{Date: 10/13 - Thursday}
{Time: 8:00 AM}
The next day finally arrived, the morning sky a bit cloudy but the sun found a way to get its rays into the dorms. The warm glow of the sun brushed along my face, stirring me awake and I let out a soft grunt opening my eyes.
I noticed I was cuddled up with Saito, laying in her gentle embrace. I laid still for a moment, listening to her soft breathing and enjoying the feeling of her arms around me. Soon, Saito began to stir awake, letting out a soft sound and opening her eyes as well.
"Good morning..." I greeted softly, a warm smile curling upon my lips.
Saito smiled back at me, her gaze meeting mine directly. "Good morning..."
My gaze lingered upon hers for a moment longer, deciding whether to surprise her or not. Finally making up my mind, I decided to lean toward her and give her a soft, quick peck on her lips. Saito looked a bit surprised, caught off guard by the moment, a blush forming on her cheeks.
{Saito's Mood: Flustered}
{Bond with Saito increased.}
"You—" Saito began, watching me hurry off of the bed and laugh softly.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," I chuckled, getting my uniform prepared for the day.
Saito blushed even more, her heart racing like a car blazing down the road. She got out of bed, huffing softly and began to get her uniform ready as well. "Next time, I will be the one surprising you..."
I couldn't help but to let out a giggle, glancing over at Saito and noticed her red face. "Well, when that day comes, I'll be expecting it~"
Saito rolled her eyes at me, finishing getting her uniform ready. As we prepared and went through our morning routine, we heard Kikyo's scream in the bathroom, her voice ringing through the entire dorm.
Quickly, we rushed toward Kikyo's aid, bursting open the door. I activated Genesis, getting her ready for battle and Saito held her hand out, preparing Bunny Avenger.
"Kikyo! Are you okay?" I asked, looking at the scene then my expression dulled at the true scene.
Saito lowered her hand, Bunny Avenger returning invisible and she gave the scene a deadpan stare as well. "Yumeji..?"
Yumeji giggled as she playfully held Kikyo's chest from behind, a prideful smirk playing on her face. "Remember our deal yesterday?~"
Kikyo whined softly, holding her toothbrush in her mouth, looking at Yumeji from the mirror. "The battle was a draw, you cheater! We both loss and I'm not even in the shower yet...!"
"That's true, but I've been waiting all morning for this..!~" Yumeji giggled, letting Kikyo go then noticed me and Saito at the bathroom door. "Oh, hi girls!~ We're just finishing up!"
Saito began to hover off the floor and levitated back to the living room. "Don't mind them, this is just their usual antics."
I couldn't help but to softly laugh at the two of them, only glad that nothing major was going on. I made it back to the living room and flopped back on the couch beside Saito.
"So, what are your plans today?" I asked, scrolling on my phone and checking my social medias.
Saito was zoned in on Detective Pamu playing on the TV, but heard what I had asked. "During the first half of our day, we'll be with Orishi and the later half of the day, Liao Ru is training us," She answered, her eyes glued to the TV.
I shuddered at the thought of taking Liao Ru's class in the afternoon, momentarily pausing in scrolling to turn toward her. "What's her class like? What do you do?"
"Usually we go on Mock Missions during the afternoon times. It's like Mock Battles, but with teams. These missions help us with Team Resonance and Synergy," Saito answered, turning toward me as her show went to commercial break.
I nodded at her and sat back against the couch, remembering that each time I completed a goal from a heart to heart, my Team Resonance with that person went up. "What is Team Resonance?"
"It's the quality of being deeply connected with your team. Some groups have natural resonance while others may grow over time. Other than being deeply connected, your energies will also be matched and combination attacks are possible," Saito explained.
The prospect of combination attacks were interesting to me, as I did have a few ideas of combinations in mind. Understanding the idea of Team Resonance, I gave Saito a nod. "I think I understand it."
Saito nodded back at me, hearing her show come back on and immediately became glued once again. I couldn't help but to smile at her when she became hyperfixated on one thing. She looked rather cute when she's so focused in such a manner.
Soon, Kikyo and Yumeji finally was ready and Saito and I noticed that Yumeji was extra happy. We glanced at her then at Kikyo, noticing her bashful smile. At that moment, I immediately knew what "Shower Time" truly was.
"Are you ladies ready to kick ass today?" Yumeji asked, all fired up this morning, her eyes sparkling with energy.
Saito nodded, grabbing her bag then hovered off the couch, Bunny Avenger appearing behind Saito to carry her in his hand. "Affirmative. Saito is ready to go."
Kikyo cleared her throat, walking forward with the dorm keys in hand. "When we come back today, you're cooking dinner and cleaning."
"And thus Kugo's Special Omurice it is tonight!~" Yumeji said, skipping out of the dorm room.
Kikyo held back her laughter, shaking her head and followed behind us outside the dorm. She locked the door then the four of us set off to the campus to start our day.
