haste. The moment I step into the hallway, I break into a run, weaving through groups of students as I head straight for the cafeteria where I left Ciela and Cyprus.

By the time I get there, my chest is already burning from running.

I stop in front of our table, only to find complete strangers sitting in our seats. My eyes dart around the crowded cafeteria, searching every corner but I don't see them.

Damn it. Why did I have to act like that earlier?

Where do I even start?

Without giving it another thought, I sprint toward the garden. The cool breeze brushes against my face as I scan every pathway and every shaded bench, but they're nowhere to be seen.

I leave almost immediately and make my way to the gymnasium instead. The echo of basketballs bouncing against the floor greets me as I step inside, but after checking every corner, I still don't find them.

Those are the only places I know Ciela usually hangs around during breaks. She wouldn't go back to the classroom this early. Knowing her, she'd rather wander around campus than spend her free time staring at four walls.

I let out a frustrated sigh. I should've controlled my temper. If I hadn't walked away, I wouldn't be running around the entire campus looking for them right now.

After several more minutes of searching, my legs finally give out.

I collapse onto one of the wooden benches beside the open field, breathing heavily as sweat trickles down the side of my face. Every breath feels like it's scraping against my lungs, and my pulse pounds painfully in my ears.

My body has always been weak. Running this much is already pushing my limit.

"Huxlee!"

I immediately lift my head at the sound of someone calling my name.

Relief washes over me when I see Ciela and Cyprus running across the field toward me. Their uniforms flutter slightly with every step, and judging by the way they're breathing, they've been looking for me too.

I quickly stand and leave the bench to meet them halfway. But the closer we get to each other, the heavier my chest feels. The embarrassment from what happened in the cafeteria comes rushing back.

I was such an asshole.

We finally stop only a few feet apart.

"Are you... okay?" Ciela asks between breaths, her eyes searching my face with genuine concern.

I nod, unable to meet her gaze. "Yeah." I scratch the back of my neck awkwardly. "I'm... sorry."

Before I can look away again, she gently grabs my hand. The unexpected touch makes me raise my head.

She gives me a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it," she says softly. "I'm sorry too. And honestly... if you really don't want them joining us, that's okay. We don't have to force it."

"Exactly," Cyprus cuts in with a grin. "We don't need extra people. You've already got me." He flashes an exaggerated wink.

I click my tongue.

Seriously. Can this guy be serious for even five seconds?

Ignoring him, Ciela looks back at me. "Anyway... did you see the admin's message?"

A small smile forms on my lips as I nod. "Yeah. That's actually why I came looking for you two. I checked the cafeteria, then the garden, then the gymnasium... basically every place I thought you'd be."

Cyprus lets out a laugh. "We actually chased after you first," he says. "But you disappeared almost immediately. It's like you teleported."

"Where did you go?" Ciela asks.

"I went to the comfort room." I pull my phone from my pocket. "That's where the admin's message appeared."

A knowing smile spreads across Ciela's face. "They took the bait."

I nod. "So our hunch was right."

Both of them nod in agreement.

For a brief moment, the three of us fall silent. Cyprus is the first to speak.

"So... what's our next move?" He asks.

"We wait," Ciela answers without hesitation. "Once we find out which secret the admin decides to expose, we'll know which group leaked the information. From there, we can narrow everyone down until we figure out who gave that information to the admin."

I nod in agreement. "And then we'll ask that person if they know who the admin is."

"Exactly," Ciela replies with a nod.

Cyprus slowly nods. "That... actually makes sense." Then a teasing grin spreads across his face. “Look at you, Ciela. Using your brain for once."

She immediately glares at him. "Fuck off."

Cyprus bursts into laughter, completely unfazed by her reaction, while I can't help letting out a small chuckle myself.

Tuesday, 12:30 PM

Just like we talked about yesterday, all we can do now is wait for the admin to reveal the secret they're planning to expose.

The three of us are sitting in the garden after finishing our lunch. The afternoon sun hangs high above us, but the shade from the old acacia trees keeps the air pleasantly cool. A gentle breeze stirs the leaves overhead while students wander around the campus, laughing, chatting, and carrying on with their day.

Signy and Cleovon are with us too. At this point, I don't even mind their presence anymore. They've already become involved in everything that's happening. Pushing them away won't change anything, so I stop wasting my energy thinking about it and let them stay.

While waiting for the notification, my mind refuses to settle.

Something doesn't feel right. I keep replaying the admin's announcement over and over in my head. Why did they reveal the victim's name first? Usually, the admin posts a blurred photo or a censored video first, letting everyone speculate. The entire school spends hours making theories until the admin finally reveals the person's name. That's how they've always done it. But this time… they announce the person's name before releasing any evidence.

Why? Is this some kind of new tactic? A psychological game?

By revealing the victim first, they force that person to spend hours drowning in anxiety, wondering what secret is about to be exposed. Every passing minute becomes torture. They have to walk through school knowing everyone is waiting for the countdown to end.

That's cruel.

Whoever runs that account knows exactly how to break people before the actual scandal is even posted.

"...They're enjoying this," I mumble without realizing I've spoken out loud.

Cyprus glances at me. "What?"

I slowly shake my head, my eyes still fixed on my phone. "Nothing, I'm just talking to myself."

The admin... they're dragging it out on purpose.

Ting!

At exactly 12:35 PM, every phone on the table vibrates at the same time. My heart skips a beat as I immediately grab my phone.

"It's here," Signy whispers.

No one moves for a second.

I slowly unlock my phone, my thumb suddenly feeling heavier than it should. The admin's notification sits at the top of my screen, almost as if it's waiting for me. My pulse quickens as I stare at it for a moment before taking a slow breath. Then, before I can second-guess myself, I tap it open.

My eyebrows knit together almost immediately. "...A video?"

I blink twice.

No, that can't be right.

My heartbeat quickens. Before anyone can press play, I suddenly shoot to my feet. "W-Wait!"

Everyone looks up at me.

"What?" Signy asks, startled.

I point at my screen before looking at Ciela and Cyprus. "We didn't send them a video, did we?" I ask, my voice rising. "Everything we leaked was made with AI, and they were all photos. So... why is the admin posting a video?"

The color drains from Ciela's face. "That’s… I don't know." She shakes her head. "I never gave those people a video."

"Neither did I," Cyprus says immediately, frowning as he checks his own phone again. "I only gave the edited pictures."

A heavy silence falls over us.

"So..." I whisper, staring at the attachment. "What exactly is in this video?"

Ciela runs her fingers through her hair, pushing it back in frustration before letting out a nervous laugh. "Damn… I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about this."

"Maybe it isn't about the fake scandal,” Signy says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

She shrugs. "What if it's a video of you three? Maybe the admin recorded something while you were investigating them. Maybe they're exposing the fact that you're trying to find them."

Cyprus grimaces. "I seriously doubt it.”

"Why?" Cleovon asks.

"Because if the admin wanted to threaten us, they would've done it already. They don't need to wait until now," he replies.

"What could the context be?" I ask, biting my lower lip as anxiety slowly creeps into my chest.

Cleovon lets out a slow breath and rests his elbows on the table. "Whatever's in that video, we're not going to figure it out by staring at it. There's only one way to find out."

I swallow hard before lowering myself back into my seat.

Our eyes meet one after another, each of us silently searching for reassurance that none of us can give. No one wants to be the first to press play, yet none of us can bring ourselves to look away.

After a long, tense moment, we exchange small nods and together, we take a deep breath and prepare ourselves to watch the video.