Kazuo caught the sudden gravity in his tone. After a moment's pause, he nodded, slipping the chain back over his neck. The medallion rested cold against his chest as he stepped onto the rune again.
Veyra's fingers traced deliberate signs through the air. The glyphs on the floor pulsed once—then snapped. A violent jolt tore up Kazuo's leg, forcing him to stagger, one hand clamping against his chest.
"So that's it," he breathed. "That's what blocked my reading before."
Kazuo winced, catching his breath. "Because it's… metal?"
He shook his head slowly. "No… not metal. Something else. Where did you get this?"
He touched the medallion at his chest. For a moment he hesitated, then slipped the chain over his head and held it out.
"Gramps gave it to me," he said quietly. "He told me I already had it when he found me. I've tried to open it before… but it never budges."
Veyra's expression sharpened. He took the piece carefully, as if it might shatter in his hands. His fingers wove signs, his magic thrumming faintly through the air. Sparks danced across the surface — then fizzled out, leaving the metal cold and unchanged.
He shook his head. "No. It can't be opened."
"…Then who can?"
"You misunderstand, handsome young man. There is nothing to open."
"What? But… Gramps said it could be some kind of key."
"It isn't a box, and not a key." His fingers traced the edges slowly, reverently. "What it possesses is not a mechanism… but a force." He let out a breath, voice low. "It is a seal. To what, I can't know. And there is nothing more I can uncover here."
Kazuo tilted his head, uneasy. "A seal?"
"Indeed. But to what, I cannot say. This is all I can tell you. The rest… you will have to find elsewhere."
Kazuo swallowed hard, the question about Gramps burning on his tongue.
Veyra slipped the medallion back into Kazuo's palm and clapped the dust from his hands, as if forcing the matter closed. "Enough of that. Let's talk about your magic."
Veyra sat back, the lenses of his goggles flashing. "I want to know more about your magic. You can call your teammates in."
Kazuo tugged his shirt back over his shoulders, fastening the ties with steady hands. Piece by piece, he pulled his clothes on. He glanced at the door.
"You can come in now."
The hinges creaked as Tetsu stepped inside, glasses catching the glow of the board. Sora padded after him with a lazy swing of her tail, eyes sharp despite the grin tugging her mouth.
"What took you so long?" she teased, brushing past Kazuo with mock impatience.
Tetsu barely heard her. His gaze locked on the glowing runes. "Between Rulthan and Kaya…" He leaned closer, eyes wide behind his lenses. "…a fitting placement."
Sora tilted her head at the board. "So he's ranked above most of the guard already, huh? Not bad."
Kazuo fastened the last tie of his shirt, tugging the collar straight. He didn't rise to her bait.
Veyra finally turned from the board, his lenses flashing. "Handsome young man… could you show me? Just one spell. I want to see it with my own eyes."
He hesitated, then lifted his hand. Water gathered at his palm, forming a sharp, spinning edge. "Water Magic: Water Shuriken."
The orb flattened, curved — but only one shuriken hung there, hovering just above his skin.
Veyra's violet eyes lit with genuine fascination, lenses glinting as if they could barely contain the spark behind them. "Magnificent. Truly magnificent. Pure, untainted Water Magic — strong enough to rival even the highest. I've never seen anything like it." His grin softened into something wistful. "If I had the chance to study it more…"
Kazuo let the shuriken dissolve, droplets trailing off his hand. "…Then do it. Run some tests. I don't mind."
Veyra's expression shifted. The manic edge drained from his voice, leaving it quieter, heavier. "No, handsome young man. I can't."
He left it there. No explanation. But the silence carried weight — the sense of an order, of something barred and forbidden.
Sora leaned against the table with a sly grin. "And, of course, you are below me."
Kazuo shot her a look as he slipped the last buckle of his jacket into place. "Probably because your luck stat is maxed out."
Her ears twitched. "Luck? Please. Unlike you, I don't trip into talent — I work for it."
The two bickered back and forth until Tetsu sighed, adjusting his glasses again. "Honestly… children."
Tetsu sighed.
They stayed a while longer, Sora poking around with irreverent curiosity while Tetsu inspected the board with scholarly focus.
Finally, Veyra clapped his hands, snapping back into his cheerful rhythm. "Alright, enough! Out, out, you've clogged my laboratory air long enough."
They turned toward the door.
"Oh—" Veyra called suddenly. His eyes stayed fixed on the board, not on them. "And, handsome young man… your Gramps is a good man."
Kazuo froze mid-step. A smile tugged faintly at his mouth. He hadn't asked, but somehow… he'd been given an answer.
He pushed open the door and left with the others.
When the echo of their footsteps faded, Veyra's shoulders sagged. He let out a long breath.
"…Hakim," Veyra murmured, almost to himself. "I wonder what would've happened… if you had never met her."
The words hung in the air as Kazuo and the others stepped out of the laboratory. The heavy scent of ink and metal gave way to the crisp bite of evening. Shadows stretched long across the courtyard stones; the sky above was already sliding into indigo.
Sora stretched her arms over her head, ears twitching toward the darkening horizon. "It's night already. Let's hit the hot springs."
Tetsu's expression was flat. "Of course you'd think of that first."
Sora only grinned, tail flicking behind her as she strode ahead.
