His heart was still racing from the fight, his hands still stained with blood.
Slowly… he turned.
Sensei Takeda stood a few steps behind him.
Not relaxed.
Watching.
The other teachers were there too—silent, observant.
Takeda's eyes dropped first.
To Kado's hands.
Then his clothes.
Then back to his face.
"…What happened?"
Kado didn't answer immediately.
He wiped his hand against his uniform, but the blood only smeared darker.
"I… I slipped," he said, voice unsteady.
His shoulders trembled slightly, breath uneven.
"There's… a cave nearby," he continued, forcing the words out. "I fell in."
A pause.
Kado lowered his gaze, clenching his fists just enough to make it believable.
"A beast came at me…" he added, shaking his head. "I thought I was dead."
The teachers stayed silent, watching him.
"…but someone showed up," Kado said quickly. "I didn't see who. They just—killed it… and left."
Hiroshi frowned.
"Someone?"
Sensei Daichi's eyes narrowed.
"And you didn't see them?"
Kado shook his head again, stepping back slightly.
"No… it was too fast."
Takeda didn't speak.
His eyes stayed locked on Kado's face… studying every reaction.
"…Where is the cave?"
Kado pointed behind him.
"There."
A brief silence.
Then—
"Take us," Takeda said.
Kado's tuff twitched once.
"…Yes, Sensei."
They reached the cave.
Takeda stepped in first.
His foot stopped mid-step.
The others followed behind him—
…and froze.
The smell hit first.
Blood.
Heavy. Thick.
Kado stood behind them.
He clicked his tongue softly.
"…Tch."
He turned his face away slightly.
"That's… disgusting."
The group moved out of the cave, the sunlight falling in uneven patches through the trees.
Kado shouldered the bags of all four teachers without a word, keeping his head low.
The teachers walked ahead, still murmuring and discussing the next target location before the sun dipped below the horizon.
Kado's hands ached, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to keep pace.
His eyes flicked to the path ahead, scanning for any sign of danger, even as he feigned exhaustion.
The forest clearing was alive with the smell of roasted beast, smoke curling into the early evening sky. Kado sat a little apart from the fire, arms crossed, glaring at the sizzling meat.
"I'm not eating that," he muttered under his breath, leaning back on his hands.
Sensei Takeda noticed and narrowed his eyes. "Not eating? You think this is a joke, boy? If you don't eat, you'll be too weak to survive tomorrow."
Kado shrugged. "I'm fine. I don't need it."
Sensei Hayato snorted, brushing ash off his sleeve. "Fine, let him go hungry. He'll learn quickly when the forest teaches him himself."
"You really think starving him will work?"
Sensei Fujimoto asked, shaking his head.
"The boy's stubborn, yes, but there's a difference between discipline and making him resent us."
Sensei Morita, polishing a small knife, frowned. "Discipline works. We can't coddle him. The forest doesn't care about feelings. Hunger sharpens the mind as much as the body."
Kado's ears twitched at the conversation. They think they're teaching me… fools. He kept silent, staring at the fire.
Minutes passed, and the smell of the meat made his stomach growl despite himself. Sensei Takeda noticed and tossed him a small, bright fruit.
"Here," he said. "You'll need something, at least. Don't make me drag you over the fire to roast a beast for you."
Kado caught it without a word and bit into it, juices spilling onto his fingers. He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor. "Hmm… that's… okay," he said, hiding the small pleasure behind a frown.
"You call that enough to satisfy you?" Ayaka teased from the other side of the fire, smirking.
Kado glared but didn't answer. He could feel the teachers watching him, judging, whispering among themselves.
"By sunset, we'll move on to the next clearing," Sensei Hayato said, standing and brushing soot from his sleeves. "We need to reach the eastern ridge before dark, or the beasts will become more aggressive."
Sensei Fujimoto nodded. "And Kado, you will carry the supplies again. Don't think you can hide behind excuses."
Kado gritted his teeth, dragging the heavy pack closer to him. "Yes… yes, of course," he muttered, irritation dripping from each word, but he kept his face neutral.
...
...
As the sun dipped lower, the shadows stretching across the camp, the teachers continued to strategize.
"We'll need to split into two groups at dawn," Sensei Morita said. "One goes north to scout the ridge, the other remains here to track any movement near the spring."
