114 Pre-Concer

Blood King was chilling on his balcony when he saw a woman with wings made of light from faraway. He stood up immediately. His expression revealed his own feelings of 'I hate her, but this is the only way out.'

The woman landed in front of Blood King. Finally, her face was in full view. It was Eva. "Hey there, little brother Duke… Wait, should I call you Blood King?

"Tsk, you haven't changed in the three years you're gone, huh?" Duke rolled his eyes in exasperation. Yes, Duke was Eva's sister. His full name was Duke Gumamela.

"You won't even hug your big sister?" Eva spread her arms wide with an expectant look. "Come on, it's been three years."

"Fine." Duke reluctantly walked towards Eva and hugged her. "So, are you willing to do me a favor, or not?"

"Come on, Duke. You know we've made a pact that we won't meddle with each other's wielder lives." Eva's tone became grave. "You wanted to play evil. I let you. I love you as a brother, but I have my own responsibilities to Pangkat Anino. I would not risk your life, yet if I was forced to face you, we both understand that I won't hesitate to kill you."

"I know, I know." Duke sat down. "That's why I come with a valuable information. Something that will definitely make it worth your while. I know that you know I don't say valuable easily."

"Tell me what you want me to do first." Eva sat beside Duke. "It better not exceed the value of the information you're holding."

"I want to join Pangkat Anino." Duke dished out what he had in mind.

"Are you crazy?" Eva exclaimed upon hearing that. "I kept your identity as my younger brother for years, and you want to join? They all will recognize that you're the powerful and versatile Blood King."

"Exactly. That's why I offer this hint as a down payment…" Duke deeply exhaled. "Kamay ng Lagim is planning on waging war against Puting Araw in Mindanao. Including Rose's Citadel Branch in Surigao del Sur."

"What?" Eva's eyes widened in surprise. "Why would you guys do that? Let me guess, this is the three sponsors' wish?"

"You would have to help me first." Duke's voice was that of mockery. "Remember, this is a down payment. I wonder how much more valuable the final payment is?"

"Shit, you're not joking, that is good." Eva rested her elbows on her thighs. "I'll get back to you later. I have to inform The Boss first. A reminder. The sole thing I'm going to be able to do for you is introduce you. I can't guarantee that you will be drafted into our ranks. After all, you are Kamay ng Lagim."

"That's the best I can hope for." Duke nodded. "I'll give you the rest once you've introduced me to them. Oh yeah, I can also offer my intel. I'm a trusted person by them in spite of my rebellious attitude."

"I'll be careful." Duke said seriously. "You know I'm a sly person by nature."

"Yeah." Eva chuckled a bit. She looked into the moon. She was hit by nostalgia. "You can't help miss those times, huh, Duke?"

"I guess." Duke smiled genuinely.

"See you around." Wings made of light sprouted out of Eva's back. A gust of air hit Duke's face. He instinctively covered his eyes. The departing words of Eva resounded in his ears. "I bid you good luck when you meet The Boss."

When Duke opened his eyes, Eva was gone. "I'm sorry, Black Devil. Sitan. I simply don't trust the two of you."

It was natural that he'd trust her sister more. And an organization dedicated to living peacefully. He was done with this kind of life. It was tiring.

…..

Thursday. When Hayden arrived home at 3:00 AM, all he did was record. Afterwards, it was time to go to basketball camp. All the way, he was cautious. For some reason, he was getting increasingly jumpy whenever he was not in the presence of Eun-ha and Sayuri.

There was something wrong with Philippines, Hayden can feel it. It was too peaceful. Granted, he was ambushed by Black Devil last Tuesday. Still, that was not the greatest peril he has ever experienced in his lifetime.

He can feel it. There was a disturbance. One so great that he will definitely be embroiled. His family. Puting Araw will be. Pangkat Anino may be. And definitely Kamay ng Lagim.

After all, they were the epitome of evil deeds in the Philippines. The largest crime family. It was no surprise that they will be in the middle of the most remotely bad things that will happen in the country.

That was why Hayden felt that it was a good thing he had that Arcane Gem that can save his life. It was a heaven-sent object in the perfect timing.

