The entrance to the Academy was a chaotic sea of camera flashes and shouting. Reporters from every major news outlet in the city had swarmed the gates, cornering Derek and Seri.
"Raiko-san! Is it true you held off twenty mercenaries alone?"
"Kyorin-san, can you confirm the presence of a hidden Kinatarou heir?"
"Where is the boy with the blue eyes?"
Derek was basking in it, flashing his "hero" smile, while Seri handled the questions with her usual cool diplomacy. But on the far edge of the gate, leaning against a stone pillar, Mika stood alone. The reporters' eyes slid right over her like she was part of the architecture. To the world, she was a non-factor. To herself, she was a failure.
A hand suddenly clamped over her shoulder. Before she could gasp, she was pulled into the shadows of the hedge line. Yuki, his face partially obscured by the collar of his cardigan, skillfully weaved through the gaps in the crowd, dragging her along until they reached the empty cafeteria.
The silence of the large room was a stark contrast to the roar of the media outside. Yuki sat across from her, his sapphire studs glinting in the morning light. He didn't offer a hug or a kind word. He just watched her.
"What's wrong?" Yuki asked, his face decorated with a smile.
Mika wiped a stray hair from her face, her gaze fixed on the plastic tabletop. "Nothing. I'm fine."
"You're lying," Yuki stated simply. "You're hurting because those people outside don't know your name. You're hurting because you feel like a side character in a story where everyone else is a legend. And most of all, you're hurting because you know you aren't brave."
Mika's head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock. The accuracy of the strike left her breathless.
"I don't know you well, Mika," Yuki continued, leaning back, his smile vanshied. "This is really the first time we've talked one-on-one. But I know one thing about you. You're a coward."
The word hit her like a physical blow. Mika's lip trembled. She wanted to scream, to defend herself, but the truth was a heavy weight in her chest.
"You're a coward because you were too scared to even look at me when we first met," Yuki said, his voice blunt and clinical. "You would've never come to that warehouse if Derek hadn't dragged you. And when the fighting started, you were ready to run away even without Luna. You have Kizo, you have power, you're officially stronger than a 'Zero' like me... yet you're the biggest coward I've ever seen."
The first tear fell, splashing onto the table, followed by a silent sob that shook her entire frame. Yuki's words weren't a slap; they were a scalpel, cutting away the excuses she had built up.
"Are you a coward?" Yuki asked, his blue eyes boring into hers.
Mika couldn't look at him. She just nodded slowly, her shoulders heaving as she let out a broken sob. "Yes," she whispered.
Yuki's expression shifted. The coldness vanished, replaced by a small, genuine smile. He reached across the table and tapped the surface in front of her.
"Good," he said, his tone softening. "You've accepted who you are. That's the first step to overcoming your fears. You can't fix a problem if you're too busy pretending it doesn't exist."
He stood up, looking toward the window where the reporters were still hounding his friends.
"The difference between a hero and a coward isn't that the hero isn't afraid," Yuki said, turning back to her. "It's that the hero admits they're terrified, and then they move anyway. Now that you've stopped lying to yourself, Mika... what are you going to do next?"
Mika sat in the cafeteria long after Yuki left. The tears had stopped, leaving her eyes red but her mind strangely clear. For the first time, the "background noise" in her head was silent.
Meanwhile, in the hallway, the "Social War" had reached a new level. Seri had finally broken free from the reporters and found Yuki walking toward class. She looked at his new haircut, the missing glasses, and the way the other students were whispering.
"Yuki," she said, catching up to him. "The Academy Director wants to see us. All of us. Including Derek and Mika."
Yuki didn't look surprised. "Is it about the 'Zero' who broke a Kyorin's wrist?"
The air in the Director's office was thick with the scent of expensive tobacco and the overwhelming pressure of the two men sitting across from Yuki and his friends. They were Vanguard Recruitment Officers, their charcoal-grey uniforms crisp, their eyes scanning the students like they were checking the specifications of a new weapon.
"It's unprecedented," the senior officer said, sliding four gold-embossed envelopes across the mahogany desk. "Direct recruitment into the Vanguard Prep-Track before graduation. Because of your performance at the Port, the Oversight Committee is fast-tracking all of you. You'll receive a Royal stipend, advanced Kizo training, and immediate protection from any... external family disputes."
Seri's eyes shimmered. This was it. The goal they had discussed on the bridge. She looked at Yuki, waiting for him to reach for his envelope.
"No thanks," Yuki said.
The silence that followed was absolute. The Director dropped his pen. Seri's head snapped toward Yuki, her mouth slightly agape.
"Yuki?" she whispered. "What are you doing?"
"I'm refusing," Yuki said, his voice was playful but everyone could tell he was serious. He looked the senior officer in the eye. "At my current level, I wouldn't be able to do much in the Vanguard. I'd be a liability. I'd end up dead in a week because I'm not ready for the kind of wars you guys fight. I'm not going to be a corpse just to have a fancy title."
