Syd turned around and saw Sera, dressed casually in a black Manchester United T-shirt and shorts.
But that wasn't the point.
It was the fact that they were both wearing football shirts.
Manchester United.
And naturally, the English girl had a very predictable reaction.
Liverpool FC.
"..."
They stared at each other's shirts, eyebrows slowly rising.
The evidence was plain as day—even Jody, who didn't watch football, instantly knew what was going on.
Sera: "...So, you watch football too, huh?"
Syd: "...I didn't think you did."
Their eyes locked, but it was unclear whether this was about to become a bond... or a battle.
They knew instantly, because both of them were wearing authentic kits.
"...Liverpool, huh..."
"..."
"...How come I never knew you were into football?"
"You've never looked at my Instagram, have you? Huh?"
"Apparently not... Hmmm..."
"...You just lost to Aston Villa, 3–1, yesterday, right?"
"...Still Top 5 though. Not scraping the bottom like some teams..."
"...Just a few more points and I'm overtaking you."
"Yeah right~? You just drew with Leicester. Today's Man City—you think you'll manage?"
"Even a draw bumps me to second. You'll drop to third. I still win."
"Unless you get utterly wrecked."
"Oh really? Like your little duckies yesterday?"
"Hey! At least we didn't get owned at home, like you did. Freakin' bone-headed devils."
Gnash... gnarrr...
The two of them glared at each other like feuding dogs.
But they weren't the only ones here...
Across the room, Roxxy Barrett stood silently, once again finding her brother alone with Jody Johansson.
Her eyes narrowed, fixated solely on Jody—who, unfortunately, noticed.
Even so, Roxxy also noticed something new in Jody's expression—her slightly dark under-eyes, as if she hadn't slept well.
"...."
Jody frowned instantly—because just then, Roxxy smirked.
As if she understood something.
Sera: "Alright, enough! I didn't come here to throw hands with you!"
Roxxy: "Then what did you come for? Finally trying to lose weight?"
Sera: "I'm here to shoot, dammit!"
Syd scratched his chin.
"...Ah, I get it now. Right... you've got zero fundamentals."
Then he made up his mind.
Syd: "Come on. Follow me."
Sera: "Huh? You want me to follow you?"
Syd: "...Yeah. I'll teach you."
"..."
Wait. Was she hearing things?
Sera placed a hand over her chest.
"...Are you actually offering to teach me right now?"
"...Yeah..."
😮
"...Unbelievable."
"What!?"
Syd turned away, flustered.
Sera squinted, trying to figure out if this guy hit his head on something. But Jody was there, watching, so probably not...
"...Is it because... we both watch football?"
"...Are you coming or not!? If not, I'm outta here!"
"Alright, alright! Chill out, you little punk!"
Sera jumped up and kicked him in the butt, and he retaliated by sweeping at her shin to trip her.
"Ow! You little—!"
"See? With all that momentum, no wonder you're easy to knock over."
"Huh!? You calling me fat!?"
Jody stood there, stunned by the whole scene.
"...Huh...?..."
They were suddenly... getting along?
These two, who always bit each other's heads off, now bonded over football?
Were they humans or... dogs?
Roxxy wasn't surprised. She trailed behind her brother and Sera toward the shooting range.
But...
Thump... thump...
She heard the sound of Nike soles padding behind her.
Jody was following them too.
"..."
Roxxy turned back with a sideways glare.
Yup. Jody was definitely tagging along.
"...Go back to your room. You've been out for, what, three hours now?"
(Go.)
"...I'm fine. I'm not tired yet."
(Not going. So what?)
"That doesn't match what your face is telling me..."
(Really want to do this?)
"...It's fine."
(Fine.)
Roxxy gave up. No one was backing down here.
Shooting range.
Four or five pistols were lined up in front of Sera.
Since Jody had followed them, Syd decided he might as well train both of them.
Roxxy supervised nearby.
Everyone wore protective ear muffs.
Sera flinched a few times at gunfire from the neighboring lane.
Before they began, Roxxy couldn't help but jab at someone:
Roxxy: "Funny... considering you already have air bullets in your fingers. What's the point?"
"..."
Jody didn't reply.
Syd: "Better to be trained anyway, right?"
"...Hmph."
Roxxy fell quiet.
Syd: "Alright. Using a gun isn't hard. You just need to get used to the recoil."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Only twenty minutes had passed since Syd let the girls shoot on their own.
