The warmth of Kazu's recovery brought a much-needed wave of peace across the base. Though the remnants of past battles still lingered in everyone's hearts, seeing their friend back—alive, smiling, teasing—was healing in its own quiet way. Laughter slowly began to fill the halls again.
But in the corners of those halls, behind polished walls and under the hum of flickering lights… something stirred.
Kazu had just finished a gentle spar with Yoichi in the training room, his movements still slower than before, but his smile was bright and victorious. His arms were sore, but his pride was intact. As they cooled down, Hanzo walked in with two water bottles and tossed one to Kazu with a grin.
"Still got it, huh?" Hanzo said, wiping sweat from Kazu's brow with a small towel, his thumb lingering just a second longer on Kazu's cheek.
Kazu smirked. "Was there ever a doubt?"
Yoichi rolled his eyes playfully. "Alright, lovers, cool it before you make the rest of us single people vomit."
Kazu turned bright red as Hanzo laughed.
"I– we're not—" Kazu started, but Yoichi was already halfway out the door, waving them off.
"Sure you're not," he called with a laugh.
Elsewhere, Reina leaned over a strange tablet-like device, eyes narrowed as she studied encrypted data stolen from the inner servers of the base. It wasn't much… yet. But she knew where to look now.
Her lips curled into a grin as she whispered to herself, "Kazu, you may have won the match… but you're still a weakness."
Her plan was simple: wait, observe, and strike at his heart.
Later that night, the base was calm. Kazu sat outside under the stars once again, this time with Unmei and Shiro, the trio sharing snacks and stories.
Shiro had his arm slung around Unmei, unusually quiet as he watched the stars. Kazu threw a popcorn kernel at him.
"Oi, Earth to Shiro. You're zoning out like Unmei does when you talk science."
Unmei snorted. "He's always dramatic during stargazing."
Shiro blinked. "Just thinking. Everything feels calm… too calm."
Kazu leaned back on his hands. "Yeah. I've learned to enjoy the calm when it's here. Even if it doesn't last."
Later that night, when everyone had retired to their rooms, Reina moved quietly through the dark corridors of the base. Her fingers brushed the side of the locked door to the command center. She wasn't ready to break in yet. But soon.
Soon, she'd have what she needed.
And soon, Kazu's world would begin to crumble.
Because even the brightest stars can be dimmed… if you strike at the right moment.