SQUAD ASSIGNMENTS

Today is the day of our squad

assignments.Miss Clarissa is about to begin.

Miss Clarissa glanced over us, then began reading. "The first squad will be Hikaru Kage, Sakura Kitzune, and Mikio Taiyo."

Sakura shot her hand up like she'd just won the lottery. "Yaaay! I get to be with Hira-kun!"

I wanted to disappear. Mikio just raised his hand silently, golden flames sparking as glowing words formed above him:

'Alright.'

Well. At least he wasn't jumping for joy.

Clarissa continued. "The second squad: Mikasa Aori, Fuji Kane, and Talia Hoshino."

Fuji leaned back in his chair with a smug grin, while Mikasa visibly shrank in her seat. Talia folded her arms, fire flickering faintly around her fingers.

"The third squad: Jackson Chi, Yuki Mikazuki, and Suki Mikazuki."

The twins grinned mischievously in unison while Jackson sighed and muttered something under his breath, probably about blood.

Clarissa looked up from the clipboard, satisfied. "These are your squads. Each team has a balance of abilities that should push you to grow. For the rest of this period, I want you to talk with your teammates. Decide on a squad name, and discuss who will act as your leader."

The classroom buzzed with voices instantly.

I sighed, turning toward my "squad."

Sakura leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "So! Hira-kun! We're teammates! Isn't this fate?"

"No," I deadpanned.

She ignored me completely. "What should our squad name be? Something cool! Like… Shadow Foxes! Or maybe Sakura Blossoms! Ooh—ooh! Team Sakura! That's perfect, right?"

"…No."

Mikio calmly traced glowing words into the air: 'Disaster.'

I At least someone got it.

Sakura pouted. "You're both no fun! Fine, then I'll think of something even better. Like… Sunshine Hearts!"

"…Are you serious?" I said.

Mikio erased his word and replaced it with: 'Please stop.'

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temple. This was going to be torture.

Still, something about being put in a squad stirred a strange unease in me. Relying on others. Letting them rely on me. That wasn't how I worked.

But Clarissa's voice echoed in my head. Balance. Growth.

I clenched my fist under the desk. Whatever. It didn't matter what squad I was in. I'd handle things my own way.

Not that I cared.

Sakura hadn't stopped talking for five minutes straight. Five. Minutes.

"We could be Team Sakura—no, that's too obvious. How about Foxfire? No, Shadow Hearts! No, wait, Squad HiraSaku! Doesn't that sound amazing?!"

I dropped my forehead against the desk with a dull thunk. "I'm going to die before this day ends…"

Mikio lifted his hand, golden fire sparking into words above his palm:

'Please. Someone silence her.'

I raised a finger in agreement. "Finally. Something we both agree on."

"Hey! You can't just bully me like this!" Sakura puffed her cheeks, glaring at both of us. Then she suddenly slammed her hands on my desk. "Fine! If you two won't decide, then let's pick our leader first. Obviously—it should be me."

"No."

Mikio immediately wrote in the air: 'Agreed. No.'

Sakura froze for half a second, then shook her head furiously. "Okay, fine. Then… it should be Hira-kun!"

My head shot up. "Excuse me?"

"Yes!" She pointed at me like she'd just solved the biggest mystery in the world. "Hira-kun has experience! He's cool! He's mysterious! He can lead us into battle!"

I stared at her. "I literally don't care about being leader."

"That's exactly why you should be leader!"

"…That doesn't make sense."

Mikio, with perfect timing, wrote: 'He's right.'

But Sakura was unstoppable. "Think about it, Mikio! Do you want me to be the leader? You know I'll name our squad 'Team Sunshine Hearts,' right?"

Mikio froze, flames sputtering in his hand. Slowly, he wrote:

'Kage. Lead us.'

"…Traitor," I muttered.

Sakura clapped her hands together, victorious. "It's decided then! Our leader is Hira-kun!"

"Don't I get a vote in this?" I asked flatly.

