A new day began. Today was Kouji's first mission without Yuusuke, so Kouji was visibly nervous. He was lost in thought on his way to the briefing room.
–Yuusuke and I have been completing missions together for four months now. I'm wondering if I'll get along with my new teammates.
He was not removed by Yuusuke's team; it was merely a mission ordered by Commander-in-Chief Akechi.
–If the boss has already assigned me a task, I mustn't disappoint him.
Kouji arrived at the meeting room, but no one was there yet. So he sat down in a chair at the edge of the room and waited.
Not long after, the door burst open. A boy with short black hair entered the room; his bangs were cut above his eyebrows, and his hair was very short with a fade on the sides. He chewed gum and threw himself into an empty chair, far away from Kouji. He threw his legs up on the table as if he owned the place.
No greeting—nothing. He simply sat silently in the chair, glanced briefly at Kouji, and muttered to himself. "Now Akechi is already assigning me new recruits."
Of course Kouji heard it; the boy had spoken extra loudly.
–Are all the Hunters from last year like this? — Oh well.
Kouji briefly doubted the boy but accepted him as long as he did his job properly and saved people. His gaze drifted downwards, and he noticed a note in the middle of the table.
It was a mission description.
'Kagami, Kouji, Yorihito – SR'
–Whoa! Finally, a Super Rare mission. But why does an SR mission only have a danger level of less than one person? — That guy must be Yorihito.
Before Kouji could think about it any further, the door slammed open again. This time a woman entered the room.
–Kagami
"Okay, you're both here."
She wore a loose sweatshirt and tight jeans. Her blonde, slightly wavy hair was tied back in a ponytail with braids, with a few strands hanging down from the crown. In her left hand, she held a spear wrapped in bandages. The spear's outline was clearly visible.
–A replica of the spear of Duke Frederick IV
Kouji had read many books on historical weapons in his free time, so he could interpret the shape of the spear, but this knowledge is rather useless in the fight against Nightmares.
Kagami threw a folder onto the table and stood at the whiteboard, like a professor about to begin her lecture.
"Kouji, since you're new, I'll explain a few things to you; it's an evening mission; I usually meet my team at reception for missions like this; it's a 'scout and report' mission, so nothing dangerous, but you should still always be on your guard."
–SR stood for Scout and Report.
Kouji was somewhat disappointed, as he thought he could finally face a stronger opponent, and Kagami noticed his change in mood.
"Is everything okay? Do you understand so far?"
Kouji composed himself and nodded enthusiastically.
"I don't quite understand why Akechi assigned three Hunters to this mission, but if you understand everything, I'll see you at reception at 6 p.m."
"Yes, indeed," said Kouji, a little louder than usual, while Yorihito quietly got up and moved out of the room. Before he completely disappeared down the corridor, he gave Kouji a quick glance out of the corner of his eye and then went to his room.
Kouji also stood up, but just before he disappeared from the room, Kagami stopped him.
"Kouji, wait a little longer."
He stopped and turned around.
"Sit down again."
"Is something wrong with me?"
"No, it's nothing; I just wanted to ask something — have you done recon missions with Yuusuke before?"
"Yes, I have."
"I know it's boring at first, but there's a reason why Ryo, or in this case Akechi, only gives you missions like these; believe me, it pays off."
"Understood."
"Super! I've known Ryo for a long time; if he bothers you, you can always come to me."
Kagami left the room, flashing a smile at Kouji. Not a second later, Kouji returned to his room and waited for the evening. As it arrived, Kouji went to the reception area, where Kagami and Yorihito were already waiting.
"Finally, you're here too, newcomer," Yorihito said in a disgusted tone.
Kagami leaned against Kouji and whispered to him. "He's the same year as you; don't worry."
She smiled briefly, and the group set off for the location. They travelled there in Kagami's car. Yuusuke and Kouji usually had to take the train, but he found this more relaxing.
–Maybe I should also tackle getting my driver's licence.
They drove far out into the wilderness until they arrived at a half-forgotten area. There were no signs anywhere, but it was clear that it was an ancient territory. As the three got out of the car, Kagami reiterated their mission.
"Go in, observe, report; nothing more."
The two nodded, Kouji full of enthusiasm, while Yorihito nodded with the least effort he could muster.
Kagami confidently went ahead, checking the corners as if in his sleep, while Kouji and Yorihito only acted as backup.
"This makes no sense; we'll split up now."
Kagami's instruction came suddenly and was carried out without argument.
The area the three were supposed to investigate has a total of 4 buildings, with the one building Kagami is currently searching being slightly longer than the rest.
Kouji chose the second largest building, while Yorihito went into the smallest one.
–That guy is so lazy.
But Kouji's thoughts were not only on Yorihito or the mission; he also thought a lot about what happened in his nightmares. Since he started having these nightmares, his analysing felt...different. He perceived objects differently. While he could still perceive and understand the structures around him, his perception was less precise. Even movements, which had once flashed into his brain like a vision of the future, allowing him to react, were now only vaguely perceptible.
He touched the edge of a steel beam in the building…
–Rusting carbon steel; no longer particularly stable.
…and could see exactly how he was doing. It wasn't just a measurement; it was like a blueprint or a 3D model that had been shot directly into his brain.
