Chapter 272 - Warning

Keifer's POV

My wound hurts, but I didn't mind it. I don't care about the pain—I have to do what needs to be done.

"We just came up with a plan, and now here you are, lying there," Keigan scolded me like an adult reprimanding a reckless child.

"I didn't like it," I murmured.

He let out a heavy sigh. "I'll go home first to take care of Keiren."

He turned to leave but stopped at the door.

"Please… get some rest."

My lips formed a thin line, and I gave him a small nod. Finally, he walked out, and I felt a sense of relief when I heard the click of the doorknob.

Keigan had gotten so bossy while scolding me that I momentarily forgot who was older between us. I had only given him the authority to be the head planner, but it seems like I also unintentionally gave him the right to boss me around.

Tsk…

The restroom door creaked open slightly, and Yuri peeked inside.

"Is he gone?" he asked.

"No more… Get out of there."

He pushed the door wide open and stepped out, followed by Felix, Ci-N, and David.

They had been forced to hide in the restroom when they heard Keigan was coming. If he found out we had a plan, he would definitely interfere.

Just their mere presence made him suspicious.

Even our other friends had to leave the room just to avoid him. I don't understand why they all had to disappear, though. They could have at least left one or two people behind.

"The smell of the restroom… It's unbearable," Felix groaned, sniffing himself.

"That's not the restroom. What you're smelling is my fart," Ci-N said with a laugh.

Felix's expression twisted in disgust. He reached for Ci-N's neck, but David was quicker and smacked him first.

"Ouch…"

"Don't lie. Your fart doesn't smell good—it's been tested and proven," David said. "…Even Jay-Jay can confirm that."

Our eyes immediately turned to him. It was as if he had uttered a forbidden word.

"Oh… Insensitive," Ci whispered, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What? Isn't Jay-Jay the reason we're here? Stop acting surprised every time you hear her name," David said, crossing his arms.

Ci glanced at me with a teasing smirk, as if waiting for my reaction. David had a point, but I couldn't help but flinch whenever I heard her name—especially from his mouth.

"That's enough. Call the others. We have a lot to discuss," I said, cutting the conversation short.

"I already did," Yuri replied, holding up his phone.

Moments later, the door burst open, and the rest of our group filed in, talking and shoving each other.

"Damn, man. Keigan is making me nervous. His presence is different now," Drew muttered.

"Nothing has changed. He's just gotten more arrogant," Blaster said, clearly annoyed. Their argument still wasn't over.

"Wow… You're acting all tough now. His brother is right here," Denzel teased me.

"What? I'm not here for him. I'm here for Jay-Jay," I replied coolly.

It didn't matter to me if he still had issues with Keigan. What mattered was that he had the courage to say that in front of me. And he was right—he was here because of Jay-Jay.

That's exactly what I wanted.

"Are we all here?" Yuri asked, scanning the room.

They exchanged glances, checking if anyone was missing.

"I think we're short."

"Yeah."

"We're missing someone."

I counted silently, but as far as I could tell, everyone was present.

"Who's not here?" Felix asked.

"Ci-N is missing," Drew said.

Ci-N immediately frowned and pointed at himself.

"I'm right here!" he protested.

The others grinned mischievously, and I already knew what was coming next.

"Well, you're so short we didn't notice you," Mayo joked, making everyone laugh.

I let out a small smile. Right now, I had no worries about them. I knew they wouldn't leave Jay-Jay—especially when I was gone.

"I'll grow taller too, just you wait!" Ci-N grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

The others ignored him.

"Alright, enough joking. Let's get to the plan," I said, making everyone focused.

The truth was, I had been thinking about this all night. I was going to challenge all the groups in our area. If they didn't take our warning seriously, I would force them to.

And when I defeated them… they would become my underlings.

Keigan told me to gather more allies. That's exactly what I was doing. I would start at the bottom and work my way up.

Just like Angelo.

"We've already sent warnings to the groups we've fought before," Yuri reported, still holding his phone. "As expected, they just laughed and asked if they could challenge you to a one-on-one fight."

"Some of them have set conditions," Rory added. "They're willing to fight you, but if you lose… you become their slave."

"This isn't working. No one's taking our warning seriously," Edrix said, rubbing his chin. "Maybe we should just ask for help from Jay-Jay's cousin."

Yuri and I immediately turned to him.

I knew they were aware that Jay's cousin was strong, but I didn't realize they knew just how much influence he had.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Tiger told me about Jay's older brother. He has more connections than we expected—ones he's built up since childhood. We can use that to protect—"

"No!" I cut him off sharply. "We're not asking for his help."

