N. E. N. [ H U N T E R X H U N T E R ]

Chapter 18 - ハンター 試験 | パート16 | 島 日 にーさ

Last time...
I had decided we would make the actual fire away from our camp to make sure no one would strike during the night. I found a spot, not too far nor too close, where I put wood and lit it up. I then go Hiroe there to cook the meal, and we went back to the camping site to eat.
Now...

Hiroe POV

I didn't wake up to my sister shaking me until I was awake nor an alarm clock, nope! I woke up to someone yelling. Great way to start the second day, isn't it?

In the drowsiness of the early morning, I tried to stand up and look around, but it only resulted in a fabulous faceplant.

"Hiroe, quiet down!" My sister whisper-yelled at me. Even though my eyes were still looking down on the ground, I could feel how tense Kotono was.

We were serious now.

We suddenly heard a sound again, closer this time. It was a branch cracking under someone's weight. The heavy footsteps made their way closer and closer, eventually stopping on my left.

While the person was coming, my sister and I silently hid behind large trees. Neither of us was looking at whoever was there, as spying would let him see us. Anyway, he was so loud that I'm pretty sure someone heard him five hundred meters from us. After all, we were currently in a really quiet place.

There was the normal sound of nature; the water cascading down the rocks nearby mixed with the bird's morning chirps, and the leaves from the trees dancing together in the wind... all of that was ruined by the rude, obnoxious examinee.

He arrived at our camping site and saw the flattened grass where we had slept. Crouching, he examined the things.

This was the best opportunity to have a look at the impolite man that had disturbed my night sleep. Peeking from behind the tree, I saw his back. He was wearing ragged clothes, full of mud. He also had a shoulder bag made out of leather. His hair was black, with a very faint purple tint to it, and he looked about two heads taller than me. Of course, he was crouching, so it's hard to tell.

He suddenly stood up, grunting, and took out a small knife out of its pouch. I quickly hid back behind the tree, not wanting to get caught.

"I know you're there! You can't be far anyway!" His voice appeared to come closer and closer to my hiding spot. "Come on out, maybe I'll spare you."

This time, the sound came from the other side of the tree. How did he guess I was there? My breathing was steady and silent, and my I held my hair close to my body to prevent him from seeing it. Did he see me spying on him? No, he doesn't have eyes on his back after all... Maybe he had a teammate that had looked at us from elsewhere? Though how could they have communicated that way...

My brain, not used to having to be logic, began to overheat from all of the questions flowing through my mind.

'It's useless though, why am I asking questions? I'm in a survival situation, and I should let my instinct first.'

I was about to jump out in front of the man to confront him when I heard my sister's voice. Glancing at the tree she was supposed to hide behind, I didn't see anything there.

"I'm here!" She called out to the man, "I surrender, here's my tag..."

I heard a low chuckle leave the man's throat as his steps went further away from me. But I couldn't allow myself to breathe yet; I was still in danger, and my sister was even more at risk!

What to do, what to do...

Kotono POV: