“That’s pretty much about it,” Baru said between bites of his sliced bread. He had just finished explaining everything that had occurred to the team while they were away from the camp slaying monsters. The entire team sat around the campfire in a symmetrical circle, the boiling pot of soup now nearly finished after everyone had their fair share. The beef stew was vanishing quicker than she had expected, and it was because of their new guests, Ayame and Genkai, who sat beside them slightly awkwardly.
Well, to be more accurate, Ayame was mostly the awkward one. Her brother was relaxed and conversed with the rest of her team as if he had known them for years. Whether that was forced or genuine, Hana wasn’t so sure. All she knew was one thing… I don’t trust Ayame one bit, she bitterly thought.
That was mostly why she had invited them for lunch—to keep an eye on her. Her weird interaction with them also didn’t help her suspicion. She had guilt plastered all over her face. Although she could admit that Genkai had won the argument a little while ago—forcing her to publicly resign her suspicion—she still suspected Ayame.
No amount of rational thinking could change her mind because, in the end, there was no solid evidence to disprove her claim. And she could acknowledge that there most likely would never be evidence, but that was all the more reason why she clung to her suspicion—until something happened that confirmed who started all this, at least.
“In short…” Sen started, eyes lost in thought, “the rumor is spreading.”
“Mhmm, pwetty mucc,” Baru said, chewing. “Yum, I got a big chunk of beef in mine. Lucky.”
“Not only that, though…” Kaiyo said apprehensively, trailing off as if contemplating whether she should continue. Sen raised a brow at her.
“Is everything alright, Kaiyo? Did something else happen?” Sen asked. Kaiyo’s mid-length hair was down, and a strand fell in front of her eyes. She shook her head, letting the silence persist for a few moments. The team eyed her curiously.
“It’s not that something happened, but more or less, because it didn’t…” Kaiyo finally said.
Baru’s spoon paused halfway to his mouth. “Sorry if I’m a dumbass, but what does that mean exactly?”
Baru wasn’t the only one confused; Hana shared this confusion, and she rarely agreed with Baru on anything.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of people around this area today. And they never come close to us,” Kaiyo noted.
Hana frowned. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
If people weren’t coming to their camp, that was good. It meant they could hide her brother better. But surprisingly, even Sen shook his head.
“No… not at all. I’ve been wondering why we haven’t met a lot of people around here, but I just brushed it off. Now that Kaiyo confirmed she heard a few teams close by, it might mean that we’re being spied on. Or, to be more accurate, I’m being spied on. Kaiyo, do you hear anyone close by now?”
Kaiyo shook her head. “No, at least not within my capabilities. I’ve been constantly checking as much as I can with my Sense. Honestly, it’s becoming very draining. I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Sen told her.
It’s weird… Hana thought. Maybe it’s just me, but Sen looks at her differently. His words didn’t seem forced or out of character—he was simply concerned for her. She had rarely seen him act this way, and when he did, there was an air of uncertainty and oddness in how he said it. Now, when he did… it felt natural.
Kaiyo flushed and stammered out a response. “I-I’ll manage… no need to worry about it.”
To the side, Ayame looked at Sen with a pang of bitterness, and when she realized Hana was staring at her, she hastily averted her gaze, continuing to eat. Hana eyed her suspiciously, opening her mouth slightly but deciding to hold her tongue. Things like that were the exact reason why she suspected Ayame.
“Hmm, well, we have encountered quite a few teams in the last couple of days,” Genkai added, his finger on his chin in thought. “Perhaps it’s because we covered more ground, so naturally, we’re going to meet more people. But it’s still rather odd.”
Hyo adjusted his glasses, a sign that he was apprehensive. “Our team has only met one team, and that was just today. I’m not an odds guy, but for our whole team to just so happen to miss all of the contestants near us would be very rare. Almost impossible, if I’m going to go out on a limb here. And the fact that not many would even step foot in our vicinity would mean they’re specifically avoiding us.”
Hana could sense his point, but she was unsure if she wanted clarification. Because if true, that meant they were in a bad position—a very bad one.
“I don’t even want to ask, but what are you implying?” Hana asked. Their short-haired and stocky teammate took a side glance at Sen, who nodded in understanding. Sen took a deep breath and sighed, his hands intertwining thoughtfully.
“The fact that even all of you—who I thought didn’t play a role in the rumor before—are being avoided as well can only mean one thing. They know you’re a part of my team.”
The circle of people fell silent.
…
“Now that you mention it.” Ayame broke the silence, her tone uncertain. “Yior did mention that he saw us together at the end of the first challenge when we pretended not to know any of you. And the rest of your team was also there, so I wouldn’t be surprised if…” she trailed off.
