The sight of Akari Hoshina, surrounded by grim-faced soldiers, confirmed the terror in Kenji's gut: his life as a simple scrapper was over. The game had started, and he was already being pulled onto the board.
"Reassigned? I thought I was useless, Hoshina-san," Kenji sneered, leaning against the doorframe. He let the arrogance flow, hoping it would mask the frantic thumping of his heart and the throbbing in his fused arm. "What, did your real heroes run out of batteries?"
Akari didn't flinch. Her face, framed by the cold, analytical visor of her Seimei Initiative armor, was impassive. She was focused on data, not feelings. "They ran out of time. You, Ikeda, have something they don't: a lack of conventional structure. A liability, perhaps, but one we are now desperate enough to use."
She spoke the truth like a mathematical equation.
"Desperate, huh?" Kenji pushed off the doorframe. "Well, desperation costs extra. I'm a civilian D-Rank. My hourly rate just went up to 'don't lose my daughter to my crazy ex-wife.'"
"We are aware of the pending custody review," Akari said flatly. "The Seimei Initiative can provide a stable, verifiable position—a B-Rank Field Technician, official papers, a clean apartment. The resources to fight for your child. The alternative is jail, courtesy of the Kōrin Assembly, who currently suspect you of illegal asset salvage and gross negligence."
Kenji knew she was laying out the only choice. Commander Aoi would love to lock up the "scrapper" just for breathing near his base. Akari was offering a cage, too, but one with a window to Hikari.
He looked back at his mother, who was clutching Hikari. "I'll be back," he promised them quietly. He didn't look like a hero, or even a soldier. He looked like a man being forced onto a battlefield.
He stepped outside and let the Seimei soldiers cuff him—a formality for the transport. As the convoy sped through the ruined, smoky streets of Tokyo, Akari Hoshina finally gave him a proper look.
"You killed a Brute-class Kyojin in the scrap yard. A creature designed to withstand tank fire. You did it with a Kesshō signature that vanished immediately, leaving behind no clean energy trace," Akari stated. "Explain your unauthorized method."
Kenji smiled, his most arrogant, annoying smile. "It was the debris, Hoshina-san. I noticed the Brute's armor plating was heavily reinforced with low-grade alloys. I placed a damaged Kesshō near its path and—boom. Structural failure. Just lucky."
Akari's visor flashed, processing the lie. "Structural failure does not vaporize Kyojin tissue. And it does not explain the residual Null-Stone signature found at the center of the detonation. You used the enemy's material."
Kenji shrugged, which was difficult in the cuffs. "Maybe the Kyojin had indigestion. Look, I'm a technician. I know how things break. If you want to know how it worked, let me see your junk. Otherwise, stop grilling the guy who saved your perimeter."
Akari dropped the interrogation. She knew he wouldn't crack. "Fine. Your new position requires you to wear a body camera and report directly to me. Your job is Unconventional Asset Integration—you go where the pure Hōjū can't, you identify the enemy's structural flaws, and you fix ours. You are a scalpel, not a hammer, Ikeda. And if you ever use a destructive energy release that threatens a Sentinel ally, I will execute you myself to protect the mission."
"Fair enough," Kenji said coolly. "Just promise me one thing: if I die, make sure Sanae doesn't get the credit."
The New Cage
Kenji was taken to the heavily fortified, hidden headquarters of the Seimei Initiative. It was a labyrinth of cold, sterile steel, dedicated to research and tactical warfare. It lacked the proud, golden monuments of the rival Kōrin Assembly, but it hummed with tense, focused energy.
He was given a small, Spartan room, his new B-Rank identification, and a new uniform—dark gray, functional, and utterly bland. The first thing he did was lock the door and examine his body.
The Gattai was still locked down. His forearm and lower leg still had the painful, dense, black Kuro-Tetsu fused beneath his skin, stubbornly refusing to dissolve. He couldn't risk going under a scanner.
He concentrated, his breath coming in sharp gasps. He needed to free the metal, but he feared using too much power would attract attention. He closed his eyes, focusing on the deep-purple pulse of the Yami-ishi. He had to dominate it, not release it.
After an hour of agonizing focus, he achieved a minor victory. With a sound like snapping ceramic, the black metal began to recede, melting back into his skin, leaving behind only faint, dark veins that pulsed faintly. The core Yami-ishi fragment was still seated in his chest, a ticking time bomb, but the surface manifestation was gone.
He was safe, for now.
