Gambit - Night Stalker Chapter 15
Mar. 24th, 2025 06:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivalriesSeason: Winter
---
Location: Gambit Stage
Leo: ...Hey, don't say you're gonna hate me.
To me, that's worse than getting my head sliced off.
Ritsu: Me too, me too! Ricchan wants to always be that one lovable guy~ ♪
Arashi: There you are, traitors.
Izumi: Huh? But those outfits—
Leo: I've heard everything. Nice work, Suo~. I'm impressed you got so close to the truth with just the few random hints I threw at you.
But you're not quite there yet.
Tsukasa: Indeed. That is why I'll be having you two fill in the rest for me.
After many twists and turns, in the end we eventually settled back into this five-member roster.
The five of us make up the strongest Knights there is.
We can't have any of us distancing ourselves without any sort of explanation.
Ritsu: Hehe, just admit you were lonely already.
Leo: Aw, sorry, Suo~ There, there ♪ Let Onii-chan give you a nice, big hug ♪
Izumi: What the hell, these guys were already annoying as allies, but they're even more annoying as enemies. Toootally annoying!
Arashi: Hehe, I do feel a little relieved having all five of us here again, though.
Even though we haven't solved anything yet.
Leo: Nah, we should be fine at this point in the game. If we can get through the final stages without mistakes, this delicious "dish" will finally be complete.
Tsukasa: Indeed, you and I have been working jointly on it.
It will surely be so delicious it'll make your mouth melt.
Izumi: What are you going on about? Quit being so cryptic and explain yourselves!
I understand it all perfectly, of course, I'm just saying this to give you guys some credit.
Leo: What're you being so stubborn for... That part of you really hasn't changed.
Unlike Suo~, I don't like explaining stuff. I'm bad at it anyway, so I'll just give you a quick rundown.
Ritsu: Tsukipi~ lives on vibes, after all.
Leo: Hey, don't butt in. And speaking of butting in, it's because you started doing stuff on your own that things got more complicated, remember? I hope you're sorry.
Ritsu: Sorryyy. Will you forgive me 'cause I'm so cute?
Leo: Yeah, okay~♪ I like you when you're cute, Rittsu~♪
Arashi: Are you done messing around already? Even I have limits to my patience, you know.
Leo: Alright. Well, let's start off with getting the whole premise straight, then. You probably don't know this, but King Slayer's parent group was made up of old Chess members.
Izumi: Chess? You mean, that Chess?
Leo: Yup, the very same. After the split, most ex-Chess members stayed at Yumenosaki and fed into the student council's revolution during the era of conflict.
However, the leader of Chess from our generation went off overseas. Seems like some remnants of Chess scrambled to stick with him back then.
Izumi: Who even was the leader of Chess back then... I didn't care enough to remember.
Don't tell it was that, uh... that Ryuji Kuroki guy or something?
Leo: No, the one before him.
Speaking of which, after Chess started going under all sorts of different names like Backgammon, overseas opportunities were like a next-best option for Yumenosaki graduates.
They started up a few low-key agencies where you could get a cut without working too hard, like they did back when Yumenosaki was prosperous.
Chess basically burst to bits midair, and the pieces that didn't have a place to fall got soaked up into those ghostlike agencies, bloating them to larger proportions over time.
Those who still had the drive—or more like, couldn't forget the glory days of Yumenosaki—started playing at being idols, as a hobby of sorts.
The Kuroki brothers' agency is one of those places. King Slayer was born from the vestiges of those idols who had supposedly met their ends.
Tsukasa: I'd thought the agency had their eyes on King Slayer only after they became active, though?
Leo: I mean, which came first, the chicken or the egg?
It doesn't matter, 'cause either way, King Slayer got in with that agency.
And either way, the people who make it up are the same—or more like, came from the same parent group.
Of course, I've been traveling all over the globe, so I knew those people existed.
Plus, I'm the one who made Chess eat the dust. I felt guilty towards them.
Izumi: Chess splitting up was all part of the student's council's—no, Tenshouin's plans, though.
Leo: But we're the ones who dealt the blow, Sena.
Obviously, the one who pulls the trigger is most at fault, but the blood splatters all over the gun, too. You can't say it's innocent.
Well, at the very least, I felt sorry about what happened.
That's why I decided to lend them my support.
I know they never actually liked me or anything, and just wanted to use my music...
...but even then, that's not so horrible a sin that it closes off future possibilities.
At the time, I couldn't forgive them. But after that, I finally broke under the pressure and got a taste of how they felt.
We're weak, you know.
We're not like you, Sena.
Izumi: ......
Leo: We're weak, so we have to cling onto something. We hold on tightly to whatever weapons we have nearby, our last defense against the looming threat of reality.
Back then, what I held onto was you, an unbreakable blade. I was weak and unsure and scared.
But I couldn't control that cursed weapon, and ended up killing my own self on its edge.
And as for the former Chess members, the only weapon they could find was my music.
That's all it was. As someone who made the very same mistake, I don't have the right to blame them anymore.
So, I hoped I could at least make it up to them...
Make up for the pain they endured.
I saw them still weak, scared, and shaking, and I wanted to at least give them a weapon that could make them feel safer.
I think that's what I wanted too, back then.
I never wanted to make a fortune. I didn't want fame, a great domain, or a crown.
All I wanted was some feeling of safety, so I could sleep without shivering on those cold, lonely nights.
Izumi: Sorry.
Sorry I'm so cold.
Leo: It's fine.
I'm the one who still held you close, despite knowing that.
