Part 5 – Divided Paths
The instructor picked up the wooden pad at his side and flipped it open, scanning the parchment inside.
"Team assignments will now be announced," he said firmly.
The murmurs stopped immediately.
"Listen carefully."
He glanced down at the list.
"Team 1. Kaito Inazuma, Hina Kobayashi, Naoko Minami, Hiroki Hasegawa."
A few students shifted slightly as they heard their names.
The instructor continued.
"Team 2. Haruto Inazuma, Daichi Mori, Kento Ishida, Akio Akebono."
Daichi looked toward Haruto with a grin, but Haruto remained focused on the rest of the list.
"Team 3. Shin Sugiyame, Riku Tanaka, Raizo Okabe, Ozawa Takahara."
Raizo cracked his knuckles quietly while Riku stood calmly beside him.
"Team 4. Ayame Inazuma, Tetsu Yonamine, Nabu Mizuno, Katsuo Shimura."
Ayame remained composed while Tetsu shifted his stance slightly.
"Team 5. Izumi Homura, Yuna Sekiguchi, Nagai Ayaka, Kanae Ziro."
Yuna placed a reassuring hand on Izumi's shoulder.
"Team 6. Haruki Aoba, Emi Fumio, Itsuki Okamoto, Hayame Muramatsu."
Haruki blinked, quickly looking around to find his teammates.
"Team 7. Sanae Fujikawa, Kira Arakawa, Yori Senzaki, Higashi Fujiwara."
Sanae crossed her arms as the others beside her exchanged glances.
"Team 8. Amaya Homura, Saito Kaneshiro, Nao Hoshi, Zenzo Amana."
Amaya stretched her shoulders, already looking toward the arena field.
"Team 9. Souta Nishikawa, Saki Aizawa, Chiharu Phoenix, Bunjiro Uesugi."
Souta gave a small awkward smile toward the students beside him.
"Team 10. Arashi Homura, Misaki Hoshino, Leo Junpei, Mei Shibata."
Misaki glanced toward Arashi briefly.
"Team 11. Pirika Uri, Mika Fumio, Yamashita Taro, Marika Kurogane."
"Team 12. Kagawa Ootani, Shogo Tokugawa, Marito Nishitani, Kiyoshi Kaoru."
The instructor closed the wooden pad.
The students murmured quietly as they began locating their teammates.
He raised his voice again.
"This round will last fifteen minutes."
The arena quieted once more.
"Within that time, teams will defend their own flag while attempting to capture the flag of another team. As stated earlier, once three teams fail to recover their captured flag within the allotted time, the round will end."
He paused before continuing.
"Now listen carefully to the restrictions."
A few students straightened again.
"The use of elemental powers is strictly prohibited."
"No fire, no water, no wind, no lightning, no earth. Any elemental technique will result in immediate removal from the round."
He continued calmly.
"The use of elemental concentrated energy — Jiryuka — is also not allowed."
His gaze moved slowly across the young competitors.
"You are only permitted to use basic Seiryu and Concentrated Energy — Shukiryu. These may be used for movement, defense, and controlled attacks only."
He folded his arms behind his back.
"You are still students. This round is meant to test teamwork, awareness, and control, not destructive power."
Then he spoke again.
"You will now be given twelve minutes."
Some of the tension in the students' shoulders eased slightly.
"Use this time to rest, speak with your teammates, and most importantly channel Seiryu into your bodies. The energy you prepare now is what you will rely on once the round begins."
He stepped aside and gestured toward the large training field beyond the arena.
"The break begins now."
Almost immediately, the students began moving toward their newly assigned teammates, forming small groups across the stone ground as they prepared for the upcoming battle of the Vanguard Tournament.
The instructor stepped aside as the break began, and the rigid formation of students slowly dissolved into small groups moving toward their teammates.
Haruto had barely taken two steps when he noticed Daichi beside him.
Daichi's shoulders were tense as usual, his eyes flicking across the arena as if expecting something to go wrong.
Haruto glanced at him and gave a small, calm smile.
"Daichi."
Daichi looked up. "Huh?"
"Relax," Haruto said quietly. "You're nervous again."
Daichi scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean… it's the Vanguard Tournament. Everyone's watching. And we don't even know our other teammates."
Haruto shrugged lightly.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "I'm here with you."
For a moment, Daichi blinked. Then his tense shoulders loosened a little.
"...Right," he muttered, trying to sound confident again.
Not far from them, the three triplets found themselves briefly facing each other.
Kaito crossed his arms with his usual composed expression.
Ayame stood calmly beside Tetsu, already thinking ahead.
Haruto looked at both of them.
"Looks like we're all split up."
Kaito nodded slightly.
"Good."
Haruto raised an eyebrow.
Kaito smirked faintly. "Makes it more interesting."
Ayame gave both of them a small, warm smile.
"Good luck."
Haruto nodded.
"You too."
Kaito turned and began walking toward Hina, Naoko, and Hiroki without another word.
Ayame headed toward Tetsu and the others waiting for her.
Haruto turned back to Daichi.
"Come on."
As they began walking toward their team area, Daichi suddenly glanced toward another group.
"Hina! Naoko!" he called out instinctively.
The two girls looked over.
Daichi waved awkwardly. "Good luck!"
Naoko rolled her eyes slightly but gave a small nod anyway.
Hina smiled politely.
"You too, Daichi."
Daichi then hurried to catch up with Haruto.
Across the field, Souta had just reached his teammates.
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Um… Yuna… Izumi… good luck."
Yuna gave him a calm, encouraging nod.
Izumi smiled slightly.
"Same to you, Souta."
Nearby, Arashi stopped briefly when he noticed Amaya across the field preparing with her team.
He raised a hand casually.
"Amaya."
She looked over.
"Don't lose too fast."
Amaya scoffed with a confident grin.
"You should worry about your own team."
Arashi smirked and walked off toward Misaki, Leo, and Mei.
Soon the scattered conversations faded.
Across the arena, most of the students sat or knelt on the ground.
One by one, they closed their eyes.
The break had turned quiet.
Soft currents of Seiryu began to flow through the air as students calmly focused on drawing the energy into their bodies. Breathing slowed. Hands rested on knees. Concentration filled the space where nervous chatter had been only moments before.
Haruto sat cross-legged beside Daichi.
Daichi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he began channeling the faint stream of Seiryu.
Around them, dozens of students were doing the same.
Some were already skilled, their energy flowing smoothly.
Others struggled, gathering only small traces.
Minutes passed in quiet focus.
Then, suddenly—
A sharp bell echoed across the arena.
The instructor's voice followed immediately.
"The break has ended."