"What is going on?!"
Miss Gigi hushed as she barged into the squad's apartment room.
Everyone was in shambles.
Aldrin was running around panicking, the bathroom door swung open as Tomori clenched her tricolored hair with both palms.
Itoshi was waking up, Kirashi was unable to catch up with what was happening, and Kara—along with Ryujin—were kneeling as they held the half-asleep Jayu.
Kara turned to Miss Gigi, eyes teary as she explained.
"Miss Gigi! J-Jayu-chan's s-s-skin i-is s-suddenly so cold!"
Miss Gigi raised a brow as everyone froze in place.
Itoshi raised his head as Miss Gigi walked closer towards Jayu.
"Indeed... it's hella cold..."
She muttered. Then she stood up and commanded,
"Alright! Take her to the Spines."
Everyone scrambled as they prepared for Jayu's sudden check-up, but then—
"Wait!"
It was Itoshi.
He took everyone's attention as he spoke.
"What's happening?.. "
There was silence. Then the room went into shambles once more.
"Let me carry her!"
Aldrin offered.
"I'll go call them,"
Ryujin added.
Then, just as they were ready, Jayu came back to her senses.
She leaned on Aldrin's shoulder, then pushed herself up.
"Wait—where are we going?"
She asked.
Pause.
There was a long, awkward silence—none of them having a clue what to say next.
Then Aldrin flinched.
"Wait... her skin is no longer cold..."
"Cold?"
Jayu asked.
Then—
They all shared a deep sigh, except for Itoshi and Kirashi.
"Seems like she's fine..."
Ryujin muttered.
"Are you okay, Jayu-chan?"
Kara asked, leaning closer to Jayu.
Jayu blinked before nodding.
"Mhm! I just realized I was already awake..."
They all settled once more as Miss Gigi spoke, leaning against the door.
"Just... What really happened?"
Kara responded. She sat next to Ryujin as she explained,
"I was just holding her hand... waiting for Tomo-san..."
She paused,
"Then suddenly... her skin got so cold..."
"Hm... in my years, I've never encountered a sudden case like this..."
Miss Gigi then quickly shot her eyes to Ryujin.
"Maybe because no kids usually enter the battlefields with the squads..."
Ryujin quickly looked to the side, avoiding eye contact.
"Her skin... so cold?" he thought to himself.
He turned to Itoshi.
"Itoshi?"
"Y-yeah?.. "
Itoshi raised his head, his face still full of drawings.
"Pffttt—"
A silent snicker echoed behind him.
"Shut up!"
He barked.
It was Tomori and Kirashi.
"I remember you mentioning Jayu's skin was so cold one night,"
Ryujin said.
Itoshi pondered, recollecting his memories.
"Ah! Yes! It was the time she suddenly knocked on our door in Nagasaki!"
"That was at a time when it was pretty cold... I guess some adults can handle the cold better than children... but at this time, it shouldn't be the case..."
He thought to himself before he nodded to Itoshi.
Ryujin turned to Kara.
"You mentioned it was suddenly cold, Kara?"
Kara nodded, meeting Ryujin's eyes.
"Yes!"
"Not gradually? Just instant?"
Kara shook her head.
"No... it was gradual..."
"Ah..."
Ryujin pinched his chin.
"That cannot be explained by a natural phenomenon... there must be something else connected to this..."
He then turned to Jayu, innocence and confusion written all over her eyes.
"Has this happened before, Jayu-chan?"
Jayu shrugged.
"There's nothing I can recall..."
Ryujin closed his eyes as he gave his conclusion.
"Alright..."
He then turned to Miss Gigi.
"I'm sorry about that, Miss... we have no clue what just happened."
Miss Gigi nodded.
"Okay, but I'll schedule her for a check-up later."
She took a deep breath.
"Also, now that I'm here... Seele down south are moving faster towards us."
She scanned the room.
"Make sure you guys are prepared eighty percent of the time. Seele's don't choose whether they attack by night or day.. Even with our detectors.. Some still manages to slip through."
She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms.
"Leader, come with me."
Ryujin quickly followed her order. Judging by her face, he was about to get scolded.
The door swung shut, leaving the rest of the squad in silence, all exchanging glances, looking for clues in each other's eyes.
With Itoshi's face still covered in drawings, a thought came to his mind.
"Ryujin handled the situation really well... how did he manage to de-escalate things that way?"
Then, another thought.
"De-escalate?..."
He opened his mouth and spoke.
"Everyone..."
They all turned to him.
"I have something to say..."
They were all silent as they looked at him.
A long, deadass silence—before they all chuckled at his face.
From outside the apartment, Ayro climbed up the stairs carrying papers.
He saw Miss Gigi and Ryujin by the front door.
"Your squad is good and all, but you still have to show discipline to the higher-ups. Them acting the way you do would be a trashy representation,"
she scolded Ryujin.
"It's fine for me if you guys act a bit more loose with me, but for others?.. I don't think so."
Ayro approached them. Miss Gigi noticed.
She turned her head to the papers, then back to Ryujin.
"Discipline them, Ryujin.. Remember what happened between you and Itoshi."
Ayro handed out the papers.
"Here they are, ma'am."
"Thank you, Ayro."
Miss Gigi nodded.
"You help Ryujin."
Ayro tilted his head as Miss Gigi walked away, then turned to Ryujin, one brow raised.
