“All right, that's enough training for today. Any physical discomfort?”
Yinbing rested her paintball marker on her shoulder, flashing a broad grin.
This was already the fourth squad to train alongside Ethel, and so far, everything had gone smoothly.
“Good. Since there aren't any problems, we'll be increasing the difficulty from here.”
“How?”
“Captain Oenone will be attacking with her Concept. Dodging paintballs doesn't prove much—you need to be able to evade actual Concept attacks. We already know you can see them, so now it's up to the rest of us.”
“The rest of you?”
“Yep. I'll be joining too. During practice, I'll follow your instructions. In a real battle, though... that's a different story.”
It was a perfectly reasonable decision.
Rather than simply dodging attacks, Yinbing had a far more effective answer to most Concepts. Her Concept, Annihilation, was considered the natural enemy of countless abilities. Rumor even had it that she could erase Tia's attacks.
“Got any plans for tonight?”
“The usual, I guess.”
By now, Ethel had watched most of the combat recordings the First Division had given him. He already had a solid grasp of the fighting habits of all seven members.
“Heeey~ Tonight's our Lost Ones gathering. Want to come?”
“A gathering?”
“Yep. We do it once a month, and Captain Oenone's treating everyone! Come on~~”
“All right.”
“Great. Six o'clock, fourteenth-floor lounge.”
With that, Yinbing went off to tidy up the training room while the paint-covered soldiers filed out one after another.
At 5:50 p.m., Ethel arrived at the lounge.
Abi and Layler were already sitting there.
“You're early.”
Abi greeted him first, and Layler followed with a casual wave.
The two couldn't have dressed more differently.
Abi wore a plain white shirt and jeans, a clean, minimalist style that looked relaxed without appearing sloppy.
Layler, meanwhile, looked ready for a punk rock concert.
Leather jacket. Leather pants. Smoky eye makeup. Chains hanging from nearly every part of his outfit.
And unless Ethel was imagining things...
...he seemed to have even more facial piercings than before.
“I thought you wouldn't show.”
“Did hearing Captain Oenone was buying dinner convince you?”
“Yes.”
Ethel answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Hahaha! I like your honesty.”
“Come have a seat. The other two will be a while.”
“They're still working?”
Ethel sat beside Abi.
“No.”
“When Yinbing actually goes out, she always makes sure to dress up. She usually arrives right on the dot.”
“As for the captain...”
Abi trailed off and glanced at Layler.
“To put it simply,” Layler said with a sigh, “she has absolutely no sense of time. She makes us wait forever every single time.”
“Well... she's the one paying.”
“And she's also our direct superior.”
“So naturally...”
“We'd never say any of this to her face.”
Layler slumped against the sofa's armrest with an exaggerated sigh.
Just as they'd predicted, Yinbing rushed into the lounge at 5:59, barely making it before the minute hand reached the hour.
“M-Made it...”
Bent over with her hands on her knees, she caught her breath.
When she finally looked up...
Ethel froze.
Normally, Yinbing wore her well-worn purple uniform paired with a pair of pants that weren't technically ripped jeans but had plenty of holes anyway. Sometimes she didn't even bother brushing her hair.
Today was completely different.
She wore a lavender blouse with a cream-colored skirt.
Silver floral earrings adorned her ears.
Her silver hair had clearly been carefully styled.
She was even wearing makeup.
“What?”
Seeing Ethel staring at her, Yinbing raised an eyebrow.
“Pretty surprising, huh?”
Layler leaned over and whispered into Ethel's ear.
“I had exactly the same reaction the first time.”
Abi nodded in wholehearted agreement.
“So did I.”
The three men exchanged knowing glances...
...then nodded simultaneously, somehow reaching a unanimous agreement over something utterly ridiculous.
Ignoring the trio of idiots, Yinbing dropped onto the sofa.
Her relaxed, almost carefree posture clashed spectacularly with her elegant outfit.
“Why are you still wearing your uniform?”
“It's the only clothes I own.”
“I threw away all the old clothes I brought with me. All I have left are my uniforms.”
“Want someone to go shopping with you?”
“I'll wait until payday.”
“I'm a little broke right now.”
That was no exaggeration.
The Peninsula Iced Tea he'd ordered at the bar had cost nearly one-sixth of his savings.
Thankfully, the Combat Division provided three meals a day.
Otherwise, he'd probably be surviving on plain white bread.
Yinbing stared at him in disbelief.
He didn't even own a change of clothes?
How exactly had this man been living?
Whatever crossed her mind, she quickly let it go and changed the subject.
“Let's make a bet.”
“How late do you think the captain will be?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“No way.”
“She was thirty minutes late last time.”
“My guess is thirty.”
