Little Day.

He hated that nickname.

Not because it was overly childish or sounded embarrassing. But it was because there were only a handful of people in the world who had ever called him that.

And every single one of them belonged to a part of his life he had tried very hard to bury.

[ClownWithWifi: LITTLE DAY???]

[ChairGoblin_22: lore drop? lore drop?]

Hana, standing slightly behind him, looked between Deon and the woman by the fountain with growing confusion. "Deon...you know her?"

"Unfortunately."

Vivian pressed a hand to her chest, looking offended. "Cold! How could you treat your sister like that!"

The four people behind her shifted uneasily, clearly unsure whether to be more afraid of Deon or the fact that the woman might leave them for someone she knew.

The broad-shouldered man with the fire axe took half a step forward. "Vivian. You know this guy?"

"I do," she said. "He’s kind of like my baby brother. My cute, adorable baby brother."

Deon opened his system panel, glancing at the time immediately.

[Musical Chairs — Second Round]

[Time Remaining: 00:03:12]

"Tch..." he muttered. "It’s too late to look for another Chair."

He had been too focused on the Chair and on Vivian. The fact that she, out of all people, was here, standing inside the same death game as him was a coincidence he just couldn’t ignore.

Vivian hopped off the fountain, landing on the cracked stone with the grace of a cat. "Let’s look at the situation properly, shall we?"

"You have a Flag and two members," she pointed towards them, then at herself. "And we have five members and a Chair..."

"So what do you say, baby brother? Care to team up with big sis again?"

"..."

Hana blinked. "Deon?"

He didn’t reply, lifting the collapsed Flag off his shoulder and clicked something along the pole. The metal extended with a sharp mechanical snap, the red cloth unfurling immediately.

Vivian’s eyes followed the movement with mild interest.

Deon stepped past the others, walking straight toward the glowing Chair at the center of the plaza. The broad-shouldered man tensed, fingers tightening around his fire axe, but Vivian raised a hand before he could move.

"That obedient already?" she teased.

"Don’t get it twisted. It’s because I have no other options."

"Fine, fine!" she stepped back, raising both hands in mock surrender. "Do what you gotta do."

He reached the center of the glowing platform, found the circular socket embedded in the cracked stone, and drove the Flag down into it with more force than necessary.

THUNK!

Ding!

[Chair: Mihan Park.]

[Required Members Registered: 7/7]

[Claim Phase Initiated.]

[Time Remaining: 10:00]

A translucent barrier rose around the plaza, spreading outward from the fountain in a faint blue dome. The monsters prowling beyond the park’s outer paths shrieked and clawed against empty air, unable to pass like before.

Mihan Park’s too open. If I could see the Chair from the entrance...other teams could too. We’re not gonna be alone for too long.

Deon allowed himself to breathe. Only for Vivian to immediately ruin it.

"So," she said, stepping beside him. "How have you been? Miss me much?"

Deon slowly turned his head. "That’s what you’re asking me?"

The four members of her group exchanged glances. Hana looked like she had accidentally walked into the middle of a family argument and had no idea where to stand. So she just blended in with the others.

Vivian folded her arms beneath her chest. "You never called."

"I didn’t have your number."

"You had my agency number."

"I blocked it."

"You never answered my stream comments either."

"..."

"Hah!" she exclaimed, raising both hands to her face in ’pain’. "Little Day, you wound me!"

Deon ignored her theatrics, finally getting a good look at the other four party members. The two girls standing near the back looked like identical twins.

The broad-shouldered man wore a spiked leather jacket, though Deon had somehow managed to disregard the extremely colorful mohawk sitting on his head.

His eyes finally drifted to the last member, who looked like a high school boy who held the exact same expression that Hana had in the beginning.

Deon sighed before turning around. "This your team? How the hell did you get so many Points?"

The mohawk guy spoke up. "Hey! Don’t insult Big Sis Vivian! She stayed with us from the beginning and kept us alive!"

Deon stared at him. At first, he thought the guy was just another idiot who had latched onto the strongest person.

That happened easily enough in places like this. Throw desperate people into danger, and they cling to the faintest hope.

Tch...like Martin.

Deon frowned, checking their expressions again. Yet the only thing he saw in their eyes...was fierce loyalty.

Vivian noticed his stare immediately. "What? Moved by how popular your big sister became?"

He sighed softly. It had been a long time after all. People change.

"You washed your hands yet?" he said softly.

Her smile remained but lost the teasing edge she was using, just enough for Deon to know she understood exactly what he was asking.

The mohawk guy frowned. "Washed her hands? What the hell does that mean?"

Vivian lifted one hand lazily before he could continue. "It means Little Day is asking if I’m still a bad woman."

"I didn’t say that."

"You didn’t have to."

"Then answer."

"..."

"Yeah, I washed them."

Vivian spread both hands as if presenting herself for inspection. "We’re an official company now. No nasty little records or gang wars. That’s in the past now."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Not really."

"At least you’re honest."

"But it’s true." Vivian sat back on the fountain. "We’re a government-licensed loan agency now."

For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Deon couldn’t decide whether he should trust her or not. On one hand, in this situation, a person with her skillset is invaluable...

On the other...Vivian Queen was a liar, a manipulator, someone who never stopped when she had her eye on something.

"Alright," Deon nodded, turning to face her for the first time. "If you expect me to believe you, then answer this." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Why are you here, Vivian? Why have you participated in the Miracle Royale?"

"You have all you’ve ever wanted," he continued. "Money, fame, connections..."

"What the hell did you wish for?"

...

Her smile faltered, replaced with an almost cold sheen in her eyes. She stared at Deon, and for a moment, he could see it again.

See the old version of her, the one that had always come home to him battered and bruised. The one that had always brought home convenience store food with her left hand and debt money in her right.

The same one who taught Deon, far too early, that "good people" were usually the ones with the most to lose...And that there was always someone willing to take advantage of the fact.

But just as quickly, it disappeared, replaced by her usual cheer. Her expression changed, but this time, she might’ve realized that Deon was no longer the baby brother she used to protect.

"Hah!" she snorted softly to herself.

"If I told you that I wrote nothing on my Desire Card—"

"Would you believe me?"