Chapter 8
At the joining ceremony, Kurozuka Kirishi was the first to go on stage as required.
The glaring lights, the blurry, wriggling sea of colors below the stage, the scenes before her eyes caused a physical tingling and buzzing in her mind.
In a trance, she seemed to hear the hissing sound of her blood rushing or the ringing in her ears.
She couldn't even remember when the oath ended. Even after she returned to the team and stood still, the floating feeling of unreality still clung to her skin and could not be shaken off.
This feeling continued to ferment until late at night,
Lying on the bed that still stank of the cold scent of detergent, Kurozuka Kirishi buried his face deep into the pillow and held his breath, as if he wanted to drown himself in this brief suffocation.
"Kurozuka? Are you asleep?" The unfamiliar roommate walked to her bed and the other party's voice sounded beside the bed, with a tentative tone.
"No." The voice was muffled by the fabric, and Kurozuka Kirishi turned his head to face the wall.
Unfortunately, the other party didn't get her refusal to communicate, and instead asked her excitedly, "Someone's taking the lead and planning a small party tonight to celebrate joining the team! Want to come?"
"No, thank you."
The creaking sound of the door closing was particularly clear in the silence. Heizhong Wushi slowly turned over, his eyes falling on the floor washed silvery white by the moonlight.
After a moment, he finally closed his eyelids.
Hmm...can't sleep...
She sat up, fumbled to grab the coat neatly folded by the bed and put it on. Her feet dangled over the edge of the bed for a moment, and finally she slipped into the pair of soft-soled slippers.
The summer night's heat wave enveloped me the moment I stepped out of the dormitory building, sticky and heavy.
She subconsciously raised her hand to tidy up the long hair that had fallen down her cheek, but the moment her fingertips touched the hair, she suddenly pushed it back and let it fall.
In the training room, the lights suddenly lit up after she pressed the switch, piercing the darkness. Almost at the same time, a head popped in from the door.
"You're really hardworking." Hoshina Soshiro folded his arms and leaned against the door frame.
He was wearing a black tight-fitting turtleneck that had never been seen before, with two swords slung behind his back. If it weren't for his unique accent, he would be almost unrecognizable.
"You recognize who I am... Why are you wearing slippers?" He lowered his eyes and accurately captured the incongruous detail.
Kurozuka Mist: ...
The air instantly condensed into a block. She pursed her lips, a trace of subtle guilt creeping into her eyes. Her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible: "Convenient."
"Hmm... makes sense." Hoshina Soshiro's lips curled up, his fingertips resting on the hilt of the sword. "Want to practice with me?"
Kurozuka Kirishi's eyes swept across the two swords behind him, and then, under his gaze, her head tilted slightly to the left.
Her drooping black hair seemed to soften her melancholy, revealing an almost animal-like confusion, as if silently questioning him.
Hoshina Soshiro looked at the unconscious childishness and smiled even wider, revealing his signature pair of sharp fangs. "Don't worry, I don't need a knife."
At this point, the refusal seemed deliberate. Heizhong Wushi nodded, and the unconscious confusion that had just been revealed quickly disappeared. He spun his heels lightly, lowered his waist and hips smoothly, and a clean and neat starting posture was already formed.
She raised her eyelids, her gaze as quiet as the water in a deep pool, silently locking onto the man in front of her who had a bright smile but was suddenly shrouded in a dangerous aura.
Without any warning, the sound of breaking air and the wind of the fist came at her, hitting her mid-section. Her thick bangs were slightly rippled, and her eyes were clearly visible between the gaps in her hair.
Almost instantly, her steps suddenly crossed, and her body slid half a step to the side and back, letting the fist pass by her clothes.
"Good reaction." Hoshina Soshiro's voice was full of praise, but his offensive was like a tide.
He changed his fist into a palm, and cut down, attacking the gap in her lower body that was left open by her dodging.
Heizhong Wushichen pressed down with his elbow, and his forearm accurately blocked his wrist, making a crisp collision.
Then the opponent changed his moves very quickly. The blocked wrist turned over, and his five fingers were like hooks. He hooked his backhand towards her elbow joint, simulating a lock. This time, the attack brought about a stronger wind.
Kurozuka Kirishi obviously didn't expect this subsequent restriction technique targeting the human body. After all, her fighting skills were all learned from online information and could not be considered comprehensive.
A trace of confusion flashed across her eyes, but her body's instinctive reaction was surprisingly fast. The moment Hoshina Soshiro's fingertips touched her skin,
Her arms shrank and trembled like a frightened snake, and she spun away nimbly, with a greater amplitude in her hasty movements.
Swish—!
The large bangs were thrown to one side by this violent movement.
The bright overhead light of the training room poured down unreservedly on her left forehead, which was finally exposed.
The dark, twisted scars, like hideous creatures, loomed large on the skin that should have been smooth.
The edge of the scar glowed with a cold, hard, and slightly moist luster under the strong light, forming a shocking contrast with the delicate skin around it.
Kurozuka Kirishi's body suddenly froze, and she subconsciously stretched out her hand to block, and her left hand, which was originally intended to attack, changed direction.
With a speed that almost tore through the air, with indescribable panic and embarrassment, he covered his exposed forehead.
She roughly pressed her flying bangs back into place. At this moment, she wished she could bury her entire face in the shadow.
This is already a serious state of stress, right? Hoshina Soshiro sighed and took a step forward, shortening the distance between them.
Before Kurozuka Kirishi could retreat, a bony hand with thick calluses, with irresistible yet extremely gentle force, gently covered the back of her hand that was pressing tightly against her forehead.
Her chaotic breathing stopped instantly, and the warm touch on the back of her hand burned her like a branding iron.
"Okay, let go." His voice was close at hand, his tone calm, and his fingertips even gently stroked the back of her hand, which was so tense that it was trembling.
The action was as natural as brushing off a speck of dust, but it sent a strange, tingling shiver down Kurozuka Kirishi's spine.
Her retreat in front of him was meaningless... She finally understood this.
The force on the finger bones was released, and they slid down from the forehead, hanging weakly to the side of the body, but the fingertips were still shaking uncontrollably.
The long bangs fell again, covering everything, but the embarrassment and panic of being forcibly torn apart were permeated in the air.
Just when Kurozuka Kirishi thought that this was the end, the other party did something that made her mind go completely blank——
The hand that had just covered the back of her hand, with an almost casual gesture, lifted up all her hair.
"Don't move."
The coolness slowly passed from his fingertips to her forehead, and Kurozuka Kirishi could feel his fingertips lingering on the edge of the scar.
"If you can't do that, I will report you to Captain Yabai and deny you permission to participate in the subjugation mission."
Hoshina Soshiro's face was still blurry, but it seemed a little clearer than before. She focused her eyes on him for a long time, and she seemed to be able to see his eyebrows and eyes clearly for a few moments.
He was serious. Heizhong Wushi lowered his eyes and put down his half-raised arm.
"I see…"
Before he could finish his words, a sharp alarm pierced the silence of the night. The lights of the building opposite the window lit up one after another at an extremely fast speed. A group of people hurried out of the dormitory.
"You've just said it and you're about to take it back. Forget it." Hoshina Soshiro, who had walked quickly to the door, turned around and said, "Let's go, Captain Kurozuka, go on your first mission."
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