Here's the (very) late chapter, I guess. University projects have been breaking my back honestly it's so stupid why do they need to give 4 assignments with the same last date?? I can't catch a break to focus on writing my story //internally screaming rn//

Yeah so I managed to put together this small chapter of just over 5k words but I hope you guys enjoy!! (comment down any typos or grammatical mistakes please, I'll correct them)

------------------------------------

(Y/n) (L/n) ~

Xander absolutely annihilated Wakiya with his new special move, Dual Sabers.

Wyvron put up a good fight in the beginning of the match, using its Shield Launch to push Xcalius to the brink of bursting. It even seemed like Wakiya would actually score two points and win. All too good to be true, of course. Exactly what Xander's ultimate plan was.

Totally expected, coming from a member of the Supreme Four. Bladers like him always had an extra unpredictable move up their sleeve, no matter what. I'd warned Wakiya before the match but he chose his fate himself. Definitely deserved.

Wyvron's heavy attacks allowed Xeno Xcalius to get into the right position for performing Dual Sabers. During the process of getting bursted, as Xcalius' forge disc slowly unturned, the saber design on the upper layer of the bey slowly aligned with the sword design on the middle layer, creating the ultimate dual saber combination needed for victory.

It was an incredibly undefeatable move. Attacking Xcalius would allow it to get into the perfect position for Dual Sabers. But if we don't attack it, then how the hell are we supposed to win?

Unless... a bey that's strong enough to survive Dual Sabers and come out having enough stamina left to counter attack? Or some miraculous strategy that could avoid Dual Sabers from activating at all?

Hold on, I know a move that —

"WAIT, come back!" the referee suddenly shouted, distracting me from my analytical thoughts on Alexander's new move.

What happened now?

Turns out, Wakiya was so distressed with his defeat that he'd abruptly left the arena and ran off to the backstage.

Wow. Quite risky behaviour when a literal tournament is going on. Fairplay policy, hello?

Who said bladers are allowed to leave the stage in the middle of the match? Childish behaviour, and that too, when he's just facing the consequences of his own actions.

"No, you don't!" Rantaro said and chased him.

"Wait up!" Valt shouted and followed after.

Me, Shu and Daigo awkwardly stood there with no clue what to do next. All cameras were suddenly on us, which made the awkwardness even worse. A very confused Xander returned back to his team without a word.

How embarrassing...

"Um, well, maybe the two of you can use this time to decide who goes in next?" Daigo looked at me, then Shu.

I sighed and sat down on the bench. Shu and Daigo looked at each other and did the same.

"So... we've still got to go up against Ukyo Ibuki and Yugo Nansui," Shu started seriously. "We know that Unicrest is a defence type and Yegdrion is a stamina type."

How did that even matter? Shu and I had both balance types, so it wasn't like we could face type advantage or disadvantage.

"And we've got a factor in their personalities," Daigo said. "Yugo is probably up next. He has a quick temper and hates to lose."

"No arguments there. But then again, we've seen how he always meditates before the match," Shu gestured towards the opposite team's corner. "Look at him."

I turned my head to see where Shu was looking. Sure enough, Yugo was happily chatting with Ukyo on the other side. Of course we couldn't hear anything from so far, but I clearly saw their lips moving. He most definitely wasn't meditating.

"So then..." Daigo said.

"My guess," Shu said. "Next one up is going to be Ukyo with Unicrest."

"Why are the two of you discussing as if you're the ones battling?" I interrupted their serious conversation. It was honestly kind of making me jealous.

"What are you, jealous?" Daigo rolled his eyes.

"Not a chance," I decided to stand up to properly look at Shu's face. "Tell me, do you want Ukyo or not?"

Shu uncrossed his arms, and just when I thought he'd say something very decisive and intellectual, he gritted his teeth and winced.

"Shoulder again?" Daigo immediately noticed.

