In the middle of the summer heat, the training ground of SAIR Central Division 2 in Bakju (白州) was as lively as ever.

Near the northern end of the complex, a row of modular units had been assembled into what looked like an abandoned warehouse, complete with rust-coloured walls, narrow corridors, and stacked cargo crates.

As the last modular house was fully assembled, the transport vehicles moved steadily away from the ground to the front gate. 

Standing before the entrance, a group of newly recruited agents from Division 1 in Zenju adjusted their tactical vests while quietly discussing the upcoming exercise.

“This doesn’t look too difficult,” one said.”

“I heard it’s just another hostage rescue,” another young woman said. 

“We should be able to finish within ten minutes,” a third young man said. 

On the podium, a man with spiky hair in tactical gear waited until the conversations gradually faded before stepping forward.

“Listen carefully.”

The recruits immediately straightened.

“Your objective is straightforward,” He pointed toward the warehouse layout displayed on the portable screen, “In the site, four hostages are being held inside.”

With a small tap on his tablet, the map highlighted four positions.

“Your task is to rescue every hostage safely, and at best not injuring any of them,” he paused, “As for the hostages' profile, they will be portrayed by members of Division 2.”

The slide shifted to the portraits of four people: a girl with a long orange ponytail; a blonde haired teenager; a young man wearing glasses with curly hair; and a blond young woman with a bob haircut.

Some of the recruits exchanged relaxed smiles.

“That’s all?” One said.

“So it’s basically just urban rescue,” another one whispered, “even a normal police officer can do that.”

“I thought this was supposed to be difficul….”

The man on the podium folded his arms.

“Unfortunately…there is one condition I have to reinstate.”

The ground became quiet again.

“Some of the suspects occupying the warehouse are Matake-capable.”

“Matake?” A young recruit said, “You mean that mind controlling thingy?”

The man on the podium nodded. 

The atmosphere changed almost instantly. Several recruits who had been smiling moments earlier unconsciously became more serious.

The spiky haired man gave a satisfied nod: “Now let’s continue.”

The display switched again. Instead of names, only photographs and operational positions appeared: under the icon of “Central Walkway”, a slim figure with purple hair stood in the central corridor; a short haired woman under the label “Front Entrance” guarded the entrance; a broad shouldered man with short hair walking around the hostage area at the back of the building; and finally …

Before the spiky haired man continued the presentation, a younger recruit, a young woman, frowned at the final one marked as “parameter security”. She immediately raised her hand:

“Captain Haseku?” She asked

“Go ahead,” the spiky haired man smiled. 

“…Isn’t she just a high school student?” The young woman said, “why is she included in the opposing team?”

Several others looked again. The figure indeed resembled the appearance of a high school student, especially with the white hairpin on her dark-cyan hair. 

“She is,” Haseku (夏世) smiled and explained calmly, “But remember this — when dealing with Matake users, you should never judge someone by how young they look.”

He let the sentence settle before continuing.

“There are people who appear ordinary, yet are among the most difficult opponents you’ll ever face.”

No further explanation followed.

The recruits looked back toward the photograph, this time with considerably more respect.

—

Inside the modular warehouse, the atmosphere was entirely different. 

Tenka (天加), the girl with the long orange ponytail tied by a white ribbon, sat quietly against one of the walls with her wrists secured by a cable; on the other end of the room, Sukeo (直), the blonde haired teenager, pretending to study the floor.  

Tenka carefully glanced toward the opposite end of the room. There, standing silently beneath the dim warehouse lighting, was the dark-cyan-haired girl. 

“Sukeo, it’s my first time seeing Araka-cha making that kind of face,” she said, still somewhat confused, “I know she’s only acting, but — it’s still a little scary.”

Without lifting his head, Sukeo allowed himself a small smile: “That just means…Araka’s doing her job well.”

— 

A sharp buzzer echoed throughout the training ground, and the drill had begun. 

Almost immediately, a young man with short blonde hair, appointed as the squad leader, raised his left hand.

“Formation Alpha. Move.”

The eight recruits advanced toward the warehouse in two columns, with rifles raised in their hands. The first pair checked both sides of the entrance before signalling the others to move in.

The entrance hall was dim, illuminated only by a few emergency lamps mounted along the ceiling.

