Chapter 11 - See You Later

Akari sat in the cafeteria, the world around her a blurred smudge of intense noise. Dark circles clung to her eyes, and she chewed her sandwich slowly, clearly running on fumes. The busy lunchroom only made her tired brain throb.

Mei raised an eyebrow, leaning across the table. “What’s wrong, sis? You showed up super late and just passed out… I had to make a million excuses for why you ditched…”

Akari managed a weak, exhausted chuckle. She thought of the night before, holding onto the keychain in her pocket. “Thank you, Mei… I just had the best night ever. No big deal.”

Mei smiled back, though her eyes remained cautious. “I’m glad you had fun. Because Kagemura said you have another mission, and you’re… ten minutes late.” She checked her phone. “New record!”

Akari’s eyes flew open. She scrambled to pack her things, “Kibi! Where’d I put you?!”

Mei held out the heavy staff, balancing it with practiced ease. “This? You’ve been so busy I barely had time to—!”

Akari snatched the weapon, “Thanks, sis! See you after! Wish me luck! Bye!”

She disappeared in a flash of frantic speed. Mei watched, her smile fading into a worried frown. “She’s never been this distant besides when…” She trailed off, a cold shiver tracing her spine. 

“Akari…”

Akari burst into the briefing room with sweat dripping from her head. Kagemura was standing there, leaning against a terminal with the same unamused, tired look he gave everyone.

“So glad ‘Ms. Hero’ could join us today,” he droned. “Would anyone like to fill in their late leader?”

Seraphine stepped forward, her book held against her chest. “Intel suggests a robbery will transpire on a bullet train. It is reportedly carrying high-priority government documents. In summary: an assassination plot is brewing, and it’s our job to stop it.”

Akari fell into line with Team Hinomé, her determination instantly replacing her fatigue.

“And thanks to our generous government,” Kagemura added, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “Seraphine’s schedule has been freed up to join you on this excursion.”

Akari turned to her team, “So this is our first actual mission together. All five of us. We have to go beyond our best now!”

“Then stay on your A-game, Ms. Hayasaka,” Rika taunted, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Don’t call me that!” Akari barked.

“Don’t call her that!” Yuto snapped at the same time. The two of them locked eyes, realized they had synchronized, and let out a simultaneous, weary sigh.

Kagemura rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway, you’ll be boarding the Silver Trail soon. Wait for me outside. There’s something I need to check on.”

“Will you reward us, Sensei?” Ami asked,

“As if I don’t get enough charges made in my name on a teacher’s salary,” he muttered. “I’ll pass.”

Ami pouted, stepping closer. “This is a team! You aren’t just our general, you’re our teacher! You need to bond with us too! I won’t allow this distance!”

Kagemura let out a long, theatrical sigh. “Fine… I’ll bite. When you come back, we'll do something. Just focus on the mission.”

“Yay! I’ll make sure it’s something fun!”

Kagemura closed his eyes for a moment, his voice dropping to a whisper that barely reached them. “And stay safe… please.”

Akari and Rika didn't miss it for a second. They slinked up to him, poking his shoulders. “Hey… you actually like us, don't you? It’s okay to admit it!” Akari teased.

“I didn’t know Teacher Hard-Ass had a soft spot,” Rika added. “Where’d that come from, huh?”

Kagemura scoffed, his form flickering. He vanished in a sharp crackle of electricity, leaving only a sour expression behind.

As the team exited the room and headed for the transport hub, they rounded a corner and came face-to-face with Team Astra. The two groups stopped, the air thick with a short but heavy history.

Akari and Kana didn't hesitate. They ran toward each other, their hands meeting in a sharp, echoing high-five.

“Where you off to in a hurry, Aka-chan?” Kana asked, 

Rika blinked, baffled. “Aka-chan? Seriously?”

“We just got a mission, and we’re gonna smash it out of the park!” Junpei roared, his booming laugh filling the corridor. He looked at Akari with a smirk. “We’re in the same boat. You sure you can handle a solo run?”

“Who do you think we are?” Rika countered, stepping forward confidently. “We all suffered that day. We’re gonna show you up and make the headlines, dummy!”

Mira smiled, adjusting her scarf to hide a chuckle. “I hope you can back that up. The day you surpass us, we’ll party all night!”

Toru, finally cracked a small, rare smile as he looked at Yuto. “...Stay safe,” he said quietly.

Yuto crossed his arms, nodding back with equal gravity. “You as well.”

Akari giggled behind them. “And so they say, Yuto’s heart grew three sizes that day!”

“It’s not too late for me to kill you and take over as Leader,” Yuto glared, though there was no heat in it.

“Yes, sir…” Akari responded,

Ami looked at Kana happily. “It’s funny you mention partying—we’re planning something, too! We should all go together!”

Seraphine put a gentle hand on Ami’s shoulder, her eyes filled with worry. “But weren’t you…”

Ami looked back, a momentary flicker of that deep, hollow tiredness crossing her face before she masked it. “It’s okay. Really. I can forget for a day. I think I’ll need it.”

“Looks like our teams are finally getting along, eh?” Kana said, her voice full of genuine warmth.

“If we do party, I better hear that story you mentioned!” Akari added, gesturing to the rest of Astra.

Kana chuckled, pointing a thumb back at Mira and Junpei. “If the lovebirds can hold back for a second, sure!”

“Kana, what the hell?!” Mirai barked, his face turning a shade of red that rivaled Akari’s hair. “Astra secret! SECRET!”

