Pathro leaned back with a smirk as Kaile practically vibrated with rage.
"Relax, Kaile. I thought your explanation was detailed and cute. You should do that more often."
Kasumi didn't even get a chance to warn him.
Kaile shot out of her seat like someone had slammed a nuclear launch button. "That's it. You are so dead!"
She lunged across the table, but Kasumi grabbed her shoulders and forced her back down with both hands, sighing like a fed-up babysitter.
"For head presidents, you two sure are goofballs. Anyway, this incident is still serious. Try acting like it."
Kaile finally exhaled and settled back into her seat, though her eye still twitched with murderous intent.
Kiligaku cleared his throat. "Honestly? When Toshiro first told us about the Tokyo thing, I thought he was joking. Which would've been the first joke he's made in his entire life. Hard to believe the whole thing at first."
Pathro nodded, swallowing his food before adding, "What's worrisome isn't the casualty count tragic, yes, but from a Zunan Fighter's perspective, the real concern is how it got here. An Ichigan-type Zunan is low-class. Pure instinct, no advanced thinking, and definitely no ability to cloak its presence. That means the Ichigan didn't arrive alone."
Toshiro leaned forward, his tone level. "Even if an Ichigan somehow awakened such an ability, someone like Sergeant Taneki should've sensed it anyway. He's the Vice Captain of the First Division. Their sensory range is leagues above anything an Ichigan could hide from."
Kaile crossed her arms, her irritation replaced by a thoughtful frown. "So you're saying someone else had to be involved. And it doesn't even have to be a person, maybe a higher-tier Zunan helped it. Or…" She hesitated, voice dropping. "Maybe the law the Flaming God created is glitching."
Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "You've never liked the Flaming God, Kaile. Bias much?"
Pathro shook his head. "She might not be wrong, but it's still unlikely. A Zunan has no motive to help another Zunan eat hearts before itself. So that theory's a stretch. And if it were a failure in the Law of Zutra, Taneki and the Captains would've sensed it instantly. Following a guilty-until-proven-innocent approach… the evidence points to someone with motive."
Toshiro sighed. "Yeah. The Zunan arrived in a high-population district. Not random. I refuse to believe that's coincidence." He leaned back, taking a slow breath. "Still… if someone did this, they're far outside our league. We should just focus on the final test tonight."
Kaile scoffed. "What's there to focus on? For the five of us, this test will be easy."
Pathro shook his head immediately. "See, that's exactly why it won't be. The test is meant to evaluate combat ability. They're not giving us the same thing as everyone else. We're getting something harder."
Kasumi tapped her chin. "Maybe they'll throw an Ichigan or a Rokude at us. Hmm… maybe not an Ichigan. The regeneration and stamina alone would be annoying."
Kiligaku shrugged. "Maybe. But considering an Ichigan showed up out of nowhere… wouldn't hurt to be ready for another."
---
Transition to the Funeral Scene
The sky drifted toward sunset, a soft blanket of cloud filtering the sunlight into a muted gold. The wind was unusually gentle, as if even nature had gone quiet for what was coming.
Tonight was an Otsuya, the first stage of the funeral. A final farewell for friends and family before tomorrow's main ceremony.
And the one being mourned… was Yoshika.
Kaori's close friend. Practically family.
Kaori stood among the gathered mourners, dressed in a long black dress, her hair loose and unstyled. She looked ghostlike .... exhausted, hollow, drained. Her eyes were raw proof that she'd run out of tears hours ago.
Yoshika's mother approached her slowly, noticing the way Kaori stared blankly at the sky.
"Don't blame yourself, Kaori," she said softly. "I know you are… but my daughter wouldn't have wanted that."
Kaori didn't answer immediately. When she finally turned, her voice cracked.
"She was brave… braver than I could ever be. I was still frozen in shock and she...she dragged me away. Even then she put me first."
Her breath hitched, her voice thinning into a whisper.
"I was useless. And she died. I… I was the one who should've died."
She broke again, crying into Yoshika's mother's shoulder.
