Mira sighed, already foreseeing what was coming.

“You have to wait for the test to finish, Kay. You can’t make coffee here!” she said.

Raven looked at Kay, full of disdain.

“All this because of coffee?! He’s all limp, like jelly! He’s no good for the army, get him out of here!” said Raven, dropping Kay on the floor.

Mira took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

“Usually he can last the whole day... but I think it’s because... he’s sleepy,” said Mira, hesitantly, trying to justify it.

“I don’t care! If he’s not going to take the army seriously, then he has no right to stay here!” shouted Raven, irritated. “I doubt he’ll pass, but if he does, make him refuse!”

“You’re going too far with your words! It was his idea that made us win!” said Thais, trying to defend Kay.

“Stay in your lane! I didn’t ask you anything!” — Raven replied, even more irritated.

“What did you say?!” Thais exclaimed, taking a step forward, her face red with anger.

Kratos placed himself between the two.

“Enough! There’s no need to argue. Whether or not he joins the army depends on the results of the tests,” he said, trying to maintain order.

Raven huffed, walking away with heavy steps.

“I’ll have him expelled, even if he’s accepted!” she shouted, before leaving the field of vision, followed by Fiona.

Thais watched Raven walk away, clearly irritated.

“I don’t like her, she thinks so highly of herself!” Thais said, crossing her arms.

Slayer, who had been watching calmly, spoke in a measured tone:

“While we were in the forest, we faced many competitors. I understand her frustration. I don’t care about the method used, since it brought us victory, but it must be difficult for her, who was trained by a soldier.” Kratos nodded and sat down, crossing his arms.

"It's a risky job, but an honorable one. That's what we were taught from an early age," he said, looking at the horizon.

Mira approached, curious.

"Are you going to stay on our team, Kratos?" she asked.

Kratos smiled.

"Yes. I have to get this guy in line," he said, pointing at Kay.

Mira laughed.

"I see," she replied, with a smile.

After a few hours...

"Next!" Aurion shouted, calling the participants for the next test.

— Finally! — Thais exclaimed excitedly.

— Are you okay? — Sarah exclaimed worriedly.

— Yes, I can continue! — Yuri said, staggering.

— When we get back home, I'll make coffee, but take these remaining tests seriously! — Mira said.

— But I'm taking it! — Kay replied firmly.

"You overdid it, Mom!", thought Mira.

They advanced to the next area.

— Split up and stand in front of these four machines, with space! Let's measure your strength with the suit. Punch the machine with the will to destroy it! — Aurion ordered.

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— That's it? It seems simple! — San said.

— Any ideas? — Thais exclaimed.

— It's just a test of strength. Just punch the machine, there's no secret. — Kay said.

— I thought you were going to say something else. — Thais muttered.

— Tenth competitor, 500 points. Go ahead, next! — announced the soldier in charge.

— Raven did well! — said Dan.

— Show-off! — Thais grumbled, irritated.

— One hundredth competitor, 300 points. Go ahead, next! — continued the soldier.

— Fiona did well too! — complained Thais, more irritated.

— 50 points, next. 90 points, next. 20 points, next. — informed the soldier.

— How weak! — said Thais.

— Quiet, they'll hear you! — warned Viviane.

— One hundred and fortieth competitor, 215 points. Go ahead, next! — reported the soldier.

— The Slayer did well! Raven has the highest score. I think over 100 is already good! — commented Sarah.

— First competitor, 600 points. Go ahead, next! — said the soldier.

— It was expected! — said Thais.

— Now it's your turn. Take it seriously! — said Mira, letting go of Kay.

Kay punched the machine.

— One hundred and sixth competitor, 15 points. Go on, next! — informed the soldier.

The girls tried to hold back their laughter.

"I told you to take it seriously!", thought Mira, irritated.

Mira punched the machine.

— One hundred and fifth competitor, 280 points. Go on, next! — announced the soldier.

— She really got mad! — commented Thais, preparing herself.

— One hundred and eighth competitor, 150 points. Go on, next! — said the soldier.