Anyhow, Hayden couldn't let his guard down at all. Which is why, for safety measures, he chose to put out his Origin Limiter for a long time.

He didn't want anybody sensing him as a wielder whilst in their family car. His parents would be fuming if it was destroyed. Even if it was his money that was used to buy it in the first place.

Nevertheless, he trusted his gut enough to let him know when danger is nigh. It has never failed him, why would it now?

For the rest of the day, there were no mishaps at all. Also, for the first time, Daniel has felt the Spartan training that Hayden was referring to. This time, Hayden's training was so intense that he nearly broke down. He was really regretting ever going into the basketball team.

However, he was in too deep at this point. He cannot possibly back out and discard all of his progress. It will be all for naught. Besides, this would win him some more points with Scarlet.

Eventually, night came. Hayden arrived in the hotel. As Sayuri and Hayden had their date last Tuesday, Eun-ha asked some alone time with Hayden for the night.

We can all envision what happened in the car and bedroom, with all those pent-up feelings for two days in a row.

Eventually, Friday came. It was all the usual again. Hayden recorded videos. Hayden practiced basketball. And Hayden went to Rain Sanctuary Hotel.

You might ask: Why was Hayden not streaming during those times he was awake? Well, he was a Filipino. Why would he stream at dawn? Nobody would watch it. Well, Filipinos at least. He couldn't possibly leave his fellow countrymen to watch a re-run, right?

It was night. Hayden entered the suite. Hayden was a little nervous as this was going to be the first night spent in the house with Sayuri as his girlfriend and in the presence of Eun-ha.

No, no, he was used to Sayuri being there with Eun-ha, what he was referring to was that this was their first night in his house as a polygynous couple.

Hayden boarded the car. Eun-ha boarded the passenger seat. Sayuri boarded the back. "It's lonely here."

"Dusk and Dawn are there." Hayden adjusted his rearview mirror to Sayuri. "They'll keep you company."

Sayuri stared towards the two's eyes. She couldn't resist picking up the two as they were too cute. "Fine, they'll keep me company."

"Hey, you're the second one." Eun-ha slyly kicked Sayuri while she was down. "Suck it up, or Hayden will abandon you."

"What?" The innocent Hayden twisted his head towards Eun-ha. "Hey, I'm not that kind of man. I gave both of you my word, I plan on keeping it. Besides, I'm doing nothing here. How come I've been brought into this?"

Eun-ha and Sayuri giggled at Hayden's remarks. It was clear that they were both teasing him. Consequently, Hayden rolled his eyes. "The two of you. You guys really are best friends, aren't you?"

…..

8:00 PM. Hayden, Sayuri, and Eun-ha was crammed on his originally two-person bed. Hayden was wearing a simple boxer short and a white shirt. Eun-ha wore an oversized white shirt as it was Hayden's. Sayuri similarly did.

They were sitting instead of lying down. Eun-ha and Sayuri's heads were naturally resting on Hayden's shoulder. Each of their hands intertwined with one of Hayden's.

They were watching a movie on the television. Abruptly, Hayden muttered. "Yeah, we should have stayed in the hotel."

"It's cozier here." Eun-ha spoke without turning her eyes away from the television. "Don't worry, we can make do."

"Heh, okay then." Hayden kissed the two on the head. 'I should buy a king-sized bed for the new mansion, huh? Or maybe even an emperor-sized one...'

With that, the trio continued watching movies. By 10:00, they deactivated the TV and fell asleep.

.....

Saturday. 10:00 AM. Once again, Hayden, Scarlet, Daniel, and Zeke were in Hayden's SUV. Hayden wore a white polo, black suit vest, and jeans. Daniel had on a red shirt and khaki shorts. Zeke donned a simple blue polo shirt and jeans. As for Scarlet, she had a red one-piece dress.

As for Dusk and Dawn's whereabouts, they were in his house. It was forbidden to bring pets in the Philippine Arena. Good thing that Hayden had forged a strong enough bond with the two. They both loved his cooking.

They drove to the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. This was in spite of the concert being at 2:00 PM.

