A new day began. Today was Kouji's first mission without Yuusuke, so Kouji was visibly nervous. He was lost in thought on his way to the briefing room.
–Yuusuke and I have been completing missions together for four months now. I'm wondering if I'll get along with my new teammates.
He was not removed by Yuusuke's team; it was merely a mission ordered by Commander-in-Chief Akechi.
–If the boss has already assigned me a task, I mustn't disappoint him.
Kouji arrived at the meeting room, but no one was there yet. So he sat down in a chair at the edge of the room and waited.
Not long after, the door burst open. A boy with short black hair entered the room; his bangs were cut above his eyebrows, and his hair was very short with a fade on the sides. Heaccount on aHe chewed gum and threw himself into an empty chair, far away from Kouji. He threw his legs up on the table as if he owned the place.
No greeting—nothing. He simply sat silently in the chair, glanced briefly at Kouji, and muttered to himself. "Now Akechi is already assigning me new recruits."
Of course Kouji heard it; the boy had spoken extra loudly.
–Are all the Hunters from last year like this? — Oh well.
Kouji briefly doubted the boy, but accepted him as long as he did his job properly and saved people. His gaze drifted downwards and he noticed a note in the middle of the table.
It was a mission description.
'Kagami, Kouji, Yorihito - SR'
–Whoa! Finally, a Super Rare mission. But why does an SR mission only have a danger level of less than one person? — That guy must be Yorihito.
Before Kouji could think about it any further, the door slammed open again. This time a woman entered the room.
–Kagami
"Okay, you're both here."
She wore a loose sweatshirt and tight jeans. Her blonde, slightly wavy hair was tied back in a ponytail with braids, a few strands hanging down from the crown. In her left hand, she held a spear wrapped in bandages. The spear's outline was clearly visible.
–A replica of the spear of Duke Frederick IV
Kouji had read many books on historical weapons in his free time, so he could interpret the shape of the spear, but this knowledge is rather useless in the fight against Nightmares.
Kagami threw a folder onto the table and stood at the whiteboard, like a professor about to begin her lecture.
"Kouji, since you're new, I'll explain a few things to you; it's an evening mission, I usually meet my team at reception for missions like this; it's a 'scout and report' mission, so nothing dangerous, but you should still always be on your guard."
–SR stood for Scout and Report.
Kouji was somewhat disappointed, as he thought he could finally face a stronger opponent, and Kagami noticed his change in mood.
"Is everything okay, do you understand so far?"
Kouji composed himself and nodded enthusiastically.
"I don't quite understand why Akechi assigned three Hunters to this mission, but if you understand everything, I'll see you at reception at 6 p.m."
"Yes, indeed," said Kouji, a little louder than usual, whileYorihitoHe quietly got up and moved out of the room. Before he completely disappeared down the corridor, he gave Kouji a quick glance out of the corner of his eye and then went to his room.
Kouji also stood up, but just before he disappeared from the room, Kagami stopped him.
"Kouji, wait a little longer."
He stopped and turned around.
"Sit down again"
"Is something wrong with me?"
"No, it's nothing, I just wanted to ask something; — Have you done Recon missions with Yuusuke before?"
"Yes, I have."
"I know it's boring at first, but there's a reason why Ryo, or in this case Akechi, only gives you missions like these; believe me, it pays off."
"Understood."
"Super! I've known Ryo for a long time, if he bothers you you can always come to me."
Kagami left the room, flashing a smile at Kouji. Not a second later, Kouji returned to his room and waited for the evening. As it arrived, Kouji went to the reception area where Kagami and Yorihito were already waiting.
"Finally, you're here too, newcomer," Yorihito said in a disgusted tone.
Kagami leaned against Kouji and whispered to him.him: "He's the same year as you, don't worry."
She smiled briefly, and the group set off for the location. They traveled there in Kagami's car. Yuusuke and Kouji usually had to take the train, but he found this more relaxing.
–Maybe I should also tackle getting my driver's license.
They drove far out into the wilderness until they arrived at a half-forgotten area. There were no signs anywhere, but it was clear that it was an ancient territory. As the three got out of the car, Kagami reiterated their mission.
