Kira and her squad were in the gym for their usual strength training. It was nothing too crazy. They all knew that overtraining before deployment could spell disaster in the field. Kira herself was working shoulder presses, Milly beside her, spotting casually as if she could do it with one finger. The room was filled with chatter, jokes, the kind of high spirits that made training less of a grind.

That's when the door opened.

Commander Isak walked in.

Immediately, dumbbells clanged against the floor as every squad member stopped, attention snapping to him. He wasn't even looking at them; his eyes were glued to his phone, scrolling, lips pressed in a sharp frown. Finally, he lowered the device. His voice was flat but heavy.

"Something suspicious has been sighted. It bolted the moment our patrol got close. They're giving chase right now. I've said this before, but be on guard."

The squad stirred, whispering, their earlier smiles gone.

One voice finally broke out.

"Is it an Alberline?"

Isak's expression soured.

"Not sure. If it is, we'll be deployed. If not… The Cradle police can handle it."

The whispers swelled again, curiosity, nerves, rumours flying between the squad. But Kira and Milly stayed silent, exchanging a look like they already had an idea of what this "thing" was.

Isak coughed sharply, snapping the order back into the room.

"Until further notice, continue training. Don't overdo it. If you need me, I'll be in my office."

"YES, SIR!" the squad barked in unison.

Weights clattered again as everyone returned to their routines, though Kira and Milly still glanced at each other, unsettled.

"Why wouldn't they send us out right away?" Kira muttered, lowering her voice.

"Exactly," Milly nodded. "It almost feels like… they don't even want to catch the Alberline."

"Tut, tut, tut…"

The sound clicked behind them. They didn't even bother turning; the gym's mirror reflected him perfectly. A tall, lean figure with dark red hair tied into a bun longer than Kira's, strutting across the room like the floor belonged to him. His smirk was pure arrogance.

Aurther.

"Ahhh, ladies, ladies," he said with a flourish, spreading his arms like he was addressing a crowd. "You clearly don't understand. The reason our dazzling, perfect team hasn't been deployed is because…" He paused dramatically, lowering his voice. "The press are watching."

"The… Press?" Both Kira and Milly scowled in unison.

Nobody hated Aurther, but nobody really liked him either. He was that guy, the one who always had something to say, always had the answer, whether anyone asked for it or not. Goofy? Yes. Useful? Questionable. Entertaining? Sometimes.

"Yes, yes!" He waved his arms. "Ever since the Tokyo incident, we've been under a microscope. Thanks to Spire's little screw-up, every camera is pointed at us. Every mistake we make, every fight we take part in, is plastered everywhere. Unfair, isn't it?" His grin widened like he'd just solved world peace.

"Suuuuure…" The girls replied in flat unison.

Milly tilted her head. "So what, they're sending one-man teams? But then… How do they move around so freely? Are they undercover?"

"Yes, exactly! They-" Aurther began, puffing his chest.

"Most likely," Kira interrupted without missing a beat. "Though hiding a suit is difficult, it can be done. That's probably why they're the ones handling it. Less chance of getting spotted by the media."

Aurther froze, his smile twitching. "…Right. Exactly. As I was sayi-"

"But what if," Milly cut him off, finger raised, " the press sees something weird anyway? Like… A flying person? Or somebody glowing? Wouldn't that be, you know, suspicious?"

"Could be," Kira answered smoothly. "But I'm sure they've figured out contingencies for that."

Aurther's eye twitched. His jaw locked. He stomped his foot, then threw his arms up.

"AH! CLEARLY MY BRILLIANT INSIGHT ISN'T NEEDED HERE!"

He turned sharply on his heel, hair whipping, and stomped away like a drama queen heading off stage.

The two girls blinked… Then burst into giggles.

"Let's just get back to work," Milly said cutely, still laughing.

Kira nodded, smiling despite herself.

"Sure."

*

Yura and Tenka sat on either side of Kentaro as they ate steaming bowls of omurice. Everyone else was laughing, chatting, enjoying themselves. Kentaro, though, could barely taste a bite. His chopsticks lingered halfway to his mouth.

That thing on the rooftop…

He swore he'd seen a figure running away from something. Maybe more than one. It could be Cradle keeping tabs, or it could be Spire waiting for the right moment to move. Or maybe it was just his nerves. He wanted to forget it, let Aria have her moment to bond with everyone, let the team just be normal for once, but the thought wouldn't leave him. Each mouthful of food felt heavier, like paranoia pressing down on his stomach.

Tenka noticed immediately. Her chopsticks paused, her eyes scanning his face.

"Hey, Ken. Relax. Whatever you saw was probably just a bird… Or some dumb idiots playing rooftop tag." She smiled warmly, the kind of smile that made worrying feel like overreacting.

Kentaro looked at her, then forced himself to nod. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was just imagining things. The best-case scenario was that he'd stressed himself out over nothing.

"Yeah… You're right," he said softly, and shovelled food into his mouth faster, as if speed could smother the worry.

Tenka chuckled, reaching out with a napkin to dab at a grain of rice clinging to his cheek.

"HE-!" Kentaro squeaked, nearly choking. His face burned red.

