The four Houses of QED University prepare for the highly anticipated House War. The bond of Team WHAM will be tested as their Houses try to outwit and outmatch one another in the quadrennial tournament.
Classes resume.
House sigils by AJ
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HARRIET
I HONESTLY had no idea what happened. Throughout the trial, Morrie got a smug look in his face. I was hoping to wipe that off by convincing the jury that we're not as guilty as how the Moriartians wanted to make it appear. But someone or something beat me to the punch. Even he was taken aback na nagbago ang isip ng kanilang House leader.
One moment, the Moriartians were trying to drive us into a corner. The next moment, they decided to walk away and pretend that everything's okay. I looked at them curiously after they had made the motion. Ang gulo, 'no?
But I wouldn't lie. I was somewhat relieved na hindi itutuloy ang complaint laban sa amin. Dagdag pa kasi 'yon sa mga iniisip ko. Ayaw kong magkaroon ng derogatory record sa university. Hindi lang dahil madi-disqualify ako sa Quadetective Tournament, pero dahil pangit 'yon sa student record ko. Imagine if my future employer would find out that I was involved in trespassing, illegal detention and attempted robbery. They might reject my application.
With that out of the way, I could focus on my studies and my preparation as the Holmesian champion for the tournament. Kahit c-in-laim ng House Moriarty na ninakaw ang mga blackmailing material sa kanilang Manor, we couldn't be a hundred percent sure that they're telling the truth. Just to be safe, my competent seniors deemed it best to let a junior be the representative.
Oh, how about my own blackmail? I didn't care at all. Kung meron man silang hawak laban sa akin, ilabas nila. Be my guest. I was confident that I had done nothing embarrassing that would make me hide myself from the world once exposed. If they wanted to put me to shame, they got to try harder. Pero ibang usapan na kapag may inilabas na edited photo or video. That wouldn't be fair game to me.
And so, my mentor and I decided to meet me in our House's war room. Our council officers usually held their meetings here about various competitions in the university—the Quadetective Tournament included. May mahabang wooden table sa gitna na pinalilibutan ng upholstered chairs. May transparent glass board sa isang side. May cabinet din na puno ng iba't ibang board games—chess, backgammon, game of the generals, etc.
Strangely, only a man wearing black vest over white longsleeves was inside. My eyes roamed the room. An inverness cape was hanging on the backrest of a chair. A cat was also licking its paws on top of the table. Was I too early or were the others late?
"Good afternoon," I greeted hesitantly as my gaze darted around. "Where are the others? I thought kasama ang House game master?"
"I asked them to leave us alone here." Roanoke glanced at me over his shoulder. This was the first time that I had seen him not wearing his trademark cape. Hindi mainit sa loob dahil fully air-conditioned ang Holmesian Hall kaya hindi niya kinailangang hubarin 'yon. But maybe he felt more comfortable without it. "Too many cooks spoil the broth. There shall only be one chef here. And that's me."
"Okay." Our House leader must have given him a lot of leeway to make such decisions. I couldn't not help but wonder why he was so keen in mentoring our House champion—which happened to be me. Meron na nga siyang case na iniimbestigahan 'tapos dinagdag niya pa 'to sa schedule niya. Alam kong kaya niyang mag-multitask, but shouldn't he focus on the investigation that mattered more than this petty contest among the Houses?
