Kaede doesn't stare for long. Her eyes flinch away, and Ryoma's view of her disappears behind the wall of fans stretching their arms toward him, cheering with wild glee.
He lowers his head and keeps walking down the aisle, but the look of triumph is gone. His steps are heavy, his shoulders stiff, not a victor's stride, but a man haunted.
High above, in the upper stands, Aramaki leans against the railing. A small, tired smile rests on his lips. Relief washes through him, relief that Ryoma pulled through, that even with one hand, he still found a way to win.
But beside him, Noguchi's face twists with something else. He grins, but it's not joy. It's raw, predatory, like a beast catching the scent of prey.
"Humiliating, wasn't it?" Noguchi mutters under his breath, eyes locked on the other isle as Kanzaki stride with fallen shoulders. "Dragging him through the mud like that… I can feel it in my bones."
He bares his teeth, the grin widening.