Shu caught his right arm and gave Daigo a forced smile. "Nah, it's nothing serious. It's healed... almost completely."

"Hmm," I didn't say anything for a minute, just blankly staring at his face, making sure that he realizes lying isn't going to work. Shu visibly tensed under my gaze.

"Just so you know, I see everything," I said. "And I mean, everything."

I'm sure I didn't need to remind him how his unnecessary hand combat with Lui had caused his shoulder injury to resurface again.

"Hey guys, we're back!" Valt, Wakiya and Rantaro finally returned from their backstage drama. "Hope you didn't miss us."

I sighed and looked back at Shu.

"Yeah, I'm going in next. Rest back, Shu, I'll win this and make it easy for you," I took out my launcher and looked up at the stage in front of me. "Besides, I'm feeling exceptionally mischievous today. Let's do a little experiment with Unicrest."

I smirked at the thought of traumatizing Ukyo.

"Uhh.. I don't like the look on her face!" Rantaro panicked behind me. "Do something, Valt!"

"Experiment? What do you mean by that?" Daigo asked.

"(Y/n), don't take any risks," Shu reasoned. "The Sword Flames only need one point to win."

I kept a hand on my waist and turned around to look at everyone's bewildered faces. I'd almost forgotten how much I loved being unpredictable.

I grinned and raised my launcher in the air as a sign of confidence. The Beyclub were very confused by my smile alone.

"Can our second bladers please come forward?" the referee announced just in time.

Having wished good luck by everyone, I took Sparyon out of my pocket and marched towards the stadium.

My first ever team battle, here I come.

A small part of my mind wished for Theodore to be watching my battle on his screen right now. It's a rare chance, but it'll make me feel really better about myself.

"From The Sword Flames, it's the Shadow Walker, Ukyo Ibuki!" Hanami began announcing.

"And woah, look at that! The Beigoma Academy Beyclub are taking absolutely no chances this time. They're sending (Y/n) (L/n), their newest recruit, who's officially making a debut in the team battles! Keep your eyes open, folks. This battle will go down in history!"

"I'll say," Ukyo began in his usual smug tone. "I really was wishing for you to be my opponent, and you didn't disappoint."

"Don't worry," I scoffed. "You'll get your share of disappointment when I humiliate you on the stage today."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" his expression turned curious.

"Let's find out."

"First Battle!" The referee called out.

Ukyo hesitantly took his stance. I could see that he was already wary of my strategy and we hadn't even started yet. The psychological pressure I put on him during our short pre-match conversation was immense.

A nasty move; but being nasty was worth it. To me, instilling fear into my opponent's mind will always be much more satisfying than actually winning the match.

The situation deepened further when I didn't lean down for my launching stance. I stepped back and straightened my launcher in front of my body, while still standing, and kept my left leg before the right. In that position, my launcher was dangerously high above the stadium, and this risky technique was one I'd only dared to use in unimportant State matches before.

An experiment worthy of the Japanese National Tournament screen.

I was aware of the tensed expression on Ukyo's face. And the watchful gaze of his captain, Xander Shakadera, intently staring at me from his seating spot. If anything, Xander's eyes on me made me want to crush Ukyo even more.

"Ready? Set!" The referee said.

"Three... Two... One... LET IT RIP!"

Sparyon had barely landed into the stadium when the first collision happened. Due to the angle of my launcher and how high I was holding it up, my bey was directly launched into Ukyo's side of the stadium where Unicrest was supposed to land.

Sparyon collided with Unicrest before its tip even touched the stadium. Ukyo's launch might've been perfect, but my bey had interrupted its smooth landing. Unicrest was pushed back into the wall of the stadium, retaining huge damage to its stamina.

"Absolutely incredible!" Hanami nearly ripped his vocal cords by screaming out. "(Y/n) begins the match with an unusual launching style, taking her opponent off guard! It's a technique she rarely uses, the Early Harmony!"

