Balamb Garden. 1F.

"Is everything going according to plan?"

"Yes. They're all in the second-floor classroom. E and T will be here soon," Lina reported to Acma.

"Great! Let's take care of the puppets. Hop on."

Acma commanded Lina to attach to her using Zyma's gear, positioning themselves back-to-back.

"Arghhh…" Acma winced in pain.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Lina asked, noticing that the harness was tightened around Acma's torso as she snapped her back into the harnessing device.

"I'm okay... just a little scratch," Acma brushed it off, though internally, she cursed Zyma who had injured her right before G-day. "What a dumbass," she swore silently. I need to keep going.

Acma aimed the Zyclaw, as Zyma called it, towards the aisle on the second floor and pulled them both up.

At least you gave me nice gear, Z. Faster than an elevator.

"L, change your clothes!" Acma commanded.

"Got it!"

They both dashed towards the second-floor classroom. Outside, a couple of bewildered guards stood perplexed, unsure of how to react to the alarm triggered from the basement. The guard stationed in the basement failed to respond to their calls.

"Basement, quickly! The prisoners have escaped!" Lina, disguised as a guard, shouted.

As the guards hurriedly made their way to the basement, Lina turned to Acma, who appeared to be scanning her surroundings.

"What now? Where is Zyma's GF?" Lina asked.

"Zyma said he would be here. He's never late. But he's injured..." Acma replied.

"Good afternoon, ladies!"

They both jumped in surprise as Zyma suddenly appeared behind them.

"Are you a ghost? Where did you come from?" Acma exclaimed.

"I've been sitting here the whole time with Hero," he smirked. "I'm injured, so I can't risk being seen by your lovely friends."

"Don't scare us like that again! Where's your GF? Like I said, we need to bring the puppets' HP down low to break G's control on them, but don't kill them..." Acma explained once more.

"You're talking to the right guy," he replied, pulling out his bandana from his head. "Have you disabled all the security cameras?"

"Yes, we have..." Acma confirmed, confused, as Zyma began unzipping his windbreaker. "What are you doing?"

"Stripping," he smiled, handing his bandana to Lina. "Please cover your eyes, lady. I'm a bit shy, and my girl gets jealous easily."

Lina chuckled and took the bandana, following his instructions. "So the rumor is true?"

"What rumor?" Acma asked, but Lina kept giggling. "And why are you undressing in the hallway?" Acma blushed as Zyma continued removing his pants.

"Hold onto these, babe..." he asked Acma to take his clothes.

"What the hell..." Acma cursed in frustration at Zyma's nearly naked body.

He maintained a grin on his face and wrapped an oddly familiar piece of red cloth over his own briefs.

"Remember this?" he asked.

"Ifrit's… You threw it at me when we first met," Acma replied, squinting. "But why… Did I hit your head last night?"

"Unlock the door," he requested. Seeing Acma's bewildered expression, he flashed a knowing smile and continued, "Hurry. I won't fit through once I've transformed. Last clue."

"Once you what?" Acma rolled her eyes.

"Oh, this shouldn't come as a surprise to you now, babe."

A wild realization dawned upon Acma. She slowly unlocked the door, her eyes fixed on Zyma as he confidently walked into the classroom wearing a funny-looking red breechcloth. She didn't want to miss a single moment of this grand revelation.

"Hell's judgment," he uttered, and the scene that unfolded in front of Acma left her completely speechless.

She recalled some strange comments about Zyma from others, but at the time, she hadn't paid much attention to them.

Acma: That jerk, he's broken my wrists countless times!

Girl #1 (whispering): I heard he's kind of a monster.

Acma: He really is a monster!

Boy #2 (whispering): Acma, can I ask you something?

Acma: Sure, what is it?

Boy #2 (whispering): My brother said... Your mentor... is a GF?

Acma: Yes, he is a GF guy. Doesn't everyone know that?

Boy #2 (whispering): … Like, you can summon him whenever?

Acma (nodding reluctantly): He's always on time with a grand entrance out of nowhere, ya.

His dyed raven-black hair shimmered and transformed into a flowing mane of silvery-white strands, cascading down his broad shoulders. His black eyes grew wider, intensified with an otherworldly gleam. From the sides of his forehead, two horns began to sprout. His figure grew taller and broader, his muscles rippling beneath his tanned skin.

