He opened his eyes to the sight of a tall, pristine white ceiling.
Having lived here for several months now, Seiya was long familiar with this view.
His identity as a Quincy had also thoroughly settled in with time, becoming a seamless, tangible part of him.
Seiya slowly sat up, gazing toward the space beside him.
Sunlight streamed through the window, bright and intense.
The figure seated before the dressing table paused upon hearing the rustle and turned slightly, her tone sharp and lively like her lightning-shaped brows.
"You're awake already?"
Candice Catnipp—ever since she moved into the manor, their relationship had become official.
"Yeah... You're up pretty early, Candice."
She closed her compact, softly pressing her lips together to blend the makeup evenly, then showed a proud smile.
"This is all part of maintaining your image. A girl has to keep herself presentable—otherwise, how can anyone see her charm?"
A philosophy not unlike Askin's claim that "a woman's worth isn't in her looks, but in her style."
It was clear that Quincy and Shinigami held fundamentally different aesthetics.
Of course, Seiya didn't care much about that.
He just smiled faintly and rubbed his still-groggy eyes.
"Still half-asleep, huh...? Did you not rest well last night?"
Dressed casually, Candice jogged over and pinched Seiya's cheek with a mischievous grin.
"If that's the case, I'll try to be less... active at night, okay~?"
Playful teasing like this always lifted the mood. Seiya chuckled as he dodged her hand.
"That would be greatly appreciated."
"Very sincere of you! I'll give it proper thought, then."
Her hand dropped to his chest, brushing lightly downward. Her gaze shifted, and she stepped closer.
And then, she bit his lip.
It was hard to say whether it was simply affection or another of her bold, possessive gestures.
Candice's eyes narrowed, her pupils gleaming with smug satisfaction, like a claim of ownership.
Her personality was thunderous and straightforward.
She could be fiercely combative when she hated something, and overly clingy when she loved.
She'd dominate when ahead, but even when behind, she'd never submit.
A wild temperament—no wonder she was the first casualty of "Strawberry Boy's" enhanced form.
Candice hummed an unknown tune, giving Seiya an up-and-down glance. A smirk tugged at her lips as if recalling something amusing.
"There's still time. Let's play a little longer."
It wasn't a suggestion—more like a statement of fact. Tilting her head, she flung her mint-green hair behind her.
Grabbing it in one hand, she extended her right, where a soft blue glow of Reishi swirled around her wrist and began to take shape.
A finely glowing Reishi hair ribbon materialized.
"Well? You taught me those Reishi control techniques. Doesn't this look way more polished now?"
Her tone held a trace of bragging, making Seiya smile subtly. He blinked and nodded.
"It's definitely more refined than your clumsy earlier tries."
"Hmph, I've got even cooler stuff."
With that, she tossed her hair to one side, tying it tightly with the Reishi ribbon.
Gone was the flattering frame of hair around her face—this stark style made her features the centerpiece.
Not something just anyone could pull off.
This clean, bold look caught Seiya by surprise. He wasn't sure what she was up to.
But she simply leaned down toward him with a smile.
…
A brief passage of time is omitted.
They enjoyed a moment's echo of the night, and afterward quickly got dressed.
"Sit down, I'll fix your hair."
Tending to Seiya's hair had become part of Candice's daily routine.
"I feel bad making you do this every day..."
"Don't be silly. I love your hair. Thick, black, and beautiful!"
As she combed it gently into order, she spoke with genuine admiration.
"Good thing you've been keeping it up too—this length is hard to maintain if neglected. Hmm... your previous servant did a decent job!"
Praise—but not without caveats.
"Still, compared to my skill? Way behind!"
Seiya tried to reply, but knowing her nature, he just hesitated, then gave a wry chuckle and shook his head.
Whatever makes her happy.
Once they were ready, Candice changed into a fitted military uniform.
She threw a proper cloak over it, buttoned it on her right shoulder, and checked her appearance in the mirror with care.
She literally "cared about appearances."
Seiya watched as she laced up her high military boots and asked,
"Why not wear what you used to?"
When they first met, she resembled her canonical look: white uniform, but cut and tailored to emphasize her figure.
While adjusting her earrings, Candice let out a soft "Uh..." and turned halfway toward him, a bit sheepish.
"W-Well... it's because I'm with someone I like now."
"If I still dressed like that, people would talk."
