Page 67

“Ramona.”

I’m already lifting my fingers to my stones.

Just a whisper of myrage, not enough to interfere with play. Just enough to… embellish.

Leaf sprints toward the middle of the field, red-hot flare tucked under his arm. He glances our way for half a second.

That’s when I release it. A shimmering illusion, barely visible to anyone else, directly in his peripheral vision.

A perfect, detailed image of—

“Oh, my. Are Leaf’s pants falling off again?” Pictor’s voice announces loudly across the stadium.

The projection above captures my myrage of Leaf’s ass gleaming under the broad daylight sun.

The crowd falls into fits of laughter, gasps, and cleverly worded jibes.

It lasts less than a heartbeat, but it’s enough.

Leaf’s stride falters, and Jax slams into him.

THUD.

I wince, despite knowing it was coming.

The stadium erupts, clearly enjoying the aggressive play.

Akemi clamps both hands over her mouth. “You didn’t.”

“I absolutely did.”

Leaf rolls, recovering faster than any Solarball player I’ve ever watched. His glare slices toward the sideline.

Toward me.

I don’t look away this time.

I lift my chin.

He narrows his eyes.

And then… he smirks? Oh no. That’s not good.

He rockets back into the play like I just handed him a personal challenge, stealing the flare in a reckless maneuver that earns him a warning from Commander Hogsmith, all while grinning the entire time.

“Why did that make him better?” I snap.

“Because you poked him,” Akemi says sweetly. “He likes being poked.”

“Disgusting phrasing.” But I can’t stop watching.

Leaf passes to Soren. She scores, and the purple section explodes into cheers.

I clap once before I can stop myself.

Akemi notices, her face in a “see, I told you the Goad Squad wouldn’t be so bad” type look.

I scowl.