"I think Drew is right," David said. "...Whether we admit it or not, we are weak. We lack experience and people who can help us."

"That's why we're going to do it—to change that," Yuri said.

"There is a lack of time. There can be no more trial and error," Denzel added.

"I don't agree with asking his brother for help," Felix interrupted. "...It's sure to come at a great cost, isn't it?"

"He'll take Jay-jay away from us!" Ci-N shouted, looking scared. He even slapped both hands on his face.

"That's better! After all, she's not safe here!" Josh answered.

"How can you be sure she'll be safe away from us?" I asked, and they all fell silent. "...It's harder to protect her if she's far away."

"Keifer is right," Yuri agreed. "We'll have a harder time if she leaves. Maybe even after she's gone, those we fought will still go after her."

So she can't be far from our friends. She's safer here.

"Hurry up and decide, Keifer. By the time you make up your mind, ten groups might already be after Jay," Calix said.

I nodded. So far, I haven't rushed into any of the fights with the groups challenging me. I'm still in the hospital, and the doctor won't let me leave yet.

They continued discussing plans. Some gave suggestions, while others shared their opinions. Some even mentioned that they had already sought help—Angelo.

Shh... That's not an option.

I know he has a hunch about what's happening. He's probably just waiting for me to approach him. And, of course, he'll set a condition that I won't be able to refuse.

Angelo is sharp—too sharp. If I have to learn from him, I need to be just as clever to defeat our enemies.

"Keifer!" Felix called me. "...Kuya texted! Jay-Jay just got into a fight with a group."

Worry washed over me. This is exactly what I was afraid of.

"How's Jay?" Yuri asked.

"She's okay. But the group he fought seems to be one we've clashed with before."

Damn it!

No one ever listens to the warnings we send. I have no choice.

"Ci-N! Call your father—tell him to discharge me now," I said, forcing myself to stand up.

Two of them rushed toward me to stop me.

"Stop it!" Yuri shouted. "How are you going to fight when you're like this? You haven't even regained your strength yet!"

"I'll hunt those bastards down and make an example out of them."

"We'll do it," David said, making me pause. "Don't push yourself. They're just weaklings—we can handle it."

"David is right. We'll take care of it. You need to rest and come up with a proper plan," Ci-N said while stretching his legs, clearly warming up for a fight. His excitement was obvious.

"I'll go with them," Yuri said, forcing a smile. "...It's the least I can do."

"I'll stay here and handle the message we're sending. Just send me the pictures right away," Edrix said, pulling out his laptop from his bag.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Mayo urged.

"I'll stay," Kit said, and everyone turned to look at him. "...I think Keifer and I have something to talk about."

"Stay?" Mayo started, but Eren immediately cut him off.

"You're coming with us. Let's give them time to talk first," he said.

I saw Mayo clench his fist.

What for?

The others started to leave. Yuri made sure I wouldn't try to run off before heading out. The rest followed until only Edrix, Kit, and I remained.

"Can they handle it?" Edrix asked, staring at the closed door.

"You don't seem to trust them," Kit remarked.

"It's not that," Edrix clarified. "The gangs have been more aggressive since Ram disappeared. They're looking for a new leader—someone to back as their candidate."

He was right. They're trying to rise in rank. They see me as an obstacle, so they're targeting Jay-jay to keep me out of the fight.

"You're right. But don't forget... Jay-jay said, 'Let's be a snake,'" Kit reminded us, making us smile.

"I'm not part of your group, but that's true—let's be a snake," Edrix replied with a shake of his head.

They both turned to look at me. I smirked, shaking my head. Yeah, I know. You're all vipers... but I'm the King.

I lay back on the bed to rest. My wound ached from the effort I made to stand earlier. It must be deep. I never should have let Z make his move.

I don't even know if he survived what his friend did to him. Maybe it's better if he didn't.

I closed my eyes, intending to sleep. I was satisfied that my friends could handle things. But sleep wouldn't come.

I heard Edrix say something to Kit. I glanced at them before Edrix walked out the door. Kit sat across from me on the sofa, looking uncomfortable.

It pissed me off.

"Do you have something to say?" I asked in a serious tone.

He flinched. "W-what... Uh, about what you found out about Jay-jay's relationship—even though there's nothing—what... W-we didn't—"

"Kit," I interrupted. "I'm having a hard time understanding you."

He scratched the back of his neck, grimacing, clearly struggling to find the right words. He took a deep breath.

"A-about what you found out... You heard that Mayo and I were fighting."

I frowned but forced myself to stay calm. Just thinking about that made my blood boil.

"When you kissed Jay-jay," I said, more as a statement than a question.

