Morning sunlight spilled across the Reikosha Academy courtyard, glinting off the cracked tiles and patched walls. Kairo adjusted his bandages and stretched, still feeling sore from yesterday's training. Tyouro was already bouncing a small energy sphere between his palms, grinning.
"Come on, Kairo! You can't sit there like a statue all day," Tyouro called. "Catch this, if you can!"
Kairo groaned and lunged, barely catching the sphere. "Ow! You're getting faster every day!"
From the shadows near the fountain, Yura rolled her eyes, white ponytail flicking over her shoulder. "Some of us have better things to do than toss energy balls around like children."
"Speak for yourself, Yura," Lyric Selene a nimble girl with mischievous eyes chimed in. She somersaulted past, narrowly dodging Kairo. "I think it's hilarious watching you panic."
Kimimaru walked by slowly, arms crossed. "You all make too much noise," he muttered. "Some of us actually focus on technique."
Tyouro grinned, tossing the sphere at Kimimaru anyway. "Focus, huh? Try catching this."
Kimimaru didn't even flinch. The sphere bounced harmlessly off his arm. "Pathetic."
Kairo laughed despite himself. "Man, Kimimaru is impossible!"
Nearby, a tall boy named Thalric Orion (named after the mythic hunter) stretched his arms and smirked. "If any of you manage to hit me, I'll buy lunch for the entire squad."
"Challenge accepted," Tyouro shouted, sprinting forward with a flash of Reikou energy. Kairo followed, ready to support him, while Yura moved strategically to intercept.
The courtyard turned into a blur of motion energy sparks, laughter, and light collisions. Lyric dodged Kairo's clumsy attack and tapped his shoulder. "You're slow today!"
"Slow?" Kairo growled, blushing. "I'll show you slow!"
Kimimaru shook his head, amused, and leaned against a wall. "Amateurs."
Even Yura allowed herself a small grin. "Don't get too confident, Tyouro. You'll end up flat on your face."
By mid-morning, the students were panting, sweat mixing with smiles. Shougo appeared at the entrance, clapping his hands. "Enough chaos," he said, voice calm but commanding. "Training is not just about energy it's about control, teamwork, and awareness. Pair up and run drills properly."
Tyouro groaned. "So… fun chaos is over?"
"Sadly," Kairo said, catching his breath, "but at least we're alive."
Even in the midst of light-hearted sparring and teasing, a sense of camaraderie threaded through the group. They laughed, teased, stumbled, and helped each other small moments of life in the academy before the challenges outside its walls would test them for real.
The morning ended with Kairo, Yura, Tyouro, Kimimaru, and Lyric standing on the steps of the courtyard, catching their breath and sharing jokes. For now, the world could wait. Today was theirs.