Kay was sitting, looking around, clearly confused by the situation.

“Why is she looking at me like that?” Kay asked, with a touch of discomfort.

Mira, who was next to him, sighed and shook her head.

“Don’t even ask…” she replied, uncomfortable.

Rem kept his gaze fixed on Kay, his lips still curved in that mischievous smile.

Kay looked away for a moment, trying to ignore the strange feeling that this silent exchange caused him, but it was impossible not to notice Rem’s amused expression, who seemed to be enjoying the situation.

“Did I miss something?” he thought, trying to decipher the reason for that look.

“What’s the plan?” Raven exclaimed.

“Enough surprises. Let’s just finish this mission and go home!” Kay replied.

“Why the rush? Yumi won’t run away from there!” Rem joked.

Kay froze for a brief moment, looking away as if he had been caught off guard. "I understand now... But how did Rem find out?" he thought, suspicious. Despite the initial embarrassment, he sighed and reflected:

"Yes, I do want to go back to her. Even though I left there a short time ago, I realized that I want to serve my sentence soon so that I can be with those who are important to me."

Rem, noticing his discomfort, let out a light laugh and continued:

"Young people today are so lively!"

"I agree!" Kay replied, returning the provocative smile

Mira, who was standing next to him, was completely embarrassed. Her eyes widened slightly, and she turned her face away, trying to contain her reaction.

"Idiot!" she muttered

Mineforde – Reconstruction in Progress

Meanwhile, in Mineforde, the reconstruction work continues. Takemichi leads the team efficiently.

“Move these beams to the northern sector!” he orders, pointing to a group of soldiers.

The soldiers and Guards help to erect the structures of the new houses, while trucks unload bricks and materials. The city center, once devastated, now takes on the contours of a new beginning.

A child watches from afar, holding his mother’s hand. His eyes shine with hope as he watches the soldiers rebuild what had been destroyed.

“Captain, we have good news. The power has been restored in two more districts,” Joana informs.

Takemichi just nods, but a brief, satisfied smile crosses his face.

“We are progressing faster than I imagined!” Takemichi said, looking at the movement around him with a slightly surprised expression.

“But I don’t understand... What is the royal family thinking to send civilians here already?” Joana asked, frowning.

— Maybe it’s to show that things are getting back to normal, that the situation is under control — the head guard replied thoughtfully. — Or to attract merchants. Whoever gets there first will have a better chance of buying property or land. Still, it’s impressive to see families trusting the army enough to be willing to come now. It shows that the people’s faith in you is being renewed.

“I don’t agree,” Takemichi replied, crossing his arms. “It’s risky to do this without a solid base of our own here.”

“For now, they’re just visiting the houses. They won’t stay. They’ll come and go with us,” the head guard explained.

“Just to make more work…” Takemichi grumbled.

Third Division – Kay’s Training

In the Third Division, the courtyard was silent, the soldiers lined up in perfect formation. The wind blew softly, but the tension in the air was palpable as Kay positioned himself at the head of everyone. He took a step forward, stopped, and raised his hand.

— Submit to the humans and you will live! — His voice echoed like thunder, filled with authority and power.

Immediately, an oppressive aura began to expand, heavy as a shockwave. Kay’s killing intent invaded the environment, pressing down on the soldiers like an invisible, crushing force. Some fell to their knees, unable to resist, while others clenched their fists and struggled against the pressure, their faces etched with effort.

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Kay walked slowly between the ranks, his cold gaze assessing each reaction.

“You have potential,” he said, his voice low but full of impact. “But this is only the beginning.”

As soon as Kay finished the demonstration, Renji, captain of the Second Division, stepped forward, with a confused expression.

“What do you mean? That’s all?” Renji exclaimed, crossing his arms.

“Now all we have to do is manifest the tentacles, the wings… or both,” Kay explained matter-of-factly. — It’s quite simple: order the ghouls to manifest themselves, and then try to meditate.

“Meditate?” Renji frowned in disbelief.

“Yes, meditate. To talk to the ghouls. You need to make a deal with them: feed them and keep them alive. In exchange, they will obey you.”

“Is this some kind of riddle?” Renji asked, even more confused.

— No! That’s exactly it — Kay replied firmly.

“I’m not sure I understand completely, but… I’ll give you a vote of confidence,” Renji said reluctantly but intrigued.

Kay took a deep breath and continued:

“Intention is key. For example, when you wear the suits, your speed increases significantly because your mind conditions your body to accept them. Think of the tentacles as extra arms. Once you’re able to manifest them, the next step will be to meditate.”

Renji still seemed skeptical, but before he could argue, he was interrupted.

“It seems like you’re in a hurry to finish this training, but anyway, stay for lunch. It’s almost ready,” Renji said, trying to lighten the mood.

