Time: 9:42 PM
Location: Gubat Coastal High Gymnasium, southeast corner by the broom closet
Objective: Spy on Kuya Dane's love life
Codename: Operation Kuya's Kilig
Yumi crouched like a ninja behind a stack of folded bleachers. One hand gripped her phone, the other gripped her racket—just in case. Princess Slayer didn't approve of indoor espionage, but sacrifices had to be made in the name of chismis.
She peeked.
There they were. Her kuya, Dane Villanueva, and the girl with the powerful wrist flick—Alona Reyes.
They sat under the dim gym lights, facing the empty court like two protagonists in a slow-burn anime. Dane shot a ball. Swish. Alona hugged her knees and muttered something that made Dane laugh.
Yumi's eyes narrowed.
Playback, memory bank:
"You don't talk like most athletes."
"Neither do you."
"Stop being likable."
"Make me."
Oooh. That's flirting, Your Honor. Grade A, low-key flirting.
Yumi scribbled into her badminton journal, flipping to the new tab she made earlier:
"Kuya's Love Saga (DO NOT LET HIM FIND OUT OR I'M DEAD)"
She wrote:
Dane = confirmed softie around Alona
Alona = deflects with sarcasm = classic crush symptom
High chance of future forehead touching
She adjusted her position—creak.
Dane looked up. "You hear that?"
Alona blinked. "Maybe it's a cat?"
I am not a cat, Yumi thought. I am a concerned sibling with a racket and a mission.
Dane shrugged. "Anyway... I like talking to you."
Pause.
Alona said nothing.
Then, softly—too softly for them to know a third party was having a heart attack behind the mop bucket—Alona replied, "I like it too."
Yumi made the silent scream face, clapping her hands against her cheeks like she'd seen in K-dramas.
This was it. The moment. The timeline had shifted.
But suddenly—
"YUMI?!" Dane's voice cracked through the quiet.
Crap.
She stepped out, blinking.
"I was doing... broom inspection," she said, gesturing vaguely at the closet.
Dane groaned. Alona snorted.
"Did you hear everything?" Dane asked, already knowing the answer.
"I have selective hearing. I only hear juicy parts."
Alona tried not to laugh.
Yumi crossed her arms. "For the record, I approve. But if you break her heart, Kuya... I'm stealing your shoes and gluing them to the ceiling."
Then she winked at Alona.
"You got game, Ate. Smash wisely."
And just like that, she strutted out of the gym, lollipop in mouth, victory in her soul.