FSE

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Mr. Kelt's POV

The bell rings as a signal of club hours ending. Another day done, but I'm still stuck here doing paperwork. I knew I shouldn't have watched that soccer match yesterday, now I'll have to do overtime to pass the files.

"Life's so cruel," I say as I lean my head on the counter. A fellow teacher looks at me with a brow raised before leaving. "Indeed, Lindil. Life is cruel."

I feel a vibration on the counter and hear footsteps from outside. Who's running wild at this hour? They must be so excited to go home. Oh childhood, how I miss you so.

"Mister--" the door slams open, making me jump, "Kelt!" the young Husky, Riese, appears. I straighten myself immediately to not show my lazy side.

"Mr. Kelt!" the young orange Tabby Cat, Tabitha if I remember correctly, appears as she pushes Riese downwards.

"Sir! We got our fifth member!" Riese says excitedly after the Cat moves to his side, letting him be able to stand straight.

"Oh, you already have your fifth member? Wonderful," I clap my paws together, "But may we delay the making of the club to next week? As long as the five of you are here to write your club application, it's fine."

"Aw, but we wanna--"

"Patience comes to those who wait," I cut the young Husky off.

"Let's just do it next week, Riese," the young blue Fox, Varu, pulls Riese away from the door, "please excuse us. We're sorry Mr. Kelt. We'll be going now," and the Fox pushes the Husky away.

"Wh-- hey! But I wanna make it now," the Husky struggles as the Fox continues pushing him.

"Alright, next week, you better not screw us up or you'll get-- oi!" an older looking Akita, I forgot his name, picks up the Cat, covering her mouth in the process.

"Uh, I-I think y-you shouldn't do that," I hear a hesitating and familiar voice behind the wall. The Akita gives a reassuring saying that it's fine, but the struggling cat losing breath says otherwise. He follows the blue Fox and a green Fox appears from the other side. The green Fox, Rue Krantz, was that Fox that wasn't able to attend the orientation.

"Uh, excuse us," he bows slightly before following the group. They sound like a fun bunch. I can still heat some of their chattering until it starts to fade away. Once I can't hear them anymore, I loosen myself then slouch on my chair. I really wanna go home.

"Must be nice to have some peace and quiet after a ruckus, and I'm surprised that green Fox joined. He looked more of a shy person," a familiar voice says. I quickly straighten my back and produce my smile. "No need to hide it, sir, I already know you're more laid back than you seem," A white Bunny with long, gold hair is leaning on the side of the door with arms crossed.

"Oh, Mimi, it's you," I loosen then slouch on my chair again. "Yes, that green Fox, Rue Krantz. Maybe he's not actually a shy person."

"Please, don't call me that here. I hate it, it's childish," she says with an annoyed tone.

"Then what do you preferred to be called with?" I ask, leaning on the desk and resting my chin on top of my arms.

"You really are such a laid back person. Not even straightening your posture while talking. Impolite and lazy," she says bluntly.

"Ouch, that hurts," I reply sarcastically, "But shouldn't you straighten your posture as well? Speaking with arms crossed and leaning on the side of a door? Not lady-like at all."

The Bunny blushes slightly while straightening herself and retorts with her voice raised slightly, "W-Well, yours is more impolite. I mean--" I start to laugh midway, cutting her off. "W-What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that," I straighten myself and look at her, "you were never good at expressing your emotion, like your sister."

The Bunny looks away and puffs her cheeks, "Just call me Milianne, Mimi just sounds so childish. Even Mili is fine."

"Oh, so you only answer my question now?" I mockingly say.

Milianne Hoppings, a second year student and the student council president of the school. She has high grades and is a beauty. She's kind to people who follow the rules but never to those who breaks them. She's strict on the rules and despises noise and other shenanigans. Her father and I were good buddies back in the days, so I often visit her house and chat with her. She can just casually talk with me here in school, but she prefers to keep her strong persona in tact and not show her other side.

"Anyways, I believe you didn't come here just for that. What is it that you wanna ask? Could it be, you need some love tips from me?" I mock her with my paws in front of my mouth as if I'm gasping.

"Not even close, old ma--I mean, sir," she almost went full casual there, "I'm here to talk about them," her face becomes serious with her brows furrowed.

"That'll give you wrinkles, young one, and at such a young age, you'd look old," I see her brow twitching at what I said.

"Sir...!" she's tapping her arm with her finger in annoyance and with voice slightly raised.

"Ahaha, sorry," I scratch the back of my head in guilt. Shouldn't have gone that far. "So, what are we talking about again?" I forget.

"That club!" she slams the wall with her palm. I can see her flinch a bit and trying to keep her serious face. It's obvious she hurt herself because she looks like she's about to cry.

"Oh, that club," I think about that club. "What about it?"

"W-What about it?! This club is redundant and is not needed in this school. Why did you even let them make something as stupid as--"

"Milianne," I cut her off. She flinches and stops talking. I glare at her intently. I lighten up, but without a smile and just look outside the window, "Did you know, the High Flyers Club isn't new."

"I have no information regarding that. Do tell." she says. I nod back while still looking outside, reminiscing.

"It was a five years ago. A young, talented Husky came to this school. He had high grades, great in athletic activities, very active, many friends, and always smiling. I don't think anyone hated him, because he'd always be blunt and straight to the point. Though, he was a bit mischievous, forgetful, and sometimes inconsiderate, but in the end he'd always get everyone around him to smile.

"On his first day, he barged into the teacher's room with sparkling, determined eyes. His goggles on his head caused some teachers to think he's just a goof, well I couldn't complain because I was there to see his wide, goofy grin. He approached me casually and said my first name, which the other teachers got angry about. He told them that he just needed to talk to me and ignored whatever the other teachers said. 'Sir Lindil, can I make a club?' were his words. Since I was still new here, I didn't knew what I had to do, so I just nodded in response. Other teachers retorted, but he just said, 'Alright, thanks man! Don't worry, you don't need to do much, just be our moderator,' and left the room."

"He seems like that certain Husky," Milianne says in an annoyed tone. I nod back at her in agreement.

"Perhaps, yes, and I was scolded because of that. I know his father so it'd be fine if we talked casually, but in front of other teachers, and me being new, he couldn't have gotten a worse timing."

"But you could've just disagreed afterwards." Milianne says. She was right, I could've just refused afterwards but,

"Everytime I see his determined eyes, I couldn't help but to accept. So at that point, I actually held a petty grudge against him. It was pathetic of me, because I should be the one who's to blame" I chuckled slightly. I really was pathetic back then.

"Wow, you, holding a petty grudge back then? Seems unbelievable," Milianne tells me. I agree to her.

"I wasn't always like this back then. It's actually because of them that I changed."

"Them? The High Flyers Club?" Milianne asks. I look at her with a faint smile across my face.

