A Simple Objective

"The last one standing..."

Those words echoed through Kurashi's mind.

Standing at the front, the old man's voice carried over the trainees.

"You will be given some time to strategize with your team before the battle begins. Use it wisely..."

10:56 a.m. December 3, 2022

The assembled trainees were now divided into teams.

Soon after being broken up, the first six teams gathered at the forest's edge, each of them filled with a mix of determination and adrenaline. When the last team entered the forest, disappearing behind the large trees, the battle would begin with the screech of a whistle.

Those not competing in the first round took this time to strategize with their teams. As Kurashi's team huddled to discuss their plans, he stood alone, his eyes closed, absorbing the whispers around him.

"If we set up an ambush along the east side, we can catch at least two teams off guard."

"We need to stick together no matter what happens. Watch each other's back and don't take any unnecessary risks."

After a couple of hours, a team emerged from the dense forest victorious.

Leading the team was a girl with a distinct silent grace. Her piercing pink eyes remained downward, deliberately avoiding the gazes of those around her. With long pitch-black hair that framed her pale face, her straight bangs stopped just above her bright pink eyes. Strapped to her right thigh, she holstered a single sai, its handle meticulously wrapped in black silk. Despite her serious expression, there was an unnerving calm to her—an utter lack of concern.

Behind her, the members of her team followed with unease. They came out of the forest unscathed—yet not one of them carried the confidence their leader had.

Their shoulders were tense, and their steps were hesitant.

Was it embarrassment?

Guilt?

Soon after that, the remaining teams exited the forest, all of them severely bruised and beaten.

An instructor then came up to the victorious team.

"Well done team two. Rest up and prepare...you will be moving onto the second phase."

As the team crossed the center field, there was something that had a hold on Kurashi.

His focus was on her.

The leader.

She was different.

There was something about her that pulled him in.

Not in an obvious way—the way people whispered about her reserved nature or the effortless precision she displays in battle—but something deeper, something unable to be put into words. Kurashi was never the type to dwell on these things, yet he found himself watching her, trying to understand what it was.

Then, as if she sensed his stare, Misaki's eyes flickered over to him.

The moment their gazes met, Kurashi's chest tightened.

Not in fear.

Not in shock.

But in something unfamiliar.

He averted his eyes elsewhere, breaking the connection first.

His silent confusion was broken when a voice spoke to him.

"Um, Kurashi..." A girl from his team asked from behind, her voice shaky. "Would you...like to discuss the plan with us?"

He turned around to see the girl awaiting his response, regarding her for a moment to process the request.

No words came out.

Only a subtle shake, rejecting the girl's offer.

"Oh...um, well if you change your mind. We would like your input on the plan." The girl stated in rejection, turning back away to the rest of the team.

Kurashi watched as the girl walked back to the team, the rest of them distraught after hearing of her rejection.

There was no plan that he needed to review, as his mind was already set.

"The second round will now commence!"

At the forest edge, the next six teams entered. Among the competitors stepping into the fight was a boy with snow-white hair.

1:03 p.m. December 3, 2022

Inside the thick forest, Jin's team gathered at their designated starting point.

"Alright, let's go over the plan one more time," Jin stated with authority, kneeling in front of his team members. "Izumi, Takeshi—you two are on point. Your speed and coordination will be key to scouting ahead and dealing with immediate threats."

In front of Jin stood Izumi with her arms crossed, her black hair cut to shoulder length with emerald green tips that matched her eyes.

"Got it...", Izumi said in acceptance of her task.

Casually leaning back against a nearby tree was Takeshi, his rugged spiky black hair and glistening hazel eyes giving him a fierce look.

"What about you? Where will you be during all this?" Takeshi questioned Jin, his tone challenging but not disrespectful.

"Right behind you two, coordinating our movement and providing support when needed."

"And what about us?" A slim boy with messy brown hair asked.

Jin turned his gaze to the remaining two members standing slightly behind Izumi.