"I don't care about gossip, but if it caused trouble for you, I'd rather not."
She took a few steps closer, clutched Seiya's arm, and declared:
"Having you is enough for me! The rest doesn't matter."
Blunt honesty.
"What about your old Sternritter friends?"
"Oh... those guys?"
Clearly referring to the rest of the girl squad, Candice made a disgusted face, clicked her tongue, and waved dismissively.
"Just drinking buddies, really. We never got along that well. Especially that one chick I really couldn't stand..."
"I put up with her to keep things civil, but now? Nah, screw that. Don't wanna see her going crazy again."
Candice nuzzled up to Seiya like a cat, rubbing her head against his shoulder.
"Out of sight, out of mind. But you're different... You make me happy every day!"
Seiya could easily guess who she meant.
In the squad, the only one obliviously alienating everyone—had to be Bambietta...
(Even the original story had Candice expressing scorn for her violent tendencies.)
Winding, but her meaning was clear.
Surprising to see this brash, confident woman show such a soft side.
"Let's go."
"Mm!"
They headed to the meeting room beneath the high tower.
This was a restricted area—only Sternritter with Schrift access were allowed in.
Seiya and Candice arrived early.
Taking their seats, Seiya, as part of the Royal Guard, wasn't at the round table—he sat behind the throne on a side bench.
Candice found her spot. As soon as she sat down, her former squad mates turned their heads.
Meninas covered her mouth, speaking almost to herself.
"Candice has really changed..."
Giselle flicked a cockroach antenna, raising a finger with a childlike grin.
"Guess it's all because of that man! Even her clothes got super modest~"
Liltotto slumped back and muttered with a dry tone.
"Turned a bitch into a maiden? Now that's impressive."
Bambietta crossed her arms, feet fidgeting on the floor, eyes darting.
"What? It's just a wardrobe change. Why's everyone so into it?"
The others looked at her with thinly veiled pity.
"Bambi-chan, that's not the point..."
"Actually, it's totally in character for her."
"Hard to expect a gorilla to speak human, right?"
Someone was about to blow a fuse.
Meanwhile...
As soon as Seiya sat down, a steaming cup of tea appeared in front of him.
"Yo, early today, huh?"
Askin held his own cup with a dainty pinky, flashing a sly smile.
"How about some hot cocoa before the nostalgia kicks in?"
No reason to refuse.
Seiya took it, quietly thanking him.
"No need to be so polite~ We're coworkers, after all. Especially since His Majesty seems to value us."
"Which means it's only right we get along, yeah?"
"Besides, the others aren't exactly easy to talk to... Seiya, you get what I mean?"
He spread his hands in a helpless gesture.
"The Royal Guard is full of weirdos~"
Seiya tried to understand.
Big dumb Gerard, mute Pernida, stone-faced Lille... none of them were Askin's type.
No surprise he didn't mesh with them.
"But Seiya, you're different. I think we might actually click."
Askin rested his chin on his hand, giving Seiya a knowing look.
"Why's that?"
"You've got a girlfriend."
He pointed at Seiya's chest.
"People with desire still have humanity. I'd much rather chat with a 'normal person' than those walking oddities."
"Plus, you've got taste. Candice has style—still looks sharp even now."
"A woman's worth is in her conviction and identity. I think we'll get along fine, Seiya."
No doubt—
Askin had his own aesthetic and philosophical leanings, thinking beyond the knightly affairs.
Seiya opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment, the main doors swung open.
Uryū Ishida entered.
Fellow Royal Guard—he and Seiya shared a brief look.
Seiya gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Uryū sat in silence, and Askin toned down his usual chattiness with more people present.
The room filled, noisy members energizing the atmosphere.
In this chamber of over thirty people, the lively chaos made things feel lighthearted and casual.
Very unlike the Gotei 13—something that stirred an odd feeling in Seiya.
Soon, Haschwalth entered, and with him came the solemn figure of the Quincy progenitor.
Yhwach stepped forward and sat upon his throne, gazing down at the assembly.
After three breaths of silence, his raspy voice filled the chamber.
"The time has come. All preparations are complete."
"We Quincies will have our revenge upon the Soul Society... and fulfill our long-awaited vow."
"But before that, you must memorize the following individuals—because their strength could tip the scales of war and bring us severe casualties."
Yhwach called them...
"Special Threat Forces."
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Powerstones?
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