Why were they this early? Well, they had backstage passes, duh. It would be stupid if they didn't have backstage passes. Hayden's girlfriend was Eun-ha. What they wouldn't expect was Hayden being in a relationship with both Sayuri and Eun-ha.

'I wonder how they'll react when they see me kissing the two…' Hayden let his thoughts wander as he browsed his phone. 'Ah, they will doubtlessly make a fuss. What a pain in the ass.'

The thing is, Hayden didn't have any qualms on doing public display of affection with the two. Why would he? They're his girlfriends. If he was, that'd be worrisome as that'd mean he's ashamed that they're his girlfriends.

'Now that would be truly stupid.' Hayden glimpsed at the front of the road. 'Ashamed of being in a relationship with the two most beautiful women in the world? Bleh."

Subsequent to that, Hayden became busy. His mind was divided between five activities. Six if you include looking the periphery of the car every now and again to ensure their safety.

First, he was coordinating with Angelo and Althea on the construction of his mansion. Second, he was chatting with Sayuri and Eun-ha. Third, he was conversing with Mieko for their collaboration of a gaming video. Fourth, he was entertaining the tsundere Chung-hee for their webtoon. Lastly, surprisingly, Shu-Ching initiated a chat with him, so there's that.

As such, Hayden dished out his newly acquired phone to text more efficiently. This display of Hayden took the trio in the car aback.

Who wouldn't be? A man, holding two phones, his thumbs flashing on the screen as it rapidly typed out. Anybody'd be surprised. It was a rather astonishing sight.

Regardless, nobody had the courage to ask what Hayden was doing as he had this serious look that whispered out 'don't bother me.'

Anyhow, as there were the interregional roads and no traffic, they arrived as early as 11:00 AM. The moment they stepped out of the car, Hayden went to the back of his car. He took out five huge food containers that were stacked on top of each other.

It wasn't transparent, so the three couldn't discern what was inside of the food containers. With this, the quartet walked in. They walked past the Korean people who were eyeing them on the way without a care.

Eventually, they reached a backstage room. Daniel opened the door for Hayden. Inside were CHORUS, socializing. There was nobody else.

"Hayden's here!" Aiko stood up immediately. The CHORUS members all turned their heads to Hayden akin to meerkats.

Hayden walked in in a relaxed manner. He put down the food trays on a nearby table. Eun-ha and Sayuri approached him, hugged him, and kissed him. This raised hundreds of question marks in Daniel, Scarlet, and Zeke's head.

Why was Hayden kissing Sayuri in front of Eun-ha? His girlfriend? On the lips to boot? What was happening in the world? Why was Hayden so popular with CHORUS? Why did CHORUS adore Hayden this much? It was strange.

Hayden whispered to Eun-ha. She nodded. She walked to the food containers, arranged it, and opened it. Within the five containers were tons of food.

One was that of Adobo, the all-time favorite of CHORUS. One was divided into four, with Korean fried chicken of four different flavors. They were of the Sweet Honey, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic Butter, and Teriyaki flavor.

The others were Lechon Kawali, Beef Tapa, and fried rice. Everything appeared detectable for the CHORUS members as it had the 'Hayden' written all over it.

Meanwhile, Hayden put his hand on the small of Sayuri's back. The two walked over to Daniel, Zeke, and Scarlet.

Hayden spoke. "Guys, as you have already met her, I should put this in the light to not incur your curiosity. Sayuri here is now my girlfriend too."

"I have joined Hayden's harem." Sayuri slightly bowed and jokingly replied.

"Stop that." Hayden slapped his forehead. "Ignore that. Anyhow, there it is. I'm in a polygynous relationship with the two. So, there's that.

Nobody in the trio responded in their stupor. They all had this asking gazes of 'really, dude? What the hell?' It's as if their entire world was turned upside down.

It was not that they found it odd that someone was in a polygamous relationship. These relationships, as aforementioned, was normal. In fact, Zeke was raised in a polyandrous family, with her mother having three husbands.

What they found bizarre was that Hayden was in this kind of relationship. They didn't envisage Hayden being in one. It was too far-fetched for them.

And for it to be two of the CHORUS members? Eun-ha and Sayuri who were considered as two of the most charming women in the world? Truly unexpected.

