Tokyo Ghoul: Quinx System

"I'm open!" Reo shouted as he slipped past two players that were guarding the rim.

He received a pass from his teammate that was at the three-point line and with a quick dribble, he drove hard to the basket, a familiar fire igniting in his eyes. He rose up for a dunk, the ball slamming through the net with a satisfying thwack.

"Nice, Reo!" His teammate shouted.

A whistle rang, signalling to the players that they could take a break. Reo wiped sweat from his brow with a grin plastered on his face and looked towards the bench where coach was usually sitting, expecting him to shout at him for being too flashy, but he wasn't there. 'Seriously, I feel like coach is too busy nowadays, and Kiyota... Well, I don't even know.' He grabbed his water bottle and chugged half of it down in one go, the cold liquid went down his dry throat. He glanced at his phone, which was empty.

A few teammates gathered and walked up to Reo.

"Hey Reo, where's the captain?"

'Man, I wish I knew.' Reo thought, running a hand through his damp hair. "He's... busy with something, I guess. He'll be back."

"Hey look… That's the new girl right? The one captain was crushing on."

Reo followed his teammate's gaze, spotting a familiar face across the gym. 'I've gotta ask her what happened between her and Kiyota.' He walked over, trying to look casual, and said, "Hey Rika, haven't seen you in a few days. What are you doing here?"

"I was just watching the practice, you guys are pretty good, especially you, Reo." She said, her voice calm and even. "Where's Kiyota? I haven't seen him around."

Rika knew very well where Kiyota was. The CCG academy.

Reo shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, he's been... out of touch. Do you know what's going on with him?"

"I'm not sure. We had a nice time at the pizza place a few days ago but then he just ghosted me." Rika said as she shrugged aswell.

'Ghosted? Kiyota? That's not like him, especially after he was so hyped about her.' Reo thought, a frown creasing his brow. "Anyway, I'm finished my training for today. Wanna go over to Kiyota's house and see if he's alright?"

Rika tilted her head slightly, a small frown formed on her lips. "I don't know, Reo. He's probably busy. Plus I don't even know him that well. Would it really be okay for me to go?"

"Even if he is busy, it'll still be worthwhile going there." Reo said with a stupid smirk on his face.

Rika tilted her head again in confusion as she stared at Reo, who seemed to be dreaming. Reo just grinned, oblivious to her confusion, lost in his own thoughts of Kiyota's big sister.

"I'm pretty sure his sister is back in town." Reo was practically drooling. Rika sighed as she was finally understanding what Reo meant.

"Alright then, let's go…" Rika said slowly. 'I can't lie, I want to meet Kiyota's big sister aswell. I'm curious.'

Reo pumped his fist in the air with a wide and goofy grin spreading across his face. "Awesome! Let's get going then, maybe Kiyota's sister can tell us what's up with him."

"Hmm, I'm sure that's why we're going…" Rika said with a small laugh.

"Hey you gotta help me out with her. I don't know why, but she always rejects me. I'm a great guy!" Reo said in exasperation.

Rika just gave him a flat stare. "Maybe because she thinks you're immature."

________________

Kiyota was once again in a sterile, white room, but this time it was the giant physical examination room. He stretched his arms, feeling the familiar burn in his muscles, ready to show off his honed physique. He was now wearing a skin tight, black compression bodysuit, highlighting every toned curve. Similarly to the rest of the recruits that were lined up, their back against the white, padded wall. A stern-faced instructor, clipboard in hand, began barking orders, and the first group of recruits, including Kiyota, stepped forward.

"Get down and show me fifty pushups!" The instructor bellowed, her voice echoing through the vast room. Kiyota immediately dropped to the floor, his form perfect, a confident smirk on his lips.

'Too easy.' He thought to himself as he continued pressing down and lifting himself back up.

Some recruits that were not in shape failed, some only managing twenty. The instructor noted all the names of those who had failed on her clipboard while giving them a disappointed and stern look. Kiyota finished his fifty pushups in record time, barely breaking a sweat, and stood up, his chest puffed out slightly. He couldn't help but glance at the other recruits, some were like him who had finished this task with no problems and were waiting for orders.

"Right! Now that you all have warmed up, you will be fighting me. One at a time you will pick out a wooden weapon from there and begin when I say. I will be bare-handed, of course." The instructor said with a smile on her lips as she pointed at an armoury of wooden weapons.

Kiyota's smirk faltered a bit, a bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple. 'Fighting her? This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. No, scratch that. It might even be impossible.' Kiyota recalled a scene where she was demonstrating how to use a sword, and the dummy she hit was instantly broken. He gulped, his eyes darting towards the array of wooden weapons, wondering if any of them would even make a difference against such an overwhelmingly strong opponent.

"First, Mira Juouske."

Mira was a recruit with a surprisingly lithe build and short black hair. She looked beautiful, even as her face was scowling at the fact she had been chosen first. She stepped forward, choosing a short wooden dagger from the armoury. Kiyota watched her as she confidently raised her dagger up in a reverse grip stance and waited for the examination to begin. The instructor motioned at her to begin and simply sidestepped Mira's initial lunge. Then, with a blur of motion, Mira found herself on the floor, disarmed and looking utterly bewildered.

"I'm not done." Mira said, scrambling back to her feet, her face was flushed red with embarrassment. The instructor merely raised an eyebrow. Mira grabbed her dagger and retreated back with a handspring, immediately getting into her low stance. The instructor, with a sigh that was deep, effortlessly closed the distance and threw a punch towards Mira's head.

Mira had no time to dodge, and she could only brace for impact. She brought her dagger up sideways to block the attack. The punch landed with a smash, sending Mira sprawling backwards. The wooden dagger splintered and broke, sending the pieces flying from her grasp. Kiyota winced, feeling like he himself had just been punched.

'This is going to be a long day,' Kiyota muttered under his breath, watching Mira smash into the padded white wall. 'So that's why they padded the walls…'