Chapter 8 - "Combat"
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Hoshino Aya turned out to be the kind of teacher who could explain the end of civilization like she was telling you about the weather.
She sat across the desk from me, braid hanging over one shoulder, smiling that soft, patient smile that made me feel like maybe I wasn't completely doomed. Holographic displays floated between us—timelines, maps, mana radiation charts, diagrams of android breeding units. All the cheerful stuff.
She talked about how society restructured after the Cataclysm, how the academy trained elite women for leadership and defense, I nodded along, catching maybe forty percent of it. The rest of the time I was noticing how her blouse hugged her when she leaned forward to point at something, or how she tucked hair behind her ear when she was thinking.
*Stop it, Kaito. Focus. She's your teacher. Not a character in one of your late-night searches.*
But yeah. I wasn't focusing.
Aya never got frustrated. If my eyes glazed over she'd just gently say my name—"Kaito-kun?"—and repeat the last part like it was no big deal.
By the time the session ended I felt like I'd learned something. Or at least I hadn't embarrassed myself too badly.
The door slid open right on cue.
Akane stepped in, red hair perfect, tablet glowing in her hand.
"Academic session concluded," she said, voice flat as always. "Combat training begins now. Follow me."
I stood up, stretching my arms. "Combat training? What?"
Aya gave me a small, encouraging smile. "You'll be fine, Kaito-kun. Just listen to your instructor."
I wasn't so sure.
Akane marched me down the hallway like I was late for an appointment with destiny. Or execution. Same difference.
"Why do I even need combat lessons?" I asked, trying to keep up with her pace. "I thought my whole job here was to… you know. Sit around and be rare."
Akane didn't slow down. "Self-defense is mandatory for all high-value assets. Mana monsters do not discriminate between genders or status. If a breach occurs and you cannot protect yourself, you become a liability. We do not allow liabilities."
"So I'm learning to fight so I don't get eaten while everyone's busy protecting my precious sperm bank status?"
"Precisely."
"Also you have to fight alone with your combat partner". Akane said.
"What !".
*Great. I'm a walking endangered species with a sword. Peak life.*
We reached an outdoor training field—wide open, reinforced barriers, practice dummies lined up like soldiers, weapon racks gleaming under the sun. A few students were sparring in the distance, moving so fast it looked choreographed.
In the center stood a woman with long silver hair tied high, dressed in a sleek black instructor uniform that left her arms bare and hugged every dangerous curve.
My steps slowed without me meaning to.
That hair. That posture. Something hit me in the chest—sharp.
Akane stopped beside me.
"Shiraishi Rei," she said. "Your assigned personal combat instructor."
Rei turned.
Violet eyes locked onto mine.
Cold. Sharp. Beautiful in a way that made everything else feel small.
She looked me over once—head to toe, slow, clinical—like she was evaluating a new weapon. Or a problem.
I couldn't look away.
She didn't blink.
Neither did I.
The air between us felt thick, heavy, like it knew something we didn't.
Akane glanced between us, then stepped back a fraction.
"Training begins now."
But I barely heard her.
All I could do was stare at the woman in front of me, heart pounding for no reason I could name.
And she stared right back.
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*End*