"What's gotten into you, son? You're not focused!" Shin scolds him harshly. "Training like this is pointless!"
He and Hakuto are locked in an intense training session, using the vast garden of the Kurotsuki villa as their battlefield.
A training session even more grueling than Hakuto himself had asked for.
From a safe distance, Chantal, Claire, and Irina watch in silence.
Shin knows him far too well, and he's right to call him out for not focusing on the training.
Hakuto is lost in thought.
That evening, he's supposed to meet Aoi at the Ashiya Rock Garden, and just thinking about it makes him uneasy, though he can't explain why.
Hakuto is completely exhausted. His breathing is labored and heavy, and he feels like his legs could give out at any moment.
He grips his massive diamond sword with both hands, struggling even to keep it steady.
