Seen Through the Eyes of Goodwill

Chapter- 21

Chapter -21

Hirata's pov

"I will get you some water." Akito put down Sudou who had regained consciousness.

The outdoor kitchen was far from the eyes of other students. There won't be any staff arriving here at this hour of night.

"Uhh, I thought I died there." Sudou held his head. "My head feels light." His tone wasn't complaining, it was sombre.

"It's alright man. You fought valiantly there." Akito consoled him.

"That reminds me, how did you guys escape anyways?" Sudou inquired about the incongruence of the result.

Akito looked at me, leaving the answer to me.

"You should rest for now. I will tell you all about it later." I deviated from the question. Sudou's curiosity wasn't anything to write home about as he lost his interest in the matter.

I sat down, waiting for Sudou to regain his composure.

"Don't you have more important matters to attend to right now?" Akito indirectly pointed towards Ayanokouji who was still in the forest.

His words reminded me of the horror that I witnessed in the forest – those cold eyes, not a hint of hesitation... not a hint of excitement. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

As we were returning, I had told Akito that Ayanokouji acted as a decoy for me to get away midfight. His anxiety for Ayanokouji's safety was understandable since he knew Ryuuen mangled decoys.

However, little did he know... that once he was gone, the hunter was hunted...

"It's alright. I will leave for that once you and Sudou return to your room," I replied.

After a few minutes Sudou propped himself up, and I stood up to support him. Slowly he stood up. His legs were a little shaky but he persevered through it.

"You can walk?" I asked.

"Yeah... kinda."

"Guys, I'm really sorry to put you two in this situation." I apologised sincerely.

"Not this now, Hirata." Akito stopped me midway. "People make mistakes. The one we made against Ryuuen was a fatal one... It's a blessing you made it out safely. You should go back now."

"Y-yeah, you guys go ahead.. I need to check on something." Nervousness crept into me just by the mere thought of facing him again.

"Huh? You wanna take a piss or something?" A hint of irritation was evident in Sudou's question.

"Yeah, see you guys later."

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Ayanokouji's POV

Crack

The small twig I was using to draw on the ground broke down.

Sigh

The long wait ended as I saw a shadow emerge from the forest. As the distance between us closed, Hirata's figure became more apparent.

"Did you really think I would come?" His cautious yet nervous voice broke the silence.

"Asking that after you're here is foolish."

"......"

"What do you want?"

"A small talk." I turned my back after answering, walking deeper into the forest. Inside the verdant forest, moonlight didn't touch the ground.

Hirata quietly followed me, and both our figures were enveloped in darkness. After walking for a minute or two, we came across a small open space between the trees. It was a small spot, blessed with moonlight.