On day one of demotion, Kakunō donned his beret. Pleasant and horrible memories alike, he welcomed old friends. He even forgot where brigade mages trained. Quonset huts popped into his mind.

Kenkō could not help but correct his cape in a dressing mirror. Eyes relaxed, she smiled and combed his hair. “This takes me back. Thirteen-year-old you, away from home. You had troubled eyes. Never to open up.”

He shrugged her off. “Yeah, but I haven’t changed much. And you’d never like me calling you ‘Lil Sis’ again.” He turned and smirked.

She pouted and kicked his ankle lightly. Hearing discomfort, she giggled. “That’s ‘cause you have it wrong, country boy.” On her tip-toes, she fixed his hair the final time. “Ready?” She handed the katana.

He nodded and stored it via runes. “Always… forever till the end.”

For a moment, she saw the younger boy in him. A toothy laugh no one could forget, an easily irritable spirit. She even recalled weaponizing each other’s insecurities. To think the war stayed on that day. Tears welling, she hugged him with closed eyes.

He heard gratitude and returned the gesture. Then, he opened his eyes. The waterworks did not stop. ”What’s wrong?” He held her shoulders.

She sniffled and chuckled faintly. “Sorry. I was afraid of the inevitable. I’ll outlive all of you, still looking like this.” She showed him more wrinkles fading. “If there’s a star now, I’d… I’d….”

He quickly hugged her again. He would not dare the tears to come out a second time. Eyes glaring, he cursed the otherworld. Even older siblings had a limit for heartache. “And I mean it, Sis.” he rubbed her back more. “I’ll return your support tenfold.”

Her pace finally calmed. She giggled once more. “I know. I doubted you long ago and never again.” She accompanied him downstairs.

Surprisingly, he heard loud joy from the others. It was like they had breakfast with only five members. Yukino and Hayato gasped, smiling. “Big Bro!” They ran and jumped.

The former let go and pulled out a bento box. “Papa taught me how to cook this. I hope you love it!”

Kakunō chuckled. He loudly declared it would be the best lunch. No dry cafeteria chicken could compare. He turned to his little brother. “How about you, man? Here to show me your expertise?”

Hayato shook his head. “Nope. Even better.” He pulled out a gold box of Maiden Lane’s. “Some are gingerbread, too. Two grand well spent!” He ran up to his room.

It was not false advertising at all. Each glazed ring had surpassed Heaven’s standards; not one pastry had excess frosting, smooth and shiny. He refrained from emptying the box for later. “Excellent, man,” he patted his head. “Now I just gotta fast to get the most out of them.”

By the door, he bowed to everyone. However, Hokori stopped the creaking with a raised hand. “Hold it right there, fam.” He cast blood runes in front. “Ya forgot ‘about mine!”

Kakunō waved his hands, trying to stop the running. Sadly, it only meant he had to stop a whole beef leg from touching the floor. Rune-storing was a hassle enough.

Hokori laughed, arms crossed. “Tell me what ya think of my cooking later, aight? Still learnin’ from the greatest.” He smiled at Tokino, who giggled.

After dealing with the nuisance, he sighed and bowed again. The couple and their daughter yelled their best wishes. His eldest brother shouted about cracking skulls. From afar, his eldest sister gave a thumbs-up. His smile never faded.

Kenkō continued waving as the door closed. Suddenly, she heard a minute crash upstairs. Yet she shrugged. She knew it was just her little brother playing. In fact, she wanted to continue their Stardew Valley farm.

She went up smiling—only for a locked room. None ever knew Hayato as a shut-in, if at all. He never had a reason. “You okay in there!?” she knocked.

He sweated bullets and panted. “Yeah, Sis! I just won the gold trophy!”

She heard roaring engines from one of her favorite titles. Then, the unique explosion of a blue shell item. Doubts erased, she went down. “Take care!”

Hayato wiped his forehead and turned The Every Hub off. “How can I patch this up?” He looked toward the left wall.

9:00 AM had struck bright at the Pompilius Corps. Still, brigade mages jogged around the camp since the witching hour. Their mentioned king had shone above them as a white Palladium statue. So no one felt an ounce of lactic acid build-up.

