"My training in honing my flames continued as the days passed in Nagasaki. I practiced away from the public's eyes, with Ayro and Miss Gigi making sure no one would see us. As I trained, the feeling of uncertainty toward that kunoichi kept growing. I wonder how Kara got so attached to her. I trust Kara's decisions but... this story feels different."
Itoshi trained relentlessly through the week, pushing himself to master the rhythm of his flames once more. By May 30th, he had regained control-able to use his rhythm to bait Seele into attacking him, just like before.
The sirens wailed that morning.
The squad stood their ground as two Earth-type Seele and one Flame-type, all Titav-class, emerged from the ruined outskirts. The battlefield cracked and roared with violent tremors.
Among the chaos, the kunoichi appeared again-silent, composed, and already mid-combat.
Itoshi noticed something had changed.
"Ryujin, Ayro, and Kirashi... they were fighting alongside her like they had already accepted her."
He held back, watching her from afar, his breath steady behind the jagged smile of his scarecrow mask.
She turned her head mid-strike-and waved at him with a faint smile.
"W-what the hell..?"
Itoshi muttered to himself.
The kunoichi returned to the fight, as smooth and agile as ever. Itoshi didn't wave back.
His trust still wavered. But for now, their battles continued... and so did she.
Their morning battle in the forest had ended quickly-Ryujin made short work of the Flame-type Seele, bringing the final blow down with a blast that scattered embers into the trees.
Itoshi stood off to the side, breathing steadily. He reached up and removed his scarecrow mask, staring at its stitched grin.
"This thing was not necessary..."
He muttered.
He glanced at the others regrouping, then looked down again.
"Wait... I'm not even useful here."
He stared longer at the crooked smile on his mask, his grip tightening just a little.
Then, without warning, the kunoichi landed beside him, quiet as a falling leaf.
"Didn't know this squad had a statue display."
Her voice was cool, a hint of teasing in her tone.
Itoshi gave her a quick glance, saying nothing at first.
But his thoughts slipped out instantly.
"She's hot."
A pause lingered between them-leaves rustling, distant footsteps, the smoke of Seele ashes rising in the air.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"Just what is your deal?"
There was a flicker in the kunoichi's gaze when he asked. She didn't move right away-just stood beside him, arms at her sides, expression unreadable.
"My deal?"
She echoed quietly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Survival. Efficiency. Getting things done."
She kept her eyes forward, toward the forest's edge where the Seele had fallen. Her voice was calm, practiced, too clean.
"If you want something deeper than that... maybe you're asking the wrong question."
Itoshi didn't look at her at first. He just studied the crooked smile on his mask again.
"You got too close with Kara.. Too close given the time frame, especially with what you've done."
There was the slightest pause before she answered.
"She sees me like.. to her I'm worth something.. Even when I'm not sure I am."
She let out a quiet breath.
"I guess that's hard to ignore."
Itoshi stepped to the side, creating distance.
"You better not hurt her."
That time, she turned. Fully. Her eyes met his-focused, firm, but there was something quieter underneath. Something small. Unstable.
"I wouldn't.. I could never..."
She hesitated. Then added, softer.
"But I know that's not enough for you..."
"Look, I don't care what your goal is, or whatever your reason might be."
Itoshi spoke while staring at the scarecrow mask in his hands.
"But if something happens to Kara... you're the first I'd blame for it."
He didn't even look at her as he said it-he didn't expect those words to hit anything solid. But they did.
They pierced her.
For a second, the kunoichi stood completely still.
"That's.. not fair.."
What he said echoed inside her, louder than any battle cry she'd ever heard.
Not because of the threat-she could handle threats. But because for the first time, someone had named the weight she'd already been carrying.
Her thoughts scattered-then reformed.
"Kara freed me from my own thoughts... She looked at me like I could be more than a shadow."
She clenched her fists slowly at her sides.
"She knew now-this wasn't just survival anymore. This was responsibility."
She didn't expect Itoshi to understand that.
But she wanted to try.
And the tone between them shifted. He felt it, too.
"Sorry," she said.
Itoshi blinked.
He didn't expect that.
