Hiroki walked down the wooden stairs leading to the first floor.
His steps were slow. His mind was still replaying the brief encounter with Ryuuji in the corridor.
("You will receive your answer in the coming days.")
Ryuuji's words carried a strange weight.
"What he said… he's not the type to talk without purpose."
He lifted his head slightly and kept walking. Ahead, on the ground floor, stood the only side door, the cafeteria. A wide, cavernous hall situated just past the main entrance of the PHG.
The usual morning noise washed over him. Plates moving, boots sounds on top of the wooden floor, and recruits chatting over their meals.
He glanced around the crowded room. It didn't take long to spot them.
Kenji was standing by a table near the center, waving his arms in an exaggerated manner. He was half standing, leaning forward with an annoyed expression. Yoru sat across from him, her brow twitching as she tried to hold back her slight temper. Miyu sat quietly beside them, just watching the two with a gentle, amused smile.
Miyu turned her gaze slightly forward and noticed him standing by the entrance. Her face lit up. She raised a hand and waved him over.
The tight knot in Hiroki's chest loosened just a bit. He managed a small smile to himself, and walked toward their table.
"That's exactly why I said it!" Kenji pointed an accusing finger at the almost-empty plates on the counter. "Next time, you order the food early. Look at this! We ended up with nothing but leftovers again!"
A half-finished bowl of soup, a few pieces of bread, cheese, and a jar of water.
Yoru slammed her cup onto the table.
"Huh? Weren't you the one who said we should wait for the others to arrive? It's not my fault you walk as slow as a turtle."
"Turtle?! Are you kidding me?" Kenji leaned over the table, grinning mischievously, still annoyed. "Weren't you trying to wait for Hiroki to arrive as soon as possible? Don't use me as an excuse."
Yoru's cheeks turned slightly red. She grabbed a small bread roll and threw it straight at his face.
"S-Shut up! It's the same thing for you. If you want fancy food, wake up earlier!"
"I miss the chicken nuggets. We haven't had them for two days," Miyu said to herself with a faint, longing smile.
Hiroki finally approached them, pulling out the empty chair and sitting down.
"What are you two even doing…?"
"They've been like this for a few minutes. I really love the mood in here," Miyu replied softly.
Hiroki then rested his elbow on the table, leaning his cheek against his hand.
"Whatever."
He grabbed a slice of plain bread from the center tray.
"So, what's new today? Anything interesting happen while I was asleep?"
Kenji dropped back into his chair, rubbing his forehead where the bread had hit him.
"Well, nothing much. Just the usual boring morning. No new missions on the board for us either."
Then he snatched up the bread and took a bite, drawing a brief stare from Yoru before she let out a sigh.
Yoru then crossed her arms. Her annoyance was fading, replaced by a more serious expression.
"Actually… that reminds me of the attack on the capital a few days ago."
Hiroki paused, his tone shifting to mild interest. He lowered the bread.
"What about it?"
Yoru leaned closer to the table, keeping her voice low.
"Well, I went to the central restrooms yesterday evening. As I was walking in, I overheard two girls talking by the sinks."
She glanced around briefly to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
"One of them asked the other about her family. Apparently, the second girl's family lives in the western district. She said she finally received a message from them a few hours ago."
Miyu leaned in, her eyes wide with worry.
"Were they okay?"
"They were physically fine," Yoru answered. "But she said their backyard was completely burned down. And… their closest neighbor went missing. Probably taken as a hostage."
"I see..." Hiroki murmured.
"That's horrifying," Miyu murmured, gripping the edge of her bread. "What is she going to do?"
"She told her friend she would try to visit them at the end of the week," Yoru replied. "She said she couldn't afford much free time right now because she has to work here to send them money."
Hiroki kept staring at the soup next to him.
"Did you talk to her?" Kenji asked.
Yoru shook her head.
"As soon as I stepped fully into the room and made a sound, they froze. They stopped talking entirely. And then they quickly walked out. They didn't even look at me."
Miyu looked down at her hands.
"That's really sad. I pray God helps her family."
Kenji slumped back in his chair, scowling at the table.
"Dang it. Why did they run off like that? We could have asked them for more info. Any detail would help right now."
"It's reasonable afterall. People hide things like this. You don't just unload your family's trauma on a stranger in a bathroom," Yoru replied, folding her arms as she leaned back.
"Heeeh..." Kenji sighed slightly, taking in the reality.
Hiroki remained silent for a moment.
