The next day at school, Ike acted like... we didn't know each other. We walked in together, but just as we reached the classroom entrance, he suddenly stopped and let me go in first, like he didn't want anyone to see us arrive together. He came in a moment later, quieter and distant. It was obvious he was avoiding me, he didn't even glance my way. He talked to the other students like nothing happened, as if yesterday didn't exist, like I didn't exist. All I could do was sit there and feel... sorry for myself! Maybe. Or maybe jealous. Because there I was, watching him talk and laugh with the others while I kept glancing at him from my seat, he acted like we had fought or something.
I let out a sigh and slowly rested my head on the desk, ready to drift off into my daydreams. And just as Natsuki's face appeared in my mind —SLAP!— The kind of slap that leaves a red palm print screaming across your cheek. I turned to face her raping my head around it, and I cought sight of Renji behind her. We locked eyes, It didn't take long before we were ready to throw punches at each other. But before it escalated any further, I heard someone calling out my name. Loud and clear. Over and over. "Nageya?"
"Nageya?" I blinked. "Ayumi!"
She was standing at a distance, looking both confused and urgent, Immediately, I darted close, holdingher hands. "Thank you, thank you! Ayumi, you saved me from a nightmare." She tilted her head slightly, clearly trying not to get too wrapped up in whatever I was rambling about. "Anyway..." She continued. I woke you up because Hanazaki picked up a fight with Ike. And it's getting serious."
I looked at them. "What does that have to do with me?" I asked, trying to catch up. She sighed. "Apparently, Hanazaki thinks Ike is dating Kyoko... and that you're involved, Ike used you to get close to her."
"... What?" My brain struggled to process it. "Where would Hanazaki even get that from?" She paused to think if anything would come in mind. "No idea," she said. "But that's what people are saying." I could feel my head steaming. Boiling with confusion, frustration, everything, but I remained composed.
"And what's so bad about Ike dating Kyoko anyway?" I snapped, not even sure if I was asking her or myself. She shrugged. "That... I don't know either." Meanwhile, Ike was still trying to explain himself to Hanazaki, insisting that he wasn't dating Kyoko and that he didn't even know the first thing about her. But Hanazaki wasn't listening. And out of luck, Kyoko? Who should've been in class to clear things up, was suddenly nowhere in sight. "She was just here a few moments ago, always punctual, always present.
But when we needed her the most, she was gone." Ayumi added.
I watched them, trying to fully underatand the situation, the tension between Ike and Hanazaki had thickened, like a storm waiting to burst. Hanazaki had his fists clenched, his eyes wild with fury. He shoved Ike hard in the chest. "You think you can play smart, huh?! Do you think you can just mess with Kyoko and hide behind that quiet polite act of yours?!" Ike didn't budge. His expression didn't even flicker. "I already told you," he said calmly, his voice low but sharp, "I'm not dating Kyoko. I barely know her."
"Oh, really?" Hanazaki sneered. "Then what's all this? I hear about you using her?" he pointed at me. I skipped a bit, wondering what he was blabbering. Everyone's eyes shifted to me, but Ike didn't even glance. He stepped forward instead, standing between Hanazaki and the crowd. "You're starting fights over rumours?" Ike asked, his voice like steel wrapped in calm. "That's pretty pathetic, even for you."
Hanazaki's fist clenched harder. "Say that again." Ike didn't blink. "You heard me." The next second, Hanazaki's fist swung aiming at his face but Ike moved faster, with a slight step to the side, he dodged effortlessly. His hand caught Hanazaki's wrist mid-air, tight, firm, and controlled. "I don't like repeating myself," Ike said coldly. "But if you try that again... I will make sure you regret it."
That calm mask Ike always wore, cracked for a moment, just a glimpse. And what was underneath wasn't something Hanazaki or any of the others were ready for. Hanazaki tried to yank his hand back, but Ike didn't let go right away. When he finally did, the whole class stood frozen, Yuna-sensei, who had rushed over by then, hesitated at the door. "You've got the wrong story," Ike said as he turned his back. "Try asking Kyoko next time if you have the guts." And just like that, he walked off. Hanazaki stood in silence... humiliated, as for me?... I didn't know how to feel. Ike didn't even try clear my name, we're now like total strangers.
But I also saw something in Ike, something colder, darker than I'd expected. And maybe... I didn't know him as well as I thought I did, but what really sticked to mind... was what Hanazaki kept blabbering. Me? Using Kyoko? I didn't even know who Kyoko was until the surprise test. None of it added up, Hanazaki out of nowhere was acting like Kyoko's personal bodyguard, a girl, I'm pretty sure he wasn't even close to.
