[Day 5]
It's been three days since the incident that changed the tide of the first round of the tournament.
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With an hour to spare till the end of the first round, I stared at the screen, taking note of those who had passed due to the condition of doubling their ranks if they could hold off the attacks by the Fenrirs.
[Kamal Khoury—108 Druts]
[Erika Yamamoto—134 Druts]
[Ryuichi Ichikawa—104 Druts]
[Diana Chang—116 Druts]
[Virgil Belmont!—178 Druts]
The screen displayed the names of these five team leaders in green for everyone to see.
I was secretly rooting for Cyrus, who had managed to rank a lot higher than his poor points before the attack.
He had put up an entertaining fight against the Fenrirs, and I hoped he could complete the task before the timer ran out.
"Six more points, you can do it! You've got this!" I cheered in a whisper.
"Since when do you take sides, beloved?" Wyn asked, giving me a knowing look.
There were times I had been so engulfed in my thoughts that I would miss the fact that Wyn would slip past my defenses and get closer.
"Huh? What are you talking about? This is all in good fun. Plus, I'm sure Cyrus and the others will come through eventually. They always do. Don't you remember the time we met him and..."
The door opened, and Ravus walked in.
"Finally, we're almost done here. Just one more thing left to check on."
"Sure thing." I turned around and gave him a nod. "Is there anything else you need help with?"
"No thanks, but thank you. If I may ask, where does your mind go every time you watch these games play out?"
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"To what you said earlier, yeah, I guess. It's hard not to think about them succeeding or failing once they're up on the screen."
"Hmm... I wouldn't say it's impossible, though, to not allow yourself to become involved emotionally in a game of chance like this one."
"Fair enough. Well, as long as they win, then everything is fine and dandy."
I watched Ravus leave and leaned back into my seat.
A moment later, Katsuhiro Watanabe's name was marked in green.
The audience cheered at his achievement. He had successfully passed the required number of druts discovered in the sewers.
A few seconds later, Cyrus's name was next.
He raised his hand in victory, signaling that his team had completed its objective. The crowd went wild, cheering wildly, while Cyrus took his place amongst the other team leaders.
His face lit up brightly, and he flashed a grin in our direction.
"It seems you got your wish after all, beloved." I grinned. "It looks like we'll be seeing a lot of him now."
She chuckled softly as she pulled herself from her chair.
"That reminds me," she whispered as she stepped towards me. "It seems like Ravus has found himself another girl. I saw her walk in with him during lunch break yesterday."
"Oh, really? Are you spying on him again?" I teased.
Wyn looked away bashfully and nodded. "Not exactly, but yes."
My lips curled upward into a smirk. She wasn't wrong either; she did have the knack of finding out things most people didn't notice.
"Well, well, well," I said as I reached for the microphone, "we're finally down to the final ten minutes of the match. Let's hope the team leaders still searching have some luck left in them."
As I spoke, the crowd grew restless and started to fidget.
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The clock ticked steadily until it hit zero.
[Beep! Beep!]
[00:00:00]
At that exact moment, the screen flashed red.
"It looks like our last remaining team leaders have failed to find any additional Druts," I announced. "Congratulations to all teams who made it to the next round. For those who did not make the cut, don't fret. There's always next season."
We all stood and clapped loudly in unison. As I continued to speak, all team leaders began to file out through the light beam exit doors.
"And now, without further ado, let's announce the winners of the first round."
As I raised my hands above my head, the lights dimmed. The crowd roared louder than ever before.
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I didn't expect anything less.
"First up, the team leader who has managed to uncover the greatest amount of druts within the allotted time, with a total of one hundred and seventy-eight druts found, congratulations to Virgil Belmont!"
The applause came so loud, it nearly drowned me out.
Virgil walked up onto the stage, followed by his teammates.
He smiled widely, revealing two rows of white teeth.
Ugh!
"Thanks everyone! You've been a huge support throughout this round. We knew we were going to do outstanding things when we signed up for this."
He flashed a charming smile. "This is the cherry on top, isn't it?"
The crowd laughed.
Next, I called up the second-place team. They appeared in an instant.
...
"Sixth place goes to..."
Cyrus raised his arms in victory.
"...the team is led by Cyrus Eris!"
Cyrus beamed with pride. His team members congratulated him in turn.
"Thank you, thank you everyone," Cyrus said humbly.
"You can all come down off the stage now. Thank you for participating today, and good luck to you all in the next round."
As they disappeared behind the exit door, the room fell quiet once more.
"I thank all who participated in today's event," I added. "Please join us in two days' time at the same time to see how well the rest of their team performs."
Then I turned back to the crowd. "Now, please enjoy the rest of the evening."
The lights returned to normal, and the audience began filing out.
A few seconds later, Wyn emerged from the backstage area. She wore a pair of black leather pants and a matching long-sleeved shirt. Her hair was neatly tied back behind her head, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"I know that face," I mumbled under my breath.
"What are you talking about?" Wyn asked with a pout.
I grinned. "I think you already know what I'm referring to."
She blushed lightly. "Ah, right. Ravus should be here in a few minutes."
"It's one of those times you're actually excited by his presence," I replied. Then I leaned forward with a smirk on my lips and said, "But I'm sure you'll get your chance to take care of that soon enough."
Wyn's cheeks reddened even further. "Yes, but I would much rather not have to wait."
I couldn't help but chuckle at her eagerness.
"Don't worry, Wyn," I reassured her. "You won't have to wait too long."
When she heard the door open, she jumped slightly and glanced over my shoulder.
Ravus stepped into view, dressed in a simple grey t-shirt and blue jeans. He had a backpack in one hand and a phone in the other.
His eyes lit up upon seeing us together. "Oh, there you both are!"
I could tell he'd been eavesdropping.
"Let me guess, she's waiting for the report of the total income generated during the first round," Ravus teased.
Wyn scowled at him. "That's none of your business."
"But it is!"
"No, it's really not," she countered.
"All right, then maybe you don't need your precious cut," he said slyly.
"Are you trying to bribe me?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"Why not? It seems to work well enough for you."
Before she had a chance to reply, I held up my hands. "Okay, okay, enough teasing. How much are we talking about here anyway?"
"Not yet," Ravus answered. "There's still some paperwork left to go through before everything is finalized. But if the numbers hold true, it looks like we'll be splitting sixty percent of the profits evenly between us, twenty for the crew and the other twenty for the investors."
"Nice," I said as I patted him on the shoulders.
"How long does it take till the paperwork is finished and we get our share?" Wyn mumbled.
Ravus glanced at her. "About ten minut—"
He paused and then stepped back, using me as a shield against Wyn.
"Should I ask why you're salivating like that, Wyn?" he whispered urgently.
Her cheeks darkened, but she didn't say anything else.
I made a countdown with my fingers. "Three... Two..."
Ravus raised his eyebrows when she failed to answer.
"...and one."
With a final deep breath, Wyn finally spoke. "M... M... MEEEEEEAAT!!!!"