Erika glanced around the crowd, searching for her friend. But she saw nothing.
Sylvie scanned the field beside her: "Do you see him?"
Erika: "No," she said, voice trembling.
Sota checked every corner of the stadium, eyes wide with a growing panic: "H-He has to be somewhere," he turned in circles. "He wouldn't… he wouldn't run."
Esmarie frowned: "But… he wouldn't just disappear, right?"
Sota swallowed hard. But that confidence in him had begun to wilt.
Before anyone could speak, Shoyo raised his hand once more. His voice carried effortlessly across the field: "Before you depart," he announced, "there is one final matter."
The remaining 389 students turned toward him.
Shoyo: "You will be transported to your respective home districts at the airport. If there are no flights to your home's airport today, you will catch tomorrow's. Instructions will be provided by your handlers. For now, rest. Recover. You will receive further updates in the coming weeks."
There was a quiet murmur.
But Shoyo lifted his hand again: "One more thing…"
Every student held their breath.
Shoyo: "…thank you."
He bowed deeply.
He stepped back, signaling dismissal.
Teachers began guiding students to the buses.
Shoyo: "Erika."
Erika: "Yes?"
Shoyo approached her calmly, hands in pockets, as if the pressure of his title didn't exist: "Been a while, you doing okay?"
Erika: "I'm fine."
Shoyo: "Where's Dakota?"
Erika opened her mouth, but no words came out at first. Then she spoke: "He… He thinks he's responsible for someone's death. And I think… he ran away. Somewhere."
Shoyo nodded once: "Did you see him since the battle ended?"
Erika: "No."
Shoyo exhaled: "Then I'll arrange a search team immediately. Every student was accounted for, which means he snuck away after they confirmed his status."
The others stiffened with worry.
Shoyo continued, voice gentler now: 'Erika. There's something else."
Erika: "Yes?"
Shoyo: "Are you planning to join Odd Jobs?"
Erika didn't hesitate: "Of course. Chifuyu's there. It's where I'm meant to be."
Shoyo smiled faintly: "Just making sure. I'll teleport you there tonight. Only briefly. You can catch up before I sent you home."
Erika's eyes widened with relief and gratitude: "Thank you."
Shoyo nodded: "Get going now."
Erika bowed before jogging back to the others.
While that was happening—
"Hey."
The group turned around.
A bald student approached them.
Yuji narrowed his eyes: "…You're kidding."
Sota gasped. Marlon's jaw dropped. Sylvie blinked.
Yuji: "Drake? What the hell do you want?"
The one who was known as the strongest third-year, the monster from the Dark Arena stood in front of them. But something was different. His presence wasn't intimidating anymore. His aura wasn't oppressive. His eyes lacked the arrogance that once defined him. He looked humbled.
Drake bowed deeply, an act they never expected to see: "I owe all of you an apology."
The group was visibly baffled.
Drake lifted his head, expression earnest: "I thought I was the biggest thing in the world. Stronger than everyone. Unstoppable." He gave a small, self-mocking laugh. "I needed my eyes ripped open, and my pride stripped away."
Sota blinked. Yuji arched an eyebrow.
Drake continued quietly: "…I'm done being that person. So—" He took a step back, bowed on the ground. "I'm sorry for how I treated all of you."
Yuji scratched his head: "…Well, that's great and all." He stared. "But why the hell are you bald?"
Drake: "It's a fresh start."
Marlon: "You look like an egg."
Drake: "Better than looking like an asshole." He turned to Esmarie, "Please forgive me."
Esmarie was taken aback, still kind of scared of him. Then she shook her head, as if throwing her anxiety away: "Okay. Let's shake hands."
Drake, still on the ground, extends his arm. However, he is met with a swift kick up his jaw sending him flying backwards.
Esmarie: "Okay, now I forgive you."
Drake: "…Thank you…"
Remi walked past them without a word, without looking at anyone. Sylvie's gaze followed her, worried. But Remi didn't turn around.
The buses were packed with exhausted students.
Erika, Sylvie, Sota, Yuji, Marlon, and Esmarie sat together near the back. The engine rumbled. The bus pulled away from the stadium. Outside, the cityscape blurred past.
As the bus reached the highway, Erika turned to the group: "I'm joining Odd Jobs. What about you guys?"
Sylvie smiled gently: "I would love to join. Truly. But I must speak with my family first. They will want me to return home before deciding anything."
Sota: "Things have been moving too fast for me. For now, I want to stay in my hometown."
Marlon leaned his head back: "I'll think about it." But in his mind, he knew damn well he wanted to join.
Yuji looked out the window. He didn't speak.
An hour and a half passed, and they arrived at the airport. Students began filing off the buses.
Erika turned to Yuji: "You never answered," she said. "About Odd Jobs."
Yuji exhaled slowly, finally turning to look at her: "The time at Hunter Academy wasn't bad."
Erika blinked, surprised by the seriousness in his tone.
Yuji: "But you shouldn't stay involved with me anymore."
Erika froze: "What does that mean?"
The airport terminal hummed with quiet voices, rolling suitcase wheels, and distant announcements. The fluorescent lights were harsh, cold, and impersonal.
Amidst the crowd, Yuji had begun to walk away. Erika stood frozen.
But then—
He slightly turned his head. And in that tiny movement, Erika finally saw it. Yuji wasn't composed at all. He wasn't detached. He wasn't indifferent. Something inside of him was hurting. His cool eyes that were hiding something were shadowed with something raw. Something he didn't want anyone to see. Something that leaked through the cracks in the armor he never let slip.
Fear.
Loneliness.
Regret.