Not from her. Not after all this time.
She was always composed, deflective-a wall of wind and silence.
But now... she let it drop, just a little.
She took a step closer, voice quiet but firm.
"I know I've sinned on this squad. I know my first impression was shit! I never meant to impress you. Or anyone."
Her voice cracked slightly-then steadied.
"It's not your fault you feel this way. Honestly, I'd be suspicious too. I don't know what you've been through... or what you're protecting. But I get it."
From the distance, Ayro, Ryujin, and Kirashi paused mid-step as they spotted the two standing together.
Ayro clicked his tongue.
"This ain't good," he muttered.
Back in the clearing, the kunoichi looked at Itoshi.
"Giving people a chance doesn't hurt, right?"
That word.
"Chance."
Itoshi's mind spun.
"Chance?..."
Suddenly, he was pulled back to his own guilt. To the cold distance between him and Kara. The things they hadn't said. The weight they hadn't dropped.
"That's right... we're not in good terms yet. Not really... After everything that happened... Did I ever give Kara a chance to fix anything?"
He clenched his jaw.
Then he looked up.
"Just... what do you really want?"
He asked her.
"Why are you so persistent?"
Her answer came slow, and real.
"It's... a selfish decision."
Itoshi stared at her.
"I was goddamn right."
But this time, there was no malice in his thought-just a raw, reluctant understanding.
The leaves rustled faintly. The battle's ashes were long settled, but the real war between them had only begun.
Hoshi lowered her gaze to the ground, her voice quieter now-not weak, but stripped of her usual calm.
"Honestly... I've been giving up on finding my onee-san."
She exhaled, slowly.
"I wanted to end everything... with my own hands."
Her fingers trembled slightly by her sides.
"I didn't want to die doing nothing in this world. I had to please myself, even if it meant hurting others... even if it meant being hated for it."
She looked to the treetops, then back down.
"I've been protecting this city on my own for years. Isn't it okay to have selfish decisions... just once?"
She turned her head, eyes heavy with the past.
"Yes... I did want to take you all out. But..."
Her voice caught.
"All that's changed now."
Silence. Then:
"Just what use are you gonna give to us?"
Itoshi's question landed like a blade.
There was no ego in it. No pride. Just a quiet, calculating test-one Hoshi didn't recognize until it cut deep.
She blinked, caught off guard.
"I..."
She found her voice again.
"I'll protect Kara. Just trust me... I'll prove something."
But Itoshi scoffed.
He turned his back to her, taking a few steps away before speaking again.
"Trust?" he echoed.
Then his voice grew colder-measured, but sharp enough to wound.
"You're the only one still wearing a mask out here."
He didn't look at her.
"You're not even part of this squad. But you're getting too comfortable."
The words hit harder than the ones before.
Not because they were cruel-but because they were true.
And for a moment, Hoshi didn't know what to say. She just stood there, in the stillness, bearing the weight of a truth she hadn't dared confront until now.
Hoshi's body gave out.
"Why do I still deny?.. That I want to belong?..."
Slowly, silently, she dropped to her knees in the dirt. The forest floor felt cold beneath her palms, but her chest burned.
She didn't try to stop it.
Not anymore.
Through her mask, tears began to flow, soaking the cloth beneath.
Her breath hitched, but no sound came out-only the desperate, quiet crumble of someone who thought they'd prepared for this.
"I-it's useless... isn't it?"
The thought echoed, circling her head like a curse.
Her resolve, her acts, her words-it all felt like wind swept away by a single blow. She'd tried to reach them. Tried to reach him. But maybe, just maybe...
Maybe she really was just an outsider.
Back with Ayro, Ryujin, and Kirashi-none of them said a word at first. They'd seen Itoshi walking away. And they'd seen the kunoichi fall.
Ryujin narrowed his eyes and pressed a hand to his earpiece.
"Don't let Kara out of the SUV"
He ordered calmly.
Inside the vehicle, the air was tense.
Miss Gigi glanced through the rearview mirror as shouting erupted from behind.
"She's already resisting,"
She said.
Aldrin sat beside Kara, holding her waist gently but firmly.