And now, Ike was caught up in all this, burning silently beside me. He didn't say a word, but his expression said everything., there were questions in his eyes, like a storm of thoughts he couldn't speak out loud.
Then Ms. Yuna walked in. "I'm going to pretend I didn't see what just happened here," she said flatly, tossing her bag onto the desk. "You guys handle it yourselves."
Honestly? It's probably the smartest thing she could have done at that moment, it's not like any of us would've explained the truth if she asked, and she would be of no help, so better let yhe drama sort itself out. I hadn't even noticed that Hiyori, too, wasn't in class.
Not until Yuna-sensei asked, "Where are Kyoko and Hiyori? It's time to start the lesson." But there was silence as everyone looked at the other, she gave it five minutes.
And there we're, five minutes of waiting in tense silence but the classroom door never opened, Kyoko and Hiyori never showed.
Eventually, Ms. Yuna sighed, opened her textbook, and said, "Alright. Let's start without them. We'll be working on form creation today," she continued. "Unlike the 7th, 8th, and 9th generations whose abilities aren't physical and visible like other generations, although the 9th gen can manipulate echos but for a short time. They will just be observing as you create them, It's useful in a fight and also distracting."
Haji raised a hand. "What kind of forms are we supposed to make?"
"Anything," Yuna-sensei replied. "A shape, a creature, aperson, a pen, a blade, anything that can be identified as a form." From across the room, I could still feel Hanazaki glaring at Ike, like he was silently saying, "We're not done here." Everyone started fidgeting, testing out their abilities to craft forms. Those with compatible abilities paired off, grouping into small clusters, as for the rest of us, the odd ones out just sat and watched. Yuna-sensei gave them the rest of the lesson to work on it. "Have something ready by tomorrow," she said, and with that she left the room.
---
Somewhere across the woods, Kai stood at the edge of a dungeon carved into the side of a cliff, his back to the entrance, the wind tugged at his coat as he stretched both arms outward, letting the breeze saw through his fingers like a blade testing the air. Behind him, footsteps echoed from the dark dungeon tunnel, quiet, careful. Mr. Yanagi emerged, adjusting his glasses repeatedly as they slid down his nose for the third time. He stopped a few steps behind Kai, shoulders tense.
"Mr. Kai…" he began, voice low. "What you did in there, there's only one word that fits. Brutal." Kai turned slowly to face him, his expression unreadable. "Listen, Yanagi," he said. "How many times do I have to tell you? Drop the Mr... Leave that kind of respect for my dad. Just call me Kai."
He scoffed lightly, stepping closer. "Besides… it's not like they don't kill our kind with reason. We kill them with a reason. That's the difference." Yanagi kept fixing his glasses, avoiding eye contact. Kai moved beside him and casually slung an arm over his shoulders.
"I am curious, Yanagi," he said, smirking, "why do you always listen to my dad when he tells you to tag along with me?" Yanagi sighed, finally looking up. "Because you're careless, and without your partner, you're not allowed to enter a dungeon," he replied firmly. "The rules say at least five members. But you? You either go in alone or just with your friend. And when he's not around, your father always sends me to back you up."
Kai frowned. "But you're a secretary, you shouldn't even be doing this kind of stuff."
Yanagi muttered. "As if you leave me a choice," then rising his voice. "I don't fight," Yanagi said quietly. "I'm just here in case something happens and you need help. But seriously, Kai, you have to stop giving your father a hard time by entering the dungeons alone, or with just one person, you need a proper team." Kai pulled back slightly, voice turning firm.
"Fine, then do a favour for me, go tell Mr. Matsuda, I'm not a child anymore, I'm officially a qualified hunter now, it's up to me how I hunt and who I take with me. You should stop tagging along." Yanagi adjusted his glasses again, pushing them up his nose. He said nothing. He didn't have to, he knew arguing with Kai was useless, the boy never listened to anyone. But even so… sometimes, Kai actually listens to Yanagi.
The wind shifted, carrying the scent of cold stone and scorched earth from the dungeon behind them, neither spoke for a moment. Only the faint echo of something moving deep inside the cave reminded them that this place was never truly silent. Kai exhaled sharply and stepped forward again. "Let's get this over with," he muttered. "Before someone else shows up and claims the reward." Yanagi adjusted his glasses one last time, quietly falling in step beside him.
"Just remember," he said, "there's more to hunting than swinging a sword."
"Yeah," Kai replied. "There's also collecting what's left behind." And with that, they descended toward the heart of the dungeon.