Strings Of Perfection

Bumalik si Aki sa loob ng booth na pawisan, his messy hair sticking out in every direction. His braces glinted as he grinned wide.

"Hoy! Kaw naman dun! Wag ka maging unfair, Livreun," he teased, tugging at his shirt to fan himself with it. "Show me your ways."

I clicked my tongue, shaking my head. As if sasayaw ako ng Wet the Bed sa harap ng mahigit isang daang tao.

But instead of outright refusing, I smirked. May mas maganda akong plano.

Lumapit ako kay Sylas, who was busy checking the list of sales.

Inilahad ko ang kami kamay sa harap niya. "Amina 'yong mic,"

Sylas barely glanced up. "What for?"

"Relax ka lang, boss," I replied with a grin. "Marketing genius, incoming."

He eyed me, his suspicion growing, but after a long sigh, he handed me the mic. "One mistake, Leo, and-"

"Chill," I cut him off, already testing the mic. "Mic test, mic test... okay, everyone, makinig kayo!"

Naka-lock sa akin ang matalim na tingin ni Sylas na para bang alam niyang may gagawin akong ka-tangahan.

"Special promo kami ngayon!" I announced. "Ang bumili samin, may kiss galing kay Mr. President Sylas Eliunous!"

"Leo, what the hell are you doing?"

The HUMSS students went wild, howling with laughter. Even the quieter STEM kids couldn't hide their smirks.

Elian, doubling over with laughter, clutched the edge of the booth for support. "Pucha, Bro! Ba't pati si MVP nadamay?!"

"Strategic marketing," sagot ko, shrugging and flashing my trademark smirk. I crossed my arms, looking smug. "We need to hit our sales target, di ba? Gusto n'yo bang matalo sa ibang strand?"

"Fix this." Saad ni Eliunous. His glare could've melted steel.

Pero hindi ako nagpatinag. Grinning wider, I raised the mic again. "Joke lang! Kiss from me instead!"

Lalong lumakas ang hiyawan ng mga tao. Halos yanigin ang booth namin dahil sa tawanan nila. Bumagsak pa si Aki sa counter dahil sa kakatawa, halos hindi makapaniwala sa nangyayari.

But Sylas, as strict as ever, didn't miss a beat. With one swift motion, he grabbed the mic back and muttered into it, sounding a little too close to the speaker. "The first option was damn better."

Silence.

Then the teasing exploded.

"Grabe! Gatekeeper 'yan?" someone from the ABM side shouted, their voice full of laughter. "Gusto mong ikaw lang ang i-kiss ni Leo?"

"Parang ayaw mong may ibang maka-'kiss' kay Leo ah!" Aki shouted, barely holding himself together.

Natigilan si Sylas, ang mukha niya ngayon ay pulang pula na.

"That's not---" Sylas snapped, but he was cut off as the crowd erupted once again. Everyone was on their feet, eagerly egging him on.

Someone from the TVL side yelled, "So, Leo, anong plano mo? Will you let Mr. President kiss you next?"

"Oo nga!" another one added. "Pati kami curious na, eh!"

"Mga kupal!" Natatawa kong sigaw.

"Tuwang tuwa pa talaga." Bulong ni Sylas sa tabi ko.

I leaned back, grinning. "Mukhang talo ka pa niyan, huh?"

Sylas, trying to keep his cool, glanced at me briefly. "You're insufferable."