Crimson Fire!

Shuuta led her to the school rooftop, where no students were roaming, only the prez, Shuuta, and the chunni.

"Beat me at a one-on-one combat."

Kakoyo was left speechless; she was truly excited, up until this moment. Now she had to hurt the boy that she admired the most.

'Heh. Check-mate, I turned the tables, my win, it's over. I know that you would never hurt the "Demon King" even if it meant joining my team.'

It was a difficult choice; she wanted to join Shuuta through his adventures, but... hurting the person she loved? That was inconceivable! Truly of a Demon King!

"I accept."

Silence. The boy hadn't expected that response, and Hikaru just stood there watching both of them.

"So she decided to fight Shuuta; I can't wait to finally see her Magic."

Kakoyo's Magic is unknown to every Mystic inside of Memorial.

In fact, she's as mysterious as an unknown shiny creature!

Kakoyo's determination gleamed in the sun; she had steadied her footing and poised herself, ready to strike the not-so-ready Shuuta.

"Well, let's start this already!" As the short girl uttered her words—

"[Crimson Fire!]"

Red bloody flames shaped themselves from unknown space, their mass convoluted and became a huge fist, one that radiated danger.

"Crimson Fire?! Impossible!" Hikaru spat as he yelled.

Shuuta took notice of it but didn't know what to make of it.

Shuuta glared at the impending fist, he extended his arm and opened his hand.

With a dark face, Shuuta was able to stop the fist; a gust of wind sparked the rooftop, giving a dread feeling of unease to Hikaru.

"They're going to destroy the school!" Hikaru hesitated about whether he stops them or not.

Crimson Fire is one of the 5 Lost Fires of Agriath! And he's witnessing it right now and its prowess!

He can't stop the fight... no, a chance to see Lost Magic and a guy with huge potential to duke it out... He would pay money to watch this!

"Impressive. But—"

The fist suddenly created smaller hands from its fiery skin, ten... no, fifteen hands darted towards Shuuta.

"—This match will be mine!" Kakoyo grinned devilishly.

Hikaru noticed an awful turn of emotions around Kakoyo; it seems that using Crimson Fire turns their emotions into something horrid.

A hurricane of negative emotions.

"Shit!" Shuuta lurched upwards avoiding all the mini fists, but then—

A bigger, redder fist darted downwards to him; it was the size of a meteor. The heat started melting the concrete, the walls became slimy, and the plants on the roof turned into ashes.

"Gaak!" Hikaru was rendered dumbfounded, death reflected in his pupils.

"Drop dead!"

Dust spread everywhere; the school trembled, and the ground cracked. If it wasn't for Shuuta, the rooftop would have broken down.

Many students froze in terror; such a tremor was skin-crawling. Kentaro flinched and felt dark energies colliding. 'That's not good.' He hurriedly took off.

"And that little girl really thought he was the Demon King. What a joke." A deeper, more sinister voice rang out from Kakoyo.

Suddenly, the dust started coiling into the center of the fist; Shuuta released a bit of his Magic.

"Don't count me out yet." Shuuta stood up from the fractured floor, he had a demonic skull on his fists, devouring the crimson flames, looking like beasts devouring their prey.

"What, that's not possible! My flames can outburn the sun itself! What kind of Magic is that?!" Kakoyo's face turned grim; she had never anticipated her flames to be eaten as if it was nothing.

Crimson Flames. The wildest of the bunch, its temperature can leave people in a coma if they fight for a long time. The scorching fire would drain out your stamina and deplete your mana.

On the other hand, controlling the flames is like trying to control a tsunami; it can be dangerous and puts the life of the wielder at risk.

"Ghraaaaaaaaa!"

A cry that sounded like a wail crept into Shuuta's ears.

Where did that sound come from? One would turn to the girl... but it was the fire itself!

Shuuta was shivering in fright.

The incarnation of the sun clenched its fist, blazing with fiery intensity. Its trajectory sped towards the frozen boy.

