Through the long corridors of one of the Spire towers, Reiden rose from his desk and left his office. His destination was the Special Zone Infirmary, an isolated building separate from his main complexes. It wasn't as vast as the research centres where his experiments and calculations consumed him daily, but in many ways, it carried a heavier responsibility. This was the place where his best fighters were healed, the ones whose broken bodies had to be restored so that Spire itself could continue to function.

And right now, his best fighter, Velza Cain, lies inside.

Whether her injuries came from overuse of her Overdrive or from clashing against an Alberline hardly mattered. The why wasn't important to him. What mattered was simple: Velza's strength needed to return. Without her, Spire lost more than just muscle; it lost certainty.

As his limousine door swung open, Reiden stepped inside with a smile that wasn't quite joy. It was a memory. He chuckled under his breath as the thought surfaced.

"It feels like that time, doesn't it, Velza…" He murmured. He could almost hear her sharp retort, as if she sat across from him even now.

The car pulled into the traffic-heavy streets of Tokyo, weaving toward the infirmary. Reiden's eyes lingered on the glass, watching headlights crawl like sluggish fireflies. Yet his mind wasn't here. It circled back, back to that fight with Kentaro Takamiya.

"Strange boy," Reiden muttered, rubbing his chin. "That power… Did he inherit it from her?"

The possibility should have excited him, but instead it gnawed.

"If so, then why him? Why a weakling, why waste such ability on a human so… Unremarkable?" He whispered. His theories spiralled and collapsed in on themselves. None of them aligned. None satisfied him. By the time the driver pulled in front of the infirmary, Reiden had abandoned his questions entirely.

"We're here, sir," the driver announced.

Reiden straightened, nodding as though sealing away the puzzle for later. "Then I'll solve the mystery another day."

He stepped out, thanking the driver absently. Before him stood the building, a sleek, modern structure of glass and steel. The hospital insignia gleamed faintly, a symbol of recovery, but to Reiden it was more like maintenance on machinery. Vital machinery.

A nurse escorted him through the sterile halls until they stopped at Velza's room. Bigger than most, it held only her, a subtle acknowledgement of her importance. The door opened.

"Always do like to take up space, don't you, Velza…" Reiden muttered as he entered.

Velza was sitting up, a blanket wrapped loosely around her shoulders. It slipped as she moved, revealing bare skin save for the thin strap of a bra. Her tired eyes lifted to meet his.

"Hello, Reiden. I'm sor-"

"Don't." His voice cut her short. "No apologies. It was one time. Nothing more."

Her eyes flickered, guilt flashing across her face. She sighed softly. "Still… Back then, I swore I'd never fail. When we were alone… After the sisters left us…"

Reiden's gaze lingered on her, then drifted to the far wall as the old memory surfaced.

"Ah. Yes. That night." His voice lowered, almost wistful. "It feels close, though the years stack higher every day. Time waits for no one… Not even us."

He exhaled, his usual grin slowly tugging at his mouth.

"Regardless, the incident ended in our favour. We lost nothing. In fact… We gained patience. And patience will bring us what we want."

Velza's brow furrowed. "But you didn't extract the core, did you?"

Reiden chuckled. "No. Not yet. But Miss Siren will serve us all the same. What we planted in her will bloom, and when it does… That ability will come easier."

Velza tilted her head, concern sharpening her features. "Why Siren? Of all the powers out there, why not Icebreaker, or Dominance?"

"Because…" Reiden's smile darkened. "Siren's gift bends will itself. A power that can touch the soul. If we can extract that, then everything else follows. Besides" his eyes gleamed, "I am waiting for another Alberline. One far older, far more useful. When the time comes, Siren is simply the test. Nothing more."

Velza nodded slowly, though guilt still shadowed her expression.

"Relax," Reiden said, reading her like a book. "You've carried Spire farther than anyone else. I need you to be strong again. Without you, this empire doesn't move."

Velza straightened, lifting her arm in a salute. "Understood, sir. I swear, I'll never fail you again."

Reiden chuckled, waving his hand dismissively as he turned toward the door. "I know. But heal first. Your strength means nothing if you break yourself trying to prove it."

"Yes, sir," Velza said firmly, her salute unwavering until the door closed behind him.

Silence settled, broken only by the ticking of a clock. Velza's hand tightened into a trembling fist as she whispered to the empty room.

"Never again…"

She sank back into her bed, eyes drifting shut.

The clock ticked on.

*

Tenka hadn't let up on Shaula since her little stunt, chasing her across the living room like a predator stalking prey. Even Shaula, usually smug, was panting from exhaustion, narrowly dodging the swats and kicks Tenka hurled her way. Kentaro, meanwhile, had just finished cooking with Yura.

