Kairo stood a few meters away, facing the boy with the knife.
The boy slowly turned toward him. For a brief moment, his eyes narrowed in thought before a grin spread across his face. He lifted the knife, pointing it at Kairo as recognition settled in.
"So, it's you..." he chuckled. "The kid who barged into our classroom and picked a fight with us."
His grin widened.
"You know... I've been wanting to take you on ever since the disrespect you pulled."
Kairo didn't answer.
He simply stared back, as though holding his emotions in check.
"...Hey."
The single word caught the boy off guard.
"What?"
"What's your name?"
The boy frowned.
"Huh?"
Kairo asked again, his tone calm, almost curious.
"I said... what's your name?"
The boy shrugged.
"...Hikari."
Kairo gave a small nod.
"Hikari... why are you doing this?"
A confused look crossed Hikari's face.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Kairo raised a hand toward Morri, who still lay battered on the ground.
"Look at him."
His voice remained steady.
"Why are you always picking on him?"
Hikari glanced at Morri before throwing his head back with a laugh.
"Oh, come on."
He waved the knife carelessly, as if Morri wasn't even worth looking at.
"That guy's nothing but a weakling."
A smug grin spread across his face.
"If someone that useless gets pushed around, whose fault is that?"
He shrugged without the slightest hint of guilt.
"The weak exist to be stepped on."
His eyes drifted back to Kairo, amused.
"And watching a pathetic loser like him struggle..." He chuckled. "...is actually pretty entertaining."
Silence...
Kairo said nothing.
The forest stood still around them.
Then, after a long pause....
"...Are you proud of yourself?"
Hikari blinked.
"Huh?"
Kairo's eyes never left him.
"Are you... really proud of yourself?"
The words struck a nerve.
Hikari opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
His grin faltered for the first time.
"...What kind of stupid question is that?"
His fingers tightened around the knife.
"You've really pissed me off kid."
The smile vanished from Hikari's face.
His grip tightened as irritation crept into his expression.
"Now... You've really pushed my buttons."
He lowered his stance, the blade glinting as murderous intent seeped into his voice.
"I'm going to carve you into pieces."
Kairo quietly slid one foot back, settling into a defensive stance. His injured leg protested, but he ignored the pain. One hand remained open before him while the other rested close to his side, his gaze fixed on Hikari without wavering.
"I can't stand people like you."
Kairo's voice was low, carrying the weight of a grudge he'd buried since the beginning.
"You already pissed me off... long before I came to this survival test."
For an instant, the memory resurfaced.
Morri's trembling figure beneath the small bridge... the laughter... the mockery... the helpless look in his eyes as they bullied him without a shred of remorse.
Kairo had never forgotten it.
Then he fell silent once more, holding his stance.
Waiting...
For Hikari to make the first move.
......
From the cliff above... Tera's heart lurched into her throat.
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Her fingers clasped tightly together.
"Please..." she whispered beneath her breath. "Please be careful..."
She couldn't tear her eyes away.
Not now.
Not with a knife involved.
Below, Hikari's gaze drifted downward.
His eyes rolled on the bandages wrapped tightly around Kairo's injured leg.
A crooked grin spread across his face.
"...Seriously?"
He let out a short laugh.
"You're going to fight me with that leg?"
Behind Hikari, the girl tightened her grip around Morri's battered body.
"H-He has a knife!" she cried. "Be careful!"
Without looking away from his opponent, Kairo answered flatly,
"...Yeah."
His voice remained oddly calm.
"I can see that."
Hikari chuckled, twirling the blade between his fingers.
"So what's the plan?" he mocked. "You've got one bad leg..."
He raised the knife.
"...and I've got this."
The smirk on his face widened.
"Doesn't seem very fair for you."
To his surprise... Kairo smiled.
It wasn't arrogant.... It wasn't nervous.
It was the smile of someone who had already accepted the situation.
"Oh, don't worry."
His shoulders relaxed.
"I've seen tougher men than you back in Black Capital."
The words landed like a slap.
Hikari's smile disappeared.
A vein bulged across his temple.
Without another word...
He exploded forward.
His feet tore through the dirt, sending loose earth scattering behind him as he lunged with the knife aimed straight at Kairo.
The distance vanished in an instant.
But Kairo never moved away.
Instead...
He planted his good foot firmly into the ground.
His body twisted.
Then....
WHAM!
He kicked upward with his planted foot, sending a curtain of sand exploding into the air.
"...Gh!"
Hikari instinctively threw an arm across his face.
The spray slammed into his eyes.
His vision vanished.
The charge faltered.
His feet stumbled across the uneven ground as he tried to force his eyes open through the burning grit.
"...DAMN IT!"
Nothing.
Only dust.
Only confusion.
Then....
A hand burst through the falling sand.
Before Hikari could react...
Kairo seized Hikari by the front of his shirt and yanked him forward.
His eyes widened.
"What—?!"
The sudden pull dragged Hikari off balance.
Before he could recover, Kairo spun sharply, turning his back to him in one fluid motion. Lowering his hips beneath Hikari's center of gravity, he clamped down on Hikari's arm and leaned forward.
Using the force of Hikari's own charge against him, Kairo pulled once more...
Hikari's feet left the ground.
His body flipped over Kairo's shoulder, helplessly sailing through the air before...
BOOM!
He slammed face-first into the dirt with a thunderous impact.
