The V-bawler Club, also known as the VBC, was a club for vampiric beings to compete against each other in a bawling contest.
At the Club, a Bawl was just beginning as two contestants jumped into the arena standing across from one another. The crowd was abuzz with chatter as the countdown began.
"3."
"How do you think Her Highness will do? Do you think we might see Something similar to Her Highness Iris?" one vampire questioned the Dampir beside him.
"I don't know, Her Highness Iris Is a monster, at twenty she could already compete with older vampires strength-wise." He responded with a hint of dismissiveness as if brushing aside the importance of the question.
"2."
As they continued their conversation, Jaylen and Brandon arrived Just in time as one was yelled out.
"1"
'Woosh'
In the blink of an eye, both contestants lunged forward–a blur of motion. Their hands darted forward with unmatched precision, targeting Vital points like predators closing in on prey. The clash seemed inevitable, a heartbeat away from Chaos–Until it wasn't.
A whirlwind swept through the arena as both contestants halted, their hands stopping just centimeters apart.
Sarah let out a sharp, frustrated breath, her shoulder stiff as she stepped back from her opponent. Sarah's lips stretched into a thin line.
"It's my loss" She muttered, her voice tinged with frustration.
"You did great Your Highness. A single mistake from me, and you'd have won." Her opponent spoke with a tone of respect, but for a fleeting moment, a glimmer of pity flickered in his eyes.
Spinning on her heel, Sarah strode away, her words trailing behind her like a whisper in the wind. "Thanks, but keep your sympathy. It's obvious when I'm being compared to someone."
As she made her way out of the arena, two people blocked her path. "Pretty good match Sarah, But why not a full bawl?" Jaylen asked his expression a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
"Something about not getting on the nurse's bad side" She answered reflectively, Her thoughts still lingered in the arena.
Seeing Sarah's abnormal behavior, Jaylen leaned over to Brandon whispering to him, "Say something Dude."
"Haah" As he stood before Sarah, He gently rested his arm atop her head, a gesture filled with warmth, before calling out to her in a monotone voice.
"Hey"
"Hmm," Sarah's gaze lifted, locking onto Brandon's eyes with unwavering focus.
"You were total shit out there. If that's what you call being a vampire then you might as well stop and live as the disgrace you are."
A heavy silence followed Brandon's words, stretching between them like a taut string waiting to snap. The stillness was almost suffocating, broken by the footsteps of nearby students.
'Brandon, what the hell was that? Since when was that how to console someone–especially a girl!?' Jaylen thought, Mentally facepalming himself in sheer disbelief
A radiant and warm smile like the sun breaking through the clouds lit up Sarah's face, casting a glow that could brighten even the gloomiest days. "Thanks, Brandon that's exactly what I needed to hear"
'That worked!!' Jaylen's mind raced as he screamed internally, his eyes growing wide with astonishment.
Maybe these two were weirder than he thought, but that makes sense they were friends with him after all the definition of strange.
It was as if Brandon had tapped into Jaylen's thoughts, for he suddenly said, "I know what you're thinking Jaylen. In reality, it's not me and Sarah who are weird but you and Yuki who are. You two fight like a married couple on the verge of divorce but won't separate because you love each other too much"
"Heh, if that exchange really was what a normal relationship looks like then I really want no part in it. You can enjoy being an M over there." Jaylen quipped, a teasing grin tugging at his lips.
"I'm no M but you definitely are With that abusive relationship with Yuki, I bet you two had another argument" Brandon shot back, smirking as he crossed his arms.
"Alright Boys that's enough, we still have to go get the Ice Queen" Sarah interjected with a clap, her tone Sharp but laced with amusement.
"I guess we can agree to disagree for now," Jaylen said with a shrug, his voice tinged with mock resignation.
"Yeah sure" Brandon replied dryly, rolling his eyes.
