After your debut match for Bastard München, the locker room was still buzzing. You had played exceptionally well—so well that you had overshadowed even Michael Kaiser. The thought hadn’t fully settled in yet, but the way your teammates exchanged glances and murmured made it clear. You had just disrupted the pecking order.

As you finished changing, you felt a presence approach. When you looked up, Alexis Ness was standing there, arms crossed, his usual composed expression slightly off.

"You were incredible today," he admitted, his voice quieter than usual lacking the mock and spite he carried when he had first talked to you.

That was unexpected. Ness wasn’t one to dish out praise lightly, especially not to someone who had just outshined Kaiser. Usually he would be insulting and not impressed. His sharp pink eyes studied you carefully, like he was trying to figure something out.

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kaiser get that annoyed during a match,"

he added, the ghost of a smirk playing at his lips.

"You really got under his skin."

There was something else in his tone, though—something unreadable. Admiration? Curiosity? A bit of both?

Before you could respond, he took a step closer, lowering his voice.

"You’re different from the others. Most players here just follow along, but you…"

He tilted his head slightly.

"You might actually be dangerous. I like that."

The way he said it wasn’t unfriendly. If anything, it almost sounded… excited. As if he looked forward to play with you again.

“Y’know… if you ever wanna practice with me tonight, I’ll just be there. Kaiser might be there, but don’t be too scared. Anyway, cya~!”