Chapter 39: The Living Canvas and The Twin Blades

  Kazuya stole a look at his watch and read the date and time: 8 September 2018, 2.09 pm.

  When he raised his head, Lady Meng's steely gaze was already waiting for him. “Why are all of you here?” she asked.

  Kazuya’s eyes darted to Jude, then Leonhart. The three of them engaged in a silent battle of who-would-speak-first, each one willing the others to take the fall.

  Jude cracked first, throwing up her hands. “Who’s going to say it?”

  “Well?” Ladfy Meng’s foot began tapping against the courtyard’s floor, a staccato rhythm of impatience. She pressed two fingers against her temple and massaged in small circles. “Speak up. I don’t have all day. I have to deal with your seniors.”

  Kazuya’s throat went dry. “Well… Felix is uh… sick,” he said.

  The tapping stopped.

  “He’s having the runs because…” Kazuya continued, each word feeling like a small, shameful death. “Because he wanted to beat Jude’s record for–”

  “He’s shitting himself?” Lady Meng asked, her eyebrows shooting toward her hairline.

  Heat crept up Kazuya’s neck as he finished his sentence. “Because he ate the spiciest pad thai at lunch today. To beat Jude’s record.”

  Leonhart let out a bark of laughter and crossed her arms. “Spice Level Seven. That idiot can barely handle chicken curry.”

  Jude snickered, shaking her head. “Before he ran off,” Kazuya interjected, desperate to salvage something from this embarrassment. “Felix did mention that it would be a good opportunity for us to train with the second-years.”

  Lady Meng’s expression flattened. “Nonsense,” she said, waving a dismissive hand through the air. “Absolute nonsense.”

  “But–” Kazuya started.

  Lady Meng held up a finger, silencing him. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the three of them, her weight shifting from one foot to the other. After a long moment, she exhaled through her nose. “I can let you train with them.” She paused, letting her words hang. “But their training is extremely rigorous. They are all vying for the top ranks.”

  “I can let you train with them.” Lady Meng looked over them and rubbed her chin. “But I must warn you that their training is extremely rigorous, given that they are vying for the top ranks. I’m not sure what Feliex was thinking when he assigned me as relief without telling me. That bastard.”

  Rank 0.

  Lady Meng’s words hit Kazuya like lightning. The second-years – strangers moments ago – suddenly transformed into mythical figures in his mind. Few of their age had the potential to rival their teachers in capability, and he could already picture them moving with effortless precision, Essence crackling at their fingertips.

  Kazuya’s fingers curled into fists at his sides. This was it. The chance to learn from the elites, to become someone worth remembering. The Blackjacks could be a force to reckon with. And I would be a part of it too! Kazuya thought.

  “They texted me saying something about a delay.” Lady Meng rolled her shoulders back, already mentally shifting gears. “I’ve still got some time to think about what to do with you three.” Her gaze settled on Kazuya, softer now. “Ah, Kazuya, are you adapting well?”

  “Couldn’t be better!” Kazuya answered, his words tumbling out quickly.

  Lady Meng's lips twitched. It was not quite a smile. “One of your seniors is acquainted with your family,” she said, tilting her head slightly, as though watching his reaction. “If you don’t mind…”

  Kazuya's hand dropped to the rope dart at his waist, fingers tightening around the cord. “It’s okay. “I won’t tell them.”

  “I trust you know what you want.” Lady Meng nodded once approvingly.. “Now if there’s one thing–”

  A shrill ringtone cut off Lady Meng, and she clicked her tongue, her jaw tightening. She turned away, fishing her phone from her pocket. Leonhart immediately leaned in, her breath warm against Kazuya’s ear. “Must be great having her as your guardian. Can we swap?”

  Kazuya angled his head away, smiling sweetly at her. “No, thank you.”

  “Hey.” Jude nudged Leonhart. “Since you grew up at the Sanctum, you should’ve seen the second-years around. Know anything about them?”

  “Bah!” Leonhart recoiled as if Jude had suggested something obscene. “Why do you have to mention them? And besides, why do you two get so worked up over them? They are not that impressive once you actually see them around.”

  “I think you are the one getting more worked up,” Jude remarked.

