Chapter 6

  As Rei kept teasing Sera, tossing smirks like pebbles in a pond, General Kaine finally snapped. “That’s enough, you little punk—”

  But Rei suddenly cut in, “Ah right, I almost forgot something important.”

  Both Kaine and Sera turned toward him.

  “For your ‘secret mission’,” Rei said casually, stretching his arms, “there’ll be three more teammates. A full five-man squad.”

  Sera’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? You never told us it was a five-man team.”

  Rei grinned. “Tsk tsk, General, you really are getting old. Forgetting stuff already?”

  Kaine’s vein popped. “Shut up, you cocky bastard!”

  Rei just chuckled as Kaine waved a hand dismissively. “Now both of you—go. Head to the academy. You’ve got afternoon classes to attend. Don’t forget, you’re still teenagers. Go enjoy school life while you still can.”

  “Yeah, yeah… whatever,” Rei said, already walking away lazily with his hands in his pockets.

  Just before disappearing around the corner, he called out, “Sera—I’m reserving the seat beside me!”

  Surprisingly, Sera didn’t argue back. A tiny smile tugged at her lips.

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  But instead of following immediately, she stayed back. “Father,” she said softly.

  Kaine turned toward her.

  “If… if you and Rei fought seriously—with both of your weapons and at full power… who would win?”

  Kaine’s expression didn’t change.

  “So you’d beat him easily?” she asked again.

  Silence.

  Then, with a deep voice and a rare edge of seriousness, Kaine said—

  “I didn’t say that.”

  Still shaken by what her father had said, Sera found herself more aware—no, almost nervous—of Rei’s presence. “That wasn’t a fight,” her father had said. The idea that even he didn’t claim to win against Rei left a mark.

  As she stepped into the classroom, her eyes were instantly drawn to the familiar figure in the back. Rei—slouched in his chair, surrounded by his usual crowd—raised a hand lazily and called out, “Sera! Your seat’s waiting—don’t make your boyfriend look lonely.”

  The whole class turned.

  Sera’s cheeks flushed instantly. “W-What are you saying, idiot?!”

  Rei just smirked. “What? Don’t act so shy in public, or people might think I’m harassing a girl out of my league.”

  The class went wild—laughs, gasps, and whispered gossip filled the air.

  Despite herself, Sera smiled a little. He’s still the same Rei. No matter how strong or important... he's still just an annoying teenage boy. That thought grounded her.

  She walked confidently and sat beside him. The crowd erupted in low whispers again.

  “Isn’t that the general’s daughter?” “Did they just flirt?” “Don’t tell me they’re...”

  Just then, the first period bell rang.

  A heavy thud echoed as the door slammed open. An older man stepped in—glasses perched on his nose, ruler in one hand, thick notebook in the other. His clothes screamed ‘strict old-school teacher.’

  The classroom fell into dead silence.

  “That’s more like it,” the man muttered with a sharp tone. “This is an Agent Training Academy—not a damn fish market.”

  He scribbled his name on the board. “I’m Mr. Kisimoto. I teach strategy. In this class, if you don’t pay attention, you don’t pass. Simple.”

  With that, he began his lecture. The tension in the room stayed sharp.

  Except one.

  Rei had already dozed off.

  Sera nudged him, whispering, “Are you seriously sleeping in Kisimoto’s class?! He’s the strictest teacher in the whole academy!”

  Rei muttered half-asleep, “Strict teachers are just loud adults with too much free time…”

  Sera sighed and focused on taking notes.

  But a student from the front row raised his hand. “Sir! Rei Archlight is sleeping in your class! You said everyone had to pay attention.”

  Kisimoto looked up.

  “Oh? Rei Archlight…” A nostalgic look passed through his eyes. “Fun fact: I once fought beside him during the war. He was… terrifyingly good at what he did.”

  He turned to the snitching student.

  “As for the matter of him sleeping... I can’t tell someone to learn something they already live.”

  The air in the room went still.

  Nobody dared to speak.

  Even Rei, half-asleep, smirked slightly.

  Kisimoto turned back to the student. “And rather than worrying about others, maybe focus on your own answers. From here, I can already see you got the last one wrong.”

  The student shrank in his seat.

  Kisimoto faced the blackboard again. “Now then—back to battlefield formations.”