Chapter 101: Entertain Me
Fwoosh.....
The alley felt narrower than it had only moments ago.
Quieter, too.
It was as if the entire world had shrunk until nothing existed beyond the stretch of cracked pavement beneath their feet, the distant glow of the circus lights, and the woman standing a few steps away from him.
Champagne slipped both hands into his pockets, forcing himself to look relaxed.
On the outside, his expression was calm.
On the inside...
'I was not ready for this.'
His thoughts crashed into one another so fast that he could barely separate them.
'What do I even say?'
'Do I fight?'
'Do I stall?'
'Do I keep talking?'
'Or do I just run?'
He almost laughed to himself.
'Daito... you owe me for this one.'
Drawing a slow breath into his lungs, he forced his racing heartbeat to settle.
'Just go with it.'
Across from him, Nyx watched him without saying a word.
It wasn't the casual curiosity of someone meeting a stranger.
It was the gaze of someone dissecting every movement, every breath, every tiny shift in expression, as though she could peel away every layer of deception until only the truth remained.
"...You're nervous."
Her voice sliced through the silence with effortless precision.
No accusation, no uncertainty, just fact.
Champagne blinked before letting out a light chuckle, tilting his head innocently.
"Me?"
She didn't even blink.
"Calm down."
A brief silence followed.
"People make mistakes when they're tense."
He raised both hands in exaggerated surrender.
"Alright, alright."
"I'll relax."
Rolling his shoulders, he deliberately loosened his posture before leaning against the nearby railing with an easy smile.
"Let's just... talk."
Nyx slowly turned away from him and looked out across the sleeping town below.
The streets shimmered beneath scattered lanterns.
Ash drifted lazily through the night air.
Somewhere in the distance, faint laughter mixed with the muffled sounds of the circus.
Without looking back, she answered.
"Talk, then."
Champagne stepped beside her, careful to keep a respectful distance.
Not too close but not too far.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then he smiled.
"You know..."
He glanced sideways at her.
"...you're beautiful."
Another pause.
"Gorgeous, actually."
Nyx's expression didn't change.
Not even slightly.
"I've heard that..."
She lifted her cigarette to her lips, taking a slow drag before exhaling a ribbon of smoke into the night.
"...about a thousand times."
Champagne scratched the back of his neck with an awkward grin.
"Figures."
Oddly enough, it wasn't uncomfortable.
It wasn't the silence of strangers.
It was the silence of two people trying to decide whether the person beside them was dangerous... or worth understanding.
Nyx watched the smoke disappear into the darkness.
"It gets boring."
Her voice had changed only slightly, but enough for him to notice.
"Different towns."
"Different faces."
"The same words."
Her gaze drifted upward toward the moon.
"Celebrities."
"Savages."
"Fans."
A tiny pause.
"Assassins."
Champagne frowned.
"You've had attempts?"
A quiet laugh escaped her lips.
"More than I can count."
She looked down at the cigarette burning between her fingers.
"And yet..."
"...I'm still here."
Another silence.
"Which is the problem."
Champagne looked at her, puzzled.
"Problem?"
She finally met his eyes.
For the first time, the sharpness in her gaze was accompanied by something else.
Fatigue like real fatigue.
"I've seen too much."
"I've survived too much."
Her voice softened until it was almost swallowed by the wind.
"And now..."
"...I'm bored."
The word caught him completely off guard.
It sounded wrong coming from someone like her.
"I need something..."
"...worth living for."
The atmosphere shifted.
This time, Champagne didn't joke, didn't flirt, and didn't hide behind a smile.
"Then live for something real."
One eyebrow lifted.
"Like what?"
He shrugged.
"Justice."
"Order."
"Something bigger than yourself."
Nyx smiled faintly before shaking her head.
"If only it were that simple."
She looked back toward the circus.
"I'm a model."
"A singer."
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"I'm not supposed to be standing on the front lines."
"...using Savage Powers."
"...saving people."
Champagne narrowed his eyes.
"Then why are you?"
The answer came without hesitation.
"Because no one else could."
There wasn't even a second of doubt in her voice.
That single response told him more about her than an hour of conversation ever could.
He folded his arms thoughtfully.
"If you're that important..."
His eyes swept across the rooftops.
"...why are there only two bodyguards?"
A faint smirk appeared on her face.
"Had more."
"I fired them."
He blinked.
"Why?"
"Because I can handle myself."
She flicked away the cigarette ash.
"And because too many guards..."
Her eyes shifted toward the brightly lit circus grounds.
"...draw attention."
She paused before adding one final sentence.
"The truth is..."
"...almost every guard in that party..."
"...is watching me."
Champagne's face remained perfectly composed.
Inside, however...
'Damn.'
"So you're not unprotected."
"Never."
She took one slow step toward him.
Not aggressively, not seductively, but deliberately.
"What's interesting..."
Her eyes locked onto his once again.
"...is you."
That pressure returned.
Invisible, heavy, like standing before a cliff during a storm.
"Me?"
"You walked over here."
"You talked to me."
"And none of them reacted."
Her gaze never wavered.
"No alarms."
"No interference."
A brief silence settled between them before she spoke again.
"That shouldn't be possible."
Champagne smiled casually.
"Guess I'm just lucky."
Nyx continued studying him.
Longer this time.
More carefully.
"Or..."
"...something else."
Champagne slowly took a single step backward.
"If that's the case..."
"...maybe I should leave."
He turned ever so slightly.
Testing her.
Immediately—
"No."
Her voice stopped him in his tracks.
He froze.
"Stay."
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Then she smiled.
It wasn't the polished smile she wore on stage. It wasn't the charming smile the world adored.
It was small, quiet, and almost genuine.
"You're interesting."
She folded her arms loosely before looking back toward the town.
"Entertain me."
The night seemed to grow deeper around them.
Somewhere far away, the mission continued exactly as planned.
But here...everything had begun to change.
Champagne realized he wasn't simply buying time anymore.
With every passing second, he was drawn further into her world.
And Nyx...She was beginning to look like something far more dangerous than a target.
She was becoming someone he genuinely wanted to understand.
To be continued...