Chapter 36 || Number 00

Chapter 36: 36 || Number 00

Code pushed open his room door and flicked on the light.

He stepped inside, shut the door, and slipped off his shoes, nudging them to the side corner of his wardrobe before walking further into the room.

Then he stopped.

Ivy was sleeping soundly on his bed, dressed in her nightgown.

He stared at her for a moment before turning towards the table.

His bag landed on it with a soft thud.

He noticed a bowl sitting at the center, covered with a plate. A pair of chopsticks lay beside it.

Code removed the plate.

Inside was a bowl of ramen topped with an Uzumaki fish cake and an egg.

He looked at it briefly, covered it again, and headed for the bathroom.

...

Code emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed.

He ran a hand through his damp hair before glancing at the bed.

Ivy hadn’t moved.

He stood there for a moment, studying her sleeping face. Then he walked over, bent down, and lifted her into his arms.

She didn’t wake up.

’She’s really sleeping that deeply?’

Code adjusted his hold on her and headed for the door. With one hand, he turned the handle and pulled it open.

"What do you think you’re doing, Code?"

He looked down.

Ivy’s eyes were open, and she was staring straight at him.

"It’s good you’re awake."

She immediately clutched the front of his white shirt.

"I can’t believe you were going to dump me outside your room!"

"Now that you’re awake, you can walk out yourself."

"No."

Ivy kicked the door shut.

BANG!

"I waited for you to come home, but you never did. And now you just want to throw me out?"

Her eyes filled with tears before she buried her face against his chest.

"What a heartless man you are."

Code looked down at her.

"You’re going to soil my clothes, Ivy."

She pulled her face away and stared at him in disbelief.

"You’re thinking about your shirt right now?"

Her expression hardened.

"Let go of me! Let go of me this instant!"

Code released his hold.

THUD!

Ivy landed on her bottom.

"Ow! That hurt!"

Code turned away and walked back to his bed. He lay down, pulled the bedsheet over himself, and closed his eyes.

Ivy remained on the floor, staring at him.

"When you’re leaving, switch off the light."

She slowly got to her feet.

Instead of heading for the switch, she marched towards his bed.

"Aren’t you going to eat your food?"

Code opened one eye.

"I already ate something."

"What?"

Ivy stopped beside the bed, her mouth falling open.

"But I told you I’d prepare food for you! Why would you eat something before even tasting mine?"

Code closed his eye again.

He didn’t answer.

For a while, the room remained quiet.

Then—

CREAK.

Code felt the mattress dip beside him.

Something warm pressed against his chest.

He opened his eyes.

Ivy was lying next to him beneath the bedsheet, her back facing him. She had settled in comfortably, as though she’d been sleeping there all along.

"What are you doing, Ivy?"

"Sleeping. What does it look like?"

She turned towards him, pulling the sheet closer to her shoulders.

"This is normal between couples."

Before he could respond, she reached out and gently touched his face.

"Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it."

She smiled.

"Good night."

Code stared at her as she closed her eyes and gradually drifted off to sleep.

He let out a quiet sigh.

Then, without another word, he pulled the bedsheet away from her and wrapped it around himself.

Turning his back to her, he settled down on the other side of the bed.

Ivy’s eyes opened almost immediately.

She stared at his back.

"Code! I’m cold!"

Silence.

...

Cassian lay sprawled across his bed, dressed in his robe with his face buried in a pillow.

The candles had been removed, and the room was brightly lit once again. The table had been returned to its original position, leaving no trace of the earlier arrangement.

Megan and Sophie emerged from the kitchen and stopped beside his bed.

"Cassian..." Megan called softly.

A groan came from the pillow.

Cassian turned his head and looked at the two girls.

"Right..."

He reached beneath his pillow and pulled out his phone.

After switching it on, he held the screen in front of his face.

Megan and Sophie exchanged confused glances.

DING!

Both girls looked down at their own phones.

A notification appeared on each screen.

[Your account has been credited with 2,000 bronze coins]

Cassian dropped his phone onto the bed.

"That should do it."

He turned his gaze towards the ceiling.

"You girls can go now."

Megan hesitated, glancing at Sophie as though waiting for her to say something. Sophie remained quiet.

Eventually, they turned and began walking away.

Cassian raised one hand.

"Turn off the lights as you leave."

"...Yes," Sophie answered reluctantly.

Cassian lowered his hand and closed his eyes.

CLICK.

The light went out.

Their footsteps faded, followed by the soft sound of the door closing.

Then the room fell silent.

...

The next morning—

Code was fast asleep at his desk, completely undisturbed by the noise around him.

"Code!"

No response.

"Code!"

He slowly opened his eyes and turned to the side.

Aria stood beside his desk, looking down at him.

Code straightened in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

"Something wrong?"

Aria reached into her bag and pulled out a book. She held it out towards him.

"Here."

Code accepted it.

"I didn’t think you would actually listen to me, you—"

He stopped when Aria shot him a sharp glare.

"Thanks," he said, correcting himself.

He lowered his gaze to the cover.

The Fool.

Code stared at the title for a moment before looking up at her.

"Nice title."

"Yes. I picked it from my collection."

Aria’s expression remained perfectly calm.

Code looked at the book again, then placed it on his desk.

Aria took out another book, opened it, and began reading without another word.

