Midnight Arcadia

Chapter 8

Sky woke up to his ringing alarm, the sound was piercing enough to have him get out of bed and begin to turn it off. He gazed down at his hands, looking at his energy that he had gotten the day prior, making sure that it really did happen, and he wasn’t just dreaming. He let out a sigh as he allowed the energy to dissipate and began to get ready. He heard his phone buzz as he put on his blazer. It was a text from Akihiko, letting him know that he was informed of ‘in the field’ training. That’s what he had heard from Galaxy at least. Sky was confused by what ‘in the field’ training could possibly entail, would Nova really set 15 year olds on Agency jobs? Now that he thought about it, she probably would. He let out a tired yawn before walking downstairs, not entirely looking forward to that possibility. He quickly ate his food before saying goodbye to his family. The route was becoming increasingly familiar to him as he made his way to Himeji. He was walking absentmindedly, the groups of people blurring together, they just became blobs to him in his tired trek towards Himeji. Before he could even realize it, he had bumped into someone. Reality all came back into view when he realized that he had bumped into a girl, he helped her up making sure that she’s alright. “Oh, you’re… Akiyama, right? You put on quite the show yesterday.” The girl with blond hair said. He realized it was one of the unfamiliar faces within his class. It was Kaede… he thinks. He couldn’t quite remember but he was at least confident that was her name. “Yeah, it was eventful at the very least. Sorry for bumping into you again.” Sky said, apologizing. The two began to make their way towards the school, making light conversation on the way. “Did you hear about the ‘in the field’ training? Kouka had brought it up to me, it sounds rough for only the second day of school.” Kaede said, her voice naturally quiet. Sky told her that he heard about it earlier, equally not excited about it. They began to theorize what could happen, would they really be allowed to perform Agency missions? It sounds crazy but it wasn’t uncommon to see at least second years within Himeji perform missions for the Agency. They usually aren’t the big jobs, such as a shadow outbreak or mafia activity, but they were jobs that required skill and talent. The more Sky had thought about it, the more he realized how truly talented you have to be to be in Himeji. It’s dangerous, and most parents are only comfortable sending their children due to the fact that Nova Koizumi is the one teaching. Nova’s abilities are truly unmatched, her reputation alone can allow Himeji’s continued existence. Sky began to get nervous once again but he was able to keep it internalized, to not come off as weak in front of Kaede. The two crossed the front gates and met up with the rest of the students, splitting up into their respective squads. Sky looked towards Chiyoko, her expression is that of annoyance when she sees Sky arrive but there is truly nothing Sky can do about it right now. He’ll make it up to her later. Ayumi gave Sky a silent but happy smile and wave as he arrived and stood next to her. Nova snapped her fingers once everyone was in place, quickly demanding full attention. “I’m sure you’ve heard already, but it’s true. You all will be performing Agency jobs for the next week. There will be nothing that is an extreme risk to your life and I will be watching, but this is required to determine if all of you are suited for this work.” Nova explained with a voice that quickly projected across the courtyard. A male teacher walked up besides Nova, putting out his cigarette in the process. “I will also be in the field along side you. Between Nova and I, we can protect all of you if things get really hairy.” He said, his voice sounding tired. Everyone looked at the man, some recognizing him, others like Sky not recognizing him immediately. He introduced himself as Dai, the teacher of the current second years. He was also high ranking among the Kigen Agency. Though he wasn’t amongst the best of the best out of every kingdom he was certainly a capable fighter in his own right. Everyone looked on in nervous anticipation, waiting to hear what they would be doing for the next week. There had been activity of a new gang within the capital, we would be in charge of quelling the activity, especially of those of smaller crimes. Dai looked towards all the students before speaking once again. “I hope you all are ready.”

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To Be Continued