The mother wrapped her arms around her, trembling as her own tears fell.
"It's not your fault. Yes… I lost my daughter. But she died still being the wonderful person she always was."
She took a shaky breath.
"If anyone is to blame, it's the Zunan Fighters for failing to stop it. But even they're human… they can make mistakes. This whole tragedy was a chain of failures, Kaori. Not your burden alone."
She tightened her hold.
"Don't drown yourself in guilt. It's okay… it's okay."
Kaori thought to herself, "I'm the one who should be comforting her. To me, she was a friend…but to her, she was her only daughter. Yet here I am being comforted instead. I'm useless."
A chill wind brushed past her, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"What's this awful feeling…? Am I refusing to accept her death? No… this is different. I feel like this isn't the end. I feel like something....is targeting me."
---
The sun had set, and darkness was settling in. The clock tower on Okinawa Island showed it was almost 6 p.m. Less than ten minutes away.
Pathro stood in his room, finishing dressing up. His sleek black combat suit clung to him perfectly, accented with striking crimson patches. With his black military boots and half-finger gloves, he looked like someone preparing for war.
The room had two beds, his and Toshiro's.
Toshiro sat calmly on his bed, a book in his hands, already dressed. His suit resembled Pathro's except his patches were a soft light yellow.
"You're seriously reading right before the test? Kinda kills the battle vibe, don't you think?" Pathro said while tightening his boot straps.
Toshiro didn't even look up. "Nah, my mood switches digitally. When it's time to fight, I'll lock in."
Pathro snorted. "Yeah, you're definitely a digital-mood guy. Anyway, should we get going? It's almost 6." He glanced out the window, the sky dark enough to confirm his guess.
Toshiro finally closed his book. "I was only waiting for you."
He stood, stretched once, then added, "Well, I'm ready when you are."
Both vanished instantly, just a blur. The perks of being superhuman.
They reached the assembly point where many cadets had already gathered. Everyone wore identical combat suits, only the patch colors differed. Some matched, some didn't.
Kiligaku joined them wearing sky-blue patches and, strangely, a headband.
Pathro eyed him. "What are you, some kind of ninja?"
Kiligaku fired back, "Says the guy wearing gloves like a boxer. I hope they help you in our bet."
Toshiro raised a brow. "A bet?"
"Yeah," Pathro said casually, "we challenged each other. Whoever finishes the test first wins. Loser gives half of their first salary to the winner."
Toshiro sighed like a disappointed parent. "Of course you did. Don't come crying to me when one of you ends up broke."
Kaile arrived with a new girl, Sumire.
Kaile crossed her arms. "What are you losers talking about now?"
Sumire waved politely. "Hello, boys."
Pathro grinned. "Now this is a pairing you don't see every day, gentle girl and hot-headed porcupine."
Kaile's eyebrow twitched. "Hey. And who exactly are you calling hot-headed porcupine?"
"I didn't say any names," Pathro said with a shrug.
Kaile grabbed him by the neck. "Maybe I should break you before the Zunans do." She let go with an annoyed huff. "Hope you get your bones shattered."
Sumire giggled. "Are you two always like this?"
Kiligaku sighed like he'd aged ten years. "Trust me, I've gotten used to it. They live to argue."
Toshiro cut in, "Hey, the instructor is here."
Instantly, all cadets snapped into formation, fifteen columns, twenty rows. Three hundred cadets in total, spaced precisely one meter apart.
Instructor Kamir stepped onto the stage. A fierce, striking woman, tall, intimidating, her yellow eyes glowing faintly with energy.
Pathro thought, "Instructor Kamir… still terrifying. Even now, I'm pretty sure she could flick me into the stratosphere."
"Alright cadets," she began, "I don't know why they told me to repeat what you already know, but fine. No excuses later."
She sighed. "Japan has two military academies, the one here being the major one. We train three hundred cadets yearly; the other trains two hundred. Due to international agreements, each nation can only grant powers to five hundred people per year."