DAMN YOU, HANAMI. I DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE AWAY THE NAME OF MY SPECIAL TECHNIQUE.

"Unicrest," Ukyo desperately urged his bey. "Hang in there!"

Unicrest was slowly spinning towards the centre after suffering through such a violent strike from above. It wasn't any miracle that his bey had managed to maintain its stability. It was all planned. I could've ended it with the first strike but, oh, where's the fun in that now? Xander was watching. I had to humiliate Ukyo in front of his captain.

"Don't worry yet," I reassured him. "This won't be over so soon."

"Stop being overconfident," Ukyo shouted. "Hold the centre, Unicrest!"

Unicrest did a surprisingly good job at listening to its blader. The centre was claimed, Unicrest getting more and more stable as time passed, although its spin was slower than usual.

"STRIKE ON, Sparyon!" I demanded.

My bey wasted no time in obeying my orders. Sparyon circled around the stadium and charged at Unicrest in the centre.

First contact. Unicrest tilted, but managed to maintain its ground.

Second contact. Once again, Unicrest wavered but returned back to its original position.

Every time Sparyon went in to attack, I made sure it didn't align with the alicorn shaped blade sticking out of Unicrest's upper layer. I didn't want Ukyo to activate his special move yet.

"What's the matter, Ukyo?" I challenged. "Struggling?"

"Not a chance!" Ukyo locked his fists with determination. "We'll win this thing."

"Unicrest, now!" Ukyo shouted, activating his blue aura and calling out the unicorn spirit of his bey. I bet Rantaro must be super terrified right now...

Sparyon charged at Unicrest once again. The same kind of collision was about to happen, but this time Unicrest's alicorn horn was perfectly in line with Sparyon. An attempt to a brutal hit.

"You've actually calculated this correct," I appreciated his flawless but pathetic effort at countering my attack with his special move.

"Charge, Unicrest! ALICORN LAUNCH."

I'll have to give it to him. The timing of his move was perfect. But not enough. Not for me.

"Too weak for us," I mumbled my thoughts to Sparyon then called out loudly, "Move around, Sparyon! Perform a repetition."

Electric blue flames roared around Ukyo as he directed his Alicorn Launch towards my bey. Sparyon flawlessly spun around its opponent and dodged its attack at the right moment, gaining advantage of time.

"INCREDIBLE," Hanami shouted. "Uber Unicrest misses the attack and has been forced out of the centre! But wait, look, what's this — ?!"

Sparyon hadn't dodged completely. At least not how Ukyo imagined it. My bey moved out of the way, yes, but its trajectory was repetitive since the last collision before Alicorn Launch happened. Repetitive. Which meant...

"NO, NOT LIKE THAT!" Ukyo finally realized it. But one second too late. How incredibly sad.

"Stone Sparyon!" I prepared myself for my final attack, activating my red and golden aura. "Strike it down. FULL FORCE!"

Sparyon came around and slammed into Unicrest from the side. The silver bey was forcefully pushed away, all the way, across the stadium without any mercy. Unicrest weakly tried to resist, but it kept getting shoved again and again.

Sparks flew out from the tip of Sparyon as it forcefully thrust its opponent across the stadium floor. Whenever it seemed like Unicrest was about to burst, Sparyon would break contact, giving its opponent time to stabilize itself, then went back to abusing it again.

The same act repeated over and over. Unicrest was completely powerless against Sparyon, being thrashed around like total garbage. At that point, it was clear that Ukyo had already lost the battle and I was just playing around with him.

"What's — what do you want?!" Ukyo blurted when he couldn't understand what I was trying to do. "This is just evil! There's no need to drag it anymore."

"Yes! A fair request, Ukyo. I might even consider it!" I laughed and then added: "If you'd care to beg on your knees, then I might consider it."

Sparyon slammed Unicrest against the stadium wall. The colour on Ukyo's face completely drained when he realized I wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Unicrest was being relentlessly crushed between Sparyon and the stadium wall. It didn't have any escape route left.

