Keito approached the headmaster’s office, her expression grim. It was one of the few places in the academy where her authority held no weight—a fact she despised. That powerlessness stemmed from the presence of one particular individual.

  Reaching the door, she heard a calm voice from within. “Come in.”

  Opening the door, Keito stepped into a spacious receiving room. The air here felt heavy, as though the room itself demanded respect. Against one wall sat a large desk, and behind it loomed the reason for Keito’s unusual restraint: Cottus.

  “State your business,” he said, his deep, monotone voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

  Keito squared her shoulders, trying to mask her unease. “The head of the public safety committee sent me to retrieve documents pertaining to Aono Tsukune and Akashiya Moka,” she said, her tone crisp with feigned confidence.

  Cottus, as always, was inscrutable. Dressed in an immaculate suit with gloves and a mask concealing his face, there was nothing to read—no twitch of expression, no betraying body language. He remained perfectly still, his silence stretching out uncomfortably.

  Keito suppressed a shiver, forcing herself to remain composed. Tsk. This one is always so hard to deal with. Just remember what Kuyo said, don’t disrespect him, and don’t speak ill of the headmaster.

  Despite her natural inclination to push and prod for results, Keito held back, waiting for Cottus to make the next move. Minutes passed. Finally, Cottus stirred, breaking the suffocating stillness. “You’ll have to retrieve it from the archives,” he said.

  Rising to his full height, Cottus towered over both his desk and Keito, his imposing presence more than enough to make her swallow hard. Without a word, he strode across the room toward a reinforced door.

  “In here,” he said, his tone as unyielding as steel.

  Keito nodded curtly, following him. Standing beside the towering figure, she tried to focus on the door rather than the sheer scale of the man beside her.

  Expanding her senses, she felt the intricate weave of a magical circle guarding the door. Its complexity was staggering—layers upon layers of enchantments that made it impervious to almost any form of assault. Keito grimaced inwardly. Even if she condensed all her youki into a bomb a hundred times over, she wouldn’t so much as scratch it.

  She exhaled softly, steeling herself. Whatever lay beyond this door, it wasn’t worth testing her luck against Cottus—or the headmaster.

  “I’ve only released the seal on the files pertaining to those two. Do not attempt to access or unseal any other documents. Your jurisdiction doesn’t matter here,” Cottus stated, his voice steady and unyielding. Without waiting for Keito’s response, he turned and strode back to his desk, leaving the archive doors to open on their own.

  Keito stepped inside without hesitation, unwilling to prolong her interaction with Cottus.

  As soon as Keito disappeared into the archives, the door shut behind her with an audible thud, locking with an unseen force. Cottus stood still for a moment, then turned his gaze downward toward the floor beside him.

  “Swim up, or I’ll drag you out myself,” he commanded, his tone brooking no argument.

  There was silence at first, but when Cottus took a single step forward, a high-pitched, hurried voice squeaked out, “Okay, okay, I’m coming!”

  Rainee emerged sheepishly from the floor, her head popping up with a guilty smile. “Hehe... surprise?” she offered weakly.

  If Cottus had been capable of rolling his eyes, he would have. Instead, he crossed his arms—a silent expression of disapproval that conveyed more than any words could.

  “Okay, I know this looks bad,” Rainee said, trying to sound casual but failing miserably under Cottus’s stern gaze.

  He turned to the closed door of the archives and said flatly, “You should let your companion in.”

  “Whaaaaat? What companion? This is a solo mission!” Rainee stammered, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she forced a nervous grin.

  Cottus took a deliberate step toward the door.

  “Okay, okay!” Rainee blurted, dashing to intercept him while muttering under her breath, “Always such a hardass…”

  She cracked the door open and peeked outside. “Psst, come in. We’ve been caught,” she whispered.

  Moments later, Hermann entered hesitantly, his posture stiff and nervous.

  “G-Good morning, sir,” Hermann greeted cautiously, eyeing the imposing figure of Cottus.

  Cottus didn’t bother acknowledging Hermann, instead focusing on Rainee. “You’re snooping around again,” he said bluntly, his tone dripping with disapproval.

