Chapter 4: The Calm That Lies

A week had flown by since Kentaro learned about the Alberlines and halcyon. His college would eventually be rebuiltafter the whole attack during the space of that week, and now on March 20th, Kentaro woke up early, nerves buzzing.

"Finally... I get to talk to Tenka." 

He replayed their conversation in his head, but it felt distant now, delayed by ruined classrooms and Tenka's frantic search for Rin. And today Kentaro was walking to college alone. Something that he had not done in a very long time.

Stepping outside, the soft summer breeze brushed his face, carrying the distant scent of sakura petals and freshly cut grass. Oshawa's quiet charm, neat houses, low hedges, flowering borders, felt like a blanket he'd cocooned in as a kid. Perfect... but also filled with quiet tension he couldn't shake.

He locked his apartment door and descended the narrow stairs off his building. He lived in a small Osaka suburb, peaceful, sweetshops, sleepy mornings. Exactly the comfort he loved.

After five stone-tiled minutes, he reached his favourite konbini. The elderly Tachibana couple ran the place. Inside, the early sun slanted across shelves of snacks and cold drinks. It looked untouched by Alberline drama.

"Hey Kentaro!"

The old woman waved as she bowed at the counter.

"Morning, Miss Tachibana. Any of those chocolate squares left?"

She smiled and nodded before handing him a Hershey bar.

"You know I'll always have one for you." She winked.

He paid, stuffed the bar in his bag, and headed back out, also shaking the hand of Mr Tachibana, who was waiting at the door.

He tucked the chocolate close; it felt like carrying a small piece of peace. 

Kentaro's path led past neat gardens where chrysanthemums nodded in the breeze. A white cat yawned atop a stone wall. A bike rolled by, flowers in its basket.

The five-minute walk to the station passed in a soft him of neighbourhood life. His legs moved on autopilot, brain half on Tenka, half on protecting his emotional wiring. He boarded the nearly empty train. The rocking motion soothed him. Through the window, rows of houses sped by, children walking to school, an old man watering azaleas. After eight minutes and three stops later, he got off near campus. The nation's bells chimed softly. 'Welcome back,' they said. He adjusted his earpiece under his hoodie, a synced operation. A heartbeat reminder he couldn't just completely shut off.

After stepping off the train at Shin-Oshawa Station, Kentaro paused on the platform. Rolling fields gave way to quaint storefronts, bicycles lined up neatly, and commuter students in blazers zipped past him. 

Ahead lay Ashikawa University, tucked just beyond the station, a quiet branch campus known for blending modern Japanese architecture with green spaces and creative energy classes. He climbed the short stone steps leading from the station plaza to campus grounds. Spring festival posters fluttered overhead. Cherry blossom-themed art pieces, hints of a traditional yatai food alley to come. The scent of grilled yakitori mixed with nearby incense from a small shrine tucked between buildings. 

Kentaro exhaled slowly. 

Tokyo's chaos is far behind. Here, life moves by seasons, not headlines. 

Grounding himself in halcyon normality, he glanced around. A group of freshmen in matching backpacks laughed with perfect brightness. A tutor helped someone carry textbooks. A guitar strummed near a fountain. 

He smoothed his hoodie, adjusted his earpiece, ready to pretend he was just another college student again.

Kentaro approached the business 203 corridor, His sneakers squeaking slightly on the freshly waxed floor. The hum of overhead lights echoed through the sterile hallway, lockers lined in perfect formation. The university was just waking up, and so was he.

Until the Universe had other plans for him. 

As he walked towards His classroom, his foot caught on a single crumpled sheet of printer paper, and it was then physics filed for revenge. 

OOPS. 

His limbs went airborne. Time Hiccupped.

WHUMP.

His head and entire body went face first into a human wall right outside the classroom door. Books hit the floor, and acouple of people around the area let out gasps. Kentaro's entire dignity got restored to factory settings. 

He blinked... 

As he began to notice, his cheek was planted against something soft.

