章 4: Chapter 4: First Name Basis
We're met with astonished stares as we walk across the pebbled courtyard. I look at Kitani and Kurogane, they look unfazed by it. The students are all wearing dark blue uniforms, all distinguished with a shiny golden pin, the same as these two. I'm able to pick up on distant conversations.
"Is that actually the Banshee vessel?"
"He's so adorable, do you think he speaks Japanese?"
"His skin tone is so unique. I wonder where he's from?"
I shake Kitani slightly, he looks up from his phone and grins mischievously.
"Enjoying the spotlight, huh?" he teases, misinterpreting my discomfort. "Must be a nice change for you." I couldn't disagree more; this level of attention is overwhelming.
"Hey, so Daiki-" I start but he jerks his head toward me.
"You probably don't know this but we're not on a first-name basis," his switch in demeanor throws me off completely.
"Chill dude," Kitani quickly breaks us apart. "Sorry about Kurogane, he's a little bitch about rules and stuff, he means well though.""What do you mean rules, is there a rule against first names here?" I ask slightly embarrassed at Kurogane's outburst.
"Nah it's more of a respect thing, in Japan it's just a custom like saying Mister and Miss in America," Kitani explains to me with a friendly arm around my shoulder.
"Got it Kitani," we both smile and catch up with Kurogane.
We arrive at a tall, majestic white shrine adorned with paper tags fluttering gently on its pillars. Its dark wooden stairs lead up into its interior. The floors inside, polished amber wood, reflect the flickering candlelight, creating an almost ethereal ambiance. Our footsteps echo in the vast space, giving a sense of grandeur and history.
At the heart of the shrine, a woman with aged greenish hair cut in a wild, wolfish style commands the room. Her yellow eyes are that of a hawk, they instantly freeze us in place. Scars, likely earned in battles with curses, mark her weathered face, each one a testament to her strength.
Kitani quickly shuts his phone and thrusts it into his pocket. Kurogane straightens his already stiff posture.
"You've gotta be kidding me," she mumbles to herself as she swiftly rises from her seat. "I've already had to deal with Sukuna, now this?" Despite being an elderly woman, she walks with poise and vigor.
She studies me for a bit, then raises her hand to pat me on the head.
"Yep it's you," she smiles softly, the wrinkles of her face slightly lift as youthfulness fills her hunter eyes. Suddenly my body lurches to the side and is sent tumbling on the ground by an unseen force. My cheek stings, the imprint of her hand seared onto my skin.
"That damn Hakari," she exclaims as she stomps toward my trembling body. "I thought I'd finally be free from you when you died, seems your luck is as stubborn as you are."
"Maki-Sensei," the two dash over to hold her reeled fist. "Remember your glasses please." She stops and gleefully adorns her glasses. She politely puts a hand over her mouth to conceal her laughter."My mistake dear," she picks me up by the hoodie, raising me like a mere cub in the grasp of a lioness. "You look so much like him that's all."
"Maki-Sensei, he's the Banshee vessel you requested," Kurogane politely relays to her. "We were asked to bring him here for your initiation."
She nonchalantly returns to her desk and unwraps a candy bar. "For now he is assigned to you squadron Kurogane, I assume you're more than capable," She says with chocolate filling her mouth.
Their jaws drop to the floor, they begin to retort her demand but quickly return to their upright positions.
"You will be accompanied by Haku Inumaki," she says as her hawk eyes ensnare us. They both bow to her. I look at them in complete confusion, Kurogane tugs at the strings of my hoodie, forcing me into a bow. We nearly dash out of the temple out of fear of her terrifying gaze.
"Although this is kind of on the nose, I'm still interested in what that Banshee is capable of," Kurogane smiles. There's an rugged attractiveness about him, accentuated by his presumable battle scars. Two scars frame his lips, he has a chunk of ear missing on his left one, complimented by a golden ear piercing. His hair is buzzed but it fits his head shape.
"Be up early," he says, opening the door to my dorm. "We're gonna train you up before our first mission." He hands me the key and the door slams.
I stand in the darkness of my room for a bit before flicking on the light switch.
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