"Nope," Sakura said sweetly. "It's two to one. Democracy."

I groaned and slouched in my chair. "Fine. Whatever. But when this whole thing falls apart, don't come crying to me."

Sakura grinned. "Deal!"

She immediately launched into brainstorming again. "Okay, now for the squad name. It has to be something cool, something that makes us stand out! Like… The Crimson Blossoms! Or, wait—Team Eternal Love!"

"No."

'No.'

"Ugh, you guys are impossible!" She tapped her chin dramatically, then snapped her fingers. "How about… Squad Zero?"

I blinked. "…Zero?"

"Yeah! Think about it—it's mysterious, it's intimidating, and it makes us sound like we don't play by the rules!" She leaned in, eyes sparkling. "Also, no one else would think of it!"

I frowned, ready to shoot it down. But then I thought about it. Squad Zero… It did have a nice ring to it.

Mikio wrote slowly: 'Acceptable.'

I sighed. "…Fine. Squad Zero it is."

Sakura jumped up like she'd just won another lottery. "Yay! We're Squad Zero! With Hira-kun as our leader!"

Every head in class turned toward us after that outburst.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Sakura was still humming "Squad Zero" under her breath when I noticed the other groups starting their own discussions.

Across the room, Fuji, Mikasa, and Talia were huddled together. Fuji looked like the serious type, arms crossed with that "I carry the weight of seven swords" attitude. Mikasa, meanwhile, was fiddling with her aura, accidentally forming a gun that melted back into blue light every few seconds. Talia sat in between them, twirling a flame on her fingertip like she was bored out of her mind.

"I don't mind leading," Fuji said, voice calm but firm. "But only if you both agree."

Mikasa's face turned red as she stammered, "N-no objections…"

Talia yawned, blowing out her little flame. "Fine by me. As long as I get to set things on fire."

"…Sounds stable," I muttered under my breath.

Mikio's flame-letters appeared beside me: 'Disaster waiting.'

I nodded. "Exactly."

As for Jackson, Yuki, and Suki… well, that was chaos incarnate.

"I should be leader," Jackson declared, slicing his palm dramatically so blood dripped into a floating blade. "I have the edge."

Yuki scoffed, lounging on his chair with one leg up. "Please. The second you cut yourself too deep, you'll pass out. The leader has to be someone reliable."

"And you think that's you?" Suki's voice was sharp, like a blade. "You're unreliable by definition."

Yuki grinned at her. "That's what makes me fun."

Suki facepalmed. "Kami help us."

I leaned back in my seat, watching the twins bicker with Jackson. Honestly, it was like throwing gasoline on a fire. Eventually, Suki groaned and muttered something like, "Fine, I'll lead, since neither of you clowns can think straight."

Jackson smirked but didn't argue. Yuki, of course, made some kind of sarcastic bow.

"…That one's going to implode within a week," I said.

Sakura giggled beside me, as if enjoying the whole show. "At least we're more stable than that!"

I shot her a look. "You call this stable?"

"Yes! You're leader, I'm your right-hand girl, and Mikio is our calm support! We're perfect!"

Mikio's flame words floated above us: 'You're delusional.'

Sakura pouted. "You two are the worst."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Squad Zero, huh? Somehow, I already regret this."

Still, deep down, I couldn't deny it. Compared to the walking disasters around us… maybe Squad Zero wasn't so bad.

Fuji's squad was the first to announce their name. No surprise there.

Fuji stood tall, metallic wings folded neatly against his back, and spoke with that overly calm confidence of his. "We've decided to call ourselves Cloud Nine. A name that represents freedom, resilience, and the pursuit of something higher."

Mikasa nodded timidly beside him, her aura flickering like she wanted to hide behind it. "Y-yes, Cloud Nine…"

Talia yawned but gave a lazy grin. "Sounds cool. I'm in."

Cloud Nine. Huh. Not bad. Almost too polished. Figures.