Jody did okay—some hits, some misses. Understandable, since her usual weapons were her ten fingers and air bullets. But handling actual steel was completely different. Her accuracy dropped from the weight and stiff trigger.
Still, she passed.
The real surprise?
Seraphina Gilmore.
For the first ten minutes, she couldn't hit anything. Roxxy had to fix her stance, guide her aim.
But by minute twenty...
She was nailing targets. Even ones fifty meters away.
Dead center.
Or, at worst, near the center ring.
"...Whoa..."
Roxxy was stunned.
Even Syd looked impressed, though he didn't show it.
Syd: "Sera... is this really your first time shooting?"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sera seemed totally in the zone. Roxxy had to tap her shoulder to snap her out of it.
"...Huh?? What?"
She removed her ear muffs.
Syd: "You're pretty good."
Roxxy: "Sure you've never shot before?"
"...Yeah. I said yeah."
Roxxy: "Why are you suddenly so accurate? Just twenty minutes and you've got it?"
"...Uh... I don't know..."
Jody stepped in.
"How'd you suddenly start hitting bullseyes?"
"...Well..."
Sera thought for a moment, then confessed.
"...I don't know if it helped or not... but I imagined that target was someone I really don't like."
"...And who's that?"
Jody asked.
Sera: "There's only one person here."
As she spoke, her fist clenched and she went to reload.
Sera: "F**ing hell!* That bastard! I swear to—"
Syd raised his hand, visibly annoyed, and started walking toward her—
Sera: "Not you, dumbass!"
"...Oh."
"I crossed you off my hate list a while ago!"
"Then who?"
Sera shot him a dirty look.
"Your dear friend, Syd..."
"...The gay one?"
Click.
Sera lifted the gun again to fire, but Syd quickly grabbed the barrel.
"What's wrong with him?"
"..."
Syd was dead serious.
Joke or not, he wasn't laughing.
Sera could feel the pressure Syd was radiating—the intensity of someone thinking, "Are you threatening my friend?"
This wasn't funny.
Sera suddenly realized she'd crossed a line—especially in a shooting range.
She tried to lower the gun, but Syd's grip on the barrel was firm. He pushed it toward the ground.
Guns weren't a joke.
All it took was one bad trigger pull to end a life.
Letting someone with unstable emotions handle a weapon like that? Huge risk.
Roxxy had to intervene.
Roxxy: "Syd! She was just joking!"
"...."
Syd finally released his grip.
Jody touched Sera's shoulder.
"Sera... what happened with Mickey?"
"...Knew something was off... Saw it on your face the moment you walked in... But I didn't think it had anything to do with him..."
Under pressure, Sera looked toward Roxxy. The girl gave a nod.
"I swear," it meant. "Syd won't make fun of you."
"..."
Jody: "Sera... We've got a mission today. We need to know what's going on. If not, things could fall apart..."
Syd: "Goddammit, Mickey again?"
He rubbed his temples.
Exactly the reaction Roxxy predicted.
He didn't laugh at Sera.
Syd: "So now you're sulking like middle schoolers? Real mature."
Sera: "Then go yell at your precious friend, you damn twig."
Sera gripped her head in frustration.
Sera: "Ughhhhh!! What the hell do I even do about this!!!"
Syd wasn't exactly a relationship expert either. As the three of them fumbled around for answers, Jody spoke up.
Jody: "I don't think the problem is Mickey."
"...!?"
Roxxy flared up, but Syd stopped her with a hand on the shoulder.
Jody: "I'm not saying it's your fault, Sera. I'm saying the issue is with your emotions. You're still mad at him, aren't you?"
"...Yeah..."
"Then that's the real issue. Look—I get it if you don't want to talk to him. But we're not twelve. Wouldn't it be better to just... talk things out?"
"...I guess..."
"If you talk sincerely... he'll understand. Some problems are easier to fix than we think... if we just talk."
"...."
Jody's logic made sense.
But...
Sera: "...What if... he doesn't change?"
Jody: "Sera~. Even Cutie over here didn't mock you—urk!"
Syd suddenly put her in a chokehold.
Syd: "C u t i e? Seriously?"
Jody: "Ack! Syd—! I was kidding! It's a joke!"
She slumped along with him as he twisted down into a headlock.
"...Hmph."
Sera stood there, thinking it over.
Roxxy, meanwhile, just stared blankly at how boldly Jody manhandled her brother like that—right in front of her.
Even if he started it...
Jody returned the gaze—same cool stare—as if to say:
"Yeah. I touched your brother. So what?"