Two Wars

Anjing Zhen stood where he was, looking at Kitasan Black. His chest heaved violently once, then he slowly—

Took a deep breath, then let it out just as slowly.

The hand beneath the table, clenched tight and trembling all this time, finally began to relax bit by bit.

He pulled out his chair and sat back down, his voice regaining all its usual professionalism and calm—perhaps even steadier than before. "All right. Let's continue. Almond Eye, bring Little Kita up to speed on the key points from earlier. Then let's review Little Kita's endurance training data from yesterday."

The meeting proceeded as usual.

Kitasan Black listened attentively, took careful notes, asked questions now and then, and nodded at the crucial points.

Almond Eye handed over warmed barley tea and a peeled banana. Kitasan Black accepted them naturally, thanked her, then quietly and quickly replenished her energy.

Agnes Tachyon laid everything out in meticulous detail, Daiwa Scarlet filled in the gaps, and Anjing Zhen coordinated the overall arrangements.

Everything seemed no different from the countless team meetings they had held on so many previous nights.

And yet, something fundamental had changed completely.

An unspoken yet unshakable trust, a tacit understanding that they would face things together while fighting on separate fronts, and the resolve to entrust their backs completely to one another had quietly replaced the cautious concealment, solitary burdens, and distance that had come before.

Though the air in the meeting room remained grave, it was no longer suffocating. Instead, it carried a sharpness that seemed poised to strike.

The meeting came to an end, and the summary was complete.

Agnes Tachyon closed her tablet, yawned, and tugged at Daiwa Scarlet's sleeve beside her. "Scarlet, I'm hungry. Come with me to the cafeteria and see if there are any buns