  Rainee crossed her arms defiantly. “I read the report earlier. The Public Safety Committee is going after Tsukune and Moka.”

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  Hermann’s eyes widened in surprise as he turned to Rainee.

  Cottus crossed his arms as well, his imposing form seeming even larger. “And?”

  “Why?” Rainee demanded, her voice rising slightly.

  “To enforce the academy’s rules—or their interpretation of them,” Cottus replied nonchalantly.

  “That’s ridiculous! The Public Safety Committee is clearly corrupt! Why are you or the academy letting them run unchecked?”

  Cottus shrugged, his indifference palpable. “That’s not within my purview. Unless the headmaster gives me explicit instructions, their activities are not my concern.”

  Rainee clenched her fists, frustration etched across her face. The realization of how difficult it would be to confront the Public Safety Committee—especially with powerhouses like Keito among its members—began to weigh heavily on her.

  “But,” Cottus said, breaking the silence, his tone carrying an edge of reluctance.

  “But?” Rainee and Hermann echoed in unison, both leaning in slightly.

  “I am tasked with ensuring the safety of Akashiya Moka—to some extent,” Cottus admitted, his voice tinged with venom. It was clear he wasn’t particularly fond of the assignment.

  Rainee, however, latched onto this morsel of hope. No matter how unwilling Cottus seemed, this olive branch was something she couldn’t afford to ignore. “Then you’ll help protect her?” she asked, her voice steady despite the tension in the air.

  Cottus didn’t respond immediately, his unreadable gaze lingering on her. Finally, he replied, “To the extent of my orders.”

  “Will you stop that Public Safety Committee girl from getting their files?” Rainee asked, her tone tinged with hope.

  “No,” Cottus replied flatly.

  Rainee’s hopeful expression quickly turned into one of frustration. Before she could voice her annoyance, Hermann spoke up. “Is the archive a large place?”

  “What are you doing?” Rainee whispered, glaring at him. But Hermann kept his focus on Cottus, letting his question linger.

  Cottus regarded Hermann for a moment before nodding. “It is.”

  “So… if the files were somehow misplaced, it wouldn’t be your fault, right?” Hermann pressed, his tone cautious but deliberate.

  Cottus shook his head. “The files can’t be lost. If they were misplaced, it would be my responsibility to find and restore them.”

  Sensing the potential danger of giving extra work to Cottus, Hermann quickly pivoted. “What if the files were misplaced while that committee member is here… and then somehow returned once she’s gone?”

  Rainee’s eyes widened as she looked between Cottus and Hermann, silently willing the intimidating giant to agree.

  After a brief pause, Cottus finally nodded. “I’ve opened the archive door. If she sees you two, it’s not my responsibility what happens next.”

  “Yes!” Rainee whispered excitedly, but she quickly covered her mouth. “Sorry,” she muttered to Cottus before turning to Hermann. “Let’s go before she gets the files.”

  “Wait, but we don’t know where the files are,” Hermann pointed out.

  “Section 72, shelf 27, 13th layer, cabinet 84 and section 73, shelf 8, 5th layer, cabinet 28,” Cottus said nonchalantly as he returned to his desk.

  “Thank you!” Rainee said, rushing toward the archive door with Hermann close behind. The door opened on its own, and as soon as they stepped inside, it shut behind them with an ominous finality.

  “Uh, Rainee,” Hermann called out.

  “What?” Rainee replied, still looking back at the now-closed door. But as she turned around, her jaw dropped.

  Before them stretched an impossibly vast archive. Shelves upon shelves seemed to tower higher than the academy itself, and the space seemed to extend endlessly in every direction. The air felt thick with magic, and the walls shimmered faintly, as if the room existed in another dimension entirely.

  Huh? How can this be? This place is way too big to fit inside the headmaster’s office!

  Hermann stood beside her, equally awestruck as he gazed around the enormous, otherworldly chamber. Both of them realized this wasn’t just a room—it was a space completely separate from the physical confines of the academy.

