"An authentic smile can often brighten the darkest days. We must remember that compassion and kindness are often the strongest forces we possess." - Miho Saito
The second main exam was already in full swing. The first few participants had already passed, while others were still busy collecting survival points. Aki had confronted Tatsuo, who had stolen all of Miho's points. A fight between the two was on the verge of breaking out at any moment.
Moonfang Arc
Sentinel Entrance Exam
Chapter 4 - Sage Said Survive (Part 2)
"Well, what's the matter? Come on! You act like you're the toughest. So come and hit me!" Tatsuo taunted Aki, trying to provoke him into throwing the first punch. Aki remained defensive and replied, "I'll let you have the first hit." Tatsuo started bouncing on his feet. "You won't have to tell me twice!" With that, the young man lunged directly at Aki. He landed a powerful right hook against Aki's guard. Following up with a series of jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts, Tatsuo kept up the pressure. Thanks to his skillful movements and solid defense, Aki was able to block every blow. However, in his current situation, the young defender found it difficult to launch an attack. This was also due to a mental block he was struggling with. "No, just blocking won't get me anywhere! I... I have to attack!"
As Tatsuo swung his next hook, Aki abruptly pulled back, causing the punch to miss its mark. The force of the blow made Tatsuo lose his balance for a brief moment. Seizing the opportunity, Aki delivered a powerful hook straight to Tatsuo's face. Tatsuo cried out, staggered back, and quickly regained his fighting stance. But as soon as Tatsuo was back on his feet, Aki launched his next attack. "I can't run away or just keep blocking; I have to fight back!" With that resolve, Aki began landing punch after punch, kick after kick, forcing Tatsuo into the same defensive position that Aki had been in moments before. But there was something Aki didn't know—Tatsuo was far more unpredictable than he had anticipated. "So, you've got some skills too..." Tatsuo suddenly dropped his guard. "That just makes it all the more fun..." In the next instant, Tatsuo ducked under Aki's hook and charged forward. "...to beat you down."
Tatsuo rammed into Aki's stomach, wrapped his arms around him, and swept his leg, causing Aki to fall to the ground. He quickly straddled Aki and began pummeling his face with powerful punches. Mid-attack, Tatsuo suddenly asked where Aki had learned to fight so well, to which Aki replied that he had been bullied and fought back. Tatsuo laughed mockingly, saying he also gained experience from bullying but in a different way. Enraged, Aki cursed at him, but just as Tatsuo prepared for the final blow, he was struck on the head by Miho, who had hit him with a large branch, breaking it in half. Tatsuo let go of Aki, stood up, and angrily turned to Miho, who defiantly responded, "The points slut's name is Miho, in case you forgot!"
Miho stood in a defensive position, holding the remaining piece of the branch in front of her. "So, you want to fight too now?" Tatsuo sneered as he looked at her. It was clear that, unlike the two boys, she had no real combat experience. Just as Tatsuo was about to lunge at Miho, he was interrupted by a powerful kick from behind. "I... am... still here!" Aki, bloodied but determined, did the same thing Tatsuo had done earlier—he rammed into Tatsuo, grabbing him as if in an embrace. But unlike the troublemaker, Aki didn't take him down immediately. Instead, he pushed Tatsuo forward with all his strength, driving him further and further ahead. After several meters, Tatsuo managed to break free. "You bastard!" Aki instinctively started running toward his camp, but Tatsuo was hot on his heels. Just before reaching the camp, they arrived at the spot where the net trap was set.