His comm unit buzzed. Akari Hoshina. "Ikeda. Report to the central supply deck. You have a visitor."
The Glimmer of Loyalty
Kenji walked into the supply deck, a massive hangar filled with cutting-edge tech. He immediately spotted Naomi Sato, standing stiffly next to a stack of medical kits. She was wearing her standard C-Rank uniform, looking small and fragile in the immense space.
"Naomi-chan," Kenji said, dropping the snark, his voice softening with genuine relief.
Naomi rushed forward, ignoring the rules of rank and procedure. She didn't touch him, but her concern was evident in her eyes. "Kenji! I heard about the scrap yard. They said you were lucky. Kaito Jin said you were useless."
"Well, Jin-san only reports the obvious," Kenji deadpanned. "I'm fine. Just got a nasty bruise from a falling piece of... structure."
"Don't lie to me," Naomi whispered, looking at his right hand. "Your hand was bleeding when Kaito stepped on it. And that explosion was too clean to be simple structural failure. What did you do?"
Kenji looked away, his mind racing. He couldn't lie to her, but he couldn't tell her the truth. "I just pushed something in the right way, Naomi. It was a technician's trick. Nothing more."
"A technician's trick that makes the Kōrin Assembly terrified and gets you drafted by the strategists? Be careful, Kenji. They don't give B-Rank status to scrap collectors. They want something from you, and I'm afraid of what it is."
"They want me to fix the stuff their gold-plated heroes keep breaking," Kenji said, injecting his usual arrogance back into his tone. "I'm a salvage specialist now. Don't worry about me. Worry about that polished tin can who keeps ordering you around."
Naomi nodded slowly, her expression conflicted. She was genuinely happy he was safe, but utterly unnerved by his sudden elevation. "Just know that whatever you're doing, Kenji... I'll try to support you. You're a good father."
"That's all I need to hear," Kenji said, a sincere, heavy promise in his voice.
The moment of peace was shattered by a flash of chrome at the entrance. Kaito Jin marched in, flanked by two armed A-Rank guards. He was not happy to see the scrapper.
The Unearned Promotion
"Ikeda!" Kaito's voice boomed, echoing in the hangar. "I see Hoshina decided to give the gutter rat a leash. Don't think for a second that this B-Rank means anything. You are a liability, a political tool, and you will not touch our equipment."
Kenji leaned back against a supply crate, his arms crossed. "Relax, Jin-san. I heard your stuff breaks if I look at it too hard. Wouldn't want to mess up your perfect status."
Kaito stopped a few feet away, his face a mask of rage. He glanced at Naomi, whose attention was focused entirely on Kenji, and the jealousy flared.
"You think this is a joke?" Kaito hissed, dropping his voice dangerously. "My squad lost two good men today because of the chaos you created in the scrap yard. And you, a useless technician, get a promotion. You don't deserve that jacket, and you certainly don't deserve the attention of a good Sentinel like Naomi."
"That's funny," Kenji said, his voice flat and cold. "You sound like the only person who thinks I wanted any of this. Look around, Jin-san. The only thing I earned today was a hole in my living room floor. And as for Naomi, she can talk to whoever she wants. Unlike you, I don't need to compensate for my insecurity by treating people like dirt."
Kaito's Kinetic Reflection power shimmered violently around his armor. He was seconds away from a physical attack.
Suddenly, Akari Hoshina appeared from the shadows, her voice cutting like ice.
"Jin-san! Control your aggression! Ikeda is a Seimei Initiative asset now. Any damage to him or the mission will be reported directly to Commander Aoi as sabotage."
Kaito snapped his attention to Akari, his power fading. He was furious, trapped by the bureaucracy. "This is a disgrace, Hoshina. You are risking all our lives for a stunt."
"The stunt killed a Brute that your gold-plated assets failed to neutralize," Akari countered, giving Kaito a rare, devastating verbal blow. "Now, stand down, Jin-san. Ikeda, you have a flight to catch. You are going to the Siberian Defense Line immediately. General Volkov requires your unique services."
Kenji smirked at Kaito, a final, victorious, annoying sneer. "Looks like the scrapper gets a vacation, Jin-san. Maybe try polishing your ego while I'm gone. It's looking a little dusty."
As Kenji turned to leave, he felt the heavy weight of the mission, the threat of Aoi, the jealousy of Kaito, and the fear of losing Hikari all settle on his shoulders. He was a B-Rank asset, a fugitive, a liar, and a monster in hiding.