Kazuto laughed softly, making Niken and Karyn confused. This was the first time Niken saw him smiling, and her heart pounding wildly.
"He laughed," Karyn whispered to Niken.
Kazuto cleared his throat, realizing that his team was watching him.
"Niken, if it's like this, we won't be able to hunt." giggled Kazuto gently making both Shin Ha and Karyn baffled.
Is that Kazuto? They never knew the man could show a gentle expression!
"Then... ah, what if we hunt bears instead?"
Karyn's eyes glared at her best friend and began to reprimand her once again.
"We still don't know if we can hunt a small rabbit, let alone a bear?! You think we're at B-class. Come on, let's just hunt small prey."
Niken lowered her head look regretful.
She loved rabbits. She loved tiny cute animals. How could they kill them all with at ease? She didn't have the heart to see the cute things get killed.
Kazuto noticed the sorrowful of his inamorata. To be honest, to hunt a bear or wild beasts was an easy task for him. Even Shin Ha could hunt some tigers by himself. Especially both of them were the Elementalist knights, therefore hunting the wild beast was like playing around for them.
Well, they couldn't let the girls know for sure. So they tried to find some other solutions.
"Maybe we can make a trap. We can set a trap to get a bear. It will be easier than fighting it head-on." Kazuto suggested.
"But the bears rarely show up in this area." Shin Ha opined.
Kazuto nodded his head in agreement. "How about a lion? I could smell it from the north."
"You can smell it?" Karyn was astonished.
"We wolf clans have a sharper nose than ordinary humans. So yeah, I can smell it."
Unlike Karyn, who felt even more scared by Kazuto's abilities, Niken was even more impressed. When Karyn saw her best friend's reaction and the look for Kazuto, she understood right away.
So it seems that her new friend was not only interested in Kazuto. But she was already blinded by love.
No wonder why Niken didn't mind joining in Kazuto's team. No wonder Niken often asked her regarding the man. It turned out her friend here already fell in love with Kazuto!
How could she? What did she see in Kazuto?
The man was undeniably handsome, but his domineering aura and unfriendly attitude were so scary. His impenetrable eyes and inscrutable countenance give little away.
Only one look from the man could make everybody shiver through the spine. This man's very existence was blood-chilling, so how could Niken fell in love with this kind of man?
Karyn shook her head in resignation. Then she decided. Even though she was afraid of Kazuto, though her life had to be at stake, she would protect Niken if the man tried to hurt Niken.
Without further ado, Kazuto explained his strategy to his team to trap their target.
"Karyn, when the lion runs towards the opposite direction, use your wind elemental to push our target back towards our trap. Can you do it?"
"Forcibly pushing a running lion? I've never done it before, but I'll try it."
"Niken, can you make chains with your water elemental?"
"Eh?" Niken seemed to think for a moment. She had just been able to create waves from calm puddles. As for changing the form of water itself...
"I'm sorry. I don't know how."
"What? Haven't you learned it when you were a child?" there was a tone of disbelief in Shin Ha. "Shouldn't you have been taught the basics in your hometown? Ouch!" Shin Ha groaned in pain as Kazuto nudged his hip harshly. "Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot maybe you are different with my nation. I forgot you don't have a name that a water Elementalist had. Ouch!!" Kazuto once again elbowed his waist.
Why did he hit him? What did he do? He felt wronged injustice.
"I'm sorry I don't know the answer myself. My brother and I were in the orphanage until a few months ago before finally entering this academy. So we have no idea about our family or our hometown."
"Oh, no. I'm sorry to hear that. I have no idea."
Shin Ha regretted all the questioned he asked before.
How could he know her sad past? He never talked to her before, so how could Kazuto expected him to know?
Wait! Did Kazuto already know about her situation?