{Time: 9:30 AM}
We made it to the campus of the academy and the three split off to head to Orishi's class while I headed off toward the courtyard to meet up with Orika. Passing by a sea of students, I finally made it to the table Orika was sitting at and decided to greet her with a surprise.
I covered her eyes gently, causing her to squeak and freeze up. I couldn't help but to giggle softly at her reaction, keeping my voice down to not give myself away. "Guess who?~"
Orika took a moment to process what was going on, her body still a bit tense. Realizing it was my voice that spoke to her, she immediately calmed down and let out a soft sigh. "Hisumi...you scared me..."
I let out a soft laugh, uncovering her eyes and sat beside her at the table, leaning back against the edge of the table. "What are you doing here so early? I was looking for you at the lobby.."
Orika blushed softly at the fact that I was actually searching for her, a soft smile curling on her lips. "Well after yesterday...I thought that I would show up more early so I can get Yusa to help me understand how to use Spirit Energy."
"Oh? Wait, is this about Yukito and..." I began to ask, noticing her bittersweet smile on her face. Her expression was all I needed to see to know I was spot on.
"You're spot on. There can only be one Diamond Storm and one wielder of Selene. Yukito and I have to most compatibility with Diamond Storm and Selene as pure Ice Valkyrias...but as I am now I'm still too weak to actually fight Yukito," Orika explained, looking down at her journal of notes she got from Yusa's morning lesson.
I followed her gaze, looking at her notes as well and noticed they had advanced meditation techniques and training regiments within them. I took a closer look at the notes, noticing some of the regiments matched a few training regiments I did in Judgment for better mental and physical clarity.
"My father taught me all of these techniques, but not for Spirit Energy. This was used for me to be able to control Fallen Energy. It's been so long since I've last seen these techniques," I said, scanning each image and word on the page.
"Can you help me master these? I want to become my best self when we become C Ranks together. I made a promise...to make her proud, no matter what. I also have to truly get stronger for my cousins," Orika said, glancing at me with a pleading expression.
I gently wrapped my arm around her waist, causing her to lean into me. "I'll be more than happy to help you. You know I don't mind. After all, we're in this together as partners..~"
{Bond with Orika increased drastically!}
{Orika's Mood: Motivated}
Orika nodded, humming happily at my response and nuzzled me gently. "Thank you so much..!~ You do so much for me and I will never stop appreciating you for it..."
"C'mon, you're my soulmate..~ I am going to go over and beyond for you..." I replied, a giggle escaping my lips as she nuzzled me, her soft hair tickling my neck.
Orika and I spent some time going over what to work on first with Orika's new book of training regiments. As we planned out our academy time, Orika began to feel more motivated to work hard and learn how to actually fight and use her Spirit Energy.
While preparing our plans for the day, Orika and I heard a bit of commotion going on behind us. We looked up from our journals, turning our heads toward the commotion and noticed Usagi and Arei approaching us with a third woman in trailing behind.
'Ugh... seriously..? Just when I thought I was done with them,' I thought, groaning softly to myself.
Usagi smirked at me, crossing her arms and gaze at both me and Orika. She rose an eyebrow at us, a smug expression playing on her face. "Finally found you two losers. Shocking to see you two here so early..."
I rolled my eyes at Usagi, standing up from my seat. "What do you all want? Aren't your two losses bad enough?"
"Losses?" Arei scoffed, placing a hand on her hip with a smirk. "Both fights ended in a no contest so whatever delusions you have in your head are wrong."
"Besides, I'm not the one who wants to fight today. Our leader is the one that wants to fight you," Usagi said, stepping aside for her leader to step forward.
I looked at the woman that stepped forward, grunting softly as my body instinctively readied itself. I couldn't describe what energy I was feeling, her aura was peaceful and chaotic at the same time, her golden eyes piercing right into my soul.
The woman before me exuded confidence, charm, and a rebellious flair. She had striking two-toned hair with a bold mix of silver and red, giving off a vibrant and unique style. Her sharp eyes and sly smile hinted at her rebellious or mischievous personality.
She wore a black jacket adorned with subtle gold details with a symbol on the back of it called "Karma". Her gold circular glasses, dangling earrings, and a lollipop suggested a carefree and slightly edgy demeanor. The gold chain across her outfit added a touch of elegance.
"H-Hisumi...! That's the strongest C Rank in St. Fraskia, Leilani Moji!" Orika gasped, her eyes slightly widening with worry as she recognized the woman before me.
"C Rank...yet her Power Level is like yours, beyond her rank. Her power level is evenly matched yours," Genesis said, glancing at me and noticed my serious expression.
I heard the courtyard clear out around us, giving space for me and Leilani. I glanced at Orika, gently placing my hand on her shoulder with a warm smile. "Get to a safe distance with the others. I'll make sure this won't take long..."
Orika nodded, gathering our things and began to head off with the other students to a safe distance away from the arena zone. She watched with the others, her gaze lingering on me with a worried expression.
Leilani chuckled at my confidence, crossing her arms with a smirk curled on her lips. "Such confidence, I like that... Usagi's been telling me some things about you, how you're a Speedster and Lightning Valkyrie."
