Jackpot!

Riyku would glance around here and there to take in the morning rush. It was a lovely day and the aroma in the air would match. Hands stuffed into the pockets of his school pants the male would proceed down the road. His clothing was cleansed and ironed to perfection. Of course, it was done by him. After all, it was not like he had any kind of clothes he could have thrown on. 'Inventory' Riyku used a mental command which would bring up his inventory upon his personal vision. A vast majority of the slots were filled with various weapons, armors, and items. Though he did not see any sort of clothing. Dismissing the screen upon his vision he would shake his head. "Perhaps I should store something of the sort just in case." The male muttered to himself.

The smell of fresh baked goods would fill his nostrils. Which caused him to approach the Bakery shop, If memory served correctly he was told of a shop around here. Pushing past the door he was greeted with a jing from the bell above along with a welcome from a woman who looked oh so familiar. "Welcome!" Freya shouted gleefully. "Oh, it's you. I was beginning to believe you were never going to show up." The woman stated happily to which Riyku chuckled lightly. "Not at all. With the Exams and what not have been in place. My time was taken up." Riyku replied as he approached the counter. In truth, he did forget all about Freya and her daughter. It wasn't that he did not care what would happen afterward, just that his time was taken up by training and exams. "Mister Riyku!" Mary seemed to shout as she runs up to him with a bright smile on her face. "Hello, again Mary. How are you been?" Riyku would squat down beside her with a warm smile as he patted her head softly. "I have been good. I have been helping mommy out around the store too!" Mary seemed excited enough about her time spent in the bakery. "That's good," Riyku stated before standing up to look at Freya. "Well, I'll take you came for some sweet bread to start the morning? My rush just ended. So, I don't have anything super fresh. Is that alright?" Freya asked with a genuine smile to which Riyku nodded. "That will be fine. It is better to eat something than to eat nothing." Riyku replied to which Freya would nod lightly.

She began to move about behind the counter and pull out a few lightly sugar coated buns in which she placed on a pan and stuffed them into a warmer. She would turn the dial and press a button before proceeding to grasp a paper cup for him and pour what appeared to be coffee into the cup. The steam from the cup was covered up by a lid and the ding from the oven would cause her to take the sealed cup with her and set it upon the counter top. She would remove the bread from the warmer and place them in a big paper bag before closing it up and offering him the cup of coffee and the bag. "On the house. I wanted to show my appreciation for helping my daughter as well as helping me."Freya stated to which Riyku blinked before nodding and taking both. "Well alright. Say, Since I am here, would you mind answering a few questions for me?" Riyku inquired as he moved to sit down at a table. Setting the bag and the cup on the table before taking a seat himself. "I don't see why not. What's up?" Freya inquired. Riyku would pick up the cup of coffee and take a sip before setting it back on the table. "Do you know of anyone named Bell Perez?" Riyku asked which caused Freya to give a puzzled looked.

"I do not believe so." Freya would reply. "I see, well what of a high school brunette who might be clinging to some man's arm tightly. Like they are constantly flirting up a storm." Riyku inquired to which Freya began to mule over in thought. Riyku was reaching into the bag now to partake of one of the fresh warm lightly sugar coated buns. Though when he saw Mary looking a little sad he would smile softly and offer it to her. This seemed to brighten her day when she took the bun and began to munch and nimble upon it happily. "No. I do not get many high schoolers here. Only a select few come here, and they happen to be quite the close bunch. I believe his name was Rick?" Freya stated to which Riyku's brow rose while he had already bitten into his bun. "I see." Riyku would speak only after he finished his bite of the bun. "Tell them I said hi." Riyku would add before taking another bite of the bun.

"You know them?" Freya asked to which Riyku nodded lightly. "I do if it is the same bunch you are referring to anyways." Riyku seemed to speak as he reached into the bag for another bun. "I helped them out about three months ago when I first arrived here. Some guy was bullying them so I stepped in. Though It is a surprise to know that they come here." Riyku stated before partaking of the bun in hand. "Wow, you are quite the busy body huh?" Freya stated with a light chuckle which caused Riyku to give her a puzzled look mid-way through half of the bun. "Your name has been floating amongst the shop keepers. How you've been aiding them with mundane tasks." Riyku's face would lightly tint pink as he looked away. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Ma'am," Riyku stated with a mouthful of the bun.

