Robinn was in her kitchen, tossing fried rice around in the pan, the hiss of oil and the smell of garlic clinging to the air. Her whole bottom half was metal, while her chest was shifted into air. She moved with ease, balancing both cooking and training, each motion efficient.

  Her phone buzzed where it rested on the counter. She glanced at it, sighed through her nose, and let her body slip back into its normal state, metal softening to flesh, air condensing into muscle. She wiped her hands, picked it up, and swiped it open.

  "Robinn."

  "?"

  "Who is this?"

  "Tokoyami, from your class."

  "Oh ok, what's up?"

  "We're both going to intern under Hawks."

  "Oh you're going too? Nice."

  "Is that all?"

  "I just wanted to start talking with you, because we'll need to be in sync for the next two weeks in the internships."

  "Okay? So what are you proposing?"

  An hour later Robinn stood outside the occult club, staring at the wooden door like it might bite. She hadn’t even touched the handle yet and already the whole situation felt dumb. Why’d Tokoyami have to pick this place? She adjusted her jacket, muttered something under her breath, and finally pushed it open.

  A wall of incense smoke drifted out immediately, clinging to her clothes and hair. The room was colder than she expected, the kind of cold that made the skin on her arms prickle. Purple lamps along the walls bled faint light into the space, painting everything in shadows. The big black table in the center almost disappeared into the dark, its glossy surface reflecting faint glimmers of violet.

  Tokoyami sat at the far end like he’d been waiting for hours. His posture was stiff, ceremonial almost, the glow bouncing faintly off his beak.

  Robinn stepped inside, dragged a chair back with a scrape, flipped it around and sat on it backwards, arms hooked loosely over the backrest.

  "So uh, what's up?" she said, casual as if she hadn’t just walked into a cult initiation chamber. "You didn't really tell me why we had to actually meet up here."

  Tokoyami took a deep, deliberate breath, as if savoring the atmosphere itself. "I wanted to talk to you in my element."

  The purple glow sharpened his silhouette, making his beak gleam.

  Robinn raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have like... A house for that? Why the club room, also are you even allowed to be in here?"

  Dark Shadow unfurled behind him, snickering. "Parents won't let him decorate our room."

  Tokoyami shot the shadow a betrayed look before wrestling it back into himself, feathers bristling. He cleared his throat, trying to recover his dramatic posture. "I'm allowed to be in here, I'm good acquaintances with the club president."

  He let the silence stretch, gaze sweeping across the crystal ball and shelves of strange candles. Then his voice dropped lower. "Robinn, I didn't just summon you here to talk about the internships. From what I've seen, you're one of the best hand to hand fighters in the class."

  She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I mean Ojiro's probably better."

  Tokoyami shook his head. "His techniques all involve his tail. What I'm getting at is... Teach me your ways, I need to get stronger and not just rely on dark shadow."

  That got Dark Shadow protesting, popping out again to smack him in the shoulder.

  Robinn leaned back slightly, watching the bickering with amusement before finally standing up. "Well that is some good reasoning, but being honest? You're not close to being a good hand to hand fighter, technique can only take you so far, so if you wanted to improve in time for our internship, then no luck."

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  She flexed her arm, muscle clear even under the moody purple light. "You're scrawny Tokoyami, that's the hard truth, I can teach you technique, but you really have to work on your own body too, even harder actually." She dropped back into the chair with a shrug.

  "I see." Tokoyami’s tone was lower now, his eyes fixed on the dusty crystal ball at the center of the table. "Could we start right now?"

  Robinn laughed, loud and sudden, breaking through the heavy incense haze. "Well first off let's hit the gym, then I'll teach you some technique, I'll even put you on a routine if you'd like." She pushed back her chair, more than ready to leave the room’s smoky atmosphere behind.

  Tokoyami rose slower, feathers shifting with reluctance. "Very well."

  The gym was nearly silent, its lights harsh against the polished floor. Being Sunday afternoon, the usual clatter of machines and chatter of students was gone, leaving only the faint hum of the vents and the squeak of sneakers on vinyl.

  Robinn led Tokoyami past the rows of weights and over to the mats. She planted herself there, legs spread, hands on hips, looking down at him like a coach about to drill a rookie.

  "Okay, you're going to be starting with stretches, then sets of squats, pushups, triceps dips, planks."

  Tokoyami nodded, his arms still crossed in that overly serious way, as if he was preparing for some grand trial rather than a workout.

  Robinn kicked a yoga mat out with one sharp motion of her foot, letting it roll open with a soft thump. She waited, tapping her heel, for Tokoyami to drop down.

  "I wanna see your limits first, then we'll see the number of reps and sets you should do."

  But he didn’t move, still standing stiffly, expectant.

  She rolled her eyes. "C'mon start, we don't have all day." Turning her back, she went to grab her thermos, unscrewing the cap with deliberate slowness.

