The hospital didn't calm down after the surgery.
If anything, it became heavier.
Phones were out now, screens glowing as people searched, refreshed, searched again. Someone whispered, almost reverently, "Just… just look him up."
And they did.
Hunter.
The results hit instantly.
Concert stages under blinding lights. Stadiums packed so tightly they looked unreal. Interviews in different languages. Awards. Headlines that refused to end.
Global icon. Vocal phenomenon. A name the world already knew.
The silence that followed was louder than screaming.
Keifer was the first to exhale. "That's… that Hunter?"
Yuri stared at his screen, stunned. Drew's mouth opened, then closed again.
Kit let out a weak laugh. "No way."
Mayo swallowed hard. "You just… operated on him?"
Eren ran a hand through his hair, clearly overwhelmed. Rory leaned against the wall like his legs had given up. Edrix just shook his head slowly, like denial might help.
Freya's eyes flicked between Lia and Jay. Ella stood frozen. Mica muttered something under her breath. Rakki stared openly now, not even trying to hide it.
Cin whispered, "This isn't real."
Felix scoffed, but there was no humor in it.
Calix blinked rapidly. David stared at the floor. Josh rubbed his temples. Eman looked like he'd forgotten how to breathe. Percy sat down hard on the nearest chair.
Jay leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching all of it unfold. She didn't look shocked.
Lia sat beside her on the bench, eyes closed, head tilted back, exhaustion finally catching up with her.
Angelo watched the group for a moment longer before speaking, his voice calm—almost amused.
"If this is how excited you all get over Hunter," he said casually, "how do you think you'll react when you meet the rest of Section E?"
That did it.
"What?" Keifer snapped.
"The rest?" Yuri echoed.
Mayo frowned. "You mean—like—more famous people?"
Angelo didn't answer immediately.
Kairav didn't ask anything at all. Ion just sighed. Meera looked bored. Cindy rolled her eyes. Jessica smirked faintly. Daniel crossed his arms. Tiger muttered, "Figures."
Raphael didn't even look up.
They already knew.
That contrast made it worse.
Drew noticed. "Wait… you guys aren't surprised?"
Ion finally spoke. "Why would we be?"
Freya turned slowly. "You're kidding."
Jay opened her eyes and glanced at Lia, then back at them. "He's not."
Ella's voice was small. "So you're telling us… Hunter isn't the only one?"
"Nope," Jay said.
The hallway went quiet again.
Kit laughed, sharp and disbelieving. "This school is insane."
Mayo looked at Lia. "Then explain this part,"
he said carefully. "How did you two do that surgery?"
Jay didn't respond.
Lia opened her eyes and met their gazes calmly. "We were trained."
"By who?" Percy asked.
Jay exhaled once. "Dr. Bell."
The name landed hard.
No one laughed this time.
Felix whispered, "The Dr. Bell?"
"The most precise doctors in the world?" Eman said.
"The ones who vanished years ago?" Edrix added.
Jay nodded. "Those ones."
Silence.
Then Drew muttered, "You're kidding."
Angelo stepped in. "They're not."
Josh stared at Jay and Lia like he was seeing them for the first time. "Then why are you here? Why school?"
Lia answered simply. "Because we wanted to live."
A nurse approached quietly. "He's stable. Out of danger."
Relief swept through the group.
Jay closed her eyes briefly. Lia finally relaxed.
Through the glass, Hunter lay still—alive.
A global star.
To Lia, just family.
Angelo glanced at the stunned faces around him.
"Google never tells the full story," he said.
Jay smirked faintly.
"It really doesn't."
And this time, no one argued.