I took a breath and gestured around the table.

"Most of the team’s out on the mainland right now. Supply run. Carmen took them because apparently I’m not allowed to supervise shopping trips anymore after the last incident."

Luka leaned forward. "What incident?"

"Raphael tried to buy a flamethrower from a street vendor," Natalia said flatly. "Satori had to talk him down."

"It was tactical!" Raphael called from the couch.

I ignored him. "So yeah. Soomin’s with that group. She’s our scout. Got this fox spirit Aspect that’s terrifying when it wakes up, but when she’s just regular Soomin, she’s sweet. Reminds me of a nervous bunny."

Kimiko made a small sound. "Fox spirit?"

"Nine-tailed. S-Rank potential." I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. "She’s still learning to control it. The Fox gets aggressive when she feels threatened."

"And you help her with that?"

"Someone has to."

My mother’s eyes softened slightly.

Good. Lean into the mentor angle.

"There’s also Jacob. Skinny kid with glasses who runs on energy drinks and paranoia. He’s got Bullet Time. His brain processes information faster than humanly possible." I paused. "He’s also convinced the VHC is hiding trans-dimensional entities, but we don’t talk about that."

Luka grinned. "Sounds like every Hunter I’ve ever worked with. We all get a little paranoid after enough Gate runs."

"Jacob’s paranoid before the Gate runs," Skylar said from her corner. "It’s impressive."

"Then there’s Marco and Malachi," I continued. "They’re a package deal. Marco’s the social one, Malachi barely talks. But put them together in combat and they move like they’re telepathic."

"What are their Aspects?" Kimiko asked.

"Marco pushes things with kinetic force. Malachi steps through shadows." I grabbed a cookie from the plate. "We call them the quiet ones, which is funny because Marco never shuts up."

Emi giggled at that.

I gestured toward the twins at the far end of the table. "Akari and Hikari Miyamoto. They’re—"

"Trouble," Natalia muttered.

"—resourceful," I finished. "Akari’s got chain manipulation. Can bind just about anything. Hikari hits things until they stop moving, and every hit stacks stronger than the last."

Akari waved, all innocent charm. "We’re very helpful."

"They’re chaos incarnate," Celeste said primly. "But effective chaos."

"The best kind," Hikari added with a grin.

Kimiko studied the twins with the expression of someone trying to decide if they were delightful or dangerous.

Probably both.

"Raphael you’ve already met," I said. "He’s our walking explosion. Takes hits, stores energy, releases it at inopportune moments."

"I saved your ass in the Necropolis," Raphael called out.

"You got knocked out in three minutes," I called back.

"Still counts."

I grabbed another cookie. "Jaime’s the muscle wizard. Nice guy. Quotes an idol goddess constantly. Will lecture you about protein powder at three in the morning."

"It’s called passion!" Jaime flexed from the other room.

"It’s called being exhausting," Juan’s voice came from the couch, somehow still half-asleep despite the noise.

"And that’s Juan," I said. "Tactical genius. Aspect lets him turn anything into an explosive. Prefers to do absolutely nothing unless forced."

"Efficiency is a virtue," Juan mumbled.

Kimiko laughed. Actually laughed.

The sound eased something tight in my chest.

"They sound like a handful."

"That’s the diplomatic version," Natalia said.

"What’s the real version?" Luka asked.

"They’re feral," Skylar said. "Broken. Dangerous. Loyal to a fault once you earn it."

"Sounds like my old squad." Luka nodded approvingly. "The best teams are the ones everyone else rejects. They fight harder. Care more."

I met his eyes across the table.

He gave me a slight nod.

You did good, kid.

I looked away before the moment got weird.

"Isabelle’s the one you haven’t met yet," I said. "She’s downstairs in the library. Wind manipulation, S-Rank potential, basically royalty back in Nigeria."

"Why isn’t she up here?" Kimiko asked.

"Because Isabelle does what Isabelle wants." I shrugged. "She’ll show up when she’s ready."

"Or when someone needs tactical advice," Celeste added. "She’s brilliant."

"She’s terrifying," Emi corrected softly.

"Both," Natalia and Skylar said in unison, then looked at each other with matching expressions of surprise.

Akari grinned like a shark who’d just spotted blood.

I quickly redirected before that powder keg exploded.

"And then there’s Noah. Celeste’s bodyguard." I looked at Celeste. "She around?"

"Perimeter check," Celeste said. "She takes security seriously."

"Too seriously," Akari muttered.

Kimiko’s attention sharpened. "Security? Why does Celeste need a bodyguard at the academy?"

The temperature in the room dropped about ten degrees.

Celeste set down her teacup with perfect poise.

"My sister insists on it. I’m...a person of interest, apparently."

"Because of who your sister is," Kimiko said gently. Not a question.

"Yes."

"That must be lonely."

Celeste’s mask flickered. Just for a second.

"It is. Or it was. Before—" She stopped herself.

"Before?" My mother prompted.

"Before she joined us," I said. "Before she had people who gave a shit about her because of who she is, not who her sister is."

Celeste looked at me.

Something warm and complicated passed between us.

Natalia’s leg pressed harder against mine under the table.

Kimiko noticed.

Of course she noticed.

My mother noticed everything.

"It sounds like you’ve built something special here," she said after a moment. "A real team."

"We’re trying."

"And these girls—" She gestured around the table. "They’re important to you."

Not a question.

A statement.

A test.

I met her eyes.

"Yeah. They are."

"All of them?"

The trap was sprung.

Every woman at the table went still.

Waiting.

"Yeah," I repeated. "All of them."

Kimiko’s expression didn’t change.

She just nodded slowly and picked up her tea again.

Luka, completely missing the subtext, grinned.

"That’s my boy! Building alliances, forming bonds. That’s what being a Hunter’s all about. Your team’s your lifeline."

"Exactly," I said, because agreeing with Luka was safer than whatever minefield my mother was laying.

"Tell me about the tournament," Kimiko said. "I want to know what you’re preparing for."

Relief washed through me.

Neutral territory.

Safe ground.

"Five weeks," I said. "Every guild competes. Combat scenarios, tactical challenges, live broadcasts. Winner gets points toward their final ranking and first pick at recruitment offers from professional guilds."

"The Sentinels have won seven years running," Natalia added. "But we’re going to break that streak."

"Confident," Luka observed.

"We should be." Skylar’s voice came from her corner. "We’re better."

"Better?" Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "Or just more desperate?"

The question landed like a brick.

"Both," I admitted. "The Sentinels fight to maintain their position. We fight because we don’t have positions to maintain. We’ve got nothing to lose."

"Everything to prove," Celeste said quietly.

"That’s a dangerous combination," Kimiko said.

"Dangerous for them," Natalia corrected.

My mother studied Natalia for a long moment.

Then she smiled.

"I believe you."