They arrived in Kyoto late at night.
When the train doors opened, Mochi was the first to step onto the platform. The moment her feet touched the ground, she raised both arms over her head and stretched hard.
"Nnngh…"
A small crack ran through her back. After so many hours sitting, her legs felt stiff and her muscles numb.
Behind her, Miyu, Rei, and Zeke stepped off with far less difficulty.
Rei checked the time on her wristwatch before sighing.
"It's already pretty late. We should head straight to the hotel."
"Yeah, you're right," Zeke replied, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. "We'll have to leave early tomorrow. Luckily it's not far, so we can walk."
Miyu turned to him, her eyes shining.
"Leader… what kind of hotel is it? A fancy one? You said the agency would cover all the expenses."
Zeke smiled.
"Yep, yep. I'll keep my promise. Tonight we're staying at a five-star hotel."
There was a second of silence.
Then—
"Seriously?!"
Mochi and Miyu reacted at the exact same time.
Both of them gave a small excited jump before hurrying down the street.
"Come on, come on!"
"I don't want to be the last one there!"
As the two rushed ahead enthusiastically, Zeke and Rei followed behind at a much calmer pace.
Rei watched them disappear into the distance and let out a quiet laugh.
"I still can't believe they gave you practically free rein for this mission."
"They didn't," Zeke replied with a tired smile. "The higher-ups were pretty stingy with the budget. But Ofelia told me to spend whatever I wanted… said she'd personally deal with any complaints from management."
"That sounds exactly like something Ofelia would say."
"Right?"
Once at the hotel, Zeke handled the check-in while Mochi and Miyu stared around the massive lobby in fascination.
The marble floors reflected the warm golden glow of the chandeliers overhead. Floral arrangements decorated every corner, and the air carried the faint scent of polished wood and expensive perfume.
Mochi looked around as if she had stepped into another world.
"This place is huge…"
"I feel like we shouldn't touch anything," Miyu muttered, eyeing a decorative vase as though it might cost more than her rent.
Eventually Zeke returned with the room keys.
"All set. I booked three rooms. Two singles… and one double for you two."
"We're sharing a room!" Miyu said, clearly delighted.
Later, the four of them were having dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Unlike the usual chaos of their missions, the atmosphere was elegant and calm. The soft clinking of silverware and low conversations filled the space.
That was when Mochi decided to bring up the subject again.
"Zeke… earlier you mentioned the person we're meeting tomorrow is a genius. What exactly does that mean? Is she really strong?"
Zeke set his chopsticks down on his plate before answering.
"The girl joining us is named Kotone. She just turned thirteen not long ago."
Mochi raised an eyebrow.
"Thirteen?"
"Yeah. She became an agent just a month ago."
"That already sounds absurd," Mochi muttered.
"What's truly impressive," Zeke continued, "is that from the very first moment she held her weapon, she was able to use it perfectly. No prior training."
Miyu stopped eating.
Mochi did too.
"In fact," Zeke continued, "even back then she had already reached a level of power comparable to a rank 2 agent."
Both of them fell completely silent.
That meant something enormous.
Power comparable to Haruka's.
"And not only that," Zeke added. "She's also shown exceptional talent for sorcery. You could call her an absolute prodigy in every regard."
Rei took a sip of water before adding:
"And she also belongs to the main branch of one of OHRA's founding families."
That gave Kotone's name even more weight.
A thirteen-year-old girl.
Rank 2–level power.
Absolute natural talent.
An important bloodline.
Mochi no longer knew whether to feel excited… or intimidated.
After dinner, everyone retired to their rooms.
Mochi stepped out of the bathroom with damp hair while Miyu was already lying beneath the blankets.
The room was spacious, with two single beds beside a large window overlooking the nighttime lights of Kyoto.
Mochi flopped onto her bed on her back.
The mattress was absurdly comfortable.
"Miyu…" she said, staring at the ceiling. "Do you think we'll be able to get along with someone like that?"
