The city was busier than usual.
Merchants called out to passing customers, carts rolled along the cobblestone streets, and groups of people moved between the shops.
Among them walked two familiar figures.
Ryosen glanced at the buildings around them.
"It's been a while since we've come here together."
Aegis kept his hands in his pockets.
"You're the one who stopped coming."
"I had things to attend to."
"You always had things to attend to."
Ryosen smiled faintly.
"And yet, you still came with me."
"Someone had to make sure you didn't get lost."
Ryosen chuckled.
Some things never changed.
For a moment, walking beside Aegis reminded him of the days before the Haven had become what it was now. Back when the two of them would travel together, often without a clear destination, simply because there was somewhere they wanted to go.
Then Ryosen noticed something.
A group of young people walked past them, laughing among themselves. They appeared to be around Shichiro's age, perhaps a little younger.
They wore matching uniforms.
Dark jackets. Neatly fitted trousers. A crest embroidered over the chest.
Ryosen's gaze lingered on the lettering beneath the crest.
HU.
He watched the students disappear into the crowd before turning to Aegis.
"What does HU stand for?"
Aegis glanced at the uniforms.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he smiled.
"Heart University."
Ryosen turned to him.
"Heart University?"
"That's right."
Aegis looked back toward the street, where the students had disappeared.
"One of the most prestigious institutions ever established for Heart users. They trained combat specialists, researchers, tacticians... some of the finest Heart users the world had ever seen."
Ryosen raised an eyebrow.
"You make it sound impressive."
"Impressive?"
Aegis scoffed.
"Ryosen, you're underselling it."
He gestured toward the students.
"Even Isocrates and Ingram studied and taught there once."
Ryosen stopped walking.
"...Isocrates?"
"And Ingram."
Aegis glanced at him.
"Now do you understand?"
Ryosen stared at him for a moment before looking back at the students.
"I wasn't aware such an institution existed."
"That's because it hasn't been around for a while."
Aegis's smile faded slightly.
"Not anymore. At least, not until recently."
Ryosen turned toward him.
"What happened?"
Aegis was quiet for a moment.
"Every professional Heart user who stood against Bellerophon was wiped out. The people who protected the world, the ones who trained the next generation... gone."
His eyes followed a pair of students crossing the street.
"Without them, the university lost the people who made it what it was. Its instructors. Its graduates. Its heroes."
He paused.
"Eventually, HU shut down."
Ryosen lowered his gaze.
Bellerophon.
That name again.
Another piece of the world that seemed to be slipping through their fingers.
"And now?" Ryosen asked.
Aegis shrugged.
"Now he's gone."
Ryosen looked at him.
"You mean Bellerophon?"
"Who else?"
Aegis's tone was casual, but his expression had grown more thoughtful.
"Funny thing is, nobody seems to remember him anymore. Nobody talks about what happened. Nobody remembers why HU disappeared in the first place."
He glanced at Ryosen.
"But the university is back."
Ryosen studied the students once more.
"You're saying its reopening is connected to Bellerophon's disappearance?"
"I'm saying the timing is suspicious."
For once, Aegis didn't sound entirely certain of himself.
He resumed walking.
"Besides, I've been there before. I know what that place can do when it's operating at its best."
Ryosen followed him.
"You attended Heart University?"
Aegis gave him a sideways glance.
"Of course."
"You neglected to mention that."
"You never asked."
Ryosen sighed.
"That seems to be your favorite excuse."
"Because it keeps working."
Aegis grinned.
Then he looked ahead, toward the distant buildings beyond the marketplace.
"If they're really bringing HU back, I want to see it for myself."
Ryosen considered the idea.
An institution that had once trained Isocrates and Ingram. A place built to develop the potential of Heart users. A university that had fallen alongside the very people it was meant to prepare.
And now, it was returning.
In a world that no longer remembered the man responsible for its downfall.
"Very well," Ryosen said. "Let's go take a look."
Aegis smirked.
"Now you're talking."
The two continued down the street.
Neither of them knew what awaited them at Heart University.
But for the first time in a long while, Aegis looked genuinely excited about something.