Kaede stood nervously in front of the newly refurbished door, her hands fidgeting behind her back. Across from her, the two remaining members of Maple Tree, and her sister, stared in wide-eyed disbelief.
"Wha…?" Kanae blinked, her usually composed expression dissolving into sheer shock. "What… What is this?"
Kenzo tilted his head, glancing at the neighboring buildings for comparison. "It's… uh… well, it's a…" His words trailed off, lost to the sheer confusion on his face.
"It was only lunch," Akari murmured, voice trembling slightly. "We were gone for twenty minutes."
Kaede looked down, shifting her weight awkwardly. "I thought maybe I'd… get a head start on the designing."
Kanae raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "All this? In twenty minutes?"
Kaede shrank a little and whispered, "A whole twenty minutes."
"Sit down," Kanae said flatly.
"Yes ma'am." Kaede immediately dropped to her knees, hands resting politely on her lap.
"Maybe… the designers showed up?" Kenzo offered weakly.
Kanae and Akari both turned toward him, unimpressed.
"We were gone for twenty minutes, Kenny," Akari said, arms crossed. "That's not enough time to refurbish a building. I think."
Kanae stepped forward, her hand closing around the doorknob. "Even if you somehow managed to paint the exterior, change the windows, and replace the door…" She slowly turned the handle. "Let's just take a look insi..."
"Wait, Sis..." Kaede tried to interject. "I don't think you should go in."
But Kanae was already pushing the door open... and froze in the entryway.
The soft glow of a crystal chandelier lit a spacious, elegantly furnished interior. Velvet armchairs, polished mahogany tables, and perfectly arranged décor greeted her from the foyer like something out of a magazine.
Kanae slowly stepped inside, scanning the lavish interior. "Kaede?"
"Yeah?" Kaede shuffled in on her knees, not daring to stand.
Kanae didn't turn to look at her. "Tell me exactly what happened here."
---
"So, let me get this straight." Kanae stood over her kneeling sister, arms crossed, her voice calm but pointed. "You have no idea how any of this happened?"
Kaede nodded quickly. "I didn't even know something like this was possible. It just... happened. I couldn't stop it."
Kanae narrowed her eyes, scanning the luxurious room again. "I see." Her gaze swept from the velvet curtains to the polished floors. "Kaede... this isn't normal."
"I know!" Kaede threw her hands up, exasperated. "None of this is normal! What do you want me to do? Hunters aren't exactly normal either!"
Akari shrugged from where she leaned against a wall. "She's not wrong."
Kenzo had already sunk into a velvet chair, looking far too comfortable. "Think the training room's magically ready too?"
Kanae sighed, then turned her attention fully back to Kaede. "Fine. Is this going to be a problem going forward? I'm not just talking about the building. I mean your reawakening, your power, all of it."
Kaede shook her head. "No. I don't think this will cause us any trouble. I'm a protector. A tank. My power's meant for that."
With a slow breath, Kanae finally took a seat beside her, resting her cheek in her palm. "Well, aren't you going to give us a tour?"
Kaede offered a sheepish smile. "It's still new to me…"
"We'll give ourselves a tour then!" Akari shot up from her spot, energy returning. "C'mon, Kenny! Let's go explore our magical guild house!"
"What are you, a kid?" Kenzo laughed, rising to follow her.
"What?" Akari grinned. "We have a magical guild house. Enough said."
Kanae and Kaede watched as Akari practically dragged Kenzo up the staircase.
"Are they...?" Kaede asked, one eyebrow raised.
"I'm not sure," Kanae replied, still watching them disappear. "But I don't think the feelings are real. Especially knowing what drives her."
Kaede hummed in thought and finally sank into the largest chair in the room, letting out a deep breath as the stress of the last few minutes slipped off her shoulders.
"Here," Kanae said, handing her a small brown paper bag. "We got you something from the café."
