In a secret location, three of the five leaders of [New Dawn] were having an important meeting about a specific mission.
"Kamijo Hajime's loyalty has been tested. As far as I'm concerned, he passes with flying colors. If he were a spy or a traitor, we would have found out by now." (Jun)
"I agree. If he had been reporting to the [Black Corps], we wouldn't be so relaxed right now. From what the reports say, Goto is more unhinged than ever. If he knew about us, he would have burned the entire island to find us." (Mitsuru)
"......"
The two only male members of the group were more than happy not to have to eliminate the boy with silvery hair and to have such an agent close to "the serpent's head."
The same could not be said for the last person in the room: Hoshi.
The woman, who among her colleagues was the least inclined to believe in Hajime's intentions, was visibly in a bad mood.
The temperature in the room was at least three times higher than outside. The heat was so intense that Jun and Mitsuru were sweating and drinking water as if they were on a scorching beach under the summer sun typical of the hot summers of [Fumetsu].
But if the room's temperature—only insufferably high and unusual—was dangerous, the body temperature of the woman with fiery hair was dangerously elevated.
If she had shaken hands with anyone at that moment, even a [mage] of [Rank Alpha], she would have burned their hand with at least second-degree burns.
"Can you please stop? We're done with the water." (Jun)
"Tsk! I still think we should—" (Hoshi)
"What? Do you still doubt him? Just accept it and move on. We can trust Kamijo Hajime; he's not his stepfather, and I doubt he ever will be." (Mitsuru)
"We can't be sure, beyond all reasonable doubt, unless he's a dormant agent! He could very well be a ticking bomb, ready to blow us apart! Let's not forget about his [Grimorio] or the effect it has on Yukihime-sama! It's too dangerous to leave unmonitored—" (Hoshi)
"Enough! You're overdoing it! The boy has overcome a challenge he didn't even know was for him! After you insisted so much to put him to the test! And he risked his life for many months just to help us overthrow Goto! I'm not saying we should tell him all our plans, but he's earned some trust!" (Mitsuru)
"Hoshi, honestly, your hatred for Goto is blinding you. It's been mean and somewhat discriminatory to use the [Grimorio] as an excuse to justify—" (Jun)
"Don't lecture me! Neither of you! We cannot lower our guard! Not now that we are so close to the start of the [New Dawn] plan! It won't be some kid that risks our mission! We've sacrificed so much! Everything we were, and could have been, for this!" (Hoshi)
"Do you really want to kill a 17-year-old just because his mother chose to marry a dictator pretending to be a hero? Or because of the source of his powers? We wouldn't be any different from those who created the artificial islands." (Jun)
The two males were resolute at the idea of not letting Hoshi make a wrong decision, not only to prevent losing a valuable resource but also to save her from an action she might regret someday.
The [esper] in question huffed loudly before stopping to raise the room's temperature. From her facial expression, it was clear that the issue wasn't entirely closed, just set aside for the moment.
"Now, for the—"
Before Jun could continue the meeting, the phones of the three [New Dawn] leaders rang simultaneously, with a specific ringtone that was all too recognizable.
The group looked at each other with anxiety, knowing very well that their phones had been set to produce that particular sound only in one circumstance.
The worst of all.
Neither Mitsuru nor his male colleague dared to voice their greatest fear. Hoshi did.
"[Black Corps] have discovered us!?"
The three immediately grabbed their electronic devices, starting to try to understand what was happening.
"Damn! It was supposed to happen only while Yukihime-sama was away!? And Izumi is with her too!" (Mitsuru)
"Shit! If I find out who's responsible, I'll flay their skin to the bone! If that kid's involved, I'll tear him to pieces! I swear!" (Hoshi)
"Calm down! We don't know anything for sure! The teams in the North and West districts haven't sent the emergency signal!" (Jun)
"Not even those in the Central district!" (Mitsuru)
Few knew, but if things went badly, the leaders of each cell of [New Dawn], scattered across the entire island, could notify each other via a specific system connected to the central [Fumetsu] network—untraceable, created by Kohaku—for such emergencies.
"Fuck! It's the South district!" (Hoshi)
"No panic. Follow the emergency plan! Send orders to each cell: all missions are canceled! From now on, we're on high alert for an attack by Goto!" (Jun)
**********************
A few days after that meeting, Fumio was waiting for new orders in the bunker that served as his base and home for himself and his trainees.
The man was building the second versions of Kuro's and Hajime's weapons while waiting for some news.
(Almost all the teams in the South district have been wiped out or captured by [Black Corps], yet there's no movement in the other districts… what the hell is going on? Even that serial killer might realize there's a bigger group underneath. Has she reported to Goto yet? But why? Yukihime-sama is out of the island… we should handle this ourselves.) (Fumio)
The [mage] finished his work, observing with a certain pride [Tepes II] and [Carmilla II]. They weren't just copies, but two more resistant and lighter versions of their predecessors.
As he put away the katana and the sickle, Fumio couldn't help but think about his trainees.
(Should I tell them what's happening? They've barely recovered from their wounds and are full of joy for striking Goto hard… Aomori-san seems suspicious... and Kamijo-san doesn't seem to have taken the death of Yuki Mikan well, not to mention I still haven't asked him that question... what should I do?)
As a sigh, the man left his room, heading to see his trainees. Kuro and Cloe were playing chess in the mess hall, while Kimiko and Kohaku were talking over their meal.
"I want to do it! School is almost over! Soon we'll have summer break! We absolutely need to plan a vacation! We deserve it! I want at least a month off!" (Kimiko)
"First: since when do you go to school? None of us has ever seen you attend a single class. Second: we can go back on a mission at any time, so we can't just take a few weeks off. Third: we could spend these months more productively, like—" (Kohaku)
"You nerd! If you want to spend all your time locked in here like a rat, go ahead, but don't expect us to follow you!" (Kimiko)
"I can make you. I'm the boss here, after Fumio-sensei." (Kohaku)
"Meh!" (Kimiko)
"What do you mean 'meh'!?" (Kohaku)
Fumio chuckled slightly at their interaction but decided to intervene before things got out of hand.
"Enough, both of you. Where is Kamijo-san? I thought he was already here." (Fumio)
"He's downstairs, in the training room. He said something about 'trying a new move' or something like that." (Kuro)
"And you're not with him because…?" (Fumio)
It was his stepsister to answer, giving a somewhat worried look at her master.
"He seemed to want to be alone for a bit." (Cloe)
"And our game isn't over yet." (Kuro)
"Alright, I'll go see how he's doing."
The [mage] headed toward his trainee's location while thinking about something very important.
"(Did someone train you during the time you weren't here, Kamijo-san?) It would be easy to ask him, so why am I hesitating? Do I fear what his answer might be? No, he's not a traitor or a dormant agent; I would have noticed if he were… it's better if I first talk to him about Yuki Mikan—)"
Meanwhile, Hajime was practicing with a sword style called "Iaido," frustrated because he was drawing his weapon too slowly during fights.
"(Faster! I can be even faster!)" (Hajime)
Fumio almost didn't want to disturb him, as he was so focused he didn't notice his presence.
But just before speaking, a vibration came from his pocket. His phone revealed the message he had received. His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. He knew this possibility existed, but not that it would happen right now.
(Damn, right now?! I guess my chat with Kamijo-san will have to wait...)