The yell was so loud that several knights stop what they were doing and look up.

Near the front of the formation, Helen’s head snapped toward the sound with her eye twitching as she let out a long, annoyed sigh, "what the hell is that rookie doing now?"

One of the knights near the supply cart strapped his bag closed and looked over, "we are finished with the preparations, Vice Captain," he said, "supply count is done and the horses are ready."

"Good," she muttered already walking toward the source of the noise, "keep everyone here, I will go see what the commotion is about."

She rounded a stack of crates and found the scene waiting for her.

Juna was standing in front of Vella with her arms spread wide and her ears pinned flat, her face still red as she jabbed a finger in the ring spirit’s direction.

"There is no way my master would do something like that with you! You are lying through your teeth!"

Vella just leaned against the crate with her arms crossed and that same lazy smile on her face, not saying a word, just letting the accusation hang in the air while she looked completely unbothered.

"I saw you in his bed! Naked!" Her voice climbed higher. "And you expect me to believe he actually did something with you after that? He would not!"

Vella tilted her head, "then why are you so upset if you already knew?"

"Because you are lying!"

"Am I though?" Vella’s smile widened.

Juna made a sound like she was about to explode before she spun around and marched straight toward Hajin.

A few feet away, he was sitting on a low crate with one hand resting on Loccy’s head, his fingers moving in slow circles through her hair while her ears twitched and her eyes were half-closed, a soft, content hum coming from her throat as she leaned into the touch.

Juna stopped right in front of him and pointed a shaking finger at Vella, her face still that deep shade of red.

"Master," she said, her voice trembling with barely contained fury, "tell me she is lying. Tell me right now that nothing happened between you two."

He felt his mouth go dry.

’What am I supposed to say to that?’ he thought, his eyes darting to the side. ’If I say nothing happened I am lying, but if I say something happened she is going to lose her mind right before we head into a Gate.’

The stream chat picked that exact moment to explode.

[ CringeSlayer91 ] LMAOOO HE IS HESITATING

[ ShadowMage44 ] bro just say no

[ DarkBlade ] wait what happened between them?? we saw them shopping and that was it

[ MoonLight ] the stream was on during the shopping trip but nothing happened then

[ GachaAddict ] yeah they just bought gear and left

[ LoreHunter ] so when did this supposed night happen??

[ xX_Slayer_Xx ] the stream was off the whole night and when he woke up, sooo...

[ BigDoge ] WE MISSED THE GOOD PART

[ CringeSlayer91 ] this dude really had a whole romance off screen

[ NoobKiller ] worst timing ever lmaooo

He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, his brain scrambling for an answer that would not blow up in his face.

Juna’s eyes narrowed, "Master, you are hesitating."

’I am so screwed,’ he thought, feeling sweat start to form on the back of his neck.

Then boots hit the ground nearby, "alright, what is going on over here?"

Helen stepped around the last crate with her arms crossed and her expression flat, her eyes sweeping across the group with a pissed of look.

The tension in Hajin’s shoulders dropped instantly, ’thank god,’ he thought, letting out a quiet breath he did not know he was holding.

Helen stopped and took in the whole scene with a flat expression, "what are you people doing?"

Juna’s ears shot up and she immediately dropped her hand, "uhh, nothing."

"Nothing?" Helen’s eyes narrowed as she looked from Juna’s flushed face to Vella’s lazy smile and then to Hajin sitting on the crate. "You think I am deaf? I heard yelling from across the staging area. Do you have any idea how unprofessional this looks right before deployment?"

She turned her attention straight to Juna, her voice sharpening with each word. "You are a registered Ranker, not some academy student throwing a tantrum in the hallway. If you cannot keep yourself together before we even enter a Gate, then you have no business being on this team."

Juna’s ears flattened and she opened her mouth, but Helen was already moving on.

"And you," she said, pointing at Vella next. "Standing there with that look on your face like this is entertainment. You think this is funny? We are about to walk into a seven-Shard anomaly that wiped out an entire squad, and you are treating it like a joke."

Vella’s smile didn’t drop, but her eyes shifted slightly, "I am just enjoying the moment."

"The moment?" Helen’s voice climbed. "The moment could be the last one you have if you do not take this seriously. I do not care what the King said about sponsoring this rookie, I will not have my mission compromised because your group cannot act like adults."

Hajin listened to all of that with his hands resting on his knees, his expression staying calm while Helen tore into them one by one.

He had been fine taking it at first, but the way she kept piling onto Juna made something in his chest tighten.

"Alright," he said, his voice cutting through the tension without raising. "That’s enough."

Helen stopped mid-sentence and turned toward him, her brow pulling together.

"The girls were just having some fun," he continued, standing up while Loccy blinked awake from the interruption and rubbed her eyes. "No need to turn it into a lecture."

Her head snapped toward him so fast it almost looked rehearsed, "fun?" she repeated, her voice dropping into something colder.

"You think this is fun? As their leader, you should be the one keeping them in line, not sitting there while they scream at each other like children."

He met her eyes without flinching, "seems like you’re the one who needs to lighten up a bit."

The air between them went still.

Helen’s jaw tightened and she took a step forward, her boots hitting the ground hard enough to make the sound carry. "What did you just say to me?"

Before he could answer, a sharp voice cut across the staging area.

"Helen! Time to move out!"

The Captain stood near the front gate with his hand raised, the rest of the knights already forming up behind him in neat rows.

She held Hajin’s gaze for one more second, then clicked her tongue and turned on her heel. She stomped off toward the formation without looking back, her shoulders stiff and her pace aggressive.

Hajin watched her go, then let out a slow breath through his nose.

"Master," Juna said quietly, her ears still pinned back. "I am sorry for making a scene."

He reached over and gave her head a quick pat, "don’t worry about it. Let’s go."