  Eventually, after a few half-hearted stretches, Tokoyami lowered himself onto the mat. His movements were awkward and stiff. Within minutes, sweat was already starting to gather, his breath heavier than it should’ve been. The stoic expression on his face faltered into regret, like he was reconsidering his plea for mentorship.

  "Okay, now give me as many pushups as you can." Robinn slapped the thermos into her palm with a sharp smack, imitating a teacher with a ruler.

  Dark Shadow emerged with a puff, voice eager and loud. "I should train too!"

  Robinn tilted her head at the apparition, squinting. She wasn’t entirely sure how one built of shadow was supposed to develop muscle mass. "I mean I guess... Lift some weights or something?"

  That was apparently all the permission it needed. Dark Shadow swooped toward the dumbbell rack, curling weights with exaggerated form, grunting as if parodying a bodybuilder. The dumbbells looked like toys in its hands, but it still seemed pleased with itself.

  Meanwhile Tokoyami was shaking on the mat, Robinn crouching over him, her voice sharp as she barked out encouragement. "Plus ultra! Five more reps!"

  Midnight was strolling lazily down the hallway when she noticed the glow of the gym lights bleeding through the windows. Curiosity and her usual fondness for youthful energy, pulled her closer. She peeked in just in time to see Robinn looming over Tokoyami, commanding him to push harder while Dark Shadow pumped weights at the side.

  The sight made her smile, almost swoon. Ah, such earnestness, such determination, such youthfulness.

  Minutes later, Tokoyami collapsed fully, arms sprawled, chest heaving against the mat. Sweat soaked his feathers, his body rising and falling in sharp, ragged breaths.

  Robinn gave him a small nudge with her foot. "C'mon, we've gotta do stretches, then you're done."

  His movements during the cooldown were jittery and shaky, his balance nearly betraying him. Robinn’s form, by contrast, was smooth, her body refreshed as if the warm-up had barely counted as exertion.

  By the time they were both done, Tokoyami looked drained pale and deathly, while she looked like she was just getting started.

  "Robinn... Isn't this... too much?" He clung to the water fountain between words, gasping for breath between gulps.

  She nodded calmly. "Yeah it is too much, I pushed you to your limits, now I'm gonna make a more balanced routine that you can do more consistently, burning oneself out completely only works sometimes, constant repetition is better." She patted him on the back, firm but not unkind.

  "Thanks for your help... I will give it my all..."

  Robinn pulled out her phone as they walked toward the exit, thumbs flicking across the screen. "I'll text you a routine later when I get home, take it easy for the rest of the day. But just know you'll be hurting quite a bit tomorrow."

  Tokoyami gave a grim nod, regret plain on his face as he trudged beside her.

  They were nearly out the door when a voice stopped them.

  "Hey kids! Miss Reibach, may I speak with you privately?" Midnight leaned lazily on the frame, offering a small wave.

  Robinn looked to Tokoyami. He gave a silent nod and walked off without complaint, Dark Shadow trailing reluctantly behind.

  Once he was gone, Robinn asked, "So what's up?"

  Midnight stepped forward, her eyes softer now, a hand brushing onto Robinn’s shoulder. "I was made aware that you were involved in an incident a few days ago, I was hoping to talk to you now that exams were over."

  Robinn froze. Her mind snapped instantly to the drunk man. How would Midnight know about that? "Uhh what do you mean?"

  Midnight chuckled lightly, amused by the deflection. "I mean how you and Miss Asui were held at knifepoint by a man."

  Robinn’s stomach turned cold. How the hell did she know? Did Asui tattle? Was someone following her? Cameras?

  Before she could untangle her panic, Midnight pressed further. "I was told you resolved the incident by taking down the attacker and disposing of the weapon, is that correct?"

  The mask dropped. Robinn straightened. "That's correct, it was only in self-defense though, I gave him many chances to back off and tried to de-escalate."

  "I'm sure you did," Midnight said softly. Robinn braced for a scolding, jaw tightening.

  But it didn’t come. Instead, Midnight’s voice lowered, unexpectedly tender. "Are you okay? I'm sure that situation affected you, I just wanted to talk to you to make sure you were fine."

  Robinn froze again. She hadn’t prepared for concern, least of all from Midnight. "Don't worry, I'm good," she said, forcing a smile.

  Midnight pouted faintly. "If you say so." She leaned closer, tone warm. "I'm always here to talk if you need to, Robinn. Not just as a teacher, but as a woman. I know how hard it can be for us."

  Robinn nodded stiffly, inching back. "Rightt thanks... See you tomorrow then." She turned to leave, but hesitation pulled her back.

  "Midnight, who told you what happened? Only me and Asui were there."

  Midnight only shrugged, turning toward the hall. "It wasn't Asui, that's all I can say. Someone called in an anonymous tip."

  She started down the corridor, heels clicking, waving lightly. "Good luck on your way home, dear."

  Robinn stood rooted in place, thoughts racing. Someone had been watching. Someone was keeping track of her.