The doors of Onyx House groaned open under my hands, the sound echoing through the empty genkan like the announcement of a coming storm. The smell hit me first. Old wood, definitely. Dust, absolutely. And underneath it all, a sharp note of something fermented.

Cheap booze.

I stepped inside, shoes echoing on the polished floorboards. The entryway stretched out before us, lined with cherry wood shoe lockers. Each one had a brass nameplate, already engraved. Mine read "NAKANO, S." in crisp letters.

"It's so... traditional," Emi whispered behind me.

Natalia's nose wrinkled. "It smells like someone died in here and their ghost is drinking to cope."

"Comforting."

We moved deeper into the house. The genkan opened into a massive living room that could have fit my entire apartment from Graystone Park three times over. Exposed ceiling beams crossed overhead. A stone fireplace dominated one wall, cold and empty. Furniture was scattered throughout—leather couches that had seen better decades, low tables carved from single pieces of dark wood, even a few floor cushions near the windows.

And there, sprawled across the largest couch like a discarded puppet, was a guy I recognized from the exam.

Messy dark hair fell into his eyes. His white uniform shirt was untucked, tie completely missing. A deck of playing cards fanned out across his chest, rising and falling with his slow breathing. He looked like he'd passed out mid-shuffle.

Juan Navarro. The genius who'd mapped our entire route through the goblin nest in under thirty seconds.

Currently drooling on expensive leather.

"Is he dead?" Emi asked.

"Qué fastidio..." The words drifted up from the couch. One green eye cracked open, landed on me for exactly two seconds, then shut again. "What a drag."

Solar-powered, I thought. The sun's not out, so neither is he.

"Well, well, well."

The voice came from my left. Low, feminine, laced with the kind of amusement that came from watching the world burn and enjoying the warmth.

A woman leaned against the frame of a shoji screen, hip cocked. She looked about twenty-five, maybe. Black hair fell in artful chaos to her shoulders. A black eyepatch covered her right eye. Her white instructor's blouse was unbuttoned far enough to make a statement, and she was wearing tight black slacks and heeled boots.

She raised a bottle of what was clearly not water in a mock salute.

She took a slow pull from the bottle—sake, judging by the smell—and grinned. "Don't mind him. Juan's allergic to mornings, responsibility, and effort. I'm Carmen. Your Teaching Assistant, moral compass, and designated adult supervision." She gestured with the bottle. "Spoiler: I'm terrible at all three."

Emi gave a nervous little bow. "It's an honor to meet you, Professor Navarro."

"Just Carmen, kiddo. 'Professor' makes me sound old." Her one good eye slid to me, sharp and assessing. "So you're the one who made the internet lose its collective mind."

"Apparently."

"Ballsy move. Rejecting Argent to slum it with us rejects." She tilted her head. "You got a death wish, or are you just that confident you'll drag us to the top?"

"Why not both?"

Carmen laughed, the sound surprisingly genuine. "Oh, I like you already."

Natalia stepped forward, her posture shifting into the ice princess mode I knew too well. "And the actual Guild Master? Professor Miller?"

Carmen waved a dismissive hand. "Braz got called away on 'urgent business.'" She shrugged. "You're stuck with me until tomorrow morning. Orientation's at 0600 in the basement gym."

The front doors exploded open.

Soomin stumbled through first, dragging a battered suitcase that looked older than she was. Her pink hair was windswept, cheeks flushed from the walk. She saw me and immediately looked at the floor, that familiar shy panic flooding her features.

Then Raphael shoved past her.

His gym bag hit the floor with a crash that made the windows rattle. Ash-blond hair stood up in aggressive spikes. Those amber eyes locked onto mine like targeting lasers.

"You."

He strode forward, fist already crackling with faint orange energy.

"Don't think that little stunt in the exam meant shit. You got lucky. I'm the strongest one here, and I'm the one who's going to lead this guild. So you can take your 'Stray Dog' bullshit and—"

I turned to Soomin.

Completely dismissed him mid-rant.

"Hey. Did he push you?"

Her eyes went wide. "N-no! I mean, he was just... in a hurry, and I was slow, so it's my fault—"

"Don't apologize for him." I walked over, keeping my body language open and non-threatening. Soomin's shoulders relaxed fractionally. "You okay? Need help with your bag?"

"I... um... yes? Please?"

Raphael's face went from angry to nuclear. Being ignored was clearly a new experience for him.

"Are you fucking deaf? I'm talking to you!"

"Yeah." I picked up Soomin's suitcase without looking at him. "I heard you. You're the strongest. You're in charge. Got it." I started walking towards the stairs. "Anyone else want to stake their claim while we're doing the whole alpha-dog thing? Get it out of your system now."

Carmen's laugh was pure delight. "Oh, kiddo. I'm going to have so much fun watching you work."

Raphael took a step forward. The air temperature around his fists rose.

"Grenade Pin."

Carmen's voice dropped twenty degrees. She was still leaning against the screen, still holding the bottle, but something fundamental had changed. Her single green eye wasn't amused anymore.

"Try to blow up my house on day one, and I'll give you a kiss you won't forget. And I don't mean the good kind." She smiled, all teeth. "Test me."

Raphael hesitated. Whatever he saw in her face made him reconsider.

Smart boy.

The tension broke as more footsteps thundered up the path outside.

"Move, move, move! I smell a beautiful battlefield of egos, and I must make my entrance!"

Jaime De Valle, one of the recommendation students burst through the doorway like a neon-colored avalanche. His forest-green hair caught the light, and his grin was wide enough to show every tooth. He dropped his bag, struck a bodybuilder pose that flexed muscles I didn't know humans had, and surveyed the room.

His eyes landed on Raphael first.

"Magnificent! Your trapezius development is exquisite! We will have many glorious battles, you and I!" Then to me. "And you, Stray Dog! Your speech at the Gala moved me to tears! But before we begin our brotherhood—" He strode over, hand extended. "I must ask the most important question: what is your type?"

"My type?"

"In women! Do you prefer gentle flowers or fierce warriors? Shy kittens or proud lionesses? This reveals the soul!"

Behind him, a nervous voice squeaked, "Um, e-excuse me, could I just... get through... please?"

Jacob Williams squeezed past Jaime's bulk like a mouse escaping a lion. He clutched his datapad to his chest, glasses already sliding down his nose. His eyes found mine, and I saw the exact moment recognition hit.

Terror.

He scurried to the farthest corner of the room and attempted to become one with the wallpaper.

The Analyst, I noted. Terrified of people but probably the smartest one here after Juan.

"I like tall girls with muscles," a lazy voice drawled from the couch.

Juan hadn't moved, but apparently he'd been listening.

Jaime's eyes lit up. "A fellow seeker of truth! We shall discuss our preferences over protein shakes!"

"That sounds exhausting. Hard pass."

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