"Riyku!?" A familiar voice called out to him. Which caused Freya and Riyku to look towards the door. "Oh wow! It is." Melaine would state with a warm smile. "Really? Lemme see!" Jessica's voice peered from behind her friends. Eden would move so she would see. "In the flesh!" Jessica stated as the four of them approached Riyku. "So, you do know them," Freya stated with a teasing remark as she moved behind the counter. Mary would blink rapidly with the bun still in her hands. "Mister Riyku, who are these people?" Mary asked with a cute expression. "We are his friends," Rick responded before Riyku could to which Mary smiled brightly. "Really? That's so cool! You are friends with everyone Mister Riyku!" The child stated warmly which caused Rick's group to appear awestruck.

Freya would chuckle lightly, "Mary come help mama with something and leave Mister Riyku and his friends alone for now." Freya called from behind to counter. "Okay!" Mary would jump from the seat she was sitting in and race to the kitchen. "Mister Riyku? Friends with everyone?" Jessica would begin to tease as she nudged his shoulder which caused his brow to twitch. "I think it's lovely." Mel would state happily. "Jesus man, what have you been doing these past few months? I understand that Exams were here and you have the Games coming up, but still. I never thought you to be someone to aid people without a motive." Rick stated which caused Riyku to sigh lightly. "And what of you four? You four slacking off?" Riyku inquired which caused them to all become docile.

"Figures." Riyku would partake of his coffee before offering the rest of the buns in the bag to them. "There should be enough for you four. They are quite good, but I am afraid I can not eat them all." Riyku was lying, of course, he could easily eat all of the buns if he wanted to. "Thanks...?" Rick took the bag and pulled out a bun before passing the bag to Mel who did the same then to Jessica and lastly to Eden. "So..." Rick would attempt to speak with his mouth full. "Why are you here?" He questioned to which Riyku would lean back in the chair and look at the ceiling. "I was looking for information," Riyku stated to which the four appeared interested enough to ask him of what. "Bell Perez, the girlfriend of Jack Justice." A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he followed up. The four of them looked slightly shocked and confused. "You see her claim for revenge has not gone unnoticed. So far she has put several of those close to me in grave danger. If she left is unchecked..." Riyku paused for a moment before shifting his glance to the four of them who all had crumbles of bread on their faces. A slight snicker parted his lips before he spoke what he wanted, "Have you four been approached by anyone weird?" Riyku inquired to which the four of them looked at each other and shook their heads then looked back at him. "That's good. Just be careful. I don't know if she will go after you four. After all, we do not interact with one another since our campus grounds are not the same." Riyku would lift his cup of coffee and partake of it once again.

"If you want we can ask around our campus. After all, she does attend classes there." Rick stated to which Riyku shook his head. "I already got information that she has not been in classes for a while now. Besides, I do not wish you guys to get into any trouble because of my problems." Riyku would set down his empty cup of coffee and stand up to look over the four of them. Taking some napkins from the table he would offer them to which they would take and begin to wipe their faces. "What did she do?" Mel asked sensing something off about him to which Riyku's brow rose. For a moment he would debate on telling them but eventually decided to just go ahead and give them the full rundown of the events that transpired as well as to what he had been up to.

Meanwhile back at the University of Strife, Mina and Skylar were celebrating a full-on victory in their bout against another duo of students. "Yay!" They would both high-five each other before stepping over to a booth seat where Kristen, Vex, and Lira were at. "Good job!" Kristen would congratulate them. "Yes, congrats. That was your fifteenth win in a row today." Vex would add to which Lira smiled at them while partaking of her glass of soda. "He's still not here yet?" Mina would sit down with Skylar as she scouted the area. "Looks like it. He never came by yesterday either." Lira stated. "Hell, he never even showed up to our room. I don't know what is going on in his head." Kristen stated with a heavy huff to which Vex patted her head lightly. "There, there. Your Ruthless King will show up soon." Vex teased her which caused her to blush and swat her hand away lightly. This caused everyone to go into a soft giggle fit.

