Half-expecting Kit to divert his attention so that she could use her Cat Paradox, she once again subverted his expectations as they simply walked out of the hospital. They reached her car, which was a deep shade of red, almost black. It sat low, nearly touching the ground, its chrome wheels sparkling under the sunset. Sero couldn't tell which sports car he liked better, Kit's or Amaya's.

"Does everyone own a nice car?" Sero muttered as he marveled at how the doors opened upwards instead of sideways. "Or is it just something the rich can afford?"

Kit giggled as they stepped in, a scent of cleanliness wafting up Sero's nose. "Nope, this is Enzo's car. I don't really need a vehicle, remember?"

"What? He just let you borrow his car?" Sero asked, surprised.

"Technically no," The Paradox stuck her tongue out, then reached over and opened the glove box. "But, it is a nice way to keep you distracted."

"Keep me distracted?" Sero asked, as he glanced into the glove box, seeing tiny bottles of liquor neatly arranged in rows. "Distracted from what-"

"We're here!" Kit smirked as she got out of the car. With a start, Sero glanced around, seeing that they were parked in front of the familiar Korean barbecue restaurant. He realized the Paradox had tricked him once again, but he had to admit that it was clever.

The pair walked inside, catching sight of the Demonic Judge already sitting at a table by himself. He had taken off his suit jacket, his sleeve cuffs rolled up. He noticed the two and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Kit. Sero." Enzo greeted the two as they sat down across from him.

"Hey, Enzo." Sero took in the sight of all the meat and alcohol that sat on the table. Some of the meat was already on the grill, cooking and drafting an aroma that made Sero’s stomach growl.

"I saw your matches," Enzo jumped straight in, pouring out two shots of liquor into some glasses. "Not bad."

"Thanks." A small sense of pride rose up in Sero, but he stifled it, anticipating Enzo’s next words.

To his surprise, the Demonic Judge simply slid a glass over to Kit, raising his own in toast to Sero. Kit smirked and took her glass, clinking it against Enzo’s then downed it with him.

"That’s it?" Sero asked, unsure of how to proceed.

"What do you mean?" Enzo raised an eyebrow. "You expected me to say something else?"

"Or… did you want to drink with us?" Kit leaned against Sero’s shoulder and looked up with a playful gaze.

"N-no, I was just…" Sero glanced away from her, his face burning in embarrassment. "Sorry, I was just expecting you to be like ‘but don’t get too full of yourself’."

The Demonic Judge snorted, amused.

"I've seen enough," he said, pouring himself another shot. "You're not that bad. You've got spirit, Sero. And I've seen enough of that in the tournaments to know it can take you far. You've got the fundamentals down pat, you've just been... lacking in confidence. That's something you can work on, yeah?"

"Confidence? This little bookworm?" Kit raised an eyebrow. "Have you even met him?"

"Maybe confidence wasn’t the right word," Enzo sat back and crossed his arms. "More like… drive? I’m not exactly sure how to describe it. While you’ve been fighting well, you still seem stiff. In your matches, you fought as if you were trying to win, not as if you’ve already won. Does that make sense?"

"I-I guess?" Sero replied, not really getting the Demonic Judge’s point.

"Eh, whatever," Enzo sighed as he poured Kit a shot as well. "You’ve exceeded expectations; that’s good enough for now."

As the two S-ranks downed their drinks once more, Sero felt himself glowing with pride from Enzo’s praise. Though he still wasn’t sure what Enzo meant, at least it didn’t sound that bad.

"Anyway," Enzo bared his teeth after taking his shot. "I didn’t call you out here just to celebrate your wins."

"I figured." Sero nodded his thanks as Kit loaded his plate with cooked meat. "I have a feeling you want to know what I found out during the tournament?"

"Good instincts," Enzo admitted with a wolfish grin. "But, not exactly. Amaya and Kit already relayed what you’ve told them; Cassandra and Max confirmed your observations."

"Who’s Cassandra and Max–"

"The main reason why I called you out here is to partially make good on my promise," Enzo held up a finger to stop Sero. "I trust that Kit gave you my message?"

"Message?" Sero thought back to their previous conversations. "Uh, something along the lines of you saying good luck or I’ll beat your ass- wait, meeting some of the other Janitors?" He began to salivate, and it wasn’t because of the aroma of the food.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The Demonic Judge chuckled and shared a glance with Kit. "Yeah. I invited Cassandra and Max to come as well." Enzo then made a face. "And the old man."

As if on cue, Sero sensed an outrageously powerful presence emitting from the restaurant entrance. He whirled around, seeing the door open and Gregor stepping inside as the last customer walked past him.

Dressed in a similar black suit as Enzo, the leader of the Janitors was still imposing as ever, radiating a commanding aura. His violet eyes scanned the establishment, lighting up with warmth as he saw the trio.

"Sero, it’s been a while." Gregor said as he slid in next to Enzo. The Demonic Judge already made the booth seem tight, but the addition of the Janitors leader made it look even tinier. Gregor nodded to Kit. "My dear, thank you for clearing out the restaurant."

"No problem." She smiled. Sero glanced at her.

"Did you… use your skill on the customers?"

