Watari wakes up to the sound of raised voices. Groggily, he blinks his eyes open, barely registering the warmth of the fire still burning in the room. His vision settles on Yumi and Ren, who are mid-argument—Yumi pacing with a half-eaten meal in her hand, and Ren zily preparing to light a cigarette.

  The first words Watari manages to make out through his sleepiness are:

  There’s no way I can take him to the Musabori! I don’t even know if it’s safe for me to go back there myself!” Yumi yells, her frustration evident.

  Ren, noticing that Watari is awake, exhales a slow puff of smoke before speaking. “I’ll let the kid make that choice. Hey, kid, eat something first. Then we’re all having that talk I mentioned.”

  Watari groans, giving a zy salute before flopping back down.

  Yumi scoffs and finishes the st of her food, throwing the bones into the corner—except one. That st bone, she flicks straight at Watari’s head.

  “Wake up already!” she snaps. “I was hurt a hundred times worse than you! Only the injured get to rest all day!”

  The bone bounces off Watari’s forehead, leaving a tiny pink bump. He groans, rubbing his head. “Ow! That actually hurt!”

  Yumi crosses her arms with a haughty “hmmph.” “If you can feel the pain, then you’re awake. Now eat already, so we can get this over with.”

  Her tone is its usual tsundere mix of concern and irritation. Watari chuckles softly, grabbing the breakfast left for him. After quickly finishing his meal, he sets his pte aside and stretches before plopping down next to Yumi by the fire.

  “Alright, I’m ready. Lay it on me, old man.”

  Ren takes another drag of his cigarette before exhaling sharply. “First off, I need to head back to my side of the organization. I’ve got things to handle, so we’ll be apart for a bit.”

  Watari nods. “Got it. Be safe out there. What’s second?”

  Ren pauses. Then, narrowing his eyes, he scolds, “You don’t sound sad about us being apart at all, kid.”

  Watari shrugs. “Hey, just because I said I trust you doesn’t mean I have to be your clingy boyfriend. That Ryuko guy looked like he’d fit that role way better than I would.”

  Yumi snorts, barely holding back a ugh.

  Ren gres at the both of them. Watari, realizing what he just said, locks eyes with Yumi, and within seconds, they both burst into uncontrolble ughter.

  Watari dramatically flips his hair back, mimicking Ryuko. “Take Form: Erebus!” he mocks, voice dripping with over-the-top fir.

  The two continue ughing, pointing at Ren.

  Ren holds his irritation in for a good five seconds before he snaps.

  The temperature in the room plummets. His aura erupts—a gray-blue pressure filling the air as his voice drops into something more terrifying than a demon’s whisper.

  “I’m sorry… it looks like I missed something hirious. Someone, please expin the joke. In detail.”

  Watari and Yumi instantly freeze, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

  Yumi, quick to throw him under the bus, nudges Watari forward. “Watari was forcing me to ugh at his bad joke! Isn’t that right, Watari?” she says, sticking her tongue out at him from behind Ren’s looming presence.

  Ren crosses his arms. “Go on, kid. Tell me. What was so funny?”

  Watari swallows hard. Then, in a single fluid motion, he drops into a full keirei bow, speaking at lightning speed:

  “I’m sorry, Master Ren, great and mighty Hoju-sama! I beg for another sunrise, sir! I truly, truly beg—no, I plea!”

  Ren gives him a long, scrutinizing stare before finally shutting his aura off with a sigh.

  “Alright. Never call me that again. And I mean NEVER.”

  Watari sighs in relief.

  “Now,” Ren continues, rubbing his temples, “back to business. Second point—I need you two to go back to the Musabori. For you, kid, it’s an infiltration mission. You’ll integrate into their ranks, work your way up, and get close to Kuroda.”

  Watari nods. “Got it. What about Mi-chan?”

  Ren turns to Yumi. “That’s what we were trying to figure out before you woke up.”

  Yumi’s expression shifts, her gaze dropping to the floor.

  Watari notices the change and, in his usual fashion, tries to cheer her up. “I think it’d be pretty cool if we became outws together, Mi-chan.” He grins.

  Yumi stiffens. A fsh of memory surfaces—Nao’s voice echoes in her mind.

  “We’ll dye our hair crazy colors, change our names, and become outws. Just you and me, Yu-chan.”

  She clenches her fists.

  With a deep breath, she begins to tell them about her past—her connection to Kuroda, her time in the Musabori, and the horrors she witnessed. She briefly mentions her friend Nao but quickly moves past it, unable to dwell on the pain.

  Finally, she speaks of the Musabori’s top enforcers, slipping in a chilling detail about one man:

  “Mori… he’s the only Musabori whose form the organization knows nothing about. He’s cleared hundreds of missions… with thousands of casualties. And yet, anyone that sees his form, never lives to talk about.”

  Ren clenches his fist.

  When she finishes, there’s a heavy silence.

  Then—Watari breaks into a full, exaggerated girly cry.

  “You’ve had it so HARD Mi-chan.”

  “WAHH.”

  Ren, shaking his head, pats his head gently. “There, there, kid.”

  Yumi chuckles despite herself. “For once, I’m thankful you’re an idiot.”

  After dramatically blowing his nose into a tissue Ren hands him, Watari finally manages to ask, “So… are we in this together?” He lifts his fist, waiting.

  Yumi hesitates. Nao’s voice rings again.

  “Just you and me, Yu-chan.”

  But this time—

  “Just you and me, Mii-chan.”

  Then, as she focuses back on reality, the first thing she sees is Watari’s bright, hopeful smile.

  With a soft sigh, she shakes her head at herself.

  Then, finally, she lifts her fist to meet his. “Maybe outws aren’t so bad. Plus if I wasn’t around, you’d probably die at HQ anyway. So, I guess I can tag along,” she mutters, turning away with her usual tsundere huff.

  Ren smirks. “Alright, now that that’s settled—onto the third thing.”

  He kicks a rock into the fire, staring into the fmes.

  “The Ju Setai have been the world’s hidden force for centuries. They get their orders straight from the Chūkan, but the Musabori?” He exhales. “That’s new.”

  Watari leans forward, intrigued. “You mean these two groups weren’t always at war?”

  “There was no war.” Ren’s voice is firm. “The Ju Setai kept order, but back then, tamashkii was rare. You were either born special—like Ancient—or you were just a little tougher than the average guy.”

  Yumi quietly listens, her expression unreadable.

  Ren continues. “Then Kuroda happened. The tamashkii core changed everything. It turned nobodies into warriors overnight.”

  He exhales, his jaw tightening. “And it let monsters be made just as easily.”

  Watari clenches his fist. “Then why didn’t the Ju Setai just wipe him out?”

  Ren falls silent for a moment.

  Then, slowly, he mutters, “They tried.”

  The air grows heavier. The fire crackles.

  Yumi doesn’t say a word.