Combat Strategy Room — Late Afternoon
Only a handful of seats were filled, but the atmosphere felt heavy.
At the front stood Ayame.
Straight-backed. Focused.
Her long dark-violet hair rested neatly over her shoulders, and her violet eyes were calm but sharp as blades.
Before her sat:
Tsuramo — silent, watching. Kijin — leaning back, pretending not to care. Kurojin — arms folded, irritated already. Rin — composed and observant. Luna — relaxed but alert. Masakiro — gentle presence. Raigen — stiff pride barely contained. Saeko — elegant, red eyes glowing faintly beneath composed lashes.
Ayame activated the projection behind her.
The screen did not show wolves.
It showed something worse.
A massive creature, its frame towering over forests, claws longer than spears, fangs like curved blades.
Its body covered in jagged dark plating. Around it lay the corpses of giant wolves.
"The mission is not wolves," Ayame said calmly. "This is Shinryu."
The room stilled.
"It hunts wolves."
The image shifted — Shinryu ripping through a pack of enormous spirit wolves as if they were nothing.
"It is larger. Faster. Smarter."
Her violet eyes sharpened.
"And significantly more dangerous than Kuryo."
Even Raigen's expression tightened.
Kijin blinked slowly. "…So we're fighting the thing that bullies the bullies?"
No one answered.
He nodded to himself.
"Cool. I respect hierarchy."
Luna snorted softly.
Masakiro spoke gently. "If it hunts apex predators… then its instincts must be extraordinary."
Ayame nodded.
"It isolates. Separates targets. Kills efficiently."
Kurojin clicked his tongue. "And you're leading this."
It wasn't a question.
Ayame met his gaze.
"Yes."
Saeko tilted her head slightly, red eyes glinting.
"How interesting."
Her voice was smooth. "Shinryu exterminates wolf packs alone… and you believe you can coordinate us against it?"
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
But sharp.
Rin shifted slightly.
Raigen watched carefully.
Kijin leaned forward, sensing tension.
Ayame didn't react.
Saeko continued gently. "Your strategies are clean, Ayame. Structured."
A small pause. "But this beast isn't."
The implication lingered.
Luna's eyes narrowed faintly.
Kurojin watched with thinly veiled satisfaction.
Before Ayame could respond—
Tsuramo spoke.
"She understands unpredictability."
The room quieted instantly.
His tone was even. "She adjusts faster than most of you notice."
Saeko's gaze slid toward him.
"And you're certain of that?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
Ayame glanced at him briefly — just a flicker — then returned to Saeko.
"If you believe I cannot handle Shinryu," Ayame said calmly, "then propose a superior formation."
Silence.
Saeko's smile didn't fade. "Oh, I'm not doubting you."
Her red eyes gleamed faintly. "I'm measuring."
Kijin whispered loudly, "Measuring what? Funeral sizes?"
Raigen elbowed him.
Ayame stepped slightly forward.
"Shinryu kills wolves because they move as a pack."
She tapped the screen.
"We will not."
The image shifted to a formation layout.
"Pair-based engagement. Rotational pressure. No clustering."
Masakiro nodded approvingly.
"That limits isolation risk."
Luna smiled faintly.
"I like that."
Kurojin looked irritated.
Saeko folded her arms.
"And if it adapts?"
Ayame's violet eyes sharpened.
"Then we adapt faster."
A beat of silence.
Then she added calmly,
"If I fail to lead effectively, you may step forward."
Her gaze locked with Saeko's.
"But until that moment… follow orders."
The air grew tight.
Saeko's red eyes narrowed just slightly.
Then she smiled again. "…Very well."
Kijin leaned back dramatically. "So basically, giant wolf-killer lizard thing."
He grinned. "Got it."
Raigen muttered, "This isn't a joke."
Kijin shrugged.
"Relax. If it eats wolves, maybe it's full already."
Luna laughed softly.
Masakiro closed his eyes briefly.
Tsuramo said nothing further.
Ayame deactivated the projection. "Prepare for terrain instability and prolonged engagement."
She looked across them all.
"I will send the time and location."
Her voice firm. "Be ready. Till tomorrow.''
She stepped back. "You may go."
Chairs shifted.