Jaylen slipped his arm around Brandon, pulling him in closer, he leaned in whispering softly. "But seriously, when you think about it our relationships with the girls aren't really normal at all. I mean both of them are a bit crazy don't you think"
"Yeah you're right" Brandon nodded thoughtfully, then leaned in a sly smirk creeping on his face as he added, "But we fell in love with them"
"Ehem Boys did you forget I have good hearing?" Sarah chimed in, raising an eyebrow as her tone teetered between playful and exasperated.
"So you do," Jaylen replied smoothly, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Alright then let's go. To Yuki" Jaylen added, tone shifting to one of dry resolve as he motioned forward throwing his left hand forward.
"Are you sure you wanna go anywhere without your mask on?" Brandon asked, pushing Jaylen's arm away.
"Oh, you're right, I didn't even realize. One sec." Taking a deep breath, Jaylen closed his eyes to calm his thoughts.
As water extinguishes a flame, the excitement in his heart diminished with each breath. The rhythm of his heartbeat slowed to a snail's pace as a chill washed over him.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, their gaze filled with a chilling light darker than the abyss. His face was like a blank sheet of paper, devoid of any emotion.
"Looks like our Ice-cold Prince of Darkness has returned" With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Sarah teased, her laughter bubbling just beneath the surface, struggling to break free.
"Yeah, Yeah, whatever. Let's get a move on." Jaylen muttered, already stepping forward as the group began moving.
"If you're not careful one of these days that mask might become your real personality," Sarah remarked.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Jaylen replied with a casual shrug.
As they continued walking, Sarah noticed the unrest filling the air as students, though small numbers, moved about giving off a faint sense of pressure.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Sarah questioned Jaylen, "Hey Jaylen, who stepped on you guys' tail?"
"Hmm?" Jaylen's right brow rose high in confusion, 'Tail? What Tail? I don't have one yet and this hairless monkey definitely doesn't have one.'
It was only in the next second that he understood what she meant when he looked at the two dragon race students walking by, 'Oh, that tail'
"Just a fool who didn't understand their place in the world" He replied, his voice chilled and utterly unfazed.
"So you get to punish the person that tarnished the name of your race but when I do it, it's a problem," Sarah huffed, crossing her arms.
"Well, he gets away with it simply because he let the other members of the dragon race deal with it." Brandon pointed out with a knowing smirk.
"It's still not fair," Sarah grumbled, borrows furrowing.
"Well, nothing's fair. That's why you should never forget those who help you and those who wrong you," Jaylen stated his tone even.
"Yeah, whatever. Let's just forget about it" Sarah sighed, waving a dismissive hand.
Jaylen shrugged, letting the conversation drop.
After a winding journey through the bustling maze of clubs, they finally stumbled upon the culinary club, where a world of flavors and creativity awaited.
Similar to the V-brawler club and several others, the Culinary club was participating in a competition. But what was the reason behind it?
Many clubs, particularly the more popular ones, had restrictions on the number of new members they could accept at the beginning of the year. While essential clubs could accommodate more students, extracurricular clubs usually had stricter limits.
Competitions were introduced to evaluate students' commitment and enthusiasm for joining the club and ensure that new members were a suitable fit.
Some clubs opted out of this process or operated on a first-come, first-served principle. As for the Culinary club, the contestants appeared eager to begin cooking.
"Here we go!!!" shouted the announcer standing next to a large screen.
"Our contestants are prepared to cook their version of hamburger steaks!" She declared, her voice ranging with excitement. With a sharp motion, she slammed her palm onto the screen beside her.
The display flared to life, unveiling a textbook-perfect example of a hamburger steak, its rich glistening sauce and seared surface practically begging to be devoured.
"Let's See what they're cooking up in our twelfth annual cooking competition. " She shouted, her voice brimming with energy. Throwing her arms up, she added with an enthusiastic, "Woooo!"
The Crowd erupted in cheers, their excitement surging through the air like a rolling wave, eager to witness the culinary showdown unfold.