Next was a quick combat test. Dressed in olive, they could kick a perfect split. Hand-to-hand was child’s play as magic allowed any to bend steel. Even concrete fissured from their jumps. The shockwaves felt like a breeze for those who rested.

Sadly, some mages did not get one memo. A rookie threw a right jab that landed. However, he grunted loudly. He swore his bones fractured, but no. Nevertheless, his opponent’s defense had failed. This time, the ribcage splintered. They rolled and screamed as others watched.

Medics carried the two on beds. Everyone else stood with raised brows. Their regimen never gave such agony. Luckily, one had all their answers. A man yawned and got off his lawn chair. He ate a chip stuck on his white shirt. It showed “Huh?” in gray text.

Joshua Levin. Twenty-three years old, hunching every day with a briefcase. He barely took offense at anything thrown at him. Not that anyone would waste such breath. Average would not be enough to describe him. Yet the king knew enough of his passing might. Slow internet was the extent of his rage. Too much effort with bed always ready.

He covered his mouth with a fist, letting out gas. “Alright, folks. Here’s the problem.” His eyes darted for a shinai. “You see, uh… this? When you strike, you better, uh. T-Throw it right!” He limply swung at random. “When you don’t. Well, you don’t. Class dismissed.” He flung the weapon far enough to leave the camp.

Seeing their instructor toward his trailer, they followed. “Sir, you didn’t teach us anything!”, “Yeah! What about the guy on the receiving end?”, “Please, sir! With love from the Gods, show us worth. Motivation!”

He stopped in his tracks and turned. “Fine…” He yawned and stretched. “Uh, ever watched Hunter × Hunter?” Even as they grunted in frustration, he explained for thirty minutes. “And that’s about it. Mana is the sword and shield. Not enough, you get ouch. And magic is, uh, you.

Just by the door, he turned again. “On second thought. Magic’s more like chakra. You kneed mana to its will….” He crunched more minutes, and half of them slept. He clapped his hands for their attention. “Motivation, right? Okay, uh…” He skimmed through web quotes.

“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. And, uh. Wait a minute. Eh, whatever. Nevermind.”

Joshua burped once more and aimlessly walked. The mages scratched their heads even more. They reached out a hand, but he flashed into a lightning bolt. They sighed and knew he would return for dinner. At least The Every Hub was available—online courses, a godsend.

The instructor returned to his tried and true haven uphill. Not even the most unfortunate hobo would own such a shack. Minimalism would do the word no justice. After all, no one needed walls or a roof when casting runic domes. His train of thought stayed loyal.

He straightened the oak frames and unveiled the curtains. Sadly, he had no skill for water-based runes. He turned the shower and cringed at the rust. Soaping up, he sang his favorite from a cartoon movie. He kept eating and skipping the lyrics.

Next was a big plate of microwaved turnovers. Using said appliance was costly, so runes saved the day again. Mouth open, a commotion downhill ended his religious session. His eyes could have deceived him.

The mages yelled in joy for an old friend. The group hug went on for a minute. “Oh, I miss you much!”, “Please, man! Save us from our misery!”, “We’re dying! Nothing to do!”

Kakunō chuckled and let go. “Okay, I hear ya. And I got just the one!” He dropped metal discs that projected human duplicates. “First, you’ll fight your Nijūshin. It takes one to know one rather than a friend. Then,” he pulled out his halberd, “come at all at once. Anything goes.”

They yelled again with smiles wide. Some broke to their knees as if a hero had saved them. At his single, they cracked their knuckles fast. None had ever felt so alive. Even the idea of fun got invited. A punch and kick had felt satisfying against oneself.

Later on, everyone cheered for an exceptional rookie. He grabbed his Nijūshin’s head for a knee strike. As its mouth spewed red, he punched the gut twice. Now staggered, he roundhouse-kicked its head and jabbed its upside-down body.

The applause thundered, especially from Kakunō. After a quick lunch, he walked to the center. “Alright, guys. Time for the final bosses.” He swung his halberd at the ready. Every mage felt the strong wind.

