After everything that had happened that night, I was feeling tired and confused. We walked back to Kadic from the factory and all chatted about random things. Aelita seemed a bit fazed like I was, but thankfully Jeremie didn't notice.

Because it was night-time, we had to be especially careful when sneaking back into school. We'd done it thousands of times so we knew the drill. Ulrich, Jeremie and I said goodbye to Yumi and Aelita by the staircase and parted our different ways.

"What a day," Jeremie exclaimed in a hushed whisper as we walked upstairs.

"Right on," I agreed. We said goodbye to Jeremie almost immediately after that, and once Ulrich and I were inside our room, I flopped onto my bed and groaned. Ulrich smirked.

"Okay good buddy, want to tell me what Jeremie having open-mind was all about? Yumi and I were really curious," he said persuasively. I rolled over onto my back.

"Hello!" I said cheerfully as Aelita stepped out of the scanner. She smiled.

"Look," I began, "Herve and Nicholas saw come to the factory somehow and are waiting us out by the elevator. I think, to get rid of them of course, we could hold hands or something and um, tell them we're on a date," I said quickly. Aelita raised an eyebrow.

"What? After all this you want me to do that?"

Oh, yeah. Our fight.

"Well yeah! Unless you've got a better idea," I replied. Aelita crossed her arms and smirked.

"Hmm," she began, "Come with me."

We stepped into the elevator but hadn't started going yet.

"So when the elevator opens, you kiss me!" she cried. I gaped at her.

"Me, kiss you?" I asked unsurely. Aelita smiled.

"Yeah, well why not? Think you can't handle it?" she punched my arm playfully. I laughed shakily.

"Okay, okay." I said, "Bring it on."

The elevator took an agonizingly slow ride up.

"One," she said.

"Two," I continued.

"Thr-"

I cut her off with the famous Odd Della Robbia kiss. Then I nonchalantly put my hands in my pockets.

"Hey, you guys enjoying the show?"

"So that's why they were hiding in the factory," Nicholas concluded.

"They like each other."

"Whoa, okay. Quite a story," Ulrich said with a chuckle.

"Don't people think you're cousins?" he asked. I sighed. Hadn't really thought of that.

"Nicholas and Herve are too stupid to figure that out," I said.

"Yeah but other people aren't. They're going to tell other people you know," Ulrich replied.

"Yeah, Aelita and I will just fight in public tomorrow, I guess," I said with a yawn. Suddenly, something started nagging at me. I frowned.

"What is it now?" he groaned, "do you suddenly like Aelita or something?

"No!" I quickly defended, "and even if I did... I could never do that to Jeremie."

Ulrich patted me on the shoulder and then whispered in my ear.

"You're so gonna fall for her."

I slapped him on the shoulder.

"You, good buddy, are not one to talk about love," I smirked. Ulrich crossed his arms and grumbled.

"Besides, I'm Odd Della Robbia. I don't fall in love with girls, especially not Aelita. But I have to admit she is a real cutie. Jeremie's got taste."

I sighed. What was going on with me?