CTS TIME: RE250.05.26 – 7:30 PM (Hikarashi Village Local Time)
Jasper strolled through the dimly lit streets of Hikarashi Village, a lazy grin plastered on his face as he stretched his sore muscles. The warm evening breeze rippled through the trees, the last remnants of sunlight casting orange and crimson streaks across the sky. The village was settling down, lanterns flickering to life along the wooden walkways, illuminating the paths in a golden glow.
His clothes were still damp from training, and his boots left faint footprints on the dirt road as he walked. He had spent the last hour trying to walk on water like Kenshiro had demonstrated, only to end up repeatedly face-planting into the river.
"Damn shinobi and their magic tricks," he muttered to himself, chuckling.
Despite his failures, he actually felt… good.
Jasper cracked his neck as he approached Aiko's house, whistling a soft tune.
Then—
He felt it.
A sudden, crushing tension in the air.
Like gravity itself had shifted.
The moment he stepped inside, his carefree smirk froze.
Sienna was standing in front of her workstation, the flickering holographic projection casting harsh shadows on her face.
She wasn't sitting.
She wasn't typing.
She was just standing there.
Still.
Unmoving.
Her silver eyes darkened, hollow.
Jasper tilted his head, hands in his pockets.
"Hey, what's up, Sienna?" he said casually.
A second later—
SLAP.
The impact rang through the entire house.
Jasper's head snapped to the side, a red imprint already forming on his cheek.
His grin vanished.
The room plunged into silence.
Jasper blinked. Slowly.
But before he could even register the pain,
Sienna exploded.
"YOU… BLOODY. FUCKING. BASTARD!"
Sienna's voice cracked.
Her entire body trembled.
Her silver eyes burned with unshed tears, but the look she gave him was nothing but absolute fury.
Jasper didn't move.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"
Her scream was so loud, it felt like the walls themselves were shaking.
Jasper just tilted his head.
"Damn, Sienna. You hit harder than Kenshiro."
Sienna's fists clenched so tightly, her knuckles turned white.
"SHUT UP, YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN!"
She grabbed his collar, yanking him forward.
Her breath was shaky, but her grip was strong.
"You think this is some kind of JOKE, you fucking moron?!"
Jasper didn't even flinch.
"You're overreacting."
"OVERREACTING?! YOU DELETED EVERYTHING!!"
Her voice broke.
Tears finally spilled down her face, but they weren't from sadness.
They were from pure, unfiltered rage.
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU DESTROYED?!"
Jasper's face remained blank.
"Yeah. Some files. Big deal."
Sienna's lips curled in disgust.
"SOME FILES?!"
Her voice was hoarse, shaking.
"THAT WAS MY ENTIRE FUCKING CAREER!"
Her nails dug into his jacket, trembling with anger.
"Do you even understand what this means?! Because of you, I'll be fucking FIRED! I'll be DISGRACED! Every single goddamn thing I've worked for—YEARS of my life—GONE!"
Her voice broke into a shattered cry.
"I HAD A FUCKING DREAM, JASPER!"
She slammed her fists against his chest, but Jasper just stood there.
Unmoved.
Unfazed.
Sienna's chest heaved, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
She felt suffocated by her own fury, her own despair.
And Jasper?
Jasper just looked at her like it didn't matter.
That infuriatingly calm expression.
That apathetic smirk.
"Tsk. You're smart, Sienna. You'll figure it out."
His voice was so nonchalant, so careless that it made her want to scream.
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?!"
Jasper shrugged.
"I think you'll survive."
Sienna took a deep, shaky breath.
She wiped her tears.
And then—
She laughed.
A hollow, broken laugh.
"You know what, Jasper?"
She stepped back, her gaze colder than space itself.
"I finally get it now."
Jasper raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Do tell."
Sienna's lips curled in the most venomous, hate-filled smirk he'd ever seen.
"You're a fucking coward."
Jasper's smirk faltered.
Just for a second.
"You're scared of being loved. Scared of someone actually caring about you. So you destroy everything before it even has a chance to become real."
Her voice dripped with venom.
"You are the most pathetic, weak-willed, emotionally stunted bastard in the entire fucking universe."
Jasper's hands tightened slightly.
But his face?
Still unreadable.
Sienna laughed bitterly.
"And you know what? You win. I finally see the real you."
She reached for her necklace.
The small Dragonis miniature—the one she had gifted him with so much care.
She gripped it tightly.
"You wanted me to hate you, right?"
She threw it at his feet.
"Well, congratulations."
Her eyes gleamed with raw, unforgiving hatred.
"I fucking despise you."
Then, without another word, she stormed out.
Jasper watched silently as she disappeared through the door.
The room was deathly quiet.
Then—
"Wow."
Jasper turned.
Serena was standing in the doorway.
Arms crossed.
Expression completely blank.
"That was, without a doubt, the dumbest thing I have ever seen in my life."
Jasper sighed.
"Not now, Serena."
Serena tilted her head.
"You just ruined everything, huh?"
Jasper shrugged.
"She'll be fine."
Serena stared at him for a long moment.
Then she scoffed.