— One hundred and ninth competitor, 190 points. Go on, next! — informed the soldier.

— I did well! — whispered Viviane, smiling.

— One hundred and forty-first competitor, 40 points. Go on, next! — said the soldier.

— I did badly! — Sarah lamented.

— Eighty-fourth competitor, 220 points. Next one! — the soldier announced.

— Yay! — San celebrated.

— Eighty-fifth competitor, 190 points. Next one! — the soldier said.

“I didn’t do so badly!” Dan thought.

— I told you to take it seriously! — Mira argued with Kay.

— But I did! I swear I punched with all my strength! — Kay defended herself.

— And what ridiculous result was that? — Mira exclaimed.

— I don't know! — Kay replied.

— I don't know if you deserve the coffee! — Mira said, calming down.

— Is it over yet? — Thais exclaimed.

— It looks like a fight between brothers! — Viviane commented.

— Before we move on to the last test, I want to inform you of something important — Aurion said, his deep voice echoing through the hall. — This entire recruitment is being watched by the captains. All of them, this time, are present.

The silence that followed was palpable. The impact of those words made the air seem heavier. The participants looked at each other in disbelief. Gathering all the captains to watch the recruitment? That was almost impossible. Their busy schedules made this kind of event unthinkable.

“All the captains? That means the one from the First Division is here too…” Slayer muttered, trying to process the information.

“That’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?” Thais replied, as if to ease the tension. “After all, it’s the vice-captain who’s conducting the tests.”

But Slayer, usually so confident, seemed shaken.

“Captain Julius… in person?” He pronounced the name with an unusual reverence, his voice slightly trembling.

Kay, watching Slayer’s reaction, frowned.

“Is that so rare?” he asked casually.

Slayer turned to him slowly, as if Kay had just asked the most naïve question in the world.

“Rare? Captains are the busiest and most powerful people in the army. Coming here for a simple recruitment… that’s something that never happens. And now, they're all here," Slayer said, his eyes wide.

Kay remained uninterested, with his arms crossed.

"What difference does it make if they're here or not?" he asked, indifferently.

"What difference does it make? Usually, we have to wait weeks to find out if we've been approved. Now, the captains can choose us personally! We won't have to wait, it's a unique chance!" Thais said, her enthusiasm almost palpable.

Mira smiled, sharing the excitement.

But Kay... Kay simply shrugged.

"Whatever," he muttered, walking away without paying attention.

Thais watched him leave, surprised.

"Did he get angry?" she asked, confused.

Mira looked at Kay, concern clouding her face.

"I don't know..." she replied, biting her lower lip.

Aurion interrupted the conversation with an authoritative tone:

"Next!"

Ten more competitors have advanced to the next test. The atmosphere was getting more and more tense, and the minutes dragged by as if time were slowing down. With each passing group, the anxiety grew.

“Ten by ten… at least it’s going fast now,” San commented, with a slight uneasiness in his voice.

— Isn't it too fast? Are they already choosing who's going to enter? — Dan asked, doubt reflected in his tone.

Kratos nodded, his gaze fixed ahead.

— Likely — he replied, concisely.

— Close! — Aurion called again, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

Thais looked at the next area and, suddenly, her eyes widened when she saw a strange structure on the wall.

— What's that over there? How does it work? — she exclaimed, pointing to the machine they would use next.

Before they could discuss further, Mira interrupted with a slight smile.

— He fell again... Are you sure Kay didn't drink before he came? — San joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Mira laughed softly.

— Judging by the amount of coffee he drank, I thought he'd stay up late — she replied, amused.

— Is he powered by coffee? — Thais asked, joining in the joke.

Mira shrugged, still smiling.

“Almost,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kay, with his eyes half closed, seemed to be in another dimension, his mind wandering.

What’s happening to me? I feel more tired than usual... What kind of sleeping pill did you give me, aunt? he thought, fighting against drowsiness.

“Kay, it’s our turn!” Mira warned, calling him back to reality.

As they entered the next area, the group came face to face with the imposing machine that would measure suit compatibility.