Hoshi slowly fluttered her eyes open. The rain was long gone.
She instinctively wiped her face, unaware she had been drooling in her sleep. As she sat up, her gaze landed on Ayro—then it all came back to her.
Her eyes widened as she slapped a hand over her mouth in shock.
"Did I really just do that?!"
"Oh, you're awake,"
Ayro said quietly.
"Ah—yeah. Yo... thank you for... staying?"
She replied, still piecing things together, her voice uncertain.
Ayro scoffed.
"Hmph. Didn't know a kunoichi could fall asleep so easily next to a stranger."
Her face flushed red in an instant. She buried it in her hands in utter embarrassment.
"I don't wanna talk about it!!!"
"There's no way I just did that..."
Hoshi buried her face deeper.
"That's so embarrassing... with him, too... I HOPE I DID NOT LOOK STUPID."
Then, like a second slap to the face, realization struck. Her expression shifted to sheer terror as she slowly turned to Ayro.
"H-How long was I asleep..?"
Ayro answered immediately, his tone dry.
"Three hours."
Hoshi blinked.
"Oh, that's impressive. You knew—nice, not bad."
A few seconds passed.
Then—
"WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT—THREE HOURS!? MY SHIFT IS ALREADY OVER!!!"
She shot up, clutching both sides of her head in panic.
Hoshi collapsed to her knees again, completely defeated. Tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks like a crying cat.
"My payoff is in a week and I've been slacking off..."
She sniffled, voice cracking with despair.
"Am so cooked.. Am batu get fired"
Ayro leaned back slightly, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Wow. Fierce kunoichi by day, crying kitten by night."
He tilted his head.
"Should I fetch you some warm milk too?"
Hoshi glared up at him, red-faced, fists clenched.
"I will actually throw you into traffic."
Ayro chuckled under his breath, clearly enjoying himself.
"Go ahead. Just be warned—I bounce."
Hoshi stood up shakily, still pouting.
"You're the worst."
"And yet, you slept peacefully next to me for three hours. Interesting."
He raised an eyebrow smugly.
"That was a moment of weakness!"
She snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"I was emotionally exhausted and the rain was... calming!"
"Uh-huh."
Ayro looked unimpressed.
"'Emotionally exhausted' is code for cozy drool nap."
Hoshi's soul left her body for a second.
"I hate you,"
She muttered, turning away dramatically.
"With every fiber of my being."
Ayro walked a few steps beside her.
"And yet here we are—partners in crime. Or in drool."
"STOP BRINGING THAT UP!"
Hoshi stood up stiffly, arms crossed and eyes squeezed shut, clearly fuming.
"Jeez... you're the worst."
Ayro gave a satisfied shrug, completely unfazed.
"You keep saying that like it's supposed to hurt me."
"It should!"
She snapped without looking at him.
"Well, it doesn't. Not when it's coming from a soggy, off-duty kunoichi who naps like a log."
Hoshi let out a loud groan and stormed ahead a few steps before spinning around to face him again.
"One more word and I will actually suplex you."
Ayro shrugged, unbothered.
"Suit yourself. I hear guilt pairs well with starvation."
Hoshi rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt.
"You're insufferable."
"And you're jobless."
Ayro shot back.
"Tch—don't remind me."
She picked up her pace, clearly trying to end the conversation. Ayro didn't follow this time, just watched her go with a faint smirk.
"Unbelievable."
Hoshi grumbled to herself.
"Three hours next to that guy. Never again. NEVER again."
She didn't look back.
Hoshi slowed to a stop.
Her own words echoed back at her.
"Being with someone again... ain't too bad though... I'm going to thank him."
She turned, a gentle smile on her face as she looked back toward Ayro.
But then—
The wail of sirens split through the air.
"Jeez!! Wrong timing!!!"
She groaned, stomping her foot in frustration.
Ayro glanced over, the calm in his eyes replaced by a focused edge.
"Well, see you in the battlegrounds, Kunoichi."
Hoshi's frustrated scowl turned to a competitive grin.
"I'll race you there!"
Without another word, she bolted, rainwater splashing under her feet as she launched forward.
Ayro sighed, then he ran in a different direction.
[Boys Room]
Itoshi panicked, voice cracking.
"WHERE IS AYRO-SAN?! IT'S ALREADY NIGHT!"
Ryujin, calm and focused, continued prepping without missing a beat.
"If he's still outside, he'll probably make it there before us."
Just then, Miss Gigi burst into the room, urgency sharp in her tone.
"Hurry up! It's in a public space! Ayro is near there already!"
As Gigi spoke, Kara cracked open the girls' room door just enough to catch the conversation.
"Itoshi! Don't show your identity... The rest, put your dumb faces on!" she shouted fiercely.
"Copy, ma'am!" The whole squad responded in unison.
[Matsuyamamachi, Nagasaki]
The athletic track lights flickered on one by one, cutting through the cold evening air with sharp beams. From the riverbank, the Seele began to crawl forth, grotesque silhouettes sliding against the glowing floodlights.
The field men tightened their grips on weapons, eyes scanning every inch of the darkened perimeter.
