Republic of Kaldstein, Kaldstein City: 936, March 4th, Sunday, 8:00 PM.

“Finally, our day off at the beach!” Scott raised his fists in the air with excitement. “Just like the beach episodes in my favorite animations and comics!” he wore a pair of black shorts and flipflops he recently bought, his dark-skinned torso and lean body at full display—as he refused to bring a shirt.

Bloodhound was taken by Yeon to a small boutique store so they could prepare for their day off, she suggested the members buy everything they needed and more—letting them know that their dear CEO would pay for everything—whether he liked it or not.

“I must admit, this store is quite elegant.” Eric approached Scott, stepping out of the dress room with his new clothes. He wore green shorts and flipflops, rocking a short-sleeved black shirt branded with the ‘Cards O’s’ logo in his chest. “I’ve never been to Kaldstein before, this could be a good way to familiarize myself with its culture.”

Scott nodded with a quick hum. “That’s right, I already researched the place and investigated the best locations to enjoy our day.” he tipped the bridge of his glasses, lighting up the lenses. “I heard there will be a Cards O’s tournament nearby.”

“What are you idiots wearing?” Claire interrupted their conversation—accompanied by Tori.

Both Eric and Scott looked at each other with weirded out expressions, turning their frowns towards the girls in front of them. Claire—as usual—wore her special forces uniform with slight changes, replacing her black shirt with a long-sleeved turtle neck sweater that matched her amber eyes—holding tight to her athletic figure. Tori in the other hand, was dressed in a short pink sweater dress with long sleeves, jeans with winter boots and a pair of gloves—a cute white beanie on top.

Claire crossed her arms, frowning in confusion at the bizarre getup of the Bloodhound boys. “Why are you dressed like that?” he asked with a scolding voice.

“It does look quite uh... odd?” Tori couldn’t stop herself from giggling—covering her mouth with her hand.

Scott and Eric looked at each other, puzzled by the ridiculous claims of their companions. They were promised a day off at the beach after all—if anything—they should be the ones making fun of the girls.

“What are you talking about?” Eric raised his eyebrow. “You are the ones dressed for high skiing,” he mentioned with haughty eyes.

Scott laughed mockingly with one hand over his mouth, agreeing with his friend’s statement. “Silly girls, the beach is to be enjoyed by wearing a swimsuit and going for a swim at the pristine waters of the seas.” he smiled pompously.

Short of patience, Claire pinched the bridge of her nose and growled as she held up the irritation building inside. “We are in Kaldstein... look outside.” she told them with gritted teeth.

The pair followed her words and looked through the store’s window—setting their gaze on the snowy city of Kaldstein with snobbish eyes. While not a storm, the climate in the region is mostly cold throughout the entire year—with snow gently falling from the sky.

“We are going to the beach,” Scott shrugged. “You wear a swimsuit at the beach, right?” he looked at Eric, who nodded in agreement.

Sighing in complete defeat, Claire decided to let the pair be and leave the store to report to Yeon. To no one’s surprise, she noticed the men’s peculiar choice of clothing for their trip.

“Get in,” she urged the group inside the vehicle—keeping an aloof attitude towards the matter.

Bloodhound took their seats inside the car, with Claire sitting at the front and Tori in the middle of the backseat—Scott and Eric placed beside her.

“Umm... y-you don’t mind? Miss Ki-Joon?” Tori asked with a concerned smile.

Yeon shook her head slowly, keeping her eyes on the road. “I’ve dealt with worse these past few days. Your boss is... quite unique.” the group didn’t know how to respond to her stressed out words—her dead stare earning a sympathetic look from Claire.

Republic of Kaldstein, Cold Beach of Kaldstein: 936, March 4th, Sunday, 9:00 AM.

“If I don’t return to pick you up by seven, just know that I forgot about it.” Yeon told the group as she accelerated away—leaving them at the snowy beach of Kaldstein.

“Can’t we just go home on our own?” Eric asked with genuine curiosity. “We are not high schoolers...”

Wasting no time, Bloodhound found a spot to place their umbrellas and plan their activities. Surprisingly, the beach was filled with people walking around—a group of female athletes even setup their own game of volleyball. The women approached Bloodhound and invited them to join in their fun—some of them wore blue volleyball winter outfits while others were dressed in orange.

“I-I don’t think I could, I’m sorry...” Tori rejected their offer as politely as possible.