Crack.

There was a small crink, as if something metallic was breaking; and even my throat ran dry for a moment.

Oh no, what was that sound?

Have I really made the same mistake once again...?

"N-No... This is insane! I... I forfeit. I forfeit!" Ukyo desperately screamed and bent down to snatch his bey from the stadium. It was a dangerous move. Sparyon's blades must've surely scratched his fingers, but he was still stupid enough to put his hand in there.

"Ukyo Ibuki forfeits the battle!" The referee immediately announced. "One point to The Beigoma Academy Beyclub."

For a small second, I couldn't move at all. My feet were frozen in place. I waited for Ukyo's devastated reaction, but it never came. I tried to catch a glimpse of his bey, but he had already closed his fist and ran away out of shame.

No way. I didn't really break it, did I?

I slowly took a step back. I knew I had to get back to my team, but I couldn't turn around. I kept staring at the stadium in thought.

Another step back.

And then I saw it... a significant crack on the wall of the stadium.

I let out a small breath. It seemed as if my heartbeat had returned again. Finally being able to move properly, I stepped back to my team's waiting corner.

"Your new move was awesome, (Y/n). You were incredible up there!" Valt cheered enthusiastically, but then his voice turned soft all of a sudden. "But that last attack was..."

I looked into Valt's big innocent eyes. Eyes that held so much purity, consisting of only the best things of the world; the eyes of a person capable of finding the good under the darkest of skies. His way of asking, his soft and delicate stare, and the purity in his words... I was such a bad person for doing that to Ukyo in front of this innocent soul.

Hey, I didn't actually just think that.

Since when have I become so soft? Have I fallen back into the pit of my emotions and I'm realising this just now? I'm pretty sure my time with the Beyclub has...

"What was?" I raised my eyebrows at Valt. This little guy had something really special about him. With him, and the rest of my team, I was so genuinely becoming a nicer person, day by day, and I hadn't even realized it until now.

"Are you nuts? It looked like you were actually trying to hurt him!" Rantaro shouted.

"You forced him to forfeit like that. And on the National stage too..." Wakiya recalled with widened eyes. "I want us to win, but this... this was really wrong."

"It wasn't as bad as you think," I tried to reassure them but nobody seemed to buy it.

"(Y/n)," Daigo came forward and kept a hand on my shoulder. "We'll talk later."

"Could you have broken his bey?" Valt asked desperately. "That's not really possible, right?!"

"Of course not, Valt," I chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood, but nobody's expression changed. I coughed awkwardly.

I guess I really shouldn't have done that in front of everyone. I blunder so badly sometimes.

"Will the last bladers come forward please?" the referee announced.

Shu hadn't spoken a single word till now. He simply took out his bey and began to walk towards the stairs, aiming for his battle. The expression on his face was neutral, and just when I thought he'd remain silent that way, he proved me wrong.

"Didn't you do the same thing with Orochi?" he said in a low voice while walking past me.

My eyes widened and I quickly turned around to look at him, but Shu had already walked forward. I could only stare at his back while he ascended the stairs.

"W-Watch out for that crack in the stadium!" I stuttered anxiously. Without even turning, Shu raised his right hand in response.

How the hell does this guy seem to know every last thing in this universe?! Even the things I've tried to erase and forget. How could he even possibly know about my match with Orochi? He wasn't even there that day! I went through so much trouble to have the recording erased.

Is he a god? Or an unavoidable reflection of my sins? Is he a mirror I can't run away from even if I tried my best?

--------------

As expected, Shu won his battle against Yugo Nansui, making The Beigoma Academy Beyclub winners of the match. Xander was devastated, as evident by his loud scream at the end, although I wasn't sure if it was because of their total loss or because of the humiliation I put their team through.