Several exchanged quiet nods, masking the tension with practiced calm.
"Stay sharp. These things aren't just mindless—they sense fear."
"I don't like this. They're moving too cautiously... like they're hunting."
"Well, we're not exactly prey. Let's remind them why."
A sudden rustle nearby snapped heads toward the river's edge.
The first Seele emerged, its twisted form illuminated in harsh white light.
The squad tensed, weapons ready, every muscle coiled.
"Hold your fire until I say—don't waste bullets."
The field men steeled themselves, the weight of the night pressing down—each heartbeat syncing with the distant growls of the advancing monsters.
Instead of heading to a safer place, the residents of the nearby building went to check out the commotion in the park.
They all ran out onto their balconies, eyes fixed on the savage beasts below.
"Look! It's huge!"
"They're so black!"
"There are so many..."
Repeated murmurs echoed through the group.
Then, another shadowy figure appeared in the scene.
"What is that? Another Seele?"
It was Ayro. He stretched, preparing for battle.
"Three Seele..."
He muttered to himself. He tapped his ears and said aloud,
"Three Größer als Männer. Two wind, one earth."
The rest of the squad heard him. Only one replied:
"Copy that. Ayro, hold them back as we arrive. Make use of the field men too."
Then the line cut off.
"Tsk, 'make use'"
He thought to himself. He looked back at the resident and thought,
"why are they still here? It's too close."
"OI! WHY IS NO ONE EVACUATING?!"
He shouted out loud to the field men.
Silence, There was no response.
Ayro stood still, rain streaking down his coat, eyes locked onto the three towering forms before him.
Each Seele loomed at nine feet tall—humanoid beasts, their flesh twisted, muscles coiled like springs, and eyes glowing with feral hunger.
He had never faced anything like this.
For a moment, doubt clawed at the edge of his thoughts. Three of them. Alone.
But he didn't flinch.
His hands curled into fists at his sides. The air felt heavier now—thick with the promise of violence.
"Tch... fine."
He grit his teeth, jaw tight, heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.
"Let's see what you monsters are made of."
He stepped forward.
Ready for battle.
Beside him, the rain split as a shadow dropped from above—silent, precise.
Hoshi landed lightly, clad in her kunoichi garb, one knee bent, short blade already in hand.
"Hoh... that's the biggest one I'm ever gonna take."
She muttered under her breath, eyeing the beasts with a mixture of awe and irritation.
Ayro didn't look at her, but his voice was steady.
"I'll delay the two."
"Well... how do we make them disappear? We've got no real strength against that kind of mass."
Her eyes narrowed, calculating.
Ayro took a breath, slow and deep.
"I'll go look for a way. You take the earth."
Hoshi scoffed, flicking water from her blade.
"I know you've got a flame user. Don't act dumb."
Ayro blinked, caught off guard.
"Ah..."
A beat passed between them. The monsters roared in the distance.
The ground trembled.
Hoshi moved first.
In a blur of motion, she dashed forward—faster than the human eye could follow. Before the earth-type Seele could react, she was already beneath it, twisting her momentum upward and slamming her blade into its lower abdomen.
Despite its size—twice her mass and bulk—it toppled with a guttural roar, crashing into the wet dirt with a thunderous quake.
"Heh?"
She tilted her head, surprised it actually fell that easily.
"Eazy."
Then a pulse of pressure rolled in behind her. Ayro stepped forward, his silhouette darker now.
From his back and arms, inky tendrils began to uncoil—shadowy, writhing forms that hissed and slithered through the air like living smoke. Hoshi glanced back.
Her stomach twisted.
"What the hell are those!? Creepy!"
She screamed in her mind, face scrunching in visible disgust.
Ayro didn't notice—or didn't care. The tendrils pulsed with intent, swaying toward the remaining
Seele like predators tasting blood.
The air grew colder.
The three beasts shrieked in unison—distorted, animalistic cries that pierced the air. Their movements turned wild, erratic. Limbs jerked, spines twisted unnaturally, and the two in front suddenly recoiled, staggering back in fear.
"They're already going crazy."
Ayro narrowed his eyes, dark tendrils coiling tighter around his arms.
"They can feel it."
Hoshi caught a glimpse of him and smirked.
Ayro met her gaze—and smirked back.
No words. Just that quiet, teasing confidence between them.
In perfect sync, they lunged.
Straight toward the monsters.
Chaos erupted again.
Each moved with their own rhythm—Hoshi, a blur of red and silver, slipping between swipes and stomps with inhuman agility. Ayro, a shadow encased in living darkness, his tendrils snapping like whips, parrying claws and tearing chunks from the beasts' hide.
They dodged every swipe, every crushing claw, weaving through the battlefield like it was a dance choreographed in blood and instinct.
They were locked in.
They dove low and soared high, using every inch of the athletic track to their advantage.
They glided between the legs of the beast as they slow them down. Meanwhile Hoshi was on the air. Time seemed to move slower for her.
"How potent should it be?"
She said to herself as she and the earth type beast locked on each others eyes.
~~~To be Continued~~~