The echo of Kaito and Max's footsteps finally drifted away from the crowd. Cheers, drills, and the pounding rhythm of training still thundered behind them, but—as always—Max walked unfazed, both hands buried deep in the pockets of his weathered green varsity jacket.
Kaito cast a brief glance back at Erick and Marven, whom they had left behind.
"So, we're not going to speak with them again?" he asked cautiously.
Max shrugged.
"There's no point. Erick only cares about Lysander's amusements. Marven listens to a commander who doesn't even exist. To us? They're nothing but empty walls."
Kaito sighed, turning his gaze forward.
"Good grief. So this camp is full of strange students, huh? Not a single normal one?"
Max's reply was flat.
"You haven't seen all of them yet, Teacher."
They soon arrived at a modest structure made of wood planks and corrugated tin. Above its doorway, a sign painted in dripping red read:
"Mess Hall – Eat Before You Explode."
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"Another death threat? Do they design every place here just to make your heart stop?"
Without waiting, Max shoved the door open. The sharp scent of scalding coffee and charred toast rushed into their noses. Inside, rows of long tables stretched out, yet only one was occupied.
At that table sat a girl with sleek black cat ears—clearly artificial—and a swaying faux tail. Her outfit was a hybrid of a school uniform and cosplay: a wide crimson ribbon tied at her neck, black claw-patterned gloves, and thigh-high striped socks in black and white.
She waved at Max with a mischievous grin.
"Meoo~ You finally showed up, Max. I thought you were making me wait on purpose."
Kaito paused mid-step, staring in bewilderment.
"…Hold on. Seriously, Max? You've got a cosplay friend here?"
Max sat down with a calm expression, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.
"She's not cosplaying. She just… likes dressing that way."
The girl flashed a toothy smile, showing off a pair of fake fangs.
"My name's Nereya! I already ordered three cups of hot coffee—I knew Max wouldn't show up alone. Right?"
A server appeared and set three steaming cups on the table.
Kaito hesitated before sitting beside Max. Lifting his cup with slight awkwardness, he muttered,
"Uh… thank you."
Nereya leaned her chin into her palm, gazing at Kaito with glittering, playful eyes.
"So this is the new teacher everyone's whispering about in Ixirus and Glaxina? Hmmm~ You're more… normal than I expected. What a pity."
Kaito nearly choked on his coffee.
"Eh!? What do you mean, 'what a pity'!?"
Max sipped his coffee calmly, not even glancing their way.
"Nereya likes testing people with strange remarks. Just ignore her."
Nereya chuckled, her faux tail flicking rapidly.
"I'm only saying—in a place like this, 'normal' is the dullest thing you can be. Stay normal, and you'll sink under the madness."
Kaito frowned, squinting at her.
"…Do all the students here talk in riddles?"
Nereya leaned closer, her voice dropping to a hushed, conspiratorial whisper.
"If you survive long enough here, Teacher Kaito… you'll learn what kind of madness we're playing with."
Kaito fell silent for a moment, then downed his coffee in one gulp.
❝Damn. I feel like I've stepped deeper into a trap.❞
Max placed his cup back on the table, glancing at Kaito briefly.
"Think of this as the introduction. Plenty more players have yet to appear."
Nereya grinned wide, her eyes narrowing like a cat satisfied with its prey.
"And trust me, Teacher… not every player in this madness welcomes new spectators."
Kaito had just set his cup down when suddenly—
grup… grup…
Something soft brushed against Max's leg.
"Eh—!?!" Max jolted half a meter off his seat, eyes wide, pupils dilated. His hand shot to his waist, reaching instinctively for a weapon.
Kaito gawked.
"What the—Max!? You look like you saw a ghost—"
When Kaito looked down, he spotted a small gray cat sitting neatly at Max's feet, tail wrapped around its body as it mewed softly.
"…It's just… a cat."
Nereya, who had been suppressing laughter, finally burst out.
"Pfft—ahahahaha! Meoo~ Max, you're still the same! A cat passes by and you go pale!"
She scooped up the cat, cradling it gently like a baby as it purred contentedly in her arms.
Kaito blinked, then turned to Max.
"Seriously? Why are you that rattled? It's just a little cat."
Max averted his gaze, cheeks faintly flushed.
"…I'm afraid of cats."
Kaito nearly spat his coffee.
"Wait—you? The stone-cold sniper—scared of… a kitten?"
Max exhaled and finally met Kaito's eyes.
