The hour and a half break stretched ahead of us like an eternity. I needed to strategize. Needed to review footage. Needed to prepare for Julian’s inevitable bullshit.

Instead, I found myself watching Stella Nova’s performance on repeat on one of the arena’s auxiliary screens, trying to figure out why her wink had bothered me so much.

Nel’s voice whispered in my ear.

"Because nothing in this world happens by accident anymore. Not where you’re concerned."

Yeah.

That was what I was afraid of.

Jaime appeared beside me, his eyes still slightly wet from emotional overflow. "Wasn’t she amazing?"

"She’s talented."

"She’s a goddess among mortals!" He clutched his chest dramatically. "Her newest album is all about pushing past your limits and becoming the best version of yourself. Every song is a gym motivation anthem!"

"Of course it is."

"You think she’d sign an autograph?"

"Probably. That’s literally her job."

He looked at me with sudden intensity. "Will you come with me? To meet her? She’s doing a meet and greet in the VIP lounge for platinum sponsors and academy VIPs."

I stared at him. "How would I get into a VIP lounge?"

"You’re dating the President’s sister," he said, like this was obvious. "You can get in anywhere."

Celeste appeared on my other side. "He’s not wrong. I can get us in."

"Why would I want to meet a pop star?"

"Because Jaime will literally never stop talking about it if you don’t," Skylar said, materializing from somewhere. "And I’d rather not hear about his missed opportunity for the next six months."

I looked around. Somehow, I’d been surrounded.

Natalia’s expression was carefully blank. "If you go, I’m going."

"Same," Skylar said.

"I’ve always wanted to meet her!" Emi practically bounced. "Her music videos are so pretty!"

Akari just grinned. "This is going to be entertaining."

I looked up at the ceiling, silently asking whatever gods were listening why my life was like this.

Nike’s laughter echoed in my skull.

"Because you’re hilarious, Stray Dog. Now go meet the pop star. This should be good."

Fantastic.

Just what I needed.

Another complication.

The VIP lounge was exactly as pretentious as I’d expected. All white marble and gold accents, with servers in crisp uniforms carrying trays of champagne that probably cost more than my entire education. The space was filled with corporate sponsors, professional guild recruiters, and people who looked like they’d never done a day of real work in their lives.

Celeste walked in like she owned the place, which technically she kind of did. Her sister ran the entire VHC. That bought a lot of access.

Noah was glued to her side, looking like she wanted to murder everyone preemptively just to be safe.

Jaime vibrated with barely contained excitement, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of his idol. Marco stood beside him, looking mildly uncomfortable in the fancy surroundings.

My girls spread out like they’d planned this. Natalia claimed my left side, her hand finding mine with possessive certainty. Skylar took my right, close enough that our shoulders brushed. Emi hovered just behind us, her healing aura still faintly active. Akari and Celeste flanked the group, creating a formation that was probably overkill but looked impressive as hell.

"You brought an entourage," someone said from behind me.

I turned.

Stella Nova materialized from the crowd like she’d been waiting for her cue, and my first coherent thought was that cameras didn’t do her justice.

Her platinum hair cascaded down her back in waves that seemed to capture and refract every light source in the room, those signature sapphire streaks running through it like frozen lightning. Her eyes were this impossible shade of violet—not quite purple, not quite blue—that reminded me uncomfortably of Skylar’s gradient irises. The white blazer she wore over her performance outfit looked casual but probably cost more than a car, draped over a frame that moved with the easy confidence of someone who’d spent their entire life being watched and admired.

And right now, all that attention was focused entirely on me, her lips curved in a smile that felt just a fraction too calculated, too knowing, like she was in on a joke I hadn’t heard yet.

"Satori Nakano," she said, her voice carrying that same melodic quality I’d heard on recordings but with an intimacy that felt deliberately chosen. She extended one perfectly manicured hand, fingers adorned with rings that probably each had their own insurance policies. "I’ve been wanting to meet you."

