Yui's vision swam back into focus slowly, like surfacing from deep water. Her jaw throbbed, a dull pain that radiated up her temple and down her neck. She blinked at the sterile white ceiling that stared down at her like it had eyes of it's own. Just like home.

  "Ugh, my head is killing me" The pink haired girl said as she sat up in the white bed. "Where am I?" She asked no one in particular.

  "You're in the infirmary" came the voice of konchuu who was sitting on the chair next to the bed. "I apologize if I hit you too hard," the boy said with a smile

  Yui blinked at him, rubbing her jaw. "You apologize? You nearly decapitated me"

  Konchuu chuckled, leaning back in the chair. "Since you're an angel gear I had no doubt you'd survive."

  "I guess that's a good enough apology because I'm still alive." The pink haired girl slowly swung her legs over the bed and sat upright, rubbing at her head.

  "Ow" Yui muttered. "I didn't think I'd get this beat up on my first day." She observed the boy for a minute.

  "Yeah well, such is life."

  "Y'know you're way different when you're not fighting." The pink haired girl observed

  "Yeah I get that alot." The boy said, twirling the butterfly knife in his hand absentmindedly. "You're not mad at me for knocking you out are you?"

  "Hm? Oh no no, not at all" she reassured "I knew what I'd be getting into when I joined. I just y'know didn't think it would happen on the first day. You're really strong by the way"

  "Thank you. I had hoped I hadn't made an enemy out of you. I mean aside from the fact that you're an angel gear you seem very... Interesting." The boy said.

  Yui's face turned a shade of pink at that. "Um, thanks." She said awkwardly, rubbing the nape of her neck.

  "May I ask you something?" the dark haired boy asked.

  Yui looked back up at him "sure, what is it?"

  Konchuu leaned forward slightly, the butterfly knife still spinning lazily between his fingers. "What's it like? Having an Angel Gear ability?" His green-faded eyes gleamed with genuine curiosity. "I've only ever met one before you."

  Yui blinked, then grinned as she flexed her fingers. "Honestly? I still couldn't tell you even if I wanted to, I've only really had one for 3 days now and in that fight was the first time I really used it after I discovered I had it." She explained.

  The boy heard that and understood, he knew how it felt to not understand something you were born with.

  There was another moment of silence between the two, a comfortable one.

  "May I ask you another question?"

  "Um, I mean why not." Yui replied,

  "Are you free later today."

  Yui's eyes widened slightly at his question, she hadn't expect him to ask that.

  "Um, Im not really sure." She said, a little flustered. "why?"

  Before he could answer, the door opened and liun walked through.

  "Miss hoshino I was told to come and collect you" the blue eyed boy said, his eyes flicking over to the boy sitting beside her.

  There was a silent tension between the two boys. Like they were sizing each other up.

  Yui glanced between the two of them for a moment, wondering what was going on.

  "Um, alright" she said as she got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of her clothes. "What for?"

  "We've been assigned our living quarters."

  "Oh, cool" she said with a smile.

  Yui looked over at konchuu one more time before following liun out of the infirmary.

  As the two walked Yui rubbed her arms awkwardly. "So... was there something going on between you and Konchuu back there? You guys were giving each other looks."

  Liun's expression remained neutral, "no, I have never met him before."

  "Then what the heck was going on back there?"

  "You wouldn't understand it. The strong recognizes the strong" the boy said simply.

  She didn't fully understand, but she didn't push any further, she had the strong feeling that she wouldn't get it anyway.

  The two had made their way out onto the open streets and walked for a couple minutes.

  Eventually they made their way to an apartment building

  They stopped in front of the apartment building, a tall concrete structure with narrow balconies stacked like ribs up its sides. The place looked old, but maintained.

  "This is it?" Yui asked, craning her neck to look up.

  "Yes," Liun replied. "Temporary housing for new recruits and transfers. Or at least that's what I've been told."

  "Temporary," she echoed. "That's... reassuring."

  The two made their way up the building, past a bunch of rooms and people, probably recruits like them.

  "Where is ash by the way?" Yui asked the boy.

  "All the junior division conductors were called away by the director of HAS, I don't know the reason for it though" he explained.

  Liun stopped in front of one of the doors on the fifth floor and tried to pull the door open, but it wouldn't budge. He rubbed his neck in confusion. "That's strange? Why is it locked?"

