Naomi and I watched Reina head back into the dojo, Reina not answering the phone until she made her way there. Judging by her sudden shift in attitude, the call seemed to be serious. Though, Naomi didn’t let it deter her from our conversation as she turned her head back toward me.

“You know, you don’t have to entertain her demands all the time.”

I chuckled, placing the bug on the ground. “It’s nothing like that at all. I know you two fight like cats and dogs and don’t necessarily see eye to eye but Reina’s improved big time. From our first contract to our last, she’s sharpened her meta game.”

“Doesn’t make her stupid comments any less stupid.”

“I think it’s time we trust her judgment.”

Naomi scoffed and rolled her eyes away from me. “She’s impulsive to a fault. And as loud as a foghorn.”

“She’s also fierce, brave and resourceful. You may not want to admit it, but she had scored us a couple points in all three rounds combined. You can’t deny the facts, Naomi.”

She shrugged. “Whatever. It isn’t like you’re going to change your mind. But when we lose, I will say I told you so.”

I smirked. “We’re not losing. It’s all about approach. Jump over to the optimistic side. We have sunshine and rainbows, and—”

“Every word you say is making it sound less appealing….”

I quit teasing Naomi and slightly changed the subject. “So, how did you know I was going to use mine?”

She turned to me. “What?”

“My Displacer? Switching places with Balizi was a late call, and you did the same thing with Team Buffalo.”

“I didn’t know,” she said honestly. “Though… I had an idea that you might. I went with my gut feeling that you’d time out the egg too, and steal in the last five seconds.”

“The fact that we had the same idea means a lot as partners. As Reina would say, we are in sync. If we didn’t time that perfectly, it wouldn’t have worked.”

“It’s our final round tomorrow, Nero,” she said.

“Yeah, clearly, not enough time to fuel up and do it all over again, huh,” I said, noticing how exhausted she suddenly looked. “It’s early, but you should catch some sleep now.”

“I’m alright. Have you gotten a chance to talk to your family?”

“I have. I had already set up all of my winnings from the tournament to go to their bank accounts.”

She furrowed her eyebrows at me. “All?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry! I’m not talking about my bonus. I’m letting that grow a bit. Sponsor money will remain untouched. I’m waiting for Felix, Gun, and Ash to get in the game again. I’m not backing out of our bet.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. What about yourself?”

I craned my head. “What about myself?”

“You’ve earned that cash. You ought to enjoy it.”

“I’m a minimalist, Naomi. I don’t own many things, and the things I do own aren’t very expensive. I’ve always told myself that the cash I collect is for my family first. When we spoke not too long ago, they were in tears. I could hear the relief in my mother’s voice….” I paused, my chest fluttering from the thought. “Do you know what it feels like to finally be able to give back? I get that it's her job… to look after me and protect me, and make sure that I’m fed and have a roof over my head. But I’ve seen her struggle through all of that, and I had nothing to give her. Until now. That feeling is priceless. And I’m going to keep winning these tournaments to relive the moment over and over again.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Sounds like your mother means the world to you….”

I paused, looking down at her and feeling guilty. “Oh, Naomi, I didn’t mean to—”

“No, it’s nothing to feel guilty about. I didn’t have that growing up. So it’s nice to hear that you got to experience it. I’d like to meet this woman who is the center of your world one day.”

I snickered. “One day soon, I hope. They are already planning on visiting. It still sounds crazy to say that they could actually take a vacation!” She smiled. “Honestly, it feels great, Naomi, to finally see her get out from under all of that stress….” Stress from working too hard, her physical health, and having to find an outlet to keep things afloat. It wasn’t easy for Mom to admit it, but she finally did. She was in fact dealing with a loan shark. I had to drag the truth out of her, though I figured it was easier for her to fess up when she realized she could pay the money she owed them once I was done with the tournament. She had apologized for keeping it a secret. Her excuse was the same as all the others. She didn’t want me worrying to the point where I’d drop school. I made her swear to never keep stuff like that from me again. Our relationship was grounded on trust and openness, and I wanted it to stay that way.

I wish I were there to revel in their happiness. The moment I won the first round was the moment they realized that things could really change. It was the same moment the weight of her worry lifted. As soon as the post-game ceremony was over, I’d raced to call her and Sophie. She was breathless and beyond herself, There was a hint of pure relief in her voice. I told her to take care of herself with that money, and to make sure that our mother did the same thing.

Paying her loan shark, finding herself a good doctor—Sophie promised me she’d make sure she stayed on top of everything while I was away.

Naomi looked at me, her purple eyes shimmering in the sunset. “You can be too selfless sometimes. I am happy for your family, but you need to think about yourself too.”

“Seeking their happiness is thinking about myself. The dopamine is at its peak right now!”

She giggled, and I offered her a reassuring smile. “We all make sacrifices, Naomi. And to be 100% with you, this isn’t even a sacrifice for me. It’s a privilege to be able to help them. Besides, it’s not like I’m going homeless or anything. I still have my basic needs met.”

“As long as I’m around, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“And, I have this awesome and cute girl on my team looking out for me, making sure I stay on top of my game.”

She blushed.

“It’s a wonderful life, and I can’t complain. Happy family, a great career where I get to help people every day, and awesome friends.”

“It doesn’t get any better than that, does it?”

“Well, I can think of a way it could be perfect,” I said, gazing at her curiously.

She looked at me lost. “Perfect?” Naomi repeated, until she stumbled backward with her hand cradling her head.

“Naomi?”

She tried to hide her wince, Naomi quickly shaking it off like she wasn’t just about to faint.

“Naomi, are you okay?” I asked her, my arms out ready to catch her fall.

She shook her head. “Yeah. I’m just dehydrated. I’ll be fine….”

“What’s that on your collar?” I asked, pointing on a blotch of red stuff along her dark gray jacket collar. “It’s still wet. Is that blood?”

Naomi threw her hand over her cheek, the side facing away from me. When she pulled her hand away, I saw a big streak of red and my chest jumped.

“Naomi, you’re bleeding!” I said, and then noticed a trickle of blood leaking from her other ear now.

“It’s nothing,” she said sheepishly as she tried to wipe them away.

“Nothing? Naomi, you’re losing blood!” I protested, trying to see the extent of the damage.

“I’m fine, Nero,” she insisted, pushing my hand away. “It’s just… a side effect. Stress-related.”

“What sort of stress causes someone to bleed from the ears?” I pressed on. Her poker face was gone, and she was trying to feed me BS. Naomi was flustering up and she knew it.

She was always strong-willed and stubborn, but now she looked helpless. “It’s from the pressure of using my telekinetic powers frequently,” she confessed, finally meeting my gaze. “I’ve been tapping out my stamina back to back. It’s just a small side effect.”

She was lying….

Naomi might not know it, but she had her own tell, too.

Her stoic face became more expressive. She was hiding the truth, and this truth was dangerous, potentially lethal.

As the silence stretched between us, she dropped her gaze, Naomi trying to disengage the conversation. But I refused to let this one go.

“Naomi,” I whispered softly, “We should go to the hospital.”

“I already told you that this is normal,” she refused, and then turned her back toward me. “I just need some rest. I’ll be good again for the finals tomorrow.”

I answered her with silence as I stood there and watched her walk away.

“I should get going…, Good night, Nero.”