Takahiro (3)

Yushiro grinned like a child caught in the middle of some mischievous scheme, his excitement unfazed by the beating we'd just taken.

Miss Blade, who had been deliberately ignoring us the entire time, turned her head slightly, her sharp gaze locking onto Yushiro.

"Passed what?" she asked coolly, her voice like ice.

Yushiro's grin only widened. "You've been testing us this whole time, right? Don't bother playing dumb. Truth and Marko were the weak link—it was easy to tell."

Huh? Test? What test?

A heavy silence filled the room. Blade and her entire team stared at Yushiro in shock. Then, after a beat, Blade sighed, rubbing her temple as if nursing a headache.

"You see, Truth? Marko? I told you not to talk too much."

Truth looked away, scratching the back of his head. "I don't think I messed up that bad," he muttered.

"Well, it wasn't just our fault, was it?" Marko chimed in with a shrug.

Blade's expression darkened. Without a word, she reached for her sword.

"B-B-Blade! Please, let them go! They're not worth it!" Miss Yoon cried, suddenly clinging to Blade's arm in a desperate attempt to stop her.

"Don't worry, Yoon," Blade said with an eerie calmness. "I won't kill them. I'll cut them. There's a difference, see?"

"There is no difference!" Miss Yoon wailed, clutching Blade even tighter.

Truth and Marko, entirely unbothered, stuck their tongues out at Blade, grinning like troublemakers daring her to follow through.

She drew her sword.

Their expressions faltered.

They're… acting different from before.

Since we'd arrived at the Division Knights, they had always seemed distant—professional, untouchable. But now? They were bickering, teasing, and throwing insults like old friends.

Is this their true selves?

They looked… fun like this.

"Hey! You guys, stop embarrassing us!" Miss Stone shouted, exasperated.

Blade and her group paused, finally glancing back at us. She exhaled, slipping her sword back into its sheath.

"It doesn't matter. They passed the test anyway," she said coolly.