Kara's eyes were wide-glassy, panicked.
"Let me go!"
She cried, struggling in place.
"Let me talk to her! She needs me!"
Her voice cracked-desperation rising like floodwater.
"She needs me!"
Tears spilled from her eyes as she pounded once on the seat, then leaned against the window, trying to get a glimpse through the trees.
But they were too far.
And Kara couldn't do anything but hope Hoshi could still hear her-even from a distance.
Kara's resistance stopped.
But the tears didn't.
Her shoulders fell. Her breathing slowed, ragged and shallow, as if her entire body gave in-not out of obedience, but heartbreak.
Then the SUV door opened with a harsh click.
Itoshi stepped in, silent.
He didn't look at her-not really. His cold stare just swept across the cabin before he sank into his seat, eyes forward, jaw clenched.
Kara froze.
The shift in the air was unmistakable.
She slowly released a breath and sat properly, her hands sliding down to her skirt, fingers trembling as they gripped the fabric tight.
"She... needs me..."
She thought to herself.
The thought whispered through her mind like a ghost, over and over again. But something else crept in behind it. Something she hadn't wanted to acknowledge.
She glanced sideways.
Itoshi.
Sitting there, motionless. Eyes like frozen steel.
But to her-they looked different now.
"Koya... you look... tired."
Her eyes widened faintly as realization sunk in.
"I was so focused on playing hero, wasn't I?... I didn't even notice how you looked when you came here..."
She bit her lip.
He was worn. Worn in a way that no one else seemed to notice. Worn in silence. Fighting fires no one could see-inside and out.
And she hadn't seen it. Not until now.
Her grip on her skirt tightened even more, the fabric wrinkling between her fingers.
Tears began to fall again-softer this time. Not loud, not choked. Just... falling. Freely.
No words were spoken.
Just a frail blue-haired girl beside him, crying quietly in the silence.
Alone-right next to the person she wanted to reach most.
~~~May 31, 2169~~~
It was the last day of May.
June loomed over Nagasaki like a quiet storm. The mission was done. The Seele's were gone-for now.
Ayro and Ryujin had left to report the outcome. Aldrin, Jayu, and Kirashi went out to gather ingredients for breakfast, trying to carry the morning like it was any other.
Inside the boys' room, Itoshi lay on the couch, arm propping his head as he stared out the window. The curtains swayed gently with the breeze. The silence was heavy.
Then-
Creak.
The door opened slowly.
Kara stood there.
She hadn't said a word, but her tears were already spilling, unrelenting-like something inside her had snapped long before she made it to the door.
Itoshi didn't turn.
"What do you want?"
He asked, calm but cold.
"I can hear you wailing, you know."
Kara flinched at the bluntness. Her fingers curled against her dress.
"It's about that kunoichi again, right? If it is, I'm-"
"It's not!"
She cut him off, her voice shaking.
"It's... about..."
She choked slightly.
"I... I want to fix everything already. I hate this. I don't like this at all!"
A scoff came from Itoshi, still facing the window.
"Heh? Didn't I warn you about all this shit?... What did you do?"
Unbeknownst to both, someone had climbed up the stairs in the hallway.
It was Hoshi-no mask, no combat gear. Just a plain black hoodie.
Her hair hung freely, her steps hesitant.
She stopped when she heard their voices, catching the sight of Kara standing in the doorway-shoulders trembling.
Hoshi backed up, retreating to the wall just out of sight. She didn't want to intrude... but she needed to listen.
Inside, Kara clenched her fists.
"I... I know. I was selfish, Koya..."
Itoshi hummed quietly, waiting.
"Please..." she whispered.
"Forgive me for the stupid things I did."
Itoshi let out a short, bitter laugh.
He didn't want to-but the sound escaped anyway.
"After all the days that passed... you're doing this now?"
That wall-Kara felt it slam down between them.
Heavy. Solid. Real.
She had no defense. No excuse. No script.
Only the truth.
"I know..."
She said again, barely audible.
"I truly was stupid."
She breathed in-then looked directly at his back.
"I failed to see the place you were in. I got... a little attached to Hoshi-san."
