Chapter 23

If Nori could still use his voice properly, he would currently be expressing his shock loudly—probably to an excessive degree—but since he couldn't, he resorted to the next best thing. Snatching his notebook from his pouch, he hastily scribbled "WHAT!?" in large, jagged letters, then shoved the page right in Zee's face.

Zee flinched, raising her hands in an attempt to calm him down. "Mmm, yeah, figured you'd react like that. Don't worry, that was my exact reaction too," she said, forcing a strained smile.

After everyone else had headed off to their rooms, she had slipped out into a nearby alley to call Nori and explain the absolute insanity Xain had just committed himself to. The moment the words left her mouth, Nori's hand flew back to the notebook, scratching out another frantic message before turning it back to her: "HOW!? WHY!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM!?"

"It's a long story," Zee exhaled, running a hand down her face, "but basically, Xain and this man—Roland—were chasing after some purse snatcher. The snatcher, trying to get away, knocked over some scaffolding. Xain would've gotten crushed, but Roland shoved him out of the way and took the hit instead. And now, because he apparently can't just say thank you like a normal person, he's entering the tournament in his place… because Roland really needs the coin." She folded her arms, scowling. "As for your third question? I have no idea."

Nori gripped the sides of his head, looking as if he were struggling to comprehend not just this situation, but the very meaning of existence itself. Zee could practically see the gears in his mind grinding, sparks flying from the sheer effort of making sense of Xain's logic.

"And to top it all off," she muttered, "the tournament starts tomorrow, and if that wasn't crazy enough, my sister is participating too. Meaning there's a chance the two of them could end up fighting."

Now it was Zee's turn to cradle her head, groaning toward the heavens. "Ugh! Goddess, why are you making me deal with this!?"

---

"Achoo!"

Sarandel let out an oddly cute sneeze, delicate but sharp.

X arched a brow beneath his mask. "Got a cold?" he asked, though in the back of his mind, a question surfaced. *Can gods even get colds?*

Sarandel shook her head. "No. Someone's probably thinking about me."

X tilted his head. "Wouldn't you be sneezing all the time then?"

Sarandel gave him a flat look. "It's a gag. Get over it."

"Alright, I guess." X shrugged, letting it go.

---

"So what are you going to do now?" Zee asked, arms crossed as she studied Nori's expression—or at least, what little expression he was capable of showing.

Nori let out a silent sigh, his shoulders rising and falling, before flipping open his notebook and writing, "I'll sneak into the coliseum and intervene if it looks like his life's in danger."

Zee frowned. "That's the entire tournament. His life is going to be in danger the whole time."

Nori stilled, fingers curling around the notebook as he turned away from her, gripping it tightly as if trying to hold onto his own resolve. His body language spoke volumes—"What else do you expect me to do?"

After a long pause, he slowly scrawled another message, turning the page back to her. "There's nothing else I can do."

Zee opened her mouth, but before she could respond, he lifted his pen again, adding one final, smaller line beneath it.

"I can't even cheer for him properly."

Reading Nori's words, Zee felt a pang of sympathy for him. Despite being Xain's childhood friend, despite wanting to support him, he couldn't even interact with him properly. Not in the way he wanted. He had locked himself into a situation where keeping his distance was the only option. Nori didn't want Xain to know what he had become. That he was a murderer.

She sighed through her nose, eyes flicking back to his silent, slouched form. It was unfair. Even after all these years, after everything Nori had done to distance himself, to protect Xain from knowing the truth, he still wanted to be by his side. And yet, all he could do was lurk in the shadows, watching from a distance, unable to cheer for him like a normal friend would.

Then, a thought popped into her head, sudden and almost ridiculous.

*Wait… could Nori do that?*

She tapped her chin, deep in thought, recalling the conversation back in the Passage Inn. Her gaze shifted toward Nori, scrutinizing him, taking in his build, his posture, his presence—or lack thereof. Yeah… *Yeah, he definitely has the looks for it.*

"Nori," she said abruptly.

He tilted his head, confused.

"Could you take off your mask again?"

He hesitated for a moment, his confusion deepening, but ultimately shrugged before he reached up and pulled off his featureless mask. As he did, his golden hair, tipped in soft white, fell freely just above his chin, strands catching the moonlight. His striking magenta eyes, shimmering faintly in the dark with their usual star-like gleam, stood out even more in the dimness of the night. His pointed half-elven ears, longer now than they had been in childhood, still remained much shorter than Zee's full elven ones.

But what stood out most was how, despite everything—the life he led, the crimes he had committed, the blood that had long since stained his hands—his face still carried that frustratingly soft and overwhelmingly cute appetence. It was completely at odds with who he was. Even after all these years, even after everything, he still had that same delicate, fairy-like charm.

Zee leaned in, inspecting his face more closely.

Nori stiffened, looking increasingly confused and uncomfortable.

"What?" he scribbled, holding up the notebook.

She ignored him, nodding to herself. "Hmm. Hmm."

Nori's brow twitched, irritation replacing confusion.

Finally, she grinned. "Yes. It can definitely work."

His grip on the notebook tightened. "What?"

Before he could even begin to process what she was thinking, Zee's hands clamped onto his shoulders. Her eyes, practically glowing with excitement, locked onto his with the intensity of someone who had just struck gold.

"You're going to get to meet and cheer for Xain!" she declared.

Nori blinked rapidly.

"All you have to do is get a ticket for the back row," she continued, completely ignoring his expression, "and leave the rest to me!"

Something in her voice—no, something in her eyes—sent a chill down Nori's spine. His instincts screamed at him, a deep, gut-wrenching feeling telling him he was not going to like whatever Zee was going to rope him into.

He should be happy about this. He should be.

So why did he suddenly feel like he was about to regret everything?