The cold got worse as the hours crawled forward.
By three-thirty, the wind didn't feel like wind anymore. It felt like the city itself was irritated at them for being awake. The air slid under sleeves, crept into collars, and found every weak spot in their clothing like it had personal beef with teenagers.
XH shifted his weight against the wall of Utopia Tower and glanced at the time again.
3:38 A.M.
Still too early to be late.
Still too late to go home.
JP paced in tiny circles, pretending he was warming up. TZ crouched and stood up repeatedly like a restless athlete. Kitty stayed composed, arms crossed, scarf pulled high, looking like she'd been born immune to winter. NS was… suspiciously silent.
And that was when XH remembered the prank.
He looked at TZ.
TZ looked back.
They shared the same thought without speaking.
JP noticed the look and frowned. "What?"
XH shrugged innocently. "Nothing."
TZ grinned. "Nothing at all."
JP narrowed his eyes. "That's exactly what people say before something dumb happens."
Kitty's gaze flicked between them. "Why do you both look guilty?"
XH held his hands up. "We're just cold."
Kitty smiled faintly, unconvinced.
NS adjusted the strap of his medium backpack and stared out at the road like he was waiting for the bus to appear out of sheer discipline.
His hoodie was zipped up, but it was thin. The kind of hoodie you wear when you want to look cool, not when it's minus one and the city is trying to freeze you into a statue.
XH felt a flicker of sympathy.
Then he remembered what NS had believed.
And sympathy turned into amusement so fast it was almost cruel.
TZ leaned in close to Kitty and whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Watch NS."
Kitty blinked. "Why?"
TZ pointed subtly at the backpack. "He thinks we're not bringing blankets."
Kitty's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, what?"
JP whipped his head around. "What are you talking about?"
XH cleared his throat, doing his best to keep a straight face. "We told NS… last night… that the university staff said no blankets. Only food and snacks and water."
Kitty stared at NS again.
NS was still staring at the road, calm, unaware, like a soldier waiting for orders.
Kitty slowly covered her mouth with her glove.
Her shoulders shook.
JP looked between them, confused. "So you're saying NS believed you?"
TZ nodded proudly. "He believed us like we were prophets."
JP's eyes went wide. "That's evil."
XH shrugged. "It wasn't evil. It was… brotherhood."
Kitty made a sound between laughter and shock. "Oh my god."
NS finally turned.
He looked at them. His expression was neutral at first.
Then suspicious.
"Why are you all looking at me?" he asked.
XH forced his face into something serious. "No reason."
NS stared harder. "You're lying."
Kitty laughed openly now, bright and uncontainable. "NS… did you… really not bring anything?"
NS blinked. "I brought food."
TZ nodded solemnly. "And water."
"And snacks," XH added.
NS frowned. "Yes."
Kitty's laughter increased. "NS, it's freezing."
NS looked down at his backpack as if it had betrayed him. "Food is important."
JP suddenly burst out laughing so hard he had to bend forward with his hands on his knees. "BRO YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE ABOUT TO SURVIVE A WAR WITH GRANOLA BARS."
NS's ears turned pink. "I don't understand why this is funny."
TZ slapped his shoulder lightly. "Because you trusted us."
NS stared at XH. "Did you lie to me?"
XH held his gaze for a moment, then cracked. "Yes."
NS exhaled slowly, like a man processing grief. "Unbelievable."
Kitty wiped her eyes with her glove. "You really thought the university would ban blankets?"
NS looked at her, dead serious. "Universities do strange things."
That made Kitty laugh again, softer this time, like she was genuinely charmed.
XH watched that moment with a quiet warmth. Kitty's laughter wasn't just pretty. It made the world feel less sharp.
The cold didn't bite as hard when she laughed.
The Crowd Thickens
At four, the base of Utopia Tower turned into a living organism.
Students poured in from every direction: dragging luggage, carrying pillows, clutching coffee cups, yawning dramatically, laughing too loudly to hide their tiredness.
And it wasn't just their major.
It was everyone.
Engineering students in thick jackets, moving in packs, loud even at four a.m. Business majors looking suspiciously clean, like they'd styled their hair for the bus ride. Computing students half-asleep but still debating something technical. Health track students comparing notes about what the trip might involve.
XH's group suddenly looked small.
Outnumbered.
TZ leaned closer, voice amused but alert. "Bro… there's so many of them."
JP's chest puffed slightly. "Let them come."
NS sighed. "You're not fighting anyone."
JP didn't answer, but his eyes were scanning now.
Kitty stood near XH and watched the crowd with calm interest, as if she were observing a social experiment. She didn't look threatened.
She looked entertained.
Then she glanced at XH. "Why do you all look like you're about to protect us from an army?"
XH blinked. "Do we?"
Kitty nodded. "Yes."
June hadn't arrived yet.
And the boys were already acting like they were guarding a kingdom.
XH didn't know why that instinct existed. It was irrational and childish, but it was also real.
Maybe it was because Campus 2 had been such a battleground of rumors and survival that even a trip felt like territory to defend.
Or maybe it was simply because they were boys and the world had taught boys that affection looked like readiness to fight.
June Arrives and the Air Changes
At exactly 4:12 A.M., June appeared.
She didn't announce herself.
She didn't need to.
XH felt her before he saw her, like the air shifted slightly, like the crowd's noise adjusted around her.
June walked toward them with calm steps, hair done neatly, coat buttoned, scarf wrapped perfectly. She looked like someone who could survive cold weather with pure composure.
Kitty noticed first and waved.
June smiled and approached, eyes flicking over the group.
Then her gaze landed on NS.
She paused.
Her lips twitched.
"Why does NS look like he's about to star in a tragic drama?" June asked.
Kitty laughed instantly. "Because he got tricked."