“They already know exactly who’s a part of our team,” Sen finished her sentence. The new information was dreadful, and it worried Hana to no extent. However, above all else, her suspicion grew. What a convenient thing to forget, huh? It’s almost like she’s trying to make stuff up. I don’t buy it. Not even for a second.
Hana took the last spoonful of soup in her bowl and wiped the residue off her mouth with the sleeve of her jumpsuit. She sat up straight, stuffing the disposable bowl in a garbage bag close to the fire pit, her eyes flashing glances at Ayame that were filled with distrust. The circle of people grew oddly quiet when Hana decided to clean up after herself. Perhaps they were waiting for her to return to continue their conversation, or simply they had nothing more to say. If it was the latter, Hana couldn’t quite blame them. It was quite tiring to always talk about what could happen and fill the missing gaps in the story. But in the end, none of them knew what would happen. None of them knew the motive of the culprit who started the rumor.
The unknown scared the group into silence—yet the silence wasn’t just derived from fear but also from a realization that they simply didn’t know what else to do. What else could they do to make sense of their predicament? They were simply lost. Or better yet, cornered—as if they were prey stalked by a vicious predator that sought their throats. But something else about their position made it all the more dreadful. The perpetrator was playing with them. With silence. Making them paranoid as they waited for something to happen. Seeking joy in seeing them wonder what the motive for the rumor was. Waiting for the perfect opportunity, and yet not acting on it to stir them up even further. Something about this plan was far more than it seemed to the naked eye—far more than any of the team even thought of. And even Sen’s sister had fallen into the grasp of its control.
Hana frowned as she collected everyone’s empty bowls and went down the circle. She stopped at Baru, who refused to let go of his bowl. Hana cleared her throat, pulling the bowl towards her again, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t budge. Judging by the blue glow in Baru’s eyes, he had defensively activated his Sense. Hana glared at him as he avoided her scrutiny.
“Give it…” Hana said.
“I want seconds,” he blurted out.
“Baru, you know we can’t afford that. We have only so much food, and it needs to be properly rationed out. This is not an all-you-can-eat buffet,” Hana sighed as Baru twisted his head to meet hers.
“Listen, I’m contributing quite a bit to the points. I think having a second serving is fair, don’t you think?”
While they both glared at one another, Genkai came from the side and extended his bowl to Baru. “Here, have mine. I barely touched any,” he said. “I’m not that hungry to begin with. The breakfast me and Ayame had was quite filling.”
Baru froze like a statue, gawking at Genkai as if he were his savior. “You would do that… for me?” He almost teared up as he accepted the bowl from Genkai, immediately beginning to slurp the soup. Although it was scorching hot, Baru had no problem downing the whole soup in one go. Because Touch not only gives an individual immense strength when activating the Sense, but also strengthens the body's natural state, hot liquids posed no damage or discomfort to him.
Hana was similar. The sensation wasn’t as if the heat was dull or anything, but more as if it simply stopped right before the tongue would burn. It took a long time to get used to after her Sense had awakened during puberty. She had felt almost… invincible. However, as with almost everything, she got used to it and began simply relying on her new powers until they lost their original mystique.
“It’s really no biggy,” Genkai waved his hand as he sat back down on the ground cross-legged. “I mean, you guys were the ones who gave us food in the first place, so I don’t see why you would need to thank me. We should be the ones who are.”
Hana couldn’t help but cringe at his kind gesture—not because she had anything against it, but because it showed good faith, which gave her grudge less weight. Hana was a very stubborn person.
“That’s… um, kind of you,” Hana managed to put on an appreciative face. Genkai nodded with a slight smile. Getting mad or suspecting someone as bright as Genkai was difficult—she was only human, after all. It was much easier to feel justified in suspecting Ayame, who had a naturally unlikable attitude. Or at least it felt more justifiable in Hana’s head.
After she picked up everyone’s empty bowls, she threw them in the trash bag and keenly sat back down inside the circle between Baru and Kaiyo. To her surprise, a few moments passed, and no one even let out a peep. Maybe they’re too preoccupied with thinking about the challenge and the rumor, Hana thought. It’s not like I’m any different, either, though. There are so many unanswered questions.
Regardless of how stubborn she was, she could recognize that there was a big chance she was wrong. Pinning the blame on Ayame gave her a little peace of mind. Perhaps it was meant to fool her into thinking she had found the one at the bottom of this. If she had simply let go of her suspicion, that would mean the problem was left unsolved. And that terrified her.