Yet oddly firm. 

He dared not to move an inch.. 

The person hadn't budged an inch. Like a statue. A very well-balanced, terrifyingly composed statue. 

She looked down. 

Short Jet black hair. Pale skin. Greyish eyes that had a certain white glint that someone somehow said 

"Well, this is a strange way to introduce yourself." 

Her voice came flat, not annoyed, not curious. Just... Tired and also surprised by what had just unfolded. 

"Hello there." She paused, taking in the sight of the top of Kentaro's head. 

"While I'm open to meeting new people and making new friends. I think having your head down there will not give the best impression to other people." 

Kentaro launched backwards. His arms began to fail as he scrambled like a deer escaping judgment. 

"I-i-i Sorry! Paper! Floor! Gravity attacked me. I promise I had no say in this!" 

She didn't blink. 

Instead, she calmly knelt, picked up a textbook, and gave it a light pat. Like nothing had even occurred. 

Kentaro hovered nervously, unsure if he should help or just disappear from the universe. 

She stood. Then, finally. 

"Kira Muzuno. Nice to meet you.. Next time, please try to give me a warning next time" 

Kentaro coughed, rubbing the back of his neck like it was going to erase the last two seconds from reality. 

"I'm Kentaro Takamiya. I-i'm studying business studies. A-and well, this is... not how I usually meet people." 

Kira looked him up and down. 

"Do you initiate contact with your face often?" she asked slightly tilting her head. 

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Struggling to find words to respond to that until 

"I-I gotta go inside now." 

Unable to answer her question, Kentaro dodged the question by walking past her and into the classroom. Kira, with the same bland facial expression on her face, watched as he opened the door, but before he could let go of the door to let it close. 

"Next time, Kira added, deadpan. 

"Take me on a date first before slamming into my chest." 

Kentaro chocked 

"Umm, s-sure will do…" he said while giving a faint smile before letting the door close. Then he would slide into class like a man escaping trial. 

His pride? Left behind. Along with his last shred of composure... 

Kentaro slid into Row 7 of the lecture hall, still a bit stiff from last week's chaos. As he looked around, he noticed the room felt off. Cracks lined the plaster near the ceiling, burn marks still shadowed the back wall, and the left window had clearly been replaced. 

Badly. 

He took a breath, trying to reset his thoughts. Maybe, just maybe, he could treat today like normal. 

That's when the lecturer walked in, late, sleepy, and holding a crumpled clipboard like it was some sort of treasure. 

The man cleared his throat, then read with all the conviction of a hostage. 

"Good morning. Before we begin, the college administration would like to address last week's building closure. It was due to…" 

He squinted at the clipboard. 

"…A small gas line leak." 

Kentaro blinked. Gas line? 

Did gas lines usually scream and explode into purple fire? 

Murmurs exploded across the hall. Some students laughed nervously. Others looked around, clearly calling B.S. with their eyes. 

"…Gas leak?" Kentaro whispered, eyebrows twitching. "That's what we're going with now?" 

Then.

A voice, razor-dry and ghost-cold, right beside his ear. 

"So, what do you think happened, Mr Soft Landing?" 

Kentaro's soul left his body. 

He turned. Slowly. Like opening a horror game door that you know has a jump scare behind it, but you had to go through it. 

There she was. 

Kira Mizuno. 

Same blank stare. Same short, jet-black hair barely brushing her shoulders. Same posture, too perfect to be normal. Her grey eyes scanned him like he was a math equation she already solved. 

"Mr Soft landing?" he croaked. 

"That is what I've decided to call you," she said flatly, adjusting her sleeve. "It suits your landing pattern." 

HAAA! 

His scream broke through the static of the room. Everyone turned. 

Again. 

Eyes locked. Silence followed. 

The lecturer paused mid-sentence, clearly regretting his career choices. 

Kentaro stood, panic-flushing, and bowed like an anime protagonist on trial. 