Ryujin took a deep breath.
"Discipline."
Ayro flinched.
"That's impossible."
They both closed their eyes and let out a deep sigh before swinging the door open.
Everyone was quiet—too quiet.
They both raised their brows, mouths slightly open in shock.
"Ah! Ryujin! Ayro!"
Itoshi hushed, his face wet. Kirashi's masterpiece was now gone.
They all settled in places they were comfortable in as Itoshi spoke.
Kara sat down, Jayu stood between her thighs, Tomori sat beside them.
Aldrin leaned over the counter, with Kirashi sitting on the floor.
Ryujin and Ayro stood by the front door, both arms crossed as Itoshi began.
"I have dreamt of her once again,"
Itoshi started.
Everyone blinked, unable to catch his point—apart from Aldrin.
"Ah! Your imaginary girlfriend!"
Everyone got it, except Tomori and Jayu.
"Ah!"
They all hummed in unison.
"She's not imaginary!"
Itoshi defended.
"She's my guide!"
As Ryujin walked across the room to make another coffee, he asked,
"So?... What did you do?"
No hesitation. Itoshi lowered his gaze.
"Ah! I got scolded."
Everyone looked at him, eyes squinting with slight pity on their faces.
Itoshi raised his head as they looked at him.
"W-why are you guys looking at me like that?.. "
Aldrin leaned toward Kirashi, who sat on the floor beside him.
"He must've been so lonely... no wonder he took Jayu-chan from Kara often..."
"I can hear you guys, you know!"
He barked.
"The point is! Yes, she's in my dreams! But she's been giving me clues! She's my guide!"
He continued.
Ayro raised a brow.
"A guide, you say?.. "
Itoshi nodded.
"Yes! When something is about to happen, she usually comes into my dreams... and she guides me on how to get through it!"
"Wait... wasn't 'she' a Hingance before? Like, you mentioned she scares you a lot... Koya," Kara wondered.
"They're indeed the same person, but she's acting different now. She's helping me more than scaring me..."
He lowered his gaze.
"In my dream just earlier, she scolded me 'cause I tripped Jayu... and she reminded me what I should do..."
As Ryujin took a sip, he asked,
"Can you recall a case when she helped you?"
Itoshi pinched his chin, thinking.
As he pondered, Ryujin thought to himself,
"Normally, people forget what they dreamed of... If she really is only a dream, Itoshi's memories with her should be blurry..."
He paused mid-thought.
"But... it's a lot more terrifying if that's not the case..."
"Ah!"
Finally, one crossed Itoshi's mind.
"Back when we were... in that park in Nagasaki... with the WESCU freaks..."
He paused.
"When we faced off... R-Ro... Ro..."
"Roger Taylor?"
Ryujin completed.
"Yes! When I sat by the tree... I reached out to her... and she responded..."
With body movements, Itoshi explained.
He sat down and leaned his back on the counter.
"I sat down like this! Then I whispered, 'Yo... white-haired woman... what should I do?'"
Itoshi then shot up.
"Then unexpectedly... she responded!"
Everyone's eyes followed Itoshi as he jumped up.
"She said, 'It was meant to be a test,' or something... I don't remember much, but she responded!"
Then, Ryujin asked another question.
"Were you awake at that time?"
Itoshi nodded.
Ryujin closed his eyes and thought to himself,
"Seems like the much more terrifying scenario is the actual case..."
His thoughts believed Itoshi—but his mouth teased.
"Yup... you're definitely schizophrenic."
"Schizo... what?"
Itoshi asked.
Kara slowly turned to him and answered,
"Ryujin-san believes that she's only in your imagination, Koya."
"Hah?! But she is real!"
Itoshi pushed.
"Kara?.. "
Kara couldn't respond, her thoughts tangled, but she chose to believe in Itoshi.
"I'm not really sure how this is happening... and I don't know how it could happen, but... I believe in you, Koya!"
Itoshi smiled.
"Thank you!"
Aldrin and Kirashi shook their heads.
"Nah... he's definitely going crazy..."
"Shush!"
Then Itoshi turned to Tomori, looking for an answer.
She flinched.
"W-what?.. Me?"
Itoshi nodded.
Tomori looked into Itoshi's fiery red eyes and thought to herself,
"It doesn't seem like he's lying or making things up... There's a chance he might be going crazy, but... not with that kind of determination..."
She paused her thoughts.
"Wait... did he just ask for my thoughts?.. "
Then she responded, still unsure.
"A... I-I'm not sure..."
With no one able to make a reasonable conclusion, Ryujin closed it off.
"With Itoshi's 'imaginary girl'... I believe he'd need a check-up sooner or later... but with a battle incoming, I cannot allow that yet. As Miss Gigi mentioned, 80% prepared all the time."
He paused, taking a deep breath and turning to Itoshi.
"If you dream of her again, try your best to remember every detail, alright? I'd like to test this."
Itoshi nodded.
"Got it!"
Silence loomed over the room as no one managed to make a reasonable conclusion about Itoshi's imaginary girlfriend.
They all stared at each other, searching for an answer to a question impossible to ask in the first place.
Some believed in his case, some took it as a joke, some were conflicted, and some took the case seriously.
As the squad faded back into silence, the same blue screens displayed their meeting — the Skulls, once again, silently watching.
~~~To be Continued~~~