Aki suddenly had an idea. He stopped abruptly, causing Tatsuo to overshoot and run a bit further—though not far enough to fall into the net trap. But Aki had a plan for that too. He grabbed Tatsuo again, this time trying to sweep his legs out from under him by striking the back of his knees. However, Aki was too weak, and Tatsuo's stance was too solid. "What are you trying to do?" Tatsuo mocked, easily kicking Aki to the ground. "Hahaha, are you seriously trying that? You seem to have forgotten that I'm the toughest one here! Ahahahahaha!" As Tatsuo laughed, neglecting his guard, Miho and Ryoko suddenly charged out of the bushes. With their combined strength, they shoved Tatsuo, making him stumble directly into the trap. The net was triggered, and Tatsuo was hoisted up, caught in the sturdy vines. The troublemaker shouted, "Hey! Let me out! I don't want to be stuck here for another hour!" But Aki ignored him, watching as his point total climbed to 3,500.
As Aki turned around, he saw Ryoko waving at him. He nodded to Miho, and they both sat down next to the shy girl. "Congratulations on winning the fight, Aki!" Ryoko said, but Aki didn't look particularly happy. "I didn't really win. He just couldn't fight because we trapped him. Plus, it was a 3-on-1, which isn't exactly fair." Immediately, a pessimistic and negative mood settled over them. To break the tension, Miho made a comment unrelated to the fight. "Oh, by the way, we haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Miho, nice to meet you!" Ryoko was taken aback. Quietly and full of self-reproach, the shy girl responded, "Sorry, it was rude not to introduce myself... I'm Ryoko!" Miho smiled warmly at her. "You don't need to blame yourself. It's okay!" After that, the brightness returned to Ryoko's eyes. Shortly after, Miho turned to Aki. He immediately understood what she wanted and said, "I'm Aki, nice to meet you too." There was a hint of regret in his expression, and he couldn't quite meet Miho's gaze. Sensing his feelings, Miho reassured him, "You don't need to blame yourself either. You did your best and managed to protect me. And it's not a big deal that you didn't beat Tatsuo in a fair and honest way. After all, we're comrades fighting on the same team!"
This statement made Aki happy, but it also made him realize how unpredictable Miho could be. She had understood his worries and concerns without him even voicing them. However, Aki had no doubts about her loyalty; there was a certain warmth in everything Miho said and did. At that moment, Aki noticed how wonderful everything about her was: her long, black hair cut into bangs, her shining blue eyes, her soft, smooth skin. Everything about her seemed so amazing, so perfect. It was as if an angel had descended from the heavens directly into the Sentinel entrance exam. "T-Thank you!" Aki stammered, blushing deeply. It was clear he had fallen for her, even though he knew she was currently out of his reach. "S-So, let's keep going! We still have 1,500 points to earn!"
After that, they quickly got back to work. Miho crafted more clothing from vines, while Ryoko, with Aki's guidance, expanded the shelter—she was the stronger of the two, after all. Time passed, and the team had only half an hour left to gather as many points as possible. They were just 500 points away from their goal, nearing the finish line. But just as they were about to complete the exam, something unexpected happened. There was a rustling in the tree above them.
"Is that an animal or something?" Miho instinctively stepped back, while Aki moved closer to investigate. But before they could see anything, a branch snapped, and the supposed animal fell down. It wasn't an animal, but a human girl. She was undoubtedly another participant. The tree was several meters high, but she managed to fall in a way that minimized her injuries. Without thinking about how this might affect their chances of passing the exam, Miho immediately ran over to check if the girl was okay, with Aki and Ryoko following closely behind.
"Hey, are you okay? Everything alright?" the angelic girl, Miho, asked gently. The young lady who had fallen from the tree managed to sit up on her own. "It's no big deal. I was just trying to get some fruit for my team and slipped. Nothing serious." At that moment, Ryoko noticed a large cut on the girl's leg. "No, you need to get that treated," she said firmly, helping the injured girl to her feet and supporting her on her shoulder. "The water from that stream is clean. We can use it to wash your wound."
The girl hesitated for a moment, pointing out, "But those water bottles by the fire..." She had realized that Aki had been boiling the water to purify it. Aki responded, "It's for the points. But look, the water is completely clear, it has no chemical or unpleasant smells, and there are plenty of fish swimming in it. Plus, the water flows quickly, which usually means it's clean." After hearing Aki's reasoning, the girl finally relented and, with Ryoko's help, made her way to the stream to clean her wound.
