A splash of cold water struck the boy's face.
"GAH!"
He jolted awake, coughing as water streamed down his face.
"...Ugh..."
His vision slowly cleared.
Five figures stood before him.
His eyes widened.
He instinctively tried to move—
"...!"
—but his body refused.
Looking down, he found himself tightly bound to the trunk of a towering tree.
His breathing quickened.
He turned his head.
To his left...
To his right...
His two companions tied next to him, both still unconscious.
"...W-What...?"
Tera stepped forward.
"...Talk."
Her voice was calm.
"How many more people did Harumachi send after us?"
The boy remained silent.
Toka sighed.
"...Maybe he's still asleep."
He took a slow step forward.
"...I should wake him up"
"W-Wait...wait!"
The boy immediately blurted out.
"I'll talk!"
Tera nodded once.
"...Good."
The boy swallowed.
"...W-What do you want to know?"
Before Tera could answer, Kairo spoke.
"First....start with your name."
The boy hesitated.
"...Izuno."
Kairo folded his arms.
"...Alright, Izuno."
"How many people did Harumachi send after us?"
Izuno shook his head.
"...I don't know."
"Everyone under Harumachi is given different assignments."
"We only know our own objectives."
Kairo narrowed his eyes.
"...So, I'm guessing your assignment was harassing female participants?"
"W-What?!"
Izuno shook his head frantically.
"No!... You've completely misunderstood!"
"We were ordered to scout recruits across this West region."
Toka finally spoke.
"...For what purpose?"
Izuno lowered his gaze.
"...I don't know."
"My friends and I were promised that if we completed our assignment..."
"...Harumachi would help us secure a pass in the Survival Test.
The group fell into silence.
Without another word, Kairo turned away from Izuno. The others followed, gathering a short distance away beneath the shade of the towering trees.
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For a moment, only the whisper of the wind filled the space between them.
Yomi finally spoke, "...Do you think he's telling the truth?"
Morri frowned almost immediately.
"...What? Of course not."
Kairo glanced at him.
"...What makes you say that?"
Morri's expression hardened as memories resurfaced.
"...Because I've had my encounter with Harumachi's people."
His hand instinctively drifted toward his injured knee.
Tera looked at him.
"...You mean Hikari?"
Morri gave a quiet nod.
"...Yeah."
Silence settled over them once more.
Toka sighed.
"It doesn't matter... Whether he's lying or not..."
His calm gaze shifted toward the bound recruit.
"...there's only one way."
"And We'll find out for ourselves."
The others exchanged brief glances before nodding in agreement.
Together, they turned back toward Izuno.
........................
Kairo stepped toward Izuno until only a few paces separated them.
"Hey you.... One last question."
Izuno slowly raised his head.
"...How far is the West Territory from here?"
The boy hesitated before answering.
"...About twenty minutes on foot."
Morri instinctively rested a hand beneath his chin.
"...Twenty minutes..."
He muttered thoughtfully.
"...If my calculations are right..."
"...that's roughly one-point-one-five miles from here."
Izuno's brows slowly knitted together.
His eyes shifted from Morri to the rest of the group.
A look of genuine confusion settled on his face.
"...Wait..."
His voice faltered.
"...You're not actually thinking of matching there..."
"...are you?"
Silence.
None of them answered.
Izuno stared at them for another heartbeat before his eyes widened.
"Wha!.. Ar... Are you people crazy?"
"...That's not a place you just walk into."
"...It's a death trap."
Still... No one spoke.
The silence only unsettled him further.
"...Don't tell me..."
His gaze swept across the five of them once more.
"...This is your whole team?"
Morri folded his arms.
"...Yeah, what if is it?"
Izuno's shoulders dropped.
"...You've got to be kidding me..."
He let out a nervous laugh.
"...I thought you people were reckless..."
"...but you're far worse than I imagined."
Morri's eyebrow twitched.
"...Oi..."
He took a step forward.
"...Who're you calling reckless?"
Before he could continue, Tera calmly caught his sleeve.
"...Morri."
Morri clicked his tongue but reluctantly stopped.
Izuno quickly continued.