June raised an eyebrow. "Tricked?"
TZ explained with joy, telling the blanket lie like it was a heroic story.
June listened, then looked at NS.
"NS," she said gently, "did you really believe them?"
NS stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
June's smile widened slightly. "That's cute."
NS blinked, thrown off. "It's not cute. It's betrayal."
June laughed softly. "It's both."
JP watched June arrive like someone had turned on a brighter light. His cheeks flushed, and he immediately looked away as if eye contact might kill him.
TZ noticed and elbowed him. "Still think girls are sitting with us for warmth?"
JP hissed, "Shut up."
June looked between them. "What are you talking about?"
Kitty leaned in and whispered something to June.
June's eyes widened.
Then she turned to JP with sudden understanding.
"Oh," she said slowly, amused. "So you thought I'd sit next to you for warmth."
JP's face turned fully red. "I didn't—"
Kitty laughed. "He believed it."
June smiled like she was holding back a bigger laugh. "JP, that's adorable."
JP muttered, "I hate all of you."
TZ slapped his back. "We love you too."
XH watched it all with a strange feeling in his chest.
Warmth.
Not romance warmth.
Group warmth.
The kind that made memories.
Flirting From Other Majors
Then the other boys arrived.
Not their boys.
Other majors.
Engineering guys approached with casual confidence, eyes scanning. Business guys hovered near the crowd like they were networking even at four a.m.
XH felt it instantly.
The shift in attention.
A guy from engineering stepped toward Kitty, smiling. "Hey, you're from health track, right?"
Kitty blinked politely. "Yes."
The guy laughed. "I've seen you around. You going on the trip too?"
Kitty nodded, calm. "Everyone is."
He chuckled, leaning slightly closer. "Maybe we can sit together and—"
JP stepped forward so fast it was almost comedic.
"Bro," JP said, voice polite but sharp, "the buses are separated."
The engineering guy blinked. "Huh?"
JP smiled tightly. "Male-only bus. Female-only bus. You'll be fine."
TZ moved beside JP, chest puffed slightly like an idiot.
NS silently positioned himself on the other side, not aggressive, just present.
XH didn't even realize he had stepped closer too until he was already there.
June watched them with amused disbelief.
Kitty's lips twitched.
The engineering guy looked at the wall of boys and laughed awkwardly. "Okay, okay. Relax."
Kitty waved lightly, as if dismissing the whole thing. "It's fine."
June tilted her head at XH. "You guys are ridiculous."
XH shrugged, trying to look casual. "We're ready."
June laughed softly. "Ready for what? A war at four a.m.?"
TZ whispered, "If we must."
Kitty shook her head, smiling like she secretly liked it.
And maybe she did.
Maybe June did too.
Because girls didn't need guardians.
But sometimes it was nice to know someone wanted to be one.
Reinforcements Arrive
The crowd thickened again.
XH spotted familiar faces pushing through.
HS appeared first, carrying a large bag, hair messy, eyes half-open.
Behind him was Andrew, taller, calm, moving with that confident energy of someone who didn't need to prove anything.
HS grinned when he saw them. "We got your backs."
JP exhaled like he'd been waiting for that sentence all night. "Finally."
Andrew nodded once at the group, then looked at the engineering cluster. "Everything good?"
TZ smirked. "Everything's good. We're just… defending honor."
Andrew's expression stayed neutral, but his eyes showed amusement. "At four a.m.?"
XH laughed. "Yes."
June whispered to Kitty, "They're acting like warriors."
Kitty whispered back, "It's kind of cute."
June's lips curved. "It is."
Teachers and Calm
And then, the mood changed again.
Not because of fear.
Because of authority.
THKM arrived first, coat neat, expression sharp, like he'd been awake for hours already. Lola followed, calm and steady, holding a clipboard like it was an extension of her hand.
Students straightened instinctively.
The crowd's noise softened.
And then the Headmaster arrived.
Luxury car.
Smooth stop.
He stepped out like he belonged to a different world entirely, coat perfect, posture relaxed.
Someone murmured, "Meeting Man."
Because every time they saw him, he was always saying the same thing.
"I just came from a meeting," he would say, like his life was one long chain of meetings.
He walked toward the crowd, hands behind his back, gaze scanning.
Everything calmed.
Even the edgy boys from other majors stepped back.
The Headmaster didn't speak long.
He simply said, "You're all here early. Good. Discipline is not talent, but it beats talent every time."
His eyes passed over XH's group.
For a moment, June felt something tight in her chest.
Not fear.
Something else.
Like the Headmaster was measuring them.
Counting.
Then he nodded once and turned away, walking toward THKM and Lola.
June exhaled slowly, unaware she'd been holding her breath.
The Bus Arrives
At 4:50, the first bus pulled in.
Then another.
Then another.
A line of buses waiting like silent beasts.
Staff began calling names, organizing by major, sorting into groups.
And then the announcement came.
"Male bus. Female bus. Keep your bags labeled. Departure at 5:00. No delays."
JP muttered, "Told you."
TZ laughed. "Now the panic feels justified."
NS adjusted his hoodie and stared at his medium backpack like it was a mistake. "I will be cold."
Kitty patted his shoulder lightly. "You will survive."
June added, amused, "Barely."
XH glanced at the buses.
This was it.
The moment the trip started officially.
The reward for staying.
He looked at his friends.
At Kitty.
At June.
At the crowd.
At the cold morning that had turned into something warmer.
And he thought, quietly:
This is the beginning of Volume 2.
Not because the chapter number changed.
But because the world felt bigger now.
More people.
More tension.
More memories waiting to happen.
As the buses opened their doors, students climbed inside, laughter spilling into the cold air like something alive.
And Utopia Tower stood behind them, tall and silent, watching them leave as if it already knew what was coming next.