"Could that be the Night Crows targeting areas where PHG members have families...? Or is it just a coincidence?" Hiroki questioned softly, resting his chin on his left hand in uncertainty.
"Well, who knows? They're cunning after all," Yoru said, flicking her hand as if swatting the thought away.
Hiroki looked down again, his gaze fixed on nothing.
"Feels like a missing piece. Even with the things I saw in the visions, I don't know how to use this information yet."
Yoru reached across the table and waved a hand in front of Hiroki's face.
"Hey."
He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.
"The breakfast period is over," she said, nodding toward the kitchen staff already clearing the large pots. "Are you okay? You didn't even finish your meal."
Hiroki looked down at his half-eaten bread.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
Kenji's eyes locked onto the remaining food on Hiroki's plate.
"Well, if you don't want it, I can ta—"
Yoru's hand shot out, slapping the back of Kenji's wrist with a sharp smack.
"No." She scolded.
He looked at her with slight annoyance.
"Oh come on. Better than wasting perfectly good food."
Hiroki stood up, pushing his chair back.
"You can take my remaining food if you want to."
"O-Oh... S-Sure... I guess?" Kenji hesitated at Hiroki's lackluster reaction.
Kenji and Yoru looked at each other with slight confusion.
---
An hour passed. They had already headed out to their usual training ground.
The training grounds, as usual, were mostly dry dirt, with sparse patches of dry grass, surrounded by tall wooden fences. A row of archery targets stood at the far end, while wooden training dummies were scattered across the open space.
Hiroki swung a dull wooden sword.
The wood cut through the air. He struck a training dummy. Dust flew off the padded leather surface.
He stepped back, adjusted his grip, and struck again.
Despite his cold features, a small, stubborn resolve flickered beneath the surface.
A few meters away, Kenji pulled the string of a longbow. He released his grip. The arrow flew across the yard and struck the outer ring of a target. "Damn it."
Yoru was sitting on a nearby bench, tying her boot laces tight.
Miyu was not with them, just as usual.
Time slipped by like that.
Sweat dripped down Hiroki's forehead. He lowered the wooden sword, breathing heavily. He walked over to the grass near the bench and sat down, leaning his back against a wooden post.
"You know," Kenji said, dropping the bow and walking over to them. "I've been wondering. Is practicing with these wooden sticks even useful against real magic?"
Yoru stretched her arms forward a few seconds before speaking.
"Of course it is. Magic takes time to cast. If an enemy closes the distance and you only rely on spells, you'll be dead before you finish casting. A blade doesn't need time to summon."
"Fair point." Kenji sat on the grass, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. "But what about standard bows? A basic wind spell can completely throw off an arrow."
Hiroki seemed interested for a moment.
"Wind control? Could I do something like that too?"
"That's why you need to aim better," Yoru retorted to Kenji.
Hiroki then tilted his head back, looking up at the sky. A few white clouds drifted lazily across the blue expanse.
"The yard is pretty empty today," Hiroki noted.
"Yeah," Yoru agreed softly as she glanced forward too. "Maybe everything that happened lately is getting to them... or maybe they're just busy with their own affairs."
But then, some footsteps approached from the dirt path behind the wooden fence. Not close.
Two older PHG members were walking by. They were talking in low, hushed voices, but the morning quiet carried their words clearly over the fence.
"Did you see him yesterday?" the first voice asked.
"Ryuuji-sama? Yeah. He was coming back from the Council Citadel in the capital. He looked serious."
Hiroki opened his eyes widely. He remained perfectly still, listening.
"And today," the second voice continued, "he was pulling some specific individuals aside in the upper halls. Perhaps things are happening that we don't know about."
"Do you think it's related to the capital attack?"
"Has to be. He is not the type of person who cooperates with the Kingdom except in dire circumstances."
"Someone with his kind of weight in the Kingdom… I'd like to see him stand against those people soon."
Little by little, their footsteps faded down the path.
Hiroki stared at the wooden fence. He remembered the look on Ryuuji's face this morning in the corridor.
Hiroki sat up straight.
"Did you guys hear that?"
"Yeah. Seems Ryuuji is making some moves." Yoru replied calmly, her expression turning slightly sharp.
"It's not something we should worry about, I guess. We can't really do much right now, with our outside work on hold," Kenji said casually, standing with his hands behind his head.
Hiroki then glanced toward the main building of the PHG. His eyes narrowed a little, as if swallowing down something bitter.
[TO BE CONTINUED…]