My Star || Delta x Dante fanfic

☆ Chapter 40 - Beach Vacation!!!

Delta's POV

The next few days passed... surprisingly smoothly. Too smoothly.

Training continued like usual. Arman still pushed Dante harder than anyone else. Pheng still pointed out every mistake with brutal honesty but still being unserious. Ichika and Taka kept things grounded, steady as always.

And Dante...

Dante was still Dante.

Loud. Energetic. Stubborn. Laughing even when he was out of breath, even when he lost, even when Arman clearly wasn't going easy on him.

Nothing unusual.

Except for one thing.

Gwyn.

Not in a way that drew attention. Not in a way that disrupted anything. He didn't insert himself into conversations or try to take control. He simply... existed among us. Watching. Listening. Speaking only when necessary.

And that was exactly what made it uncomfortable.

Because he wasn't doing anything wrong. Not a single thing.

No suspicious behavior. No hidden agendas. No signs of the person who once stood beside Arthur.

If anything... he was useful.

"...Your timing is late by half a second," Gwyn said calmly from the sidelines.

Dante paused mid-motion, blinking. "Huh?"

"Your launch is strong, but your reaction after impact is delayed. That's why you lose momentum."

Dante tilted his head, processing then his face lit up.

"Ohhh.. so that's why!"

"...You didn't notice that?" Pheng muttered under her breath.

"I was focused on other stuff!"

Arman crossed his arms. "Then focus better."

"Hey!"

Dante puffed up, but it lasted all of two seconds before he grinned again.

"Alright, again!"

I leaned against the wall, arms crossed tightly over my chest as I watched the match restart. The sound of beys colliding echoed sharply through the stadium, metal scraping against metal.

"Focus!" Arman snapped. "You're hesitating!"

"I'm not!"

"You are."

"He is," Pheng added flatly.

"HEY!!"

Dante's voice bounced off the walls, frustration clear but it didn't last. It never did. A second later, he laughed. Like nothing bothered him. Like losing didn't frustrate him. Like every mistake was just something he could fix if he kept moving forward.

My gaze shifted slightly toward Gwyn. He stood a few steps away, watching the match with that same calm, analytical expression. "...Your launch angle is improving," Gwyn said after a moment.

Dante looked over immediately. "Really?"

"Yes. But your follow-through is inconsistent."

Dante blinked. "...Oh."

Then, he smiled.

"Got it! I'll fix that too!" Just like that. No suspicion. No hesitation. Just trust.

...Again.

My grip tightened slightly against my arm. That feeling surfaced again. Sharp. Uncomfortable. Annoying.