Fracture Bloom

Proluge:

The hallway outside Room 406 was too quiet for midnight. The kind of quiet that meant something was wrong.

Tengen leaned against the glass.

Inside, his sister lay still.

Too pale. Too thin.

Only the soft beep of machines and the dim flicker of a blinking light by her temple proved she was still alive.

She used to laugh.

Now… she didn't even blink.

They called it Anchor Recoil Syndrome.

Said it happened when someone got too close to a Bloom Zone.

Said it shattered the brain's ability to regulate emotion.

Tengen didn't care what they said, he didn't understand it.

All he knew was, she hadn't woken up.

Not in months.

There were treatments.

Experimental. Unavailable. Expensive.

But a company named Spire offered to pay.

All they wanted… was him.

His phone buzzed again.

He already knew what was coming.

"Phase 2 begins.

Make contact.

Keep the boy distracted."

He didn't reply. Just stared at the hospital bed a moment longer.

"Plant the trackers," a woman named Velza had told him.

"One on the boy. One on the girl."

"Be careful around them do not alert them, they can be dangerous especially the girl, but she's also… different."

Velza never used names.

Just codes. Just labels.

"Subject W," they called her.

"She's dangerous," she said.

"But she's special."

"There'll be someone else joining you and will be with her soon.

When it happens, you'll know."

They never explained what that meant.

They never told him what would happen if he failed.

They just gave him one picture.

A girl with black hair. Thin frame. Holding Kentaro's hand.

"Your job is simple," Reiden had said.

"Keep him busy. Keep her close.

Let the device do its work."

Tengen didn't know what device they meant.

They hadn't shown him anything.

Just told him not to interfere.

Told him not to get involved.

Told him it was for the good of everyone.

But none of this felt good.

This wasn't research.

This wasn't protection.

This wasn't saving anyone.

This was a setup.

And he was the one being used.

Tengen exhaled slowly.

He remembered Kentaro's awkward grin.

Tenka's protective stare.

The way they all made him feel like… he didn't have to pretend.

"Just observe and distract." Velza had said.

"And remember, your sister's life depends on it."

He looked back one last time.

Her fingers twitched.

Tengen pulled his hood up.

Checked the time.

And walked.

"Tracker deployment prepared.

Subject unaware.

Distraction will begin on arrival."

-Tengen, Message Sent: 12:02 AM

The next morning, he boarded a plane.

He didn't smile.

Because once he stepped off…

The experiment would begin.

*

A whole month had passed since that chaotic day. 

The "date mission" that ended with a near-death moment, a kiss, and a seal that still left Kentaro's heart racing when he thought about it. 

Now? 

Now he was back in the same lecture hall, the same stiff plastic chairs, the same old ceiling fans that didn't do a thing. 

Kentaro sat slouched in the third row. 

To his left, Tenka was sitting straight-backed and sharp-eyed, eyes locked on the whiteboard like she was planning a tactical assault. 

To his right… the seat was empty. 

Kira's seat. 

It had been like that ever since that night. 

Professor Tachibana's voice droned on in the background, scribbling chemical formulas across the board with the enthusiasm of a damp mop. 

Kentaro's eyes were pointed forward, but his brain? 

Long gone. 

Completely out to sea. 

Tenka noticed. 

She gave him a sideways glance, then jabbed him softly in the ribs. 

"Hey. Ken. You alive over there?" she whispered. 

He jolted like he'd been electrocuted, nearly knocking his notebook off the desk. 

"S-sorry, just spacing out!" he said with a forced laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Tenka raised an eyebrow but let it slide. 

"Try to concentrate. You've already fallen behind in every subject except Applied Reality Studies." 

"Yeah, yeah…" 

He tried. 

For about five minutes. 

Then the bell rang, sparing him from total academic shame. 

But instead of wrapping up with his usual "That's all," Professor Tachibana held up a clipboard. 

"Alright, everyone, don't leave just yet. I forgot to pass out the forms for our upcoming 1-week school retreat to Hoshikami Island." 

