[Seven-Minute Semblance] GENIUSFORSALE & VORSTELLUNGEN

Chapter 6 - The Idiot's My Unlikely Ally

Edward Dace.

26. November.
Friday, 2:00 p.m.
Coronado Chronicles Newsroom.

JOYEUSE WAS RIGHT. Masakit at karimarimarim man aminin, but he was right. Media attention is dangerous. It makes you a somebody, and once you're a somebody, you start existing in an uncontrollable, unpredictable world.

I don't want to exist in a world like that.

Maybe this is why I'm a writer.

And this awesome writer is currently crouching in front of a vending machine. I was about to grab my snack, but my mind wandered off somewhere and I got detached from reality. Mabuti na lang ay walang ibang taong nakakita sa 'kin.

Sinulit ko ang kawalan ng mga manghuhusga sa paligid. Naupo ako sa tabi ng vending machine at doon kumain ng chips. Sumandal ako malapit sa makina nito dahil kanina pa ako nilalamig at ang kumportable ng init nito.

I took my phone out, checking out Gelo Guillermo's Facebook profile. I went full-stalker for the next few minutes and somehow figured out how much of a bastardo he was. I think I understand where he's gotten enough hatred to post an article to ruin my image.

I mean, I'm awesome. Losers hate awesome people.

I laughed at my self, realised I've spent 20 minutes browsing a loser's timeline, and decided to go back to CC's newsroom. Between my current self-depreciation phase and Zweihänder's weirdness, the latter seemed to be the best choice.

I trudged along the hallway, two voices in my head arguing. One said, everyone knows you're Dave Casedale Drew; you should be really scared. Then the other said, people don't even care about Edward Dace, why would they care about Dave Casedale Drew?

You're not that important, you know?

Then I'd remember all the awesome shit I did and think, what if... What if you really are a somebody outside the internet now?

I puffed my cheeks. I felt too exposed without three towering friends walking beside me so I crossed my arms.

Then an idea crossed my mind: what if the hacking and the article was Nicholas's ploy to separate me from Zweihänder?

It would make sense—he has succeeded in separating the four of us: Futhark, Joyeuse, me and Laevateinn; and I've been hanging out with the Journalism Club a lot recently. He must've paid Gelo Guillermo to hack CC's website and post that article to make me believe that Zweihänder betrayed my trust.

I am so smart.

I arrived at the newsroom, knocked three times, and found out that the door was unlocked. I decided to let myself in. "Hey, Zwei, I'm ba-"

I wasn't able to finish my sentence when I saw the loser in the flesh. Gelo Guillermo sat at the conference table, talking with Zweihänder. Gott he looked awful close up.