"For the love of god!" Hana exclaimed. "How long are we going to walk aimlessly in this tunnel-like dungeon? I don’t even know what this is supposed to be. It just looks like a never-ending tunnel!"

They had been walking for what seemed like hours, but every time Hana checked her Techno watch, only a few minutes had passed. The tunnel, seemingly made of brick, was lined with torches, providing some relief from total darkness.

"Techno watch? If we follow this tunnel, we'll escape this place, right?" Hana asked.

"I am programmed not to give any hints, but I can provide a map," the watch answered.

"A WHAT NOW? Are you saying you could have given us a map this whole time? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?!" Baru exclaimed angrily. "You know, I’m breaking up with you, Techno Watch! I thought we would have lived happily ever after, but this has crossed the line!" he lamented dramatically.

Oh God, I honestly would fail on purpose just to get away from this guy. Hana grimaced.

"Here is the map. Use it wisely; you never know what's lurking," the watch said ominously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Genkai wondered aloud.

"Not that you would know," Ayame retorted dismissively to her brother. "You couldn’t even if you tried."

"Aww, come on, Ayame, don’t hurt me in front of people. I might just cry." Genkai wailed theatrically.

"Stop acting like a child. You always do that," Ayame muttered under her breath.

Hana wasn't so sure. I see his childish side, but it seems unfair to judge him for trying to lighten the mood—although it does seem to irritate her even more.

Regardless, she decided not to concern herself with other contestants' family affairs—it was a waste of time, especially since she barely knew them. And I don't plan on getting to know that b*tch. She almost sliced my goddamn fist off.

Hana decided to leave out the part where she was slightly responsible for the conflict. She was just too stubborn to acknowledge that fact.

Maybe it's best to keep it that way. Soon, it'll just be our team after the first challenge ends. It wasn’t just Ayame and Genkai she was cautious of; Hana also had reservations about Hono and... she didn’t even want to think about Baru. Ever since they met a few hours ago, he had been pestering her nonstop with sly and immature comments.

But it didn’t matter. They would have to manage as long as they didn’t jeopardize their chances in the challenges.

"Oh, stop it, Ayame, come on, lighten up. I'm just playing with you." Genkai nudged his sister with his shoulder.

Ayame glared at him. "When do you not play around."

"Plenty of times, when I battle, when I eat–"

"You play with you're food,"

"Oh, you have a point there." Genkai frowned. "But comedy is the best relief in any situation, trust me. Just take it easy. Wouldn't you agree, Baru?"

Hana could swear she had seen a mournful expression on Baru, but it was so quick that she contemplated if she had actually seen it or not. Baru nodded eagerly with a smile, confirming that it was most likely just her imagination.

"He's right. The more you use comedy, the more you stop caring about stuff," Baru agreed.

Judging by Ayame's tense face, she was not taking the advice all that well. "How can I stop caring? That's foolish."

Her outburst wasn't directed at them but at something completely different, that Hana could tell by the flash of grief in Ayame's eyes. Sen didn't interject or attempt to stop the meaningless conversation, so they just kept marching in the dungeon hallway while the three were bickering about nonsense.

"It's easy. You start by just not caring," Genkai chuckled at Ayame's pessimistic answer. "Nobody simply stops caring. That would be too easy. You just gotta start with fooling yourself first."

"What I said wasn't a question," she said coldly. "Regardless, that way of thinking is just as I would expect from you, idiot. You never care about anything. Everything is just so unimportant and careless to you, isn't it?"

"Well, that's a bit mean, I care about a lot of stuff–"

"This is exactly why Mom isn’t with us anymore," Ayame murmured, her words inadvertently reaching Hana’s ears. The quiet comment made Hana pause.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I wasn’t going to eavesdrop on their family drama, but I can't just ignore that. What the hell?

An awkward silence followed as they continued walking. Then, Genkai stopped in the middle of the brick tunnel, casting a shadow over his eyes, his lips flattening.

"You know it wasn’t my fault… I was young and foolish. Stop bringing that up," he replied, his comedic tone trialing away.

"Well, maybe if you hadn’t run off like you did back then... then mother wouldn't..." Ayame's voice rose with anger, then deflated with a sigh.

Genkai stood motionless, his face solemn as he stared at the ground, opening and closing his mouth as if struggling to find words. Hana noticed Sen giving Ayame a swift glance, his usual calm expression betraying a trace of exasperation.

Deciding the argument was too personal, Hana resolved not to intervene, half-expecting Genkai to retaliate. However, he simply patted Ayame's head, breaking his immobility.

"It’s fine. One day, you’ll understand. Let's not fight about the past. We should focus on passing this test," he said with a smile.

That’s not the reaction I expected. Perhaps there's more to him than meets the eye, Hana reflected.

Genkai’s response struck a nerve within Ayame. Her fists clenched in annoyance, her lips pursed as she contemplated what to say. At this point, the siblings' conversation had even piqued Sen’s interest, though Hana couldn’t say for certain whether it was interest or annoyance.

