Ren stood at the counter of NDA office, knuckles white around the refusal stamp still wet on his guild application. The clerk behind the glass didn't even look up; he just slid the form back through the slot like it was junk mail.
"Next," the clerk droned.
Ren didn't move. "It says my ability isn't recorded. I'm an Awakener. That should be enough."
"Need to have a proper ability to form a private guild with Luxy," the clerk recited, voice flat as the counter. "You got no clear records, no approval from offical guild members. Next."
Luxy leaned against the wall beside him, arms folded, the weird design on her oversized shirt catching the light. She watched Ren's jaw tighten.
Outside, the city's dungeon sirens wailed in the distance, another group coming back from the dungeon expedition. Ren exhaled through his nose.
"Luxy," he said quietly, "should I just tell them I'm a healer showing Misa's power."