He lowered his head. "I tried... but it didn't work."

I shook my head slightly. I wanted to stand up and punch him.

He tried to kiss Jay-Jay... My Jay-Jay.

Even if it didn't work out, I'm still not happy. He tried to kiss my queen. No one is allowed to kiss her. I will never allow anyone to kiss her. She's mine, and what's mine will always be mine.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger rising inside me.

"You know exactly what you did, right?" I asked, irritation clear in my voice.

"I-I..."

"How dare you try to touch her?" I said, struggling to stay composed.

"You tried to claim what's mine. Do you have a death wish?"

I saw him swallow hard. I looked at my hands and realized my fists were clenched.

"I-I know... When you fence it, no one else can come," he said. "...But I didn't do it to steal her from you."

I glared at him like I was ready to kill him. For the first time, he met my gaze head-on. It felt like he was challenging me—no, it felt like he was fighting me.

"Explain," I ordered.

"I wasn't myself at that time. Jay-Jay was the only one in front of me, ready to listen to my problems," he explained. "...I asked her for help." He let out a small smile. "She kicked me. We were both shocked, but honestly, it was what I needed to wake up."

"I don't see how that connects to you trying to kiss her," I said flatly.

He nodded briefly. "I asked her for help, Keifer. I asked her to help me..." He hesitated, regret flashing in his eyes before he shook it off. "...help me prove something to myself." He took a deep breath. "...To make me a real man."

My forehead creased. "W-what?"

"I'm gay, Keifer."

I lost my words. I didn't know what to say. Did he just say the word 'gay'?

This is Kit—one of my friends. One of the people I've always looked up to. He never backs down in a fight. The guy who's always around Eren, clumsy yet confident.

He is Kit... and he's gay?

"W-wait... what?" was all I managed to say.

He scratched his cheek, looking irritated. "Do I have to say it again and again?"

I shook my head. "No. It's just that... how?"

"I don't know how. All I know is that I no longer feel attracted to women," he said.

I stared at him for a while, trying to process everything.

"So... y-you're gay," I said, still at a loss for words. "...You like men romantically, not women."

He nodded slowly.

"You don't actually like Jay-Jay that way," I said.

He shook his head slightly.

A smile crept onto my lips. Then I couldn't hold it in anymore—I burst into laughter.

Shit!

All this time, I thought he had feelings for Jay-Jay. I thought he was a threat, someone I had to keep an eye on.

"Keifer... are you okay?" Kit asked, watching me cautiously.

I was still laughing, even though it made my wound ache. I pressed a hand against it, but I still couldn't stop.

"You're gay... and you don't actually like Jay-Jay," I said between laughs.

"It's not that I don't like her—I do. I like her as a person," he clarified.

I finally calmed down, exhaustion settling in. I got ready for bed.

"I thought I had to keep an eye on you too. I feel relieved," I admitted.

He looked at me, confused. "So, it doesn't bother you that I'm gay?"

I shook my head. "Do you desire me?"

"No."

"Then I have no reason to be bothered. You're still the same Kit I know—still my friend, still my classmate. Nothing changes... unless you decide to change your gender."

He immediately shook his head. "No. I'm not changing that."

"Then I have no reason to feel bothered," I said with a small grin. "At least now, I'm comfortable asking you to take care of Jay-Jay."

He looked even more confused. "Why would you ask that?"

I cleared my throat. "I have to go back to London before my birthday. With everything I have to do, I need to be there a month early."

"W-what about Jay-Jay? Is that it? Are you really leaving without telling her or us what's going on?"

"Trust me, it's better this way. The less you know, the safer Jay-Jay will be," I said firmly.

He was about to respond when the door swung open. Edrix stood there, his arms overloaded with food.

"Kit! Help!" Edrix shouted.

Kit glanced at me before rushing over to him. Most of the bags were full of junk food. They dumped everything onto the coffee table next to the sofa.

"Alright... chibog first," Edrix said, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

He was about to open a bag when he noticed us both staring at him, unmoving.

"What?" he asked.

"You're doing this on purpose. You know I can't eat yet," I said, irritated.

"Have you checked your phone? They might have messaged you," Kit said.

"You tricked me," I muttered as I pulled my phone from my pocket.

"...Oh! There it is! A message just arrived."

He grabbed his laptop and started typing, excitement written all over his face.

"Type my message down," I commanded, and he gave me a thumbs-up.

I dictated the message:

"This is your first and only warning. Cross my path, and I'll break your bones. Touch my girl, and I will open the gates of hell for you. Don't test my patience—I can become a living beast."

I am a Watson. I am cursed. And I am turning into a beast.

Because I am in love.