ZERO SHIFT

The morning sun filtered through the blinds of the medical ward as Shiro stirred awake. The sterile scent of the Unit Zero Headquarters surrounded him, but the stabbing pain he had felt from the night before was gone. As he blinked his eyes open, a female medical attendant, a cheerful smile on her face, approached him.

"How are you feeling today, sir?" she asked, her voice gentle.

Shiro, still disoriented, looked down at his body and ran his hand over the spot where he had been stabbed. There was no mark, no trace of the wound. "I'm… I'm fine," he said, almost in disbelief. Then his thoughts quickly shifted. "What about the girl? And Josuke?"

The attendant smiled, reassured by his concern. "The girl is resting in the kids' room in the medical ward. As for Josuke, he's with Commander Kyle."

Shiro sighed in relief, his body relaxing. But then a memory hit him—the image of Josuke transforming before he passed out. The mark, the claws, the rampaging power. His mind raced with concern, wondering what the boy was going through now.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. It was Commander Kyle, dressed in casual nightwear, his usually neatly packed hair now hanging loose. He had a relaxed look, as if he had come straight from his quarters. He strode in and sat casually beside Shiro's bed, his signature nonchalance ever-present.

"Morning, old man," Kyle greeted him with a grin. "How's the body holding up?"

Shiro, still trying to shake off his concern, asked the question pressing hardest on his mind. "Where's Josuke? Is he… alright?"

Kyle leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's fine, for now. The better question is, are you aware of his demonic side? Of his parents?"

Shiro hesitated, his eyes falling to the floor as he weighed his words. "Yes… I know. His mother was my friend, and his father… was the former Devil King, Ragnar."

Kyle's emerald green eyes widened ever so slightly, though it was a reaction he quickly masked with his usual composed expression. It confirmed what he had suspected. Everything—the dates, the transformation, the raw power—had matched up too well to ignore.

"Well," Kyle said, settling back into his usual carefree tone, "I'll be taking the boy with me. With power like that, he's too dangerous and too valuable to leave rotting in that orphanage. He needs training—proper training. He'll be useless otherwise."

Shiro's first instinct was to disapprove, to protest, but deep down he knew Kyle was right. Josuke had already proven that he couldn't control his power. The orphanage, as much as it had been home, wasn't the place for someone like him anymore.

Reluctantly, Shiro nodded. "I suppose… there's no other way."

Kyle grinned, standing up and stretching his arms casually. "Good. Then that's settled. I'll have you and the girl transported along with him back to your orphanage today and tomorrow at dawn. I'll come to pick up the boy myself."

The conversation was over as quickly as it had started. Shiro could only watch as Kyle walked out of the medical ward, his usual confidence radiating in every step. A mixture of relief and unease settled in Shiro's chest. Josuke was in for a new life, but whether it was for better or worse, only time would tell.