Mysticat and the others looked at her in confusion,pletely baffled.


    "If we win the match, all the prize money is mine." Juniper pointed to a camera on the ceiling with a sly grin. "I have proof, so don''t even think about backing out."


    The team members'' mouths twitched. After all this time, their boss was still just as obsessed with money as ever.


    "Alright, go change and get ready for the award ceremony," Juniper urged them. "This is a global broadcast, so don''t embarrass our country."


    "Yes, ma''am." The five of them didn''t dare disobey and filed out of the room.


    The moment the door clicked shut, Juniper''s phone rang.


    "Juniper," the man''s low, gentle voice murmured from the other end. "Or should I be calling you Demon now? You must have enjoyed watching me search everywhere for you, didn''t you?" Shanley''s voice was impossibly soft, a yful smile audible in his tone. "You little troublemaker."


    Juniper''s cheeks flushed at his teasing.


    "Cut the crap," she said, clearing her throat to feignposure. "Don''t forget the money you promised me. I want everyst cent."


    "Of course," Shanley''sugh was a deep rumble, deliberately seductive, enough to make one''s heart race. "Just wait. I''ll deliver it to you in person."


    Juniper clutched her phone, her stomach doing flip-flops. Why did that sound so ominous? He wasn''t nning toe and settle the score, was he?


    Well, tricking him once was tricking him, tricking him twice was also tricking him... He should be used to it by now!


    She was clearly the one who''d set the trap, but she felt perfectly justified.


    "Okay," she said, quickly hanging up before he could say anything else to fluster


    her. She set the phone down, her heart still pounding. "Calm down. I''m not nervous."


    ...


    Vel


    Ten minutester, the award ceremony began. The third-ce team received their medals first, followed by Digital Sabers for second ce. As their captain epted the runner-up trophy his face was stony, and he looked like he was grinding his teeth to dust.


    This


    "Thank you," he said through a smile that was more like a grimace.


    "And now, we will present the award to our champions!" the host


    announced. The award presenter


    walked toward Juniper, trophy i


    hand, his face beaming with admiration. The legendary Demon, congrattions!"


    "Thank you." Juniper nced at the trophy but kept her hands at her sides, making no move to take it. "I''m honored that you''re here to present the award to me."


    "No, no, the honor is all mine!" The presenter shook his head enthusiastically. "Just between us, I''m a huge fan of yours."


    "However—" Juniper cut in before he could continue, "If I recall correctly, the trophy is supposed to be presented to me by the captain of Digital Sabers, personally."


    She emphasized the word "personally" with a sharp, deliberate tone.


    The captain''s head snapped up, and he stared at Juniper, swallowing hard. He said nothing, hoping to y dead.


    "It seems the captain of Digital


    Sabers has forgotten his promise,"


    Juniper said, having already


    prepared for their dishonesty. With a


    snap of her fingers, the saptains


    voice suddenly boomed from the venue''s speakers.


    "If you can prove you''re Demon, I will personally award you the trophy."


    "If you can prove you''re Demon, I will personally award you the trophy."


    "If you can prove you''re Demon, I will personally award you the trophy."


    The phrase echoed through the arena on a loop, the volume steadily increasing. It was a relentless audio assault.