  The girl looked at the key card reader on the door, and then back at liun in slight confusion. "Do.. do you not know how to open a key card door?"

  "No of course I know how to open a door it just seems that Malik has locked us out and I wasn't given a key. Nor can I find a keyhole." The boy said, explaining why he was having such difficulty with opening the door.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  "Did someone give you a card?" Yui asked him.

  "Well yes but I hardly see what that has to do with anything" the white haired boy said, showing her the card in question.

  It was a key card with the number 13 on it in red.

  Yui took the card from his hands and slid it across the scanner, she pushed the door open and liun was left in awe.

  "How did you do that?"

  "It's a key card reader, it, reads key cards." She said, looking at him questioningly, how did he not know that?

  "Wow, technology truly is more advanced than I gave it credit for" the boy said, looking between the door and the key card in confusion, as if trying to figure out how they worked

  Yui looked in on the room and... It was way bigger than it looked on the outside.

  It was one giant room that was cut in half between a living room and a kitchen.

  There were also four different doors likely leading to their individual rooms.

  "Woah, this place is way bigger than it looked from the outside." Yui said.

  It even had it's own furniture, a couch that Malik was currently asleep on, The living room itself was modest but comfortable. A low coffee table sat in front of the couch, its surface scuffed but clean. Against the far wall was a flat-screen monitor mounted slightly crooked, with a small stack of game controllers and training tablets beneath it. A narrow window let in the afternoon light, illuminating dust motes drifting lazily in the air and giving the space a warm, lived-in feel despite the concrete bones of the building.

  The kitchen area featured a simple counter divided the two areas, topped with a few stools. The appliances looked standard-issue but new, stainless steel sink, induction stove, compact fridge with a faint hum. A laminated notice was magneted to the fridge door, listing basic rules and emergency procedures in neat, impersonal print. Someone, probably Malik, had already ignored the "no clutter" rule, judging by the half-open cabinet and wrappers stuffed inside.

  "Wow, this is... actually kinda nice," she said, her voice echoing slightly in the open space. "I was expecting, like, barracks or something." The girl said, opening one of the doors.

  Yui stepped fully into her new room, the door creaking softly behind her. It was compact but cozy, a single bed pushed against the wall, crisp white sheets folded military-style, and a small desk with a lamp that hummed faintly when she clicked it on. The window overlooked the bustling street below, Kyoto's evening lights starting to blink on like distant stars. Her box sat on the bed, labeled in sharpie: "YUI HOSHINO - PERSONAL EFFECTS." She tore it open curiously, spilling out a few changes of clothes standard-issue HAS training gear, plus a lot of the casual stuff she'd packed, which was probably why it was so big, a tablet for briefings, and surprisingly a small welcome kit with toiletries and an HAS-branded water bottle.

  "Hmph, nice" the girl smiled.

  --Meanwhile--

  Ash stood in a large, starkly lit briefing room the florescent lights above him humming a tune that only he could hear. The space was vast, with rows of tables covered in digital displays, training manuals, and various HAS equipment.

  "Ash? What are you doing here?" Asked a man with black hair that was streaked with blue.

  "Oh crap aoi" ash was surprised seeing the man. "How've ya been?"

  The man gave a small shrug, running a hand through his unruly blue streaked hair. "Same as always, I guess. When did you of all people become a division conductor?"

  "Uh yesterday afternoon, I'm conducting junior division 13 so. Yeah." Ash explained to the man.

  "Huh, well ain't that poetic. I'm guessing that's on purpose." Aoi said.

  "Yeah, me too honestly."

  The door on the other side of the room opened and everyone quieted down.

  Through the door walked a beautiful woman with flowing black hair and eyes of violet that seemed to glow, Her fair skin glittering like starlight.

  The director of the HAS.

  KIYOHIME JURYOKU

  Every eye was drawn to her as she walked down the aisle between the tables. Her violet eyes scanned the room, piercing and unreadable, giving the impression she could see straight through to one's soul.

  There was an unspoken authority to her, one that everyone in the room could feel.

  Kiyohime stopped at the front of the room, letting the silence settle before speaking.

  "I'm sure you all know why you're here. I'm sure you've heard the rumors and I am here to tell you. Yes. There is a new Angel gear among the junior divisions. I cannot share whether this was a previous rookie or a new one, just that they were recently found to be an angel gear." The woman said, letting the gravity of her words sink into the crowd

  The room stirred, a low ripple of murmurs passing through the gathered adults. Most hadn't really believed it, they thought it was just a rumor.

