"Lately, I've been having the same dream"

  "A dream in which I am embraced by darkness"

  "Not the darkness that is vile"

  "Something akin to the shadow of the divine"

  "I soon realise that the darkness is a woman"

  "And I am a small child in her arms"

  "Her embrace is warm"

  "Her voice is soothing"

  "She knows my name and calls me by it"

  "She sings me a song and then I wake up"

  "This recent occurrence was accompanied by another new issue"

  "I wake up to the sound of anxiety"

  "Heavy breathing, inconsistent pacing around the house, and an unintelligible mumbling"

  "I move to the living room to see a man who expects a disaster but doesn't know the shape it will take"

  "Today was a bit different, he finally said something I could hear"

  "A name"

  "A familiar one, a name that I know belongs to someone I want to know"

  "My mother's name, Ritsu"

  "Kageritsu"

  "He looks up and sees me coming down the stairs, then breathes a sigh of relief"

  "Soon after, he goes back to mumbling"

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  "He isn't saying nonsense"

  "He is praying"

  "But his voice is too broken for words to come out clearly"

  "I know his fear, I know his worries"

  "They are the same as mine"

  "I want to tell him that everything will be fine, but even I have a hard time believing that it will"

  "His fear is greater than mine"

  "His trembling more intense"

  "But he's the one to embrace me and tell me all is well"

  While waiting for the final match of the teachers' tournament, Shiro spent his days doing nothing of importance. After eating the breakfast Dave had prepared for him, he would then head over to Victor's place to hang out and take a look at the gadgets he was developing. Mia would get hold of him and drag him to an early lunch, then they would spend the rest of the day walking around town, helping out the neighbours and having small talk. Oh, and they also beat up some hunters, the bounty on Shiro was still out but the numbers of hunters they faced daily greatly reduced due to the presence of tourists. They both make it home in time for dinner and run off to bed immediately after eating, then they repeat it the next day.

  With the final match approaching, one would think that the two contestants would be doing their best in preparation for it but they were doing everything except that.

  On one of the days, Orie accompanied Mia to go check on her father. On another, he went to check Andy's condition and how well he had adjusted to his new power. On other days, he breaks into Natsumi's home to take her out on a date.

  Waramaki on the other hand, kept getting nagged by his dragon about the upcoming match. He believed he was already prepared but the dragon seemed to think otherwise.

  "Do not fight him on that day" the dragon said

  "A day after is more than enough"

  "Just a single day difference will assure you victory"

  "Why do you refuse?"

  "Because it would be boring" Waramaki replied

  "I'd rather lose to a man in his strongest than win when he is weak"

  "Your lack of faith hurts me more than any loss will"

  "He is definitely strong"

  "But I will win"

  "And what makes you say that?" The dragon asked

  "Because I'm stronger" he replied

  "Your pride will fail you" the dragon said

  "You will learn that victory is not determined by strength alone"

  Waramaki heard the dragon's words and gave a light grin. He then replied.

  "Only a coward will see his own confidence as pride"

  "Only a fool will lose faith in his own strength"

  "And only a loser will fail to see the victory ahead"

  The dragon heard those words and gave out a mellow but aggressive growl and said nothing else as Waramaki continued to arrange the papers on his desk.

  On the last day before the final match, Tanaka's restaurant was closing for the day. It had been a busy week and they were finally going to get some rest. The day of the finals was an off day for every staff as to allow them to go see it in person.

  As they shut the last door and were about to leave, Endo asked a question that he had wanted to ask for a long time.

  "Why do you still let me stay?" He asked out the blue

  "I'm clumsy and I have no culinary skill"

  "But you still let me stay"

  "I'm really grateful for all you've been doing for me but I don't understand how you can put up with me for this long"

  Tanaka let out a soft laugh then patted Endo on his head.

  "Do you have anywhere to go?" She asked and was met with silence. Endo had no answer to that question that wasn't 'no'.

  "Someone was able to put up with me too" she said

  "And what I did was way worse than being clumsy"

  She walked to her car and they followed and got in, then she started the engine and drove off.

  The cold temperature of Fubuki island was a normal thing but the cold on this particular evening was different, The temperature was the same but the tension in the air made it seem lower than it was. The two contestants sitting in silence, deep in thought about how they could seize victory. The rest of the people talking endlessly about who they wanted to win. The tension in the air was intense and hardly anyone could wait for the next day to come.

  As everyone else worried about the outcome of the upcoming match, Dave had his own issues to worry about. He sat on a chair in his dining room with an unfinished dinner and his head raised toward the ceiling. Tears rolled from his eyes as vivid images flashed before him. They were not memories, he was seeing something he was sure he had never seen before, like he was looking at her and she felt his gaze and responded with a smile.

  In the great silence, with a soft smile and tears in his eyes he muttered softly.

  "Please be safe"