  Leonhart’s eye twitched. “I know the twins. Rie and Rikimaru Kusakabe. Identical twins, both girls.”

  “Rikimaru?” Kazuya frowned. “It's a strange name for a girl…"

  “I heard that their parents prepared one name for a boy, one for a girl,” Leonhart shrugged. “Got two girls instead. Didn't want to waste a perfectly good name, I guess.”

  “Where do you get all your information from?” Jude leaned back, eyebrows raised.

  “Walls have ears, you-”

  “SECOND LADY MENG!”

  The scream cut through the courtyard like a blade.

  Kani Takahashi, the Sanctum’s Treasurer, came sprinting toward them, his face flushed and contorted with fury.. In his stead was a tall, broad-shouldered man with an arm covered with a black sleeve, followed at a leisurely pace, phone pressed to his ear, his expression caught somewhere between guilty and amused.

  Lady Meng turned, pulling the phone away from her ear. Before she could even speak, the pinched-faced Treasurer shoved a notepad in her face. “Your students caused so much damage!” His free hand flew to a calculator, fingers jabbing at buttons with manic energy. “The Sanctum isn’t made out of money! Look at these numbers! LOOK!”

  The man whistled nonchalantly. “C’mon, it was just a scratch on a car.”

  “A car?!” Kani’s voice cracked on the word. “Do you have any idea what kind of car you scratched? A Rolls-Royce! Do you know how expensive that is? I have not even started on the list of compensation that we have to make! Now the Sanctum’s budget is–” He smacked the notepad against the man’s bicep with each word. “Out. Of. WHACK!”

  The man winced but said nothing, stuffing his phone into his pocket.

  “Oh, the Sanctum will be able to handle this.” Lady Meng shooed the Treasurer away as though he were a persistent fly.

  Kani whirled toward where he came from, but stopped mid-stride as his gaze fell on Leonhart. “If it isn’t Felix’s little darling and her friends,” he glowered, squinting his eyes at her. “Take this as a warning. Do not damage any property.”

  “Run along, Mr Takahashi.” Lady Meng’s tone was pleasant, but her jaw was clenched. “The bills don’t wait.”

  Grumbling under his breath, Kani stormed off. The man who came with him approached the trio with a warm smile on his face. Kazuya realised what he had mistaken for a black sleeve was actually solid ink. He had blacked out his forearm in a single, bold piece.. “Kuniyoshi Utagawa, nice to meet you. You can skip the formalities around me.” Kuniyoshi waved.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Kazuya could not stop staring. Intricate designs covered every visible inch of Kuniyoshi's muscular arms – swords and daggers arranged in geometric patters, dragons coiling around twisted clouds. Even his face bore ink: delicate roses lined his jawline. Kuniyoshi was intimidating at first glance, but his voice was surprisingly gentle

  “Lady Meng.” Kuniyoshi tilted his head in a way that reminded Kazuya of a Golden Retriever. “You didn’t tell me that you also took the first-years.”

  “No, I’m standing in for Mr Lee.”

  Kuniyoshi did a double-take, his eyes widening. “They’re Venerated Elder Lee’s students?!”

  “Kuniyoshi, watch over them for me for today’s training. I think they would be able to learn a thing or two from you and the twins,” Lady Meng said. “My presence isn't needed, right? I was intending to brief all of you thoroughly, but from the looks of it, I don’t need to anymore.”

  “Nope! You can leave it all to me!” Kuniyoshi chirped heartily.

  “The Treasurer has been placated, so I’m going to busy myself with writing recommendations then.” Lady Meng smiled. “Have fun and be gentle with your juniors.”

  “You guys are an adorable bunch,” Kuniyoshi said as he counted them off on his fingers, lips moving silently. “I’ve heard many things about you all, especially the Aberrant. Ah, I should have come back sooner…”

  Kazuya flinched as Kuniyoshi shoved his face into his, establishing an unbreakable eye contact. “Are you the Aberrant?”

  “N-No! That’d be Ace!” Kazuya shook his head furiously. “I’m Kazuya, by the way.”

  “Maybe it’s the small one?” Kuniyoshi bent down to Jude’s level.