Kaede's expression softened. "Thanks, Sis." She opened the bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped sandwich, unwrapping it and setting the food down in her lap.
As Kanae retrieved her phone, Kaede took a bite, then instinctively brought up her system interface.
---
> Guild Overview
Current Members: 3
Kaede Tawata — LV69 — Guild Master
S Rank: 2
– Akari Shimizu — LV1
– Kenzo Tanaka — LV1
A Rank: 0
B Rank: 0
C Rank: 0
D Rank: 0
E Rank: 0
---
Kaede paused mid-bite, eyebrows rising. 'It actually worked?'
She glanced over at her sister, who was now fully absorbed in her phone.
'How does the system know they're members? The party function always needed physical contact... But wait...'
Her mind flashed to Vivi.
'With Vivi, it worked even though I didn't even know where she was. Maybe… it's not contact-based after all.'
Her eyes narrowed slightly. 'But does that mean there's some kind of contract I missed?'
Frowning in thought, Kaede mentally selected one of the listed names to investigate further.
---
Name: Kenzo Tanaka
Level: 1
Job Class: None
HP: 2800 / 2800
MP: 2500 / 2500
Status: Stable
Attributes:
STR: 150 (+30)
AGI: 100 (+35)
VIT: 120
DEX: 100 (+25)
INT: 120
END: 110 (+10)
Physical Damage Resistance: 5%
Equipment:
Nimba's Cradle (AGI +15, STR +15, DEX +5)
Nimba's Grasp (STR +10, DEX +10)
Nimba's Stride (AGI +10, STR +5, END +10)
Nimba's Steps (AGI +10, DEX +10)
Skills:
Enhanced Strength (STR +30%) — Active
---
Kaede scanned Kenzo's status screen, brow slightly raised.
"Only one skill?" she mused silently, lips tightening in disappointment. "That's pretty bland. Even Vivi has more skills. I guess he'll pick up more skills as he levels up..."
Without hesitation, she tapped on the next name, bringing up Akari's profile.
---
Name: Akari Shimizu
Level: 1
Job Class: None
HP: 2700 / 2700
MP: 3200 / 3200
Status: Stable
Attributes:
STR: 130 (+30)
AGI: 100 (+35)
VIT: 140
DEX: 110 (+25)
INT: 180
Physical Damage Resistance: 5%
Equipment:
Nimba's Cradle (AGI +15, STR +15, DEX +5)
Nimba's Grasp (STR +10, DEX +10)
Nimba's Stride (AGI +10, STR +5)
Nimba's Steps (AGI +10, DEX +10)
The Price Of My Promise (+4% HP, ATK +250)
Skills:
Axe of Judgement
Judgement Strike
Devastate
Light of Dawn
Guiding Light
Heart Strike of Blazing Fire
Ring of Fire
Brilliance
---
Kaede let out a groan, rolling her eyes.
"Great. More techniques," she muttered internally. "At least four of them are healing skills... I think."
She scrolled through the list, thinking.
"Alright... combine all the offensive ones into one skill. Same with the healing ones. That should streamline it."
A soft chime sounded as a prompt appeared in front of her:
---
Reach Guild Level 3 to adjust member skills.
---
"Aww." Kaede slumped a little.
Kanae, watching her, tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
Kaede blinked out of her menu and held up her empty hands. "The sandwich. It's gone now. It was really good."
Just then, Akari's voice rang through the hallway. "This place is freaking amazing!" She returned, cheeks slightly flushed with excitement. "I already called dibs on my room. It's the one that magically had my name on it after I picked it!"
Kanae arched a brow. "You picked a room? Don't you already have a place to stay?"
Akari folded her arms with a huff. "I'm renting a place. Big difference."
Kanae crossed her arms. "Then you'll have to pay rent here too."
Akari turned with a wicked smirk. "Sorry, but are you the Guild Master?" She whipped back to Kaede. "So, Kaede, my favourite Guild Master, I can stay, right? I'll be raiding dungeons, earning coin, doing my part! Pleeease?" She even threw in the puppy dog eyes.