As Kouji continued searching the building, a trash can fell over. Yorihito had knocked him over after he had finished his building and joined Kouji.
"Why do I even have to participate in such a mission?" A waste of time — my energy would be better spent elsewhere," Yorihito said, annoyed.
"Don't complain so much."
"Do you have a problem? It's only because of you that I even have to participate in this mission."
"Just because you don't care about other people's lives doesn't mean you have to behave like this!"
Yorihito's eyes twitched briefly as he clenched his fists.
"What does one of Ryo's sycophants know about me?"
"How did you just ca—"
"That's enough!"
Kagami's voice broke the squabbling.
"There were reports here—originally, Akechi wanted to come alone, but something came up; there must have been a reason why he chose the three of us."
"You don't want me to have to write a direct report to Akechi that you're not carrying out your tasks because of arguments, do you?"
"Tsk."
Yorihito lowered his head to the right when suddenly a loud bang echoed through the building.
Kagami's hand was instantly on her spear, and her legs were already in motion. She sprinted straight toward the sound, and a moment later Kouji followed her. Yorihito, on the other hand, slowly trailed behind them.
At the scene of the explosion — nobody.
Kouji and Kagami cautiously looked around the room.
–I sense an immense aura in this room—as if two incredibly powerful people had met here.
But before the two went deeper, a voice could be heard approaching from the corridor.
Yorihito entered the room, dragging a middle-aged man behind him.
"Calm down, I've already got the culprit," he said. Yorihito threw the man to the ground in front of him.
"Help," the man repeated quietly over and over. His brown eyes were staring fearfully. His mouth was wide open. He crawled slowly towards Kagami when suddenly metal strings shot out onto the ground in front of him. One string grazed his arm, which immediately began to bleed.
"Not one step further."
Yorihito's voice was a threat veiled in sound. The man flinched in shock.
"I said—"
It was only a second, but at the sight of the man's yellow eyes, Yorihito froze for a moment, and before he could make another movement, Kouji sensed it: Yorihito's intention to kill this man for disobeying his order.
–He doesn't mean to—surely he doesn't mean to—
Kouji sprinted off as fast as he could, but the strings were already shooting towards the man, and Kouji was still too far away.
–I won't make it in time.
The strings cut through everything inside them. Even the concrete floor was sliced through by the strings, and all that remained was the blood that had dripped onto the floor.
But—Yorihito immediately noticed that something was wrong and looked to his left. Kagami was standing there, the man in her arms, while she carried him to drop off.
Yorihito stared, frozen, into the man's eyes when he suddenly felt a fist on his cheek and flew away. Kouji had delivered it as a lesson for his actions. But instead of erupting in rage again, he lay calmly and accepted it.
Meanwhile, Kagami was already interrogating the man.
"Name?"
"Shinya"
"Birth date?"
"December 21st XXXX"
Suddenly, Shinya's eyes widened. Fear spread through his brown eyes, which had seemed calm just moments before.
"Stay calm, everything is fine; just explain how you got here and you can leave."
"What happened?"
"I just took your details; do you need medical assistance?"
"My data?"
"You are Shinya, born on December 21st."
"December 21st? No, my birthday is on February 6th."
"Can you describe how you got here?"
"It was like a gas or fog that enveloped me, and before I realised… I was already here, and the boy up front dragged me into the room."
"A fog?"
Kagami listened to Shinya's remaining descriptions and noted everything down in a report for Akechi. Shortly afterward, she brought the man safely back from the area, and the mission ended.
Back in the main building, the door hissed open. Yorihito rushed straight towards the dormitory.
"He's testing me," he muttered quietly to himself and disappeared into his room.
Kagami handed in her report at reception and was about to set off to Ryo's office but paused after seeing Kouji standing at the vending machine.
"Everything OK?"
Kouji nodded slightly: "Yes — I was just thinking."
Kagami briefly looked him over, and before she disappeared, she said, "Hey, don't worry about that man; you'll become just as strong in time, and then you can save others."
Kouji looked to the right, but Kagami was already gone.
A voice from the reception said, "Well, if that isn't Yabuki."
It was Yumi. She was leaning against her desk with her arms folded, her hair dishevelled over her glasses. She looked amused but also tired.
"I skipped through your report—you gave Yorihito quite the punch; I already asked myself how he got beat up."
Kouji took a water bottle from the vending machine and went to Yumi.
"Pushed to the late shift again?"
"No… This time I accepted voluntarily," she said with a grin on her lips.
He exhaled — a strange mixture of a smile and frustration.
Yumi scurried over to Kouji, and then her gaze softened.
"Your aura gets stronger."
"Oh yes?"
"Yesss—trust me, I have an eye for such things," she said with a wink.
She leaned further over the counter and, with a startled look, bent down underneath it. Far enough that Kouji could see down her cleavage, but he quickly looked away.
She lifted her body again and looked at Kouji in astonishment. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing…"
She shrugged and pushed a package across the table.
"Here—your uniform; check in your room to see if everything is fine; your adjustments were quite complex."
Kouji took the package and headed towards the dormitory to go to his room.
"Hey Kouji."
He stopped and turned slightly towards Yumi.
"Next time you argue with Yorihito, let him hit you back; at least then it will look like a workplace accident."
She winked again and added, "Then there will be no punishment."
Kouji walked away with a slight grin on his face.
"Understood."