After that, our families visited us every single day for an entire week.

  The following two weeks? Well… I wouldn’t exactly call them “busy.” Arlen and I played games almost non-stop, and sometimes Inspector Carter would drop by with his consoles. The four of us would play together — and yes, I said four. Who was the fourth? Easy: the nurse who was taking care of Carter.

  I never would’ve guessed it, but they got along ridiculously well. And whenever the nurses had their lunch break, they’d wander over to me, too, and we’d all play together. Considering how my mom had embarrassed me in front of them the last time, I’d expected things to be awkward. Instead, I actually became pretty good friends with them. Good enough that they even added me on social media.

  That was the real surprise — they were only a year or two older than me.

  Eventually we learned the girls were here for their medical field training. So yeah, all in all, our hospital recovery was… actually kind of great. Carter, Arlen, and I spent our days playing, talking, and joking around with the nurses.

  Before we knew it, a month had gone by. We’d all fully recovered — Arlen even got his cast removed.

  ***

  “Come on! Come on! Kick it in already!” I yelled, leaning forward.

  “You shot it over the goal, Toma!” Arlen laughed.

  “No big deal, there’s still time for one more attack!”

  “I don’t think so,” Arlen said, pointing at the screen. “Look — the match just ended.”

  “And Rita wins!” Erika announced.

  “Yes! I finally beat you, Toma!” Rita threw her arms up.

  “Darn it, I can’t believe it! But congratulations, Rita — you’re getting better and better.”

  “Alright, girls, back to work!” Erika said, smiling as she stood up.

  “Are you coming to play later today?” -asked Toma.

  “Not sure — we’ll text you,” Rita replied.

  “Okay! We’ll have a rematch, Erika!” I called after them.

  “Looking forward to it!” she said before the two of them walked out.

  Not long after, Carter walked into the room.

  “Inspector! Want to come play?” Arlen asked.

  “Not this time,” Carter shook his head. “I’m not here to play. Boys, we need to talk.”

  His serious tone made me straighten up.

  “It’s been a month now, we’ve all healed up, and the chief doctor’s given us the green light,” Carter said. “We’re leaving this weekend.”

  “No way! In just a few days?” Toma blurted out.

  “Isn’t that a bit early?” Arlen frowned.

  “Guys,” Carter said firmly, “we’ve been spending our days hanging out, playing with the girls… I get it, they’re good company and it’s been fun, but we’ve gotten lazy. It’s time to start training again! And soon enough, our paths will split — you’ll be heading back to the academy. But before that, I want the three of us to have one last flashy celebration for surviving these four months together. So… how about we go to the mall tomorrow?”

  “That’s a great idea!” I said.

  “Awesome!” Arlen agreed.

  ***

  The Next Day – Mall Trip

  We hit the most expensive designer stores right from the start. Carter was unstoppable, buying us jewelry, ultra-pricey watches, and entire outfits.

  “Check this out, Toma — real diamond earrings,” he said, holding them up. “They’d look great on you. Let’s get them too!”

  “Alright! By the way, what do you think of this outfit, Inspector?” Toma asked, spinning once.

  “Fantastic and eye-catching,” he grinned. “But you need sunglasses. How about these? Yes, perfect.”

  “Arlen, you done picking?” Carter called.

  “Yeah, but… isn’t this going a bit overboard, Inspector?” Arlen said, glancing at the mountain of bags. “We’re buying clothes and shoes from the LV store right now, but we’ve already gone through every high-end brand in the city. You’ve spent a small fortune on us today.”

  “Arlen’s right! I feel like we’re robbing you.”

  “Boys, I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. It’s nothing. And if it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. So just accept it. Now come on — to the checkout!”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Good grief! We can’t even carry all these bags!” I groaned.

  “Don’t worry, I called my limo. We’ll load them in there,” Carter said.

  “Never thought spending money could be so exhausting,” Arlen muttered.

  “How about we grab something to eat after we drop this stuff off?” Carter suggested.

  “Sure — but somewhere cheap this time. I can’t stand fancy restaurants,” I said.

  “Alright,” he chuckled.

  A short drive later, we ended up at a small diner, slurping down bowls of ramen like it was the best meal we’d had in weeks.

  “That was amazing!” Arlen said, still grinning ear to ear.

  “I hope you had fun today, boys!” Carter chuckled. “This was my way of thanking you for your help!”

  “Inspector, we should be the ones thanking you for all these gifts!” Toma told him.

  “Exactly—thank you!” Arlen added.

  “Oh, come on, guys.” Carter waved us off. “I’m just glad I could get you things most young people could never afford—and that I could make you happy! Now… what do you say we take a walk in the park? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

  “Okay!”

  “Sure, let’s go!” Arlen agreed.

  ***

  While walking through the park…

  “So, what did you want to talk about, Inspector Carter?”

  “I wanted to say… you two are born naturals,” Carter began, his tone serious now. “Your abilities, your growth—it’s incredible. You could already hold your own in any squad! That’s why I want you to enter the Academy’s annual tournament.”

  Tom blinked. “Annual tournament?”

  “It’s a competition where the best students go head-to-head for the title of the Academy’s strongest student. The media covers it, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for the squads to notice you!”

  “Whoa! That sounds amazing!” Arlen said.

