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Scene 1: Dawn's Whisper – Serenia City Park, Sunrise
The morning air is crisp, carrying the scent of dew-kissed grass. Ryo kicks a pebble along the path, scowling at his phone—3 unanswered calls to his dad.
Ryo: "Damn… Tch." "My head still hurts from yesterday."
A rustle. A leaf drifts onto his shoulder. He doesn't flinch this time.
Ryo: "Brat."
Yua: (materializing from behind an oak) "Tch. You're learning." She flicks the leaf away, but her usual smirk is absent. Her fingers linger near the Sword at her side—(hunter's instinct). Something's off.
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Scene 2: The Tree That Glows Too Bright
Yua presses a hand to the oak they met under yesterday. Its bark brightens where she touches—absorbing light itself. The branches tremble as veins of Seishu pulse downward into roots that shouldn't exist this deep in the city.
Ryo: "The hell? Since when do trees—"
Yua: (cutting him off) "—Act like conduits? Since your little 'awakening'." She withdraws her hand sharply; bark cracks where she touched it. "This park's energy is now mirroring your irregular pulse."
A jogger passes by, oblivious to the tree's unnatural glow. Ryo realizes with a chill: Normal people can't see this.
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Scene 3: Anatomy of a Miracle
Yua flips her dagger hilt-up, balancing it on one finger. Crimson energy coils around the blade like living smoke.
Yua: "Seishu 101—Body sustains, Mind directs, Soul ignites." She tosses the dagger; it freezes mid-air, rotating slowly as azure energy joins the crimson. "Average human ratio? 20/20/20." The gold orb flickers to life last—unstable. "You spiked to **47/33/30** yesterday."
The dagger shatters into spectral fragments that reform into three floating kanji: **体 (Body)**, **心 (Mind)**, **霊 (Soul).**
Ryo reaches out—his shadow stretches unnaturally toward them before snapping back like a rubber band. Yua's eyes narrow.
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Scene 4: Resonance Test – Skin Contact Required
Yua: "Give me your hand. Now." Before he can argue, she slams his palm against her sternum—direct skin contact for true energy sync.
The effect is instantaneous:
- Ground: Cracks spiderweb outward, glowing faintly beneath their feet.
- Sound: Distorts as if underwater—birdsong stretches into eerie whale-like moans.
- Yua's Reaction: Her breath hitches; her free hand clutches the fabric over her heart like she's been (burned from the inside).
Ryo (panicking): "Why the hell are your eyes bleeding?!" Tiny crimson streaks trickle from Yua's tear ducts as Seishu backlash hits her first. She grits out a laugh:
Yua: "...So this is what tasting divinity feels like." Then collapses to one knee.
Scene 5: The Price of Power – Aftermath & Revelation
Ryo barely catches Yua as her legs give out. Her breath comes in ragged gasps, but she's grinning like a madwoman.
Yua (weakly): "Heh... so that's why the Kaimon targeted you." She wipes blood from her lips with the back of her hand, smearing crimson across her chin. "Your Soul ratio—19? That's not low. It's condensed. Like a dying star."
The ground still hums where they touched, tiny glowing fissures pulsing faintly beneath them—mimicking Ryo's erratic heartbeat. A distant car alarm wails in response to the energy surge moments ago.
Ryo: "So, like dormant inside, it's being suppressed?"
Yua: "Correct."
Ryo: "By The way… what happened yesterday?" "My dad has suddenly started acting weird, and my memory from yesterday is only about me getting breakfast in the morning."
Yua remembers the battle against the Scarred Woman, Ryo's dad's True Name and His Hunter Identity, and the battles end when his dad defeated the woman. She also remembers the moment they had to erase Ryo's memory of it as they swore to not let Ryo know about his dad's identity and past
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Scene 6: The Weight of Forgotten Truths
Yua's grin fades. She looks away, fingers tightening around the hilt of her Sword.
Yua: "You... hit your head during training yesterday." A deliberate pause. "Got a minor concussion—nothing serious, but it scrambled your memory for a bit."
She flicks her gaze back to him—sharp, searching. His expression is open, trusting. Too trusting. Her chest tightens with guilt.
Ryo (rubbing his temple): "...Huh. Explains why my dad's being all weirdly protective today." He sighs and stretches his arms behind his head. "Guess I should take it easy then—wouldn't want to worry him more than I already have."
A lie settles between them like ash on snow—light enough to ignore but heavy enough that Yua can't quite meet Ryo's eyes anymore.
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Scene 7: A Hunter's First Taste of Freedom
Yua abruptly stands, dusting off her pants with forced casualness.
Yua: "Alright, enough heavy crap. Since you're 'taking it easy,' might as well show me how humans waste time in this realm." She gestures vaguely at the city skyline. "You've got food that tastes good, right?"
Ryo blinks—then barks out a laugh. "Seriously? You want me to babysit you on a damn field trip?"