"Still, do you think he is taking on this thing with Bell all on his own?" Lira inquired which caused their expression to turn grime. "I hope not," Mina stated softly. "Yeah, he doesn't need more weight added to the Death Games," Skylar added. "Knowing him, he is probably trying to get information on her." Kristen would butt in which caused them to look at her. "You sure do know a lot about him," Vex stated bluntly. "So what?" Kristen tried to play it off, but it seemed Vex wouldn't let this go unfinished. "Why don't you just confess already." Vex sighed heavily to which Kristen became slightly flustered. "I have." A sudden shock caused the group to shout in awe which drew inattention. "Shhh!" Kristen would urge them to keep quiet.

"You did!?" Mina inquired hastily to which Kristen nodded. "A few months ago, after he beat me. You all have noticed it surely. If you look deep into his eyes they appear empty. When you try to reach out for him he just seems to push you away. It is almost like he is distancing himself for a purpose. Of course, I am not saying that he dislikes or hates any of you nor myself. If he did, he wouldn't be doing what he is doing now. It's just..." Kristen paused in thought as if trying to come up with the correct thing to say.

"He is shouldering everything alone." Skylar would finish for her which caused the girls to look at him. The sudden limelight caused him to blink rapidly, "Well, from what I know anyway. If I take everything I know about him and what he told me after he beat me, that becomes the conclusion." Skylar added. "What he told you?" Vex inquired to which Skylar nodded. "That he is not strong, that he is weak. When I think about it, he appears to be pushing everyone away to keep them safe." Skylar stated bluntly. "But then who will help him?" Mina inquired to which no one could answer. "Alright, then let's put it to a vote." Lira would speak up. "A vote of what?" Vex inquired to which Lira smiled. "All in favor of aiding the Ruthless King, Riyku Von Rosario." Lira would place her hand in the middle of the table. The four seemed a bit slow before catching on and doing the same. "Alrighty, since we are all about to make this oath. We swear we will do whatever in our power to protect him even if he hates us for it." Lira stated before raising her hand up with a victory cry. The rest seemed to do just that before falling into a fit of laughter.

Back to Riyku who had just finished explaining everything to Rick and company. Their faces were mortified. They had no idea that such was happening around them. Sure the Lower District was sleazy and considered to the slums, but still, who would want to know that they could just up and vanish without a moments notice. "So stick together. Watch each other's backs and do not be afraid to flee or fight. I understand you four are not the brawling type, but if you are in pairs or better yet together as a whole then you do not have to worry." Riyku stated firmly to which they nodded. "What of you?" Mel asked which caused him to raise a brow. "Who will protect you?" This question caused Riyku to look away for a moment. "I can protect myself."

[Lies.]

It almost slipped past him, that voice, but he did not say anything about it. "Really?" Mel asked noting the sudden change. "He'll be fine. Remember what he did back then, I am sure he is much stronger now." Jessica stated as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. Riyku is probably the strongest in all of the Eastern Region." Rick added which seemed to quell Mel's thirst for knowledge for now. "Well alright. If anything happens, call us. We are your friends after all." Mel stated to which Riyku seemed a bit awestruck by this before shaking his head with a small smirk. "Yeah yeah." He would walk past them. "Take care." He added as he left the building, Rick and company would begin to partake of a booth and pull out a deck of cards showing that they were there to 'train'.

'I know you are there.' Riyku stated internally as he walked down the streets, heading for the campus building. 'What is a lie? That I can't protect myself? I have yet to be injured since I arrived here. You should know that.' He added, though no response seemed to have come in his direction. 'Silent treatment eh? Very well.' With that Riyku would keep silent during the entirety of his venture towards the campus. Several students seemed to have begun to avoid him in all manner possible upon his arrival. "If I recall correctly it should be around here somewhere," Riyku muttered as he began to look around for the Gaming Lounge.

