When Austin stepped out of the small shower, he saw Gary sitting back on the stool, intently reading a piece of parchment.

"What’s that?" he asked, picking up a glass of water he presumed was for himself.

Gary looked up with an unreadable expression, though his eyes held a strange, lingering intensity. "It’s a report from our insiders. Tobias is dead."

Austin froze with the glass halfway to his lips. Then, it slipped, the water splashed and glass shattered onto his bandaged feet.

"What? What?! Tobias? Dead?! How? That’s impossible! I get that he’s a low tier jobber of a villain BUT the Academy Tournament hasn’t even started yet! He was supposed to be the opening act! The tutorial! How the hell is he fucking dead!?"

"There you go with your spiel again. Apparently, he was intercepted on his own turf last night. It was a joint effort. On paper, Prefect Dominik led the ’search and rescue’, but he had help. Emelie Herst, Diana Valentine and... Kurt Rossana."

"Kurt...?" Austin’s face went from pale to a deep, vein-popping purple. He lunged forward, grabbed the small wood table and threw it across the room.

"Did you just say Kurt?! Gary, you told me you killed him! Back at the park! You said you used the lethal poison and that he’d be dead!"

"I did!" Gary’s voice rose in rare defense. "I watched the poison enter his system! No human survives that dosage. I saw him collapse! He should have been dead before he hit the grass!"

"THEN WHY IS HE ALIVE?! Why is he breathing?! Why is he helping Emelie?! Why is he ruining everything AGAIN?!"

"I don’t know what to tell you, Austin... I’m sorry."

Austin lost it.

He spun around and delivered a vicious kick to a small wooden stool, sending it splintering against the far wall.

"FUCK! What the fuck is happening to the plot!? Why is that bitch still alive!" He began pacing like a caged animal, his breathing coming in ragged, frantic bursts.

"And what the hell is the prince doing!? Why isn’t he with Emelie? That was how things are supposed to go! He was supposed to sneak onto the island with her, get himself captured like the clueless idiot he is, and force Emelie into the Choice! She was supposed to choose between her ’growing love’ for the prince or saving those brats!"

"Err Austin, the prince is, and always has been, at the palace. On the day you were... incapacitated... a public incident occurred. Kurt publicly humiliated both Prince Maxwell, Jr. and Princess Kiana. But mainly the princess. He spanked her."

Austin stopped dead in his tracks. "He... what?"

"He spanked her," Gary said with a hint of a smirk ghosting his lips. "In the middle of the street. In front of witnesses. I believe it was their ’punishment’ for losing their duel in the park. The princess is too embarrassed to show her face in public, so he’s currently inside the palace, most likely looking after his sister."

Austin stared at Gary for a full ten seconds. Then, he let out a guttural, primal roar of pure rage. He kicked the bed frame, the impact sending a jolt of pain up his leg that he barely felt through the adrenaline.

"SPANKED?! He spanked Princess Kiana?! The Villainess!? That’s not in the script! That’s not how the scene goes!"

Austin began to trash the room in earnest, throwing the few supplies they had against the walls, kicking over the water bucket, and sweeping Gary’s letters onto the floor.

"The entire opening act is a fucking dumpster fire! I was going to replace the prince! After I finished fucking Amy, I was going to sneak on and be the one to save Emelie on the island! I was going to build the affection points! I was going to be the hero of the first arc!"

He collapsed into the center of the room, heaving, his chest slick with sweat and his bandages starting to unravel.

"Are you finished?" Gary asked softly.

"What are we supposed to do?" Austin whispered as his head hung low. "The game is broken. The protagonist is not acting like one, the villains are dying off-screen, and I’m stuck here beaten half to death by the main heroine who hates me when I’ve done nothing wrong..."

"First things first. You need to stop moving. You just woke up from the beating Emelie gave you. If you faint now, your internal bleeding will restart. Sit down."

Austin slumped onto the edge of the bed, his anger replaced by a calculating desperation. "Where is she? Where’s Emelie?"

"I believe she’s returned to her family estate to prepare for the tournament. Oh, and don’t bother looking for Amy? She went with her. She’s out of reach for now."

