Expedition

A week had gone by since the bathroom incident, and on the surface, everything between Reisou and 2B seemed normal.

They talked and kind of acted like usual, never bringing up what happened that day.

However, Reisou knew things between them weren't the same anymore.

One morning during class, he found himself zoning out, trying to come up with a date plan to finally invite 2B out.

Sae was in the middle of her lecture when she noticed he was distracted again. She frowned and sent a sharp glare in his direction.

Reisou didn't even flinch.

That only made her irritation grow. A subtle twitch appeared at the corner of her mouth, barely concealing her displeasure.

Meanwhile, his classmates silently praised his courage.

Ignoring Sae's icy glare without breaking a sweat was pretty impressive.

"Aragaki, if you're going to spend the whole class daydreaming, you might as well not bother coming," Sae said sharply, snapping him back to reality.

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Reisou let out a quiet, exasperated sigh.

"Sorry, Sensei, I was just... thinking about something," he said with an apologetic tone.

Hearing his sincere apology, Sae's cold glare slowly faded away.

She remembered that after reporting his possession of three Innate Skills, her superiors had advised her to be a little more patient with him.

A young student with three decent Innate Skills was a prime candidate for becoming an S-rank Hunter in the future, even if his Nano reserves were just average.

Plus, his recent duel with Ichika, which made him jump from 127th to 65th on the Kiroku List, made the academy official committee, also known as the upper board, recognize his strong potential to become a top-tier Hunter.

Not everyone could climb that many ranks so easily.

"Then stop thinking about unnecessary things and focus on the class," Sae retorted, about to continue the lesson.

But before she could, the classroom door swung open.

A tall, handsome man in a black suit strolled in casually, drawing everyone's attention.

He had shaggy, curtain-style brown hair and wore black, square-framed glasses.

His smile was calm and polite, giving off the vibe of someone gentle and approachable.

The students didn't recognize him, but his charm and good looks instantly caught the girls attention.

Unbothered by the stares, the man approached Sae with slow, confident steps.

"Apologies for the interruption, Chabashira-san," he said politely, offering a gentle smile in her direction. "I've been sent by the upper board and the student council to deliver an important message."

The moment he spoke, the class grew curious.

It was rare for anyone to deliver a message in person, and they couldn't help but wonder what kind of announcement was important enough to interrupt a lesson.

"I understand, no need to apologize, Sousuke-san. Just get to the point," Sae said, stepping aside and letting him take over.

After a brief nod, the man started to speak.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Sousuke Aizen, personal assistant to the academy headmaster. I'm here to inform you that tomorrow, classes 2D and 2C will team up for an expedition through a D-rank Gate."

He paused, watching the surprise spread across the students' faces.

Just as he'd expected.

"The details will be sent to your personal emails, so make sure you check them," Aizen added with a polite bow before turning and leaving the classroom.

As soon as he left, the students burst into lively chatter, buzzing with excitement over the unexpected news.

Sae, on the other hand, frowned slightly, clearly not as thrilled as the rest of the class.

The sudden announcement caught her off guard since no one had given her a heads-up. But knowing the headmaster and those stubborn upper board members, she figured something must have happened to prompt such decision.

"Quiet down!" Sae said, loud enough to shut everyone up. "Since the higher-ups decided to move the expedition up without warning, I guess it's time I tell you how Gates really work."

Sae stepped in to shut down the excitement before it got out of hand, reminding them just how brutal and unforgiving the Gates could be if anyone acted carelessly.

Thanks to the media painting Hunters as heroes and Gates as golden tickets to fame, fortune, and an easy life, plenty of people ended up paying the price for underestimating the dangers inside.

Some through pain, others through trauma, and many never returned at all.

The Gates aren't places to get rich or famous—they're chaotic battlefields where anything can happen.

And Sae knew that better than most.

When her class finished, the students excitement about exploring the Gates faded a lot.

She gave them so many instructions and warned about all the ways they could die that most of them looked genuinely scared.

Only a few didn't seem bothered because either their parents were Hunters who had warned them long ago, or they simply didn't feel any fear at all

Reisou had already been through the Gates twice and survived, so he didn't feel much pressure. 2B also didn't care about the warnings either.

While the others chatted excitedly about the expedition, Reisou invited 2B to have lunch with him.

2B nodded in agreement and wrapped her arm around his, holding on tight enough to make the guys nearby jealous.

Ever since the bathroom incident, some of 2B's behavior had definitely changed.

She'd stopped calling him "Master" around others. However, now she clung to him in public, acting super affectionate.

That alone was enough to crush the spirits of every guy who'd still been holding out hope of winning the "Silver Goddess" heart.

Her calling him Master had already wiped out 98% of their chances, but seeing her act like that in public crushed the last 2% completely.

Reisou, by now, had built up a solid immunity to all that jealousy and just kept walking casually toward the bento machine.

On the way, he unexpectedly ran into the Princess Trio walking together, which brought back memories of the training match he'd lost last time.

Yukino, walking ahead of the group, caught him staring and suddenly stopped. Eriri, puzzled by her sudden pause, glanced over and immediately understood what had caught her attention.

Kei spotted him too and wanted to say hello but held back.

The way 2B held onto him made it clear to her that there was definitely something going on between them.

And the memory of the fierce aura 2B had radiated at the supermarket still sent a chill down the poor girl's spine.

For a few moments, they simply stared at each other.

"Yo! What a coincidence running into you three here," Reisou said first, trying to break the slight tension.

Yukino responded with a silent nod, while Eriri gave them both a thorough once-over.

"What a coincidence seeing you here, Reisou-san. It's been a few days since we last saw each other, right?"

Kei was the one who spoke, forcing a cheerful tone.

Fortunately, the white-haired girl didn't show any signs of hostility.

"Yeah, it's been a few days. I don't have your contact, so we couldn't really talk after that day," Reisou said, his tone familiar enough with Kei that the two girls behind her exchanged curious glances.

"Did the headmaster's assistant, Sousuke Aizen, visit your class too?" Yukino asked, cutting into the small talk, her tone calm but slightly distant.

"Yes," Reisou answered, meeting her gaze.

She gave a small nod and didn't say anything more.

Compared to the Yukino from the anime, Reisou felt like this version of her was a little different.

"So, our classes will be paired again, huh?" Eriri was the one to speak this time. "I heard they usually split the teams to explore different parts of the Gates. What do you think about teaming up with us?"

She and her two friends knew he was strong and were convinced that teaming up would be beneficial for everyone.

Moreover, during expeditions, if they managed to take down strong monsters, the school would reward them based on the difficulty level.

The higher the level, the more their monthly income increased—and after Eriri spent most of her credits on a high-end digital drawing tablet yesterday, she definitely needed to earn that extra cash.

Reisou was surprised by Eriri sudden offer and took a few seconds to think before responding.

"I don't mind... but we'll have to split up at some point," he said, laying out his terms. "And Nibe's coming too, she's strong and won't hold us back."

Eriri glanced at Yukino, who didn't disagree. Kei didn't object either.

In fact, she thought that Reisou and that aloof girl beside him would make valuable allies.

"Well then, let's work together tomorrow!" Eriri said, flashing a happy smile that showed off her fang.

Once they finished discussing a few minor details, Reisou exchanged contacts with Kei, said his farewells to the girls, and continued on his way alongside 2B.

What they didn't know was that a figure nearby had overheard their entire conversation, and their intentions remained a mystery.