Kira and Milly had been training for hours before eventually dragging themselves into the dining hall for a late lunch. By now, Commander Isak's earlier warning about staying sharp felt more like background noise, something pushed aside with exhaustion. The long benches were filled with soldiers slurping ramen or scarfing rice bowls, the usual chorus of chatter bouncing off the high ceilings. By the time the girls sat down, it was already past 5 PM.

"You think they caught the culprit?" Milly asked between slow, lazy bites of her ramen.

Kira's chopsticks paused halfway, her eyes sinking into the broth before she finally scooped some up.

"Not sure. Honestly, it makes me wish I'd just gone to college instead." Her tone was flat as always, but the edge of annoyance bled through.

"Heyy, what about our girly time?" Milly pouted, puffing her cheeks out in mock offence.

That earned a tiny smile from Kira.

"Yeah, that kept me from giving the Commander an earful. If not, he would've gotten it full blast." Her voice stayed flat, but Milly knew it was a joke, the kind only Kira could pull off. She giggled.

"Hehehe. Honestly, though, they could've just told us they didn't need us anymore."

Before Kira could answer, a voice cut in from down the table.

"Hello, ladies!"

Both girls turned their heads along with half the hall, only to see Arthur waving like he owned the place.

Milly groaned. "What the hell does he want now…"

"If you sit next to us, I'll make sure you lose a leg." Kira's voice was monotone, but the death in her eyes sold it.

Arthur froze mid-step, his grin faltering as a bead of sweat slid down. He coughed awkwardly and sat one seat away, like that distance would save him.

"C'mon, ladies, I have valuable information to tell you. But I need to sit closer so you can hear." He leaned forward with a mock-cool look.

Kira sighed and moved her bag out of the seat beside her, though her eyes stayed sharp on him.

"I see… You're women of value. Beautiful women at that," Arthur said with his best Playboy grin, already regretting it.

"Go on then," Milly leaned over the table, curiosity piqued.

Arthur's smile widened. "Oh, Milly, you look so pretty when you're all seri-"

"AHHH!" He screeched as Kira's foot slammed into his shin under the table.

"Speak. Stop acting smug." Her tone was flat as glass but sharp enough to cut.

Arthur straightened with tears welling. "Y-yes, ma'am."

He coughed and tried again. "Well… I overheard your chatter about the mission-"

"Creepy. How could you hear from way back there?" Kira cut in again.

Arthur held up his hands. "NGH! Please, I just have very good hearing."

Her glare didn't soften, but she didn't stop him either.

He took that as permission. "Ahem. The reason we haven't been called out is simple. First, small squads only. The press is breathing down our necks, so no big mobilisations."

Both looked at each other before they cut him off at the same time.

"We know that much."

Arthur forced a laugh. "Right, right, but here's the part you don't know. The culprit? The one you thought was caught?"

Both girls' chopsticks froze.

Arthur smirked, letting the silence hang. "They got away. And not just that, they uncovered the identity of the supposed suspect."

Kira and Milly leaned in slightly despite themselves.

"It was the split and double image of the Commander who was on the patrol unit."

"You're kidding," Kira muttered.

"That makes no sense." Milly echoed.

Arthur leaned back, smug. "Believe me or not, but that's what I heard. And since we can't send out more people, we're stuck here while a specialist search team hunts them down."

"Tsch. What a waste of time, why bring us here? I should have been home already." Kira muttered, unsatisfied.

Milly frowned. "But if it was a split, a double… Could that mean..."

She didn't finish. She didn't have to. Arthur and Kira both nodded.

"Indeed. An Alberline. Or maybe…" Arthur trailed off, "…Someone with an exact replica of that commander's face in a mask form?"

"…"

"Please leave," Kira muttered.

"Yeah, not gonna lie, that was a bad take, stupid at best", Milly added.

Arthur slammed his hands down. "Aw, come on! Have you not seen those creepy face masks online?"

""…No.""

The girls' voices overlapped, flat as stone.

Arthur stared, devastated. "Damn it!"

