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When Loli heard that Nice killed himself, she was upset.
That was her job.
He didn't have the right to take even vengeance away from her. If he was going to do that he should have done it before the Ruins Incident. It's like he wanted to drag down as many people as possible.
The anger was left without a target. Instead it just ate away at her.
So, she was ecstatic to find out he was alive.
Well, kind of, the fact he was alive made her hate him even more- pulling a fake suicide like a get out of jail free card, what a joke. But she couldn't wait to beat his face into a bloody pulp.
And soon the time comes for just that- the Heroes Tournament. Loli vs Nice. The crowd cheers in excitement, unaware of how personal of a fight this is.
She starts the match already sprinting with an attack, not leaving room for Nice to even breathe- a rocket boosted punch launches him to the ground. She can feel something crack beneath her strike- his nose?
When she glances down she sees it...
It's his skin.
It's shattering like porcelain, leaving a wet mass of shadow underneath, like a broken jar of jam.
A shiver goes down her spine.
Nice was being kept at a distance from the rest of the heroes, assumedly to avoid the obvious bombardment of questions. Cowards, Loli thought at the time.
Of course she'd still seen that crack, as did most of FOMO. Some people theorized it was because of Fear, but obviously the commission wouldn't have allowed Nice to compete at all then, right? She figured this was some kind of PR stunt, rebranding an edgier Nice. If the truth about the Ruins Incident resurfaces it feels less scandalous, then. Makes it seem 'cool' like the shit Dragon Boy gets up to.
But nope... The proof is staring her in the face. Right through his face.
Unflinching, Nice grabs her suited arm and leverages it to swing her whole body, intending on throwing her to the floor. Rockets engage- she reorients herself as she's flung, still launched but not off guard.
His shattered face repairs itself, sounding like panes of glass being stepped on.
His face...
It's vacant, eyes glazed and expressionless. Nothing like the frenzy she's seen in them before, the frustration barely under the surface is gone.
And as he tilts his head to get a better look at Loli, his mouth, previously neutral and relaxed, tightens into a smile that doesnt reach his eyes. It stops as soon as it arrives at the desired amount of expression, as if someone adjusted it with a slider.
Nice is dead.
She knows it now. That suicide wasn't faked.
There's nothing behind those eyes. There isn't a person behind that smile.
She launches herself again, any ounce of restraint gone. She swings her arms, her legs, like a wild animal clawing and clawing. Nice's swiftness and grace are mechanical, perfect, but even he can't dodge every strike. Eventually, who knows how long, he gets pushed to the ground once again.
Another strike.
This is what you get for what happened to my father.
A sickening crack.
This is what you deserve for what happened to Nuonuo.
Squish. His face is unrecognizable.
And this is for taking away my only chance at revenge!
The pummel continues, the crowd holding their breath- or perhaps the blood rushing through Loli's ears just makes everything else seem quiet.
Finally, finally. It's what you deserve, Nice.
...But that's not Nice.
His face begins to repair itself again, an empty eye staring at her with nothing behind it.
Another punch. She breaks it before the other eye comes back.
It doesn't matter. This doesn't make her feel any better. The anger is still there.
Punch.
He committed suicide.
Was he scared of everything coming out? Or was it the guilt that finally got to him? She hopes it's the second one. That's the closest it could be to an apology.
Not like she'll ever know. Not like she'd forgive him anyway.
She stares down at his shattered, perfect face, his twitching fingers like someone was running an electric current through him.
Suicide.
He never wanted to end up like this, did he. Fear really is terrifying, who let this happen? Why are they treating him like any other hero?
She feels a pang of disgust at imagining seeing her father like this. Brought back as a shambling husk.
She's never going to forgive Nice.
But there's nowhere for that anger to go now, is there.
No answers to ever get from him.
She's just beating up a corpse.
Loli wins.
A victory as empty as her opponent.