Training: Day-5—

"Nope, no training today!" Essa declared, her eyes swept over the group, each of them poised and ready for another round of hellish trials.

Azrael and Ophis were the first ones to lounge back on the sofa, releasing heavy sighs, collapsing as if they had just escaped from the jaws of an actual demon.

Raphael's confusion furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? No training? But today is the day, right? The Arcan… whatever it was, that happens tonight, doesn't it?" Her words tumbled out quickly, eyes darting between Essa and the others.

Essa nodded, arms crossed, "Yes, that's right. Tonight is the Relic's Appearing. That's exactly why for tonight, we're taking day off"

Azrael interjected, "If we waste our energy in the morning, then by nightfall we'll be nothing but dead meat!"

Raphael tilted her head. Actually, that made sense… taking a rest now would be the best way to prepare for tonight. They couldn't afford to be tired!

Just thinking about tonight sent a chill through Raphael's body. Her hands trembled slightly with worry as her gaze wandered to Leo, who was outside, practising his new sword with slick, measured motions.

The blade caught stray sunbeams and scattered them across the yard.

"Hmm… it moves so well," Leo muttered to himself, standing in the yard, the sword flowing in his grip. His movement was precise; he closed the sword to his cheek, eyes narrowing in concentration before thrusting forward, leaping back in a single, fluid motion.

He never thought he would hold a sword like this. He never imagined himself… killing.

Anyway, tonight everything would change.

The deal—whatever fate had twisted around them... would come to its final end.

His twenty days in this new world… might come to an end as well.

His grip tightened on the hilt.

The group watched him in silence. They could feel the tension radiating from Leo, as if his nerves had set the whole atmosphere on edge.

Worried about what might come to them…

Azrael stared at the tense figure of Leo for a moment, then turned to Raphael and said, "How about… we go to the school festival and spend the day like actual people for once? Who knows, this could be our last chance to enjoy anything normal."

Raphael glared at Azrael, "Don't talk like that! We will live and continue to live. Stop being such a fatalist… can't you at least try to think positively?"

Azrael nodded, raising his hands in mock surrender. "So?"

Raphael hesitated, her expression growing thoughtful. She wondered if it was really worth going there.

Ophis, who had been silent until now, interjected, "Yes. Leo is supposed to enter the competition, though."

And without hesitation, both Azrael and Raphael said in perfect unison, "Let's go~" The sound of their voices overlapped, one playful, the other determined.

Leo, who was practising, halted mid-swing and turned to them with a bewildered expression. "School? Do you guys even understand what kind of situation we're in right now? There's a real danger—"

"Okay, okay… enough, Leo," Raphael interrupted, grinning as she strode over and reached for his arm. "Get ready, put the sword down! You have a competition in the game, right? There's no way you're backing out now!"

She flashed him a small smile.

Leo blinked, "You too?" He shook his head in disbelief as he carefully sheathed the sword, glancing at each of them with narrowed eyes before walking inside.

Raphael, noticing his drenched face, wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Maybe you should take a bath first," she said.

Leo tried to protest, half-heartedly mumbling that it wasn't good to waste time, but Raphael and the others wouldn't let him escape—especially Ophis, who seemed to take special pleasure in cornering him.

"He even won the training, where the other runners could only eat his dust… He ran like zooommmm~" Ophis declared, dragging out the word with a sly, exaggerated grin.

Leo's lips twitched as he stared at Ophis, who was wickedly smiling at him, her eyes shining with trouble. For a moment, he wondered if she'd been waiting for just this opportunity to tease him.

'You know what… I have a plan!' he thought, a sly glimmer in his own eyes as he finally relented and nodded, pretending to surrender.

Raphael hummed to herself as she went off to prepare lunch for everyone, tossing one last look over her shoulder at Leo.

Leo made his way toward the bathroom, then paused and gave Azrael and Ophis a warning stare. "You two better not enter the bathroom, got it? Don't even think about it."

Azrael and Ophis both smirked at the same time. Leo's face fell into a deadpan expression before he shouted, "Raphael, Azrael and Ophis are trying to sneak into the bathroom!"

"WHAT?!!!"

Raphael's voice rang out, echoing down the hallway with the force of a banshee.

She suddenly appeared in the doorway, clutching a giant spoon like a war hammer, her dark expression peeking out from the shadows, eyes narrowed and dangerous. Azrael and Ophis both gulped hard, immediately dropping into the sofa, desperately trying to look innocent and avoid Raphael's wrath.

Essa just shook her head, a faint smile ghosting her lips as she disappeared from the room without a trace.

"At least turn on the TV or something," Azrael grumbled, her tone a little sulky as she snatched up the remote and flicked on the morning news.

The anchor was still talking about the destruction of the building that happened a week ago.

Ophis, who had been oddly quiet, suddenly asked with a sly curiosity,

"Hey, when was Leo born again?"

Azrael raised an eyebrow, "Hmm? Did you forget what happened at twelve o'clock with that little brain of yours, brat?" she shot back, a grin tugging at her mouth.

Ophis's lips curled, "I mean… exactly when was he born? Like, the exact time."

Azrael blinked, thinking. "Well, today at 11:59:59… Why do you care all of a sudden?"

Ophis tilted her head, voice even more sly. "Then doesn't that mean he's technically still seventeen?…"

Hearing that, Azrael's face turned slightly pale, "W-What do you mean? He was born on August twentieth! Of course he's eighteen!"