The room froze. 

Then someone in the back yelled: 

"Wait, what?!" 

And suddenly, the class exploded. 

"OMG, Tenka! DID YOU HEAR THAT?!" the girl in front of her squealed. 

"It's swimsuit season, baby!!" 

Two more girls turned around, their eyes flicking between Tenka and Kentaro like predators spotting meat. 

"Kentaro, right?" 

"You better be coming. I wanna see your reaction when Tenka breaks out the bikini~" 

They snickered in sync, devilish grins plastered across their faces. 

The three girls, Mika, Rei, and Sumire, were Tenka's best friends. 

They'd known her since middle school and naturally orbited Kentaro too, mostly because no one ever saw him outside Tenka's shadow. 

Kentaro blushed hard, scratching his cheek. 

"Uhh… sure, I guess?" 

"Can you not?" Tenka said, slipping for a moment into her classic commander tone. 

Then she cleared her throat and looked away. 

"…I'm not going anyway. Got something to handle with my family." 

The room paused. 

"What?!" 

"Nooo, Tenky, don't bail!" Rei groaned. 

"I wanted to see the legendary swimsuit build you've been hiding under those uniforms!" 

"It's not legendary!" Tenka snapped, face flushing as she turned back toward the board. 

Kentaro looked at her sideways. 

"She never said anything about that… Where's she going?" 

Tenka caught his look, and her eyes softened for a brief second. 

"It's important," she said quietly. "Sorry." 

Just then, Mr. Tachibana returned with a stack of forms under his arm. 

"Find the one with your name on it. Fill it out and return it before the end of the week." 

Paper shuffled. 

Excitement buzzed. 

A retreat. A beach. A break from everything. 

But for Kentaro, 

He already had a strange feeling in his gut. 

Like this "trip…" wasn't going to be peaceful for long. 

The once-stacked pile of forms had finally reached Kentaro, now thinned to only a few sheets. 

The first had his name. 

The second: Tenka. 

And the last... 

"Kira...?" he muttered, eyes narrowing. 

Tenka glanced over. 

Her expression shifted, just slightly. 

"She's still enrolled? Surprising. Thought she'd be detained after what happened." 

Her voice stayed low, careful not to attract attention from the girls in front. 

Kentaro nodded slowly, still staring at Kira's form. 

"Yeah... I can imagine her getting chewed out by Cradle for exposing unauthorized gear. Not exactly subtle. 

The paper lingered in his hand a moment longer than it needed to. 

"Still to think she was a part of an organisation that was my enemy, world works in funny ways," Kentaro muttered to himself. 

"Hey! Yo, Ken!" someone called out. 

"Pass me the goods this way, man!" 

Kentaro jolted. He glanced around, then spotted the voice waving two rows ahead, arm raised like he was hailing a taxi. 

Tengen. 

"Oh, yeah, here," Kentaro muttered, hurrying over with the papers. 

Tengen was still standing, flashing his usual easy-going grin. 

He saluted as Kentaro handed him his form. 

"Appreciate it, bud." 

"No problem," Kentaro smiled back politely, already turning to go. 

But before he could walk away, a hand landed on his shoulder. 

"Yo, random question." 

"You're going on the trip, right?" 

Kentaro blinked. 

"Well... probably. I was planning to, but Tenka said she might not be going, so I dunno. Would feel kinda pointless solo." 

Tengen's expression faltered, just for a second. Then the grin snapped back into place. 

"Dude, what?! No Tenka?" 

"That's a massive loss. Was kinda hoping to see her swimsuit, hehe." 

He let out a low chuckle, clearly imagining the scene. 

Kentaro opened his mouth to respond, but Tengen suddenly clapped both hands on his shoulders. 

"Alright, hear me out." 

"Me. You. The beach. Sun. Sand. Cute girls (Besides Tenka.) Chill vibes. 

Equals: Fireeee!" 

Kentaro gave a small, awkward laugh, his cheeks heating at the mention of "cute girls." 