  Jude’s glare could have melted steel.. “No. I’m Jude Lee, and you already know the other one, don’t bother asking,” she said, nudging a very enamoured Leonhart in the ribs to snap her back to her senses.

  Kuniyoshi's brow furrowed. He counted again on his fingers, then snapped them. “Wait. There are supposed to be four of you. Where is the last one?”

  “He had an accident,” answered Kazuya meekly as he studied the floor. “He’s recuperating.”

  “You need to speak up.” Kuniyoshi cupped his ear. “I can’t hear you.”

  “He’s recuperating!” The words burst out louder than Kazuya intended.

  “Recuperating?” A new voice, sharp and cold.” The Aberrant is rather weak, is he not?”

  Leonhart’s face soured upon hearing the new voice. “Oh, if it isn’t Rie and Rikimaru,” she muttered under her breath. “Ponytail girl is Rikimaru.”

  Kazuya watched, holding his breath as the twins approached. They moved like cats – weight on the balls of their feet, footsteps almost imperceptible. “You don’t have to be that heartless, Riki,” Kuniyoshi chided Rikimaru.

  The Kusakabe twins were mirror images: sharp chins, sharper cheekbones, eyes like polished obsidian. Rikimaru had pulled her hair into a severe high ponytail that swung past her hip with each step. A katana hung at her left side, her fingers drumming against the handle in an idle, dangerous rhythm. Rie wore her hair loose, a cheerful yellow headband the only adornment. Where her sister bristled with weapons, Rie carried nothing at all. Rie's smile was relaxed, almost lazy.

  “Riki, I think Yoshi-san is right,” Rie chimed in, her voice lilted, rounded and warm. “After all, didn’t you hear that one of the first-years is in a coma? Aren’t you going to show some concern?”

  Rikimaru’s voice unnerved Kazuya; her every word felt like she was holding up her katana at his throat. “Hmph. What did I expect from a bunch of rookies?” Her lip curled cruelly. “A bunch of disappointments that couldn’t even protect themselves properly.”

  “At least I didn’t disappoint people the moment I was born.”

  Leonhart’s words blew up in everyone's face like a stray grenade.

  “Leonhart!” Kazuya tried to shush her, but it was a step too late.

  Rikimaru went completely still. When she spoke, each word was bitten off and precise, her fury springing to life. “Repeat. What. You. Just. Said."

  Jude stepped between the two of them, her hands raised. “I apologise for what she said. It was not appropriate for her to say that.” She glanced back at Leonhart. “Leonhart, you should apologise.”

  “I didn’t say anything wrong,” Leonhart said defiantly, jutting out her chin.

  Metal sang as Rikimaru drew her katana. The blade caught the light as she advanced. Rie caught her sister’s arm. “Stop picking fights with the juniors!”

  “At least my parents didn’t wuss out and die to a lowly phantom,” Rikimaru fired back with venom. “Also, I don’t have to hide behind that stinkin’ redhead.” Her voice turned mocking, high-pitched. “Ooh, Elder this, Elder that. So what if you have him?”

  “YOU-”

  Leonhart yowled and charged at Rikimaru. Rikimaru's eyes widened as Leonhart's shoulder crashed into her midsection. The katana clattered to the ground, spinning away across the stone. Jude lunged, grabbing Leonhart's arm, but Leonhart shook her off like she weighed nothing. Kazuya stood rooted in his spot, unsure of what to do.

  Just as Leonhart was about to cave Rikimaru’s skull in, black sheets erupted from nowhere, wrapping around both girls like living things. They snapped tight, their binding arms and legs. Kuniyoshi’s blacked-out arm was glowing, and he raised it slowly, lifting the quarrelsome duo off the ground and turning them upside down. Leonhart screeched, her legs kicking at thin air. She hurled profanities that Kazuya could never bring himself to repeat.

  Meanwhile, Rie quietly picked up her sister's katana, holding it carefully in her hands. Kazuya caught her gaze as she slunk away, and she returned a sheepish smile. "Bye," she mouthed silently before excusing herself to hide behind a pillar.

  “Let me go!” Leonhart screeched. Her face went from beet-red to purple as blood rushed to her head.

  “No, not until both of you calm down,” Kuniyoshi said calmly.

