CHAPTER 56: OFF WE GO.

Two days flew by in a blur of city exploration. Kentaro, Yura, and Serica spent most of it getting lost in side streets, trying out café desserts Serica couldn’t pronounce, and occasionally getting dragged into "Married life training" by Serica.

That last part? A nightmare.

Thanks to Kira’s meddling, Serica was convinced that only a woman who could cook could ever be Kentaro’s wife. Every morning, despite Yura’s calm insistence to "leave the cooking to Ken and me," Serica would charge the kitchen like a battlefield general. And every morning, Kentaro barely survived another attempt on his life via burnt rice or "mystery soup."

Breakfast on departure day was no different. Kentaro stood at the stove while Serica sulked on the counter with her arms crossed.

"Tenka said we’re leaving right after breakfast," Kentaro reminded them, sliding eggs onto plates.

Yura slipped on her new shoes, checking the fit before she stood. "Ken," she said softly, looking up at him with quiet resolve. "If anything, dangerous happens out there... Promise me you’ll protect yourself first. I’ll do everything I can to protect you."

Kentaro blinked at her sincerity, his heart kicking up. But he reached out, patting her head gently. "Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you and Serica. Always."

Yura’s bow wiggled like a happy puppy’s tail as she smiled.

But the cute moment wouldn’t last long.

"KENNNNNNNTAROOOOO!"

The scream shot through the apartment like a siren. Kentaro jolted up, heart hammering. He sprinted past the first bathroom in the living room, empty. He slammed open the second Bathroom in his room.

And froze.

Serica sat on the toilet, panties around her thighs, her skirt pooled at her hips. Her smooth, bare legs were clamped tightly together as she tried to scoot back against the tank like she could escape through the wall itself.

Her face was a mess of pink, strands of hair stuck to her damp forehead. She was pointing downward with trembling fingers, eyes wide and glistening.

At her feet? A spider so tiny it could’ve ridden an ant.

"AHHH! Ken! Don’t look!" she squeaked, voice cracking. "But kill it! It’s, it’s horrifying!"

Kentaro’s jaw worked soundlessly. This was Serica, the same girl who could freeze an entire battlefield without flinching, now nearly in tears because of a bug. He swallowed hard, turning his head aside to give her some privacy as he stepped in.

"Just... Hold still, okay?" He muttered, crouching for the spider.

Her legs squeezed tighter, toes curling as she whimpered softly. "Hurry... please!"

Suppressing a laugh, he calmly scooped up the spider and tossed it outside. When Serica emerged minutes later, suitcase in hand, her face was still flushed red.

"S-sorry," she mumbled.

Kentaro scratched his own cheek, still flushed. "Just... Maybe warn me next time you’re using the bathroom, yeah?"

Yura blinked from the doorway. "What happened? It sounded like she was being attacked."

Serica chuckled awkwardly, waving it off. "You... Could say that." She shoved Kentaro and his suitcase toward the front door to escape further humiliation.

The moment the door opened, the trio stepped through into Halcyon’s compact command room, already docked to the ship. Tenka sat in the captain’s chair, Haruka stood poised with data tablets, and Shogo grinned like a man about to do something stupid.

"Yo," Kentaro greeted, hand raised. The crew turned, smiling back.

After settling in, Tenka rose and clapped her hands. "Alright, Halcyon crew, we’ve got one job: get to Tokyo and secure Siren. Smooth ride, minimal drama!"

"YES, COMMANDER!" The room echoed.

As the engines hummed and they lifted into the sky, Kentaro stared at the screen in awe. "We’re... Flying, which is cool, but does this ship have a name?"

"Every ship has a name, you know," Tenka said, smirking.

"Really? What’s this one called?"

Before she could answer...

"DOMINATRIX IS THE BEST!" Shogo bellowed from the console.

"NO!"

BOOM!

Tenka’s fist smashed into Shogo’s gut, launching him into the bulkhead with a metallic clang.

Yura winced. Serica and Kentaro barely reacted. They’d seen this before.

Clearing her throat, Tenka smoothed her hair. "Ahem. Anyway. It’s called Vaelion."

Kentaro’s eyes lit up. "That’s actually... Pretty badass."

Serica pumped a fist. "It sounds like a strategy master!"

Yura nodded elegantly. "Indeed. Hearing it inspires... Strength."

A proud smile tugged at Tenka’s lips as the skyline of Tokyo appeared on the ship’s main display.