Eric shook his head. “It would be a dishonor to my father in the empire, if I were to partake in foreign activities without the necessary rituals.” he mentioned with a serious voice and expression. “Forgive me...” he bowed to the girls. “But I must reject your kind offer.” The women were lost for words at the noble’s flamboyant response, who earned a few blushes and smiles from them—It was safe to say they didn’t really mind.

“Just say no...” Claire frowned.

“Volleyball ate my dog and killed my family,” Scott confidently stated.

“Just say no!”

The girls looked at Claire next, waiting for her response. Some of them even complimented her looks and athletic form—being a member of Cerberus and devoted to her training, the lieutenant could be easily mistaken by some sort of professional athlete.

She groaned with displeasure however, not wanting to participate in any games with strangers. “It is forbidden by Cerberus,” she crossed her arms and averted her eyes. “My volleyball skills are to remain confidential.”

“Just say no,” the other members of Bloodhound chanted in unison.

“I think you would make a great player.” Eric told Claire, covering his mouth with pensive eyes.

“I’m not going.” the lieutenant kept her arms crossed.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Scott joined in as he stood beside Eric, staring at Claire with squinted eyes. “You are right...” he rubbed his chin. “I’ve played games with a story mode just like this...”

“What?”

“Show them the spirit of Bloodhound, lieutenant!” Tori cheered—pumping her fists. “Go go go!”

“Why!”

Giving into social pressure, Claire accepted the invitation from the volleyball players and was led to take position in the snowy arena—each team comprised of 3 members. The girls looked confident in their skills, all of them taller and more experienced than Claire. “We might just go easy on you, rookie.” one of her opponents smugly claimed.

Claire exhaled loudly from her mouth, regretting her decision immediately. “This is so stupid...”

“Go get’em, lieutenant!” Scott yelled from the sidelines—holding a carton sign displaying the message: ‘Cards O’s best game!’

“How encouraging!” she spat.

The match started with the ball in the opponent’s hand—a small crowd began form around them to watch the game. One of the girls served with accurate and majestic skill—letting no move of hers go to waste. The ball shot out with incredible speed to the other side of the net, but was deflected back by Claire’s teammate.

Responding in kind, one of the adversaries intercepted the ball and set it up for their main attacker to strike. With total confidence, the girl smiled smugly as she slapped the ball downwards with all her strength—launching a powerful spike against the middle of her opponents’ field. Before the ball could reach the ground however, Claire waited below with her hands balled into a fist—redirecting the now slowed down ball towards a teammate with her forearms.

“What!” the attacker reacted with wide opened eyes.

Claire’s teammate used the opportunity to strike with a strong blow towards the enemy field, but their opponents demonstrated vast knowledge and experience in the game by maintaining a solid formation—setting up their next attack.

“Let’s see how you handle this!” one of the girls passed the ball forward while the second redirected it to their star player near the net.

The adversary’s main attacker jumped in the air and reeled backwards to add momentum to her strike. As the defender from Claire’s team prepared to block her second spike however, the attacker grinned devilishly as she held back her strength—releasing a longer and weaker attack in a different direction that took the defender by surprise.

“No!” she reacted as the ball flew past her.

However, Claire was ready for her assault as she kept her sharp vision on the woman before her attack. She followed the attacker’s arm with her eyes as she reeled it backwards—preparing for a strong blow. But as the woman grinned and closed her open palm into a fist, the lieutenant was able to deduce the attacker wouldn’t hit the ball with all her strength. She studied the angle of the girl’s body and arm the moment her feet left the snow as well—letting her know that she would strike at the open center.

With that data in mind, Claire waited for the last second when the attacker’s forearm collided with the ball—moving in for the counter. She swiftly followed the ball’s trajectory and crouched low enough to stop the attack—setting up her teammate for a counterattack.

“No way!” the opponent’s star player cried in disbelief.

As the enemy team positioned themselves to defend against an immediate attack, the lieutenant’s teammate passed the ball instead—setting up Claire for a score. Flying in the air with utter grace, it was as if time slowed down for the girls to witness the lieutenant’s powerful blow—Using her palm to strike the ball with vigorous strength. The ball violently bounced against the snow and shot out of range in an instant—giving Claire’s team the upper hand.

“Yes!” Tori bounced up and down with joy. “You are the best, lieutenant!”

Eric nodded with a satisfied smile. “See? I’m never wrong when it comes to sports.”