"Yes, them. That club was created at the end of the first week, and originally a club about a group of sky lovers who'd do everything with their one-hundred percent. You wouldn't think that such a club would change... a lot of people. Yes, a lot," I add when I see Milianne tilt her head slightly. "The High Flyers Club, which consisted of five members, helped out other students with their problems. Freshmen to seniors, big and small, they'd help them no matter what. That's their reason of forming that club.

"Though, they do create a lot of ruckus while helping their fellow students. There was a time when they brought a microphone set to help out this one student, which made the teachers quite... infuriated by their actions. They were the main targets of the student council and teachers to disband, but seeing as they didn't do anything that obviously violated the rules, they couldn't.

"And on the second year of their club, your sister, who was the student council president on her third year that year, also changed. She was still strict and would not tolerate any rule breakers, but she was more... expressive, afterwards." I pause the find the word expressive.

"Yes, I did find my sister change. But was it for the best? For her future?" there's a worried look on Milianne's face.

"It may not be the best, but probably one of the better things that happened to her, for her. I actually saw her smile one day before my class started. She was beautiful smiling." I reminisce her face. She looked the same as Milianne here, but she had a small braid on her right and didn't have any wrinkles on her forehead.

"Pedo-cougar." she glares at me with a disgusted face.

"Sh-She was beautiful but I never thought of-- a-anyways, we'll continue. When the Husky was on his third year, he was nominated as student council president because of his popularity. Almost everyone wanted him to be student council president, but most of the teachers declined. Even though the two companies weren't in an agreement, he was still nominated. But when it was his turn to speak, he said that he didn't want to become a president in anything and that if he was gonna be elected still, he'd resign immediately, thus the title was given to the other party.

"Just so you know, I still had that petty grudge I held during his first year, so I was somewhat glad he wasn't elected. And yes, I still held that petty grudge, so stop smirking like that," I tell Milianne. "But it all changed when it was my turn to be helped.

"Throughout the three years of my service, all the other teachers despised me for letting them make that club. Everyday, I tried my best to appease them, working hard and all but I'd still get their glares and growls, so my life was miserable. I was even amazed that I didn't commit suicide back then. But who could blame them? That club annoyed their lives, but they didn't know how nor never thought how annoyed and depressed I was.

"Then that day came, he barged into the teacher's room with a serious face. His eyes glared at us, filled with what looked like anger. He then said 'You teachers are the worst. Aren't any of you even thinking about how he is feeling right now?' His and my eyes never met, he only eyed the other teachers. Of course, everyone was puzzled on his sudden outbursts, but then moments after, his eyes met mine and the other teachers' followed. 'Yeah, I keep seeing you guys glare at Sir Lindil and I can hear your grunts at him. He's been doing his best, you know? If you have anyone to blame, blame me, not him,' is what he said. I hesitatingly replied to him that I was okay and he responded, 'You don't need to fake it. Stop wearing that mask of yours. You don't have to work so hard to appease them. Besides, this is the last year, so please bear with us," he smiled before he slammed the door, I wasn't sure if it was with rage or not because of his smile. Most of the teachers apologized afterwards, and I felt... more at ease.

"The days after that, I loosened up, and start becoming a bit more laid back because, after all, I'm not tied to anything anymore. It was thanks to him that I was set free from those chains, but I didn't think a student would care about a teacher, let alone barge into the teacher's office to do that. My teaching life after that became joyful, and I managed to see all the good things that Husky has done, and there were so much that I couldn't count them all.

"He then approached me one day and said with a smile, 'because of you, the club was made. You helped me, then I helped you,' I asked him why he'd help someone like me and he replied, 'I want to make the world a better place, that everyone would give their one-hundred percent in everything they do. I need everyone's cooperation for that, so let's make the world a better place, yeah?' and he left with a smile. He was really a special kid, and after graduation, the club disbanded because it never accepted any new members. Until he revived it."

"That Husky. He must be his younger brother," Milianne assumes, and she's correct. "But I have this one question. The club can be made anytime as long as it's agreed by a teacher who will be it's moderator, but why did give him a time limit of one week?"

"That's a good question, but how'd you know that I gave them a week?" I ask. I never told Milianne about it, so how'd she know?

"Can you believe that he said that while recruiting?" she replies bluntly. I think I can see that happening.

"As for your question, how long did the original High Flyers Club take to make?" I ask her. She was about to answer, but stops and thinks again.

"So you're saying he wanted to do what his older brother did?" she thinks out loud.

"Maybe. When you think about it, he could've said that he could make the club anytime, but he just went with it and accepted the one week time limit," after that, a deep silence for reflecting. Then Milianne breaks the silence by telling me something horrifying.

"Thanks for the clarifications. Continue with whatever you're doing sir."

"Gah! I still haven't finished this. Damn, I wanna go home," I fall to my desk and start to cry. This is so tiring.

"See you later, Sir Lindil," she bids goodbye with a devious grin. She's a devil. She's a devil in disguise! "Oh, and by the way," I slightly raise my head at her serious tone, "if they ever break one of the major rules in this school, I won't hesitate to disband them," and she leaves. I smile as I think about the past High Flyers Club.

"But... I'm kinda excited this school year. I wonder what they'll do. But first... waaah, I wanna go home," and I continue to do my work. Maybe I shouldn't have spent my time talking about the past... I'm really getting old.

Riese's PoV

"Aw man, I wanted to make the club today," I say nonchalantly as we walk outside the school.

"It can't be helped. Technically, we should be going home right now." Varu says.

"Oh, I have to go now. Dad is waiting for me. Bye," Rue waves goodbye and rushes to his dad's car. I see his dad look at us with a smile through the open window and waves goodbye before the car goes off.

"Laters, Rue! Make sure to come on Monday!" Tabitha yells, waving both paws. We notice Ken go to a bike chained to a pole.

"You go home with a bike?" Varu asks. Ken nods as he unlocks the chain and keeps the chain inside his bag. He got on it and waves goodbye before pedalling away.

"Looks like Dad's not picking me up today. Gonna go now. You guys gonna take the school bus, right?" I shake my head and swing my arm around Varu's neck.

"Varu and I are gonna go somewhere first," Varu retorts that he's gonna go home and not go with me but I reply to him that it'll be quick.

"Well, okay. See ya," Tabitha runs off waving goodbye at us. It's just the two of us alone. Eh? Where is he? I see him try to sneak off and immediately hug him and coil my legs around his.

"Dude! Seriously, stop the hugging," Varu yells at me but I ignore him.

"It'll be quick. C'mon! Not letting go anytime soon," I smile triumphantly as he sighs and agrees to come with me. "Yay, now follow me," I let go of him, turn around, and march to the destination. "You better not sneak off from me," I add as I stop my march.

