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[Stadium 1 - Central Arena Main Hallway]

Yuka was burning with anger with a blend of annoyance and guilt, unable to fully contain her frown. Julian, as always, carried an air of antagonizing calmness.

"Stupid meeting!" The words burst from her. "Didn\'t they realize a tournament was, you know, happening?! Those rookies probably weren\'t even in real danger…" She kicked a pebble, sending it skittering through a window.

CRASH!

Yuka had just shattered a window...

"Bet everyone watched Jan just… wipe the floor with the competition. Now every guild with two brain cells has their eyes on him…"

A chuckle, low and infuriatingly smooth, drifted from Julian. "Perhaps a lack of brain cells in your lower ranks made for particularly gripping viewing." The expected jab came with an additional smirk, twisting the knife deeper.

Yuka whirled on him, eyes blazing. "Huh? What did you say???? I didn\'t catch you on that one?" The accusation burned in her throat. Her expression was in between the lines of punching Julian or Kicking him.

Julian arched that annoying perfect eyebrow. "A skilled leader would have ensured neither scouts nor guild duties became distractions," he offered. "Regrettably, vision alone seems insufficient…" Each word held a sting, a reminder not just of her missed opportunity, but of his disapproval of her impulsive style.

"Vision this... Vision that... Why don\'t you shut the fuck up, Julian!" The retort shot back, as Yuka desperately tried to think of ways to mock Julian. Jan didn\'t represent just some potential recruit – he was an asset of her methods, the proof that instinct had its own power. Losing him…it wasn\'t simply a matter of competition, it was a crack in the foundation of how she led.

"Then do something with it, for once," Julian said, his gaze sharp. "Whining over spilled milk makes for a rather lacklustre Guildmaster."

The taunt hit its mark. She didn\'t want pity, didn\'t want validation from him. Her frustration ignited, not at Julian, but at herself.

Every wasted minute fueled the rising fear of Jan slipping through her fingers. "Fine, let them come drooling." A fierce grin spread across her face, even if it felt slightly forced. "Let\'s see What those bastards have to say with my hands…"

Still fuming under the surface, Yuka rounded a corner in the hallway, Julian trailing beside her. Then, suddenly her annoyance vanished just as quickly as it flared.

"Jan!" The failed attempt at remaining cool dissolved into a genuine grin. As Yuka along with Julian was just as surprised seeing him in person.

Jan offered a respectful bow, then ever so slightly shifted so the figure beside him became fully visible. Yuka didn\'t notice him on the initial approach.

It was Rel. This person was unknown in Yuka\'s books, but now coupled with something different... he looked tired. His eyes were droopy, and he looked like he was on the verge of fainting.

"Hello, Miss Azira," Jan greeted, and the warmth in his voice dispelled some of her curiosity. She was here for her prospect, after all.

But her attention drifted back to Rel and before she could stop herself. A silent standoff seemed to be happening between him and Julian.

The two locked gazes, an invisible clash that was…oddly comical? For all their posturing, there was a sense of stupidity as these two seemingly opposite energies silently stared each other down.

Stareeeeeee...

STARE....

________

- I\'m not losing to this fucker...

- I\'m not gonna lose to this kid!

________

A smirk touched Yuka\'s lips. Why exactly are those two doing that and what caused them to do such a thing? She was never one to let an awkward social situation simmer for too long.

Jan watched the strange exchange with a quirk of an eyebrow, then turned back to her. "It\'s good to see you again, Miss Azira…" He paused, a slight hesitation exaggerating his usual respectful warmth. "I haven\'t seen you since that day…"

The uncertainty was fleeting, but that, or maybe the echo of the Rel/Julian standoff, sparked a memory - uninvited and painfully clear…

[Flashback...]

3 Years Ago

[Location: Butchers Buffet, Seoul]

The Korean BBQ joint, the neon of the sign humming through her liquor-fogged brain.

Jan, unnoticed a few tables away, looked at the menu around the noisy space.

Yuka who was completely drunk, the usual cool composure blurring around the edges as she fended off yet another round of drinks offered by leering men.

She wasn\'t even slurring – not her best state, for sure, but far from blackout. Just enough to find their persistence less annoying and more…threatening.

"C\'mon, sweetheart…just one?" Laughter that curdled beneath the surface. A hand crept out, not subtly, grabbing her wrist.

It triggered a surge of anger, not the helpless kind, but one laced with stubborn desperation. Before Yuka could even respond, the words cut off with a gasp of surprise.

