While Grey ran as far away from Sunny as possible, desperately trying to save his miserable life, Miranda stood at attention, raised her palm to her temple, saluted according to military customs, and bowed at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Rest in peace, Sir Grey."
The teenagers, who had watched the entire scene from beginning to end and knew how fiercely Sunny protected her sisters, followed her example and copied the bow exactly, seeing Grey off on his final journey.
"You'll go to a better world, Boss," Kai saluted, wiping away a tear. "We'll never forget you!"
Lily clapped her hands, drawing the girls' attention.
"I have to admit, Miranda was the winner of our little competition. Her performance was the most polished, accurate, and perfectly timed. She even managed to curse that damned madman to death. That deserves a round of applause."
The girls nodded, fully agreeing with Lily's conclusion. Only Aileen and Irene looked around in confusion, unable to understand what exactly had made their brother so angry.
The celebration continued as if nothing had happened.
No one gave a damn about Grey and Sunny's antics.
The teenagers buzzed like a hive that someone had generously poured mead into.
Allen was already passionately arguing with Zebra over who was stronger: the Speedshooting Butcher, Lord Orpheus of the city, or King Orion's ninth consort. Someone laughed loudly at a story that was being told for the third time that evening, yet for some reason, that didn't make it any less funny.
In the far corner, several people had started an arm-wrestling competition, roaring after every successful grip as if the fate of the entire world depended on the match.
Today, they had been allowed to rest, and they were making the most of that opportunity.
At this moment, they could forget about the cultists, the fear of the unknown ghost in the old manor, the blood, the training that left their hands trembling...
Even the gloomiest faces were glowing with smiles.
Josh stood with a mug in his hands, secretly glancing to the side.
There, sitting a little apart from everyone else, was Hope.
She didn't look unhappy. She didn't look scared or bored. She simply kept her distance from the others.
She sat quietly, holding the cup with both hands even though her drink had long since run out. She didn't take part in the heated discussions, didn't laugh at the jokes, and only occasionally glanced at the others, as if she were watching someone else's celebration that she had been invited to by accident.
The light from the bonfire softly played across her childish face.
Josh swallowed.
Why did she look so detached when she was one of the reasons the boss had decided to organize this celebration in the first place?
He didn't understand girls. Especially girls like her.
No, if he was being honest with himself, he didn't understand people very well at all.
As a child, his older brothers either ignored his existence or, at worst, remembered him whenever they wanted to take out their frustration on someone. His father called him a wimp, while his mother sighed so often and so heavily that it felt as though his very birth had become an unbearable tragedy for her.
That was why Josh had never learned how to talk to someone of his own accord.
Especially not to the one who, for some unknown reason, had begun appearing in his dreams more and more often. Ever since they had become partners during running practice, the image of that innocent little girl had firmly settled in Josh's thoughts.
Whenever he had a moment of peace, he remembered carrying her on his back for the sake of boiled eggs.
He looked at his mug. Then at the table full of desserts that everyone was ignoring. Then back at Hope.
And he remembered the lyrics of a song he had recently heard Grey perform. Somehow, those lines gave him courage, and his legs began moving toward her on their own.
"Damn you, Boss!" Josh cursed Grey in his mind, hoping he would fall into Sunny's clutches and get a good beating.
During the few short moments it took him to walk toward Hope, he had already regretted his decision about twenty times... At least.
He felt the most bitter regret when Hope raised her head and noticed him approaching.
"Um... Hi," he said, holding out a fresh mug and a piece of dessert he had taken from the table. "I thought... maybe... well..."
He groaned inwardly. What a brilliant start to the conversation! It couldn't have been any better.
Hope shifted her gaze to the treat.
"What is this?"
"I don't know," Josh answered mechanically.
She blinked.
"You don't know?"
"Well... I was told it was tasty."
"By who?"
"Someone who is currently running for his miserable life."
Hope smiled, and amusement sparkled in her eyes.
"Grey? Hehehe. Very reliable source."
Josh still couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or genuinely believed that everything Grey did had some deeper meaning. However, she accepted the treat and popped it into her mouth without hesitation.