But also... maybe this was fine? He hadn't really hung out with anyone but Tenka since he got to college. Perhaps a trip wouldn't kill him. 

"Alright. You convinced me. I'm in." 

Tengen's eyes lit up like stars. 

Literal anime sparkle mode. 

"LET'S GOOOOOO!" he shouted, arms thrown up like he'd won a prize. 

"I knew I could count on you, bro!" 

Kentaro scratched the back of his neck, half embarrassed, half-amused. 

"Hahaha.... yeah. Alright, I'll catch you later, yeah?" 

He turned to walk away. 

Tengen didn't answer. 

He just stood there, smiling. 

Wide. 

Too wide. 

Back at his desk, Kentaro slid into his seat, only to find Teka smirking at him. 

"So, you and Tengen, huh?" 

"Sounds like a date to me," she teased. 

"Oh, come on," Kentaro groaned. "You're the one not going." 

"Wait... does that mean if she went, it would be a date?" 

Rei, one of Tenka's friends, whipped around dramatically, pointing at them like she'd just uncovered a conspiracy. 

"HUH?!" That's not how that works!" Kentaro shouted, face flushing red. 

"SHUT IT REI!!!" Tenka's voice cracked as she turned beet red and ducked behind her hand. 

"Hehe. Just kidding." Rei giggled, clearly satisfied with the chaos. 

Kentaro sighed. 

He looked to Tenka, still hiding behind her hand, eyes down, ears red. 

He was about to say something, anything, to ease the tension... but he noticed that her ring, that she always wore, wasn't glowing, indicating she was in her normal mode, and her reaction and behaviour so far suggested that as well. And by the time he figured out something to say, Mr. Tachibana clapped his hands at the front of the room. 

"Alright, listen up. You have five days to submit that form. And there's one more sheet, for the new student joining the class tomorrow. She will also be going as well." 

That snapped everyone's attention. 

"New student?" 

The room buzzed instantly. 

"Is it a guy or girl?" 

"I heard it's a local celeb!" 

"Please be good. Please be hot. Please be-" 

The noise escalated until a voice near the back finally spoke up. 

"I think it says... 'Rica'...?" 

"Ica?" 

"S-something like that." 

Kentaro leaned forward, trying to hear through the chaos, until Sumire turned in her seat, looking at both Kentaro and Tenka. 

"It's a girl. And her name's Serica." 

"Hope she's cute," she added with a wink. 

Time stopped. 

"...Don't tell me...' Kentaro whispered under his breath, heart skipping. 

His eyes darted to Tenka. 

She wasn't blushing anymore. 

She stared forward, calm as stone. 

But her eyes flickered toward him, just once. 

"I'll explain later," she whispered. 

Just loud enough for him to hear. 

Just quiet enough that no one else could. 

"Why now?" 

"Why would Serica join the class now, of all times?" 

"Was this Tenka's doing? It had to be… but why take that risk?" 

Kentaro sat frozen in his seat, pretending to listen to Mr. Tachibana as the lecture wrapped up, but his mind was miles away, caught between the past and the girl he hadn't seen since that day. 

Since the date. 

Since the kiss. 

Ten minutes later, class was dismissed. 

Kentaro walked silently beside Tenka through the long campus hallway, still wrapped in thought, until she broke the silence. 

"Come to command with me," she said casually. "I'll explain everything… and you'll get to see Serica too." 

"She's been asking about you nonstop, y'know." 

She finished the line with a smirk that tugged at his nerves. 

"R-Really? Yeah, uh… It's been a while," Kentaro replied, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"I hope she's… okay." 

It had been over a month since their date, and since then, Halcyon had kept Serica under strict observation, running stabilization tests, making sure her Bloom was truly under control. He hadn't seen her. Not even a glimpse. 

Now she was being cleared for re-entry into society, not as an Alberline, but as a normal girl. 

And he hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. 

They entered the empty science lab. 

Tenka walked straight toward the supply closet at the back. 

"Alright, Haruka," she said into her comm, "transfer us." 