The Sword Flames, nevertheless, showed good sportsmanship when all of us met backstage for exchanging wishes for the future. Unlike Ice Blades, Xander's team was surprisingly good at accepting defeat (not like they had any other choice left). Hard to believe Xander and Quon used to be mates back in the day. He probably should've taught Quon some manners while they were still together.

After exchanging sweet farewells with each other (which I wasn't a part of, obviously), Xander's team left the hall, leaving only him behind. I figured he probably just wanted to have an extra moment with his old school friends Shu and Valt, but he quickly proved me wrong.

"Hey, by the way, have you guys heard the latest big rumour?" Xander suddenly asked, his face turning serious.

"No clue," Valt said.

"Pretty sure," Shu added.

"Zac the Sunrise has been out of the picture since the day of his party," Xander leaned down and whispered as if disclosing some kind of nuclear password. "He isn't in the arena today. Nobody has seen him after the party concluded. Completely gone!"

I wonder what happened to him.

"He might just be sick and staying home or something," Daigo guessed. "No need to make a big deal out of it."

Nicely said, Daigo!

"That's the thing. Even his co-artists and teammates have claimed to know nothing about him. Don't you think he'd tell them if he was just sick?" Xander kept a finger to his chin. "I'm usually not one to get involved with rumours, but something really doesn't add up here. It's kind of strange."

"DID THE ALIENS TAKE HIM?!" Valt screamed.

"I'm... pretty sure that's not what happened, Valt," Shu seriously said and glanced at me, then turned back to Xander again.

Okay, why did the Shu look at me just now?

"If he's missing, didn't his family at least report it to the search parties?" Daigo asked reasonably.

Yeah, as a family, they should've done that.

"You mentioned something's strange," Shu asked Xander. "What's the loophole here?"

"The news of his disappearance wasn't able to get verified... I mean, nobody can really convince the search parties if the signs of him being around are spotted by many people," Xander crossed his arms, deep into thought. "Even I think I saw his jacket in one of the waiting rooms today."

"Oh, give me a break. That's so comical!" Wakiya aggressively pushed forward. "All this might as well be a ploy to waver everyone else's attention from the tournament while Zac comfortably trains for his next match!"

"Wakiya's argument is fair," I gave my opinion, supporting something said by Wakiya for the first time in my life. Shu gave me another sharp look.

"Don't tell me you guys seriously believe these stupid rumours?" Wakiya continued ranting. "Come on, they're called rumours for a reason! It's all made up. And even if Zac really was missing, I don't think it should be any of our concern. It's not like one of us is responsible for that, right?"

Of course. How could one of us be responsible for Zac's tragic disappearance?

Shu sighed and stepped toward Xander. "I suppose that's settled, then. You heard Wakiya. Let's drop this irrelevant topic right here."

"Of course!" Xander laughed, showing off his pointy teeth. "You guys still have the tournament to focus on, so it's only fair! Well, good luck one more time. Do your best out there!"

With those words, Alexander left the hall with a good mood and went away to mind his own business. Knowing him, he'll probably start preparing for the solo tournament right away.

I thought about going home to strategize as well. But the great Shu Kurenai, who thinks he knows everything, immediately cornered me with a very suspicious expression on his face.

"Okay, (Y/n), what did you do?"

I frowned confusingly. "What do you mean?"

"I meant, what did you do with Zac?"

"What?! Why do you think I did something?" I pointed at myself. "That's an extremely baseless accusation!"

"Uh... what's going on here?" Wakiya wondered.

"Shu, why are you saying that?" Valt asked.

"Yeah. (Y/n) might come off as a bit aggressive, but I don't think she's a kidnapper kind of girl," Daigo elaborated in my support. A true friend.

"As always, I have no damn clue what the hell's going on here!" Rantaro groaned.

Shu intently stared at me for a few seconds and then turned to face everyone else. "Guys, I saw (Y/n) follow Zac to the backstage at the end of his party. Which means, she was last with him."

