[20:51H]
In the silent evening of Fukuoka, the lone, pink-haired child lay tucked into her bed.
The room was quiet, dark, and cold. Jayu kept her eyes squeezed shut, hovering on the edge of sleep while she cuddled her stuffed toy. Her soft, rhythmic breathing was the only sound echoing through the space until, abruptly, the silence broke.
Mounted to the ceiling in the corner, the television sparked to life. It cackled and buzzed with static before the speakers found their voice.
"The battle here down south in Saga had already begun!"
It was a live broadcast of the ongoing conflict, the screen casting a harsh, flickering light across the white room.
Jayu's eyes fluttered open and she sat up, her white blankets rustling softly as she moved.
The newscaster continued his frantic report.
"This is what a true battlefield looks like! We can only pray that all civilians managed to evacuate before the fighting intensified."
Jayu rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep as she watched the glowing screen.
"S-Saga?.." she muttered to herself.
Outside in the empty white halls, the volume of the broadcast bled through the door. At that exact moment, Nijina was passing by, a lollipop tucked in her cheek.
"We are receiving confirmation now that several soldiers have been killed during the fighting currently underway,"
The voice from the TV announced.
Nijina stopped in her tracks, her head turning toward the source.
Her boots echoed on the tiled floor as she rushed to Jayu's door, leaning her ear against the wood. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Eh?.. I thought Jayu-chan was asleep?.."
"These were men and women deployed in active combat, operating under extreme conditions,"
the reporter continued.
"Their names have not yet been released, pending notification of their families."
Nijina turned the handle. The door clicked open just enough for her to peek inside.
"Jayu-chan?.." she called out softly.
The girl remained sitting on her bed, her gaze glued to the chaotic lights of the television.
She turned her head toward Nijina but didn't offer a word. Nijina offered a small, gentle smile and tilted her head.
"May I enter?"
Jayu nodded.
Nijina stepped inside and shut the door behind her, cutting off the hallway light as she sat on the edge of the bed in the dark room.
"What are you watching?.. I really thought you were already asleep."
Jayu slowly raised a hand, pointing a finger at the screen as she replied in a low, sleepy voice. "The TV... it suddenly turned on."
Nijina's brow climbed higher.
"Suddenly turned on?.."
She turned her eyes toward the screen, finally processing the images of the war zone. She flinched, her eyes widening.
"Wha—! You cannot watch that!"
Panicked, she scrambled to find the remote control. She quickly switched the channel and turned to Jayu with a pout, the lollipop still between her lips.
"That's not for kids!"
Jayu pointed at the TV once more, her expression stubborn despite her fatigue.
"I-I have to see."
"EH?! She's so cute, but she likes this brutal stuff?!"
Nijina's mind raced in a panic.
"I need to know... if they're okay,"
Jayu added quietly.
Nijina's frantic energy slowly dissipated as the realization hit her.
"She wants to... see them, doesn't she?.."
She looked at the small girl and softened her expression.
"Okay. But only for a little bit, okay?"
~~~Saga~~~
As the waning moon reflected on the once-calm waters of the Ariake Sea, chaos continued to tear through the southern fields of Saga.
The airport was in shambles. Field men scrambled into squads while commanders frantically prepped a new course of action.
Distinct chatter echoed throughout the infrastructure, punctuated by the piercing screeches of Seele and the distant, rhythmic crackle of gunfire.
Two lone girls walked slowly toward the terminal: Kara and Tomori.
Tomori's left arm was draped over Kara's shoulder, leaning heavily on her for support.
They finally reached the relative safety of the airport interior, where Kara helped Tomori sit against a soot-stained wall.
She immediately knelt to Tomori's level.
"Let me patch you up, Tomo-san!"
Kara reached out, her palms glowing with a soft, steady green light.
Tomori leaned her head back, watching the ceiling as her thoughts drifted.
"Jeez... I insisted on staying on the battlefield."
A flash of the carnage they had just escaped flickered behind her eyelids.
"But she insisted on healing me here... It's kind of embarrassing, having the others see me in this state."
She opened her eyes, looking down at the blue-haired girl.
"You're pushing yourself too much, Kara-san."
Kara didn't stop, her focus absolute as the green light knit flesh back together.
"Your nose is already bleeding. You need to take a re—"
"Like hell you're not!"
