The rest of the day continued with grueling training. After the 30-minute break, Kurokawa called the group back together for close combat training. They gathered in a circle on the now rainbow-colored patch of grass, their bodies aching and clothes splattered with paint.

“Alright,” Kurokawa began, “now that we’ve tested your agility, let’s see how you fare in close combat. Pair up, and we’ll start with some basic sparring.”

Kurokawa paired Kaen and Kenzo together, to Kaen’s disappointment and seemingly Kenzo’s too. Gin and Ren formed another pair, while Yuukie, looking horrified, was paired with Kurokawa himself.

Kurokawa demonstrated a few basic moves: defensive stances, simple strikes, and counter-attacks. “Focus on your form and technique. Power isn’t everything; precision and speed matter just as much,” he instructed.

Kaen felt a surge of anxiety. He had seen Kenzo’s push-up training which alone was enough to scare him a bit. But he had also never had any in-depth training like many in the underground. Asahi had taught him some basic things when he was little, but that was only to fend off robbers or crazy people on the street looking for a fight. As he squared off against Kenzo, he could sense the tension.

“Ready?” Kenzo asked, raising his fists with a smirk.

“Yeah, let’s do this,” Kaen replied, taking a defensive stance.

Kenzo lunged first, throwing a quick jab. Kaen parried, a bit clumsy but effective. He countered with a strike, landing a light tap on Kenzo’s chest. Kenzo stumbled back, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

“Lucky shot,” Kenzo muttered, resetting his stance. They continued sparring, Kaen using what little he knew to keep Kenzo at bay. Despite his lack of formal training, his agility was better than Kenzo’s.

Meanwhile, Gin and Ren were engaged in a spirited match. Gin’s movements were swift and aggressive, while Ren relied more on defensive tactics, blocking and parrying her strikes. But you could still see that Ren was at a disadvantage. Yuukie, despite her best efforts, struggled against Kurokawa. Even though he was clearly going easy on her. Yuukie’s form was sloppy, and her strikes lacked power. Kurokawa offered pointers and encouragement, but it was clear she had never hit anyone before.

After several rounds, Kurokawa called for a break. “Good work, everyone. Grab some water and rest for a bit. We’ll continue shortly.”

Kaen sat down, breathing heavily but feeling proud of himself. Kenzo plopped down beside him, glaring slightly. “You got lucky,” Kenzo said, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Maybe,” Kaen replied, taking a sip of water. “But a win’s a win.”

Kenzo huffed, clearly not in the mood for conversation. The break was brief. Kurokawa soon had them up and moving again, this time for endurance training. They lined up for a series of sprints across the field, interspersed with push-ups and sit-ups. The exercises themselves were easy, but it was the continuous length without a break that pushed them to their limits.

Kaen felt his muscles burning with fatigue, but he pushed through, determined to keep up. Gin’s earlier enthusiasm had waned slightly, but she still pushed herself, wanting to win again. Ren, despite his sleek build, showed a surprising amount of stamina, keeping pace with the others. Yuukie, however, was struggling the most. About 30 minutes in, she nearly passed out, collapsing onto the grass, gasping for air.

Kurokawa quickly walked over, helping her up and giving her some water. “Take a moment, Yuukie. Pace yourself,” he said, his tone surprisingly gentle.

She nodded weakly, trying to catch her breath. After a few minutes, she insisted on continuing, though it was clear she was barely holding on.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the field, Kurokawa finally called for a halt. “That’s enough for today,” he said, his tone a mix of sternness and approval. “You’ve all done well. Go clean up and rest. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

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Kaen breathed a breath of relief, he didn’t know how much more he could take. The day had been exhausting, doing this again tomorrow felt almost impossible. He and the others trudged back toward their living quarters, their bodies aching and their clothes dirty

As they walked, Gin came up beside Kaen. “I definitely won today,” she said, giving him a friendly nudge. “Didn’t know it was a completion but okay.”

Kaen laughed, even though she was basically mocking him, it felt nice having people to talk to. “We all did great today”

Ren walked up behind them, “Let’s do great tomorrow too,” he laughed melodically as he placed his hands on their shoulders. Kaen nodded.

