The cold breeze flowed, amplifying his already formidable presence. The boy hesitated before stepping forward, his voice cautious yet filled with curiosity.
"Who…?"
Around them, the hunters gathered, checking on their injured teammate while stealing glances at the figure. There was no doubt this man had appeared out of nowhere and, with a single strike, brought the terrifying beast to its knees.
The boy moved closer, hoping for a clearer look, but the figure subtly stepped back, his head tilted downward, as if studying the barely-breathing beast. Then, something else caught the boy's attention. He frowned. The eye mask covering the man's face had no openings it wasn't a mask at all. It was more like a blindfold. Shock rippled through him.
He… struck the beast down while blindfolded?
The boy muttered in quiet amusement, but before he could process it further, the senior team leader pushed past him, stepping toward the fallen beast. He prodded it with his sword, testing whether it had any strength left to fight. The fox demon gasped for air, its body weak struggling.
Then, the leader turned to the masked figure, a broad grin spreading across his face.
"We are grateful for your help, young man, in taking down this demon that has taken our people's lives." His gaze shifted back to the dying creature, and in an instant, gratitude twisted into something else…..greed.
"Tch. Filthy beast. Disgusting thing. But… its fur alone is worth fifty gold coins, and its horns? That rare poison could fetch at least a hundred! Hey, someone come here and finish it off!"
One of the hunters immediately stepped forward, raising his sword, ready to drive it through the beast's throat. But before his blade could descend, a sharp clang echoed through the air.
His sword split cleanly into two.
Stunned, he barely registered what had happened before his eyes caught sight of the masked stranger kneeling beside the beast, one hand resting gently atop its head.
Then, for the first time since his arrival, the man spoke.
"You shouldn't have taken those innocent lives," he murmured, his voice quiet. His fingers brushed through the beast's fur in a slow, comforting motion. "But it wasn't your fault. It was never your fault." The leader's face twisted in fury.
"What the hell are you doing? Don't touch that thing! It's a demon! Kill it before it recovers! That beast took four lives already—"
His shouting fell on deaf ears. The masked figure didn't even care to glance his way. He simply continued stroking the dying creature as if soothing a frightened child.
"You can rest now. It's safe."
As if understanding his words, the beast let out one final exhale. Its body stilled. A single tear slipped from its fading eyes, shimmering as it fell transforming into a translucent crystal before it touched the ground. Gasps rippled through the hunters.
"A crystal!" The leader's greedy expression returned in an instant. "We're even luckier than I thought! That crystal alone is worth double the price of its fur and poison!"
But before he could even reach for it, the masked man took the crystal, tucking it into his sleeve without hesitation. The leader's face darkened.
"Hey—"
Before he could demand an explanation, the masked figure simply flicked his fingers. In an instant, flames erupted around the beast's body, consuming it whole. Ashes scattered into the wind, leaving nothing behind.
"What did you do?!" the leader cried out, falling to his knees, his hands clutching the dirt in despair. But the masked man, as if unaffected by the chaos he left behind, simply turned away. And in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the darkness.
Scrolls and papers were scattered everywhere inside the room, ink smudging across the wooden floor. Bundles of parchment stretched from the table to the doorway, some rolled up, others crumpled and covered in blotches of black ink. In the middle of the chaos, two figures sat slumped over, their robes stained, fingers aching, and hair tied into messy buns.
"This is all your fault and your so-called legendary plan!" Arisu snapped, pointing her ink-covered brush at Astra.
Astra, barely holding in her frustration, shot back, "Why are you blaming me?! You're the one who didn't hide properly! And you should've woken me up! You wanted to have fun, right? Well, is this fun?!"
Arisu let out a dramatic sigh, slamming her brush down and crossing her arms.
"Fun?! We have to write the sutras 900 times in two days! My hands are about to fall off! And as if that wasn't enough, my grandfather found out, and I had to fill twenty giant water tanks from the well overnight!"
After a brief moment of silence, Arisu, noticing Astra hadn't said anything, spoke up
"I know you got punished too… and it must've been worse than mine."
Astra simply shook her head.
Seeing her unwilling to talk, Arisu hesitated before finally asking, "Astra, I've never asked you this before, but I have so many questions. I don't mean to be rude, but… may I?"
Astra hummed in acknowledgment, giving her permission. That was all Arisu needed.
