He drank the cup quickly and stood up, holding his staff.
"I'm going back to training. I think I can break a new record now!" Kay announced, walking away.
"That's not normal!" Yumi said, watching him in amazement.
"Kay's always been like that. You get used to it over time!" Mira explained, shaking her head. "But since you said you wanted to see his training, want to train with me? He's not leaving anytime soon!"
They heard another crash, and a punching bag exploded in the background.
"He just needs a bit more body rotation!" Kay said indifferently.
"Are you kidding? He must have hit it, right?" Yumi asked, surprised.
"Kay is lazy, but he takes his training seriously!" Mira said with a proud smile.
"Now it's time for four trees!" Kay announced, determined.
"Don't even think about it! There's no room to put all that at home!" Mira cut him off.
"But…" Kay began hopefully.
"No 'buts.' Just cut one!" Mira insisted firmly.
Kay stopped in front of a tree, his expression serious.
"No whining," Mira said, looking him in the eyes.
Kay took a deep breath and prepared himself. With a shout of determination, he attacked the tree with all his strength. The sound of impact echoed through the air, and in an instant, the staff hit the wood with brutal force. The tree split in half, shattering and falling heavily to the ground.
"A sword can do that in one strike, but with a staff? Who are these people?" Yumi thought, amazed, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Kay put away the staff, his gaze now focused and concentrated, as he grabbed a chainsaw nearby. The engine roared, breaking the forest silence, and he held it firmly, muscles tense with the equipment's vibration.
"I'll make firewood for your mother!" Kay said, focused, eyes fixed on the task ahead.
"Leave him alone. Want to come train with me?" Mira exclaimed.
"Yes!" Yumi replied, excited.
The two moved away from Kay, and the days passed quickly. Yumi dedicated herself to training with Mira and Kay, developing her skills and strengthening their bonds. A week later, Yumi's parents took her away, returning to their country.
"She never called me master!" Kay said, frustrated.
"Quiet! Now that you mention it, we never even asked her name!" Mira replied, shaking her head.
"She complains less than you. I'm sure she'll keep training wherever she is, and maybe come back to learn more. Then you can ask her name!" Kay said, trying to ease the situation.
The scene changes.
"So it was you! Your hair was dark back then," Kay said, surprised.
"I dyed it to remind myself I needed to get stronger and find you again!" Yumi answered with a determined smile.
"So you remember Mira! Why did you act like you didn't know her?" Kay asked, curiosity growing.
"I got upset because you went to Takemichi's division instead of mine. It was because of Mira, wasn't it? You don't even like Takemichi!" Yumi said, crossing her arms.
"Call me master. 'Ka-chan' sounds too familiar!" Kay joked.
"I won't!" Yumi replied, a challenging smile on her lips.
"Why are girls so difficult? If I trained you, isn't it right to call me master?" Kay murmured thoughtfully.
"They've been talking for a while," Thais observed.
"I think they really knew each other!" Kratos commented.
"He's friends with a captain, and Mira knows another! There's something going on!" Sarah said, intrigued.
"I don't know, Mira doesn't seem happy about this either!" Viviane said, pointing to Mira, who was watching from afar.
"She got noticed!" Slayer said, watching Kay and gesturing to Mira.
Mira approached them, curious.
"What's going to happen now?" Thais asked, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Mira looks surprised!" Sarah said, watching her expression.
"Now she's hugging the captain. What's going on there?" Kratos exclaimed, perplexed.
Mira sat next to the two.
"You had no idea it was you, that girl. You even became a captain!" Mira said, eyes shining.
"I apply the training you taught me to my soldiers. I wanted you in my squad; I'd put you in high positions!" Yumi declared, her voice full of enthusiasm.
"This place is near home. I can visit my mom!" Mira said, smiling.
"That's why you chose to stay too?" Yumi exclaimed, realizing the connection.
"Mira's going to make coffee for me every day," Kay said playfully.
"Only for that? Thinking about it, you don't drink coffee made by anyone else. That balance thing!" Yumi observed.
"Mira has balance. Other people's coffee doesn't please or cheer me up. It has to be Mira's!" Kay said sincerely.
Mira blushed, a slight flush coloring her cheeks.
"Got it! So it can't be anyone but Mira!" Yumi said, amused.
"That's not what he said!" Mira protested, though her smile betrayed her pleasure in the conversation.
"No, she's right. It can't be anyone else!" Kay said seriously.
"Too bad! I'd accept both in my squad, but Takemichi won this one!" Yumi said, a touch of dissatisfaction as the vice-captain of the fourth division approached.
"My time has come. It was good to see you all again!" Yumi said, smiling but with a farewell air.
"Same here! I didn't expect our reunion to be like this!" Mira replied, nostalgia shining in her eyes.
The vice-captain stopped near Yumi, ready to take her away.
"I'll see you around! Come visit my division someday!" Yumi invited before walking away.
"We will! See you!" Kay and Mira said in unison, waving to their friend.
"Bye!" Yumi replied, walking off.
"Hey, Yumi! You got really strong, I'm proud!" Kay shouted, his voice full of sincerity.
"I want to see you taking this seriously, no jokes!" Yumi said, turning to Kay with a serious look.
"I won't…" Kay started but was interrupted.
"See you!" Yumi exclaimed, walking away before he could finish.
Kay smiled to himself, thinking: I was going to say I won't take this seriously. I only joined because Mira asked!
"There she goes again!" Mira said, watching Yumi's figure fade.
"At least now we know where to find her!" Kay said, satisfaction in his voice.
"You're right! Shall we train?" Mira exclaimed, excited.
"It's not my training time, and I found good spots!" Kay replied, his smile widening like he was keeping a secret.
"Good spots for what?" Mira asked, curiosity lighting up her eyes.