Austin’s eyes narrowed. He went silent for a long time. Finally, he looked up as a dark, crooked grin spread across his face.

"Fine. If the game wants to play hardball, I’ll play hardball. Before the Tournament Arc officially kicks off, I need a Training Arc. And I don’t mean hitting straw dummies."

"What do you mean?" Gary asked.

"I mean I’m going to start stealing the ’Cheats,’" Austin said as his voice dropped to a conspiratorial hiss. "The hidden power-ups, the ancient artifacts, the secret scrolls that the ’Main Character’ is supposed to find by ’accident.’. I’ll take every advantage Junior was supposed to get."

"What are you even talking about, Austin? You aren’t even an entrant in the tournament. You have no standing."

"Shut up and follow me," Austin snapped, standing up with renewed vigor. "If you play your cards right and keep helping me, I might even give you one of the cheats for yourself. Now, let’s get out of here–"

Bonk!

"What the hell! Where’s the door!?" Austin held his forehead as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"There is no door, Austin," Gary said, walking up behind him. His hand touched the wall, and the shadows began to bleed out of the stone.

"I built this saferoom specifically so it could only be accessed through my shadow magic. You’re safe here because no one else can enter."

"Just get me the hell out," Austin growled.

Gary nodded, his hand resting on Austin’s shoulder. The shadows rose up, swallowing them both in a cold, suffocating embrace before they vanished from the chamber.

.

..

...

Back at the Bureau of Civil Affairs, the afternoon sun was at its peak, and the buzz of the city had returned to normal. Kurt stood by the open door of the carriage, watching as a clerk handed over a finalized set of documents.

"Everything on the list Miss Hope provided has been inventoried," the clerk said respectfully to Kurt.

"All of her personal belongings will be delivered to the Valentine mansion by tomorrow morning. As for the matter of the late Peter’s inheritance... it is a complex legal web. It will take approximately six months to process the transfer to her name. We will notify you the moment the decree is signed."

"Six months is fine," Kurt said, slipping the receipt into his vest. "She’s not going anywhere."

"Thank you, Mr. Clerk," Hope said politely.

The man smiled warmly at her and retreated into the building. Kurt turned to Ayako, who was standing a few feet away.

"Well, it’s been an eventful morning. I guess this is where we part ways. For real this time."

Ayako nodded with a serene expression. "Indeed. I must return to our lodgings. My sensei will be... displeased... about Ryuuji’s arrest. I have much to explain before the sun sets."

"Do you want a lift?" Kurt offered, gesturing to the carriage. "It’s the least I can do after you kept that hot head from leveling the block."

"You are kind, Rossana-sama, but I think I shall walk." Ayako smiled looking at the street. " I haven’t had the chance to truly see Eldoria’s sights. The air after last night’s storm is quite refreshing."

"Alright then. Take care of yourself, Izumi-san."

"And you, Rossana-sama. I look forward to our next meeting. May your blade stay sharp." She performed a graceful bow, which Kurt returned with a nod.

Yuna and Hope both waved their goodbyes. "Stay safe, Miss Izumi!" Hope chirped.

"Until next time," Yuna added, her tone professional but no longer icy.

The three of them climbed into the carriage, and with a crack of the whip, the horses began to trot away.

Ayako stood on the steps, watching the carriage until it disappeared around a distant corner. The moment it was out of sight, two figures dressed in nondescript, grey commoner’s clothes that bled in with the crowd, stood next to her.

"Ayako-sama," one whispered.

Ayako’s gaze didn’t waver from the road. Her voice was no longer warm. It held the tone of the Izumi Heiress.

"Dig up everything. I want his history, his birthplace, his connections, and every duel he has fought in. Report to me by midnight."

""As you command,"" they whispered in unison. They then turned and walked in opposite directions, vanishing into the bustling crowd as if they had never existed.

"Kurt Rossana," she murmured to the empty air. "I cannot wait for our next meeting. I want to see what lies beneath that strength of yours."

As the wind picked up, Ayako’s form began to shimmer. A sudden gust of wind sent a cloud of pink petals swirling around the steps, and when the air cleared, the heiress was gone, leaving only the faint scent of spring behind.