After the assassination attempt on Kura, a small group of instructors began taking care of him until the killer was found. Meanwhile, Kura was assigned more classes during this period. He particularly hated the idea of having more lessons and less free time—especially since his brother was left alone more often while a maniac was still loose inside the military base.
— Wow… so what can I do now?
Arold said this while walking alone, feeling a bit lonely without his brother by his side, and at the same time, somewhat worried, thinking he might be the next target of that man. He thought about meeting up with Itadaki to talk about what had happened but couldn't find him anywhere—not even in the cafeteria, where Itadaki usually spent most of his time.
— Huh, he's always here. Could something have happened today?
Arold waited a while until Aki appeared in the dining hall. Itadaki wasn't with him, even though they were close friends, which caught Arold's attention. He walked over to Aki while waving:
— Hey, Aki!
The man waved back and calmly approached the boy.
— Hey, Arold, how's it going?
They exchanged a "high five." Then the question that had been pressing on Arold's mind came out without hesitation:
— I'm good. Hey, Aki, where's Itadaki?
This made Aki think. He didn't know where his friend was. Actually, he had come to the cafeteria hoping to find him there but noticed he wasn't around.
— Huh, he's not here? Well… I don't know where he might be. Maybe he went on a mission or patrol.
Both Arold and Aki found it strange that Itadaki was nowhere to be found. They hadn't even been informed about any mission or patrol schedule for him that day. Still, there was nothing they could do except wait until the rest period ended and then ask a superior if their friend had any assigned tasks.
Arold spent some time chatting with Aki, exchanging gossip like, "Did you know the cafeteria lady spits in the food of anyone who talks rudely to her?" and also, "Have you had the lesson about the miraijins and the meaning of their birthmarks?" And since they both came to the cafeteria with the same purpose, they couldn't miss a topic about him: "Hey, have you noticed Itadaki's hair has been getting blonder lately?" This was their conversation until they parted ways, each going their own way.
Our protagonist went for a walk through a tree-filled area inside the base, a place he often visited to calm down and relax. In the background, he heard a sound—something that caught his attention, because there weren't even animals there to make footsteps like that. He became alert and attentive to everything around him, not wanting to suffer a surprise attack like his brother or be startled by someone he knew.
"Hmm… something's off here. I swear I'll kill whoever comes after me!"
He looked around, but the attack came from above—from the top of one of the trees—the same kind of beam that had been fired at Kura. However, Arold barely dodged the attack, suffering only a small cut on his left cheek.
In that moment of distraction, the infiltrator threw a giant tree trunk at him, aiming to crush the young soldier. Arold reacted by closing the fingers of his right hand into an "okay" sign, placing his thumb in the hole of that sign, focusing a massive explosion and launching it like a "beam" that pierced through the trunk effortlessly and hit the attacker, causing a huge explosion.
— You bastard, don't think I'm going to die like this!
The explosion's noise caught the attention of the director passing nearby, who rushed over to see what was happening in the "forest." Meanwhile, in the fight, the villain appeared unharmed by Arold's blast, using the smoke to hide his face.
Arold charged at the man, creating a small explosion on the soles of his shoes that made him "fly" closer to the attacker, allowing him to unleash a massive close-range explosion that destroyed the villain's entire head and the left side of his body. Unexpectedly, the man regenerated, hiding his face with his right arm while using his newly regenerated left arm to throw a deadly punch at Arold's head.
Arold countered with a massive explosion against the incoming fist. The punch wasn't stopped but its force was reduced, knocking Arold back to the ground, nearly knocked out.
— Now, go to hell!
As the villain prepared to fire another "beam" at the younger brother, he was suddenly hit by two shotgun blasts to his right hand and forearm, fired by the director's weapon. The maniac knew that if he fought both the soldier and the director, he would be defeated and his identity revealed.
So, he kicked the ground hard, raising dust, and escaped from the scene.
— Damn… that bastard ran off like a rat. Hey, you okay, kid? Let's get you to the infirmary.
The man, smoking his cigar, lifted Arold onto one shoulder and carried him back to base to treat his wounds and then ask what had happened.