The door was remarkably him.
It was plain and white, like the walls of his apartment, but the peephole was covered by a piece of scrapwood screwed hastily over the glass, and the door was wrapped in tape. Though he couldn't read the black text on the hazard-yellow ribbons, he assumed it read "Danger" or "Police," as it did in America.
It had to be his. Every ounce of his education, from pre-k to university, had drilled into him the dangers of doors: "If you see a door, report it ASAP to the police. Don't touch it, keep children out of its reach, and report it."
But Sylvain couldn't report it to the police.
He couldn't speak Japanese. He could barely understand Japanese. With a quick internet search, sure, he could find the emergency number, but even if he could read a line off a translator, it wouldn't ensure they understood him.
So he sat in his apartment. He couldn't do anything more.
He had electricity, water, and a fridge full of food. Eventually, his boss would report him missing, or maybe they'd just fire the foreigner who couldn't speak Japanese without raising a brow.
He could keep himself entertained with movies on his laptop or books on his phone, but the fear was starting to set in.
The fear that he'd die because there was a door to his apartment.
He wanted to laugh hysterically. In America, he'd never have such a problem. His state had allowed doors, so he'd been around several; he knew what to do and what not to do.
But he couldn't do anything, because he was trapped. So he stared out the window.
If he imagined hard enough, he could see the fire escape of his apartment in America, but no amount of imagination would change the fact that if he were even able to open his current window, he would not survive the ten-story gap between him and freedom.
Day after day, he ignored the door. He simply didn't turn around–he kept his gaze focused on the window.
On day five, he thought that at least the mailperson would've come through his near-empty building, but still, the door went ignored by all.
He wondered if he, too, would go ignored. He didn't want to be. Maybe, when he could no longer stare out his window, he would open the door.
Years and years and years of "doors are bad," "doors are dangerous," and "doors will eat you faster than cancer."
Was this the call of the void?
He looked back at the door, all bound up and trapped.
He was like the door, and the door was like him.
Hisako drew figures in the air with a weight bar in one hand. The other held her phone out for the video call. The large weights at the end were meant to help her grow stronger and comfortable enough to use Toraichi for long periods of time.
"Whoa! How much is that?" Kohaku laughed.
Hisako bared the bar as she might while guarding with Toraichi. The strain made her arm shake, but she grit her teeth and held strong. "Sixty kilos. About my own weight."
"Planning on climbing with me? With arm strength like that, you won't even need your legs!"
"Yeah?" Hisako laughed. "Show me where you are?"
Kohaku raised their phone and showed where they were—a small camp on a mountainside. Behind them was a sheer cliff that someone was already climbing, a colorful blob slowly scaling a sheet of brown-gray rock.
"Oh, wow," Hisako breathed. She set the weights down with a loud clunk. "Where is that?"
"California!"
"America!" Hisako exclaimed. "That's awesome!"
"I found an outdoors club in Japan that was traveling, so I tagged along. We'll be back in Japan soon, but after we climb this big guy, we're taking a few days in Hawaii."
"Hawaii," Hisako breathed. "Oh, you have to take photos."
"Of course!" Kohaku laughed. "If I could bring Hawaii to you, I would."
Hisako smiled. "Maybe we can go together sometime."
"Yeah, that sounds fun. Maybe after I get a job and some money, though," they laughed. "I spent all my pocket money on this trip."
"Ah. Hm. I just got my first paycheck at my new job. Closing bonuses are looking really awesome right now."
They laughed. "How is that going?"
"It's… rewarding," Hisako replied. "It's dangerous. Way more dangerous than construction. You know how it was."
Their face darkens. "I do. But, you're safe, right?"
"My teammates protect me. I've… I've not had any close calls yet." She held back the "I killed a woman a few weeks ago," burning in her throat. "I saved a man, and I've been helping save others." She paused. "I've made some friends."
"Aw, you're smiling so wide, 'Sako-chan!" Kohaku cooed.
"Ah, cut it out!" Hisako cried. Her face heated up a bit. "My mentor—the man who helped us—he's talking about getting me a promotion."
"Already? That's really good, Hisako. Maybe I won't have to get a job! If you get a raise, you may be able to take me to Hawaii!"
Hisako chuckled. "Maybe. I'm making a little more than we used to make, but we're practically a nonprofit organization. I'm not sure if a raise is Hawaii-trip money, but I'll start looking into it."
Kohaku smiled, and their eyes softened. "I can chip in, no worries. I can hardly wait to hang out with you again."
"Me too."
Before she could continue, her alarm went off, reminding her of—
"Oh, I'm sorry, Kohaku. I have to meet up with my mentor. He wants to talk about the… interview process for the promotion."
"You've got this!" Kohaku cheered. "See you soon!"
"See you, have fun."
Kohaku hung up, their smiling face freezing on the screen for a moment before the call ended. Hisako was left staring at her own face reflected back at her, then her screen lit up again as Amajiki texted her where he'd meet her: the stone garden by the central barracks.
The walk only took a few minutes—she took the chance to clean off and shrug her uniform shirt back on.
Amajiki was sitting at the edge of the garden, tracing the toe of his dress shoe along with the pattern below. He was looking at his phone, but perked up when she approached.
"Mochizuki-san," he greeted. "You seem cheerier than usual."
She smiled as she sat down beside him. "I am. Kohaku called from California—they're living life their way. So am I, for the first time in a very long time."
He smiled quietly at her. "I'm glad. So," he tapped his phone against his knee as he spoke, "I wanted to discuss the details of the exam with you.
"I believe you are ready, but I'm not going to rush you into anything you don't want to do."
"Okay. I trust you."