They would've accepted it if the individual CHORUS members were in a polyandrous relationship, after all, about 30% of the celebrity industry that identifies as female are in one. But for them to be in a polygynous? That was truly peculiar.

If this got out, it would cause utter chaos in the world. It will be scandalous. Specifically, Hayden's age. Accordingly, they made sure that they zipped their mouths when it comes to this matter.

They wouldn't want to get on Hayden's bad side anyways. They fear that he will hunt them till they wished they were in hell. Also, he helped them a ton at this point. He never asked for repayment, nor did he require it. It was the least they can do.

"Okay." Hayden left the trio to their devices as they didn't respond for a solid minute. "You guys also eat. There's plenty of food for everyone."

Hayden led Sayuri to the ensemble of beautiful girls. He was handed a bowl by Eun-ha. He filled his bowl with some of everything, including rice. He ate while conversing with CHORUS casually.

Till now, the trio couldn't wrap their heads of how Hayden was so amicable to the eleven women. In the midst of that, everyone's phone had a notification.

They all looked at the notification and saw a post from Hayden. It was a picture of CHORUS eating, albeit gracefully. It had the caption of 'Look who decided they want to eat my cooking again? Thanks for the backstage pass!'

"Oho, our Hayden-kun revealing some things." Sayuri giggled at the sight of the post. "You really are proud of your cooking, huh?"

"Needless to say." Hayden nodded with a faint smile.

The air of confidence that was exuded by Hayden was thick. Eun-ha and Sayuri were happy that Hayden has something to be proud of. It was rare for him to act that proud. As for the others, they were drawn in by the confidence.

For the second time, an hour passed without Daniel, Zeke, and Scarlet mingling in with the CHORUS members. They were all too breathtaking to be in point blank range with. Much less talk to. They were wondering how Hayden can do this effortlessly? Probably because he was on the same level, if not, above.

12:00 PM. Hayden and company entered the actual venue for the concert. As might be expected, Hayden, Scarlet, Daniel, and Zeke were all in the VIP box that costed 30,000 credits.

As you may have deduced by now, the Philippine Arena, like every building in the world, has undergone a change of structure to increase its integrity. In the present, the Philippine Arena was equipped with Adamant Alloy core Shojin Steel frames.

Internally, the Philippine Arena hasn't expanded. Although it remained as the largest indoor arena in the world and had its equipment upgraded.

The main upgrade of the arena was its retractable seats and guardrails. Naturally, as this was a concert, the seats were all retracted, with guardrails in place of the layers to protect people falling down onto the next level.

There were many zones of the concert. Nobody should be bored with that details. The sole thing you have to grasp is that the VIP zone is the closest one to the stage.

As it was two hours before the concert, the arena was pretty much desolate. The quartet were currently the sole people in the VIP box. Some early birds can be seen from faraway, too.

Accordingly, the quartet all did their own stuff as they waited. As for Hayden, he was surprised that the architecture plan for his mansion was finished. Checking it, Hayden was satisfied of it.

With that, Hayden gave the green light for them to plan the start of the construction. The duo informed him that the construction will be delayed till February due to the World Summit and Annual Youth Pride.

Hayden was okay with this. Until he read the next part of the sentence of Angelo. It stated: "If you want to change something for the plan, notify us. A reminder, you can buy extraordinary materials from The Boss and implement it in your house."

'That's interesting.' Hayden sighed out. He replied that he'll make sure to check it and that he was busy in the meantime. 'I think I'd have to invest some of my credits on that. You cannot put a price on safety and quality.'

As time passed, the venue was filled with more and more people. Many of them spotted Hayden and asked for pictures. Some who anticipated that he'd be there requested signatures.

Just like that, 30 minutes passed. It was 1:00 PM when CHORUS entered the stage, wearing CHORUS shirts and white denim shorts. By that point, the venue was 25% full. The people who were early all cheered.

It was obvious that they'd entertain the early birds again. This was a common occurrence, which is why many people came early.

Hayden made eye contact with Eun-ha. Hayden had a bad feeling. 'Oh god, here we go again.'