"Eep, alright," I hear him sigh from behind and footsteps follow. "Where are we going, anyways?" he asks.

"There's somewhere I wanna go," that's all I say before continuing my march. He just shrugs and follows me. After a while, we reach the convenient store. There's not many people during these times, so it's the perfect opportunity.

"Do you have some spare money?" I ask.

"Yeah, why?" he replies.

"I might lack on funding, so if that comes, can you lend me some money?" I laugh hesitatingly.

"Seriously, this is where you're dragging me? So you can borrow some money?" he sounds annoyed.

"Nah, this is just phase one, buying snack. We're going somewhere special," I tell him. He just sighs and says "fine".

"Hmm... first we're gonna need some chocolate. How's Pocky sounding?" I ask Varu who just shrugs, "C'mon, this is crucial for the success of this plan. Well, I'm gonna buy anyways. Two boxes should be enough," and I take two.

We also buy some potato chips, drinks, and a bottled water because Varu says he prefers it than soda or juice. We go to the cashier and watch the price rise after each "beep". The money I have is enough, which makes Varu sigh in relief. The cashier puts the snacks inside the plastic bag and I take it. I smile at Varu and pay for the snacks.

"Okay, now we take the bus," I tell Varu.

"Seriously, where are we going?" he asks me and I smile at him.

"Your house," I say bluntly. He has a puzzled look on his face as he looks at me. He snaps out and replaces the puzzled look into a confused and shocked look.

"W-Wait, I never agreed to this," he stammers, "I haven't even cleaned the house yet and--" I cut him off.

"So you weren't expecting my visit, but you wanted someone to visit you. Is that right?" I tell him. He goes silent and bites his lips, looking away from me. "Besides, it's just one night," I say.

"That's worse. I'd at least expect you to go back to your house. It's probably just near my house." he says, trying to cover up a thankful tone with an angry tone. "Besides, I'm fine," I see him clench his fist. He's trying hard to hide it, even stopping his tail from wagging. I don't know why, but he's lonely. I've been noticing his eyes being lonesome since the first day I met him. His eyes really did sparkle that day, but because he was lonely and glad to be admiring the same sky we're under with someone else.

"Either way, I'll be your company tonight. No use arguing, so let's go," I say before marching to the nearby bus stop. I notice that no footsteps follow me so I look back at him. His head is down and he looks like he's crying. "Hey, I'm going with or without you."

"Okay, I'm coming," he says as he wipes his eyes with his paws. His voice was shaking, a sign that he was crying. He looks at me, smiling contently. "You really are a weirdo."

I giggle a bit at his response, "So I am," and smile back at him. He rushes to my side and we wait for a bus to arrive. I'm glad I made him happy. We ride the bus and stop in a bus stop near Varu's home. We walk a while and arrive there. I stand at the front gate as Varu goes inside. There's a balcony, and it's possible to climb up to the flat roof with it. Great.

"Well, are you coming in?" Varu asks as he turns the doorknob open.

"Oh, yeah, coming," I dash to him after closing the gate. Even though he said that he hasn't cleaned it, the house looks tidy. I notice that the shoe rack only has Varu's shoes. I wonder where his parents are.

"Sorry if it's a mess, maybe if you tell me next time I can clean the day before," Varu says as he put his bag on the couch in the living room.

"What are you talking about? This house is as clean as it gets. And are you that happy that I came here?" I smirk. He stops on his spot.

"Who knows?" he replies nonchalantly before going to the kitchen. "Since you're here, what food would you like? Curry? Beef steak?" The second one sounds delicious. I remember that he cooks his own lunch, so it's no surprise he'd be able to cook those dishes he mentioned.

"But what about these?" I raise the plastic bag of snacks, making a rustling sound.

"Those are snacks, not dinner."

"Then steak. Let me help you--"

"No, it's okay. It's the least I can do for you accompanying me," Varu cuts me off. I smile a bit at his response. He's either strong or trying to be strong.

"But I don't like doing nothing, and besides, it's the least I can do for you for letting me stay here," I put my bag down beside Varu's and look at how different they are. His looks full of books and stuff while mine is just filled with some stuff. He goes out the kitchen and says that he's gonna change first. I nod and he goes upstairs.

I might as well change clothes, too. I produce my clothes from my bag, a black shirt and blue shorts, which were the only thing I actually brought at school aside from my cellphone and earphones. I don't really have a reason to bring nor do I want to bring any school materials. As I change into my casual clothes and I notice a picture frame. There's a young Varu in the middle of two adults who I assume are Varu's parents. Varu resembles his mother more, especially his eyes. I hear footsteps from upstairs and immediately turn my attention to it. Varu's wearing a blue shirt and black shorts, coincidentally opposite to mine.

"You can watch some TV if you want," he says before he goes to the kitchen. I'd do what he said but I wanna check the balcony first. It looks like it's possible to reach the roof from the balcony. I jump and grab the eave of the roof with my paws and push myself up. This part is uniquely made to be stair-like and leads a flat surface at the top, which is a nice touch and just what I wanted. The cool breeze lightly touches my fur, giving off a cool feeling that's just right. This is a very ideal place for stargazing or just doing nothing and relax.

After a while of admiring the outdoors, I go back down to the balcony and back to the living room, turning on the TV afterwards with the remote on the table. I switch through the channels but there's nothing good on.

"Dinner's ready," Varu says from the kitchen. I can already smell the aroma of beef steak even from here. I turn off the TV and go to the kitchen. I could've helped with preparing the table, but it looks like he already did, and he also cooked rice. He's sitting at the table, smiling slightly as he looks at me. He looks like a little child waiting for someone to eat with him. I smile back at him as I take the seat near him.

"This looks really good. You'd make a great dad," I tell him nonchalantly and he goes blushing and turning his attention to his spoon and fork.

"L-Let's just eat," he says shyly before picking up his spoon.

"We usually don't eat with a spoon. Rather, we use knife and fork, but then there's rice," I think out loud. I notice that he's looking at me with a confused look, "It's not weird or anything," I tell him, "just that it's different from ours since we don't usually pair food with rice."

"I love rice. I dunno why but it gives the food a better taste. Especially with curry," I nod at his statement. Curry isn't great without rice. "Mom is from Philippines, anyways, and they usually pair their food with rice there. It's their staple food, I think."

"Oh, I see," I say before I put some rice on my plate. "Can you pass me some steak?" I ask and Varu passes the plate of steak near me. I take some then pass the plate back to him. "Oh yeah, let's go to the roof after this. There's a nice space for stargazing up there," I tell Varu, pointing up.

"What's with that topic all of a sudden? And on the roof? Are you sure it's safe?"

"Yeah, there's a flat surface there. Like it's actually made for it."

"Wait, how'd you even get up there?"

"After eating, I'll show you," I reply with a smile. Varu nods and we continue eating.

