Jayden looked up at the door tag, "room 24," and smiled before going in.
"Ohh Jayden! You're back." Tyler smiled from the end of the room
"Yeah, in one piece!" Ryan added
Both rushed to hug him, not before Draco ran behind Jayden, breathing like his hero had just arrived.
"Your roommates are cringe, they think I'm some dog they use as pets", Draco muttered, even though he was unfused, Jayden could still hear his words in his head.
He was glad he had made the decision to tell Ryan and Tyler about Draco, as they were trustworthy.
It not only saved him from being caught by the MAGEO but also brought his friends back to him.
"Jayden!" Tyler called, trying to catch Draco from behind Jayden, "Your dragon was so flexible, I had fun playing tag with it." His plant vines wiggled lively behind him.
"Stay away from me!" Draco shouted, clinging to Jayden's leg, and spying Ryan and Tyler from behind.
Jayden scratched his nape, "I'm glad you guys had fun babysitting it for the day."
"So, how did it go?" Ryan smirked.
Jayden let out a deep breath, sitting on the lowest bunk while Draco followed behind him, ensuring those two zombies were nowhere close to him.
"So, it's healthy to say the MAGEO are off my back for now,"
"Cool!" Ryan purred, but Tyler shrugged and said, "No, who knows if you'll ever allow it to babysit your dragon again!"
Draco bared his teeth, growling behind Jayden
Jayden laughed, "Not to mention, we're gonna be turning this room into a mansion."
"Huuu, what's that supposed to mean?" Tyler lifted an eyebrow at Jayden.
Jayden smiled, "So... the MAGEO paid me ten thousand dollars for the inconvenience and also not to tell anyone what happened, and yes, for damaging my fake egg"
Ryan and Tyler covered the wide-open mouth with their hands.
"No way..." they were both literally jumping with a lot of victory dance.
"Bro that's a fortune..."
Jayden relaxed, "I know, right. By the way, Tyler thanks for lending me your spare phone. It's probably in the MAGEO right now, once I catch my breath, I'll go track that asshole organisation down.
"It's nothing, dude!" Tyler purred, "What we have now is worth more than that worn-out crap."
Jayden sat up, "Actually, thanks to you both, I would have been toast if it weren't for you guys."
"Bro, quit saying thanks, it's disgusting." Ryan scoffed.
Jayden smiled, feeling the warm embrace of his friends.
Tyler leaned into Jayden, "Your girlfriend came by looking for you!"
"Shit" Jayden cursed as he remembered he was supposed to see her today.
He'll probably be toast the next time he sees her—and he hasn't gotten time to cook up his lies yet.
He couldn't tell Zoe about Draco, but she still needed answers about her father's name being on that drawing.
Jayden turned his head away, "Please don't call her my girlfriend "
Tyler teased him more.
"Don't worry, you can date her, but don't forget, bros before hoes."
Jayden smiled but then he remembered something.
He quickly got a piece of paper from a nearby book, "Guess what I got Draco"
Draco leaned in to see from under Jayden's armpit.
Jayden forced out a red powder substance from his fingers.
"Is that?" Draco's eyes gleamed brighter.
"Yes, a fragment of a flame core" Jayden completed.
He was fortunate to get a pinch of it just before those security guards almost shot him with electric lasers.
It was probably the mana from the flame core, which he hid behind his nails, that caused the machine at the MAGEO to pick up a signal of dragon mana at first.
Even though it was small, it was well enough to activate his flame core, and now he could simply ask his roommates to help him purchase crystals and cultivate in the dark since they both shared in his secret.
Money was no longer a limitation.
Jayden packed it carefully and stored it in his bag.
"So you can awaken one of your cores?" Tyler muttered.
"Yeah, the flame, then it would be two more to go."
"Man, you're awesome, no wonder you kicked Mr Tony's butt the other day."
Jayden giggled faintly.
Now he would be able to concentrate on class without thinking too much about the MAGEO.
For now, he would make a subtle investigation but he would only engage when his body physically starts telling the world he's not the beastless kid they knew him to be
"So, since you guys know about my secret mission, why not become my sidekicks?"
Ryan and Tyler looked at each other,
"You don't need to ask Jayden, if there's more dragons out there, I'm gonna save them and gain a second contract." Tyler enthusiastically smiled.
"Sidekicks" Ryan scoffed, folding his arms, "I prefer being the main boss"
Jayden climbed up to his bunk. "You know this second contract stuff is just a rumour, right?
"Yeah" Tyler purred, "but you wouldn't know if you don't try."
"Hey, wait up!" Draco screamed, trying to climb to Jayden's bunk, but he couldn't reach it before Ryan and Tyler dove at him again.
Jayden turned his head, watching Draco panic while Ryan and Tyler kept on chasing him around the small room.
He allowed it for the warmth that filled the room, and also, since Draco's dragon scales could absorb mana, it would be an advantage in his cultivation now that there was nothing to hide from his roommates.
His secret came out rather fast, but it was necessary to save Jayden from becoming a lab rat or something worse.
Who knew if Troy's group would ever dare him again? He had given them a beating they would never forget when his emotions were in chaos, but now that he was stable, it felt really appealing that he, for once, treated them like the trash they were.
"Have fun" he whispered, before his eyes closed and his ears shut to the energetic shouts of his roommates.