Her boot connects with his shin (lightly, for once). "Call it 'cultural exchange.' Unless you're scared I'll embarrass you in public." A challenge glints in her eyes—the same look she gets before gutting Kaimons.
Ryo rolls his eyes but pushes himself up anyway. "Fine. But if you stab anyone because they 'look suspicious,' I'm throwing you to the cops myself."
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Scene 8: The Unwritten Rules of Earth (Amusement Park Arc Start)
Yua freezes at the park entrance, nostrils flaring at the assault of synthetic sugar and diesel fumes. Her hunter reflexes lock onto every potential threat—screaming children (hostiles?), spinning rides (siege weapons?), a cotton candy stall (what kind of creature sheds sugary fur?!).
Ryo (deadpan): "Try not to activate your murder aura near the toddlers." He grabs her wrist before she can draw her Sword on the dancing mascot ("Its eyes don't blink right—").
Their first stop? The bumper cars. Yua immediately hijacks one, rewiring its circuitry with Seishu to make it actually lethal. Security chases them out by noon.
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Scene 9: Street Food Warfare
Yua devours her third takoyaki like it's battlefield rations. "This realm's rewards suck," she declares, mouth full. "But these molten balls of tentacle? Acceptable."
Ryo watches in horrified fascination as she licks spicy mayo off her Sword ("It's efficient"). He tosses her a napkin instead. "You know, most people use these."
She ignores him, too busy eyeing a nearby vendor's taiyaki stall with the focus of a predator sizing up prey. Ryo braces himself. Five minutes later:
- Yua is in a (heated debate) with the elderly owner about "optimal fish-shaped dough fillings."
- She has somehow gotten herself (behind the counter), wielding the batter dispenser like a weapon of mass confectionery destruction.
- The owner looks (delighted), clapping as she produces a perfectly crisp taiyaki—(in the shape of her own Sword).
Ryo sighs and starts counting out coins for damages.
Scene 10: Sunset on the Rooftop
As the sun dips below the skyline, Ryo drags Yua to a secluded rooftop—one of his secret spots to escape family expectations. The city sprawls beneath them, lights flickering to life like earthbound stars.
Yua sits cross-legged on the ledge, her usual sharp edges softened by golden hour. She pokes at her remaining taiyaki with mild disdain. "Your realm's too loud... but it's not all bad."
Ryo snorts and leans back on his hands. "Yeah? What's the verdict then, oh mighty Hunter?"
She doesn't answer right away—just watches a distant plane cut through fading light like an artificial shooting star before saying quietly: "You humans burn bright for things that don't matter at all." A beat. "...I think I like that."
The admission hangs between them as night falls—fragile and strangely honest for two people built on half-truths and erased memories.
Final Scene: The Hunter's First Gift
As they prepare to part ways, Yua suddenly shoves something into Ryo's hands—a small, jagged shard of obsidian threaded onto a leather cord. It pulses faintly with residual Seishu warmth.
Ryo: "The hell is this?"
Yua: "A hunter's ward." She looks away, scowling like the words physically pain her. "If your... 'head injury' acts up again, crush it. It'll stabilize you long enough for me to find you."
It's half-lie, half-truth—the stone is laced with memory-sealing runes too (just in case he remembers too much again). But Ryo doesn't need to know that. He loops it around his neck anyway with a smirk.
Ryo: "So you DO care about your favorite human."
Yua (already walking away): "I care about my investment. Don't die before payback." But she doesn't object when he laughs behind her—or when the corners of her own mouth twitch upward.
Under flickering streetlights, Ryo traces the obsidian pendant absently—its rough edges biting into his thumb. A shadow detaches from the alleyway behind him.
Unknown Voice (whispering): "You are an interesting one… let's see how Yua will react if I got close to you?"
He spins around—nothing there but wind and scattered leaves. His pulse hammers... yet when he checks the pendant? It's ice-cold. No Seishu glow. No warning.
Three blocks away, Yua freezes mid-step. Her Sword shrieks in its sheath—a sound only hunters hear when familiar malice stirs. She swears violently and breaks into a sprint back toward Ryo's last location...
🌀 End of Chapter Six
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Yua's Hunting Log – Entry #1: The Human Realm (Addendum)
"Observations confirmed:
- Primary Weakness: Humans prioritize fleeting pleasures over survival efficiency. Example: Queuing 47 minutes for 'rollercoasters' that lack tactical value.
- Anomaly Detected: Their food is alarmingly addictive—especially substances labeled 'limited-time flavor.' Suspect engineered chemical warfare via snack stalls.
- Notable Threat: A lifeform called 'mascots.' Unblinking eyes, erratic movement patterns. Recommended action: Beheading on sight.
...
Personal Note:
The Kenzaki whelp laughs louder when forgetting he's supposed to be angry at the world. His realm smells like burnt sugar and exhaust fumes instead of blood and Seishu Energy.
"Disgustingly, I find I don't hate it here."