Erika took a single breath, soft, steady, and certain. He wasn't walking away. He was waiting for someone to pull him back.
Erika marched forward, closing the distance: "You want to join," she said. "Otherwise you wouldn't be making that expression."
Yuji scowled immediately, turning his head away: "Get real. I'm not making any expression."
Erika: "You are."
Yuji: "I'm not."
Erika: "You definitely are."
Yuji: "I SAID I'M NOT."
Students around them jumped at his raised voice.
Erika didn't even flinch: "You wanna come, but you're scared."
Yuji flinched visibly: "…It's not that."
Erika: "Then what is it?"
Yuji: "What I do shouldn't concern you. I've always lived alone, and it needs to stay that way. So drop it."
Erika: "No."
Yuji whipped his head: "What?"
Erika puffed her cheeks out stubbornly, crossing her arms: "I said no."
Yuji: "…What are you, five?"
Erika: "Hmph."
Yuji sighed aggressively: "I said drop it."
Erika: "No."
Yuji: "Drop it."
Erika: "No."
Yuji: "I swear to—ERIKA."
Erika went to get something.
Yuji's eyes widened as she returned with two wooden swords: "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THOSE?!"
Erika held one blade out: "If I beat you in a one-on-one, you have to join."
Yuji stared at her like she'd grown another head: "No."
She tossed the sword toward him. He caught it on reflex.
Erika: "You're joining," she declared.
Yuji: "No I'm not."
Erika: "Yes you are."
Yuji: "No."
Erika: "Yes."
Yuji: "Make me."
He shouldn't have said that. Erika dropped into a stance and lunged at him.
Yuji: "Wha—HEY—!"
He barely blocked in time. The clashing echo filled the terminal. Heads turned instantly.
Yuji skidded backward, gripping the wooden sword tight: "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Erika: "You said make me."
Yuji: "I was half-serious!"
Erika: "Well, you caught the sword."
Yuji: "That's because you threw it at my face!"
She charged. Yuji had no choice. He drew in a sharp breath and stepped forward. His blade snapped upward. Their swords collided again. This time sparks of friction flicked off the wood.
They moved fast. So fast it was hard for most of the bystanders to follow. The teachers were stunned. Security guards stared, unsure whether to intervene or just watch. But Erika and Yuji didn't see any of them. They only saw each other.
Yuji's expression darkened, focus snapping into place: 'Fine. If she wants a fight, then she has one.'
He lunged. Erika dodged without flinching, weaving the flurry of swings that followed. She countered with a sharp flick of her wrist, Yuji blocked, twisting the blade away and stepping inside her range. Her foot swept his ankle. Yuji cursed as he stumbled back, barely saving himself from falling. He regained his footing instantly.
He stared at her.
Erika smiled.
Yuji clicked his tongue: "Alright then. Guess I can't hold back."
His stance changed.
His aura sharpened.
He moved first.
A flash of motion.
People gasped as Yuji's attacks came fast—six strikes in a single second, each aimed at a different weak point. His speed blurred his arms, each swing calculated with ruthless precision. But Erika danced. Emelio would marvel at the sight of her elegant movements. She deflected his blade effortlessly, her moves were fluid, yet feral and instinctive. This was Erika's strength, a mix of refinement and instinct, talent and discipline, along with ferocity. This is swordsmanship that drew Sylvie to her the moment they met.
Yuji kept pushing. He swung upward. Erika stepped aside, blade brushing past her cheek. He slashed downward. She redirected it with a soft touch that absorbed the force. He thrust. She pivoted and slipped behind him. Yuji spun instantly only to find her blade already at his ribs.
He pushed it aside, gritting his teeth. He attacked harder. The wooden blades cracked the air, each impact loud enough to echo off the ceiling. Students pressed farther back, stunned. Marlon whistled.
Esmarie: "These two are on a completely different level."
Yuji swung in a tight arc. Erika ducked. He feinted left. Erika didn't fall for it. He lunged forward. Erika stepped into his guard. Their blades locked.
Yuji's arms trembled with the force. He thought he had her, until she looked him dead in the eyes. Yuji's stomach dropped. Her blade twisted. Yuji's was ripped clean from his grip, spinning into the air. Before it hit the ground, Erika's wooden sword was already at his neck.
Silence.
Erika stepped back, lowering her blade: "You lost," she said gently.
Yuji stared at her. Blank. Then frustrated. Then confused. He can't believe he lost. His shoulders dropped. He looked away as he recalled old memories: 'I've already let something like this slip through my fingers once. The first time, I didn't realize how much it meant until it was gone. Before I realized it, I found myself with another bunch of idiots.'
Erika extended her hand to him. A simple gesture. But powerful. Yuji stared at it. Reluctantly, he took it.
Yuji: 'This time, I'd better not regret it.'
Erika dragged him toward the entrance beaming with a smile: "Come on!"
Yuji: "The fight's over, so don't rip my arm off."
Erika: "Hehe. Sorry."
Sota, Sylvie, Esmarie, and Marlon hurried after them. The group gathered near Gate 14 for a few hours. First to leave was Esmarie, then Marlon.
A couple more hours passed until Sylvie left for her flight. Finally, Shoyo returned and approached them. Yuji straightened instantly. Erika lifted her head.
Shoyo: "Hope Odd Jobs has space for one more. First, we'll be paying a visit from Ina Boreas to get her approval. You guys ready?"
Erika's answer was as clear as day, hey eyes glowed with resolve: "Yes!"
Shoyo: "And you sir?"
A tiny smile tugged Yuji's lips: "Yeah."
Shoyo: "Well then, let's go."