From behind the wall, Hoshi's breath hitched.
"I saw how much she needed someone,"
Kara continued.
"I've been in that place... We've been in that place so many times! And back then, I had you beside me, Koya."
Her voice cracked.
"I was thankful. You were there for me."
She swallowed back the tears.
"But she... she didn't have anyone."
"I was selfish for focusing too much on her..."
Kara's voice trembled.
"Maybe because... I thought something would fill me up if I did something."
She looked down, the weight of her guilt making her knees weak.
"I'm sorry it took this long... Please, give me another chance, Koya."
Her voice was no louder than a whisper.
"I knew you for much longer... but I chose a stranger."
The silence that followed was crushing.
Then-Itoshi chuckled.
Not in mockery. Not in dismissal.
But in that quiet, exhaling kind of way... the way someone does when they're finally letting something settle.
"A chance, huh?"
He finally turned his head slightly toward her. Just enough for her to see the corner of his tired eyes.
He stared at the ceiling for a moment, lost in thought.
So many things had happened-before the squad, during it, and now... this strange stage of in-between, where trust wasn't broken, but warped and bruised.
But he no longer doubted Kara's heart. Not really.
He just wanted to see how strong she became-after everything.
After a pause, Itoshi stood up from the couch.
His motion was sudden, but his expression was calm-controlled.
He walked toward Kara, his steps steady. She avoided eye contact, arms folded tightly across her chest, looking to the side like a child caught in a storm of her own making.
Itoshi stopped right in front of her.
"You're asking for forgiveness and you won't even look me in the eye."
Kara's breath hitched. Slowly, she turned her head and met his gaze.
Then he asked, with a small smile on his lips-
"How will you know if someone already forgave you?"
That smile-that smile-it was the one she had been chasing for so long.
Not the cold stare. Not the tired glare.
This one.
The softness.
The warmth.
She finally brought it back... with her own hands.
"You're really a fool, aren't ya?"
He said it with a teasing chuckle before lightly bonking her on the head with the side of his palm.
The bonk lingered-then slowly turned into gentle headpats, his hand brushing over her head in small motions.
The moment cracked something inside Kara.
Her tears flowed again, this time not from guilt or pain, but from overwhelming relief.
She couldn't stop herself. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest.
"Thank you..." she whispered, voice muffled by his shirt.
Itoshi froze for a moment, flustered. His arms hovered awkwardly before finally resting lightly around her back.
But then, his voice returned, quieter... but still firm.
"Though... that doesn't mean I trust her yet. And you-not fully either."
He glanced down.
"I just forgave you for your mistakes. That's all."
Kara nodded against him. That was enough.
Meanwhile, just around the corner-
Hoshi had heard everything.
Every word.
Every tremble.
Every smile.
She stood there, leaning against the wall, her hands in the pocket of her black hoodie.
And without warning, a smile crept onto her face.
It felt unnatural. Unfamiliar. Maybe even a little wrong.
But it was real.
She closed her eyes and let out a long, deep sigh.
"So this is what trust looks like?.."
Then-she began to descend the stairs, quiet and unseen.
Hoshi reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner-
only to bump shoulders with someone.
"Hoh? Why is there an unemployed being here?"
Ayro's dry tone hit instantly.
"Seriously. You gotta stop saying that."
Hoshi replied, slightly annoyed but not surprised.
Ayro looked at her for a moment, noting the absence of her usual mask-her hoodie up, but her face completely visible.
"You had a smile on your face. Something happened?"
He asked casually.
Hoshi paused, then nodded.
"Yes... indeed."
"Did you finally get through Itoshi?"
He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, raising a brow.
"Not expecting to see you unmasked around them yet."
She glanced back toward the staircase.
"No. Not yet."
Her tone softened.
"It's not the time."
Ayro gave a faint smile, lowering his gaze.
"Alright. I'mma go join the others."
He turned to walk away.
Just before he did-
"Act stupid."
Hoshi said plainly.
Ayro smirked.
"Always."
They shared a quiet grin, a silent understanding passing between them before going their separate ways.
~~~To be Continued~~~