Morning light filtered through the wooden slats of the chiefdom estate, casting soft bands of gold across the courtyard. The sound of running water from the inner garden mixed with distant hammer strikes from the city's forges. Kurogane City was awake, alive, and moving with purpose.
Raizen stood beneath the eaves, arms folded inside his sleeves, watching the city from above. He had already mapped three routes in his mind—supply roads, river crossings, shrine access points. Even in calm, his thoughts never stopped moving.
Behind him, Kaito yawned loudly. "Man… this place is too peaceful. Makes me nervous."
"That's because you're used to chaos," Haruka replied flatly, walking past him with a folded cloth over her arm. "Peace reveals weaknesses."
Senji snorted softly. "Or it makes people careless."
Aoi and Mika arrived together, freshly changed into light training clothes provided by the chiefdom. Aoi stretched, glancing briefly at Raizen before quickly looking away again. She didn't understand why her chest felt oddly tight whenever she noticed him standing alone like that—quiet, distant, always thinking.
⸻
The Chiefdom's System
Later that morning, Chief Hirokawa gathered them in the inner hall. Low tables were arranged neatly, scrolls and maps laid out across them. Several elders and senior retainers stood nearby, listening carefully.
"Kurogane City does not answer to a single lord," the chief began. "We are divided into chiefdoms. Each governs its own district, answers to the city council, and maintains balance."
He gestured to the maps.
"Steel. Trade. Espionage. Medicine. Ninjutsu. Each chiefdom specializes. And that is why the Tsuchigumo are dangerous here—they don't conquer cities by force. They rot them from within."
Mika's expression sharpened. "You suspect infiltration?"
"We suspect layers," an elder replied grimly.
Raizen absorbed every word. He noticed Senji standing slightly apart, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Senji wasn't listening like a student—he was evaluating like a hunter.
⸻
Training Paths
After the meeting, the chiefdom assigned mentors.
Raizen was led to an older strategist whose eyes never seemed to blink. "You already think five steps ahead," the man said calmly. "Our task is to make your body move as fast as your mind."
Aoi was assigned shadow-step training—silent movement, rapid repositioning, close combat. She caught herself glancing toward Raizen more than once during practice and cursed internally every time she did.
Mika's training focused on perception. She learned how Tsuchigumo hid fragments of themselves inside human hosts—how corruption felt different from normal malice.
Haruka was brought into restricted archives, studying suppression seals that didn't kill the host.
Kaito… struggled. A lot.
"This chakra thing hates me," he groaned, lying flat on his back.
Senji, meanwhile, declined instruction entirely.
"I've already learned what I need," he told the chief.
One of the elders stared at him, recognition flickering across his face. "…That stance. You're from—"
Senji's gaze hardened. "That clan is gone."
The elder said nothing more.
⸻
The Welcome Party
That night, the chiefdom held a celebration.
Lanterns lit the courtyard in warm amber hues. Tables overflowed with food—grilled fish, rice, vegetables, sweets. Music filled the air. Laughter echoed freely, unburdened by fear, if only for one night.
Kaito's eyes sparkled. "Oh yeah. This is my kind of training."
Servants poured drinks generously.
Too generously.
Haruka took one sip, blinked, then another. "This… is strong."
Aoi frowned. "Is it supposed to burn like this?"
Mika tilted her cup thoughtfully. "It smells… lethal."
The chief, already red-faced, slammed his cup down and roared with laughter.
"WAIT—this is ninety percent alcohol?! You trying to get us killed, you idiot?!"
The servant bowed repeatedly, panicking, while everyone burst into laughter.
Raizen drank quietly, unaware of how quickly the warmth spread through his chest, then his limbs. His thoughts slowed—just a little.
Kaito was already gone. "I feel… invincible," he declared, before immediately falling backward onto the grass.
Haruka made it exactly three steps before sitting down and falling asleep upright.
Mika calmly nodded once. "…I see," and promptly lay down beside Haruka, out cold.
⸻
Rooftop Thoughts
Senji climbed onto the roof, bottle in hand, legs dangling over the edge.
He took another swig and exhaled. "Huh. This ain't bad after all."
Below, laughter and chaos continued.
He glanced at the city skyline. Lights. Smoke. Quiet danger hidden beneath normal life.
"For now," he muttered.
⸻
Aoi and Raizen
Raizen stood unsteadily near the veranda, staring at his cup like it had personally betrayed him.
Aoi approached, clearly drunk herself. "You… you're standing weird."
"So are you," Raizen replied, squinting. "Why is the ground… moving?"
"It's not," she said, then paused. "…Okay maybe it is."
She grabbed his sleeve suddenly. "Come on."
"Where are you taking me?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"I dunno," she admitted. "Somewhere… inside?"
They wandered down the hallway, laughing quietly at nothing, both dressed in light yukata provided for the night. Sliding doors passed by in a blur.
They reached a room.
"This looks right," Aoi said confidently.
"It does?" Raizen replied.
They stepped inside.
The moment they sat down, the world tipped sideways.
Raizen fell back onto the futon.
Aoi stumbled forward—and landed on him.
They froze.
"…You heavy," Raizen muttered.
"You're warm," Aoi replied, equally dazed.
Neither moved.
Sleep claimed them instantly.
By morning, they lay absurdly close—Aoi half sprawled on top of Raizen, both fully asleep, unaware, breathing evenly. No intention. No meaning yet. Just exhaustion and alcohol.
⸻
Morning After
The sun rose.
Screams followed.
Kaito's, mostly.
"My head—WHY IS THE SUN SO LOUD?!"
Haruka woke with absolute fury. Mika stared at the ceiling, deeply regretting her life choices.
Senji smirked from the roof.
Raizen stirred.
Aoi stirred.
They both froze.
Slowly, painfully, they became aware of each other.
Their eyes met.
Neither screamed.
Neither moved.
Aoi's face went red.
Raizen looked away immediately. "I—uh—sorry."
"…Same," she said, sitting up so fast she nearly fell over.
They exited the room in silence.
But something had changed.
Not words.
Not promises.
Just awareness.