"By the way, I'm Maki. Once I'm treated, I need to get back to my teammate, Aimi." After introducing themselves, the trio quickly cleaned Maki's wound with the clear stream water. Aki then gathered large leaves from the forest, washed them, and applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding, with Ryoko assisting by adding more leaves while Aki held them in place. Miho secured the makeshift bandage with vines. "That should do it," Aki said, advising Maki to report to Viktor after the exam, as he had seen an infirmary at the base where she could get better care. Maki, now able to walk, thanked them, waved as she passed the tree she had fallen from, and disappeared into the forest. Realizing they only had 15 minutes left, the trio quickly returned to work, determined to finish in the final moments.
Everyone worked at full speed, but it still didn't seem to be enough. Five minutes later, they had only reached 4,650 points. After another five minutes of intense effort, the score climbed to 4,750. "Damn it!" Aki shouted, "Miho, please hurry! Just one more piece of clothing, and we'll have all the points!" Miho nodded and continued working with intense focus. Only one minute remained. Miho pushed herself to the limit, determined to finish. She was so close—just one small piece left. She could still make it in time! But then, it happened—a wrong move caused the vine to snap. She quickly reached for a new one, but before she could grab it, her wristbands emitted a loud beeping sound. At that moment, a message appeared on the wristband displays: "The second exam, the survival training, has now ended. Points achieved: 4,750. All passing participants will now be transported back to the base." Before Miho could ask what "transported" meant, her vision went black. They had failed to pass the second exam.
A few moments later, Aki opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground, staring up at the clear blue sky. "Where... am I...?" he murmured, trying to gather his thoughts. Suddenly, a figure leaned over him. "Oh... I know him. That's..." Before Aki could finish his thought, the boy shouted, "He passed! Our Aki passed!" It was Ryuu, one of the successful participants. Cheers erupted around him as Aki slowly sat up. Around thirty other participants were gathered in the area in front of the base, including Ryoko, Miho, Ryuu, Seiji, Mirio, Maki, Shiroi, and even Tatsuo. "Tatsuo is here... Does that mean we passed?" Aki wondered aloud. Just then, Viktor appeared behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you really think I would fail you for rescuing someone? Saving people is the main duty of the Sentinels. Plus, you demonstrated enough survival skills to give us plenty of reasons to let you pass. The three of you are moving on to the next round!"
After passing the exam, they had the rest of the day off. The third exam was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. the next day. The rest of the day went smoothly, and Aki was able to relax and bond further with Ryoko, Miho, and Ryuu. Even at dinner, they sat together in a similar group as they had at lunch. The meal wasn't as extravagant as lunch, but it was still very good—grilled fish with wild herbs. The fish had even come from the area where the survival exam had taken place.
As everyone finished eating and was about to leave, Viktor stopped them. "Hey, hey, hey! There's something I need to announce! So... I'm not sure how to put this, but there will only be four exams instead of five." Immediately, the participants all shouted in unison, "WHAT?!" Viktor quickly explained, "This is because the fifth exam was a sort of passive test that you've already been going through during the first few exams. You all formed teams and showed a willingness to work together during the survival test. This is an essential trait for a Sentinel. The next two exams can only be completed individually, so those who would have failed the fifth exam were already eliminated after the second exam. So, congratulations—you've made it through the hardest part!"