"Well, Hello there Ruthless King." A familiar voice came out of nowhere yet again. When he turned to take a glance he noticed it was the reporter from before. "Oh, It's you. What do you want?" Riyku would turn away from the woman who hastily moved in front of him. "No need to act so cold. I am merely wondering why you have yet to visit me in my office. I thought men were quick to partake of a booty call." She seemed to tease him which caused him to sigh. "Not if it involves strings." Riyku would retort which caused her to chuckle. "I was only joking. Besides, I do not want to get on your bad side. So, what are you doing? Looking for the Lounge?" She asked which caused Riyku to nod. "But, how did you know?" He asked, to which she seemed to giggle softly. "Who isn't?" It was then that he recalled what Skylar had told him. "Well then follow me." The woman would take his wrist and lead him to the Lounge.

Upon entering the facility they were greeted with rave music and a mill dew smell. "Yup always seems to be like this around this time." The woman stated over the music before dragging him along to the barstools. She would take a seat and before long so would he. The barista would tend them. "Here again? Don't go starting more trouble, Myu. The repair cost will be billed to you this time around." The barista would give the reporter a stern glare. "Alright, Alright. I got it. I am just here with him for now." Myu stated which caused the woman to look over and go eye wide. "R-Ruthless King!?" The woman shouted, but it wasn't loud enough to draw any attention. "You've already brought trouble here. My lord... what if someone dies today. Ugh... Myu." The woman would groan to which Riyku sighed heavily. "Look, I am just here to earn points like the rest of the people. I don't care about anything you may have heard about me." Riyku stated to which Myu would tap upon the countertop. "True, I may have come here with him. But he was looking for this place on his own. Besides, the only reason the student body gave him that title is because of the number of people he has mercilessly beat down for challenging him or forcing him to challenge them into a brawl." Myu stated which caused the woman to sigh heavily. "Fine. But like I said if anything gets broken... You are paying for it. IN FULL!" The woman added before Myu smiled at her. "Of course, now can you get us our drinks. Riyku and I will be drinking cola." Myu stated to which the woman nodded before moving to get the beverages.

"I am not going to ask how you know what kind of drink I enjoy," Riyku stated as he scouted out the area. "A girl's secrets will remain forever." Myu would coyfully express. "Yeah, yeah," Riyku stated before becoming shocked when he heard two voices shouting happily. It was then he noticed that Mina and Skylar had just won some kind of game. When Mina looked up from her brother she saw Riyku in the distance. "Oh! He is here!" Mina shouted to which Skylar looked in the direction Mina pointed. "Let's go get him," Skylar stated as the two made their way towards him. "Ri--" Mina was caught off when someone grasped her wrist. "Hell no! You ain't going anywhere. I want a rematch. Screw that duo game. A one on one!" The person who grasped her wrist shouted in anger. Skylar quickly turned around to attempt to remove the man's grasp but was stopped himself by the guy's partner. "Yeah, A one on one!" The other guy stated. "Let go of me! I don't want to fight right now!" Mina shouted as she struggled, but before things could escalate further Riyku seemed to have stepped in. He would begin to fiddle with the cuffs of his blazer as he stood behind Mina and Skylar. "How about a two on one?" Riyku offered. "Eh!? Who the hell are--" The man was caught off when he realized who it was. "R-Ruthless King!? Hell no. No way!" The other suddenly released Skyler while his friend released Mina and the two of them ran off.

"Thanks, Riy," Mina stated with a soft smile. "Thanks, bro," Skylar added. Riyku would nod before being bumped in the arm by Myu who would offer him his drink. "Here you go, Hero." Riyku would turn around to take the drink. "Thanks." Riyku would respond, though seemed to ignore her teasing remark 'hero', before taking a few sips of the drink. "Myu?" Mina inquired as she noticed who it was. "Oh, Mina. Hey, how is it going? I see Skylar is doing well too. You two gaining a bunch of points?" Myu asked to which they both nodded. "Yeah, that was win number forty." Myu seemed quite shocked by this. "Come on, Join us at our booth," Mina stated as she began to lead Riyku and Myu with Skylar back to their booth.

