The car door closed with a sound like a coffin lid. Soft, cushioned, final. I watched the cityscape of New Vein blur past through tinted windows, thinking about how I'd just weaponized the word "love" against my own mother.

Across from me, Natalia sat with her spine straight, hands folded in her lap. The NVA uniform transformed her into something else entirely. The black military blazer hugged her frame, gold buttons gleaming against the charcoal fabric. The gray skirt fell to mid-thigh, regulation length, but on her it looked like a weapon. Her purple hair caught the morning light, and those sharp violet eyes stared out the window at nothing, processing everything that had just happened.

The Liar's Brooch sat heavy in my breast pocket. The lie I'd told Kimiko wasn't really a lie at all, and that was the most disturbing part. Somewhere between the manipulative schemes and the strategic corruption, something real had taken root. I did love Natalia. Not despite her pride and cruelty, but because of it. Because she was strong enough to stand beside me without flinching.

That didn't make me any less of a scumbag. It just meant I was a scumbag with actual feelings now.

Gods, Apollo must have been laughing his ass off.

Nel's voice whispered in my mind. [Oh, he is. Current viewer engagement is through the roof. The gods do love a villain with a tragic flaw, and you just discovered yours. Congratulations, King. You have a heart. How inconvenient.]

Shut up.

The AI driver's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Approaching Asahi District. Estimated arrival in four minutes."

I watched the neighborhoods change. Veridian Hills gave way to the metro areas, gleaming towers replaced by squat apartment blocks. Holographic advertisements shifted from luxury watches to discount gym memberships. This was Emi's world. Honest. Simple. A place where people still believed in heroes without knowing what heroes actually cost.

Natalia's hand found mine between the seats. Hidden. Secret. Her fingers intertwined with mine, and she squeezed once. Hard.

I squeezed back.

No words. We'd said everything that mattered already.

The car slowed. Outside, I spotted her immediately. Blue hair like a beacon, bouncing as she practically vibrated on the curb. Emi wore the same uniform, but she'd made it her own. A ridiculous oversized blue pin on her collar that looked like some anime mascot. White thigh-highs instead of the standard black. Her backpack had approximately seven thousand keychains dangling from it.

She was sunshine personified. A cinnamon roll in a world of wolves.

And I was about to devour her.

The car stopped. The door opened with a pneumatic hiss.

"Morning!" She climbed in, immediately filling the space with energy. "Sorry, I hope I didn't keep you waiting! Mom made me eat breakfast three times because she's convinced I'll starve at the academy, and then I couldn't find my lucky charm, but it was in my pocket the whole time, and—"

She stopped mid-ramble. Noticed Natalia sitting with perfect posture, looking like an ice sculpture come to life.

"Oh! Natalia! You look amazing!"

Natalia's expression softened. Just slightly. "You look cute."

Emi beamed and turned those bright brown eyes on me. Her breath caught. Just for a second.

"Satori," she breathed. "Wow. You look..."

"Like I got dressed in the dark?"

"Like a model!" She laughed. Settled into her seat across from Natalia, next to me. Close enough that her thigh pressed against mine in the tight space. "Seriously, that uniform should be illegal on you."

"I could say the same." I let my gaze travel over her. "The pin's cute. What is it?"

"Oh!" She touched it, suddenly self-conscious. "It's Pyon-chan. From that old show, Celestial Guardians? I know it's silly, but—"

"It's perfect," I said. "Matches your energy."

She lit up like I'd just given her a crown.

Natalia's hand tightened on mine. A warning. I was being too smooth. Too forward.

I pulled my hand free. Casual. Reached into my bag and produced a small paper bag.

"Got you something. Thought you might want fuel for the journey."

Emi opened it. Inside, three cream puffs from Étoile Céleste. The expensive ones. Her favorite.

Her eyes went soft. "You remembered."

"Hard to forget when you took seventeen pictures of desserts last time."

She clutched the bag like it contained state secrets. "Thank you. Really. This is... you didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

The Liar's Brooch was cool against my chest. Truth. Somewhere along the line, I'd started genuinely wanting to make her smile.

Fuck.

Natalia cleared her throat. "So, Emi. Nervous?"

The conversation shifted. Emi rambled about packing lists and whether she'd brought too many sketchbooks. Natalia offered advice with the tone of a senior guiding a junior, establishing herself as the experienced one, the mentor. I leaned back, watched them interact, and felt something settle into place.

This was my ensemble. The queen and the healer. Ice and light.

My phone buzzed. Social media notification. I pulled it up.

"Stray Dog Watch" had apparently become a trending hashtag. Great. Just what I needed. My follower count had exploded overnight. Comments ranged from supportive to absolutely unhinged.

'@PhoenixFire99: SATORI NAKANO IS THE FUTURE OF HUNTING CHANGE MY MIND'

'@LegacyHunter: this zero trash is disrespecting everything our families built. someone needs to put him down'

'@CutiePieHealer47: um excuse me is anyone going to talk about how HOT he is??? those ARMS???'

I scrolled past dozens more. Memes. Analysis threads. Someone had already made fan art of me standing on a pile of defeated legacy Hunters, which was both flattering and deeply concerning.

Emi leaned over to peek at my phone. Her shoulder pressed against mine. She smelled like vanilla and hope.

"Oh my god, you're trending! Look, someone made a compilation of your best moments at the Gala!" She grabbed her own phone, pulled up the video. "Watch, watch!"

The video was set to dramatic music. It cut between my speech, Julian's face turning red, and reaction shots from the crowd. Whoever edited this had skills. They'd made me look like a revolutionary hero.

The comments were even more intense.

'This guy gets it. Im so tired of these rich kids acting like they earned their power.'

'Onyx Hounds about to be ELITE this year'

Emi scrolled through, reading them aloud with increasing amusement. Natalia watched with a complicated expression. Pride mixed with something darker.

"You've become a symbol," Natalia said quietly.

"Symbols are useful. They inspire people to follow you even when following you is a terrible idea."

"Is it?" Emi looked up at me, those earnest eyes searching. "A terrible idea, I mean. Following you."

"Ask me again after we survive orientation."

She smiled. "Deal."

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