(Narration)
The classroom fell silent.
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All eyes were still on him.
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Waiting.
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Judging.
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Haru swallowed.
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Then stepped forward slightly.
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"…My name is Haru."
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A pause.
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"…Nice to meet you all."
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Before anything else—
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Adryn's voice cut in.
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"He's my personal student."
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Silence.
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Then—
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"…PERSONAL STUDENT?!"
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The class erupted.
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"What do you mean personal?!"
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"You've never taken one before!"
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"Why him?!"
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Adryn shrugged.
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"…Felt like it."
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No explanation.
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As usual.
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A student leaned forward.
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"…What devil?"
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Another voice followed.
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"…Yeah. What's your contract?"
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Haru froze.
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His fingers tightened slightly.
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"…It's…"
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A pause.
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"…The Crimson Devil."
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Silence.
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Pure.
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Absolute.
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Then—
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"…WHAT?!"
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The entire class stood up.
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"No way—"
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"The Crimson Devil?!"
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"That's the—"
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"…Second strongest…"
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Shock spread across every face.
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But then—
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Something unexpected happened.
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"…That's insane."
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"…He restrained it?"
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"…He's strong…"
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"…Welcome, man!"
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The tension—
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Didn't turn into fear.
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It turned into respect.
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Haru blinked.
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"…Huh…?"
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This wasn't what he expected.
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Not at all.
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A Memory
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For a moment—
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Everything blurred.
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A different classroom.
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Different faces.
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"…Don't sit here."
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"…He's weird."
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"…Ignore him."
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Voices.
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Cold.
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Distant.
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A version of him—
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Trying.
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Failing.
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Alone.
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"…Why… is it different here…?"
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Reality
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"Move."
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A voice snapped him back.
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The bandaged girl.
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She pushed a few students aside.
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"…Give him space."
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No hesitation.
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No politeness.
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Just authority.
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She looked at Haru.
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"…Sit."
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Haru blinked.
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"…O-Okay…"
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He walked over.
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And sat beside her.
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A pause.
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Then—
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"…Shimi Horimiya."
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Haru looked at her.
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"…Haru."
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She nodded slightly.
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"…I know."
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A pause.
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Then—
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"I have a contract too."
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Haru leaned slightly.
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"…With who?"
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"…Blast Devil."
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Silence.
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"…That sounds dangerous…"
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She shrugged.
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"It is."
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A pause.
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"It hurts."
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Haru frowned.
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"…Hurts?"
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She nodded.
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"…Every time I use it."
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"…My body takes damage."
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A brief silence.
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"…But it heals."
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"…Eventually."
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Haru didn't respond immediately.
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"…That's rough…"
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She didn't react.
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As if she was used to it.
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The Lesson
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Adryn clapped his hands once.
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"…Alright."
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The class quieted instantly.
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"…Perfect timing."
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A pause.
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"Let's talk about…"
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"…The Crimson Massacre."
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Silence.
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The atmosphere changed.
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Heavy.
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Dark.
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Haru felt it.
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"…Crimson… Massacre…?"
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A student spoke.
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"…It was caused by that devil—"
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Another voice—
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"…Thousands died—"
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"And now he's sitting here—"
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The tone shifted.
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Blame.
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Tension.
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Eyes turned toward Haru again.
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Different this time.
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Adryn stepped forward.
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"…Enough."
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Silence dropped instantly.
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"…Use your brains."
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A pause.
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"His parents weren't even born back then."
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The room went quiet.
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Logic crushed emotion.
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No one argued.
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Haru noticed something.
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No one challenged Adryn.
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No one mocked him.
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No one questioned his laziness.
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They respected him.
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Naturally.
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"…So this is what it feels like…"
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Another Memory
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A different time.
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"…Try harder."
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"…You're embarrassing."
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"…We're done being your friends."
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Laughter.
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Isolation.
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Haru clenched his fists slightly.
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"…I tried so hard…"
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"…and still…"
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Back to Present
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"…Hey."
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A voice.
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Close.
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Haru blinked.
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Shimi was looking at him.
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"…You were sweating."
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A pause.
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"…Bad dream?"
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Haru looked away slightly.
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"…Yeah…"
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"…Something like that."
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She didn't push further.
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"…Focus."
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Announcement
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Adryn stretched slightly.
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"…Alright."
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A pause.
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"Time for something fun."
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The class leaned in.
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"…Missions."
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Haru's eyes sharpened.
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"…Missions…?"
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Adryn smiled faintly.
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"I'll be assigning squads."
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"…Three people each."
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A pause.
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"You'll start with D-Rank missions."
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Murmurs filled the room.
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"…The lowest level?"
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"…That's boring…"
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Adryn continued—
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"Your performance…"
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"…decides your future missions."
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Silence.
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Now—
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They were listening seriously.
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Adryn glanced at a list.
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Then—
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"…Haru."
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Haru straightened.
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"…Yes."
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"…Shimi."
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She didn't react.
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"…And…"
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A pause.
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"…Yamado Kahanru."
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A boy at the back raised his hand lazily.
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"…Yo."
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Haru looked at him.
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"…Teammates…"
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A strange feeling.
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New.
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Unfamiliar.
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But not bad.
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Adryn closed the list.
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"…Get ready."
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A pause.
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"Your first mission…"
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"…starts soon."