It was a calm morning. The Running Man manages to appease their subject Instructors and received a day off of school as a reward.

Yuu decided to do his workout in Kuga's Room where he and the Tiger did a friendly Spar.

Liu was inside his room as well, trying to fix Yuu's busted jacket after his battle with Salena. Each time he tweaked with the Jacket's new upgrades, a small explosive spark occurs and shocks the bug. Giving him more determination to finish this tough task.

Miyo went out for a walk around the Building along with Salena and they made a friendly chat.

As the rest seemed to be enjoying their day off, one particular member of their group seemed to be at the edge.

Lonky.

Sitting on the front steps outside of the facility, Lonky nervously bit his fingernails as he moved his leg up and down restlessly.
Shifting glancing left and right, looking like he was trapped in an endless nightmare that keeps getting worse and worse.

"I'm gonna go crazy! I can't take this anymore! I can't handle following orders and attending the classes! I need to get out of this Hell! I need to escape!!!"

Lonky panicked in his thoughts, sweat dripping down from his forehead as he glanced in all directions. Searching for even the smallest possibility of escaping.

But alas, there was nothing. The Guards were heavily armed and strict. All maintaining a careful eye on him.

Then, all of a sudden, the same Pululu that once tried to escape ran past him. Charging towards the endpoint and leaping only to be electrocuted once more by the barrier. The Pululu collapsed in disappointment before two security guards arrived and dragged the unconscious Pululu to Detention.

With Lonky as a witness, he tried to think carefully about his next action.

"No... I need to plan this carefully. Or else I'll end up like that idiot. I have to find a way to escape if I were to get out of this place alone... Then I can go to my Father and Mother, the King and Queen of the Giraffe tribe and ask them to free my friends and enslave this Pululus!"

"Yes... I am going to escape"

Lonky failed to realize that he had mumbled the last part of his sentence.

Soon after, Popo and Pala appeared in front of him with wide smiles.

"Escape?" Pala repeated.

"You plan to leave here without us?" Popo followed up as the Giraffe screamed and leaned back in surprise before recollecting his posture.

"Oh, it's just you two. I think it's going to be much easier if I let you two tag along with me" Lonky replied with a smile and an eyebrow raised. Looking as if he had a foolproof plan until his eyes immediately became covered in fear after realizing who was standing behind Popo.

Seeing Lonky's expression made Popo confused until turning his head around and saw Zola standing behind him.

The penguin screamed in surprise before Zola screamed as well but the female Pululu was almost panicking, unlike Popo. As if she's easily startled.

After a few seconds of screaming, Zola realized what happened and immediately cleared her throat before showing her dominant posture.

"... Popo! Attempting to escape! Minus 20 points!" She pointed at the penguin.

"What?! Lonky! This is all your fault!!!" Popo blamed the Giraffe who pretended that he knows nothing.

"Why are you blaming me all of a sudden?" Asked the Giraffe before their attention was diverted when they saw Pala sniffing the air aggressively like a wolf tracking its prey.

"Oooh! That smell...!" The Impala mumbled. He turned his body toward the left and immediately ran towards the smell that captivated him. He stumbles upon a circular steel object that acted as a cover to prevent the residents from falling into the Manhole or sewers. He stared silently at it until a smile widened on his face and started to jam his cane onto it repeatedly.

"Is he... Digging a Manhole cover?" Zola asked as the three of them watched the mysterious Impala.

"Beats me. I guess Pala finally lost his mind being trapped in this building"

Then, as Zola and Popo watched, Lonky spotted something that sparked hope inside of him.

From above, he saw multiple Pululu guards riding a floating pad, similar to what Akong was sitting on, as they travelled from building to building.
A wide smile creeped out of the Giraffe as a plot began to form in his head.

Meanwhile, Yuu and Kuga exited their rooms and made their way calmly toward the Kitchen where the prisoners are free to use whenever.

Exhausted and relieved, the Human and the Tiger conversed with a glorious smile.

"That was an intense match..." Yuu commented.

