The sun rose lazily over the Tsukimori Association, painting the courtyard in soft gold. Kaito, Sayaka, and Akihiro stood lined up as usual — a little tense, a little curious.
Their mentor, Hishimiya Itsugoyorozu, however, looked… unusually relaxed. She yawned, holding a cup of sweet milk tea and waving her hand dismissively.
"Morning, my lovely students," she said, smiling like someone who'd slept for fourteen hours. "Today's lesson will be…" — she paused dramatically — "delegated."
"Delegated?" Akihiro frowned. "To who exactly?"
Hishimiya grinned mischievously and pointed behind them.
Two figures stepped into the training grounds — twins, both tall, radiant, and carrying electric auras that shimmered in opposite hues.
"Meet Christian Daran — the Fifth Tsukimori," she said, gesturing to the man with short platinum hair and bright blue eyes, electricity humming faintly across his fingertips. "And Bailey Daran — the Seventh Tsukimori," she added, nodding at the woman beside him, his dark silver hair glowing with purple sparks.
Kaito's brows furrowed. "Twins?"
Christian laughed warmly. "Half-twins, technically. Same father, different mothers, same training hell."
Bailey rolled her eyes. "He means I was better at it."
Hishimiya clapped her hands. "They'll be teaching you Buff Techniques — how to synchronize your Eien Ryoku flow with others and enhance each other's output."
Sayaka blinked. "Buffs? Like… energy support?"
"Exactly," Bailey said, his voice smooth but firm. "Tsukimori don't just fight alone. You amplify your allies' strengths, reduce weaknesses, and sometimes—" she snapped her fingers, a surge of black lightning scattering across the field "—you can redirect fate itself."
Christian crossed his arms, his blue energy crackling like calm thunder. "We represent dual aspiration — the push and pull of positive and negative energy. Aspiring Interverse and Aspiring Descent."
Kaito nodded slowly. "So… one amplifies, and the other suppresses?"
Christian grinned. "Exactly. But the secret lies in control. Without balance, both can kill you faster than an enemy."
Akihiro glanced at Hishimiya, who was now lying on a bench, sipping her tea. "You're just… gonna watch?"
She waved lazily. "I trust my colleagues. Plus, I already did the scary life-threatening lesson last week."
Bailey smirked. "Typical Yuki."
The twins led the trio to the training field, setting up five glowing orbs that hovered midair.
"Alright," Bailey said, cracking his neck. "First exercise: Voltage Synchronization. You'll stand between us and learn to channel both polarities without frying your soul."
Sayaka blinked. "Without… frying?"
"Don't worry," Christian said, grinning. "We've only lost three students."
Kaito froze. "Wait, WHAT—"
But before he could finish, Bailey clapped his hands — a spark of purple lightning shot through the ground, forming a circle.
"Focus," he said. "Visualize your Eien Ryoku as a thread connecting to ours."
Kaito closed his eyes, summoning his Celestial Covenant energy, golden light spiraling around his arms. Sayaka's Spirit Core shimmered blue, while Akihiro's Spatial Awareness created a faint distortion bubble.
Christian extended his right hand — bright, vibrant currents flowed toward them. "Positive charge enhances your energy flow. Think of it as aspiration, hope, and movement."
Bailey extended her left — darker, slower currents coiled out. "Negative charge grounds your mind, stabilizes your output. It's calm, despair, and precision."
The trio stood between them, the clash of light-blue and purple-black lightning humming around their bodies.
Sayaka clenched her fists. "It's… hot and cold at the same time!"
Akihiro grit his teeth. "It's like my body's being stretched—"
Kaito's eyes widened — the energy was resonating with his second Ryoku, Hikari-Ami Fusion. He raised his hands, letting threads of light and darkness form a sphere between them.
Christian's grin widened. "You're balancing polarity instinctively… impressive!"
Bailey nodded in approval. "If you can sustain that without collapsing, you'll be ready for real Buff combat."
The energy in the field surged — lightning arcs snapping into the sky. The trio screamed in exertion, yet none of them broke.
Finally, Kaito let out a roar and released the energy in a controlled wave. It burst outward, rippling through the entire courtyard but not harming a single leaf.
Silence.
Bailey exhaled. "Well… they didn't die. That's a first."
Christian laughed. "That was way better than expected. You three have potential."
Sayaka fell onto the grass. "Potential? I almost became a battery."
Akihiro chuckled weakly. "You'd still glow pretty."
Kaito smirked, exhausted but proud. "Guess we passed?"
Christian knelt beside him. "More than that. You just tapped into a secondary synergy layer — Tri-Current Flow. That's rare even for Stellar Grades."
Hishimiya clapped lazily from her bench. "Told you they were fast learners."
Bailey rolled his eyes. "You didn't even lift a finger."
"I lifted my tea cup," Hishimiya said, sipping again.
The twins sighed in unison.
As the sun dipped below the Association's walls, Christian and Bailey stood before the trio once more.
"Remember," Christian said, "positive and negative aren't about good or bad — they're about direction. One pushes, the other steadies. Together, they make power sustainable."
Bailey crossed her arms. "And if you ever lose control… think of the one thing that keeps your Eien anchored. The emotion that defines your soul."
Sayaka smiled faintly. "Sincerity."
Akihiro nodded. "Focus."
Kaito looked up at the fading sky. "Balance."
Hishimiya stood, stretching. "Beautiful answers. Class dismissed."
As they packed up, Christian looked at her teasingly. "You're not going to teach tomorrow either, are you?"
She winked. "No promises."
Bailey sighed. "You're lucky you're a Celestial."
Hishimiya laughed. "No — I'm lucky I have students who make me proud."
And as the trio walked home, sparks of blue, purple, and gold danced faintly around them — silent proof that the lesson of dual aspiration had been burned into their souls.
They didn't know it yet, but this training would soon save their lives.