"However, she also told me that you used to be a part of an organization named Judgement. Very interesting since Judgement is associated with an organization my father disbanded long ago named The Syndicates," Leilani continued, summoning her gauntlets on her hand then light pink energy began surrounding her body.
"The Syndicates..?" I asked, raising an eyebrow then narrowed my eyes to think about if I knew them.
Suddenly, it dawned upon me. I glanced at Leilani with a more serious expression, my body tensing a bit more in her presence.
"Looks like you figured it out..~ My father is Earth's Savior, Shiro Moji. Since The Syndicates are back up, and you happen to be a part of a faction of The Syndicates that are the highest ranking, it's only right that I destroy you," Leilani said, getting into her stance, her tribal tattoos faintly glowing with energy.
'Shiro Moji...that name rings a lot of bells as one of Earth's strongest heroes known to ever exist. And I'm fighting his daughter, great...' I thought, readying myself for an unavoidable battle against Leilani.
{Test Your Spirit!}
{Battlefield: St. Fraskia Academy - Courtyard}
{Opponent: Leilani Moji - C Rank}
Leilani watched my every step, waiting for me to make the first move, her gaze like a beast awaiting for her challenger to strike. I calmed my nerves, awakening my Spirit Energy, lightning crackling around my body.
"Good, now let's fight," Leilani taunted, a confident smirk playing her face as a vast digital arena formed around us.
I scoffed, launching myself toward het, throwing a swift roundhouse kick aimed at her head. Leilani giggled softly, leaning back to avoid my kick then countered with a palm strike at my side to knock me back.
Stumbling backwards, I regained my footing then rushed toward her with a series of strikes, but Leilani weaved around each attack. It was like she was perfectly reading me, her energy was completely calm.
'I can't get a single hit in..! It's like she's waiting for me to tire myself out, but I won't give her that satisfaction...' I thought, pulling back from her then jumped backwards.
"Aww, c'mon...we were just getting started!" Leilani said, feigning disappointment then laughed at me retreating.
Orika placed her hands upon the digital walls, listening to the cheers of the other students, her gaze still lingering on me. "Hisumi...what are you going to do..?"
I stood up straight, rolling my shoulder slowly then closed my eyes with a soft exhale. 'Either she has incredible perception, or her reaction time is off the charts. Even with her smug attitude, she's relatively calm. Too calm...I can't even read her power level...'
Leilani smirked at me, tilting her head and crossing her arms. "Seems like you still haven't figured it out so I'll help you. Right now I am a Speedster and Support Type Valkyria due to my battlesuit, Tribal Princess, being in Tengoku Form."
'Speedster and Support, so that answers a few questions. Speedster, she has insanely high Perception...and Support, an ability that boosts her reaction speed,' I thought, studying Leilani then a smirk played on my face.
Leilani noticed my smirk, raising an eyebrow and fixed her posture. "And what's so funny to you? You're on the losing end!"
"It's nothing, it's just that I think I understand your Tengoku Form or at least the fundamentals of it..." I said, my eyes emitting a bluish yellow aura as I began to focus on Leilani. "Matter of fact, allow me to show you..."
Leilani watched me closely, noticing me disappearing at near invisible speeds. She sensed me behind her then instinctively dodged my strike then grunted as I landed a fierce strike to her cheek, groaning as I knocked her away.
Leilani crashed into a table, recovering and vaulting back onto her feet. She stood on the top of the table, looking down at me, her usual sly smirk faltering for a moment with a look of annoyance.
I looked at Leilani, my focused gaze meeting her more primal glance. "I told you...I understand you now."
Leilani scoffed at me, ready to strike back but the bell rang signalling the start of classes. Her left eye twitched as she stood up straight, the digital battlefield disappearing from around us. "We will settle this during Lunch Period. You better hope you're well equipped."
I relaxed myself, scoffing lightly at her then stood up straight. "I'll be prepared for whenever and wherever you decide to strike."
Leilani hopped off the table, walking off and bumped my shoulder on purpose as she passed by. "Usagi, Arei, let's go. We don't need to be around losers like her."
I watched as Leilani and her cheerleaders walked into the academy building, letting out a relieved sigh and turned around to meet back up with Orika. Orika hurried toward me, holding my arms and met my gaze directly.
"Are you okay, Hisu? Are you hurt?" Orika asked, checking me for any wounds.
I giggled softly at her and shook my head. "I'm fine, Orika, I promise..~ The battle barely started and we both only got one good hit in on each other," I assured, gently holding Orika's cheeks, gently squishing them.
Orika blushed madly from me squishing her cheeks, letting out a soft whine. "Hey...stop that.."
I smiled at her whine then stopped squishing her cheeks, checking my phone for the time. "We should probably get some training done. Let's head toward the Training Area and get to work."
"Right!" Orika beamed, her eyes shimmering with determination.
With that, the two of us left the courtyard to head to the Training Area. Orika was pumped to get her development started, excited to know what techniques she was going to learn first.