"Sure is... I never knew you're strong enough to lift me and toss me like a doll..." Kuga replied as he shook his right shoulder, trying to ease the injury he received.

"I just used your strength against you, I could never lift someone who weights a thousand pounds"

"Hey, easy there. This is pure muscle" Kuga argued as Yuu laughed.

As they began to walk closer to the automatic door that leads to the Kitchen, they immediately stumbled upon Miyo and Salena behind the door.

Their eyes widened a bit from surprise before starting an immediate conversation.

"It seems you two were hanging out as well?" Miyo asked as she took a quick sip from her bottled milk.

"More like training... We sparred a bit and now... I need water" Kuga replied with a thirsty exhale.

"Same..."

"Who won?" Asked the cat once more.

Kuga ended up sighing in defeat as Yuu raised his fist in the air without care showing on his face.

"Me, I tossed him out of the ring like a doll"

"Used, my strength against me. Not tossed, remember?" Kuga reminded him of their previous conversation but Yuu simply shrugged both of his shoulders and spoke.

"Eh, same thing"

While the three of them conversed, Salena was acting weird. She was quirt. Unable to make even a single noise from coming out of her mouth while gazing away from their direction and nervously sipping from the straw of her drink.
Yuu noticed Salena's strange behaviour and immediately pointed it out to her.

"Yo, Salena. You alright? You seem quiet all of a sudden"

"Oh yeah, normally she's talkative around you guys" Miyo followed up before turning to face the alerted bunny.
"Is something wrong? You were chatty when it was just us earlier"

Salena suddenly tensed up. Her shoulders shook upwards and her ears perked up as her eyes began to repeatedly look towards Yuu, then Kuga, and lastly Miyo. But strangely, her eyes always return to Yuu before changing to Miyo or Kuga.

"N-nothings wrong! I just love the taste of this Carrot smoothie!" She replied loudly. Showing them her orange-coloured drink which was a simply blended carrot.

Yuu then noticed a small piece of what seemed to be a carrot on her left shoulder. He slowly reached his hand out and made a step closer to her.

As his hand went past her cheek, she felt the sudden warmth of his hand almost engulfing her cheek. Making Salena feel that he gently held her when Yuu just flicked the carrot off of her shoulder.

Her cheeks suddenly began to turn red as the fur around her face perked up as well.

Suddenly, she screamed with an adorable voice as all of them jerked back.

"Ahh! W-what are you doing?!"

Salena shouted in confusion. Her face bloody red as she held the part of her cheek where she assumed he held her. Yuu immediately stepped back. Showing a look of surprise as Kuga and Miyo.

"I... was just removing a piece of carrot on your shoulder... Why are you so jumpy...?" He asked him in return.

Salena's confused look still didn't change as his response only made her tense up more.

"D-don't just suddenly get close to me like that, Yuu! It's weird!" She said to him leaning a bit forward to make her statement louder and more clear.

"But... Isn't that what you normally do to me?"

Yuu's response made her face even redder as she pouted. Trying to hold in her words of anger and mixed confusion. In truth, she didn't even know why she acted like this all of sudden. But she realized that it was too late to laugh this all away.

"Just... Just give me some time alone!" Salena stormed off. Exiting the room through the same door they used to enter as her stomping feet could be heard getting further away.

The trio was left in the confusion about the situation as they all just stared at each other without a hint of what happened.

"What just happened...?" Kuga asked.

"I have no idea... She never acted like that earlier though. She even jumped at me and asked me to tag along with her to get to know each other better"
Miyo mumbled, punching her chin as she thought.

Yuu was just quiet. He stared at the door that closed behind her. Thinking of the same thought Kuga and Miyo had before diverting her attention towards the carrot he flicked and the drink she spilt.

Meanwhile, Salena continued to store off back to her room. But her aggressive stomping soon became calmer as she was seen cuffing her reddened cheeks with both palms. Staring at the floor with the same look of confusion mixed with fear and embarrassment.

"What's happening to me...! Why did I just shout at them... At Yuu... Why did I do that!?"