"But listen, yes? You will be in a four-man team. Your teammates will be your seniors—three judges working alongside you. It will take place in a real door, and you will lead the mission—not too different from what happened in your own door."
She nodded slowly.
"The door, of course, is not curated, so should it be inappropriate for the test, they will take the lead, and you'll take the exam when an appropriate door arises. The very nature of the exam is risky—as risky as your first patrol's incident."
Hisako pressed her lips together. "Incident" was a gentle word. Eiji and Hajime almost died, and she'd killed Miu. Her nightmares would continue for a long time, centering around that night.
"I want to grow. I want to be able to help more people," she said. "This is a step in that journey."
His smile flattened for a more solemn look. "I don't want you to rush into things, Mochizuki-san. This is a lifelong journey; it is normal to take your time."
"You think I'm ready," she reminded him. "I've been doing well on patrols since Hajime's Trapdooring."
He shifted and sighed. "Yes. Kumagai waited until recently to give me her approval, but she was ready to vouch for you after that first night."
"I'd like to try," Hisako confirmed.
Amajiki nodded. "Alright. You'll be in good hands—I'll make sure of that."
He stood, and Hisako followed him up. He twirled his phone in his hand and took a deep breath.
"I'll have the answer soon. Continue with your training and patrols as normal until then."
Hisako nodded. "Thank you."
His face softened. "No, thank you. From what Kumagai says and our conversation with the Doctor, you're starting to understand what kind of position you've been placed in here. It's not the easiest time to become a Doorkeeper, let alone one who is friends with me, yet close to a Sasaki."
Hisako blushed. She wasn't close to Nanae, but—"Can those two things not exist together? You seem to get along with her well."
"Oh," he sighed. "Life is never so simple. Maybe you haven't heard yet, but Nanae-san is not a branch family member like Hachi-san. She's… enough of the real deal that, one day, when the world changes, she may not be on your side."
Hisako flinches. "What does that mean?"
"I mean that she has obligations, Mochizuki-san. She may agree with us—I don't doubt that she does—but belief is not loyalty. The Doorkeepers are not a company composed of different departments all serving the same master; we are companies of an army, each with our own creeds and beliefs. We share the same duty, but we are not all of the same mind."
Hisako chewed on her lip. She didn't want to talk about this. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind."
"I don't mean to… make things messy between you two. I just want to warn you—we are all friendly enough now, but when push comes to shove, friends are harder to find."
She nodded, and he left her quietly, ducking down the hall that led to the wing of offices.
She pulled out her phone and checked the time. She still had a good few hours before she had to get ready for patrol.
She returned to the gymnasium to finish her workout. Patrol went on without a hitch, and, as she, Kumagai, and Eiji waited for a Doorkeeper to arrive to clear the door they guarded, they chatted about the exam.
They were seated in a commuter lot outside a station at the edge of Pacchi. A round wooden door, similar to a barrel, had appeared on the concrete side of one of the buildings.
"So Amajiki has put in the paperwork for your exam," Kumagai remarked.
"He spoke with me earlier about it."
Kumagai chuckled. "It's a hot topic at the water cooler already. It sounds like a lot of keepers are interested in seeing Amajiki's latest student."
"Is Amajiki-san a big deal in Chubu?" Eiji asked.
"Mm, there aren't so many A-Grades in Chubu. The captain is working on it, but, in the meantime, the few A-Grades we have must shine brightly." Her eyes crinkled as she smiled sharply, lips pulling at her jagged scar. "I hear one of them is vying for a position on your exam team already."
Hisako's brows flew up. "What?" She chuckled nervously. "Is that a good thing?"
"Eh," Kumagai said with a shrug. "It's not bad. Amajiki won't let anyone incompatible with you on your team."
"Does he really have that kind of sway? It seems a little… un-objective if he can choose who's allowed on Hisako's team."
"Amajiki is fair, and he and the captain are close. Chubu is a tight-knit group—a bunch of oddballs—, so when someone is trusted, they are very trusted."
"Odd how?" Hisako pressed.
Kumagai hummed, searching for the words. "Sometimes, powers aren't so straightforward, right? Of all of us, yours is the least simple, but you've seen Amaijiki in action—it's downright risky to use at times.
"You don't always stay in the division you Awakened in, and the Chubu Division takes in many of these 'oddball' power-users—it always has, since its founding. The Division has always been at the forefront of… 'progress', I suppose the best word for it is."
"Does that have something to do with the changes you were talking about on that night?" Eiji asked.
"Captain Iwamoto is at the forefront of the movement, yes. He's a strong figurehead—very trusted, very charismatic." She chuckled. "One day, you'll meet him, and you'll see." Her smile fell and twisted a bit. "Hopefully you'll not meet him soon, though. There's still time."
The two junior Doorkeepers' faces fell.
"It's nothing to worry about," she said. "You've become pieces on this large board of chess he plays, but you're not needed yet."
Hisako and Eiji exchanged cautious glances.
"The game is also part of being a Doorkeeper," Kumagai sighed. "Our duty is twofold: to protect Japan, and to ensure that the Doorkeepers can continue to do so. The game's purpose is to uphold the latter. It's not as dangerous, but it can hurt. Amajiki has been burned before, like this."
"How so?" Hisako asked.
"His first student. Kaeo Noknoi. You're nothing like him, yet Amajiki has the same attitude about you as he did back then—anyone he's that enthusiastic about will always make waves across the division."
"What happened with Noknoi?" Eiji asked.
"Nothing bad. He simply wasn't the man Amajiki hoped he'd be."
"And what was that?"
"I suppose…" Kumagai pondered for a painfully stretched-out moment. "You. Amajiki hoped he'd be you."