A soft knock echoed through the quiet room, followed by the creak of the door.
Doctor Yuna stepped inside, her presence a calming presence to her surroundings.
"Time to wake up, Shin," she said gently, her voice pulling him from the depths of sleep.
Shin blinked, adjusting to the morning light filtering through the blinds. "Morning already?" he murmured, sitting up and stretching.
Yuna offered a small smile. "Yes. We have a full day ahead. Get ready and meet us in the dining room on the second floor."
She then left the room and closed the door behind her. Shin got up from his bed and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He then took a quick shower, splashing cold water on his face to wake himself up more. Once he was out of the shower, he put on some nice-fitting clothes and headed toward the dining room.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, cooked bacon, sweet pastries, and sweet pancakes greeted him as he entered the spacious room. Large windows allowed sunlight to pour in, illuminating the modern décor in the UW Japanese Branch section of the hospital.
Quite the remodeling, he thought to himself as he looked at his surroundings.
Riku, Misaki, and Rei were already seated at a long table, engaged in light conversation. Director Sayuri sat at the head, her demeanor as composed as ever. Her expression was unreadable as usual. She seemed to at least be in a better mood than yesterday.
"Good morning, Shin," she greeted, gesturing to the empty seat beside Riku.
"Morning," Shin replied, taking his seat.
The group enjoyed a hearty breakfast, discussing the day's agenda. Sayuri outlined the training schedule, emphasizing the importance of each session. The Director told Shin and Riku they would be going over how to use firearms properly and to get some practice in with it. Then she told them they would probably go over hand-to-hand combat as well as self-defense knowledge as a whole.
After breakfast, the group proceeded to the gun range. The facility was state-of-the-art, with various firearms displayed along the walls. Sayuri handed Shin and Riku protective gear and guided them through the basics of firearm safety and handling.
"We'll start with handguns," she instructed, handing each of them a pistol.
"Focus on your grip, stance, and aim."
Director Sayuri then proceeded to go over the basics of gun safety before allowing both of them to shoot. Once both Shin and Riku proved sufficient, she gave the okay for them to go ahead.
Shin and Riku took turns firing at the targets, their accuracy improving with each round. Shin was a better shot as his bullet holes marked each shoulder perfectly as well as a bullet hole straight through the head. Riku did decently himself, but he had a long way to go with improvement.
Director Sayuri then introduced them to rifles and shotguns, providing detailed instructions on their operation. "Remember, control and precision are key," she emphasized.
They practiced with those weapons as the Director continued to tell them about each piece that makes up each weapon, how they operate, and how to use them in various situations. The recoil of the shotgun almost made Riku fall back slightly as he held the weapon wrong, which made for a brief funny moment.
I hope we both can continue to get better, Shin thought to himself as he took a deep breath and practiced a rifle shot at the target. His bullet hit slightly away from a bullseye. Tsk, Shin thought. It wasn't a bad shot, but precision could mean life or death.
Later in the day, the group moved to the martial arts training room. The space was equipped with mats and various training equipment. Two elite UW guards, a man and a woman, stood ready to spar. The woman in particular stood out. Defined abs, nice-sized boobs, slim waist, hourglass figure, etc. She was for sure attractive and Shin didn't mind girls who were athletic.
For a moment, he thought he caught her staring at him.
"We'll begin with basic hand-to-hand combat techniques," the female guard explained. "Focus on your opponent's movements and anticipate their actions."
Shin and Riku engaged in sparring sessions, practicing various holds and counters against each other and the elite UW guards. Shin's brute strength overwhelmed Riku on multiple occasions, but Riku still managed to hold his own in some matches.
Then it was time for the last test for martial arts for the day. Riku went up against the male UW elite guard. The fight was intense, the elite guard had the upper hand the majority of the time, but Riku stood his ground. The guard threw a hook punch, Riku saw an opening and took it.
Within a few more seconds, Riku had the guard on the ground on his knees.
Shin then went up against the female elite guard. There was an unmistakable tension between them. They proceeded in their fight. The guard increased the intensity and went on the offensive. Shin deflected her kicks and punches while analyzing her fighting techniques. He then managed to catch one of her kicks and pin her to the ground. He leaned over her as his face hovered over hers. Their lips almost touching.
Shin got himself up from the ground before anything else could happen.
Shin and Riku thanked the elite guards for their time.
The Director, satisfied with their results, had them move to the classrooms.
The group attended a lecture on poisons and assassination methods. The instructor, a seasoned UW operative, detailed various toxins and their effects, as well as techniques for detecting and countering them.
"Knowledge is your best defense," the instructor concluded. "Stay vigilant and always be prepared. That wraps up your short training program. Tomorrow you are welcome to train what you have learned."
Exhausted but enlightened, Shin and Riku returned to their dorms with the Director's approval.
The day's training had been intense, but they felt more equipped to face the challenges ahead. As Shin lay in bed, he reflected on the day's lessons, determined to protect those he cared about.