"Naderamu! I just can't express enough emotion to show how happy I am to finally be out of that smelly armor!"
On a brand new day, we can see a rambunctious Naguru Akogare sitting in his seat within the Class 1AB room, sighing a relieving sigh. His long blonde hair droops to the side of his face as he leans back in his seat, resting his upper body.
"You're not wrong there," Naderamu replied, relaxing in her own seat, which was a row up from Akogare's. But instead of relaxing her upper body, she merely placed her head in her arms.
At the front of the classroom, our blue-haired instructor, Mr. Oshieru, could be seen sleeping at his desk. Soft intakes of breath were elicited from the instructor as he snored until the bell would eventually ring.
The rest of the class appeared normal. Senko Sukudo was quiet, and Shizen Utsukushi was chatting up a storm, slightly annoying Ninki Meisei. However, the class only came to a total of five students. One away from its normal attendance.
*SLAM*
"I MADE IT!"
The missing link in the class has finally arrived. Tanjo did his traditional door slam upon entering the room, announcing his presence to everybody. Like old times, the action immediately woke Mr. Oshieru, jolting him out of his chair—At least he didn't reach for his tachi blade this time.
Mr. Oshieru growled in frustration and said, "I'd hoped that you'd grow out of your door slamming phase sometime soon." The instructor then raised himself out of his seat, walking to the front of his desk. His vest was as blue as ever, and the same old black undershirt remained as well. "Tanjo, get to your seat," Oshieru ordered lightly, proceeding to lean on the front of his elongated wooden desk as he waited for Tanjo to be seated. With Tanjo walking over and sitting down at his predetermined seat, Oshieru gave a quick clap to disrupt any talking—mainly from Utsukushi—and prepare for a day of learning. "Alright! With us returning to the academy, we are going to resume the basic warrior training once more!"
All of the first-year students were deafeningly quiet, their gaze fixed on their teacher. Well, almost all of them—Utsukushi bowed her head, a tiny pout on her face. As she averts her gaze from the front of the class, she mumbles, "Great. This means we'll be returning to indoor learning again..." Suddenly, an object struck the pink-haired girl atop her head, a cloud forming around her. Rubbing her head, Utsukushi glanced up and noticed that Mr. Oshieru tossed an eraser at her.
"No laying your head down in my class, Utsukushi." Oshieru chastised, giving Utsukushi a deadpanned expression.
Utsukushi sighed exasperatingly, fixing her posture. "Yes, Mr. Oshieru."
Just a mere row away from where Utsukushi was sitting, a certain blonde could notice the faint sadness in Utsukushi's visage.
XXX
AFTER ACADEMY HOURS
The same pink-haired girl Utsukushi could be seen exiting Buraunmajikku academy, seemingly walking home along with all of the other students that attend the academy.
Outside, the sun was still up, indicating the extra hours remaining in the day. Being back in Buraun was quite relieving to both Class 1AB and Class 1AR—especially Utsukushi, the pink-haired girl of Class 1AB.
—Flashback—
"You are all going to go somewhere safe! We currently have a situation that'd be too much to handle for first-years!"
—Flashback End—
When Kou said those words back in Ryakudatsu, it slightly hurt Utsukushi. It was true, and the pink-haired girl definitely did not want to engage in any fights, but being told that you're still too weak is not a favorable thing to experience.
After multiple turns and rounding of the corners in the pathways of Buraun, Utsukushi arrived at a small home, walking up to the door and reaching underneath a flower pot that was placed at the front of the house. Under the flower pot was a small, silver key. Utsukushi used the key to unlock the door to the home, placing the key back and walking through the entrance of the home, shutting and locking the door behind her.
Upon entering the home, there was a small, narrow hallway that consisted of small pictures on the wall next to a black coat rack that had two pairs of shoes neatly placed beside it.
"Honey, is that you?" A feminine voice called out to Utsukushi, alerting the pink-haired girl. Walking out of a random room, an older woman emerged. The woman had a familiar head of pink hair. However, her hair was significantly darker, as well as only reaching down to her shoulders—Unlike Utsukushi, who had hair that extended down to her thighs. "Oh, welcome home!" Her soft but exuberant voice sounded so warm to the younger pink-haired girl.
Utsukushi smiled and said, "Thanks, Mom! Our first day back with actual lessons sucked!"
The older woman chuckled joyfully, proceeding to turn around. "You're going to have those days, Shizen. Now, take your shoes off and prepare for dinner; it'll be done in thirty minutes!"