Jan was suddenly there. "Let. Her. Go," His voice was pure ice, not loud, but a sharpness to it that cut through the drunken laughter. "Now."

The thug kept a hold of Yuka\'s risk looking at Jan with a disgusted look on his face.

"I said, let go." Jan\'s glare met the leering confidence head-on. Then, it spiralled – "Whatcha gonna do, little boy?" the man mocked, yanking her with surprising strength.

Then, it was a blur. Jan didn\'t posture and didn\'t fall back on fancy practised forms.

This was raw, brutal self-defence – a jab to the solar plexus that dropped the first attacker, a bone-jarring crack as a table was sent tumbling into another who rushed up for support. And under it all, Yuka was quiet, eyes wide, witnessing this primal ferocity unleashed on her behalf.

"Hey! Watch it, brat!" There was no hesitation in Jan\'s eyes, only a calculation so at odds with his serious face.

An elbow connected and a third cry of panic followed as the last one backed off, fear overriding whatever drunken confidence had fueled him.

Jan moved towards the man, who fumbled for something unseen… a knife? But before Yuka could get up and stop him, the weapon was knocked away, Jan pinning the thug by the wrist against the greasy wall...

Suddenly, Jan\'s tense form seemed to overlay that memory, and now his hesitation made sense. Yuka was embarrassed about her being found drunk at that Korean BBQ that one time.

"Oh yeah…I remember…!" The exclamation burst from her, unfiltered, then faded into a low murmur. That night had been shoved far down the \'do not acknowledge\' pile, but now...it all flooded back to her so quickly she regretted ever drinking that night.

A flush crept up Yuka\'s neck. That memory was better left hidden. "So, Jan…seen those tournament highlights of yours," she blurted out, the change of topic forced, yet welcomed. "Just as expected for a future Legion leader...sharp, clean…" She glanced sideways, trying to subtly see if Julian had any visible reaction to her praising his rival\'s recruit.

Then Yuka realised that Julian and Rel hadn\'t stopped their initial stare-down. Are those two STILL staring each other down? It was absurd, really, like something out of a bad drama.

Jan seemed surprised out of his worry. He offered a slightly awkward smile. "Thank you, Miss Azira. That\'s very kind of you to say... "

As Jan glanced over his watch, his usual composure snapped unexpectedly. "Uh oh. Matches are about to start..." He shifted nervously, glancing towards the silent Rel. "Looks like we were..."

"Lost in time? Happens to the best of us," she offered, a gentle smile masking a sudden curiosity. "Well, good luck you two! Knock those opponents out…" She waved as Jan and Rel hurriedly headed towards the direction of the arena.

As Rel was being dragged away he kept staring at Julian with teary bloodshot eyes and refused to give up until the end, the tension between the two felt weirdly funny as if they knew each other.

She turned towards Julian, who resumed his serious face. "Well, that was…" The comment trailed off. It almost felt like watching two wolves circling each other. Or maybe that was the leftover barbecue grease talking in her head?

Finally, Julian turned away, as if suddenly dismissing the fact that he had a 10-minute staring contest with an academy student. That should have been it.

Case closed on \'Most Pointless Competition of the Tournament Award\'.

Yet… as Julian\'s calm mask reformed, she had time to register something odd. Was… was that a tear of water to his otherwise cold eyes? And not like… a warrior\'s tears, but a desperate attempt to hold back blinks? Was that the result of this ridiculousness?

"That kid… He\'s a good one in my books." The words fell in a low, almost hesitant tone. She stared, confused.

He wasn\'t referring to Jan, but Rel. His gaze remained forward, not meeting hers, but there was something off in his usual composed voice.

It hit her with an almost physical impact: Julian\'s eyes. Red-rimmed. Tiredness, yes, but Yuka thought to herself What…had she missed?

Then there was a question she had to ask Julian, "Wait, hold on…did the stare-down reduce you to tears?" Now, amused at the thought, she finally had something against Julian. Were they so petty, so ridiculously focused, that it caused eye strain?

_________

Authors Notes:

- Yuka has Black Short Hair and Blue eyes! The left side of her hair has a braid going down.

- After the victory in the Little Heroes tournament Jan celebrated his win at a Korean BBQ which was the first time he tried eating at a restaurant after being reincarnated.

- Yuka and Julian are childhood friends.

- The winner of the Most Beautiful Female Hero was Yuka Azira winning by a landslide against her female competitors.