Then her mind became blank as only a flashback of Yuu and She appeared in her thoughts, back when they were dancing under the colour of the setting sun. She shut he eyes tighter, trying her best to remove that thought but it just kept getting worse from there.

After the flashback of them, dancing came an Image of the Bandaged man. Staring deeply at her when they ended their dance. It even got far as she could almost feel his warmth engulfing her hands again.
This clouded her mind and made her heart race all of a sudden.

"I... I can't get him out of my head! Why is this happening to me?!"

Sometime later at night...

Sounds of multiple wailing Sirens awoke the prisoners in their slumber. The outside of the building was flashing in red, indicating an emergency.

"Warning! Warning! A prisoner is missing! All prisoners please assemble in their designated meeting lounge until the disciplinary officers have done a complete headcount!"

An echoing announcement was heard as one by one, the Prisoners attended multiple meeting lounges. And of course, the Runningman had their area.

After a few minutes, the Running Man players all arrived one by one as they waited for the rest.

"Who do you guys think got out?" Liu asked all of them as the Siren disappeared.

"Who knows? Maybe that Orange Pululu finally manages to escape?" Lonky said. Raising both palms to his shoulder level as he shrugged.

"Doubt it" Kuga disagreed.
"Their security is strict. No one could escape just like that"

"Maybe someone just got lost on their way to their room?" Said the human.

As all of them thought in silence for a solution, the final player arrived. Salena.

She slowly waves over at her friends with a greeting smile and walked over to the nearest empty seat, which was next to Yuu considering he's near the entrance.

The Human and the Bunny stared at each other for a quick moment before breaking the ice with a quick word.

"... Hello..."

The bunny greeted. Showed a careful smile with an awkward wave.

Yuu, who had his arms crossed the moment he entered the room earlier, raised an eyebrow and replied by talking back.

"Hi?"

As another silence occured between them, Salena awkwardly sat next to him.

While Yuu showed a calm and relaxed posture, Salena was the opposite as she sat with a straight posture.

Kuga and Miyo returned glances at Salena after her strange behaviour from earlier. Especially Liu as he glanced from Salena to Yuu considering he saw what they did yesterday. Only Lonky and Popo had no clue of what was happening as the aura of silence and awkwardness became so thick that it can almost be cut by a knife.

"So... Weird day... right guys? Hehe..." Salena suddenly spoke. Laughing nervously as she tried to remove the tension.

"You can say that again.." Yuu mumbled. Staring right at the floor. Feeling the awkwardness as well.

"You acted weird earlier... Salena. You shouted at us" Miyo pointed out.

"She did?" Lonky asked, looking curious.

"This is getting interesting..." Popo whispered to Lonky.

"Oh, that? Haha... Actually... I'm sorry I acted like that. I just didn't know what came over me..." She replied. Her statement made the Human turn to look at her. But the moment Salena shifted her eyes at him, she immediately changed direction. As if she was not able to look at him making Yuu even more confused.

"You're still acting strange. Why can't you look at me?" Yuu asked, sounding bold as Salena's cheek formed a slight blush but it was hard for any of them to see.

Miyo, on the other hand, was slowly starting to understand why Salena is acting this way. But she needed more proof since it was still vague or too early to assume.

"Is it because I saw the two of you Dance together alone in an empty room?"

Liu's sudden words brought a huge impact on the group. Miyo's eyes widened, Lonky and Popo's jaws dropped, Kuga raised an eyebrow, and Yuu and Salena formed a small blush upon their cheeks. But luckily he wore bandages, unlike the bunny.

"Dude!" Yuu shouted.

"What?!" Liu asked in confusion, unaware of what he said.
"I just said I saw the two of you dancing in an empty room. While holding hands and all. What's so wrong about- Ohhh... I... I slipped, didn't I? I guess I can't hold a secret that well... Even though you strangled me haha..."

Yuu covered his eyes with the palm of his hand to remove his frustration as he leaned forward.

"Wait... You two danced?" Kuga asked.

"Oooh! What kind of dance?" Asked the curious penguin.

Eventually, Yuu answered the question.

