Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 98 - Explosion of Secrets

Chapter 98 - Explosion of Secrets

The secret, secluded classroom on the tenth floor of the campus was thick with awkward silence—as if two atomic bombs had just dropped, leaving only the ringing aftermath behind. Dust motes danced in the stillness, caught in the pale slant of winter sunlight filtering through the high windows. 

Fei stood frozen, her eyes wide in disbelief, lips parted into a stunned "O" as if the words she wanted to say had fled from her tongue.

Meanwhile, a bead of cold sweat traced a slow line down my temple and along my cheek—odd, considering the temperature wasn't even warm. Xyraxis was teetering on the tail end of its winter season, the air crisp but hardly sweat-inducing. No, the heat crawling under my skin wasn't from the weather—it was from the weight of Fei's sudden explosion of her secrets.

"O-oh!" Fei clapped her hands together with a burst of energy, her smile lighting up the cold room and snapping the tension like a brittle icicle. "So you really love Myrrh! She told me your relationship is just a front, but honestly, I was kind of expecting one of you to catch feelings."

"Y-yeah, it's definitely fake," I stammered, scratching the back of my head as my face flushed red. "She's just using me as pest repellent, that's the only reason we're pretending."

Fei leaned in, eyes sparkling with mischief. "I knew something was going on between you two. You're both just too stubborn to admit it. But I'm glad you finally told me."

"Y-yeah. Just... you're the only one who knows, okay? Please keep it a secret," I said, lowering my voice and glancing toward the door.

"Will do!" Fei threw an exaggerated salute, her grin returning with full force. "Your secret is safe with me! And if you want help, I can totally get intel—like her favorite food, favorite color, favorite fish, favorite panties—"

I could tell Fei had no intention of letting go of the topic. She was clinging to it like a life raft, paddling frantically away from the nuclear aftermath she'd just triggered. Her voice grew more animated with every word, as if hoping that drowning the conversation in playful banter would undo the blast.

"Fei," I muttered, cutting her off mid-sentence.

She flinched, blinking rapidly. "Ah, yes, sorry. Asking about her favorite panties was a bit vulgar, huh?" A nervous blush crept across her cheeks. "I mean, if there's anything you want to know about her, I can just ask her directly!"

"Enough about her." My voice came out cold, sharper than I expected. "Let's talk about you."

Her blush deepened, shifting from rose-pink to a crimson flush. "W-why?" she stammered, hugging herself. "A-are you interested in me too? But you're already in love with Myrrh... A-are you going to make me your mi-mi-mistress?"

"It's not that," I groaned, cringing as heat rushed to my face. "It's something you said earlier. About being... the Red Meteor."

The instant the words left my mouth, the color drained from her face like a monitor screen being shut down. Her shoulders tensed. She lowered her head, eyes locking onto the floor, hands tightening around the hem of her skirt like she was bracing for impact.

Then, slowly, she nodded.

"It's true," she whispered. "I am the Red Meteor—the same one you fought during the Blackout Incident."

I inhaled deeply, trying to anchor myself. My thoughts screamed at me to be afraid. She's dangerous. She's your enemy. She's the one you fought with everything you had. And yet...

I wasn't scared.

Not even a little.

Even as my mind raced with warning signals, my heart stayed oddly calm. This was Fei. My friend. My WAIFU. And now, even with the truth laid bare, that quiet trust I'd built with her didn't crumble. It held strong—fragile, maybe, but unbroken.