(Hana POV)

It's been so long since I've seen that side of Haku—the side I wish to forget the most.

The footage of Haku dragging the terrorist leader, who pleaded for mercy with a bloody face, while Haku's cold expression ignored his pleas and his eyes glimmered with anger.

As I lean on an empty bench in Firsh High school park, memories flood my mind.

Six years ago, I was a university student who joined a hiking club. One day, we went camping in a dense forest. While I was outside the tent seeing off a friend, a giant bear suddenly roared, its claws poised to strike. I'm a Magician, but my strength wasn't enough to cast magic without a CAD. I was paralyzed with fear, fearing the worst for both of us.

Then, out of thin air, I saw a small silhouette—In his hand, a sharp piece of ice was thrust into the bear's neck with lightning speed. His golden eyes stared at the bear like it was prey. The sound of flesh being cut made us tremble in fear, and we hid behind a tree, suppressing cries of terror, afraid the beast would sense us.

It was a terrifying first encounter with him, with no touching story to soften the experience.

That's how I met Haku.

Later on, I decided to bring him back into society after my grandmother adopted him, and he officially took her surname, Yuki.

I couldn't leave him alone in the forest, after assuming he wasn't a wild beast. But our initial relationship was stiff and filled with fear. As time passed, that fear transformed into affection, and I started to see him as my younger brother. Witnessing Haku's soft side made it seem like he had buried his dark past.

Recently, though, my heart sank when I witnessed that dark side resurface again.

All I could manage at that time was to slap him as I arrive at the hospital, I was so worried and confused, not knowing what to do.

(Third POV)

"Uwah! More beer!" Hana exclaimed, taking a hearty sip from her glass and slamming it onto the table when she was satisfied.

"Hana, I understand that drinking can help relieve stress, but...ugh, can't you hold yourself back a little?" said Kyouko, a brown-haired woman with her hair tied in a ponytail, who's senior of her former high school.

"Hick...! Hey, Kyouko-Senpai, you should know—hick!—I can be much worse than this," Hana replied, her face turning slightly red as she giggled drunkenly.

"I heard you recovered from cancer. How can you drink so recklessly after that?" Kyouko asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hana beamed with pride. "Of course, I'm cured! Hick~ My Haku-chan gave me some strange medicine, and I made a swift recovery..."

Kyouko couldn't help but be skeptical of Hana's claims. "You expect me to believe that? Tell me who your doctor is, my cousin is also sick..."

Hana's eyes gleamed with mischief. "I'm telling the truth! Haku-chan gave me a love potion and poof! I was all better in no time..."

Kyouko's shoulders twitched at Hana's absurd story, aware that she was attracting attention from others. People were whispering and glancing their way. Kyouko blushed with embarrassment, wondering if her friend used to share such tales. The name "Haku" sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before.

---

(Haku POV)

The next day, I visited Sayaka again, who was also undergoing treatment for her wound. Sitting by her side as she lay with a plaster on her arm, I munched on some fruit.

"Senpai, how are you feeling?" I asked, trying to keep the mood light. Sayaka smiled weakly. "I'm better, thank you. Um... Haku-kun," she hesitated, worry apparent in her eyes, "are you really okay with me? I mean... I tried to manipulate you first---"

"Senpai, stop worrying about that," I interrupted, not wanting her to feel guilty. "We both used each other; I wanted to learn kendo, and you wanted something from me..."

"But it's different! I feel like I'm just using you for those bastards," Sayaka said, clutching her blankets tightly.

I could sense the doubts still plaguing her heart. I knew she felt guilty about what happened during the terrorist attack that took victims.

"I don't deserve to say this, but it's not your fault, Senpai. You were manipulated," I assured her. Sayaka nodded, and I continued, "So, it's done, right? Blame that four-eyed jerk and the clueless adults mismanaging the country." I said it with a sarcastic tone, and it brought a chuckle from Sayaka, lightening the atmosphere.

"By the way... do you still want to practice together?" Sayaka asked shyly.

Of course, I was more than happy to accept – a free kendo instructor? Hell yeah!

"Of course! Nom-nom*... hmm... should I suggest joint training with the captain?"

I mused. With the school entering a new era, combining kendo and kenjutsu sounded like a fantastic idea. More sword moves for me to observe!

Sayaka's eyes sparkled with delight, seeming to agree with the idea. "That sounds great! But is it possible?" she asked skeptically. "Wait, I just remembered you met my father, right?" Sayaka seemed to remember something and diverted the conversation.

"Yeah, he visited me in my hospital room," I replied.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Um... why are you blushing like that? We just talked about regular stuff, and he thanked me."

Of course, that wasn't all. He asked me to take care of his daughter and even brought up the idea of joining the military in the future, which I wasn't interested in. But there was no need to mention all that.

A knock interrupted us, "Sayaka, this is Kirihara. Yuki, what are you doing here?" Kirihara entered, clearly jealous. He likes Sayaka, and seeing me here was probably... painful I'm afraid.

"Ah, speaking of the devil, we were just discussing combining kendo and kenjutsu training, captain," I said nonchalantly.

"What? You guys talked about this without me? Damn it, but it's a good idea, and I agree," Kirihara replied, surprisingly he's too easy.

"Erika is here! Oh~ look here… I can feel someone getting irritated," Erika suddenly appeared, teasing Kirihara about his feelings for Sayaka.

---

"Erika, do you want to visit Mizuki too?" I asked Erika as we walked down the hospital corridor.

"That was my plan. Plus, I wanted to tease Kirihara you know, since Saya-chan glanced at you," Erika said playfully, hinting at a possible love triangle.

I realized she might be doing this out of boredom, but I appreciated her coming every day to visit our friends.

