"Lee, were you able to track the boy?"A man's voice cut through the cold meeting room.
Lee shifted uncomfortably. "We lost the tracker, sir. That fiend we fought — he knew."
Around the long table, BCC officers sat tense. Leon, a young fighter with a candy stick between his teeth, laughed."Ha! I thought you were stronger than this, Lee."
Lee glared. "Face that thing yourself next time, brat."
"Enough," the man at the head barked. He turned to Sona, seated beside him. "Sona — did this 'King of Fiends' ever appear in your time?"
Sona hesitated. Memories flickered like ghosts. "No. Not like this. Only the Lugren — the one from the old stories."
"Could your friend Hide know about it?"
Sona lowered her eyes. "I… I don't know."
Leon grinned. "I heard your boyfriend got buried in a cave on his last mission. Supposedly dead. But I saw the report — looks like he crawled back out, huh?"
Sona glared at him. "Don't talk about him like that."
The man next to Lee laughed. "Relax, Sona. His file says he's useless anyway. No powers. Couldn't even get a weapon. A waste."
Sona clenched her fists under the table.
Lee cleared his throat. "He does have that red eye. Records say it's a birth defect — but who knows."
The man at the head looked at Sona again. "You — anything else about that eye?"
She took a breath. "He used it to see things others couldn't. They called him a monster for it."
A monitor flickered on at the far end of the room — a silhouetted figure appeared. A distorted voice echoed.
"Report. That fiend last night. Explain."
Lee straightened. "Sir — we've classified it as SSS Rank. Its aura alone caused widespread fear. It called itself the 'King of Fiends'."
"A King, hm?" The silhouette leaned forward. "Find it. Understand it. End of transmission."
The screen cut out. Silence fell.
Leon popped his candy stick. "Looks like we've got a new hunt."
"And we'd better be ready," Lee muttered. "Next time, we bring it down."
The meeting scattered. Sona stayed behind a moment, staring at the dark screen.
Outside, Sona nearly bumped into Miss Yumi. The older woman smiled kindly."Sona — it's been too long."
"Miss Yumi… what are you doing here?"
Miss Yumi gestured at the building behind them. "Same as you. Watching the shadows."
She tilted her head. "Lunch?"
Sona blinked. Then nodded.
They sat side by side in a small fast-food place, the smell of fries and cheap coffee curling in the air.
Miss Yumi slid a burger across the table. "Eat. You look exhausted."
Sona unwrapped it. "Thank you…"
Miss Yumi sipped her drink, eyes on the street outside. "Sona… you know about Hide's mission, don't you? That he was trapped?"
Sona's shoulders dropped. "I heard."
Miss Yumi's tone softened. "When Hide woke up from that long sleep… he looked so lost. I asked him what he wanted. Do you know what he said?"
Sona stayed silent.
Miss Yumi leaned closer. "He wanted to stay asleep. Because in sleep… he was with you."
Sona's eyes stung. She forced a smile.
Miss Yumi reached across the table, squeezing her hand. "You shouldn't hold back, Sona. You two — you always belonged side by side. Tell him what you feel, before it's too late."
Sona's voice trembled. "Thank you… Miss Yumi. Truly."
Miss Yumi smiled back. "Don't thank me yet. Be there for him."
Back in her apartment, Sona stared at her ceiling, heart pounding. Her phone buzzed. An unfamiliar voice on the other end."Sona Mizuki? Your news interview starts in an hour."
She sighed. "Of course it does."
The studio lights were blinding. The anchorman's grin was plastic.
"Ladies and gentlemen — tonight we have Sona Mizuki, top FCC agent and national idol! Sona, tell us — what was that fiend at the FCC last night?"
Sona kept her voice steady. "It was… abnormal. It didn't seem to know where it was."
The anchorman laughed. "A clueless monster! And your personal life, Sona? The rumors say you have a boyfriend…"
She forced a polite smile. "It's just gossip. I don't have a boyfriend."
The boys in the audience cheered. The anchor pressed on. "So what kind of man would win your heart?"
Sona looked down, mind flickering to a sleeping boy in a hospital bed. "Someone… who stays by my side. No matter what."
Meanwhile, in the dark forest beyond Edens High, a search team pushed through brush and shadows.
"Command, still no sign of Hide," a voice crackled. Then — a bestial roar shattered the night.
They found him standing alone before a massive beast. He looked half-dead — but his eyes still burned.
They saved him — carried him from the forest, unconscious, battered, but alive.
When Hide finally stirred, hospital lights glowed overhead. He winced, clutching his ribs.A letter lay on the table — flowers beside it. From Minami. And Sona.
A knock — and Miss Yumi slipped in, smiling softly.
"Still breathing, I see."
Hide managed a small laugh. "Somehow."
She sat beside him. "I brought you an offer. Something bigger than Edens High — bigger than BCC or FCC."
She slid a card into his hand. The Zodiacs.
"An expedition," she said. "A place no one's seen yet. Beasts. Ruins. Maybe answers. They want you."
Hide turned the card over in his fingers. "Why me?"
Miss Yumi's eyes glinted. "Because you're you. And because Sona's going too — with or without you."
She stood, adjusting her coat. "Rest. Decide. But know this — whatever's out there… it's waiting for you."
When she left, Hide lay back. The city buzzed beyond his window — alive and blind to the old king dreaming beneath its neon sky.
He closed his eyes.
One week.