"Look who I found," Mina called out to the girls who were sitting there with bored expressions. When they all looked over to Mina they saw Riyku and instantly their expressions changed to a more gleeful one. "Hey! You finally showed up!" Kristen called out waving him over to sit by her. "Oh, Are here you to?" Kristen inquired as Mina, Skylar and Myu all sat opposite of Riyku, Kristen, Vex and Lira. "That's not nice." Myu would pretend to be hurt which caused Kristen to roll her eyes. "Did something happen?" Mina inquired as the rest of the group other than Riyku seemed quite interested. "Oh, nothing really. I was just trying to get inside information on the--" It was when Riyku seemed to give her a stern look did she pause for a moment. "on the new student. Kristen seemed to not like it so much." Myu would change her tune with a fake chuckle. Kristen blinked rapidly before looking at Riyku who was just partaking of his drink. A soft smile curved across her lips. "Yup. She wouldn't stop pestering him for information." Kristen stated to which Mina looked at Myu. "You've always been like that." Mina would complain lightly, but it was more like playful banter really.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, you all are participating in the Games?" Myu asked to which Skylar would respond. "Everyone besides me and Mina" He would reply which caused the woman to blink before looking at Riyku. "I had heard you were going to join, but I figured it was false." This caused Riyku's brow to perk up. "You did?" He questioned since he found it strange that others knew of this. "Well yeah, there is a rumor that is circulating around that you are being forced into the games and if you lose something bad will happen." The group seemed to turn grime which shows that she had hit the marker. "They are right; however, no one besides us, Barron and Rick and company should know of this," Riyku stated firmly as he set the glass on the table. "Tell me, where did you get this information?" He appeared far too serious for his own good, but no said a thing about it.

"I can't say..." Myu stated which caused Riyku to tap his finger upon the table impatiently. "Or you won't say. Is what you mean." Riyku corrected her which caused her to gulp heavily. "Look, I can't just give away my clientele. It looks bad on a reporter and can often lead to worse things happening." Myu stated firmly to which Riyku would stop tapping his hand upon the table. "Very well. You don't have to tell me anything." Riyku stated as he leaned back against the booth. "I-I don't?" She questioned, almost as if doubting what was going on. "Nope. You don't. If it will damage your reputation don't worry about it." Riyku would cross his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes. "Well, yeah. I wasn't going to in the first place." Myu stated to which Riyku would retort, "Just know if anyone I know gets harmed... You will be the one I come to for answers." The sheer cold chill in his voice was enough to cause Myu to shiver in fear. If the others did not know that he was being like this just to protect them, then surely they would be in the same state. Mina wanted to rebuttal against Riyku, but Skylar seemed to keep her still.

"H-Harm? Wait... I don't know anything about that. She only told me that you were going to be forced into the Games and told me to spread that in the form of a rumor. I wanted to publicize it, but she told me not to!" Myu seemed to hastily speak which caused him to unfold his arms and sit forward as his eyes staring dead at her now, "Really now? This woman was a brunette, right? Appeared to be from the high school campus?" Riyku inquired to which Myu seemed to instantly backtrack herself as if to keep shut. "Your silence has given me my answer." Riyku would state firmly before partaking of the glass of soda on the table. Several moments seemed to have passed before he sighed heavily. "You can relax now. I got my information." Myu would blink rapidly as her body began to relax from the extra tense state it was previously in.

"I won't harm you. In fact, from what you told me you are a victim of her as well." Riyku stated which caused Myu to slump in the booth. "Victim? As well?" Myu was still in shock from what was going on. "Yes. My friends here, have been put in danger by your client. Bell Perez. She is after me because I beat her boyfriend up. I don't care for her childish revenge plot; however, the fact that she placed traumatizing experiences on Kristen, Vex and Lira are more than enough to anger me." He would finish up his drink while Myu looked at the three girls beside him to which they all seemed to nod lightly. "It's true," Mina stated which caught her eye. "Riyku is only trying to protect us." Skylar pitched in. "Don't worry, I'll help you out if anything happens because of this," Riyku stated which caused Myu to look in his direction. "We will too!" Kristen stated as she extended a hand to her. The rest smiled warmly at her which caused the fear to melt away as she reached out for Kristen's hand. "Thank you." It looked as if she was about to burst into tears at this moment.

