Thus, their friendship blossomed—at least as social outcasts.
Philip and Nicholas stuck together like glue—or rather, Philip followed Nicholas wherever he went.
"Eh? How did you notice me?" Nicholas asked, surprised, as they navigated through a dense crowd of students.
"You stand out, somehow," Philip replied.
Nicholas didn't like the way that was phrased, as evident by the annoyed expression on his face.
Over the next few weeks, Philip made it his mission to figure out what made Nicholas tick, while Nicholas, in turn, tried to learn how to act more like a normal boy his age.
In hindsight, Philip realized he wasn't so much educating the socially inept Nicholas as he was corrupting him.
During this time, many problems arose—whether it was bullying, students needing help, or even a teacher or janitor struggling with a task, Nicholas was always there to lend a hand.
At first, Philip saw nothing wrong with Nicholas helping out, but over time, something about it unsettled him. It was the sheer lack of expression—the way Nicholas did everything without expecting anything in return.
When Philip confronted him about it, Nicholas only looked at him in confusion.
"Huh? No, I'm fine. They needed help, so I helped. That's all there is to it."
But to Philip, it felt more like watching a servant being dragged around, doing everything for others while rarely receiving so much as a thank you.
It infuriated Philip. He personally would never help someone unless they were in real danger, a close friend or family member, or if there was something to gain from it.
But what worried Philip even more was how Nicholas dealt with bullies.
Rather than confronting them directly, Nicholas played the villain, taking all the blame and allowing the bullies to 'reform,' as he put it.
The most baffling part? It actually worked—about 80% of the time.
As for the ones who didn't reform? Nicholas simply led them to their own demise.
Philip made a mental note to never get on Nicholas Darklight's bad side.
Then again, he was the guy's only friend. It might've been impossible to do so.
"So, what is this style of game called?" Nicholas asked, his eyes glued to Philip's phone.
"It's called Gacha."
"…And what's the point? The gameplay doesn't seem all that interesting, the story is laughably bad, and… I guess the character designs aren't that terrible… Who am I kidding? They're atrocious. Biologically, they make no sense."
"Actually, people play them mostly because of the characters."
"But… you could grind for ten hours straight and still not get the character you want. This is basically gambling! Which requires tremendous amounts of luck! Which I most certainly do not have."
"…It is gambling. But, like, a safer one?"
"Gambling is gambling."
"...Yeah, I don't see the appeal too much either."
"Same. Glad I'm not the only one," Nicholas said, still staring at the screen.
Philip eyed him with suspicion. "Uh-huh. And you'll stop playing it now, yeah?"
"Hmm? O-oh yeah. Just let me… I have enough for a multi-summon. Aaaaand… Oh? Oh! OH! I—I just got the SSR I wanted!" Nicholas exclaimed, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
Slowly but surely, the dead look in Nicholas Darklight's eyes began to fade, replaced by… a spark of life.
Philip stared at his friend, who was now completely engrossed in the accursed gacha game.
"Yeah… definitely corrupting…" Philip murmured to himself.
"Hm? Did you say something?" Nicholas asked, finally looking up.
"N-nothing… Hey. Doesn't it look like that girl is being bullied?"
Instantly, Nicholas shut off his phone and turned to where Philip was pointing.
A girl with pink hair was cornered by about eight other girls, their fingers pointing accusingly at her. Among them stood a blond boy, who seemed to be trying to diffuse the situation, but was miserably failing. The air between them was tense and heated.
"Looks like she's being bullied," Philip sighed, half expecting Nicholas to have already rushed over to resolve the issue in some perplexing manner.
"Mhm."
Huh?
Philip shot his friend a bewildered look. Nicholas was just… staring at the scene.
"…Aren't you going to help?" Philip asked slowly.
"I am…" Nicholas paused. "I am, however, debating what to do."
"Can't you just go and start a fight like you usually do?"
"No. My father taught me to never hit a girl."
Philip looked at his friend in mild shock. "…Seriously?"
"Very serious. I will have to handle this in some other way…" Nicholas looked thoughtful, considering his approach. "Record everything, just in case," he told Philip before stepping forward.
The girls seemed to be upset with the pink-haired girl for some reason. The more Nicholas listened, the more uncomfortable he became, especially as they kept insisting they were 'better' than her. Though he lacked context, he decided to take a chance.
Nicholas stepped forward and fixed his gaze on the group. His measured and cutting tone sounded like intellectual disdain as he addressed the girls who had cornered the pink-haired girl.