“Clear,” the young woman with short black hair said. 

The group continued forward.

Then —

A figure suddenly emerged from behind the counter into view and opened fire at the squad. As the squad dispersed, a young woman with short brown hair stood quietly at the far end of the entrance hall, holding a training rifle with both hands. 

“Contact!” one recruit whispered.

The squad immediately took cover behind the pillars.

As the situation calmed down slightly, the black haired young woman beside the squad leader leaned closer. “I’ve got an idea.”

The squad leader nodded: “Go.”

She pulled a cylindrical canister from her vest. “Smokescreen.”

The others immediately understood. Unlike ordinary smoke grenades used for concealment, this training version released brightly coloured smoke designed to obstruct vision without reducing safety inside the exercise ground.

“Covering fire!”

Two recruits leaned out from opposite sides of the corridor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Blue paint rounds struck the wall around the short-haired woman. As expected, the short haired woman retreated behind the corner.

“Now!” The smoke canister rolled across the concrete floor before bursting into a cloud of bright orange smoke. Within seconds, the entrance hall disappeared beneath the coloured mist.

“Advance!” The recruits pushed forward. “There!”

A silhouette emerged within the smoke.

Three rifles fired almost simultaneously.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Blue paint exploded against the target.

“Target confirmed!”

“We got her!”

The smoke gradually dispersed.

To the squad’s surprise, the short-haired woman was gone — only several fresh paint marks remained on the wall.

“…What?” The black haired woman gasped. 

The squad leader immediately frowned.

“She moved before we closed in.”

Then, he looked at the warehouse layout displayed on his wrist device before making a quick decision.

“We split.”

Several recruits turned toward him.

“Team One,” He pointed toward three nearby agents. “Track the hostages.”

His finger shifted toward the remaining members.

“Team Two, locate and mark the remaining suspects. Remember, no unnecessary engagements,” the young man repeated, “if you encounter resistance, report immediately.”

Everyone acknowledged before disappearing into separate corridors.

—

Far deeper inside the warehouse, the slim purple haired young woman stood quietly within the central walkway, her back resting lightly against a concrete pillar.

The dim lighting reflected faintly against her purple hair. She pressed one finger against her earbuds.

“Report.”

The short haired woman’s calm voice arrived through the channel.

“They’ve breached the entrance,” She let out a brief pause, “I’ve engaged, and I’ve been marked.”

The purple haired woman was silent for only a moment.

“Numbers?”

“Three moved toward my position,” the short haired woman looked back and said: “The remainder unknown.”

The woman glanced briefly toward the branching corridors surrounding her. 

“I’ll send the blue-haired girl to reinforce your sector,” she said calmly, “And Meijin, protect yourself.”

A quiet laugh came from the other end.

“I will, Huashin.”

As the communication ended, the purple haired woman slowly straightened. She tapped her earbuds three times, eyes drifted toward one of the darker passageways.

“Araka,” she said, “Check the western corridor with caution.”

“Roger that,” the other end responded. 

—

Meanwhile, the three-member rescue team advanced cautiously through the western corridor. One recruit scanned the ceiling, while another checked each doorway.

The black haired young woman leading the group frowned.

“…It’s too quiet.”

The young man behind her gave a small smile: “Maybe we guessed correctly.”

“If they’re concentrating on the central route, this could be our chance.”

As they reached the next intersection and made the turn around the corner. 

“There!”

The short-haired woman appeared from a side room. 

Pop!

A single paint round struck the shoulder of the young man at the rear.

“Hit!” He stumbled backwards.

The other two reacted immediately, as the other young man quickly returned fire. 

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Blue paint rounds struck the short haired woman’s chest and vest. Then, she collapsed onto one knee before falling onto the floor, coloured paint spreading across her uniform.

“Target eliminated!” The young man whispered. 

“That was close…” the black haired woman gasped. “Couldn’t believe someone without Matake could be this powerful.”

As the small squad moved forward cautiously, the black haired girl suddenly sensed something from behind. She turned back and didn’t see anything. 

“Did anyone see that?”

Before anyone could answer, a small cylindrical object rolled silently across the floor.

It stopped between them.

“…Smoke!” The black haired girl yelled. 

The canister burst open. This time, the smoke did not simply billow upward. It spread unnaturally fast along the floor before climbing around them like a curtain, swallowing the corridor within seconds.