"Slow dance... Salena dragged me into one of her... I don't know... One of her ways to... Be herself I guess... To express her feelings of freedom and joy... So... I went along with it... Because... She wanted to have fun... I could at least give her that... And because a small part of me was curious to learn"

Yuu's soft words brought a spark of realization onto Salena as her eyes slowly widened. She still was not facing him but she listened to his statement loud and clear. The way he assumed her intentions resonated with her. Giving her a certain feeling of Emotional Clarity. Up to this point, she felt weird and rather nervous when faced with him. But hearing his words just now, made her realise that he did not go along with her scheme because she forced him. He danced with her because he knew she was eager to dance with him. To show him more of her joyous self because she wanted to make the most of her freedom as she knows what she has right now is not permanent.
This made Salena look at Yuu from a whole new perspective. Her heart was starting to beat louder but she manages y finally look at him as e finishes his sentence.

"I guess you guys can say... I didn't have the guts to say no or the speed to run away. Considering Salena hops fast"

As Yuu finished his statement, he expected the rest to assume he has a soft heart underneath his dangerous pride. But in reality, they respected him even more.

"I see. In that case, I have no more to say" Kuga made the first response.

"What?" Yuu asked, confused. He quickly removed his palm away from his eyes and glanced at Kuga.
"Aren't you guys going to make fun of me for being soft or something?"

"Why would we? You did it to show that you care about her freedom. There's nothing to joke about that" Kuga stated with a smile.

"I'm gonna agree with Kuga here. In the Giraffe tribe, expressing your truest self is the most important quality to show you are a great person of both wealth and fame~" Lonky agreed.

"I... I see..." The human thought for a moment before hearing Miyo's words.

"What you did was sweet of you and thoughtful. It's not worth making fun of. But Kuga here, on the other hand, You should have seen him dance. He's so flexible~" A laughter escaped her mouth as she tried to cover it up.

Kuga became shocked as he leaned toward Miyo and asked with a look of disbelief.

"What?! When did I ever dance?!" He shouted.

"Oh, don't pretend like I didn't see you during the Minigame. While I was searching for a way out, You took your time dancing as if you were performing live on a stage"

"WHAT?!"

Then, Lonky and Popo's laugh became almost as loud as the Siren. Pointing their fingers at the enraged tiger as they laughed.

"She caught you red-handed Kuga! HAHAHA," Lonky aggressively laughed. Even with Kuga's mighty rage, the Giraffe continued to laugh without fear. A small detail to show that their friendship increased considerably.

"I didn't dance...!!!" Kuga ground his teeth as he said that. Trying not to unleash more of his anger.

"Well then... I guess that's settled-"

Suddenly, Yuu's voice was cut short when Salena suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her tight embrace while being strangled by her in the process.

"So you did it because you wanted to make me happy?! Awww~~ You are my BFF!!! I'm so sorry I shouted at you, thank you so much, Yuu!"

"Let me breathe... You psychopath!"

As Salena held her joyful tears back while rubbing her cheeks on the back of his head, Yuu desperately tried to break free but her embrace was too strong and his lack of oxygen was making him dizzy.

The rest ended up giggling from their adorable sight, not paying attention to the dying Human until Miyo pointed it out.

"Alright, alright. Take it easy there, Salena. Let him breathe" Miyo said while giggling.

Hearing Miyo's words and his audible gasp for air, Salena opened her eyes and immediately released Yuu. The human leaned away from the bunny and took in a deep breath before exhaling. Rubbing his neck as he saw his life flashed before his eyes.

"I... I... I told you not to do that!" The human said with a loud voice as he struggled to reply.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I just... I was just so touched by your statement. You care about me..." She nervously said to him.

"I... I care for my friends... And... I can't believe I'm saying this but... You're one of them..." As Yuu slowly manages to breathe again, Liu and the rest smiled calmly at what he had said.

Salena's eyes sparkled before forming a smile of joy and gratitude as she watched him slowly relax on the sofa.

"Thank you..." Salena whispered.

"Well, at least your back to your usual self... Yey..." Yuu cheered with an obvious sarcasm before Zola suddenly burst out of the door with a strict look.

