Chapter 16: The Quiet before the Storm
Despite the ever-looming pressure of competition, life in the apartment had settled into something almost... casual. Not boring—never boring—but calm in the way only a storm's eye can be. The FNCS Grand Finals were behind them, and while the world buzzed over KyoZ3ro and Clix's miraculous duo run, the two had found themselves in a comfortable rhythm.
Mornings began late. Not from laziness, but from necessity. Streams ran into the early morning, practice sessions with elite duos from Europe and NA-East blurred into late-night scrims, and brainstorming with their analysts stretched into hours of silent concentration. But when the sun finally cut through the blinds, it was always the smell of something warm that stirred Kyo awake.
Horikita Suzune had taken to cooking in the mornings.
She wasn't a culinary genius—not yet—but she was learning fast. Clix had joked once that her first attempt at French toast tasted like a challenge from Fear Factor, but now? Now even he admitted that her rice bowls were fire.
"Yo, I need a girl like this too," Clix muttered during one of their morning collabs, taking a bite of her miso-glazed salmon while chat spammed W COOK and CLIX NEEDS LOVE TOO.
Horikita raised an eyebrow. "I'm not your maid, you know."
"I know," Clix grinned, "but I'm not gonna pretend I'm not impressed."
Kyo didn't say much—he rarely did—but even he cracked a small smile. It was subtle, but Suzune caught it. They were adapting to each other like teammates in sync.
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IRL Streams & the Duo Dynamic
What had started as a one-off gym collab stream between Clix and KyoZ3ro had evolved into a weekly event. Kyo's community, used to the shadows and silence, had been shocked when he appeared on cam again.
Clix handled most of the commentary:
"Chat, he doesn't talk much, but man's benching more than me now. I created a monster."
KyoZ3ro, hair damp, hoodie half-zipped, looked directly at the camera, wiped sweat from his brow, and said one thing:
> "Winning has weight. Train to carry it."
That quote trended for hours. Memes. Posters. A fitness brand even reached out for a potential collab.
But for Kyo, it wasn't about branding. It was ritual. Gym, grind, stream, sleep. Repeat.
Still, the casual IRL streams humanized him. Fans started calling him "the ghost with gravity." Serious, silent—but real.
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Streamer Collabs & Unexpected Chemistry
The collabs kept coming. A surprise guest appearance on Sommerset's stream. A silent 2v2 creative match with Bugha and Mero. Even a segment on Mongraal's channel where he and Clix played GeoGuessr while Kyo judged their decision-making.
It shouldn't have worked.
But it did.
Especially when Horikita joined in on stream. During one Q&A segment, she ended up arguing with Clix over who would win a 1v1 trivia battle. Kyo just sat between them, sipping tea.
Chat exploded:
> KYOOOOO BRO'S IN A SITCOM Horikita and Clix need a podcast The most awkwardly hilarious trio on Twitch
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Late Nights, Soft Talks
One evening, after a longer-than-usual stream, Kyo stood on the balcony, headset off, city lights washing over him. Horikita joined him with two mugs of tea. For a few minutes, they didn't speak.
"You don't enjoy the fame, do you?" she finally asked.
"I don't hate it," Kyo said. "I just don't need it."
"Then what do you need?"
He looked at her—not dramatically, not romantically—just thoughtfully.
"Peace. And momentum."
She didn't answer. She just nodded and leaned against the railing beside him. That was enough.
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The Calm Is Temporary
Behind the streams, behind the fun, everyone knew the next FNCS was coming fast.
The scene was shifting. New challengers. LAN events. Big orgs circling again, now offering post-FNCS content contracts. Offers Kyo ignored.
Clix started whispering about making a content house. Horikita started experimenting with stream overlays and home decor. And Kyo?
He simply trained.
He played.
He remained the ghost.
But now the ghost had a home. A voice. A duo. A girl watching his back. And a world that couldn't stop watching.
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End of Chapter 16