The silence that followed the Giga-Bot’s destruction was heavier than the noise it had created. Konone and Yui stood amongst the metallic debris, their armor cracked and covered in dust, watching the green-clad hero retract her glowing baton.
"That was... incredible," Yui panted, dropping her transformation. Her legs felt like jelly from the sonic vibrations. "President Koko! You're one of us! We thought we were the only ones!"
Koko didn't turn around immediately. She stood with her back to them, the emerald ribbons of her suit fluttering in the fading wind. When she finally turned, her green eyes weren't filled with the warmth of a new ally. They were cold, scanning the two of them like a teacher grading a failing paper.
"One of you?" Koko’s voice was like ice on a piano wire. "Do not mistake a shared burden for shared competence."
She walked toward the center of the debris and picked up a small, glowing object that had appeared where the robot fell. It was the 7th Heart Card — The Card of Rhythm. Without a word, she walked over to Konone and held it out.
Konone reached for it, but Koko didn't let go immediately. She locked eyes with Konone, her gaze piercing.
"You have the training of a soldier, Konone, but you have no heart for the tempo," Koko said, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous hiss. "You react to the enemy. You let them dictate the flow of the battle. And you," she glanced at Yui, "you fight as if this is a game. Your hesitation nearly cost this school its gym."
"We did our best!" Yui argued, her face flushing. "That thing was huge!"
"Your 'best' is a lack of effort masquerading as struggle," Koko snapped, releasing the card into Konone’s hand. "In a symphony, a single flat note ruins the entire piece. Right now, the two of you are nothing but noise. You are sloppy, uncoordinated, and frankly, a liability to the safety of this city."
Konone felt the words like a physical blow. She looked down at the Card of Rhythm, her hand trembling. In her old world, results were everything—and Koko was right. They had been losing.
"Wait!" Konone called out as Koko began to walk away. "We need to work together. The Void is getting stronger. With your speed and our—"
"I have no interest in joining a team that plays out of tune," Koko interrupted, not even looking back. "Until you learn that fighting is a performance of precision, stay out of my way. I will not have my rhythm broken by amateurs."
Koko vanished in a blur of green light, leaving a faint whistling sound in the air.
Yui sank to the ground, looking defeated. "She... she was really mean."
But Konone didn't answer. She stared at the Student Council tower, Koko's words echoing in her mind. A lack of effort. For a girl who had lost her entire world, being told she wasn't trying hard enough was the deepest wound Koko could have inflicted. Konone gripped the new card so hard it began to glow, a cold weight of doubt settling in her chest.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGD5TrwvPy9
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