"Don't pair me with anyone weird," Shen Yooha said flatly, arms crossed.
Professor Ma raised an eyebrow. "Then you'll love your partner."
From behind her, Jin Hoshin waved like an excited puppy.
> "Hey hey, silent girl! We're a team now!"
Yooha blinked once.
> "…No."
Academy's Weekly Combat Field Test
Teams of two.
Retrieve the crystal at the peak of Silent Vale.
Survive traps. Survive each other.
Jin had already named their team "Team Moonshine."
(He insisted it was a perfect mix of her rage and his shine.)
Yooha didn't argue—just walked faster than him.
Jin jogged beside her, whispering jokes to himself.
> "Okay, serious face on. I'm cool. I'm mysterious. I'm—"
Trip!
"Ow."
She glanced back. "…Your laces are untied."
He blushed. "I knew that."
Later – Inside the Mist Caverns
Yooha sliced through a fog beast with one swing, her blade Silent Veil glowing like golden thread.
Jin stared.
> "Whoa…"
> "What?"
> "Nothing! Just that you… look like a hero from my dreams."
She turned away.
> "You're annoying."
He grinned.
But then—her knees buckled. The beast had scratched her ankle.
Jin caught her before she hit the ground.
> "You okay?"
> "I don't need help."
> "Tough. You've got it anyway."
Crystal Chamber – Ambush!
Three upperclassmen teams cornered them.
> "Give us the crystal and walk," one said.
Yooha stepped forward, blade drawn.
But Jin stopped her.
> "Allow me…"
His goofy smile vanished.
Eyes glowed faint gold.
He drew his blade, Laughing Blade, and in one breath—
the wind twisted, bending space like a trickster's grin.
> "You boys ever play 'Which hand hits first?'"
Whack! Whack! Whack!
In seconds, they were unconscious.
He turned back to Yooha, winking.
> "Cool enough for you now?
Yooha stared, eyes unreadable. Then…
> "Hmph. You're not completely useless."
He grinned like he won the world.
End of episode 5 (continue)