The ceremony wrapped up with Julius saying a few words and the captains dispersing. A bunch of mages left the arena chatting, laughing, or sulking—depending on how they did.
Yami just cracked his neck and said, "Tch. Let's go."
Zura followed him out, hands in his pockets, still riding the high of the attention he got. Some captains looked pissed, others amused. Didn't matter.
Yami lit a cigarette mid-walk and muttered, "You'll get your first mission soon. Till then, get used to the chaos."
A portal opened.
Spatial magic.
The two walked through, and Zura's surroundings shifted in a blink. From the grand arena to a whole new world of disorder—The Black Bull base.
The place looked like it had been built by drunk masons and held together by sheer willpower. Magic items hanging from the ceiling, walls cracked in all the right places, weird noises coming from upstairs—home sweet home.
"Oi!" Yami called out. "Someone show the rookie around."
"Coming~" a smooth voice sang out from the next room.
Vanessa walked in, hips swaying, red cloak hanging off her shoulders like she gave zero fucks. She eyed Zura and smiled.
"So you're the one everyone's talking about," she said.
Zura shrugged. "Guess so."
"Come on then, fresh meat. I'll show you around."
Yami gave a lazy wave. "I'm gonna take a dump. Try not to burn the place down."
Zura followed Vanessa as she led him through the chaotic halls of Black Bull HQ.
"That's Gauche's mirror corner—don't touch his photos. That's Magna's training room—probably on fire. That room's off-limits. It's where Luck once blew up the ceiling trying to cook ramen using lightning magic."
Zura just kept nodding, eyes flicking around. The place was a mess… but it felt oddly right.
Vanessa led him upstairs.
"This one's your room. For now, at least. You'll get used to the noise. And the smell."
Zura walked in. The bed was a bit small, the desk was cracked, and there was a suspicious stain on the wall.
Perfect.
He dropped his bag.
Then turned to Vanessa. "By the way… Noelle. Where is she?"
Vanessa blinked. "Huh. Now that you mention it… I haven't seen her since this morning."
Zura narrowed his eyes. "She said she'd be at the exam."
"She did?"
"Yeah."
Vanessa crossed her arms. "Strange. No one's seen her all day. Not even during the ceremony."
Zura leaned against the wall, suddenly deep in thought.
"…Hope nothing's wrong."
Vanessa tilted her head and smirked. "Worried about her already?"
Zura smirked back. "She still owes me a congratulations."
Vanessa chuckled. "You're gonna fit in just fine here, Zura."
Zura wandered the halls a little more after Vanessa's tour. The place was still as wild as ever—someone was blasting mana bursts in one room, someone else was passed out drunk in the hallway, and there was a goat casually munching on someone's sock.
"Yeah," Zura muttered to himself, smirking. "Definitely my kind of place."
Eventually, someone yelled, "Meal time, you fuckers! Get your asses here or starve!"
Zura followed the scent of freshly cooked chaos into the mess hall. The long wooden table was already filling up with half the squad. Magna and Luck were arguing over who could eat faster. Charmy was summoning food like her life depended on it. Gordon was whispering things no one could understand, and Gauche kept glaring at anyone who looked at his "Marie photo shrine" taped to the wall.
Zura sat down next to Vanessa, who already had a drink in hand. "Here, newbie. You'll need this to survive your first Black Bull dinner."
He chuckled and took a sip, coughing instantly. "What the hell is this?"
"Home-brewed hellfire," Vanessa grinned. "You'll get used to it."
The mess hall was pure chaos.
Zura hadn't even sat down properly before Luck zipped right up to him, eyes wide with excitement.
"You! You're the new guy, right? Let's fight. Right now. Come on, I wanna see what you got!"
Zura held up his plate like a shield. "Let me eat first, Lightning McCrackhead."
Luck tilted his head. "Huh. That's a cool nickname. I'll earn it properly after I zap your ass in a spar!"
Magna dropped into the seat next to Zura and slapped him on the back. "Ignore him. He's always like that. You did good today, though. Got the boss's attention. That ain't easy."
Zura smirked. "I wasn't aiming for easy."
"Hell yeah." Magna fist-bumped him. "You and me, we're gonna get along just fine."
Across the table, Charmy shoved three entire rice balls into her mouth and pointed at Zura. "Mrrmffphf!"
"What?" Zura blinked.
"She says you're too skinny," Vanessa translated, raising her glass. "And she plans to fatten you up."
Charmy nodded eagerly and summoned another tray of food, shoving it in front of Zura.
Gauche, sitting in the corner, shot Zura a glare. "If you ever go near Marie, I'll gut you."
Zura stared at him. "Who the hell is Marie?"
'Let's just play dumb here.'
Gauche narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious. "Good. Let's keep it that way."
Gordon leaned in from the side, whispering something unintelligible.
Zura leaned back. "Uhh…"
Vanessa grinned, resting her arm on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll understand him eventually. Or not. Either way, you'll learn to vibe with the weirdness."
The food kept coming, the noise kept rising, and the Black Bulls continued to be exactly what they were known for—unhinged, chaotic, and a little terrifying.
Zura soaked it in. This madness felt right.
But despite the warmth, the food, and the batshit energy in the room, something itched at the back of his mind.
Noelle still wasn't there.
After the meal wound down and the squad dispersed to their usual madness—Magna challenging Luck to a headbutt contest, Gordon trying to share tea, and Charmy passed out on a pile of bread—Zura stood up.
Vanessa glanced at him. "You heading out?"
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Something's bugging me."
"Wanna drink about it?"
He smirked. "Nah. I'll be back. Just gotta find someone."
Without waiting for a reply, he slipped out of the mess hall and into the quieter corridors of the Black Bull base.
Noelle was still nowhere to be seen.
And that didn't sit right with him. Not at all.
"Where could she be?" he wondered.
===
A/N- Sup guys! I hope you are doing fine. I am trying to improve the update schedule thanks to the feedbacks. I hope you are enjoying the fic as much as I am writing it.
Also, do you guys remember I said I was working on an OG novel. Guess what? It's out!
The title is- Harem with Esper System: I am Super OP
If you can't see it on my profile, just search it. Maybe because it's new and it has to go through some process. At least, that's what I have heard.
I am participating in contest with that novel, so I will need you guys support and feedback! So please go read it and add it to your library. Even if you don't plan to read it now, please add it to your library as it will help me with the contest!
It already has 4 chapters out and I plan to upload it daily with this fanfic.