"...You don't understand the gravity of what you're thinking."
"Harumachi is practically untouchable."
"He's surrounded by his closest allies at all times."
"And every single day..."
"...his numbers keep growing."
His voice became more desperate.
"If this is the best you've got..."
"...then you're walking straight to your deaths."
For a long moment... No one spoke.
Only the wind drifted through the towering trees.
Then....
Kairo stepped forward
A faint smile crossed his face.
"...Maybe you're right."
Izuno blinked.
"...Huh?"
"We probably don't stand much of a chance..."
"...if we charge Harumachi head-on."
Kairo's voice remained calm.
"...But unlike you..."
"...we don't follow someone's orders without knowing what they'll cost."
His gaze never left Izuno.
"...Or their true motive."
He folded his arms.
"To be honest, I'm not really interested in whatever game Harumachi trying to play."
For a brief moment...
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Neyo.
And the rest.
The promise they had all made before stepping into the Survival Test.
To meet again... In the North region.
A quiet determination settled in his eyes.
"...I have friends waiting for me."
"...before I can keep that promise...I need the map."
"The one inside the West Territory."
He clenched his fist.
"...So, if risking my life is what it takes..."
"...then that's exactly what I'll do."
".... I refuse to break the promise we made."
Silence.
The words lingered beneath the forest canopy.
Behind him...
Tera smiled.
Morri couldn't help letting out a quiet chuckle.
Yomi's eyes softened.
Even Toka wore the faintest smirk "...Wow."
He scratched the back of his head.
"...Didn't know you could say something that cool."
Kairo blinked "...What?"
Morri nodded in agreement.
"Yes Kairo... He's got a point."
Yomi giggled "...It actually sounded kind of inspiring."
Tera simply shook her head with an amused smile.
Kairo looked from one face to another, completely bewildered.
"You guys.... Seriously?"
Meanwhile... Still tied securely against the tree, Izuno could only stare at them.
His eyes slowly widened "...These people..."
He muttered under his breath "...They're completely insane."
...........................
Kairo stepped toward Izuno once more.
"Hey uhm... We're going to need your help."
Izuno blinked.
"...Me?"
He looked around as if Kairo had been speaking to someone else.
"...What does that have to do with me?"
Before Kairo could answer, Toka spoke from behind him.
"...Think of it as compensation."
His gaze drifted toward the bespectacled boy and the girl seated beneath the shade of a nearby tree, both still recovering from the encounter.
"...For what you and your friends did to them."
Izuno followed his line of sight.
His shoulders immediately slumped.
"...Ah we didn't do anything I swear.."
He felt the walls closing in around him.
Somehow... He had been dragged into this.
His face twisted into quiet despair.
"...Why..."
He muttered to himself.
"...Why does bad luck always find me...?"
After a long sigh, he looked back at the group.
"...What about my friends?"
Toka casually shrugged.
"Oh, don't worry about them."
He nodded toward the two unconscious recruits tied next to Izuno
"...Once they wake up, they're free to go."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"...Assuming they don't spend too long sleeping..."
He glanced toward the endless forest beyond.
"...And the wild beasts don't find them first."
Izuno's face immediately turned pale.
"Wait ....W-What?!"
His eyes darted toward his unconscious companions.
"...What did you do to them?!"
Toka slipped both hands into his pockets.
"...Nothing really."
"...I just gave them a few taps."
"But they'll live."
The calm smile on his face somehow made those words even more unsettling.
Izuno swallowed hard.
Nearby, Yomi slowly walked over to Toka.
She looked up at him with a concerning look on her face.
"...Hey, Toka..."
"I think you're making him scared."
Toka glanced at her.
"...I know."
Yomi blinked.
A small chuckle escaped Morri.
Even Tera covered a faint smile with the back of her hand.
Kairo simply shook his head.
"...Let's get moving guys, we'll make the plan on our way"
One by one, they turned and began walking deeper into the forest.
Only Toka remained standing for another moment, his hands resting comfortably inside his pockets.
He quietly glance toward the bound recruits.
Izuno could only lower his head with a defeated sigh.
"...This really is the worst day of my life..."
.......................