Kara's shout cut her off, sharp and sudden.
Tomori flinched, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Do you think the scratches on your body right now are not the result of you pushing yourself too hard?!"
Kara demanded.
The noise of the busy airport seemed to fade from Tomori's ears; all she could hear was the raw dedication in the girl's voice.
Kara's bangs shadowed her eyes as she gritted her teeth, her hands trembling slightly from the output.
"That's not fair... I have to get stronger, too."
Tomori's expression softened. She reached out, gently patting Kara's head.
"Thank you so much, Kara-san."
The glow finally subsided.
Kara frantically checked Tomori's arms and torso one last time, ensuring every wound was closed.
"J-jeez..."
Tomori muttered under the intense scrutiny.
"Stop complaining!"
Kara commanded.
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Tomori replied with an awkward, lopsided smile.
"Okay, you're all patched up. You rest here for now. You just got out of the hospital and you're already pushing yourself too hard!"
Kara stood up, her brows furrowed in a stern line.
"I've already asked Boss for permission."
Tomori stayed seated, realizing she had no choice but to bench herself for a moment.
"I didn't know Kara-san had this bossy side... it's actually kind of cute."
Her smile faded into a more somber thought.
"But damn... what kind of mental strength does she have? A man dies right in front of her, yet she still has the will to continue."
Kara turned to her side, adjusting her gear.
"I'll be heading back to the battlefield. I have to supp—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
The heavy, rhythmic thud-thud-thud of rotors cut through the air, vibrating in her chest.
"Koya!"
Without another word, Kara bolted in the opposite direction, her boots pounding against the floor as she raced toward the helicopter landing pad.
Her helmet clattered against the terminal floor, forgotten as she bolted out.
"Jeez... Kara-san... Your helmet fell..."
Tomori muttered, watching the blue-haired girl disappear. She sighed and pushed herself up from the wall, her muscles protesting the movement.
"Sorry, but I'm going to have to break your wish for a bit!"
As Kara burst through the doors onto the landing pad, the aggressive downwash of a descending helicopter slammed into her.
The wind whipped her hair into a frenzy, forcing her to shield her eyes with her forearm. Around her, field men were already scrambling toward the pad, their faces grim as they prepared to aid the heavily damaged aircraft.
The rotors finally slowed, the deafening roar dying down into a mechanical whine. As the dust settled, Kara was finally able to see the state of the machine. Her breath hitched. The hull was riddled with deep gashes and scorched marks, looking as if a giant beast had tried to peel it open.
"W-What the hell happened?.."
She whispered, her voice trembling.
"Koya?.. Aldrin-san?.. Ayro-sama?.."
Aldrin was the first to emerge. He hopped down from the cabin, his movements stiff and his brows furrowed in a deep, dark line. He didn't stop to talk; he just walked fast, his jaw set in a hard clench.
Kara's head followed him for a second before she snapped her gaze back to the helicopter. She made a break for it, her heart hammering against her ribs. One name echoed in her mind: "Koya!"
Mid-run, the rear doors hissed open. It was Itoshi.
Time seemed to decelerate as he descended the ramp. A wave of pure, cold relief washed over Kara, seeing her big brother standing on his own two feet.
"Koya!"
She skidded to a halt as he approached, a bright, shaky smile breaking across her face.
"K-Koya! What hap—"
Itoshi didn't stop. He walked right past her, his gaze fixed on something far beyond the airport walls.
His eyes didn't even flicker toward her.
As he brushed past, his voice came out as a jagged, low-frequency snarl.
"I'll kill them... I'll eliminate them... I'll fucking take them all down..."
Kara froze, her head slowly turning back to watch him walk away. Her smile vanished, replaced by a look of sheer, paralyzing shock. She had seen Itoshi angry before, but this was different.
The air around him felt heavy, suffocating—the BlueRage was no longer a flicker; it was a cold, consuming void.
"W-Wait..."
She thought, her stomach dropping into a pit of dread.
[Meanwhile on the Battlefield...]
Ryujin skidded to a stop, the damp green field splattering mud across his gear.
His face remained relaxed, barely showing a flicker of fatigue despite the sheer volume of work he had put in.
His spear was still gripped firmly in his hands, the tip steady. He looked toward the shoreline, his eyes narrowing.