"Sorry, everyone! Uh—paper! Gravity! Miscalculation!" 

Murmurs resumed. Eyes rolled back to their screens. Crisis dodged. 

He collapsed back into his seat. Kira hadn't moved. 

The lecture resumed, but his brain had shut off. He hid his face until a gentle poke reminded him that Kira was still there. 

"What do you think happened?" she whispered, poking the side of his head. 

He ducked his head lower, trying to think of a plausible, non-Alberline answer. He couldn't risk dropping the truth, not now. 

Gathering nerve, Kentaro peeked at her, voice shaky. 

"—I'm not sure, Kira… Maybe we should just trust the professor, haha." 

He laughed awkwardly and scratched his cheek. 

Kira leaned in, eyes narrowing just enough to terrify him. She held her gaze for a full heartbeat, close enough he could feel her breath, an oddly comforting cold. 

Then she nodded slowly and slid back into her seat. 

"I suppose that's the most… reasonable thing," she said softly, her voice calm and steady. 

Kentaro exhaled, half relieved, half afraid. He glanced at the damaged ceiling above, then turned forward, trying to make sense of whether the class would teach Business or Gas Leak 101, but his mind was still miles away, chasing after whispers of time-fractured blooms and unforgettable nicknames. 

*

Kentaro finally rose from his seat after the two-hour lecture. His legs had become numb from sitting down for so long, and his back also stiff from sitting in such a slouch. He stretched like a coiled spring released and glanced at Kira, who still had one eye trained forward and the other subtly watching him.

Seeing her gaze on him, He shrugged inwardly. 

"If a girl like her is staring at me... Heck, I must be doing something right with my hair or something." 

That thought kept him planted in place, even as the lecture droned on. 

Packing up, he edged toward the door and slid into the corridor, but as soon as his foot left the room, the hairs on his neck pricked with unease. 

He had this uneasing feeling of someone watching him... 

He paused, turned around. Just students. He moved again. The sensation returned, heavier now, like footsteps that stopped when he stopped. This wasn't like those childhood fears his mum used to brush off; this, this felt real. 

Kentaro shook it off and made his way to the cafeteria, each step accompanied by an odd sense of being watched. 

He queued for food, then spotted an empty corner table. He sat, trying to focus, but that familiar hairs on the back of the neck feeling nagged him. Paranoia flared. 

At that moment, a faint click echoed from the hallway behind him. 

He stood up abruptly. Lunch half eaten. Breath caught. 

Someone's there. 

He walked out of the cafeteria and crept to the doorway, peeking around. 

And nearly jumped out of his skin. 

Kira, half hidden behind the corner wall, her face blank as ever, peered at him like a robot surveying its target. 

Kira's face was bland. "You ordered? I stand guard." 

Kentaro took a step back, nearly dropping his leftover food. 

"Y-you w-were following me?!" 

Kira stared, only blinking once. 

"Only because someone... needs to prevent you from falling into trouble... Again." 

Laughter still echoed in his head when he finally managed, breathlessly: 

"Uh… thanks?" 

Kira simply nodded, an oddly precise tilt of the head, like a cat acknowledging the surrender of a toy mouse, and vanished around the corner. Instantly, the cafeteria felt colder. His heart pounded so hard, he swore it echoed off the linoleum. 

He began to relax. 

"Guess that wasn't anything—" 

He paused. He heard something.

A whisper. 

Soft. Off. Too close. 

"Everything is still Normal." 

His body locked. 

"Huh?" 

He blinked. Wide-eyed. 

"…Kira?" 

He stepped forward, turned the corner, and saw nothing. Empty. Not a soul. Just the quiet drone of vending machines and a draft sneaking in from a cracked window. 

"I swear I heard…" 

BZZZT. 

His earbud flared to life. 

Haruka: "Ken, meet Tenka on the rooftop. Now." Her voice had urgency behind it.

He flinched so hard he nearly bit his tongue. 

"D-damn… it must be serious." 