As the cheers and excitement gradually faded, Aki headed to his room. He settled in and decided to watch the latest episode of his favorite anime, My Elk Friend Elkotan, which featured a girl who was half-human, half-elk. When the elk girl removed her antlers to pull out an apple she had stored there earlier, Aki couldn't help but chuckle. "What a masterpiece..." he thought. Not long after, there was a knock on his door. Aki paused the anime and opened the door to see Ryuu standing there. "Hey, Aki! Or should I call you Akinator? The way you crushed that exam was seriously impressive, hahaha!" After a brief pause, Ryuu got to the point. "To celebrate getting through most of the exams, I thought it'd be fun to hit the onsen* here at the base with everyone. I wanted to see if you're up for it." Aki calmly replied, "I'm in." Ryuu grinned and jumped up in excitement. "It's going to be a blast with you! See you at the onsen at 7:30!" With that, Ryuu went off to invite the others, leaving Aki to return to his anime. It was only 6:30, so he still had an hour to relax.
*Onsen: A Japanese hot spring bath.
Just over an hour later, Aki stood in front of the passageway leading from the accommodation to the onsen, carrying his towel under his arm. He hadn't brought any swimwear, knowing it was considered inappropriate to wear in an onsen. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him: "Hey, Aki! I didn't know you'd be here too!" He instantly recognized the voice. Turning around, he saw Miho, the girl he had fallen for. "MIHO?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Aki blushed furiously. Miho responded, "Ryuu invited all of us. He said something like, 'It's fine, the bath is separated! You guys can have your party on your side, and we'll have ours on ours!' Though you're not really supposed to be loud in an onsen. Also, I should be asking what you're doing here—you're not really the type for this." Before Miho could say anything more, Aki bolted towards the changing room. "GOTTA GO!" It was clear he was uncomfortable talking to his crush, especially right in front of the onsen.
Aki quickly changed and entered the bath area, where he placed his towel beside the hot spring and immediately slipped into the water. He was clearly uncomfortable with the situation and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. Once in the water, Aki finally began to relax a little, focusing less on covering himself. The steam filled the air, and with the water up to his neck, he was grateful that nothing could be seen. Except for Aki, everyone was already in the water—everyone except Ryuu. Ryuu entered the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Oh, am I the last one? But I'm glad you're all here!" he said cheerfully. Mirio commented, "Hey, Ryuu. Do you train a lot? I'd love to have a body like yours." Ryuu's physique was extremely muscular and defined, as if he trained day and night. "Nah, I just have good genetics, hahaha!" Ryuu replied with a laugh before joining them in the water. Tatsuo's eyes widened in disbelief. "How can you be that muscular without training?! I work out every day, and you can barely see my muscles!" Tatsuo, while definitely stronger, appeared less defined than Ryuu. Seiji, on the other hand, was as thin as a twig, and Mirio was fit but focused mainly on cardio, endurance, and speed. Aki seemed to be the only average-looking person who didn't train regularly.
While the other boys were goofing around, Mirio noticed something unusual. "Hey, guys! Check this out!" he called out. There was a hole in the partition between the boys' and girls' sides. Tatsuo and another young man immediately jumped up and ran over. "Awesome!" they exclaimed, but their excitement quickly turned into regret. When Mirio peered through the hole, all he saw was a brown surface. Suddenly, the surface moved away, revealing the eye of one of the girls on the other side. With an annoyed expression, she glared at Mirio. "Are you serious?" she asked, her long, dark blue hair framing her stern face. "I, Aimi Yamanae, am going to report you to Examiner Viktor, you perverts!" she declared before plugging the hole with something that looked like a cork, preventing any further peeking. She then returned to the water to relax, muttering, "What scum you find everywhere..."
Meanwhile, Maki, who was sitting outside the water due to her injury, observed the situation. "The three peepers are named Mirio, Hachiro, and Tatsuo, in case you really do want to report them," she said. Aimi smirked. "You actually remembered that?" Maki grinned slightly. "Of course, I made a point to remember all the participants' names." Aimi chuckled softly. "That's why you're my best friend!" Both the boys and girls ended up having a lot of fun that evening, despite the brief commotion. They knew that for most of them, this would be the last time they saw each other. They wanted to savor the moment to its fullest. And so, another day came to an end.
Hey! Thank you for reading the fourth chapter of Akuma!
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