Kay just smiled mysteriously and began to leave, leaving Mira intrigued.
"Tell me what you're up to!" Mira said, following closely but unable to read his enigmatic expression.
Elsewhere in the base, the vice-captain watched Yumi with a confused expression.
"Why is she smiling like an idiot? Who were those people?" the vice-captain wondered, intrigued by the relationship between Yumi and the friends.
Hours later, the powerful sound of helicopters echoed through the base. The place buzzed with activity, and all the recruits, except Kay, were focused on their exercises in the training area. As the engine hum intensified, a wave of excitement swept the young soldiers, who hurried outside, barely containing their anticipation to see their team return.
But the scene before them was anything but comforting. Nurses, pale-faced and determined, emerged from the base pushing stretchers toward the helicopters. The atmosphere quickly turned from joy to heavy silence, a foreboding of the situation's gravity.
"Did they get hurt?" Mira exclaimed, concern etched in her voice as her heart raced.
"It's normal. When facing ghouls, you can't come out of war unscathed!" Slayer said, his deep voice carrying a serious, almost sorrowful tone. His words fell like a stone in the silence, echoing in everyone's mind—a brutal reminder of the harsh reality they faced.
The soldiers returning from the mission placed the wounded men and women on stretchers, their expressions marked by intense, somber focus, and quickly headed to the infirmary. The look of horror on the recruits' faces reflected their growing helplessness and fear.
Kratos, Ravena, Slayer, and Fiona, veterans hardened by wars, were among the first to present themselves, saluting the soldiers bringing in the wounded. Their discipline was a show of respect and honor for those who faced the horrors of combat. The other recruits, overwhelmed by fear, hesitated but soon joined in, saluting despite their trembling eyes, terrified by what they had just witnessed.
The veterans pushing the stretchers glanced quickly at the new recruits but soon focused back on their task, moving with near-mechanical determination to bring the injured inside. The scene, marked by brutality and urgency, left an indelible mark on the young soldiers, who for the first time began to understand the true nature of fighting ghouls.
Each recruit felt the cold, harsh reality of war seep into their hearts, making it clear the road ahead wouldn't be easy and that the fight for survival had just begun.
"What's he doing?" Slayer exclaimed, watching Kay enter the infirmary.
Mira ran after him, followed by the other recruits, their hearts pounding with worry and curiosity. Inside, they were met by a nurse with an irritated expression, hands on her hips, as if tired of unwanted interruptions.
"You can't come in here!" she scolded Kay, her voice firm but with a hint of concern in her eyes.
"Do you have medicine to treat them?" Kay exclaimed, ignoring her warning.
"Sorry, what are you doing, Kay?" Mira pulled him, trying to bring him back to reason.
"We have to amputate one of their legs before it gets corrupted and they die!" Kay said, his voice grave from deep inside.
"What are you talking about?" the nurse exclaimed, a mix of confusion and skepticism in her eyes.
"I'm saying ghoul blood was injected into him!" Kay shot, his voice echoing in the room.
"Come in!" the nurse finally gave in, her protective instincts and concern for the wounded overriding protocol.
Kay and the recruits entered the operating room, where the air was thick with a medicinal smell that now felt oppressive.
"Why bring the recruits?" one veteran exclaimed, frustration evident in his tone.
"He's saying something strange; I want to check!" the nurse replied, eyes fixed on Kay, trying to decipher his urgency.
Kay stood before one of the wounded soldiers, analyzing the situation intensely.
"He's the least hurt one!" Slayer commented, concern visible on his face.
"If you want to save him, better take off that suit and cut off the right leg! The poison spread to the knee, and when you cut, don't inhale the smell!" Kay said, his tone sharp as a blade.
"Cut off my leg? What is this guy talking about? My leg isn't injured!" the soldier protested, disbelief coloring his voice.
"It'll take about ten minutes to spread! Living without a leg is better than dying!" Kay insisted, eyes burning with determination.
Realizing his plea fell on deaf ears, Kay left the room.
"My legs aren't hurt! Look, the suit wasn't even scratched there!" the soldier yelled desperately.
The recruits began to withdraw, tension hanging heavy in the air.
"What do we do? The captain's not here!" one nurse said, uncertainty in her tone.
In the yard, the recruits waited anxiously, Kay's words still echoing in their minds.
"Bunch of idiots!" Kay exclaimed, indifferent to the surrounding confusion.
"What's wrong?" Mira asked, her face a mask of concern.
"It's stinking! He died!" Kay said, walking away, annoyance clear on his face.
"Did he really die?" Viviane exclaimed, disbelief and fear intertwined in her voice.
"No way to know," Ravena murmured, doubt weighing her words.
The soldiers came out of the infirmary, faces marked by defeat, as if a shroud of sadness enveloped them.
"We managed to save the wounded. They'll be fine, but that soldier refused to cut his leg and passed away!" one soldier informed, voice heavy with sorrow.
"We'll report what happened here to the captain. Keep what you saw here secret until further notice!" the soldier ordered, his tone resolute but with a trace of compassion.
"All right!" the recruits affirmed, saluting, the gravity of the situation clear to them.
The soldiers left, and a cloud of silence settled over the recruits.
"He could have been saved! Damn!" Kratos said, frustration overflowing in his voice.
"You couldn't trust a recruit's word. The soldier made his choice, and others respected it. If this happens again, they'll trust Kay's word!" Slayer reasoned, his deep voice reflecting harsh reality.
Meanwhile, Sarah stood with eyes closed in silent prayer, trying to bring comfort to such a terrible situation. The recruits remained silent, faces marked by pain and reflection, paying respect to the sacrifice made.
The trucks returned, bringing the soldiers back. In the yard, recruits and veterans waited silently, anxious.