The academy hallway felt warmer than before—or maybe it was just the energy pooling in one spot. Yuuji, Maki, and Megumi stood in a formation that carried an air of old nostalgia, something unfinished. Behind them, Megumi's three students remained quiet, standing slightly back as if they didn't want to draw more attention than necessary.
Yuuji leaned his shoulder against the wall, his gaze flickering toward Ryou, Himari, and Tetsuya. That unsettling feeling still lingered, a discomfort he couldn't shake.
Maki, meeting the trio for the first time, narrowed her eyes slightly before smirking. "Your students are… interesting, Megumi."
Himari immediately lifted her chin, as if she had just received the highest praise, while Tetsuya offered a stiff smile. Ryou, as always, remained composed.
Yuuji turned to Maki, his tone light but his eyes sharp. "Interesting how?"
Maki glanced at the three again, her expression unreadable, then shrugged. "Not in the usual way. They're… developing fast, aren't they?"
Yuuji exhaled, shifting his gaze to Megumi, one brow raised. "What exactly have you been teaching them, Megumi?"
Megumi, who had been standing with his hands in his pockets the whole time, finally met Yuuji's stare, expression unreadable. "I teach them my way."
Yuuji waited for more, but that was all Megumi offered.
Meanwhile, the three students—who, just moments ago, had felt like something foreign trapped inside human bodies—suddenly snapped back into their usual selves. Himari wore her signature confident smirk, Tetsuya seemed more at ease, and Ryou returned to his usual skeptical calmness.
They became too normal again. A chill ran down Yuuji's spine.
Maki must have felt it too because she crossed her arms, her eyes sharpening with newfound interest. "Interesting."
Megumi remained unfazed. As if he genuinely saw nothing strange. As if this was… normal. Yuuji closed his eyes briefly, taking a slow breath.
Something wasn't right.
And for the first time in a long while, he started to feel that something was happening within the academy—something even he hadn't noticed.
───⭑⭒⚊奈落の顎⚊⭒⭑───
Megumi's footsteps echoed through the hallway leading to the training grounds, followed closely by his three students. Physically, nothing seemed different—no changes in the building's structure, no shifts in the lighting. And yet, something felt off.
The training grounds ahead looked the same as always—packed dirt, footprints worn deep from years of combat practice, the air still holding traces of cursed energy that had been absorbed over time. But as Megumi stepped closer, his instincts began to stir.
The air here… was heavier.
Not in a physical sense, but in a way that was nearly imperceptible—an unseen weight, like a gaze lurking from the shadows, like whispers that couldn't quite be heard but brushed against the back of his neck.
He stopped at the entrance, glancing back at his students.
They felt nothing.
Himari was busy adjusting her hair, the golden strands shimmering under the fading evening sun. Ryou stood with his hands in his pockets, his usual calm expression untouched, as if nothing was out of place. Tetsuya, who was normally anxious before training sessions, looked… strange.
There was no unease in his face. Instead, something else lingered there—something that shouldn't be.
Megumi felt his breath slow, his muscles unconsciously tensing. Then, without warning, Tetsuya turned to him with a smile that felt wrong.
"You know, sensei..." His voice was steady. Too steady. No fear, no nervousness. His eyes locked onto Megumi's—something he had rarely done before.
"...I've always wondered how strong you really are."
He stepped forward into the training ground, his shoulders relaxed, but his movements… they carried something unfamiliar. Like a predator realizing, for the first time, that it could hunt.
Megumi narrowed his eyes, watching carefully. "What do you mean?" Tetsuya grinned. "You know what I mean." His voice dropped an octave—lower, heavier.
Himari turned to him, one eyebrow raised, confusion on her face. "Tetsuya, what's with you?"
Ryou glanced his way too but stayed silent. But Tetsuya didn't acknowledge them. His focus remained solely on Megumi.
"I've been quiet all this time, waiting… But now, I want to know—" His head tilted slightly, his smile sharpening. "If I fight you… what happens?"
Himari let out a scoff, arms crossed. "You? Fight Megumi-sensei? Are you insane?" But Tetsuya didn't react.
He just stood there, his body loose, relaxed—yet his eyes spoke of something else entirely. Megumi didn't move, but his mind was already calculating.
This wasn't the Tetsuya he knew.
Whether it was something that happened during their last mission, or if something else was at play here—he wasn't sure yet.
The training ground had felt wrong the moment they entered.
And now, the most timid member of his team stood before him, filled with an unsettling amount of confidence, challenging him with a demeanor that was completely out of character.
Megumi knew something was happening. But what? And—Just how bad was this going to get?