Kana waved away her worries, laughing. “C’mon, they’re basically unofficial members! It’s not like it’s a secret anymore!”

“But if I talk about—!” Mira started, only for Kana to slam a hand over her mouth.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry! Jeez!”

Down the hallway, a bolt of electricity crackled—Kagemura, gesturing for them to hurry.

“Shoot, we’re out of time,” Akari sighed, 

“Don’t worry, we’ll be back. You can count on it,” Junpei exclaimed, turning his back to them with a confident wave. “Make sure you shine out there, Hinomé!”

“Right! Ami, I expect you to teach them a thing or two about teamwork!” Mira added.

Ami waved back. “Of course! Good luck with your mission!”

Kana and Akari locked eyes one last time. They high-fived again once again, lingering a bit longer for Akari to hold Kana’s hand. “We’re going to go on ahead,” Kana said, sticking her tongue out playfully. “Make sure you catch up soon, or you’ll be eating our dust!”

“You just wait!” Akari shouted as Team Astra began to walk away. “Someday, we’ll surpass you! Kana and I will stand at the top! That’s a promise!”

Kana turned back one final time. She didn't say anything. She just gave Akari a soft, eyes-closed smile, one that outshone the sun. Then, she turned and followed her team into the shadows of the far corridor.

Kagemura walked up to Hinomé, touching Akari’s shoulder. In a blink of static, the hallway vanished, replaced by the bustling platform of the mag-lev station.

“I’d yell at you for being late,” Kagemura said, looking at the empty space where Astra had been. “But goodbyes are important. Every Lucent knows that much, at least.”

“It’s not goodbye,” Akari corrected him firmly. “It’s ‘see you later.’ I don’t believe in forever partings.”

Kagemura didn't answer. “Whatever… Seraphine, be vigilant. Team Orion is on standby for the worst-case scenario.”

Seraphine nodded, her expression uncharacteristically sharp as she looked at the sleek, needle-like train. “We’ll handle it.”

The team boarded the Silver Trail. The interior was eerily pristine—plush seats, soft ambient lighting, and an unsettling lack of passengers. They settled into their seats, the silence of the car amplified by the humming of the mag-lev rails.

“Sera, what exactly should we be on the lookout for?” Akari asked, leaning her staff against her seat.

Before Seraphine could answer, the train engaged. The acceleration was instantaneous. A massive force slammed Akari’s head back into the headrest, the world outside the window turning into a smeared blur of gray and green.

“So… fast…!” Akari gasped.

“Aether-conduction engines,” Rika explained, relaxing into her seat. “It makes transport near-instant, but it’s a hell of a ride.”

Suddenly, the pneumatic doors at the front of the car hissed open. Two men in tactical gear, brandishing high-caliber rifles, stormed in.

“Hand over everything you’ve got! Now!”

Team Hinomé didn't move. They didn't even look scared.

“C’mon, kids! Everything!” The lead man approached Akari, his eyes falling on her staff. “I’m sure a piece of tech like this would sell for a—” He reached out to grab Kibi.

The moment his hand closed around the staff, his arm jerked. He pulled. It didn't move. He planted his feet and hauled with both hands, his face turning purple. The staff remained perfectly still, as if it were welded to the floor of the train.

“What the…! How do you even carry this thing?!”

The second man panicked, leveling his rifle at Akari’s head. She let out a long, bored sigh. She stood up and snapped her fingers.

A web of threads erupted from the ceiling. Before the man could pull the trigger, he was yanked upward, bound like a cocoon. Akari dropped low, sliding beneath the first man’s reach, and delivered a precise strike to his solar plexus. He doubled over, gasping, only for Yuto to step in. With a swift, clinical chop to the back of the neck, the man slumped to the floor.

“What a disappointment,” Yuto muttered, adjusting his hair.

Akari looked up at the man dangling from the ceiling. “Hey. Akari Hoshizawa, Lucent, Leader of Team Hinomé. Nice to meet you. Mind if we ask a few questions?” She gave him a devious, sharp-toothed smirk.

“I’m not answering a goddamn thing!” the man spat.

The threads around him tightened, the glow turning a dangerous shade of red as they bit into his tactical vest. “You better talk,” Rika’s voice came from the back of the car, cold and sharp. “Or you’ll lose a lot more than your dignity.”

“Okay, okay!” the man shrieked. “It’s a distraction! The boss just wants to cut this car loose! He’s gonna send you off the rails!”

The air in the car turned freezing. Rika closed her eyes, her fingers twitching as if she were playing an invisible harp. “I’ve extended my strings through the ventilation... there are over a hundred signatures coming our way. And there are no passengers in the other cars.”

She snapped her eyes open, her face pale. “It’s a trap. A massive one. What the hell is going on?!”

Ami stood up, her small frame radiating a sudden, commanding authority. “We split up. The Defense Team will break outside and signal for help or stop the decoupling! The Attack Team stays here to draw their fire!”

Akari grabbed her staff, twirling it in her hands like a toy. “I’ll play defense. I’m the fastest, I can get to the engine.”

Yuto and Rika stood back-to-back. “We’ll take the attackers,” Rika said, her threads beginning to hum. “Someone has to bind them for capture.”

Ami turned to Seraphine, “Please… protect Akari. I know how strong you are. Just keep her safe! I’ll handle the coordination from here.”

Seraphine smiled—not the placid, fake smile from she gives people, but something kinder. “Understood.”

Akari pointed her staff at the door, the gold Sun keychain jingling against the metal. “Hinomé… roll out!”

Chapter 11 — The End.