I shook her hand on autopilot, some buried instinct for social niceties overriding my natural suspicion. Her grip was surprisingly firm, the kind of handshake that said she’d shaken a lot of hands and knew exactly how much pressure conveyed confidence without crossing into aggression.

"Why?" I asked bluntly, because fuck playing coy with a woman who’d probably seen every social manipulation tactic in existence.

She laughed—bright, clear, and utterly unforced. The kind of laugh that made people instinctively want to hear it again. "Because you’re trending number one globally right now, sweetheart. The Stray Dog who killed an A-Rank with a baseball bat covered in fire. The boy who somehow convinced the President’s little sister to join the worst guild in the entire Academy." Her violet eyes flicked toward Celeste for just a heartbeat, then back to me, sparkling with something that might have been genuine amusement. "That takes either incredible charisma or incredible stupidity."

"Why not both?"

"Why not indeed."

Natalia’s hand tightened around mine. The temperature dropped noticeably.

Stella noticed, her smile widening. "And you must be Natalia Kuzmina. The Ice Queen. Your match against those Sentinels was brutal. I loved it."

"Thank you," Natalia said with perfect politeness that somehow sounded like a threat.

Jaime finally found his voice, though it came out about three octaves higher than normal. "Miss Nova! I’m your biggest fan! Your third album changed my life! The track about iron will and diamond muscles inspired me to increase my training by forty percent!"

Stella’s expression softened genuinely. "That’s exactly why I make music. To inspire people to push past their limits." She reached out and squeezed Jaime’s massive bicep, her eyes widening slightly. "And it clearly worked. These are incredible."

Jaime’s brain basically shut down. Words failed him completely.

"Would you like a picture?" Stella asked gently.

He nodded, still unable to form actual sentences.

She posed with him, her publicist appearing from nowhere to snap the photo. Jaime looked like he might cry again.

Stella then turned back to me, her expression shifting into something more curious. "So. The Stray Dog. You’ve got quite the pack following you around."

"They’re my friends."

"Friends." She tasted the word like fine wine. "That’s it?"

Natalia’s frost started spreading across the marble floor in delicate patterns.

I squeezed her hand once, a silent request to not freeze an international celebrity during my tournament break.

"What do you want?" I asked Stella directly.

Her smile turned sharp. "Nothing. Just wanted to meet the boy everyone’s talking about. See if the hype was real."

"And?"

"Jury’s still out." She reached into her blazer and pulled out a business card, pressing it into my free hand. "But I think you’re interesting. Call me sometime. I’d love to talk more."

The card was simple white with silver lettering. Just her name and a private number.

"I’m still in school," I pointed out.

"I’m twenty-three. Five years isn’t that much." She winked again. "Besides, I’m a patient woman."

Akari’s laugh was pure delight. "Oh, I like her."

Natalia made a sound that might’ve been a growl.

Stella Nova backed away with that same knowing smile, rejoining her publicist and security team. As she left, she called back over her shoulder.

"Good luck in the semifinals, Stray Dog. I’ll be watching."

Then she was gone, disappearing into the crowd of VIPs like smoke.

The silence she left behind was deafening.

"So," Skylar said eventually. "That happened."

"She wants to bang you," Akari announced cheerfully. "Just putting that out there."

"She does not—"

"She absolutely does." Akari held up her phone, showing me social media already exploding with photos of our interaction. "Look. The shippers are having a field day. They’re calling you ’StellTori’ already."

"That’s not even a good ship name," I muttered.

Celeste cleared her throat delicately. "We should probably return to the prep area. Your match is in seventy minutes."

Right. Julian.

I’d almost forgotten about that golden-haired prick for approximately five minutes.

Nike’s voice whispered through my thoughts again.

"Focus, Stray Dog. The pretty pop star is a distraction. Julian is your real problem. He’s been training for three weeks specifically to counter everything you showed him in your first match. He knows about your Kinetic Absorption now. He knows you can phase through attacks. He’s going to come at you differently this time."

Let him come. I’ve got new tricks too.

"You’d better. Because if you lose to that entitled brat, I’m revoking my sponsorship and finding someone more entertaining."

You wouldn’t.

"Try me."