  Ash shifted slightly in his seat, noting the subtle tension in the air. Eyes flicked toward the doorway, as if expecting Yui to appear at any moment even though, she was probably still in the infirmary. Although it has been a couple hours, maybe she's up.

  Kiyohime's gaze swept over the room again, lingering on the junior division conductors. "This individual," she continued, her voice calm but heavy, "is not just another recruit. They have the potential to be a game-changer. But with great power comes great risk, which is why I haven't disclosed their name or their division. It's also why you must all take special care of every one of your recruits, we cannot afford to lose them." Her voice dropped lower as she said that last part and the entire building felt a heavy pressure on them, like being crushed under tons of rubble.

  Well everyone except ash. He didn't even flinch.

  "This means that if I get word of any mistreatment of the rookies. Any at all." Her words had some bite now and the pressure increased tenfold. "Then the punishment will be ten times worse than any year before." The woman said, before releasing the pressure, allowing everyone to breathe

  "That is all" she concluded

  The room slowly exhaled as Kiyohime Juryoku stepped back, her presence leaving a lingering weight even in her absence. Ash leaned back in, letting the tension fade from his shoulders, though he knew it would linger in everyone else for a while.

  Aoi gave him a sidelong glance, raising an eyebrow, "I knew you were strong, man but God. How do you deal with that? I'm kinda terrified to actually see you fight now" he said with a chuckle.

  "Don't worry, I haven't really had any good fights in a while so it'd probably be more boring than anything." Ash chuckled as well.

  "So, I'm guessing she's in your custody?" The man with blue streaked hair asked in a whisper so low that only ash could hear it

  "Huh, what?"

  "The angel gear? I'm guessing she's on your squad. I mean it'd only make considering-" he continued to whisper.

  "Oh how'd you?"

  "I was there when she was getting examined, for security purposes. Me and konchuu." The man explained at the bottom of his breath "what was her name again? Yua? Yui? Yeah I think it was that last one."

  "Well yeah. Though I'm pretty sure this whole meeting wasn't just to discuss the angel gear." Ash said under his breath so that aoi could hear him.

  "Yeah of course it's not, she's been cracking down on rookie abuse since she got the position, I have no doubt she's just using this as an excuse." The man said, louder this time since he had no real reason to whisper.

  "Yeah otherwise she wouldn't have limited it to just the rookies." Ash tagged on.

  As everyone in the room filed out, kiyohime spoke up.

  "Ash. You stay." She said.

  Most people just ignored it, it wasn't anything surprising aside from the fact that he was a conductor.

  "I am so jealous" aoi joked as he started leaving.

  The younger man have him a look, as he walked out before walking towards the director of the HAS

  ---Meanwhile---

  Liun walked out of his room when he heard the knock of the door. He had just finished setting up his room and cleaning it out, he was about to head to bed before the door was knocked.

  He noticed the other two came out of their rooms as well, presumably having finished unboxing and all.

  He and yui walked towards the door "我想知道這麼晚了會是誰" he said, not seeing the need to speak Japanese

  yui reached for the handle, her fingers brushing the cool metal as the hallway light spilled in through the peephole.

  Yui glanced up at him. "I wonder, who's at the door at this time of night" she muttered, half-nervous.

  "It's probably nothing," Malik added from behind them, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "If it's another orientation guy, I'm going back to bed."

  "Wait you already finished packing?" She asked surprised.

  "Yeah before you got here," he said "what's so surprising about that?"

  "Nothing I just expected you to be the messy type" she said, not opening the door yet.

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "好了好了，沒必要這麼敵對-" he quickly caught himself. " Excuse my language. No need for the hostility we are a team after all." The white haired boy said rather politely. "Besides there's someone behind the door, it'd be rude not to let them in."

  As he said that yui opened the door.

  And as the door swung open.

  WHOOSH!

  CLANG!

  Yui was at a loss for words as a sword swung through the open air, aimed straight at her head.

  However, liun had blocked it with his palm, all before the sword had the chance to strike her, he did it rather effortlessly actually.

  "What the hell!" Liun quickly pulled out both of his weapons and took aim.

  Multiple strangers stood at the door, all kinds of weapons in hand.

  Liun smiled a small smile.

  "It seems the neighbors are here to greet us"