Chapter 1: A Tour of No Return

The Emotionless Blade: Dominating the Island of Magical Sins

The clock on the dojo wall didn’t tick, but Rei could feel the seconds passing in his marrow.

Four-twenty-nine and fifty seconds.

Rei gripped the shinai, the bamboo slats slightly worn under his palms. Across from him, the captain of the Kendo club was a mountain of blue cotton and heavy breathing. To anyone else, the captain was an unpredictable force. To Rei, the captain was a series of predictable intervals. A blink every three seconds. A shift in weight every five.

"Kiai!" the captain roared, his voice echoing off the high wooden rafters.

Rei didn’t shout back. He saved his breath, funneling his energy into his feet. He was aiming for the Nationals this year—not for the glory, but because his parents had saved for three years to pay his tuition. A trophy was the only way he knew how to say thank you.

Four-thirty and zero seconds.

The captain lunged. The strike was a Men—a direct overhead blow. Rei didn’t flinch. He saw the opening—a tiny gap in the captain’s timing, a fraction of a second where his guard dropped.

Rei stepped in, his footwork a blur of practiced precision.

Snap.

Rei’s bamboo sword struck the captain’s helmet at the exact moment the clock’s minute hand shifted.

"Men!" the referee called, signaling Rei’s point.

Rei pulled back, his posture perfect, his zanshin—his awareness—absolute. He bowed low, his heart beating a steady, rhythmic pulse. As he peeled off his men (mask), sweat matted his dark hair. He looked at the wall clock.

"Exactly on time," Rei whispered to himself.

Ten minutes later, Rei was dressed in his blue shirt, his Kendo gear packed away with surgical neatness. He checked his phone. His mother had sent a photo of dinner from the night before. Eat well, Rei-kun. Study hard. He smiled, a rare, genuine expression that softened his sharp features. He tucked the phone away and headed toward Classroom 3-B.

When he slid the door open, the quiet of the hallway was shattered by a burst of laughter. His friend group—the seven of them who had been inseparable since freshman year—were draped over desks like they owned the building.

"Rei! The man of the hour!" Hiro, the loudest of the four boys, threw a crumpled paper ball at him. Rei caught it mid-air without looking.

"You’re late by thirty seconds, Rei," joked Kenji, the tech-whiz who was busy scrolling through a map on his tablet.

"The captain wanted a second match," Rei replied, sitting in his usual seat next to the window.

Saki, a girl with a track-team jacket, leaned over. "Did you win?"

"Of course, he won," interjected Hana, the girl Rei had liked since the first day of orientation. She gave him a small, bright smile that made Rei’s chest tighten. "Rei doesn't know how to lose a match. He just calculates his way to the end."

"Anyway," interrupted Daichi, the joker of the group, "are we ready for the 'Special University Tour' tomorrow? I heard we’re going to that coastal facility. Private buses, catered lunch—it’s going to be a total vacation."

"It’s an educational tour, Daichi," reminded Yumi, the shyest of the three girls, though she looked excited too.

Rei looked around at his friends. There were seven of them in total:

*Rei (The Punctual)

*Hiro (The Loud)

*Kenji (The Techie)

*Daichi (The Joker)

*Hana (The Crush)

*Saki (The Athlete)

*Yumi (The Shy One)

"The bus leaves at 8:00 AM sharp," Rei said, his voice serious but warm. "If we miss the departure, we miss the credits. I’ve already checked the weather—it’s supposed to be clear, but bring a jacket just in case."

"Always the mom of the group," Hiro laughed, slapping Rei on the back.

Rei smiled, looking out the window at the setting sun. He felt lucky. He had his parents, he had his club, and he had these six people. Everything in his life was in its right place. Everything was on schedule.

He had no way of knowing that by this time tomorrow, the clock would stop mattering entirely.

The morning of January 5th was cold. The air smelled like ice and old bus engines. Rei stood. At his feet was a sports bag with his old cricket bat inside. An old cricket bat—something he kept out of habit, not sentiment.

