『A crystal can only reveal its hidden structure when fractures thread through its inclusions』
Jewelry embedded with the finest of gemstones will always capture a person's attention. Whether it be through the flurry of colors running through the glas...
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『ARC TWO: CAREFUL STEPS』
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The moment the twins arrived home, they both collapsed onto the couch with exhausted groans. Akihiko plopped down while Tanami landed face first into the cushion. Their bags were thrown carelessly next to the front door while their shoes laid hazardly right in front of the entrance.
An amused chortle floated in the warm atmosphere of the house. Smiling in delight into the warm mug of dark coffee in his hands, Tomohiro took a long sip of the bitter liquid. The scalding liquid crawled down his throat and he hummed in satisfaction. Pulling the mug away, he could still feel the warmth of the smoke lingering on his face.
Raising a brow, the ink-haired male opened his mouth to speak. "How was your first day?"
"Terrible."
"Horrid."
The bottom of the mug clinked against the surface of the kitchen table. Propping an elbow onto the surface, Tomohiro leaned his jawline into his palm with a slight smirk. "Well, when it comes to first day classes, Mizu never seems to be a let down. Different than what you expected?"
Akihiko only groaned and slumped further down the couch while Tanami awkwardly jabbed her arms forward. This only elicited a cheerful chuckle from Tomohiro. The adult's hands shifted to neatly bring the pile of scattered sheets into a single stack. A solemn gleam shined in his eyes before it disappeared when he took a quick glance at the papers.
"Half of our team are people who don't want to comply with each other, let alone see eye to eye." the fifteen-year-old girl started with a huff. Her voice was muffled slightly as she pulled her face away from the cushion.
"And it does not help that our bonding task was to get out of an escape room." Akihiko finished while poking at the crystal dangling on the side of his face. "We... did not escape."
With a shake of his head, the Hero pressed his lips together. A pale finger made its way to his chin as he pondered momentarily. "An escape room, huh? Seems much more fun than the first day exam I had."
Swerving around to lay on her back and propping her feet on her brother's lap, the female whined in retort. "What was yours? Clearly not an escape room from the looks of it."
Mulling over his thoughts, the white-eyed male swallowed softly. "An obstacle course. Except you needed three to four people to do one task at a time. And I never saw eye to eye with Stormcaster so there was that too."
Akihiko cocked his head slightly. Drumming his fingers on his thigh, he said, "Stormcaster? Isn't he the one you fought with thirteen years ago? The fight that divided your team."
Tomohiro sipped the dark coffee slowly before placing the mug down once more. A few moments ticked by before he responded dryly. "I fought with him hundreds of times. Throughout high school and those two years when our teams were still connected."
