The heavy iron doors of the Sasoi Hunter Guild swung open, releasing a cloud of cold air and the scent of rusted metal. Ruka walked in with her head held high, Tohi trailing behind her, his hood still low.
They hadn't made it ten feet when a massive, scarred man stepped into their path. He let out a greasy laugh and reached out, his hand moving toward Ruka in a way that made Tohi's blood boil. Tohi's hand twitched toward his blade, but before he could move, Ruka's fist was already a blur.
CRACK.
The punch landed with the force of a falling hammer. The big man was lifted off his feet, flying backward across the room until he crashed into a heavy oak table and slumped into an instant, deep sleep.
The entire Guild went silent.
"Is that... Ruka?" someone whispered from the shadows. "The Grade 2 Hunter? Why is she traveling with that skinny kid?"
Ruka didn't even look back. She marched straight to the marble counter. "My name is Ruka," she told the receptionist. "I'm here to register him as a Hunter."
The woman behind the desk blinked, looking from the unconscious man on the floor back to Ruka. "Right. You're a Grade 2, I see. And he's your... apprentice?"
"Something like that," Ruka said shortly.
"Wait," Tohi whispered, leaning in. "Ruka, you're a Hunter? Why didn't you tell me?"
"You never asked," she replied with a shrug as the woman handed over a form.
"Please, sir," the receptionist said to Tohi. "Place your hand on this device. We need to define your Rank before we can issue your ID."
Tohi looked at the strange, glowing machine. "Ruka, if you're Grade 2, does that mean your Rank is 2 as well?"
"No," Ruka corrected him quietly. "Grade is your history—the jobs you've finished. My Rank is SS. Rank is the fire inside you. Grade is the blood on your hands."
Tohi took a deep breath and pressed his palm onto the glass surface. The machine hummed. Then it began to whine. The lights inside flickered from blue to a violent, pulsing red.
"Error?" the woman muttered, shaking the device. "That's impossible. Let me reset it."
She tried again. The machine screamed, the glass heating up under Tohi's hand until the word [ERROR] flashed in jagged letters across the display.
"What's going on?" a deep voice asked. The Guild Manager stepped forward, his eyes sharp. "Is the device broken?"
"I've reset it twice, sir," the woman said, her voice trembling. "It won't read him. It just keeps failing."
The Manager adjusted the settings, his brow furrowing. "Try one more time, boy."
Tohi placed his hand back down. For a split second, a shadow seemed to flicker behind his eyes—the dragon-like power of his half-demon blood. The machine let out a final, pathetic spark and went dark.
"Still an error," the Manager whispered, looking at Tohi with newfound suspicion. "Fine. We can't stay stuck on this all day. We'll issue your ID without a rank for now. Come back tomorrow for a manual test."
They stepped out into the busy streets of Sasoi, Tohi gripping his new ID card. "Ruka, why did it do that?"
"Because you aren't just a Hunter, Tohi. You're a glitch in their system," she said, but her voice was cut short by a sudden, sharp cry from behind them.
"Ruka! Ruka!"
They both spun around. Standing there was a woman, her face filled with shock and recognition.
"Shizuka? You're here in Sasoi?" Ruka asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
The woman, Shizuka, hurried over, her eyes immediately darting to the boy standing next to Ruka. A mischievous smirk spread across her face. "Oh? Ruka! Is this your boyfriend?"
Ruka's face turned a shade of red hotter than a demon's fire. WHACK! She slapped Shizuka's arm, though her hand was trembling with embarrassment. "He is not my boyfriend! Shut up!"
"Ow! Okay, okay!" Shizuka cried, rubbing her arm, though the sparkle in her eyes didn't fade. "But I've never seen you with a boy in my life. Oh... I see. He's your husband then?"
WHACK!
"Stop your mouth!" Ruka hissed, her face now completely flushed.
Tohi stepped forward, trying to calm the chaos. "Hello. My name is Tohi Sana. I'm not her boyfriend—I'm just her student."
Shizuka tilted her head, looking from Tohi to Ruka. "Student? But you two look exactly the same age. I'm the same age too! And honestly, Tohi... you're pretty cute. Maybe you should be my boyfriend instead?"
Ruka moved faster than a strike of lightning, stepping between Shizuka and Tohi. "Shizuka! What did I tell you about closing your mouth?"
Later that night, the three of them sat in a small, steam-filled roadside hotel. The smell of spicy noodles filled the air. Shizuka watched them closely as Tohi slurped his dinner.
"So," Shizuka said, leaning on her elbows. "Just a student and a teacher, right?"
"Yeah," Ruka muttered, her eyes fixed on her own bowl.
Tohi lifted his chopsticks, offering a small bundle of noodles toward Ruka. "Hey, Ruka, you want some of these? They're really good."
"Yeah, thanks, Tohi," Ruka said softly, taking the food from him without hesitation.
Shizuka's jaw dropped. "Wait a minute... I thought you said you were 'just' a teacher. Ruka, you've always said you would never teach anyone. Ever. So why start now? With him?"
Ruka went quiet for a second, her voice dropping to a low murmur. "Because... he's special."
Tohi choked slightly on his tea, his face turning red. "I'm... special? What do you mean by that, Ruka?"
Shizuka giggled, seeing right through Ruka's tough act. "I see how it is! Anyway, what's the plan? Where are you two staying?"
"We need to find a room first," Ruka said, trying to change the subject. "Then we'll form a team and start hunting."
"Stay at my house!" Shizuka offered brightly. "And if you're forming a team, I'm in! I'll be the third member."
"No," Ruka said instantly. "You already have a team, Shizuka."
Shizuka's face fell. "Actually... that's in the past. They kicked me out last week."
"Too bad for you. Still no," Ruka replied, though she looked a bit guilty.
Tohi looked at Shizuka's sad face and then back at Ruka. "Ruka, come on. Please? It'll be safer if there are three of us. Let Shizuka join the team."
Ruka looked at Tohi, unable to say no when he used that tone of voice. She sighed heavily. "Fine. Fine! You're in, Shizuka."
"Yes!" Shizuka cheered, jumping up and hugging them both. "Team 'Sana' is officially born!"