Chapter 316: Just You and Me

Electra’s POV

I leaned against the wall outside my bedroom door, with my arms folded and eyes on my phone screen, pretending not to be annoyed even though I was.

I’d been waiting for a while now, and Yura was already running late. I had a million things on my mind; the tournament was tomorrow, and I should’ve been resting or reviewing my form, but no, I was here, waiting, because I’d promised Yura we’d talk to her sister before the tournament.

I sighed and shifted my weight to the other foot. The hallway was quiet. Everyone was either in class or running around, pretending they weren’t stressed about the biggest event of the year, and here I was, standing around like I didn’t have enough pressure on me already.

Yura finally showed up, hurrying down the hallway with her usual calm but slightly worried face. I straightened up and slipped my phone into the pocket of my hoodie.

“Took you long enough,” I said, raising a brow. “Where’s your sister? Don’t tell me we have to go looking for her.”

Yura gave me a tight-lipped smile and a small shake of her head. “She’s with Iris. They’re in her room at the moment.”

I blinked. “In Iris’s room?”

She nodded, and I bit back a groan and rolled my eyes. Of course she was.

“She’s still spending time with Iris?” I asked, crossing my arms again. “Yura, come on. I thought the whole point of this was to try and pull her away from that girl. Don’t you talk to her at all?”

“I do talk to her, or at least, I try my best to talk to her,” Yura said softly. “But she listens to Iris more than she listens to me. I only found out a while ago that she had left straight to her room as soon as she woke up.”

“Perfect,” I muttered, then sighed. “Fine then, let’s go.”

“You want to go to Iris’s room?” Yura asked, clearly surprised.

I was surprised too, honestly, but if I didn’t do this now, I wouldn’t have the chance again. “I don’t have time to reschedule. The tournament is tomorrow, and if I don’t talk to Yuna today, it’s never happening.”

Yura looked hesitant but nodded. “If you don’t mind, then let’s go.”

The walk to Iris’s room felt longer than it should have. Maybe it was the silence between Yura and me, or maybe it was the fact that I knew this entire thing could blow up in my face. Either way, my feet were heavy, and my patience was thin.

When we finally got to the door, Yura stepped ahead of me and knocked. I stayed a step behind, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. I was already preparing for whatever nonsense Iris or Yuna might try.

A few seconds later, the door creaked open. It wasn’t Iris. It wasn’t even Yuna. It was one of Iris’s roommates, a girl whose name I didn’t know and didn’t care to ask.

I tilted my head and gave her a flat look. “Step aside,” I said.

She blinked at me, obviously startled, then glanced behind her like she needed confirmation, but I wasn’t in the mood for hesitation.

“Now,” I added.

That did it. She quickly stepped out of the way, hugging her phone to her chest as if I might snatch it out of her hands.

Yura and I stepped inside. The room smelled like perfume and hair cream, and Iris’s side of the room was surprisingly overdecorated.

She and Yuna were on the bed with their legs crossed like they were in the middle of some gossip council. The other two roommates were sprawled on their own beds, pretending not to eavesdrop.

Yuna’s eyes snapped to me the second we walked in. “What the hell are you doing here?” she barked before turning her glare on Yura. “And you? Was joining the enemy’s team not enough for you? Now you’re her lapdog too?”

I didn’t miss the venom in her voice. Every word was like a slap aimed at her twin. Yura flinched slightly but stood her ground.

“I’m not anyone’s lapdog,” Yura muttered, clearly trying to stay calm. “We wouldn’t even be here if you’d just stayed in our room like I asked.”

That was enough for me.

“Yura,” I said sharply. “Don’t bother explaining.”

She went quiet, stepping back like she’d just remembered who she was standing next to. My eyes scanned the room before landing on the other girls.

“You three,” I said, gesturing to the roommates. “Step outside for a bit. I need to borrow your room.”

The girls looked at each other, unsure if they should obey or pretend to be confused.

That’s when Iris finally decided to open her mouth.

“You’ve got some nerve barging into my room like this,” she said, her tone full of that fake calm that always grated on my nerves. “You don’t get to tell my roommates what to do.”

I turned to her with a slow smirk. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

The girls didn’t wait. They jumped off their beds, grabbed their essentials like their lives depended on it, and scurried out of the room without another word. One of them even dropped her charger as she ran.

Once the door clicked shut, I turned back to Iris and Yuna. Yura stood behind me, arms folded, lips pressed into a thin line.

Yuna looked like she wanted to lunge at me, while Iris, as always, looked amused.

“You’re awfully bold today, Vale,” Iris said, brushing invisible lint off her sleeve. “Must be all the pre-tournament stress.”

I ignored her completely.

“I came here to talk to you,” I said, looking straight at Yuna. “Not her. So if you’re done playing games with someone who clearly has her own agenda, maybe we can have a real conversation.”

Yuna rolled her eyes and looked away. “There’s nothing to talk about, Electra, so how about you get out of here? Don’t you have a tournament to prepare for?”

I let out a breath and turned around to face Yura again. “Yura,” I said, keeping my voice low, “can you give us a minute?”

She frowned immediately. “Are you sure?” she asked in a low voice, leaning in slightly. “Electra, tomorrow is the tournament. If they try something—”

“I’ll be fine,” I said with a light chuckle, trying to ease the tension in her face. “I just need a moment with Yuna. I’ll be out in a few minutes, and she’ll come with me. I promise.”

Yura didn’t look convinced, but after a beat of silence, she sighed and nodded. She gave Yuna one last look, half disappointment, half concern, then turned and walked toward the door.

As soon as she was almost out, Yuna scoffed and muttered, “You should follow her. We’ve got nothing to talk about.”

I ignored the bitterness in her voice and waited until the door closed behind Yura. The second it clicked shut, I turned my full attention to Yuna.

She sat there with her arms crossed, her jaw tight, and her body stiff, like she was bracing for a fight.

I tilted my head slightly. “Do you know what Iris really is?”

Yuna blinked, and her face shifted from annoyance to confusion in a second. “What?”

Before she could say anything more, Iris let out a soft laugh. The kind that sounded like she thought this was all a joke. “You’re seriously going to try this angle?” she said.

I didn’t even look at her. “Shut up, Iris,” I ordered calmly.

Her laugh died instantly.

I turned back to Yuna. “Do you?”

Yuna still looked confused, but I could tell the question was messing with her. Her eyes flickered toward Iris for just a second before snapping back to me.

“What are you even talking about?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you get straight to the point?”

I took a slow step closer. “You want to kill me, right?”

Yuna’s brows shot up. “What?”

“Isn’t that what you want?” I repeated. “To get revenge? To hurt me for all the stuff I did to you and your sister? You’ve been walking around for weeks with this giant cloud of hate over your head, and I’ve been the storm you blame everything on.”

“I—”

“I’m not saying I didn’t hurt you,” I cut in. “I did, and I know that. I treated you like you were nothing, and I’m not going to pretend I didn’t, but right now, I’m giving you a choice.”

Yuna stared at me, confused and a little startled.

“If you come with me right now,” I said, “you can do whatever you want to me. Yell at me, hit me. You can even try to kill me, and I won’t stop you.”

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Iris shifted behind her. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered.

I finally turned to her, just for a second. “I told you to shut up. I’m not talking to you.”

I turned back to Yuna again, stepping even closer. Close enough that she had to tilt her chin up a little to keep eye contact.

“I’m not here to beg for your forgiveness,” I said quietly. “I’m here to tell you that if your hate is so deep you think hurting me will fix it, then do it, but don’t waste your life dancing around Iris and pretending like you don’t know you’re being used.”

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