Itoshi stood up wordlessly, his fists still faintly smoldering. Without so much as a glance toward his squadmates, he turned and began walking toward the gate.
Kirashi squinted at him, wiping sweat off his brow.
"Eh? What the hell is up with him?"
Ryujin let out a long sigh and facepalmed, shaking his head.
"Eh..? Did I miss something?"
The silence Ryujin gave him was answer enough.
At the gate, the UWDS personnel instinctively stepped aside. A sharp wave of heat passed as Itoshi walked by—his clothes were bone-dry, skin steaming faintly despite Ryujin's earlier water barrage. No words were exchanged.
No eye contact.
Kara stepped down from the SUV, eyes hopeful—
"Koya—"
He didn't even look at her. Just climbed into the vehicle and sank into his seat, head leaning against the window, flames slowly receding from his fingers.
Kara's hopeful expression wilted instantly. Disappointment gripped her chest like a vice.
Kirashi and Ryujin approached.
"Yo! Kara-chwan!"
He threw her a tired peace sign.
"Ah... h-hey..."
She replied, eyes downcast.
"Not now."
Ryujin gave Kirashi a shove, pushing him into the SUV before sliding the door shut with a firm thunk.
Ryujin then turned to Kara, his expression firm but not unkind.
"Kara-san. Let's talk."
There was a pause. Then Kara gave a small nod.
"Yeah... okay."
Outside the SUV, Kara and Ryujin stood a few feet apart, their voices low. The wind carried fragments of their conversation, just enough for Miss Gigi to hear.
Her eyes stayed forward, unreadable—but she was definitely listening.
Inside the vehicle, the mood was dense. No one spoke.
Ayro sat beside Itoshi, arms crossed, watching his friend with cautious eyes. Itoshi's face was turned to the window again, watching the scorched field. His reflection looked tired—older than it should.
"Hey, Itoshi."
Itoshi barely responded—just a soft moan of acknowledgement.
"Hm?"
Ayro didn't rush. He sat in silence for a few seconds longer, then leaned his head back against the seat.
"...You were gonna burn yourself out."
"Yeah... I know."
Itoshi replied.
"Then why did you push forward?"
"I wanted to finish it quickly..."
Itoshi responded, no hesitation.
He leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling of the SUV. A long, heavy sigh escaped him.
"Come on, Ayro... I know that's not the reason you're talking to me."
Ayro didn't deny it.
"That's partially true. The safety of everyone in the squad was a priority."
He uncrossed his arms, voice sharpening slightly.
"The reckless act you pulled could've cost us. That Seele was sealed for a reason. If it escaped because you lost control, it could've torn through civilians before we ever found it again."
Itoshi closed his eyes.
"Especially when you're the only one here with enough firepower to stop it."
"That's the partial truth, right?"
Itoshi asked, low tone.
Ayro didn't flinch. He didn't blink.
"Go make up with Kara."
Itoshi's response came low, breathy.
"I know that already."
His voice softened even more.
"I am well aware of that already..."
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped, staring down at the floor.
"But... how? How can I?"
He bit his bottom lip for a moment, then finally let the words fall.
"Whenever I see her worrying about others more than herself, it just... pisses me off."
He shook his head slowly, frustrated at the truth of what he was saying.
"I've watched her crumble, Ayro. Again and again... because of her so-called 'kindness.' Sure, people love that about her. I don't even have a problem with that, but..."
Silence. Ayro didn't interrupt.
Itoshi stared ahead, his tone shifting from anger to something closer to fear.
"...I just don't want her to get hurt because of herself... I thought I understood her... I thought I was with her decision of saving that Kunoichi but.. I ended up lying.."
"If she ends up that way again... if she breaks and I can't stop it... I—I don't know how to save her."
Ayro finally turned to look at him fully, eyes sharp yet empathetic.
"Then don't try to save her from herself, Itoshi."
"Just be there. Stay beside her. Let her know you're not walking away."
"You think she needs saving. But maybe... she just needs you to stop leaving her alone every time you shut down."
Itoshi blinked.
Something in those words hit him deeper than he expected.
Itoshi said nothing. He just turned back to the window, his reflection a blur in the glass as the sky began to darken. His eyes didn't focus on anything. He simply watched.
"I still lied to her..."
Itoshi suddenly remembered the night when he claimed he'll be with Kara's side, the moment when he said: "I trust your decision"
Moments later, the front door opened and Ryujin stepped in. He settled into the passenger seat with a quiet grunt and closed the door behind him.
