SASHA

Kojo excused himself and left the dining hall. He passed by the kitchen then, noticing some commotion, walked backward to see what was going on. The staff were trying to hold down a well-built man. The man wore a chef's attire and had scars over his trunk-like arms and a large one over his left eye. He squirmed on the floor.

"What's that all about?" he wondered.

"(I believe that's the Duke's head cook.)"

"You're kidding!"

The man saw him and squirmed even more.

"Great master, please accept me as your disciple," he begged, tears and snot streaming down his face. Kojo stared at him for a moment.

"Okay, I'm out," Kojo said, deciding he didn't want any more drama and slowly moving away from the door and walking away.

"Don't leave me!" the cook screamed.

"I'm too young to be taking on students. Never thought a simple pudding would be enough to bring that monster to his knees."

Kojo went to his room and closed the door behind him. He took off his shirt and stood bare-chested in front of a mirror.

"Hm, not a single scratch."

"(Yes, praise me,)" Sysia said smugly.

"Couldn't you have made me buffer?"

"(You ungrateful little-)"

"Whatever," Kojo said, raising his bangs to reveal the rune on his right temple. It had cracks in it.

Kojo raised his hand, and a large bubble of jade-colored liquid floated in it. He froze it and made it into a shard, which he used to stab himself. Blood dropped on the floor, his breathing becoming heavy. He put his hand into his stomach and pulled out a squirming leech.

"Oh, so you were the one messing up my system," he said, squashing it.

He fell to his knees.

"(It's a bloodwyrm. It sucks the vitality of its hosts. Once stuck to a host, only surgery can be used to remove it; otherwise, the death of the host is assured.)"

Kojo's breathing returned to normal.

"You said this thing has been in me since my fight with Keo?"

"(Affirmative.)"

"Then there's no doubt about it. It was the doctor. I don't know what his endgame is, but he's certainly up to no good."

"(We'll need to keep a close eye on him.)"

Oslon, who was leaning on the room door, smiled then walked away with his hands in his pockets.

Kojo burst into the dining hall a few moments later, followed by the head cook and maids carrying trays. They laid down the trays and quietly exited the room.

"What is this?" the Duke asked.

"Well, I went to get some fresh air, then I met the head cook. So we decided to whip up some desserts fit for royalty."

"Oh, ice cream!" Sharone said, spotting her favorite.

"Yeah, I know how much you love the stuff, so I made you some," Kojo said with a smile. "Although I made only a small amount because that'd be too much sugar for one evening. And I wouldn't want a hyperactive hot babe pestering me all night."

"(Oh? Would you now?)"

"Shut it," Kojo thought, taking his seat beside her.

"Well, dig in," he said.

"Then don't mind me," Duke Philip and King George said together, both reaching for a piece of cake. They then began to argue over who had the right to it.

"Mmmmmm, this is so good," Lin said dreamily. "It's like eating a cloud."

"Yes, and the pudding's good too," Koniko said.

"It just melts in your mouth like molten gold," Adrianna said.

"But how did you make this and in such a short amount of time too?" Oslon asked.

"Yes, I'm dying to know where you got the ingredients," Yukio added.

"Well, I just synthesized the raw material I found in the pantry until I produced ingredients similar to the original ingredients and just continued from there," Kojo replied.

"Yes, his cooking techniques are truly extraordinary," the cook said. "I am honored to be your student." He bowed.

"Hey man, whatcha doing, lift your head. I'm not even royalty. Besides, is it alright to bow your head to someone else when your boss is sitting right there?" Kojo said quickly.

"Oh, sorry, sir," the cook said, turning to the Duke.

"It's alright. In fact, it's a testament to how extraordinary this young man is."

Kojo smiled awkwardly, blushing and scratching his head.

"(Don't get big-headed because of this.)"

"We have two fantastic matches before the end of the tournament," Zang said.

The crowd cheered. Sasha and Bulga stood in the arena facing each other. Kojo watched from the stands with his hands in his pockets, acting like he didn't care, but in his head, he sized Sasha up. In contrast to the buff and overmuscled Bulga, she was beautiful, her smooth, blemishless skin and her pink curly hair only added to her glamour. The men in the crowd were enamored by her face, but what Kojo was really interested in was her bikini-like attire that showed more skin and her curves.

Kojo began to drool.

"(Hey, pervgod, focus.)"

"For the last time, I'm not a pervert," Kojo said, wiping the blood from his nose with his sleeve.

"(Your thoughts are written all over your face.)"

"So now it's the Capitol of Dia'Mon versus Chalcedon. Aaaaaand fight!" Zang said, rising into the air.

Bulga yelled, releasing a powerful aura.

"You're mine!" she said, jumping with so much force that the ground under her broke open. She raised her fists as she descended on Sasha. There was a loud popping sound as Bulga suddenly burst, her blood raining down on the arena like red rain.

"What just happened?" Zang asked in surprise. "I have no idea what just transpired, but Sasha wins the match."

Sasha calmly walked through it toward the exit. She stopped just in front of it and turned to face the crowd and looked straight at Kojo. Kojo shuddered in surprise. She licked her lips and walked in.

Kojo stood stunned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"(You don't want to know.)"