Kaito woke up to the scent of lavender, the sound of birds, and the sensation of being smothered.
By a catgirl.
"Good meowrning~!" Nyra beamed, perched on his back like a housecat claiming territory. "You're squishy! I like that in a prince!"
"Help," Kaito mumbled into his pillow.
"You sleep like a corpse," said a second voice.
He cracked one eye open.
Standing at the foot of the bed—arms crossed, jaw clenched, and armor glinting like an angry sun—was Reina.
"Get. Up."
"…Can I die first?"
She threw a wooden sword at his head. He rolled off the bed to dodge, landing face-first on the floor with a thud.
"I'm not here to babysit some lazy otherworlder," she snapped. "If you're supposed to awaken our powers, you'll need to start acting like it."
"Can't we start with brunch?" Kaito groaned. "Maybe a light arm stretch? Emotional bonding through board games?"
She was already stomping toward the door. "Meet me in the courtyard in ten minutes. No shirt, no skill, no problem—I'm going to knock some sense into you."
"Is that a date?" he called after her.
"IT'S A DUEL!"
⸻
The royal courtyard was a stone-paved circle surrounded by blooming white roses and towering statues of ancient Sacred Princes.
Most of them looked heroic.
One had abs sculpted into marble.
Kaito stood next to it in a borrowed tunic, holding a wooden sword that felt heavier than depression. Reina stood across from him, armored and terrifying.
"Are we sure this is how we awaken magic?" he asked.
"Pain is an excellent motivator," Reina said, brandishing her own training blade.
"I feel like you just enjoy hitting people."
"Correct."
Then she charged.
⸻
CLACK!
Kaito blocked—barely. His arms trembled.
"Not bad," Reina said. "For a sloth."
She came at him again—left, right, downward strike. Kaito stumbled, parried, tripped, and landed on his back. Again.
She didn't stop. She waited. Patient. Burning with focus.
Kaito sat up, panting.
"This… isn't fair. I didn't get a tutorial, or a starting weapon, or even an option to respec!"
Reina walked up and planted the tip of her wooden sword on his chest.
"You were summoned to protect us. But you're not fighting for anything. You're just… here."
Something in her voice cracked a little.
He looked up.
"I didn't ask to be here," he said quietly. "But I'm not running either."
A pause.
Then she swung her sword at his head.
On instinct, Kaito raised his hand—and it glowed.
A red shimmer burst across his palm, forming a faint shield of flame. The sword bounced off it with a thrum, sparks flying.
Both of them froze.
"…That's new," he muttered.
Reina's eyes widened. "You… awakened it. My magic."
Kaito blinked. "Wait, I did?"
She stared at him, eyes locked.
Then—without warning—she reeled back and punched him in the stomach.
"Ow?! What the hell?!"
"That wasn't a kiss or an embrace or anything emotional!" she shouted. "You just blocked my sword with your face!"
"I'm emotionally fragile, okay?! That counts!"
Reina looked rattled. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red.
"That wasn't how it's supposed to happen," she mumbled.
"But it still worked."
"…Shut up."
⸻
A short while later, they returned to the castle where the others had gathered for breakfast. Kaito limped in with a fresh bruise and a triumphant smirk.
"Guess who awakened some fire magic~?" he sang, pointing to himself with exaggerated finger guns.
Velveth raised an eyebrow. "So you finally managed to light someone's heart on fire?"
"More like she tried to kill me and it backfired gloriously."
Reina glared at him, half-murderous, half-embarrassed. "I said shut up."
Sylfie shrank behind her book. "T-Too loud…"
Mariabelle looked up from her omelet and goggles. "Data suggests 63% of awakenings are accidental. Yours may be the dumbest so far."
Nyra was already latched onto his side, tail swaying. "Yaaay! Fire boy!"
Liora, seated at the head of the table, watched him with her usual unreadable expression.
"You are adapting," she admitted. "Slowly."
"I aim for aggressively mediocre," Kaito said proudly, pouring himself a chalice of whatever juice they served. It tasted like honey and pineapple had a passionate affair.
Suddenly, the castle doors flew open with a gust of wind and floating petals.
"Yo, what's this? Did I miss breakfast?"
The voice was like velvet dipped in sarcasm.
A girl with silver-pink hair in twin buns walked in, twirling a spear that shimmered like starlight. She wore a half-buttoned uniform, thigh-high boots, and a smile that could topple nations.
"Who the hell—?" Kaito began.
Velveth smirked. "Ah, speak of the devil."
"I'm not the devil," said the new girl, bowing with a wink. "I'm Princess No. Eight."
Everyone froze.
"Eight?" Reina asked. "There's only seven of us."
"Nope," the girl said with a smirk. "Turns out Seraphine isn't the last. The royal records are missing a few spicy details."
She turned to Kaito, eyes glowing faintly.
"My name's Kaelia. And I've been watching you, Sacred Prince."
Kaito blinked. "Is this… a surprise DLC character?"
She leaned forward, close enough to smell like lilac and danger.
"Nope. I'm your final trial."