“I'll say fifteen.”
“What about you, Ethel?”
“Pick any number.”
“Uh... three minutes?”
“Hah! No chance.”
“The captain's probably still slacking off somewhere.”
Layler declared loudly.
Perhaps beginner's luck really did exist.
Exactly three minutes later...
Oenone walked in.
“Good evening.”
“Have you all been waiting long?”
Yinbing, Abi, and Layler stared at her in complete silence.
Without saying a word, all three quietly stuffed their wager money into Ethel's hand.
“Oh my, Ethel.”
“Why are you still in uniform?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not at all.”
“After dinner, I'm taking you shopping.”
“But—”
“No objections.”
“Consider it a welcome gift.”
“After all, tonight is basically your welcome party.”
“Now then... let's get going~~”
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The five of them strolled down the streets together, chatting and laughing.
Oenone and Yinbing were discussing the latest fashion trends.
Although Oenone clearly didn't know much about the subject, she simply listened with a smile as Yinbing enthusiastically explained everything.
Meanwhile, Abi and Layler were planning where to go on their next day off.
“I want a few more piercings.”
“I found this set of four earrings I really like, so I'm thinking about getting a few more holes along the edge of my ear.”
“You should give it a try too, Abi.”
“I'll pass.”
“I'm not great with pain.”
“You don't mind getting beaten up during training.”
“So why are ear piercings different?”
“I don't like things that are thin and pointy.”
“Really?”
“I think they'd look good on you.”
“What about you, Ethel?”
“I don't think that style really suits me.”
“Well... that's a shame.”
“Layler,” Yinbing said, “don't you think you've already got a few too many holes in your body?”
“Hah.”
“You don't get it, Yinbing.”
“It's a man's romance.”
Ethel certainly didn't consider punching extra holes in one's body to be romantic.
Still, he had no intention of judging someone else's hobbies.
“Hey, El.”
“To be honest, even though this is technically your welcome party, I never expected you to come.”
“I figured you'd stay behind and keep working.”
Oenone draped an arm over Ethel's shoulder as she spoke.
Having finished discussing fashion with Yinbing, she turned her attention to him instead.
“El?”
“I think Ethel is a bit of a mouthful.”
“So I'm shortening it to El.”
“You don't mind, do you?”
“I don't.”
“Wonderful.”
“Then El it is.”
“So tell me, El.”
“What brought you here today?”
“Yinbing said you'd be paying.”
Ethel answered with complete honesty.
Oenone burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“You really just said it outright?”
“Simple and straightforward.”
“I like that.”
“Yes, I host one of these gatherings every month.”
“I love seeing everyone together like this.”
“I actually invited a few others as well.”
“Monet couldn't make it today.”
“He's buried under paperwork.”
“Soth turns me down every single time.”
“It's honestly heartbreaking.”
“And Yashin skips it because of that.”
“He says it'd be awkward being the only person from the Second Division when everyone else is from the Third.”
“Who's Yashin?”
“Soth's vice-captain.”
“You've probably seen him before.”
“The archer.”
Ethel recalled their battle against the demon with Concept: Fang.
There had indeed been an archer supporting the fight.
“Cypher, on the other hand, simply isn't interested in gatherings like this.”
“He still shows up every now and then, though.”
“The real reason is that he's worried his presence would make everyone else uncomfortable.”
“He's a very senior vice-captain.”
“In fact, he's the most senior Concept wielder still serving.”
“Even more senior than you?”
“Yep.”
“He was already vice-captain of the First Division when I became a captain.”
“I was only twenty back then.”
“He actually served as my vice-captain too.”
“So that's... almost twenty years?”
“More than twenty, actually.”
“He's devoted most of his life to this city.”
“Over the years, almost every Concept wielder from his generation either fell in battle or retired.”
“He's the only one still standing.”
“Then... couldn't he try talking Captain Tia into changing her mind?”
Oenone gave a helpless smile.
“One of a vice-captain's duties is obeying the captain's orders.”
“So...”
“As for Tia...”
“I invite her every time too.”
“She never comes.”
“Does Captain Tia just... not like being around people?”
Including that chance encounter at the bar, Ethel had crossed paths with Tia several times.
Every single time...
She had been alone.
Oenone's expression grew complicated.
She hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.
“She wasn't always like this.”
“It's just that...”
“I'm the only friend she has left.”
Ethel knew better than to ask any further.
He had a feeling the turning point was the same incident Tia had mentioned when she'd first recruited him.
“Well then!”
“Looks like it's just the five of us tonight!”
“Kids, let's make sure we have fun!”
“Yeah!”
As everyone answered in unison, Ethel quietly smiled to himself.
Some moments were simply too precious to burden with heavy conversations.
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