Rain slapped lazily against the glass of the coastal dorm, washing the day in a heavy, overcast silence. The streets outside were dead quiet—most people had sealed themselves indoors after the bloody chaos at the Yaoshima shopping center, which was currently cordoned off by emergency tape and armed blockades as the casualty count kept climbing.
"So..." Cinder ambled into the living room, taking a casual glance around at the squad slouched across the sofas, including Takumi. "There was a pretty nasty incident over at the Yaoshima mall. Guessing you guys already caught the news?"
She leaned against the back of an armchair and crossed her arms, checking out everyone's reaction.
"No crap," Timotheo grunted, his eyes shut tight as he leaned back with his arms laced behind his head. "Everyone and their mother knows that crap went down."
He let out an annoyed scoff, shifting in his seat. "Didn't that Malform haul ass and escape the area anyway? And here we are, doing jack shit, sitting around waiting for the higher-ups to clean up the mess—even though we all know they're mostly useless." He hoisted his boots onto the coffee table with a thud, lazily rocking his chair back onto two legs.
"What do you expect us to do? Run out into the rain and hunt the damn thing ourselves?" Lyss shot back from the adjacent sofa, sitting right beside Takumi, who remained dead silent.
"Well... actually," Cinder chuckled, a lazy smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Today's already turning out to be pretty trash anyway, right? So here's the deal."
The mood in the room shifted instantly as everyone perked up, their interest caught.
"You know how you three are always bitching about the Institute's stupid rules and all crying red tape for field work?" Cinder asked, taking a few easy steps toward the middle of the room.
Takumi slid a side-eye toward her, leaning his elbow onto the armrest of the sofa. "Yeah. What about it?" he asked in his usual calm voice, waiting to see where she was going with this.
Cinder shrugged, tossing her head back slightly. "Look, nobody has any idea where that Malform bounced to, which means we don't gotta sit around waiting on the Institute to mess it up. I put together a little off-the-books run for you guys. But first... gotta introduce your new assistant."
She turned toward the doorway and tossed a casual glance over her shoulder.
"Alright, Itsuki, get in here."
Itsuki strolled into the living room, a surprisingly easygoing, laid-back expression on his face despite everything.
In unison, the rest of the squad turned their heads to lock eyes with Takumi.
"Itsuki? Isn't he..." Lyss started, leaning back against the sofa as she waited for Takumi to fill in the blanks, her eyes flicking between the two of them.
"Yeah. He's my classmate from Yaoshima High and my best friend," Takumi explained simply.
Itsuki raised a lazy hand in greeting, tossing a chill grin toward the couch. "Yoo, Taki! What's up, my man? Didn't think you'd be keepin' a girl around ya like this." He chuckled softly with a playful wink before reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.
Lyss leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm as she offered him a completely unamused stare. "I swear I saw this guy at the mall..." she thought to herself, keeping her mouth shut.
Her mind flashed back to the chaotic scene at the shopping center just before the catastrophe peaked. "That damn Malform is still out there somewhere in Yaoshima, and I haven't even had the chance to hunt it down.The second it fled, it slipped right past my radar..."
Takumi noticed her zoning out, deep in thought, but chose not to interrupt. He simply leaned back into the sofa cushion, crossing his arms over his chest.
"She's always overthinking something..." he thought to himself, studying her guarded expression and trying to figure out what was hiding behind her usual mask. Is that just how she is?"
Before the quiet could drag on, Cinder clapped her hands together to reclaim the room's attention. "Alright, listen up. Itsuki here is gonna be crashing at our dorm from now on. I already gave him the rundown on the house rules, so the rest of you just focus on introducing yourselves and showin' him up to his room on the second floor."
Timotheo didn't even bother lifting his head off the back of the chair. He just let out a heavy, dramatic sigh into the ceiling.
"I'm Timotheo," he muttered, completely unbothered.
"Look at this, Taki!" Itsuki entered with a broad smile. "Turns out I'll be in the same class with ya, anyway. Even in the same dorm! Guess we ain't spreadin' any time soon."
Stepping forward, he shoved his palm toward Takumi, who offered a soft smile in return and slapped a crisp high-five right into his open hand.
"Glad to hear it," Takumi said, lowering his hand as the loud clap echoed off the living room walls. "At least I don't have to worry about you getting lost on your first day."
Lyss rolled her eyes, shaking her head while still resting her chin in her hand. "Great. Just what this place needed—another loudmouth."
"Hey! I heard that!" Itsuki laughed, flashing her a grin before turning to glance up the stairwell. "So, second floor, right? Which room's mine, Taki?"
"Well, we've got seven empty bedrooms upstairs, so you can take whichever one catches your eye. Plenty of room to choose from, and I'm sure you'll find somewhere comfortable," Takumi explained with a casual shrug before turning toward the staircase and making his way up.
Itsuki immediately followed, looking rather pleased with how easily he'd settled into his new living arrangements. "Sounds good to me! You're the tour guide, Taki. Lead the way!" he replied with a cheerful grin, trailing a couple of steps behind his best friend as the two disappeared upstairs.
Back in the living room, Timotheo watched them leave before slowly turning his attention toward Lyss, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "Well, would you look at that? You're officially the only female student in this entire dorm. And honestly, Itsuki seems like a pretty fun dude. I can already see us spending hours gaming together!" he chuckled, looking far too amused by the thought.
Lyss barely acknowledged his excitement, instead letting out a small sigh as she gathered her notebook and straightened the pages. "Still, I really wish there were more girls around here..." she muttered, sounding somewhat disappointed as she began getting her things ready for the upcoming class.
Cinder eventually strolled back into the spacious living room, her iced tea in hand and a straw resting between her lips. She casually glanced around before directing her attention toward Timotheo, who was still comfortably sprawled across the sofa. "Alright, how 'bout you make yourself useful and take care of the laundry? Gotta have all that stuff washed and ready for tomorrow. I'm takin' the day off, so don't go forgettin' about it, yeah?" she remarked, taking another sip of her drink.
Timotheo slowly turned his head toward her, his expression dropping into an almost comically miserable frown. "You want me to do that now? Seriously? Come on, Cinder... I haven't done a single fun thing today. Can't I just get a little time off?" he complained, sinking further into the sofa as though he could somehow disappear into the cushions.
Cinder rolled her eyes, clearly having little patience for his whining. "Oh, quit complainin' and get your ass movin'. Your idea of fun can wait. You've had plenty of it over the last few days, so now it's time to actually do somethin' useful."
"But what about Lyss?! She's been taking it easy too!" Timotheo quickly argued, pointing toward the girl in an attempt to shift the responsibility onto someone else.
Cinder simply raised an eyebrow, barely impressed by his attempt. "Unlike you, she's actually got schoolwork to deal with. So unless you've suddenly decided to hit the books, I'd suggest you stop makin' excuses and get that laundry done." She gave him a dismissive wave toward the laundry room. "Now, move it!"
To be continued...