As time went on, the place that had been a graveyard of uniforms was cleaned up to look almost normal. The police tape was gone, the tire prints were washed away, and the final temporary floodlights were put into vehicles. If someone got there too late, they would never know what had happened. There was a quiet crunch of footsteps on the gravel.
A man walked into the open area as if he owned the beach, with his hands in his pockets and his body relaxed. His voice had a low, steady weight that didn't need to be loud to be taken seriously. "Messy business," he added, seeming almost amused. "Taking someone's resonance out and switching it with something else." He let out a soft breath through his nose.
"Yeah... that's the kind of thing that makes your skin crawl." He looked along the deserted road, then at the Institute's distant silhouette over the river. His eyes narrowed as if he were reading the place instead of looking at it. He added, "And the best part?" as if they were just talking over coffee. "The Vanguards are cleaning up for me." That's kind of them. A quiet laugh came out, but it didn't seem warm.
"Malforms are also showing up more often." His voice stayed light, but there was something sharp underneath it. "Doesn't happen for no reason." They're looking for something. Or someone." He thought about it for a moment while tilting his head, then shrugged like the answer wasn't important, just fascinating.
He answered, "I guess I'll have to do some digging myself. Before they know what they're standing on."
At the same moment, Mozen called Lyss into his office. He sat behind the desk with a file in his hand and looked at the pages without once looking up to meet her gaze, as if he were making her wait on purpose.
Finally, he stated in a calm, controlled voice, "Alyssa, you turned on your Binder off-campus again." That makes three things that have happened this month. Lyss swallowed and stood up straight.
"I know. I'm sorry. Takumi did something without thinking, and if I hadn't stopped him, he would have been in a lot of trouble. The people on that monorail would too. I didn't have any other choice."
Mozen carefully laid the file down and then finally looked up. It wasn't rage. It was the kind of disappointment that hurt worse since there was no yelling.
He answered calmly, "I'm not arguing with the result. "Your choice kept people from getting hurt. That is known. He stopped for a while to let that acknowledgment sink in before tightening the line. "But we've already been too lenient too many times," Mozen said.
"Every time you break the rules, you make the Institute cover for you You also make a pattern that other people can use." Lyss's jaw got tight, but she didn't say anything.
Mozen's voice stayed professional, almost clinical.
"Yesterday was an emergency situation. It will be written down as a legitimate field action. But don't mix it up with approval. He tapped the file with his finger once. "Other events are not emergencies." Hunting a Ghoul on your own, no matter how confident or determined you are, is not allowed. Alyssa, you follow directions. Not on a whim."
Lyss nodded, agreeing. "Got it." Mozen kept looking at her for a little longer. He said in a low voice, "I won't say it again. You will follow the rules. If you think something needs to be done, you ask for permission. Stand down if permission is not given."
Lyss's voice got lower. "It won't happen again, father."
Takumi waited outside the council room with his phone in hand, scrolling through an online portal while his bag sat high on one shoulder. The confirmation was right there on the screen, plain and undeniable.
"So they actually wiped my profile from Aoshima's database," he muttered. "Yeah… they weren't kidding."
The door behind him opened, and Masato stepped out with his usual swagger, shades already on like they'd always belonged there.
"Yo, Takumi!" Masato grinned, sliding right into his space. "What's good, my man? You waitin' for your schedule… or you lurkin' for cute girls? Be honest."
He clapped a hand onto Takumi's shoulder and leaned on him like Takumi was an armrest he'd claimed by default.
Takumi didn't even flinch. "I'm trying to find my class."
Masato's eyebrows lifted behind the shades. He let out a low whistle. "Damn. Responsible. I was fully ready to call you a menace." He tapped the side of his glasses, smirk widening. "Alright, alright."
He hitched his thumb toward the hallway bulletin board. "Check the board down there. It updates all the time. Your name'll be on it unless the Institute decided to be extra dramatic today."
Masato started walking off, confidence in every step, then glanced back over his shoulder with the same grin still stuck on his face.
"And if you'll excuse me, I got business." He pointed a finger like he was declaring a mission. "I'm about to ask Ardenté out, and she's absolutely gonna say no…"
He paused, then shrugged like rejection was just part of the routine.
"…but I'm gonna ask anyway. That's called persistence, kid. Learn it."
He flashed a quick two-finger salute. "Catch you later, pretty-boy bangs!"
Takumi slipped his phone into his back pocket and headed over to the bulletin board. He scanned the list until he found his name.
Class 1-A.
His gaze lingered for a second. "Same class as Lyss and Timotheo. Coincidence…"
He glanced at the map beside the roster and traced the route to the classroom. A quiet sigh left him.