He dashed towards the frantic magic puppets, knocking them down before casting an area flare magic that reduced their HP to 1.

With the task accomplished, he retreated to the classroom door and reversed his transformation.

"Thanks for not selling my GF briefs, babe," he taunted, standing in front of her while she remained petrified. "You owe me a new human pair. You know my size, right?"

He took his clothes back from her, finding her shock initially amusing. After dressing up and not hearing any words from her, he began to panic.

"You're not afraid of me, are you?" he waved his hand in front of Acma's eyes, hoping for a reaction.

"Are you done?" Lina asked.

"Aye aye, the show is over. Give my bandana back," he said.

"So..." Acma blurted out and trailed off.

No more words came out of her mouth.

"So? Babe, I wish we had more time, but do you need to run somewhere now?" Zyma asked.

"I... No, we'll wait here for E. It turns out she can fly the aircraft. But..." Acma stammered, then turned to Lina while pointing her index finger to Zyma. "You knew?"

"Uhm..." Lina glanced back and forth between Acma and Zyma, slowly leaving them. "You guys talk. I'll tell the puppets to stay put."

Acma closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

"Well?" He crossed his arms, expecting a comment from Acma.

"Well?" Acma replied, looking at him astonished. "Is there anything you haven't told me? Why am I always the last to know?"

"Not many people know. It just takes a long time for the nickname 'Zyma the GF' to die out in Garden," he explained.

"Okay..." Acma trailed off.

They heard the sound of an aircraft hovering near the classroom.

"A! E is here!" Lina called out from the inside.

"Tell her to drain their magic as planned. I don't want any surprises," Acma commanded before slowly turning back to Zyma.

Zyma kept his gaze fixed on her the entire time. He could sense the awkwardness after she knew who he was. Perhaps she was feeling regret for spending the previous night with a monster. Maybe she was internally cursing him for not revealing the truth earlier, but unable to voice her concerns out of fear of being judged as shallow.

He had never felt ashamed of his identity, despite facing rejection multiple times because of it. He thought she would be different. In this moment, as she had just manipulated three armies at once, he suddenly felt out of her league.

"I suppose that's it, then," he bit his lip and nodded, trying to sound nonchalantly. "Farewell, A. Good job. Enjoy your freedom."

There, he gave her an exit. All she needed to do next was say goodbye and jump on that aircraft. She would vanish from his life, saving them both from another heartbreak.

"Thank you for your help… the whole time."

"Don't mention it," he nodded, about to turn away.

"Flowers City..."

"Huh?"

"We'll build an underground settlement near Flowers City."

"Okay..."

"When it's safe and you have some free time between missions, will you come find me?" she asked, smiling nervously.

"I will," he responded, a smile returning to his face. "I promise."

Her eyes lit up, happy at his response. "I'll be there waiting for you. It's a promise!"

Puzzled at her change of reaction, he couldn't help but ask, making sure she wasn't just being nice.

"Well... but please, be honest. Now that you know who I am, don't you find me weird? It's okay if it's not what you want. I know it can be a deal breaker for many."

"Of course you're weird! Tell me one thing about you that isn't weird!" She covered her mouth and burst into laughter. "But I'm not 'many.' I like weird. I'm not a princess, and you're no prince. You have horns, and I have wings. That makes two of us."

"Hyne!" he exclaimed internally, unable to believe how open she was.

"I'm just disappointed that you didn't tell me sooner. I showed you my wings last year. Don't you trust me?"

"No! It's not that... But it's kind of similar to you hiding your wings. I can't find a good occasion to break the news."

"Fair enough," she accepted the explanation.

Then Lina shouted, urging Acma to leave.

"Just a minute." Acma acknowledged, then turned back to Zyma. "I almost forgot," she reached into her pocket and placed a card in his hand. "My card, in exchange for your card. 1000 Thundagas. Keep it out of your deck, will you?"

He immediately took her card and grabbed her hand, kissing it. "Gosh, I love doing business with you."

The sound of the elevator broke the moment, bringing them back to reality.

"Get them!" Xu's voice resounded louder than her footsteps in her military boots.

Zyma released Acma and signaled for her to leave.

"Go. I'll stop them."

"Goodbye, Z. Take care," Acma quickly said the last words and hurriedly disappeared.