After apologizing to the team, they ate together in harmony, everyone acted as if nothing ever happened because they decided to put the matter behind them.
Although they decided to act and put the matter behind them, it doesn't mean that Key's punishment is over.
Not that she actually considers it as one.
As Key has said in her apology letter, she didn't exactly understand what it means to work as a team, she knew it by the book but actually understanding the concept is a lot different than just knowing what the word team meant. Lucky for her, her teammates may be more than willing to teach her, their team's little sister, what it meant.
"You see what Alexei did there with Rio?" El asked and pointed at the screen
"Yeah, since Rio attacked, Alexei came from behind the enemy to help." Key nodded her head while replying to El
"Though, from what I remember, that's not Alexei's usual gaming technique, right?" Key added and turned to look at El
"That's true, but he adjusted to Rio's techniques, which he adjusted for you," El replied and Key looked at him while blinking
"Right, I usually attack ever since Rio's first game…" she realized and El smiled
"I should've been the one to adjust, right?" she asked and El chuckled
"Well, that depends on the two players on the same lane," El replied, not giving her a definite answer
"You're used with Opal attacking, but Rio isn't the attacking type, he's more on defense," El added and pointed at the movements that Coraje, who Opal chose as his shinigami, is making in the top lane
"So, the next time, I'll be adjusting with your play style," Key said and El shook his head
"Not really," El replied and Key turned to him with a confused expression
"Your play style is more on the attack side, which means we'll be aiming for a quick victory, and that's usually the plan so there's no need to change it," El explained
"Alexei's play style is the opposite of yours, you know that, right?" El asked and Key nodded
"Yeah, but he adjusts his play style depending on who he is playing with. Depending on if he's playing with you, or with Rio," Key answered
"Yes, so Rio's and my play styles are different as well, but because Rio had adjusted to playing with you as the off-laner, it's not that much different anymore." El said and Key didn't exactly get the point of his words despite being smart
"I'm making any sense to you, am I?" El asked
"Nope, you're not," Key nodded while replying without a second thought
In all honesty, she is a bit closer with El and Alexei than she is to everyone on the team, well that may be because she had more interactions with the two of them compared to everyone else. Except for Dewy and Bright, that is, since they would treat Key quite similar to how James and their other cousins would treat her so she feels at home, except when they reprimanded her.
"See this in the audience's point of view," he said and pointed at the crowd in front of them
"How do you think they see the current game?" he asked
"They think that both teams are aiming for victory by the distribution and the gap between – Key," she stopped talking and looked at El when he called her
"I said how they, the audience, see the game, not how a player sees the current game," El said and Key blinked a couple of times before getting what El meant
"Okay, I think that they are thinking that the rendezvous point of all the players would be the Hydra's Lair, and the clash will happen there," Key replied and El smiled
"Yeah, and that's what teamwork is like," El said and Key looked at him in disbelief
"Thinking what the audience will think? Who knew it's that easy…" she muttered and El turned to look at her in disbelief before chuckling
"What? That's what you said," Key said and looked at him incredulously
"No, what I meant is teamwork is when the members not only view the situation from their perspective but with the other members as well," El explained before chuckling again
"Who knew someone as smart as you wouldn't get it that quickly," El commented and Key narrowed her eyes at him before shaking her head
"Look, you're right, they did clash in the Hydra's Lair," El diverted the topic back to the match between their team and Pentagram
"So, who do you think will come out of that clash alive?" El asked her and Key focused her eyes on the screen where the match is being played
"I think Quant's Dimitte skill will help Captain Bellum and Rio's Chasseur in delivering greater attacks to the opponents, then if Alexei gets to execute the Havre skill at the exact moment Opal's Coraje launches Spiccato on the Hydra, we'll claim the Hydra without his Coraje dying." Key speculated with a small glint in her eyes
"Opal's shinigami is a level lower than the opposing top-laner's shinigami, how do you think he can pull that off?" El asked and Key kept her eyes on the match
"Hmm, Clypeus's Dimitte skill gives attack enhancement the most to the allied shinigami closest to him, doesn't he? Well, Opal is in that perfect position because his Coraje and Captain's Bellum are protecting the support, which is Quant's Clypeus, in between them." Key replied and El looked at her in amusement
"Why don't you try working with Bright in making strategies?" El asked her and Key chuckled
"I just memorized the possibilities that come with Clypeus's skill because he's Foschia's greatest counter-shinigami." Key replied with a smile
"Foschia is my favorite shinigami so I have to know which shinigami can beat her the easiest so I can ban it before a game, that way I'll be able to use her abilities to the greatest extent," Key added and El shook his head
"You always come up with the most unexpected answer, Key," El said and they focused their eyes back on the match
"Wait, they slipped," Key said when she realized that Rio's Chasseur hit the opponent's newly resurrected shinigami instead of the close-to-death one.
Although that attack, as it was enhanced, cost half a quarter of the newly resurrected shinigami's blood, that slip-up gave the close-to-dying Fero a chance to get its blood refilled by running back to its base.
"What do you think they'll do now?" El asked her
"Well, that's Fiore so they have to scatter the opponents and themselves far from each other so should he use Fiore's Rubavita, he'll only be replenishing his blood and not his teammates," Key replied
"But that will be disadvantageous for Quant's attack enhancing skill," El pointed out
"It'll be better for Quant to focus on enhancing the Captain's attack skills alone because he is currently the shinigami with the most blood in the team, as for Alexei he should use Havre so Rio can face the newly resurrected shinigami head-on without receiving damage. If Rio uses Chasseur's ultimate skill while Clypeus's attack enhancing skill is still effective on his shinigami, he can drain the opponent's Fiore and they can go back to the former formation." Key said and turned to El
"I think we should head back to the resting area," El said with a small smile
"Oh, yeah, I think so too," Key agreed after realizing that their frequent exchange has attracted the attention of those seated close to them
They stood up and went to the side to go back to the resting area, which is located backstage but can be reached through the hallway located near the front row of the audience's seats. As they are walking, Key is aware that they are taking quite the attention even though she is wearing a facemask that covers half of her face, there's no question that fans can still recognize her and El, especially when it's their team who's playing in the match. When they arrived in the resting area, Dewy and Bright are focused on the current match that they didn't even give them a glance when they heard the door opening.
"Huh, did they hear us talking?" El kidded when he saw that their playing teammates did scatter on the map and Alexei used his Havre, which Rio used to face the newly resurrected Fiore head on
"I viewed things from the Captain's perspective, knowing him, it was probably what he would do, and it seems I'm right." Key said and sat on the single-sitter couch
"For some reason, you and Nico seem to have the same way of thinking when it comes to game strategy," Dewy commented, taking Key's attention
"You are quite similar in play style," Bright commented and Key gave them a small smile
"Of course, I learned from his games after all." Key thought in her mind
"How do you think we'll win?" Bright asked no one in particular