"WHAT?!" the rest of the Beyclub screamed.

"I'm pretty sure I have no idea what you're talking about," I said confidently.

"Guys, she also threatened to put legal charges against Zac while we were on the stage," Shu continued accusing me for no apparent reason. "Lui and Xander must've heard it too."

"WHAT?!" the rest of the Beyclub screamed.

"That wasn't me," I said seriously. "In fact, I didn't even talk to Zac. Why're you lying to everyone?!"

"Guys, she also wanted to take revenge on Zac because he led a group of reporters to her address," Shu finished saying.

"WHAT?!" the rest of the Beyclub screamed.

"That's also a lie!" I called him out on his fake story. "Zac doesn't even know my address."

Shu crossed his arms and stared at me. I returned the favour with a similar kind of intense look. Nobody moved for a few minutes. The rest of the Beyclub kept looking between Shu and I with big eyes, clearly flabbergasted by the information he just dropped.

"Soo... how much of that was true?" Rantaro asked with unsurety.

"(Y/n), you kidnapped Zac or... not?" Wakiya hesitantly said.

"This is ridiculous!" I threw my hands in the air. "Just because Zac used my identity for publicity doesn't mean that I'll — "

"What did you say?!" Rantaro, Wakiya and Daigo jumped up in surprise. I quickly realised I shouldn't have said that.

"Guys... what is public city?" Valt innocently asked.

"It's publicity, Valt," Shu told him.

"I said the same thing."

"(Y/n), you've got some serious explaining to do," Daigo gravely said.

"No, I don't!" I stubbornly looked away. "I didn't even do half of what Shu said. Why don't you ask him to explain why he's lying?!"

Daigo looked at Shu, then back at me.

"I trust Shu," he plainly said.

"Betrayal!" I directed a punch towards him, but he casually ducked.

"See? You're violent," Daigo looked at me like I'd just proven his point (I really did). "I'm pretty sure you did something."

"Visitors, may I have your attention? The closing time of the facility is sixteen o'clock," a woman's voice announced over the loudspeaker. "Citizens who are not registered to stay inside the arena, kindly empty the halls. Thank you for your time. Have a good evening."

"He doesn't have proof to back up his baseless theory!" I purposefully pointed at Shu. He rolled his eyes, as if annoyed by my behaviour. "I'm not answering any questions until you guys have relevant evidence that I did something to Zac."

There was a series of silence among the Beyclub. Wakiya looked at Shu, Rantaro looked at Daigo, Shu looked at Rantaro, Daigo looked at Wakiya, Shu looked at Valt and Valt looked at everyone's faces one by one.

What the hell are they talking about with their eyes?

"Okay, fine," Wakiya finally stepped forward. "We've decided to trust your argument for now. The next step will be discussed in our club meeting tomorrow."

Oh? When he says that, does he speak on behalf of everyone?

"It's our collective decision," Shu added, as if hearing my thoughts.

Daigo shook his head with disappointment. "(Y/n), you need to learn how to behave more like a normal civilized human, and less like a delinquent."

Delinquent! How dare he?!

"I think we should head back, guys, before the janitor sweeps us away with his closing shift," Valt innocently pointed at a man wiping the floor with his mop.

Yes! Finally, this was my chance to escape interrogation. These people were pretty stupid if they thought I was gonna show up to the club meeting tomorrow.

Inferior creatures!

We quickly came to an agreement and began heading out of the building as a group. Valt and Rantaro walked forward, Wakiya and Daigo just behind them. I moved my feet to follow Daigo and get in line with him, but someone grabbed my hand from behind.

It was Shu.

The rest of the Beyclub didn't seem to notice us at all. They kept walking forward, unaware of everything going on behind their backs.

I looked down at Shu's hand holding my wrist.

"Aren't you getting a bit too comfortable with me these days?" I raised my eyebrows. "I don't remember giving you permission to touch me."

