Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit
Chapter 97 – Double Confession

Chapter 97 - Double Confession

The bell chimed across the campus, a soft mechanical tone echoing through the corridors, signaling the end of the day’s final period. Afternoon light spilled lazily through the tall windows, casting long slashes of gold across the room as students stirred from their seats, a familiar rustle of bags zipping and chairs scraping filling the air.

I remembered Fei’s proposal—her voice from earlier replaying in my mind—an invitation to meet in the unused room on the tenth floor. I glanced over at her. She met my gaze and offered a sweet, radiant smile that could’ve melted the edge off any tension.

“Shall we go together?” Fei asked softly, reaching for my hand with a gentle confidence that made my pulse hitch.

But something shifted in the atmosphere. I felt it—a pair of eyes, sharp and cold, slicing through the warmth of the moment. I turned my head toward the front of the classroom.

There, just as I feared, was Myrrh. Her head whipped away, greenish-blonde ponytail flicking in a fluid arc behind her like the tail of a startled creature. Even as she turned away, I could feel it—she was still watching me, still reading me, even if she pretended not to care. The way her body stiffened told me more than words ever could.

I didn’t have time to dwell on it before another pressure settled on me—heavier, angrier.

Neil.

I shifted my gaze across the room and found him already standing, his eyes locked onto me like twin daggers. He didn’t say a word, but the intensity of his stare gnawed straight through the four rows of desks between us. I couldn’t even tell if he was glaring at me or at Fei—but either way, the heat of his fury was unmistakable.

“Ah… Ahahaha…” Fei let out a breathy, awkward laugh, her fingers slipping from mine as her eyes flicked nervously toward Neil. “I guess... going together might look a bit suspicious. I-I’ll go on ahead. I’ll be waiting for you upstairs.”

“Sure,” I replied with a nod and a smile, trying to keep my tone steady.

Fei waved both hands at me with playful enthusiasm before turning on her heel and dashing toward the exit. Her movements, though full of energy, lacked coordination—and sure enough, the tip of her shoe caught on the sliding door’s base. She stumbled forward with a sharp gasp, her arms flailing in a frantic attempt to regain balance. A few of our classmates gasped or let out soft chuckles at the scene.

Thankfully, she managed to right herself just in time, avoiding what would’ve been a spectacular faceplant.

“Teehee!” Fei giggled, sticking her tongue out and giving a light, self-mocking tap to her temple with her fist. Then, with a slight bounce in her step, she disappeared into the hallway beyond the door.

Since we’d agreed not to draw attention to ourselves, I leaned back in my chair and pulled out my phone, pretending to be absorbed in whatever was on my feed. I scrolled lazily through social media, half-reading the posts, using the minutes as cover until I could follow Fei without raising eyebrows. I gave myself a five-minute buffer.

But just a minute or so into my act, I felt a presence approaching—deliberate, but hesitant.

I looked up. Neil was walking toward me.

He looked… off. His skin was unusually pale, like all the color had drained from his face, and his normally tousled brown curls were in even worse disarray than usual, like he’d been running his hands through them nonstop.

“Hey, uh, Zaft,” he said, scratching his cheek nervously. “D-did you talk to Fei? Like… did she say anything weird?”

“Nope,” I replied flatly.

“Ah…” Neil's words deflated like a punctured balloon. His shoulders sagged, and the tense line of his brow finally eased. “That’s… good. I was worried she might say something weird again.”

I tilted my head, smirk tugging at my lips. “The only weird nonsense here is you,” I said, just sharp enough to sting. “Seriously, what’s going on with you?”

Neil bit his lower lip, his expression tight with something between fear and desperation. “Ignorance is bliss,” he muttered. “Please… just stay away from Fei.”

“I can’t. And I won’t,” I said, the words coming out sharper than I expected. “She’s my WAIFU partner. More than that—she’s my friend.”

“I’m your friend too,” Neil shot back, eyes narrowing. “Just… listen to my advice.”

“Not until you tell me what’s really going on,” I replied, my voice cold, steady.

His fists curled tight at his sides, trembling slightly, as if holding back the urge to lash out. That’s when I noticed them—dark, branching veins snaking along the side of his neck. Not natural veins. They looked like something foreign, something wrong. The same strange root-like patterns I’d seen on infected cases during the tournament. He must’ve been sick… maybe still was.

A part of me wanted to feel sorry for him—wanted to believe that beneath all this secrecy, there was still the Neil I knew. But the way he’s been shutting us out, keeping his silence while everything around us shifts… I couldn’t bring myself to feel warmth for someone who’s left the rest of us in the cold.

Without another word, Neil turned his back on me and walked away, stiff and slow like a soldier retreating from battle.

I glanced at my watch. Only three minutes had passed—but the air already felt heavy enough. Close enough. I gathered my things in silence, slinging my bag over my shoulder, and stood.

Before I left, I gave one last glance across the room.

Myrrh sat alone at her desk, shoulders hunched slightly, her gaze fixed somewhere I couldn’t see. Her partner, Kian, was gone—probably fled before Myrrh’s simmering storm could pull him under. Her attitude lately had been all sharp edges and smoke, and no one wanted to be near the burn.

