[ HARU'S POINT OF VIEW ]
The members within a club were called a team, and for a team to function properly, it needed five key roles.
The Artillery Unit handled long-range attacks, firing consistent and powerful shots from a distance. The Defense/Support Unit focused on protecting the artillery but was also responsible for keeping everyone safe. The Attack Unit was in charge of finding the enemy's weak spots, and taking them down as quickly as possible. The Field-Control Unit had abilities that affected large areas, making them useful for handling groups of enemies or keeping aggressive targets at bay. Finally, the Vanguard Unit fought up close, putting themselves at risk to create openings for the attack unit.
Every member had to coordinate, watching each other's backs to ensure the mission's success.
"Watch out!!!" Koshimizu-senpai shouted as a roundish figure, about the size of a school bag, leapt from the shadows.
Right now, we were inside an abandoned building, trying to fight an overgrown rat.
After waking up in the infirmary two days ago, my clubmates informed me that our inbox was flooded with emails. We were finally getting missions. They said it was probably thanks to me, but that didn't really matter now. Especially not at this moment.
"W-W-Where did it go!?" Murayama-san stammered, her hands trembling as she cautiously extended them, ready to unleash a burst of wind. That's right—her ability allowed her to control both the direction and pressure of the wind within a small area in front of her. Kind of like a high-powered fan. She was our Field-Control Unit.
"H-H-Hold s-still, Akane-chan!" Fujimoto-senpai stuttered. "Make sure to s-stay behind me." He positioned himself protectively in front of us, his arms barely finishing their transformation—larger, stronger, and... furrier? Huge, sharp claws gleamed in the dim light. His ability allowed him to morph into a beast, but only if the environment was dark enough. He was our Vanguard Unit.
"Are you sure you're not the one who needs to stand back?" Koshimizu-senpai muttered in irritation. Her ability let her electrocute any living thing she touched at will—kind of like an electric eel or something. Since she had to engage in close-quarters combat to make use of her power, she'd trained in judo and karate for years, even becoming a regional champion. She was our Attack Unit.
And then there was me—the Support/Defense Unit. My job was simple: use my barriers to keep them from getting hurt as much as possible.
"W-W-W-Wh-What are you waiting for, Fujimoto-senpai!? Go get it!" Murayama-san demanded, her voice shaking.
We could hear him gulp before stepping forward. "A-Alright."
The moment the creature emerged from the shadows, all three of them jumped in fear. And honestly? I couldn't blame them. A rat that massive, with bloodthirsty eyes and razor-sharp fangs, was enough to send chills down anyone's spine. This was our first time handling a real mission as a team, so I wasn't expecting perfect coordination. But damn, I was not prepared for what happened next.
Screaming for her life, Murayama-san cranked her ability to full power, unleashing a gust of wind so strong it sent both the giant rat and Fujimoto-senpai flying. Koshimizu-senpai dashed in to back him up, but it was too late—the target had been alerted and managed to escape down the hallway. Unfortunately, neither of them saw it happen, too busy blindly spamming their attacks in the dark.
"Guys, I think the rat got away," I said, cutting through the chaos. Thankfully, that got their attention.
"Eh!? Where!?" Koshimizu-senpai snapped, whipping around.
"I think it went that way," I replied, pointing toward a dark, narrow hallway ahead. "But before we go after it, we should probably deal with Fujimoto-senpai's injuries first."
Murayama-san scoffed. "Hmph! How could you get injured by something that small?"
"You were the one who injured him," I said flatly, answering for Fujimoto-senpai.
It was a mess, but we decided to press on. According to the mission details, this place used to be a corporate building. But then these monsters started appearing, attacking the workers. The company had shut down operations temporarily until the infestation was dealt with. And that was where we came in.
"Hey, Haru-kun." Fujimoto-senpai tapped my shoulder with his now-reverted hand as we walked ahead of the girls.
"What is it?"
He stayed quiet for a moment before sighing deeply. "If Kazuki-kun were here, he'd be really pumped up, wouldn't he?" His voice was weak, heavy with something unspoken. It was too dark to see his face clearly, but I didn't need to—I could hear the sadness in his tone.
"He used to talk about wanting to go on real missions," I said.
"And the combos he and you could pull off together," he added with a chuckle, though it lacked any real amusement.
Kazuki used to be our artillery. His throws could reach speeds up to 135 kilometers per hour, and with the heat he generated, his projectiles burned through anything they touched. Monsters like these wouldn't have stood a chance against him. Too bad we never got to see his full potential.
We moved cautiously, trying to keep our presence hidden to catch the monsters off guard. Murayama-san clung tightly to Koshimizu-senpai, stiff with fear. She was practically glued to her at this point, but I wasn't too worried. If anything happened, I was ready to wrap them all in my barrier.
As we advanced, a suspicious-looking room by the stairs caught my attention.
It was the only room with its doors shut, and the stains on the floor led straight to the entrance.
"H-Hey, Reiko..." Fujimoto-senpai muttered, eyeing the marks warily before turning to us.
We gave him small nods of affirmation, which only seemed to horrify him further. Maybe he was expecting us to tell him to back out of the mission entirely.
"You can do it, senpai," I said on a whim. Who knows? Maybe a little encouragement would help.
He glanced at me, then let out a short, nervous laugh before reaching for the doorknob. "Right. How could I call myself a leader if I can't handle something like this? H-hahaha... ahh..."
The doorknob squeaked as he turned it, but then he froze, gripping it tightly without opening the door.
"What's wrong, Mitsuki?" Koshimizu-senpai asked.
"Our enemies are rats, right?" His voice was unnervingly dry.
Murayama-san and Koshimizu-senpai both stiffened as realization hit them.
"Then how could they lock themselves inside this room?"
A chill crawled up my spine.
I felt a light tug on my sleeve—then another, from the back of my shirt. Turning slightly, I saw Murayama-san and Koshimizu-senpai clinging to me, practically tearing my uniform in fear.
"Then... does that mean there's something stronger than those rats behind that door?" Murayama-san whispered.
"Maybe that," I said, stepping past Fujimoto-senpai. "Or something entirely different."
Ignoring their protests, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. My hunch was right.
A person was lying unconscious on the floor, surrounded by empty food wrappers and water containers. The only light in the pitch-black room came from a phone flashlight left on the nearby table, casting long, eerie shadows across the walls.
"Haru-kun!!!" Koshimizu-senpai whisper-yelled from outside.
"Come in, guys," I called back. "I found something."
[ END OF CHAPTER ]