  “But… Inspector, we’re only first-years. Only the third-years get selected after they graduate,” I pointed out.

  “That’s not entirely true,” Carter said with a knowing smile. “I never attended the Academy. I come from a very wealthy noble family, so my parents hired the best private tutor for me—plus, my father trained me to become a warrior. I spent two years learning all the boring academic subjects with my tutor before taking the Academy’s entrance exams. Passed without a problem. The practical combat test? Even easier. I was far stronger than everyone else.”

  Carter paused for a moment and looked at the two boys.

  “I want you two to do the same. All the academic material students need for the exam is taught during the first two years. The third year is just preparation for the final test. And honestly? The Academy wastes a lot of time teaching useless things that aren’t even on the exam. Progress is slow because they have to make sure everyone—both the fastest and slowest learners—understands everything. But with a private tutor focusing only on the exam material, you could finish much faster and not waste your time.”

  Carter’s eyes lit up. “For now, focus on winning the championship. After that, summer break begins—come stay with me. My old tutor will teach you everything you need to pass the exams, and I’ll handle the combat training to keep you in top shape. If we start in June, you could take the January exams. I’ll even talk to the headmaster to arrange for you to become private students. What do you say?”

  “Wow, I don’t even know what to say…” Toma felt his chest tighten with excitement. “Of course, let’s go for it!”

  “That would be amazing!” Arlen said, his eyes shining.

  “Great,” Carter said with a satisfied nod. “Please make sure to talk it over with your parents.”

  “Of course!” we both answered at once.

  A few days later, the time finally came—

  the day Toma, Arlen, and Inspector Carter would leave the hospital.

  Toma stood in front of the mirror, tugging nervously at his shirt.

  “Ugh, I’m so nervous! Girls, you know about this stuff—am I dressed okay? Does this outfit look good on me?”

  The nurses burst out laughing.

  “Yes, it looks great!” one reassured him.

  “You’ll look fantastic!” another chimed in.

  Carter clapped his hands impatiently.

  “Come on, guys, hurry up! The media is already outside, waiting to interview the new rising stars of the future!”

  Toma slipped on his sunglasses with a grin.

  “Alright then, sunglasses on, and let’s go! Girls, thank you for everything—I’ll never forget you!”

  “Bye!”

  “Call us sometime!”

  “We’ll message you!”

  “Okay, see you!” Toma called back, waving one last time before pushing through the hospital doors.

  And then—chaos.

  The second they stepped outside, flashes went off in their faces. A massive crowd of reporters swarmed toward them.

  “Could we get an interview?”

  “Tell us about the fight against the new type of demon!”

  The boys froze, overwhelmed, until Arlen raised his voice.

  “Calm down, calm down—everyone will get their answers!”

  Dozens of questions later, Toma finally wrapped things up, his voice steady despite his pounding heart.

  “Listen, just keep watching us—this is only the beginning! I’ll do everything I can to become a warrior and protect people. But now, if you’ll excuse me, our limousine is waiting.”

  With that, the three of them pushed past the cameras and slid into the sleek black limo.

  ***

  The drive to the Academy was quiet compared to the storm they’d just survived.

  But the peace didn’t last.

  When they arrived and stepped out in front of the dormitory, another wave of noise hit them—this time from students. A huge crowd gathered, phones out, voices overlapping. Even the headmaster himself stood waiting.

  “Toma, Arlen,” the old man said warmly, “allow me to congratulate you! You’ve brought great pride to the Academy!”

  Toma rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

  “Oh, it was nothing, Headmaster—we were just doing our job.”

  That was the cue.

  The students rushed them all at once, asking for autographs, for selfies, for proof they’d met the new heroes.

  “Alright, girls, calm down!” Toma laughed as he tried to keep up. “Everyone will get a selfie, just give us some space!”

  High above, in the dormitory window, the student council president watched the scene unfold with his secretary by his side.

  “Tch… who are these two little fuck boys?” he muttered, his face twisting in disdain.

  The secretary blinked.

  “Mr. President, haven’t you heard? They’re the famous students who defeated that previously unknown, incredibly strong giant demon! Can I… can I go ask them for an autograph and a selfie too?”

  The president snapped his fingers sharply.

  “No. You can only ask me for autographs and selfies.”

  “…Understood, Mr. President.”

  ***

  Eventually, the crowd dispersed, the students drifting back to their classes, leaving behind nothing but the buzz of rumors.

  Toma and Arlen carried their ridiculous haul of clothes and jewelry—Carter’s extravagant gifts—up to their dorm room with the help of the driver. When everything was finally packed away, they returned outside for one last farewell.

  “Inspector Carter, I’m going to miss you so much!” Arlen’s voice cracked, his eyes shimmering with tears.

  Carter smiled softly. “Come on, Arlen—we’ll see each other again soon.”

  “Inspector, thank you for everything!” Toma added, his voice steady but his hands clenched tight.

  Carter shook hands with both boys before stepping into the limousine. The tinted window rolled down one last time.

  “Boys—give it your best!”

  “We will!” Toma shouted.

  “Alright!” Arlen echoed.

  And then the limo rolled away, carrying their mentor into the

  distance.

  That was how it ended—their very first mission.

  A mission that had opened a brand new chapter in their lives.