Without the sight of the familiar robot, Lewis could do nothing but just laze around in the hospital bed, aimlessly gazing at the white ceiling and the fluorescent lights above. However, the boy didn’t take it as boredom, as the taste of victory still lingered in his head.

“Hehe… I won. I actually won; against the President, even…” Lewis raised his shivering hands and mumbled to himself. Against Yusei, an opponent that had put too much trauma in him, to finally beat the man that caused all of this physical and mental pain upon him… To be finally free of that burden was something that he would always be delighted with.

Right now, the boy felt like nothing was impossible for him, but the lack of proper training equipment bothered him to no end, without any signs of his companion in sight. As such, Lewis sat up on his bed, eagerly eyeing the door and waiting for the eventual helper that would soon emerge from the hallways.

However, he had forgotten one important detail. Empty as it was, the Infinite Prison didn’t house only him and Yusei. And with the sounds of footsteps echoing through the hall, a creeping worry ran through the boy, sending a chill down his spine. Excitement turned into anxiety as Lewis silently gulped some air. But within that worry lay a hope, one that even Lewis himself might not have realized – scared as he might have been, he did not cower, hide, or faint anymore.

Not even when the door opened to reveal a certain black-haired girl with a short stature.

Of all the people, why does it always have to be the physical ones… Lewis silently wept for his fate. However, the girl facing him only widened her eyes for a second in astonishment before returning to her normal state, throwing up a casual remark as his figure caught her attention:

“… Right, you’re here as well.”

To say that Lewis was surprised was an understatement. Mirai was the first one to actually threaten him with violence on their first encounter, as well as the one with the shortest temper in Yusei’s group. To see her, and not have her jump at him as soon as she was aware of his existence was something that Lewis couldn’t get used to at a glance.

However, just because he didn’t get beat up didn’t mean he was comfortable around her. And the girl soon noticed it too as she clicked her tongue in annoyance:

“Stop shaking. I’m not doing anything to you.”

Only now did Lewis breathe a sigh of relief. His brief moment of respite didn’t last long, though, as Mirai went ahead and seated herself on one of the hospital beds as well.

Before he could ask, the girl had already answered, still in the same tone as before:

“What? You don’t own this infirmary. Why can’t I come to have something checked?”

“You’re… injured somewhere?”

“Nope. Sore throat.” The girl shook her head. Only at that moment did Lewis notice that her cheeks were a bit more flushed than usual. Perhaps it was a cold that brought her here.

“What happened?” The boy asked.

The girl paused for a moment as if considering whether or not to answer the question. In the end, she saw no harm to:

“I sat in the cold for too long.”

“Cold? The AC seems to be working fine around here. Is your room colder than normal?”

“… It’s not here.”

That kind of answer couldn’t satisfy Lewis’s curiosity, but the boy also knew better not to pry into a person’s private matters. And so, he briefly opened his mouth trying to change the subject matter, but soon closed it for the simple reason that he couldn’t find anything that they shared that he didn’t already know or wouldn’t offend her in some way. After all, their history with each other boiled down to just punches and kicks.

The girl had noticed this too, and so, she took it upon herself to open up.

“How’s prison life for you?”

It was a question that would sting a normal, innocent person the most. And so, it would only be natural that Lewis would answer in a bitter voice:

“I’m getting used to it. Thanks a lot.”

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As if realizing this mistake, Mirai tried to correct it. However, considering what little she knew, she couldn’t tell Lewis about the information she was told, that he was chosen to undergo the same kind of training that that monster did to beat him.

And so, she could only make do with a cryptic message:

“… You’ll find out soon enough.”

“You people sure love your secrecy, huh?” Naturally, it wasn’t an answer that would satisfy the boy. “The President, and now you too.”

“We have our reasons. Please understand us.”

It was all that she could do. But this time, Lewis didn’t allow himself to be polite anymore.

“I was stripped of my normal life at the high school of my dreams, away from my friends and family, to be thrown into this hellhole without so much of an explanation, and you expect me to be calm about it?”

It was bordering hatred. Lewis’s words towards Mirai were like daggers to her heart. Though she was violent and flippant, the girl was, in her essence, innocent. She only did what she did because of her goal, and for that, she felt like she could do anything to justify it. However, with this one, the events involving this boy, who was confirmed to just be an innocent bystander somehow roped into all of this, were too much for her to handle. She was back to her true nature.

