Missions came faster now.
Not harder — just more of them. Less time between. Less reason. Less sleep.
Kouji stood in the training yard at dusk, shadows stretching long under the lights of the Sun. His jacket was damp from exertion, his fingers still faintly sparking with Aura. A fourth completed mission this week. Another on his plans for tomorrow.
No congratulations. No briefing. Just dispatches.
He wasn't sure if he was being rewarded.
"You've been quiet lately."
The voice echoed softly inside his mind — the Devil, as present as breath but never truly heard aloud.
Kouji didn't answer.
He stared at his hand and flexed his aura once.
"Are you tired?"
Still no answer.
The dorms were quiet when he returned. Yuusuke hadn't been back much lately. Missions of his own. Kouji didn't blame him. Things had changed.
He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, eyes fixed on his reflection.
A boy stared back — sharp features, slightly dark circles, the thin outline of muscle from constant physical work. Hunter posture. Calm expression.
Nothing strange.
He leaned in closer.
The light above flickered.
For just a second — not even a heartbeat — his eyes were yellow.
He blinked. Gone.
His hand gripped the sink.
"It's part of yourself," the Devil said softly.
"You shouldn't fear it."
Kouji didn't respond. He just turned off the light and left the room in silence.
Meanwhile Ryo sat alone in his office, the lights low and the windows cracked just enough to hear the wind move.
He scrolled through Kouji's recent mission logs.
Too frequent. All signed off by Hanzo. All with non-standard aura zones. Not random assignments — tracking patterns.
Ryo exhaled once, then looked at the corner of his desk. A small document.
It was empty.
He titled it
The next day, Kouji stood again at the mission desk, expecting the usual sealed envelope.
Instead, Hanzo himself approached — expression unreadable, steps slow.
"You're to report to the west corridor briefing room," he said. "Immediately."
Kouji raised an eyebrow. "Another mission?"
Hanzo nodded. "Special recon. A request from Akechi."
Kouji took the orders without further questions.
The briefing room was cold and metallic, with no windows and no monitor display.
Just Akechi.
He stood with his back to the door, facing a wall-mounted schematic of a city grid.
"Kanzaki's edge sectors are showing residual aura signatures," he said, as Kouji and Yuusuke entered. "Old activity, likely leftover Nightmare clusters. I want a sweep and report. Fast and clean."
Yuusuke nodded, arms crossed. Kouji said nothing.
Then Akechi turned, smiling slightly — not forced, but rehearsed.
"Good work lately, both of you. Especially you, Kouji. You've adapted remarkably fast."
Kouji didn't meet his gaze.
Akechi continued, "Your growth will help this Association stand stronger than ever."
He dismissed them with a nod. Kouji was the last to leave. As the door slid shut behind him, Akechi's voice rang out one more time — almost too casual:
"Let's keep pushing forward."
Kouji stopped briefly — but didn't turn back.
That evening, alone on the rooftop, he sat with his knees up, arms wrapped loosely around them. The sun dipped low over the edge of the city, casting long streaks of orange against the steel skyline.
The Devil spoke once more.
"He's watching you like a test result."
Kouji said quietly, "I guess this is how it is with higher ups."
"Maybe"