Rei liked being early. He liked the quiet time before the world got noisy.

"Typical Rei," a voice shouted.

It was Saki. She was a runner on the track team. She ran up to him with a big grin. "If the bus was next week, you would still be standing here today, wouldn't you?"

Rei gave her a small, kind smile.

"Hey! Don't start the jokes without me!" Hiro yelled. He tripped over his own feet as he ran toward them. Hana and the rest of the friends were right behind him. The rest of the group followed behind him.

"Rei, be honest," Daichi teased. "Did you schedule your bathroom break for 7:52 AM?"

Rei looked at her, his expression dead serious. "Actually, I calculated that 7:52 creates a conflict with my boarding schedule. By moving it to 7:50:15, I gained a forty-five-second window to judge your terrible jokes before we leave."

"See!" Saki yelled, pointing at him. "He’s roasting us with math!"

Everyone laughed loudly. Rei felt his heart jump when Hana looked at him and gave him a sweet wink. He loved this. He loved the noise and the jokes.

Then, the mood changed. The other group arrived.

Kaito led the second group. They were also Law students, but they were the "Elite." They were the ones who spent every night in the library, aiming for the top judge positions in the country. They walked very straight and looked very serious. They walked up to Rei and the others.

"Good morning, everyone," Kaito said. He fixed his glasses. His voice was polite, but his eyes were cold when he looked at Hiro. "Are you guys ready for the tour?

"Yep," Everyone said except Hiro and Daichi.

"Why do you even talk to them, Rei? I have seen you always talk to them." Hiro whispered as they got on the bus. "They look like they haven't laughed in a hundred years."

"They are just... serious," Rei said. He couldn't think of a better word. He helped Hiro get on the bus. Rei did not see the mean look Kaito gave Hiro’s back. He didn't know about the secret grudges yet. To Rei, everyone was just a classmate. Saki also gave a mean look to Kaito.

Inside the bus, the groups split up. Rei’s friends sat in the back. Kaito’s group sat in the front with his girlfriend. Rei sat in the middle, like a bridge.

"Rei, come sit with us!" Saki called out, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "We finally have the evidence. Hiro has been caught red-handed!"

Hiro turned bright red, trying to hide his phone. "I don't know what you're talking about! It’s just... a legal research app!"

"A research app named 'Mika' that sends heart emojis?" Saki laughed, leaning over the seat. "Rei, look at this. Our Hiro, the guy who said he was 'married to the Law library,' has been dating a girl from the Literature department for three months behind our backs!"

Rei sat down across from them, his usual quiet smile on his face. He looked at Hiro, who was sweating and trying to look cool.

"You told me you were studying late on Friday," Rei said softly. His voice was simple, but it hit Hiro like a Kendo strike. "But I saw you at the station. You were carrying a bouquet of flowers. I thought... maybe they were for your mother?"

The whole back of the bus exploded in laughter.

"Even Rei caught you!" Hana cheered, leaning in. "The most honest guy in Tokyo University saw you with the 'evidence,' Hiro. Just give up. You’re a terrible liar for a Law student."

"It’s not like that!" Hiro pleaded, waving his hands. "I was just... testing the legalities of a public display of affection! It was a social experiment!"

"Is that why you were holding her hand like your life depended on it?"

Saki teased. "Rei, what do you think, Rei?

Should we let him off the hook this time?"

He felt a warm glow in his chest. "I think," Rei said slowly, "that Hiro is better at dating than he is at lying."

"Ouch!" the group yelled in unison.

"Even the quiet guy is roasting me now!" Hiro groaned, sinking into his seat. "I’m surrounded by bullies."

As Rei shifted closer, his hand brushed the seat where Hana was sitting. He felt very peaceful. He wanted to protect his friends and this happy world.

He did not notice the bus driver taking a wrong turn. He did not notice the clock on the dashboard start to spin backward.

Rei sat down with his friends. He was smiling. It was a bright, real smile. It was the last time he would smile like that for a very long time.