"Maybe." Kit stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Is… is that ethical?"

The Paradox simply put a finger to her lips and winked.

"Couldn’t you have pulled up a chair, Boss?" Enzo scowled as he shifted over to accommodate him. "How am I supposed to go to the restroom now?"

"You’ll manage, Enzo." Gregor chuckled as he settled in. "Besides, it’s a more amiable atmosphere if we’re all sitting together, no?"

"I agree," Kit smiled as she leaned her head on Sero’s shoulders once again.

Faced with three S-ranks at the same time was an unreal, almost overwhelming experience. Even though Sero had been around Enzo the longest, he was still getting used to his enormous pressure, so the inclusion of Kit’s and Gregor’s aura was a little much to adjust to. It didn’t help that Kit’s flirting was also causing some other problems.

"So, before getting down to business," Gregor began as Enzo poured him a shot. "I have to say, I'm impressed with your matches. You've been garnering a lot of popularity, both in the media and with the guilds nationwide."

"Thank you, sir." Sero felt another surge of pride. Gregor downed his shot and smiled warmly.

"I knew you'd do well. But now, let's discuss the more serious details. What have you noticed during the tournament?"

Sero recapped his observations to the group as they began to eat, noting the subtle worried glances between the three S-ranks.

"That's a little concerning," Gregor mused after Sero finished. "If only the source was clearer in their report."

"By the time I got there, the source had already been terminated," Enzo grimaced. "Someone got to them before they could finish their coded message."

"And we're sure it was the work of Culling?" Gregor asked.

"With such brutal marks? Boss, if it wasn't them, then we'd be dealing with another dangerous group. Besides, the code Duke deciphered definitely said that Culling was involved."

Gregor made a low hum, lost in thought. Then, he glanced over to Kit. "You didn't detect anything out of the ordinary as well?"

"Nope. Not even with my Cat Paradox."

The leader of the Janitors drummed his fingers on the table for a moment before directing his attention back to Sero.

"Well, whatever the case is, let's set that conversation aside for now. At the moment, there are two key pieces of information I need to tell you, Sero." Gregor leaned forward, his eyes suddenly serious. "First concerns your role in the tournament. It is no longer a requirement for you to make it through to the finals."

"Oh." Even though he felt the pressure lift from his shoulders, Sero couldn't help but also feel slightly disappointed that his role was no longer as important. At least now, he could focus on winning the tournament for his father instead.

"Hey, don't you dare slack off," Enzo growled, as if sensing Sero's thoughts. "I didn't pour hours training you just for you to blow it off in the end."

"And second, the association as well as the Janitors are pushing for the tournament to be extended for one more day. That means the final match will occur on Monday. Instead of 3 matches back to back this Sunday, it will only be the qualifiers and the semi-finals." Sero heard the door open, but kept his attention on Gregor.

"The reason for the prolonging is that although there are no discernable activities from the Culling, we believe that they may act during the finals of the tournament, as per the message we received from the source," Gregor continued. "To incite them, we have resorted to extending the tournament further, to see if they will react. Most likely they may have planned everything to occur tomorrow, but perhaps a delay in schedule may cause them to hasten things."

"You called us here to go over the plan again?" A masculine voice spoke behind Sero.

When he turned around, he saw a man and woman standing there, both in business-wear similar to Enzo and Gregor. The man had tanned skin, with short and messy black hair and an edged stubble. His gray eyes narrowed at the sight of Enzo, as if his presence annoyed him. His white dress shirt was also unbuttoned at the collar, though it was untucked.

As for the woman, she was incredibly voluptuous, emphasized by the tight fitting blazer over her white blouse and black slacks. She had voluminous dark brown hair that stopped below her shoulder blades, and an unfocused gleam in her pale light blue eyes. Her skin was light and fair, with a mole underneath her right eye.

Sero could sense their strength, comparable to the three S-ranks sitting with him. He realized why Kit had sent out the customers earlier; it wasn't just for privacy, but for the civilians' sake as even he struggled to adapt to the auras that weighed down on his senses.

"Ah, Maximillian, Cassandra. Please, join us," Gregor smiled at the two. "We were just going over new strategies with Sero here."

"Ooo, is this the Scholar?" Cassandra asked with a breathy voice. She plopped down on the other side of Sero, gazing at him with a curious yet empty look. "He's adorable!"

Sero became aware of a threatening intent. He cautiously turned to Kit and was surprised at her tight-lipped smile directed at the other woman. There was no way to be sure, but it seemed like there was a hint of protectiveness or jealousy in her mismatched eyes. That was something Sero thought he'd never see on her face.

"Why should I? I already know the plan, and I don't need to meet this guy." Max continued to stand, folding his arms as he sneered at Sero. A wave of deja vu washed over Sero, overshadowed by his irritation at the man's attitude towards him.

"Just sit down, Max. It's important that you listen to the Boss." Enzo growled, glaring at him.

"Oh, sure, like I'll take orders from Gregor's loyal mutt."

"Say that again." The Demonic Judge stood, exuding a menacing aura. Max remained unfazed, emitting his own dangerous pressure.

"Oh... I'm going to die." Sero thought to himself.