HARU'S TEAM (POV)
"I am happy that I got to team up with you again, Haru," Orowaki said.
"I am indeed happy as well to team up with you, Orowaki-senpai," Haru replied.
Haru and Orowaki immediately felt close to each other, while Damon remained distant from them.
"Damon, why aren't you saying anything?" Orowaki asked.
Damon looked at Orowaki. His expression was unreadable.
Haru's mouth fell open.
"Senpai, you know Damon?" Haru asked Orowaki.
"Indeed, I do. He is also a third-year like me, and our teams have gone on multiple missions together," Orowaki replied.
Haru was shocked to hear that Damon was his senior. He immediately bowed his head toward him.
"Sorry, Senpai! I didn't know you were a third-year like Orowaki-senpai. Please forgive me for calling you by your name," Haru said.
Damon suddenly felt like he was being made out to be the bad guy.
"Hey, Haruto, raise your head. You're making me feel like a bad guy for no reason," Damon said.
Haru raised his head.
Orowaki gave Damon a smug look.
"I didn't realize you could be so polite, Damon. When did you become like this?" Orowaki asked.
Damon didn't reply.
Instead, he lay down under the shade of a tree.
That's when Haru looked around at his surroundings. They were in a dense forest located on the downhill side of a mountain.
"Why are you sitting down already, Damon? Didn't you get any rest last night?" Orowaki asked.
"Wait for a minute until they announce the rules. They haven't announced them yet," Damon replied.
Haru agreed with Damon. None of the three knew the rules yet, and eventually, Orowaki agreed with them as well.
"Fine. Let's wait for a moment," Orowaki said.
They all sat together under the shade of the tree.
---
MEANWHILE, AT A BEACH (PART OF THE ISLAND)
Yamado had been washed ashore by the waves.
"Wake up, kid. If you don't, we'll leave you behind," a girl said.
Her voice was surprisingly sharp, almost like a boy's.
Yamado slowly opened his eyes.
He coughed.
"I hate the sea... Those salty waters," Yamado muttered.
"Wake up. Open your eyes," Serena said.
Yamado opened his eyes again. He struggled at first because of the intense sunlight, but eventually managed to see clearly.
"Hello. I am Yamado Kahanru. Nice to meet you both," Yamado said.
"My name is Serena. It's a pleasure to meet you," Serena replied.
Serena greeted Yamado with a smile.
Yamado then looked at the other girl.
"May I know your name, please?" Yamado asked.
The girl replied in a rude tone.
"My name is Jenna Auselia, and don't interfere in my business," Jenna said.
Jenna was a first-year like the others, but she belonged to a different section. She acted rude and tough, but deep down, she was soft-hearted and deeply cared about others. She had curly hair and a medium skin tone.
"Don't be so rude, Jenna. He is just a first-year like you," Serena said.
"So, what year are you in, Serena?" Yamado asked.
"Oh, sorry. I am a third-year. Looks like I need to take care of you both for the next two days," Serena replied.
"So you're my senpai? May I call you that?" Yamado asked.
Serena nodded.
"Let's go. Don't waste any time. We need to finish this before it even starts," Jenna said.
She started moving toward the forest.
"Let's follow her, Yamado, or we'll lose sight of her," Serena told him.
Serena and Yamado also started following Jenna before they lost sight of her.
---
MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN FRONT OF A CAVE (ON THE ISLAND)
Shimi stood still.
"Where are my teammates? I didn't see any of them," Shimi said.
She was becoming frustrated because she couldn't find her teammates.
"Have they left me alone? Am I really alone?"
"No, you are not alone."
Shimi turned around.
A person was forming in front of her.
It was Susumi.
"Susumi-senpai! We're on the same team!" Shimi said cheerfully.
Susumi gave her a small gesture.
"I am happy that I got to team up with someone I already know," Susumi said.
The two of them waited for their other teammates to arrive. But no one appeared, even after several minutes.
"Senpai, why isn't anyone else appearing? Did our other teammate run off somewhere?" Shimi asked.
Susumi didn't answer.
She closed her eyes.
She began scanning the area.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes.
"We are not alone," Susumi said.
She looked toward the cave.
"You can come out now. I know you're hiding in the darkness."
A boy walked out of the cave. He was very thin and had black, spring-like hair.
"Hello. I didn't think you would spot me like that," the boy said.
His voice was slightly cracked.
"Why were you hiding, Dryden? Are you scared of me?" Susumi asked.
Dryden walked toward Susumi.
"Scared of you? The person who gave up a part of her future to save the present?" Dryden asked.
"That's the very reason you are alive," Susumi replied.