“I… I’m sorry…”

Tears of frustration ran down Mirai’s cheeks. Frustration at her duties for not being able to disclose the situation to him. Anger at herself for allowing the hatred to run her heart so much that she would disregard everything, including the safety of civilians. She was part of a shinobi clan, but it didn’t mean that Mirai was an ice-cold killer who could disregard all of her emotions.

As a result, her tears showed. And with it, Lewis’s stone-cold heart melted as well.

“I—It’s alright!” The boy quickly waved his hand in remorse. “I’m sorry if that was too harsh on you! I won’t question it again!”

It took a while for the girl to calm down, after a few rounds of tissues and teary hiccups that echoed through the room.

Wiping the rest of her tears away, Mirai finally calmed down and continued:

“… I guess I could tell you the reason why I acted the way I did back in Aoba, if it helped you a little.”

“Do tell, then.” Lewis nodded.

The girl hesitated for a moment, before taking out a locket hidden beneath her sweater.

Inside was a younger version of herself, happily riding on the shoulders of another woman who was rather similar to her current self.

“Your sister?” Lewis asked.

“Yeah. Her name is Mochizuki Ai,” Mirai nodded. “She was like me in the present, but her talents were far better than mine. And so, she was chosen to be an officer… a former warden here, to be exact. But… last year, when the massive prison break happened…”

Lewis only needed to hear that much to understand the situation.

“I’m… sorry for your loss.”

Or so he thought.

“N—No, she didn’t die or anything!” There was an incredible urge for Mirai to continue with a “How dare you?” but the girl managed to calm herself, acknowledging that they were trying to make up with each other.

“O—Oh, I thought…”

“N—No, that was my fault…” taking a deep breath, Mirai continued. “Well, technically speaking, you’re not too far off, either…”

“… Is that so…”

“She was lucky to survive, but her body was in critical condition ever since. Right now, the only thing keeping her alive is the various state-of-the-art recovery machines coming from the World President himself, and I can only afford it by doing this kind of work. I only started a year ago, after all.”

“But she can be cured, right?”

“That’s what Yu-nii… I mean, President Yusei said, when he asked the higher-ups.” Mirai nodded. “So, I’ll keep hoping. But for now… I’ll have to find and catch the bastard who caused the prison break in the first place.” Mirai gripped her hand tightly in rage.

Lewis could guess who she was referring to. After all, there was only one guy that managed to break out of this hell, after all.

“Oh, that reminds me,” at this point, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. “I heard that the last Course had two winners. What happened to the other one?”

“The Course?” Mirai squinted her brows for a second. “Oh, you mean the Red-Black Course? You’re playing that, right?”

“I am.” Lewis nodded. “So, I tried to study the last winners… oh, if you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine. As much as I hate to admit it, that monster still has skills beyond compare, after all.”

“Yeah, I know right?” Nodded Lewis in agreement. “But I can’t find any data on his partner anywhere, aside from the game footage. If he escaped from this place, then where did the other guy go?”

“Beats me,” shrugged Mirai. “I don’t see any records of him afterwards either. Probably was pardoned some time after the prison break like the rest… or he suffered the same fate as my sister.”

“Oh…” Lewis couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face. He had expected the other legend to be living at least, but it seemed like his expectations were too high. Or rather, he was worried, that the only way to survive the challenges after was to be like the monster himself.

“Don’t worry,” seeing everything on his face, Mirai let out a light smile. “Not everyone had to be like him. At least, I trust that you wouldn’t lose your humanity.”

It was a nice attempt at consolation, but at the same time, Lewis pondered, for another thought appeared in his head. Losing his humanity… then what if the reason Zain initiated that horrid accident… was because his partner wasn’t there anymore?

A sudden ring interrupted the two’s conversation. Realizing it was her ringtone, Mirai took out her phone to check. And soon enough, a light smirk formed on her lips.

“Well, would you look at that,” the girl raised her screen in front of Lewis. “Looks like I’m your opponent for the next round. Better prepare yourself, kid.”

“The name’s Lewis,” the boy answered with an inexplicable grin of his own. “And are you really older than me? Aoba doesn’t limit your age of entry anyway.”

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll tell you if you beat me.”

“Then may the best person win.” With a confident declaration, Lewis raised his thumb up as a challenge sign. He had decided; not all of the wardens in charge of him were evil after all. And if he could strike up a mutual understanding with them through the games, then his chances of proving his innocence would be better than ever.