"Clear to cross, Commander," came Haruka's voice, emotionless as ever. 

Kentaro glanced at the closet door like it was a portal to another world, which, technically, it was. 

"Still weird walking through a closet and ending up in HQ," he muttered. 

Tenka paused, checked the classroom door one last time, then cracked the supply closet open. 

"Go on. You first." 

Kentaro hesitated. The door shimmered faintly. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, 

And emerged into Halcyon's command centre. 

"Welcome back, Mr. Playboy," Shogo called from across the room. 

"Yes, welcome… Casanova," Haruka added, dry as desert sand. 

"Why am I, okay, what did I do to get called 'playboy' now?" Kentaro asked, blinking. 

THUMP. 

Tenka emerged behind him and gave him a light shove. Caught off guard, Kentaro stumbled forward and hit the floor. 

"Geez, Ken. Move it. Other people are trying to cross too," Tenka said, brushing past. 

"Y-Yeah, yeah… sorry," he muttered, pushing himself up off the floor. 

But before he could stand, 

"Ken?!" 

A voice. Behind him. 

Warm. Gentle. Familiar. 

Kentaro froze. 

His breath hitched. 

"…Serica?" 

He turned slowly, and there she was. 

Dressed in a new outfit, hair tied neatly, eyes wide with joy. She rushed toward him and dropped to her knees, grabbing his arm and helping him up. 

"You, okay?" she asked softly. 

"Y-Yeah… thanks," Kentaro muttered, rising with her help. 

They stood awkwardly close. Serica twiddled her fingers, her face already glowing red. 

She tried to speak once. 

Stopped. 

Tried again. 

Then finally, 

"I-I've missed you, Ken." 

Those four words hit like a flashbang. 

Kentaro's heart did that weird thing again, the one it only did when she was near. 

"Y-Yeah. I missed you too, Serica…" 

The words came out clumsy, unpolished, but real. And when she heard them, her lips curled into a small, radiant smile. 

Tenka leaned on a console nearby, arms crossed. 

"Aw. That's disgustingly sweet," she muttered, smirking as she nudged him on the way past. 

"Did you hear?" Serica said, eyes sparkling now. "I'll be joining your school!" 

Kentaro blinked. 

"Y-Yeah. I heard… Wait, how old are you again? You look, uh, young." 

"Ohhh?" Shogo popped in from the side. 

"Imagine if she were under 16. That kiss would've put you on a list, bro~" 

"I-It was to save her!!" Kentaro shouted, hands raised in panic. "I didn't know!!" 

Serica giggled and waved it off. 

"I'm 18. Turning 19 soon," she said, clearly used to Shogo's antics by now. 

Kentaro let out a sigh of relief. 

"Okay good. Same age. No criminal charges. More peace of mind." 

She smiled again, and this time, it stayed longer. 

There was something different about her. More confident. Still awkward, still gentle… but brighter. Like something inside her had finally thawed. 

"Alright," Tenka said, clapping her hands together. 

"Enough reunion fluff. We've got plans to go over." 

"First, the whole Serica joining college. It's simple. We need her to get used to living as a normal human again, so our best action is to let her join college where she will be near me and you. Okay?" She said her voice now sounded like a commander. 

Kentaro thought about it before nodding. It made sense. Why should they not let Serica readjust to society? And better yet, with the help of Tenka and Kentaro, it shouldn't be too difficult. 

Then she turned toward the holo screen. 

"Now... Next is that island trip you're all so excited about." 

Kentaro exchanged a glance with Serica. 

And in that look, there was excitement. Confusion. Fear. 

And something stronger. 

Hope. 

Tenka crossed her legs, her voice calm and calculated. 

"Originally, I wanted Kentaro to go alone, given the nature of his task on the island." 

Kentaro tilted his head. 

"Task?" 

"Yes, yes, your task," she repeated, waving her hand. "But plans changed." 

She gave Serica a brief side glance. The girl beside Kentaro blushed deeply. 

"Serica pleaded with me. And I'll admit… it was hard to say no. She promised she wouldn't be a distraction." 

