"Let's go on vacation!" (Kimiko)
For some strange reason, Kimiko was truly determined, more than ever, to convince her teammates to go to the sea with her.
"No way."
Her childish enthusiasm, however, was dampened by Kohaku. Or at least, she tried to do so.
"You can stay here if you want, nerd! Who knows how many "research" sessions you can do alone, on your fancy monitors!" (Kimiko)
"Exactly what are you implying?!" (Kohaku)
"About the fact that your search history is always deleted?! Who knows what kind of perverted stuff you look up when you're alone?! It gives me chills just thinking about it!" (Kimiko)
"Ugh, y-you! How dare you?! My "research" is nothing perverse! It's just...something that, to you, shouldn't concern you!" (Kohaku)
"How many illegal sites have you visited?! Oh my God! Don't tell me you've opened some?! Do you send your photos there?" (Kimiko)
"What the hell are you talking about now!?" (Kohaku)
"Come on, answer! Do you take pictures of your feet and sell them at some online auction?! Who knows how many lecherous old men—" (Kimiko)
"Kimiko!!!! Cut it out! I have no idea what you're talking about!!!!!!" (Kohaku)
While the two were loudly arguing, their three companions stood apart, watching the scene.
"Honestly, I don't know if I'm more shocked that Kimiko knows how to use a computer......" (Hajime)
"......or that Kohaku always, and I mean "always", has her search history deleted?" (Kuro)
"You took the words right out of my mouth." (Hajime)
Hajime and Kuro were thoroughly enjoying the fight. They were sitting in the cafeteria, observing the scene while munching on popcorn that Cloe had cooked for everyone before the argument broke out.
"I- I think you guys should do something… the situation's getting out of hand." (Cloe)
"Nah. They won't get physical. And if they do, Kimiko would definitely win. Even though she's still feeling the aftereffects of the [Dragon Blood], she's a capable fighter." (Kuro)
"But Kohaku would find a way to get back at her. Her strength is in her brain, after all; we are her muscles." (Hajime)
"Aren't you guys a little too relaxed today?" (Cloe)
The two boys exchanged brief glances before shrugging. Apparently, they both tacitly agreed to enjoy the moment.
"Well, school ended yesterday. Not having to go to that dump every damn morning is a blessing for our mental health." (Kuro)
"Same for me. Waking up early and wasting hours at that school is the pinnacle of uselessness. I feel better now that I can spend my mornings training here." (Hajime)
There was nothing good about their school, that was a fact. Even Cloe didn't like that building much, or the people inside.
But at least she, Kohaku, and Kimiko, when Kimiko even showed up at school, could stay calm, as long as they didn't disturb some troublemaker who attended that place.
Kuro and Hajime couldn't say the same.
The first couldn't hide his arrogant streak when faced with certain individuals, and he loved to divert attention from his sister and friend whenever some idiot tried to approach either of them. Usually, he used his fists to attract attention, or a sneaky attack from behind to lay out the tougher guys at school.
It was well known that he had to surpass Kuro to reach the two beauties. And there was always someone who thought they could beat the young [mage]. They usually ended up unconscious on the ground.
The second, on the other hand, was mostly isolated from his classmates, and even from the teachers, at best.
Not only because Goto had paid to keep things that way. But also because the boy wasn't interested in forming bonds with anyone.
The fact that Kuro and the others had to pretend not to know him, to avoid suspicion, only reinforced the idea that he was a lone wolf.
An easy target, so to speak. Despite Goto's stepson having demonstrated multiple times that he could fight — and after the last incident where he sent a group of Bullies to the hospital — no one had dared to bother or annoy him since.
Neither of the two teenagers realized how much their mood was affected by going to school, until they stopped going altogether, thanks to summer vacation.
"I demand a democratic vote! You can't be a dictator! Someone has to take your command away!" (Kimiko)
"You don't even know what you're talking about! Right? I'm in charge when Fumio-sensei isn't here! Even before you and Hajime arrived, it was like that!" (Kohaku)
"I don't care! F-sensei left days ago! Now I'm launching a coup to overthrow you! I'll be in command from now on, and my first order is to go on vacation!" (Kimiko)
"You were just talking about a democratic vote ten seconds ago?! You didn't drink, did you?" (Kohaku)
That was true. Fumio had left the day he was warned by the leaders to go to the south district to find out what had happened to the squads there.
To his great regret, the man didn't have time to talk to Hajime about anything, neither about whether someone had trained him, nor about his thoughts on the murder he had committed.
At the same time, he said nothing to his students about the emergency they were experiencing with the [New Dawn].
Maybe it wasn't the right choice.
But they had earned a brief truce, however fleeting. Not to mention that Kimiko and Cloe still had issues with their powers.
After their intensive use of the [Dragon Blood], side effects like unstable powers and low [mana] levels were more than understandable.
In the end, that product was an illegal agent that could lead to death if used too often.
"Cloe! Kuro! Hajime! Come on, it's time to vote! Beach or mountains!?" (Kimiko)
"We're not going anywhere! We can't, they might give us a mission at any moment!" (Kohaku)
"Without F-sensei, here, in control? Impossible! And Cloe-chan and I aren't even at 100%! No school, no missions! We're forced to go to the beach!" (Kimiko)
"You're driving me crazy!!!!!" (Kohaku)
Kohaku's desire to stay at the base wasn't only due to a sense of responsibility but also because she sensed something was wrong.
The fact that her master had gone away without telling her and the others what he was doing, was a sign that he was hiding something from them.
She had to investigate. Young [esper] hated not knowing if there were any updates on their mission to take down Goto.
***********************
That evening, in the heart of the south district, a distracted Fumio was observing a deserted warehouse from afar.
(Not even here... really no survivors? Or someone escaped capture? Too many questions and too few answers… Could they have found new hideouts? But why not report to the higher-ups? No, stupid question. I don't even write everything in reports, you never know if someone—)
His thoughts were interrupted when he saw something move. With his [magical] eye, he could perceive heat traces from a distance inside the warehouse.
"Excellent hiding spot... maybe an anti-[mage] like us. Good, I'll go see what's happening."
Fumio's mission was almost entirely solo.
He and a separate group were carrying out their tasks in secret, without knowing the details of what the others were doing, and vice versa.
If he got captured, it would only delay the inevitable.
This crisis had come at a terrible time. Without Yukihime, their strongest mage and symbol of hope for the [New Dawn], an attack by the [White and Black Corps] could wipe out years of plans and efforts.
Fumio couldn't allow that.
The squads in the south district had fallen. But there were no signs of forces moving elsewhere, suggesting no attack on other districts.
Too many questions and uncertainties. And it was up to the [mage] to solve most of them.