Wednesday afternoon.

During lunch, I sent Eleanor a message.

I asked if she could spare me some time in the evening, saying I had something important to discuss.

A reply came soon after, short and cautious: What’s it about?

[It’s better to talk in person. It has to do with ‘Platinum Wings’ investment.]

The answer came back quickly.

[Alright. When and where?]

The word investment had worked exactly as intended.

After school.

I took Meiling and Lumina to the bus stop.

“You two head into the dungeon on your own today.”

“And where are you going this time?”

Meiling’s tone was edged with irritation.

“To find an ally for bringing down Valhall. Ah—bus is here. I’ll be off.”

I boarded the bus to Yongsan Station.

Outside the window, Lumina waved brightly.

Meiling, meanwhile, folded her arms and turned her head away, sulking like a child.

At Yongsan Station, I scanned the crowd.

Not here yet?

I stood by a pillar, waiting.

Then someone approached with both hands stuffed in her hoodie pocket.

“Hey.”

Eleanor lifted one hand in greeting.

Her outfit didn’t look like it belonged to the daughter of Crystal’s CEO.

“Why are you staring like that?” she asked, puzzled.

“…No reason. Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Then let’s grab something first.”

“Fine. Can I pick the menu?”

I nodded, and she strode ahead.

A few minutes later, we sat with trays in front of us.

I had a bulgogi burger set. Eleanor had a chicken burger set—plus cheese sticks and a dessert pie.

She devoured the burger in moments and moved straight to the fries.

“So. What’s this investment talk about?”

“Before that, how’s your shop independence going?”

“I’ve chosen a location. The contract’s in progress.”

“Fast.”

“I’d already scouted buildings beforehand.”

“I see.”

“Also, Platinum Wings pulled out of Crystal Mall two days ago.”

I nodded.

She’d mentioned before they’d been warned: if they didn’t reveal who crafted their rare items, they’d be barred from selling.

“What did your family say about it?”

“…Don’t worry about it.”

Eleanor hesitated, lips pursing before she spoke.

“I told my father long ago that I planned to go independent someday anyway.”

Not it’s fine, but don’t worry. Clearly the conversation at home hadn’t been pleasant.

“So, was that what you wanted to ask me about today?”

Her gaze sharpened with suspicion.

“No. The investment talk was just bait to get you here.”

“…What?”

She froze, dropping a fry, staring at me.

Her cheeks turned red.

“W-what kind of trick are you pulling?”

“I need a favor from you.”

“A… favor? From me?”

Her voice was climbing. People nearby started glancing over. I raised a finger to my lips.

“Finish eating first. This isn’t something to talk about here.”

She made a strangled noise somewhere between a groan and a reply, then attacked her fries, cheese sticks, and pie without another word.

What’s with her?

I hadn’t said anything strange. And yet she was flustered out of her mind.

Still, I was quietly impressed—her whole tray was fried food, and she was putting it away effortlessly.

When our trays were empty, we cleaned up and stepped outside.

“So? What’s this about?”

“Somewhere quieter.”

“Wh-what?”

“People can’t hear this. Follow me.”

“Wait—what are you…”

I led her into a side alley away from the main street.

“Eleanor.”

My tone dropped, serious.

“Wh-what?” she stammered, glancing around nervously.

“I’ll be direct.”

I looked her squarely in the eye.

“I need your sister’s power.”

“…What?”

Her face went blank with shock.

“There are people I have to bring down. Scum who kidnap or buy awakened children with nowhere to go, then force them into fights. But I can’t handle them alone. I need you—and your sister.”

“…That’s sudden.”

Her voice had gone cold.

“Why are you mixed up with people like that? And fighting? What is this, some kind of colosseum?”

“Close. An underground arena. On the outskirts of Seoul, in the ruins of an old business district. It’s called Valhall.”

I explained Valhall and its operations.

Eleanor’s face hardened as she listened, anger flickering in her eyes.

“I can’t believe it. People like that exist?”

“It’s hidden. You’d only know of it if someone introduced you. Otherwise, you’d never hear the name.”

“And how do you know about it?”

“By pure chance. I infiltrated it myself to confirm—and it’s real.”

“…You infiltrated it? You?”

I nodded.

“…Unbelievable.”

“Valhall has multiple hunters around level 50. And the owner has wide connections. I can’t topple him alone.”

“Level 50…”

Her face stiffened.

“That’s why I need your sister. Or more accurately—Crystal’s power.”

Iris might be Crystal Academy’s ace, but she was still a trainee.

When first encountered in the academy scenario, she was only level 35.

High, yes, but still short of 50.

Which was why I didn’t just need Iris—I needed the resources that came with Crystal.

“I’ve seen her with an escort before.”

“Yeah. So that’s what you’re after.”

Eleanor gave a small nod.

“But Iris is part of Crystal. She can’t just move because she wants to.”

As expected. I pulled out the card I’d prepared.

“What if a Forward executive is tied to Valhall?”

Her eyes widened.

“Crystal and Forward’s rivalry is world-famous. If things go as planned, Crystal only stands to gain.”

If Forward Group was exposed as connected to a den like Valhall, their reputation would take a huge hit.

Crystal would rejoice in their downfall.

And importantly—no one from Crystal was involved in Valhall.

That fact was something only revealed after completing Seo Yui’s scenario and epilogue.

But I intended to use it early.

“…Nam Yein. That’s why you brought this up? Even dragging my family into the conversation?”

She’d seen through it.

Eleanor had grown distant from her father and Crystal because of her independence.

But this information could serve to mend that rift.

She didn’t hate her father. They just clashed on direction and values.

Which was exactly why I’d baited her with this.

