The Ichimōnban Training Hall was quiet.

  Not solemn.

  Just quiet.

  The kind of stillness that came before someone did something really, really stupid.

  And, as always—

  It started with Kaito.

  He crouched behind a stack of crates near the wall, fingers twitching, eyes locked onto his unsuspecting target.

  Across the hall, Watari stood on a wooden ptform, arms crossed, looking important for absolutely no reason.

  “—And that’s why I’m saying, if we just added a bit of fir to the opening move, it’d make the entire sequence feel more theatrical—”

  “You’re monologuing again.” Yumi muttered, stretching in the corner.

  “It’s not a monologue, it’s strategy!” Watari snapped. “There’s a difference—one’s for drama, the other’s for survival.”

  “Tell that to the third time you got flipped by Ayase st week.”

  Watari ignored that.

  Across the room, Kaito was already moving.

  He darted forward, a blur of Tamashkii light ced through his legs. Watari didn’t even hear the approach.

  Until—

  “I AM YOUR REGRET, MANIFESTED.”

  “Huh—?”

  Kaito dropkicked him off the ptform.

  “AGHH—DAMN IT, KAITOOOO—”

  Watari hit the floor with a spectacur thud, groaning into the polished wood as Kaito stood proudly above him, hands on his hips like a triumphant Saturday morning vilin.

  “Impression: successful.” he said. “Shadow Puppeteer, but if Ryuko had main character syndrome.”

  From the far end of the hall, Ryuko blinked mid-sit-up. “I HEARD THAT!”

  “Good! Work on your tone!”

  Yumi groaned. “Are we doing impressions again? Is this seriously how we’re starting the day?”

  Ren sat in the back, arms folded, leaning against the wall like he was trying to pretend he didn’t know them.

  Akira stood next to him. “You’re not gonna stop them?”

  Ren didn’t move. “I only intervene when someone’s on fire.”

  A beat.

  Watari lifted a hand from the floor. “You said that st time, and then Ryuko was on fire.”

  “And I stopped it, didn’t I?”

  Akira blinked. “Fair.”

  Kaito was already back at it, waving his arms dramatically.

  “COME FORTH, EREBUS!” he howled, dragging his bde through the air like a kid with a cardboard sword.

  “SHADOW FANGS OF THE DEPTHS—LATCH ONTO MY HEART AND BIND MY SOUL!”

  “Okay, see—now you’re just making stuff up.” Ryuko stomped forward, pointing. “I don’t say any of that!”

  “Yeah, but you could. That’s the point.”

  “You’re insane!”

  “I’m expressive.”

  Watari sat up, wincing. “I don’t know what hurts more. The kick, or how accurate that was.”

  Takeya wandered in from the side door, a rice bun in his hand, already halfway eaten.

  “…Are we training or doing theater?”

  Watari looked at him, deadpan. “Why do you always enter like you’re the only sane one here?”

  Takeya shrugged. “Because I am.”

  Kaito gasped, pointing dramatically again.

  “Now Takeya’s pretending he’s Akira! The slouch, the deadpan wit—next he’ll be summoning Reibaku with one arm and a grudge.”

  Akira raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have a grudge.”

  “You’re quiet and powerful. That’s just anime w. You have a grudge.”

  Akira considered. “…I guess that checks out.”

  “HA!” Kaito fist-pumped.

  Watari stood, dusting himself off. “Okay, okay. Time out.”

  “Finally,” Yumi muttered, standing up.

  Watari pointed at the group.

  “I know we joke around, but today’s actually kind of important. We’re supposed to be showing Masaki our progress.”

  Ren gnced down at his palms.

  “…We can joke now. But that was almost our st fight together.”

  That got a pause.

  Everyone quieted a little.

  “The captain’s te though,” Akira added, checking the time.

  Ren sighed. “Probably cleaning up after the st gate attack.”

  “Or…” Watari squinted toward the training hall doors. “He’s already here and watching us.”

  The doors creaked open.

  Footsteps.

  Everyone turned.

  Captain Masaki Hiroto entered slowly, his hands in his pockets, his captain’s coat draped like a shadow behind him. His eyes scanned the room—every one of them suddenly trying to look like they weren’tjust screwing around.

  Masaki stopped just inside the hall.

  “Sorry I’m te. Gomōnban had a little incident. All the captains are in a paperwork crisis.”

  He gnced at the group.

  Then narrowed his eyes.

  “So.”

  “This… is how the squad prepares for evaluation?”

  Kaito froze mid-pose.

  Watari immediately pointed at him. “He started it.”

  Masaki raised an eyebrow. “I watched the whole thing. You monologued for six minutes before he tackled you.”

  “…Damn it.”

  Masaki walked forward, his gaze scanning each of them. Then he stopped in front of Ren.

  “You. No excuses today. You’re stronger than this.”

  Ren nodded. “Understood, Captain.”

  He turned to Ryuko.

  “You as well. I expect to see some improvement today. Show me you have the speed it takes to stop Ikazuchi.”

  Ryuko lowered his eyes slightly. “I won’t fail.”

  Masaki kept walking.

  Then he stopped in front of Takeya.

  “You.”

  Takeya blinked, still chewing his st bite.

  “Me?”

  Masaki stared at him for a long second.

  Then extended his arm—bde drawing with one clean motion.

  The room went still.

  “I realized I didn’t really issue a test for you before I left. So….If you can knock my sword out of my hand—today—you’ll earn a position in my elite.”

  Takeya nearly choked. “Wait—what?”

  Masaki’s eyes narrowed.

  “You’ve all grown.”

  “Now prove it.”

  He pointed the bde forward.

  “So—”

  A pause.

  The Tamashkii in the room shifted.

  “Who wants to go first?”