After Raijin and Ayuna went to rest for a bit after talking, Raijin could not sleep. His mind swirling with questions about what awaited them in this mysterious organization.
The next morning dawned with a peculiar mix of tension and uncertainty. Inside Raijin's room, there were two people; Kurogane Raijin and Hebimori Sapenta. Sapenta had woken up during the middle of the night and because Raijin was awake, they had talked about everything that had happened. After they were done talking, it was around 8 AM, so they decided to exit the room and explore around for a bit.
They made their way through the quite hallways of the hotel. Raijin glanced around, noting that it was a bit too quiet. Raijin and Sapenta were still on edge and cautious as even though they were inside the monster killer base, they didn't feel safe.
The hotel corridors seemed unnaturally still, devoid of the usual bustle and chatter one might expect in such a place. It was as if the entire base held its breath, anticipating the next move in a high-stakes game.
"Feels too quiet, doesn't it?" Raijin murmured, glancing around as they walked.
Sapenta nodded, his eyes scanning their surroundings, "Yeah, you'd think a place like this would be more... alive."
They passed by closed doors, occasionally hearing distant voices or the faint hum of machinery from deeper within the base. Despite the calm façade, Raijin sensed an undercurrent of tension beneath the surface—a tension that mirrored the uncertainty brewing within him.
"Maybe everyone's already up and about, getting ready for the day," Raijin suggested, trying to dispel the uneasy silence.
Sapenta shrugged noncommittally. "Could be. Or maybe they're keeping a low profile for some reason."
"Doubt it. I think we should stop stressing so much. These people are supposed to be Monster Killers, right? They're supposed to be good guys. Besides, they wouldn't have saved us if they wanted us dead or something like that," said Raijin.
Truthfully, he didn't believe in what he was saying. He recalled his conversation with Yoru where she got mad? annoyed? when he had asked if the monster killers were heroes. She said that there are no such things as heroes. So... were the Monster Killers villains? He highly doubted it.
Sapenta glanced at Raijin with a raised eyebrow, considering his words carefully. "I get what you're saying, Raijin. But remember, just because they saved us doesn't automatically make them 'good guys' either. There's a lot we still don't know about this organization and what they're really about."
"---It's not natural seeing you act smart or talk meaningfully," Commented Raijin. He was used to Sapenta being weird and stupid and rash, not acting smart and calculative or even thoughtful.
"---In this situation... This is what I need to act like," Replied Sapenta with a small frown on his face.
They continued walking through the quiet corridors, their footsteps echoing softly against the walls. Raijin couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, even though they hadn't encountered anyone else so far. It was unnerving, this sense of isolation within what was supposed to be a bustling base. He knew it was all in his mind and that no one was actually watching them, but he couldn't stop feeling uncomfortable.
As they rounded a corner, they heard faint voices ahead. Raijin and Sapenta exchanged glances before cautiously approaching. They peered around the corner and saw a small group of people gathered in a lounge area, engaged in what appeared to be a heated discussion.
"Should we go closer?" Raijin whispered to Sapenta.
Sapenta hesitated, casting a quick glance around. "I think so. Maybe we can learn something."
They edged closer, careful not to draw attention. Raijin recognized the faces; it was Ayuna and the 4 buff kids from the group they had met while coming to the Monster Killers Base. Raijin and Sapenta couldn't hear everything they were talking about, but they could hear some things.
"... Too hard?"
"... His fault!"
"...Mio is too nice,"
".... Kill him?"
"... Need him .... Necessary tool,"
Raijin and Sapenta exchanged bewildered glances at the snippets of conversation they overheard. It was clear that the group in the lounge was discussing something crucial, their voices filled with tension and urgency. Raijin strained to make sense of the fragmented dialogue.
"Did you hear that?" Raijin whispered to Sapenta, his voice barely audible.
Sapenta nodded slowly, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Yeah, they're talking about someone named Mio. And something about whether to kill him or not."
"Mio's a girl name, dumbass," Said Raijin. He always got annoyed when Sapenta confused which gender a name was for. When they had first met, Sapenta had told Raijin that Raijin was a girl's name. He thought he was correct, which was embarrassingfor both Ayuna and Sapenta when they had to correct him and he kept saying that he was in the right. It was a less than stellar first meeting. They still managed to become friends though.
"Either way, I highly doubt they're talking about killing whoever this 'Mio' character is. They mentioned that she was too nice, and they said that they want to kill a 'him', not a her," Continued Raijin.
"And Ayuna said that they shouldn't because they need him and that he's a necessary tool...?" Added Sapenta.
"But why would they want to kill someone? And why does Ayuna think that he's a necessary tool?" Raijin asked thoughtfully.
He had never heard Ayuna talk and look so... Serious, before.
"Let's wait until the buff people leave and then we talk to Ayuna," Suggested Sapenta.
Raijin nodded and waited.
After a couple of minutes, the buff teens walked away and just as Ayuna was about to walk away too, Sapenta and Raijin walked out of their hiding spot and walked towards her. Ayuna looked shocked when she saw them before giving a small smile that didn't reach her eyes and gave a wave.
"Hey, guys. How are you?"
"Who are you guys trying to kill?"
Raijin stared at Sapenta when he asked that question instantly.
Ayuna looked between the two of them, as if confused.
"We overheard your talk with those buff teens," Said Raijin.
Before Raijin could continue, Ayuna spoke up, as if remembering what they were talking about.
"Ah, that! We were talking about-"
Before she could say whatever random excuse that had come to her mind, they all heard a voice behind them. It was a warm, feminine voice that Ayuna and Raijin recognized-
"It's time for you guys to get your questions answered. Come with me."
-It was Shirogane Yoru.