The morning light was gray and indecisive. It filtered through the barred windows of the safe house's upper level, a government-owned apartment in the administrative district.
Hoshimi stood at the window, watching the city wake up below. His reflection stared back at him from the darkened television screen across the room, pale, hollow-cheeked, the scar on his cheek a thin white line against skin that hadn't seen proper sunlight in days.
His black hair was clean but unkempt, falling across his forehead.
Two government witches were stationed at the door downstairs. There was a tracking bracelet on his ankle, a thin silver band that looked like jewelry but hummed with suppression magic.
The door opened without a knock.
Reina stood in the doorway, her ginger hair pulled back in a severe ponytail, her gold eyes sharp despite the early hour. She wore her official uniform today, the dark blue of the Witch's Department, silver insignia gleaming at her collar. A clipboard was tucked under one arm, and a cigarette, unlit, dangled from her lips.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."
"I've been awake for hours."
"I know." She stepped into the room, letting the door swing shut behind her. "We were watching you."
"I don't have any privacy do I?"
Hoshimi didn't respond. His hands were folded in his lap, steady as always, but something in his chest had tightened.
"Of course not, you're valuable."
"Makes sense."
"The patrol starts in thirty minutes," Reina continued, her voice shifting into something more professional. "You'll be accompanied by four of your classmates. The government thinks it's good for morale, students protecting one of their own, showing solidarity, all that propaganda."
"Who?"
"The people you're usually around with." Reina's lips curved. "What's left of them anyways. They didn't get to choose."
Hoshimi's expression flickered. "Uh huh, but I doubt that they're the only ones coming with me."
"We'll place some of our agents along with your little friend group."
The unlit cigarette shifted from one corner of her mouth to the other.
"The threat assessment came back three days ago. Since your reincarnation went public, we've intercepted communications from at least seven different organizations expressing interest in you. Four of those are foreign governments. Two are rogue witch factions we thought were dormant, one of which is the Leviathans, another we still haven't identified."
"And the patrol?"
"Officially, it's a routine security measure. High-value asset, public visibility, deterrent effect." Her jaw tightened.
Hoshimi nodded slowly.
"If I really am that valuable, why in the world would I be shown to the public?"
Reina shrugged. "I'm not allowed to tell you any more than I already have, it's part of my contract."
"Anyways, about your little friend group." Reina's expression didn't flicker. "Edward hasn't spoken more than ten words since he woke up with metal legs. Lucy stares at walls and doesn't eat. Kira is barely holding herself together like usual. Neila..." She paused. "Neila is completely fine."
"And if someone actually attacks?"
"Then you defend yourself." Reina's voice was hard. "You have four of the Academy's top students watching your back. And you have me."
"You're coming?"
"Not now." She pulled the unlit cigarette from her lips, tucked it behind her ear. "If something really happens, they'll call me and I'll come to you in a flash."
She turned toward the door. "Thirty minutes. Be ready. And Hoshimi?"
He looked up.
"Try not to die. I have a lot of paperwork to do today."
The lobby was cold.
The furniture was functional, government-issue, designed to be replaced rather than cherished. A single potted plant sat in the corner, its leaves brown at the edges, forgotten.
Lucy stood by the window.
Her dark blue hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, strands escaping to frame a face that had grown thin over the past weeks. Her crimson eyes, once so bright, so alive with that fierce, stubborn hope, were dull now, fixed on something beyond the glass, something only she could see.
Her right sleeve hung empty.
The shoulder ended in a neat, surgical stump, the fabric pinned up with careful precision. She'd refused a prosthetic. Hadn't given a reason. Just shook her head when the doctors offered, turned her face to the wall, and stopped speaking.
The dark circles underneath her eyes were prominent, and her back was slightly hunched over, she couldn't be bothered to correct her posture.
Hoshimi glanced at her, and said nothing.
[I could go over there and comfort her, but I doubt that will do anything]
Edward sat in a chair near the entrance.
His maroon hair was shorter now, and his dark eyes, his eyes were fixed on the far wall. His hands rested on his thighs, fingers spread, pressing down.
Below the knees, his legs were metal.
Two prosthetic limbs gleamed in the gray morning light. They looked cheap, government-issue, they didn't even have the ability to run on their own, instead siphoning his mana to walk. They moved with him when he walked.
He walked differently. Each step was deliberate, measured, like one wrong step could send him stumbling. His gait had lost its natural rhythm, replaced by something mechanical.
