Zinia realized the absolute truth. Ken had secretly manipulated the entire battlefield. He used his invisible, reality-bending magic to make the bugs stumble. He set the monsters up perfectly so she could deliver the final blows. He did all the heavy lifting from the shadows, just so she could get the glory and the cheers from the crowd.
He made her the absolute star of the show.
Zinia looked at his messy hair and his untucked shirt. She heard him call her his best buddy.
A massive, overwhelming wave of pure warmth flooded Zinia's chest. For her entire life, she had been the forgotten middle child. She had been the invisible shield. People always forgot to include her. People always looked past her.
But Ken did not look past her. Ken actively chose to support her. He chose to make her shine. And he called her his best buddy in front of everyone.
Zinia’s face suddenly felt very warm. A bright, vibrant blush spread across her cheeks. The tough, imposing earth mage actually looked incredibly flustered. She looked down at the dirt. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She felt a very rare, entirely unfamiliar sense of deep shyness.
It was the very first time in her entire life that anyone had ever called her that.
"Yeah," Zinia whispered softly. Her deep voice lacked its usual booming confidence. It sounded very gentle and incredibly sincere. She offered a shy, happy smile. "We are best buddies. You are a great teammate, Ken."
"I am the absolute best teammate," Ken agreed lazily. He let out a loud yawn. He stretched his arms into the air. "Now that the bugs are gone, can we please go find the sweet bun stall? Fighting makes me incredibly hungry, and Jasmin promised to buy me two pastries."
Jasmin sighed, but she was smiling. "Fine. I will buy you your sweet buns. You earned them for not running away completely."
"I am very brave when pastries are involved," Ken bragged casually.
The three of them walked away from the ruined courtyard. They left the cheering students behind. They walked toward the surviving food stalls. Ken dragged his cheap shoes on the dirt. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.
Zinia walked right beside him. She did not feel invisible anymore. She felt completely seen, totally valued, and incredibly happy. The lazy slacker had given her the greatest gift in the world without taking a single ounce of credit, and she was entirely ready to buy him all the sweet buns he wanted.
---
The magical television screen flashed a bright, glaring red. Large white letters scrolled rapidly across the bottom of the broadcast. The words read "BREAKING NEWS". The regular afternoon cartoon vanished instantly. The loud, cheerful music stopped.
Stolen story; please report.
Bob the news anchor appeared on the screen. He wore a plain black suit. He did not smile. He gripped a stack of papers in his hands. He looked directly into the camera lens. His face was completely pale.
Sarah sat right next to him. She wore a dark gray blazer. She looked absolutely terrified. She held a microphone tightly.
"Citizens of the Belmontia Empire," Bob announced. His voice shook with pure panic. "We interrupt your scheduled programming. We have a massive, unprecedented crisis. A state of emergency is declared across the entire continent."
Sarah leaned forward. She stared at the camera. "Coordinated mutant bug attacks are erupting everywhere. This is not a localized incident. Giant insects are invading various regions of the Empire simultaneously. The scale of this invasion is completely massive."
Ken Eliot lay flat on the large, comfortable living room sofa.
He wore his usual navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck up in wild, messy spikes. He held a giant family-sized bag of sour cream and onion potato chips on his stomach. He reached his right hand into the bag. He pulled out a large, salty chip. He popped it into his mouth.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
He chewed the chip loudly. He stared at the television screen. He let out a long, lazy yawn.
"This is exactly like a low-budget anime movie," Ken mumbled casually to himself. He tossed another chip into the air. He caught it in his mouth. "The writers needed a quick villain. So they just created a giant bug invasion. It is a very basic plot device. Giant bugs are totally unoriginal. They always swarm the cities in the second act. The animators definitely saved a lot of money by reusing the exact same insect designs."
Naomi walked into the living room. She wore simple dark pants and a comfortable gray shirt. Her bright red hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She walked over to the sofa. She did not scowl at Ken. She did not tell him to sit up straight.
She smiled a very warm, incredibly friendly smile. She sat down right next to him.
"You are always eating chips, Ken," Naomi teased softly. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine affection. She reached her hand into his bag. She pulled out a chip and ate it. "You complain about the television, but you never stop watching it."
Ken gave her a big, goofy grin. "I watch it for the comedic value, Naomi. The news anchors are very dramatic. Plus, these chips provide my brain with vital tactical nutrients. I need maximum salt to process this boring storyline."
"Just share your tactical nutrients," Naomi chuckled gently. She took another chip. She looked at the television screen.
The rest of the 13th Unit gathered in the living room — most of them, anyway. The atmosphere was very focused. They all watched the broadcast closely.
Sayma clicked her pen. She looked around the room. "Olivia is not here. She traveled to the countryside yesterday. Her grandmother is unwell. She will not return until next week."
Laxmi sat cross-legged on the large rug. She tossed a tiny orange spark of fire between her fingers. She grinned a wild, excited grin. "Giant bugs? That sounds amazing! Bugs burn very easily. I want to go outside and roast a giant beetle. I bet they make a loud popping sound."
Zinia leaned against the wall near the window. The strong earth mage crossed her muscular arms. "Laxmi, these are mutant bugs. They probably have very thick shells. You cannot just burn them in two seconds."
Sayma sat at the long dining table. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She held a neat notebook. She clicked her pen rapidly.
"The broadcast says the attacks are coordinated," Sayma stated politely. She wrote a quick note. "Bugs do not organize themselves into multi-regional invasions. They are mindless creatures. Someone is definitely directing them."
Ira stood perfectly still by the doorway. Her pale face showed zero emotion. "Statistically speaking, an insect swarm of this magnitude requires a centralized hive mind. The probability of random, simultaneous attacks across different provinces is exactly zero percent."
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