Eli, Yune, and Mizu had been increasingly fighting Night Demons.

When they did fight one, Mizu began to come up with names for her attacks like how a hero would name their special moves.

Some examples were "Rock punch!", "Super Flurry!", and "Golem Twist!"

Then, Yune would sometimes suggest some.

"Well, your golem looks to be made of obsidian. Why don't you try something like 'Obsidian Strike' when you punch something? A very hard punch and 'Obsidian Strike'!"

And Mizu loved Yune's ideas. Although, Yune's impression of a super hero was lacking. Mizu still implemented plenty of those attack names because they sounded cool.

They continued their hunts with very little resistance. They became known as the strongest three Light Guardians of Janken City. Even the shopkeeper would give them some tips on Night Demon locations.

However, they weren't the only Light Guardians in Janken City. Yune's team had been constantly stealing kills and had no plans to stop.

So, during a school break, they had to meet up with another team to try and work out an agreement between them.

There, they formally met with Nina, Anne, and Kira. Three other Light Guardians in the city.

Mizu had a good time talking with Anne and Kira. She was super impressed by Anne as she was in a martial arts dojo and was the leading road to becoming a pro.

Eli also enjoyed their company. She had no problems with the other group. She felt they were similar to their own.

However, Yune was more skeptical. She didn't trust them any more than anybody else.

During their talk, Nina suggested, "How about just a simple deal? Whichever team starts fighting the Night Demon will get the black coin at the end. That sounds like a fair deal."

Eli and Mizu were both fine with that, but Yune had other thoughts.

Yune looked at her own two friends. She saw her team as far stronger than anybody else's in the city. If they were stronger, then they wouldn't need to come up with such a compromise. Also, there would be no guarantees that the other group would hold up their end. With that thought in mind, she shook her head.

"No. There will be no compromise. The three of us deserve those black coins more. We're also stronger than your group," Yune said as she walked away. Eli and Mizu were disappointed, but didn't want to voice their concerns out in the open. They both didn't want any fighting to happen between the two groups. Mizu, especially, didn't want to fight them. She felt like they could be friends.

When they were back inside the school away from the other group, Eli spoke to Yune about the decision.

"Look. We know you don't trust people. We get it ourselves but we can't keep making ourselves hostile to the other Light Guardians," Eli said.

"No," Yune replied with a cold, "The only people we can't trust is ourselves. Besides, they can't stop us. The three of us are much stronger than anybody else in this city. Otherwise, they wouldn't have met with us."

"Are you suggesting that their willing to negotiate a weakness?" Eli asked.

"It proves that they aren't strong enough to fight back against us," Yune replied. She thought that if Anne, Nina, and Kira were stronger than them, then they would just fight back against them. Instead, they held themselves back from doing that. Yune saw this as weakness.

Mizu was silent as Eli and Yune argued over the decision. Yune was considered the leader of the group because of her smart wits and cunning in battle. And the fact that she was the oldest of them helped cement that position.

But Mizu had other feelings. She wanted to be friends with them. She felt like they were just kids like her. Which was true. Anne, Nina, and Kira were still in elementary school just like Mizu. Meanwhile, Eli and Yune were just starting middle school. The both of them argued at home about what they should do, while Mizu was just in the middle.

However, during the school day, Mizu still talked to the other girls. She became close friends with Anne and Kira especially. She hung out with them during whatever time they had, but she kept it a secret from the other two. Both Anne and Kira had no quarrel with Mizu. They thought she was quite cute. Anne and Kira continued to be friends with Mizu. Nina also occasionally talked with Mizu, but she never really became good friends. However, Nina thought it was a good step in becoming allies or even friends with Yune and Eli. Although, she never forced or suggested Mizu to do anything.

One day, while Mizu was walking home, Eli went looking for her. She had forgotten one of her school books at class. There, she saw Mizu talking with Anne and Kira. Eli came forward, but she didn't stop Mizu from making friends. She could see how happy she was by being around them. Eli even managed to become more acquainted with the other two girls.

But while Eli and Mizu were alone, Eli told her, "You can be friends with them. But don't let Yune know. I don't think she'd approve."

Mizu was happy that she wasn't scolded for being their friends behind both of their backs. She nodded her head. Years passed without Yune finding out. Eli had also tried talking with the other Light Guardians in the city as a means of negotiating. For example, if their team had stolen a kill, Eli would personally help them with another fight. However, she didn't tell Yune about these deals. She knew that Yune would be against the idea of talking with other teams. But Eli saw that communicating with others was the only way that their own group wouldn't be targeted.

Years passed without any problem for Yune, Eli, or Mizu.