Both brothers were in the cafeteria, having a snack before heading back to the next class. The older one carried a dull expression; apparently, he didn't expect to still have to study after joining the army.
— Hey, Kura and Arold, long time no see!
The voice came from Itadaki, who immediately hugged both brothers from behind while continuing to speak:
— How are the classes going?
He acted like an older brother due to his extroverted nature and the large age gap between him and the brothers. Itadaki was an average-height man with spiky hair, always wandering around behaving in this clumsy and outgoing way with others.
— They suck... I can't even take on high-level missions because of them.
That gloomy, disheartened comment came from the short black-haired boy, who really hated having to study for hours a day. Arold only responded subtly:
— They're actually kind of fun.
Itadaki simply ruffled both of their heads before walking toward the cafeteria door, speaking in a carefree tone:
— Well, I'm heading out on a mission nearby. I'll be back at the base soon. See you later, guys!
A few days passed since then, around two to be exact. Kura was in history class, spacing out in his thoughts and ignoring almost everything the teacher was saying.
— The Miraijins were an ancient ethnic group who conducted experiments in pursuit of immortality and...
Kura didn't hear the rest of the sentence—unlike his younger brother, who was writing everything down. Kura was thinking of ways to escape that class, coming up with the most obvious excuse to do so.
— Teacher, can I go to the bathroom?
He raised one arm as he spoke, and the teacher allowed him to leave. The short boy headed toward the restroom with a big smile on his face, pleased to have "escaped" class, even if just for a moment.
— Man, what a boring class... What was the teacher even talking about? Miraijins... mirins... Ah, whatever, probably not important.
He went to the bathroom, using one of his abilities to check whether there was anyone else inside. Seeing no other heartbeats, the young man walked in casually and opened one of the many stalls. But all he did was scream in horror and shock. That scream quickly drew the attention of teachers and higher-ranking members of the army, who rushed to the bathroom to find out what had happened.
— T-There's a… A...
He pointed to the stall. When the officers looked inside, there was a dead body. The corpse had a hole in both the head and neck and was nearly covered in blood. It was one of the more "senior" soldiers, Alfonso. He sat there with a terrified and horrified expression, mixed with surprise. The military examined his wounds while waiting for the team to remove the body. Even though the holes in his head and neck looked like they were from .38 caliber bullets, there were no signs of gunfire or weapons that could've caused the damage.
— This is gonna be a pain to figure out... Hey, take the kid to change his clothes—he probably pissed himself from the scare.
They took the young boy to a nearby locker room to get changed. Weeks passed since the incident, and the deaths didn't stop happening across the base. All of them had similarities to Alfonso's—whether it was the way they were killed or the location where the bodies were found.
Returning to the brothers, who were now on their lunch break, eating chicken croquettes.
— Well, at least we still have these amazing croquettes!
They started eating their snacks, until the young third sergeant bit into something strange. Upon pulling it out, Kura turned completely pale and disgusted:
— Not again!
The boy's scream caught everyone's attention — especially Itadaki's. He rushed over to Kura and noticed that the object was a severed finger. Itadaki removed the finger from inside the young man's croquette and immediately activated his special ability.
— Just give me a second...
He began analyzing the finger with his power, which allowed him to see the history of an object just by touching it — making it possible to identify whom it belonged to.
— Oh… I see. So this is where you ended up... Alex.
Itadaki said this with a somewhat somber tone. He knew the person he spoke of was dead. He turned to the brothers and said, visibly concerned:
— Kura, go see the doctor to avoid catching any infection… Take him with you, Arold.
Arold nodded and guided his brother to the infirmary, speaking to Itadaki in a tone that was both worried and grateful:
— Thank you so much, Itadaki!
As the older brother was about to thank him too, he noticed Itadaki bumping into something and cutting himself deeply. This put Kura in a brief state of shock and concern, but what he saw next quickly turned into confusion and disbelief. The spiky-haired man who had just been hurt simply ignored the wound — and regenerated almost instantly.
"Well... maybe I'm just seeing things…"
That was Kura's thought as he followed Arold to the base's infirmary, wondering, "What was that regeneration all about?"