After eating, I help with washing the dishes and we both go to the balcony, bringing my cellphone and earphones in my pocket and carrying the plastic bag of snacks with me. "Are you sure it's safe?" Varu asks again as I jump and grab the eave of the roof.

"It's fine," I tell him before pushing myself up. I lean on the edge and stretch my paw to Varu, "C'mon," and he holds tight before he jumps to reach the eave while I pull him up for support. His eyes were squinted, but it shouldn't be that scary. "It's nothing to be scared of," I say before pulling him up.

"I'm not as strong as you, okay? And I'm afraid of heights," Varu says shyly while sitting on the stair-like roof, sweating a bit from what he just went through and breathing heavily.

"Psh, excuses. Now let's go," I say excitedly before I dash to the top. This really is an ideal place for stargazing. I sit on the flat surface that feels like a floor and watch the twinkling stars up there in the dark, night sky. It's really beautiful. I see Varu appear slowly in the corner of my eye as he goes beside me. "It looks great, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," I smile after hearing him. I let out a loud, happy sigh and fall flat on the floor. I lightly tap my side to tell him to lie down then put my hands behind my head. He lies down right beside me afterwards and we watch the starry sky together. I touch my pocket lightly, checking if I really did bring my phone then take it out. I insert the earphones and scroll down the music list and found the music I was looking for. Without telling him, I put the one earphone on his ear, surprising him. "Gah!" What was--"

"Don't move. Just listen to it," I cut him off as I play the music on my phone. He is mildly shocked at the song I picked, but I believe it's the appropriate song for this.

"Stargazing Season," Varu mumbles. I hum at him in agreement and he smiles slightly. "I remember," he pauses, watching the sky and reminiscing, "I was still so little back then. Mom and Dad would take me here and we'd watch the stars together. They'd point me where the constellations are, like the Ursa Major," he pauses and points at the constellation of stars forming the Ursa Major, his voice shaking, "and I'd point at it as well and say its name. Then they'd say that I'm a smart boy and rub my ears, and I could see their warm smiles on those cold nights...," he starts to sob and cry, "I miss them." he whispers.

"Where are they?" I ask. I notice how insensitive I sounded and correct myself, "You don't need to answer that. Sorry for asking."

"They're... currently far away," Varu says after a short silence. "But it's okay, I can take care of myself," he tries to make a brave face underneath his pain and sorrow. I can't help but feel sympathetic towards him, having to go through life without parents.

"You know why the club is named High Flyers?" I ask him. He says no. "Because you can't fly high by yourself. That's why you need others with you. In this club, we'll give our one-hundred percent to others so that they'll be able to fly high. But we can't do it if we can't even give our one-hundred percent to each other, first. So, we'll trust, depend, share our feelings, and take off our masks that doesn't show the real us in this club as we help others." I look at him and he looks back, our eyes met like the first day we met, "and that's the club's reason. To make the world a better place," I smile my widest to comfort him, and he rubs his eyes and forces a smile.

"That sounds like a fun club," he tries to joke.

"Right?" I say. He laughs a bit then gazes back at the stars.

"I'm glad I'm a member of that club. I'm glad I met you guys. Thank you," he says before closing his eyes, trying to hold in the tears but they still manage to escape.

"Hey, enough of this, I wanna eat some snacks," I say as I get up, dislodging the earphone from my eat, and grab a bag of chips from the plastic bag and pop it open. "Want some?" I nudge the bag of chips at him. He gets up and shakes his head and paws before removing his earphone. I put the bag of chips down, pause the music on my phone, fold the earphones, and put them back in my pocket.

"No, I'm not into those kinds of foods. I prefer chocolate, though," he says as he also gets up. I grab a box of Pocky and give it to him. He thanks me before opening it and getting a stick.

"I remember that you just shrugged when I asked if you wanted Pocky. You should really be more honest with yourself," I smirk at him as I pick up the bag of chips and he responds by shoving a Pocky to my mouth.

"Shut up," he says with an annoyed yet happy tone. I take the Pocky and gladly eat it. He smiles at me, and I smile back. After that, we both watch the sky together while eating some snacks. I'm glad he's being honest with me now, but he's actually serious with the water thing. He says he doesn't like how soda tastes.

"Oh yeah, I also remember that there's a way to go inside here," he searches for something as I put the empty wrappers and boxes in the plastic bag. I follow him afterwards and after a few seconds he found a trapdoor. "I think I just need to push it," and he does, and the trap door opens with ease while unfolding a ladder, "I'm surprised it still opens easily. Well, let's go. And sorry that I hadn't known about this, it could've made coming here easier." he says. I shake my head.

"Nah, then I wouldn't have seen your scaredy-fox face," I mock him. He glares at me, but less seriously. I just smile back at him in response. "Besides, it was a good first experience for you. You'll thank me someday, or you can thank me now in advance."

"I think this goes to the attic. I forgot that we can get here through it," he ignores me and slowly climbs down, "Also, I already thanked you. But when the time comes, I might," he says before continuing climbing down, "You coming?" He's starting to take off his mask slowly, which I'm happy about.

"Yeah, yeah, coming," I say as I follow him downwards. Can't blame if he forgot about this. It's at the edge of the attic and looks like the rope's been cut off.

"I'll fix that tomorrow. Anyways, it's getting late. You should-- oh, wait... I forgot that you're staying" I nod. He hums slightly, thinking, then lets out a sigh, "You're really sleeping here?" he thinks out loud. I nod again. "Then... maybe we can sleep in the living room. We can get some extra mattresses in my parents' room since we sometimes sleep in the living room as well, especially if there's a movie marathon."

"One of us can just sleep on the couch. I can," I raise my paw slightly to volunteer. It's less a hassle to sleep on the couch than to get another mattress.

"Are you sure?" Varu asks. I nod back. "Okay, well let's go. Over here," he reveals another trapdoor to the second floor. After climbing down, we go to Varu's parents' room and take the extra mattress to the living room while also arranging it so that the mattress is in front of the couch. I jump on the couch and let out a sigh.

"Feels so good after lying down on something hard," I say. I notice Varu isn't here, anymore. Did he go somewhere? I look around and, after a while, I see him going down the stairs in his pajamas and carrying a pillow tightly. I give him a smirk and he blushes slightly.

"I can't sleep well without a pillow," he says shyly.

"Nothing to be shy of. That's just you being you," I say. "Anyways," I let out a deep yawn, "I'm a bit sleepy, so I'll go ahead. G'night," I say as I close my eyes and turn around to face the back of the couch.

"Goodnight," Varu says before the lights go out. The plan turned out really well. Hopefully I can do the same to the others. You think I can do it, big brother? You think I can bring back your club and help other people same as you did back then? You think we'll be able to do it? The thoughts fill up my mind, but I decide to shake it off and just sleep.Mr. Kelt's POV

The bell rings as a signal of club hours ending. Another day done, but I'm still stuck here doing paperwork. I knew I shouldn't have watched that soccer match yesterday, now I'll have to do overtime to pass the files.

