Night fell on Lustra like a curtain made of perfume and bad decisions.
The Request Ceremony was held in the biggest square, because the city was incapable of keeping anything private unless paperwork physically strangled it.
They'd built a stage again. Of course they did.
There were lanterns floating above like warm stars. A velvet canopy for the foreign queen. A neat little desk for Yuki with her bell, ink, and a stack of forms that looked like a weapon. A "CONSENT ZONE" chalk circle on the stage floor. And a sign above everything that made my stomach sink.
REQUEST CEREMONY
WINNER MAY REQUEST AN INTIMATE DATE
HERO MAY ACCEPT OR REFUSE
NO ONE MAY WHINE IN PUBLIC (NEW RULE)
Freya read the sign and laughed so hard she had to hold the railing.
Sofia smirked like she'd already planned twenty ways to win without breaking the rule.
Charlotte smiled politely like she'd paid someone to write it.
Rika tried to whistle and failed because she was vibrating with excitement.
Kaori was red just from standing in the square.
Mira stood with a scroll labeled "Contingencies."
Anya had a medical bag because my heart rate was about to become a public hazard.
Hana looked like she was about to worship the stage.
Lucie looked like she was about to steal the bell.
Evelyn looked elegant enough to make this whole mess look classy by accident.
Elise stood behind me with the tether chain on, posture hard, gaze sharp.
"Remember," Elise murmured, "you can refuse."
"I know," I whispered.
Valeria stood off to the side in her training gear, arms crossed, expression furious like she'd been dragged here by fate itself.
She refused to meet my eyes.
Which meant she met my mouth instead, for half a second, then looked away like she'd been attacked.
Vesper stood a little behind me too, hands visible, grin shaky.
"I hate this," Vesper whispered.
"You're doing great," I whispered back.
Vesper's eyes widened. "Don't compliment me. It'll make me qualify for another bracket."
Yuki stepped up to the desk and rang her bell.
Ding.
The crowd quieted like a living animal deciding whether to behave.
Yuki cleared her throat.
"Citizens of Lustra," she announced, "tonight is the Request Ceremony. The finalists and the wildcard may each make one request for a closed-door intimate date. The hero will respond with accept or refuse. Consent Candle will witness. Boundaries will be stated. Any attempt to pressure, guilt, bribe, threaten, or chant in a way that implies obligation will result in fountain water punishment."
Rika raised her hand. "What if I chant respectfully."
Yuki stared at her. "No."
Rika pouted. "Tyranny."
Yuki turned to me, eyes bright. "Hero Ren. Step into the Consent Zone."
I stepped into the chalk circle like I was walking into a ritual.
My Consent Candle sat in my hands, lit and steady.
The candle voice spoke in my head, calm as always.
CONSENT ACTIVE
YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PLEASE THE CROWD
YOU MAY REFUSE WITHOUT EXPLANATION
I exhaled.
Elise's hand rested lightly on my shoulder from behind, not controlling, just grounding.
Yuki nodded once.
"Finalists," she said. "Approach in order. Sofia Dragomir. Charlotte Beaumont. The Queen. Wildcard Vesper. No interruptions."
Freya leaned toward Valeria and whispered loudly, "Bet you interrupt."
Valeria snapped, "Shut up."
Freya grinned. "She will."
Sofia stepped into the Consent Zone first.
She looked calm, hands in her pockets, smirk controlled, eyes sharp.
She didn't look at the crowd. She looked at me.
"Ren," she said, voice low and smooth, "I request a closed-door date tonight. One hour. No spectators. No paperwork except the boundary sheet. I want permission to sit close, hold you, and kiss you if you agree. If you say stop, I stop. If you say no, I leave."
My chest tightened, but not in fear. In that strange way where someone's confidence feels like safety.
The candle chimed softly.
REQUEST REGISTERED
Sofia stepped back half a pace, letting me breathe.
I looked at her and spoke carefully.