Kurojin left first, annoyed.
Raigen followed.
Rin moved quietly.
Masakiro paused briefly, nodding respectfully to Ayame before exiting.
Luna stretched. "This one's going to be fun."
Saeko lingered a moment longer, studying Ayame with careful curiosity.
Then she turned and walked out.
Kijin stood, cracking his knuckles.
"Shinryu, huh?"
He grinned at Tsuramo.
"Hope it doesn't bite."
Tsuramo walked past him calmly. "It will."
Kijin blinked. "…Oh."
Ayame remained alone for a moment after they left.
Her violet eyes steady.
Shinryu wasn't a wolf.
It was what wolves feared.
And soon—
they would face it.
The room was half a mess.
Weapons laid out neatly on one side of the table.
Clothes thrown carelessly on the other.
Kijin sat cross-legged on the floor, stuffing equipment into his bag with absolutely no organization.
"Rope… snacks… extra bandages… more snacks…"
He paused.
"Do beasts respect snacks? Like, if I throw meat at it, will it rethink life choices?"
Across the room, Tsuramo stood by his bed, packing with quiet precision.
Every movement deliberate.
Every item placed exactly where it should be.
His crimson eyes were half-lidded as usual, expression unreadable.
Calm.
Too calm.
Kijin kept talking.
"You think Shinryu breathes fire? Or like… spiritual death aura? Because if it breathes something weird, I'm blaming you."
No response.
"You listening?"
Tsuramo closed his bag.
"Yes."
Kijin blinked.
"…That's all?"
"You talk too much."
Kijin grinned.
"That's why I survive. Distract the enemy with nonsense."
Tsuramo adjusted the strap on his weapon.
"You distract yourself."
Kijin tossed a roll of tape into his bag.
"Rude."
He stood up, stretching.
"But admit it. This is exciting."
Tsuramo's gaze lifted slightly.
"It's dangerous."
"Same thing."
A small pause.
Tsuramo walked toward the door.
"Stay close to formation."
Kijin scoffed lightly.
"You sound like Ayame."
Tsuramo opened the door.
"And you sound careless."
Kijin slung his bag over his shoulder dramatically.
"I prefer 'strategically relaxed.'"
They stepped out into the corridor together.
Calm and chaos walking side by side.
The mood was different.
Quieter.
Masakiro stood near his bed, gently sliding a strap over his shoulder.
His bag was light.
He didn't carry much.
He never did.
His hands paused briefly on the fabric.
There was tension in his breathing.
Visible.
He didn't like this.
He never liked this.
Blood.
Violence.
Screams.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
Behind him, Nairo leaned against the wall.
"You're thinking too much."
Masakiro gave a small smile.
"I always do."
Nairo pushed off the wall and walked closer.
"You hate fighting."
Masakiro didn't deny it.
"I don't hate protecting," he said softly.
"I just… don't like what comes with it."
Nairo nodded slowly.
He understood.
Masakiro was always the one calming people.
Always the one stopping fights.
Never the one wanting to cause them.
"But you're still going," Nairo said.
Masakiro adjusted the strap again.
"Yes."
A faint nervous exhale.
"What if someone gets hurt?"
Nairo shrugged lightly.
"Someone will."
Masakiro winced slightly at the bluntness.
Nairo softened his tone.
"But we'll bring a healer."
Masakiro looked up.
"From BK class?"
"Yeah."
Nairo nodded confidently.
"Don't worry."
A pause.
Then Nairo added with a crooked grin,
"And if things go bad, we'll just scream for Tsuramo."
Masakiro laughed quietly.
"That doesn't make it less scary."
"It's supposed to."
Masakiro hesitated.
"…I don't want to see that much blood again."
Nairo's expression shifted, just slightly.
Serious.
"You won't be alone this time."
Masakiro looked at him.
Nairo gave him a firm nod.
"We move together."
Silence lingered.
Then Masakiro nodded back.
"…Alright."
He lifted his bag fully onto his shoulder.
Still nervous.
Still uneasy.
But steadier.
They stepped toward the door.
Outside, the dorm corridors buzzed faintly with preparation.
Shinryu waited somewhere beyond the academy walls.
And not all of them were ready.
But they were going anyway.