And silence fell once again.
Josh desperately tried to come up with something to say. What did people usually talk about with girls in situations like this?
"Nice weather today?" No, too vague. He needed something more interesting.
"How are you?" God, that was so awkward and stupid. He could already see how she was doing. She had awakened her own ability. Of course she was happy.
At that moment, Josh, whom Grey often praised for his quick wit and ability to think outside the box, felt his brain shutting down and his thoughts growing slower and slower.
He didn't even stop to consider that Hope was human and, unlike Cheryl, shouldn't have possessed any innate abilities.
"Don't you like noisy gatherings?" he blurted out, coming up with this brilliant question through some inexplicable stroke of inspiration.
Hope tensed up.
Her body, which had looked relaxed just a moment ago, stiffened like a drawn bowstring, as if she were ready to fight back or run away at any moment.
Noisy gatherings? Hadn't the execution of her mother been noisy enough? Hadn't the crowd buzzed in exactly the same way, cheering and celebrating their victory over evil?
Her first reaction to Josh's question was suspicion. Was he deliberately trying to provoke her? But Hope was a clever girl and quickly concluded that Josh simply couldn't know her true identity. That meant he was unlikely to be trying to hurt her.
Unlike him, she didn't often think about how he had carried her on his back. It had simply been part of their training. Nothing particularly memorable compared to everything else.
"Maybe I'm just scared of the noise..." Hope finally said.
Josh relaxed considerably when he heard her answer. The seconds Hope had spent thinking felt like entire years to him.
"I'm the same. I always feel like I don't belong... If I hadn't been lucky enough to end up in Achilles' group, I definitely wouldn't have survived. Everyone else would have had a chance, but me..."
A heavy silence fell between them.
Josh immediately regretted what he had said.
"Don't get me wrong. I don't mean... I'm just trying to say that everyone around here is too normal... No, abnormal... They're abnormal... That's not what I meant..."
Hope couldn't hold back her laughter. This boy with poor eyesight looked cute when he stuttered.
She realized just how ridiculous her suspicions about Josh had been. Watching his awkward behavior, she couldn't imagine this boy ever showing her any hostility.
"Hehehe, so what were you trying to say?"
Josh watched her laugh as if he were under a spell. He didn't even register her question at first. He simply stared at her cheerful face, which looked exceptionally beautiful in the flickering light of the bonfire.
"Forget it. I'm terrible at finding the right words. I'm afraid if I keep talking, I'll only make an even bigger fool of myself."
Hope didn't press him.
They fell silent again. But the silence no longer felt heavy or oppressive. It was even... pleasant.
At that moment, a commotion broke out near the bonfire.
"What do you think," Josh asked after a long pause, "if they keep this up, will there be a fight?"
Hope shifted her gaze toward the crowd gathering around them.
"Looks like a fight is already starting..."
"Who would dare fight without the boss's permission?" Josh asked in genuine surprise.
Although he had asked Hope about a possible fight, he had only been joking and trying to keep the conversation going. He knew how seriously Grey took discipline and was well aware of his ruthless methods. No matter how hard he thought about it, he simply couldn't imagine anyone daring to start a fight during their very first celebration.
Wouldn't that condemn them to suffering? Why would anyone do something so stupid?
At that moment, the corner of Hope's lips twitched slightly, and that tiny reaction made Josh forget all his gloomy thoughts. When he saw her smile, he felt that coming over to her hadn't been a waste after all.
"If no one except Grey would dare to fight, then Grey himself must be one of the instigators."
That was exactly what happened.
At that moment, Grey stepped into the center of the circle and began warming up, waiting for his opponent.
Josh immediately felt his ears turn red.
It was so obvious. If he had been in top form, he would have reached such a simple conclusion right away. He remembered another quote from Grey that had infuriated him: "A wolf in love is no longer a predator."
With grim amusement, Josh chuckled and suggested:
"Maybe we should go and watch?"
Hope nodded.
"Of course. I have to support Grey."
Josh clenched his teeth.
Whoever the boss's opponent was, he would be rooting for him. Of course, in secret. He wasn't quite stupid enough to openly go against his leader.
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