From the day of their fight, everything changed.
Arai and Shizuma no longer stood as rivals.
They stood side by side.
"Again."
Shizuma raised his sword, a grin on his face.
Arai didn't respond.
She simply stepped forward.
Clang!
Their blades collided at the center.
Shizuma pushed forward. "You're holding back."
Arai's eyes sharpened. "Say that again."
With a twist of her wrist, she knocked his blade aside.
In the same motion, she stepped in—
Fast.
Shizuma barely blocked in time.
"Okay… maybe not."
Arai smirked faintly. "Don't assume things you don't understand."
Days passed.
Weeks turned into months.
And before either of them realized—
A year had gone by.
The training grounds of Ein Kage Dan echoed with their clashes.
Every day.
Without fail.
"Faster, Shizuma."
"I am fast!"
"Not enough."
Clang!
Steel rang again and again.
Neither willing to yield.
One evening—
Arai stood alone.
In her hands rested a newly forged blade.
A double-edged sword that gleamed under the fading light.
Shizuma approached, wiping sweat from his face.
"…That's new."
"It has a name," Arai said calmly.
Shizuma grinned. "Let me guess… something dangerous?"
Arai lifted the blade slightly.
"Rabubagu."
Shizuma blinked. "Yeah… I'm not even gonna question that."
Arai ignored him.
"This blade carries my oath."
Shizuma's expression shifted.
"…Your oath?"
Arai's grip tightened.
"Never hold back."
A brief silence followed.
Shizuma scratched his head lightly. "…That explains everything about you."
Arai looked at him.
"And you?"
"Me?"
"What is your oath?"
Shizuma didn't answer immediately.
His usual carefree expression faded.
"It's not something I'll choose later…"
"…I already know it."
Arai's gaze sharpened.
"What is it?"
Shizuma exhaled slowly.
Then spoke—
"Sever Evil."
The air grew still.
Arai didn't respond immediately.
"…That's a heavy oath."
Shizuma gave a small smile.
"Yeah."
"…That's why I can't afford to be weak."
A quiet wind passed between them.
Within just one year—
Both of them had reached a level comparable to Lieutenants of Ein Kage Dan.
But neither of them felt satisfied.
"There's more, right?" Shizuma muttered.
Arai didn't answer.
But her silence said enough.
The next evening—
They stood facing each other once again.
"Last round?" Shizuma asked.
Arai raised her blade.
"You talk too much."
They moved at the same time—
Clang!
Their clash echoed through the field—
But suddenly—
"Such intensity…"
"…burning without direction."
Both froze.
Shizuma turned. "…That voice—"
Arai had already stepped back.
Her posture straightened instantly.
Standing behind them—
Was Kaizen.
Shizuma lowered his sword immediately. "Sir!"
Arai bowed her head slightly. "Leader."
Kaizen observed them in silence.
His presence alone made the air feel heavier.
"Everything you've learned here…"
"…was not to make you strong."
A brief pause.
"…but to make you worthy of strength."
Shizuma's grip tightened unconsciously.
"And now…"
"…it will be tested."
Shizuma's eyes lit up. "A mission?"
"A village—Tsukihara."
"It has already begun."
Arai's expression sharpened. "Fragment user?"
Kaizen's gaze met theirs.
"A Fragment user does not act without reason…"
"…and never without consequence."
Silence.
Heavy.
"Go."
"See it with your own eyes."
"Judge."
A faint pause.
"…and if your judgment does not waver—"
"Sever it."
Shizuma's eyes narrowed slightly.
Arai spoke quietly.
"…We're going alone?"
Kaizen turned his back.
"…You ask the right question."
"But reliance…"
"…is the slowest path to weakness."
He took a step forward.
"Trust what you have built…"
"…or accept that it was never enough."
And without another word—
He walked away.
No explanation.
No hesitation.
Shizuma exhaled slowly.
"…He really doesn't make things easy."
Arai watched his fading figure.
"He never sends missions like this."
Shizuma smirked.
"Which makes it interesting."
Arai sighed softly.
"…You're still childish."
Before he could reply—
A voice emerged from the shadows.
"You two…"
"…are you Arai and Shizuma?"
Both turned instantly.
A figure stepped forward.
Tall.
Broad.
Messy hair.
His presence was quiet—
But heavy.
Arai's eyes sharpened.
"…Who are you?"
The man stopped.
"I'm Tetsuya."
A brief pause.
"Your third partner."
Shizuma smiled immediately.
"Hey! Nice to meet you!"
Tetsuya glanced at him briefly.
"…You're loud."
Shizuma laughed.
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
Arai stepped forward slightly.
"You're already prepared?"
Tetsuya turned away.
"…I've been ready."
And without another word—
He started walking.
"Let's go."
Shizuma blinked.
"That's it?"
No response.
Arai sighed.
"…He's already moving."
Shizuma grinned.
"Guess we shouldn't fall behind."
The three of them began walking.
Side by side.
Toward Tsukihara.
Toward their first real mission.
And somewhere in that village—
Something was waiting.
TO BE CONTINUED...