"Sofia," I said, "I accept that you asked properly. But I'm not ready for a closed-door intimate date tonight. I refuse."
The crowd made a low disappointed sound, but nobody booed, because Yuki was watching like an executioner.
Sofia didn't flinch.
She nodded once, like she respected the refusal.
"Good," Sofia said softly. "Then you're still in control."
And she stepped out of the zone without trying to win anyway.
Freya whispered, "That was hot."
Elise muttered, "That was respectful."
Valeria's eyes flicked to Sofia with grudging interest, then away.
Yuki rang her bell.
Ding.
"Charlotte Beaumont," Yuki called.
Charlotte entered the Consent Zone like a quiet storm wearing perfume.
She smiled politely, but her eyes were serious.
"Ren," Charlotte said gently, "I request a closed-door date tonight. Two hours. A private room with a lock. Not to trap you. To protect you from this city. I want a calm evening. Food. Conversation. Cuddling if you want. Kissing only if you want. No games. No scoreboards."
My throat went dry.
The candle chimed.
REQUEST REGISTERED
Charlotte's tone stayed soft.
"I won't ask you to be brave for me," she added. "I'll ask you to rest."
That hit harder than flirting.
I swallowed.
"Charlotte," I said, "thank you. That… sounds like exactly what I want. But the word 'tonight' scares me. I refuse tonight."
Charlotte's smile didn't break.
She nodded slowly. "Understood. Another night, then."
No pressure. No pout. Just acceptance.
Yuki scribbled with satisfaction like she'd witnessed healthy behavior.
Freya whispered, "She's terrifyingly mature."
Rika whispered, "I hate maturity."
Yuki rang the bell again.
Ding.
"The Queen," Yuki announced.
The foreign queen rose from her canopy and walked into the Consent Zone like moonlight deciding to be human.
She bowed slightly to me, then glanced at Elise briefly, respectful.
Then she looked back at me.
"Ren," she said, calm and clear, "I request a closed-door date tonight. One hour. My guards outside. Your paladin may stand outside too if you wish. I want tea, quiet, and permission to hold your hand. One kiss only if you initiate or invite it."
The crowd leaned forward like they were listening to a poem.
The candle chimed.
REQUEST REGISTERED
The queen's eyes softened.
"And if you refuse," she added, "I will still respect you tomorrow."
Something in my chest eased.
I breathed out.
"Your Majesty," I said, then corrected myself, "you. Thank you. I refuse tonight."
The queen didn't blink.
She nodded once, serene.
"Then I will not take tonight from you," she said. "I will simply remain near. In case you need a quieter world."
Valeria muttered from the side, "Unfair."
The queen's gaze flicked to Valeria and she smiled politely.
"Yes."
Valeria went red.
Yuki looked delighted and rang her bell.
Ding.
"Wildcard Vesper," Yuki said.
Vesper stepped into the Consent Zone like a thief walking into court.
She lifted both hands immediately. "Hi. I hate this."
The crowd laughed affectionately.
Vesper looked at me, grin shaky but real.
"Ren," Vesper said, "I request… not a closed-door intimate date tonight."
Yuki paused mid-scribble. "That is not—"
Vesper kept going, faster.
"I request an escape date," Vesper said. "Thirty minutes. Door open. We sit somewhere quiet where nobody can chant. We talk. We eat something. No kiss. No touching unless you offer. I just… want you to breathe. Because I saw your face in the dungeon and it was the face of a guy who keeps getting turned into a prize."
The square went strangely quiet.
Even Freya stopped grinning for a second.
Even Sofia's smirk softened.
Even Charlotte's politeness warmed into something gentler.
Even the queen's gaze softened like she approved.
The candle chimed.
REQUEST REGISTERED
Vesper swallowed and added quickly, trying to kill the sincerity with humor.
"Also, if we don't do an escape date, I'm pretty sure Valeria will actually punch me."
Valeria snapped, "I will not."
