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Alright, now continuing:
Chapter 11: Ice Cracks and Silent Laughter
(POV: Kai)
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Three missions.
Three flawless victories.
And somehow...
Vali and I were getting better at this "partnership" thing.
If barely.
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We were walking back from the last mission — a cleanup of a corrupted minor noble family — when Vali suddenly slowed down.
She looked... different.
Less focused.
Less frosty.
Almost... tired?
I watched her out of the corner of my eye.
The silver-white hair that normally cascaded like a royal cape was a bit messier.
Her tight combat uniform clung to her body, highlighting sinful curves she usually masked with her icy aura.
(Inner Monologue)
"Damn..."
"For someone so young, that body is criminal. Those legs alone could strangle a man. And that waist... that waist could start wars."
"Focus, Kai. Focus!"
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Suddenly, she stumbled slightly.
Barely.
But I caught it.
Without thinking, I reached out, catching her by the arm.
Her skin was cold — so cold it made even my own Ice Core jolt.
> "You okay?" I asked quietly.
Vali yanked her arm back instantly, cheeks flushing.
> "I'm fine," she snapped.
"Just... pushed too hard. Not your business."
Yeah, right.
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
> "You know," I said casually, "partners usually care if the other one drops dead mid-fight."
She stared at me for a long second.
And then — shockingly — she huffed.
Not quite a laugh.
More like... a snort.
Tiny.
Cute.
Dangerously cute.
---
We kept walking.
The city lights glittered like stars in puddles around us.
For once, it was peaceful.
And for the first time since meeting her,
Vali spoke without prompting.
> "You fight well," she said softly.
"Better than most idiots I've met."
> "High praise coming from the Ice Queen herself," I teased lightly.
She didn't deny it.
And that little smirk flickered across her lips again.
Tiny cracks in the glacier.
---
(Inner Monologue)
"She's opening up. Slowly."
"Maybe she sees me as more than just a rival now."
"Or maybe she's planning how to kill me in my sleep. Either way... I wouldn't mind waking up to that face."
---
By the time we returned to Azazel's temporary base,
the bond between us had shifted.
Still rivals.
Still distant.
But something unseen had been born tonight.
Something that would grow with every battle.
Every shared look.
Every risk.
And somewhere deep inside me,
buried under layers of logic and control...
My soul whispered:
"She's mine."
Flashback thought
The only reason I could even watch anime was due to the fact that I once stole a laptop with lots of animes in it I used it while hunger gnawled at me I tried selling it but that was what made them catch me that was another bad part of my life
Former life
It's all in the past now