[Human World – Highway Overlooking the Mountain Pass]
A small girl cried in the backseat of a moving car, wailing about her fallen ice cream. Her mother kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other gently patting her child's head.
Mother: "Sweetie, I'll get you a new one at the next stop, okay? Just hang in there."
But suddenly, the girl stopped. Her teary eyes widened. Cheeks pressed to the window.
Girl: "So… COOOOL!"
The mother blinked in confusion.
Mother: "Huh?"
She hadn't seen it—her eyes were on the road—but her daughter had just witnessed a sight too strange and too amazing to explain.
What she saw was a silver haired Onee chan, riding a massive wolf like man across the treetops beside the highway.
That man was Yuuki Wakura.
His body surged with power in his transformed Slave state, each leap across the mountainous terrain as graceful as it was monstrous. The trees bent under his feet, wind trailing behind him in loud streaks. His expression was focused. Fierce.
Kyouka Uzen, cool and commanding, sat astride his back like a knight on horseback. One hand gripping the glowing chain attached to his collar, the other resting gently on his back for balance. Her legs squeezed around his waist, black heels tucked in tight, her posture elegant yet firm.
Her long hair danced in the wind. Her eyes were calm. And—without realizing it—there was a small smile at the corner of her lips.
(Thinking) This speed… he's definitely improved.
She was strict by nature. Harsh when it came to training and discipline. But Kyouka was not cold. Far from it. She had always been the type to care deeply for her subordinates—like an older sister who demanded excellence, not out of cruelty, but love.
Her past was not glamorous. No Peach ability, no easy gift. Just raw training—two decades of it—in freezing mountains and desolate forests. She had carved her path with her sword and her sweat, alone. Even now, her Peach ability—Slavery—was considered low-tier in practical terms. The Shuuki she enslaved were often mindless, weak, or required constant orders to function.
But Yuuki… was different.
Kyouka: (thinking) He doesn't need commands. He thinks ahead. He protects. And he's been training seriously, without anyone telling him to.
She had noticed. His routine. His focus. The subtle improvements each day.
Kyouka: (thinking) A man, trying to walk through an ocean of monsters with nothing but a sinking boat… but still paddling forward.
She wasn't someone to praise easily. She didn't pamper. But deep down, her opinion of him had shifted. Bit by bit.
The old beliefs still lingered—decades of cultural views about men being weak in battle weren't erased overnight. But Yuuki's determination was undeniable.
And it moved her.
Kyouka: "Sa."
She gave the chain a subtle pull.
Yuuki: "Rrraah!"
With a roar, Yuuki kicked off the edge of a cliff, soaring forward with a burst of wind and raw speed. They shot past a speeding train like a red streak through the sky, reaching their destination within ten minutes.
Together.
•••
[Seventh Unit Dormitory – Meeting Room]
Kyouka sat tall in her Commander's seat, back straight and arms folded. Her sharp eyes scanned the room with quiet authority. Across the table, Himari sat with her usual fiery posture, her sea-green hair cascading down like silk. The butterfly-shaped locks above her ears bounced slightly as she leaned forward, her azure eyes locked onto Kyouka's.
Next to her, Shushu leaned back in her chair with a mischievous grin, hair swaying. She twirled her finger lazily and kept stealing glances at the oversized figure squeezed awkwardly in the corner of the room.
Yuuki—still in his Slave form—sat cross-legged with his knees hugged to his chest. His muscular frame barely fit between the walls, and his glowing red tattoos pulsed softly under the dim lights.
His canine-shaped face glanced up.
Shushu: (smirking) "Staring's rude, you know."
Their green eyes met for a second. A subtle glint flashed in Shushu's gaze.
Yuuki: (thinking) (Why is she looking at me like that…?)
(A small chill ran down his spine.)
Himari's serious tone cut through the room.
Himari: "We discovered a massive crater nearly twenty kilometers from here."
[She slid a tablet across the table, showing Kyouka a satellite image.]
Kyouka: (looking down at it, frowning) "...A Shuuki nest?"
Himari: "More like a sinkhole, but it's unusual. Zooming in—look."
[She pinched the screen, revealing a massive crater lined with movement.]
Himari: "Nei's currently observing the area. She says Shuuki numbers are rising at a rate that doesn't match anything we've seen before."
[Shushu leaned forward, finally focused.]
Shushu: "So it's not just a party—it's a whole damn festival of monsters?"
Kyouka: "Possibly. The numbers... this could be a hive."
Yuuki's ears twitched. He shifted slightly, eyes narrowing at the screen.
[More discussion followed—quick exchanges between the girls, clarifications from Nei via a speaker on the desk. Her calm, young voice relayed coordinates and movement patterns. Yuuki kept quiet, absorbing everything.]
Eventually, Kyouka stood, her voice firm.
Kyouka: "This is an opportunity for us. A real chance to prove the strength of the Seventh Unit. We move at once."
Himari: "Finally!."
Shushu: "Oooh, I've been waiting to stretch a little. Let's break some skulls~"
Kyouka: "Himari, Shushu—you'll take the jeep. I'll ride ahead with Yuuki. Maintain communication."
Himari: "Roger!"
Shushu: (teasing) "He is pretty comfy to ride, huh, Commander?"
Yuuki: (thinking) (Why do I feel like a glorified horse right now…)
[Kyouka placed her hand gently on his head.]
Kyouka: "Let's go, Yuuki."
[He gave a light growl of acknowledgment. The chains on his collar shimmered.]
As they rolled out of the base—engines roaring, chains tightening—Yuuki sprinted forward with Kyouka on his back, wind rushing past them.
Yuuki: (thinking) (Something about this feels… different, is it the time of that event already.)
(He didn't know for certain yet—but the crater ahead would reveal everything.)