Chapter Text
Ah. Fresh day.
That was the first thing Zanka thought as he pushed himself upright from his spot, the familiar weight of the morning settling in immediately. His gaze shifted to the side, landing on Lovely Asisstaff leaning neatly beside his bed. Blue eyes softened unconsciously as he stared at it, a quiet calm washing over him—the kind he only ever felt toward his jinki.
He stood smoothly, already moving on instinct. Zanka had gone to bed early, as he always did. Waking up before the others was routine, not a chore. Training before breakfast was something he considered his breaktime, even if no one else agreed with that logic.
After cleaning up, he took a little extra care with his hair, smoothing it back so it wouldn’t fall out of place. He’d tossed around longer than usual the night before, but there was no way he was letting that show. Uniform on, spotless and properly set. Showing up disheveled was an invitation for Riyo to tease him relentlessly, and he wasn’t in the mood for that.
He didn’t bother checking the time before heading out.
The hallways were empty, quiet in that early-morning way. Zanka walked at a steady pace, Lovely Asisstaff held securely in his grip as his thoughts drifted. Maybe I can refine that last move today, he thought. Or adjust my footing—
Someone stumbled into his arm.
“Woah—oye, watch your—”
Zanka cut himself off as he turned his head.
Eishia stood there, head lowered, one hand clutching the brim of her hat while the other gripped her uniform tightly. She looked startled—no, shaken—as if she’d been pulled abruptly out of her thoughts.
“…Eishia?” Zanka said, lifting one hand slightly, a quiet gesture to show he wasn’t angry.
She stiffened, then snapped upright as if suddenly realizing where she was. “S-sorry! Sorry—I didn’t see you! I was—um—” Her words came out too fast, tumbling over each other. “I’m in a hurry—still am—sorry!”
Before he could say anything else, she bowed quickly—once, twice—then turned and hurried down the hall, disappearing around the corner.
Zanka blinked, momentarily frozen.
…Huh.
He exhaled softly through his nose. Must be something urgent.
Still, as he resumed walking, the image of her hurried retreat lingered longer than it should have.
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Zanka settled into the dining hall, Lovely Asisstaff resting neatly at his side. The room was warmer than the empty corridors had been, though it carried the usual morning smells of slightly burnt toast and strong tea. He picked up his bowl, already knowing exactly how he would eat—careful, methodical, efficient. Training left sweat lingering on his skin, and he liked to feel clean before he started the day in earnest.
Riyo was already halfway through her own breakfast, arms crossed, eyes sharp as ever. She leaned back slightly, nudging Rudo with her elbow. “I swear, that Trash Beast yesterday wasn’t acting like the ones we normally deal with.”
Rudo chewed thoughtfully before replying, “You say that every time, but we’re still alive. Doesn’t sound so unusual to me.”
Riyo shot him a look. “Alive doesn’t mean it was normal. That thing—” she waved a hand, almost dramatically, “—it shifted its patterns mid-fight. Every time we tried to predict its movement, it changed. I’m telling you, it was thinking.”
Rudo frowned. “Trash Beasts don’t think.”
“Exactly my point! Do we got any trash beast that does that???” Riyo said, leaning forward.
Enjin, as usual, was lounging at the end of the table, cigarette in hand, smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling. “If you survived, then you adapted faster than it did. Doesn’t matter if it ‘learned’ or not,” he drawled. His tone carried the air of someone who’d seen too many fights to care much. “Breathing. Means you handled it. Practical measure.”
Riyo snorted. “Practical doesn’t make it any less annoying. I’m saying, it’s changing the game.” She jabbed her chopsticks at Rudo. “You know, now that i think about it, it was almost acting like Rudo on a sugar rush!" She grinned.
Rudo snorted, shaking his head. Taking a double moment, he suddenly turned red and snapped his head to look at her. "Hey! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Riyo snickere,d while Enjin as usual bursted out laughing at the sight of his face.
Zanka quietly picked at his own bowl, listening, letting the conversation wash over him. It was the sort of casual discussion that made mornings feel normal, though the edges were sharpened by the mention of yesterday’s fight. He kept glancing at the empty seats, subconsciously noting Eishia’s absence. August wasn’t there, either, but that wasn’t unusual; he usually was in his office afterall. Still—Eishia? He swear he saw her around sometimes.
His hand tightened slightly around his spoon. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes lingered on the empty chair where she would normally sit. The memory of her flustered apology that morning flickered in his mind: the way she’d stumbled over her words, her hat pulled low, hand gripping her uniform as if it could ground her. Did he do something wrong? Surely not.
Eishia was rarely bothered—or even uneasy—around the other Cleaners. Intimidated, maybe, but never resentful, never holding a grudge. That didn’t sound like her at all. Or… maybe that was just Zanka’s mindset shaping the thought! He’d only ever seen her quiet, shy, and humble—humble to the point that sometimes the others had to offer her compliments, which she would reject it or would accept that. And rightfully so. Even Zanka himself had given her praise when it was deserved, because Eishia had his full respect. Nothing would change that. He still was unsure why she threw herself under the bus like that though, she as too harsh on herself even in his own opinion.
Having a healing jinki wasn’t easy, is what he went with through his logic. It required focus, patience, and a calmness that not everyone could maintain. But she did it—she was the best with it. That was part of why she had become a doctor, and why she was a vital point for the whole HQ. Without her, the team would falter in ways Zanka didn’t often allow himself to imagine. Her presence was quiet but unshakable, and he knew it.
But all those thoughts aside… and back to the current train of thought: Did he do something wrong? Wait, why was he even so bothered by it? He wasn’t bothered—he just didn’t enjoy silly little grudges. That would be a liability. Unnecessary. Right??? Right???
Now he was just double-questioning himself. Jeez. And it was only breakfast, hell.
Ugh. Maybe I should’ve done somethin' about those restless motions last night, he thought again, closing one eye for a moment before opening it to look down at the bowl in his hands. He went back to eating, slurping quietly, eyebrows narrowing as he tuned out the conversation between Riyo, Rudo and Enjin.
Just act like yourself, no big deal, honestly. Why would he ever care if someone like Eishia didn’t like him? He was better than that. Absolutely. For sure. Didn’t care. Absolutely not. Absolutely—
…maybe he did care a little.
He didn’t want to have a grudge or be on bad terms with Eishia. She was the sweetest girl he’d met, the nicest, too. Not counting Riyo, of course—her restless, teasing personality had a way of dragging herself and sometimes him into trouble—but he was used to that by now. So really, what did it matter?
He sighed quietly, head lowered, shaking it briefly to push the thoughts away.
Just calm yourself down, Zanka. You can handle it later. Focus on the food. Get your energy back.