"Alright! Everyone stands up for a quick headcount!"

She shouted, alarming them all and breaking their previous chatter.

The Running men all stood up but kept a calm posture as Zola started counting them all.

Until she suddenly gasped.

"7?! There's only 7 of you!?" She pointed out as the rest got confused.
"

Where's Pala?!"

Then, a strike of realization befalls them all as Pala was not with them.

After a few moments, The running men were seen sitting at their previous seats with their arms crossed and their minds busy as they pondered where Pala could be.

"I wonder why happened to Pala...?" Liu asked.

"I'm dead... I'm so dead... I can't believe I let a prisoner slip past my guard... Pala! Of all the Prisoners!" Zola exclaimed nervously as she walked around in circles on the table in front of them.
"If there was one person I'd expect to escape this Facility, it would have been Yuu but Pala?! How embarrassing!"

"Umm... Thanks?" Yuu replied confusedly but felt honoured at the same time.

"Calm down, Pala couldn't have escaped. There's no chance" Miyo clarified to all of them.

"She's right, something must have happened or he must have got lost" Kuga suggested.

"Hmm... I was in my room since this morning. I didn't see Pala or any of you guys until now" Said the bug.

"Yuu and I sparred a bit earlier, then we came across Salena and Miyo in the kitchen. We didn't see Pala" Kuga proceeded before Miyo.

"Same with us, Salena jumped at me in another hallway and forced me to accompany her"

"You forced her?" Yuu asked the bunny as Salena replied to him with a cheeky giggle.

"Unfortunately, we didn't see Pala as well" Miyo ended her statement.

"I think I recall seeing Pala outside earlier this morning" Lonky added before realizing what he had just said and struck an idea. Popo also received the same idea after hearing him as they looked at each other with a mischievous smile.

"Oh yeah, Lonky. We did see Pala outside" Popo agreed before nodding at each other.

"Yeah! Pala must be outside! We volunteer to find him!" Lonky shouted before raising his hand as if he was in class.

The rest, except Zola, could almost see through the Giraffe and his schemes but since all of them are close, they ended up letting Lonky and Popo do what they please as they need only consequences would befall them.

"This won't end well for them..." Yuu muttered with a sigh as Salena looked over at him with her head slightly tilted. Looking as if she had no idea what was going on.

After a few minutes, Lonky and Popo peaked through the large open gates of the facility. Witnessing how multiple guards are hovering in the air and bright spotlights scouring the area in search of the missing prisoner.

"Hmmm... Everyone's on high alert, this is going to be hard..." Lonky mumbled next to Popo.

"Yeah... Let's be careful while Zola is accompanying the others back to their rooms" The penguin whispered until a feminine cough was heard behind them.

When they turned, they immediately screamed when faced with an angry Zola. This, of course, made her scream as well.

"AHHHH!!!!!"

Just as their mixed scream became audible enough to hear within earshot, the bright spotlights stopped at the three of them. Lighting them up for the guards to see.

Lonky and Popo cowered in fear but Zola reassured her posture and stood in front of the two.

"It's alright! I was only escorting these two to their rooms so get back to work!" Zola shouted as the Pululu guards continued their search and the siren continued to wail.
"And can someone please turn off that annoying Alarm?! It's the middle of the night!!!"

And just like that, the siren vanished and the spotlights continued to search the rest of the area. Lonky and Popo sighed in relief before Zola confronted them.

"You two owe me! If my reputation wasn't on the line I would have ordered them to take you to detention!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Popo responded, sounding annoyed.

"So, are you two sure you saw Pala here?" Zola asked again.

"Yes, don't you remember? We saw him here... Over there!" Popo pointed at the previous area where they last saw Pala, next to the steel manhole.

As they rushed to the area, they realized that the manhole was opened.

"Oh no... Pala did find an escape route!" Zola anxiously exploited.

"Dang, Pala beat us the right to it... But how deep is this hole?" Popo asked as both he and Zola leaned forward to gaze at the dark pit.

And suddenly, Lonky executed his devious plan. As a sinister grin came to his face, he mercilessly pushed both Popo and Zola inside the hole.