Tenka's cheeks pinked too, though she quickly covered them with a teasing smirk. "What? Am I not allowed to take care of you anymore?"

"No, it's not that! Just… A warning would've been nice," he stammered.

She laughed quietly and went back to her plate.

On Kentaro's other side, Yura had finished her food already. She puffed her cheeks at Tenka's boldness, then pushed a glass of water toward Kentaro.

"Please drink, Kentaro. You'll choke if you eat too fast," she said sweetly.

Kentaro blinked, confused at the sudden attention from both sides, but obediently gulped down the water while Yura watched with a satisfied smile.

By the time they finished, his stomach finally settled, though his nerves hadn't.

The train ride back to college felt longer than it should have. When they finally stepped through the gates, the front courtyard was buzzing with its usual clusters of students. Gossip, laughter, the clatter of shoes, all normal. Too normal. Kentaro's eyes flicked across rooftops again, scanning out of habit. Nothing.

Tenka suddenly stopped short, eyes turning toward the side entrance. A smirk tugged her lips.

"Hey, Ken… Remember that surprise I mentioned back on the ship?"

Kentaro, walking a few paces ahead, glanced back at her. He grinned, scratching his cheek.

"Yeah. Honestly, I was going to ask about that… But after getting beaten half to death, it kinda slipped my mind, heheh."

Before Tenka could answer, a voice boomed across the courtyard.

"KENTARO, MY MAN! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! You left your poor friend behind!"

Kentaro froze. His heart jolted before recognition settled in. He turned to see the figure Tenka had been smirking at.

"Tengen!" Kentaro's grin widened. "And, wait! Is that your sister?!"

Sure enough, Tengen wasn't alone. Beside him stood a small girl with long brown hair, peeking out shyly from behind her brother. Daki. The sister who had been in a coma after a fractured Bloom… Now awake thanks to Haruka's team. She wasn't in uniform, just casual clothes, clearly not ready to return to school yet.

Tengen puffed his chest proudly, ruffling her hair.

"Yup! My cute little sister! Look at her, isn't she precious?!"

"B-brother!" Daki squeaked, ducking behind him with a blush.

By then, Serica, Yura, and Aria had joined Kentaro and Tenka. Serica and Yura's eyes lit up the moment they saw Daki.

""" SHE'S SO CUTE!!!""" They chorused, rushing forward to smother her in hugs. Aria, meanwhile, hung back, uncertain, cheeks warm under Tengen's curious stare.

Tenka caught it instantly. She stepped forward, shielding Aria with a glare.

"This is another cousin of mine, Aria. Stop staring."

Tengen straightened so fast he nearly snapped his own spine. Then he bowed deeply.

"SORRY, MA'AM! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE! I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO REPAY-"

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Tenka yelped, kicking his shin lightly. She crouched beside Daki, her expression softening.

"And what's your name, cutie?"

The little girl peeked up nervously.

"D-Daki…" She whispered.

"Daki. That's beautiful. I hope we can be friends, though your brother is a total dork."

Daki glanced at her brother, groaning on the ground and let out a tiny giggle. Then she nodded. "Oki."

Immediately, Serica and Yura squealed louder, practically pulling Tenka out of the way so they could hug Daki like she was a plush toy.

Kentaro watched, smiling quietly. This… This was Tengen's dream. To see his sister awake, laughing, surrounded by friends. After everything, he'd achieved it. Kentaro's chest warmed at the thought; maybe they were finally allowed to have small victories like this.

*

After saying their goodbyes, Tengen walked his sister home so she could rest. The group headed into class.

Aria received a handful of greetings along the way, whispers trailing behind her red hair. To Kentaro's relief, no boys approached… Though he could feel their glares burning into the back of his head. He didn't blame them; to them, he looked like the guy hogging every bombshell while they still struggled to string two words to a girl.

Their squad filled the eighth upper row: Kentaro in the middle between Tenka and Aria, Serica and Yura on the side of Tenka and Aria, one big line. The room was lively until Mr Tachibana walked in, his smile instantly silencing the chatter.

His eyes scanned the class, pausing briefly on Kentaro's group, noting both their return and the new student with striking red hair.

"Alright, everyone," he began warmly. "As you can see, we have a transfer student. Please treat her with respect." He said with a smile, everyone looked back and stared at Aria, which made her blush, but it wouldn't last long, as Mr Tachibana continued. "Now, about our first College event. It's been pushed forward due to… circumstances I can't disclose just yet."

The room buzzed with whispers.

"An event? This early in the year?"

Kentaro leaned toward Tenka. "What do you think it is?"

She shrugged.

"I just hope it's fun! I like events!" Serica popped her head over Tenka's shoulder, grinning.

Kentaro chuckled softly. Aria tugged his sleeve, eyes worried.

"Ken… Do you think the event will separate us?"

He smiled, reaching over to ruffle her hair gently.

"No. Whatever it is, we'll stick together. How bad could it be?"

But as Mr Tachibana revealed the details, Kentaro realised it wasn't just another school festival. This was something the college hadn't hosted in two years. Something the older students whispered about with wide eyes.

And whatever it was… It didn't feel like a coincidence.

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