Entering the school, Elizabeth, Marianne, and Jonathan walked down the hallway, which was still full of people moving back and forth in different directions.
The atmosphere was clearly lively, with some students wearing the school team's shirts.
"I didn't expect there'd be this many people here. Is our school's team really that famous?" still with his hand on Marianne's shoulder, Jonathan asked as he looked around at the crowd.
"You don't know?" Elizabeth asked from the front, glancing over her shoulder. But then she shook her head. "I don't even know why I asked that. Of course you don't." Turning her eyes forward again, she continued. "Our school's soccer team managed to get third place last season."
"Third best? Not bad." Jonathan nodded slightly.
"You didn't even know that? I remember they put up posters and banners all over the place, even though they didn't win. You didn't notice?" Marianne asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Jonathan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah... now that you mention it, I remember that. But forgive my ignorance — as far as I know, American football and basketball are way more popular here. I just didn't expect our team to be that good."
Laughing lightly, Elizabeth looked back over her shoulder again. "You'd better not let the girls on the soccer team hear you say that."
In response, Jonathan just shrugged. Even though he hadn't said it loudly, a few people walking nearby still heard him and shot a couple of looks his way — which he ignored, since, honestly, they knew he was right.
The three of them kept walking through the corridors until they finally stepped outside toward the field.
The moment they got out into the open, the noise that had been muffled inside — where only the crowd's chatter could be heard — became much louder.
"Jeez, and the game hasn't even started yet." Jonathan had to practically shout, scratching his ear with a finger.
"Let's go!" Elizabeth said, almost yelling too, as she made her way toward the bleachers, the other two following right behind her.
Looking around as if searching for someone, Elizabeth scanned the stands, and Jonathan quickly spotted Tyrone.
And his reaction was immediate. "Hey! Up here!" Standing up and waving both arms energetically, Tyrone not only caught their attention but also that of the people nearby.
Exhaling in amusement, Jonathan didn't even need to tell Elizabeth — she had already seen him.
The three walked over, and when they finally reached Tyrone, Jonathan sighed at the sight of his outfit. "Why do you always have to wear your shirt like that?"
Wearing the team's shirt with "Megan" printed on the back, Tyrone had tied a knot in the front, leaving his stomach exposed. On top of that, his cheeks were painted with the team's colors — and to top it all off, even his lips were painted the same way.
In response, he raised an eyebrow, looking offended. "And what's that supposed to mean? It'd be a crime not to show off this divine belly."
"I seriously doubt Megan would agree with that," Jonathan said, raising his eyebrows at him.
Hand on his hip, Tyrone waved dismissively, clearly trying to change the subject. "That's not important right now. Show me — are you wearing the shirt?"
Taking his hand off Marianne's shoulder, Jonathan pulled at his own shirt, showing that he was. The name "Megan" and her number were printed on the back as well.
"Perfect!" Tyrone nodded, satisfied. "Now sit down, the game's about to start!" Sitting again, he clapped and yelled loudly toward the field, where Megan was warming up with the rest of the team.
Turning to the side, Jonathan greeted Chad, who replied with a nod, followed by Brenda, who waved back at him.
Finally, he sat next to Marianne at the end of the row, with Elizabeth on the other side of her.
"By the way, isn't Janet coming?" he asked once he got comfortable.
"No, she's not," Marianne answered, leaning back and crossing her arms.
"Huh, I thought she was. Why not?"
Marianne seemed to think for a moment before a mischievous smile slowly spread across her face. "She didn't come because she had diarrhea. Apparently, the food she ate earlier today was more spoiled than she thought."
Blinking once, Jonathan shrugged. "Well, it happens. Tell her next time to be more careful about what she eats."
Smiling even more mischievously, Marianne nodded. "Oh, I'll definitely tell her what you said~"
Shaking his head with mild amusement, Jonathan didn't comment on what she was clearly trying to do. Instead, he focused on the field, where the teams were finishing their warm-ups, and crossed his arms — just like her.
After a few minutes, the warm-up ended, and both teams returned to their sides. The music and noise gradually quieted down, and soon the referee appeared in the center of the field as the teams took their positions.
With both captains stepping up to the referee, the coin was tossed, and possession went to the opposing team — earning a few weak boos from the home crowd.
As soon as the captains returned to their teams, the referee pressed the stopwatch on his wrist, raised the whistle to his mouth, and blew, starting the match — which immediately sparked an explosion of cheers from the bleachers.
Still with his arms crossed, Jonathan calmly watched the game, noting how fit the players were.
Unlike the women's football he was used to, where intensity often lacked — that definitely wasn't the case here.
The match went on in a fierce back-and-forth, both teams giving their all to score. About ten minutes in, with a timely assist from Megan, Grace managed to score the first goal of the game.
The crowd erupted in celebration. The visiting side's bleachers, on the other hand, went practically silent.
Clapping as he stood up, Jonathan joined in the celebration, though his enthusiasm was far more subdued than Tyrone's — who was still jumping and shouting Megan's name at the top of his lungs.
After the goal, Megan, along with Grace and a few others, ran toward their side of the bleachers.
Finding that a little odd, Jonathan kept clapping — until they got close and Grace blew a kiss his way, making him stop.
Thinking he was seeing things, he turned his head toward Marianne beside him, raising an eyebrow. "Pretty sure I'm seeing things, but… did she just blow me a kiss?"
With a teasing grin forming on her lips, Marianne replied, "What do you think?"
"…Okay." — Nodding slowly, Jonathan decided to pretend that didn't happen and went back to cheering with everyone else.