"You know," he began, his voice low and even, "if you're so desperate to prove your superiority, you might want to study something more substantial than the trivial gossip of your peers. I suppose you think that popularity is the same as wisdom, but that's a very narrow view indeed."
The girls exchanged confused glances, their youthful expressions twisting between indignation and bafflement. One of them, barely understanding the full weight of his words, snapped, "Who even talks like that?"
Nicholas offered a strange smile that seemed to amuse him as much as it perplexed them. "I guess I do. It might be the price I pay for realizing that sometimes I'm as clueless as you are. And believe me, I've learned that the hard way."
Before his words could sink in, the blonde boy—standing slightly apart from the rest—stepped forward. His tone was calm, almost conciliatory. "Hey, let's not escalate things further. We all have our insecurities, right? Maybe there's a better way to sort this out without throwing insults like confetti."
A murmur rippled through the group, the girls' faces hardening as they argued over what constituted real strength and what was merely posturing. Their words were hasty, filled with petty jabs at each other's social clout, but none carried the weight of Nicholas's calculated barbs.
Seizing the moment amid the discord, Philip approached the pink-haired girl. Gently taking her hand, he murmured, "Come with me. Let's get outta here." Her eyes widened in gratitude as she allowed him to lead her away.
Nicholas watched them recede into the distance. The girls, still embroiled in their verbal skirmish, began hurling shallow insults his way—snide remarks about his "old man voice" and "pretentious talk"—but he only smirked and slowly backed away.
The blonde boy's gaze lingered on Nicholas as the confrontation dissolved. There was a conflicted look in his eyes—a silent acknowledgment that perhaps he, too, had wanted to defuse the situation peacefully, but had failed to do so in a way that satisfied him.
As Nicholas disappeared down the hallway, the sounds of the girls' petty insults faded into the background, leaving behind an uneasy silence. The blonde boy stood there a moment longer, wrestling with the realization that the conflict had been solved, yet his own efforts at peace had been futile.
The next day.
Philip and Nicholas eyed their unexpected visitor with suspicion. Their usual lunch spot now had an additional member.
"If I may ask… what are you doing here?" Nicholas asked slowly.
Sitting across from them, swaying side to side with an upbeat, almost mischievous smile, was the pink-haired girl they had helped the day before.
"Am I not allowed? It's a free country, after all."
Nicholas sighed, deciding to let the subject drop.
Rose pouted at his lack of response and shot him a playful glare.
Philip, unsure what to make of the situation, cleared his throat. "So, what's your name?"
The girl immediately brightened, flashing a beaming smile. "So glad someone finally asked!" she said, throwing Nicholas a pointed side-glance. He, in response, merely opened his book and started reading.
"Evelyn Rose! But you can just call me Rose."
Philip averted his eyes slightly, overwhelmed by her energy. He wasn't exactly confident when it came to talking to girls. He glanced at Nicholas, expecting a similar reaction, only to find that his friend looked as unbothered as ever. Then again, Nicholas Darklight only ever seemed embarrassed when he didn't know something.
"Uh-huh. Philip." He motioned toward Nicholas. "And that's Nicholas."
Nicholas glanced up from his book, his expression unreadable as always, and gave a small nod in confirmation.
Just as Rose was about to speak, Nicholas cut in.
"What was the reason you were being targeted yesterday?"
She hesitated, shifting slightly in place, before twirling dramatically and winking. "I forgot?"
Philip frowned. Was that a statement or a question?
Nicholas narrowed his eyes at her, analyzing her words. But with his usual deadpan stare, the expression appeared far more intense than he likely intended. "How can you possibly forget something like that?"
"Wah! Mr. Philip, Mr. Nick is being mean to me!"
Before either of them could react, Rose ducked behind Philip, practically using him as a shield. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Philip instantly flushed at the sudden close contact, while Nicholas…
Nicholas looked completely and utterly distraught. "Eh? I—I didn't mean to be mean. I apologize. No, um, s-sorry?" He stuttered, visibly flustered.
Philip blinked in disbelief.
Rose, however, snickered from behind him, the tears in her eyes vanishing in an instant. "So, the cool-headed guy is weak to girls crying, huh?" she teased, grinning cheekily.
Both Philip and Nicholas were caught off guard—Nicholas especially.
Dangerous! Philip thought, recognizing just how easily Rose had managed to draw a reaction out of Nicholas, something he himself had never seen in all the weeks they had spent together.
Nicholas, still in shock, murmured to himself, "So that's my weakness…"
If anyone else had heard him, they might have thought he was joking. But given how serious he sounded, Philip knew that his friend had made a very real, if somewhat unsettling, discovery.