“Hey blue-haired chick and her brother,” Baru said, lying on his side with an arm propped up to rest his head. Out of all the people who could have broken the silence, she wasn’t expecting Baru to be the one who did it.
“You guys said that you were some sort of samurai back then, right? What’s it like?” Baru picked his nose with a pinky finger. It was apparent he was attempting to stir the conversation in a different direction, to distract the team from their worries, and Hana couldn’t help but admire that. Because it was coming from Baru, the question didn’t even feel forced since he always asked dumb questions and liked to go on tangents. He’s more self-aware than I thought… Hana thought as she gazed at Baru’s lying form for a few moments. She quickly looked away before he noticed her staring and unconsciously began playing with her own long white hair. He’s… still stupid, though.
All of a sudden, the chilly air of Mount Fuji began to melt away, leaving her feeling oddly uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure what caused such a difference in temperature, but perhaps she was sick or something.
“Well… yeah,” Ayame nodded slowly. “We come from a clan of samurai from our mother’s side.”
“What are they called, if I may ask?” Sen questioned curiously. Ayame opened her mouth, yet no words came out. She was afraid to tell them. Genkai put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly and looked at them assertively. “It was the Akagawa clan,” he replied.
Sen froze. Hana eyed him with confusion. She had not seen her brother speechless many times since he was mostly quiet—however, this time, the shock was visible in his expression. All she knew was that the clan’s name meant Red River in Japanese. Other than that, she assumed there was more to the clan than she knew of.
“I… see,” Sen said. “I wasn’t aware you were a part of such an infamous clan.”
“Infamous?” Baru repeated, and then Sen nodded.
“Very infamous, actually… just unfortunately not for the right reasons.” For some unknown reason, Sen hesitated to continue. That was… until Genkai broke the silence.
“Most of the Akagawa clan was slaughtered by the hands of our government. My grandfather and mother just so happen to be the lucky ones.” Genkai’s face flattened as the group eyed them silently. He didn’t need a signal to know what they wanted to know. “The clan was one of the most powerful, prominent, and, quite frankly, the only clan in Japan. They had a strict code of honor, openly condemning government authority, and believed citizens should be treated fairly. From what my grandfather told me, they were also traditionalists. Even with technological advances, they sought to teach a simpler and less obstructive lifestyle, absent from many devices. They stated that humankind was growing too attached to the digital world and would eventually fall due to their carelessness––or rather, blindness to the world around them. Well, turns out their words aged like fine wine, but in any case, they were revered and respected throughout Japan. Some even speculated that the whole clan included more than a hundred thousand people. They were—in some words—an army to be reckoned with.” Genkai paused for a moment, breathing in. “And our grandfather was the heir to that clan.”
“So he’s the one who…” Sen trailed off, eyeing him as if wondering if he wanted to talk about it. Genkai gave him a forced smile.
“Yes… our grandfather… he was the reason our clan was slaughtered by the government. But also the reason why we were even born in the first place.”
The team hung onto his words, although it almost felt as if mere threads held them up.
The sun’s light began fading from the canopy opening as it slowly sank in the direction of the horizon, leaving their clearing to grow darker and darker as more time passed. The large fire pit, now weakened and exhausted, still cast its orange glow to illuminate their faces, and the flickering auburn light reflected off Genkai’s deep blue eyes as hundreds of images flashed within them in symphony with the fire. Images of mothers screaming out to their children as government officials took them away. Images of men with long katanas standing up to those with AOK uniforms and armed with guns. Images of children crying, men shouting, and blood spilling.
“Right before the world war, something else had gone terribly wrong. Some even blame the event for causing the world war soon after, but there isn’t any conclusive proof of that, and besides stories that my mom and grandfather told me, it might not even be true, so take what I say with a huge grain of salt,” Genkai said. “But according to textbooks, at least, they say the Akagawa clan staged a coup against the AOK. They reasoned that the AOK was a bunch of tyrants who would inevitably cause the downfall of everyone’s freedom and enable another World War. They were right in some ways, but they ended up being more involved in that prediction than anyone knows about…”
Sen’s ears perked, and he listened intently. History was one of his favorite subjects, so he valued any information about it, especially this kind. Hana didn’t understand how he could enjoy reading about it, but even she had to admit the story Genkai was telling was fascinating… and sad.
“According to my grandfather, the clan had been colluding with other foreign countries for political help in overthrowing not only the AOK but also the Japanese government. Albeit, most likely, the moment the AOK falls in a country, the government will eventually fall along with it due to how imperative it is. The AOK is like another government working alongside a central government. Some countries have more control over them; some countries grant them control. At the very least, they’re important, and at the very most, they’re the most important. And the Akagawa clan planned to overthrow them…” There was a pause.