"Was told I'd get a tour," he muttered, already starting off. "Guess Lyss had other things to handle."
He moved down to the second floor where the first-year classrooms were lined up, 1-A through 1-C. The hallway was busy with students filtering in, but he kept his pace steady and followed the signs until he reached the right door.
Timotheo was there too, except he looked like he'd sprinted the whole way. He was bent forward with his hands on his knees, breathing hard, frustration written all over his face.
"Damn it! Not again!"
Takumi slowed, watching him for a beat before tilting his head. "What's up with you…?"
Timotheo lifted his chin, relief hitting his expression the moment he saw him. "Oh, thank god you're here Takumi! I got caught up in taking my sweet time eating that sweet burger and forgot I was already late to class. Please, you gotta help me and talk me out of it. Tell them I was touring you the school or something, or I'll get scolded by Ardenté again for being late."
Takumi stayed calm, but his tone had bite. "Dude… how are you this irresponsible?"
Timotheo's eyes went wide. He grabbed Takumi by the shoulders like he was about to shake an alibi out of him. "I know, I know! I messed up! It won't happen again, I swear! Just save me this one time. At least this time I've got an excuse that can actually work!"
Before Takumi could answer, the classroom door opened.
Dahlia stepped out and leaned against the frame with her arms folded, posture relaxed but judgment locked in. Timotheo visibly shrank.
"You're late again," she said evenly. "How many times have we discussed this? That makes more than seven this month."
Timotheo immediately slid closer to Takumi, practically using him as a shield, while Takumi kept his hands in his pockets like none of this was his problem.
"No, no, Mrs. Ardenté, listen! It's not like that!" Timotheo blurted. "I wasn't just late for no reason. I was helping Takumi find the classroom. He's new, he didn't know where he was going, so I went to get him and bring him here. Right, Takumi?"
Takumi felt the grip on his shoulders tighten, Timotheo silently begging him to play along.
Dahlia's eyes shifted to Takumi, calm but expectant. "Is that true, Kisaragi?"
Takumi exhaled once, like he'd already accepted he was being dragged into this.
"Yeah," he said simply. "I got turned around on the way here. He ran into me in the hall and showed me where to go. Saved me some time."
Dahlia exhaled quietly and gave a small shake of her head, the kind that warned she wasn't amused but wasn't going to waste class time on it either.
"Fine," she said. "We'll address it later." Her gaze settled on Takumi. "Kisaragi, step in. Introduce yourself to the class."
Timotheo took the opportunity immediately. The moment Dahlia turned, he slipped past Takumi and hurried into the room, moving fast while trying very hard to look like he wasn't hurrying at all.
As he passed Lyss, she leaned slightly toward him and murmured under her breath, "late again."
Timotheo didn't answer. He just slid into his seat and started arranging his books like he'd been there the entire time.
Dahlia walked in with Takumi beside her and faced the class, posture straight, voice clear.
"Alright, everyone. Eyes front." The room settled, chairs quieting as attention focused. "We have a transfer student joining Class 1-A effective immediately. Treat him with basic courtesy and do not turn this into a spectacle."
She gestured lightly toward Takumi. "Kisaragi Takumi. Go ahead."
Takumi stepped forward. He didn't fidget or hesitate. His gaze moved across the room once, calm and observant, taking in the faces staring back at him.
Whispers started anyway, low and quick.
Then one girl in the back spoke too loudly before she caught herself.
"Oh my god… he's actually hot."
A couple students snapped their heads toward her. Someone stifled a laugh. The girl's face went bright red the second she realized she'd said it out loud.
Dahlia turned her head slowly, the way a teacher does when they've heard something they're going to pretend they didn't… while making sure everyone understands they absolutely did.
"That comment was unnecessary," she said evenly. "If you have something relevant to contribute, raise your hand. Otherwise, keep it to yourself."
The girl shrank in her seat and stared down at her desk like it might swallow her whole.
Dahlia turned back to the front without another word, attention returning to Takumi.
"Continue, Kisaragi," she said.
Takumi remained composed, then finally began his introduction.
After finishing his introduction, Takumi glanced across the classroom, looking for an empty desk.
Dahlia followed his gaze, then pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, clearly regretting something about the seating situation.
"…Right," she said, lowering her hand. "We don't have any open seats at the moment."
She pointed with a small, reluctant motion. "Kisaragi, you'll sit beside Timotheo."
Even as she said it, her expression tightened like she already knew she'd be paying for that decision later.
"And for your own sake," she added, voice dry but still teacher-sharp, "do not adopt his habits. Also, try not to let him consume all of your time."
To be continue...