As Yamikuro was intensively training, The Hideout didn't rest, and luckily for Yamikuro, they hadn't noticed his disappearance. Not yet, at least.
Raien Thona, the Head of Internal Affairs, ranked eighth, sat down on the balcony, placing his oversized hat on the table, with a wide view over the city. The rings on his finger reflected the sun in the sky, and his brightly colored uniform reacted to the wind.
Across from him, Seiji, the Head of Operations, ranked seventh, stood as rigid as ever. He wore the uniform of the Elites: a deep burgundy coat, double-breasted and sharply tailored, its gold buttons gleaming like polished coins. The high collar framed his jawline like a blade. Leather straps cinched tight at his wrists, and the epaulets on his shoulders marked him with a gravity Raien could never quite match.
"So what'd you think?"
Seiji didn't answer immediately. His long black hair, tied in the middle with a cloth, stirred as the breeze lifted it, and he turned slightly to fix Raien with a sidelong glance.
"About that Yamikuro Asaki, he's a student of your friend, isn't he?" Raien repeated.
"I don't see the need to discuss relationships." Seiji sighed.
Raien chuckled, taking a sip of coffee before him.
"Damn damn... Quiet as usual, I see. There's something special about him for Caelum to break him free."
Seiji turned towards Raien, a serious look on his face.
"He only did it because you let him go. Had you taken at least that moment seriously, he wouldn't have been freed."
Raien tapped his fingers on the table.
"So you would have rather seen a kid die? All because he knows what real justice is?"
Seiji's hand rested on his katana, almost as if he were ready to use it.
"That was justice. He didn't follow the rules and should've gotten a proper punishment for it."
Raien let out a sigh.
"I'm not here to fight. Once he pursues Lucian by himself, I'll be on the side of giving him a punishment. But for now, I'm interested in seeing his next move."
Seiji hovered his hand above his katana until dropping it to his side. Just as he turned towards the door, someone had stood with them the entire time.
"Hm?" A soft voice broke the silence.
Raien turned. Eidryn leaned lazily against the door, one sleeve half-unbuttoned, hair that split through the middle, falling into his eyes. His smile was faint, but sharp enough to cut.
"Seiji's right, you know. Rules are justice." His voice was soft, playful. "But rules are written by the ones who survive."
Raien frowned. "And which side do you think you're on?"
Eidryn tilted his head, the smile never leaving his lips.
"Oh, me? Hm… I'm wherever the story needs me to be."
He pushed off the door and strolled past, coat brushing the wind, humming to himself. The air felt colder where he'd been.
Seiji, however, felt like he had let himself down, unable to feel the presence of Eidryn, who had listened in on their conversation. What made it worse was that Seiji had never seen Eidryn's Kensei.
"Hm. Summer's gotten quite cold, hasn't it?" Eidryn said, raising the palm of his hand.
"What do you think you're doing up here?" Seiji's tone shifted.
"Me? Nothing in particular. Just thought I'd stop by... Hm, but there was something I needed to tell you."
Seiji remained quiet, his presence overwriting Raien's, who would've most likely asked further questions.
When Eidryn noticed the silence, he lowered his arms to his sides.
"Yamikuro Asaki."
That name immediately caught the attention of both Seiji and Raien.
"What of him?" Raien asked, leaning forward.
"Hm... All I'll say is keep an eye out for him. Or else you'll miss something you might regret."
With that, he turned towards the door and walked out humming, ignoring Raien and Seiji.
Tens of kilometers away, Yamikuro trained under Urashin in his cabin.
"Phase three of training will consist of making you physically stronger," Urashin said.
"That's it?" Yamikuro asked, expecting it to be something similar to his Seikodo or Naiko training.
"If you wish to take on Lucian, the strongest Shintai user, you can't just rely on something like Seikodo. Which is why you'll spar me using just Shintai, you'll only pass once you defeat me."
Yamikuro froze, hearing that statement. He had to beat someone triple his age? Although it made sense, considering how Lucian was a Graceless and a leader at that.
Before Yamikuro could answer, the Urashin standing before him disappeared. The time he spent thinking about Urashin's statement, Urashin had already made his move.
It was an afterimage that disappeared into thin air. Next to Yamikuro appeared the real Urashin, his feet kicking Yamikuro's ribs.
Yamikuro groaned, while his lungs were struggling to balance his breaths. His body dropped to the ground, dust spreading all around.
"Shintai is my weakest point, yet I tossed your body around as if it were nothing. That is how weak you are. You may be able to externalize your Seikodo or internalize Naiko, but when it comes to actual battle, you don't have a clue what you're doing."
Those words hurt Yamikuro more than he'd liked to admit. But everything Urashin said was true; Yamikuro didn't know how to fight. In fact, he hadn't won a single battle, apart from people far weaker than him.
"...I want to get stronger," Yamikuro said, lying on his back.
Urashin's eyes widened slightly; unexpected words of Yamikuro cut right through him. He had changed, and Urashin could tell Yamikuro was thirsty for power.
"Every day, you will be training your Shintai. And we'll spar at the end of each day. Once you beat me, you'll pass." Urashin responded, relaxing his face.
Yamikuro stood up and looked at Urashin through his sunglasses.
And that marked the beginning of Yamikuro's training to match the strength of Lucian's, but the road to it wouldn't go as smoothly as he had hoped.