“It always bothered me,” Sen said, almost eager to put together the pieces of the story, “that a clan, regardless of being a hundred thousand men strong, would take on the AOK to overthrow the country. Unless… they were planning on having other foreign countries help them. Although there isn’t any proof, it makes much more sense. I…” Sen looked at Genkai, stopping himself from carrying on. “Sorry, continue. I got carried away.”
Genkai shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I also shared the same sentiment when I first heard the story.” Then his eyes grew dark. “The next part is bitter for me to say, so I won’t go into too much detail. However, the AOK was growing suspicious of the political speeches and hostility. Eventually, the internal war could happen at any moment—it just came down to who struck first. And my grandfather did. But instead, he struck his very own clan. He betrayed them by selling their tactics and plans as long as his own family was safe and not associated with the clan anymore. He despised his own father, calling him just as much a tyrant and power-hungry fool as the people in the AOK. But he wasn’t expecting such a… slaughter—that over fifty thousand people would be killed.”
“And yet your father is painted as a hero by the government in the textbooks, calling him a righteous defector of the Akagawa clan who had saved Japan from being overthrown and having their democracy taken from them. While the clan—or whatever is left of it—views him as the devil and traitor,” Sen recalled slowly. “Do you think what your father did was the right decision?”
“Sen…” Kaiyo interjected, obviously apprehensive about the question. “Let’s not pry too deep into this subject anymore. It’s obviously a very tough subject for him and I doub—”
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“There is no right or wrong decision,” Ayame answered, staring at the forest floor, her eyelids lowered and dejected. “When innocent lives die, it’s foolish to think otherwise. In every war, there is blood on both sides if you look back far enough. War and politics is a game that no one wins. The more it pursues, the more lies pile up, and the more blood eventually spills. It doesn’t matter which side attacked first, which side wanted to, or what they did in the past—it all doesn’t matter when innocent lives die on both sides. Who would ever call that a win? War is all pointless.”
Her words hung in the air, giving the group time to digest what she meant. Hana was the most surprised out of all of them. She didn’t expect such a compassionate viewpoint from Ayame, presuming she shared a more self-centered and indifferent way of thinking, judging from her cold attitude.
It’s not really what someone would say, would it? Hana thought. If she was the one who started the rumor, that is. God… why does she have to make things so difficult? Why can’t she just… pretend to be the problem— is what she wanted to think, but she stopped herself, realizing that even for her, it was a foolish way of thinking. Childish. She didn’t know if Ayame was responsible. She wanted her to be responsible.
“Well… it’s an interesting and honest way of looking at it,” Baru said abruptly, picking his nose again and looking at his booger. “But it’s also foolish.”
All eyes fell upon Baru, and Ayame narrowed her brow begrudgingly. Again, out of all the people who would have said that, Hana would never have picked Baru once.
“Listen, I'm not that… uh, ya know, intelligent, or a history nerd like Sen is, but I don’t need none of them to know that people fighting, wars happening—they’re just gonna happen, even if we like it or not. Saying wars and conflict are pointless might not be false, but if they were truly pointless, no one would go to war in the first place. We all have something we want to protect, something we want to fight for. For your clan, they wanted to fight for a different future, a more reformed and respectful one. The AOK wanted to fight for how things were and continue the path they thought was better, even if you agree or disagree with it. And for your grandfather, he wanted to fight for the safety of his family, even if it meant betraying his whole clan. Even the soldiers had something to fight for. Their country, their way of thinking, their freedom, even if their perspectives might be flawed,” Baru said, fidgeting with his booger between his fingers.
Hana could only stare at Baru in… was it shock? Amazement? She didn’t know.
No… I’m not that surprised, she realized. When Baru had been fighting Gyro, his other self had shown—a more mature and understanding person than one could see at first glance.
The air around her grew hotter once more…
“You know…” Genkai said after moments of silence as he heard the conversation. “Gramps always talked about how guilty he was about betraying the clan. That his mistakes ran deeper than any blade could pierce.” He paused. “But when I asked him what he would do differently, he simply said: Nothing. It was a mistake to the entirety of my clan, to the fallen, and I’ll live with the guilt for the rest of my life, but yet, I’d still do it. Because if I didn’t, I would never get to enjoy the sunrise with my grandchildren. If he hadn’t betrayed his clan, he and our mother most likely would have been killed by the spies on both sides or even his own father,” Genkai said, finally understanding a little more about his grandfather's words.
“His own father?” Sen asked, and Genkai nodded.