"Dinner's ready!" He shouted over the chaos.

To no one's surprise, not a single person cared. Serica was on the couch, cheering like it was a championship fight, chanting Tenka's name as though she were defending a world title. Shaula wheezed, her pink hair sticking to her face as she desperately evaded another slap.

Yura tugged at Kentaro's sleeve, her cheeks still tinted from the earlier… Incident.

"I-I think you should stop them… Before Tenka really hurts her," she whispered nervously.

Kentaro gulped and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right."

Steeling himself, he strode forward, breathing deep. Time to be the adult in the room.

"LISTEN, GIRLS, STOP FIGHTING, AGH!"

His cry cut short as Tenka spun to dodge one of Shaula's counters. Her hand, still mid-swing, smacked directly into Kentaro's forehead with a sharp crack, knocking him straight to the floor.

"KEN!" All the girls cried in unison.

Groaning, Kentaro blinked his eyes open, only to be greeted by the sight every man secretly dreamed of: five girls hovering over him with worried faces.

Tenka, closest to him, looked on the verge of tears. Kentaro rubbed his sore nose and forced a weak smile.

"Hey. Don't worry, I'm fine. Let's eat."

Relief swept across the group, smiles breaking out as they apologised before gathering around the table.

Except there weren't enough chairs.

Shaula awkwardly stood by, already heading toward the couch, until Kentaro got up and pulled his own seat out for her.

"Please, take this. I'll sit on the couch," he said warmly.

Shaula froze. Her eyes flicked to him, shimmering for just a second. She smiled, though it came out shy and awkward.

"Hmmmm, even offer up his seat for me. What a gentle man." She said to herself.

The others scrambled to offer their own seats, but Kentaro waved them off. Shaula, unwilling to watch him stuck alone, stood and pointed dramatically at the coffee table.

"Then let's eat here!" She declared like some action hero.

The girls blinked, then turned to Kentaro. He chuckled.

"Sure. Why not? Our crew's gotten bigger, after all."

So they gathered on the floor, eating together like a mismatched family. Laughter bubbled between bites, the clinking of spoons and chopsticks mixing with the occasional muffled giggle.

Kentaro's gaze drifted to Shaula. Her bright pink eyes practically glowed under the warm ceiling light, sharp yet playful. She leaned forward every time she scooped rice into her mouth, as if the extra inch made her faster. Across from her, Serica grinned, shovelling food with practised speed, but Shaula mirrored her rhythm almost perfectly, even tilting her head to the side between bites like it was some secret trick.

Her spoon darted like lightning, the bracelet with a silver scorpion on her wrist jingling with every sudden movement. A thin silver ring caught the light too, flashing whenever she beat Serica to a mouthful. And each time she "won" a bite, she gave this little snicker, low and mischievous, almost cat-like, that no one else at the table made.

Kentaro smiled to himself at their race. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted the details: the way she ate like it was a competition, the sound of her bracelet, the sharp gleam of her ring, the playful way her eyes narrowed when she thought she was ahead.

The sight made him laugh quietly, an odd warmth blooming in his chest.

By the time the clock struck past 1 A.M., the laughter had faded, and the girls drifted to sleep. Futons filled the living room, borrowed from HQ thanks to Tenka's orders. Kentaro laid back, staring at the ceiling, unable to quiet his thoughts.

Shaula.

The rooftop incident.

Her strange smile, her strange presence.

Tenka had told him Shaula's reason for staying, but even that didn't sit right. A homeless girl? Maybe. But Shaula didn't act like someone unfamiliar with comfort. Was it all a front? Where would she go from here? Could she even be safe?

The questions tangled in his head until, at last, his eyes grew heavy and he drifted off.

…Until something stirred him awake.

Kentaro blinked, hearing faint movement. He sat up slowly, scanning the dark room. Aria and Yura were still asleep on the futons. The sound hadn't come from them. His eyes lifted toward his bedroom door.

The door was shut, but light glowed faintly beneath it. Not the pale white of a lamp or bathroom bulb. No, just for a second, a pink light flickered.

"What the…" Kentaro whispered.

His chest tightened, heart thudding faster. It was just light. Harmless light. Yet every instinct in him screamed otherwise. It didn't feel natural.

Step by step, he crossed the living room, hand trembling slightly as it gripped the doorknob. The silence around him was suffocating, as though the world itself held its breath.

"It can't be bad. It can't be bad. Kentaro, stop overreacting," he muttered to himself.

And with that reassurance that felt more like a lie, he turned the handle and pushed the door open...

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