"Hey, Davonte!" Zion called out.

"Uhm, yes?" Davonte replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're not getting off easy, you know. You need to learn to be more careful with your surroundings."

Davonte scoffed and looked in the opposite direction, completely dismissive.

Zion’s eyebrows twitched in a mix of surprise and annoyance. "Hey! Don't you dare ignore me!"

"Look, it's not like I actually wanted to join your little group anyway," Davonte shot back, crossing his arms. "You literally threatened to kill me if I didn't."

Tama, thoroughly annoyed by their constant bickering, rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go freshen up in the shower," he muttered coldly, turning on his heel and leaving the ruined arena.

"Why the hell is he always so pissed off?" Davonte asked, watching him walk away.

"He may be a pain sometimes, but he's still a good person deep down," Zion sighed, shaking his head. "Now, you should hit the baths too, Davonte. The water in the garrisons here has natural healing factors that will patch up those wounds of yours."

Before Davonte could even answer, a loud, high-pitched voice echoed from down the corridor. The shouting grew louder and closer by the second until a little girl suddenly burst into the room and launched herself through the air.

Oof!

She jumped directly onto Davonte, clinging to his shirt. "Thank the heavens Tama didn't kill Davonte!" she cried happily.

Davonte blinked down at the kid, completely lost. "I'm sorry… do I know you?"

The little girl pouted, her eyes watering. "What?! It's me, Yukei! Does Davonte really not remember Yukei?!"

Davonte’s jaw dropped. "What the hell?! How the hell did you get so small?!"

"Yukei overdid it a little bit on her last mission," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Zion burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. "Oh man, I am never, ever going to get used to seeing this!"

Yukei snapped her head toward him, crossing her tiny arms. "You big meanie!"

Almost instantly, her energy completely vanished. She started dozing off right there in Davonte's arms, her head heavy against his chest. Seizing the opportunity to escape the weird situation, Davonte gently handed the sleeping kid over to Zion.

"She looks like she needs a nap, so I'll let you handle this," Davonte said casually. He turned around and walked away, completely tuning out whatever Zion was shouting behind him.

A few moments later, Davonte arrived at the hot springs bathhouse. He washed off the dried blood and dirt before carefully sliding into the steaming water to soak his aching muscles.

As he was letting his guard down, he heard the faint sound of water rippling nearby. Squinting through the thick mist, he noticed the silhouette of a strangely familiar person sitting further in the pool.

Davonte swam a bit closer. The sudden movement startled the other person, who immediately snapped their head around.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" they demanded angrily.

"I'm here to freshen up, obviously," Davonte replied, leaning back against the smooth stone edge.

"You're not supposed to be in here!"

"Look, man, my new boss literally told me to come down here and soak."

"Damn it, Davonte, get out!"

Davonte froze, his eyes narrowing as he stared through the steam. Wait a minute…

"Tama? Is that you?"

Tama looked visibly caught off guard. "How did you—?"

"You're the only person here with a ton of piercings," Davonte muttered, looking at the sharp features. "Hey, did your hair get longer in the water or something?"

Frustrated, Tama suddenly stood straight up out of the water to confront him.

Davonte’s words died instantly in his throat. His eyes widened in absolute shock. Standing right there in front of him wasn't a pretty-boy rival—it was a strikingly beautiful woman who looked exactly like Tama.

Completely flustered and panicked by the sudden, unobstructed sight of a naked woman, Davonte scrambled backward, practically slipping out of the pool. He threw his clothes on in a panicked blur and sprinted straight out of the bathhouse.

As he bolted down the hallway, he slammed right into Zion.

"Yo, dude!" Davonte gasped, his face completely red. "There's a crazy, pervy lady hanging out in the men's bath!"

Zion blinked, totally unbothered. "Oh, dear. Are you talking about Tama? Look, there's no time for that right now. Go change into your uniform and meet me in the main hall in ten minutes." Zion patted his shoulder and walked away.

Davonte stood in the hallway, his brain completely short-circuiting.

Ten minutes later, after quickly changing into his new Cleaners uniform, Davonte arrived at the designated meeting hall. Standing there waiting was Yukei—who was back to her normal size—Tama, and a third, completely unfamiliar face.

Davonte cautiously approached Tama, his eyes darting away nervously. "Hey… I have a question for you."

Tama stared at him coldly for a long, silent moment, the tension from the bathhouse lingering heavily between them.

"Look," Tama said shortly, cutting him off. "Let's talk after the mission, okay?"

Before Davonte could push the issue, Zion marched into the hall, his expression dead serious.

"Alright, Cleaners!" Zion announced, clapping his hands together. "We've got some new filth to deal with."

End.