After Sato and the others left the stadium, silence fell over the ruins. Night descended upon the city.
High in the stands, Trickster and Zumi stepped out from the shadows where they had been hiding, bathing in the moonlight.
"Magnifique! A pure piece of art, unfolded right in front of my eyes."
Trickster skipped down the steps as if he were dancing, stopping exactly where the moonlight shone the brightest. He raised his hands, looking straight at the moon.
"You call that piece of art… pathetic."
Zumi, standing to the side, looked at him with disappointment.
"Don't be disappointed, Ma Chérie. The spectacle is only beginning."
Turning to face her, he subtly touched the brim of his hat and tilted it forward.
"And the full cast is yet to arrive."
"Who cares about that?"
Zumi immediately ruined Trickster's dramatic performance.
"I put so much work into searching for information about that useless piece of junk in Nexus, and he was defeated so easily. Utterly useless."
Zumi crossed her arms in frustration, seeing how her plan for chaos had fallen apart.
"Ma Chérie, you know the rules for us observers. We are not allowed to intervene directly in the bigger scene."
Lifting her head slightly, Zumi's gaze turned terrifying. Her eyes glowed pink with magical energy as she glared at Trickster.
"In that case, I guess both of us broke the rules, Failed Director."
"Oulala… sharp, Ma Chérie. It's true that in order to bring this piece to its absolute peak, I scouted some actors. But I assure you, I didn't do this to butt into your plans."
"And?"
As the moonlight fell on Trickster, his presence burst instantly. A heavy blue aura floated around him, his hat shading his eyes. The atmosphere shifted completely from playful to deadly serious.
"I would appreciate it if you would not call me by that nickname."
Zumi and Trickster stood frozen for a second, their conflicting pressures piercing each other. The tension grew heavy, suffocating the air between them.
Until Zumi sighed, releasing all the mana around her.
"Like I care about that piece of junk anyway. They broke my toy, all I need is to find a new one… although it will be hard to find a replacement now."
Without bringing up Trickster's nickname again, Zumi relaxed, walking along the rows of seats.
"Don't forget, Ma Chérie, there is always a next time."
Retracting his mana, Trickster returned to his normal self, trying to cheer Zumi up.
"Pff… Bummer. I really wanted to destroy this world," Zumi said, disappointed.
"But forget that, Ma Chérie. What do you think of my star?"
"That kid who tried to kill himself? He's a lost cause. I don't even know why you wanted to bet on him if Future didn't tell you already that he would win."
"Who likes spoilers, Chérie? Even though Mademoiselle Future didn't tell me anything about who will win, I don't need to know more to know."
"So, are you sure he will somehow win? Answer with yes or no."
Zumi cut him off to stop his dramatic tone.
"Non. But you know how stars are, they need time in order to shine." Trickster said profoundly.
"Or to fall…" Zumi continued.
On the stadium field, throughout the ruins, a light glowed, reflecting into the moon.
Flying above it in circular motion—a butterfly.
It landed gently on the ring, the glow of the gemstone fading as small particles of mana dissipate in the air.
Back at Sato's apartment, he tucked Megumi into his bed and quietly left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Now, it was just him and Irina in the living room.
Irina was waiting for him at the table, sitting sideways on her chair, legs crossed. Sato took a seat opposite her.
Finally, it's over. I don't even know how to process everything. Even if Eryon is alright now, Butterfly is gone. Megumi is definitely going to be upset in the morning too…
Lost in thought, Sato rested his elbow on the table and leaned his cheek against his palm, inadvertently staring straight at Irina.
"Do you have something to say?" She turned to face him, raising an eyebrow.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Sato flinched.
"Right, I almost forgot."
Sighing, as if she had been waiting for him to bring a specific topic up, Irina listened intently.
"I feel like you accepted the deal between Eryon and Megumi too easily. I was sure you would still want him dead, even after all that."
Irina was stunned for a second, expecting something completely different. But she composed herself quickly.
"I don't mind this deal. In fact, it works to our advantage. Eryon is on a completely different level compared to Butterfly. With him as an ally, we will get to the finals of this competition easily."
"Is that so…" Sato said, a little disappointed.
I guess for her, winning is everything that matters.
"..."
A moment of silence passed before Irina broke it, tapping her finger on the table.
"Don't you have anything else to tell me?"
"Anything else…?"
Irina closed her eyes, sure that now she would finally hear what she wanted.
"Now that I think about it… since Megumi is sleeping in the bedroom, one of us won't have a place to sleep…"
Still with her eyes closed, Irina frowned, clearly dissatisfied with his density.
"It's alright. I don't need to sleep anyway."
"Huh? But you always take my room at night."
Sato was confused. Why would she kick him out every single night if she didn't actually need to rest?
"Do you think I have time to sleep? Every night I meditate or study to improve my mana circuits. I sleep only around two hours to let my body adjust to the changes."
"I see… that actually makes sense… So, can I sleep on the couch?"
"Yes, you can sleep there," Irina snapped, frustrated, turning her face away from him.
"Good…"
But still, I wonder why she's acting like this…
In that instant, a flashback hit him. He remembered how he lashed out at her in the stadium, after she told him how weak he is and that he can't do anything.
Ahhh… She is still mad about that.
Should I even apologize? I don't feel like I should. I was right.
But at the same time, it was Butterfly's plan. Irina just didn't know how to convey the message… She is not the best when it comes to communication.
But still… I don't want to…
"...Huh. Irina."
Sato sighed in defeat before calling her name. She turned her head to face him again, waiting.
"I am sorry for snapping at you like that. I wasn't myself. I was just frustrated because of everything that was happening."
"As long as you understand."
She relaxed instantly, finally hearing what she wanted. Satisfied, she stood up and walked to the fridge.
"Do we have any pizza left?"
"You burned the last piece before going to the stadium, remember?"
"..."
Without saying a word, she simply closed the fridge door.
"We don't need food anyway, so it's fine."
"I feel like that is just an excuse."
"Shut up." She said seriously, cutting the conversation short.
"Alright, alright… But I was wondering. You said Eryon was a danger to us. Do you think we can beat him if we reach the end together?"
Sitting back in the chair with a glass of juice she had poured, Irina looked reluctant to answer.
"I thought of a way."
"What way?"
"...It's better for you not to know."
"Hmm?"
He was surprised by her response but decided not to push it.
"Alright then… I guess it's fine as long as you have a plan."
A few minutes passed, and the clock hit midnight. Sato prepared a makeshift bed on the couch while Irina remained at the table, sipping her juice.
"I didn't think it was this late. Well, good night."
"Night."
Irina replied curtly as Sato pulled the blanket over himself.
Silence settled in as the room was engulfed in the darkness of the night. Sato closed his eyes, trying to drift off.
From the table, Irina watched him for a second, her gaze piercing the dark. Only one thought passed through her mind.
How stupid.
Her thought was cold, lacking empathy. Yet, somewhere deep within that coldness, a tiny, warm flame burned slowly.
Feeling her gaze on him, Sato immediately opened his eyes, staring at the TV.
…How am I supposed to sleep when she is sitting there?