“Yes, the leader of the clan—our grandpa’s father—started becoming suspicious of his rebelliousness to the clan’s plan and most likely would have killed him for treason, along with our mother. Meaning that if he hadn’t done it, we might have never been born. He couldn’t simply run, either. The AOK and his very own clan were watching his every move, so he was forced to pick a side, a side that would save his family but result in fifty thousand soldiers dead…”
“I don’t think so,” Sen said suddenly. “I don’t think your father was responsible for all the deaths. In fact, he made the death toll four less than it would have been.”
Genkai frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“The war between the AOK and your clan was already going to happen in the first place. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the inevitable bloodshed, and your grandfather saved four people from being a part of those casualties: himself, his daughter, and both of you. I don’t think this is something he should be guilty of. In fact, I think it should be praised. Not in the way the textbooks present it, but the actual outcome of all of it—both of you have a chance to retell his story,” Sen said sincerely.
Hana looked at her brother with soft eyes. This wasn’t the same brother she had once known. Or perhaps she hadn’t known her brother to begin with—maybe instead, she got used to just one part of him. The way he looked at them, it didn’t feel dull. It felt real.
Genkai and Ayame glanced at each other and then smiled softly. “Perhaps you have a point,” Genkai admitted. “It doesn’t matter if the clan hates him or us by association. Because in the end…”
“He saved us…” Ayame finished her brother’s words. “More than once, too.”
Genkai’s smile widened, but his eyes didn’t follow. He was trying his best to compose himself.
“Yep, he did,” Genkai said. “He did.” Behind the layer of his smile, Hana could see something else that she couldn’t quite recognize. Perhaps it was grief. Maybe even anger. Or even… relief.
“That’s a story for a different day, though.”
Hana frowned as she wondered what that could mean. Sen did say that their mother was killed by a monster a little while ago if I remember correctly. They also said their father was very well off, too, she recalled. Other than those pieces of information, what their life had been like was a mystery to her. Hana could only assume that their grandfather had trained them in the swordsmanship of the Akagawa clan since their skills were far beyond any standard Knight. She wasn't sure what training was involved in granting them such skills, but she sure would love to know. Maybe it’s some sort of cheat code to get stronger.
“Sorry if my question seems random,” Genkai said suddenly. “But what were your reasons for entering a challenge like this?”
Sen raised a brow. “Who are you asking?”
“I guess all of you.”
Hana paused. For the first time since the challenge started, she had the chance to reflect on everything that had occurred over the last few days. The room of doors, the bearwolf, being paralyzed by Gyro, and finally, this challenge—they were all so recent, yet felt so long ago. But what did they actually mean to her? Did it change her at all? Did it make her resolve to be a Knight any more? Any less?
She wasn’t sure.
“I just wanted to be stronger…” she answered. “I know it’s a pretty basic answer, but it’s true. I want to protect myself, my mom, my brother. I just want them to be safe, although it sounds pretty cringe when I think about it.” Beside her, Baru murmured in amusement.
“Why should that be cringe?” he said. “I think that’s a great reason. It's much better than mine. One day, my friend was talking about it in the orphanage, and I just decided to do it.”
Hana blinked at him. “You’re an orphan? I… never knew.” It wasn’t that she was shocked he was, but she certainly couldn’t believe that he hadn’t said anything about it to them this whole time. He was such a blabbermouth that something like that would have been said by now.
“Oh, I never did mention that, did I?” he put a finger on his chin in thought. “I mean, it’s not all that important anyway. After all, there are a lot of kids with no families or homes in this day and age. The lifespan of people is only going down too, either from monster attacks or mental illness, making more and more kids without any families. I so happen to be a lucky one that got sent to a good orphanage.”
Lucky? In what case is that considered lucky? Hana thought with a frown.
“What about you guys?” Baru asked the twins. They looked at each other briefly, then back to the fire. “Entering this challenge wasn’t exactly my main priority, to be honest. I mainly entered because of my sister,” Genkai said with a shrug, then slightly nudged Ayame to respond.
“To put a name to our strength, I guess,” Ayame said. “Unfortunately, the role of a Samurai wasn’t an option. Our clan has a similar process and its own ranking system, but unsurprisingly, they rejected us.”
“Huh, I wonder why.” Baru chuckled. It was a dark joke, but the group couldn’t help but laugh at it. Even Ayame, who didn’t smile much, shook her head as she turned sideways, hiding her smirk.
“So insensitive,” Ayame attempted to clear her throat in between a few half-scoffs.
“Sorry, sorry, too soon, I guess.”
