Did I mistake the toilets?

   The toilet was quiet, the sound of running water from the tap filling the stillness. I was just washing my hands, letting the cool water clear my mind before the duel.

   “Alright. Focus. You’ve been through worse. Control the tempo, don’t give him room to overwhelm you. You’re not losing today.” I slapped my cheeks with both hands, the sharp sting waking me up. “Time to show them who you are.”

   And then—

   “What are you doing?”

   I stiffened, turning sharply. Nikke stood at the entrance, his butler’s uniform pristine as always.

   “Oh?” I straightened, trying to mask my embarrassment. “What a shock. Shouldn’t you be with Liam right now?”

   "I will join my Master soon," He said flatly, stepping inside. “I have something to take care of first.”

   I tilted my head. “And that is?”

   His eyes hardened, the softness of his butler mask slipping away. “We need to talk.”

   I turned off the tap, grabbed a paper towel, and began drying my hands. “If you want to withdraw, it’s a little too late for that.”

   Nikke’s expression darkened. “What do you actually want? You know very well that victory in this duel will not help the Vermillion clan.”

   “Yes, I know.” I kept drying my hands, taking my time. 

   “Then what is the point of all this?”

   I tossed the paper towel into the bin and met his gaze. 

   “Let me think... for entertainment?”

   He sighed heavily, a hint of frustration in his demeanor. 

   “I see. It looks like continuing this conversation is pointless.”

   Before I could reply, Nikke moved. His hand blurred as he drew a knife, lunging at me with speed that belied his composed butler facade.

   Steel flashed as he drew a knife with frightening speed. His thrust was silent, precise, aimed directly for my heart.

   I jerked sideways—barely. The blade tore across my shirt, grazing skin. Pain seared through my chest, but I didn’t falter. His arm snapped back for another strike, this time slashing horizontally.

   Whoosh!

   I ducked low, feeling the blade cut the air where my neck had been a second earlier. He flowed like water, relentless, his speed belying the butler façade.

   “Tch—” My arm shot up, catching his wrist on the third strike. The knife’s tip stopped just short of my ribs. He twisted his body, driving forward with brutal strength, forcing me back into the sink. The edge scraped closer, closer—

   “Not today.” I pivoted, using his momentum. His weight shifted just enough for me to wrench his arm sideways. The knife slipped from his grip—clang!—clattering across the tiles before spinning into a stall with a hollow plop as it fell into the toilet bowl.

   He didn’t even flinch at the loss. His knee snapped upward, slamming into my ribs. Thud! The breath punched out of me, but I staggered back instead of crumpling. He came again, fists like blades, jabs fast enough to blur.

   Pak! Pak! Pak!

   Each blow cracked against my arms as I blocked, the force driving me backward step by step across the tiles. My forearms screamed from the impact—he wasn’t just fast, he was trained. Each strike carried precision honed through years of practice.

   I needed an opening.

   He threw a straight punch. I let it skim my cheek, blood spraying as it cut the skin, and seized his wrist. Twisting sharply, I hooked my leg behind his and swept.

   WHAM!

   His body slammed into the ground. Before he could roll away, I dropped on top of him, pinning both wrists down.

   “Stay.”

   I sat on top of him, holding his wrists against the floor to keep him from pulling any more tricks…

   Huh?!

   It was then that I noticed something strange.

   Up close, there was no sign of an Adam’s apple around Nikke’s neck. My curiosity piqued, I hesitated for a moment before reaching for the buttons of his shirt. With a quick flick, I unbuttoned it enough to reveal the giant bandage wrapped around his chest.

   I arched an eyebrow. “Well, well. When we first met, I thought you looked pretty feminine. Turns out my suspicion was right.”

   And suddenly—

   CREAK.

   The door swung open.

   “Master, the duel will start in 30 minutes. You should—”

   Her voice froze mid-sentence. Standing in the doorway were Luna and Lilith, both staring at me and Nikke.

   The situation hit me like a lightning bolt. Here I was... in the toilet... pinning down a girl whose shirt I had just unbuttoned. 

   Luna’s gaze darkened, her hand twitching as if she was deciding which weapon would hurt me the most. Lilith’s face, however, held a very different look—one that said, without words, that she thought I was an absolute trash.

   I opened my mouth, my brain scrambling for an escape.

   “I—I can explain!”

* * *

   Only after I got scolded by both of them, it hit me... 

   Nikke is one thing, but... Why the hell were Luna and Lilith casually entering the men’s toilet as if it were the most normal thing in the world?!