Sensei Takeda added, "And we keep Kado close. He has potential, yes, but without control, he's a liability. Don't let him wander alone."
Kado's tuffs twitched involuntarily, his eyes flicking to the forest edge. They're talking about me like I'm some weak pup… I'll show them. I'll show everyone.
The campfire crackled louder, shadows dancing across his sharp features. Hunger gnawed at him again, but beneath it, a spark of curiosity ignited.
He wanted more than fruit—he wanted to test himself, to feel the night, to see what he could do in silence, away from their eyes.
As the teachers settled around the fire, discussing their route for tomorrow, Kado quietly stood, brushing dirt off his uniform.
"I… need to throw up," he muttered, voice low, almost to himself. The teachers barely looked up, assuming he was stretching or adjusting his pack.
He stepped into the forest, careful not to disturb the soft brush. The scent of the earth, the leaves, and something sweet—the fruit—drifted to him.
He smiled faintly, muscles tensing. Tonight, I hunt for more. Tonight, I test myself.
The forest at night was different from the daylight calm. Shadows stretched between the trees, and the rustle of leaves carried whispers of movement Kado couldn't yet see.
He crouched low, the heavy pack he'd carried all day now forgotten in the thrill of secrecy. His eyes, sharp and alert, reflected the silver light of the moon breaking through the canopy.
"Curse," he murmured under his breath, the familiar voice slithering into his mind. Are you ready?
Always, Curse replied, a low hiss that seemed to wrap around Kado's thoughts.
He took a slow breath, feeling the cool night air fill his lungs. His claws flexed against his palms, the faint itch of power crawling along his veins.
The scent of the forest was intoxicating—earthy, damp, alive. And beneath it, a sweeter, more tempting aroma: the fruit he had tasted by the fire.
He grinned faintly, the memory of that small sweetness igniting something he couldn't name.
Step by step, he moved deeper, careful to silence his footfalls. The bushes brushed against his uniform, and the occasional snap of a twig made him pause, ears twitching, muscles coiled like springs.
This was his world now, away from the teachers' eyes, away from their judgment, away from the sneers he could almost feel burning at the back of his neck.
Ahead, a faint glow caught his eye—a cluster of fruit dangling from a low-hanging branch, kissed by moonlight. He crouched, calculating the jump, stretching his claws for balance.
The moment his fingers closed around the branch, the weight shifted, and the fruit trembled in his hand.
"CAREFUL," Curse whispered, almost amused. DON'T LET YOUR IMPATIENCE BETRAY YOU.
Kado ignored him, tasting the fruit with slow precision. Juices dribbled down his fingers, sticky and sweet, the flavor richer than any he'd known.
He swallowed, and then another, and then another, until he felt a warmth spread through his chest, a quiet satisfaction, though hunger still lingered beneath it.
The forest wasn't silent for long.
A faint rustle behind him made his tuffs rise, his eyes narrowing. From the shadows, a pair of small glowing eyes blinked up at him. He froze, claws ready, instincts honed. A fox—or something similar—watched him curiously.
"Easy," he murmured, crouching low. "I'm not here to hurt you."
The creature twitched its ears and darted away, disappearing into the shadows, leaving Kado alone with the fruit, the forest, and the whisper of Curse lingering in his mind.
Kado crept through the underbrush, following the fox's quick, nimble movements.
Its glowing eyes seemed almost to beckon him deeper into the forest, weaving between twisted roots and shadows that grew heavier with every step.
"Curse," Kado muttered under his breath, keeping his voice low. "It's just a fox… probably lost. Nothing to worry about."
FOOLISH BOY, Curse hissed inside his mind, voice low but urgent. Turn back. This is not an ordinary animal. You don't know what you're chasing.
"I said it's nothing," Kado snapped, brushing off the warning. His claws flexed at his sides as he moved with careful precision, senses alert to every rustle, every snap of a twig. "I can handle a fox."
The fox paused atop a moss-covered rock, tail flicking lazily, eyes glinting in the moonlight. Then, in a fluid, terrifying motion, its form began to shift.
Bones stretched, fur bristled, and its eyes flared a deep crimson. In moments, it stood on four massive legs, fangs bared, its body bristling with raw, unnatural power.
Kado's tuffs rose, his heartbeat quickening, yet he didn't back away. "So… maybe this isn't just a fox," he muttered under his breath, panicking.