The lanterns along the path glowed faintly, guiding them toward the baths. Steam drifted up through the wooden beams as the springs came into view, mist catching silver in the moonlight—
The lanterns lit their path as they reached the hot springs. Steam curled lazily above the timber roofs, glowing faintly under the moonlight. Kazuo slowed when he spotted the wooden sign by the entrance: Men / Women, separated.
He kept his expression flat, but inside a quiet oh man ran through his head.
Tetsu caught it instantly. "Don't tell me… you actually believed this was a mixed bath?"
Kazuo straightened, scowling. "No. I'm not a pervert."
The lie was obvious, and Tetsu's smirk said as much, but he let it drop as they stepped inside.
The receptionist greeted them with a cheerful smile. Beside her, a squat little spirit frog croaked from its perch, its skin glowing faintly green. Kazuo gave it a brief glance as they passed.
Moments later, Sora was already on the women's side, her laughter echoing faintly as she slipped into the mist. The boys turned toward the men's section.
Tetsu removed his glasses and folded his clothes with meticulous care. "Strange," he remarked. "You were so embarrassed to get undressed in front of Dr. Veyra, but here you're not."
Kazuo stepped into the washing stall, splashing water over his shoulders. "Of course I'm not. This is the right environment. We're here to take a bath — that was… different."
They scrubbed down quietly for a while, the sound of running water filling the silence. Kazuo tilted his head back, letting the warmth soak into his hair. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"This reminds me of Rei," he said suddenly. "I promised him we'd go to the hot springs together when all this was over."
Tetsu paused, considering.
Kazuo glanced at him. "You've been training hard these past days, right? Where've you been keeping yourself?"
"Well…" Tetsu's voice softened. "Back then, in the royal library, when we talked — something clicked. I've been pushing myself since. Studying. Experimenting."
Kazuo nodded, warmth threading through his chest. "Glad I could help."
They slipped into the steaming pool. The heat seeped into muscle and bone, loosening tension neither of them had realized they carried.
"Wow…" Kazuo exhaled. "This feels amazing."
The moment stretched, calm and quiet — until footsteps approached.
A figure stepped into view at the edge of the men's bath, towel draped around his wrist. White hair caught the lamplight. Kazuo blinked — he remembered the boy from the battle royal.
Yuki.
As the boy moved, the towel shifted, revealing a scar carved jagged up his leg, the mark stark as lightning.
He set the towel aside, lowered himself into the water, and let the steam rise around him. Kazuo's eyes lingered on the jagged scar that carved up his leg, stark as lightning against pale skin.
Yuki caught the glance. His voice was quiet, almost casual. "This… is from my fight with Aoi."
Kazuo tensed, instinctively straightening in the water — then forced a breath, reminding himself this was the springs, not the arena. Yuki didn't seem like the kind of troublemaker who would stir up a fight here.
"You faced him in the tournament first, right?" Kazuo asked.
He nodded faintly. "It was deliberate."
Kazuo blinked. "What do you mean… deliberate?"
"He did this on purpose. Even though he'd already won."
Tetsu, half-submerged on the other side of the pool, looked up sharply.
Kazuo leaned forward, tension edging into his voice. "Why would he do that? He never looked like the kind of guy who'd do something cruel."
Kazuo leaned forward, tension edging into his voice. "Why would he do that? He never looked like the kind of guy who'd do something cruel."
Yuki's expression didn't change. "Then why do you believe Kaien is in critical condition? Maybe you didn't see it, but in the battle royal, Kaien landed a hit on his back. This was the payback."
Kazuo's eyes widened. "What kind of guy does something like that? To go that far over one strike… it's twisted
Yuki paused, then said quietly, "I'll tell you what kind of guy Aoi really is."
The water hissed softly around them as he went on.
"From what I heard, he watched all your battles. Studied you. Every stance, every hesitation, every way you move. That's who he is. Aoi doesn't fight to impress anyone. He fights to dismantle you."
Tetsu glanced toward Yuki, a thought forming. So that's why he was always there with us…
Yuki let the words settle before continuing. "And as for the special unit… they're not a normal squad. They're killers, trained to eliminate threats before they ever rise. Everyone knows he's a genius. A prodigy. You probably know it too by now."
Kazuo felt the weight of the steam pressing tighter around them.
"He's a killing machine. The scar you saw—" Yuki brushed his hand through his damp hair, water streaming down his face, "—that was his reminder to me. That he chose to leave me with it."
Kazuo was listening.
Yuki leaned back against the stone, eyes half-shadowed by the rising steam. "In my fight with him… he was cold. Confident. Always perfect in every move. But when I finally drove him into a corner…" His voice faltered. "…he got thrilled. That was the part that scared me most."
"Thrilled?"
He nodded. "Yes. It was like he lost every sense of mercy."
Kazuo stared, disbelief knotting in his gut.
Yuki exhaled slowly, steam curling around his face. "I haven't seen you fight. And not to discredit you… but you won't beat Aoi. "ou might come close. Close enough to drive him to that edge. But let's say you are coming close…" His gaze locked onto Kazuo, unblinking through the steam. "What will you do… when he unleashes his Esoteric Art on you?"
Kazuo had no answer for that. His image of Aoi was changed forever. They had come here to relax, but now the hot spring felt less like a reprieve and more like a weight pressing down on his chest.