CHAPTER 16: BREAKING THE ICE

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Kentaro’s alarm screamed into the morning like it was personally offended he was still alive.

But Kentaro was already staring at the ceiling, wide awake, and had been for hours.

He’d opened his eyes at 8.00 a.m. brain fully alert, heart tap-dancing in his chest like it was auditioning for a musical. Every time he closed his eyes, another "what if" played out in full 4k panic-vision.

What if she hated everything I said or did?

What if he froze up and said something weird?

What if she smiled, and his brain turned to soup?

By the time the alarm decided to stop, he was already dressed, sort of. Just sitting at the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the wall like it had answers.

With a sigh, he got up, pulled the curtains back, and blinked.

A perfect sky. Light breeze. Sun warms across the windowsill.

"...Well," Kentaro mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, "at least the weather’s not against me."

Thirty minutes later, he was dressed and standing at his front door, shoes on, a small fanny pack around his waist. He gave him a small shake, like it’d rattle the nerves loose, and grabbed the handle.

Then opened it.

And blinked again.

"Wait, what the hell?"

Because it wasn’t his apartment hallway. It was the Halcyon control room.

Same Sterile walls. Same sleek glass floor. Same Tenka hunched at her desk, scribbling something down with a mechanical pencil like she was solving world peace with math.

Kentaro stepped inside cautiously, glancing around.

"...What the. I was not expecting this. You just warped me out of my house?"

Tenka didn’t even look up. "Emergency override. We needed you here first thing. So, I got Haruka to warp your door to Halycon straight away.

She paused, then added dryly, "You’re welcome, by the way."

Kentaro dragged a hand down his face.

"Great. I didn’t even get to eat breakfast."

Tenka finally looked up, eyes sarcastically sparkling with amusement.

"Well, go get KIRA to make you some."

Kentaro didn’t answer. It seemed Tenka was still annoyed about the whole Kira situation. His best bet was to ignore it and hopefully she forgot about the whole situation.

After finishing her paperwork up, Tenka set her pencil down and stood, folding her arms.

"Come on. The others are waiting for the pre-op briefing."

Halycon Briefing Room:

The walls of the room shimmered with soft white light. At the centre, a circular table pulsed with soft-blue holographic projections.

Haruka sat already, sipping tea like it was any normal day. Shogo was leaning back in his chair, arms behind his head, legs kicked up, probably pretending to be useful.

When Kentaro entered, Shogo whistled. "Damn, Ken. You look like you got hit by a truck full of feelings."

"Thanks," Kentaro muttered, sitting down. "Appreciate the support."

Tenka stepped in last, flicking a switch. The lights dimmed, and the holo display glowed to life, a rotating 3D model of a downtown shopping district, already marked with Halcyon surveillance pings.

"Alright. Let’s keep this quick," Tenka began, hands behind her back.

"Operation date, Phase 1. Serica has just gotten to the rendezvous point. She believes this is just a normal hangout day, fully provided by Halycon to relax her mind. No one will or has mentioned about this being a mission to her. No emotional triggers. We keep this casual, light, and stable."

Kentaro nodded slowly, trying to focus.

Haruka leaned in. "We’ve arranged a light day taking in her preferences, Bookstore, food stall lunch, a stop at an Arcade, and a quiet cafe. All Relaxing and engaging, all of them low-pressure zones."

Kentaro blinked. "You... Planned a whole route?"

"We planned three," Haruka replied without smiling.

Shogo yawned. "Meanwhile, I’ll be on recon. Watching. Judging."

Tenka cut in again. "This is more than a bonding day. Your presence stabilizes her anchor. But we’ve also noticed surges in your own emotional resonance."

Kentaro glanced at his anchor, which was still embedded behind his ear.

Tenka continued, voice lowering slightly. "If this bond grows stronger... You may not need the device at all. Emotionally harmonized Alberlines can be stabilized by shared trust. In theory, if she opens her heart fully."

Haruka added quietly, "...The anchor becomes permanent. And the anchor on your head won’t be needed for her. The connection between you two will be strong enough to hold without any assistance.

Kentaro’s eyes widened. "...Seriously?"

Tenka smirked. "Don’t screw it up, or either you freeze or have that anchor for the rest of your life on that little head of yours."

Shogo grinned. "Worst case, you get dumped and the city freezes. So, no pressure, big boy."

Kentaro gave a light smile too, both of them acknowledging what they had said was the truth, be it a quick, harsh way of putting it.

Tenka turned around and would begin to tap on her earpiece a couple of times before turning to Kentaro again.

"Serica’s already walking around. The drone’s watching. She looks... happy and excited."

Kentaro stood up slowly.

"Okay. Let’s do this."

Shogo flicked the button on the control panel.

"Coordinates locked. Good luck, Playa."

ZWWWWWWWWWIP.

A flash of blue.

And Kentaro was gone.

Straight into his biggest mission yet.

Kentaro felt weightless for a moment, like his soul had briefly left his body. Teleportation always hit weird, this one especially so. He blinked, disoriented, the familiar shimmer fading from his vision... only to be smacked in the face by something far worse.

A smell.

A horrific, 20-plus years in jail type of smell.

He gagged instantly, glancing around. White walls. Cramped walls. Toilet paper rolls stacked like war supplies.

He was in a bathroom stall. A public one.

"Okay, not ideal... but survivable."

Then he turned around.

