"Kenmyo, I'm telling you."
"During the days you were away from school, Futaba wouldn't let me come here even when I wanted to. I really have you to thank for this one."
"Ow! What are you doing, Futaba?!"
After a sharp kick, Sakuta's indignant voice and Futaba's cold tone echoed down the hallway.
"Loose lips. No one will take you for a mute if you just keep your mouth shut."
"Kenmyo, do something about her, will you?"
Sakuta Azusagawa and Rio Futaba. Both were Kenmyo Isayama's "inner circle," his few genuine friends.
"Sakuta, just give it a rest," Kenmyo said helplessly. These two had zero compatibility; they could start an argument within three sentences.
"Wow, I totally misjudged you."
The three of them bickered all the way to a classroom in the Integrated Equipment Building—the Science Lab.
This was Rio Futaba's private sanctuary, a privilege granted by the school because she was a "genius girl" on par with Asagi-sensei. She had authored thirty papers in middle school journals, and last year, three papers she co-authored with a research institute were even published in Nature.
Aside from class hours, Rio Futaba spent almost all her time in this laboratory. It was a secret base belonging only to her and her friends.
"Sakuta, give me some air. I'm dying here."
Summer was always sweltering, and Kenmyo had just finished intense physical activity. Even sitting by the window, sweat was pouring down his face. He sat on the floor, completely abandoning his image. In the corner, Sakuta Azusagawa was fanning himself rhythmically until he heard the weak plea.
"Futaba, Kenmyo says he needs a breeze."
Sakuta thought for a moment and, ignoring her startled look, tossed the fan directly to Futaba, who was sitting next to Kenmyo.
"Huh? Didn't Kenmyo ask you to do it?"
As a science-focused girl, Rio Futaba's athletic nerves were underdeveloped; she nearly dropped the fan. She glared at Sakuta.
"Don't worry about it. Just take it."
At that moment, Kenmyo cooperated with a faint call: "Futaba, air please."
"I get it, honestly..."
Rio Futaba looked at Kenmyo with an "I give up" expression. Her hand holding the fan trembled slightly, betraying her inner lack of calm.
"Do you need me to fan faster?"
With a flushed face, Futaba's fair arm moved the fan up and down in small, rapid strokes. With her other hand, she took out a tissue and carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"No, this is perfect."
"See? You can do it if you try," Sakuta observed from the side, a smirk playing on his lips. He gave Futaba a "thumbs up" and then quietly slid the door open to leave.
After being tended to by Futaba, Kenmyo felt much better.
"Thanks, Futaba. Out of everywhere I've been lately, your place is still the most relaxing."
After nearly getting a stress-induced headache from his classmates, being in Futaba's lab felt right. No interruptions, quiet, and someone to look after him.
Kenmyo opened his eyes and noticed Sakuta was gone. "Wait, where'd Sakuta go?"
Rio Futaba, who was currently contemplating how to apply to the school for an air conditioner, spoke in a tone one might use for a maggot. "Who knows what that guy is up to?"
She was still annoyed. Sakuta's meaningful look and "good luck" gesture before leaving had left her both embarrassed and incensed. Who asked you to meddle in my business?
"Hahaha, poor Sakuta, being talked about like that by Futaba—one of his only two friends."
"What is it...?" Futaba's voice was shy, the tips of her ears turning red. Kenmyo had just placed his hand on her hair, as if stroking it.
Kenmyo realized his action might be perceived as too intimate and quickly apologized. "Sorry, I saw some dust in your hair. I got it off, though."
Kenmyo genuinely found Cursed Spirits annoying sometimes. A small one had drifted in through the window earlier. Normally, with Futaba present, Kenmyo didn't want to engage in "exorcism," but the spirit had seen Futaba's impressive figure and let out a lecherous cackle as it moved closer. Kenmyo had no choice but to "bless" the thing into oblivion.
That small interlude aside, Rio Futaba took a deep breath and regained her cool composure. She sat back in her chair, fanning herself as if trying to steady her heart.
"Kenmyo, why haven't you been coming to school lately?"
"There were rumors you were going to be expelled. That doesn't sound like you at all."
"And... you actually gave up the basketball you loved so much."
Futaba's expression was complex. She harbored an admiration for Kenmyo that a friend probably shouldn't. Unlike her—the "gloomy girl" cooped up in a cramped lab—Kenmyo always seemed to be glowing.