Hana tried her best not to participate in laughing, but she couldn’t hold it in either. Not only was it bad to join in on the joke, but also because of who the joke was about. She couldn’t simply laugh at a joke about someone who was her prime suspect… yet that worry wasn’t on her mind all of a sudden. She even caught her brother smiling beside her. It was funny how quickly the fearful and solemn atmosphere could melt away when an oddly ironic joke presented itself. And it wasn’t as if they intended to make fun of it—they were simply making light of a sad predicament.
“Going back on topic,” Genkai was forced to compose himself. “What about you?” He looked at Hyo.
Hyo adjusted his glasses. “My father always wanted me to become a Knight, so I guess I just want to make him proud, that’s all. Plus, Hana was also entering, so it was a convenient excuse.”
Hana frowned thoughtfully at him. To the others, they wouldn’t fully understand his answer as well as she would. After all, they had been friends for a few years in high school, so they had gotten to know each other very well. Hyo was a calm and composed young man for a reason. He had gone through a lot in his life, and that included the passing of his father, who had been eaten by a monster. Yet Hyo still remained compassionate toward monsters for some reason beyond her understanding. He still showed sympathy and forgiveness for something that had taken a chunk of his life away. Sometimes, Hana wondered if she hated monsters more for what they did to his father than he did himself. Regardless, that aspect of Hyo was commendable, and Hana admired him.
Next down the circle was Kaiyo, who sat respectfully on her knees with her legs folded. Her rose-thin lips frowned as she thought. “I guess it’s similar to Hyo, but I wanted to make my father proud,” she softly answered. “He’s a high-ranking Knight, so I felt like I should follow in his footsteps, although he tells me that I don’t have to. I’m… or I guess…” Kaiyo trailed off, trying to find the right words. “I just want to be braver and stronger.”
To her, Kaiyo always came across as fragile and innocent. Her personality, since a very young age, had been mellow and considerate—so much so that she was a quick target of bullying. Hana wasn't sure whether that played a role in her choice, but she could at least understand how awful it was to be looked down upon. I would despise being treated like a flower. Fortunately, Hana never experienced that. Her temperament and Sense were a quick deterrent to those problems. However, when bullying happened to her on rare occasions, well… they never usually happened again after she took care of it. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the bully, she mused.
Next up to answer Genkai’s original question was Hono, who remained relatively quiet throughout the whole conversation. Her legs were drawn to her chest as she sat, and her arms wrapped around them, almost protectively. Her bob-cut hair covered her eyes, hiding her expression. Hana had suspected she could be responsible for the rumor at one point. However, Hono appeared to be at the bottom of the list of possible suspects since she had never left their team alone throughout the entire exam.
There was simply no time for her even to attempt to spread the rumor. At least Hana had some excuse for suspecting Ayame, so her paranoia didn’t refute all the obvious facts. She could at least recognize that Hono was most likely not the one responsible. Hono lifted her head slightly, revealing her dark, rosy eyes. “I…I’m not too sure, actually,” Hono finally said. The team eyed her, puzzled.
“You don’t even have one reason why you’re here?” Baru asked.
“I personally don’t, but I was told to enter by someone else. It’s, uh, a long story.”
“Your parents?” Kaiyo guessed. But Hono slowly shook her head.
“No, no, I don’t really know what happened to my parents. I grew up on the streets, so I never got to know them. Maybe they did look after me for some time, but I was probably too young to remember.”
There was a pause. “I’m… sorry to hear that,” Hyo said, adjusting his glasses. He always did that when he was nervous. “How did you… ya know, survive?”
“Other homeless people often looked after me,” she replied. “They protected me from other bad people and taught me how to beg. I'd often go to restaurants at the end of the day and ask them for free food before they threw it out. You’d be surprised how easy it is, but maybe it was because people pitied me since I was a young girl. If a middle-aged man did the same thing that I did, it would be a lot harder, I think.”
Judging by her bubbly and outgoing attitude, Hana never expected her to have faced such hardships. She always assumed that Hono was someone who grew up privileged and spoiled, but how far off she was. Growing up without any parents on the streets, with just a few homeless people to help you? That’s fucked up, and she acts like it was no big deal, either. My problems compared to hers… they seem so…
Hana’s thoughts trailed off. She knew she shouldn't compare herself to others, but listening to these stories reminded her how lucky she was. Yes, she had lost her father and virtually grew up without one, but at least she had a mother and a brother who loved her. She had gotten into a good school, received a powerful Sense, and had a decent house in the horrible economy…
She cringed when she remembered all the times she acted ungrateful or mad at her fortunate life.
“So then, who told you to enter?” Sen asked.