Back in their living quarters, Kaen took a long, hot shower, letting the water wash away the grime and tension. He dressed in comfortable clothes that he had found inside the closet and joined the others in the common area.

They all sat down on the crooked chairs and the old table, Kenzo wasn’t there yet. But it wasn’t like Kaen cared.

A few minutes later, Kurokawa entered the room carrying five boxes. “Dinner’s here,” he announced, placing the boxes on the counter. “Choose what you want,” he said with a wave, as he left again.

Kaen eagerly opened one of the boxes and found lasagna inside. “This looks great,” he said, grabbing the box and settling back down.

Gin chose the curry, a big grin spreading across her face. “Yes curry!” she said, sniffing the aroma of the curry.

Ren and Yuukie both opted for sushi, Ren giving Kaen a wink. “Sushi’s the best,” he said, picking up a piece with his chopsticks. “Could never eat raw fish, ugh,” Gin said as she took a spoonful of curry, getting it all over the table. “Seems like etiquette is impossible for you,” Ren said continuing to munch on his very delicious sushi. Gin rolled her eyes before eating another bite that spilled even more on the table.

They ate in relative silence for a while, savoring the food. The room was filled with the sounds of contented chewing and occasional murmurs of appreciation. Kaen couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed a meal this much, especially one he had with other people. Kaen and Asahi never had much food, they were always short and Asahi had to take on multiple jobs to even get them one meal per day. When Kaen was 12 years old he also started working, it had gotten better after that. Getting to eat normal food for once, instead of moldy bread and rich people’s trash. He was grateful for this, the food, the bed, the people. He felt content. But he knew that this would all disappear in just a few weeks from now when the mission was over, and then he would go back to his old house in the slums. Even if he found Asahi up here, which he was determined to do. It would all be the same again. But even if he had to do that he decided that he had to enjoy the moment now. So for this night, he would eat till he threw up, well at least until the food in his box was empty.

Deciding this Kaen saw that there was some lasagna left in the box on the counter. It was just a little bit but no food should go to waste. He still had a bunch of lasagna left on his plate but what if someone took it? As he stood up and walked over to the counter, he didn’t notice Kenzo approaching from the opposite direction.

The collision was inevitable. Kaen’s plate tipped, and a significant portion of lasagna smeared across Kenzo’s clean shirt. “What the hell?” Kenzo shouted, eyes blazing with anger. “You ruined my shirt!”

Kaen felt a surge of irritation. “It was an accident, Kenzo. Chill out. It’s just a stupid shirt.”

Kenzo’s face contorted with rage. “Just a stupid shirt? This shirt costs more than your entire wardrobe! You’ve ruined it!”

Kaen’s own anger flared. “Oh, come on, Kenzo. Stop overreacting. We’ve all had a rough day, and now you’re throwing a tantrum over some clothes?”

Kenzo stepped closer, his fists clenched. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re just a clumsy idiot who can’t even walk straight!”

“Maybe if you weren’t so obsessed with your precious clothes, you’d see where you’re going!” Kaen shot back, his voice rising.

Gin immediately came to Kaen’s side, her eyes flashing with anger. “It’s just a shirt, Kenzo. Get over yourself.”

Yuukie, visibly frightened by the escalating argument, cowered in her seat. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Kaen and Kenzo as she covered her ears, disliking the loud voices.

Ren, seeing the tension, quickly stepped in between Kaen and Kenzo. “Guys, come on. It’s been a long day. Let’s not fight over something so small. We’re all tired and hungry. Let’s just sit down and finish our meal in peace.”

But Kenzo wasn’t ready to back down. “This isn’t over,” he hissed at Kaen, his voice seething with anger. “You’d better watch yourself.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Kenzo stormed outside. Slamming the sliding door shut behind him, leaving the group in stunned silence.

Kaen took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He glanced at Ren and nodded. “Thanks,” he said quietly, appreciating Ren’s intervention.

Gin patted Kaen on the back. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s just a spoiled brat.”

Yuukie finally spoke up, her voice trembling slightly. “I… I hope he comes back soon, his food might go cold otherwise.”

Ren gave them all a reassuring smile. “Let’s just focus on getting through this training together, we need to have good teamwork for the mission,”

Kaen nodded, as much as Kenzo pissed him off it wouldn’t be good if they couldn’t work together.