He didn't say a word right away, but adjusted the rearview mirror just enough to catch Ayro's eye.
Without speaking, he gave a simple thumbs up.
Ayro gave a faint nod in return.
In the back, Kirashi stared between them all, his face scrunched in confused frustration. He scratched the back of his head so hard it looked like he might yank out a few hairs.
"Okay... okay wait, seriously. What is going on? Everyone's acting like we just got back from a funeral or something. Did I miss a sibling fight or what?"
He gestured vaguely toward Itoshi, then toward the door Kara had exited from earlier.
"Those two didn't even look at each other. Are they falling out or something?"
"Something like that."
Ayro replied.
Kirashi blinked.
"Huh?! Man, why are sibling relationships always the most dramatic..."
"Because they don't talk. They burn stuff and stare out windows instead."
Ryujin teased, Deadpan.
That earned a small chuckle from Ayro. Even Itoshi, without looking away from the glass, let out a breath that almost sounded like amusement.
Almost.
The engine continued to hum, filling the quiet spaces between words. Outside, the wind carried ash and dusk over the torn grass of the golf course.
And inside, the silence wasn't heavy anymore. Just... waiting.
The engine rumbled to life, and the SUV began to roll forward. One after another, the other units behind them followed, forming a loose convoy out of the abandoned golf course.
Inside, the tension had cooled. No one spoke. The air felt spent—like the fading heat from a dying fire.
Itoshi leaned just slightly, his gaze catching the rearview mirror. There, reflected in its small frame, he spotted Kara's vehicle coming up behind them.
[JAL Apartments]
By the time they reached the apartment, the sky had already begun to burn.
A deep sunset spilled across the horizon, casting long shadows over the city. The buildings looked like they were on fire — but it was a quieter kind of flame, soft and slow, like the end of a day that had taken too much from everyone.
The SUV doors opened one by one.
Itoshi was the first out, not waiting for anyone. His boots hit the pavement with purpose, but his shoulders dragged just slightly behind him. He didn't even look up as he approached the complex — he just disappeared through the apartment door with a quiet slam behind him.
Kara stepped out next. She watched the door he entered through. Eyes narrowed slightly. Her jaw clenched, then softened.
The rest of the squad got out, stretching tired limbs and groaning under the weight of a fight that still clung to them like smoke. Ryujin, Kirashi, and Ayro followed the steps up without a word.
But Kara didn't follow.
She lingered near the vehicle, crouching down beside the back door. Her eyes rested on the small figure still curled up in the back seat — Jayu, asleep, her breathing soft and steady, one hand resting loosely against the window. The day had been too much for her.
Kara exhaled slowly and waited, watching over her in silence.
Inside, Itoshi opened the door to the boys' apartment. A wave of heatless stillness hit him.
The living room was dark, the only light bleeding in through the tall window on the far side — a deep orange glow slicing across the floor like a quiet warning.
The table was full.
Seven plates of untouched food sat in place, long since gone cold. Leftover rice hardened at the edges. Meat sat limp and dry. Soups now just cold water with floating flavor remnants.
Breakfast.
Lunch.
Neither happened.
The chairs were left as they had been — some half-pulled out, others shoved in too tight. A cup had tipped on its side but didn't spill. Everything felt like it had frozen in time... like the whole room had held its breath and never let go.
Itoshi stepped forward.
His boots echoed slightly in the room's stillness. The glow of the sunset traced the edges of the plates, casting shadows that reached toward the floor like ghosts of the meal that never was.
Itoshi pulled out a chair and sat down.
The wooden legs scraped softly against the floor. He reached for one of the seven untouched plates — cold rice, stiffened egg, a side of overcooked vegetables — and began to eat.
He didn't rush.
Every bite was slow, deliberate. The flavor was long gone, the texture dry and dense, but he savored each piece anyway. Like it was the last thing anchoring him to the present moment.
The door behind him had been left wide open, the dim orange of sunset slowly fading into cooler evening blues.
Footsteps.
Kara entered quietly, carrying the door open to the girls' side of the apartment. Aldrin followed right behind, holding Jayu in his arms, her head resting against his chest in sleep.
Kara gave one last glance toward Itoshi before gently closing the girls' room door behind them.
Then—
"Look at this selfish bastard eating by himself"
Kirashi chuckled as he stepped in, voice playful, eyes narrowed like a teasing older brother.
Ayro and Ryujin weren't far behind.
"Oh yeah... let's eat."
