Chapter 14: Tiph - Senior or Nosy Neighbor?

The chaos of club selection finally ended when I decided to become part of the Current Affairs Club. Now, here I was, sitting with Tiph, the club president, while Aqua and Beam flanked me on either side, both acting as if they were protecting me from imminent danger.

"Um... aren't you two going back to your club activities?"

Tiph scratched her head, glancing at Aqua and Beam, who were holding onto me as if I were a fragile vase about to be stolen. It made me blush, my face feeling warm as I kept my head down, trying to calm myself.

"No way. Who knows what weird stuff Tiph might try with sweet, innocent Fah," Aqua replied.

"Yeah, what if Fah ends up getting corrupted because of you, Tiph?"

"Hey, hey, this is a club, not a gang. What are you two going on about?!"

"You two can go back. I'll be fine, really."

I tried to persuade them to leave, but their overprotectiveness was overwhelming.

"You don't understand, Fah. This person is dangerous."

"I doubt she's that bad."

"There are rumors that she collects information on everyone in school and sells it on the black market."

"Yeah! Plus, she's been known to blackmail students into doing what she wants... She might force you to do something bad, Fah."

"You two really don't hold back, do you? Talking trash right in front of me," Tiph sighed, looking tired as she glanced between the school prince and princess.

"I heard they were bad, but I didn't realize it was this extreme."

"What did you say, Tiph?!" / "What was that, Tiph?!"

"Oh, nothing. Just your imagination."

I could feel it—the vibe of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. If this went on, I'd probably end up inheriting the position of club president on day one. So...

"You two really should go back. I'll be fine."

"No way!" / "Not a chance!"

They spoke in unison, just as I expected. It looked like I'd have to use my secret weapon—the ultimate move: the tenth technique of being a cute girl... crying.

*Sniffle, sniffle*

"Fah!! What's wrong? Why are you crying?!"

"Fah, are you okay?!"

"It's because of me... I made you both skip your club activities like this... Sniffle. It's all my fault."

Honestly, I didn't want to use this method. It was embarrassing and manipulative, but with Tiph's life on the line, I had no choice.

"I'm just causing trouble, right? I'm the reason you both are doing this..."

"No, Fah, it's not your fault at all. We skipped on our own!"

"Please don't cry, sweetheart. You're a good person, Fah. You've always been good."

They both patted and comforted me as I continued my award-winning performance.

"But I'm still the cause... Sniffle."

...

Hearing my sobs seemed to break them. Aqua and Beam looked at each other, then nodded.

"Fine, I'll go back to my club. You didn't do anything wrong, Fah."

"Yes, I'm going back too. So, please, don't cry anymore, okay?"

"O-Okay."

They reluctantly got up, still patting my head and rubbing my back as they slowly stepped away.

"Take care of Fah, Tiph. Don't make her cry, alright?"

"I'll be leaving, Tiph. But if I hear that you've done anything to Fah... we're going to have a little 'chat.'"

Their parting words made Tiph's eye twitch, but she didn't seem even slightly scared—unlike the other club members who had faced Aqua and Beam before.

*Bang*

The door closed, leaving just me and Tiph, along with the remnants of my sobbing.

*Sniffle, sniffle*

"Alright, cut it out, drama queen."

Tiph sighed, squinting at me while smirking.

*Sniffle, sniffle...*

"Only those blinded by love would fall for those fake tears. Enough already—they're gone."

"They're really gone?"

"Yeah, they're gone."

Hearing that, I wiped away my tears, shaking my head and trying to regain my composure.

"Who would've thought that our sweet little doll could pull off something like that?"

Tiph teased, making me frown and roll my eyes.

"It's not like I wanted to do it, but if I hadn't, you'd be sinking in the Gulf of Thailand right now."

"The Gulf of Thailand? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oops..."

I quickly covered my mouth, but Tiph burst out laughing, tears welling in her eyes.