"What else did you expect me to do?" He unclasped my hand. "Call out your name and let everyone else know?"

"Just like you 'let everyone else know' about my situation with Zac? Yeah."

"That's not the — "

"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't tell them how I came to your doorstep drenched in rain and asking for your help," I rolled my eyes.

"That was a personal interaction," Shu said assertively. "I'm not the kind of guy who shares private things."

"And reporters raiding my house wasn't private information?"

"At least a thousand people know about that. It's all over the wbba fanbase blog," he said it as if I was supposed to know about that. "I can show you if you wa — " he began taking out his phone but I stopped him.

"Um, no, thanks," the last thing I wanted to see was some weird fans posting various kinds of stuff about me and my house. Also, why is Shu even keeping an eye on these stupid blogs? To gain information?

"Where have you been staying these days?" He asked. "Your house is still on watch, as far as I know."

"It'll be cleared out in a few days. I submitted a complaint and they're working on it," I tried to dodge his original question. "Hopefully they'll also remove these fanpage posts you were talking about."

"I asked where you were staying."

"Why should I tell you? So that you can reveal it in front of the Beyclub?" I gave him a disgusted look. "I'm never trusting you again."

I was staying at my father's old mansion from my childhood. That place was still as new as I'd remembered from so many years ago. My butler Asahi and the other workers were doing a very good job at keeping my father's legacy alive.

"I told you I don't share private — "

"Enough chatting. Why'd you stop me here to talk? What do you want?" I demanded.

"About that — " Shu sighed sadly and looked very stressed all of a sudden. "Do you wanna, maybe, er... head back to my apartment and have dinner together?" he blinked and asked nervously, pretending to be casual.

"Okay so, you expose me in front of the Beyclub and then ask me to eat with you? At your apartment?" I frowned. "Nah, something's very suspicious here. What's your ulterior motive?"

"There's no ulterior motive."

"Then I'll have to decline the offer."

Shu heavily sighed and pushed back his hair with his left hand, clearly frustrated by my answer. At some point, he must've realised that there was no escaping from my logic. What else did he think? Inviting me over would be so easy? There's gotta be a catch.

"You're right," he finally admitted. "I do have a motive behind it. But we can discuss that after you come — "

I cut him off by flashing my phone's screen in front of his face. Shu blinked confusingly then stared at the message on display.

"Come over, we need to talk, " Shu read the message and then frowned. "Who's that — "

"Daigo. He's already invited me over," I flipped back the phone in my pocket. "Try another time, Shu."

"No way. I refuse to accept this," he firmly said. "You can schedule Daigo tomorrow. You need to come with me right now."

I raised my eyebrows at his demanding tone. "You don't tell me what to do. And what's with the desperation all of a sudden? Right after you expose me in front of everyone? Where do you get the audacity?"

"It's urgent."

"But you won't tell me what it is?" I scoffed. "You can't convince me like this."

Shu hesitated for a moment. He looked away at the ground and tightly shut his eyes, as if thinking very very hard. I kept a straight face and waited for him to make his decision. Let's find out if he's wise enough.

"I just... wanted to try out a new technique for Spryzen," he slowly said.

I'm not sure I understand how I fit in that scenario. I'm not Spryzen. Why do I need to be present?

"And what does that have to do with me?" I fully turned around to face him. Shu looked me straight in the eye when he said his next words.

"My injury is getting worse. I need to learn launching with my left hand," he confessed, leaving me speechless to wonder. I was surely not expecting him to take such a big decision so far in the game.

The sun had almost set, leaving a light orange glow all over the sky. A soft breeze blew in our direction and Shu momentarily closed his eyes, feeling the air of monsoon. The wind blew away his long white hair, exposing the sides of his face. For the first time ever, I noticed it properly.

A long sharp scar running across his right eye.

----------------------------------

In 5313 words.

Vote. Comment. Share.