A few hours before the Exhibition was set to begin, a warm, unhurried atmosphere settled over the bathhouse of Unit Seven's headquarters.
Thin wisps of steam rose from the surface of the pool, filling the room with a soft haze that blurred the edges of everything into something gentle and indistinct.
Two girls sat resting against the edge of the pool, letting the warmth seep into them before the fighting began.
"The day of battle has finally come." Shushu said in a cheerful tone, her eyes bright with anticipation. "How are you feeling, Himarin?"
Himari drew a slow breath, letting the warm steam fill her lungs. She scooped a little water up and watched it trail between her fingers before she answered.
"I'm ready." Her voice was calm, but there was a certainty in it that didn't waver. "I'm going to use an ability they won't know how to counter. Something beyond simply turning my body into a weapon. I can do this."
Shushu looked at her friend with undisguised admiration. Over the past few days, she had watched Himari train almost without stopping, honing her abilities to a sharp edge.
"But once the match is over, the Himarin-Yuuki duo will have to go their separate ways, won't it?" Shushu asked carefully.
Himari exhaled, a note of disappointment finding its way into the sound. "I suppose so. Yuuki is still the Captain's slave, so he isn't mine to keep. Besides, that technique demands a great deal of energy. Fortunately, I have other strengths I can rely on."
Shushu laughed at that. Somewhere inside, she felt a small, quiet wave of relief.
(So using Yuuki was only ever going to be temporary, like borrowing something.)
Truth be told, Shushu had felt a little lonely these past few days while Himari monopolized Yuuki for training. But she would never say that directly to Himari.
"I need to stay focused today. After this, everyone in the Anti-Demon Corps is going to know the outcome of our matches. The result will have a real impact on the unit's prestige, and on the Captain's evaluation too."
Shushu gave a nod of understanding. The weight on Himari's shoulders was genuine. As Vice-Captain of Unit Seven, her performance in this Exhibition would be watched closely by a lot of people.
"Then you need to bring your absolute best face to it!"
Shushu cheered her on with a playful wink, trying to soften the mood that had grown a little too serious.
"Yes!" Himari smiled, small but real. "The Captain arranged this match specifically for me. So for her sake, losing is not an option."
"Ah, that's right. I'm honestly curious which members of Unit Six are actually coming." Shushu said, resting her chin in her hand. So far she only knew the Captain and Vice-Captain of that unit by name or face.
The bathroom door opened then, the sound cutting through the quiet that had settled between them and making both girls look up at once.
A strikingly attractive girl with soft, liquid-looking orange hair drifted into the room. She moved with a kind of unhurried looseness, her eyes half-closed, carrying the air of someone who was somehow still mostly asleep despite it being morning.
"Hi." Sahara greeted them in a voice that managed to be cheerful and thoroughly unmotivated at the same time. "We arrived a little earlier than expected. They said the preparations were still going to take a while, so I came here to relax for a bit."
"..."
Shushu went still, her eyes moving over the newcomer with something between impression and envy as Sahara waded slowly into the water. The proportions and easy appeal of the girl in front of her were, she had to admit, rather unfair.
"Does Unit Six actually have someone like her?" Shushu breathed, barely audible.
Himari's expression had shifted, her eyes narrowing with the particular wariness of someone taking unexpected company seriously.
"Her name is Wakasa Sahara. She's nineteen. She's not the type to leave headquarters often. This is genuinely unusual."
*SPLASH!*
Completely unbothered by the two pairs of eyes watching her, Sahara waded further into the pool and settled against the edge with her upper body leaning comfortably on the rim. Her eyes closed. Her breathing slowed. Her muscles went loose. It didn't take long before the soft, even sound of snoring drifted from her lips.
"She just fell asleep!" Shushu laughed in disbelief, pressing her hand over her mouth. "That's unbelievable!"
Himari didn't laugh. She kept watching Sahara with quiet alertness, trying to read whatever might lie beneath the casual display.
(Is this dismissiveness? Or is it a psychological tactic?)
"She has nerve. Don't underestimate her. No one knows what she's actually capable of once we're in the arena."
Himari was well aware that they were facing an opponent who was difficult to read. Behind Sahara's completely relaxed front, even comfortable enough to fall asleep in someone else's bathhouse, what surprises might actually be waiting for them when the matches began?
Someone who could stay this calm in a tense situation was usually someone who had very little reason to be nervous.
"Oh, wait!" Something suddenly surfaced in Shushu's memory, and her expression shifted from contentment to sharp curiosity, her eyes lighting up. "That's right! Isn't there a man who actually awakened a Peach Fruit Blessing and joined Unit Six? Is he really coming today? What does he look like?"
"..."
Himari's expression changed considerably, settling into something more serious and overcast than before.
"His name is Kamikawa Naoki. I saw him two days ago when Unit Six's Captain and Yachiho came to our headquarters to work out the details of the Exhibition."