  Rainee shook herself out of her daze. “Snap out of it!” she said, more to herself than to Hermann. Then, louder, “We can’t waste time. Let’s go.”

  Hermann nodded and suddenly dropped to one knee. “Hop on.”

  Rainee blinked in surprise. “Uh, what are you doing?”

  “We need to move fast, right? If you’re on my back, I can go at full speed. I’m pretty quick,” Hermann said, looking up at her.

  Rainee raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “Seriously? This isn’t the time for jokes.”

  “No jokes,” Hermann said firmly. “Not when a corrupt organization is after our friends.”

  “Idols!” Rainee corrected sharply. “Fans don’t just assume they’re friends with their idols!” Still, the urgency of their task outweighed her hesitation. “Fine, but no funny business,” she added as she climbed onto Hermann’s back.

  Hermann tensed slightly under her weight, surprised by how solid her frame was. Okay, focus. Don’t think about it. Just run. He does his best to suppress his teenage tendencies.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Ready,” Rainee whispered softly near his ear.

  A shiver ran down his spine, but he managed to compose himself. “Alright. Hold on tight.”

  Infusing his body with youki, Hermann took off at full speed, the air rushing past them as he sprinted deeper into the mystical labyrinth of the archives.

  Gin dodged to the side, narrowly evading Sakari’s deadly straight punch as it grazed past his head. Using the momentum of his dodge, he dropped low and twisted his body upward with a swift and powerful uppercut aimed at Sakari’s side. The impact sent a small shockwave rippling around them, but once again…

  Tsk. Still her strongest technique.

  Despite Gin unleashing a full-power strike enhanced with Obrac, his attack failed to breach Sakari’s reinforcement technique.

  Unharmed, Sakari lunged forward, aiming to grab him. Gin, anticipating the failure of his initial strike, used flash step to disappear from her view. Unfortunately for him, this was a well-worn routine.

  The instant Gin vanished, Sakari followed suit, vanishing with equal speed.

  In the heightened realm of speed granted by flash step, the two fighters reappeared, clashing in another part of the ring. Yet, despite their high-speed maneuvers, the sequence ended where it often did: Sakari outmaneuvering him.

  Throughout their past fights, Sakari had made it unmistakably clear that when it came to pure skill, she surpassed Gin by a significant margin. The only reason he had managed to hold his ground was his superior power—but with each sparring session, that gap was steadily narrowing.

  Gin couldn’t react fast enough this time and Sakari caught him mid-step, her grip like iron. With practiced ease, she flipped him upward, throwing him off balance.

  Fuck!

  Sakari’s eyes lit up with glee—she’d finally managed to grab Gin mid-flash step, a feat she’d been striving to accomplish over their last few sparring sessions.

  Gin struggled, but Sakari’s raw strength was much higher than his own in his base form. As she slammed him toward the ground, Gin’s world slowed to a crawl. The ground loomed closer, and his mind raced.

  Think. Think of a way out of this…

  But as the inevitable impact approached, a darker thought crept into his head.

  If I just let her win, this will end. No more sparring, no more frustration… I could just give up.

  Yet before the insidious notion could take hold, a surge of anger and memory burst forth, banishing it. He remembered fire—loss, pain, and his own weakness.

  I’ve already surrendered once. Never again. If I lose, it’s because I gave everything I had, not because I quit.

  Determined, but with no clear solution, Gin searched his mind for inspiration. In that fleeting moment, a vision of Moka’s graceful movements surfaced, and he realized how she might escape such an attack.

  Time resumed. As the ground rushed up to meet him, Gin twisted his body mid-slam. At the last possible moment, he managed to plant his feet firmly on the ground, absorbing the force of the throw and negating the impact. Using his momentum, he spun free from Sakari’s grip.

  Without the leverage of the slam, Sakari found holding onto him impossible. She clicked her tongue in frustration and released him.

  As Sakari readied herself to return to a neutral stance, she caught sight of something unexpected—and her lips curled into a feral smile.

  Gin’s school uniform began to rip as his body swelled, his true form starting to emerge.

  Sakari’s grin widened, turning wild and eager.

  Finally.