"Life's so cruel," I say as I lean my head on the counter. A fellow teacher looks at me with a brow raised before leaving. "Indeed, Lindil. Life is cruel."

I feel a vibration on the counter and hear footsteps from outside. Who's running wild at this hour? They must be so excited to go home. Oh childhood, how I miss you so.

"Mister--" the door slams open, making me jump, "Kelt!" the young Husky, Riese, appears. I straighten myself immediately to not show my lazy side.

"Mr. Kelt!" the young orange Tabby Cat, Tabitha if I remember correctly, appears as she pushes Riese downwards.

"Sir! We got our fifth member!" Riese says excitedly after the Cat moves to his side, letting him be able to stand straight.

"Oh, you already have your fifth member? Wonderful," I clap my paws together, "But may we delay the making of the club to next week? As long as the five of you are here to write your club application, it's fine."

"Aw, but we wanna--"

"Patience comes to those who wait," I cut the young Husky off.

"Let's just do it next week, Riese," the young blue Fox, Varu, pulls Riese away from the door, "please excuse us. We're sorry Mr. Kelt. We'll be going now," and the Fox pushes the Husky away.

"Wh-- hey! But I wanna make it now," the Husky struggles as the Fox continues pushing him.

"Alright, next week, you better not screw us up or you'll get-- oi!" an older looking Akita, I forgot his name, picks up the Cat, covering her mouth in the process.

"Uh, I-I think y-you shouldn't do that," I hear a hesitating and familiar voice behind the wall. The Akita gives a reassuring saying that it's fine, but the struggling cat losing breath says otherwise. He follows the blue Fox and a green Fox appears from the other side. The green Fox, Rue Krantz, was that Fox that wasn't able to attend the orientation.

"Uh, excuse us," he bows slightly before following the group. They sound like a fun bunch. I can still heat some of their chattering until it starts to fade away. Once I can't hear them anymore, I loosen myself then slouch on my chair. I really wanna go home.

"Must be nice to have some peace and quiet after a ruckus, and I'm surprised that green Fox joined. He looked more of a shy person," a familiar voice says. I quickly straighten my back and produce my smile. "No need to hide it, sir, I already know you're more laid back than you seem," A white Bunny with long, gold hair is leaning on the side of the door with arms crossed.

"Oh, Mimi, it's you," I loosen then slouch on my chair again. "Yes, that green Fox, Rue Krantz. Maybe he's not actually a shy person."

"Please, don't call me that here. I hate it, it's childish," she says with an annoyed tone.

"Then what do you preferred to be called with?" I ask, leaning on the desk and resting my chin on top of my arms.

"You really are such a laid back person. Not even straightening your posture while talking. Impolite and lazy," she says bluntly.

"Ouch, that hurts," I reply sarcastically, "But shouldn't you straighten your posture as well? Speaking with arms crossed and leaning on the side of a door? Not lady-like at all."

The Bunny blushes slightly while straightening herself and retorts with her voice raised slightly, "W-Well, yours is more impolite. I mean--" I start to laugh midway, cutting her off. "W-What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that," I straighten myself and look at her, "you were never good at expressing your emotion, like your sister."

The Bunny looks away and puffs her cheeks, "Just call me Milianne, Mimi just sounds so childish. Even Mili is fine."

"Oh, so you only answer my question now?" I mockingly say.

Milianne Hoppings, a second year student and the student council president of the school. She has high grades and is a beauty. She's kind to people who follow the rules but never to those who breaks them. She's strict on the rules and despises noise and other shenanigans. Her father and I were good buddies back in the days, so I often visit her house and chat with her. She can just casually talk with me here in school, but she prefers to keep her strong persona in tact and not show her other side.

"Anyways, I believe you didn't come here just for that. What is it that you wanna ask? Could it be, you need some love tips from me?" I mock her with my paws in front of my mouth as if I'm gasping.

"Not even close, old ma--I mean, sir," she almost went full casual there, "I'm here to talk about them," her face becomes serious with her brows furrowed.

"That'll give you wrinkles, young one, and at such a young age, you'd look old," I see her brow twitching at what I said.

"Sir...!" she's tapping her arm with her finger in annoyance and with voice slightly raised.

"Ahaha, sorry," I scratch the back of my head in guilt. Shouldn't have gone that far. "So, what are we talking about again?" I forget.

"That club!" she slams the wall with her palm. I can see her flinch a bit and trying to keep her serious face. It's obvious she hurt herself because she looks like she's about to cry.

"Oh, that club," I think about that club. "What about it?"

"W-What about it?! This club is redundant and is not needed in this school. Why did you even let them make something as stupid as--"

"Milianne," I cut her off. She flinches and stops talking. I glare at her intently. I lighten up, but without a smile and just look outside the window, "Did you know, the High Flyers Club isn't new."

"I have no information regarding that. Do tell." she says. I nod back while still looking outside, reminiscing.

"It was a five years ago. A young, talented Husky came to this school. He had high grades, great in athletic activities, very active, many friends, and always smiling. I don't think anyone hated him, because he'd always be blunt and straight to the point. Though, he was a bit mischievous, forgetful, and sometimes inconsiderate, but in the end he'd always get everyone around him to smile.

"On his first day, he barged into the teacher's room with sparkling, determined eyes. His goggles on his head caused some teachers to think he's just a goof, well I couldn't complain because I was there to see his wide, goofy grin. He approached me casually and said my first name, which the other teachers got angry about. He told them that he just needed to talk to me and ignored whatever the other teachers said. 'Sir Lindil, can I make a club?' were his words. Since I was still new here, I didn't knew what I had to do, so I just nodded in response. Other teachers retorted, but he just said, 'Alright, thanks man! Don't worry, you don't need to do much, just be our moderator,' and left the room."

"He seems like that certain Husky," Milianne says in an annoyed tone. I nod back at her in agreement.

"Perhaps, yes, and I was scolded because of that. I know his father so it'd be fine if we talked casually, but in front of other teachers, and me being new, he couldn't have gotten a worse timing."

"But you could've just disagreed afterwards." Milianne says. She was right, I could've just refused afterwards but,

"Everytime I see his determined eyes, I couldn't help but to accept. So at that point, I actually held a petty grudge against him. It was pathetic of me, because I should be the one who's to blame" I chuckled slightly. I really was pathetic back then.

"Wow, you, holding a petty grudge back then? Seems unbelievable," Milianne tells me. I agree to her.

"I wasn't always like this back then. It's actually because of them that I changed."

"Them? The High Flyers Club?" Milianne asks. I look at her with a faint smile across my face.