Ophis frowned, her sly smile never fading. "Hmm… still, he was born at 20.08.2008 AND 11:59:59. If we go by timing… he's still SEVENTEEN for another 15 hours, right?"

Azrael tilted her head, now genuinely confused as she tried to untangle Ophis's argument. The logic was twisted, but technically it made sense.

"On paper, maybe you're right. But in reality, nobody is going to care about the exact timing at all," she said, waving it off.

Ophis leaned in, eyes gleaming with mischief. "So that means you technically tried to seduce a minor, right?" she whispered wicked tone.

Azrael's face went from pale to ghostly white. "W-What are you talking about? S-seduce? Him? No!! No way!" She stammered.

Ophis tilted her head with an innocent, wide-eyed expression, her lips pursed just so. "Azrael, did you forget who I am?" she asked sweetly.

"I saw even before he put his gift in his inner pocket… I saw those erotic tokens~" Her face turned a faint pink, but her eyes sparkled with mischief. "So, what did you do, exactly?"

Azrael gulped, horror rising in her chest… this little brat had actually seen it!

Ophis smirked wider,

"I wonder… if I call the police, would they throw you in prison, Azrael?" Her gaze flickered with amusement,

"I mean, it's technically a crime, right?"

Azrael gulped and trembled.

But then, as if struck by a new thought, Ophis blinked and leaned in even closer. "Wait… How come you know down to the seconds? 11.59.59? The heck?"

Azrael flinched, her mouth snapping shut as she realised she'd slipped up. For an instant, her eyes darted around the room like a trapped fox. She tried to play it off, letting out a strained laugh, "Hah… I mean… Raphael always tells me that stuff… Haha… you know how she is, always protective and nosy."

Ophis's face darkened, "Something's fishy between you and Leo…" she pressed, her words soft but edged. "Tell me... what are you really planning to do to him?"

"What the heck are you talking about? I'm not planning to do anything to him, brat!" Azrael snapped, cheeks burning hotter.

"Oh? Really? Then why did you give him those tokens? And how come you remember his birth timing so accurately?" Ophis purred, her smirk spreading as she leaned so close Azrael could feel her breath.

"Tell me the truth… I'll keep quiet about the tickets. Otherwise, RAP—" She drew out the threat.

"Okay, okay… calm down, brat!" Azrael interrupted quickly, waving her hand as if to banish Ophis's accusations. Her tone was half-annoyed, half-begging.

Ophis glared, "And next time, don't you dare call me brat," she shot back.

Azrael only snorted, rolling her eyes, "Birth timing? Like I said, Raphael told me… I just memorised it. It's literally the end of the day, almost midnight, so it stood out to me. That's all."

Ophis kept frowning, clearly not satisfied. "Okay… and the tokens?" she pressed.

Azrael blushed deeper, trying to hide the shy smile tugging at her lips. "Well… you know… adult things." She shrugged.

"Oh? So… you guys actually did it?" Ophis's voice was almost a whisper.

That was what she'd been circling around, pretending to be casual, but in truth, the answer mattered far more to her than she wanted to admit.

She couldn't stop thinking about it.... Ever since that day, there was a weight in her chest—a tangle of nerves and strange longing, something she hadn't felt before.

Even if she could ask Leo, she wanted—needed—to hear it from Azrael herself.

So… finally, she went to the source.

Azrael blinked, eyebrows raised. "Did what?"

Ophis clicked her tongue, face growing more serious, and narrowed her gaze, "Don't act all innocent now… did you—you know… mate with him?" Her cheeks were flushed but her eyes stayed steady.

Azrael flinched hard, a vivid blush blooming all the way up her neck. "What the hell are you asking, kid?!"

"I am not a kid, bitch… Just answer me already!" Ophis snapped, voice trembling with both anger and something like hope.

She grabbed Azrael's collar, almost shaking.

Azrael frowned, feeling Ophis's trembling, and something in her own chest shifted.

"Oi… don't tell me… are you jealous that we fucked?" she whispered, enjoying every flicker of emotion in Ophis's face.

Ophis gritted her teeth, "So you did it, huh?" Her face twisted with a contour of disgust, but her eyes flickered with something deeper—hurt, jealousy, or maybe just confusion.

Azrael blinked, not expecting this kind of reaction from Ophis. She stared at her for a moment, then asked slyly,

"Are you interested in him?"

Ophis blinked in surprise before her cheeks burned red. "Uh? N-No, of course not… that little boy? He's like a brat to me! NOPE! HMPH!" She folded her arms and turned her head away.

Azrael's grin just widened, "Oh my~ Looks like someone's fallen in love~"

"YOU BITCH, STOP IT!!" Ophis snapped, turning furious. Without warning, she leaped at Azrael, scratching at her like an angry cat, her fingers digging in as she tried to get payback.

"Fucking brat, stop this!! Arrh!!!" Azrael yelled, trying to fend her off.

While the two were busy with their wild, childish wrestling, the TV played on in the background. On the screen, the news anchor's voice turned sombre:

"It's been a week since this all started… After the disaster in the buildings, we're now facing the disappearance of people. Unlike before, we haven't found any body parts at all… which makes the mystery even deeper. What's happening in this city? So far, around 153 people have disappeared... not counting those found before."

The camera cut to the mayor, who looked visibly shaken. The reporter pressed on,

"Do you have anything to say, Mayor? Is our city really safe? Why hasn't the government answered the people's questions? What's really going on here?....."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.