Without a second thought, he crammed the rest of his lunch into his jacket, hot mess be damned, but either way, he took off. 

The halls blurred. His sneakers slapped against tile. Every turn was sharper than the last, like the tension in his chest had taken the wheel. 

"Wait, Tenka's up there? She said she was too busy… She better have answers this time!" 

He barreled up the stairwell two steps at a time, breath ragged, heart thundering. The air tasted like sweat, metal, and stale cafeteria mystery meat… Even with ketchup 

Kentaro burst onto the rooftop. The breeze slapped his face. No Kira, no Haruka. Just one enormous amount of questions floating in the twilight. 

TENKA! 

As the sun blazed down, Kentaro winced and shielded his eyes. His heart still pounded from the sprint, sweat beading at his temples. Once his vision cleared, he spotted Tenka sitting on the rooftop bench, her silhouette golden in the afternoon light. 

"Hey, Ken, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk," she called, waving him over. 

Relief washed over him. This was the friend he remembered, not the hardened commander he'd met only days ago. He approached slowly, his smile matching hers as he took the seat she patted beside her. 

He exhaled, tension seeping out of him. "So, Tenka." he began hesitantly, turning to face her. She met his gaze head-on. 

"Yes, Ken?" 

He paused, searching for the right words. "I've known you forever, but now, between Halycon, the Alberlines, it's like, I hardly know who you've become." 

Tenka inhaled deeply, her usual composure faltering into something unexpectedly vulnerable. 

"Look, I understand how this must feel. When we formed Halycon, it wasn't just about protecting Alberlines, those shattered souls we're sure were once human; it was about keeping them hidden from Cradle… and from everyone else. That meant secrets, sacrifices, even from people close to me… like you." 

Her gaze dropped, the weight of her words visible in the crease of her brow. 

"I'm sorry, Kentaro… I never wanted to leave you out of it. I hope you can forgive me." 

But before he could answer.

Everything changed. A hush settled over the city, unnatural, almost electric. A cold ripple passed through the air. 

Kentaro snapped his head skyward, then back to Tenka. Her face snapped from soft to sharp in an instant. "We need to go!" she ordered, urgency blazing in her eyes. 

He scrambled to his feet. "We?" 

She was already moving, eyes on the distant plaza. 

"Haruka, teleport us to Command," Tenka commanded into her earpiece. 

Kentaro squinted at the plaza far below. Something strange was forming there, a faint pulsing aura, framing around the Plaza.

"Is that… an Alberline?" 

Tenka's expression hardened into commander-mode. 

"Yes, but this one's small, so far. Still, stay on guard." 

He blinked. "Small? That p-plaza's massive." 

A smirk curved Tenka's lips as she stepped toward the door to the downstairs behind her. 

"You'll see much bigger soon enough, Renny." 

Once she got to the door, she paused, hand on the door handle, glancing back. 

"Teleport won't last forever, move." 

Kentaro hesitated. "W-wait, don't we have some, y'know, sky-whatever, Fraxinus-style teleport beam?" 

She gave him that half-amused, half-exasperated look. 

"Ken, no. If we needed sky beams, we'd be up there too. Our teleport connects the front door of Halycon to anywhere we need. Period." 

With that, she swung the door open, and Kentaro blinked as they stepped straight into Command, less than a week removed from when he'd fled this same room. 

"Let's move!" Tenka urged. 

"…Right," Kentaro stammered, still staring at the plain door. "Seriously, Halycon teleport is underground?" 

Her foot paused in mid-step, a heavy sigh escaping. 

"Yes. Beneath an old warehouse to the east. We do have a ship, but it's nothing like Fraxinus. More covert ops than fireworks." 

Once Tenka had finished speaking, she stepped through the doorway and into the command room.

Realizing he was being left behind, Kentaro didn't hesitate; he rushed in after her, pulling the door shut behind him.

He turned to face the room.

And for a moment, he couldn't believe it....