Hono paused, freezing up, as she looked directly at Sen with oddly wide eyes. Hono seemed distant suddenly, as if she had seen something beyond Sen—or even inside of him, perhaps. Her lips moved to answer, yet her words couldn’t follow. Hana wasn’t able to recognize what that expression was—all she knew was that it sent a shiver down her spine.
“It was the same person who saved me from the streets,” Hono finally said, looking down as her bangs fell. “He gave me a roof over my head and made sure I never went hungry. Although he never officially adopted me, he didn’t need to for me to know that he loved me like his own child. My life was nothing more than wanting a warm bed when it was cold, but when he saved me, I got a chance to wish for things—to act greedy for the first time in my life. I got…” her voice became weak. “I got a toy for the first time when I was ten. He was kind… very kind to me, so when he asked me to participate in the challenge, I didn’t think twice,” she softly said.
“But did you want to become a Knight?” Hyo asked, sympathy hinted in his tone.
… “No.”
“Did he force you?”
“No.”
The circle grew silent. Hana pitied her; it was clear she was in a rather tough predicament—she did not want to be a Knight but felt as if she had to, out of principle. The person who had given her a good life and saved her hadn’t asked for anything in return, so such a small request was as powerful as an order.
“I’m just glad that I could meet such good friends before I…” Hono trailed off. “It would have been difficult without you guys, so thank you.”
What was she going to say? Hana thought to herself.
“In any case, enough about me,” Hono said, putting on a forced smile. “What about you, Sen?”
Sen nodded, understanding her attempt to switch topics. He opened his mouth to reply, then stopped—as if he had rehearsed an answer but didn’t want to say it. Hana saw Sen stutter in frustration, annoyed that he wasn’t able to even formulate a sentence. But all of a sudden, Sen grew still as ice. His eyes were bloodshot and open as he gaped straight ahead, beyond any of the people in the circle—at simply nothing. Then he gagged, bending over as a convulsion of coughs suddenly became rampant. Blood escaped his dry coughs and landed in the fire pit, causing a hiss to echo as embers fluttered out.
Hana jolted from her sitting position, exclaiming, “Sen!?” She knelt at his side, not knowing what else to do except lightly tap her brother’s bent-over back as he continued to aggressively cough.
“Wh—What happened?” Hyo joined her side, talking over the loud noise.
“I…” Hana stuttered, looking at her brother’s horrible state. “I don’t know! Just… just bring me the medical kit now!” She urged him as Hyo scampered across the clearing to one of the tents. Sen’s coughs started to gurgle with liquid, and vomit began splattering all over the forest’s earthy floor next to his leaning hands. The team around her could only watch in horror and confusion.
Then Hyo returned with the medical kit. Hana gasped in relief as he began rummaging through all the medicine that could help Sen.
“Fuck! Ibuprofen, no! Bandages, gauze—none of these are going to fucking help! Where is the—” She stopped as she found a small bottle labeled Food Poisoning Relief. That had to be it! There was no other reason for Sen to randomly start vomiting if it wasn’t the food he just had. She put the bottle aside and silently waited for Sen’s vomiting to stop, even for a moment. When the moment happened, Baru and Hyo assisted in making him stand, then she manually poured the medicine into his slightly open mouth, followed by tons of water that Hyo had also brought. Sen gagged again, ready to throw up.
“Force it down, Sen!” Hana demanded brashly, splashing some fresh water on his face to cool him down.
“I…” a dark voice, far different from Sen’s, spoke out of his mouth. “I need more water,” Sen replied in his normal voice again. A few moments passed with Sen forcing down his gags, then a few minutes, and finally, it stopped.
Hyo and Baru gently set him down on the ground, eyeing him worryingly as he sat with legs crossed. Sen drew heavy gasps, attempting to catch his breath from the constant vomiting. He let out a tired sigh, his eyes closed.
“Sen?” Hana crouched beside him, gently stroking his back.
“I’m fine,” he answered. Hana raised her eyebrow and then frowned.
“What do you mean fine? You just threw up a shit ton. Are you still sick? Have you not recovered from last time and decided to play it off that everything was fine so we wouldn’t worry about you?” Although Hana’s words seemed harsh, they were still laced with worry for her brother. She did not like seeing him ill, and she wasn’t used to it either since he rarely got sick.
Three times in the past couple of days? Hana thought to herself. What are the odds of that happening? First, he fainted out of the blue for some unknown reason, and then he vomited when she saw Nova, and now this? Is it really just a sickness?
“It’s fine, I just got food poisoning,” Sen replied bluntly, yet he avoided her gaze. “And no, I got over my sickness a little while ago, but I guess my immune system is still weak. Sorry for wasting the food.”
