On the academy's rooftop lounge area, with a few worn metal chairs arranged in a loose semi-circle, Hanako and Lumina were already waiting.
A gentle breeze rustled through the potted plants lining the edge, making the spot feel almost peaceful despite everything weighing on Hiro's mind. He dropped into the chair beside Hanako, feeling the cool metal against his back.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly before he could even open his mouth to unload on Kaito. Her soft pink eyes, framed by that jet-black hair, carried such genuine concern that they washed over his simmering frustration like a quiet rain easing a dry spell.
"Be straight with me," he said to the whole group, voice low. "Something feels completely off, and I—"
As if the timing had been perfectly scripted, Rin pushed open the access door with a bright smile that hit him right in the chest. She slid into the empty chair next to him, close enough that the faint, sweet scent of her perfume wrapped around him like a gentle reminder.
"Sorry I'm late," she said cheerfully. "Kaito invited me to the meeting."
Hiro shot Kaito a hard look across the circle. Kaito just met it with that blank, unreadable stare of his.
"What were you about to say?" Lumina asked, leaning forward.
"Later," Hiro replied. "That's something between me and Kaito. Right now, we've got a guest here, so let's focus."
He could feel Rin's presence beside him, that warm, shimmering energy of pure happiness that felt a little too bright, a little too perfect to be entirely natural.
Kaito started the meeting with a quick recap of the recent fights for Rin's benefit. He laid out the demon lord situation, the gifted people like them, and the monster spawns that kept popping up in the city.
Rin asked a couple of thoughtful questions, and the group answered as best they could.
"Will you join us?" Kaito asked at the end. "We could really use your help out there."
"And how many times do I have to say it," Rin replied, her tone sharpening just a fraction at the close. "I'm not built for fighting. I do want to support all of you, especially Hiro. I hate seeing him dragged into this mess."
Her voice carried an edge that lingered in the air even after she finished.
"Think about it," Kaito said simply. "For now, let's talk battle strategy."
He turned a pointed glare toward Lumina.
"What?" the electric-blue-haired girl asked, crossing her arms. Kaito let the look hang for fifteen seconds before he launched into a firm lecture on positioning and teamwork.
Once the group nodded in agreement, his gaze finally landed on Hiro.
"Just who are you, really?"
"Pardon?" Hiro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Who are you?" Kaito pressed. "A low-level fighter… No, not low-level exactly, but someone at your power shouldn't be standing toe-to-toe with opponents far above you. It's like you're bending the rules of everything we know."
"Look, I am who I am," Hiro answered evenly. "Besides, we've got bigger problems to worry about right now. Actually, two of them."
The group's expressions shifted to surprise as he brought up Thea's father and the need to challenge the demon lord directly if they wanted to save Sato City. The worry in their eyes stayed sharp even after he finished explaining the uneasy feeling he got from the guy named Ryder's story about the strange shadow in his backyard.
"Well, you know how it goes," Kaito said once the shock settled. "We meet up at eight tonight and handle whatever shows up. Assuming it doesn't turn out to be something way beyond us. You sure you don't want to come along, Rin?"
"Let me think on it," she said, standing up smoothly. "My ride's waiting downstairs, so I'll head home first. Want to walk with me, Hiro?"
Red flags flashed in his mind at the invitation. Not obvious ones, but enough to make him pause. Why Rin? His funny, easygoing friend. Her smile felt just a little too perfect today.
That jealousy aura might not be visible right now, but he could still sense it humming underneath. At the same time, Hanako sat close enough that their arms nearly brushed while she talked quietly with Lumina.
A surge of pure defiance rose in Hiro's chest. No one, no matter how complicated the situation, was going to control his choices. Not today.
"I appreciate the offer," he said carefully, "but I still have a couple things to wrap up here at the academy. Go on ahead without me."
"Aww," Rin replied with a small pout. "Be careful on your way home later. I can't wait to see you tomorrow." She gave him a quick wink and headed for the door. Hiro didn't miss the brief flash of pure burning hatred she shot toward Hanako before disappearing down the stairs.
Fifteen minutes later, once Rin was long gone, Hiro and Hanako walked home together through the quiet side streets.
"Is there something about Rin you guys aren't telling me?" he asked after a while.
"You mean her powers?" Hanako replied. "I didn't know anything about them until the meeting today. I really don't talk to her much outside of class."
Hiro felt the conversation hit a dead end and let the topic drop for now. Without solid proof, throwing accusations around would only make things worse.
He definitely wasn't about to let some anime-girl stereotype take him out, but Rin's Type was the kind known for irregular supernatural strength.
One thing he refused to let settle in his head was any naive idea about saving the girl. He would have loved to, but the trope felt impossible to dodge.
If she ever crossed that line and hurt someone, Hiro wasn't going to stand by. He wouldn't take the law into his own hands unless it was pure self-defense. It still amazed him that she hadn't tried breaking into his place yet, though he wouldn't put it past her.
All it would take was one solid boost to their Relationship and who knew what might happen? What if plans fell through tomorrow? Would the stats drop and set off something worse?
Hiro wished he could pull the classic main-character move and brush the whole thing off as simple paranoia, but he wasn't that naive.
Sweet, funny Rin was almost certainly a Yandere.
He had been warned about it from the beginning and still somehow ended up befriending one. Thanks to the damn system.
Even so, aside from that single look she gave Hanako, Rin hadn't actually hurt anyone yet. There was another kind of Yandere, the slightly less extreme version. Overly loving, but not quite stabby-stabby. Her current stats didn't quite paint the full picture…
When Hanako stepped into her own apartment with a cheerful wave goodbye, Hiro nearly tripped over something lying right in front of his door.
[You have found a Bastion's Final Ward Card. Item Class: Bizarre.
Description: A highly sought-after card that once belonged to a legendary deck.
The card's effects and abilities cannot be revealed to you until the contract is formed.]
Yet, another random nuisance. He tucked it away in his inventory anyway. No point stressing over cards he could probably sell online for decent money later.
At the same time, something about them kept tugging at his curiosity.
[Quest: Investigate the Mysterious Cards. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused. Reward: Unknown.]
Hiro unlocked his door and almost laughed at the sight waiting inside. Thea was stretched out on his couch, lazily flipping through TV channels with the remote.
"You humans are so strange," she said without looking up. "All these complicated mating rituals just for simple pleasure. And why do men spend thousands of dollars on dates? You could save so much with escorts." She shook her head in genuine confusion.
Hiro chuckled and headed toward his room. He set his bag on the floor, turned around ready to join her in the living room, but there she stood in the doorway instead, that sly, knowing look on her face.
"I won't be robbed like this morning again," she said softly. Before he could even react, the demoness closed the distance and kissed him.