Chapter 48: The Agreement

The lion growled once more, but it didn’t attack. Instead, after a moment, it seemed to calm. Its sharp gaze lingered on Soujin before it moved toward Ginger. To everyone’s astonishment, the lion used its massive head to nudge Ginger’s unconscious body, carefully lifting her onto its back as though she weighed nothing.

Soujin felt a pulse of Mystcry radiating from the lion. It was strong—nearly identical to Ginger’s, and that was no coincidence. He furrowed his brow. “At least it doesn’t seem as hostile as I thought,” he muttered under his breath, though he didn’t relax his guard entirely.

The lion gave one last glance toward Soujin and Bellar before turning and retreating into a nearby hut with Ginger in tow.

A Few Minutes Later

The muffled sound of laughter drifted through the air from Squad 9’s hut—a structure far less rigid than the barracks most squads called home.

Inside, Ginger was seated on a plush cushion with her armor removed, and her fiery hair slightly disheveled. A small bandage adorned her cheek, but her confident grin was entirely intact.

“Well, I gotta admit,” Ginger said, leaning back with her arms stretched behind her head. “Soujin, you won fair and square.”

Soujin stood near the entrance with his arms crossed. His sharp eyes scanned Ginger carefully. Something about the fight didn’t sit right with him.

“You didn’t give it your all,” Soujin finally said bluntly. “Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

Ginger’s grin widened. “Neither did you, but let’s be honest here, Soujin. Do you really think I’d bear my true fangs in a little skirmish like that?

Bellar, who had followed Soujin in, leaned casually against the doorway. “True fangs or not, doesn’t change the fact you still got your ass handed to you.”

Ginger’s laughter erupted again. She stretched her arms with a sharp exhale. Her fiery hair fell into place. "I know how to take a loss," she said casually, though her tone carried a subtle undertone of pride. "A deal’s a deal. I’m not one to back out of my word." She paused and leaned forward slightly. "But let me remind you of one thing—Will is the Head Captain of the Divine Blade Society. What he says goes. No exceptions."

Soujin’s eyes narrowed slightly at her words. "Yeah, yeah, I get the whole 'I’m not gonna betray Will' spiel. Loyalty and all that but let me make one thing clear, too—I’m not gonna betray my squad. And I sure as hell won’t let Cera get executed."

Ginger’s grin faded. She studied him intently. For a moment, there was silence between them, She could see it in his eyes—he wasn’t bluffing.

She clicked her tongue and glanced to the side. Her gaze fell on the lion from earlier, who was standing silently near the edge of the room. It had remained so still that Soujin hadn’t even noticed its presence until now.

"By the way. About that lion," Soujin said with eyes locked onto the beast. "You mind explaining why the hell that thing is wearing a Divine Blade uniform?"

Ginger let out a small chuckle, though there was no humor in it. She rested her chin on her hand and said,. "That’s Lieu. My father."

Soujin blinked. "Your what?"

"My father," Ginger repeated. "Don’t ask me to explain it; it’s just the way it’s always been."

Soujin’s jaw tightened. There was something about this situation that felt like it had layers he wasn’t ready to peel back yet. He was pressing for time after all. He glanced at Bellar, whose sharp eyes immediately darted to Squad 9.

To her surprise, none of them looked the least bit unserious.

"Your squad knows about this?" Bellar asked skeptically.

"Of course they do," Ginger said while leaning back. She waved a hand toward her squadmates. "We don’t keep secrets in Squad 9. What you see is a family. Lieu’s as much a part of this squad as any of us."

The lion let out a low rumble. Its golden eyes sweeped over the room.

.

Soujin narrowed his eyes. Ginger smirked and shrugged. Her hands brushed against Lieu’s mane and the lion rumbled softly beside her. "Anyhow, Lieu just said I should take a chance on you." She tilted her head slightly. "So, if I have to, I will. I’ll help you save Cera."

Soujin’s eyes widened slightly. "Wait, huh?"

Ginger crossed her arms. "What, did I stutter? I’ve always wondered how I’d stack up against Will with the strength I have now. Might as well find out by sticking around to help you. Consider this... a beast’s curiosity."

For a moment, Soujin stood frozen. Then, he regained himself and gave a nod. "Thanks. I mean it."

He opened his mouth to question her quick change of heart but stopped mid-thought and sighed internally. ‘You know what? Let me just accept this. This is a huge win for me. No need to overthink it.’

Straightening his posture, Soujin extended his hand. "Guess we’re allies for now, huh?"

Ginger looked at his hand, then back at him with a playful glint in her eyes. "Don’t push your luck, Soujin. But yeah... for now."

Soujin and Bellar stepped out of the hut, leaving Squad 9 and its leader behind. One by one, the remaining Squad 9 members trickled out.

Only Princess, Lieu, and Ginger stayed behind in the hut. Princess, the ever-watchful second in command approached Ginger cautiously. She hesitated before speaking.

"Are you sure this is...?" Princess trailed off once her eyes flicked to Ginger’s face. Her words caught in her throat when she saw something in her gaze—like the flicker of fireflies in a midnight jungle.

“Ginger…” Princess whispered while leaning in. “You’ve got feelings for that man, don’t you?”

Ginger scoffed while slumping back in her chair. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped. But the flush creeping across her cheeks was like the first light of dawn breaking through a thick forest.

Princess crossed her arms. “Then what’s that look in your eyes? You can’t fool me.”

Ginger sighed, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. “I’d heard all the stories of how Squad 3’s captain was some arrogant hothead who didn’t give two shits about anyone. Turns out… those stories weren’t the whole truth.”

