Kazuo pushed himself up slowly, muscles stiff, his ribs still sore beneath the bandages. The faint ache told him enough — he wasn't leaving the infirmary just yet.
The door creaked open.
"Look who's still alive."
Setsuna strolled in first, hands tucked behind his head, grin as easy as ever. Tetsu trailed after him with a notebook half-tucked under his arm, already muttering. Sora darted through the gap like a flash of fur and ears, and—surprisingly—Lyria stepped in last, her arms crossed as if someone had dragged her here.
Before Kazuo could speak, Sora was on him. She practically tackled the side of his bed, clutching his sleeve like he'd come back from the dead."You idiot! Do you have any idea how close that was?!" Her tail lashed behind her, ears twitching with every word.
Kazuo blinked, still too groggy to react. "...Morning."
Tetsu cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses as he launched right in."I was reviewing the match, and honestly, your timing against Rulthan's Arcane was reckless. If you'd shifted half a second slower, the resonance could've—"
Without looking, Setsuna fished a rice cracker from his sleeve and shoved it straight into Tetsu's mouth. "Chew on that instead," he said, grinning.
"Mmph—!" Tetsu flailed, muffled protests spilling around crumbs.
Sora giggled, still clinging to Kazuo's arm like a lifeline.
Through it all, Lyria stood stiff near the wall, arms crossed tight. She glanced at Kazuo once, then snapped her gaze away. "…Congratulations," she said, voice clipped.
Kazuo blinked at her. "…Thanks? Wait—why are you even here?"
Before she could answer, Setsuna smirked. "She was insisting to see you."
Lyria's cheeks flared red. "T-That's not—! I was only making sure your recklessness didn't embarrass my loss any further!" She turned sharply. "Don't flatter yourself."
Kazuo stared, still lost. "…What?"
Her shoulders stiffened. Without another word, she spun on her heel and marched out, muttering something under her breath.
Setsuna leaned back against the wall, grin tugging at his lips. "You're hopeless. She watched your whole match, you know."
He frowned. "…She did?"
"Mm." Setsuna popped a rice cracker into his mouth, chewing lazily. "And she wasn't the only one. Aoi was there too. He watched both of your matches."
Kazuo's breath caught faintly at the name. "…Aoi watched me? He actually…?"
Setsuna tilted his head, crunching down on a rice cracker. "While you were snoring in here, Aoi was busy winning."
"…Winning?"
"Yepp. He's in the finals now." Setsuna's tone was light. "Kaien gave him hell, fought harder than I've ever seen the kid fight. But in the end? Against Aoi, the outcome was never in doubt."
Kazuo leaned back against the pillow, a slow breath escaping him. Despite the ache still running through his body, a small smile crept across his face. "…So it's him, then."
Setsuna's grin faded. "There's something I want to confirm."
Sora, who'd still been draped against Kazuo's arm, finally huffed and straightened up, brushing her ears and flicking her tail as she stood beside the bed.
He leaned forward, resting his arms on the edge. "Back at the start of your match with Rulthan… you smiled. Did you notice?"
Kazuo blinked. "…Smiled?"
"You might not have realized it, but I did. That's what I'm asking about. Was it excitement?"
Kazuo hesitated, then exhaled through his nose. "…I think so. I'm not sure. Why?"
Setsuna gave a small nod, his grin fading. "Because feeling excitement in a fight? That's normal. Everyone does. But the moment that excitement turns into thrill, you're already slipping." His tone hardened, the words landing like steel. "Thrill becomes cockiness. Cockiness turns into arrogance. And arrogance—" he let the pause stretch, "—is what gets you killed."
The room quieted.
Sora's ears twitched as she glanced between them. Even Tetsu, still chewing on the remains of his rice cracker, had gone still.
The words hung heavy between them.
Setsuna straightened as the infirmary door opened again.
The words hung heavy between them.
The door opened again.
Kazuo lifted his head slightly. "…Captain Zahari?"
Zahari stepped inside, his presence steady thick enough to still even Sora's tail. His eyes fixed on Kazuo, unblinking, and for a moment he just stood there.
"I watched your match," he said at last, voice low but carrying. "You fought well. Better than I expected. As expected from someone trained under Setsuna… even with eyes like that."
Kazuo stiffened, unsure if it was praise or condemnation.
Setsuna's grin faded as he pushed off the wall. "What happened? You don't usually come visiting."
Zahari's gaze didn't waver. "You saw the match too, Setsuna. Kaien lost against Aoi. To be fair, it was expected… but the boy gave everything he had. Now he's in critical condition."
Tetsu's head snapped up, eyes wide behind his glasses. "W-What? It's that severe?"
Kazuo's brows furrowed. Aoi didn't look like someone who'd go that far…
Zahari shifted his eyes back to him. "Do you remember Kaien? In the battle royal."
Kazuo nodded slowly. "…Yes. A bit shy. He fought beside me and Yuki for a while… we even formed a short alliance."
Setsuna's expression darkened faintly. He was starting to piece together where this was going.
"I want you to crush Aoi," Zahari said, voice firm but low. "For what he did."
The room stilled.
Setsunas gaze hardened. "Watch it, Zahari." He stepped between them, his stare sharp as a blade. "I like you. You're an honest man. But don't you ever try to put your burdens on my pupil. What you carry is yours alone."
For a moment Zahari held his gaze — then dipped his chin, nodding in respect. "You're right. My emotions got the better of me. I shouldn't have come like this." He let out a breath, softer this time. "…But I do wish you luck, Kazuo."
With that, he turned and left, the weight of his presence fading with each step.
The door closed behind Zahari.
Sora broke it first, ears flicking. "What was that all about?"
Setsuna leaned back against the bedframe again. "I understand his frustration. But still—" his gaze shifted to Kazuo, firm, unyielding, "—this isn't your burden to carry."
He straightened, brushing crumbs from his sleeve. "Besides, you've got enough on your plate. Your match against Aoi is in one week. You beat Kaya. You barely scraped by against Rulthan. But Aoi… he's in a different league."
Kazuo's hand tightened slightly on the blanket. "…You believe I can defeat him?"
"No," Setsuna said flatly. "I'll say it without sugarcoating—if you trained for a year, you'd still never beat him."
The words landed like stone. Kazuo dropped his gaze, staring at the folds of the blanket in disbelief.
Then Setsuna's voice shifted, cutting sharp but carrying so
A small smile curved his lips. "I'll make sure you're ready to win. But before that, there are things we need to discuss."
Then he added with a chuckle, "Starting with the obvious — you need a new sword anyway."
Kazuo's eyes widened as it hit him. "…Right. I forgot — my sword broke in the match. Gramps is going to kill me…"
Tetsu's eyes flicked up sharply at that, a glint behind his glasses. He said nothing, but the way his fingers tapped his notebook gave him away — he was already writing something.
Sora snorted, flicking her tail. "Hah. You're just flattering yourself again, Captain."
Setsuna shot her a crooked grin. "What can I say? I'm the best captain you'll ever have."
Tetsu adjusted his glasses, muttering, "Technically, you're the only captain we've ever had…"
Sora burst out laughing.
Setsuna clicked his tongue, pretending to look offended. "Tch. Ungrateful, the lot of you."
Kazuo leaned back into the pillows, a faint smile tugging at his lips. The laughter, the bickering, the easy rhythm of their voices — it wrapped around him like a warmth he hadn't realized he'd missed. For a while, he let himself just enjoy it.