His breath stopped.

There it was, in all its demonic glory.

A mutant turd, curled like a summoned beast from hell, starting in the water and still

rising out of the bowl, nearly breaching the edge of the seat like it had ambitions.

Kentaro’s soul left his body for real this time.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He kicked the stall door open and bolted. Other guys in the restroom jumped as he exploded out like a man escaping a war zone.

"What the hell’s his problem?" one of them muttered.

Kentaro didn’t stop running. His legs moved on pure adrenaline, his brain still processing that monstrosity.

He turned a sharp corner, practically skidding across the tiled floor. The fresh air slapped him in the face as he exited the bathroom, but he was still sprinting like a man chased by a ghost.

And that’s when he saw her.

A girl walking just ahead, head tilted down, lost in thought. No time to react.

"No no no no no, MOOOVEEE!"

The girl looked up, confused, then their eyes locked.

Serica.

Kentaro’s eyes went wide in horror.

Her eyes went wide in something worse.

And then,

BOOM.

He crashed into her at full speed like a human bowling ball. His body twisted mid-air in a way no physics class could explain. Time slowed. His face went straight into hers, and,

Lips.

Soft. Warm.

There was no mistaking it.

His eyes shot open. Hers were already bulging.

They were kissing.

He was kissing Serica.

Then came the double scream.

"AAHHHHHHHHH!!!"

They launched apart like two pinballs hit by divine shame.

Kentaro hit the ground first, hands over his face in sheer disbelief.

Serica was crouched, steam practically rising from her red face.

And then...

"KENTARO!... WHAT. THE HELL. HAVE YOU DONE!!"

Tenka’s voice boomed in his ear like a judge delivering a divine sentence.

Even if he could, he knew he wouldn’t need to see Tenka’s face. He could feel the glare.

From somewhere back at base, Shogo’s laugh could be heard echoing in the distance like a sitcom punchline.

"S-s-Serica! I’m so sorry, you see t-there was this turd, it was the size of my head a-a-and-"

"No! It’s fine! I should’ve watched where I was going, I-I’m sorry, Kentaro!" she said quickly, waving her hands in front of her face, just as flustered.

And just like that, the two of them sat on the ground a few feet apart, both staring anywhere but at each other, two awkward messes struggling to figure out what to say next.

"Ken, let’s move. Forget what just happened. It looks like she’s not too upset," Tenka chimed in gently through the comm.

But Kentaro didn’t move. He was staring off to the side, his fingers brushing lightly over his lips.

"I-I can’t believe that was my first kiss," he muttered, devastated that his fantasy moment had just been stolen by gravity and a rogue toilet encounter.

"...Just move it, Ken," Tenka ordered, her voice flat.

Eventually, Kentaro shook the shock off his face. He dusted off his clothes and walked over to Serica, who was still crouched on the floor, visibly embarrassed.

"Hey, Serica... umm, this might sound stupid, but l-let’s just move on and head to the bookstore?" he asked, nervously reaching out a hand to her.

Serica nodded, her cheeks still glowing red. She took his hand, rising gently, then quickly dusted herself off too.

That’s when Kentaro actually noticed her, and really began to look at what she was wearing.

She was wearing a light white summer dress, her hair left down with a soft shine, and tucked on the side was a delicate flower pin. No makeup. No effort to impress. Just... Serica. And somehow, that made his heart skip even harder.

"Is everything okay, Kentaro?" she asked, tilting her head when she caught him staring.

Kentaro blinked, snapping out of his trance.

"N-no! I mean yes!, just... You look really pretty, Serica."

Serica blinked, then looked away shyly, fidgeting with her hands.

"O-oh... t-thank you. Haruka helped me pick this out..."

Her face was redder than ever now.

Through the comms, Tenka’s voice cut in with a grin you could hear.

"Smooth talker, aren’t ya?"

After Kentaro ignored Tenka’s tease through the comm, he exhaled as he tried to get his heartbeat under control. He let his shoulders relax, turned to Serica with a soft grin, and extended his hand toward the bookstore.

"Let’s go, shall we?" he said.

Serica nodded, smiling back with a little bounce in her step.

"Sure! I’ve been looking forward to this part."

The two strolled into the bookstore, the bells on the door chiming gently overhead. The interior was quiet, filled with warm lighting and the comforting scent of old paper and polished wood. Kentaro glanced around, watching Serica’s eyes widen with curiosity at every shelf she passed. He followed her at a respectful distance, letting her explore.

After a while, she stopped at a particular shelf, picked up a book, and hugged it gently to her chest.

"The Frozen Bonds?" Kentaro tilted his head, reading the title.

Serica’s smile was small but... distant.

"Yeah... I don’t know why, but this one just... pulls at me."

She ran her fingers along the cover.

"Something about it feels familiar. Like I’ve read it before... or maybe dreamed about it."

Kentaro’s smile softened, but before he could respond, Tenka’s voice slid into his ear.

"Could be a memory. Something buried. You remember, she was orphaned after that early-stage Bloom seven years ago. Her parents were likely caught in the collapse."

Kentaro blinked. That... made sense. A book about frozen bonds. A child cut off from her family. Maybe some part of Serica remembered what the rest of her forgot.

"Could be," he murmured aloud, frowning slightly.

Serica turned to him, tilting her head with a curious look.

"Who’re you talking to?"

"CRAP" He muttered to himself