Theirs screamed echoed as they fall while Lonky laughed maniacally at his actions.

"Hahaha! Sorry Popo, I needed you as bait buddy. Don't worry, I'll come back for all of you, okay?" Lonky smiled and waved at the falling Penguin.

"LONKY!!!!!!!!!"

Both the Penguin and the Pululu Princess screamed his name in hatred before skipping happily to his plan of escape.

Meanwhile, the bandaged man, wearing a dark grey hoodie, pants, and boots as his attire, witnessed everything that had happened on the balcony of his room. Leaning forward against the railing of the balcony.

"Still the same as ever Lonky, I wonder how this will turn up this time..." Yuu sighed, looking as if he already knew this plan would backfire on the giraffe who was making his way to the tallest point of the building, where countless of guards are roaming.

Suddenly, a similar scent of the sweetness of a strawberry and cupcakes came to his nostrils. He turned to his side, and to his surprise, he saw Salena gazing at the same view he previously witnessed.

She rested her chin on the railing of the Balcony she was in and giggled at the sight. She was quite far from his location, considering their rooms are separate from each other.

Salena's annoying and reckless persona suddenly flourished in his head, wanting to stay away from her to avoid the unwanted annoyance, he stealthily tried to sneak back inside.

But the moment he opened the sliding glass door, Salena's ears twitched and immediately turned her head in his direction.

Her eyes widened almost immediately as she smiled and stood up.

"Great..."

"Bestie?!!! Hey!!! Overhear!! Can you hear me?! Hello!!!!!!" The cheerful bunny waved her hands like a crazy person as she jumped up and down while shouting those words from the top of her lungs.

"PULU!!!!"

Multiple voices of angry Pululus were suddenly heard, giving them hints that they want Salena to love her voice since it is the middle of the night.

"Keep it down, others are trying to sleep!" Yuu whisper-shouted at the bunny.

She immediately cuffed her mouth and formed a cone around her mouth using her hands.

"I'm sorry...!" She whisper and shouted in return.

As they mumbled Pululus suddenly dispersed, and Salena exhaled in relief.

Realizing there is no more point in trying to escape, Yuu proceeded to lean against the railing and sighed once more.

The bunny watched Yuu's actions and smiled sweetly before moving closer to the railings that pointed in his direction.

"So... Are Lonky and Po-bro always like this?" She asked, hoping to start a conversation.

"You mean like idiots? Yep... Always"

"Hehe~ They seem close"

"Oh, they are... They may fight, backstab one another, and argue a lot... But they're the closest people they know of... Even though I've rarely seen them work together..."

"You seem close to them as well"

"... We were enemies at first... Fighting each other in this game for a stupid fruit... Until we came to our differences and worked together..."

"I'm guessing it was hard for you to see them as your friends, huh?"

"How can you tell?" He asked, looking over at her with curiosity.

"Because you told me, remember? You said you were an outcast in your tribe, meaning you didn't have many friends and grew to trust only yourself. I find it quite hard for you to open up to the people you have now..." Salena stared at his eyes once before immediately turning to look down at her furry hands placed on the concrete railings.

Yuu became slightly appalled after hearing what she said, he had not thought of Salena's attention to his past.

"... I keep forgetting you're not that ignorant and clueless Haha. But yeah... It was very hard for me to open up and accept them..."

Salena pouted and creased her eyebrows angrily at Yuu. Imagining herself biting his head once more out of pure anger until his next response snapped her out of it.

"I... I even went far as to show them a part of me I never wanted anyone to see... And because of that... I got angry and terrified two of my closest friends... Not only that... But when they needed me the most... I left them behind and ran away..."

"Yuu..."

"But it's alright. I came back eventually and accepted their help. And now... Here we are, stuck in another twisted game for our survival.

Seeing a glimpse of a smile from Yuu made the bunny smile back in return, feeling relieved and glad for the human.

"Who was the person you became close to or gained your trust?" She asked all of a sudden.

