Click—
The sound of the door opening silenced the chatter instantly.
Akira stepped out, parchment in hand, his eyes scanning the freshly updated numbers.
Akira
Level 3
Strength: S965 → SS1031
Endurance: S945 → SS1025
Dexterity: SS1011 → SS1089
Agility: SS1021 → SSS1113
Magic: SSS1269 → SSS1621
[Development Abilities]
- Mystery E
- Treatment E
Akira exhaled slowly, thoughts racing as he frowned at the paper.
During this promotion, aside from the early battles alongside Alise and the others when they struck the evilus stronghold, most of his time had been spent running, casting spells, or pulling people out of burning rubble. So the result was obvious, only his Magic stat had surged forward as usual, while the others barely budged.
"Even if my stats are already high, this rate of improvement is way too slow." He muttered internally, irritation rising. "This skill 'Awakening', it feels like a scam."
As he complained in silence, a streak of vivid red suddenly brushed the edge of his vision.
"Yo, Akira."
A crisp, teasing voice rang out, breaking his thoughts. Along with it came a sweet, familiar fragrance that toyed with his senses.
Alise had turned from her conversation with Kaguya, Ryuu, and Neze, immediately spotting him. Her smile bloomed like the sun as she approached.
She leaned forward slightly, eyes wide and curious as they flicked from his face to the parchment in his hand.
"From the looks of it, you don't seem very happy with the result, huh?"
Akira waved casually, forcing a relaxed grin. "It's fine. I'm not in any rush."
"Does our little man even need to worry about his growth, captain?"
Kaguya drifted closer, her steps graceful as always, her lips curling faintly as she lingered by Alise's side.
Her fox-like eyes glimmered with sly amusement as she added, "If we all fought him together, I doubt it would take much effort on his part. He's already well beyond what we can handle."
Her words sounded complimentary on the surface, but the sly undertone made Akira twitch.
"Uh… wait…" He rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Kaguya, what exactly do you mean by that?"
Was she seriously implying something else entirely?
What did she mean by if they all came together to deal with him, it wouldn't take much energy? And was she really talking about fighting right now or something else altogether?!
"Hehe. Kaguya, you don't get it, do you?" Alise tilted her head, eyes sparkling mischievously as her lips curved in a mysterious smile. "Even if Akira—"
"Alright, alright, you two can flirt, uh, debate later." Lyra cut them off with a sharp wave of her hand, saving Akira from spiraling further into confusion.
"Astraea-sama is still waiting inside."
Ryuu, ever the picture of composure, stepped forward and pushed the door open. She glanced back at the group, her tone calm but urging. "Let's not keep her waiting."
"Astraea-sama! We're coming in right away!" Neze shouted, moving forward. She promptly shoved Kaguya from behind.
"I know, I know. Stop pushing me, I can walk on my own." Kaguya shot back, clearly flustered.
Unlike many other familias, Astraea Familia treated the matter of status update with great care for privacy. It was normal for three or four girls to update theirs together, and even then, modesty was carefully maintained.
After all, even though some of them had grown close to Akira in certain ways, exposing their bare backs so openly was still embarrassing.
Either Akira watched alone or all of them watched together. Mixing the two birthed a strange, inescapable sense of shame.
Kaguya, Ryuu, Lyra, and Neze chose to rank up one after another.
The others, however, could not. They had yet accumulated enough special excelia, and their stats were still lacking.
Even so, it was clear that after the conclusion of this great war, most of the Astraea familia would likely be ready to advance. By then, all but Lyra, Maryuu, and Lili would stand at level 4.
So when the four finally stepped out, their presence carrying a newfound radiance, everyone understood that they had crossed the threshold into another stage. And silently, the others vowed to catch up as soon as possible.
...
Three days had passed since the attack of Evilus. The sky remained cloaked in heavy clouds, but the sorrowful drizzle had ceased.
"Completely destroyed…" Lyra muttered, frowning at the shattered streets.
Kaguya's black hair swayed as she turned her head, her sharp eyes sweeping across the devastation. "Yes. This is the power of something far beyond level 4."
Though she herself had just stepped into level 4, her body still felt unfamiliar, her strength raw, untamed.
Akira, walking behind them, added firmly, "Don't worry. In time, everyone's strength will match or even surpass theirs. I promise."
"Hehe, confident words." Kaguya smirked, her voice carrying mischief. "But can the pallum beside me say the same?"
Her playful jab made Lyra scowl. Normally sharp-tongued, she knew that Kaguya, now stronger, would have the upper hand if things escalated.
So Lyra fired back in another way, "Strength is nice and all but can it win you the heart of your sweetheart?"
Kaguya froze. Her black hair stilled mid-sway, her expression twitching as the words sank in.
"You're dragging in irrelevant matters." She snapped.
Akira sighed, stepping between them and linking their arms before the quarrel could boil over.
"Alright, enough. We're supposed to be on patrol."
"Hmph. Fine, I won't argue with you this time." Kaguya huffed, puffing her cheeks. "And that's exactly why I hate teaming up with you."
Lyra grinned, hands tucked behind her head, satisfied with the reaction.
Akira, stuck in the middle, could only sigh again.
The scene felt strange, yet undeniably familiar, like a rhythm the three had fallen into without realizing it.
Northern Orario
Their patrol carried them into Orario's eighth sector, north of the city.
On the night of the Great Struggle, this was the second fiercest battlefield after the southwest, where Zald had appeared. Freya's familia had defended it, but the devastation spoke for itself.
Entire blocks were nothing but rubble—buildings collapsed, streets buried under stone. The destruction came not from fire, but from indiscriminate blasts of magic.
Silence hung over the district. The streets the Astraea familia had once sworn to protect no longer existed. But for Kaguya and Lyra, that silence wasn't painful.
Akira had noticed it before, the way the two carried themselves. Beneath their differences, their auras were remarkably alike: open-minded, pragmatic, mature.
Lyra, usually burdened with keeping the team's balance, could relax around Kaguya. She didn't need to fill the silence, or read others' moods. And Kaguya felt the same. They understood each other instinctively.
Both deputy captain and strategist of the familia, both women with tragic pasts. Realists, molded by despair, who had found new purpose under Astraea's banner, and now, despite their clashing styles, formed an unlikely pair who cared deeply for the girls they protected.
Akira, too, was a realist, though without their scars. Having lived two lives, and now shaped by the familia's ideals, he had begun to walk the path of justice alongside them.
"Oh…" Lyra suddenly halted, her gaze narrowing at the open space ahead.
"It's that camp. The one where we were stoned yesterday." Kaguya followed her eyes, then smirked, tilting her head toward Akira.
"And also the place where our handsome Akira-sama showed off."
Akira's keen sight picked out the very faces of those who had thrown stones. If they noticed him again, trouble would surely follow.
This was not the place where he wanted to be recognized. That moment, standing tall, defending the girls against the crowd, still weighed on him.
"Nothing to say." Akira muttered flatly. "We'll check for threats and leave quickly. No point in—huh?"
Kaguya's eyes sharpened. Something ahead had caught her attention.
At the center of the encampment, a girl stood by a steaming cauldron.
"Here, please have some hot soup." She said kindly, ladling portions into bowls.
"Me too!"
"Hey, don't push!"
The homeless, displaced citizens crowded around her, desperate for warmth and food.