Grrrrk...
Hissss
Hot water filled the paper cup to the brim, cooking the instant noodles inside.
Marie blew away the rising white steam before clasping both hands around the cup, absorbing its warmth as she rode the elevator back to her room.
This was her daily rhythm: eat → return to her room → carry out her duties → return to her room → repeat. She hadn't gone anywhere on her first day.
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open. The agent girl stepped out into the quiet corridor, flanked by rows of identical doors. She moved carefully to avoid spilling the soup while softly blowing on the cup.
Her footsteps padded across the carpet, weaving through the hall until she neared her room. But then—her ears caught something.
Music.
It was faint, echoing through the hallway where her room was located.
"..."
What froze her attention in place was the language—Lao. A folksy, rural rhythm from the Isan region.
Marie wasn't bothered by the genre. As a younger generation, she didn't particularly enjoy it, but that wasn't the point. The strange thing was how loudly the song was playing through the hall, as if someone had set up a jukebox in a library.
And it was a song in her native language.
"What the..."
She crept slowly down the hallway to investigate. As she turned a corner—
There it was: an iPad sitting upright on the carpet in the middle of the corridor, its back turned toward her.
It was the source of the music.
It was placed about six or seven meters away from her room.
"..."
An iPad? Why was it just sitting there?
"...."
Still cradling the noodle cup, Marie walked past her room, heading straight for the device. She rounded the iPad slowly, finally seeing its screen.
It was playing a Lao country music video.
"...Huh?"
Marie stood with a hand on her hip, frowning. She stared at the screen for a moment, then looked around the hallway.
No one.
"This is... weird."
Still, she had good intentions. She figured she'd take the iPad to a nearby supervisor to help find the owner.
She bent down to pick it up—carefully—
And that's when it happened.
Jody Johansson leapt out from behind the corner, wielding a metal baseball bat she'd drawn back for a full swing—aimed at the back of Marie's head.
"!!"
Marie's instincts screamed danger. She spun around just in time.
"Ugh!"
She flung up her arm, and the steaming noodle soup splashed upward. In her vision, all she could make out was a dark blur swinging at her.
Whatever it was—it didn't matter. Marie's body erupted with glowing green aura. She swatted the bat aside with both arms and surged forward, charging the attacker.
CLANG!—CLANG!
The metal bat—stolen from the morning's training grounds—flew from Jody's hands, clattering against the wall before rolling away.
Marie's eyes widened, her breath sharp and ragged.
She was genuinely shocked.
A fraction of a second slower, and she would've been left bleeding on the ground.
And then she saw who it was—Jody Johansson. Marie had her slammed against the wall, her elbow digging into the girl's throat.
THUMP!
The two locked eyes.
Jody gripped Marie's arm, resisting just enough to keep her windpipe from being crushed.
Then Marie noticed something else—her soup had soaked Jody's hair.
"...Hic—! Ngh!"
Jody struggled to break free, her gaze dark and fixed. It wasn't just frustration—it was fury that the ambush had failed.
"Were you trying to kill me?!"
Marie barked in her face, glancing at the bat, then back to the girl.
Other agents, disturbed by the commotion, peeked out from their rooms.
"..."
"..."
"...They said... guhk... anything goes..."
Marie blinked.
She wasn't wrong. Technically, Jody wasn't breaking the rules.
"Day one. You're pulling this crap on day one?"
Jody said nothing.
Marie should've hit her—she wanted to—but her brain echoed with Syd Barrett's warning:
[Don't hurt Jody. Not even a scratch.]
"...I've got two more tries, right?" Jody said.
"...What?"
"I've got two attempts left... in the next thirteen days."
"...Right. Two more... in thirteen days."
Marie reluctantly released her grip, her anger boiling just beneath the surface.
"Haah!! gasp—gasp..."
Jody coughed violently, clutching her throat.
Marie looked over at the iPad again... and realization struck.
It was her iPad.
"..."
Still, Jody said nothing. She simply walked over, picked it up, grabbed the bat from the floor, and carried her noodle-soaked, soup-dripping self out of the corridor. She ignored the stares entirely.
Shit. Hot water. I actually dumped hot water on her head.
"Are you—are you okay? Do you want to go to the infirmary—"
"..."
No answer.
Jody walked off like nothing had happened.
But not for Marie.
Because just before that bat came crashing down... their eyes had met.
And Marie—an agent of destruction who'd fought on battlefields across the world—could say with certainty:
There was no hesitation in Jody's gaze.
That wasn't a bluff. Jody meant to kill her.
"..."
Marie shivered.
She'd never encountered a civilian like this before. And now, she had to reassess this "volunteer."
[Watch out for the one named Jody.]
[Why? Is her power strong?]
[You'll find out soon enough.]
...Sir...
Gulp.
Marie swallowed hard.
SWISH
Jody's room door slid open.
She entered without acknowledging anyone around her.
Drops of soup splattered the floor behind her. Her hair and clothes were a mess.
Thankfully, she'd worn the same outfit from training—just in case. She'd anticipated this might fail. She was right.
"..."
The only thing that followed her was the chill in her eyes. She was keeping the rage buried deep, holding herself together despite the failed ambush.
Keep calm. Stay cool.
Two more chances. Thirteen days left.
"..."
She placed the iPad on the vanity, propped the bat against the wall, and grabbed a tissue packet.
