The hotel suite was quiet, save for the soft hum of the city beyond the glass. Steam still clung to the bathroom mirror as Sakura stepped out, wrapped in a thick white towel, her silver hair damp and clinging to her shoulders. She moved slowly, deliberately — not from fatigue, but from the lingering tremor in her limbs.
She sat on the edge of the bed, exhaling deeply, her eyes distant.
"I came very, very close to death today," she murmured.
Across the room, Liliana looked up from her tablet, her expression calm but attentive.
Sakura shook her head, almost laughing. "It's been years since I felt that kind of pressure. Not even in the field. Not even when I was active. That woman… Yumi Ichoshima… she didn't even look at me, and I felt like my soul was about to be ripped out."
Liliana set the tablet down. "But you're S-Rank too."
Sakura gave a dry chuckle. "I was S-Rank. Still am, technically. But even in my prime, I was never in her league. Back then, if you wanted to be appointed S-Rank in Japan, you needed her approval. That's how high she stood. She wasn't just a hunter — she was a gatekeeper."
Liliana nodded slowly, absorbing every word. "And now she's interested in him."
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Exactly. That boy… Raijo. He's not just some street rat with luck. If Yumi's backing him, he's a beast in the making. Maybe more."
She stood, walking to the small dining table where their dinner had been laid out — grilled fish, rice, and miso soup. She poured herself a glass of water, then looked back at Liliana.
"If he ever forms a party," she said, "join it. No hesitation. No pride. Just do it."
Liliana nodded, her voice quiet. "Understood."
They ate in silence, the weight of the day settling over them like a second skin. When they finally turned in for the night, Sakura lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling.
Yumi's back… and she brought a monster with her.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, the Ryombi Estate stood like a fortress of ice and elegance. Snow-white walls, crystalline windows, and a courtyard garden that shimmered under the moonlight.
Inside, Rumi Ryombi, the Ice King himself, stood in his study, arms crossed, a rare smile on his face.
"You did well," he said, his voice deep and even. "B-Rank at nineteen. You didn't bring shame to the family."
Ayasia stood tall, arms behind her back, her expression calm but proud. "I'll be in the top three."
Rumi raised an eyebrow. "Top three?"
She smirked. "In my center, I'm top one."
He chuckled. "Confidence. Good. But remember — there's another center. And over a thousand students were accepted this year. The death rate is high. Don't get cocky."
Ayasia nodded. "I won't. But I won't be overlooked either."
From the doorway, Ayasia's mother, a graceful woman with soft features and a quiet strength, watched them with a proud smile. She didn't speak — she didn't need to. Her eyes said everything.
Father and daughter moved on to lighter talk — sparring routines, favorite meals, old stories from Rumi's dungeon days. Laughter echoed through the estate, rare and warm.
But beneath it all, a quiet tension lingered.
Because even in their pride, the Ryombis knew:
This year, something was different.
And the storm hadn't even begun.
---
Meanwhile, back at Yumi's estate…
The underground training chamber roared with heat and chaos. The reinforced walls, etched with ancient runes, shimmered under the pressure of raw mana. Inside, Raijo was getting absolutely demolished.
His body slammed against the floor, bones cracking, skin scorched. Blood trickled from his lip, and his vision blurred. Across from him stood Yumi, barefoot, her crimson training gear clinging to her like molten silk, her eyes glowing with fire.
Where the hell did the woman from last night go? Raijo thought, coughing. This thing in front of me isn't human.
Yumi didn't hold back. Every strike was precise, every flame hotter than the last. She wasn't training him — she was testing him. Breaking him. Reforging him.
"Get up," she said, voice calm, almost bored.
Raijo groaned, pushing himself to his feet. His body screamed in protest, but something deeper — something primal — refused to quit.
Then, it happened.
She launched forward, flames spiraling around her like a dragon's breath. Raijo's instincts kicked in. He didn't think. He just moved.
"Prominent Flare!"
A surge of heat exploded from his core, bursting outward in a violent wave of red and black fire. The room shook. The air warped. For a moment, it was as if two suns had collided.
Then — silence.
Raijo collapsed, unconscious, smoke rising from his skin.
Yumi stood untouched, her hair fluttering in the residual heat. She looked down at him, a slow, wicked smile spreading across her lips.
"Well, well," she murmured. "You really are something."
She crouched beside him, brushing a hand over his chest. "Didn't even teach you how to manifest mana, and you're already mimicking my techniques. If there'd been a corpse nearby, I bet I'd have seen your necromancer side too…"
She stood, stretching her arms overhead. "Guess that'll have to wait."
---
Later that evening…
The hot tub steamed gently in the moonlit courtyard, nestled between bamboo walls and smooth stone. Raijo sat submerged to his chest, eyes closed, letting the heat soothe his battered body. The pain was still there — dull, deep — but it was the kind that came with growth.
Footsteps padded softly behind him.
Yumi appeared, wrapped in a silk robe, her hair damp from a recent rinse. Without a word, she let the robe fall and stepped into the water, settling herself between his legs, her back resting against his chest.
Raijo opened one eye. "You trying to kill me again?"
She leaned back, her voice a purr. "I might've overdone it today. You can punish me if you want."
He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You say that like I've got the energy."
"You'll find it," she whispered, tilting her head to the side. "Go ahead. Do as you please."
He didn't need to be told twice.
His hands moved slowly, tracing the curve of her waist, then higher. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then another to her neck. She sighed, melting into him, her earlier ferocity now a memory — or maybe just sleeping beneath the surface.
They stayed like that, tangled in heat and silence, the water rippling gently around them.
For now, there were no dungeons. No ranks. No expectations.
Just fire and breath.
And the calm before the storm.
—
A week had passed since Raijo's evaluation — a week of brutal training, quiet meals, and nights that blurred the line between passion and war. But last night had been something else entirely. Even by their standards, it was… relentless.
Yumi lay sprawled across the silk sheets, her body aching in ways she hadn't felt in years. Her limbs were heavy, her breath still shallow. She stared at the ceiling, one hand draped over her forehead.
"I definitely overdid it," she muttered.
Raijo, already dressed in a black hoodie and slim-fit pants, stood by the mirror adjusting his collar. He glanced at her reflection and smirked.
"You're not coming?"
Yumi groaned. "I can't even feel my legs. You broke me, idiot."
Raijo chuckled, slipping on his watch. "Nah. You just want me to enjoy my last day of freedom before school starts. You've probably already picked out everything I'm allowed to wear, eat, and breathe."
Yumi cracked one eye open, a lazy smile tugging at her lips. "Sometimes, you really do throw away that idiot side of yours."
He turned, hands in his pockets. "And sometimes," he said, "you're worse than the monsters you used to hunt."
She laughed — a rich, throaty sound that echoed through the room. "Funny you say that. A monster once told me the same thing… right before I turned it into ash."
Raijo raised an eyebrow. "And I'm the idiot?"
"Absolutely," she said, stretching with a wince. "But you're my idiot."
He rolled his eyes, heading for the door. "Try not to die while I'm gone."
"Try not to flirt with every salesgirl you meet."
"No promises."
She threw a pillow at him, but it missed by a mile.
As the door clicked shut behind him, Yumi sank deeper into the bed, a smirk still playing on her lips.
He's going to turn that academy upside down.
—
End of chapter 6