She scanned the crowd. "You got your powers last year. By law, you must remain cadets for one more year to train. Throwing you into battle immediately after gaining powers would just get you killed."
A brief pause. Absolute silence.
"The purpose of this test is to prove your training has paid off. Fail, and you repeat the year. Don't take this lightly, our job is life and death. We don't need dead weight. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the cadets shouted.
"Good. Also, this is partly due to our friendly rivalry with the other academy. Don't embarrass us. You'll be monitored throughout the test and graded accordingly. Any questions?"
A boy raised his hand.
"Yes, Shikaso?"
"What's the time limit? I heard there was one."
Kamir shook her head. "Not really. There's an average time expectation. Your grade will adjust based on how fast or slow you are. But don't obsess over the number, your priority is simple: kill efficiently and stay alive. Any other questions?"
None.
"Well then, good luck."
Suddenly, yellow portals opened beneath the cadets. Hundreds fell through, except for seven.
Pathro blinked. "Huh? Why are we still here?"
Kamir answered, "Pathro, Kiligaku, Toshiro, Kaile, Kasumi, Isabe, and Mikari. You seven will take a different test."
Kasumi frowned. "Why?"
"It's simple," Kamir said. "You're too powerful for the standard test. We need to assess your combat ability—not watch you massacre the Zunans in the other exam."
Kiligaku scratched his head. "Isn't that unfair? Harder tests but same outcome?"
Kamir sighed. "Relax. You seven already passed. This is just an assessment. The real purpose of the test is to gauge power—but your power is already obvious. Now we just want to see how skilled you are."
Kasumi, still clearly unconvinced, spoke up.
"Sorry to ask, but… isn't the whole purpose of this test to see if we're worthy of becoming soldiers?"
Instructor Kamir exhaled slowly, visibly tired of the back-and-forth.
"You really can't stop questioning everything, can you?" she muttered before continuing.
"The purpose of this test is to see whether you meet the bare minimum requirement. It's never meant to push you to your limits." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "In truth, we don't want cadets to fail. That's why, as you already know, the pass rate for the final test in previous years is almost one hundred percent."
She glanced at the seven standing before her.
"But for you, that requirement was met long ago. Testing the obvious would be a waste of time."
Toshiro looked at her calmly. His expression wasn't confused, if anything, it was almost indifferent, as though this was exactly what he'd expected… or perhaps he simply didn't care enough to be surprised.
Pathro tilted his head, a faint smile forming.
"So you're saying you've already acknowledged us as soldiers… and this is just about seeing what kind of soldiers we are?" He let out a quiet breath. "And here I was still thinking of myself as a cadet."
Kamir didn't respond.
She didn't need to.
Kiligaku scratched the back of his head. "So what exactly is this new test about? Stronger Zunans?" His eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Or something more than just raw power?"
Kamir's tone hardened slightly.
"You'll be facing a more realistic scenario. Something closer to actual operations in the Delay Universe."
She folded her arms.
"When entering the Delay Universe, you never know what you'll face. No briefing is ever complete. No mission ever goes exactly as planned." Her gaze sharpened. "So be prepared for anything."
She paused.
"Any more questions?"
They all clearly had some, their expressions said as much, but fatigue, anticipation, and a creeping sense of seriousness kept them silent.
Seeing no hands raised, Kamir nodded.
"Very well."
She straightened, her voice carrying weight.
"Then I wish you all the best… in your first test as soldiers of Japan."
She snapped her fingers.
Yellow portals bloomed beneath their feet, swirling like liquid light. One by one, they sank into them — not falling, but being pulled, as if swallowed by quicksand.
No screams.
No resistance.
Just seven newly acknowledged soldiers disappearing into the unknown.
As the cadets,no, the fresh soldiers, vanished before her eyes, Instructor Kamir let out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"…That took forever," she muttered.
Those kids make me feel inferior… After all, unlike them, I was never a star back in the day.
She glanced around the empty assembly grounds, the echoes of power still lingering faintly in the air.
"Not everyone is born talented like they are," she added quietly.