"Hahaha! You really think they'd throw me into the ocean?!"

"Well, uh..."

"Their families might be scary, but over something this small? No way. Worst case, they'd just bankrupt the club or send some guys in suits to knock on my door as a warning."

"That's still terrifying!!"

"Kidding, kidding. Nothing like that's ever happened... I think."

I breathed a sigh of relief, though I still felt a pang of guilt for what I'd just done.

"I wasn't fair to them, was I?"

"Hey, you did it with good intentions, right? Besides, that performance was top-notch. The Drama Club's probably going to want you now."

"Can you stop teasing me, please?"

"Alright, alright."

I puffed my cheeks in mock anger, but Tiph just kept smiling. Still, I couldn't deny that talking to her felt oddly comforting, like we'd known each other for ages. It was strange how easygoing she was.

"So, how did you get those two to fall for you so hard, huh?"

"I'd like to know that too... One day, they were just always around me."

"Wow, sounds like a plot straight out of a drama—love at first sight and all that."

Tiph whistled, still teasing me, but her words did make me think. I was genuinely curious why Aqua and Beam were so attached to me. I hadn't done anything for either of them, really.

"You know, you won't find out unless you ask."

"Huh?"

"Feelings—sometimes it's better to ask directly rather than overthink it or let the other person guess."

"Well, that's true, I suppose."

I wasn't sure why, but this senior I'd just met seemed to have turned into some kind of life coach, giving me advice on relationships. But yeah, maybe that was just Tiph's special skill—being so easy to talk to.

"Anyway, enough about personal stuff. If you find anything out, share it with me later."

"Shouldn't it be 'don't meddle in other people's business'?"

"Not if I want to live up to our club's name. We're the top-notch Nosy Neighbors, after all."

"Even with club members?"

"Of course. But I promise I won't leak anything."

I frowned, wondering how much I could really trust her.

"But more importantly... what brings such a cute girl like you to this club in the first place?"

It seemed we were getting back to the main topic, so I straightened up, trying to look serious.

"As I said, our club's main activities are gossiping and digging up secrets. But sometimes, a member needs help with something, and we're always happy to assist."

"We... Uh, are there other members besides you?"

"A club needs more than one person to be official, you know. What did you think—this was some rundown club like in those anime? No way! Gossip is serious business for Thai people."

Oh great... There are more people like Tiph? Thai society is doomed.

"The others had to leave because of something urgent."

"Something urgent?"

"Yeah, they called just before you came in—said they were running from Ms. Apichanat, the strictest teacher in the school."

Running from the disciplinary teacher? What on earth had this club done now?

"What did they do to make her chase them?"

I mean, disciplinary teachers can be strict, but they usually have a reason. If you didn't provoke them, they wouldn't chase you down.

"They hacked into a teacher's computer to see which female teacher the math teacher was flirting with."

That's criminal!! That's way worse than just breaking school rules! At this rate, they'll be running laps around the flagpole for days.

I think I was starting to understand why Aqua and Beam were so worried about me joining this club.

"Um... I don't want to break any rules."

"Nah, don't worry. It's not mandatory. Just bring some good gossip to share, and you're good. See? Super chill."

"Super chill, huh... Won't the teachers get mad, though?"

This was walking a fine line between acceptable and illegal... What teacher in their right mind would allow a club like this to exist?

"We have official club activities, like summarizing and discussing current events, to show as proof of productivity. So it's all good."

"Wait, there's actual work?"

"Not really. We just feed the news into an AI, let it summarize, and hand that in."

"You really take things to the next level... in every way."

I wasn't sure if I should be impressed or horrified by this club's operations.

"I told you it's chill. So, what's the real reason you joined—what are you looking for?"

"Oh, that..."

I took out my phone and showed her a picture of Dr. Frey. Tiph frowned slightly as she looked at it.

"Who's this?"

"She's a friend of my sister. She's gone missing, and we last saw her here at the school."

