Before everyone even realizes it, the sun has gone down and was replaced by the moon. That chaotic collision between those two Cardinals was definitely a feast to my eye. I can't believe that just happened. I don't really know a lot about Lala considering that White also doesn't know her much but from what I gathered today, that girl is not to be messed with. In fact, there might be a reason for that. I would investigate it but I figured it would be just a waste of my energy if I have to go all the way just to find out Lala's secret.

In just a few more hours, we will arrive to the shores of the land where the sun rises first. I can't believe we're going to Nihon. It's almost like a coincidence that this would happen. To think that my journey begins and probably end here in Nihon...

"You don't really want to go to Nihon, right?" Velvet suddenly comes out and spoken to me.

"I could have just not follow them here...But instead I'm riding this ship along with the others."

"Why do you think that happened, Yumiko?"

I gazed at the crescent moon and said, "There's probably something that I don't want to lose again...and that is something that the people in this ship have."

Violet smiled and encouraged me, "I thought that having me would be enough for you. But humans will always be humans. Greedy to the very end."

"I don't care if I'm greedy or not...As long as I don't lose what I have right now. I'm not going to let the same thing happen again like last time..." the tone of my voice slowly becomes sentimental as I kept on talking, "I really wanted to avoid this...But fate has been sealed and I have to go through it no matter what."

"What will you do now?"

"I can't really run away now am I? I have to choose between the past...or the present..."

"And which one will you pick?"

I looked down on the floor and said to her, "Of course...I will choose the former. I need to get back what I have lost. It's all that matters to me."

"But what about the things you just said about the people in this ship?"

"It's just something that I need to let out to you, Violet. It's nothing else. Nothing more than that..." I was actually unsure.

As I kept pondering about what's to come the next day, an unlikely person greeted me.

It was Cyclone White, "What is Violet doing here, Yumiko? Are you up to something again?"

I wipe away my pathetic face and gave him a stern look and said, "And what would that be?"

"Beats me, you're always unpredictable. But at the end of the day, I still have to keep an eye on you."

"Why would you even keep an eye on me, White?"

"I don't know. You might just be planning for another Zenith's murder."

"Oh heavens, what are you talking about? I didn't pull the trigger last time. It was my clone. Don't you remember?"

White sighed, "Yes, I remember that. But that clone acts on your order, am I right?"

"Well I guess that's the plan but I'm only doing that so that I could steal something from that Dragonlord."

"Steal? What did you steal?"

"You won't understand even if I tell you..."

"And you think someone like me wouldn't be knowledgeable?" White crossed his arms and slanted one of his eyebrows as he said that.

Violet then laughed, "This guy is funny, Yumiko. No wonder you are smiling now."

"Now?" White caught on to Violet's word, "What are you talking about?"

I clenched my fist and told Yumiko, "You shouldn't really be blabbing out unnecessary things to someone I don't even remotely care, Violet. Do you really want to be free from my contract so much?"

"Woah, calm down...I didn't know you would be angry about this." Violet felt sorry, "I can't help it...You're so happy unlike back then..."

I grit my teeth and Yumiko realized she blurb out another unnecessary things to White. She immediately got back inside of me to avoid from getting yelling from me. Seriously, what is up with that Water Goddess? I thought she's supposed to be following everything in the contract. She kept breaking some of the rules ever since I started continuing my study.

That goddess has come a long way now that I realize it. It has been like seven years already. Seven years of being under my contract. Seven years of happiness...But it wasn't always like that...She was the one who brightens my current life besides my family. Yes, I do have a family but I'd rather not get my parents involved in the mess that I've gotten myself in...

"Yumiko...is something wrong?" White was calling from me as I daydreamed of something. "Hey, Yumiko!"

I finally snapped back to reality once he shouted that and told him, "You're still here?"

"You think I would leave just after hearing what Violet just said?"

I placed my fingers at the left side of my face and said, "You know...That name wasn't always her name..."

"What?"

"Violet never had a name before she was contracted as my familiar."

"So she just calls herself as The Water Goddess or something? It kind of reminds me of a certain someone from my team." White was probably talking about Team Stardust.

"I got Violet's name from someone that I've cherished a lot in my childhood. No, White. That person's name is not Violet. It was something that I remembered from that person. It has a nice ring to it, so I simply call The Water Goddess, Violet."

"That's interesting. I never knew you have someone you cherished a lot."

I let out a soft breath and said, "It's not like I'm not a human. I still have feelings to you know? I still love my family members. Isn't that enough?"

White then looked at me with a concerned look. Did I say wrong to him?

"What's wrong, White?"

White shakes his head and said, "It's nothing. Probably nothing."

"Well that's just makes me want to know more. Should I use a truth bullet on you?" I brought out my flintlock as I said that.

"You even have that kind of bullet, huh?" White surrendered and sighed, "Fine. I'll be blunt."

"Good." I kept back my flintlock.

"As much as the amounts of popularity you have garnered...somehow...the two of us aren't really different."

I didn't get it, "What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sure you have hundreds or thousands of fans...but can you even remember all of them?"

I got irritated by White's word and told him, "What are you talking about, White? I thought you would be blunt to me by now."

"I'm saying that you are still...lonely."

A moment of silence ensues as the nightly waves keeps on crashing the side of the cruise ship. That was the only sound that can be heard throughout the night.

Then...I laughed, "Of course I would be lonely, White. I've betrayed a lot of people. I'm a traitor. Nobody would trust me after all of the things I do. It would be better for them to not even interact with me the slightest. On the off chance they would talk to me is only when it is class related of course."

"Then why are you doing this? Isn't this just hurting yourself?"

"Didn't you realize that you have been hurting yourself as well, White?" I quickly dodged his question with question of my own.

White was taken aback by the question and said, "What do you mean?"

"You've sacrificed a lot of yourself for others instead of for yourself. Don't you think you've had enough?"

"If you're talking about Zen then I failed tremendously at that. I let her die for six times already. The next time it will happen..."

"You're going to hurt yourself, literally. No. Just stop, for once, be selfish."

"I'm not going to do that. That is wrong, Yumiko."

"Wrong? What do you know about wrong? I never seen you broke a rule. You only blindly followed what's in the status quo instead of what you believe to be right or wrong."

"Really? Then how about we put this to the test." White begins to bargain, "If any of us ever broken any kinds of rule during the span of this vacation...they will be counted as the loser."

"Sounds fun...But what do I get for all the trouble of not doing anything fun?"

"The winner gets to ask anything from the loser."

"Is that so?" I was intrigued by White's challenge, "Very well. I agree to your terms. I accept your challenge, White."

"I'm glad you agreed."

As White was about to make his way, I stopped him, "One more thing, White."

"What?"

"Why is it that you always interacted with me even after being stabbed from behind for a bunch of times already?"

White shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's because you remind me of myself."

"Are you trying to flirt with me or something?"

White responded, "Why would I be flirting with you? I have no interest in you..."

"Oh, of course. You're only interested when it is someone that has the same hair colour as your name."

White's face turned red, "W-who are you talking about? That's...that's stupid. I...I don't understand w-whatever you are t-talking about, Yumiko."

I laughed at him and loudly cheered to him, "Good luck, White~"

White picks up his pace and quickly returned to his room.

All of this will be over...in just a few more hours. Once we get to the island, all of this will be over...And it will start...with White losing his own challenge.

TO BE CONTINUED