"Yes, them. That club was created at the end of the first week, and originally a club about a group of sky lovers who'd do everything with their one-hundred percent. You wouldn't think that such a club would change... a lot of people. Yes, a lot," I add when I see Milianne tilt her head slightly. "The High Flyers Club, which consisted of five members, helped out other students with their problems. Freshmen to seniors, big and small, they'd help them no matter what. That's their reason of forming that club.

"Though, they do create a lot of ruckus while helping their fellow students. There was a time when they brought a microphone set to help out this one student, which made the teachers quite... infuriated by their actions. They were the main targets of the student council and teachers to disband, but seeing as they didn't do anything that obviously violated the rules, they couldn't.

"And on the second year of their club, your sister, who was the student council president on her third year that year, also changed. She was still strict and would not tolerate any rule breakers, but she was more... expressive, afterwards." I pause the find the word expressive.

"Yes, I did find my sister change. But was it for the best? For her future?" there's a worried look on Milianne's face.

"It may not be the best, but probably one of the better things that happened to her, for her. I actually saw her smile one day before my class started. She was beautiful smiling." I reminisce her face. She looked the same as Milianne here, but she had a small braid on her right and didn't have any wrinkles on her forehead.

"Pedo-cougar." she glares at me with a disgusted face.

"Sh-She was beautiful but I never thought of-- a-anyways, we'll continue. When the Husky was on his third year, he was nominated as student council president because of his popularity. Almost everyone wanted him to be student council president, but most of the teachers declined. Even though the two companies weren't in an agreement, he was still nominated. But when it was his turn to speak, he said that he didn't want to become a president in anything and that if he was gonna be elected still, he'd resign immediately, thus the title was given to the other party.

"Just so you know, I still had that petty grudge I held during his first year, so I was somewhat glad he wasn't elected. And yes, I still held that petty grudge, so stop smirking like that," I tell Milianne. "But it all changed when it was my turn to be helped.

"Throughout the three years of my service, all the other teachers despised me for letting them make that club. Everyday, I tried my best to appease them, working hard and all but I'd still get their glares and growls, so my life was miserable. I was even amazed that I didn't commit suicide back then. But who could blame them? That club annoyed their lives, but they didn't know how nor never thought how annoyed and depressed I was.

"Then that day came, he barged into the teacher's room with a serious face. His eyes glared at us, filled with what looked like anger. He then said 'You teachers are the worst. Aren't any of you even thinking about how he is feeling right now?' His and my eyes never met, he only eyed the other teachers. Of course, everyone was puzzled on his sudden outbursts, but then moments after, his eyes met mine and the other teachers' followed. 'Yeah, I keep seeing you guys glare at Sir Lindil and I can hear your grunts at him. He's been doing his best, you know? If you have anyone to blame, blame me, not him,' is what he said. I hesitatingly replied to him that I was okay and he responded, 'You don't need to fake it. Stop wearing that mask of yours. You don't have to work so hard to appease them. Besides, this is the last year, so please bear with us," he smiled before he slammed the door, I wasn't sure if it was with rage or not because of his smile. Most of the teachers apologized afterwards, and I felt... more at ease.

"The days after that, I loosened up, and start becoming a bit more laid back because, after all, I'm not tied to anything anymore. It was thanks to him that I was set free from those chains, but I didn't think a student would care about a teacher, let alone barge into the teacher's office to do that. My teaching life after that became joyful, and I managed to see all the good things that Husky has done, and there were so much that I couldn't count them all.

"He then approached me one day and said with a smile, 'because of you, the club was made. You helped me, then I helped you,' I asked him why he'd help someone like me and he replied, 'I want to make the world a better place, that everyone would give their one-hundred percent in everything they do. I need everyone's cooperation for that, so let's make the world a better place, yeah?' and he left with a smile. He was really a special kid, and after graduation, the club disbanded because it never accepted any new members. Until he revived it."

"That Husky. He must be his younger brother," Milianne assumes, and she's correct. "But I have this one question. The club can be made anytime as long as it's agreed by a teacher who will be it's moderator, but why did give him a time limit of one week?"

"That's a good question, but how'd you know that I gave them a week?" I ask. I never told Milianne about it, so how'd she know?

"Can you believe that he said that while recruiting?" she replies bluntly. I think I can see that happening.

"As for your question, how long did the original High Flyers Club take to make?" I ask her. She was about to answer, but stops and thinks again.

"So you're saying he wanted to do what his older brother did?" she thinks out loud.

"Maybe. When you think about it, he could've said that he could make the club anytime, but he just went with it and accepted the one week time limit," after that, a deep silence for reflecting. Then Milianne breaks the silence by telling me something horrifying.

"Thanks for the clarifications. Continue with whatever you're doing sir."

"Gah! I still haven't finished this. Damn, I wanna go home," I fall to my desk and start to cry. This is so tiring.

"See you later, Sir Lindil," she bids goodbye with a devious grin. She's a devil. She's a devil in disguise! "Oh, and by the way," I slightly raise my head at her serious tone, "if they ever break one of the major rules in this school, I won't hesitate to disband them," and she leaves. I smile as I think about the past High Flyers Club.

"But... I'm kinda excited this school year. I wonder what they'll do. But first... waaah, I wanna go home," and I continue to do my work. Maybe I shouldn't have spent my time talking about the past... I'm really getting old.

Riese's PoV

"Aw man, I wanted to make the club today," I say nonchalantly as we walk outside the school.

"It can't be helped. Technically, we should be going home right now." Varu says.

"Oh, I have to go now. Dad is waiting for me. Bye," Rue waves goodbye and rushes to his dad's car. I see his dad look at us with a smile through the open window and waves goodbye before the car goes off.

"Laters, Rue! Make sure to come on Monday!" Tabitha yells, waving both paws. We notice Ken go to a bike chained to a pole.

"You go home with a bike?" Varu asks. Ken nods as he unlocks the chain and keeps the chain inside his bag. He got on it and waves goodbye before pedalling away.

"Looks like Dad's not picking me up today. Gonna go now. You guys gonna take the school bus, right?" I shake my head and swing my arm around Varu's neck.

"Varu and I are gonna go somewhere first," Varu retorts that he's gonna go home and not go with me but I reply to him that it'll be quick.

"Well, okay. See ya," Tabitha runs off waving goodbye at us. It's just the two of us alone. Eh? Where is he? I see him try to sneak off and immediately hug him and coil my legs around his.

"Dude! Seriously, stop the hugging," Varu yells at me but I ignore him.

"It'll be quick. C'mon! Not letting go anytime soon," I smile triumphantly as he sighs and agrees to come with me. "Yay, now follow me," I let go of him, turn around, and march to the destination. "You better not sneak off from me," I add as I stop my march.

