Two Days Before the District Championship
The morning sun glowed softly over the quiet streets. Near the town's exit side, the old man stood patiently with his hands behind his back, Niko beside him, standing there with mild frustration.
Niko: (sighs) "We'll get late because of them, old man…" He glanced sideways, adjusting his glasses.
Old Man: (chuckling softly) "It seems so… You kids did register, right?"
Niko: "Yeah, yeah, we did."
Cut to Salazar's house.
Divy: (banging on the door) "YOU IDIOT! HOW LONG ARE YOU GONNA TAKE?! WE'RE GETTING LATE!!"
The door suddenly swings open—
Salazar: "Here I co—"
—and Divy's fist accidentally slams right into his face.
Salazar: "OUCH!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Divy: "It's not my fault! You opened the door suddenly! Now grab your bag, we're leaving!"
(muttering to himself) "This idiot made me wake up early…"
Meanwhile, outside near the meeting point—
Ella, Eve, and Oiki arrive, carrying travel bags slung over their shoulders.
Niko: (looking around) "Where are Divy and Salazar?"
Ella: (frowning) "Wait… they haven't come yet?"
Oiki: (shrugs) "Probably Salazar overslept again."
Ella: (sighs deeply) "That bastard…"
Eve: (soft chuckle) "At least he's consistent."
Oiki asked quietly, glancing at Niko,
"By the way… how are we even going to the Myran City?"
Before Niko could answer, Ella jumped in with eager eyes.
"Yeah! You didn't tell us yet!"
Niko smirked, pushing his glasses up with a finger and saying with pride,
"Well, I booked a carriage."
Ella and Eve's eyes instantly sparkled.
"A carriage?!" they shouted together, almost bouncing with excitement.
They started chatting endlessly—
"Do you think it'll have curtains like a royal one?"
"Maybe velvet seats! Or gold handles!"
But as the carriage finally rolled into view… their smiles froze.
The thing creaked louder than the horses. Its wooden frame looked older than the old man himself, and one of the wheels squeaked like it was begging for retirement.
Niko still stood proudly beside it, arms crossed.
"Isn't it wonderful?" he said, as if he'd just revealed a masterpiece.
Ella's fists trembled, her smile twitching.
"Yeah… wonderful… right, Eve?"
Eve nodded slowly, keeping her calm expression—though a faint vein pulsed on her forehead.
Both looked like they were plotting Niko's "accidental disappearance," while Niko remained oblivious, shining with pride.
Meanwhile, Divy and Oiki exchanged a glance, silently agreeing not to get involved. The tension in the air was enough to make even the horses nervous.
Oiki suddenly turned his head and almost jumped.
"Wait—when did you get here?!" he shouted in panic after noticing Divy standing right beside him.
Divy let out a heavy sigh, answering flatly,
"Just now."
Before Oiki could recover, Salazar stepped forward, eyes gleaming like a child seeing treasure.
"WOAH!! THIS LOOKS COOL!!" he exclaimed, staring at the old creaky carriage like it was a royal chariot.
Niko, looking absolutely pleased, brushed a hand through his hair with that proud "genius planner" grin.
"See? I told you it was worth it," he said smugly.
Meanwhile, Ella, Eve, Oiki, and Divy all shared the same deadpan expression.
In perfect sync, their thoughts overlapped—
"Dumbass."
Scene Cut —
Deep within a silent cave, faint sunlight seeps through a crack above, falling over an ancient stone temple.
Dust drifts in the beam as the light slowly settles on a bull mark carved into the temple's entrance.
For a moment, everything stands still—
then a faint rumble echoes from within the darkness…
and fades into silence.
Chapter 6 Ends.