"Shuuta! Move out of the way!" Hikaru screamed as he tried to push Shuuta out of the path of destruction.

BOOOM! The impact shook the ground like an earthquake, but—

"Dad?" Hikaru gingerly opened his eyes, which had been shut during the explosion.

He saw a stern, muscular man who had managed to stop the blow entirely with a single finger!

"Kentaro-san?" Shuuta gasped for air; the temperature had been too much for him.

"Disperse," Kentaro's deep voice commanded, instantly decimating the giant fist into sparks. Light traveled back to his hand and absorbed the particles.

"Again?! How can my flames be toyed with so easily?! I will cook you alive!" Kakoyo raged.

"Grias? Fascinating," Kentaro disappeared from Kakoyo's view with a flash.

Flick! Kentaro knocked out the chunni with a single blow, just a flick of his finger.

"Amazing..." Shuuta remarked under his breath. He felt such power emanating from Kentaro; it was sinking Shuuta to the ground, almost like the gravity around them got heavier.

Suffocating.

Hikaru still couldn't get used to his father's Mana. He always fought seriously after the incident.

Kentaro lifted Kakoyo and handed her to Shuuta.

"Huh?"

"You have a great comrade. Protect her at all costs. She has a special ability that can put her own life at risk. Your Magic might be able to sustain or at least ease her berserkness... I've decided." Kentaro paused with a serious look in his eyes.

"Father?"

"She will be assigned to your squad. I now hereby name Squad five...officially created!"

"What?! She's gonna be on my team? Wait...then who else is on Squad five?" Shuuta asked.

"Shuuta—"

"Yes!"

"—Hikaru—"

"Yes, Father."

"—and Kakoyo, for now at least."

Squad five had been officially created!

Now all of them must do quests together, fight for their lives together, and help each other.

Kentaro instructed them to rest, eat well, and prepare their minds. Tomorrow after school, they would be sent an official Mission from the Principal himself.

Noara would be waiting for them in the office after they finished for a big surprise.

...

"Master! I've arrived! I can't wait to do our first quest together!" Kakoyo's smile was bright.

"I can't say I feel the same, but... I guess, please take care of me." Shuuta turned away from the chunni with a blush across his cheeks.

"It's a pleasure to work with you both. I'm Ogawa Hikaru. I'm from the Ogawa clan. I love my sister... and her cute smile, and her great personality... and I like sightseeing."

"Eh...I'm Katashi Shuuta."

"That's it? Come on, Shuuta, speak more about yourself."

Shuuta glanced down and sighed.

"I have no hobbies. I like manga and love big boobs! My favorite food is Onigiris... since that was the only thing to eat. And I have a ghost as my Familiar."

Hanako wore a grin. 'I think he's talking about me!' She peeked at Kokoyo's bust, only to jeer.

Hikaru remained quiet as he glared at Shuuta.

Kakoyo tugged her chest... only to whimper. "I still have time!"

"My turn! My turn! I am Hamakawa Kakoyo! A novelist in training, the most amazing wielder of pyrokinesis, and the cutest devil of the house of Maya. I love Onigiris and love manga... now."

Shuuta had a sullen look, only to facepalm... she's making it way too obvious.

"House of Maya is her club's name," Hikaru whispered to Shuuta.

"I-I see." Shuuta couldn't care less.

"Anyhow. Let's focus, guys. This is our first official quest, and I want to take it seriously."

Shuuta nodded solemnly.

Kakoyo agreed as well.

Hikaru pulled out his phone and glanced at his bright screen. His eyes followed, "Rescue Mission: "My cat has been stranded across Uzumaki Street and the public plaza of Umi. I am too scared to go there; monsters are roaming, and I have no way to protect myself. Please... save my only friend."

Shuuta clenched his fists, and the boy's face contorted and saddened. He felt his heart dropping by the second.

Was that the only friend he had?

Shuuta could see his past self in that guy.

His eyes straightened.

"Let's go save the kitty. I won't let the owner down!"

"Yeah! I can't let a poor little cat in danger like that!"

