12. Rekachev Circus School Trial (24)
12. Rekachev Circus School Trial (24)
"Four athletes from the Golden Carnival have just opened a treasure chest in Arena 8—the 'Field'!"
"If the Pool is the arena with the highest dropout rate, the Field is definitely the most grueling."
"Absolutely. Stacking those cargo blocks demanded not only skill but also considerable strength and endurance, and those four pulled it off flawlessly!"
"All four of them showed the caliber you'd expect from Rekachev alumni. Ah, and there's Reina out on the track now. She operated solo, but anyone who watched her clash with Ella couldn't possibly argue she doesn't deserve that trophy in her hands!"
Reina and the four athletes in yellow gym uniforms ran a victory lap, trophies held high. After circling the school grounds, they strode into the auditorium to a roaring wave of cheers and applause.
The Golden Carnival camp spilled out to surround them, pounding their teammates' backs in celebration. The staff who had been monitoring the arena from the stands and relaying strategies to the competitors showered them with praise for the feats they had pulled off during the search.
They were especially effusive about the earlier showdown between Reina and Ella—so riveting that even the staffer sent to deliver instructions from the strategy team had forgotten to return to his post and just stood there watching.
"That was incredible! I've never seen such fire in Reina's eyes!"
"Rivals really do matter, don't they? Who knew she had that kind of spark?"
"The very end was a bit anticlimactic, but she more than redeemed herself out there."
"Yeah. No one's going to be babbling about 'Frank 10' or any of that nonsense anymore. You did great."
Reina didn't know what to do with herself under all the praise. Taking on Ella hadn't been some team-minded gesture. She had done it purely out of a personal desire to leave the troupe.
But the members who knew nothing of her deal with Simon assumed she had put on that performance to wash away the disgrace of the previous incident.
"I'm sorry. My selfishness only caused trouble for the other four on the search team...."
Reina's stiff-voiced apology sent the Golden Carnival members scrambling to wave it off.
When they'd first met her, Reina's icy demeanor had made them think she was as arrogant and cold as her father. Over time, though, they'd realized she wasn't drained of emotion—she had simply been raised in an environment that suppressed emotional expression to an extreme degree.
The aloof "Golden Libra" image the world gossiped about was nothing more than a persona her father had half-coerced her into. Inside, she was earnest, kind, and even innocent.
Plenty of acrobats in the Golden Carnival despised Simon, but no one extended that dislike to Reina.
It only made them ache, watching a seventeen-year-old so thoroughly smother herself. When she'd expressed her intention to beat Ella this time, they had all quietly rejoiced, even if they hadn't said it out loud. It was the first time they'd seen her truly want something for herself, beyond earning her father's approval.
They shook their heads, stopping her before she could bow to them.
"No need to apologize. We discussed it beforehand and all agreed."
"Yeah, yeah. Honestly, it made me happy—like we were back in our school days goofing around as friends."
"Your aunts and uncles just want what's best for you, Reina...."
"Hey, who're you calling aunts? I'm only ten years older than Reina. That makes me more like an older sister. The seniors, though, are definitely uncle-and-auntie material...."
"What? Auntie?"
"Oh, she's sneakily shaving off years. How does a thirteen-year gap suddenly become ten? You're thirty, aren't you?"
"Single-digit years don't count."
Watching them launch into an impromptu comedy routine just to lift her spirits, Reina smiled softly beneath her mask.
The Golden Carnival acrobats really were good people. Whenever her father had acted out, they had always offered silent comfort. They'd never stepped in openly, knowing he'd only torment her more relentlessly if they did, but she had always felt their consideration.
She hoped they wouldn't misunderstand her decision.
Just then, Simon finished greeting the sponsors and strode toward her, his golden cape billowing. He fixed her with a frosty glare.
"Why didn't you eliminate Maya Rendelin? You clearly had an opening."
The lively atmosphere iced over in an instant. Faces around them soured at the sight of him launching straight into criticism, even after she had delivered a spectacular bout and walked in with the championship trophy.
Reina had intended to announce her departure from the troupe the moment he arrived. But now that she faced his eyes, she felt her breathing grow shallow. Her lips trembled.
It felt as though she had to say exactly what he wanted to hear just to soften that cold stare.
'I'm sorry. I'll listen from now on, Father.'
'Since Ella found the trophy, I'll stay with the Golden Carnival as I promised you.'
'Father, I'm calling off the move to the Monster Circus.'
Excuses swirled in her mouth. None of them reflected her true feelings. They were reflex, spat out by the part of her conditioned to appease him.
That was how he had tamed her all this time.
Her mouth opened on its own, ready to spill something—and then a single word caught in her throat and refused to come out.
Father? Father?
She clamped her mouth shut and swallowed the words.
Reina recalled the conversation she'd had with Wonderstein earlier.
She knew that if she declared she was leaving the Golden Carnival on her own whim, her father would never let it go quietly.
'Are you sure this is okay? My father will absolutely try to retaliate.'
'It's fine. That's a risk I'm willing to shoulder. For your sake, Miss Reina....'
'But I... if I transfer after you've already earned a star, I won't be permitted to perform as an acrobat under the rules. Will I still be of any use?'
That was the question Reina had dreaded voicing most.
Was the only reason he needed her—the only reason he'd played along with that absurd father-daughter game—because he required the acrobat Reina to reach the finals?
