>>6086153“Hey Soba, quiet day here?” you ask him, your elder opening one eye and looking at you.
“It was. I take it you weren't knocked out of the other tournament?” he asks, you nodding. “Well then, I suppose trouble back home is why you're back so late?”
“You could say that.” you say, quickly launching into the story of what happened with Hit, how you didn't get to fight him one-on-one but got a promise of a setup solo fight here in the Seventh Universe. Then of your fight with Kaliflor, of her new form's power surpassing your weakened Blue form. “It's been quite a day.”
“I see. Heading off to bed, or-?” he starts, then immediately stopping as he sees your expression.
“Very well. I'm going to be heading home for the next week or so, as my brother's son is to be wed.” Soba says, surprising you. “And I am actually invited to be there.”
“That's great, give them my well-wishes as well!” you tell him excitedly, the old warrior grinning slightly before raising his right hand to his forehead. He then floats back down and grabs a small bag by him before he teleports away, leaving you alone in your Champion's rather expansive quarters. Sighing out tiredly, you stretch your arms overhead, walking over towards your private gravity chamber. You open it up, heading over to the setup and grabbing one of your backup scouters, turning both it and your setup on. The machines power up as you stretch out, not sure if you're going to power up the room or not. However, once the machine is fully fired up, you see something quite unusual. “Huh? What...?”
In the private messaging system, one you haven't used and had contemplated deleting for a time, see that there is a singular message there. Curious, you decide to open it, wondering if it's Arctus reaching out to you again. But what you see floors you, your jaw dropping.
“N-No way...” you mutter, your hands trembling. Something you'd wished to see for what feels like a lifetime is finally there. A message from... Him. “This can't be real. It has to be a prank.”
But as you stare at the screen, you can't make yourself open it. To read the message, to see what he has to say to you after all this time, you can't do it. As you look down at your hands, seeing them tremble, feeling your heart in your chest, you feel... Afraid.
“Why...? Why can't I do this?” you mutter to yourself, wondering why this has you in such a state. But with your heart beating so fast, hands trembling like this realize you're not thinking straight. You need to calm down, to focus your emotions and properly channel them. So, you take a deep breath, sighing out as you back away from the screen.