"Hmm... interesting."

Tiph squinted at the photo, smiling as if she had just found a new toy to play with.

"A missing person, huh... I'll let the other members know. If we find anything, I'll tell you."

After Tiph promised to help look for information on Dr. Frey, I felt a little relieved. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if this club would actually find anything. Judging by their methods... it all felt like something out of a neighborhood gossip group.

"Thanks, Tiph. Let me know if you find anything."

"No worries. The queen of information has her ways—ways you couldn't even imagine. By the way..."

"By the way...?"

"Are you going to choose the princess or the prince?"

"Are we back to romance again?!"

"Can't help it. It's way more fun to talk about than missing people."

Seriously... She could be so reliable when giving advice, but the moment gossip came up, she turned into a nosy neighbor. I couldn't decide if I should admire or be annoyed by her. At least I had someone else helping me find Dr. Frey.

"So, which one are you going to pick?"

"Neither—I'm not choosing anyone."

"Ooh, going for both, huh? That's pretty bold."

"No! Tiph, stop joking around like that!"

It really felt like I'd made a deal with the devil... Sigh.

After that, Tiph explained more about the club's activities. Honestly, it was quite impressive—gather gossip during free periods, or investigate interesting mysteries to share. There wasn't much else required. Skipping club meetings wasn't even an issue.

"By the way, where do you live? Is it hard to get to school? You're such a cute girl—do your parents drive you?"

"Uh, no. My parents are... abroad."

Almost slipped up about my old self there, Fah...

"Oh... So, it's just you and your sister? Must be tough."

"Not really. My sister's just... a bit strict, that's all."

"What's your sister like? What's her name?"

"Her name's Eve. She's a bit too serious sometimes."

By the time the club period ended, no one else had shown up. It ended up being just me and Tiph, sitting and chatting the whole time. Of course, there was no way we'd be sitting there in silence. Tiph bombarded me with personal questions like a nosy neighbor straight out of a novel. Her friendliness was surprisingly disarming, and there were several moments where I almost let slip a few things about my past life as a guy. I barely managed to catch myself each time.

"Let's call it a day for now. See you later, doll."

"Uh, sure. Take care, Tiph."

When the club session finally ended, it was time for me to head home. Throughout the past week, Aqua and Beam had insisted on escorting me home, which forced me to come up with the excuse that my sister would be picking me up. Technically, it wasn't a complete lie, since Eve had decided to pick me up herself for safety reasons—though she often ran a bit late, as she had to wait until her work was done.

With that arrangement, I found myself hanging around school each day, waiting for Eve to arrive. Today, I decided to spend my time exploring the campus again.

*Thud, thud*

As I was wandering around, I heard a rhythmic sound echoing against the ground. Curious, I turned toward the noise and saw the large gym standing prominently in the distance.

Looking inside, I saw a familiar figure. It was none other than Beam, the school's charming prince, practicing basketball with her teammates. She had such a serious expression on her face—one I hadn't seen before—that it left a strong impression on me. Before I knew it, I found myself stepping into the gym to watch her.

There she was, the talented girl, leaping gracefully to shoot the basketball. It was like something out of an anime—a scene I had once dreamed would happen to me. But for various reasons, I never got the chance, and eventually, I became the socially awkward person I am today.

"Oh! Isn't that... Fah?!"

A voice called out from the court, and suddenly all eyes were on me. Not only that, but Beam herself started heading toward me, her face bright with a smile as she waved.

"Hey, isn't that the girl you were talking about?"

"Yeah, that's her—the one Beam said she wanted as a manager."

"Whoa, she's super cute!"

"Think the prince would be mad if I hugged her?"

"Are you crazy? If you do that, Beam will definitely be pissed."

And just like that, I had become the center of attention in the entire gym. As all the eyes turned toward me, my body began to tremble, and one thought ran through my mind:

Is it too late to run away now?