"Eep, alright," I hear him sigh from behind and footsteps follow. "Where are we going, anyways?" he asks.

"There's somewhere I wanna go," that's all I say before continuing my march. He just shrugs and follows me. After a while, we reach the convenient store. There's not many people during these times, so it's the perfect opportunity.

"Do you have some spare money?" I ask.

"Yeah, why?" he replies.

"I might lack on funding, so if that comes, can you lend me some money?" I laugh hesitatingly.

"Seriously, this is where you're dragging me? So you can borrow some money?" he sounds annoyed.

"Nah, this is just phase one, buying snack. We're going somewhere special," I tell him. He just sighs and says "fine".

"Hmm... first we're gonna need some chocolate. How's Pocky sounding?" I ask Varu who just shrugs, "C'mon, this is crucial for the success of this plan. Well, I'm gonna buy anyways. Two boxes should be enough," and I take two.

We also buy some potato chips, drinks, and a bottled water because Varu says he prefers it than soda or juice. We go to the cashier and watch the price rise after each "beep". The money I have is enough, which makes Varu sigh in relief. The cashier puts the snacks inside the plastic bag and I take it. I smile at Varu and pay for the snacks.

"Okay, now we take the bus," I tell Varu.

"Seriously, where are we going?" he asks me and I smile at him.

"Your house," I say bluntly. He has a puzzled look on his face as he looks at me. He snaps out and replaces the puzzled look into a confused and shocked look.

"W-Wait, I never agreed to this," he stammers, "I haven't even cleaned the house yet and--" I cut him off.

"So you weren't expecting my visit, but you wanted someone to visit you. Is that right?" I tell him. He goes silent and bites his lips, looking away from me. "Besides, it's just one night," I say.

"That's worse. I'd at least expect you to go back to your house. It's probably just near my house." he says, trying to cover up a thankful tone with an angry tone. "Besides, I'm fine," I see him clench his fist. He's trying hard to hide it, even stopping his tail from wagging. I don't know why, but he's lonely. I've been noticing his eyes being lonesome since the first day I met him. His eyes really did sparkle that day, but because he was lonely and glad to be admiring the same sky we're under with someone else.

"Either way, I'll be your company tonight. No use arguing, so let's go," I say before marching to the nearby bus stop. I notice that no footsteps follow me so I look back at him. His head is down and he looks like he's crying. "Hey, I'm going with or without you."

"Okay, I'm coming," he says as he wipes his eyes with his paws. His voice was shaking, a sign that he was crying. He looks at me, smiling contently. "You really are a weirdo."

I giggle a bit at his response, "So I am," and smile back at him. He rushes to my side and we wait for a bus to arrive. I'm glad I made him happy. We ride the bus and stop in a bus stop near Varu's home. We walk a while and arrive there. I stand at the front gate as Varu goes inside. There's a balcony, and it's possible to climb up to the flat roof with it. Great.

"Well, are you coming in?" Varu asks as he turns the doorknob open.

"Oh, yeah, coming," I dash to him after closing the gate. Even though he said that he hasn't cleaned it, the house looks tidy. I notice that the shoe rack only has Varu's shoes. I wonder where his parents are.

"Sorry if it's a mess, maybe if you tell me next time I can clean the day before," Varu says as he put his bag on the couch in the living room.

"What are you talking about? This house is as clean as it gets. And are you that happy that I came here?" I smirk. He stops on his spot.

"Who knows?" he replies nonchalantly before going to the kitchen. "Since you're here, what food would you like? Curry? Beef steak?" The second one sounds delicious. I remember that he cooks his own lunch, so it's no surprise he'd be able to cook those dishes he mentioned.

"But what about these?" I raise the plastic bag of snacks, making a rustling sound.

"Those are snacks, not dinner."

"Then steak. Let me help you--"

"No, it's okay. It's the least I can do for you accompanying me," Varu cuts me off. I smile a bit at his response. He's either strong or trying to be strong.

"But I don't like doing nothing, and besides, it's the least I can do for you for letting me stay here," I put my bag down beside Varu's and look at how different they are. His looks full of books and stuff while mine is just filled with some stuff. He goes out the kitchen and says that he's gonna change first. I nod and he goes upstairs.

I might as well change clothes, too. I produce my clothes from my bag, a black shirt and blue shorts, which were the only thing I actually brought at school aside from my cellphone and earphones. I don't really have a reason to bring nor do I want to bring any school materials. As I change into my casual clothes and I notice a picture frame. There's a young Varu in the middle of two adults who I assume are Varu's parents. Varu resembles his mother more, especially his eyes. I hear footsteps from upstairs and immediately turn my attention to it. Varu's wearing a blue shirt and black shorts, coincidentally opposite to mine.

"You can watch some TV if you want," he says before he goes to the kitchen. I'd do what he said but I wanna check the balcony first. It looks like it's possible to reach the roof from the balcony. I jump and grab the eave of the roof with my paws and push myself up. This part is uniquely made to be stair-like and leads a flat surface at the top, which is a nice touch and just what I wanted. The cool breeze lightly touches my fur, giving off a cool feeling that's just right. This is a very ideal place for stargazing or just doing nothing and relax.

After a while of admiring the outdoors, I go back down to the balcony and back to the living room, turning on the TV afterwards with the remote on the table. I switch through the channels but there's nothing good on.

"Dinner's ready," Varu says from the kitchen. I can already smell the aroma of beef steak even from here. I turn off the TV and go to the kitchen. I could've helped with preparing the table, but it looks like he already did, and he also cooked rice. He's sitting at the table, smiling slightly as he looks at me. He looks like a little child waiting for someone to eat with him. I smile back at him as I take the seat near him.

"This looks really good. You'd make a great dad," I tell him nonchalantly and he goes blushing and turning his attention to his spoon and fork.

"L-Let's just eat," he says shyly before picking up his spoon.

"We usually don't eat with a spoon. Rather, we use knife and fork, but then there's rice," I think out loud. I notice that he's looking at me with a confused look, "It's not weird or anything," I tell him, "just that it's different from ours since we don't usually pair food with rice."

"I love rice. I dunno why but it gives the food a better taste. Especially with curry," I nod at his statement. Curry isn't great without rice. "Mom is from Philippines, anyways, and they usually pair their food with rice there. It's their staple food, I think."

"Oh, I see," I say before I put some rice on my plate. "Can you pass me some steak?" I ask and Varu passes the plate of steak near me. I take some then pass the plate back to him. "Oh yeah, let's go to the roof after this. There's a nice space for stargazing up there," I tell Varu, pointing up.

"What's with that topic all of a sudden? And on the roof? Are you sure it's safe?"

"Yeah, there's a flat surface there. Like it's actually made for it."

"Wait, how'd you even get up there?"

"After eating, I'll show you," I reply with a smile. Varu nods and we continue eating.

