Chapter 22: Night Falls

Looking at the girl's eager eyes, Hatsune couldn't bear to refuse.

Earlier in the square, the sight of the girl being rejected by others, her sad and dejected figure, was still vivid in his mind. What had she gone through to become so self-abasing and timid?

If she were a bit more confident, perhaps those people wouldn't have refused to be friends with her. Didn't she know that it was her own lack of confidence and timidity that led to this situation?

Besides, why need so many friends?

For superficial friends who don't truly understand each other, having them is worse than not having them at all.

"Whatever, you can follow if you want, but I'm warning you, if we encounter danger, I won't be distracted to protect you." After saying this, Hatsune turned and walked ahead.

Hearing his agreement, Nae Kanroji breathed a sigh of relief, happily exclaimed, and showed a radiant smile, her eyes bending with joy. She quickly caught up to Hatsune.

"I don't need you to protect me; I can protect myself. If you need help, I can protect you too."

Once again, Hatsune encountered what it meant to be "big-chested but empty-headed." He thought to himself, needing a woman to protect him? He'd rather die.

The girl seemed to say this casually, but Hatsune knew she was serious, and she likely had the capability to do so. This was also why Hatsune chose to bring her along.

Firstly, out of pity; secondly, out of curiosity.

Although Hatsune hadn't yet achieved perfect mastery of the Breathing Technique, known as "Total Concentration, Constant," he maintained his body's normal operation with the Breathing Technique most of the time, except when he unconsciously switched to normal breathing while sleeping at night.

Switching between the Breathing Technique and normal breathing was like changing a habit.

Hatsune speculated that once he became accustomed to the Breathing Technique, he would probably reach the perfect state of "Total Concentration, Constant."

Due to the Breathing Technique, he could judge whether someone had practiced it based on their breathing frequency and intensity.

Just a moment ago, when the girl lifted her head and darted forward, Hatsune clearly sensed that her breathing was exactly like his.

Even more amazingly, her breathing frequency was far above his, meaning her mastery of the Breathing Technique was likely superior to his.

So, a girl like this was still self-abasing and timid, which only made Hatsune more curious about what was so strange about her.

"My name is Nae Kanroji. You can call me Nae. What's your name?"

Out of timidity, Nae didn't dare walk beside or in front of Hatsune, only cautiously asking from behind him.

"Hatsune, Kooriyama Hatsune."

"What a lovely name. Should I call you Mr. Kooriyama or Mr. Hatsune? I think Mr. Kooriyama sounds nice. What do you think?"

"No need, just call me Hatsune."

"Hatsune?" Hearing this, Nae tilted her head, a shy smile appearing on her face, savoring the long-lost happiness for a moment. She couldn't help but call out, "Hatsune."

"What is it?" Hatsune asked with slight impatience.

"Nothing."

"If there's nothing, could you not call me? It's bothersome." Hatsune was already getting a headache from this girl.

How much did she crave conversation?

They walked leisurely, chatting intermittently. Most of the time, it was Nae talking and Hatsune listening. Sometimes Nae would ask a question, and Hatsune, being sparing with words, would answer briefly or remain silent.

Despite his cold attitude, Nae treated his words like treasures, carefully maintaining the conversation, afraid of saying something wrong and upsetting Hatsune.

Although they walked through dark, dense forests, they didn't encounter any demons. It was either luck or that demons simply didn't come out during the day.

Soon, they passed by a lonely cliff. The cliffside connected to a smooth platform, as if a small hill had been cut off at the top.

At this moment, sunlight shone through the sparse branches onto the platform. Hatsune decided to rest there.

The place was backed by a cliff, secluded, with good elevation, ample light, and a clear view. Even if they encountered one or two demons, they could be alerted in advance, even while sleeping.

"Let's rest here. It's unlikely we'll have much time to rest at night," he murmured the last sentence to himself.

Nae agreed. She seemed to have become Hatsune's shadow, following his every word.

They carefully climbed to the top of the platform along a water-worn crevice and sat down against the cliff, not minding the dirt.

"Rest up. Don't chatter like a talkative person, asking this and that."

Nae shyly lowered her head, smoothing her hair. Then she looked up and earnestly said, "Hatsune, you rest. I'll keep watch. If any demons approach, I'll let you know."

"No need."

The Breathing Technique could enhance his perception, allowing him to sense any external danger even while sleeping.

As Hatsune closed his eyes and began meditating, Nae stopped talking.

She sat with wide, alert eyes, watching the dark forest ahead, occasionally glancing at Hatsune beside her, a silly smile on her face.

After a while, unable to bear the extreme boredom, she leaned over and rested her head on Hatsune's lap, falling asleep.

In the depths of the forest, in a cave by the cliff, several pairs of beast-like eyes moved in the darkness.

Awakened by some mystical force, they sniffed the air frantically, letting out low growls and restlessly scurrying around the cave walls.

Yet, another force kept them bound, preventing them from leaving the cave.

Halfway up the mountain, many people sat in a circle, back-to-back. Some drank water continuously, others stared at the setting sun.

They wished the sun would set slower, but it seemed to sink even faster, disappearing behind the trees in the blink of an eye.

Death wasn't scary; the wait for death was the terrifying part.

As the sun set, the forest grew more eerie. Any slight sound of wind or rustling leaves frightened a few people into making incoherent noises, trembling all over.

Kimura looked at the rabble in front of him, wondering why they came here. They were scared even before the real fight began. If they encountered demons at night, they'd probably wet their pants!

Being scared now was understandable, but if they froze in fear when they met demons later, no one would help them.

If you were scared, you'd become demon fodder, buying time for others.

How many would become demon fodder here?

Compared to this group, Kimura thought of that white-clad boy again, regretting not putting in more effort to recruit him.

From their first meeting, Kimura felt the boy's eyes lacked something. Now he knew it was fear!