The atmosphere between us turned stiff again. She hadn't expected me to say something so tragic. By then, we had reached our destination, and as we stepped off the bus, an uncomfortable silence lingered between us. But I wasn't too concerned about the awkwardness—I was more focused on what the exam center would look like. Would it have an air of mysticism, or would it be intimidating?
As we approached the entrance, I was surprised to find that it wasn't some hidden or concealed location. Ordinary people walked past it as if it were just another street, oblivious to the massive structure that stood before us. My shock only deepened when I realized they couldn't even see it. The only ones who could perceive the building were the examinees and the guards welcoming them inside.
As we entered, I took in the sight of creatures I had never encountered before—elves, beast-like humans, a girl with the head of a rabbit, a man with the body of a horse, and another girl with cat ears. It was fascinating to see so many different species gathered in one place. The air crackled with spiritual energy, and even the sky was different. Instead of the usual blue, it was a soft pink, like the petals of a Sakura tree. Above us, two suns shone—one red, the other blue. I could only stare in awe.
"Wow," I murmured, my feet glued to the ground as I tried to absorb everything at once.
Shizu, still tense from earlier, let out a small chuckle as she watched me, a hint of relief crossing her face.
"The pink starry sky is beautiful, isn't it?" she said, smiling.
"Yeah."
She sighed. "Everyone has their own story, huh?" she muttered under her breath, though I only caught a murmur of her words.
"What did you say?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Nothing. Let's head to the registration area."
As we moved forward, a girl with light brown hair and deep brown skin, dressed in a black and pink uniform emblazoned with the words YUZUARA COMPANY, came rushing toward us.
"Oh, so there's another company apart from the one I joined?" I mused, glancing at the uniform Shizu and I wore, bearing the emblem of Izana Company. Luckily, they had my size. Sigh.
The girl sprinted towards Shizu, calling out her name before practically leaping onto her, wrapping her in a tight hug.
"Shizu! What are you doing here? Did you come to watch our new recruits get their trainee licenses?" she asked excitedly.
"No. And why would I?" Shizu replied, clearly embarrassed by how tightly their bodies were pressed together. From where I stood, it was a rather... pleasant sight. I smirked. Shizu noticed and shot me a glare, her expression practically screaming don't look. I gave her a look in return that said not my fault, you're the ones doing this right in front of me.
"I came here to register our new recruit," she finally answered, trying to pry the girl off her. However, the girl stubbornly clung to her.
"New recruit?" The girl's expression shifted to curiosity before she turned to me. Her gaze swept over me from head to toe, then she whipped back to Shizu, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Shizu, Shizu! Wow, he's so cute!" she squealed, startling me.
"Where did you guys find a recruit like him? How old is he? Does he have a girlfriend? Is he your long-lost cousin?" She fired off questions like a machine gun, gripping Shizu's shoulders and shaking her in excitement.
"Chifuyu, please calm down. You're giving me a headache," Shizu groaned.
Chifuyu finally released her, still buzzing with curiosity. Just then, another group entered the area, an ominous aura surrounding them. There were twelve of them, but the two leading them—a boy and a girl—clearly commanded the group. They were all dressed in black and red uniforms with IROHA emblazoned on them.
The boy, their leader, strode toward us with a smug expression. Just by the way he looked at Shizu, I could tell he wasn't a friend. He had come over to pick a fight.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the great Shizu," he sneered, laughing with his group.
"What do you want, Endo?" Shizu shot back, her glare sharp.
Endo smirked, his eyes roaming over her in a way that made his thoughts clear. Shizu's beauty was undeniable, despite her irritating personality. It wasn't surprising that he was looking at her like that—but it was clear she despised him. I found myself wondering what had happened between them.
"Come on, Shizu-chan, don't look at me like that. Aren't we friends?" he cooed with an infuriating smile.
"Ugh, no. Never. You sound disgusting. Who would want to be friends with a moron?" she snapped.
"What?!" Endo's followers bristled at the insult, throwing a barrage of words in his defense, but they were abruptly silenced by the girl standing beside him. Celestina.