The officer narrowed his eyes. "You realize this offer won't come again, Kinatarou?"
"It will come again, just not from you." Yuki countered.
Derek looked at the gold envelope, then at Yuki. He sighed, pushing his away as well. "If the guy who did all the heavy lifting says it's a death trap, I'm out too. I need more time to bake."
Seri bit her lip, looking between her dream and the boy she promised to stand beside. Slowly, she pushed her envelope back. "I... I also refuse."
The officers stood up, the atmosphere in the room turning icy. They didn't even look at Mika. They hadn't addressed her once during the entire meeting—they hadn't even printed an envelope with her name on it. To them, she was just the girl who stood in the corner. That silence hurt Mika more than Yuki's "coward" speech ever could.
"If you aren't joining the Vanguard," the Director asked, leaning forward, "then what is the point of all this training?"
Derek grinned, but it was sharp. "The Strongest Student Tournament. It starts in two weeks. Every school in Japan is sending their strongest students. I want to see where I stand against the rest of the country before I decide to sign my life away to the government."
"I'm in for that too!" Yuki added. "It's a chance to gain experience."
As they walked out of the office, the news of their refusal spread through the Academy like wildfire. They had turned down the ultimate honor to participate in a "student brawl."
Mika walked behind them, her heart feeling like lead. She watched Yuki's back—the way he moved with a new, quiet confidence. He had called her a coward, but he had also given her the first step.
"Yuki," Seri said as they reached the courtyard. "Why the tournament?"
Yuki stopped, looking up at the sky. "Because if we're going to be the Number One members of the Vanguard, Seri, we shouldn't just be 'recruited.' We should be 'hunted.' We go to the tournament, we crush everyone, and then we make the Vanguard beg us to join on our terms."
He looked back at Mika, who was still lingering in the shadows. "And that goes for everyone. Including the biggest coward I know."
The courtyard was still reeling from the news of the Vanguard refusal when the group gathered near the training grounds. The air was thick, not just with the humidity of the afternoon, but with the sharp, jagged edges of Yuki's new personality.
"Follow me, Coward," Yuki said, his voice flat as he looked at Mika. "You're going to teach me how to handle ice properly."
Mika flinched at the name. It wasn't a joke; it was a label, and Yuki wore it like a weapon.
"Yuki, knock it off," Derek growled, stepping between them. His eyes were sparking with solar heat. "Stop calling her that. Her name is Mika. Show some respect."
Yuki didn't even blink. He looked through Derek as if he were made of glass. "I'm not lying, am I? That's what she is. If she wants to be called something else, she can earn it."
The snap of Derek's patience was audible. He lunged forward, grabbing the collar of Yuki's cream cardigan and slamming him against the stone wall of the gymnasium. The impact echoed across the courtyard.
"She's been through hell for you!" Derek roared, his face inches from Yuki's. "She risked her life at the port! You don't get to treat her like trash just because you got a haircut and a fancy last name!"
Mika rushed forward, her hands trembling. "Derek, please! It's okay! He's... he's right, I—"
"It's not okay!" Derek yelled, his grip tightening. He looked back at Yuki, who remained limp against the wall, his expression bored. "Say you're sorry. Now."
Yuki tilted his head, a drop of sweat sliding down his temple. "Why should I apologize for the truth? Ask her, Derek. Ask her if she's a coward."
Derek's vision went red. He didn't use his Kizo—he didn't want to kill him—but he put every ounce of his frustration into a localized, heavy punch that landed squarely on Yuki's nose.
"YUKI!" Seri screamed, rushing forward and shoving Derek away with her palms.
Yuki's head snapped back against the stone. A dark, heavy stream of blood began to leak from his nose, staining the collar of his shirt. He didn't fight back. He didn't even raise his hands to wipe it away. He just stood there, looking at the ground for a long moment.
"Are we done?" Yuki asked, his voice muffled by the blood. He finally looked up, and for a split second, the "Zero" mask slipped, revealing a gaze so empty it made Derek's heart skip a beat.
He didn't look at Derek. He looked at Mika.
"Let's go, Coward. We're wasting daylight."
He turned and began walking toward the training halls, leaving a trail of red droplets on the pavement. Mika hesitated, looking at Derek's horrified expression and Seri's trembling hands, before she lowered her head and followed him like a shadow.
Derek went to lunge again, his fists glowing white-hot, but Seri caught his arm, her grip surprisingly strong.
"Let go, Seri! He's lost his mind!" Derek hissed. "He's treating her like an animal!"
"He's trying to help her, Derek," Seri said softly, her eyes fixed on Yuki's retreating back. "Mika doesn't need a shoulder to cry on right now. She needs a reason to hate her own weakness. Yuki is giving her that."