Hiroki rose from his slumber, and his features reflected fatigue. It seemed like he was having a restless sleep, even though he had woken up later than usual.
His body felt heavy, and his mind even heavier.
Amaya was still missing.
The memory of last night clung to him, suffocating his thoughts.
"The sun had already risen."
He forced himself to get out of the bed. Sitting around wouldn't bring her back.
He walked out of his room, finding the hallway completely vacant. The usual sounds of morning chatter weren't there—just only silence.
He made his way outside, stopping at the sink nearby the PHG walls to wipe the fatigue off his face.
The cold water splashed on his face, waking him up slightly. His reflection in the water looked… different. Tired and unfocused, unlike his usual self.
After quickly washing up, he headed to the cafeteria.
The place was mostly empty. Most of the recruits had already eaten and moved on to their duties.
Hiroki sat alone, barely touching his food.
His appetite was gone. But he forced himself to eat anyway.
"Sienna was right… I need to get stronger." He couldn't shake those thoughts out of his mind.
As he finally finished, he stood up, exhaling sharply.
"I have to join them… they probably started ahead of me."
Upon arriving at the training area, he spotted both Kenji and Yoru there.
Kenji was already in the mid of training, throwing rapid punches to a tall, bouncy bamboo branch, demonstrating sharp movements.
Yoru, on the other side, was slowly stretching her muscles, preparing as usual.
Neither of them noticed Hiroki until his approaching footsteps became more audible. Yoru turned over to see him heading their way. "Hiroki!"
She left what she was doing and walked over to him, which Kenji also noticed.
"Hiroki, how have you been since yesterday? Are you alright?" Yoru asked with noticeable concern on her face.
"Yeah. Don't worry about it," he replied before facing towards Kenji with a serious look, "Kenji, I want you to go hard with me in training today."
Kenji was surprised by his words, but he quickly shifted to a bold smile.
"Well, that definitely sounds like something outta the ordinary. Don't worry, I won't go easy on you."
Yoru, who had been quiet, glanced at Hiroki with mild intrigue. "Are you really serious about this?"
"Yeah," Hiroki responded confidently.
"In the end, this is the only way to protect everyone… Including Amaya."
Hiroki glanced at the clouds while lost in his thoughts. "I hope you're okey."
Kenji noticed his distraction, "You good?"
Hiroki turned his gaze towards Kenji, then smiled and nodded affirmatively, "I'm ready."
Minutes later…
Kenji sighed heavily, rolling his shoulders in the training area. "Alright, come on dude. You're already moving like an old man."
Hiroki didn't react. His gaze remained fixed ahead.
Kenji frowned, stepping closer. "Oi. If you keep spacing out like that, I'll start thinking you've got a thing for me."
Hiroki blinked, finally looking at him. "…Shut up."
Kenji smirked. "There you go. A response. Good progress."
Nearby, Yoru crossed her arms, watching Hiroki carefully. He had barely spoken since last night. Something about him felt… different.
Kenji grinned. "Now, get ready— 'cause I'm not holding back."
Kenji quickly dashed over to Hiroki, aiming to bring him to the ground.
He dodged the first blow, but the second one came suddenly towards his midsection, yet he was able to deflect it using both hands partially.
The impact of Kenji's fist was sharp, but Hiroki barely flinched.
Instead of stumbling back, he gritted his teeth and launched forward, countering with a direct strike to Kenji's ribs.
Kenji let out a grunt, but his grin widened. "Oh? Not bad."
He quickly stepped back, resetting his stance.
"Still, you're way too tense." Kenji noticed the intensity in his gaze. From his eyes, he could tell that he was ready to do anything to win.
Hiroki didn't respond. He just adjusted his posture and charged again.
Kenji dodged, sweeping Hiroki's legs out from under him. Hiroki hit the ground hard.
"Too predictable."
But before Kenji could react, Hiroki pushed himself up instantly.
Yoru's eyes flickered with slight concern. "You don't have to push yourself that hard."
Hiroki ignored the pain in his arms, tightening his fists again. "Don't worry."
