Tsukuru stared at the System message in front of him.
'Wait…I got Summon Points for naming them?' he thought. 'Is that going to happen every time I name one of my Summons?'
The voice of the digital Reiju piped in.
"Not exactly," she replied. "It's kinda like those 'trophies' you could get in old games for completing special tasks. Essentially, the System is rewarding you for naming one of your Summons for the first time. It's like a Secret Quest."
There was a slight pause.
"Although I would have expected you to name a Summon long before now," she added.
Reiju's words felt as painful as that arrow that had struck Tsukuru in the back earlier today in the Beast Weapons Hall.
Tsukuru let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.
He then turned back to Starrk.
However, before he could say anything, his wristwatch began to beep erratically, its screen flashing like crazy.
Instantly, Tsukuru's eyes snapped down to it.
Seeing this, as well as remembering Shizuka's actions, Starrk's eyes narrowed.
'Those wristwatches…' he thought. 'They seemed to be used for communication.'
Back in Hueco Mundo, they did not have any such devices. Whenever Aizen needed to address the Espada to make an announcement, he would simply use the communication-oriented Kido spell "Bakudō #77. Tenteikūra" that the Shinigami used. It allowed Aizen to transmit his voice across vast distances, so his words could be heard by anyone he wanted to hear them, assuming they were familiar with his Spirit Energy.
Tsukuru brought his arm up to his chest, and looked down at the screen. As he did, his eyes widened.
It had Quinn's name on the screen.
***
Nearly two hours ago…
***
Quinn was rushing down the hall of the Student Dormitory, his bag slung over his back. He had an excited smile on his face. He couldn't wait to test out his new gear.
As he ran through the hall, he crossed paths with Vorden. It seemed that Vorden was returning to the dorm room. As the two saw each other, they slowed down to talk.
"Hey," Quinn greeted. "Where have you been? I came back to the dorm room earlier, and you were gone."
Vorden glanced away.
"Oh, that," he replied. "Actually, something has been really bugging me about the whole 'Peter' situation. Remember how he said that someone made him do it? Plus, they already had a fall guy set up to take the blame. But when I tried finding out what happened to him, they said that he was in the dungeon. So that was a dead end."
Quinn put his hand against his chin.
"Maybe those first-years who've been hanging out with him recently might know something?" Quinn suggested.
"Yeah, I was planning on doing that, actually," Vorden replied. Then, his face hardened. "However, we need to be careful. If my hunch is right, this might involve someone high up in the school. Maybe even at the Sergeant level."
Quinn's eyes narrowed slightly as Vorden's words reminded him of something.
"Hey, Vorden?" Quinn asked, catching Vorden's attention. "You remember how, when we got back, Tsukuru had to stop Sergeant Shizuka from killing that guy? I think she called him 'General Duke'?"
Vorden's expression became even tighter.
"Isn't that the guy Sergeant Faye said was in charge of the Second-Years?" he asked. "Quinn, if he's the one behind this, then this might be even harder than I thought."
Quinn then looked at Vorden.
"You want me to come with you?" he asked.
Vorden's expression relaxed to his trademark gentle smile.
"Nah," he replied. "It's better off if I investigate this on my own. Plus, it's a lot harder for them to touch me if I get caught than it is for you. At least until we get the mess with your wristwatch sorted."
Suddenly, Quinn snapped his fingers.
"Hey, I know!" he replied with a smile. "Why don't you ask Layla? Apparently, she ran into those guys while we were gone."
At the mention of Layla, Vorden's face changed. It was a complicated look. It wasn't a look of happiness nor disgust. It looked as if he was trying to force a smile, but his whole body was fighting him.
"Quinn…" Vorden replied in a low tone. "You do know that me and her…don't get along, right?" he asked.
Quinn put on a sympathetic smile.
"Yeah, well, you're going to have to," he replied. "Remember, we're going to be on the same team for the Portal Expedition next week. Use this as a chance to warm up to each other." Quinn's face then fell slightly. "I've already lost one friend, Vorden. Please, don't make me pick and choose between you two."
Vorden let out a sigh before then putting back on his smile. He lightly punched Quinn's shoulder.
"Alright, man," he replied. "I'll try."
***
In the dark space of Vorden's head, Raten leaned over to talk to Vorden.
"You're not actually going to try and become friends with her, are you?" he asked. "Just kill her, and then he doesn't have to worry about choosing. We are his best friend, end of discussion."
Vorden turned back to Raten with an annoyed expression.
"You want us to kill Tsukuru, too?" he asked.
Raten remained silent for a moment. It was as if he was actually thinking about it.
Vorden let out a sigh. He turned back to the "screen".
***
Back in the real world, Quinn glanced down and saw that Vorden's hands were still covered in the set of Intermediate-Tier Knight Gauntlets that Tsukuru had given him. However, Vorden didn't appear to have an actual Beast Weapon of his own.
"Hey, Vorden, don't you have a Beast Weapon or anything?" he asked.
Usually, those students in possession of Beast Weapons would keep them on themselves at all times.
Layla always had her bow and quiver on her back…Erin always had her sword at her hip…the only exceptions were himself and Tsukuru. Tsukuru kept all of his gear inside his System's Inventory, and Quinn currently had his gear safely inside his Shadow Space.
"Actually, most of the time, I prefer to use Elemental Abilities," Vorden replied. "Beast Gear just kind of gets in the way. Although you might have a point. I should probably get one just in case I copy an Ability where having a weapon would be useful."
Quinn thought for a moment.
"Well, if you could, is there any type of weapon in particular that you would prefer?" Quinn asked.
Vorden put his hand under his chin and began to think.
"Well, I guess I've always been partial to shortswords in the VR Game growing up," he replied, thinking out loud.
To be honest, this kind of made sense of Quinn. Back when Tsukuru had originally let Vorden copy his Ability after the Placement Test, the first thing that Vorden had made was a shortsword.
"But it might be a while before I can get my own Beast Weapon," Vorden continued. "My family doesn't really like to send me money because they think that I should earn everything myself."
Vorden then began to laugh.
"Maybe I should ask Tsukuru for one of his daggers!" Vorden chuckled. "Those things are practically shortswords as they are!"
Quinn had actually planned to make a new weapon for Vorden. He had helped him out so much, having jumped in the Portal after him, and he wanted to return the favor.
Well, he wanted to make one for Layla, too. But as she and Erin had passed him as they were leaving the Beast Weapon Hall, Quinn had seen that she now had two bows strapped to her back. It was unlikely that she needed a third weapon.
There was also the warning of the blonde-haired man still buzzing in the back of his head. The warning that "others" would come for him. If that was true, Quinn was worried that his friends might get attacked by Vampires. In that sense, there was no harm in making them stronger.
With their conversation now over, the two continued walking. Quinn headed towards the entrance of the building, and Vorden headed back to their dorm room.
Once Quinn reached the door, he pulled out his compound umbrella and opened it again. It was so nice having a reliable way to stay out of the sun as he headed towards the main building of the school.
Once inside, Quinn retracted the umbrella back into its compact form and headed down towards the VR Room.