Ryujin spoke with that usual calm tone, rubbing the back of his neck.
The boys gathered without fanfare. No dramatic apologies. No speeches. Just silent understanding, unspoken forgiveness, and a lot of cold food.
Forks scraped on plates, mouths full, chewing despite the taste being long gone.
Kara stood at the corner of the room, arms crossed, watching them.
Her chest tightened.
They were idiots. Every single one of them.
Then Aldrin came back out and dropped onto the seat next to them, still stretching out his arms.
"Man! I'm hungry!"
"You're so loud"
Itoshi muttered under his breath.
No one even acknowledged the grumble — they were too used to each other's rhythms by now. Kara watched, her eyes narrowing as she held her breath in.
"What kind of act are you guys pulling... she thought. Oh well... you guys are crazy."
She smiled.
Then—
grrrrrrrggghhh
The sound of a stomach growling sliced through the air.
Everyone turned.
Kara froze in place, eyes wide, lips trembling from embarrassment. The boys paused—
Then burst into laughter.
All of them — except Itoshi, who was too busy stealing a piece of meat from Aldrin's plate while he wasn't looking.
"Come join us"
Ayro said with a soft smile.
Kara hesitated. But only for a second.
She nodded once and stepped forward, finally taking a seat beside Itoshi. She scooped up a portion of rice with her spoon and took one bite.
Her face crunched a little.
"It's hard..."
Everyone chuckled again.
Later that evening, the squad gathered in the boys' room.
The mess had been cleaned just enough to sit around. The lights were dimmed low, the sound of distant traffic barely leaking through the windows.
Jayu sat cross-legged beside Miss Gigi, still sleepy-eyed but alert. The air had a different kind of weight now — not tension, exactly, but focus.
Ryujin stood at the center, arms crossed, gaze rotating across the room.
"About the golf course incident..." he began.
A pause. The room fell still.
"It's strange..."
Kirashi said, rubbing his chin.
"I've never seen a Seele actually use its elemental type before."
"Indeed"
Miss Gigi muttered, arms folded.
"In all my years of service, that's definitely the first. After the seal breaks... sudden aggression and then the ability to channel elemental power?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"It felt... wrong."
The room stayed quiet for a second longer.
"The job should've been quicker"
Ryujin continued, his tone slightly sharper now.
"But due to some... unexpected happenings" — his eyes shifted directly to Itoshi, who sat on the floor beside Kara, back slightly hunched, face turned away — "The work took longer. We needed three of us to bring it down."
Kara's hands quietly tensed in her lap.
Itoshi didn't respond. He didn't even look up.
Just a small twitch of his jaw. He knew. Everyone knew.
But Ryujin didn't press further. Not yet.
Instead, he turned back to the group.
"We need to prepare for more than brute strength"
Ryujin said.
"We need to be sharper. More coordinated."
He looked at Itoshi again, this time softer.
"Emotion is part of the fight. But control has to win over it."
Itoshi still didn't respond.
Kara looked toward him but said nothing either. Her presence next to him was enough — not a shield, but a reminder.
Ryujin exhaled.
"That's all for now. Get rest. Tomorrow, we recalibrate and review."
The meeting slowly dissolved, chatter softening. But something had changed.
Everyone felt it.
The next Seele encounter wouldn't be routine.
And this time, no one would be allowed to break.
Ryujin cleared his throat.
"And ah... in addition, Itoshi. Your training's gonna be harsher tomorrow."
The others looked at Ryujin, then at Itoshi, expecting a reaction.
Itoshi finally spoke, his voice low and indifferent,
"Yeah, got it."
He didn't even lift his head, his chin resting against his palm as he stared blankly at the floor.
Kirashi leaned back with a whistle.
"Oof. No complaints? That's new."
Ayro glanced at Itoshi, studying him for a second, then looked away in silence.
Kara remained quiet, watching Itoshi from the side, her expression unreadable.
Miss Gigi broke the silence with a sharp tone.
"Good. Make sure you do get it. If this team is going to work, we can't have hotheads acting solo during a major threat. I'll make sure everything that unfolded today will reach Hachi."
Itoshi gave a slow nod, still not moving his gaze. He wasn't ignoring them—but he wasn't fighting back either.
"Meeting adjourned,"
Ryujin said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Get some rest. You'll need it."
The group started to disperse. Quiet footsteps, the sound of doors opening and closing. Sunset faded fully into night.
Only Kara lingered behind a little longer. Watching Itoshi—still motionless—before walking off silently.
~~~To be Continued~~~