Silence loomed over the squad like a thick fog. In the dimly lit boys' room, the only light came from the faint orange hue of a streetlamp leaking through the window blinds. The warmth of dinner, laughter, and teasing had long since faded. What remained was stillness.
Itoshi lay on his back, eyes wide open, fixed on the ceiling. His arms were folded beneath his head, but his body didn't seem to rest. Not even a blink. Just breathing. Just thinking.
On the floor beside him, Kirashi was curled up under a thin blanket, snoring softly. Aldrin sprawled out face-first, arm twitching occasionally with unconscious dreams.
Across the room, Ryujin and Ayro sat in the corners, heads tilted back against the wall, both fast asleep in their upright positions—too tired or perhaps too cautious to lie down.
The air felt thick.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
A gentle but clear sound cut through the silence.
Everyone else remained still, lost in sleep.
Itoshi sat up slowly. He didn't expect anyone at this hour. Carefully stepping over Kirashi and avoiding Aldrin's outstretched leg, he made his way to the door. He didn't bother asking who it was.
He opened it.
His eyes widened.
~~~UWDS Asia Headquarters~~~
[China]
Seven Trochanters sat around a long stone table. The air was heavy, lit only by the cold glow of overhead lights. At the far end, the Neck—a solemn figure clad in black—sat with fingers interlocked, listening.
Nali of Squad 97 leaned forward, her tone half-mocking, half-excited.
"A Seele managing to control its elemental type, you say?"
A Trochanter from Squad 152 answered, his voice firm.
"Never. Not in over a thousand years of Seele terror has there been a recorded case of one using wind— or any element— with intent."
Nali suddenly slammed her hands on the table and whined, her seriousness vanishing like steam.
"MAAAN! Hachi's squad always finds the cool stuff!"
She cried, arms crossed in a sulking pout.
"Why don't we get the exciting Seele? Ours just explode!"
The others barely reacted—used to her mood swings by now.
Only one voice answered with any weight: the elderly Mr. Hasegawa, face furrowed in thought, hand stroking his beard.
"Indeed..." he murmured. "Are they perhaps... evolving?"
The word hung in the air like a curse.
Even Nali stopped fidgeting.
David (Squad 660) adjusted his glasses, unfazed.
"Unlikely. It's only been less than a thousand years. No terrestrial species could evolve that quickly—at least, not under normal biological conditions."
Before the weight of his statement could settle, the Trochanter from Squad 376 abruptly stood up, eyes wide with conviction.
"They're aliens! They helped the Egyptians build the py—"
Thwack!
A pen hit him square in the forehead. He stumbled back, rubbing the spot.
"Ow!"
Mugi (Squad 330), still seated, sighed and rolled her eyes.
"There you go again."
The room groaned softly in collective annoyance—some in amusement.
But then, a quiet voice broke the ripple of laughter.
The Trochanter from Squad 220, leaning back thoughtfully, spoke without looking up:
"On that note... there are some unexplainable carvings on the Egyptian walls. Symbols that resemble Seele cores... almost too closely."
A cold pause fell over the room.
Even Nali sat upright now.
"What are you implying?" asked Mr. Hasegawa.
The Trochanter from Squad 220 simply shrugged.
"That perhaps the question isn't how they're evolving... but why we're only seeing the signs now."
Trochanter of Squad 220 rested both elbows on the table, fingers laced together as he continued, voice low and deliberate:
"The first ever sighting—and proper documentation—of a Seele dates back to the time when the first Elemental user was gifted to humanity. But.. If those Egyptian marking truly are related, Over four thousand years ago, perhaps even earlier."
A few shifted in their seats. Even Mugi's brows furrowed slightly now.
"They really did terrorize civilizations long before our records could even catch up," he added. "Entire cultures disappeared under the shadow of things they couldn't explain—things they called demons, gods, or plagues. But if we look closely... it always traces back to them."
Mr. Hasegawa closed his eyes in thought.
"Which begs the question..."
he said, his voice like gravel over stone.
"If Seele have always been mindless, chaotic monsters, why now? Why show signs of coordination, restraint... or worse, power discipline?"
Nali, her chin now resting on the table, muttered with wide eyes:
"You're saying we're not watching them evolve. We're watching them remember."
A silence thicker than smoke hung in the air.
Then, the Neck, who had sat silently at the long end of the table, finally leaned forward. His voice was cold, calm, and absolute.
"Continue observation. No assumptions. If Seele are awakening... then so must we."
[Boys Room]
Itoshi's eyes flickered, scratching the back of his head.
"Uh.. Jayu-chan?"
