Recovery took three days.

  Three days where Kei Obirin was ordered to rest, monitored constantly by medical staff, and forbidden from training. The transformation’s backlash had pushed his body to the edge, and even the enhanced recovery systems required time.

  Ren Yamashiro visited only once.

  And she did not enter the room.

  She stood outside the observation window, arms crossed, watching through the glass as the monitors displayed his vital signs.

  Stable.

  Breathing steady.

  Alive.

  Ren turned away before the medical officer noticed her.

  By the fourth day, Kei was cleared for light movement.

  The training hall was quiet when he arrived.

  He expected Ren.

  She wasn’t there.

  Instead, a familiar voice greeted him.

  “Well… you survived.”

  Belle stood near the edge of the hall, holding a tablet in one hand. She smiled softly, clearly relieved.

  “That battle report was… intense.”

  Kei bowed quickly. “Commander Belle.”

  “Relax,” she said, waving the formality away. “You don’t have to look terrified every time you see me.”

  Kei straightened awkwardly.

  Belle walked closer, studying the bandages still wrapped around his arms.

  “You pushed too hard,” she said.

  “Yes.”

  “And Ren pushed you harder.”

  “…Yes.”

  Belle sighed lightly. “That sounds like her.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  She stepped closer.

  Then, without warning, she placed a gentle hand against his shoulder.

  “Still,” she said quietly, “you did something impressive out there.”

  Kei blinked in surprise.

  “Not many people can keep up with her.”

  The doors of the training hall opened.

  Neither of them noticed immediately.

  Ren Yamashiro had arrived.

  Her gaze landed on the scene instantly.

  Belle’s hand on Kei’s shoulder.

  The distance between them.

  The casual conversation.

  Something sharp twisted in Ren’s chest.

  She stepped forward.

  The sound of her boots on the floor made both of them turn.

  Belle immediately straightened.

  “R-Ren.”

  Ren didn’t answer.

  Her eyes moved from Belle’s hand…

  …to Kei.

  Belle removed her hand quickly.

  “I was just checking on him,” she explained.

  Ren walked closer.

  “He is cleared for training,” Ren said.

  Belle nodded quickly. “Of course.”

  She stepped back.

  “I’ll leave him to you.”

  Belle exited the hall almost immediately, clearly eager not to remain in Ren’s line of sight any longer.

  The doors closed.

  Silence followed.

  Ren turned to Kei.

  “You’re recovered.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re late.”

  Kei blinked. “I arrived five minutes early.”

  Ren’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  “…Then next time arrive ten minutes early.”

  “Yes.”

  Training began immediately.

  But today felt different.

  Ren’s attacks were faster.

  Sharper.

  More aggressive than usual.

  Kei barely blocked the first strike before the second came crashing in. He stumbled back, struggling to keep up as Ren pressed him relentlessly across the mat.

  There was no rhythm.

  No pause.

  Only pressure.

  Kei finally managed to stabilize his stance.

  Ren stopped.

  The silence between them felt heavier than usual.

  Then she spoke.

  “You spoke with Belle.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why.”

  Kei hesitated.

  “She spoke first.”

  Ren stared at him.

  For a moment, the room was completely still.

  Then Ren exhaled slowly.

  “…Focus,” she said.

  “Yes.”

  They resumed training.

  But Ren’s strikes were different now.

  More controlled.

  More precise.

  Each movement forced Kei to improve, pushing him harder than before.

  Minutes passed.

  Then Ren suddenly stopped again.

  She stepped closer.

  Too close.

  Her hand lifted slightly, fingers brushing briefly against his hair — a quick, absent gesture, like correcting his posture.

  Except she didn’t move his stance.

  She just touched him.

  Ren realized it immediately.

  Her hand withdrew as if burned.

  “…Your guard drops when you hesitate,” she said sharply.

  “Yes.”

  Ren turned away.

  But something inside her had shifted.

  Watching Belle speak to him…

  Watching someone else stand close to him…

  The feeling had come again.

  That strange tightening in her chest.

  Possessive.

  Unreasonable.

  Unacceptable.

  Ren Yamashiro did not get jealous.

  She refused to call it that.

  But when she spoke again—

  Her voice carried quiet authority.

  “You will report directly to me from now on.”

  Kei blinked.

  “For training,” she added.

  “Yes, Supreme Commander.”

  Ren walked toward the exit.

  But before she left, she said one more thing.

  Without looking back.

  “…You performed well in the battle.”

  It wasn’t loud.

  But Kei heard it clearly.

  And Ren left before he could respond.

  Outside the training hall, Ren stopped walking.

  Her hand lifted unconsciously, touching her own cheek.

  The same place she had kissed him days ago.

  Her expression hardened instantly.

  “…Ridiculous,” she muttered.

  Yet when she continued walking—

  Her steps were slower than usual.