Kay hesitated for a moment.

A few minutes later – In the cafeteria

The group was sitting at the cafeteria table, where the smell of fresh food spread throughout the room. Raven broke the silence with a question.

— So the captain will train us personally and, in exchange, Mira will be allowed to use the kitchen to make coffee tomorrow morning? Is that it? — she teased, with a smile.

“Don’t make it seem like I did it for myself,” Mira replied, a little embarrassed.

Kay, however, cut the conversation short with a firm tone:

“Captain Takemichi doesn’t have the ability to train people properly. I noticed that when I observed the division. It’s always the leaders who train the soldiers. He doesn’t know how to take it easy, so the best solution is to train with someone stronger and become stronger. That goes for all of you. Including you, Rem.”

“For us?” Raven asked, surprised.

“Exactly,” Kay said. “He’s going to lend the leaders to help, so all of you will train. The rest of the day will be for you to absorb as much information as you can. Tomorrow, we’ll do the same with the people from the Second Division.”

Sarah nodded thoughtfully.

“I see.” It's a win-win situation.

— I'll keep an eye on this training to see how it goes. And if there isn't enough time, we'll do it another day — Kay said.

“Okay!” — the soldiers said at the same time, their expressions determined.

“See? I care about my squad!” — Kay said, with a satisfied smile, while bragging.

“The most important thing here must be the coffee, right?” — Sarah teased, arching an eyebrow with an ironic smile.

“You always suspect me!” — Kay joked, letting out a light laugh.

“Honey, get a grip!” — Mira scolded, crossing her arms, but with a slight tone of affection in her voice.

“Okay!” — Kay replied promptly

The next morning.

The sky was tinged with orange and gold, as the sun slowly rose over the horizon, illuminating the plane that was heading towards the second division.

“Is there a problem, honey?” — Kay exclaimed, confused.

“None!” — Raven replied, looking away.

“You’re a little thoughtful…” Kay said, with a worried tone.

“Did you memorize it?” Raven asked abruptly, turning to him.

“Are you talking about his training? I remember it, yes!” Kay replied calmly.

“No! I’m talking about his fight against us! Did you memorize his style?” Raven insisted, her eyes shining with intensity.

“I did.” Kay confirmed with a slight nod.

“I want to face him again. Fight me, love?” Raven asked, with a mix of expectation and determination.

“There’s someone stronger than him here.” Kay calmly pointed to the side.

“You?” Raven asked, frowning.

Kay smiled at the corner of her mouth and, with a gesture, pointed to Rem, who was in the background, smiling enigmatically.

“But didn’t she give the captain a hard time?” Raven asked, surprised.

— She just didn't want to train... and held back. — Kay explained.

— She held back against a captain?! — Raven exclaimed, incredulous.

— I was a rival of a captain for a long time. I know how to deal with them. — Rem said, with a casual but confident tone.

— If you want to train, we can get permission for you. — Kay said, placing her hand on Mira's shoulder.

— Don't involve me in these matters! My mother doesn't know how to hold back, it's better to leave it alone. — Mira replied, crossing her arms and looking to the side, clearly uncomfortable.

Raven, however, didn't take her eyes off Kay. Her hands trembled slightly as she asked:

— You would hold back against me?

Kay sighed before answering firmly:

— Why are you my girlfriend? If that’s what you wanted, I could do it. But I’m sure you’d never ask for it. I only mentioned Rem because her fighting style is better than the two captains’.

— Don’t be like that. You two are going to train. — Rem said, with a defiant smile. — Let’s get permission for that.

— Two-sword style. I’ll practice first, and then we can fight. — Kay said, her serious gaze now fixed on Raven.

Raven nodded, but soon narrowed her eyes in irritation:

— Okay, but... you can stop staring at my boobs!

Kay quickly looked away, visibly embarrassed.

— It’s not that! — Kay said, trying to explain himself.

The girls, however, looked at him with disdain and disbelief.

— Your ghoul seems excited. Then I got to thinking... What if he fought too? For example, we already used part of the ghouls' strength when we put on the suits. But if the ghouls borrowed more of their strength of their own free will, perhaps you would have more speed and more strength! — Kay explained thoughtfully.

Raven narrowed her eyes, visibly irritated by the comment.

“That's not it, love. I only said it because your ghoul seems to want to face Captain Renji again. And instead of forcing him, we can offer him something in exchange so that he gives you more power.” — Kay tried to justify herself, with an almost innocent smile.

“Okay... What should I do?” — Raven asked, with a challenging tone.

“Just hold my hands!” — Kay joked, smiling.

“The way you said it irritated me!” — Raven complained, crossing her arms.

Kay sighed and sat on the floor, crossing her legs. She manifested her tentacles, fixing them on the sides of the plane to keep herself still.