It was jayu, she was half asleep carrying kara's teddy bear. She looked up to itoshi partially opened as she scratched her other eye.
"W-why are you still awake? Where is your Kara-nee?"
"Oh.."
She simply said.
"She's asleep.."
Itoshi rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to respond. The sight of Jayu in her half-asleep state, clutching that worn teddy bear and blinking at him like nothing in the world was wrong, softened something in his chest.
"You should be asleep too, y'know..." he mumbled.
Jayu stepped in without waiting for permission, small feet padding softly against the floor. She looked around at the quiet room—at the others sleeping on the floor, their forms barely lit by the faint orange streetlight leaking through the curtains.
"I had a bad dream,"
She muttered, walking past Itoshi and sitting cross-legged on the corner of the futon.
She hugged the bear tighter.
"There was a Seele, but this one... it was whispering."
Itoshi's eyes narrowed just slightly. He crouched beside her.
"Whispering?"
She nodded slowly.
"It didn't scream like the others. It talked. It said something like... 'We're not done yet.'"
A cold air seemed to brush the back of Itoshi's neck.
He looked toward the ceiling, then back at Jayu, whose eyes were already drifting shut.
"Jayu," he whispered, voice low, almost cautious, "was this just a dream?"
"Dunno..."
She murmured, already falling sideways into the pillow beside him, hugging the bear.
"Felt real..."
She was asleep before he could ask anything else.
Itoshi sat still for a moment, watching her breathe. Then he stood, quietly closing the door behind him. His eyes lingered on the dark hallway, his mind now buzzing louder than it had all night.
"...whispering Seele?" he muttered to himself.
Something didn't feel right.
He slept for the night next to Jayu.
~~~May 17, 2169~~~
By the morning of May 17th, Itoshi was the last to wake up. He slowly fluttered his eyes open, only to find all the boys staring at him with strange expressions.
"W-what are you guys looking at?"
He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Ryujin shook his head side to side, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.
"Didn't know arguments could change you this much, Itoshi"
Kirashi teased.
"Itoshi, you're a pervert"
Aldrin added with a smirk.
"W-what?"
Itoshi muttered, still half-asleep.
When he looked down, Jayu was snuggled tightly against him. He suddenly jolted upright as Jayu softly rolled away.
"What the hell!"
Kirashi put on a dramatic expression.
"What did you do with the kid?!"
"I did nothing!"
Itoshi shouted defensively.
"How did she even get here in the first place?"
Ayro asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ryujin chuckled.
"Looks like Itoshi's teenage hormones are acting up."
"What the hell do you mean? She's a child!"
Itoshi snapped.
"She knocked last night!"
Itoshi said, defensively.
"She was half asleep!"
He added quickly.
Just then, Jayu suddenly jolted awake, looked up at Itoshi, and smiled softly. She whispered one sentence before drifting back to sleep.
"Thank you for treating me well last night, Koya."
Itoshi slowly turned to the rest of the boys, who all had their arms crossed and wore suspicious looks.
"I-it's not what it sounds like!"
In unison, the boys replied,
"Doubt."
"Seriously! Stop looking at me like that!"
Itoshi pleaded.
"Jeez... you even got her to call you 'Koya.' Just because you argued with Kara-san doesn't mean you get to swap her for a younger one."
Aldrin teased.
Itoshi stomped his foot, raising his voice.
"I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT!"
"Last night we—"
He started, but before he could finish, the door suddenly burst open. Kara stood there, eyes quickly scanning the room.
"Have you seen Jayu? She's not in the room!"
Everyone turned to the door, but only Ryujin responded, arms crossed.
"Ahh... Itoshi took her last night."
"I DID NOT!"
Slowly, a look of doubt began to grow on Kara's face.
Itoshi pointed at her, shouting,
"Oi! Not you too!"
Itoshi groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm telling the truth! I swear!"
Kirashi chuckled from the corner.
"Man, you're lucky Jayu's too cute to be mad."
Aldrin smirked, teasing,
"Yeah, but next time don't make her call you 'Koya.' That's just asking for trouble."
Ryujin shook his head, smiling softly.
"Looks like you've got some explaining to do, rookie."
Ayro glanced between them all and added quietly,
"Just... be careful with her, alright?"
Itoshi slammed his palm against his forehead.
"It's seriously not what it looks like."
He let out a sigh, then finally explained what had happened the night before—how Jayu showed up half-asleep, how she was holding Kara's teddy bear, how she called him "Koya" and fell asleep right beside him.
