The final plates clattered onto the pile, half-licked clean and surrounded by scattered bones, half-eaten rice balls, and mugs filled with all manner of questionable liquids. Just as a peaceful silence began to settle in the aftermath of dinner—
BANG!
Magna slammed his mug down on the table with enough force to slosh its contents into Luck's lap.
"ALRIGHT!" Magna bellowed, pointing a thumb toward his chest like a self-declared hero. "Now that we're full, it's time for the Black Bulls Initiation Ceremony!"
A beat passed. Then Saru threw both arms into the air with his usual manic glee.
"YAAAYYYYY!!" he cried, leaping onto the table and nearly stomping into Finral's soup.
Asta blinked, halfway through lifting his water mug. "What's that?"
But he didn't get an answer.
Because in the span of a single heartbeat, Saru vanished from the table and appeared right next to Asta with that ever-present grin stretching his cheeks.
An arm looped tightly around Asta's neck.
"Hey, shorty!" Saru beamed. "Let's fight!"
"Wait, wh—WAAAH—!" Asta's feet barely touched the ground as Saru dragged him bodily out of his chair and toward the exit.
Poor Asta was swept away like a sack of potatoes.
"HEY, YOU BRAT!!" Magna's voice roared from behind. "I AM THE ONE TAKING THE TEST, DON'T STEAL MY THUNDER!! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
He scrambled after them, chair crashing backward.
Saru just waved dismissively over his shoulder. "Loudmouth."
"I'LL SHOW YOU LOUDMOUTH—!"
Vanessa, still seated with her legs propped up on the table, raised her mug mid-pour as her eye twitched.
"Hey, Saru!" she called after him. "He's just a newbie! Don't hurt him!"
Saru paused at the doorway, glancing back at her with the world's most innocent expression—one he definitely didn't earn.
"Hey, hey, Vanessaaa, don't you trust me?" he asked with big golden eyes.
"Don't Vanessa me," she said flatly, already regretting finishing her drink. She held up a closed fist with ominous intent. "If you hurt him too much, I will beat your ass."
Saru immediately looked away, casually whistling like a criminal pretending to be a bird. Vanessa's eye twitched harder.
Around the room, the rest of the Black Bulls reacted as expected.
Luck jumped to his feet, sparks crackling around him. "OHHH! FIGHT?! I WANNA WATCH! Or maybe I'll jump in too!"
Gordon whispered something unintelligible, face glowing eerily. "Mmmrrm… ffffirst blood… a-a-anoint the new one…"
"Whaaaat?" Finral backed away with a visible shudder. "Can we not do blood things? Or fight things? Can't we just welcome the newbie with snacks and compliments?"
"No," said Grey quietly, shrinking down and puffing into smoke.
Charmy, completely unaffected, shoved another pastry into her mouth and shouted through full cheeks, "Ffhghting helths dihgeston! Gooorrrr!"
Captain Yami finally sighed from the corner, where he'd been leaning against the wall with a lit cigarette in his mouth. His eyes followed the trail of dust left by Saru and Asta as they stormed out the door.
"Damn brats," he muttered. "Can't even go five minutes without makin' a scene."
He stepped out of the shadows, casually drawing his katana and resting it on his shoulder.
"Guess I better supervise before someone dies and paperwork gets involved."
Outside – The Black Bulls' Courtyard
The stars were still bright, the air cool and thick with the scent of grass and smoke from the old training dummies.
Saru danced ahead of Asta, spinning in midair and landing on all fours like some hyperactive beast. "C'mon! Let's gooo! This is the sacred tradition of the Black Bulls! Newbie punchin'!"
Asta stood, wobbly and wide-eyed. "How is this part of an initiation?!"
"Because," Saru grinned, rising to his feet and cracking his knuckles, "we gotta see if your bones rattle or break!"
Magna skidded into the courtyard next. "OI! I was gonna do the initiation! You STOLE MY JOB!"
"You snooze, you lose, Flare-Boy," Saru said, flashing a mocking grin.
"I'M GONNA FLARE YOUR FACE—!"
Vanessa sauntered out a moment later, dragging her cloak across the grass and sipping her wine. "I swear, if one of you idiots gets decapitated, I'm leaving your head in the forest."
Finral emerged behind her, adjusting his collar. "Does this happen every time we get a new recruit?"
"Yes," she said, sipping again.
The rest of the Black Bulls arrived one by one—Luck already bouncing in place like a frog on a trampoline, Gordon mumbling what might have been a curse or a recipe, and Charmy floating on a food-high as she carried an entire tray out with her.
Captain Yami was last.
He stood at the edge of the courtyard, arms folded, watching the chaos unfold with a mixture of boredom and vague amusement. His cigarette glowed like a tiny beacon in the dark.
"Alright," Yami grunted, eyeing the boys. "One round. No crippling injuries. No crying. Anyone explodes, you clean it up."
"I make no promises!" Saru shouted.
"Me neither!" Luck added gleefully.
Asta readied himself with wide eyes, trying to remember anything from his training with Yuno, but all that came to mind was "swing hard and scream a lot."
Vanessa sighed and looked to Yami. "You sure we shouldn't stop them?"
"Nah," he replied. "Bonds are forged in fire."
"…What if Saru actually breaks him?"
Yami exhaled smoke. "Then Asta better get back up."
Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Men…"
Back in the center of the courtyard, Saru was already crouched low, tail flicking behind him like a warning sign. Asta was gripping his sword with both hands, knees bent, unsure if he should attack or defend.
And then, Saru's eyes gleamed with that wild, divine spark.
"Let's see if you're really Black Bull material!"
Without warning, he shot forward like a golden bullet, the wind howling in his wake. His right arm pulled back, fingers curling into a tight fist, veins tensing as magic crackled faintly around him.
