Bab 176: Shadow Spectator (Pt. I)

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"Huh? What are we doing here?"

Yuzuki looked around the dark, lightless forest while quivering under the cold wind's touch. The eery vibe the forest let out was not like anything he had seen before.

Jumping and shrieking quietly just from a few cracks and sounds, Kishi sighed at the boy's scared nature and smiled awkwardly, "You really gotta start building up that bravery, Yuzuki. Who knows, if I'm not here that you'll survive in the wild or not..."

"B-But..."

"You don't have a family, do you...?" Kishi suddenly asked, surprising the boy ever-so-slightly. The tone he used was soft and comforting-- as if he knew that the topic was sensitive to the younger boy.

Yuzuki pursed his lips tight and looked the other way-- away from Kishi, that is. He wasn't brave enough to look the older lavender-haired male in the eye while he somewhat sniffled when Kishi mentioned "family."

"Yuzuki?"