False Paradise.

Chapter 12 - The fine art of theft.

Even after having spent so many days worried and stressed over petty things like getting a one-up over Li, trying to leave, or contemplating existence after experiencing the void, the thought that found itself wedged into my head the most in the following days was the fact that, despite my best efforts, I was getting used to this place, and I was (surprisingly) getting along with my roommates.

This especially upset me, because it meant the System was right in its prediction.

But with all that in my head, today I'd reach a decision: to prevent any more headaches and worries for the time being, I would try my best to simply... relax.

That was what I had hoped when I woke up today, but plans of that were ruined when I heard a knock at the door and saw none other than Anya on the other side.

I closed the door immediately, but she had stuck her foot in the gap, and forced her way in against my resistance.

"How is literally everybody else stronger than me?" I grumbled as I closed the door again, now with an intruder in my home.

"Perhaps you're just a weakling, dear Sebastian."

"Perhaps you should shut your mouth before I kick you out."

Anya took a seat at the table, like someone that already knew her way around here. Here I noticed the extravagant feather decorated hat she was wearing, and it stole my attention for a few brief moments before she invited me to take a seat.

"Oh, can I? It's such an honour to take a seat in my OWN DAMN HOUSE."

"Would you rather stay standing? Your knees might lock."

I folded my arms and stood by the wall. "As a matter of fact, yes. Yes, I'll stay standing," I said, full of spite.

The look of confusion on her face was enough to make me not regret this.

"So, the hell are you doing here? I don't think I ever invited you."

"Why do I have to be here for something? Can't I visit my old friend, Seba-" I deadpanned at her. "...Yes, alright. I'll be the first to say: the race was a complete fiasco. As it turns out, Dean had cheated and he was taken away in the middle of the race off to God knows where."

I raised an eyebrow. Did she not know about Kristina? There's no way, Anya was there at the end, she would have noticed us. I stayed quiet, wondering where she was going with this.

"He led you down the wrong path, and it granted you victory. It made me upset, by the way. Do you want to know why it made me upset, Sebastian?"

"Because you're obsessed with beating Kristina? No, I don't want to know why you were upset."

"It was because you promised to help my team win, and instead it was your team that won, even after I gave you my word!"

I scowled at her. "That's not my fault. I tried to do it, the map took us down the wrong way." I didn't actually try, in the end, but she didn't need to know that. "So what, you came here to complain that your diabolical plan failed?"

"Yes." Anya paused. Then she frowned quizzically. "Wait, no, that's not it. I came to tell you that, because you couldn't uphold your part of the deal, I won't be holding up mine either."

It took me a few seconds to understand what she meant.

"What?!"

She leaned on the table with a dramatic sigh. "Why did you have to ask that? Now I have to explain it, what a bother... I was hoping you'd simply accept and thank me for the chance."