"Sorry to make you guys stop like that," Genkai laughed, looking guilty. "Let's get moving, shall we?"

"No, t-that’s alright, I guess," Hana responded without thinking. Genkai passed them with a smile, but it quickly faded before he was out of Hana’s sight. It was painfully obvious he was covering his feelings, playing it off as no big deal.

Anyone with common sense could see that. Hana wanted to demand an explanation but realized it probably wasn’t the best time for that.

Gradually, they all started moving again, not even bothering to look at the map. This time, it was in complete silence. Even Baru appeared too uncomfortable to make his usual inappropriate remarks. Maybe that’s for the best. It'll help us focus more on the exam ahead.

Hana’s wish for silence, however, came to an abrupt halt.

"Typical of you," Ayame muttered. "Always trying to earn sympathy from others. Give me a break. All you do is whine and say retarded things, and when I call you out, I’m the bad guy?"

Hana held her breath as she stopped walking. She could have sworn she saw a deep blue aura emanating from Genkai. A cold shiver ran along her spine. Genkai was definitely at his breaking point—

"This probably isn’t my place to interject," Sen finally spoke up after observing the argument, "but is that really something you want to say to your brother?"

"Tsk, I'm not here to listen to your opinions on our life, okay? You guys have no idea what kind of life I’ve had!" Ayame snarled aggressively. However, her display of anger was ineffective against Sen’s calm demeanor. He even let out a slight murmur of amusement.

"What’s so funny, Snow Head?" Ayame snapped at him, annoyance flashing in her eyes. Even Hana was confused by her brother’s reaction. It’s almost like he’s enjoying this.

"Oh, nothing really," Sen waved his hand dismissively, turning his back on Ayame.

"So you’re just going to walk away like that? Hmph, pathetic. If you’re going to confront me, at least follow through with it." Ayame’s words made Sen pause mid-step.

Did her words finally get to him? Hana wondered. No, it couldn’t be. Sen wouldn’t get mad over such things.

"Hmm, well, if you insist." He turned around to face Ayame. "I thought I’d keep it to myself, but I think I recognize both of your names from somewhere."

Ayame paled.

"I don’t have the best memory, but I think I remember seeing a news article about a monster attack a long time ago. Of course, I could be wrong. But the story sounded awfully similar to yours—"

"Shut your mouth right now…" Ayame’s voice dropped to a whisper, her confidence escaping her.

"About a decade ago, a well-off aristocrat went on vacation with his family," Sen continued.

"I said shut up…" Ayame repeated weakly.

"Reports say he and his family went into a so-called safe zone from monsters. In fact, they knew it was safe because they’d traveled there every year or so—"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

"That year was no different than any other. They enjoyed themselves until something horrific happened… Can you guess what it was?" Sen narrowed his eyes, laced with dark amusement.

Both Ayame and Genkai's eyes widened in pure traumatic horror.

"During their peaceful vacation, their mother was attacked by a monster. And sadly, she ended up being brutally torn apart by it. They couldn’t even retrieve the body." They all gasped in shock, unable to hide their horror from Sen’s revelation.

Hana was deeply disturbed by the story, but she couldn’t help wondering how Sen knew this in the first place. To call it a coincidence was one thing, but remembering such a story from years ago was something entirely different.

Hana glanced worriedly at her brother. She thought she had known her brother, but the more these challenges went on, the more she questioned how much he didn't tell her.

For once, Ayame was at a loss for words. She stared at the ground, her breath coming in short gasps. Her pupils shrank and twitched in horror as she recalled dreadful memories. Sen had clearly struck a nerve.

"Don’t get me wrong. I still have no idea what you’ve been through. But to be honest, I don’t care." Sen’s voice was cold as he stared down at Ayame. "If you’re using these incidents as an excuse, that’s pathetic. No matter how tough your life has been, this isn’t the place to pity yourself. Don’t waste the talent you have by complaining."

Sen’s gaze shifted to Ayame’s clenched fingers. "Any other person would assume you’re just a good-for-nothing, cantankerous teenager. But I can see that you do have the resolve to be stronger. I can tell from the bruises on your hands."

Hana tilted her head in confusion. Bruises on her hands? What does that have to do with anything? She looked closer at Ayame’s hands, and Sen’s observation was accurate. There were clusters of red wounds, some grey and desiccated, brutally exposed on her skin.

"So I’ll say this again: don’t let the strength you have go to waste. I’m not trying to be your therapist here. I’m just trying to pass this challenge, which I highly suggest you focus on too. If you have a problem with what I just said, go ahead and complain. If not, let’s get moving." Sen presented a false smile before turning and walking away.

Silence gripped not only Ayame but also Genkai. After all, Sen hadn’t been trying to protect Genkai from embarrassment. He merely said what was necessary to silence Ayame. And in doing so, he affected Genkai as well.

They both shared traumatic memories, so it would be naïve to think Ayame was the only one affected by Sen’s words.

"Whatever…" Ayame murmured, avoiding eye contact.

Hana couldn’t help but look at Sen with a mixture of amusement and suspicion.

I just don’t get him.