Boros finally pried himself free from Akeno's grasp and immediately started fixing his ruined hair.
"Scarlet stopped by earlier," he said while running a hand through it.
Akeno's eyes widened.
"Again?"
"Yeah."
Boros groaned.
"At this point I have a feeling Griffin's gonna send her here every single day."
Akeno laughed.
"Poor Scarlet."
Boros finally got his hair under control.
"Anyway, she dropped something off."
He pointed toward the hallway.
"When Kinuko's done, come to my room and I'll show you."
Akeno immediately perked up.
"What is it?"
A grin appeared on Boros' face.
"You'll see."
Without another word, he left the room.
....
A short while later, Boros stood leaning against the balcony railing.
The compound below was already busy.
Staff members moved back and forth across the grounds, greeting one another as they worked.
For once, everything seemed strangely peaceful.
Then a knock sounded from behind him.
The door opened moments later.
Akeno and Kinuko stepped inside.
"Morning, Shiro," Kinuko said.
She looked noticeably brighter than she had the previous night.
Not because she'd slept well.
But because Akeno had already told her about her conversation with Boros earlier.
The tension hanging between them was finally gone.
Boros turned from the balcony.
"Morning."
He walked back into the room and headed toward the bed.
The three folded uniforms still rested neatly on top of it.
Picking up two of them, he handed one to each girl.
"These are apparently our Guild uniforms."
Akeno immediately unfolded hers.
"Scarlet dropped them off earlier."
Boros grabbed his own.
"We're supposed to wear them to the induction."
Kinuko carefully spread hers open.
Her eyes widened.
"T-These look amazing."
Akeno rubbed the fabric against her cheek.
"Yeah!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"The quality is incredible."
Boros snorted.
"You're judging it by how soft it is?"
"Obviously."
Akeno folded her arms.
"That's an important feature."
Kinuko ignored them and continued examining the uniform.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"It's finally happening."
Akeno nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah."
She held the coat against herself and spun around once.
"We passed the exams a while ago, but now it actually feels real."
Her grin widened.
"We're Adventurers."
Kinuko looked toward Boros.
"Our first real step toward finding the Fire Longinus user."
Akeno followed her gaze.
Both girls stared at him.
Boros stared right back.
"...What?"
Neither of them answered.
Boros rolled his eyes.
"We'll find him eventually."
His voice remained calm.
"I'm not in a rush."
Then he pointed toward the uniforms.
"Anyway."
"Get dressed."
He headed for the door.
"We're probably already late."
Akeno immediately gasped.
"WAIT, WHAT?!"
Then she and Kinuko rushed toward their room to change.
...
The group had already left the compound and were making their way toward the Guild.
All three of them were fully dressed in their White Tigers uniforms.
Beneath the coats was black combat attire reinforced for both training and field missions, while the white outer coats proudly displayed the Guild's insignia for everyone to see.
Boros sighed.
"Just when you think you've gotten used to people staring."
"It somehow gets worse," Akeno finished.
Kinuko glanced around.
"Well, we're wearing the Guild uniform now."
"Fair point," Boros admitted.
After roughly twenty minutes of walking, the towering gates of the White Tigers Guild Headquarters came into view.
The trio passed through them and entered the compound.
Immediately, they were greeted by a sea of white coats.
Adventurers moved in every direction, chatting, training, or heading toward different buildings.
"Woah," Akeno muttered, looking around.
"There's so many of them," Kinuko added.
Boros frowned.
"We definitely didn't take the entrance exam with this many people."
"What the hell is going on?"
Kinuko thought for a moment.
"Well, when Ruby brought us in, she did say we were the last group."
Akeno nodded.
"Which means other groups must've taken the exams before us."
"That actually makes sense," Boros said.
The three continued walking deeper into the compound.
"Should we go see Griffin?" Akeno asked.
"Nah."
Boros shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Let's just get this induction thing over with."
Then he glanced at the girls.
"And don't forget. We still need a fourth member."
"Right," Kinuko said.
As they approached the main building, they noticed rows of recruits already gathering.
Everyone wore the same black and white uniform.
Some looked excited. Others looked nervous. A few looked like they were about to throw up.
Boros, Akeno, and Kinuko joined one of the lines near the front.
As Boros settled into place, he noticed a familiar face standing beside him.
"Jonas, was it?"
Jonas glanced over.
"Yeah."
He smirked.
"I never got your name though."
"I didn't give it to you."
Jonas snorted.
Akeno suddenly squeezed herself between them.
"Are you two friends?"
"Hell no."
They answered at the exact same time.
Akeno blinked.
"...Okay then. And here I thought Shiro got a new friend."
"Shut up."
The chatter surrounding them slowly began to die down.
Several veteran adventurers had stepped out from the main building and gathered at the front of the crowd.
One of them walked forward.
A tall, broad-shouldered man with a commanding presence.
The moment he stopped, silence spread through the recruits.
His voice boomed across the courtyard.
"As some of you clowns already know..."
"My name is Captain Rovan."
He swept his gaze across the crowd.
"And today..."
A grin appeared on his face.
"...is your induction into the White Tigers Guild."
Rovan swept his gaze across the crowd.
"Look at the person standing beside you."
Several recruits exchanged confused glances.
"Now remember their face."
His voice hardened.
"Because half of you won't be here a year from now."
Silence.
"Some of you will quit."
"Some of you will fail."
"Some of you will discover that being an Adventurer isn't nearly as glamorous as the stories make it sound."
He folded his arms.
"The monsters don't care about your dreams."
"The wilderness doesn't care about your talent."
"And your enemies certainly won't care about your excuses."
Several recruits shifted nervously.
He pointed toward the Guild building behind him.
"This Guild wasn't built by talented people."
"It was built by stubborn bastards who refused to stay down."
A few veterans laughed.
Rovan ignored them.
"Every captain standing behind me has buried friends."
"Every veteran here has failed."
"Every one of us has bled."
His gaze swept across the recruits again.
"If you're looking for an easy life, leave now."
"If you're looking for fame, you'll be disappointed."
"If you're looking for riches..."
He shrugged.
"You might get lucky."
A few recruits laughed nervously.
"But if you're willing to fight."
"If you're willing to get stronger."
"If you're willing to risk your life for the people standing beside you..."
A grin appeared on his face.
"Then welcome to the White Tigers."