Ren and Souta arrived at the campus grounds, where a long line of new recruits stretched ahead of them.
Ren sighed, slouched dramatically.
"Are we there yet?"
Souta didn't even look at him. "No."
Ren repeated louder. "Are we there yet?"
Souta narrowed his eyes. "We haven't even moved, man."
Ren turned to him slowly with a goofy grin. "ARE WE THERE YETTTTTTT?!"
BAM!
Souta punched him on the back of the head, launching Ren face-first into a nearby fruit stand.
Fruits flew. A tomato squished on his nose.
Ren groaned. "Okay okay… I'll stop."
Just then, Ayame walked up.
"Oh hi, Ren. What happened to you?"
Ren stood up in the dumbest pose possible, fruit still in his hair.
"Nothing… just, uh… touching fruit. Tasting life."
Ayame blinked. "…Right."
Soon after, they received their uniforms—each tailored to their size and style. Ren inspected his sleeves while scanning the crowd.
"Hmm… where's Itsuki? He's not here…"
Just then, a tall man stepped up onto the stage—it was Lorth, one of the top instructors. His presence silenced the entire yard.
"You've all been accepted into this training camp," he said. "But before anything, you will learn how to awaken and control your abilities. These powers will depend on the objects or weapons your soul responds to."
Everyone listened seriously. Everyone except—
Thump.
Souta felt soft hands wrap around his chest from behind. He blinked.
Then a voice purred in his ear.
"Hi, baby."
He turned to see Aika, giving him a seductive look and planting a kiss on his cheek.
Souta froze, cartoon-like. "Do I… know you?"
Ren, meanwhile, was losing his mind.
His face twisted into panic as he screamed, "SOUTA WHO IS SHE AND WHY IS SHE KISSING YOUR FACE?!"
Souta, now serious, leaned toward him.
"Ren. Be quiet. If you scream again, we might both die."
Ren's eye twitched.
Then—
"WHO DARES INTERRUPT MY SPEECH?!"
Everyone turned.
Ren slowly raised a hand like a student caught cheating.
"Uh… that's me, sir."
Lorth stared at him, silent.
"I—I'm sorry…" Ren said, standing stiffly.
After a long moment, Lorth simply turned and stepped down. "Let's begin."
Ren exhaled like he'd survived death.
Souta muttered, "You really are a walking problem."
Ren just grinned. "And proud."
---
Time passed, and the students entered their respective halls.
Some were excited. Others numb and quiet.
Souta walked calmly, his sword strapped at his waist. Aika followed close behind, knowing they both belonged to the Bladeguard Order. On the way in, Souta gave Ren a wave and a hand sign.
"See you later," he mouthed.
Ren, with his shirt half unbuttoned and swinging like he owned the place, waved back and turned into the Seigen Division hall. The vibe inside was chill lots of students chatting and laughing.
Then everything went quiet.
Everyone stared at Ren. His uniform might've looked cool on the streets but at this school? Not quite regulation.
Ren strolled in like he didn't notice and sat down.
To his left, Ayame smiled and said, "Hiii."
Ren blinked, suddenly flustered. "…Hey."
Then the door opened.
In walked a man clad in silver-plated armor with a navy-blue cloak and a holy seal on his shoulder.
Name: Sir Kaien Voss
Rank: C-Class Holy Knight
Role: Head Instructor, Seigen Division
"Good day, students. I trust you're all here because you chose the path of the Exorcist," Kaien said, sharp eyes scanning the room. "Just confirming before we begin."
Meanwhile, Ren was already slouching, bored. He leaned toward Ayame. "Is this what normal classes are like?"
Ayame raised an eyebrow. "You've never been to school before?"
Ren scratched his head. "Of course I have," he lied, a sweat running down his temple. Then he leaned back and muttered, "Still, feels lame. Don't we already know what exorcists do?"
Ayame smiled, understanding. "Even so, it's important to learn what exactly we're facing."
Ren pouted. "Yeah yeah, whatever you say…"
---
Meanwhile, in the Bladeguard Order Hall a traditional dojo filled with racks of weapons and training mats students stood in rows.
A tall, broad-shouldered knight entered, wearing black steel armor and a crimson sash across his chest.
Name: Master Rorik Draeven
Rank: B-Class Swordmaster
Role: Combat Instructor, Bladeguard Order
He barked, "Everyone, choose a weapon! We begin now."
Students scattered, picking up blades, spears, twin daggers even a warhammer or two.
Souta and Aika didn't move.
Rorik narrowed his eyes. "You two. Why haven't you selected your weapons?"
Aika casually showed her dual daggers.
Souta, hand on his sword, replied with a cold look, "I already have mine. I don't need another."
Rorik scoffed, unimpressed. "Fine. That's your funeral. Not mine."
He walked away without another word.
---
Back at the Seigen Hall, Kaien continued his lecture.
Ren, completely checked out, was staring out the window.
His eyes widened.
The floating orb from before… it was gone.
Suddenly, a memory flashed. Pain. Intense pain.
He looked down at his hand. Normal.
Then he noticed something dark inky like a tattoo on his wrist.
Ren slowly rolled up his sleeve.
A massive black mark ran up his forearm.
"What… is this?" he whispered. "Was this here before?"
Too dumbfounded to dwell on it long, he shrugged it off.
Kaien's voice echoed through the room. "Today, I'll show you how to use your Seishin your inner spirit force for hand-to-hand exorcist combat."
One student raised their hand. "What's Seishin?"
Kaien's eye twitched. "If you're here, you should already know. Put your hand down."
"Next class," he continued, "we'll learn basic channeling. For now, I'll call names to register attendance."
As he listed students, Ren was still staring at his arm.
"Ren?"
No response.
"REN?"
Ayame stepped on his foot.
"OW! Present!" he yelped.
Kaien adjusted his glasses and kept reading.
Ren looked at Ayame, fake smiling. "You could've tapped me, y'know."
She just smiled innocently.