She was a foreigner, but her Japanese was near-perfect—she must have been in Japan for a long time.
"Calm down, boys. We don't want to start a fight with so many companies present. We should be representing Iroha properly, not acting like common thugs. Right, Shizu?" Celestina smiled, her words carrying an undercurrent of manipulation.
Shizu hesitated before nodding. "En… oh… yeah." She seemed conflicted, and I understood why. On the surface, Celestina appeared to be de-escalating the situation, but her words also painted Shizu as the villain.
Celestina turned her gaze to me. "So, what brings you here? Don't tell me Izana finally has a new recruit."
Shizu puffed out her chest proudly. "As you can see, Ce-les-ti-na, he's our new recruit."
The boys in Celestina's group immediately gawked as Shizu's chest jiggled from the motion.
"Wow!" they exclaimed.
Shizu frowned. "What's wrong with them?"
"Tsk, just a bunch of silly, hungry guys. Celes, you really need to train your men better," she smirked, mocking her.
Celestina's face darkened as she shot a murderous glare at her group. The boys immediately cowered, and even Endo averted his gaze.
"So, he's your new recruit? That's... really interesting. But Shizu, I have to wonder—how much did your company have to pay to bribe a weak little child into joining?" She smirked, her words dripping with mockery.
Shizu's eyes narrowed. "And what does that have to do with you?"
Celestina feigned innocence. "Oh, nothing. It's just... I know you, Shizu. You don't work with weaklings. So, tell me, if this isn't desperation, then what is?"
Shizu sighed, stepping closer. "Whether he's weak or not is none of your business. I'm not the leader, so I don't have the final say. And honestly? I don't care. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have more important matters to attend to." She grabbed my wrist and started pulling me toward the exam hall.
Just before leaving, she glanced back with a smirk. "Oh yeah, before I forget," Shizu said with a smirk, glancing back at the group. "He was actually recommended to us by the White Clad. Sooo… bye~."
Then she turned on her heel and started walking away, Chifuyu trailing behind her like always.
I could feel the shift immediately. The moment she dropped that line, the group behind us froze. Their footsteps stopped. The air turned heavy with disbelief.
"Wait… did she just say he was recommended by the White Clad?" someone muttered behind me, voice shaking slightly.
Another one added, "If he's from the White Clad… did we just mess with a big-shot?"
"Celestina, that can't be true, right?" one of them asked, laughing nervously as if saying it out loud would make it less real.
Endo, unsurprisingly, was the first to scoff. "What are you all panicking for?" he said, puffing out his chest like he always did when trying to sound smart. "He's just a recommendation. It's not like he's some high-ranking officer. Besides, if he was someone important, would they have sent him to a reject group like theirs? Be real. He's probably just some failure they threw our way."
The group practically sighed in relief. They were so quick to believe him, clinging to the idea that I wasn't worth worrying about. Just like that, they started laughing again—mocking us like bratty kids fighting over candy.
"That's our Endo-sama, always sharp!"
"How dare that lowlife girl brag about a loser like him!"
"What else could she do? He's probably just some nobody they picked up off the street. Lying about a recommendation is the only way she could make him sound impressive. As if our bosses wouldn't see through that!"
That's when Celestina's voice cut in, sweet as sugar but sharp as a knife.
"Boys," she said with a smile that sent chills down my spine, "shut up and move. Unless you want to be late."
"Y-Yesss, Celestina-sama!" they all stuttered, flinching like scolded dogs before scrambling into line.
Endo stayed quiet this time, Celestina walking a little behind the group, but I could practically feel her eyes on me. She seemed to be thinking about something.
"Tsk. These people really don't know Shizu at all", she was probably thinking. "She doesn't brag. Not about anything, unless it really matters. If she said he's a recommendation from the White Clad… then maybe he's something special. Damn it, Shizu. Where'd you find a guy like that?"
I didn't turn around, but I could almost hear the smirk forming on her face.
"Guess we'll find out soon enough during the exam. Let's see what you've really got, new recruit".