“Sen, that’s the least of our worries,” Kaiyo said. “Please go to the tent and rest. The sun’s almost gone anyway. It doesn’t matter what made you throw up or how. In the end, you did, so you need to recover,” she demanded.
Sen frowned and looked at her slightly stubbornly, which was unusual for Hana to ever see. However, Sen knew better than to argue, probably realizing that Kaiyo’s words had some truth to them. He staggered while standing up. Baru reached out to help him, but he denied his aid and addressed the rest of the team.
“Apologies for the disgusting sight,” Sen’s words were mostly directed to Ayame and Genkai, who stood to the side awkwardly.
“No it’s… it’s fine. I hope you get better,” Ayame said uneasily. Sen nodded to them as he left the clearing, slipping into the tent’s zip-up entrance. Hana frowned, watching her brother go.
“Say, what if we stay here for a little while and help you guys out?” Genkai asked to Hana’s surprise.
Hyo and Baru glanced at each other and shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Any help is good help,” Hyo said. “Maybe it will discourage other teams from coming to our camp with an extra two people.”
Hana expected Ayame to look anxious about this decision, but instead, she looked almost… relieved? Why was she relieved? Didn’t she want to leave the camp as quickly as possible a little while ago?
“I have no objections,” Kaiyo nodded, and Hono slowly followed the trend, oddly uneasy.
“Alright then, it’s decided.” Hyo nodded gratefully at them. The two twins looked at each other with a slight smile. Well… I guess it works better for me, too. It’ll be easier to keep a closer eye on them…
“Hey, Hana,” Baru walked up to her. “I suggest you get some rest, too, while you can. It’s gonna be a long night on watch duty for us,” he noted.
She frowned and opened her mouth to argue but stopped herself. “Yeah… maybe you're right.”
“Woah, what the hell, you're listening to me? That’s surprising.”
Hana rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut it. I don’t ignore everything you say if it’s actually good advice. Unfortunately, most of the time, it’s not.”
“Here, I thought you hated me.”
“Huh? No, I don’t hate you, I…” Hana paused herself, wondering why she felt so hot all of a sudden.
Baru raised his brow and grinned. “You what? Please, I cannot handle another love confession at this time. There are far too many to choose from.” He laughed. Hana gritted her teeth as she flushed.
“You fuckin— Ya know, I’m not gonna even start. I’m just gonna listen to your advice and get some rest.”
“Sign of true love right there,” Baru teased while Hana turned around to her tent. She didn’t respond.
Before Hana could enter her tent, she saw Kaiyo and Hono attempting to leave the clearing. She eyed them with confusion, then shouted to them.
“Hey, where are you going?” she asked, and Kaiyo turned around.
“I needed to go to the little ladies’ room, and Hono suggested coming with me in case of any monsters…” Kaiyo shifted embarrassingly. She noted the Sense sword around Hono’s waist and nodded in understanding. “Good idea!” She gave a thumbs up and watched them leave the clearing.
Entering her tent, she flopped on her sleeping bag to the left, sighing tiredly. She hadn’t realized how exhausted she was until Baru had mentioned it. All of a sudden, all the missed hours of sleep came crashing down onto her when she gave herself a chance to rest. The constant worries about who the perpetrator was and the dangers of being in such a challenge kept her going. But now that her prime suspect was in their control, she felt oddly more at ease. Or maybe that’s what her mind fooled her into thinking.
Her thoughts drifted for a little while, as she thought about everything that had happened over the last few days. They began to feel lighter and jumbled as the tent grew darker, and sleep eventually took her.
Hana finally closed her eyes.
----------------------------------------
Sen opened his eyes to the abrupt sound of panicked voices. His tent’s door unzipped, revealing Hana’s scurrying silhouette. He jolted out of his sleeping bag, still feeling slightly woozy from his episode.
And he knew it wasn’t because of the food. It was the same feeling as before. He was losing control over his body, by something else.
“Hana?” Sen asked his gasping sister, still not adjusted to the darkness. But yet he could feel her worry.
“It’s Kaiyo! She was…. She…” Hana stuttered out. Sen comforted her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“Hana, calm down,” Sen demanded. “Tell me what happened, slowly.”
Hana exhaled deeply, taking a moment to gather her thoughts.
“Kaiyo hasn’t returned ever since she and Hono went out!”
Sen paused. They left alone? And she was with Hono? he thought, a shiver creeping down his spine.
“And the communication device?” he asked.
“We tried to contact her, and it went through, but it was all static. That only happens if it’s broken!” Hana panicked. “I think… I think Kaiyo has been kidnapped!”