As the words came out, the teasing atmosphere in the room slowly faded. The boys listened closely, their expressions turning more focused.
Ryujin leaned forward, fingers stroking his chin.
"Seele's whisper..." he muttered thoughtfully.
Ayro glanced at Itoshi, then at Jayu still curled on the futon.
"It's quite similar to your dreams, Itoshi."
Itoshi shook his head immediately, arms crossing tightly.
"With Miz-sama..? No. That's a horrible comparison."
His voice was firmer now, tense.
"Those dreams were... painful. Corrupting. Jayu just looked tired—lost, but not broken."
Silence held the room again. Itoshi's eyes stayed on Jayu.
"Still..."
Ryujin added quietly,
"If Seele are whispering now, even without a seal... we're in deeper than we thought."
A shiver crawled into the space between their breaths.
Kirashi mumbled,
"This ain't good, huh..."
And for once, no one made a joke.
Ryujin let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"First the Seele using wind... and now Jayu's dream..."
He muttered under his breath, voice low and edged with frustration.
"What a pain in the ass..."
The room was dim, the morning sun barely peeking through the curtains. No one laughed this time. The unease was starting to settle like dust.
Ayro looked around the group.
"Two anomalies back-to-back... we're missing something big."
Itoshi clenched his jaw, the tension still lingering in his shoulders.
Kirashi, surprisingly serious, added,
"Should we... tell the higher-ups?"
Ryujin didn't answer right away. His fingers tapped his knee.
"Not yet,"
He finally said.
"We don't have enough to give them. If we jump too early, we might just get shut down."
A long silence stretched again, but now with weight—like the calm before a storm.
Silence hung in the air like a thick fog—tense, uneasy.
But it was quickly broken.
Aldrin suddenly clapped his hands with a grin.
"Well... there's no use thinking about it now. It's still too early. Let's go take breakfast, everyone!"
The tension cracked just a little. One by one, the others nodded in agreement, grateful for a reason to shift gears.
Then suddenly, from the futon—
"Breakfast!"
Jayu popped up with a burst of energy, both hands raised, her teddy bear still clutched under one arm.
Everyone chuckled softly.
Kirashi leaned back with a stretch.
"Saved by the stomach, huh?"
[A Restaurant Somewhere]
The whole squad gathered at their usual breakfast spot—a cozy outdoor stall nestled between old brick walls and hanging flowerpots.
The smell of grilled rice cakes and miso soup hung in the air. Bowls clinked, chopsticks clicked, and the morning sun painted everything in a soft gold.
Itoshi and Kara sat at opposite ends of the group. Still distant. Still quiet. The squad could feel it—like a string stretched tight between them, waiting for someone to tug first.
Everyone knew they wanted to speak. They just didn't know how yet.
Then, out of the blue, Kara looked up from her bowl.
"Ayro-san?"
Ayro paused mid-bite.
"Hmm?"
"Can we talk after this? Just the two of us."
Ayro raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, then gave a calm nod.
"Of course."
Kirashi leaned toward Itoshi with a devilish grin.
"Oh nooo... Itoshi, Kara is replacing youu~~~"
Itoshi, unfazed, replied as he chewed,
"Shut up and eat."
A small giggle escaped from Kirashi—but it was short-lived.
Bonk!
Jayu bopped him on the head with her spoon, pouting.
"No bullying!"
The table broke into light laughter. Even Kara cracked a small smile behind her teacup. The tension thinned, if only a little.
Ayro and Kara stepped outside, leaving the gentle clatter of breakfast behind. The wind was cool, brushing softly through the quiet street.
"So? What is it, Kara-san?"
Ayro asked gently, hands in his pockets.
"Umm... it's about Hoshi-san."
"Ah... what about her?"
He asked, his tone neutral but attentive.
"You know where she is, right?"
Ayro gave a small nod.
"Indeed. I can track her right now. Wanna check on her?"
"N-no..."
Kara hesitated, eyes lowering.
"I was hoping you could do it. I want to make up with Koya first... What he said was—nothing less than the truth."
Ayro studied her quietly, then smiled faintly.
"Ah... I see. I don't mind."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Really? Thank you!"
Ayro gave a reassuring nod.
"I'll go check on her later.. Besides, leader wants her in the squad anyways."
"Thanks, Ayro-san... really."
Kara said softly, a bit of weight lifting off her shoulders as she bowed down.
Meanwhile, Itoshi's chin rested once again against his palm, elbow propped on the table. His eyes followed Kara and Ayro as they spoke outside.
There was no jealousy in his gaze—just a quiet heaviness.
~~~To be Continued~~~