"Why is that not moving?.. Is it an A.N.?.."
He then turned to Kirashi, who had just landed nearby with a heavy thud.
"Oi! You good?"
Kirashi's breathing was heavy, ragged from the strain of his unrefined style, but he still forced a confident smile.
"Ez!"
He turned his back to Ryujin, facing the encroaching Seele.
"I ain't gonna be the weaker wind user of this squad!"
Without another word, Kirashi threw himself back into the fray.
"No— wai—!"
Ryujin reached out, but the boy was already a blur of movement.
Ryujin turned his head back toward the twenty-seven-foot beast standing motionless by the sea wall.
"What the hell are you doing?.."
He wondered.
"With that sheer size... it's hard to know how fast he could be."
He watched the monster for a heartbeat before his gaze shifted back to Kirashi.
"Kirashi is exhausting too much of his wind. I can't let him "suffocate" in this situation. I need to save his energy up."
Ryujin started to sprint toward Kirashi, tapping his earpiece as he moved.
"Miss Gigi, I need information regarding the battle."
His comms crackled to life.
"The situation has not changed. Do not exhaust yourself. We're keeping a close eye on that monstrosity ahead of you. You can be at ease—jeeps with flamethrowers are already on the field."
Ryujin swept his spear in a wide, fluid motion, taking down several flame-type Seele that crossed his path.
"Okay, got it. Information regarding 663-Bravo?"
"The helicopter has arrived. BlueRage and HighLift are accounted for. ShallowShadow: negative."
Ryujin stopped running, his boots digging into the mud.
"Ayro?"
"We're looking for his signal right now. We lost him back in Kitakyushu... his loss is still not officially recognized."
Ryujin resumed his pace, his mind racing faster than his feet.
"His comms aren't down. He's just not calling. What is this?.."
Miss Gigi's voice cut through his thoughts again, sharper this time.
"Kirashi, Ryujin... fall back. We're going to save your squad for now."
"Copy that!"
Kirashi and Ryujin replied in chorus.
In that same moment, Kirashi landed beside Ryujin, a confident, cocky grin plastered on his face.
"Whoo! Break time!"
He offered a fist bump toward his leader, his energy seemingly bottomless despite the sweat beading on his forehead.
Ryujin paused for a second, looking at Kirashi, then the fist, then Kirashi again, and finally back to the fist before giving the bump back.
"Let's go back for now. I'll go check on Ayro."
"Eh?.. Sure!"
Kirashi followed up as they turned and started a steady run back toward the extraction point.
"What are we gonna do with that big-ass one, though?.. Has Itoshi arrived yet?"
"He already did,"
Ryujin replied, keeping his pace even.
"Miss Gigi still hasn't informed us on what to do with that big-ass one—for now, I think she's gonna let the field men handle it."
He paused, glancing sideways at his comrade.
"We are not allowed to overwork ourselves, especially if we're the ones who have to handle the heavier blows. How are you feeling?"
Kirashi replied with a smile, his breathing still ragged.
"All good! Though I'll need some healing from Kara-chan!~"
He let out a strange, playful grin that made Ryujin look at him with a mix of exhaustion and amusement.
Ryujin looked straight ahead, a faint smile touching his lips.
As they ran, a jeep roared past them, its headlights cutting a sharp path through the dark, empty field.
"That must be one of the flamethrowers,"
Ryujin muttered.
Then, he caught it—just a glimpse of something in the periphery of the light.
"What the hell are you doing in there?!"
Ryujin thought to himself, skidding to a halt and turning around.
Kirashi stopped as well, looking back.
"Ryujin? Something in the matter?"
"Don't tell me!"
Ryujin paused, his confusion deepening.
"Did he not receive the order?! What is going on?!"
As the winds blew stronger and stronger, a man sat in the back of the jeep that had just sped past.
He was covered in a heavy blanket, the fabric snapping violently in the gale. He stood up, the blanket falling away and being swept into the night by the sheer force of the wind.
There he stood. The Scarecrow.
The sky suddenly erupted in a brilliant, violent blue as his flames screamed through the wind, tearing into the darkness.
All eyes on the field turned toward the source, the sheer intensity of the heat partially silencing the battlefield as he made his entrance.
BlueRage had entered the battlefield.
~~~To be Continued~~~