"Catgirls don't bother me. But real cats… that's different."
Nereya's tail swished slyly as she narrowed her eyes.
"Ohhh~ so I'm safe then, huh? Because I'm a catgirl~"
Max snorted, feigning indifference.
"Don't get the wrong idea."
But Nereya only grew more mischievous. Smiling impishly, she leaned forward and—
"Ready, kitty? Attack Max!"
Whoosh! She tossed the gray cat straight into Max's chest.
"W-WOAAAH!?" Max reflexively caught it, but the moment it hissed softly, panic overtook him.
"Off! Off! Off!"
He flung the cat back into the air, stiff and awkward, and it landed gracefully back into Nereya's embrace.
Nereya nearly toppled over laughing, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Ahahahahaha! Look at your face, Max! You're funnier than the cat itself!"
Max rose abruptly, face flushed but expression still forcibly stoic.
"Enough. I'm leaving."
He turned and bolted out of the mess hall, footsteps rushed.
Kaito could only smirk faintly, shaking his head.
"That kid… a sharpshooter, but utterly defeated by a kitten."
Nereya was still laughing uncontrollably, clutching her stomach.
"Meoo~ That's always been Max. Calm under a hail of bullets, but toss in a cat—and he's in total chaos."
Kaito studied her laughter for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the coffee in his hands. Slowly, his smile faded, his eyes distant.
❝Chaos, huh…❞
Memories resurfaced.
The laughter of young soldiers in their tents, joking between grueling drills.
Faces still youthful, yet forced to mature too soon.
And himself—a thirteen-year-old commander—smiling faintly as his unit joked, though they all knew tomorrow might be their last.
❝Their laughter was loud… but I knew, it was only a mask. Just like here.❞
Kaito closed his eyes briefly, drawing a long breath.
When he opened them again, Nereya was happily playing with her cat, laughing without a care.
Kaito raised his cup slowly.
"Seems I've truly returned to a world I could never leave behind."
A thunderous blast shattered the room.
BOOOOM!
The mess hall's front wall blew apart, wooden shards scattering as black smoke poured in. A body slammed onto the floorboards near Kaito, Nereya, and her cat.
"Ughhh…"
It was Ren—hair disheveled, face smudged with dust, clutching a half-open satchel of explosives.
Nereya shot to her feet, tail swishing tensely.
"Ren!? What happened!?"
Ren coughed, brushing soot from her face as she staggered upright.
"The training robots… malfunctioned. They suddenly stopped following protocol and…"
She swallowed hard, eyes widening.
"…all of them began chanting the same name. In unison. 'DUKE17.'"
Kaito narrowed his eyes.
"Duke 17…?"
Ren met his gaze.
"It's… a weapon of mass destruction from the old war. But why would the robots suddenly… say it?"
Before Kaito could respond, the metallic thunder of marching echoed outside the mess hall. The training robots drew near, their voices droning in chilling unison.
"DUKE 17… DUKE 17… DUKE 17…"
Nereya clicked her tongue, then crouched under the long table, pulling out a peculiar weapon—an AK-47 painted black and red, adorned with cat-ear stickers on the stock.
Swinging it casually with a wicked grin, she muttered,
"Heh~ If they want to play with scary names, I can play too. Come on, Ren—let's give them a show."
Ren nodded firmly, gripping a small detonator in her hand.
Kaito instinctively rose to join them.
"Wait, I'll—"
A light tap on his shoulder stopped him.
"Stay calm, Teacher Kaito."
Kaito spun around. Behind him stood Doctor Budi—the medical robot.
Its eyes glowed steady as its voice hummed with calm precision.
"Let them face this. It is for their future. You must not interfere now."
Kaito frowned.
"Then… what am I supposed to do?"
Doctor Budi answered with disarming casualness.
"You can… go for a walk. As I instructed you this morning."
Kaito stared at it, his expression caught between confusion and frustration.
"'Go for a walk,' it says…" he muttered.
At last, he exhaled deeply, stepping through the side door and leaving behind Ren and Nereya, already poised for battle.
A narrow corridor greeted him. Dim neon lights flickered, cables dangled from the ceiling. Explosions boomed in the distance, mingled with the cries of Crimson Valkyrie students.
Kaito walked slowly, hands buried in his pockets, gaze fixed forward.
❝Duke 17… why would that name resurface now…?❞
The corridor stretched on, long and silent. And the deeper he walked, the stronger the feeling grew—that something awaited him at its end.