"The first? I think... Miyo... Yeah, it's Miyo. She told me a secret about her being a spy and that she was sent in that game to gather information from the Game Master. Then it was Liu, then Gai, Kuga, Pala, Lonky, and Popo. In that exact order. They are the closest I have to... To an actual Family..."

"Huh, I see..." Salena thought audibly. Her bangs suddenly covered her eyes as she lowered her head slightly.

"What's wrong?" Yuu asked, noticing her sudden change of behaviour.

"I guess... I'm not part of the people you're close to huh...?" She suddenly stared back at him with a smile that hinted at a lightly shattered emotion.

"I... No... That's not what I meant-"

"No, it's alright. I understand don't worry" She replied, still maintaining a smile as she turned her attention to focus on the full moon just in front of them.
"I'm not an idiot, Yuu. I'm not stupid. I know I'm too clingy... I know I'm too Loud... And I know I'm too annoying for anyone to bear... I knew this ever since I left my tribe. The people I tried to be friends with... All abandoned me... They were weirded out by me... It was always me against the world... Until one day... When a man became too annoyed at me and attacked me... I realized that Fighting is the only way to cope with my loneliness... I mean... Fighting is the closest thing I had to ever hang out with a person..." The Human's eyes slowly widened when he noticed Salena's tears glimmer under the moonlight as they fell to her knuckles that clenched the railing.
"Even if it means hurting them..."

"Salena, I didn't mean it that way-"

"It's alright, you don't have to apologize... I'm not Blind, Yuu Yamada... I can see it in your eyes... Whenever I'm near you, your eyes drop and then you sigh..."

"That's not true-"

"Really? Then look at me in the eyes..." Salena's soft voice suddenly became aggressive, giving out hints of growing anger before lifting her head and locking her gaze in his eyes.
"Look at me in the eyes! And tell me I'm not a nuisance to you..."

"You're not a nuisance to me" Yuu replied almost immediately, maintaining a serious gaze back at her without blinking.

"You're lying..."

"So what if I am? Everyone is a nuisance to me! Everyone annoys me whether it's my friends or not! That's just how I live! But it doesn't mean I hate you..."

"You... Don't hate me...?"

"Of course, not. You're a strong fighter, you're both nice and fierce, you're good at dancing, you're good at singing, I think, and you get along with everyone almost immediately... What's there to hate...? You're everything I wish I was... Minus the singing part and dancing..."
This time, Yuu looked down at his own hands, staring at his five fingers with a deep look as Salena became quiet. Not a single response formed in her head as all she could do was watch him.
"We're not so different, Salena... Our past, our experience, our perception of the world... We're the same... If I'm being truthful right now... Then I'll say this... You're practically the only person I know.... that makes me remember so much of myself whenever I look into your eyes... In short... You're the closest friend I know..."

Salena's eyes sparkled once again, her eyes were coated with tears but not a single tear dropped. The wind blew behind her, allowing her hair to flourish and shine as it danced along with the breeze. Her chest felt both light and heavy as her heart beat louder. With her two large front teeth, she bit the bottom of her lip as she clenched a part of her chest while Yuu continued to mumble underneath his bandages.

"Haha... It's funny... To think the world allowed me to meet someone so similar to myself yet so different at the same time... I admit you're the most annoying person I ever met, Salena, but I'm glad I didn't press the red button back in the Minigame..."

After he finished his words, Yuu slowly turned to look back at her, only to be shocked when Salena was seen landing on the railing next to him. His reflexes failed to do anything as he stared deeply at her sparkling eyes. He had no thoughts of what she was going to do the moment she landed, he was too shocked to think that she made it to his part of the balcony with one measly jump.
Soon, Salena wrapped her arms around Yuu and held him in a tight embrace. He couldn't move his arms as it was locked in between Salena's. He had a barrage of questions in-store regarding what she was doing, but Salena's words shook him in an instant after she spoke.

"Thank you... Thank you so much..."

"...For what...?" He asked, finding it hard to breathe.

"... For not abandoning me..." Salena sunk her face deep into his chest as she squeezed him tighter but Yuu showed no dislike of the situation. Only giving her an exception and letting Salena do as she pleased.