"You two will handle flank watch. Your priority is to make sure there aren't any ambushes set up, and to deal with them if there are, understood?"

The two others nodded in agreement to the plan.

With confirmation from his teammates, Jin stood from his stood from his kneeled position.

"Alright...that just about covers all of the plan. Now all we can do is wait..."

While waiting for the whistle, the team fell into silence, each of them lost in their thoughts. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as they braced themselves for the impending signal. And after what felt like an eternity, a whistle shattered the stillness. Without hesitation, Jin and his team dashed into action, each member lining into their designated roles.

As they navigated through the dense forest, Jin noticed something was wrong. Abruptly stopping, he raised his right hand in the air, a silent command for his team to halt.

"What's wro-" Izumi asked quietly before being cut off.

Jin responded with a silent gesture, pressing his finger to his lips.

With trust in Jin's intuition, the team followed him through a thick set of bushes. As they emerged on the other side, they encountered a lone boy, a member from another team who crouched behind a tree. The lone member looked up as Jin and his team gathered around, his frantic eyes revealing his distress before he even spoke.

"If you're going to do something, then just do it already!"

Jin then kneeled to the distressed member, his demeanor calm and composed.

"Look, we're not going to hurt you. All we want from you is some information."

"That's it?"

"That's it..." Jin responded with a slight smile.

The boy swallowed hard and exhaled, his shoulders slumping as tension drained from his body."Alright…our team was setting up an ambush on the east side of the forest. It worked at first—we caught another team off guard and wiped them out. But…" His hands tightened into fists. "Someone must've been watching. Another team crashed down on us. Two of ours dropped instantly. The rest of us ran, but we got separated along the way...That's all I got. Now just…pretend you never saw me."

Jin's smile disappeared when he stood back up, walking away from the boy.

"Rule number six: never give information to the enemy...no matter what."

Before the lone member could respond, Takeshi walked up to him with a fierce look in his eyes. Without warning, Takeshi delivered a direct punch to the member's face, knocking him out in an instant.

As Jin began to walk away, Izumi fell into step beside him.

"You think his team is still in?" Izumi asked Jin.

Jin looked over to his left, his eyes meeting Izumi's.

"Probably not...if they were ambushed as badly as he said, they're likely out of the fight...But now we have a lead. Our priority moving forward should be to track down that team before they set another trap."

Cracking his knuckles, Takeshi walked over to join Izumi and Jin.

"If we're done here then let's head out..."

In agreement, Jin signaled to the other two members standing on watch that it was time to head out. Now with a set objective, they were on the run once more. The forest was quiet, with no wildlife in sight.

But then—voices.

Jin raised his fist, and his team dropped to a knee, pressing themselves behind cover. Beyond the thick leaves, a small clearing stretched out before them, occupied by an enemy team.

Izumi leaned close to JIn, her voice barely a whisper. "You think this is the team that guy was talking about?"

Jin's eyes flickered between the enemy team and her.

"It's hard to say...We don't have enough information. Not yet..."

"What's the point in hiding? We're in perfect position to attack." Takeshi stated in disagreement with Jin's plan. "It would be a waste to stay here."

"And if we attack now, we risk drawing more attention to ourselves," Jin responded to Takeshi. "Let's observe just a bit longer...See if we can gather more information. Maybe find a way to neutralize them without compromising our position."

"I agree...It's best to wait for the right moment to strike." Izumi said in a whisper.

Takeshi's hazel eyes flashed with irritation, his shoulders rising and falling as he took a deep breath.

Ignoring Jin's reasoning, Takeshi walked out into the clearing, his gaze locked onto the enemy team with a predatory gaze. He stalked toward the clearing, his posture brimming with confidence—or recklessness.

Jin stiffened. "Takeshi—"

Too late.

A flickering flame burst to life in Takeshi's right palm as he walked into the clearing, his presence undeniable.

The element of surprise was now gone.

The enemy team had already turned to the approaching figure.

Their whispers ceased.

Their stances shifted.

The fight was now inevitable.