A few months back... When did it all begin?
He entered our lives quietly, but everything shifted the moment he walked through the gates of St. Freya.
I wandered into the kitchen, catching Mei-senpai in the middle of her preparations. She was chopping vegetables and humming softly to herself.
"Mei-senpai? What are you doing?"
Mei glanced at me with a small smile. "Oh, Kiana. This? I'm preparing a feast. Didn't you hear? There's a new student that will join us (Our Squad)."
"Eh?! Seriously?!"
"Yes. I heard it's a boy. Can you believe it? A male student at St. Freya. I was thinking... maybe he's a knight or something."
"A knight? That's so cool! Wait... does that mean he's joining us on missions too?"
"Probably. That's the word going around." Mei's expression grew thoughtful for a moment before she looked at me. "So, Kiana... you'd better treat him like a proper junior, alright?"
I puffed out my chest, grinning. "Ohh! So I'm a senpai now?!"
"That's right. Though, it depends on whether he ends up with a higher ranking than you."
"Hmph!" I crossed my arms, scowling playfully. "No way! I bet I'll be ranked higher than him!"
I was wrong.
"Watanabe Shin, A Rank?! No way!" I stared at the ranking board in disbelief, my finger hovering over his name as though it might vanish if I blinked hard enough.
He... was on par with me.
"Good for us, Kiana," Mei-senpai said from behind, her tone calm but undeniably amused. "He's actually skilled and placed in our squad. That's a win, don't you think?"
I clenched my fists. "I don't accept this...!"
Before anyone could say more, I turned on my heel and bolted from the board, leaving Mei-senpai and Bronya standing there in awkward silence.
"Kiana, wait!" Mei called out, but I didn't stop.
I didn't want to stop.
I ran and ran, my heart pounding as my thoughts raced faster than my feet.
And then I saw him.
That knight—the one who got A Rank.
He stood there casually, leaning against a pillar, seemingly unaware of the storm he had caused in my mind.
How did he do it? How did you do it, Watanabe?!
Before I could think it through, he noticed me, his calm gaze meeting mine.
"Hello," he greeted, his tone polite and collected.
"You..." I managed, panting as I caught my breath.
"Hm?"
"Fight me!"
"...Huh?"
"I said...!" I took out my dual revolvers out of thin air. "Fight me!"
There wasn't a moment of hesitation from him.
His eyes narrowed the easygoing expression from before vanishing as he reached behind him. With a smooth motion, he unsheathed his blade, the polished steel glinting under the sunlight.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
"Are you serious?" His voice was calm, but the edge in it was unmistakable. He held his stance steady, the tip of his sword pointed toward me.
"You bet I am!"
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath
"Fine..." he said, his tone steady but laced with a hint of curiosity. "I'm curious about you anyway."
"Huh? What do you mean?" I demanded, my grip tightening on my revolvers.
"Kiana Kaslana... I've been watching you ever since I stepped foot on St. Freya..."
"Wh-What does that mean!?"
"It means..." He hesitated for a moment, then met my gaze with unwavering sincerity. "I... I admired you."
His words hit me like a bolt of lightning. My eyes widened in surprise, and my face flushed as I instinctively looked down, trying to process his confession. But instead of softening, I puffed my cheeks and shot him a glare.
"Flattery won't save you!" I snapped, shaking off the unexpected warmth creeping into my chest.
Without another word, I dashed forward, my revolvers raised, firing off a volley of shots aimed straight at him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each shot echoed through the courtyard like thunder. But before they could reach him—
CLANG! SHNK!
He was already moving, slicing through the bullets midair with swift, clean arcs. His blade danced in his hands like it was part of him, deflecting each round with practiced precision. Sparks flew.
He wasn't running. He was charging—straight at me.
I gritted my teeth and kicked off the ground, narrowly slipping past his first swing. The air cracked as his sword carved through the space inches from my face—the heat of its purple flames kissed my cheek, searing the edge of my focus.
I landed hard, rolled, and skidded backward across the stone floor before springing up into a ready stance. "Okay, not bad!" I called out, my breath sharp. "But I'm just getting started!"
"That's what they all say… right before they lose their edge."
"Shut up!"
With a sharp flick of my wrists, I reloaded in a flash—click-click—before unleashing another volley. This time, I didn't go for a direct hit. My shots bounced off walls, pillars, and debris—ricocheting with chaotic precision, each round curving back toward him from impossible angles.
He hesitated—but only for a second.
Then, he did the stupidest, most reckless thing I'd ever seen.
He dove straight into the hailstorm.
"What—? You idiot!" I gasped, eyes wide.
But not a single bullet touched him.
He sliced through them in a blur of motion—blade gleaming, purple flames trailing behind him. Each twist of his body was impossibly smooth like he was dancing through the storm of lead and light. I barely registered the last bullet being burned away before—
Thud.
He landed in front of me. Close. Too close.
His blade was at my neck, the tip steady… yet not pressing.
His eyes met mine.
"You've gotten better," he said, his voice low, and his breath even. "Future S-Rank."
My fists tightened. I didn't want to admit it, but… I was cornered. I slowly let my arms drop, my dual revolvers clattering to the ground.
He nodded, calm and composed, and lowered his blade. With a smooth motion, he sheathed it behind his back.
"Good choice," he murmured.
"You pass," I muttered under my breath, still refusing to meet his eyes.
"Huh?" he blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I—I said you pass!" I snapped louder this time, cheeks burning. "You can be in our squad now. So be grateful or whatever!"
"...Oh?" A teasing glint sparked in his eye. "So you did all of that... just to test me?"
"Yeah! What about it? Got a problem with that?!"
He paused—then laughed. Not mocking, but genuine. Warm. Like he'd just watched something unexpectedly adorable.
My brow twitched. "Wh-what's so funny?!"
He grinned. "Nothing... it's just... you're kinda cute when you get all tsundere like that."
I nearly exploded. "T-Tsundere?! I am not a tsundere!!"
He just kept smiling like he'd already won.
I huffed, turned away, and crossed my arms—still fuming, but my heart… was beating faster than it should've.
With those days passing, it felt like something had started to change.Not just between me and him… but inside me, too.
My eyes snapped open as the memory faded—reality crashing back in with the hiss of fire and the weight of the present. Smoke curled into the sky from the wrecked truck beside me, its twisted frame engulfed in orange flames.
A heel clicked against broken asphalt. Steady. Unhurried.
"I see your Herrscher body is holding on quite well," came Raven's voice through the crackling inferno.
She emerged from the smoke like a shadow-given shape, eyes sharp.
I stood slowly, twirling my twin pistols with a grin that didn't quite reach my eyes. "What's this? No Honkai energy backup? You finally ready to fight me fair and square?"
Raven gave a low chuckle, then pulled a vial from the straps on her back. Without hesitation, she drove it into her arm. The hiss of the injection was drowned out by the roar of the flames.
"For you?" she said, her voice cold and smooth. "There's no such thing as fair."
The click of my pistols locking into place echoed in the silence between us.
The hunt begins.