"Hey, How can I even abandon you? I'm stuck here in this game until I escape remember? Maybe then I can abandon you, Haha" The human laughed slightly, trying to make a joke to ease them both but the way Salena tightened her arms around him even more made Yuu realize that this was not the right moment for a joke. Especially, since Rema already pointed out that he is terrible at Jokes.
"Sorry..."

"It's alright... But you suck at telling Jokes..."

"Yeah... I've been told..."

"... Do you mean it... Am I one of your friends...?"

"... Of course..."

Salena's embrace slowly became less tight for the Human, comfortable even. He didn't hug her back but he gave the bunny a gentle pat on her lower back as she smiled underneath his chest.

"If it makes you feel a bit better about yourself... I kinda... Liked it... A bit..."

"Liked what...?" She asked softly.

"Our dance... I kinda liked it at the time..." Feeling the sudden embarrassment, Yuu moved his right hand and placed it on his face to hide.
"You... Are a great instructor..." Yuu groaned in even more embarrassment until Salena suddenly laughed. Felt the vibration of her warm laughter on his chest.

"I don't think I was the Instructor at that moment... You were dancing on your own and I was just keeping up with you. But..." Salena slowly pushed herself away from him. Takes a small step back and looked Yuu deeply in his eyes with a cheerful smile.
"I liked our dance as well... I liked it a lot..."

Both of their cheeks slowly revealed a blush the more they gazed at each other from up close, the only difference is that Yuu felt overwhelmed while Salena felt happy through and through.

"I'm glad you gave me a second chance back there"

"S-... Sure... No problem..."

"I hope we get to dance properly someday... Without any interruptions"

"...I hope so too" Yuu replied.

Salena smiled sweetly as her response, closing her eyes and hiding her hand behind her back before opening them and staring at the moon.

"Gee~ would you look at that, it's nearly midnight. We better sleep since we got a big day tomorrow" Salena's statement broke Yuu from his stuttering site and quickly agreed with her.

"Oh... Yeah... Tomorrow is the next game..."

"Yeah."

"We're going to have to fight the next Gate Keeper... We could have lost in the previous one if it weren't for that other Level 5 prisoner..." Yuu suddenly clenched his fist, feeling growing anger towards himself for letting his guard down, until Salena held his fist with both hands and raised it to her face level.

"It's alright, we'll be ready. All of us will win together, as a team"

"No... As friends" Yuu said confidently.

"Yeah... Friends..." Salena mumbled before he gently let him go and climbed up the railing.
"Be sure to put your Game face on for tomorrow, Bestie~ We might battle again and I'm telling you... I won't hold back"

"I'm counting on it, Salena" Yuu smiled triumphantly under his bandages.

Salena showed a quick, determined, smile before hopping towards her balcony and waving over at him.

"Good night, bestie! Sleep well!!!!" She shouted.

"PULU!!!"

"AH! Sorry!!!" Salena quickly apologized as she scurried back to her room and closed the balcony door.

Yuu was left silent before a wave of laughter escaped from his mouth. Chuckling wholesomely by himself as he wiped a tear from his right eye.

"That bunny is a Riot... I wonder what's happening to her lately. She's acting weirder and weirder around me... Or is it because we're influencing her more and more? Yep... We're influencing her... Probably because of Lonky and Popo's stupidity... Oh well. Good night I guess" Yuu shrugged at himself, placing his hands in sir his pockets. As he attempted to close to Balcony door, a familiar scent suddenly caught his attention.

"That smell... Why Is it so familiar... Perfume...? Probably from Salena... Smells good..." He complimented before closing a door as a tired yawn escape his mouth.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop just above Yuu's Balcony stood the silver hair feline with two split beautiful coloured eyes. Sitting on the rooftop railings with her legs crossed as she overheard the whole conversation.

"You're still clueless as ever when it comes to the heart of the girls you touched, Yuu Yamada..." Rema smiled alluringly while staring down at his balcony after standing up.
"I'm so relieved that you're alright... But I can't help you or you're friends... Not right now... But I promise... I will"