"Why don't you just tell them to let you do what you want? Why can't you talk to him directly? Why are they so overprotective and strict with all these rules? Why don't include you in the group And more importantly… aren't they your family? And and and—"
She went on and on until Astra finally stopped writing, rested her chin on her hand, and smiled.
"Done kaneko? That's all?"
Arisu nodded.
Astra stood without a word, walked over to a large wooden box in the corner of the room, and retrieved a rolled-up painting. Returning to the table, she carefully spread it open.
Arisu leaned in, her eyes scanning the intricate details of the painting. It was breathtaking so well-made it looked almost lifelike. The scene depicted six people standing in front of a cascading waterfall, surrounded by blooming cherry blossoms in full bloom.
Her gaze immediately recognized Astra in the center, her bright smile standing out. Beside her were three familiar figures she had seen many times while visiting Astra, the ones she had introduced as her family.
But two others caught her eye.
One, clad in vibrant orange robes, held a bow and arrows standing behind quite far from them and directing his arrows toward other draped in soft lavender and white, had his long hair elegantly braided, standing slightly behind looking at the blossoms.
A small smile formed on her lips as she stared at the painting, the moment frozen in time. Meanwhile Astra noticed how Arisu's gaze lingered on one figure longer than the rest and finally spoke, pointing at the painting.
"I know you're already familiar with these three," she said, "but let me tell you more."
Her finger traced over the man Arisu had been staring at the longest the one holding a flute, his smile carefree and bright. He wasn't just handsome; he was pretty. No, the prettiest. His honey-brown eyes shimmered with a playful glint, and even in the painting, his presence stood out effortlessly.
"Shion Uta…" Astra murmured, tilting her head slightly.
"His skin never fails to make me jealous," she continued. "And it's not just the young girls even men, find themselves drawn to him. But more than his looks, it's his music that ensnares them. The way he plays the flute… his melodies feel unreal, like they belong to another world." Arisu nodded in agreement. she had seen it herself.
"But don't let that pure, innocent face deceive you. The prettier he looks, the more cunning, sly, and mischievous he truly is. He's the third eldest among us, and trust me you should never trust him."
Arisu let out a quiet "Oh," nodding in understanding.
Next, Astra's fingers moved to the figure dressed in deep red, his arm casually draped around Shion, yet his gaze fixed on Astra.
"Kaen Akatora…" she said softly. "The second eldest. He's the one who painted this moment."
Her voice carried a certain fondness as she continued, "He's always calm, always composed. I don't think I've ever seen him angry at least not at me. We all respect him deeply." Astra's lips curled into a small smile.
"He loves to paint, to write scripts… He's my calligraphy master, though it would be a real shame if people ever found out he was the one who taught me." She let out a chuckle, glancing at her own messy writing. Astra's eyes briefly flickered to the figure with striking blue eyes, but instead she skipped him and pointed past him, directing Arisu's attention to the two figures in the back.
One stood holding a bow, his sharp jawline visible as he turned slightly. His bright clothes and shimmering jewelry made him stand out. Beside him, a nearly identical figure like him, stood absentmindedly as if playing with his long, braided hair while admiring the cherry blossoms completely unaware of an arrow pointed at him.
"Seiya Aida and Seirou Aida. You probably don't know about them, the chaotic twins. They never get along."
"Seiya short-tempered, stubborn, and always ready to fight. He listens to no one, does whatever he pleases, reacts before thinking and never hesitates to throw hands if things don't go his way. He refuses to use a sword like the rest in the group and archery is the only thing he excels at, He's also obsessed with anything that sparkles and always loves showing off his collection." Then, she moved her finger to the other twin and smiled.
"Seirou is the complete opposite. He's calm, peaceful, and way too smart like he knows everything. His memory is scary good, and it always seems he knows what's going to happen before it does. He never needs to fight, he just avoids trouble before it even finds him. effortlessly slipping out of trouble. He's clever… too clever." Astra shook her head, chuckling.
"Seiya always finds a way to bully and tease me, while Seirou is the one who always stands by my side.They're a year older than me, but no one not even them knows who's actually the eldest. They argue about it constantly, each trying to one-up the other and claim authority. It never stops. But despite that, the three of us stick together the most causing trouble wherever we go know as…..Masters of Mayhem"
Arisu looked at her in surprise, as if it was familiar but still something was confusing. She pointed at the painting and asked,
"Why does everyone here have different family names? Shouldn't you all share the same one?"
Astra suddenly turned solemn and replied,
"It's because we are not blood related…..we're orphans."