Meldenma and Vita were all set on their sleek Swift bikes, revving up for a ride.
It had been ages since Meldenma had seen her city bathed in daylight. And even longer since she had noticed its people — dressed in the most expensive brands, as if wealth dripped from their bodies. But the truth? Most of them had blown their riches on mindless luxuries or things they were obsessed with. Because in this city, if you had the right charm, you could earn a fortune every night — right after putting your head on the pillow.
Just then, Meldenma's eyes landed on a girl — breathtakingly beautiful — walking past them. She couldn't stop staring.
Vita: "Yo. You into girls now? She literally passed you five seconds ago and you're still gawking at her."
Meldenma (shooting death glares): "Absolutely not."
Vita: "Then what?"
Meldenma: "Did you even see her hair?"
Vita: "Yeah, it looked... kinda flawless."
Meldenma: "Not the hair. The pins she wore. That's what caught my eye."
Vita: "Now that you say it... they did look like some limited-edition luxury stuff. Probably worth 500,000 N or more."
Meldenma: "That tangled nest on her head is walking around with the price of my entire monthly groceries."
Vita (bursting out laughing): "God, what's wrong with you!"
Meldenma: "People like her shouldn't be allowed to have hair at all."
Vita: "Every time you open your mouth, it's either pure sarcasm or a brutal roast. Can't you ever say something normal?"
Meldenma: "Fine. Here's something normal — the gate of STRONG ONE ARENA closes in exactly 30 minutes."
Vita: "You could've just said we're late."
Meldenma: "Your words, not mine.
Meldenma and Vita rode their bikes as fast as they could, pushing the limits of speed, until they finally screeched to a halt in front of the main entry gate — only to find it shut tight.
Vita (panting): "Looks like we'll have to talk to the guard to get in."
Meldenma (rolling her eyes): "He's not your boyfriend who'll melt the moment you talk to him. Rules are rules — and we're late."
Vita: "What's the harm in at least trying to talk?"
Meldenma (smirking): "The guard won't give you even two seconds, forget two words."
Vita: "Wow, suddenly someone thinks she knows everything about this place!"
Meldenma chuckled under her breath, amused.
Just then, a slim guy stepped forward. He had the kind of stern face that instantly screamed no-nonsense. There was a deep scar across his forehead, like something sharp had once ripped through it. His arm bore a long, rough mark — a wound that stretched from wrist to elbow, like a story never told.
Vita instinctively straightened up, brushing her hair back into place.
Vita (with a sweet smile): "I know we're a little late, but the match hasn't even started yet. We won't disturb anyone, and we do have our tickets—"
Before she could finish, the guard coldly reached over… and switched on the NO ENTRY sign right in her face. Then, without a word, he shut the door to his guardroom — almost slamming it on her words.
BAM.
Silence.
Meldenma (mocking): "Wow, seems like you had a lovely conversation in there."
Vita (irritated): "You know what? You shouldn't have come with me in the first place, Melma! If you really wanted to get in, you would've come up with me and helped. Why would anyone listen to just one person standing alone?"
Meldenma (smirking): "Oh, so that's what you think? Fine then — watch me."
Without another word, Meldenma walked straight to the guardroom gate — the one clearly marked "RESTRICTED AREA."
She didn't knock.
She didn't speak.
She just stood there — right beside the translucent glass — staring.
Cold. Silent. Unmoving.
A glare that could burn holes.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and stepping out was the head guard — and honestly, the guy looked less like a guard and more like a wild bear in uniform. Massive build, veins popping on his neck and even his skull like they were going to explode. His tightly fitted uniform looked one breath away from tearing, like this man had never missed a single gym day in his life.
Vita (under her breath, horrified): "Fuuuck… he's not just gonna shut the door on us — he'll probably rip the gate off and smash it on our faces."
Meldenma (calmly): "Me. And that girl standing over there. We need to go inside."
The guard sighed heavily, clearly not thrilled, and shook his head.
Guard (gruffly): "This is the first… and the last time."
Meldenma (dryly): "Hmm."
And just like that, the gate opened.
Meldenma walked in — cool and composed.
Behind her, Vita ran after her like a squirrel, shocked and speechless.
The guard quickly glanced left and right, then shut the gate behind them again, as if nothing had happened.
Vita (gasping): "WHAT did you even say to him?!"
Meldenma (deadpan): "Just told him we wanted to go inside."
Vita (in disbelief): "And he just… agreed?!"
Meldenma (casually): "Yep. Now stop asking questions and tell me — where's our seat?"
Vita: "Fifth row from the front."
Meldenma (staring ahead with fake trauma): "Seriously… What is wrong with you people? You actually enjoy watching things get beaten, ripped, and torn apart? I swear, I'll see each screw flying off that Celeste thing in slow motion."
Vita (grinning): "Come on — better than watching someone's eyeballs pop out of their sockets!"
Meldenma (disgusted): "Shut up, you actual psychopath!!!"