"With Kotone?"
"Yeah… I don't know. Geniuses are usually weird."
Miyu let out a small laugh.
"You worry too much."
She adjusted herself beneath the blankets before smiling at her from the other bed.
"There won't be any problem, I promise. We'll meet her tomorrow… and I'm sure we'll end up becoming friends."
Mochi turned her head toward her.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
Mochi smiled.
She wasn't entirely convinced.
But hearing Miyu say it with so much certainty made her feel a little calmer.
Tomorrow they would meet Kotone.
"There won't be any problem, I promise. We'll meet her tomorrow… and I'm sure we'll end up becoming friends."
—
"Pff… Friends? Why would I be friends with a couple of clumsy rookies? Just make sure you don't get in my way or slow me down and we'll be fine."
"What did you say, brat?!"
"Wait, Mochi! Calm down, don't start a fight—" Miyu grabbed Mochi by the arm before she could step forward.
"She started it!"
It had all begun just a few minutes earlier.
The group had arrived at the station early that morning to meet the final participant in the exam.
Kotone.
At first glance, Mochi had frozen for a few seconds just looking at her.
She was small—much smaller than Mochi had imagined. Her dark brown hair was neatly styled, and she wore an elegant women's hakama paired with red geta sandals. Her straight, composed posture, along with her calm expression, made her look from a distance like a doll placed on display.
Standing beside her was Takahiro.
Tall and slender, with long brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. He wore a suit and tie, and if not for the katana at his waist, Mochi could have easily mistaken him for an ordinary office worker.
Zeke had taken care of the introductions.
Mochi and Miyu had tried to approach her naturally.
Kotone rejected them with absolute coldness.
And that had led to the current argument.
The arguing went on for several minutes.
That was when Zeke, wearing a smile far too pleased with himself, proposed an idea that, according to him, would help improve their relationship.
Mochi immediately knew he was only doing it because he thought it was funny.
His proposal was simple.
The train they would be taking had private cabins.
They would split into two groups:
Mochi, Miyu, and Kotone would ride together in one cabin.
While Zeke, Rei, and Takahiro would take another.
Despite Mochi's and Kotone's simultaneous protests, the plan was accepted.
And that was how they ended up trapped together.
The rhythmic rattling of the train was practically the only thing filling the air.
The tension inside the small private cabin was so thick it almost felt visible.
Miyu sat by the window, watching the scenery blur past at high speed.
Throughout the trip, she had already had to step in between Mochi and Kotone again and again.
It was starting to wear her out.
Across from her, Kotone sat with her back perfectly straight… though every few minutes she shifted slightly in obvious discomfort.
At last, she let out a long sigh.
"Fascinating."
Miyu turned toward her.
Kotone closed her eyes as if enduring some great tragedy.
"I didn't know transportation with seats this hard still existed… and with fabric this… coarse."
Beside her, Mochi had just won a particularly difficult battle against a bag of potato chips.
She opened it with her teeth.
"Hard?" she said, popping a chip into her mouth. "This is first class, brat."
Kotone opened one eye.
She looked Mochi up and down with absolute disdain.
"First: don't speak while chewing. It's vulgar."
Mochi swallowed.
"Second: I am not a 'brat.' I am Kotone."
Mochi rolled her eyes.
Kotone pointed at the chip bag with two fingers, as if touching something contaminated.
"And third… that smell of artificial grease is seeping into the fibers of my uniform. It's offensive."
Mochi froze for a second.
Then she smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"Oh, really?"
She slowly leaned closer with the bag.
"Well then, my 'offensive smell' and I are going to make sure you don't sleep the entire trip."
crrrsh
She crinkled the bag right next to Kotone's face.
"Get that away from me!" Kotone squealed, jerking back against the seat. "Tell her to behave!"
For the first time since they had met her, her elegant façade cracked completely.
For an instant she stopped looking like a refined little noble…
…and looked like what she really was.
