By Zephyria 
Leonardo’s eyelids flickered slightly. It took a moment for him to process the meaning.
His forehead, which had remained impassive, twitched.
“…What?”
He felt as if he had been struck hard on the head. He asked back with a furrowed brow, but no one took it as a sign that he truly didn’t understand. Instead, Orca, who had been observing his demeanor, asked once more.
“Why does the lion need that?”
It was the same question as before, but now it sounded different. Though there was no clock, the sound of a second hand seemed to echo in his ears. As if the time for an answer had been set.
“Is it truly what you desire?”
As the question shifted, the eyes of his partners turned toward Leonardo. He was seized by an awkwardness, feeling as though he had to hide his expression. If someone were to ask for confirmation on something everyone took for granted, one might hesitate to give a definitive answer even when faced with an immutable truth.
All the more so if that choice wasn’t a truth, but a decision made while being pushed to the edge of a cliff.
“…….”
Around that time, Leonardo realized that at some point, he had been running blindly in one direction. He recalled that he had lived without thinking deeply about the conclusion that awaited him at the end. Thus, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t flustered.
However, he knew that regardless of his inner turmoil, his outward appearance maintained a fair amount of composure. His Gold Eyes, which had been staring as if hearing something absurd, suddenly answered with resolve.
“If I didn’t want it, why would I be sitting here?”
Leonardo made eye contact with the partners who had joined the league to support him—or more accurately, those who had boarded the same ship for their own respective goals. As the leader guiding them, he had a duty to reassure them.
“You ask why I’d celebrate the victory. It’s because I’ve obviously taken one step closer to what I want.”
Contrary to his intention, the words sounded cold. It sounded as if the reason they gathered here was to commend the achievement of a goal rather than to celebrate a bond or solidarity.
The overhead lighting cast shadows over the seductive beauty’s eyes. As a faint, ambiguous sneer spread across those elegant curves, Orca seemed quite concerned, despite having been the one to give a rejecting answer. Orca felt uneasy, fearing that the lion—who had been courted to be a partner only for the group to be chosen in the end—was intentionally distancing himself out of spite.
Just then, Leonardo curled the corners of his lips and blurted out.
“Well, anyway, it worked out well.”
Since the comment didn’t align with the previous topic, Orca and Ero looked at him with puzzled expressions. Beatrice stared silently with a prim gaze. Leonardo looked back at her and then shifted his gaze to the waiting orca.
“It seems no one here intends to back down. Doesn’t that mean everyone’s goal here is the championship? If anything, it’ll create synergy.”
Leonardo shifted his perspective. If they participated with the championship as the final goal, their resolve and desperation would be different from other participants. Sometimes, the existence of such competitors helps one move toward the same destination. If they were a team, it went without saying.
“It’s better than teaming up with a bunch of nobodies. Right? We have to win.”
At that moment, Ero, who had suddenly run out of things to say, maintained an uncharacteristic silence. Noticing the awkwardness of the person beside him, Leonardo asked on his behalf.
“Why, is that not the case for you?”
“Eh, what? Ah, well….”
Those who aimed for Kardo’s Gemstone might have the ability to look that far ahead, but Ero knew his place well. After hesitating for a moment, he scratched the back of his head and added.
“How could I aim for the championship? I just joined because I wanted to make a living… and eat and sleep in a warm, full-bellied state. Hehe.”
“That’ll be solved if you win, too.”
“…Huh? Well, that’s true, but I don’t necessarily need to win the whole thing—”
“No. You have to dream big.”
Leonardo draped an arm over Ero’s shoulder and gave him a few pats. Then, as if telling him to lift his beer glass, he forced the handle into Ero’s hand.
“How much is the prize money for winning? You’d have enough left over even after indulging in luxury, not just basic necessities. And you, you said you’d give me your full loyalty during the league. If I’m heading toward the championship, you should follow me.”
“Ah, of course! Where else would I go if not after you, Big Brother?”
“That settles it, then.”
Next, gripping his own juice glass, Leonardo signaled to the team members. It was a gesture to drink together.
“We’re a team now, and from what I hear, the next match is also a team battle. If our goals are the same, it’s as if we’re in the same boat. So, let’s do our best.”
As they pondered Ryan’s encouraging words, Orca voiced a pure doubt.
“But can’t only one person win the championship? Is it possible to win as a team?”
Leonardo narrowed his eyes and glared as if telling him not to rain on the parade.
“What I mean is, regardless of who the winner becomes, the path leading up to that point is shared. If the whole team works doggedly, we’ll keep winning, and eventually, one of us will take the championship.”