Scott cleared his tears and wiped his glasses with a handkerchief—smiling proudly at Claire’s feats. “She is a grown up now...” he snuffled.

The game continued for a while until Claire decided to leave by her own volition—noticing the increasing frustration of the opposing team’s ace. She walked back to Tori, who waited for her in the sidelines with a smile.

“That was awesome, lieutenant!” Tori cheered. “You are amazing!”

Not knowing exactly how to react, Claire simply offered a humble smile to her praises. “Thanks, Tori.” Unable to spot Eric and Scott, she frowned and asked her friend for their whereabouts. “Where did those clowns go?”

“Uh...” Tori laughed with furrowed brows full of concern. “They um... went to buy some new clothes...”

Claire rubbed her forehead in disbelief, but didn’t utter a word—the game had tired her enough to be dealing with the men’s antics. Wanting to check on them, Tori left for the nearby clothes shop on the other side of the street—carrying a small med kit she brought in case of emergency, bringing the most essential cold medicine.

Left alone and a little fatigued, the lieutenant went for a quick walk around the shores of the beach—taking her time there as a form of rest. She stood and faced the ocean to contemplate its beauty, but her active mind couldn’t remain idle as lunch hours approached—already planning the place and budget for Bloodhound’s next stop.

“You were great,” a masculine voice called out to her from behind.

She turned to face the man with no particular reaction—believing him to be a spectator among the many that stood watching the game. He wore a black suit with a red shirt and tie—keeping his fragile and thin body somewhat hidden. His silver hair blended beautifully with the heavenly atmosphere, giving him a striking and exotic look among the white snow.

“Thanks,” she replied, promptly turning back to face the ocean. But while her intention was to leave things there, a tiny thought in her head bothered her enough to face the man a second time. “Who are you?” she asked with no particular tone.

The man grinned, but did not answer her question the way she wanted. “Just a fan of yours,” he offered a smug grin.

Claire strode towards him without uttering a single word, that single thought in her head driving her forward. Her approach took the man by surprise, but he didn’t show any intentions of moving away—simply standing in place with his left hand in his pocket. The lieutenant walked too close for comfort however, forcing him to lean backwards as her face stood mere inches away from his. She leaned forward and looked slightly upwards—her being a little smaller than the silver-haired figure.

“...” a drop of sweat fell down the man’s cheek as he kept eye contact with her—trying his best to maintain his smug expression.

The lieutenant stared at him for an awkward amount of time, squinting her eyes with great interest. “Your eyes are hard to see, you know.” she commented with a quiet voice that struck at the man’s heart—he swallowed dry to clear the tightness in his throat before speaking.

“So I’ve been told...” he replied—his grin breaking into a nervous smile.

At his words, Claire couldn’t help but smile with a satisfied look in her face—finally stepping back from him. “Sovereign... was it?” she said with her usual voice.

The silver figure visibly recoiled with a shocked expression, standing silently for a few seconds. “Ki-Joon’s gonna kill me...” he thought to himself. “How did you—”

“I recognized your voice,” Claire answered before he finished his question. “You sound a little different in person, but your voice and way of speaking aren’t that far apart.”

With a defeated smile, Sovereign lowered his head and sighed—switching to his usual confident look. “You are good,” he looked back at her. “I knew my faith in you wasn’t misplaced.”

“Were you sent here to keep an eye on my unit?” Claire wondered, but Sovereign shook his head and reminded her that she is still on a break—Cerberus would not be following their activities any time soon. “Then why are you here?” she raised an eyebrow, genuinely puzzled by the presence of ‘Arwen’s assistant.’

“I wanted to see you,” he replied boldly with an honest smile—a contrast of his usual smugness.

“Why?” Claire crossed her arms.

“I just wanted to see you.”

Claire’s phone rang with a call and interrupted the pair’s conversation. She promptly took it out of her pocket and answered the call from Tori—receiving news that Scott and Eric had successfully dressed for the winter. However, they forgot to bring their wallets and Yeon is no longer there to offer the CEOs card.

“I’m going to kill them...” Claire groaned with anger.

“Seems like you have plenty in your plate.” Sovereign huffed a quick laugh—a glimpse of frustration spread around his face. “I’ll see you another time... Lionheart.” he turned and walked in the opposite direction of the lieutenant’s destination. Claire put her phone back in her pocket—staring at the silver-haired man as he left the scene.

END OF CHAPTER