Shushu leaned forward, not noticing how Himari's expression had shifted. If anything, she was growing more eager, curious about the man whose photo she had briefly caught online.
"And? What kind of person is he? He looked handsome from his photos!"
(Yuuki is still number one in my heart, of course.)
That was a sentence she would never say out loud to anyone. But her curiosity as a woman was another matter entirely.
"..."
Himari went quiet for a moment, turning back to the memory of that brief encounter two days ago. She remembered the way the man had stood behind Tenka and Yachiho, silent, but with a presence that felt somehow heavy.
"Based on what the Captain told us, and from the reports available, he's extremely strong. The Captain said he was capable of holding his own against the Supreme Commander."
"No way!" Shushu burst out. "Himarin, you're not just saying that to scare me, are you?"
The reaction was understandable. Throughout the entire Anti-Demon Corps, the Supreme Commander, Yamashiro Ren, was a living legend, acknowledged as the Apex of Humanity and the absolute Strongest. The idea that no one could match her was something embedded in everyone's mind as simple fact. Imagining that a man who had only just joined could hold his own against someone like Ren sounded less like news and more like a bad joke.
"I'd like to dismiss it too." Himari shook her head slowly, wet strands of hair clinging to her cheek. "But the presence I felt from him two days ago wasn't something you'd get from an ordinary person."
She thought again of the moment her eyes had briefly met Naoki's. Just a glance, and yet it had felt like being touched by a thousand needles all at once.
"Kamikawa Naoki is the real threat in this Exhibition."
Even as she said it, Himari found it difficult to fully believe her own words. But her instincts had never lied to her.
Across the pool, Sahara slept on without any concern whatsoever, her quiet snoring completely undisturbed by the serious conversation unfolding a short distance away.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
A few hours later, both units gathered in the open area outside the building, standing across from each other in neat formations that made the subtle tension in the air feel almost tangible.
"With several of our unit's members unavailable, our options for today's matches will be limited." Kyouka standing directly across from Tenka as she outlined Unit Seven's personnel situation. "However, as originally planned, this Exhibition will proceed as one-on-one combat."
Tenka gave a nod. She had already anticipated this format.
Given that both units currently had equal numbers available, individual duels were the most sensible structure compared to an open team engagement.
"We're in agreement." Tenka replied with a composed nod. "One-on-one is the best way to measure each individual's strength."
Then, in the middle of the tension that had been quietly building between the two groups, a small girl came bounding in between them.
She wore an Anti-Demon Corps military uniform that matched Kyouka's style, complete with tall boots, a short skirt that swayed as she moved, and white gloves. Her pale blond hair was pinned back with blue and pink clips that made her look like a little girl playing dress-up. She was short, barely any taller than Nei.
"I'll be your referee!" she announced in a bright, carrying voice, throwing both hands up above her head. "Ginna Bizen, member of Unit Ten, at your service!"
Without hesitating for a moment, she pulled a lipstick from her pocket. Not a cosmetic item, but the tool she used to activate her Peach Fruit Blessing.
She crouched down and began drawing a large circle on the ground with quick, precise strokes. A glowing pink line appeared wherever the lipstick touched the surface.
*BUZZ!*
The moment the circle was complete, an enormous dome of energy rose from the ground, expanding rapidly until it enclosed the entire marked area.
Membership Arena: Club Gimma.
This was the manifestation of Ginna's Peach Fruit Blessing, a barrier that formed once she had drawn her boundary line to define her territory. Only those who had signed a special petition were permitted to enter, sealing the space against outside interference or attack.
Its most significant feature was its regenerative quality. Anyone inside who sustained physical damage would have it fully restored automatically once they stepped out.
This was also the same space that had once witnessed Naoki's sparring match against Ren, though only the Captains were aware of that particular history.
Given how extraordinarily useful the ability was, both in real combat and intensive training sessions, Ginna's presence was something the Corps had come to genuinely depend on. Without her, many members might have ended up permanently injured from the rigors of their training.
"A remarkable barrier." Tenka observed, studying the structure of the dome. "Even if a thousand Shuuki were to attack at once, this would hold without any trouble."
"We're counting on you as our referee, Ginna." Kyouka added in an easy tone.
Hearing praise from both of her idols at once, Ginna became immediately overwhelmed. Her face went the color of a steamed crab, her eyes filled with tears born of sheer enthusiasm, and her small body trembled as she tried to contain the wave of feeling.
"Ten-sama! Kyou-sama! I will dedicate every last bit of my ability to keeping this match safe and fair!"
Ginna was well-known as an ardent admirer of the Anti-Demon Corps, and of its Captains in particular. That much was obvious from the way she reacted every single time she found herself anywhere near either Kyouka or Tenka.
With the arena in place and the referee radiating enthusiasm, the stage for the matches between Unit Six and Unit Seven was now officially open.
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