“Hmm, in short, you mean let’s cooperate while we’re together. Fine. That’s a positive mindset.”
Satisfied, Orca pushed his own glass forward. Seeing this, Leonardo nodded and continued.
“Right. Let’s join forces until then, and when we meet in the individual matches, let’s do our best regardless of who the opponent is. We haven’t even clashed yet, so there’s no need to growl at each other already, right?”
He directed the last remark toward Gillian. It was a warning not to cause unnecessary commotion or hurt feelings.
Understanding the warning, Gillian shrugged. He picked his teeth with a fragment of a broken chicken bone before indifferently lifting his glass.
“Sure, if Ryan says so, then that’s how it is.”
“…Are you being sarcastic?”
“Eh, no way.”
With a sly smile, Gillian nudged Beatrice’s arm, as if telling her to chime in quickly.
“Ah, why do you keep poking me?”
Of course, expecting support from the prickly lady was asking too much. Watching the two bicker, Leonardo shook his head.
“…Anyway, today’s match ended reasonably well, so let’s do well next time too. To review, Bell and Morbang did a great job seizing the initiative early on. Joker also held out for a long time against the Toad.”
“That much is basic.”
“To think you recognized my efforts…! Sniff!”
“Beast, it must have been overwhelming to keep several people in check, but I was honestly surprised when you came down and even prevented the bridge from collapsing. Good work.”
“I just stalled for some time. But suddenly, what’s this situation? Is it ‘carrot time’ now?”
“Regardless, you bought me time to endure the shock. And good work should be acknowledged. That’s how you’ll work harder in the next match, right?”
As Leonardo spoke, he turned his head toward the only person he hadn’t mentioned. At that, Orca’s eyes sparkled as if wagging a non-existent tail. It was a sign that he wanted praise too.
After intentionally prolonging the silence, Leonardo chuckled upon seeing the orca. Finally, he praised him as if granting a favor.
“Actually, the true protagonist of today’s victory is this one. If Orca hadn’t come at the end, we all would have been eliminated.”
“No, Ryan went up first, which allowed me to help! We are a fantastic pair.”
As the modesty suddenly took a 90-degree turn, Ero, with a distorted expression, cut in.
“We’re a team, not a pair!?”
Leonardo now brushed it off with ease.
“Ah, the ‘pair’ who can’t hand over that Origin Stone?”
“…That is.”
When asked sarcastically, Orca, who had been brazen throughout, was completely at a loss for words. Since his flustered appearance was quite amusing, giggles suddenly spread through the room. The stiff atmosphere loosened once again. Ero secretly admired his Big Brother’s ability.
He had thought this before, but there was a strange aura about him… something that made people want to follow him. Was this the innate quality of a leader? Even though he, as the team leader, was the one who should be encouraging the members.
Aware of the arm draped over his shoulder, Ero stole a glance at the glowing profile beside him. Just then, Leonardo glanced back, patted him on the back, and gestured with his chin.
“In times like this, the leader should lead the toast.”
His golden eyes closed quickly in a wink. Seeing this, Ero could only blink. Setting aside how enchanting the fluttering eyelashes were, his heart swelled because Big Brother took care of him as if he had read his mind.
“Big Brother….”
As Ero’s lower lip protruded and he looked teary-eyed, Leonardo waved his hand with an expression asking what was wrong. In response, Ero rubbed his eyes vigorously and sprang up from his seat, raising his beer glass. Since he wasn’t very tall, there wasn’t much difference between sitting and standing, but his strengthened resolve was clearly evident.
“Everyone worked so hard today, and especially our Big Brother Lion….”
An emotional greeting followed, as if he had already ascended the winner’s podium. Beatrice, who had no patience for such tedious speeches, watched while sullenly grooming her nails. Soon, she took her own beer glass and shouted loudly.
“To the victory of Team Joker!”
Following her lead, the other team members, including Leonardo, repeated in unison.
“To victory—!”
Ero, who had been lost in his own sentiment, paused. He then looked around and shouted as if it were unfair.
“I was going to do it first!? Again, let’s do it again!”
Along with the boisterous atmosphere, the night of victory ripened. So pleasantly that they would look back on this day long into the future.
‘Why does the lion need that? Is it truly what you desire?’
For a moment, the hook-like question felt as if it were clutching at the hem of his trousers, but Leonardo decided to clear his complicated mind while blending into the laughter of his teammates.
On a day like today, he didn’t want to think about anything. He simply wanted to sit gathered under this yellowish, warm light and be dyed in the warmth.