With the visibility dropped to only a few metres, The three recruits instinctively tightened their formation, with rifles sweeping across the haze.

Then—

Bzzzt.

A sharp vibration came from every wrist-mounted Matake sensor. 

The black haired young woman leading the rescue team glanced down.

“The sensor—,” Before she could finish her sentence — a tap landed on her shoulder. 

A splash of blue paint spread across the side of her tactical vest.

“…What?” She spun around, yet she found nobody, only swirling smoke.

“I’m marked!” She shouted back. 

At the same instant, the injured young man, who had been kneeling behind a crate, raised his rifle.

“There!” He fired blindly into the fog.

Pop! Pop!

No response. 

Then, another gentle impact landed squarely against the centre of his back, with blue paint burst across his vest.

The force pushed him backwards onto the floor.

“Second casualty!” he reported. 

Only one recruit remained standing.

His breathing became noticeably heavier. 

“What the…” He murmured. 

He steadied his rifle and searched the smoke.

Nothing, only the Matake sensor continued vibrating against his wrist.

Bzzzt… Bzzzt…

He stood tight.

“What the hell is that…” he dashed sideways behind a concrete pillar, and the vibration stopped for a second.

“…Did I lose—”

Then, a firm tap landed on the back of his shoulder. The young man froze for a second, and then as he looked back, the rod rested lightly against his uniform.

Behind him came the slightly teasing voice of a young girl. 

“Come on,” the girl said,  “You should probably check your Matake sensor.”

The recruit slowly lowered his rifle, while his right shoulder was already covered in blue paint.

As the coloured smoke gradually dispersed, the figure behind him finally became visible - a girl with dark-cyan hair stood quietly a few steps away, with one hand rested on the training rod, and the other remained casually at her side.

She tilted her head slightly while raising her rod. 

“…Now get on the ground.”

The recruit looked around, and then found his entire team had already been marked.

Without another word, he slowly placed his rifle on the floor.

—

Elsewhere inside the warehouse, the second squad advanced steadily through the central corridor.

The young captain walked at the front, occasionally checking the digital map mounted on his wrist.

“So far, so good.”

Then, one of the agents suddenly frowned.

“Captain…” he said, “I’ve lost contact with Team One.”

The captain stopped briefly. His expression tightened.

“No response?”

The young man nodded. 

“Everyone, stay focused,” the captain said, “We still outnumber them — if the briefing is correct, only one suspect should be moving toward this sector.”

The team nodded and proceeded further. 

Then—

Bzzzt!

Every Matake sensor vibrated violently.

“Take cover!” The captain reacted immediately.

The recruits clustered behind a disused machine nearby. 

One young agent, however, reacted slightly too late as she instinctively leaned out with her rifle raised.

Pop.

A single blue paint round struck the centre of his chest before she managed to fire.

“…Hit!” She stumbled backwards and reported. 

The remaining four exchanged uneasy looks. One of them lowered his voice.

“So, what exactly are we supposed to do against this so-called ‘mind control’ person?”

Another recruit quickly answered: “She’s alone. If we lure her out… then the other three can circle behind and take her together.”

The captain considered the proposal for only a second.

“…Do it,” he instructed.

The group quietly repositioned themselves: three moved to a nearby doorway, while two hid behind a crater. Meanwhile, the Matake sensors continued buzzing, and the vibration only gets stronger 

— 

Around the next corner behind the door, the slim purple haired woman calmly stepped into position. She listened to the conversation through her Matake field and let out a faint smile.

“Guess that’s your mistake,” she said, her voice was soft enough that only those nearest the entrance could hear it.  “If you’re not a Matake user, you really shouldn’t stay clustered together.”

She raised the slim training rod in her right hand.

A faint violet glow gathered at its tip. Without exposing herself, she angled the rod toward the edge of the doorway, two thin streaks of purple light shot forward.

Flash. 

The two recruits waiting closest to the entrance froze almost simultaneously, with their vest turning purple. 

Their Matake sensors erupted into a continuous alarm.

Bzzzzzzzt!

“What—?”

“My sensor’s going crazy!” Neither understood what had happened.

Before the two could react, the purple haired woman entered the door with a smile: “Sorry, but I guess you learned your lesson.”