"Agreed. Hopefully, the cat is safe."

The trio hurried to the area where the cat was last seen.

...

"Good job, guys. This mission has been officially completed."

Everyone was slumped over like lifeless bodies, Shuuta being the only exception. He was beaming with energy and cradling the cat like a proud parent.

"How does he still have energy? We ran a marathon to rescue that cat."

"He has the energy of a Demon King... that's why."

Shuuta couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

The cat turned to Shuuta and curled up in his arms, as if claiming him as its rightful owner.

'Hey, I'm not your owner, kitty, he's right here,' Shuuta thought as he gently stroked the cat's head.

"T-Thanks a lot… I didn't know what to do without him. I felt hopeless and lonely…"

Shuuta remembered that same feeling from his own past, sitting by his bed on the ground, feeling despondent. Wondering why he was the way he was. Memories of his past left him momentarily frozen.

"Here… She seemed lost as well. This kitty was aggressive with everyone."

Shuuta continued with a smile. "That girl right there got scratched on her left eye… which is why she has her eye patch on that side now. She wore it on the other eye."

"Sorry…"

"Don't apologize, it's alright! I got a good laugh out of it, so it's fine."

Kakoyo pouted in annoyance, but Hikaru just chuckled.

"Protect her how she tried to protect herself. She was trying to hold onto her life. I'm pretty sure she wanted to see you again."

"You think so?" The kid looked at the sleeping cat with a relaxed expression. He arced his lips slightly.

The boy kept smiling, tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes. He couldn't hold them back any longer, and they began rolling down his puffy cheeks.

The boy reached out and held Kiko, caressing her fur and pressing her gently against him. "I will protect you... next time, because you're my friend."

Shuuta couldn't help but be moved by the boy's determination. He smiled as bright as the sun, patting the kid's head. "That's right, you have the will of a Mystic."

'The will... of a Mystic.' The kid contemplated what Shuuta said, finding it incredibly inspiring.

Kentaro also smiled at the touching scene. 'It seems Shuuta will be a splendid Mystic.'

Noara agreed with her superior, glancing at the trio smiling together and raising everyone's spirits. 'Kids... I must become stronger to protect all of you. Ain't that right, Excalibur?'

Excalibur just scoffed at the carefree lady. 'Well, at least the boy isn't a rotten Mystic.' After that, the sword started laughing.

'Speak for yourself...' Noara sullenly glanced at the sword.

'He kind of reminds me of Shigeo, don't you think?' The sword continued.

'Shigeo? As in "the" Takeda Shigeo?'

'Yes, I met him once, and with my first glance, I saw pure gentleness and warmth... even though his aura was shrouded in pure darkness.'

'I looked up to that man. He was my idol and my goal, to become a true Mystic... I didn't know you met him... go figure!' Noara's cheeks curled up.

Noara had her view on Shuuta, seeing the resemblance of Shigeo in him – his tender smile, his bright aura, and powerful splendor that made anyone want to become something better.

'To protect that smile, I will master that Skill. Even if it costs me my life.'

Excalibur, after listening to her absolute statement, remained silent.

'Now, now, let's not get hasty, even for a hag your age, your body will break.'

'What did you call me?!' Noara's eyes widened, veins popping left and right on her forehead.

Shuuta noticed the nurse having a mental breakdown and decided not to look at her.

"With this, your first mission has concluded. You can go now, we'll take it from here." Kentaro then walked the kid outside, but before he exited, the kid turned to Shuuta.

"Onii-san, I will become strong. Just like you! So that I can protect Kiko." The kid beamed with determination.

"Yeah! Give it your all!"

The kid's sunny-like expression remained on Shuuta's mind for a while, the first time his heart had been so moved. The pure satisfaction of completing the mission and the fact that he would get compensated felt amazing.

Yet, something nagged at him.

"I froze up in front of Kakoyo and almost ended my life. I must find a way to rid of this debuff."

And with that, everyone departed to their respective homes. Shuuta decided to begin training his body and soul, knowing that the chrome room would come in handy.