“I won’t deny it. But I can’t stand Valhall existing. So I’ll do whatever I can to crush it.”

“….”

She fell silent.

“Even if you refuse me, I won’t ask for investment money back or stop supplying rare items. This isn’t about business. I’m asking you as one person to another. Help me. I want to free those kids.”

“…You really are a terrible person.”

Eleanor looked at me with a mix of exasperation and disgust.

“If I refuse your request here and just ignore it, wouldn’t that make me the same kind of trash as the ones running that place?”

“Not quite. If they’re radioactive waste, you’d only be, say… recyclable trash.”

“…May I hit you once, human to human?”

“If you hit me and then call Iris afterwards, go ahead.”

The next moment, Eleanor pinched my arm so hard it felt like she was tearing flesh, then pulled out her wireless earbuds.

“Iris, sorry to bother you, but can you come to the workshop? I need to ask you for a favor. Oh, no, it’s fine, take your time, I’ll wait…”

Her words trailed off. Eleanor’s expression went blank as she stared at nothing, then removed the earbuds.

“She says she’ll be here in under ten minutes.”

“As expected of your sister.”

“……”

Her face was complicated.

We hailed a taxi and headed for the workshop.

Barely a minute after we stepped inside, there came a pounding on the front door.

“Eleanor! It’s me! Eleanor!”

Iris’s voice rang from outside. She’d made it even faster than ten minutes.

As Eleanor opened the door, Iris charged in like a bull and grabbed her sister’s shoulders.

“What do you mean, a favor? Did something happen? Did someone hurt you—”

“Calm down, sis. Technically, it’s not my favor. It’s his.”

“Eh? What?”

Iris’s gaze followed Eleanor’s pointing finger—straight to me.

“You!”

Her eyes widened.

Up until now, she hadn’t even considered my presence.

“You, you! Nam Yein!! Why are you here with Eleanor at this hour!?”

I almost laughed aloud.

Wasn’t she the one who told me not to let anyone know we’d met?

“N-no… don’t tell me—!”

She charged at me.

“Sit, now!!” Eleanor shouted.

In an instant, Iris dropped to her knees on the floor.

“Haa… Please calm down. This is embarrassing.”

“S-sorry.” Iris apologized to her sister, then turned back to glare at me.

The way she bared her teeth, it looked like she might devour me alive.

…Should I adjust the plan while I still can?

For a moment, I wavered.

Five minutes later.

After hearing Eleanor’s explanation, Iris slowly nodded.

“No.”

“Sis…”

“Eleanor may believe you, but I don’t. Not without proof.”

“Here.”

I tapped my smartwatch, projecting a hologram video.

The audience stands, the underground arena, the fights of Valhall appeared in the air.

Both sisters’ eyes went wide.

Honestly, who would carry around something this useful and not keep evidence?

“Do you believe me now?”

“……”

“……”

Neither of them could speak.

The footage showed that five-versus-five match between children.

Eleanor turned away, while Iris’s face twisted in rage as she glared at the projection.

“…Enough. I see it’s real. Turn it off.”

I ended the video at her command.

“Why not take this to the police?”

“They’d bury it. The arena owner has connections everywhere. At best, it would give him time to run.”

“…I see. That makes sense.”

Iris crossed her arms and nodded.

“After watching that, I can’t sit idle. I’ll cooperate with you.”

The resolve in her voice matched Eleanor’s—it was clear they were sisters.

“But there are conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“Eleanor must not participate in the fighting. The hunters you mentioned are around level 50.”

“Sis!”

“Yell at me, curse me if you want, but I won’t budge on this.”

“….”

Eleanor looked at me.

“Eleanor, there’s work to be done outside the fighting too. I’ll leave that to you.”

I turned to Iris.

“Any other conditions?”

“Yes. All credit goes to Eleanor, myself, and Crystal. Whatever you do, you’ll get no recognition, no reward.”

“Stop it already, sis!” Eleanor shouted angrily.

But Iris didn’t spare her a glance.

A sharp contrast to just minutes ago, when a single command from her sister had dropped her to her knees.

Maybe she was simply too afraid to look Eleanor in the eye now.

“That’s fine.” I met Iris’s gaze.

“As long as Valhall falls, that’s enough for me.”

“…Ho.”

She smirked, testing me.

But in truth, her conditions were exactly what I’d wanted. If she hadn’t said them, I would have asked for the same myself.

“Good. I acknowledge your resolve. You called me because you already have a plan, right?”

“Of course.”

I explained the roles I had prepared for each of them.

“It may need tweaking mid-operation, but that’s the outline.”

“Understood. We’ll discuss further details later. I need to prepare as well. Eleanor, let’s go home.”

“No. Go without me.” Eleanor didn’t even look at her.

“E-Eleanor!” Iris looked devastated.

“I still have things to discuss with him.”

“T-then I’ll wait here—”

“Go home, sis.”

“…Alright.”

Iris trudged to the door, then turned back.

“Brother—”

“Sorry…”

She left with that single word.

“Haa…”

I let out a sigh without thinking.

If it weren’t for Valhall, I wouldn’t have spoken with her at all.

“Sorry. I’ll apologize in her place.”

“No need. It’s fine.”

It wasn’t as if Iris would change her behavior because Eleanor apologized for her.

“So what did you want to talk about?” I asked.

“…Honestly, nothing.”

“…What?”

“I just didn’t want to go home with her, so I used you as an excuse.”

Eleanor grinned slyly.

“Well, since we’re here, I might as well get some work done. Oh, and wait a little before leaving. My sister might be lurking outside.”

“…Fair point.”

So I stayed, watching Eleanor work for a while, before eventually heading out with her toward the bus stop.

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