Kanzaki Ryoma instinctively turned his head as a crackling surge of electricity passed behind him.
What he saw stunned him.
Arima Kishou stood with his signature Quinque in hand—Narukami.
---
Narukami was an S+ ranked Ukaku Quinque, a weapon crafted from the kagune of Kirishima Hikari, the mother of Kirishima Touka and Ayato.
Unlike Kanzaki's B-rank dagger Quinque, Narukami was a top-tier weapon—one that only a legend like Arima Kishou could wield to its full potential.
It had three deadly forms:
1. Cannon Form → Fires long-range lightning blasts.
2. Scatter Form → Unleashes multiple spherical electric discharges.
3. Blade Form → Channels concentrated electricity into a sword for lethal melee attacks.
It was a flawlessly designed weapon—a symbol of Arima's overwhelming power.
And so far, no ghoul had ever survived Narukami's attack.
The irony wasn't lost on Kanzaki.
Narukami had been created from the kagune of Kirishima Hikari, the biological sister of Renji Yomo.
Both siblings shared a rare, genetically unique trait—lightning-based RC cells, giving them Ukaku kagune that could generate electricity.
It was an extremely unusual mutation, just like how Tataka from Aogiri Tree had an RC cell structure capable of producing fire-based attacks.
Yet, neither Touka nor Ayato had inherited their mother's lightning ability.
Now, her kagune had been weaponized—turned into the very thing used to slaughter her own kind.
---
Kanzaki was still absorbing the raw power of Narukami, marveling at the destruction it had caused—
—when he suddenly realized something.
He was still holding Kurona Yasuhisa in a bridal carry.
Kurona's body was rigid, her face flushed red, and her expression a mix of shock and embarrassment.
She wasn't angry—after all, Kanzaki had just saved her life.
She wasn't the type to lash out unfairly.
But even so—
—he had been holding her for way too long.
Her hands awkwardly hovered in the air, unsure where to place them.
Her brain felt foggy, as if she could barely process what just happened.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.
"You… How long are you planning to hold me like this?!" she stammered.
"Ah—" Kanzaki snapped back to reality and immediately put her down.
"Sorry about that."
"You don't have to apologize…" Kurona muttered, still flustered.
---
"Kurona!"
Nashiro ran over immediately, eyes filled with concern.
"I'm fine," Kurona sighed. "But I messed up the mission…"
She lowered her head, frustrated with herself.
Her distraction had nearly gotten her killed, and because Kanzaki had to intervene, she and Nashiro had failed their objective.
This wasn't just her failure—she had dragged her sister down too.
But Nashiro didn't care about the mission's success.
She cared about Kurona's safety.
"As long as you're okay," Nashiro said softly, "that's all that matters."
Kanzaki and the Yasuhisa twins returned to Arima Kishou's side, along with the rest of the group.
Both Kurona and Nashiro kept their heads low—ashamed of their poor performance.
Arima hadn't even put Narukami away yet, because the other trainees' battles weren't going well either.
Kanzaki sighed.
"I guess I didn't need to interfere after all," he admitted, realizing that Arima had already eliminated the threat before the ghoul even had a chance to attack.
But Kurona didn't see it that way.
To her, Kanzaki had genuinely saved her.
To her, what he did wasn't unnecessary.
---
"You did well," Arima Kishou said calmly.
Kanzaki blinked.
He wasn't expecting praise from Arima himself.
Even Ui Koori, the strict second-in-command, acknowledged Kanzaki's skill.
"You not only demonstrated the ability to eliminate ghouls," Ui said, "but also showed that you're capable of protecting teammates during battle. Your performance today was… surprising."
He turned to Juuzou Suzuya.
"Juuzou, you also did well."
Although Juuzou didn't react much, there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes—as if he found the whole situation entertaining.
Kanzaki and Juuzou had both proven themselves.
While Kanzaki and Juuzou were praised, Kurona wasn't so lucky.
Ui's tone sharpened as he addressed her.
"Kurona Yasuhisa."
She flinched slightly.
"Being distracted during a fight is a critical mistake. This is a battle against ghouls—not a school exercise. You cannot afford to make such errors again."
Kurona clenched her fists, ashamed.
"…Understood."
---
By the end of the mission, the final results were clear:
Juuzou and Kanzaki had the strongest performances.
The Yasuhisa twins had failed.
The two unnamed trainees, while not as skilled, at least succeeded in eliminating their target—meaning they outperformed the Yasuhisas.
Kurona felt even worse.
Nashiro tried to comfort her, but Kurona was already deep in self-doubt.
Seeing this, Kanzaki spoke up.
"Don't take it too hard," he said.
She glanced at him.
"Just don't make the same mistake next time."
Kurona sighed—but nodded.
"You're right… The internship isn't over yet."
She steeled her resolve—determined to redeem herself.
---
With everyone regrouped, Ui Koori gave the signal:
"Let's move forward."
The group continued deeper into the underground maze.
As they walked, Ihei Shio immediately attached herself to Kanzaki again.
"Wow, Kanzaki-san! Mr. Ui and even Mr. Arima praised you!" He said excitedly.
Kanzaki chuckled.
"Don't try to fool me. Everyone in Zero Squad is already a top-tier investigator—you're probably way stronger than me, Shio."
"N-No way!"
Shio beamed at the compliment.
---
Kurona had been walking closely behind Kanzaki the entire time.
She had planned to ask him something—but now, Shio was in the way.
What annoyed her even more…
…was that she mistakenly thought Shio was a girl.
And now, she was watching "her" get too close to Kanzaki—talking, smiling, and laughing with him.
Kurona's eye twitched.
She didn't know why, but…
…she was getting irritated.
====
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