Kenji sighed, dusting off his left arm. "Man, I get it, but you're not gonna get stronger by just brute-forcing it. You gotta focus and think, and never give up."
Silence.
Hiroki exhaled slowly. Then nodded.
Kenji smirked. "Alright then. Here we go again…"
They kept doing the same over and over again, until they noticed someone approaching them from behind.
"Training hard, huh?"
Yoru's expression changed immediately.
Hiroki and Kenji both turned toward the voice.
"Hello guys!" Ayuri stood there, waving her hand at them.
"I decided to drop by and see how everyone is doing, especially Hiroki."
Yoru didn't hide the irritation in her voice. "You finally decided to show up?"
Ayuri blinked. "What?"
"You weren't there when we needed you."
A brief, tense silence for a moment.
Ayuri's eyes studied Yoru carefully before she responded, her tone slightly different. "…I heard about what happened from Seina."
Yoru scoffed. "Heard about it, huh?"
Kenji, sensing the tension, muttered under his breath. "Oh man, here we go again."
Ayuri remained calm. "I understand how you feel. If I had known a little bit earlier, I would have been there immediately… I can't accept something like this. But don't worry, this is what we're working for."
"You should've been there before things got bad," Yoru snapped. "But every time something serious happens—you're conveniently nowhere to be found."
Ayuri's expression didn't change. No words came out to respond to her.
"…I see. That's your answer, huh? Silence? At least if you want to do something, tell us! We want to stay united instead of splitting up in this tough time!"
Yoru's sharp voice shattered the passing silence. Hiroki caught her words as they arrived, which prompted him to speak.
"Ayuri…"
She looked at him.
Hiroki's voice was quiet, yet struggling to talk. "W-Where exactly were you?"
A pause.
"…I had my own mission," she answered simply.
Yoru let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah of course you did."
Ayuri turned to her. "Are you suggesting I abandoned you on purpose?"
Yoru's gaze was cold. "I don't know. Did you?"
A heavy silence followed.
Hiroki's mind drifted back to what Yoru told him days ago.
[Days Ago, Yoru told Hiroki]:
"I just… don't trust her."
Back then, he didn't want to believe it. But now…
He instantly shook his head slightly, pushing the thought away.
"Yoru might have some valid points. But… I don't want to lose my trust in Ayuri. At the same time, I don't want to bring more issues with Yoru." He thought to himself.
Kenji, sensing things were going too far, clapped his hands together loudly. "Alright, alright. How about we don't ignite another civil conflict? We already have enough problems."
However, Yoru remained silent this time.
Her eyes narrowed, and without another word, she turned around and walked off, with a trace of anger on her face.
Ayuri watched her leave in silence for a few seconds.
"…As I told her, I heard about what happened," She finally spoke, addressing Hiroki. "But it was too late. I couldn't do anything to help. I'm… sorry."
Hiroki lifted his gaze.
"You don't have to worry about it. In the end… We'll retrieve her back."
His calm voice carried a steady sense of confidence.
"That's what matters for now."
Ayuri stared at him for a moment. She was impressed by the clear resolve in his eyes.
"… Do you really believe that?"
After a tense swallow, he gave a slow nod.
Ayuri's face relaxed into a warm smile, yet she didn't say anything about it.
"So… what about the Golden Book?" she asked. "Anything new? Why don't you try it now?"
"I… don't want to rely on something I don't trust," Hiroki revealed his unease with this. "I know almost nothing about what it is or what led to that last incident… I barely understand what the Golden Book even is, let alone how the incident it caused last time… How can I rely on something that I'm unsure about?"
Then he clenched his fists slightly.
"I… I'd rather become strong enough to protect the people I care about myself."
Ayuri exhaled.
"Well… This is going to be a tough path," she said. "I won't stop you of course."
She gave him one last glance.
"I'll try to help you anyway. But… you would end up needing it eventually."
For a brief moment, her voice resonated softly as the passing gentle breeze lent weight to her words.
She swept her hair from her eyes due to the wind and briefly turned around.
She raised her hand in a short farewell wave, then immediately made her way to the PHG Center without saying a word.
[ To Be Continued ]