"Bye, Nozomu!"
With a quick holler, Lieutenant Kou and Commander Haishi left the new Nozomu residence, leaving the white-haired Old Man Nozomu standing at the front door, watching as the two walked out of his line of sight.
With a gentle—click!—Nozomu shut the door, turning to return to the rest of his home. When the man brisked away from the front door, however, he spotted Tanjo standing still, his eyes locked to the wooden floor. Nozomu had never seen such a distant expression on Tanjo. The kid always seemed to be relaxed and energetic more often than not.
"Brat," Nozomu called out to Tanjo, watching as the jet-black-haired teenager flinched abruptly.
"Y-yes?" Tanjo replied, breaking out of his stupor.
Nozomu sighed internally. "The hell are you standing there for?"
At this point, Nozomu had spotted nothing but anomalies in Tanjo's personality—he was hesitant, unsure, and unresponsive. Old Man Nozomu found it relatively easy within sixteen years of raising the brat. Granted, he'd never raised a kid other than Tanjo, but the prospect sounded tough and frustrating as is.
"I, uh… Nothing." Tanjo muttered. Soon, a smile appeared on the boy's face. "What's for dinner?"
Teenagers, Nozomu thought. Emotional and unstable. "I'll make leftovers."
Tanjo nodded, shifting his body to walk in the other direction. Before the teenager could exit the area, he heard Old Man Nozomu's voice reach out to him.
"Although it has been a while, I would like to say that your attendance at the academy is entirely up to you. I'm not sure if I made it completely clear before, but I have no business when it comes to that sort of stuff. I just wanted you to think about if it's truly what you want." Nozomu said, his voice chilled.
Tanjo's eyebrow furrowed. "I wasn't mad at you, Old Man."
"I know. But, even if I told you to quit, the fight afterward would be abysmal. However, since you most likely won't be leaving the academy any time soon, I want you to have a good mindset. Strive for what you believe to be good—that's all the motivation a warrior should need." Nozomu concluded, proceeding to step out of Tanjo's peripheral vision and into the kitchen.
Those words left the boy surprised. Never did Tanjo think that Nozomu would be openly empathetic. The boy simply smiled at the old man's sentiment before exiting the living room into his own.
But, following the teenager was a single thought amongst many:
'Strive for what you believe to be good…'
A resolute thought clicked within Tanjo's mind at that very moment. His mind drifted to Nozomu, whom he heard in the kitchen with the rattling of pots and pans.
'Thank you, Old Man, but I think I decided on what my future's going to be.'
XXX
Oshieru wandered throughout Buraun, his blue hair swaying in the gentle breeze that swept over the village. He wasn't wearing his blue headband, storing the cloth apparel within his pockets. His blue best, on the other hand, was wrapped around his torso, buttoned in the center.
It was still the weekend, and Oshieru had no class to teach the next day. The instructor wasn't quite in the mood to stop by the academy, but neither did he wish to retire to his home for the night.
Besides, he had been cooped up in a hospital bed for a little while—going for a simple stroll wouldn't hurt anybody.
Oshieru cursed the damning dream he had previously had. Of all things to remember, one of his most tragic moments had to emerge within his mind, catching the instructor while vulnerable. To be honest, Oshieru was uncertain about his profession. Teaching had always been a go-to for the blue-haired man, but he was only in his twenties and he had already failed one class and nearly let one of his current students die.
Quitting was no longer an option for Oshieru, but he still questioned if he could protect his students until they became full-fledged warriors, or if he'd fail again—leaving him alive and scarred once more.
"Gods…" Oshieru sounded, his eyes catching the sight of several buildings being reconstructed.
It was quite fatal. Homes were destroyed; lives were lost. Businesses in the village suffered, and Buraun didn't fare any better. The village was already quite low on supplies, considering the demand for most items in the present was on the rise, and fewer structures filled the village.
"I'm not getting a raise any time soon." The instructor lamented, sighing.
All the instructor could hope for was that his tachi sword was being dealt with diligently, potentially kept back at the academy. It would be a drag for Oshieru to lose that sword—his aura print of creating clones of the sword he wields would be slightly stunted for a day or two if he were to learn an entirely new weapon.
As Oshieru continued walking, he quickly found himself staring at a sign held outside a small building, hoisted by two cords of rope fastened through tiny holes pierced in the wood. The sight made the instructor's eyes dilate.
'KILL THE AURA AMALGAMATION'
A blurry image of what obviously appeared to be his student, Tanjo, was posted up on the board, presenting the student as if he was a wanted criminal. The picture was snapped during the invasion as Tanjo's Aura Sense encompassed his body in that instance.
Luckily, his face was slightly blurred—the poor camera quality, which probably came from a phone, and the steam-like effect Tanjo's Aura Sense was leaking from his body also made it difficult to distinguish facial features.
"That's not good…" Oshieru murmured, taking a few steps toward the board.
At first glance, nobody would be able to determine the student, but people can catch on quickly. Tanjo would soon be exposed while in his armor or found by the teenager openly using his magic—the card Oshieru had given him to practice his Aura Sense outside of the academy still being valid.
Either one was not good.
Suddenly, Oshieru felt an impulse.
*WOOSH!*
Despite it lasting for a mere moment, Oshieru felt as if something rushed past him. Due to the blue-haired Oshieru sensing the high-speed thing, the instructor could immediately deduce that it was a person. But how? The villagers couldn't move that fast, and warriors wouldn't run rampant through busy pathways.
With these thoughts, Oshieru dashed after the strange person. Oshieru used the ledges of buildings as leverage, hopping from one structure to the next, traveling several blocks within Buraun.
The instructor was used to chasing down people, but he was both shocked and confused by this current pursuit. The person was fast but mildly menial. They managed to land on rooftops, but then they would land on the ground for a brief moment.
After a few seconds, Oshieru could see Buraunmajikku academy in the distance, and that the person he chased was heading in its direction.
'Why the academy..?' Oshieru asked himself, narrowing his eyes.
XXX
Standing in the training field of Buraunmajikku, a figure equipped themselves with multiple components of chalkboard-gray armor. They finished by clipping a vambrace together on their forearm, shielding their arm with armor.
In the pale moonlight, the armor glinted brilliantly. However, before the figure could vanish into the dark, a second person arrived.
Oshieru's eyes locked with the armor-wearing figure, fueling his limbs with his Aura Sense in preparation. Taking a step forward, Oshieru opened his mouth and said, "Those are academy-funded accessories—put those back."
The darkened figure flinched, turning around to face Oshieru.
Oshieru's breath hitched, his stance weakening. Standing before him, Tanjo Nozomu gazed at his instructor, his hand still holding the vambrace.
"Tanjo..?" Oshieru questioned, dumbfounded. "What the hell are you doing breaking into the academy?"
Not only that, but if Tanjo was to be discovered in his armor, his previous fears of the villagers recognizing Tanjo as the student who possesses the Aura Amalgamation would come true.
Tanjo didn't respond.
"If you wanted to train, the academy will be open Monday. It's the weekend—go home!" Oshieru ordered, his eyes steeling authoritatively.
Then, Tanjo finally talked:
"I'm leaving the village, Mr. Oshieru."
XXX
I've waited long to post this chapter. Ever since Volume Three, I have been hellbent on this turn in the novel. Chapter 81, "One's Regret" finalized this for me. I even said so in the epilogue, similar to how I'm telling you this right now—but I didn't spoil this, of course. I can't wait for the rest of Volume Four. Probably one of the biggest turning points in the novel will experience for a little bit. But, I'll tell you now: A ton of surprises will appear in the near future. What will those be? Stay tuned to find out!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_