Project LOKI ③

Chapter 43: The Last of Augustus X (Race to the Truth)

"Of course, I did!" he smiled. Of course, he really did. He outsmarted us. "That was the best solidarity night that I have ever been. Do you mind if we visit one of our circulation stations?"

Umiling ako at nagpatuloy kami sa paglalakad. It's been five minutes since we left the execom office, but he hasn't hinted at the real deal why he's taking me for a walk.

Pagkaliko namin sa hallway, dumiretso kami sa entrance lobby ng school building. May mahabang mesa roon kung saan nakapatong ang mga magazine issue ng Clarion. Naalala ko na dito unang nagkainitan sina Augustus at Loki pagkabalik namin mula sa outing.

"Thank you for the feature by the way! And thank you for immortalizing our legacy! Don't worry, we will return the favor by immortalizing you in one of the cases that Lorelei will write about soon." I remember Loki telling Augustus a veiled threat here. Kahit na may pagbabanta ang mga salita ni Loki noon, Augustus seemed unbothered. He was smirking back then.

"You can take a break muna. Ako na muna ang bahala rito," he told his three staffers seated around the table. Sabay-sabay silang tumango at umalis sa kanilang puwesto. Kaninang pagkarating ko pa rito sila namimigay ng mga copy ng magazine.

I looked around. Dahil nasa entrance lobby kami, hindi maubos ang mga estudyanteng naglalakad papasok at palabas ng school building. For a moment, I thought Augustus would ask me to help him distribute their magazines.

"I want you to feel safe," he said, holding a copy of the magazine. He was staring at the cover kung saan featured kaming apat na member ng QED Club. "There's also a CCTV camera nearby you don't really have to worry about your safety."

"Thank you for being so thoughtful," sagot ko. I never thought he'd be so concerned about that.

Humarap siya sa akin at inayos ang pagkakalagay ng kanyang salamin. "I want our next conversation to be off the record. Mas magiging komportable akong sabihin sa 'yo kung alam kong 'di mo ire-record ang usapan natin. Do you mind?"

Tch. I clicked my tongue. Naka-ready na ang mga daliri ko na i-record ang conversation namin. I only have one phone right now and the execom had no time to put a wire on me para ma-monitor ang usapan namin. Mukhang wala akong choice kung 'di pagbigyan ang request niya.

"Sure." Inilabas ko ang aking phone at ipinakita sa kanya ang screen nito. Walang recording app na naka-on. Ipinatong ko pa 'to sa mesa bilang proof na hindi ako magtatangkang utakan siya.

"Thank you, Lorelei," Augustus replied, smiling. Now he shouldn't fear being recorded by me anymore.

"So ano ba talaga ang gusto mong sabihin?" I folded my arms. "Bakit gusto mo akong kausapin?"

"Do you know what's one of the important jobs of the Clarion's editor-in-chief?" he answered my question with another question. Iniharap niya sa akin ang magazine at dahan-dahang inilipat ang mga page nito. Nakita ko nga 'yong feature kay Stein Alberts. "Finalizing the layout of an issue. I had to make sure na maganda ang kalalabasan nito. Maayos ang pagkakalagay ng mga text, image at iba pang materials. Walang naliligaw na lines."

"I see." If I know nothing about him, I might have mistaken this brief lecture as a recruitment pitch for me to join the Clarion. "Mabigat na responsibility 'yan. Kapag may mali sa layout, ikaw ang sisisihin."

Augustus chuckled. "I'm a meticulous person. I can't let one typographical error to be printed on any of our issues. Kung babasahin mo ang lahat ng mga release namin ngayong school year, I doubt you'd spot any. The content, the layout. They're all perfect. At least, to my eyes."

"Good job then," I forced a smile at him. Ngayon nagbubuhat siya ng bangko kung gaano siya kagaling bilang EIC. I still don't get the point that he was driving at.