Asta barely had time to widen his eyes.
CRACK—!
The punch came fast—too fast. One moment Asta was bracing his stance, sword in hand, and the next, Saru was right there, his fist surging forward like a cannonball.
Instinct alone saved Asta. He raised the flat of his Demon-Slayer Sword just in time—
BOOM!
Fist met metal with a deafening impact, sending out a shockwave that rattled the wooden beams of the Black Bulls' hideout. Dust exploded beneath their feet. The sword vibrated violently in Asta's grip as he was hurled backward like a ragdoll, tumbling through the air before crashing hard into the ground, skidding along the grass with a grunt.
Saru's arm tingled from the anti-magic backlash, a sharp stinging buzz running up to his elbow—but he only laughed, shaking it off like it tickled. His smirk warped into something more feral, more alive.
"Ooooh, that sword bites!" he said gleefully. "I love it!"
Asta groaned as he pushed himself up, dirt smeared across his face. "Ugh… What the hell was that punch?!"
He'd fought hard before—lifted giant logs, trained under waterfalls, battled muscle-bound freaks—but Saru? Saru had casually punched him across a field. His body hurt, but more than anything—his pride flared.
"Hey hey, shorty!" Saru called out, bouncing in place on the balls of his feet like a monkey in a fighting ring. "Don't just take it—fight back! Fight back!!"
Asta's jaw tightened. He shot back to his feet, eyes blazing with that signature fire of his.
"I'll show you!!" he shouted.
He dug his heels into the earth, legs coiling with explosive tension. His sword came back in a tight grip, angled sideways as he roared forward, cutting through the air like a charging beast.
Yami, arms crossed, let out a low whistle as Asta surged forward.
"That speed… Not bad."
Vanessa, leaning on the porch railing, raised an eyebrow. "Is that the same kid who just joined today?"
Luck was practically vibrating beside her. "HE'S FAST! This is getting GOOD!"
Asta closed the gap in a heartbeat, and with a mighty roar, he swung his blade in a horizontal arc meant to cleave Saru clean in half.
But Saru's feet barely touched the ground.
FWIP—!
He flipped into the air with effortless grace, twisting above the sweeping blade as if gravity had no claim on him. While upside down, he smirked—and then, with a sudden thud, planted his foot squarely on the back of Asta's head.
Asta's eyes went wide.
SLAM!
Face-first, Asta was driven into the dirt. The ground cracked beneath the force as a cloud of dust billowed out, his limbs twitching from the impact.
Saru landed with a spin and struck a stupid victory pose. "Ding ding! First round: Saru!"
Asta coughed dirt. "...I hate you."
The Black Bulls erupted in laughter, Vanessa nearly spilling her drink.
Magna hooted, hands cupped around his mouth. "He got bodied! Like WHAM—face first! HAHAHA!!"
Even Gordon managed to mumble something vaguely encouraging. "...still… friendship…"
Yami exhaled smoke, a ghost of a smile on his face. "Tch. Looks like the rookie's got guts, even if he's eating dirt."
Asta groaned and pulled his face from the dirt, spitting out a pebble. "I'm not done yet…!"
Saru, still bouncing on his heels, cocked his head. "Oh? You're still going? You're like a little beetle that keeps flipping back over."
Asta stood again, his knees shaky but his grip on the sword even tighter. "I don't care how strong you are—I just got here, and I'm not letting you make me look like a joke!"
He lunged again with a cry, slashing low then high in a wild combo. His swings were raw and unpolished, but there was a furious, honest strength behind them. Each strike carved a gust through the air, forcing Saru to actually start weaving around them.
"Oho? You got spirit, shorty!" Saru laughed, ducking under one swing, hopping over another like he was dancing through raindrops. "But you're still sloooow~"
He poked Asta on the forehead mid-swing, causing him to stumble.
"W-What the—?!"
Then Saru vanished in a blur, only to appear crouched behind Asta, whispering like a ghost:
"Too open."
Before Asta could react, a light tap to the back of his knee buckled him, and a flick to his forehead sent him tumbling back again with a frustrated shout.
"AGH—!"
The Black Bulls cackled from the sidelines.
"Poor kid can't even land a hit!" Magna howled, nearly choking on his drink.
Vanessa sighed and shook her head. "He's trying his best, at least…"
"Yami," Finral muttered nervously, "Should we… stop this?"
Yami smirked, leaning on his sword. "Nah. If he breaks, he wasn't meant for this squad. If he keeps getting up? That's a Black Bull."
Saru landed back near Asta and tilted his head. "C'mon, fight back harder! You said you were gonna show me something!"
Asta gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet for the third time, swaying slightly. "I'm not giving up… I never give up…!"
For the first time, Saru paused, blinking.
"…Huh," he muttered. "You're still getting up?" His tone wasn't mocking now—it was curious. Maybe even a little impressed. "That's kinda cool."
But then he stretched, arms over his head, and let out a big yawn. "Mmmmmm—alriiiight, I'm bored now. Fighting hungry is the worst."
"But didn't you just eat?" Magna muttered with a confused face.
He turned and walked off toward the base like nothing had happened, calling out lazily over his shoulder:
"Lemme know when you get stronger, shorty! Then we'll really fight!"
Asta collapsed onto one knee, panting, sweat dripping from his chin.
"…What the hell is that guy…?" he muttered.
From the porch, Luck shouted with both fists raised, "SARU YOU GOTTA FIGHT ME NEXT!!"
Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Not until you finish your chores, lightning freak."
Saru, already digging into leftover meat skewers inside, called out with his mouth full. "If I gotta fight everyone, I'm gonna need ten more of these~!"
Yami laughed under his breath and looked toward Asta, who still hadn't given up trying to stand again.
"Not bad, kid," he muttered. "Not bad at all."