Huff! Huff!

  I sprint through the ruins, metal legs pounding against cracked tile. The hallway blurs past—I brace for impact and crash straight through a window. Glass shatters around me as I dive into open air, launching toward the next building. I hit the floor in a roll, shards skittering across the concrete.

  “Bunny-chan~! Wait for meeee~!” Tama cries.

  I glance back as she clears the gap, rocket-propelled fists flaring behind her. Several camera drones swoop in close, their displays lighting up with bright emoji-faces of excitement.

  Tama lands hard, breathing heavily, bent over with her hands on her knees. “Can we slow down a bit—huff, huff—we’ve been running all day and I’m not as fast as you!”

  “We don’t have time to slow down!” I whine. “I finally locked onto the data crystal’s signal—it’s only a few buildings away!”

  I look out toward the horizon. We’re already high above the ruins, the sun dipping low behind the distant walls.

  “We only have an hour left…” I mutter.

  “Fine, fine—let’s hurry.” Tama sighs, straightening up. “But all this running has been giving me a wedgie. Give me a sec to fix my uniform.”

  She drops one of her gauntlets with a heavy clang and reaches behind her to slip a finger under the hem of her bodysuit. A few nearby drones light up excitedly and close in for a better view.

  Seeing this, Tama smirks and lets out a playful chuckle. “Hehe, don’t wanna give the Syncbaiters too much material.”

  With a wink, Tama sends a few of the drones spiraling.

  I roll my eyes and clear my throat. “Ahem.”

  “Coming, Bunny-chan~!” Tama laughs.

  I turn toward the objective and start walking, but a strange humming sound rises from nowhere. The air vibrates faintly, the tone growing sharper. Tama pauses, looking toward the window—

  Krrssh! Bzeeeeeeee! —Thud!

  Tama slams into me, dropping us to the floor. A split second later, glass and wind explode overhead as something fast tears through the window and zips past us.

  I twist to look back and spot it immediately. A Buzzard Drone—a snake-like automaton made of interlocking turbines that swirl like a mechanical worm. At its head spins a long, needle-sharp blade built for precision strikes.

  “It’s a bee!” Tama shouts, scooping me up onto her shoulder. She breaks into a sprint, reaching out her free arm. “Fist, return!”

  Her detached gauntlet lifts off the floor and rockets toward her. She catches it mid-run, snapping it back into place with a hiss of steam.

  I point ahead. “Tama, that way!”

  She pivots on her heel and dashes in the direction I indicate. The Bee chases close behind, turbines whining. I glance back and focus, antennae flaring—static prickles across my scalp as I sync to its signal.

  I raise my hand, finger aimed squarely at the drone. My heartbeat syncs with the hum of its engines. Then, with a sharp swipe—

  Zip—Ckrrrssh!

  I redirect it straight into the wall. The impact erupts in a flash of light and sound, the explosion rattling the entire floor. Every window shatters in a cascade of glittering shards.

  Tama slows down and comes to a shaky stop, gently setting me down before dropping to her knees.

  “Huff… huff…” She breathes hard, trying to hold a grin through the exhaustion. “You can actually redirect those things?”

  I nod, rubbing at the base of my antennae. “Yeah. Thanks to my radar augments, I can perform light hacking maneuvers.”

  “Huh… good thing,” she says, pushing herself upright with a tired laugh. “If that Bee had stung us, we’d be scrap metal right now.”

  I glance over my shoulder at the shattered wall and sigh. “Well, at least we got out of that unharmed.”

  Tama stretches, arms spread wide as her spine arches with a mechanical creak. “Aaah~ finally.”

  She glances around—and freezes. Every drone that had been following us lies scattered across the floor, smoking or sparking from the explosion.

  “Aww… are we offline?” she groans.

  I let out a low growl and start pacing down the hall, my feet crunching over glass. “Great. Just great.”

  This whole mission’s been a mess. First the Flying Raptor, then chasing the data crystal for half the day. Now a Buzzard Drone shows up just to slow us down even more—and the blast wiped out every single camera drone we had.

  Which means… no broadcast feed. No audience. No one watching.

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  ?_????: Ugh! The drone feed I was watching got blown up! Why didn’t that Buni girl just send that stupid thing out the window instead of the wall?!

  ?????: Her name’s Rika, but yeah… Everyone knows Bees are explosive. She should’ve been more careful before taking out our drones.

  ?-???-?: Aw man~ I was watching Tama-chan! ?? Do you think IC will send them new drones so we can keep watching her?

  ??_???: Hopefully! I freaked out when she actually referenced us Syncbaiters.