Apparently, Nicholas didn't have much experience dealing with girls either.
And so, Evelyn Rose—just Rose, as she preferred—began sticking around the two of them, even though they were in separate classes.
"Why are you hanging around us, though?" Philip couldn't help but ask.
Rose shrugged. "You two are fun." A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Especially to tease."
Thus, the three of them became friends, sharing all sorts of experiences together.
One such example.
"Hey, Nicky, why do you hate monsters so much?" Rose asked casually, though a hint of curiosity lingered in her tone. She had noticed the unusual glint in Nicholas's eyes as he gleefully slayed creatures in a game on his phone.
Before Nicholas could answer, Philip jumped in with his own question. "You don't?"
Rose shot him a strange look. "I mean, I think monsters are kinda cool? At least their designs."
Philip raised an eyebrow. "I figured you'd be more into cutesy stuff."
Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "Who doesn't like cute things? I'm just saying I like scary stuff too, ya know?"
"Why?" The question wasn't from Philip.
Rose turned to Nicholas, tilting her head. "Is there something wrong with liking scary things?"
Nicholas shook his head. "I would think so, yes. Why would you like something that scares you?" He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Philip internally groaned. His friend really was clueless sometimes.
Nicholas then cleared his throat. "But to answer your question—it's because of the monster under my bed. Because of him, I'm not allowed to do things past a certain time." His tone was completely serious, filled with disappointment.
Philip and Rose both stared at him, wide-eyed.
"…Nicholas? You do know monsters aren't real, right? That's just a myth," Philip explained. Rose nodded in agreement.
Now it was Nicholas's turn to look shocked. His mouth opened, forming an 'O'. "But… my father told me a monster lived under my bed."
Philip barely held back a laugh. For someone as intelligent as Nicholas, he could be strangely gullible.
"I hate to break it to you, man, but your dad was messing with you," Philip said, feeling almost guilty when Nicholas's expression crumbled. He looked like someone who had just learned the sun was destined to explode one day.
Rose giggled. "To think the so-called 'Monster of Logic' actually believed in real monsters."
Nicholas grimaced. "Don't call me that."
Rose's eyes gleamed. "Oh~? The Monster of Logic dislikes a logical nickname that logically fits him in the most logical sense?"
Nicholas deadpanned. "Stop saying 'logic' over and over. It doesn't make you sound smarter."
Their days continued in a cycle like this. Each time, they learned something new about one another, and for every silly belief Nicholas unknowingly held, Rose never failed to tease him.
Another time.
"Just to check," Philip said, glancing between his two friends. "Nicholas, do you think Santa is real?"
Nicholas blinked, looking at him as if he had just asked whether the sky was blue. "What kind of stupid question is that? Of course he's real."
Philip could already hear Rose struggling to stifle a giggle. Still, he pressed on. "And what exactly is your reasoning?"
Nicholas adjusted his posture, his voice steady and matter-of-fact. "For every good, there is evil. For every evil, there is good. Therefore, in such a rotten world, something good has to come out of it. That being Santa Claus."
Philip wasn't sure if he was impressed or baffled. The way Nicholas said it almost made it sound… believable.
It was that day that Nicholas's worldview shattered—multiple times.
Yet another time.
"So, what's your favorite fruit?" Rose asked one day.
As always, she was fishing for ways to tease them. "Mine's strawberries."
"Pear," Philip said proudly, puffing out his chest.
Rose scrunched up her nose. "Why?"
Oh no. Philip internally panicked. She's started copying the Monster of Logic!
"Pear is like an apple, but better," he declared. "Sweeter, juicier, overall superior!"
Rose sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah." Then, she turned to Nicholas. "And you, Nicky?"
At this point, you might as well start calling him Micky… Mouse… Philip's thoughts wandered to far-off places. When he turned to observe his best friend, he saw Nicholas seemed… embarrassed.
"Strawberries as well," Nicholas muttered.
Rose's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Aww! Look at you, acting all shy for some reason. What, embarrassed to share the same preference as a girl?" Of course, Rose caught on to him and immediately pounced on him like a cat would play with a mouse.
Nicholas immediately shifted gears, his expression going blank. "Not at all. Truthfully, I have no idea why I was embarrassed in the first place."
Philip exhaled. That was close. Any more, and Nicholas might've actually experienced a normal human emotion.
And so, their strange friendship continued.
For now.
None of them could have known that everything—their bond, their routines, their very dynamic—would shift in their final year of middle school.