They both started arguing while Shimi simply watched from the side.
"Senpai, do you two know each other?" Shimi asked.
"Don't call him senpai, Shimi. He is a first-year like you. I saved him during an attack on his hometown," Susumi explained.
Shimi paused when she heard that.
"You saved him?"
"Yeah, she did. She should have let me die. Instead, she gave up a possible future for herself just to save me," Dryden said.
"How can you say that to someone who saved your life? How pitiful," Susumi said.
"I hate your attitude, Susumi. Why do you prioritize an entire town over your own safety?" Dryden asked.
"Because you don't understand," Susumi replied.
Silence filled the atmosphere.
"Don't understand what? Say something!" Dryden demanded.
Susumi remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"You still don't understand the burden of being an Exorcist."
Her voice was stronger than ever. She was willing to sacrifice herself for others—a mentality that even high-tier Exorcists struggled to maintain.
"I learned that from a man who saved me and brought me into the world of Exorcists. I want to become like him."
Susumi was referring to Adryn.
"Enough! This is why I hate you. If you want me to be on a team with you, stop this nonsense!" Dryden shouted.
Shimi continued watching them. She didn't know enough about their relationship to intervene.
"Can we stop this for now? We need to focus on winning the Games," Shimi said.
Susumi calmed down.
"Let's focus on winning for now. No more fighting between us. Can you agree with me, Dryden?"
"Mind your own business, and don't even think about changing my future with your Covenant. I hate it. Only I can change my own future," Dryden replied.
Still as arrogant as ever, Dryden. But I know the truth. You want me to save you, but you don't want me to use my Covenant to give you a future at the cost of my own, Susumi thought.
Shimi shook Susumi gently.
"Let's go, Senpai. He's already moving on his own."
Susumi snapped out of her thoughts.
"Yes. Let's move together."
"Wait for us, Dryden! Don't go alone. We have to stay together!" Shimi shouted.
---
MEANWHILE, ON A MOUNTAIN (ON THE ISLAND)
"Let's move, Tyson. It's useless to waste our time waiting for the next person," Kevin said.
Tyson hesitated at first but eventually decided to move on.
"Yes, I guess you're right. We shouldn't waste any more time," Tyson replied.
Tyson and Kevin looked around from the top of the mountain. From there, they could see a large portion of the island. The mountain was surrounded by dense forests.
"There is no sign of the Golden Band," Tyson said.
Kevin, however, was carefully observing a particular spot.
"What are you looking at, Kevin?" Tyson asked.
Tyson also looked in the same direction. He narrowed his eyes to see what was there.
Then he spotted something.
"Did you see that too?" Kevin asked. His voice was full of excitement.
Tyson smiled.
"We might be able to end this before it even begins."
They had spotted a giant square-shaped roof with no walls, supported by several pillars.
They immediately started heading toward it.
They were moving as a two-person team.
Their third member was missing without a trace.
---
HARU'S TEAM POV
"How long are we planning to stay here, senpais?" Haru asked.
Haru was getting bored of sitting around without doing anything.
"At the very least, let's explore the surrounding area and see if we can find something."
Neither of them responded.
Haru stood up.
"I'm going to scout the surroundings. You two senpais wait here."
Orowaki finally spoke.
"If you're planning to go, then I'll come with you. As your senpai, I can't leave you alone."
"You two aren't going anywhere alone," Damon said.
A broadcast was about to begin.
"We will all go after this broadcast ends."
The broadcast began.
"THIS BROADCASTING IS TO INFORM ALL PARTICIPANTS ABOUT THE RULES OF THE EVENT.
THE FIRST RULE: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HELP YOUR ORIGINAL TEAMMATES WHO ARE PART OF YOUR MAIN SQUAD."
"They won't need my help," Damon said.
"Same for us," Orowaki replied.
"THE SECOND RULE: IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO CONTINUE, FEEL FREE TO QUIT BY PRESSING THE BUTTON INSIDE YOUR POCKET. BY PRESSING IT, YOU WILL BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE DECK, WHERE THE NURSES WILL TREAT YOUR INJURIES. HOWEVER, YOU WILL BE PROHIBITED FROM RE-ENTERING THE GAMES."
"I have to be more careful now," Haru thought.
"THE THIRD RULE: PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT PARTICIPANTS MAY NOT ENTER THE GAMES. THIS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. ANYONE WHO VIOLATES THIS RULE WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES."
"So we won't receive any help from the outside," Orowaki said.
