In the early morning, the city of Kaigenshiro was still wrapped in a soft blue mist. Ren and Itsuki were deep in sleep, recovering from the chaos of the day before.
But then beep… beep… BEEP BEEP a sharp, annoying ring echoed through the room.
Ren groaned and rolled over, his hair a mess. "What the hell is that sound?" he muttered.
The ringing got louder, sharper until Ren sat up, scowling. He stomped across the room, found the glowing communication device, and nearly smashed it against the wall. But just before he did
"Yo, Ren! You there?" Souta's voice crackled through the speaker. "It's from HQ. They want you and Itsuki to start advanced training."
Ren blinked. "Wait, Souta? Is that really you? Where the hell have you been, bro?!"
Souta laughed through the static. "Been training non-stop, man. Gotta level up my sword arc. You know the drill."
Ren rubbed his face, a small smile forming. "Well… if you finally got your dream, I'm happy for you, bro."
"Heh, yeah. I actually did. Hope you reach yours too."
There was a pause.
"…Yeah," Ren said quietly. "I hope so."
"I'm sending Ill to come pick you up," Souta said. "See you at HQ."
The device went silent.
Ren dropped it on the table with a sigh, then headed to Itsuki's room. He knocked. "Yo, Itsuki. Wake up, man. HQ wants us."
No response.
Ren frowned and tried the door. Locked. "Itsuki, you good?"
Silence.
"Don't mess with me right now…"
Ren's eyes flickered red. His arm lit up with a faint energy signature Fragrant Mode: Blaster Arm and BOOM! The door exploded off its hinges.
He burst inside. "Itsuki?!"
There he was collapsed on the ground, surrounded by shattered glass, burnt-out vials, and weird chemicals.
Ren dropped beside him. "ITSUKI! Wake up!"
Nothing. Panic surged in his chest. He grabbed his friend "Come on, man, don't do this"
Then Itsuki's hand weakly touched Ren's cheek.
"…Why's your face so soft?" Itsuki mumbled.
Ren stared. "You were… sleeping?"
Itsuki blinked slowly, clearly drained. "Y-yeah… nap... science stuff… haha…"
Ren just sighed, relieved, and helped him up. "Come on, they need us."
"…Alright, mate…"
Later, they stepped out of the building in their new uniforms, clean and sharp. A sleek black and silver design with the Ivory Cross insignia burned into the sleeves.
Waiting outside were Ayame and Aria. A military-grade vehicle pulled up. They all got in Ren and Ayame sitting on one side, Itsuki and Aria on the other.
As the vehicle rumbled through the streets, Itsuki had his nose buried in his Demon Falls book and his spell journal, totally focused.
Meanwhile, Ren stared quietly out the window.
Ayame scooted closer. "Hey… we haven't talked in a while."
Ren turned. "Yeah. Ever since you got assigned to Souta's squad, we kinda fell out."
She gently placed her hand on his. "Well… we've got time now."
Her face blushed lightly.
Ren, unfazed, calmly pulled his hand away. "Yeah… I guess so."
Then he turned back to the window.
Ayame, clearly disappointed, pouted and leaned her head against his shoulder anyway. Ren didn't react.
The vehicle finally pulled into the massive Kaigenshiro HQ a tower that pierced the clouds, glowing with arcane energy. Reinforced pillars. Seishin barriers. A true fortress of command.
Ren jumped out first and saw him.
"SOUTAAAA!!" Ren cried, running forward with tears in his eyes.
He leapt to hug him.
Souta casually dodged.
Ren hit the ground, rolled, and STILL hugged his leg. "Soutaaa I missed you man!"
Souta laughed. "Bro, what's with the drama?!"
Itsuki walked up, fist-bumping Souta. "Good to see you, man."
Ayame waved with a shy smile. "Hey."
Then Aria… full body draped over Souta, arms around his neck, lips inches away. "My baby looks SO good in uniform~ I missed you."
Souta looked bored. "Yeah, I missed you too."
Aria blinked. "Y-you did?! My baby missed me?! Come here"
She went in to kiss him.
Souta blocked it. "NOT this again."
He shoved her back playfully and said, "Alright, come on. Let's head inside."
And so, the squad walked through the tall gates of Kaigenshiro HQ not just stepping into a facility, but into the next chapter of their fate.