A thoroughly outraged thirteen-year-old girl.
Miyu couldn't help letting out a laugh.
"Mochi… stop teasing her."
Mochi returned to her seat looking satisfied.
"She started it."
Miyu sighed, then looked at Kotone with a gentle smile.
She leaned forward slightly.
"And you shouldn't be so harsh either. We're on the same team now… we should at least try to get along."
"The leader said you're really talented at sorcery… I'm really curious," Miyu said with a sincere smile. "Could you teach me sometime? I'd genuinely love to learn."
Kotone didn't even take a second to think about it.
"No," she replied immediately, folding her arms.
Miyu blinked.
"No?"
"My instructional time is private," Kotone continued with complete seriousness. "I do not take apprentices."
Miyu let out a small awkward laugh.
"Ah… I see."
From the seat beside her, Mochi let out a snort before dropping heavily against the backrest, crossing one leg over the other.
"See, Miyu? I told you," she said, bringing another chip to her mouth. "Talking to her is like talking to a wall."
Kotone slowly turned toward her.
"I don't know why you try so hard to be nice to someone who treats us like we're her servants," Mochi added.
Kotone's fingers curled tightly in her lap.
Her knuckles tensed.
The provocation landed perfectly.
"I never asked you to be nice to me!" she snapped, glaring daggers at Mochi. "I'm only here because my family says I need to 'socialize with lower ranks.'"
Mochi stopped chewing.
Kotone continued:
"So don't expect me to share my knowledge with someone who can't even open a bag of food without using her teeth."
There was a second of absolute silence.
Miyu slowly closed her eyes.
She knew exactly what was coming.
"Come here, you spoiled little runt!"
Mochi lunged forward from her seat.
Kotone immediately recoiled into the corner of the cabin.
"Don't you dare touch me with those greasy hands!"
"I'm going to smear seasoning all over your cheeks just for saying that!"
"Savage!"
"Pampered princess!"
Miyu let out a long, exhausted sigh.
Again.
For what felt like the hundredth time, she stood up and stepped between them just before Mochi could get any closer.
"That's enough, both of you!"
Mochi tried leaning around her from one side.
"But she started it!"
Kotone pointed from the other side of Miyu.
"And she's still unbearable!"
"Yes, I heard both of you," Miyu replied, massaging her temple. "Several times already during this trip."
The constant rattling of the train filled the silence that followed.
Mochi dropped back into her seat with her arms crossed, her tail swishing irritably from side to side.
Kotone adjusted her hakama with an indignant gesture before turning toward the window.
Both of them looked away at the same time.
Miyu remained standing between them for a few seconds.
Then she let out a resigned sigh and sat back down.
She looked out at the scenery passing beyond the glass.
Mountains.
Fields.
Small towns appearing and disappearing in a blur.
It was peaceful scenery.
Very peaceful.
Far too peaceful compared to the chaos seated on either side of her.
"This is going to be a long trip…" she muttered to herself.
* * *
Unlike the constant commotion in Mochi's cabin, the atmosphere in Zeke's was completely different.
Heavier.
More tense.
Even the rattling of the train sounded muffled in there.
Takahiro stood by the door with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the hallway leading to the girls' cabin.
Even from there, raised voices could be heard… along with the occasional crinkling of a bag of chips.
"Any trouble during the trip?" he asked without looking away. "Have you detected any trace of the enemy?"
Zeke let out a dry laugh and dropped back against the seat.
"Incredible. Five years without seeing each other, Takahiro… and that's the first thing out of your mouth."
He crossed one leg over the other.
"Not a 'how have you been?', not a 'Zeke, the uniform really suits you'… you're still cold as ever, my friend."
Takahiro barely frowned.
He said nothing.
But his expression said it all.
We're on a mission.
"Relax," Zeke continued. "The trip's been boring. No incidents."
Takahiro's expression softened slightly… though not completely.
"But don't get comfortable. Now that Kotone's on board… the risk has changed."