Utsukushi hummed lightly, "Yes, Mom!" Utsukushi turned her head to the side, spotting one of the framed pictures that were hung up on the wall. One of the pictures was of a pink-haired boy, grinning with a thumb jabbed in the air.
'We miss you…brother…'
XXX
In a forest, two figures could be seen waiting, both perched on separate tree branches. Both wore black kitsune masks with colored designs. Most notably, the red, blue, yellow, and purple whisker-like arrows and the green streak in between the eyes.
After a few moments of waiting, a person suddenly came into view, walking through the trees of the forest. The two masked figures exchanged glances before nodding silently in accordance. The two then leaped from the tree, landing directly in front of the seemingly unwary traveler.
The person had peach-blonde hair, a sleeveless top, and black trousers. This particular person eyed the two masked figures that suddenly halted him. His eyes glinted in recognition.
Taking advantage of the silence, one of the masked figures spoke, "Kono of Group Jinshu: Lord Phoenix requests your presence immediately." The voice sounded feminine.
Unlike his playful attitude from before, his current expression showed no joy. If anything, irritation was all that was present on Kono's face. "Show me the way."
XXX
'A new safehouse, huh?'
Kono, along with the two masked figures, stood outside a small, wooden building. Surrounding the building other various buildings, along with a tall, brick building that reached above all of the trees.
The sun appeared to be setting, suggesting that night was approaching. The wind blew gently as the sound of the trees swaying could be heard with the leaves being blown around.
"Lord Phoenix is awaiting your arrival in here. Please don't waste his time." With those arrogant words, both of the Kitsune masked figures hopped away in a flash, seemingly charging their legs with magic to hop away so fast.
Kono turned toward the wooden building, wrapping his hand around the handle of the door before opening it. Inside, a man with a mask similar to the figure who escorted Kono sat at a table in the center of the room. In a matter of seconds, the atmosphere became tense. The aura this certain man radiated seemed to affect the area around him quite notably.
Just by standing in the same room as the masked man, Kono felt vulnerable. It wasn't a welcoming feeling. The peach-blonde-haired male shut the door slowly, a small click sound elicited from the door to confirm it was shut.
As if it came from instinct, Kono flinched as the man's eyes from within the kitsune mask locked onto him. Those eyes held power. "Welcome back, Kono." The man welcomed, his tone being eerily deep.
Kono prevented a scowl from forming. So, he forced a smile instead as he said, "Yeah, haven't been around since I was deployed from Shanti."
The masked man chuckled. "That's right. You sadly weren't here to witness our success in branching out to Adonai and Zebulun. But, pray tell, what happened to the others? I stopped being able to track their aura senses a while back; indicating their death. I want you to inform me of what had happened after I had sent you to retrieve one of the gods and goddesses' curses."
Kono formed a nervous-looking smile, scratching the back of his head. "Well, Lord Phoenix…we ran into some interlopers, traveling to the village that the curse was in, and it just so happens that they were warriors from another village."
Kono could almost feel the disappointment that emerged from the masked man, it felt as if it came in waves and struck Kono at the core. "So, I presume that you failed to obtain the Kekkan no Sosei? Perhaps one of the most dangerous curses to have on the loose?"
Kono gulped nervously. "Perhaps?"
"Perhaps is not an answer, Kono. But, I'll take it. Curses like the Kekkan no Sosei need to be locked up. A big reason we branched out to Adonai was because of all the curses that were lost with the downfall of the Takuetsu Dynasty. Our main objective is to find where they were placed, as well as obtain the Tansu beasts that were stolen by the nation decades ago." Each word felt like a mallet being pounded against Kono's head.
"I-I'm sorry, Lord Phoenix!" Kono bowed, hating every second of this interaction.
Lord Phoenix sighed, waving his hand. "It's okay, Kono. We're all just trying to play a part in building a new era. Just don't mess up again."
"Yes, Lord Phoenix!" Kono replied instantly, straightening his posture from his bow. Just as he was about to leave the small, wooden building, he was stopped.
"And, Kono? Be wary of a group called Furusato; I hear that they're quite infamous in this nation for razing several villages." Lord Phoenix quickly informed, receiving a nod in response from Kono.
"Will do, sir."
Kono then walked out the door, exiting the building and leaving Lord Phoenix alone in the room.
XXX
Hey! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! We're starting to see some transitions to some new stuff! This also reveals where the Hellenist group that attacked Class 1AB is from! Is this the doing of the Shinkaku Organization? Who really is Lord Phoenix? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace- Cr1ticalz_