Who are you?

Part 40

The night came quickly, and Shiori wasn't sure what would happen to her, but she knew one thing: She had to inform Oni of what happened in case it caused him problems.

When she woke up in the forest, the first thing she did was actively seek the man for the first time. She always waited for him to cross her path, but tonight, she needed to get to him as fast as possible.

She reached with her chakra and felt him on the other side of the temple. She took off in a hurry, careful not to trigger the shadows into chasing her. Midway, she noticed him coming towards her as well.

They reached each other near the side of the temple. Oni was visibly checking her over. "Are you alright, Shirori-san?" He asked.

"I'm unhurt, Oni-san, but there is something urgent I have to talk to you about. My nighttime wonderings are not entirely of my choosing. I go to sleep in my room but find myself waking up outside." Shiori took a breath, trying to find the best explanation.

"I believe that someone moves me when I'm asleep. Last night, instead of waking up outside, I found myself in the library, and Daichi-san found me there. Today, he asked me to meet him in the library, and he asked me some questions."

"I answered his questions but tried to keep any mention of our meetings out of it. I don't know how, but he was already aware and directly asked if we had met. I had to answer truthfully." Shiori hung her head down in shame.

To her surprise, Oni made a sound that suspiciously sounded like a chuckle. Shiori's head snapped up. "I'm sorry, Shiori-san, but it is quite entertaining to see someone so concerned over my wellbeing. I can assure you that you did the right thing." Oni said in a tone that conveyed his honesty.

"But I caused you an unnecessary problem," Shiori said. Not sure that how the man was not even slightly annoyed at the unnecessary burden.

"There is no problem, Shiori-san. It was only a matter of time before someone became aware of our meetings. I am glad that it happened under more amenable conditions." Oni said.

"What should we do now?" Shiori asked.

Oni thought about it for a few seconds. "You do not have to do anything, Shiori-san. Did he explicitly tell you not to approach me?" Oni said. Shiori shook her head. "Then you do not need to worry about it." He said firmly.

Shiori was still hesitant but decided to trust him.

Shiori felt refreshed as she woke up. As she opened the door of her room, she noticed a piece of paper weighed down by a small stone in front of her. She picked up the paper.

'Come to the library after breakfast. -Daichi,' the note read. Shiori folded the paper and put it in the folds of her robe.

Breakfast was a quick affair. Shiori asked if it was possible to reschedule their training for the afternoon, and Akira readily agreed.

Shiori headed straight to the library, but no one was there. She started looking around when she heard someone entering. It was Daichi. "Follow me, Shiori-san. There is an important matter to discuss," Daichi started.

Shiori fell into step silently. They went through maze-like hallways. Shiori wasn't allowed to wander in these parts, but since she was following Daichi, it was fine. Still, her curiosity got the best of her, and she tried to look around as much as she could.

All the doors were fully closed, so it was just an ordinary hallway. Finally, they came to a stop near a door. Her sense of direction may not have been the best, but she knew they were in the northmost wing of the temple.