"LAST BUT NOT LEAST, REGARDING THE GOLDEN BANDS. THE BANDS ARE SECURED INSIDE A CHEST SOMEWHERE ON THE ISLAND. YOU MUST FIND THE CHEST AND TAKE THE BANDS TO THE PODIUM IN THE CENTER OF THE ISLAND TO WIN THE GAME.
AFTER THIS BROADCAST ENDS, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ALLOWED TO FIGHT OTHER TEAMS.
THE CHEST CONTAINING THE GOLDEN BANDS IS GUARDED BY AN ELEMENTAL DEVIL.
AND DON'T FORGET: THE WINNERS WILL BE GRANTED ONE TRUTH OF THEIR CHOICE PER PERSON.
THANK YOU."
THE BROADCASTING ENDED.
"Let's go, both of you," Damon said.
They all started moving.
"First, we need to find the podium so we can determine where the center of the island is," Orowaki said.
"What will we do from there, senpais?" Haru asked.
"We'll gamble on a direction," Orowaki replied.
Damon let out a deep breath.
"Still gambling even after you've grown up. How shameful."
"That's what we used to do when we went on missions," Orowaki replied.
"We'll do that if we reach the podium without being noticed by anyone," Damon said.
Damon suddenly exhaled.
All three of them noticed the presence of several people around them.
"There are people around us," Haru said.
"They probably disabled our senses for a while to prevent us from fighting before the rules were announced," Damon said.
Damon's suspicion was correct.
The higher-ups had temporarily suppressed the participants' senses to prevent them from fighting before the rules were officially announced.
"Looks like we won't reach the center safely," Orowaki said.
"You guys can come out now," Damon called out.
Three men walked out from the surrounding forest.
"It's Jin, Jun and... Spiky Head?" Haru said.
Haru had met Jin and Jun before during the Toxin Cave Arc.
"Surprise, Haruto! Long time no see. You don't know how happy I am to see you again. And Orowaki too!" Jin said.
"But we're not happy to see you," Orowaki replied.
"And who is the new guy with you? And why is he carrying a hammer?" Haru asked.
"His name is Kenny," Jin replied.
"Don't worry. He won't kill you. We'll be the ones to kill you," Jun said.
Now I get to see whether Haru is truly worthy of handling the pressure surrounding him, or if he's just some random guy who suddenly became powerful for no reason.
Damon's thoughts were filled with questions about Haru, rather than his opponents.
They all took fighting stances.
"Crimson Fists!" Haru shouted.
"Awake Devil!" Orowaki shouted.
"Synchronize!" Jin and Jun shouted together.
"Blood Hammer!" Kenny shouted.
"Flame Ball!" Damon shouted.
The clash between the two teams was about to begin.
---
IN A CRUISE...
"They didn't tell us about the Elemental Devil," Philomina said.
She looked worried.
"I know many of you are worried. I suspect the Kyoto side deliberately added this rule at the last moment. They may be planning to execute Haru," Trian said.
"Then let's enter the island and stop it!" Philomina said.
"No. We can't do anything. Since Tokyo won the previous Games, Kyoto gets to decide the rules this time. We have to abide by them," Trian replied.
"But still, Master Trian, we can't let Haru—"
"They will be safe. Kyoto won't do anything funny as long as Adryn is there," Trian said.
Philomina calmed down, managing to restrain herself from arguing further with Trian.
"What do you two think you'll do if Kyoto tries something funny?" Trian asked Drake and Adryn, who were standing beside the railings.
"We'll crush them all," Drake replied.
"They won't be alive long enough for you to crush them, because I'll crush them myself," Adryn said.
I know you're planning something, Terry, Trian thought as he stared toward the island.
---
IN THE ISLAND...
"These poor kids... Why are they tied up?" Daisy asked.
The woman walked toward the two captured students.
They were Riya and Toxin.
"They are bait. Bait for Haruto," the woman replied.
Daisy looked at the woman.
"Did they see your face? I'm scared that they might have."
Daisy was worried that Riya and Toxin had seen the woman's face.
"Don't worry. I erased their memories. Even if we leave them here, they won't remember this incident ever happened."
The two women remained quiet for a few moments.
"When are we starting this so-called operation?" Daisy asked.
"Soon enough. Let them enjoy the Games first," the woman replied.
They were situated above the podium where the Golden Bands had to be placed.
---
MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE AT THE BORDER OF THE ISLAND...
"I can't believe that guy made me a participant," Youuta muttered.
Youuta was furious at the unknown man who had secretly forced him to enter the Games as a participant so he could assassinate Haru.
"It doesn't matter. If it helps my mission, I'll just ignore it."
Youuta moved deeper into the dense forest, making sure that no one could spot him.
The Tokyo Games had officially begun.