Chapter 81: New Eyes on the Game
The light hum of the arena buzzed in the background, blending with the chatter of lingering fans and the soft rustling of paper bags filled with Horizon merch. The rush had died down. Most of the merchandise was gone now—shirts, wristbands, keychains. Only a few scattered items remained on the table.
Dirga carefully folded a shirt and placed it on the last neat pile.
"Well... you can go, Dirga," Ayaka said gently, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear as she scanned the near-empty booth.
Dirga paused, hands on the edge of the table.
They’d been standing side by side for twenty minutes—quietly working, occasionally brushing elbows, occasionally sharing glances. But the silence had become more comfortable than awkward. It was something warm, something unsaid.
"I can’t just leave you to clean all this up alone," he said, half-heartedly trying to convince both of them. "You set this up. I should help you finish."
Ayaka looked at him and smiled. Not a teasing one this time. A genuine, soft smile.
"Please. I know what you want to do—and what you need to do," she said, her voice steady.
She meant it.
Dirga hesitated. The next game was probably well into the second quarter by now. The rest of the team would already be analyzing plays, reading patterns, scouting their potential opponents.
But something in him didn’t want to leave her alone. Not because she couldn’t handle it. She absolutely could. It was because... he wanted to be beside her.