The apartment was quiet when he got back.

The contrast hit immediately.

There was no noise nor music, just dead silence and the occasional snoring coming from the living room.

He stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him, and for a second just stood there, letting the silence settle around him.

João was stretched out on the couch, completely knocked out, one arm hanging off the side, still wearing half of what he had on earlier. Lukas shook his head slightly, a faint smile forming, before moving past him.

They had all flown back to Frankfurt ahead of Lukas and Javi had informed him that the siblings would be staying at his place.

Javi and the Giménez were staying at Anne’s apartment about 30 minutes away.

Each step measured now as Lukas tried not to wake his friend up.

He made his way to the bedroom.

Joanna was there.

Asleep.

Peaceful.

The faint glow of the early morning light slipping through the curtains, just enough to outline her figure on the bed.

Lukas paused at the door for a moment, just watching.

Then he stepped in quietly, changed, and moved closer before leaning down to press a soft kiss against her forehead. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake.

He lay down beside her.

Exhaled.

And closed his eyes.

Then—

in his mind—

he spoke.

"Log into LTC."

The world shifted.

The familiar transition, the quiet hum of the system environment forming around him as he found himself seated on the gym floor, legs stretched out in front of him. The soreness in his shin was clearer here, sharper, more defined, and he instinctively reached down, pressing lightly against it.

He winced.

"Yeah..." he muttered under his breath. "That’s not nothing."

Before he could think further—

a notification appeared on the ever-so-familiar golden screen in front of his eyes.

[MISSION COMPLETED]

[Win the Europa League Trophy]

[Status: SUCCESS]

For a brief moment, Lukas just stared at it.

Before he could say a word, though, another screen appeared.

[REWARDS UNLOCKED]

[LTC Version Upgrade: 3.0 → 4.0]

[Time Dilation Increased: 72 Hours → 144 Hours per Session]

[Stat Cap Increased: 85 → 90]

[Bonus Reward Granted]

[Item: Injury Mode Adjuster]

Lukas leaned forward slightly, reading through it, his focus sharpening despite the fatigue.

"Version 4..."

[*Twice the time,*] TT added casually. [*You’re welcome.*]

His eyes dropped to the last line.

"Injury Mode Adjuster..."

He frowned slightly. "What’s that? How do I use it?"

There was a pause.

Then—

[* Just say "Activate injury mode" and you’ll find out,*] TT said.

Lukas blinked. "That’s it?"

[*That’s it.*]

He looked down at his leg again, pressing lightly against his shin, feeling the dull pain flare up once more.

"...Yeah," he muttered. "I think I’m injured."

He shifted slightly where he sat, exhaling through his nose.

"Alright."

A beat.

"Activate injury mode."

The system waited.

For just a fraction of a second.

Then—

* * *

When Lukas opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the silence.

Not the complete kind—there was still sound somewhere in the distance—but the kind that came after a night that had been too loud, too full, too overwhelming for the body to properly process. For a few seconds, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting his mind catch up with where he was.

Then he turned his head.

The space beside him was empty.

Joanna was gone.

He pushed himself up slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed as a faint stiffness ran through his body. It wasn’t the same sharp awareness he had felt earlier in the night, but it was there—subtle, lingering. He reached for his phone on the bedside table and unlocked it.

12:07 p.m.

He blinked once, then let out a quiet breath. They had come back in the early hours, and for the first time since the match, his body had finally shut down properly.

As he stood up, the faint ache in his left leg returned—not enough to stop him, but enough to remind him it hadn’t gone anywhere. He tested his weight on it, shifting slightly, then took a few steps forward. It held.

Manageable.

From somewhere beyond the apartment walls, the noise started to become clearer.

Distant at first.

Then louder.

Chants.

Cheers.

A kind of restless energy building outside.

The city already awake.

The parade.

He moved toward the door, pushing it open and stepping into the living room. The smell hit him first—warm, familiar, comforting—and then he saw her.

Joanna stood by the table, setting down plates, her hair tied loosely back, moving with a kind of calm that felt completely different from the chaos of the night before.

She turned when she heard him.

"You’re finally up," she said, a small smile forming.

Lukas didn’t answer.

He crossed the room in a few quick steps and pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her, holding her there for a moment longer than usual before leaning in and kissing her.

"I missed you," he said quietly.

She blinked at him, then laughed softly. "You missed me? We saw each other yesterday. I’ve been here the whole time."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, brushing it off as he pulled back slightly, his hands still resting on her arms like he didn’t quite want to let go yet.

He glanced down at the table. "You made this?"

She nodded. "I did. Go wash up first, then come eat."

He leaned in again, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before she lightly pushed him back.

"Go, our parents said they’ll be joining us soon," she said.

He was about to say something else when a voice came from behind them.

"Bro..."

They both turned.

João stood in the doorway to the other room, arms folded, looking at them with exaggerated disappointment.

"Save the PDA for when I’m not here, please."

Lukas snorted. "This is my house. You don’t have to be here."

João shook his head, walking further into the room. "After yesterday, I think I’ve earned the right to be here."

"Doing what? Sleeping on my couch?"

"Celebrating," João corrected.

Right after João’s comment, Joanna tilted her head slightly, a playful look crossing her face as she folded her arms. "First of all," she said, "it’s not PDA, because this isn’t public. It’s private. So technically... it’s still PDA, just private display of affection." She gave a small, satisfied nod like she had just said something clever.

There was a brief pause.

Lukas and João both stared at her, completely stone-faced.

João blinked once. "Was that supposed to be a joke?" he asked flatly. "Like... was that meant to be funny? I didn’t know you were a comedian, Jo."

Joanna’s expression immediately shifted as she turned to Lukas, her eyes softening in exaggerated disbelief. "Babe," she said, almost dramatically, "don’t you think I’m funny? That was funny, right?"

Lukas looked at her, then at João, then back at her again, and let out a forced laugh. "Ha... ha... ha... yeah, of course you’re funny," he said, nodding quickly. "Don’t listen to him."

From outside, the noise rose again—louder this time, chants echoing through the streets, horns, voices, the unmistakable sound of a city preparing to celebrate.

João glanced toward the window. "They’ve already started gathering."

"Of course they have," Joanna said. "The parade’s in a few hours."