EVIL SYSTEM

The fraternity guys gave them plenty of gas so they could follow without worries.

The guys weren't going alone; they had invited many female friends and classmates from the university to join them.

There was one girl in particular who caught Ben's attention.

Ben stared at her with wide eyes, as if his tastes and preferences had been perfectly embodied in this woman.

The girl had beautiful Asian features, very fair skin, and straight black hair.

Every time she smiled, cute dimples formed on her cheeks. She seemed very sweet and pleasant, and her delicate features and smile made Ben's heart race.

Ben looked away, trying not to stare at her any longer.

He felt that if he kept looking at her for too long, he might fall in love, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at her as she chatted with her friends.

Ryuji approached him.

"Her name is Judy."

"Huh?" Ben pretended not to know who he was talking about.

With a look, Ryuji pointed to the girl Ben had been staring at a few seconds ago.

"I'm very solitary, so I'm also very observant," Ryuji shrugged. "She's Tepei's younger sister. A lot of guys in the fraternity have their eyes on her because she's very beautiful, but no one's made a move out of fear of Tepei, who's very overprotective of her."

Ben gave Judy one last look before getting into Bedsi.

He tried to meditate, but his mind simply wouldn't go blank. Every time he closed his eyes, he thought about that beautiful woman.

All the cars had already started. The bus carried all the fraternity guys.

The girls were in a 4x4 truck, and in the minivan were Dante, Ben, and Ryuji.

Ben kept looking out the window, trying to spot the truck, but he couldn't find it.

A song started playing on the radio. At first, it was soft but catchy. The song was about a woman who had been betrayed by her man and now thought all men were the same.

Dante hummed and swayed to the rhythm of the song without any shame.

Ben, on the other hand, would have been embarrassed to dance and sing along to such a song, but the rhythm was really catchy.

Almost without realizing it, the three of them—Ben, Ryuji, and Dante—were humming the song and moving to its beat.

Dante turned up the volume on the radio just as the chorus started.

At the top of his lungs, Dante began singing the chorus, and Ben joined in after being unable to resist the song's rhythm.

Ryuji, the shyest of the three, joined last with a smile.

Dante got so excited that he rolled down the minivan's windows, sped up to get closer to the bus where the other fraternity guys were, and started singing at the top of his lungs while looking at them.

The guys on the bus were all smiles and pointed at him.

Dante sang loudly and shamelessly in front of everyone. Before Dante could pull his head back into the car, the guys on the bus tuned in to the same radio station.

The guys on the bus went wild with the song. They stood up and started dancing with each other, some even started doing the "twerking"

Ben burst out laughing, and a big smile spread across his face. He stuck his head out the window like Dante and, along with the guys on the bus, began singing with shouts and smiles.

The guys on the bus leaned out the windows and cheered excitedly.

The girls' truck appeared out of nowhere, looking at them with a smile before speeding up.

Judy looked at Ben, smiled, and her cute dimples appeared.

Ben felt so embarrassed that he ducked back into the minivan and stopped singing.

Dante noticed this interaction and stopped singing to stare at Ben.

"Do you like her?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" Ben asked.

"I'm asking if you like Judy," Dante repeated.

"No," Ben shook his head with a smile.

Dante and Ryuji stared at him with clearly skeptical looks.

"I don't like her!" Ben said, his voice louder than he intended.

"Okay, I believe you," Dante raised his hands in surrender.

The journey continued, with Dante driving, Ryuji on his phone playing games, and Ben... staring out the window with his chin resting on his hand, a dreamy look on his face.

Dante glanced at him and couldn't help but shake his head.

'You don't like her'? Yeah, right!

++++

"Is everything ready?" a man asked from his office over the phone.

"Yes, sir. Everything is set for the operation."

The man nodded and hung up.

He got up from his desk and walked over to a large map of a city pinned to the wall.

Magnolia City, the capital of Venzia.

Many parts of the map were marked with different colors, and colored threads connected them.

"Soon," the man whispered.

In the center of the map was a poster promoting the upcoming inter-university competitions.

"Very soon."

+++++

The bus stopped at a rest area halfway down the highway.

Everyone got off to have breakfast since they had left very early in the morning to make it to the competition on time.

Everyone ate in harmony and laughter.

The strange thing was that Dante disappeared from their group and started chatting with everyone in the fraternity.

When everyone finished breakfast, they boarded their vehicles and continued their journey.

Ben stared at the scenery, feeling at peace.

Long stretches of flat land were all that was in sight. There were ranches and cattle, a cool breeze, and a sense of tranquility.

If he ever decided to settle down, Ben already knew what he wanted.

A small, cozy ranch outside the city and the hustle and bustle.

Ben looked at Dante, focused on driving, and Ryuji, who had fallen asleep after breakfast.

If he had to describe how he felt right now, it would be happiness.

He had always liked the idea of traveling the world.

Although everything had started as a journey back home, now he was genuinely enjoying the trip and the people he had met along the way.

Dante noticed him looking and smiled excitedly.

"You know, I've been doing some research," Dante was all smiles.

"Research?"

"Yeah," Dante began to whisper. "About Judy."

Ben frowned. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

A growing anger began to form inside him at the thought that Dante might also be interested in Judy and was trying to win her over.

This made him feel irritated but also conflicted. These feelings made him realize that he was indeed starting to feel something for Judy.

If he had to be honest with himself, Ben had to admit that he was envious of Dante's good looks.

He felt that Judy was in a completely different league and that she would hardly reciprocate his feelings.

The scars on his face only deepened his feelings of inferiority.

"Oh, really?" Ben tried to sound casual, but his irritation was clear in his voice.

"Yeah," Dante ignored it. "I've been finding out what she likes and dislikes, if she's single, and if she's in love with anyone."

Ben was intrigued.

"Apparently, she's a music lover," Dante grinned from ear to ear.

Ben felt his heart skip a beat.

Dante, you're very handsome, tall, and also a musician.

Her ideal type.

Ben felt a pressure in his chest.

"So I proposed a singing competition with the guys from the music department," Dante continued smiling. "Everyone agreed, and it's happening tonight before bed."

The thought of Dante and Judy made a feeling of betrayal take over him.

It was something he shouldn't feel since he had only just met Judy today. Dante was also a good friend, and he should support him. Besides, he himself had denied being interested in her.

But before those dark feelings could overwhelm him, he heard Dante say:

"That way, you can show off your talent and win her over!"

Ben's eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" Ben thought he hadn't heard correctly.

"You have a great talent for music. I still can't get that song out of my head," Dante was very excited. "If you sing in the competition, I'm sure you'll win her over, or at least get her attention."

"The first step to winning a woman's heart is to get her interested," Dante shared his wisdom.

All the bad thoughts and feelings disappeared suddenly, and Ben felt his heart start to race with excitement.

If he had a guitar, he would have played Thunderstruck by AC/DC to express what he was feeling at that moment.

But that feeling faded when he started thinking about performing in front of her.

His heart wouldn't stop racing with excitement and nervousness.

Lost in his thoughts and choosing a song to sing, the night arrived quickly.

The fraternity had booked rooms at a hostel just a few meters from the highway.

After everyone had dinner and were full, the competition was about to begin.

Ben couldn't help but smile ironically, thinking about how the day had started happily and ignorantly.

And in just a few hours, he was dying of nerves, holding a guitar.