"Go in, observe, report; that's all there is to it."
The area was half-abandoned. Concrete towers rose like tombstones — windows shattered, fences rusted. The streets were empty, save for wind-tossed paper and the occasional crow perched overhead.
Kagami led with confidence, checking corners and rooftops like second nature.
Kouji walked behind her, mind split between the mission and the quiet shift in his body. His Analyzing Blessing had felt... different lately. Less precise. Less responsive. He could still sense materials, structure — but movement, which once lit up like a diagram in his mind, now remained a blur.
But when he touched the edge of a broken fence post —
steel, rust, stability: low
— he could already imagine what it could become.
Not a read. A blueprint.
Yorihito kicked over a bin with unnecessary force.
"Why are we even out here?" he muttered. "There's no scent. No pull. Just a waste of time."
"There were reports here," Kagami replied, calm. "That's enough."
"Or maybe someone just sneezed hard."
Kouji ignored the bickering. He touched a pipe, fingers trailing across the corroded surface, eyes narrowing.
"The aura's stale. Old disruption, not fresh. Maybe someone with unstable Blessing training nearby recently."
Kagami nodded. "Good call."
Yorihito blew a bubble and popped it without interest. "Then let's wrap it."
The moment snapped.
A loud clang echoed from a nearby stair.
Kagami froze, hand already near her spear. Kouji stepped slightly forward, ready to read the angle of the building. Yorihito was already moving — too fast.
He turned a corner without warning and grabbed a figure standing just inside the alley.
A man.
Middle-aged. Startled. Civilian.
"Don't move!" Yorihito shouted, raising his arm — sharp strings gleaming between his fingers, poised to launch.
"Stop!" Kouji yelled.
Yorihito ignored him. The man cowered, trembling.
"I said—"
Kouji moved.
He darted forward, forming a short metal baton in his hand from a street sign's base. The weapon glinted — raw, clean, shaped in less than a second — and clashed against Yorihito's sharp strings with force.
The string misfired, slicing into the wall.
Kouji didn't stop. He spun the baton once and pressed it to Yorihito's collarbone, expression cold.
"He's a civilian. You could've killed him."
Yorihito's eyes narrowed. "Back off."
For a second — just a second — it felt like it would escalate.
Then Kagami's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"Both of you — down."
Kouji stepped back first, breathing hard. Yorihito lowered his string with a scoff.
The civilian stammered thanks and bolted.
The mission ended soon after.
Back at HQ, the automatic doors hissed open.
Yorihito peeled off immediately without a word, muttering something under his breath as he vanished into the east wing. Kagami headed toward the report terminal but paused when she saw Kouji lingering near the vending machine.
"You alright?"
Kouji nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."
She gave him a once-over, then disappeared down the hall.
A voice called out from across the room.
"Well, if it isn't trouble himself."
Yumi, leaning against her desk at the far end of the lobby, arms crossed, hair messy under her glasses. She looked amused — and tired.
"I saw the report. First mission with a new squad and already breaking up fights?"
Kouji walked over, pulling a bottle of water from the machine. "Not exactly what I wanted to be known for."
"Could be worse," she said, smirking.
He let out a quiet breath — maybe a laugh, maybe not.
Her eyes flicked over him for a second longer, then softened. "Your aura's shifting again."
Kouji glanced up.
"Still heavy," she added. "But not like before. It's... sharper now."
"Is that bad?"
"I didn't say that." She leaned a little closer over the counter. "Just means you're either getting stronger — or getting closer to breaking something."
Kouji blinked.
Yumi shrugged. "Maybe both."
She pushed a small packet across the desk — a pre-stamped copy of his uniform request file.
"Here," she added. "Support finally processed your custom gear order. Might want to double-check your specs, though. You wrote 'low resistance' on half the plates."
"I wanted mobility."
"Just don't complain when someone stabs you."
He gave a tired smirk. "Noted."
Yumi gave a mock-salute as he turned to leave. "Hey, Kouji."
He stopped.
"Next time you get into a fight with a teammate, try to make it look like less of a win. People talk."
He didn't answer. But he didn't have to — the corner of his mouth twitched upward for just a second before he walked off.