He had a great personality, was considerate, handsome, smart, and incredibly athletic. Every time he represented Aoyama Academy, the basketball team won; they were even ranked among the top ten strongest teams in Japan by magazines.
On Futaba's bedroom desk, there was a photo of her, Kenmyo, and a "certain insect." The boy in the middle was holding a massive trophy, a brilliant smile on his face.
But after Kenmyo's sister passed away, everything changed. He lost interest in studying, skipped the training he once loved, and eventually reached a point where Futaba couldn't even find him at school. Even if she waited at his house until late at night, the lights never came on.
Now that he was finally back, he felt a bit... foreign to her. His youthful face had become more resolute, his physique stronger. Yes, he looked more reliable than before.
But one thing made Futaba very sad. The light was gone from his eyes. In its place was a weariness and maturity that a boy his age shouldn't possess.
Experience is the best way to change a person. The death of his only sister and the two simulations in the [Warhammer Simulator] had moved Kenmyo further away from his former innocent self than he realized.
Futaba had watched the entire basketball game. When he made a shot, he just took it as a given, without a trace of joy. He was like a cold scoring machine—dribbling, dunking, posterizing over and over.
Unlike the younger girls who were attracted to Kenmyo's newfound "mature" aura, Rio Futaba only felt heartache. She even felt a sudden impulse to just hold him.
"Futaba..."
Kenmyo watched as the girl slowly leaned in, closer and closer, until he could smell the sweet scent on her.
"Sad things, bad things... you can say them all out loud. It'll make you feel better."
Her hand gently caressed his face. Fearing she might hurt him, Futaba's movements were incredibly careful.
"When things are hard, you have to rely on us—your friends. Don't carry it all alone."
"The thing called a 'friend' is someone you can lean on when times are tough."
But right at that moment—
"Kenmyo, Futaba, you can thank me later!"
A smug Sakuta Azusagawa slid the door open with a loud Clack! He walked in without looking, shouting at the two inside:
"I'm back from the store with popsicles!"
But when Sakuta walked in to see a scene very different from the usual "friends doing their own thing" routine, his brain stopped working. The plastic bag in his hand dropped straight to the floor.
Good lord, what am I seeing?
Futaba... she was practically leaning into his best friend's arms.
Startled by this sudden intruder, Futaba—whose eyes were red just a second ago—now had her entire fair face covered in a deep crimson.
Her CPU overloaded, and steam almost rose from her head. She stood up with lightning speed, grabbed her lab coat from the chair, and without saying a word, covered her face and rushed out while letting out an embarrassed "Uuuu!" sound.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to cast a glance at Sakuta. The killing intent in that look made the guy, who was already feeling guilty for ruining the atmosphere, feel like he had fallen into a pit of ice.
"Kenmyo, did you see Futaba's eyes just now?" Sakuta's voice was strained. He pointed a trembling finger in the direction she had vanished. "She seriously wanted to kill me."
"Good luck. You're on your own," Kenmyo said as he climbed up from the floor. He too looked conflicted. As he passed Sakuta, he patted him on the shoulder.
"By the night, don't forget to lock the door."
"Futaba just messaged. She's going home for the day."
With that, Kenmyo walked out, leaving Sakuta behind.
"Wait! Kenmyo!"
After Kenmyo had walked a fair distance, a desolate voice drifted from far behind.
"At least... at least take a popsicle! If I eat three in a row, I'm definitely going to the hospital!!"
"That idiot," Kenmyo shook his head helplessly. Looking at the approaching dusk and the blood-red sunset, he let out a long, slow sigh.
Vibrate... Vibrate...
A sharp ringtone broke his thoughts. He checked his phone and saw the caller was "Mr. Akutagawa." He answered immediately.
"Ken, we have an operation tonight."
A steady voice came through the speaker. Kenmyo replied, "Understood, Mr. Akutagawa."
With a short "Mm," the call ended. Their conversation lasted only three sentences, with no unnecessary pleasantries.
"Work is coming... just in time."
Kenmyo put the phone back in his pocket and whispered to himself, "I hope this 'part-time job' gives me a few more points."
He knew clearly that only by becoming stronger would he have a future worth speaking of. The current him couldn't give anyone promises, nor could he shoulder anyone else's future.
"Futaba..."
Kenmyo touched the spot on his face where the girl had just caressed him before disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.
As he walked, low-level Cursed Spirits with horrific appearances spontaneously combusted around him, ruthlessly incinerated by Psionic fire.
His heart was in disarray.