Kaede averted her gaze, visibly flustered. "F-Fine. I guess it's okay."
Kanae groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You seriously need a vice guild master."
Kaede chuckled nervously as Akari fawned over her, holding out a lollipop to Kaede's mouth with exaggerated devotion.
"Where's Mr. Kenzo?" she asked, trying to divert the attention.
Akari sighed dramatically and popped the candy back into her mouth. "He went straight for the training rooms, so I'm guessing that's where he still is."
Kanae had already started up the nearby staircase, her voice trailing back to them. "Might as well go check it out."
Kaede followed after Kanae, Akari close behind, their footsteps muffled against the deep crimson carpet lining the hall.
The lighting dimmed as they passed a sealed door marked Training Room.
The door hissed open.
They stepped into a corridor that felt more like a bunker than part of a mansion. Walls of tempered obsidian and glass stretched in both directions, branching out like arteries into dozens of sealed-off rooms.
Kaede paused, taking it in.
One room was lined with floating platforms. There was a chamber with a cratered floor, steam rising from its vents, and another designed like a city block under siege. A flat wall map showed at least forty separate rooms, each calibrated for a different style of combat, elemental focus, close-quarters, group coordination, even psychic resistance drills.
"...The door said training room," Kaede said under her breath. "This is a combat wing."
"They all look state-of-the-art," Kanae confirmed.
Akari stopped beside a glass viewing wall. "How the hell did you build all this in twenty minutes?"
Kaede's stomach twisted.
They moved deeper into the wing, checking chamber after chamber. Most were empty, though a few shimmered with inactive projection fields. Finally, from down a side hallway, they heard it.
Kanae immediately pivoted and took off at a fast walk.
Kaede followed, and as they reached the final door, and from the glass in the wall they saw it. Kenzo inside, mid-dodge, as a familiar creature lunged at him from a raised platform.
It was a Voltoid.
A simulated one, Kaede could tell by the cold blue tint on its edges and the subtle noise blur. Its spear slammed into the ground, discharging enough kinetic force to rattle the chamber.
Kenzo leapt sideways, twisted midair, and struck out with a short burst of focused shockwave. The blow dented the Voltoid's armoured chestplate, but it barely staggered.
"Why's he fighting that?" Akari whispered, her voice hushed.
"Because he's a maniac," Kanae muttered.
"Okay, understood. Next question, how is he fighting that?" Akari asked again, her voice louder this time.
Kanae noticed a panel next to the door. She activated it. "Dungeon Replay, Single battle." She said slowly. "This is a simulation of his fight with the scout from the red gate."
The Voltoid lunged again, faster this time, arcs of lightning trailing behind it, and Kenzo ducked low, sliding under its bulk before twisting into a full-body kick that launched him up the wall. He clung there for half a second, then launched off it and slammed into the voltoid's neck joint with a palm strike that made the projection shudder violently.
"Well he's faring way better than he did against the original." Akari admitted. "Is the scout simulation weaker?"
"No," Kanae said, watching with crossed arms. "I still remember how strong it was. This simulation has it down to a T."
She couldn't take her eyes off the fight. Every movement the Voltoid made was perfectly similar to the original. It felt like she was looking at the real thing.
And yet
Unlike in the red dungeon, Kenzo was keeping up.
And more than that, he was winning.
The Voltoid let out one last distorted shriek before Kenzo darted behind it and delivered a compound strike, first to the right knee joint, then the base of the spine, and finally to the rear. The simulation buckled. Sparks burst out in all directions, and it disintegrated mid-fall in a cascade of digital shards.
Kenzo landed hard, breathing fast, sweat trailing down his temple.
He turned to the glass where they were standing.
And smiled.
"Hey," he said, panting. "Took you long enough."
Kaede once again felt her sister's eyes on her and sighed defeatedly.