Next, they felt his heavy pressure. Luckily, they countered with their own. They bore grinning teeth at the prospect. An apex predator stood before them. No holds barred, they shouted in unison. However, a startle overcame them.

They shielded their eyes from the blinding light upfront. The stone floor fissured where the bolt had hit. With the stormcloud gone, their instructor stood. His eyes glared at the archmage.

Kakunō returned the face. “You….” His weapon slashed the ground.

Joshua slowly walked. “Remember me, huh? I thought I was the ‘lazy fuck.’”

His pressure felt like wandering a dark room of cattle prods. Either way, the former stood tall. “You still are, dipshit. And you’ll regret it.” He flash-stepped.

The instructor closed the distance faster. He went for a right hook against the downward swing. Upon the clash, lightning scattered everywhere. The mages shielded their eyes again. One did not stay put and ran toward the fight. However, it never needed stopping. The air cleared just as it began.

Joshua’s torso showed the shape of the halberd slash. Yet it sparked bright, not a drop of red. He clutched his belly. “Ow…! Oh, ow! He got me. Oh, fuck….” Luckily, the archmage caught his fall. He inhaled deeply. “Hold me closer, Ed. It’s getting dark.” He coughed away.

Kakunō cracked a smile, eyes closed. The absurdity was too much to bear. He threw the instructor and hammer-fisted the ground. “Hahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha!” He stood and exhaled. “Sorry, dude. I can’t take you seriously, even if serious.”

They laughed together. Everyone else stood confused for a minute. The rookie from before scratched his head. Many followed suit quickly. None would even try asking.

Joshua wiped his eye. “That was golden, bruh. Not sure we can do it again.”

Kakunō chuckled and stored his weapon. “Say… What you said reminded me of my Bro. Wanna entertain them further?”

He raised a finger. “Wait, wait. Let me check.” He opened his screen. His eyes moved down in a flash. “Alright, let’s do it. My shows aren’t on yet.”

Kakunō cleared his throat and pulled out his katana. Eyes aglare, he pointed it in front. “Joshua Levin… you don’t deserve to be a coach. For that, I’ll defeat your title. Let’s take it outside, though we already are.” He cracked another smile.

They brayed again. Hands over his knees, Joshua raised one high. “Okay, okay. Forget the dumbass roleplay.” Lightning sparked all over his body. They grinned.

The mages knew of their instructor for a year. Yet they never knew how he would do well in a fight. Nevertheless, they did not expect even more absurdity. The mentioned man lay on the ground, eyes drooping. Somehow, Kakunō flash-stepped like going for the kill.

Out of nowhere, Joshua stood and swung a silver bat to the face. To anyone else, it was a single timeframe. For the opponent, he blocked it by a hair. The ground rippled to dust with bolts flaring. Then, the charade occurred again.

Everyone thought Kakunō would not fall for the trick twice. Instead, he went for another swing. Many screamed at the obvious bait. “Don’t do it!” one cupped her cheeks. “It’s what he wants!”

He looked at them for a split second. He shook in defiance, knowing an awful truth. Sadly, the opponent escaped his sight. “Damn it!” He turned around and swung diagonally upward. It was too late.

They all saw the instructor flashing from one place to another. Whenever he “teleported,” jolts had connected. The concrete floor crumbled to dirt. Before long, Kakunō could see the silver bat’s “ZAP YOU!!!” emboldened bright yellow. He went for another block in the nick of time. Then, the wind flew.

The mages opened their eyes one last time. In fact, Joshua doubled down on the notion. He opened his Every Hub. “Oops. I missed a new episode.” He looked at the banner lengthily, showing a straw hat boy. “Sorry, bruh. Gotta go. Mind if you teach them the whole day?”

Kakunō chuckled again. “That’s what I’m here for, dude. Besides, the trauma hasn’t settled, has it? And sorry for using ‘5% of my power,’ as they say.”

Holding his briefcase, he turned and smiled. “Don’t worry. ‘Survivor’s guilt’ ain’t my thing. And I would’ve died if we fought otherwise.” Another stormcloud loomed above him. The strike went louder than before.