Princess tilted her head.

“And his squad? They were supposed to be the worst of the worst,” Ginger continued with her tone softening even further. “But it didn’t seem that way to me.”

Princess blinked in surprise. “So… you’re saying you’ve been impressed by him?”

“Don’t read too much into it,” Ginger snapped, though her tone lacked its usual bite. “It’s just… he’s not what I expected. And that kind of honesty—it’s rare.”

Lieu, still silently observing gave a low rumble. His golden eyes flicked between the two women.

Soujin felt a surge of confidence now that he had Ginger's support, and Bellar at his side. The gears were finally in motion.

“One win for Cera,” Soujin said with a small grin while giving Bellar a side glance.

“Yeah,” Bellar agreed. She didn’t smile, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes that seemed like acceptance. “Guess there's no use in hiding it anymore, huh? Me and Cera… we've been through a lot, more than anyone knows.”

She shifted uncomfortably. Her gaze was fixed ahead but her voice had a weariness that Soujin wasn’t used to hearing from her. “We even shared some pretty tough times together, and we built up a reputation here as the baddest bitches in the Divine Blade Society.”

Soujin raised an eyebrow with a smirk curling on his lips. “Well, I’d say you’ve got a long way to go to earn that title in my eyes, but I’m sure you’re well on your way to that street cred.”

Bellar’s lips twisted into a half-grin. She her knuckles like she was ready to step into a fight. “At least in Squad 3, right? They don’t know real trouble ‘til they see me roll through.” Her tone had that street style slipping out as effortlessly as it always did. “They don’t call it Squad 3 for nothin’.”

Soujin rubbed the back of his neck. “They call it squad 3 bec—you know what… You win that one, Bellar.” He gave her a nod of acknowledgment.

Bellar’s face softened. “Me and Cera…We’ve been through some real hell together. Sometimes, it’s harder than it looks to keep that mask on. I didn’t wanna come off soft. So, I took off and tried to fix things on my own and ended up stuck in the damn gauntlet at Squad 9.” She snorted with a bitter laugh coming out like a puff of smoke.

Soujin gave a slight shake of his head “You know, you don’t have to go off and do things by yourself, Bellar We’ve got the same goal of helping Cera. I want to help her just as much as you do. Let’s work together on this, okay?”

Bellar blinked. “Damn it... When the hell did you get so nice?” She crossed her arms, in disbelief. “I Ain’t used to this from you, Cap. Ever since you rolled back in, you’ve been all about this teamwork drive and making everyone fall in line. What’s the deal, huh? What happened to letting folks do their own thing?”

Soujin’s gaze fell away, and he sighed under his breath. His mind briefly wandered off. ’The reincarnation,’ he thought to himself. ‘Yeah, that’s gotta be it.’

He wasn’t the same person he was before that incident. Maybe Bellar was just starting to notice it. After all, they’d only gone on a handful of missions together since his... shift. ‘Maybe I was a jerk to everyone before,’ he mused silently. ‘Maybe that’s why people in the squad are so... well, they get along when there’s a mission, but other than that, they’re scattered. Letting these two act like they don’t need anyone else.’

“Guess you’ve noticed, huh?” Soujin muttered. “I’m trying to be a better captain.” He glanced back at her with a serious look. “I don’t want us to just be a group of people thrown together. We should be a damn team—one team. That’s how we make sure we all pull through. Together.”

Bellar wasn’t sure if she was hearing things, but there was something about the way Soujin said it that made her pause for a moment. Then, she said, “A team, huh?”

“Yeah,” Soujin said. “I’m trying to do better by the squad. If that means getting everyone on the same page, I’ll make it happen.” He shrugged.

Bellar couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Yeah, well, don’t go acting like you’ve got me all figured out yet, Cap but… I get where you’re coming from. Guess it wouldn’t hurt to roll with the pack for once, huh?”

Soujin nodded, letting the silence hang for a moment before adding, “One for all.”

Bellar’s lips curled into a grin. “All for the streets.”

Soujin raised an eyebrow and replied, “All for the squad. That’s our new motto.”

Bellar shrugged nonchalantly. “Eh, close enough.”

Soujin checked the time on the watch her wore under his uniform. His brow furrowed. It was already 8 PM, but the sky… it still looked like the sun was hovering on the edge of the horizon.

Bellar, noticing his confusion smirked. “You’re a little slow, huh? It’s summer, dummy. Sun’s gonna dip in like the next couple minutes.” She gave him a playful nudge.

Soujin ran a hand through his hair and grumbled under his breath. “We don’t got a lot of time left.” He gave a quick glance to the sky before refocusing on the task at hand. “We’ve got two more stops to make. Squad 8 and Squad 10.”

Bellar nodded. “This is bout the time squads start winding down after their activities. You know the drill—some are prepping for the night, others are just wrapping things up. If we wanna cover more ground, I’m gonna head to Squad 8.”

Soujin raised an eyebrow but Bellar was already stepping forward with a grin. “I’ll chat it up with the captain there. He’s a real chatterbox, so by the time I’m done, you should be long finished with Squad 10.”

Before he could even get a word out, she waved him off. “No arguing. I’ve got this. Teamwork and all that.”

With that, she turned made off with quick footsteps. Soujin sighed while watching her vanish into the distance. “Alright, Bellar. Don’t get too caught up in your talking... Guess I’ll go see what Squad 10’s got.”

He cracked his knuckles with a determined look settling on his face. “Squad 10, huh? I hope you’re ready, cause the new Soujin’s comin’!”