The next day,
Luke sat in the living room, his thoughts split in two—half on the translucent class quest prompt hovering in his vision, and half on the scene unfolding in front of him.
Since he had strictly forbidden fighting inside the house, the four of them had found another outlet.
They were playing chess.
The board rested on the table like a silent battlefield. No raised voices. No powers. Just pieces moving with careful, deliberate intent.
"Hehee… I win again," Esdeath said lightly, tapping the board as she declared checkmate.
She wasn't wearing her usual general's uniform—just a short white top under an open black jacket, tight black pants with a chain at her waist.
Alice stared at the arrangement of pieces for a moment before leaning back with a quiet sigh. Selene crossed her arms, eyes narrowing at the board as if it had personally wronged her. Jill simply shook her head, already resigned to the outcome.
None of them were particularly good at chess.
Esdeath, on the other hand, was a general by nature. Strategy, patience, and the ability to read opponents came naturally to her. From the very first match, the results had been the same—clean, decisive victories, one after another, without hesitation.
Still, compared to two days ago, the atmosphere clearly had shifted. The tension hadn't vanished, but it no longer felt ready to explode at any moment. At the very least, they could now exist in the same room without sparks flying.
"Now, as agreed," Esdeath said calmly, resting her chin on one hand as she turned her gaze toward Luke, "he is mine for the night."
The room went quiet.
Wanda and Pietro, who had been watching TV nearby, both turned toward them at the same time.
"…Who's who now?" Pietro asked, blinking between Luke and Esdeath.
Wanda didn't say anything, but the faint confusion on her face said enough—and beneath it, there was a hint of jealousy she didn't quite understand herself.
Luke was the most confused one there.
"Why the hell am I a prize in your game?" he asked flatly, turning his head toward the three women at the table. The look he gave them made one thing very clear.
Explain. Now.
"You said no fighting," Jill said. "Chess was your idea."
"And she said she wanted stakes," Alice added, still not meeting his eyes.
Selene finally spoke. "We didn't think she'd take it that literally."
None of them wanted to say it out loud.
The bet had seemed reasonable at the time. If Esdeath won against all three of them, she could have Luke for the night. But if she lost even once—just once—then she wouldn't be allowed to approach him without their permission.
Three against one.
They'd been sure they'd win at least a single game.
They hadn't.
Not even close.
When one of them played, the other two hovered nearby, quietly pointing out moves, offering suggestions, trying to tilt the odds in their favor. It hadn't helped.
Not once. Esdeath dismantled them every time, calm and unbothered, like she'd known the outcome from the start.
They'd thought this would finally put an end to the woman constantly circling Luke.
Instead, it seemed they'd just given her permission.
Esdeath smiled, entirely unbothered. "A deal is a deal. I won."
Luke rubbed his temples. "Why me?" he muttered. "Couldn't you have picked literally anything else?"
She tilted her head, studying him with open interest. "You are the most valuable thing here," Esdeath said calmly. "Why would I choose anything else?"
"And tonight," she added, her gaze lingering on him a heartbeat longer than necessary, the intent behind it unmistakable.
Luke slowly turned to the three women still seated at the table.
"See?" he said flatly. "You just tossed me straight into a hungry lion's den."
He made a point of spreading his hands slightly, as if presenting evidence. He hadn't agreed to this. He hadn't suggested it. This wasn't his mess.
They had sold him out. Plain and simple.
And if he disagreed with Esdeath now… well, the no fighting in the house rule was something he seriously doubted she would bother following anymore. At that point, it wouldn't be a domestic argument—it would be him dealing with another Avatar-level problem.
Luke had no interest in adding that to his list.
He sighed. "Sorry to burst your bubble," he said evenly, "but I'm taking leave for the night. Whatever plans you had—"
"—they'll have to wait."
Esdeath's smile didn't fade. If anything, it sharpened.
"Then I'm coming with you."
Luke didn't argue. He simply smiled back.
"Sure," he said lightly. "If you can keep up. I don't mind."
He wasn't even sure she could come.
Class quests were designed to be done alone. No companions allowed—no exceptions had he ever seen.
"So, as you heard," Luke said, looking around at all of them, "I'll be going on a short trip."
His gaze lingered briefly on each person in the room.
"You three stay safe. Don't do anything dangerous while I'm gone," he continued evenly. "I'd rather not come back to a mess."
His eyes paused on Esdeath for half a second longer than necessary—not accusatory, just wary. He wasn't worried about her at all. If anything, it was the world—and what she might do once he was gone—that concerned him.
He could only hope she stayed as calm as she was now.
"As for you, Wanda," Luke went on, turning to her, "keep meditating every day. You will see improvement. Take care of yourself."
Wanda nodded quietly.
"And you," he said, shifting his attention to Pietro, "stay out of trouble."
Pietro frowned. "Do you have no trust in me at all?" he asked, clearly offended. "You didn't even try to hide it."
Luke didn't hesitate.
"No," he said flatly.
"Then take care," Luke said.
With that, he activated the class quest and accepted it.
In the next instant, he vanished from the room—gone right in front of their eyes.
A brief silence followed.
"…Wait," Alice said slowly, looking around. "Where did Esdeath go?"
Only then did they realize it.
She had disappeared at the exact same moment Luke had.
*****
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