Another day passed, and the walk back from the training ground to Kouji's room felt heavier than usual. He moved slowly, a slight chill on his skin, against the wind that swept past the buildings and directly onto the training field. His jacket was loose, almost falling off. He pushed the gravel aside with his feet, not lifting them very high. At least he couldn't think of anything else right now but—
–No plus… and no minus…
He entered the lobby. It was quiet, as usual at that time of day. Most were already out on missions, like Yuusuke, or still asleep for their evening shift. Nevertheless, a couple of Hunters were sitting in the lobby, reading or talking. Without giving it much thought, he headed towards the elevator. He walked so slowly and quietly that even those sitting in the lobby didn't notice him when suddenly a voice broke the silence.
"If that isn't the fashion expert," she said teasingly.
Kouji tilted his head toward the voice. A girl sat behind the reception desk. She had short, green-dyed hair with a messy fringe. Next to her was a half-full glass with a lime wedge. "Had a tough day?" she asked.
"Something like that."
She examined him from head to toe. It was quick, so barely noticeable, but it was noticeable nonetheless.
"Quite dusty; Did Ryo fight you?"
"And…"
"He really doesn't know when to stop," she said, smiling.
"I noticed."
She looked thoughtfully over him again and raised an eyebrow slightly as she touched her chin. "You look heavier than you did a few days ago."
"Am I fat?"
"No, no —" she pointed at him and swirled him around a little, "Your aura; — You have become stronger; It feels as if there is something deep inside you that is urging you on and strengthening you."
Kouji froze briefly in delight.So I've become stronger?
"Anyway—" she added, picking up her drink, "—it's a perfectly normal process; those who train hard make progress—and I can see that you're putting in extra effort."zuzwinkerte.
"Hi, I'm Yumi, I think I forgot to introduce myself last time; we should be about the same age."
"I am Kouji."
"I know it was on your uniform form—"
She glanced at her watch, "Oh — My shift is almost over; fancy going somewhere to eat?"
"Hm — I'll try again some other time; I'm a bit exhausted."
"Well done."
Kouji went back to his room. The lights in the hallway were dim, as usual, and he entered his room. The bed wasn't directly visible from the entrance, but on his table was a cake with an inscription. Kouji continued into his room.
"Finally back," said a voice from the corner of his room. It was Yuusuke.
"How did you get in here?"
Yuusuke didn't answer, but he subtly pointed his thumb at the open window.
"Privacy is a foreign concept to you, isn't it?"
He stood up and shook Kouji's hand. "Don't be like that, I brought cake." Kouji took a step closer to the cake.
"Why did you include the receipt?"
"So you can check the ingredients; I was unsure because of allergies."
Kouji looked at the receipt. It was a lemon cake, but he had hardly any allergies andwantHe likes lemon cake anyway. He crumpled the topping into a ball and threw it in the trash.
Before the two could start eating the cake, Yuusuke looked over at Kouji one last time. "Welcome to the club."
"What do you mean?" he said.Kouji confused.
"Ryo — You lost to him, didn't you?"
"High as a house."
"But you still seem to have come out of it better than I did in my last fight with him—" Yuusuke swung his hands behind his head, "—So congratulations."
After a short pause, Yuusuke added: "The guy uses his ability so rarely, even though I've often been out with him, I still don't know if he tends towards plus or minus — I'd really like to know what's behind this Blessing."
After a short pause, he saidKouji,"He said my ability has both positive and negative qualities; he said I might possibly be a hybrid."
"Is that even possible???" said Yuusuke in shock.
"Apparently."
Then there was a break until Yuusuke finallyexhaled"You know — I looked at the whole thing again…"- You knowalready — the post and so on."
"You're back again?"
"The whole thing has been bothering me; the lamp is somehow narrower and lacks material."
"Listen…" said Yuusuke, in a soft voice, "You are not a child anymore, I trust you and your strength —but… pass"To ensure that something like this doesn't get out of control."
Kouji nods slowly, "Thank you."
There was another brief silence, "Okay!"Then"Let's eat."
The two ate the cake and talked about all sorts of things: love, TV series, games, training, and Ryo.
"I recently watched a series called…"
"Ah, right — Pointy"Blinders! — The"It's really good, Kouji, you should check it out too."
"I don't really know, I prefer watching fantasy stuff like Game of Crowns."
"Give it a try, she's really good."
The two continued talking and talking, and Yuusuke talked mainly about his favorite game.'Zetarune',which Kouji also played.
"Who is your favorite?"
"Lancer, yours?"
"I like Antenna—" he paused briefly while Yuusuke looked at his watch.
"— It's so late already, I still have a routine to follow, so I have to go."
"Understood!"
"And — hey — don't let Ryo manipulate you like that when you fight again; otherwise he'll lead the fight again."
"You too?"
"Especially me…"
Yuusuke grabbed his backpack and ran towards the door. "Well then, Kouji—see you later!" Before Kouji could reply, he was already gone and Kouji went into the bathroom.
He took his toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed his teeth. While brushing, he looked at himself carefully in the mirror. The light from the hallway didn't really show much of him, as he hadn't turned on the bathroom light. His short, brown hair, which fell slightly over his eyes, and his bright yellow eyes, like a cat's, were clearly visible.What kind of blessing is this?he wondered, rinsing his mouthout andHe lay down in bed after he had finished. After a few minutes, during which he felt unable to fall asleep, he laid his hands folded on his torso and his eyes grew heavier and heavier.
He was in a corridor—again. This time the corridor was dark, and there were no monsters to be seen. To his left was a broken window through which he could see the outside of a building. The building wasbeforeto collapse, as a pillar was missing. He continued walking, and slowly small cobwebs formed on the ceiling, and he kept walking until they became enormous webs, so large that they covered the entire passage. The webs pricked his skin.,When he tried to touch them, they felt almost sharp. He didn't blink, yet it felt as if he had been moved—suddenly he looked around and realized that he himself was lying in a net. The window was beside him; he saw the building again and himself, but his reflection was completely black, showing only his silhouette—except for his striking yellow eyes.
He felt movement on the net, but before he could see what it was, he woke up.
Light emerged from darkness. He looked up—the lamps were still on. He breathed heavily, unsure of what to make of it. The room was silent, the window still open. He got up, closed the window, turned off the lights, and lay down again. He slept soundly until morning without further nightmares, but that heavy feeling remained in his chest.