The Vanguard's Gambit
The rhythmic thud of combat boots echoed in the corridor, growing louder with every heartbeat. No time. Himari ducked into Room Seven, her breath coming in sharp, controlled hitches. She didn't look like a girl in a panic; she looked like a soldier calculating an escape.
Reian and Kiro were already there, doing a final sweep of their gear. Himari ignored them, lunging for her bag. Her fingers flew to the hidden inner zipper, her lips moving in a frantic, low-velocity stream of Turkish.
"Aptal Haru... Gerçekten bir bomba verdi bana," (Stupid Haru... He really gave me a bomb,) she hissed under her breath, her fingers fumbling with the heavy device. She tried to shove it deep into the lining, but the silhouette of the phone was too obvious. It was a dead giveaway.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. Before she could react, a hand reached into her bag. Himari froze, her crimson eyes widening as she looked up. It was Kiro. His expression was unreadable, but his movements were lightning-fast. Without a word, his fingers closed around the phone, pulling it from her grasp.
Thump-thump-thump!
"Inspection! Open up!" a voice bellowed from the hall.
The door swung open before the echo died down. Two officers stepped in. Himari's heart hammered against her ribs, but she forced her face into a mask of cold indifference. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kiro leaning casually against the window frame, his hand hidden behind his back for a fraction of a second before he tucked it into his pocket.
The officer stepped toward Himari's bag. "Back away from the gear, cadet," he barked.
Himari stepped back, her jaw tight. She didn't look at Kiro. She didn't look at the window. She just stared straight at the officer's collar, her mind racing. If Kiro gets caught with that, we're both finished.
The Aftermath of the Drop
The officers finished their sweep, gave the cold command to head to the Main Hall for medical checks, and marched out. The click of the door was the starting gun. Himari whipped around, her eyes blazing, but Kiro beat her to the punch.
"Kimin telefonu o?" (Whose phone is that?) he demanded in low, sharp Turkish. He stepped closer. "Neden teslim etmedin? Hepimizi tehlikeye mi atmaya çalışıyorsun?" (Why didn't you submit it? Are you trying to put us all in danger?)
"Nereye sakladın? Çabuk söyle," (Where did you hide it? Tell me, fast,) Himari snapped back.
"It's gone," Kiro replied in English, his eyes searching hers. "Now answer me."
"It's Haru's," she hissed, switching back to Turkish so Reian wouldn't understand. "He gave it to me because mine is broken. I couldn't submit it. If they saw a General's personal device on me, I'd be the center of a scandal. I'm not becoming a target because of Haru's lack of common sense."
She gestured toward his empty hands. "Now, where is it?"
Kiro glanced toward the window. "It's at the bottom of the ravine, Himari. Safe enough from the inspectors, but good luck getting it back before the snow buries it."
Himari's jaw dropped. "You... you actually threw it? Kiro, that was high-grade hardware! It's RIP. I am officially a dead woman. How am I supposed to tell Haru? 'Oh, hey, thanks for the phone, it's currently at the bottom of a frozen cliff because my classmate has a literal throwing arm.'"
Kiro crossed his arms. "Would you rather be explaining to the inspectors why you're carrying a General's 'life' in your pocket? Pick your funeral, Himari."
"Okay, enough!" Reian finally barked, his voice cutting through the argument. "Could you two talk in a normal language for five seconds? I'm choosing to be blissfully ignorant so I don't get court-martialed with you. But we have to be in the hall now or we're going to be the only ones missing when the General starts counting heads. Move!"
The Walk of the Three
As they marched down the stone corridor, Himari chanted a silent mantra: It's Haru's fault. He's the General; he can afford a new one. But the guilt still nipped at her.
As they approached the massive double doors of the Main Hall, Kiro slowed down. "Focus, Himari," he said, his voice low. "There are students here from every major academy. They see our small numbers as a weakness. We need to show them it's a threat."
They pushed through the doors. The Main Hall was a sea of different uniforms. Himari felt the weight of a hundred gazes. She could feel the heat of her fever rising, but she used her "Ice Beauty" persona as a shield. She looked past the whispers, directly toward the high podium where Niel and Haru stood.
She didn't realize that her silver hair was catching the overhead lights like polished chrome, or that the fever had painted a sharp, rose-colored flush across her cheekbones. Her crimson eyes looked cold, predatory, and utterly confident.
"Look at her," someone whispered. "Is that the one who snapped at Leo?"
She wasn't trying to be "breathtaking"—she was just trying not to vomit—but the result was a presence that commanded the entire room. For the first time, the three of them looked like a true unit: The Arthford Vanguard.
The Sparring Grounds
The medical check was a hurdle. "Your temperature is elevated," the nurse noted, checking Himari's head bandage. "It's your funeral, cadet. If you faint on the mats, it's a failing grade."
Himari ignored the warning. She watched the matches with detached boredom until Kiro stepped onto the mat against Leo. The atmosphere shifted. Himari and Reian moved to the edge of the circle, acting as his "corner." When Kiro landed a lightning-fast spinning back-kick, Himari let out a rare, sharp smirk.
"Winner: Kiro of Arthford!"
Then, it was Himari's turn. Her opponent, Mili, was aggressive. She sensed Himari's fever and targeted the bandage on her temple. A sharp kick grazed the injury, and a heavy blow caught Himari across the mouth.
Himari stumbled, the taste of blood filling her mouth. Mili lunged, grabbing a fistful of Himari's silver hair and slamming her onto the mat.
One... Two... Three...
Himari's eyes flashed a dangerous crimson. At the count of nine, she didn't use brute strength. She used Mili's own momentum, hooking a foot behind her ankle and twisting. In a heartbeat, Himari was on top, her knee pressed into Mili's chest.
"You should have focused on the fight," Himari whispered, blood dripping from her lip, "instead of my hair."
The whistle blew. "Winner: Himari of Arthford!"
The Pack
The moment the match ended, the "Ice Queen" facade cracked. Himari let out a shaky, triumphant breath and did a little hop of pure joy. She rushed toward Kiro and Reian.
"I won! I actually got her!" she chirped.
Reian and Himari shared a loud, stinging double high-five, and Kiro offered a firm, proud clap against her palm.
"You're a menace, Tsukihara," Kiro said with a smirk, steadying her as the adrenaline crashed. Reian draped her baggy jacket over her shoulders. "Put this on before you freeze. Let's get you out of here."
Up on the observation deck, Niel watched the trio. A bittersweet smile touched his lips. He saw her bleeding lip and flinched, his hand tightening on the railing. He remembered her like this—vibrant, before everything went sideways.
"She's gotten strong, hasn't she?" Haru murmured beside him.
Niel didn't look away from her. "She was always strong, Haru. She just finally has people around her who see it."