As soon as Arata left the room, the tension seemed to evaporate. I leaned back in my chair with a sigh, finally able to relax after our tsundere captain's dramatic exit. That guy never changed—cold on the outside, warm on the inside, but he'd die before admitting it.
I turned to my left. Reina sat beside me, her posture impeccable, hands resting lightly on her open book. That noble aura of hers still weighed on me like a blanket I didn't ask for. It wasn't unpleasant—just suffocating in a way.
Alright, Takumi, small talk time. If I could get her talking, maybe I could figure out how reliable she was. She looked like the type of person who'd actually enjoy responsibility, which made her the perfect candidate for me to quietly shove half my workload onto.
"Hey, Reina, can I ask you something—"
Before I could finish, a massive hand clamped down on my shoulder. Heavy, solid, warm. I didn't even need to look. There was only one person who touched me like that.
"Hey! My best friend Takumi!" Daichi's voice boomed through the room, rattling my poor eardrums. "Let's go and test my new gun!"
My head sank into my hands. Of course. Loud, reckless, unpredictable Daichi. If subtlety were a weapon, he'd be the first casualty.
Sigh. A very long sigh.
Clap!
I slapped my hands together, the sharp crack cutting across the chatter. Everyone turned to look at me—exactly what I wanted.
"Alright, newbies," I said, putting on my best 'serious strategist' voice, "follow me. We'll head to the testing area for some equipment trials. Everyone else, feel free to do your own thing for now."
I motioned toward the three new recruits. Their heads popped up like startled rabbits.
"Daichi," I added, already resigned to whatever chaos was about to follow, "lead the way."
"You are so thoughtful, my friend!" Daichi laughed, slapping me hard across the back. My lungs nearly collapsed. That man had more physical power in one hand than I did in my entire body.
The group shuffled out. Everyone except Shizuki and Arata—both of whom had, unsurprisingly, vanished like smoke.
As we started down the long steel corridor toward the testing area, a little grin tugged at my lips. I couldn't help it. I wanted to see how that dual-katana newbie, Takeru, would handle Daichi's nonsense. My grin turned more sinister by the second.
"Are you okay, Nii-san?" Miyu's quiet voice floated beside me. She looked up at me with that worried expression of hers, her green hair falling slightly over her eyes.
Oh no. Miyu sad. Abort. Abort.
I straightened immediately, forcing the grin into something less villainous. "No, no, I'm fine. Just thinking about something fun, that's all." I reached out and patted her head gently. She brightened instantly, smiling again. Crisis averted.
Before I could bask in my own clever save, Hina leaned over with her usual boundless energy. "Wowww! You two are super close, huh? But not as close as me and my girlfriend!" she declared with a bubbly grin, practically bouncing in her steps.
Akane, walking beside her, went stiff as a board. Her sharp eyes darted everywhere, and then her cheeks flushed pink. Her fierce, protective aura hadn't dimmed, but the blush betrayed her.
I rubbed my temple. "Don't talk like that in front of the newbies, Hina. You'll scare them off on their first day."
"Awww, but I was just being honest!" Hina puffed her cheeks and clung tighter to Akane's arm, who looked like she was torn between glaring daggers at me and melting from embarrassment. Innocent little Hina… or maybe not so innocent after all.
I glanced back at the others trailing behind us. Nanami fidgeted with her fingers, eyes darting nervously around the hallway. Poor girl looked like she was trying to disappear into her own shadow. Reina walked calmly, her nose still buried in her book as if the rest of us were irrelevant. And then there was Takeru—silent, composed, unreadable. If Shizuki was the squad's ghost, this guy was shaping up to be Shizuki 2.0. The thought almost made me laugh out loud.
I decided to probe a little more. "So, Reina," I said casually, "are you from a millionaire family or something? Your posture's too polished, your speech too refined. You carry yourself like someone who had tutors and etiquette classes since birth."
For a moment, she actually looked up from her book. Our eyes met. She gave me a single, graceful nod—then returned to her reading without a word.
"...Right," I muttered, running a hand down my face. "Mystery confirmed. Thanks for the in-depth explanation."
She didn't even flinch. Ice queen through and through.
Giving up, I drifted back toward Miyu, Hina, and Akane. At least their antics were entertaining. Miyu kept glancing at me with her soft smile, Hina chattered endlessly about snacks, and Akane's blush still hadn't faded.
We passed through the heavy security doors into the lower levels of the base. The air grew cooler, the walls shifting from sleek white to reinforced steel. Warning signs plastered every surface: Caution. High energy weapons testing area. Authorized personnel only.
This was Daichi's playground. Which meant we were about to see something on the level of a small nuclear test.
I sighed again, dragging my feet toward whatever insanity awaited us.