The brief silence between question and answer plunged Reina into gut-wrenching anxiety. Then his voice came, tinged with laughter, and smoothed over her frayed nerves.
'Of course. You don't have to set foot on stage at all. Hmm, how about you coach our members' training? They've all been missing your instruction.'
'Th-then....'
'Yes. Win or lose, you're welcome anytime.'
Reina lifted her chin.
Be brave. The Troupe Leader said it's all right.
She steadied her trembling heart and looked Simon straight in the eye.
"You asked why I didn't attack Maya?"
Her voice was icier and more imperious than ever.
It occurred to her that the persona of the Golden Libra had never fit her so perfectly as it did right now.
Ah, right. This is what it's supposed to feel like—genuine contempt for your opponent.
She leveled a sharp glare at Simon. Knowing the Weeping Woman Mask concealed her expression sent strength surging through her. She spoke with clear, unflinching conviction.
"Because from now on, Maya is going to be my colleague."
Simon's brow furrowed at her reply, and the other members around them looked bewildered. None of them grasped what she meant.
Without sparing a glance for anyone else, Reina kept her eyes locked on Simon and said what she had come to say.
"I'm leaving the Golden Carnival. I'm joining the Monster Circus."
"How dare you...."
Simon's lips twitched. He couldn't fathom how her attitude had flipped so abruptly. He'd been certain he'd seeded the suggestion that declaring a transfer in front of the others would only hurt her fellow members....
As if reading his mind, Reina quickly looked around and offered an explanation.
"I'm sorry. It's not because I dislike any of you. I...."
Before she could finish her reasoning, the Golden Carnival members were already nodding as if they understood perfectly.
"We get it. We get it."
"How many months have we watched that man's bullshit?"
"The Monster Circus is where Ella is, right?"
"You finally realized it's more fun to be with someone your own level, didn't you?"
The members' response was nothing like what Reina had feared. The moment they heard her resolve, they welcomed it with open arms. Their enthusiasm was so immediate it almost stung.
Ah, right. They've always wanted this for me.
With that, the last suggestion Simon had planted shattered. Lighthearted now, Reina looked back at him. He stood gripping his gold-adorned cane, trembling with fury.
"What's going on? Did Reina just declare a transfer?"
"But under the Rule of Stars...."
The reporters who had been waiting to hear victory comments caught wind of the unexpected news and scrambled forward. The Golden Carnival members blocked them as they tried to grab at Reina's clothes, urging her on.
"Go on. Hurry and greet your new Troupe Leader."
"Yeah. We'll handle the rest."
"Hey!"
Simon lunged forward, brandishing his cane. He'd planned to stall her longer—citing withdrawal procedures, farewells to the sponsors, a send-off ceremony—then shackle her with his control again.
But the Golden Carnival members, who had spent nearly a year at his side, saw through him completely.
"Not one to meddle in family matters, but...."
"Listen, pal. We've really put up with a lot. Enough."
"Yes. Simon, isn't this enough already?"
"Guh!"
When even the core members who had long maintained neutrality stepped forward, Simon could no longer force the issue.
"Thank you!"
"It's been an honor working with you!"
"I made it this far because of all of you!"
Reina bowed to the performers and staff, and even to the bewildered sponsors standing in the distance, then turned and walked toward her new home.
Umon, the Trimery Triplets, and Yurakne were already there, waving at her.
"Reina, are you really coming to us?"
"Look at this guy, all worked up just because a pretty older girl's joining."
"Whatever—welcome."
"I don't get it. Leaving a first-rate troupe like that to join us."
At the second head's grumbling, Yurakne shot him a teasing glance.
"Oh? Wasn't Dunedol the one who got the most excited when we heard Miss Reina was coming?"
At that, the heads on either side grinned mischievously too.
"That's right. Uh, hold on. Anyone else feel something below?"
"Yeah. Something hot's rising from underneath us. Dunedol, can't you make it settle down?"
Umon tilted his head.
"What's rising?"
"Well, you see...."
"Sh-shut up!"
After greeting her new comrades, Reina approached Wonderstein, who was watching the other competitors from the far end of the waiting area. He'd told her he wouldn't intervene in her departure from the Golden Carnival in any way. It had been a deliberate, considerate choice on his part.
He believed that if she couldn't throw off Simon's chains on her own with this chance, she might never get another. Thanks to that, Reina had faced Simon without leaning on him and had shattered his suggestions and conditioning by herself.
The two of them exchanged a smile.
"Will you have me in the Monster Circus?"
Wonderstein regarded her for a moment, then nodded.
"Of course. You've worked hard. Welcome, Miss Reina."
The members burst into cheers. The reporters ached to rush over, but the organizers strictly forbade disturbing a team still competing, so they didn't dare cross the line.
Still, Reina, afraid someone might overhear, whispered softly to herself alone.
"Thank you... Dad."
Surely the Troupe Leader couldn't have heard that.
Just as she thought so, she caught Wonderstein nodding almost imperceptibly, the corner of his mouth ticking upward toward her.
Hehe.
She was truly grateful for the mask. Without it, she would have shown everyone the foolish, beaming grin spreading across her face.
Even when Bandik trudged in grumbling that she'd missed his performance again, her smile didn't falter.