....

When classes ended, Code zipped up his bag and stood.

He glanced at Aria.

"I’ll return it when I’m done."

She was still absorbed in the book she had been reading and didn’t bother looking up.

Code slung his bag over his shoulder and walked past her desk.

"Why bother reading books?" Aria asked, her eyes still on the page. "It’s obvious you gain nothing from them. You’re just wasting your time and mine."

Code stopped.

He turned his head slightly towards her.

"I have too much time to waste. That’s why I read—to cure my boredom."

With that, he continued walking.

Aria lowered her book and watched him leave.

Her gaze followed him until Caden intercepted him near the classroom door.

She looked back down at her book.

’What a stupid reason to read.’

Meanwhile—

Caden, Ken, and Torin joined Code as they headed out of the classroom.

Caden casually slung an arm around Code’s shoulders.

"Code, you need to come with us to the annex complex."

Code glanced at him.

"I’m not interested in basketball."

Ken looked surprised.

"Really? Why?"

Code kept walking, his expression unchanged.

"It’s too much work. Players just run around the court."

Torin let out a sigh.

"We get that, but we’re not asking you to play. Just come and watch with us. Ken will be playing, though."

They reached the elevator and stepped inside.

The doors slid shut.

Code leaned against the wall.

"I’ll just get bored and fall asleep. I might as well go back to my room."

Caden grinned.

"I’ve already taken care of that. Don’t worry, you won’t be bored. You’ll be doing something for the players."

Code looked at his smile.

A bad feeling began to creep in.

He sighed.

...

The massive indoor court stretched beneath a ceiling lined with bright lights. Their glow reflected off the polished floor, giving it a faint shine.

There weren’t many spectators. No more than ten people sat in the audience, scattered across the available seats.

Along the sidelines, players stood in their jerseys—black shirts and shorts with silver trim that caught the light whenever they moved. Some wore red vests over their uniforms, marking them as the opposing team.

Ken sat on the bench, dressed in his number 04 jersey, tightening the laces of his basketball shoes.

"Hey, Ken!"

Caden’s voice rang out from the other side of the court.

Ken lifted his head.

Caden and Torin were standing near the opposite sideline.

He got to his feet and jogged over to them.

"What’s going on?"

He glanced around.

"Where’s Code? Did he fall asleep somewhere?"

Caden smiled.

"You wish."

A tall shadow loomed behind Ken.

Torin snickered.

"He’s behind you."

Ken turned.

His eyes widened.

Standing before him was a massive teddy bear.

It had soft, cream-coloured fur, round ears, and a plump, cuddly body. Its glossy black eyes were set above a small brown nose, while a faint pink blush coloured its cheeks.

The bear wore the basketball team’s jersey with a bold 00 printed across the front in silver.

Oversized black-and-silver basketball sneakers completed the outfit.

The mascot raised its comically large padded paws.

"Hey."

Ken blinked.

He looked the bear up and down, then slowly raised his gaze to its face.

"Code... is that you?"

"Yes, it’s me."

Ken walked around the mascot, inspecting it from every angle.

A short, round tail poked out from beneath the jersey.

He returned to the front and broke into a smile.

"Nice look."

Caden grinned proudly.

"I know, right? It was my idea, after all."

The mascot walked past them and sat down on the bench, placing its oversized paws neatly on its lap.

"This is stupid."

Caden and Torin sat beside it.

Caden patted the mascot’s shoulder.

"Relax, Code. You’ve got this. You’ve been chosen to bring happiness to everyone on this court."

Torin nodded solemnly.

"You’re doing a good deed."

"A good deed, indeed," Caden added.

Ken stepped forward and folded his arms.

"But I still think Code is right. This isn’t some big game that needs a mascot. It’s just a small match between the teams. They’re playing for fun."

Torin shook his head.

"How naive you are, my friend."

Caden rose from the bench and approached Ken. He pointed towards the players on the court.

"Just take a look at their faces."

Ken turned to look.

Caden continued.

"Those are the faces of people who want to win. It might be a small game to you, but to them, it’s a big deal."

He placed a hand against his chest.

"And to me, it’s a way of earning a living."

Ken slowly turned back towards him.

"What?"

Caden’s smile faltered.

"I mean... well, you know... I was trying to say—"

Torin quickly stepped in and tapped Ken on the shoulder.

"Forget about that. Just do your best to win. We’ll be cheering for you."

He looked towards Caden.

"Right, Caden?"

Caden nodded a little too quickly.

"Yes. Right. Right."

Torin gave Ken’s back a light pat.

"Now go out there and make us some money."

Caden shot him a look.

Torin immediately forced a smile.

"Break a leg?"

Ken stared at the two of them for a moment, clearly unsure what to make of their behaviour.

"Ken!"

One of his teammates called from the court.

Ken turned towards the voice.

"I’m coming!"

He hurried back towards his team.

Caden and Torin watched him go before releasing a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Then they turned towards Code.

Caden smiled.

"It’s showtime, Code."

The mascot sat motionless on the bench, both padded paws pressed against the sides of its face as it stared at them.

For a moment, neither Caden nor Torin said anything.

Then Caden’s smile widened.

Code’s expression remained hidden behind the oversized mascot head.

But somehow, he looked more miserable than ever.