---
< Night Stalker Chapter 14 || Masterlist || Night Stalker Chapter 16 >
---
Location: Gambit Stage
Leo: ...Hey, don't say you're gonna hate me.
To me, that's worse than getting my head sliced off.
Ritsu: Me too, me too! Ricchan wants to always be that one lovable guy~ ♪
Arashi: There you are, traitors.
Izumi: Huh? But those outfits—
Leo: I've heard everything. Nice work, Suo~. I'm impressed you got so close to the truth with just the few random hints I threw at you.
But you're not quite there yet.
Tsukasa: Indeed. That is why I'll be having you two fill in the rest for me.
After many twists and turns, in the end we eventually settled back into this five-member roster.
The five of us make up the strongest Knights there is.
We can't have any of us distancing ourselves without any sort of explanation.
Ritsu: Hehe, just admit you were lonely already.
Leo: Aw, sorry, Suo~ There, there ♪ Let Onii-chan give you a nice, big hug ♪
Izumi: What the hell, these guys were already annoying as allies, but they're even more annoying as enemies. Toootally annoying!
Arashi: Hehe, I do feel a little relieved having all five of us here again, though.
Even though we haven't solved anything yet.
Leo: Nah, we should be fine at this point in the game. If we can get through the final stages without mistakes, this delicious "dish" will finally be complete.
Tsukasa: Indeed, you and I have been working jointly on it.
It will surely be so delicious it'll make your mouth melt.
Izumi: What are you going on about? Quit being so cryptic and explain yourselves!
I understand it all perfectly, of course, I'm just saying this to give you guys some credit.
Leo: What're you being so stubborn for... That part of you really hasn't changed.
Unlike Suo~, I don't like explaining stuff. I'm bad at it anyway, so I'll just give you a quick rundown.
Ritsu: Tsukipi~ lives on vibes, after all.
Leo: Hey, don't butt in. And speaking of butting in, it's because you started doing stuff on your own that things got more complicated, remember? I hope you're sorry.
Ritsu: Sorryyy. Will you forgive me 'cause I'm so cute?
Leo: Yeah, okay~♪ I like you when you're cute, Rittsu~♪
Arashi: Are you done messing around already? Even I have limits to my patience, you know.
Leo: Alright. Well, let's start off with getting the whole premise straight, then. You probably don't know this, but King Slayer's parent group was made up of old Chess members.
Izumi: Chess? You mean, that Chess?
Leo: Yup, the very same. After the split, most ex-Chess members stayed at Yumenosaki and fed into the student council's revolution during the era of conflict.
However, the leader of Chess from our generation went off overseas. Seems like some remnants of Chess scrambled to stick with him back then.
Izumi: Who even was the leader of Chess back then... I didn't care enough to remember.
Don't tell it was that, uh... that Ryuji Kuroki guy or something?
Leo: No, the one before him.
Speaking of which, after Chess started going under all sorts of different names like Backgammon, overseas opportunities were like a next-best option for Yumenosaki graduates.
They started up a few low-key agencies where you could get a cut without working too hard, like they did back when Yumenosaki was prosperous.
Chess basically burst to bits midair, and the pieces that didn't have a place to fall got soaked up into those ghostlike agencies, bloating them to larger proportions over time.
Those who still had the drive—or more like, couldn't forget the glory days of Yumenosaki—started playing at being idols, as a hobby of sorts.
The Kuroki brothers' agency is one of those places. King Slayer was born from the vestiges of those idols who had supposedly met their ends.
Tsukasa: I'd thought the agency had their eyes on King Slayer only after they became active, though?
Leo: I mean, which came first, the chicken or the egg?
It doesn't matter, 'cause either way, King Slayer got in with that agency.
And either way, the people who make it up are the same—or more like, came from the same parent group.
Of course, I've been traveling all over the globe, so I knew those people existed.
Plus, I'm the one who made Chess eat the dust. I felt guilty towards them.
Izumi: Chess splitting up was all part of the student's council's—no, Tenshouin's plans, though.
Leo: But we're the ones who dealt the blow, Sena.
Obviously, the one who pulls the trigger is most at fault, but the blood splatters all over the gun, too. You can't say it's innocent.
Well, at the very least, I felt sorry about what happened.
That's why I decided to lend them my support.
I know they never actually liked me or anything, and just wanted to use my music...
...but even then, that's not so horrible a sin that it closes off future possibilities.
At the time, I couldn't forgive them. But after that, I finally broke under the pressure and got a taste of how they felt.
We're weak, you know.
We're not like you, Sena.
Izumi: ......
Leo: We're weak, so we have to cling onto something. We hold on tightly to whatever weapons we have nearby, our last defense against the looming threat of reality.
Back then, what I held onto was you, an unbreakable blade. I was weak and unsure and scared.
But I couldn't control that cursed weapon, and ended up killing my own self on its edge.
And as for the former Chess members, the only weapon they could find was my music.
That's all it was. As someone who made the very same mistake, I don't have the right to blame them anymore.
So, I hoped I could at least make it up to them...
Make up for the pain they endured.
I saw them still weak, scared, and shaking, and I wanted to at least give them a weapon that could make them feel safer.
I think that's what I wanted too, back then.
I never wanted to make a fortune. I didn't want fame, a great domain, or a crown.
All I wanted was some feeling of safety, so I could sleep without shivering on those cold, lonely nights.
Izumi: Sorry.
Sorry I'm so cold.
Leo: It's fine.
I'm the one who still held you close, despite knowing that.
---
< Night Stalker Chapter 14 || Masterlist || Night Stalker Chapter 16 >