The silence turned heavy.
Then Takahiro slammed his fist against the armrest.
"It disgusts me."
Rei opened one eye from her seat.
"She's a genius," Takahiro continued, his voice tightly controlled. "A key asset to the future of the Agency… and yet those old men on the Council dare use her like a piece of meat tied to a hook."
Zeke didn't respond.
Rei was the one who spoke.
"There's nothing you can do against them. You'd be better off accepting that… and focusing on what matters."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Protecting your niece."
Takahiro let out a bitter breath.
"Those old men cling so tightly to their golden thrones that they'd burn the next generation without hesitation if it meant keeping their influence. Kotone didn't need this exam. She has nothing to prove to people who haven't stepped outside their mansions in decades."
Rei straightened slightly in her seat.
She looked at him calmly.
"You're right that the Agency is rotten at the top."
Takahiro looked at her.
"But you're wrong about Kotone."
"Oh?"
"Yes."
Rei tilted her head toward the next train car.
Another muffled shout came from inside.
"I told you not to call me brat!"
"Then stop acting like one!"
Zeke let out a quiet laugh.
"You've locked her inside a glass cage," Rei continued. "Yes, they're using her as bait… and yes, it's cruel. But look at her now."
Takahiro remained silent.
"For the first time in a long while, she isn't 'the heir'… or 'the prodigy'… or 'the genius child.' She's just arguing with girls her own age."
Rei let her words settle.
"She needs that. If you keep suffocating her… she'll end up hating you before she turns fifteen."
Takahiro lowered his gaze.
His expression softened.
"I just want her to be safe."
"Then let's do something," Zeke said, leaning forward. "The next stop is that tourist town at the foot of the mountain. The one with the hot springs and the dango stalls."
Rei leaned back into her seat again.
"Convince Kotone to get off with them. Let her walk around. Eat something. Take pictures. Waste time like any other thirteen-year-old girl."
Zeke smiled.
"We'll make sure nothing bad happens."
Takahiro remained silent for several seconds.
At last, he sighed.
"It's risky."
"Come on, Takahiro," Zeke said. "Let the kid be a kid for a few hours."
He gave him a sideways grin.
"Besides… you look like you could use a break yourself before you start getting premature gray hairs."
* * *
By midday, the train stopped in a small tourist town at the foot of the mountain.
The air was fresh and crisp.
The mineral scent of the hot springs mingled with the sweet aroma drifting from the street stalls.
Mochi was the first to step off the train.
The moment her feet touched the platform, she raised both arms toward the sky.
"Finally!"
She stretched hard.
"Now I can get away from that awful brat!"
Kotone stepped down behind her.
"I'm the one who should be celebrating," she replied, lightly shaking out her sleeve. "I couldn't stand another second with you."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"During the next leg of the trip, I'll be demanding a cabin of my own. Far away from you."
"Perfect. Then I'll finally be able to live in peace too."
"The feeling is mutual."
"Excellent."
"Wonderful."
Miyu climbed down behind them and let out a long sigh.
"We survived…"
"I have a mission for the three of you," Zeke announced cheerfully, as if he hadn't just witnessed yet another argument.
All three turned toward him.
"I need you to go sightseeing together."
Silence.
"What?"
"Visit the hot springs. Eat something. Walk around town."
Mochi narrowed her eyes.
"That sounds suspicious."
"It's not suspicious."
"When you say something isn't suspicious… it always turns out suspicious."
"Just enjoy the afternoon," Zeke replied, ignoring her. "We're spending the night here, and we'll head out again early tomorrow."
He pointed up the street.
"The hotel's already booked. Go before it gets dark… and try not to get into trouble."
Mochi opened her mouth to answer.
Kotone did too.
They both spoke at the same time.
"I'm not going sightseeing with her!"
"I'm not going with her either!"
Zeke smiled, thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Perfect. Then you agree."
And before either of them could protest—
He turned around and walked off down the street with Rei and Takahiro.