Jody folded three or four sheets, dripped water on them from a bottle, and wiped off the soup residue. Then she dabbed the device with alcohol for good measure.
With her tools cleaned, she grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom.
Standing before the sink and mirror, she removed her hoodie—laying it on the toilet lid since it was the most soiled. Next came her tank top. Then the black sports bra.
Her face was expressionless. Still. Unnervingly calm.
She turned the shower knob. Cold water streamed out first, followed by hot. She removed her leggings and stepped inside, tilting her head back into the water.
Eyes shut. Breathing through her mouth.
"..."
No one knew what she was thinking.
But from the atmosphere alone—it was clear.
Jody Johansson was not in a good mood.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
"..."
Sera stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the pillar outside Grand Master Anong's office.
"..."
The moment was closing in. And she was... pretty damn tense. She had no idea what was waiting for her behind those doors.
"Just remember—whatever happens, be yourself. Be honest."
That was the last thing Toshi told her before he left. Syd was gone. Toshi, too. Only Roxxy had volunteered to wait here with her.
"You sure about this, Sera?"
Roxxy asked.
"Dead sure."
"You're that into this bullet time stuff?"
"If it comes down to a shootout, the person trained in this martial art draws first every single time. That's insanely OP, isn't it?"
"Whatever..."
Roxxy rolled her eyes.
"So... how was training? That run around the base?"
"Hell."
"Knew it."
Roxxy wasn't surprised.
"But honestly, you've got a leg up on everyone. Once you're back in your room, you're already fine. No need to worry about muscle damage—your body'll just regenerate and seal the cells back together. But one thing kinda puzzles me..."
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Your Instagram pics. You've been everywhere lately..."
Roxxy held up Sera's profile on her phone.
"Hey! Don't go hacking into my stuff without permission, you little—"
"Scuba diving. Rock climbing. Gondolas. Skydiving. I thought you'd be some sporty type who trains all the time."
"Well, the last two years I haven't really gone out much..."
"You just stayed home eating and sleeping?"
"Hey!"
"Wah—!"
Roxxy got yanked by the collar.
"It's called a bulking phase, thank you very much! Can't you see I'm in the middle of one?!"
"Bulking for two years?"
"You little brat."
"Keep this up and in another ten days you'll be ripped."
Sera sighed.
"Ten days. Maybe I'll start looking stronger... sure. But punching out that instructor within ten days? That's impossible."
"..."
"Maybe I should cheat."
"Huh?"
"What if you help me out?"
Sera jabbed a finger into Roxxy's chest.
"And you don't tell your mom."
"Even if I don't, the instructor's gonna know anyway..."
"Then don't let her find out!"
"How? You're gonna be walking around with ice all over your body! And the one who'll get wrecked won't be me—it'll be you."
"Dammit... this is harder than I thought..."
Sera slumped back against the pillar, arms folded, eyes shut.
"..."
When the silence lingered, Sera peeked one eye open at the girl beside her, then smirked.
"Hey... you still mad at Toshi?"
"...You're so damn nosy—mmph!"
Roxxy's cheeks got squished together.
"C'mon, that's called caring, okay?"
"Muh-mmm."
"Aw, look at you. Talking back now, are we?"
Sera let her go.
"Be real with me... I'm not taking his side or anything. But deep down, you're not mad at him all the way, are you?"
"..."
"Think about it. Your mom trusted him. If he got a personal request from Grandmaster Annie herself, that means he's got some serious points. Be honest—if a mother wants a guy to be near her daughter, and they're gonna be alone together all the time... like... how many male agents do you think Annie would actually trust? Someone who—say—you kissed on the cheek, and he wouldn't immediately lose control and try to go further?"
"Wait, wait, wait—who told you about the cheek kiss?!"
"..."
"......"
When Roxxy figured out the source, it wasn't hard to guess who Sera had pried that info from back in the gym.
There was only one person.
"That damn brother of mine. Freaking asshole."
Roxxy clenched her fist and muttered curses under her breath.
Sera: "Focus, please."
"It was just... back then... it was all—"
Roxxy's face flushed red as she turned away.
"Back then..."
"Huh~? What happened back then~?"
"It was all a coincidence, okay??? Just a coincidence! That damn bastard Toshi was just there at the right time, that's it!"
"Alright, let me ask you something. You've always said Toshi is an ass, right?"
"Yeah."
"So during your secret relationship... did he ever cheat on you or treat you badly?"
"..."
"Did he ever—"
"Hold on, dammit! I'm thinking!"
"..."
"......"
"........."
"Took you long enough. So that's a no, huh? Knew it. I pegged him right. Guys who cheat all over the place? They're just trashy playboys. But Toshi? Toshi's a professional playboy. If he's dating someone, he cuts everything else off. If he breaks up, then he goes back to club-hopping and playing around. I asked Mickey behind the scenes (and Syd too, even if it almost cost me a limb). Word is, Toshi dated a lot of girls, but whenever he lost interest, he always broke up with them first. Only then did he go back to the player life."
"...He just didn't want to deal with the fallout, that's all."
"And that's valid. Who wants a mess?"
"..."
Roxxy fell silent at that.
"I think you're just embarrassed. That's all, Kan."
"If you say one more word, I swear to god I'm punching you."
"Eep..."