Takumi peeked inside the room and froze.
"DUDE, WHAT THE—" Takumi slapped both hands over his mouth.
Sayaka took his arm and pulled him away from the door."We need to leave. Now." Sayaka's face was still burning.
"But Kairo—"
"IS OKAY. More than okay actually," Sayaka said, pulling harder. "We have to go before Sensei Nevara notices us."
They ran out of the building. Once outside, they exchanged weird glances.
"So em... do we tell him we saw that?" Takumi asked, scratching his head.
"NO! We act like we saw NOTHING. You got it? NOTHING!" Sayaka said, jabbing a finger at him.
"Okay, okay, geez, take it easy," Takumi said, raising his hands in surrender. "But still, the guy is lucky. Sensei Nevara without her glasses is—"
"TAKUMI!"
"I'M JUST SAYING!"
The sounds of battle faded—clashing swords and monster growls growing distant as the senseis gained ground.
"Let's check if the area's clear," Sayaka said quickly, eager to change the subject.
"Yeah, let's head east," Takumi agreed.
As they walked, Takumi kept glancing back at the teachers' quarters with a smirk.
"I told you to stop thinking about it!" Sayaka slapped the back of his head.
"OW! I didn't think of anything!"
At the same time, in Nevara's room,In Nevara's room, Kairo tried to speak. He tried to say something, but Nevara's mouth just kept on kissing him. Her power was overwhelming—fully activated even though she wasn't conscious of it
"Sen... Sensei..." Kairo could barely utter between kisses.
Nevara's eyes were scarcely open, still dreamy and unfocused. She uttered some gibberish and snuggled up to him.
Kairo's brain went into panic mode. *This is bad. Very bad. If she wakes up fully and realizes what's happening, she'll kill me.
He tried to activate his void step ability, but Nevara's grip held him in place.
A loud bang erupted outside, followed by a shockwave that made the barrier over the dojo tremble.
The sound barely registered. Her eyes opened slowly, still dreaming.
"Umm... What's that noise...?" she asked, still in a half-sleep state.
Kairo was frozen still, not daring to breathe.
Nevara's eyes opened wider. She blinked slowly, then her gaze drifted downward.
To Kairo.
Under her.
In her sleeping quarters.
There was an instant of total silence.
Nevara's face turned the color of her hair. "K-K-KAIRO!" she screamed, instantly jumping off him
Kairo was swift to sit up, hands raised. "S-Sensei, I can explain—"
"EXPLAIN WHAT?! WHY ARE YOU IN MY ROOM?! IN MY BED?!" Nevara was shouting, her embarrassment showing through her red face. She frantically grabbed her glasses and shoved them on.
"There was a beast attack! I went to check and sensed a powerful energy signature in the area, so I came to investigate and then—"
"I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU! WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEN?"
"You... you grabbed me and pulled me into bed and started—"
Nevara's face turned an even deeper shade of red. "WHAT DID I DO?"
"You weren't fully awake! You were only half-conscious!" Kairo spoke rapidly, trying to defuse the situation.
She buried her face in her hands. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.
Another blast sent tremors through the dojo from outside.
"We need to go, Sensei. The beasts are still—"
"GET OUT! GET OUT IMMEDIATELY!" Nevara yelled, pointing at the door without looking at him.
Kairo didn't need to be told twice. He activated his void step and vanished.
Nevara collapsed onto her bed, covering her face with her hands.
"What have I done... what have I done..." she whispered, horrified. "I KISSED HIM... AGAIN!"
She stayed frozen for a few more seconds, then shook her head violently.
"Focus, Nevara. There's an attack happening. Deal with the embarrassment later," she told herself, getting up and quickly changing into her combat gear.
But one thought kept echoing in her mind as she prepared to leave.
He'd better not tell anyone about this.
Back on the dojo grounds, Kairo reappeared in the main courtyard, panting heavily. His heart was racing—partly from the teleportation, mostly from what just happened.
"That was... I almost died..." he muttered.
"YO KAIRO!" Takumi's voice rang out from behind him.
Kairo turned to see Takumi and Sayaka running toward him. Sayaka's cheeks were still slightly flushed, and she was very deliberately avoiding his gaze.
"Where the heck have you been, dude? We looked everywhere!" Takumi said with a sly grin.
"I was... checking the south quarters. Nothing there," Kairo replied, trying to sound casual.
"Nothing? You sure about that?" Takumi's grin widened.
Kairo narrowed his eyes. "Why are you asking like that?"
"NO REASON!" Sayaka blurted out, elbowing Takumi before he could say more. "The battle above the barrier is almost over. Let's go meet up with the other students."
Overhead, as the last beasts were exterminated, the white barrier shimmered and faded. The instructors descended, some carrying dead monster corpses, others looking exhausted.
Instructor Lewin, stern-faced as always, landed beside them.
"You three. Report," he ordered.
"We eliminated a tier-two beast near the library, sir," Sayaka reported, straightening her posture.
"Well done. Anyone hurt?"
"No, sir."
Lewin nodded. "Head to the main hall. Head Sensei Raijin wants to address all students."
As Lewin left, the three students exchanged glances.
"That was insane," Takumi said. "Beasts raining from the sky... what's the world coming to?"
"I don't know, but it's getting worse," Sayaka said quietly.
Kairo looked up at the sky where the black rifts had been. They were sealed now, but he couldn't shake the feeling this was only the beginning.
And in the back of his mind, Nevara's kiss lingered—
NO! Stop! Don't go there, he told himself firmly.
They headed to the main hall.