  ?????_?: OMI, YES! And the way she fixed her bodysuit?????

  ??_???: My drone caught the perfect angle of that! My hand augment jammed rewatching that clip! ????

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  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  We only get a moment to breathe before a faint buzzing builds behind us.

  “H-hey, Bunny-chan…” Tama murmurs.

  I turn—and through the shattered window, a storm of Buzzard Drones rises into view. They orbit around a much larger spherical drone, its surface lined with mechanical eyes that swivel and flash, each one firing thin beams of light across the ruins.

  The Buzzard Swarm’s hive.

  Several of its eyes lock onto us. Others scan the room until one focuses on the shattered remains of the drone I redirected earlier. Its lenses flare red.

  A shrill burst of mechanical beeps echoes through the hall. The entire swarm shifts at once, realigning into a hovering wall of stingers.

  We’re trapped.

  Or at least… we should have been.

  The wall shudders—then fragments. Drones break formation one after another, scattering wildly. The hive’s eyes blink in rapid confusion before swiveling toward a nearby rooftop.

  That’s when I see her.

  A girl dances at the center of the swarm, her bright pink hair catching the dying light. Her movements are graceful, practiced—each step and twirl sending the drones spinning into synchronized patterns around her.

  Kanna Koleida.

  She conducts the chaos with effortless elegance using her wand, guiding the bees as if they were part of the performance itself. The camera drones beep and flash in rhythm, their displays lighting up with hearts and sparkles, enraptured by her show.

  The hive, however, doesn’t share their joy. Its lights flare blood-red, its body shaking with rising static. Then it lunges—straight for Kanna.

  “K-Kanna! Watch out!” I shout.

  She peeks through one eye, smirking down at me, and—without missing a step—snaps her wrist. The bees whirl into motion, encircling the hive in a spiraling helix of light.

  For a second, I think she’s going to smash it. But instead, she lifts her hand skyward, completing the spiral’s arc toward the corner of a neighboring tower.

  That’s when another figure leaps into view.

  A white-haired girl—sleek augments gleaming silvery blue—dives from the rooftop. Tubes coil around her body, connecting to a crystalline tank strapped to her back, filled with swirling metallic liquid.

  Trailing the spiral Kanna created, she extends both hands. Jets of white mist burst from her palms, engulfing the hive and the swarm alike in a swirling cloud of vapor.

  When the mist clears, an enormous sculpture of ice hangs in the air—frozen drones locked mid-spiral, glinting like crystal.

  I can only stare.

  A heartbeat later, gravity wins. The sculpture collapses, crashing into the street below and exploding into a storm of glittering fragments.

  Then suddenly… Snow?

  Thousands of tiny flakes of ice swirl through the air, glittering gold and silver in the rays of the setting sun. The storm of light settles over Kanna as she keeps dancing, her silhouette framed by the falling shimmer.

  The camera drones go wild, their displays flashing hearts and stars, lenses zooming in from every angle.

  It isn’t fair. She and that white-haired girl—they’re both first-years, just like us. How can they have augments like that?

  But then it hits me—the white-haired girl!

  I rush to the edge and spot her still airborne, thrusters blazing from her palms and heels. The white smoke she emits keeps her aloft, drifting gracefully beside Kanna. The two nod to each other once, silent and in sync, before sprinting across the rooftops toward the objective.

  Kanna stops briefly, turning just long enough to look down at me.

  She pulls her lower eyelid down, tongue sticking out. “Bleh~”

  I scowl, heat rising in my cheeks. Turning to Tama, I snap, “Come on, we can’t fall behind!”

  Tama grins, rockets flaring to life. “Right behind you, Bunny-chan!”

  And together, we sprint after them across the rooftops.

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  ?????: Uuuughh! I’m crying!! ????

  ?_?-??: I know right?! That performance was beautiful! Where’d she even learn to dance like that??

  --???--: Are you dumb? She’s from the Koleida family—of course she knows how to dance. ??

  ?_?-??: Oh yeah lol I forgot. ??

  ???-???: I’m kinda loving this rivalry between her and that Rika girl. ??

  ?????: The way she stuck her tongue out at her?? She’s such a brat… I LOVE HER!! ????

  --???--: Nah that rivalry’s not happening. Kanna’s way too good to get mixed up with that loser Rika.

  ?-?_?-?: True. Kanna would outshine her ?effortlessly?

  ?????: She pairs so well with Isuka too—their combo move was insane!! ????

  ?_?-??: Wait… do you think they might be… a thing~??

  ?-?_?-?: Nooooo! IC would never let two Idols become a couple!