"No need. Now then, I've gotten the information I needed. Sure, I may not know where she is at, but with what I have gathered. She probably has an organization in and outside of both campus' grounds." Riyku stated as he set the empty glass down. "Some of the students are most likely being informed by their juniors or their younger siblings. That is the first option, the second would be that she has someone here that she is getting into contact with. Although, most people need connections for things like that, so it has to be someone from her campus who knows someone from our campus. The last deduction would be that outside help is being leaked into our campus, not by student to student, but by a third party." Riyku stated. "I can probably rule out the last deduction and the first one since Rick and Company know nothing of what has been going on and the Lower District has come up short of clues. So all that is left is the second conclusion. It makes sense really since I have been unable to get any steady information. Sure, she leaked the information to you herself, but someone else has to be watching us. You were just a means to an end." Riyku stated before sighing softly. "I would advise everyone to travel in pairs and do not go out at night. In fact, do not even leave the campus grounds when dusk comes." Riyku added which caused them to nod lightly.

"What of you?" Mina asked to which Riyku rose a brow. "What of me?" He replied. "You don't plan on continuing this all on your own do you?" She inquired to which Riyku shook his head. "No. I've got what I needed. I was only scouting for information so I can stay ahead of her to avoid the same situation from happening again. I'll deal with her come time for the Games." Riyku stated to which everyone seemed relieved. "Yay! That means you'll be coming back to our room!" Kristen seemed to be most over joyous one of them all. This caused everyone to look suspicious except for Myu who already knew what was going on. "Well since there happens to be six of us excluding Riyku, I think I, Mina and Skylar should stick together as a group while Kristen, Vex and Lira stay in a single group," Myu stated to which Riyku would nod. "That sounds like a better idea. If anything happens, one group will contact the other as well as alert myself." Riyku added to which everyone seemed to agree upon.

"Alright! Let's go win some points!" Everyone shouted to which Riyku would move so that way the girls could get up and Myu seemed to follow Mina and Skylar. Riyku would return to the booth to which Kristen would look back at him. "You aren't coming?" She inquired to which Riyku shook his head lightly. "I would just scare'em away. Do what you need to do, I'll keep the seats warm." Riyku replied to which Kristen chuckled with a small smile. "Fine. I'll win you some points." She would state as she raced off to meet up with the rest. Riyku would look at the empty glass which was swapped out with a fresh glass from the Barista. "You know, you could have joined them." The woman stated to which Riyku shook his head. "It's fine. They need experience." Riyku stated to which the woman chuckled. "If you say so." She would walk off with the empty glass while Riyku picked up the fresh one and began to partake of it.

[You think they will be safe? What a pitiful lie.]

Riyku huffed heavily. "Go away. I am in no mood for your bullshit." Riyku stated firmly.

[Kekeke~ Because you didn't get the information you truly wanted? Still, the information you caught was a steal. I wonder, how long will they last? Only a few more weeks until the Games.]

Riyku would growl lightly against the tip of the cup before setting it down. "Piss off already. I don't need your power. I'll find Coco on my own and protect them no matter what." Riyku stated firmly to which the voice chuckled darkly.

[Yes. Of course. You are all-mighty and powerful. No one can stand against you. I almost forget about that...]

The voice seemed to have been sarcastic which caused Riyku to sigh heavily yet again. "I know I am not the strongest out here, but I can fair on my own against this bullshit," Riyku stated.

[Yes. You can. But for them... They can not. You will lose them like all the rest because, in reality, you are weaker than anyone else. You always have been and always will be.]

Riyku would slam the half-empty glass on the table, "Shut up!" He shouted. Taking note of this he would quickly look around and thankfully he did not draw any attention. A frustrated sigh would escape his lips as he put his head down for a mere moment. His eyes began to feel heavy and with that his vision became blurry. It was then that he seemed to have fallen into slumber.