After eating, I help with washing the dishes and we both go to the balcony, bringing my cellphone and earphones in my pocket and carrying the plastic bag of snacks with me. "Are you sure it's safe?" Varu asks again as I jump and grab the eave of the roof.

"It's fine," I tell him before pushing myself up. I lean on the edge and stretch my paw to Varu, "C'mon," and he holds tight before he jumps to reach the eave while I pull him up for support. His eyes were squinted, but it shouldn't be that scary. "It's nothing to be scared of," I say before pulling him up.

"I'm not as strong as you, okay? And I'm afraid of heights," Varu says shyly while sitting on the stair-like roof, sweating a bit from what he just went through and breathing heavily.

"Psh, excuses. Now let's go," I say excitedly before I dash to the top. This really is an ideal place for stargazing. I sit on the flat surface that feels like a floor and watch the twinkling stars up there in the dark, night sky. It's really beautiful. I see Varu appear slowly in the corner of my eye as he goes beside me. "It looks great, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," I smile after hearing him. I let out a loud, happy sigh and fall flat on the floor. I lightly tap my side to tell him to lie down then put my hands behind my head. He lies down right beside me afterwards and we watch the starry sky together. I touch my pocket lightly, checking if I really did bring my phone then take it out. I insert the earphones and scroll down the music list and found the music I was looking for. Without telling him, I put the one earphone on his ear, surprising him. "Gah!" What was--"

"Don't move. Just listen to it," I cut him off as I play the music on my phone. He is mildly shocked at the song I picked, but I believe it's the appropriate song for this.

"Stargazing Season," Varu mumbles. I hum at him in agreement and he smiles slightly. "I remember," he pauses, watching the sky and reminiscing, "I was still so little back then. Mom and Dad would take me here and we'd watch the stars together. They'd point me where the constellations are, like the Ursa Major," he pauses and points at the constellation of stars forming the Ursa Major, his voice shaking, "and I'd point at it as well and say its name. Then they'd say that I'm a smart boy and rub my ears, and I could see their warm smiles on those cold nights...," he starts to sob and cry, "I miss them." he whispers.

"Where are they?" I ask. I notice how insensitive I sounded and correct myself, "You don't need to answer that. Sorry for asking."

"They're... currently far away," Varu says after a short silence. "But it's okay, I can take care of myself," he tries to make a brave face underneath his pain and sorrow. I can't help but feel sympathetic towards him, having to go through life without parents.

"You know why the club is named High Flyers?" I ask him. He says no. "Because you can't fly high by yourself. That's why you need others with you. In this club, we'll give our one-hundred percent to others so that they'll be able to fly high. But we can't do it if we can't even give our one-hundred percent to each other, first. So, we'll trust, depend, share our feelings, and take off our masks that doesn't show the real us in this club as we help others." I look at him and he looks back, our eyes met like the first day we met, "and that's the club's reason. To make the world a better place," I smile my widest to comfort him, and he rubs his eyes and forces a smile.

"That sounds like a fun club," he tries to joke.

"Right?" I say. He laughs a bit then gazes back at the stars.

"I'm glad I'm a member of that club. I'm glad I met you guys. Thank you," he says before closing his eyes, trying to hold in the tears but they still manage to escape.

"Hey, enough of this, I wanna eat some snacks," I say as I get up, dislodging the earphone from my eat, and grab a bag of chips from the plastic bag and pop it open. "Want some?" I nudge the bag of chips at him. He gets up and shakes his head and paws before removing his earphone. I put the bag of chips down, pause the music on my phone, fold the earphones, and put them back in my pocket.

"No, I'm not into those kinds of foods. I prefer chocolate, though," he says as he also gets up. I grab a box of Pocky and give it to him. He thanks me before opening it and getting a stick.

"I remember that you just shrugged when I asked if you wanted Pocky. You should really be more honest with yourself," I smirk at him as I pick up the bag of chips and he responds by shoving a Pocky to my mouth.

"Shut up," he says with an annoyed yet happy tone. I take the Pocky and gladly eat it. He smiles at me, and I smile back. After that, we both watch the sky together while eating some snacks. I'm glad he's being honest with me now, but he's actually serious with the water thing. He says he doesn't like how soda tastes.

"Oh yeah, I also remember that there's a way to go inside here," he searches for something as I put the empty wrappers and boxes in the plastic bag. I follow him afterwards and after a few seconds he found a trapdoor. "I think I just need to push it," and he does, and the trap door opens with ease while unfolding a ladder, "I'm surprised it still opens easily. Well, let's go. And sorry that I hadn't known about this, it could've made coming here easier." he says. I shake my head.

"Nah, then I wouldn't have seen your scaredy-fox face," I mock him. He glares at me, but less seriously. I just smile back at him in response. "Besides, it was a good first experience for you. You'll thank me someday, or you can thank me now in advance."

"I think this goes to the attic. I forgot that we can get here through it," he ignores me and slowly climbs down, "Also, I already thanked you. But when the time comes, I might," he says before continuing climbing down, "You coming?" He's starting to take off his mask slowly, which I'm happy about.

"Yeah, yeah, coming," I say as I follow him downwards. Can't blame if he forgot about this. It's at the edge of the attic and looks like the rope's been cut off.

"I'll fix that tomorrow. Anyways, it's getting late. You should-- oh, wait... I forgot that you're staying" I nod. He hums slightly, thinking, then lets out a sigh, "You're really sleeping here?" he thinks out loud. I nod again. "Then... maybe we can sleep in the living room. We can get some extra mattresses in my parents' room since we sometimes sleep in the living room as well, especially if there's a movie marathon."

"One of us can just sleep on the couch. I can," I raise my paw slightly to volunteer. It's less a hassle to sleep on the couch than to get another mattress.

"Are you sure?" Varu asks. I nod back. "Okay, well let's go. Over here," he reveals another trapdoor to the second floor. After climbing down, we go to Varu's parents' room and take the extra mattress to the living room while also arranging it so that the mattress is in front of the couch. I jump on the couch and let out a sigh.

"Feels so good after lying down on something hard," I say. I notice Varu isn't here, anymore. Did he go somewhere? I look around and, after a while, I see him going down the stairs in his pajamas and carrying a pillow tightly. I give him a smirk and he blushes slightly.

"I can't sleep well without a pillow," he says shyly.

"Nothing to be shy of. That's just you being you," I say. "Anyways," I let out a deep yawn, "I'm a bit sleepy, so I'll go ahead. G'night," I say as I close my eyes and turn around to face the back of the couch.

"Goodnight," Varu says before the lights go out. The plan turned out really well. Hopefully I can do the same to the others. You think I can do it, big brother? You think I can bring back your club and help other people same as you did back then? You think we'll be able to do it? The thoughts fill up my mind, but I decide to shake it off and just sleep.