Jia and June were currently in their house, alone in one room.
"Make sure it's unlocked!" Cindy exclaimed from the kitchen. "On another note, don't even close the door."
Jia's face reddened as her mom's voice resonated in the entire house.
"We got it, Mom!" she shouted back, wanting nothing but to crawl into a hole and die there.
How could her mom say those words when June was right in front of Jia?
"Maybe Cindy wants to come in later, so she wants us to keep the door open," June innocently said, causing Jia to halt.
Alright, maybe it wasn't too bad since June didn't get what her mom was insinuating.
Jia merely nodded as she opened her dad's closet.
They were currently in her parents' room, looking for clothes that would make June less…June.
However, no matter how many clothes Jia had him try, he still looked like a handsome, dazzling idol.
"Ugh, this isn't working. You still look very handsome," she muttered, hoping June wouldn't hear it.
However, unfortunately for her, June heard her crystal clear.
"So, you think I'm handsome?" he asked, looking into her eyes.
Jia's already-red face reddened even more, so she stepped back and cleared her throat, allowing her face to cool down.
"Everybody would think that," she nervously chuckled. "People who don't think you're attractive have serious problems."
June chuckled loudly, finding the girl amusing. Then, he went ahead and started looking for something that would disguise him really well.
At the very back of Jia's parents' closet, he saw a rainbow-colored sweater that would most likely swallow his whole figure. Then, he saw a bunny hat—the ones you press and its ears would automatically go up. Afterward, he also saw a red scarf, similar to what a popular pop star wore on one of her albums.
He hurriedly placed the items on, looking at himself in the mirror and nodding when he saw it was the best out of everything he tried. He messed up his hair and put on some glasses, making him look more unrecognizable.
Then, he turned around to show Jia the final product.
Well, he definitely didn't look like himself anymore.
"How does it look?" June cutely asked, making Jia swallow her words.
"You look…great," she said through a fake smile.
"Right?" June smiled. "I almost couldn't recognize myself."
"Me too," Jia chuckled.
June nodded in approval, placing his hands inside the pockets of the rainbow sweater.
However, he felt something inside one of its pockets. He frowned and brought out the plastic packet.
There, he saw another rainbow material.
Jia's eyes widened as she quickly took it away from her hands.
"Well, I'm happy that your mom and dad have a healthy nightlife."
Jia groaned in embarrassment, face-palming in the process.
"Please, let's just go."
***
June and Jia finally arrived at the campus, and with a little convincing, they were able to make the guard believe that June was an exchange student who was yet to receive his identification card.
As the two of them walked around, June felt the scrutinizing stares of the students.
June nudged Jia's shoulder, causing the latter to stop walking.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"They're looking at me," June said. "Do you think they recognize that it's me?"
Jia looked around and saw that June, indeed, was the center of everybody's attention.
However, none of the students approached them. Instead, they just threw the two of them nasty stares.
"I don't think that's the reason why they're looking at us," Jia chuckled, glancing at June's atrocious outfit.
June sighed in relief.
"That's good then," he said. "I just really need to find this culprit."
One, so he could finally have his peace of mind.
Two, so the people around him wouldn't be harmed or inconvenienced anymore.
And three, so he could have a tangible 'stage presence' aspect.
"Then, what are you going to do after you catch her?" she asked.
June smiled. "Show her all the evidence I've gathered and threaten to get her kicked out of the school."
Jia raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw the sinister glint in June's eyes. She always thought that he was a sweet, innocent cat (he never was any of those, except for the cat part), but it seemed like he knew more than he let on.
"I just don't know where to start, though," June muttered, looking around the campus.
He only realized it now, but the campus was bigger than he expected. He could see cabs and other forms of transportation, meaning that the campus extended far beyond what he was currently seeing.
"How many students are on the campus again?" June asked.
"Around 40,000," Jia responded.
June sighed in frustration as he glanced at his watch. The late afternoon had just rolled in, and he needed to finish the mission in less than two days' time if he wanted to succeed.
"Don't you have another class?" June asked, remembering Jia's words when they were at Cindy's house.
"Yeah," Jia scratched the back of her head. "But I still have some time. I'm going to help you in the meantime."
June gratefully smiled at the young woman.
"You mentioned that you have a photo of her, right?" she asked.
June nodded, bringing out the lanyard from his pocket before handing it to Jia.
"Here," he said. "I'm not sure if it would be of any great help, though. It's like a white silhouette at this point. I'm sure I'll be able to recognize her once I see her, though."
"Hmm," Jia hummed, inspecting the photo from a closer view.
"She feels…familiar," she muttered.
June perked up after hearing Jia's statement. Hope swelled in his heart as he felt himself getting closer and closer to the culprit.
"Almost too familiar," she continued.
Then, she placed the photo far away, and something finally clicked inside her mind.
"Stale girl," she exclaimed.
"Stale girl?" June repeated. Even with those two words, June could already tell they were thinking about the same person.
"I think you're on the right track. Do you know where I could find her?"
"We," Jia quickly corrected him. "I know where WE could find her."
June's eyebrows furrowed. "It's alright. I can go on my own. You should go to your class. You already missed one because of me."
Jia stubbornly shook her head.
"I'm still going to my class," she said, "and you're coming with me."
June finally understood what she was trying to say.
"Stale girl is in my class."