Vesper pointed. "She will."
Valeria's cheeks went red. "Shut up."
I looked at Vesper, then at Elise, then at the stage, then at the crowd.
Escape date. Door open. Quiet.
It sounded like oxygen.
I nodded.
"Vesper," I said, "I accept."
The square erupted into cheers, but Yuki raised her bell like a sword.
Ding.
"Remember the new rule," Yuki shouted. "No whining. Cheer quietly."
The crowd tried. It was horrible. People were vibrating in silence like a cursed library.
Vesper blinked, stunned. "Wait. You accepted."
"Yes," I said.
Vesper's grin spread, then she froze like she realized she'd won something dangerous.
"Oh no," she whispered. "I'm alive."
Sofia smirked, but it wasn't cruel. "Good choice."
Charlotte smiled politely, eyes sharp but not hostile. "That's wise."
The queen nodded once, calm. "That is kind."
Freya pouted anyway. "He picked the thief."
Rika yelled, "ESCAPE DATE IS STILL A DATE."
Kaori whispered, "That sounds… nice."
Elise exhaled, relieved and still tense. "Door open."
"Door open," I confirmed.
Yuki scribbled furiously.
"Outcome," Yuki announced. "The hero accepts Vesper's request for an escape date. This is not the First Night. This is a boundary-respecting compromise. All other contestants remain active for future requests."
Freya shouted, "FUTURE."
Sofia murmured, "Smart."
Charlotte smiled. "Acceptable."
The queen sipped her tea like she'd expected this.
Valeria stared at the ground, jaw clenched, cheeks red, looking like she hated that this made sense.
Yuki turned to the crowd.
"Ceremony concluded," she announced. "Everyone go home. No stalking. No ambush dates. No hiding in bushes. If you hide in bushes, fountain water will find you."
Lucie raised a hand. "What about hiding on roofs."
Yuki stared. "Also no."
Lucie sighed. "Oppression."
Elise leaned close to me. "You okay."
I nodded. "Yeah. I think I picked breathing."
Elise's shoulders loosened slightly. "Good."
Vesper stepped closer, still in the Consent Zone, and asked clearly, because she was learning fast.
"Ren," she said, "may I take your hand for the escape date walk."
I nodded. "Yes. Hand-holding is okay."
Vesper took my hand gently, like she wasn't trying to win anything, just trying to steady me.
And that's when Valeria finally broke.
She stepped forward so abruptly that a few people flinched.
Her arms were still crossed, but her fists were clenched.
Her face was red with anger, humiliation, and something worse.
"Ren," Valeria snapped, loud enough for the nearest row to hear, "I don't care who you picked."
Nobody asked, but everyone listened.
Valeria swallowed, jaw tight.
She looked at Vesper's hand holding mine.
Then she looked at my face.
Then she looked away like it physically hurt.
And in a voice that sounded like pride breaking quietly, she muttered,
"…Just don't get lost again."
My chest warmed.
Vesper blinked, then grinned like she'd just found a new button to press.
"Oh," Vesper said sweetly. "You care."
Valeria exploded.
"I DO NOT."
Yuki rang her bell like a judge ending a trial.
Ding.
"Elise," Yuki called, "escort the hero. Valeria, go home before you file an illegal emotion."
Valeria hissed, "I'm leaving."
She didn't.
Not right away.
She stood there one more second, cheeks burning, eyes refusing to meet mine.
Then she turned sharply and marched off like she was going to duel the air.
Freya leaned toward Sofia and whispered, delighted, "She's going to cry in her armor."
Sofia smirked. "Good."
Charlotte smiled politely. "Adorable."
The queen watched Valeria go with calm interest. "She will become bold eventually."
Elise muttered, "God help us."
Vesper squeezed my hand lightly.
"Escape date," she whispered.
I breathed out and nodded.
"Escape date," I repeated.
And for the first time in days, it didn't feel like a tournament.
It felt like a door opening.