Morning came at Reikosha Academy. Kairo grabbed his backpack, looking excited, when suddenly Tyouro threw his bag at him.
"Hey, Kairo, carry this!"
Kairo caught it just in time, stumbling slightly. "Oh? Hey, why me?"
"You already caught it. That means you want to."
Kairo glared at him.
Yura stepped out of her bedroom, holding nothing. She looked at them for a moment, then sighed. "We need to plan first. Meeting room."
Kimimaru stood behind them silently. Ishika slipped back inside his skin, making him slightly annoyed, though his face remained calm.
"Alright! Let's go!" Kairo said, standing beside Tyouro, laughing. "Did you see that lady? She's way stronger than I thought! I almost felt like that was the end of my life!"
Tyouro rolled his eyes. "Did you see what I did to her? I punched her. My fire punch is stronger than you think, it's not normal fire or some human punch. It's on another level."
"Woah, that's cool… also, I cried back there because I felt useless…"
Tyouro laughed and slapped his back hard, making Kairo grunt. "Hey, don't think like that, idiot! That's all of us when we first joined Reikosha. Besides, you've got potential. Believe in yourself. Cry or don't cry, just don't lose hope."
Yura walked behind them, watching quietly before continuing toward the meeting room. As they entered, the room was silent.
"Alright," Yura said calmly. "Does anyone know about the Grimreach map? And how big it is?"
Tyouro quickly pulled out an old, brown, worn-out map. "I have it!"
"Woah, Yuro! You're so cool," Kairo said.
Tyouro blinked. "Hey! how do you know my nickname?!"
"Hehehe…"
Yura took the map from him. "Good. Now both of you stay silent."
Kairo smiled and took a seat. Kimimaru leaned against the wall, arms relaxed, watching quietly.
Tyouro glanced at him. "Hey, Maru! Do you have a plan? Besides, Ishika is inside you~ does it feel comfortable? Ahh… someday Ishika will go inside my body too~ hehehe."
Kimimaru shook his head slightly. "No. She doesn't want you. And I don't have a plan."
Tyouro giggled. "He sounds jealous."
Kairo laughed. "Yeah, for real."
Yura ignored them and spoke calmly. "Alright, everyone. First, we split up. Maru with Ishika. Tyouro and Kairo together. I'll handle myself alone. After that, search the area carefully. Don't forget what Sensei Shougo described about the target. Once you find him, don't act excited. Stay hidden and act like you're not looking for him."
Kairo grinned widely. "Understood! I'm so excited. How about you, Tyouro?"
Tyouro rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Of course I'm excited. Who wouldn't be?"
Kairo smirked back.
As the day went on, they left Reikosha. Tyouro leaped up onto a tree branch, landing lightly as he looked down.
"Hey, Kairo, follow me!"
Kairo smirked and controlled the air around him. He jumped up, almost losing balance midair before his feet landed awkwardly on the branch.
"Woah! ahh! I'm excited!"
"Idiot, hurry up. We need to find that guy before the others."
Meanwhile, Kimimaru moved.
One moment, he stood beneath the trees. The next, a branch bent under an invisible force, leaves bursting outward in a spiral. Before they could even fall, he was already gone, appearing on another branch, then another. Each step crushed the wood beneath him, bark splintering under pressure it couldn't handle. His movements were sharp, precise, and faster than the eye could follow.
Meanwhile, Yura jumped even higher, landing silently on a tree branch. Leaves drifted down slowly, but before they even touched the ground, she had already disappeared.
Their first task had begun.