The group left the camp, venturing deeper into the surrounding forest. As they walk on a narrow pathway hidden by the canopy of cedar trees, Tsukino leads the way.
However, such favoritism displeases Shinji and his goons. Mostly, because the quiet atmosphere is making the situation more haunting. The group wants the Main Character to show them an act or two, to lighten things up.
On the other hand, Tsukino favors stealth and silence; she doesn't want to alert their enemies to their approach.
"Can't we at least sing a song, to honor our possible last day alive?"
Shinji asked, but Tsukino shakes her head. Instantly, Shinji grumbles, muttering under his breath:
"You're acting cocky... because you're fooling around with that hippo Tama-Artist. We saw you giving him the glare of love." —it was the glare of death; nonetheless, he had to say.
Tsukino's eyes narrows, inquiring: "I didn't hear you well. What did you just say?"
Shinji sneers, "I said, you're ugly!"
The group's movements come to a halt, as the two exchange vicious insults. However, their ruction is suddenly cut short, as one of their group mates collapses beside them, headless.
Before they can process what is happening, two more headless bodies, gushing out fountains of blood, fall to the ground.
Tsukino's gaze lands on a profound beast that is playing with one of the human waste. Crestfallen, she thinks: 'I'm still too weak to save anyone.'
She doesn't ponder much, and alarms the group: "Everyone, prepare for battle! We're surrounded by a pack of stage 2 wind jaguars!"
Much to her expectations, she is the only one ready to fight. Most of the young men are shivering in fear. On the Hill Cat, they fought against stage 1 profound beasts, and stage 2 beasts are something they aren't ready for.
"Tsk, useless as always." She complained underneath her breath, "I just have to do this myself."
Hearing her lasts word, Shinji gives her an eccentric side glance that seems to say, 'naive as always.' Before she takes out her katanas, he tugs her to the ground, saving her from an unexpected attack; yelling:
"Everyone! Our opponents are hidden in the trees! They are aiming for our heads!"
Much to Shinji's surprise, only two people remain on their feet —Lucien and Sora at the back—; the rest mirror his move —jumping to the ground.
Right then, Tsukino stands up, before kicking his side: "Stay out of my way! I don't need help from a dumb scholar!"
The beauty isn't going to let women get done in a world ruled by them, and takes out her dual kitanas. In a swift motion, she pulls them to the opposite arms' direction, before violently swinging them back, widening her arms.
Wheeze!
Her action manages to cut down a wind jaguar coming at her, leaving it falling to the ground in three thirds.
'These guys are only stage 2 because they hunt stealthy.'
She is right: wind jaguars might be 30% faster than the jaguars in the reader's world, but they don't have any other added advantage, other than their green —brown spotted— skin perfect for hiding.
Without wasting time, Tsukino rushes over to one of the boys who has his hands protecting his head. Arriving in time, she saves him from an ambush, living the dead body falling on top of him; as the boy releases a small whimper.
"Mimo!"
Playing deaf, Tsukino vertically swings her left kitana, chopping down another beast. However, she is left open, as two profound beasts charge toward her head —she made a mistake thanks to her overconfidence.
Thack! Thack!
Just like last time, Shinji saved her; before she could repeat her previous endeavor, the young man looks at the group on the ground. Slowly, his emotions get out of control.
"You Tama-Artists' punching bags! Always leaving the job for others! Why are you sleeping?! Even dead people have more value than you! If you don't fight, I'll ask Lucien-san to murder you all!"
It's an empty threat, but hearing Lucien's name makes them shiver ever so slightly... The chances of Lucy using them as sacrifices are high. As they all stand up, Shinji uses the chance to ostracize himself from the group.
"Let's wait, and see." He talked to himself, standing behind a tree, with a big trunk enough for two people to hide. Moreover, he gazes at the clear sky, before his (sandals) geta.
Pfft!
He coughs out blood. Furthermore, he is feeling a little bit of heatstroke thanks to his sickness. Perturbed, he wipes his bleeding nose, taking a seat.
"Haa! Haa! Should I be thankful that it's a hot day, and I'm here. The Tama-Artists would have done me in... that's if I don't swallow back my blood... I wonder if all blood is tasty like mine."
He talks to himself again:
"It was mild during the previous days... Mmn, isn't this supposed to be the second month of the year, late summer?"
He claps his hands at a sudden realization: "Ahh! This island doesn't have a stable geographic location, but that's not the matter. It must be because the most beautiful person is absent."
Shinji becomes silent, as an image of a certain blue-haired maiden flashes in his mind, prompting him to smile wryly.
"If only my curiosity had stopped itself, then I would have spent more time with her. Her pretty face, it's mesmerizing, I can stare at it and not get bored, all day long. Just me and her: I want to see her; kiss her till heaven comes..."
Now, that he is relaxed, and no longer stressed about the boiling pain in his body, Shinji's thoughts return to his mind, focusing on the current events.
What he doesn't know: someone managed to hear his gibberish and smiled.
***
The Kurenai Villagers managed to pull up a fight against the wind jaguars, and Tsukino limited the amounts of deaths to five —this doesn't make her happy.
Suddenly Chili-Chili —another Tsuki Slave— has a wind jaguar stuck on his head. Unfortunately, for Chili-Chili, it hugged him, blocking his vision, as its teeth sink into his human waste.
Ahhh!
He screamed and moves over to Lucy's direction unwittingly. Without hesitation, Lucien triturates him with his giant hammer, putting him out of his misery —his death was inexorable.
Seeing this, Tsukino casts the red hair a glance filled with abhorrence:
"Why are you so cruel?! There were many ways to save him, yet you killed him, without betting an eye! You're not the only one who lost a loved one, you know? Do you think being rancorous is going to bring back your mother?!"