"You know, I always thought Blaze was the biggest idiot in the universe."
She stepped closer.
"But congrats, Jasper. You just stole the title."
Then she walked past him, shaking her head.
Leaving Jasper completely alone.
For the first time in a long time…
He felt empty.
The cool night air brushed against Sienna's face, strands of her silver hair catching the soft moonlight. She sat on the rooftop, knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly at the endless sky.
The village below was alive with warmth.
Shinobi gathered at food stalls, sharing laughter and stories. Children chased each other through the streets, their giggles blending with the distant sound of temple bells.
Yet, up here, Sienna felt like a ghost.
Her chest was hollow.
The burning rage from earlier had settled into a deep, aching void.
Jasper had done it.
He had successfully broken everything.
And worst of all—she let him.
Her fingers tightened around the small necklace in her palm.
The miniature Dragonis.
She had given it to him with so much care, so much hope—only to have him throw it away.
"You wanted me to hate you, right?"
"Well, congratulations."
Her own words replayed in her mind like a cruel echo.
She had said it.
She had meant it.
So why did it hurt so damn much?
At the dinner table, Aiko and Ryuji were deep in conversation.
"You're still going to retake the final exam tomorrow, right?" Aiko asked, poking at her dumplings.
Ryuji grinned confidently.
"Of course! I'll make the perfect shadow clone this time!"
Aiko rolled her eyes.
"You better. I don't want to be stuck with the only genin who fails at the basics."
Ryuji pouted.
"Harsh."
Across the room, Serena wasn't paying attention to them.
She was watching Jasper.
He was sitting at Sienna's workstation, his fingers typing rapidly across the holographic panel.
His face was calm, unreadable.
But Serena knew him well enough to see it—
Something was off.
"What the hell is he up to?" she muttered under her breath.
Ryuji and Aiko fell silent, watching as Jasper pulled out the same small device he had used earlier that morning.
Serena's eyes narrowed.
"Jasper… what the hell are you doing?"
Jasper didn't answer.
He simply connected the device back to the system.
A second later—
The holographic screen flickered to life.
And then—
All the deleted files reappeared.
Serena's jaw dropped.
Ryuji and Aiko stared in confusion.
The data, the reports, the research—everything was back.
Serena blinked.
"Wait—so you didn't delete it?"
Jasper leaned back, exhaling lazily.
"Nope."
Serena's head snapped toward him.
"Then what the hell was all that about?! You let her think everything was gone! You let her hate you!"
Jasper's expression didn't change.
"That was the point."
Serena stared at him, disbelief etched across her face.
"Explain. Now."
Jasper ran a hand through his hair, his voice calm, detached.
"I wanted to see something."
Serena crossed her arms.
"See what, exactly?"
Jasper's green eyes flickered toward the holographic projection, then back to Serena.
"She always says she loves me, right?"
Serena frowned.
"Yeah?"
Jasper let out a dry chuckle.
"Then why does she put her work before me?"
Silence.
Serena's eyes narrowed.
"Jasper—"
"She always says I'm important. But in the end, she still prioritizes her damn reports, her missions, her career. She loves her work more than she loves me."
Serena's expression softened slightly.
Because for once…
She saw Jasper's pain.
Jasper leaned back in the chair, exhaling slowly.
"I wanted to see how much she really cared. And guess what? The moment she thought her work was gone, she didn't cry for me. She cried for her career. That tells me everything I need to know."
Serena bit her lip.
Because, in a way—Jasper wasn't wrong.
He had tested her.
He had pushed her.
And Sienna… had reacted exactly how he expected.
Serena sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Goddamn it, Jasper. You really are an idiot."
Jasper smirked.
"Yeah. But at least now I know the truth."
Serena shook her head.
She hated that his logic actually made sense.
Just as Jasper finished re-uploading the files, the holographic screen glitched.
A new projection flickered to life.
A familiar stern face appeared.
Sudipto.
Sienna's supervisor.
Jasper didn't even flinch.
Serena and Aiko, however, froze.
Sudipto's sharp eyes scanned the data before speaking.
"I see that the files have finally been sent."
His tone was calm but authoritative.
Serena braced herself for an explosion.
Instead—
Sudipto smiled.
"Good work, Sienna."
Jasper leaned back, stretching his arms.
"Yeah, she really pulled through, huh?"
Sudipto's gaze flickered to him.
"And you are?"
"Jasper Tyros. Sienna's… assistant."
Serena snorted.
Sudipto gave Jasper a long look before nodding.
"Sienna is one of our best Pro Heroes. She has never once failed a mission."
His voice softened slightly.
"I apologize for the pressure I put on her. But she knows how important this is."
He paused.
"Tell her I said thank you."
Then—
The call ended.
The room fell into silence.
Jasper stood up.
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the door.
Serena watched him go.
"Where the hell are you going now?"
Jasper didn't turn around.
"Fresh air."
As he stepped outside, Ryuji quickly followed him.
Serena let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Aiko finally spoke.
"That… was a lot."
Serena exhaled.
"Yeah. And I'm pretty sure it's about to get worse."
She glanced toward the rooftop, where Sienna still sat alone.
"Way worse."