8

“On a serious note, Kaede, you aren't allowed on missions yet.” Yuna spoke up after the laughter died down.

“Why not?” Kaede whined dramatically, slumping onto the table. “I’m clearly ready. My combat skills are top-tier!”

“You threw a shoe at a practice dummy last week,” Tsubasa reminded her flatly without looking uo from his tablet as always. “It wasn’t even a good throw.”

Kaede gasped, clutching her chest. “You take that back!”

“No,” Tsubasa said without hesitation.

Hikaru chuckled. “Sorry, Kaede. Rules are rules. No ability, no missions.” He leaned in teasingly. “Besides, what would you do if things got dangerous? Throw both shoes?”

“I would!” she declared proudly, kicking off one of her shoes for emphasis.

Ren raised a brow. “You’re really leaning into this, huh?”

Kaede grinned mischievously. “Gotta play to my strengths, right?”

Yuna sighed, shaking her head. “You’ll get your chance soon enough. Just... wait until your birthday, okay? No one’s rushing you.”

Kaede pouted but didn’t argue further. “Fine,” she mumbled, resting her chin on her arms. “But it’s so boring just waiting around while you guys do all the cool stuff.”

“Trust me,” Hikaru said dryly, “it’s not all fun and games. You ever get chased by a rogue elemental in the middle of the night? Not exactly a good time.”

“Speak for yourself,” Ren quipped. “I handled that perfectly fine.”

“You fell in a ditch.”

“I tactically retreated into the terrain.”

Hikaru snorted. “Sure you did.” He laughed. Sure, he wasn't there, but he can surely imagine Ren doing that.

Tsubasa spoke up. “You're a fighter, Kanzaki?”

Hikaru leaned back with an easy grin. “Nah, not officially. Just someone who's good at not dying."

Kaede perked up, her curiosity piqued. “Does it have something to do with your mystery ability?”

He shrugged lazily. "Just means I can hold my own if things get messy. Y'know, lifting heavy stuff, dodging punches... standard survival tactics."

“Standard?” Yuna raised a skeptical brow. "Most people don’t consider fistfights part of their survival plan."

"Clearly, they’re living life wrong," Hikaru said smugly.