He didn't look at Hoshimi.
Didn't look at anyone.
Just sat there, his metal feet planted flat on the floor, his dark eyes fixed on nothing, his expression blank as fresh paper.
Kira appeared at his elbow.
Her dirty brown hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail, but strands had already escaped, framing her face in soft wisps. She wore a simple dark jacket over her Academy uniform, and those clouded lapis eyes, were fixed on Hoshimi.
Her hand found the hem of his sleeve and held on, a light grip.
He didn't pull away.
"Did you sleep?" he asked.
A small shake of her head.
"You should eat something."
Another shake. Then, quietly: "Maybe later."
"Hoshimi."
Her hand found his sleeve. Gripped. Held.
"I'm here."
"I know."
"I won't leave your side. I promise. I'll protect you as much as I can. Nothing will happen to you if I'm here… I think… I hope."
Her voice cracked on the last word. Her grip on his sleeve tightened until the fabric strained.
"There's no need to prove anything." He covered her hand with his own. Her skin was cold. Trembling.
Her eyes were wet. "I don't want you to leave. If I'm not useful, then what am I? What's the point of me being here if I can't- "
"I'm glad to have you here."
[I should keep her morale up. This is a life or death situation after all]
"Really?"
"Yes."
She nodded slowly. Her hand didn't leave his sleeve. She stayed close, pressed against his side like she was trying to merge with him, to disappear into his shadow where nothing could touch her.
Neila was waiting outside.
She stood on the sidewalk, her back to the safehouse, her small frame silhouetted against the gray morning light. She wore a simple white coat over dark pants. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and her blue eyes were fixed on her phone, scrolling with an expression of bored disdain.
"Finally," she said without looking up. "You were taking forever, I thought you died in there."
"Sorry to disappoint."
She pocketed her phone and turned to face him. Her gaze swept over Kira clinging to his arm. "Wow, are you sure that they don't need protection instead? A kitten, a robot and a walking turd."
"How rude."
"Obviously, who do you think I am?" She stepped closer, her blue eyes meeting his. "Anyway. The government goons are waiting around the corner. Six of them. Ex-military, probably. Very serious. Very boring. They keep looking at me weirdly."
"Maybe because you're a self entitled brat."
"At least I'm not a puppet." Neila got closer to his face. "Did you even notice they put shit under my beds to track us while we sleep?"
Hoshimi looked at her.
[Since when? Is there really a need for them to go that far?]
"Did you manage to disable them?"
"I simply asked nicely." Her eyes glittered. "And by 'asked nicely,' I mean I found the access panel and threw a glass of water at it to short circuit it. They'll just think I'm a very restless sleeper."
Edward's voice cut through the room, flat and empty: "Why do they need to track our breathing?"
Neila's expression flickered, just for a moment, so brief Hoshimi almost missed it. "I don't think I need to answer that, we're witches, you should know that already.."
Kira's grip on Hoshimi's sleeve tightened.
The government escorts were exactly as Neila had described them.
Six men and women in dark suits, their faces blank, their eyes constantly moving. They wore earpieces and carried weapons concealed beneath their jackets, Hoshimi could feel the faint mana signatures, the cold weight of steel and gunpowder.
One of them walked up to Hoshimi and smiled at him, his eyes were dark and empty, he held out his hand for a handshake. His hair was a deep shade of red, he was the only one who seemed to not be wearing a suit, instead he was in a tan puffer jacket.
Hoshimi shook his hand.
[He has calloused hands, and his grip is really strong, a veteran soldier, probably the leader of this group]
He introduced himself.
"Hello there, you must be Shirogane Hoshimi. My name is Sam."
Neila watched them for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she turned back to her coffee.
"We were asked by Miss Reina to guard you." He held one hand against his chest. "The patrol starts in thirty minutes."
"What's the route?" Hoshimi asked.
"Does it matter?" Neila's voice was light, almost careless, but her eyes were sharp. "We are supposed to walk."
[Patrol]
Hoshimi turned the word over in his mind.
It was what the government called these daily excursions, escorted walks through the city, accompanied by a rotating squad of government witches in plainclothes.
The official explanation was "community engagement" and "visibility." Show the public that Hex Academy students were still serving the people, even after the invasion, even after the chaos at the estate.
[I'm the target, what they're trying to do is see who's actually going to take the shot. They don't really care about my safety do they? They just want to whose bullet is going to chip the weapon]
He stood, gently disentangling himself from Kira's grip.