She moved with the elegance of practiced royalty — every step deliberate, light as silk — but her eyes, a sharp and deep blue, locked directly onto Kazuo.
They both froze.
At the exact same moment, they spoke.
"It's you?!"
Sora's jaw dropped. "Wait—you two know each other?!"
Kazuo stepped forward, still stunned. "You were the girl… in that carriage. That day in the Lower Crescent."
Elyria blinked once, her composure unshaken. "And you… the one with mismatched eyes. I remember now."
Her gaze lowered — just slightly.
One green. One black.
Sora's whisper came out long and incredulous. "HUUUUUUUUUUUH?"
Even Tetsu's left eye twitched at the sight.
Elyria reached into her sleeve and withdrew a dark envelope, sealed with the black royal sigil — the wax shaped like a serpent coiled around a crown.
She hesitated, her voice dropping to something quieter. Almost personal.
"I was instructed to give this to Setsuna."
She held the envelope out — but her gaze didn't leave Kazuo.
"But it seems… you are part of this now."
Kazuo took it, his fingers trembling slightly.
I'm… trembling?
Elyria studied him — not with disgust, but with the cold calculation of someone weighing possibilities. The kind of stare that revealed nothing but hinted at too much.
"How can it be," she murmured, just above the wind, "that someone with eyes like yours is still alive?"
Her face shifted — just enough to show a flicker of guilt.
"I… apologize. That wasn't what I meant."
Kazuo didn't answer. He found himself staring at her elven ears, her silver hair, those piercing eyes.
She turned to Setsuna. "You're watching him?"
Setsuna gave a lazy shrug. "Training him. He's one of mine now."
She exhaled slowly. "Of course. You would have your fingers in this."
Kazuo tightened his grip on the envelope.
Elyria's mask shifted again — from regal formality to something more conflicted. Her voice regained its neutrality, but the air between them felt heavier.
She turned to leave, her flower crown catching the sunlight.
Kazuo called after her. "Wait… what's your name?"
She paused under the tall stone archway. The sun traced the edge of her silver braid as she glanced back.
"Elyria," she said simply. "Lady Elyria."
Her eyes lingered a moment longer, and something flickered in them — recognition? Worry? Pity?
What is Father planning? He told me to avoid this boy… so why summon him like this?
She added softly, almost too quiet to hear: "Good luck."
And then she was gone — footsteps swallowed by the wind.
Only silence remained.
Then—
"Okay," Sora whispered. "What the hell is going on?"
Tetsu picked up his pen… and snapped it in half.
Kazuo kept staring at the archway long after Elyria disappeared. Her name echoed in his head.
"Elyria…"
Setsuna strolled past him, cracking his neck like none of it mattered. But his voice had shifted — quieter, controlled.
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
"She didn't even ask my name," Kazuo said.
"She didn't have to."
Kazuo frowned. "What do you mean?"
Setsuna's eyes narrowed. All trace of humor was gone.
"Stay away from her."
Kazuo blinked. "What? Why?"
"Because she's King Cedric's daughter."
It hit like a dropped blade. The envelope in Kazuo's hand felt twice as heavy.
"This is a warning from King Cedric to you," Setsuna said coldly. "You do understand, right?"
Kazuo gave a small nod.
The first day of training ended.
The next morning…
Kazuo stepped out of the steam-filled bathroom, towel slung low around his hips, hair dripping, muscles still sore.
He stretched with a quiet sigh. Finally. A moment of—
BANG.
The door slammed open.
"KAZUO!!"
A red-haired missile launched into the room and slammed straight into him.
"What the—?!"
Kazuo staggered back, barely keeping his towel on as Rei crushed him in a bear hug.
"You're alive!! I thought you were dead! I mourned you!"
"I'm naked, you idiot! Get off!"
"You're WET!" Rei yelled.
"I JUST SHOWERED!"
Kazuo tried to push him away — towel now dangerously close to giving up.
Rei was laughing like a madman. "This is just like when we were kids! Naked wrestling and—"
"SHUT UP AND GET OUT!"
"Never! You must let me decompress through physical contact!"
Kazuo pivoted, shoving him out the door in one last push.
SLAM.
Silence.
From behind the door: "By the way, I've seen your dick, like, a thousand times already."
"That was when we were KIDS!"
"Oh, right! Then just to be fair… you can see mine now!"
"REI!!"
"Okay, okay! Calm down."
Now dressed, Kazuo found Rei sprawled across his bed, munching on a rice cracker.
"That Setsuna guy told me everything," Rei said.
Kazuo raised a brow. "Everything?"
"The kidnapping. The fancy envelope. The Noble Tournament. The Hollow Veins. Classic you."
"Glad to know my suffering's entertaining."
"But seriously… how the hell are you still alive?"
Kazuo shrugged. "Ask the king. Or fate. Or whatever god has a weird sense of humor."
"…Wait," Kazuo said slowly. "Why are you even here?"
Rei scratched his head. "Got myself a new job. Guess this is thanks to you?"
"Job?"
"Yeah. One of the nobles offered it. I'm only allowed in the Upper Crescent if it's for work — come up here, take their orders, then run deliveries down to the Lower Crescent. No hanging around, no small talk. In, out, gone." He smirked. "They call it intel gathering to make it sound like I'm some kind of spy."
Kazuo snorted. "Why bother with the title?"
"They hired a commoner to run errands. Of course they hate me — they're nobles. Calling me a spy probably helps them pretend it's less humiliating."
So King Cedric actually kept his word.
Rei shrugged. "At least they pay me better than I expected. Nobles might hate you, but their coin still spends the same."
"Wait, if you can't linger around, why are you here?"
Rei grinned. "Had to make sure you weren't dead."
Kazuo sighed. "Idiot."
He tossed him a small wrapped bundle. "For the cat."
Rei caught it, blinking. "You still carry her treats?"
"She tried to follow me the day I left."
"Yeah… she didn't eat for three days. Just stared at the street."
Kazuo looked away.
"I took her in," Rei went on. "She hated me at first. Clawed my face. Knocked over every cup I owned."
"Sounds like her."
"But she warmed up. So I named her. Lady Nekomaru."
Kazuo burst out laughing. "You named her Nekomaru?"
"She earned it. Terror of the alley. Protector of the roof tiles. She chose me, Kazuo."
"Sure she did."
Rei's grin faded. "Gramps said: 'Tell that idiot not to die before he visits me again.'"
Kazuo's smile softened.
Rei stood, suddenly serious. "Get through that tournament. Then next time we meet — no nobles, no secrecy. Just us. And food."
Kazuo nodded. "See you soon."
Rei saluted. "Survive, buddy."
The door clicked shut.
Kazuo looked at the envelope on his desk.
Tournament of Nobles.
His fingers found the medallion at his neck.
"It's getting serious now."