The girls eventually shooed off, Arthur sulked down the table, but before he left, he turned, flashing a grin.

"Oh, one more thing, girls… Supreme Commander Akio will be here tomorrow. Be on your best behaviour."

Milly's eyes lit up. "Whoa… If that's true, I can't wait to meet her!" She turned to Kira, who nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Me too. I wonder what she's like."

"I heard she's gorgeous," Milly added dreamily.

The doors to the hall slammed open before Kira could respond. Commander Isak entered with Commander Denji at his side. Denji, short at 5'4 with slicked-back silver hair and dangling sword earrings, walked with a kind of cool swagger most men envied.

"Right. Everyone," Isak's voice boomed. "You've probably heard rumours by now. The suspect we captured has slipped away. We believe it to be an Alberline."

The dining hall erupted into murmurs and whispers. Kira and Milly shared a knowing glance; they were right.

Denji stepped forward. "Listen. The press and higher-ups are watching us. We can't move in large numbers. Only select squads will be chosen. Don't take it to heart if you're not picked."

"Yessir!" the hall thundered back.

"Good. You're dismissed. Any further info will be sent via email." Isak turned, but then added, "Oh, and one more thing, the Tokyo squad is required to be here tomorrow. Supreme Commander Akio wishes to speak with you."

The room buzzed.

"So it's true!" Milly gasped as she stood. "Arthur wasn't lying."

Kira turned and caught Arthur's smug grin. Her eye twitched, but she couldn't deny it.

"I wonder how it'll go…" She muttered.

After changing back into their uniforms, Milly couldn't stop talking about how much she admired Akio, how she respected her the most, how incredible it would be to finally see her in person. Kira listened quietly, her thoughts more guarded. She respected Akio, of course. Who from Cradle didn't? But she didn't know enough to form real feelings. Her judgment would come tomorrow, face-to-face.

By the time the clock struck 6 PM, both girls split off on separate paths, preparing themselves for what tomorrow would bring.

Kira lingered for a moment, the thought of visiting Kentaro crossing her mind. Stalking him, more like. She shook it off. Not today. Maybe later in the week.

She turned and walked into the evening streets.

*

Kentaro opened the door to his bedroom carefully, his hand tightening on the knob as he made sure it didn't squeak. The last thing he wanted was to wake anyone, or worse, let whoever might be awake know he was coming in.

The room was cloaked in shadows, only the soft sound of breathing filling the air. His eyes adjusted slowly. Tenka was sprawled out on his bed, her arm thrown over Serica in her usual ironclad death grip. Serica looked like she'd suffocated hours ago but was still somehow alive. Kentaro almost chuckled at the sight, but this wasn't the time.

He scanned the floor next, spotting the futon. A head of pink hair stuck out from under the blanket. Shaula. So she was accounted for, too.

That was everyone then… Right?

His eyes swept the darkness one more time. His chest tightened. Something was off. His gaze landed on the bathroom door. It was slightly ajar. A thin slice of light spilt out, cutting through the shadows.

Kentaro froze. His pulse quickened.

"Wait… Shaula. Tenka. Yura. Aria. Serica…" He counted in his head.

No one is missing.

So why was the bathroom light on?

Either one of the girls forgot to turn it off… Or someone was inside. And judging by the way the air around him suddenly felt heavy, he wasn't betting on the first option.

A chill slid down his spine. His throat felt dry. He gulped, forcing himself to move. Step by step, he tiptoed past the girls, careful not to wake them. His heart hammered harder the closer he got, his ears ringing with the sound of his own blood rushing.

He stopped in front of the door. The crack of light glared at him, almost daring him to open it. His fingers hovered for a moment before he placed them on the knob.

It didn't need to be twisted. It was already unlocked. Already waiting.

Kentaro took a slow, steady breath, trying to calm the storm in his chest.

"…Please just be nothing," he whispered under his breath.

Then, with every nerve in his body on edge, he pushed the door open-

Once his eyes landed on what was inside the bathroom they opened wide in fear...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.