Kentaro leaned forward, completely lost now. 

"Tenka, please, you're killing me. What is this mission?" 

With a sharp snap of her fingers, Tenka grinned. 

"You, Kentaro, are going to the island for special training." 

"Training? Like combat? Defence? Flying?" he asked, counting each on his fingers. 

"KISSING!" Shogo shouted from across the room. 

"NO-SHOGO, IT'S NOT-SHUT UP!" Kentaro turned beet red. 

"Silence," Tenka snapped, her commander tone slipping out. Both boys instantly went quiet. 

She took a calm sip from her coffee before continuing. 

"Let me clarify. The real issue isn't your fighting skill… It's your emotional instability." 

"You were a nervous wreck around Serica when you first met her. This island trip is a controlled environment to test your composure, especially around girls." 

Kentaro's jaw dropped. 

"You're training me to… what, not get flustered?!" 

"Exactly," Tenka said with a wicked grin. "The beach is ideal. Swimsuits, heat, high exposure, perfect conditions for stress testing." 

"And yes," she added casually, "you'll be monitored via anchor data. Heart rate. Emotional state. Live cam feed. And to make things more interesting, we're also hiring a few external… stimulants." 

"WHAT?!" 

"Some hired 'hotties' to walk around the beach," Shogo added with zero shame. "Purely scientific." 

Kentaro buried his face in his hands. 

"I thought this was a trip, not a reality TV show…" 

"You'll be fine," Haruka said, adjusting her glasses. "Truth is, a few girls in your class already like you. They just think you and Tenka are dating." 

Kentaro blinked. 

"Huh?! What?! That's not." 

"And they'd probably confess if Tenka didn't scare them away every time your back is turned," she added, her voice dry as paper. 

"HARUKA!!" Tenka stood up so fast her chair nearly fell over. She darted toward Haruka and slapped a hand over her mouth. 

Haruka stood still, hands folded behind her back, unfazed. 

Even with her mouth covered, everyone in the room could tell. 

She was smiling under Tenka's hand. 

Tenka sighed, releasing her. Then she cleared her throat and reset her posture. 

"Anyway. Back to the point." 

"Kentaro, Serica will also be staying close to monitor your anchor sync. She'll be waking you up each morning before school." 

Kentaro blinked again. 

"Waking me up…? So… she'll be teleporting to my house every morning?" 

Shogo grinned like he'd been waiting for this line all day. 

He slung an arm around Kentaro's shoulder, leaning in. 

"Oh no, brother. You won't need teleportation." 

"What?" 

"Because… she's living with you." 

"…HUH?!" 

Both Kentaro and Serica shouted at the same time. 

"L-Living?!" Serica stammered. "I, I wasn't told that!" 

"Yes, constantly teleporting you is inefficient, and also this will help you get along better with Kentaro," Haruka added. 

"See, Kentaro, you're training technically begins today as she's moving in with you, hehee," Shogo whispered 

Kentaro looked at Serica. 

She looked equally stunned. 

Tenka, now done defending her pride, finally exhaled. 

"It's only for the duration of the trip prep. And no, before you ask, I won't be around to supervise." 

"What?! Why not?" 

"Halycon business. I'll be gone all week. Which means you two are on your own. Try not to destroy the house. Or each other." 

"W-Wait-won't you fall behind in class?" Kentaro asked. 

Tenka turned toward the holoscreen, waving him off. 

"All my assignments are done. I'm miles ahead. You should be worrying about yourself, honestly." 

Kentaro slumped. 

"…Fair." 

"Okay then," Tenka clapped. "Mission briefing over. Pack your bags. Get some rest." 

"Oh, and Kentaro?" 

He turned. 

"Serica's waking you up tomorrow. Try to wear a shirt this time." 

And with that, the meeting ended. 

Kentaro's head was spinning. 

Not just because of the mission. 

Not just because of Serica. 

But because the in the next couple of days... 

They'd be on an island. 

And something or someone was waiting for them there…