Off to the side, Tyrone was still yelling for Megan — who, in response, blew him a kiss too.
After that, the team returned to their side of the field and the game resumed.
Once the ball was rolling again, the match stayed tight, with both sides trading quick passes trying to break through each other's defense.
The energy in the bleachers stayed high — the thrill of that goal still lingered.
However, that excitement completely vanished when, just over ten minutes later, the opposing team scored.
As the away crowd erupted, their deafening cheers reached Jonathan, who remained silent along with the others nearby.
Curses and complaints echoed around him — among them, one unmistakable voice stood out.
"Booh! You crook of a ref! That was obviously offside, you fatherless fraud!" Tyrone shouted loudly, booing with all his might.
Leaning a bit forward, Jonathan glanced to the side, finding Chad's awkward smile next to Tyrone, along with Brenda's amused expression.
When Chad met his eyes, Jonathan gave him a thumbs up in solidarity, receiving an "it is what it is" look before Chad nodded with an awkward half smile and sat back.
Leaning back again, Jonathan watched as the opposing team returned to midfield, and the match resumed.
The game went on, but over the next twenty minutes — plus five minutes of stoppage time — no other goals were scored, ending the first half.
During the break, people started leaving their seats to use the restroom or grab something to eat. Jonathan stood up too, chatting with Chad and Tyrone for a while.
After a few minutes, the crowd began returning, and Jonathan did the same, sitting next to Marianne again, who was busy on her phone.
Soon the break ended, and the teams, already in position, took to the field once more.
With possession now belonging to the home team, the referee blew the whistle again, starting the second half.
The game began more calmly, with the players exchanging safer passes.
In that slow back-and-forth, another ten minutes passed, with only a few shots going wide.
And that's when Jonathan suddenly felt the urge to use the bathroom.
Standing up, he told the two girls, "I'm going to the restroom, be right back." Both Marianne and Elizabeth nodded in response.
"Excuse me, excuse me, coming through," he said, moving past people along the bleachers.
Heading down, he walked to the edge of the field, where several portable toilets had been set up.
Naturally, the school figured no one would want to miss a single minute of the match, so they'd placed five of them nearby.
Walking toward them, Jonathan didn't see anyone ahead — but as he got closer, he stopped.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, seeing the red "occupied" sign on all five doors.
Scratching his head, he looked back toward the field, hearing the faint sound of the ball being kicked and the referee's whistle echoing. Shrugging, he decided to go back to the school and use the restroom there instead.
Re-entering the building, one hand in his pocket and the other swinging freely, Jonathan walked quietly down the familiar halls, heading toward the bathrooms.
Turning the last corner, he went straight to the doors marked with the signs above them.
He stepped through the first one with the blue male symbol and headed straight for a stall.
After taking a leak, he flushed and went to the sink to wash his hands.
Turning on the faucet and grabbing some soap, he started washing his hands calmly, whistling, completely at ease.
Then, the light above flickered for a moment.
Looking up at the mirror, Jonathan stared at the reflection of the lamp for a few seconds, but since nothing else happened, he went back to focusing on his hands.
Only for the light to flicker twice more — and that made him stop.
Turning off the faucet, Jonathan stared silently at the lamp, expression unchanged, waiting for it to flicker again.
And, as if on cue, it flashed one last time before going out completely, plunging the bathroom into darkness.
Without a second of hesitation, Jonathan spun around and kicked hard behind him.
And he got the reaction he expected — his foot hit something solid, followed by a low groan of pain.
"Ugh."
"Knew it," he muttered with a faint smile before charging in the direction he assumed the person was.
Even without seeing anything, he rushed forward, striking quickly and repeatedly, trying to buy time until his eyes adjusted to the dark.
At first, he could only make out a vague, shadowy shape moving ahead. Nothing clear, but enough to try aiming better.
'Is it someone like that muscular woman again? Did something happen to Maya and she couldn't protect me? Or is this something else entirely?' The thoughts flashed through his head as he tried to land a hit.
After a few seconds of frantic swings — and practically no solid hits — his eyes started adjusting. He could finally see well enough to aim properly.
Twisting his torso, Jonathan landed a clean punch to the person's face, and without wasting time, moved in to grab them, intending to pull a judo throw over his shoulder.
But at the exact moment he touched them, he felt something cold and sharp press against his back.
Before he could react, a surge of electricity shot through his body from head to toe.
"Argh." Letting out a short groan of pain, Jonathan's body froze up completely — trembling uncontrollably, unable to move as the numbness quickly spread through him.
When the object finally pulled away, Jonathan collapsed to the floor without resistance, still twitching slightly, unable to move properly.
Suddenly, the bathroom light flickered back on, illuminating the room.
Unable to move anything but his eyes, Jonathan stared at the figure in front of him — clearly a woman.
Dressed head to toe in black, she watched him in silence, holding a taser in her hand.
After a soft sigh, she lowered her arm and tucked the device into her belt. Then she reached up and pulled down the black cloth covering her face.
The face revealed was Alexis's.
"I knew this was going to be tough — but damn, that punch hurt," she said, rubbing her chin, where a small cut on her lip was already visible.
Placing her hands on her hips, she smiled calmly. "Well, I guess it's time to get back to work, isn't it?"
She crouched down, picking up another piece of cloth — this time, not a mask. "Don't worry. I just have to take you somewhere. Until then, stay still, okay?" she said with the same calm smile before placing the cloth over Jonathan's head.
With his vision completely covered and his body still weak, Jonathan could only complain inwardly.
'What the hell is going on here?'