The world flipped.
For a split second...
The impact shook the clearing.
Air burst violently from Hikari's lungs.
The knife flew from his hand, spinning across the dirt before clattering several meters away.
The instant Hikari slammed into the ground, Kairo never released his arm.
Using the momentum of the throw, he stepped past Hikari's shoulder and pulled the captured arm high behind his back.
Before Hikari could even lift his head...
Kairo drove a knee firmly into the middle of his back.
His chest was forced against the dirt.
His arm bent painfully upward, trapped between Kairo's grip and the weight pressing down on him.
It was a textbook pin. Every attempt to move only twisted Hikari's shoulder farther behind his back.
...
Hikari's scream tore across the shoreline.
"AAAGH!"
His body writhed violently beneath Kairo's hold, but every struggle only twisted his shoulder farther behind his back.
"You...!" he snarled through clenched teeth. "Get off me!"
From the bluff above, Tera covered her mouth with both hands.
"...He actually did it."
She had expected Kairo to create an opening for Morri to escape.
She hadn't expected him to disarm an armed opponent and pin him to the ground in a matter of seconds.
Below, Morri stared in disbelief.
His bleeding shoulder had all but been forgotten.
"...K-Kairo..."
Beside him, the frightened girl blinked repeatedly, unable to process what she had just witnessed.
The boy who had stepped out alone...
Had completely turned the situation around.
Hikari continued thrashing beneath Kairo.
"You bastard!" he spat. "When I get out of this, I'm going to—"
Kairo silently shifted his weight.
He drove his knee deeper into the center of Hikari's back while pulling his captured arm another inch higher.
"AAAHHH!"
Pain shot through Hikari's shoulder.
His entire body stiffened.
His curses dissolved into a pained cry.
Only then did Kairo speak, his voice was expressive.
"...How does it feel?"
Hikari grits his teeth.
"...What?"
"To be the one on the ground."
For a moment, Hikari said nothing.
Then hatred twisted across his face.
"You think you've won?"
He laughed through the pain.
"You're dead."
His eyes burned with malice.
"The moment Harumachi hears about this..."
"...he'll kill you."
Kairo frowned slightly.
"...Harumachi?"
The name meant nothing.
He looked down at Hikari.
"...Who's Harumachi?"
The question caught Hikari completely off guard.
He stared up at Kairo as though he'd lost his mind.
"...Are you serious?"
"You already forgot?"
Kairo remained silent.
Hikari scoffed.
"The guy you picked a fight with during the academy certification."
For a brief instant...
Kairo's thoughts returned to that day.
The crowded classroom.
The bullies surrounding Morri.
The guy who had led them.
"...Him."
His eyes narrowed in recognition.
"So that's his name."
The grip on Hikari's wrist never loosened.
"...Where is Harumachi now?"
Hikari let out a mocking laugh despite the pain.
"...Like I'd ever tell you."
Kairo didn't argue, he simply tightened the submission hold.
Another inch.
Hikari's shoulder strained against its limit.
"AAAAAGH!"
His face contorted in agony.
"O-Okay!"
"Stop!"
"I'll talk!"
The pressure eased slightly.
Hikari drew several shaky breaths before glaring up at Kairo.
"...Harumachi already claimed a territory."
Kairo's expression sharpened.
"...A territory?"
Hikari nodded bitterly.
"He's already claimed a territory."
"And he's sending scouts throughout the forest."
"Anyone worth recruiting gets brought back."
"Anyone who refuses..."
He smirked despite himself.
"...gets dealt with."
"He plans to control every territory in this survival test."
"Not just in one region..."
"...all of them!"
Silence.
Kairo's thoughts drifted immediately to Bobo.
If Harumachi's people were already searching the forest...
Then Bobo.... could already be in danger.
The realization settled heavily in his chest. Without another word, Kairo released the hold.
Hikari immediately rolled away, clutching his aching shoulder as he scrambled to his feet. He staggered back several paces before glaring at Kairo with undisguised hatred.
He brushed the dirt from his clothes, never taking his eyes off him.
Kairo remained where he stood.
His expression was serious this time.
"...Where's Harumachi's territory?"
Hikari's lips slowly curled into a sneer.
"You think I'm stupid enough to tell you that?"
He let out a short laugh.
"But don't worry."
"The moment I find Harumachi..."
"...I'll tell him exactly what happened here."
His grin widened.
"And now that we know you're taking part in the survival test..."
"...he'll send even more people to hunt you down."
Silence.
Kairo's eyes lowered for a brief moment.
Harumachi already controls a territory...
That meant only one thing.
The map.
Every claimed territory contained supplies and intelligence. If Harumachi had secured one already, then he almost certainly possessed a map of the Dead Forest.
His thoughts drifted to Bobo.
If I can find Harumachi...
...I can find the map.
Kairo looked back at Hikari.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...Don't worry."
His voice was quiet yet carried unwavering certainty.
"If Harumachi already owns a territory..."
"...then that just means I'll find him before he finds me."
For a heartbeat, Hikari simply stared at him.
Then he burst into laughter.
"...You're insane."
He shook his head in disbelief.
"You've got a death wish."
Still laughing to himself, he slowly backed toward the trees.
"Enjoy your little victory."
"It'll be the last one."
With one final glare, Hikari turned and disappeared into the forest, the dense undergrowth swallowing him from sight....
The beach fell silent once more.