  ?_?-??: Idc I ship it anyway!! ???????? #KannaIsuka4Ever

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  The four of us step into a wide, open-roofed plaza. In the center stand fifteen pedestals—four holding small data crystals, the rest empty.

  “Hmph. Looks like two other duos still haven’t found the objective,” Kanna remarks. She glances back at us with a smug smile. “You two should be grateful. If it weren’t for us, you probably wouldn’t have passed.”

  I grit my teeth, fists clenching. “I would’ve found this place just fine without your help!”

  Kanna giggles, turning to the white-haired girl and wrapping herself around her arm. “I’m so glad we paired up, Isuka—our abilities work so well together~!”

  The girl gives a short nod, face calm and unreadable. “I agree. We make an efficient team.”

  Isuka… that’s her name?

  Kanna’s little display sends the camera drones into a frenzy, their lights flashing as they capture every angle.

  I roll my eyes and step up to one of the pedestals. When I pick up a crystal, the objective text on my HUD flickers and updates: Mission Complete — Return to Extraction.

  Before I can even celebrate, cold metal wraps around my waist. Tama’s arms lock tight as she spins me around, the world blurring into laughter.

  “We did it! We did it!” she cheers, shaking me like a victory flag.

  “T-Tama, wh-what are y-you doing~?!” I stammer, my feet dangling helplessly. “P-put me down~!”

  She just keeps laughing, refusing to let go until something bubbles up in my chest.

  “Pft—mhmhmhm~” I spit out suddenly. Laughter builds in my chest until—

  Bwahahahahaha~!

  I burst out laughing, doubling over as Tama finally sets me down. My knees nearly give out, but I can’t stop smiling. I press my hands to her shoulders, laughing until my lungs ache.

  What is this feeling? Relief? Joy?

  After everything today—the chaos, the nerves, the cameras—it feels like I can finally breathe again. For the first time, it isn’t about Sync Rate or broadcast angles. We won.

  Through my tears, I catch Tama’s grin, wide and radiant, her sharp teeth flashing as she laughs with her whole body.

  “W-we did it~!” I shout between giggles.

  “Yeah, we did~!” she yells back.

  Our laughter fades into soft giggles before quiet finally settles in. My cheeks ache from smiling so hard.

  When I look around, Kanna and Isuka are already gone. I turn to Tama, who’s watching me expectantly.

  “You ready to go home?” I ask.

  “As ready as ever!” she grins, hands on her hips. “And the first thing I’m doing is taking a nice, long bath!”

  ?

  Tama and I sprint across the rooftops, laughing and leaping without a care in the world. I use my spring legs to launch myself high into the air, she fires her rockets to propel herself forward.

  For a moment, I feel unstoppable—like nothing in the world can touch us.

  Until—

  Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!

  A scream cuts through the night.

  I land hard and fire up my radar antennae, sweeping the direction of the sound. Three signals flash across my HUD—two Idols, one Eidolon.

  We race toward them, following the echoes through the ruins until the rooftops give way to an open plaza—a small garden swallowed by decay.

  In the far corner, two girls cower in terror no—one sprawled on the ground, her leg augment cracked and sparking—the other straining to restrain a massive Eidolon with flickering tether lines.

  It’s a Beast-class—like the bird from before.

  Bipedal, towering, its frame a nightmare of razored claws and reinforced plating. A wolf’s snout gleams red under the sky’s light and vents on its shoulders hiss with steam.

  The girl restraining it screams, her tethers flickering. They won’t hold much longer.

  “What do we do?” Tama asks, voice tight as drones circle overhead, lenses zooming in on us.

  I hesitate. Less than an hour left. The sun’s already fallen behind the wall, leaving only a bruised red glow at the horizon. Floodlights hum to life, bathing the plaza in white light—like a stage waiting for its actors.

  What would Reina do?

  Don’t try to stand out. Complete missions as efficiently as possible. Take down enemies as quickly as possible.

  Her voice echoes in my head.

  That’s what she told me—but following that means leaving those girls behind. My chest tightens. I take a step back, then turn to Tama.

  She blinks, startled. “Rika?”

  “Come on,” I say, lowering myself into a sprinter’s crouch. “We’re doing this.”

  Tama’s eyes widen, then she grins. “Heh. Thought you’d say that.”

  She mirrors my stance beside me.

  “Race you there.”

  We lift our hips high, rockets and springs humming in perfect sync.

  Then—we launch off the rooftop together.

  The glow of the floodlights streaks across our augments as we soar through the air, laughter and wind colliding in my ears.

  “Look out below!”