  “Let’s see who you’ll call for help now, nerd!” Rikimaru sneered as she lay languidly in her restraints. “Why don’t you call for Felix, the Venerated Elder that you look up to so much?”

  The bitterness and contempt in Rikimaru’s voice startled Kazuya. Leonhart attempted to spit at her, but it did not go far, so she stretched her neck and tried to bite off Rikimaru’s nose. Kuniyoshi yanked her away, to much protest.

  At some point, Kazuya decided to phone Lady Meng for help.

  Lady Meng returned to a frosty standoff between the students. She took one look at her students suspended in the air and immediately ripped into the two. “I leave for five minutes! Five minutes! And all hell broke loose!” she sighed through gritted teeth. “I literally sat down and took off my shoes to write!”

  “Shall I release them?” Kuniyoshi asked.

  “Yes!” Lady Meng snapped. “Two of you, my office. Now!”

  Rikimaru and Leonhart sandwiched Lady Meng, who marched them away with her hands pushing their heads down. Gauss stayed behind on the orders of Leonhart. “Sorry, she’s been in a bad mood ever since internships ended,” Kuniyoshi said apologetically.

  “Why would she be in a bad mood? She doesn’t have to work. Isn’t that a thing to celebrate?” Kazuya asked.

  “We didn’t manage to meet powerful phantoms. We thought the case in Yokohama would yield something useful, but we didn’t manage to find any leads.” Rie explained, finally emerging from her hiding spot, her sister's katana nowhere to be seen.

  Kazuya inhaled sharply. He shot Jude a look, but her eyes widened slightly, warning him wordlessly to keep his face straight.

  Fortunately, Kuniyoshi and Rie were not sharp enough to pick up the subtle change in atmosphere. Right after a rigorous training session led by them, Jude walked up to Kazuya and pulled him aside. “That was close,” Jude whispered. “Don’t make it so obvious next time, alright?”

  Kazuya nodded, and his eyes shifted over to where Leonhart was. Leonhart had rejoined them halfway through the session, but she had spent the entire time radiating sullen energy. The moment Kuniyoshi dismissed them, she made a beeline for Gauss. She sat cross-legged on the floor, hunched over Gauss like she was guarding the Sanctum’s secrets.

  “What are you doing?” Kazuya asked as he peered over Leonhart’s shoulder.

  Leonhart glanced around, making sure the seniors had cleared out. “Tracking Ace, making sure he’s alright,” she said in a hushed voice.

  “Oh.”

  On the screen on Gauss’s side, a small blinking dot moved slowly across a map of the city. Beside it were two heart rate monitors. One pulsed in a steady rhythm; the other was flat. Kazuya had let her install microscopic trackers in all their bracelets weeks ago – against his better judgment – and she had been obsessively checking Ace's and Dante’s vitals ever since the incident

  “He’s with Mr Higashino.” Kazuya sat down beside Leonhart, drawing his knees up. “He’ll be alright. Didn’t Felix say that he could be trusted?”

  Leonhart's shoulders hitched in a half-shrug, eyes never leaving the screen. “I guess, but didn’t you hear what Kuniyoshi said? The Yokohama case is still unsolved. I just wanna make sure he’s safe.”

  “Mr Higashino looks like he’s very strong. I’m sure Ace is in good hands!”

  “Do you think Mr Higashino can be trusted?”

  The question came from behind them. Kazuya twisted around to find Jude standing there with her arms crossed.

  “Yes,” Kazuya said, trying to read the strange tension around Jude’s eyes.. “If Felix trusts him, we should too.”

  “Why wouldn’t we?” asked Leonhart.

  Jude tucked her hands into her pockets. “I guess… It’s easy for you two to say,” she said cryptically.

  Kazuya was about to ask Jude what she meant, but she changed the subject abruptly. “Anyway,” her tone brightened, “what drinks should I get with dinner? I am thinking maybe the honey lemon tea, but the bubble tea sounds good too.”

  It’s easy for me to say? The thought weighed heavily on the back of Kazuya’s mind until food was presented in front of him. However, the barbs of spice of his curry noodle could only hold back that much doubt, and so he decided to ask Jude about what she meant once more while waiting in line for bubble tea.

  Before Kazuya could get an answer, the cashier called out for Jude to place her order.