Then came the chaos squad.

Jackson swaggered up, flicking a drop of blood off his finger like it was some kind of performance. "Our name is New Moon. It symbolizes the hidden, the darkness, and the cycle of rebirth. Pretty fitting, huh?"

Yuki leaned on his shoulder, smirking like he owned the world. "Don't let him fool you. I came up with it. Jackson just liked how edgy it sounded."

Suki pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "Whatever. New Moon is fine. Let's just move on before he cuts himself again."

I swear, just listening to them made me lose brain cells.

Finally, it was our turn.

Sakura practically skipped to the front, dragging me and Mikio along. She puffed her chest proudly. "Our name is Squad Zero! Because we're going to rise from nothing and shock everyone! Isn't that amazing?"

Her enthusiasm practically set the room on fire. Mikio just sighed and wrote 'Dragged into this' in flaming letters above his head.

All eyes turned to me, waiting for confirmation. I shoved my hands into my pockets, glaring at Sakura. "…Don't look at me. She decided it."

Still, a murmur spread through the class. Some chuckles, some whispers. Squad Zero, huh? At least it was memorable.

Miss Clarissa clapped her hands together, smiling warmly. "Excellent. Cloud Nine, New Moon, and Squad Zero. Each one of your choices says something about who you are, whether you realize it yet or not."

She let her gaze sweep across us, sharp but kind at the same time. "From today forward, you aren't just classmates. You're squadmates. Exorcists don't fight alone. The person beside you might be the one who saves your life. Remember that."

The room went quiet. Even Yuki's smirk faltered for a second.

Miss Clarissa continued, folding her arms as her tone grew more serious. "Squads are more than test scores and abilities. They're about trust. And trust takes time, arguments, failures, and victories to build. Don't expect it to come easy. But when it does…" She smiled again, softer this time. "You'll find strength you never knew you had."

For a moment, even I had to admit… she sounded convincing.

"Class dismissed. Go rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."

Chairs scraped back as everyone started to leave. Sakura hummed happily beside me, Mikio stayed silent as usual, and I just sighed.

"…Squad Zero, huh? What a pain."

"Don't worry, Hira-kun," Sakura said, giving me a bright thumbs up. "I'll make sure you look cool as a leader. Everyone will know Squad Zero is the best!"

"I didn't ask for that," I muttered.

"Eh? What's that? You're welcome?"

I looked away. Talking to her was like trying to argue with a hurricane.

Miss Clarissa clapped her hands together, instantly silencing the room.

The classroom went quiet. Even Sakura stopped pestering me.

"Teamwork is everything," Miss Clarissa continued. "Your strengths will cover each other's weaknesses. Your mistakes will be shared. Remember this well.No one succeeds alone."

I felt her words stick in my chest. No one succeeds alone, huh? Easy to say. Hard to live by. Especially for someone like me.

Then she smiled again, a little too cheerfully. "Speaking of which—get a good night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow is your first squad assessment. Practical training."

Groans erupted instantly.

"Practical training? Already?" Talia gasped.

"Does that mean… fighting?" Jackson asked, sounding way too eager.

Miss Clarissa's smile widened like she enjoyed our panic. "You'll find out in the morning. Be in the training dome at 7 a.m. sharp. Don't be late."

My stomach sank. Practical training on the second day? This school was insane.

Sakura leaned closer and whispered, "Don't worry, Hira-kun! With me by your side, Squad Zero will crush it!"

"More like get crushed…" I muttered under my breath.

Of course, she heard me. "Hey! That's no way for a leader to talk! You should say something cool like, 'We'll win no matter what!'"

I buried my face in my arms as the class laughed at our back-and-forth. This was going to be a long year.

Miss Clarissa finally dismissed us. "Class F, dismissed. Rest well, because tomorrow will decide the kind of exorcists you'll become."

Her words echoed in my head as I stood up.

Tomorrow, huh?

Guess there's no running from it.