Their destination loomed ahead, neon lights waiting for them like a promise, and a threat.

*

Across town, in the dimly lit armoury of Cradle’s regional HQ, preparations were already underway. The Tokyo operation wasn’t just another mission; it had been given a special task force.

Metal lockers lined the narrow room, each marked with an etched name and a personalised crest of its owner. Within them, sleek black suits gleamed under fluorescent lights, rifles slotted into magnetic racks, longswords folded neatly into compact handles that could deploy at a moment’s notice.

Kira stood beside Milly, both stripped down to their underlayers as they methodically donned their gear. Unlike the quick-response armour she had worn on during Serica’s and Kentaro’s date disaster. Emergency Anti-Alberline Suit (E.A.A.S.). This was the real thing.

The emergency variant was compact and light, designed to be folded into a palm-sized square and deployed instantly with a tap or voice command. It offered only partial armour plating and limited power output, barely enough to survive a sudden ambush or delay a rampaging Alberline. Its purpose was simple: buy time, escape alive.

But the suit Kira was strapping into now was the Enhanced Anti-Alberline Suit, Cradle’s highest-grade combat armour. Thicker alloy plating sealed over her limbs with a hiss, while micro-reactive fibre mesh locked into place, optimising flexibility without sacrificing protection. Energy nodes along the spine glowed faintly, syncing with her vitals to feed power into her weapons. The difference was night and day. This suit could push her synchronisation percentage far beyond the emergency model, allowing for devastating sword strikes, precision rifle fire, and even short-term energy shielding.

As the nano weave sealed over her body with a faint hiss, Kira glanced at the glowing percentage on her wrist display: 42% power sync. Among recruits her age, it was one of the highest ever recorded, a testament to why Cradle kept her around despite her "rebellious tendencies." She clipped her rifle to its magnetic back mount, the long sword handle locking to her thigh.

The armoury doors slid open with a hydraulic hiss. Commander Isak entered, boots thudding against steel. His expression was stone, his presence enough to silence the low chatter immediately. He moved to the centre of the room, his shadow stretching long under the ceiling lights.

"LISTEN UP!" His voice cracked like thunder. "I’ll say what I said to the men on the other side, our mission is to locate and contain the new Alberline, Siren. Standard protocol would have us eliminating her immediately, but..."

He paused, his jaw flexing with visible irritation.

"Due to high-level orders, we are no longer authorised to actively hunt or kill Siren, but instead to guard certain areas of Tokyo. If she engages us, we capture her alive. I repeat, we do NOT engage with lethal force."

The squad erupted in murmurs of disbelief. Even hardened operatives exchanged confused glances. Cradle existed to kill Alberlines, not take them alive.

Kira’s brows knit tight. Why... Change it now?

Milly broke rank, stepping forward with a sharp salute. "Sir, with all due respect, why? Why take her alive? Cradle policy has never-"

Isak’s face twitched, anger flashing in his eyes, not at Milly, but at the truth in her words. "Because Spire’s involved. Vale himself has stepped in. And when Spire moves, we dance to the same damned tune. Direct orders from Chief Command."

A ripple of unease spread through the room.

Milly frowned, confusion plain on her face. "But I thought Spire’s goal was the same as ours, to destroy Alberlines."

Isak barked out a bitter laugh. "That’s what they’d like you to believe. Vale... he’s a crafty bastard. Always scheming behind the curtain. God knows why he wants Siren alive, but he’s got pull. Enough that even Tokyo HQ has to bow."

His boots echoed as he stepped closer, voice hardening.

"That also means Spire agents will be on the ground. If you fire on them, if you even scratch them, you won’t just answer to me. You’ll answer to all of Spire’s and Cadle’s High Table breathing down your necks. Am I understood?"

"YES, SIR!" the squad shouted in unison, voices slamming against steel walls.

But Kira didn’t shout. She stood frozen, the name Vale ringing like a dull bell inside her skull.

"Vale... I’ve heard that name before..." she whispered, barely audible over the boots shuffling and gear locking into place.

Milly caught it immediately. She placed a hand on Kira’s arm, concern flickering in her gaze. "Hey, you okay?"

Kira blinked hard, forcing her voice steady. "...Yeah. I’m fine."

But she wasn’t.

As she slung her bag over her shoulder and followed the rest of the squad out, Milly stayed behind a second longer, watching her friend’s tense shoulders disappear through the door.

"I hope you actually are..." She murmured before jogging after her.