"But of course, I'm also worried about Mizuki. She hasn't woken up yet, right?"

Both our faces turned serious when Erika brought up Mizuki's condition. I had many questions, especially about Mizuki's mysterious eyes. I wondered how our friendship would change and how much she saw through me.

'Mizuki must know about Alpha... damn it, how do I explain later? More importantly, how much did she see?' I wondered to myself.

When we reached Mizuki's room, we were shocked to find her sitting on the bed, looking awake. There were no nurses or doctors around, indicating that she might barely wake up.

Erika rushed forward, almost crying with relief. "Mizuki! You're awake! Why did you sleep for so long?"

Mizuki seemed confused but recognized Erika as she hugged her. "Hospital? How long was I out?" she asked, feeling her stiff body.

Putting on her glasses after she was aware I was here, Mizuki looked to her "Thanks, Erika-chan. You've been coming to visit me a lot, huh?"

"I just told the nurse. Oh, Mizuki, how are you feeling?" I said, feeling a bit tense.

"Thank you, Haku-san. My body is stiff, but I feel good," Mizuki replied, and I couldn't help but feel relieved.

From her expression, Mizuki had a lot of questions to me, but this wasn't the right time to bring them up in front of Erika and the others.

---

"Onii-sama... what do you think we should do about what Okaa-sama said?" Miyuki asked Tatsuya, her voice tinged with concern. The two siblings were making their way to the hospital, holding bouquets of flowers to congratulate Haku on his release. They had planned to meet up with Leo and Erika too.

As children of Yotsuba, they were well aware of the situation among the Ten Master Clans. Despite Haku's impressive efforts in handling the incident, his methods were ruthless; nevertheless, he managed to track down and eliminate the fugitive; Serge Lachapelle, and Blanche. Now, the Ten Masters couldn't help but take notice of Haku's abilities, and they were eager to welcome him into their ranks.

Tatsuya explained the situation to Miyuki, who appeared to be listening intently but kept her emotions well-guarded.

Her expression showed neither joy nor excitement, giving away nothing but worries.

"It means they want to bring Haku into the fold through marriage," Tatsuya clarified.

Marriage among magicians had been a common practice for nearly a century, aimed at preserving and enhancing magical abilities through selective genetics. While Tatsuya understood the reasoning behind it, he knew that Miyuki didn't like the idea.

Miyuki fell silent at the mention of marriage, and Tatsuya sensed her discomfort. It was something she couldn't escape either, as she was a potential successor of the Yotsuba family.

"I heard there was some commotion at the main house," Tatsuya said, hoping to shift Miyuki's attention away from the pressing issue of marriage.

"Yes, Mei-san had a heated argument with Oba-sama," Miyuki replied.

Tatsuya was curious about what had happened, but he couldn't directly hear such news from the main house because he was merely a guardian.

Apparently reading his mind, Miyuki continued, "Okaa-sama told me that Mei-san didn't come back to her apartment after the argument."

Tatsuya couldn't help but find Mei's actions quite brave. He wondered if it was because of the mother-daughter bond between Maya and Mei that led to such an argument. Yet, deep down, he knew that such a thing was illogical from his perspective.

---

'Keep those dirty hands of yours away from him!'

Mei's words pierced through Maya like a sharp blade, leaving her unsettled.

How long has it been since I last argued with Mei? Three years, perhaps, since the loss of my first son, Maya pondered, lost in memories.

"Madam, are you thinking about Mei-sama again? I have confirmed that the guards continue to protect Mei-sama from afar," Hayama gently inquired, his years of service to the Yotsuba clan making him keenly observant of Maya's emotions.

"Thank you for your dedication, Hayama-san," Maya replied as he poured her a cup of herbal tea, which she sipped thoughtfully.

"Hm... to think that Mei-san is angry over someone. I mean, I only asked if she likes that child and suggested that she could choose him as her guardian," Maya mused, pouting like a girl despite her adult stature.

"That's true. The guardian seat had remained vacant for quite a while. What will you do, madam?" Hayama asked.

Maya closed her eyes in contemplation. "I can't do anything since it's Mei-san's decision," she said. The rule of the Yotsuba clan dictated that a Guardian could only be chosen or removed based on the will of those seeking a guardian; it was a rule deeply ingrained in their traditions.

Recalling the past, Mei's guardian had been her older brother, a 'failed product' of artificial humans. He met his tragic end during the war in Sado against the Soviet Union when his magic calculations exceeded their limit, and his body couldn't withstand the strain, Maya recalled somberly.

Since then, Mei's smile had vanished, leaving an irreplaceable void.

"Daughter and mother are the same, aren't we?" Maya remarked, offering a smile.

Her words, though seemingly simple, held profound meaning, causing Hayama to shiver slightly at the implications.

Hayama understood all too well what she meant, for Maya herself had lost her cheerful smile after a traumatic incident when she was kidnapped and taken to Dahan.

"If it weren't for that girl, what fate would have befallen me?" Maya wondered, memories of that dark time resurfacing.

She vividly remembered her trembling with fear, sadness, and disappointment as the masked girl appeared before her.

"At least... I can only send encrypted messages to Japan since you're Japan's magician," the girl had said mysteriously, placing a scarf around Maya's neck as the girl disappeared without a word of explanation.

She noticed that the girl didn't even turn back to give her the scarf, 'What kind of magic is this?' Maya's mind raced with wonder as she touched the scarf.

At that moment, Maya was too overwhelmed with disappointment and her thoughts were in disarray. She didn't have a chance to thank her properly. Maya intended to thank her, but the chaos of the moment prevented her from doing so. Despite her attempts to find the girl, she never crossed paths with her again.

And to this day, the mysterious masked girl remained an enigma in Maya's heart.