As if she felt my eyes on her, Myrrh turned her head again—only to look away just as fast. Her long greenish-blonde hair snapped behind her like a banner caught in wind, the motion crisp and practiced, as if this ritual of avoidance had already become a habit.

I let out a long, weary sigh, the kind that pulls something from deep inside your chest.

“If nobody’s going to talk to me,” I muttered under my breath, “then I might as well go to the one person who actually wants to.”

Without looking back, I stepped out of the classroom and made my way down the corridor toward the far end of the left wing. My footsteps echoed faintly against the tiled floor, accompanied by the quiet hum of the overhead lights. The elevator sat in its usual corner, humming softly as if it had been waiting for me. I stepped inside and tapped the button for the tenth floor.

Then I waited.

The ride up was slow. Each passing second only amplified the mix of tension and curiosity building in my chest. When the elevator finally dinged and the display blinked "10th Floor," I stepped out into the quiet, echoing hallways.

This wing was almost always deserted at this hour. The tenth floor belonged mostly to third-years, but they were usually out—either doing practicals in the coliseum or busy in the simulation chambers. The stillness of the corridor made my footsteps sound louder than they should. The air here was cooler, touched faintly by the sharp scent of floor wax and sunlit dust.

And then—I saw her.

One of the room doors stood half-ajar, light from the windows spilling out into the hallway. Through the frosted glass, I could make out the silhouette of a petite figure framed by the glow of the afternoon sun. The way the light curved around her—soft and golden—gave her the ethereal outline of a girl pulled straight from a painting. A pure, delicate shape etched in light.

I pushed the door open.

She turned.

Her head shifted with a gentle, almost shy movement, and her long black hair followed—flowing like silk in the wake of her motion. As she looked up at me, her golden eyes caught the light, glowing with a warmth and sparkle that made my breath catch for half a second.

A soft pink blush bloomed on her cheeks, and a shy, sweet smile tugged at her lips.

Then, as though remembering something, she lowered her head and bowed quickly. “I-I’m sorry that you had to go through all that trouble… because of me.”

“Fei…” I breathed her name, taking a slow step toward her.

“Y-yes!” she blurted, her voice shooting up like she’d just been called on in class.

I stopped a few feet in front of her, keeping my tone steady. “Why did you call me here? What is it you want to say—something no one else is supposed to hear?”

Fei looked down again, nervously twiddling her fingers. The confidence she wore earlier had melted into visible anxiety.

“I… I don’t know if I should tell you this,” she said quietly, “but…”

“What?” I asked, my voice cutting through the silence like a dull knife.

“I-I’m so nervous…” Fei’s voice trembled, fragile and quivering like the last note of a fading song.

I looked closer—and I could see it. She was shaking. Not just fidgeting, but trembling all over, like someone bracing themselves for impact. Her usual sparkle had dimmed, replaced by something almost alien. This was someone else—fragile, uncertain, and frighteningly human.

The tension between us thickened, awkward and cloying like steam in a closed bathroom. I had to do something. I knew how to steer conversations like this—meek girls always needed a nudge to breathe. And the best nudge, I knew from experience, was humor.

“Nervous, huh?” I said, giving her a teasing smirk. “What, are you gonna confess to me or something?”

“P-perhaps you can call it a confession…” she murmured, gripping the hem of her skirt so tightly her knuckles turned pale.

I froze.

Wait.

What?

My brain slammed to a halt. For a second, I could hear nothing but the ringing in my ears. She’s… really going to confess? Suddenly, everything clicked—the secret meeting in a deserted room, the golden afternoon sun casting her in soft light, the nervousness, the blushing…

This was exactly how it happened in high school dramas and animes. The textbook confession scene. And I’d walked straight into it like an idiot with no umbrella on a rainy episode.

Fei lifted her gaze slowly. Her golden eyes shimmered like twin suns, and a soft blush dusted her cheeks. She bit her lip as she looked at me, vulnerability naked in her expression. She was beautiful in this moment—so open, so earnest, and so heartbreakingly fragile.

She’s really going to do it.

I clenched my fists and braced myself. The answer was already carved into my heart. No matter how much I cared about Fei, no matter how close we’d grown, I could never return those feelings. Not when my heart had already been utterly, madly consumed by someone else.

“The truth is…” Fei whispered, her voice trembling. “I—”

“I’m sorry! I—!” I blurted out at the exact same time.

And just like that, we both let it out.

“I’m in love with Myrrh!” I cried, bowing my head so fast it nearly knocked the wind out of me.

“I’m the Red Meteor!” Fei exclaimed, also bowing with enough force to make her hair fly forward.

Silence.

An immense, deafening silence.

It was the kind of silence so total, even the air seemed to stop moving. Not a bird outside. Not a creak in the building. Not even the whisper of dust motes settling in the light. Just… blank, brutal stillness.

And then, in perfect unison, we both fumbled to make sound.

“Eh?”

“Eh?”

We stared at each other, dumbstruck. Two people, two confessions—and absolutely no shared context.

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