Survival Hunts:
As the name suggested, it's a game where Kurenai Village mortals hunt profound beasts —and each other— to survive for a month in groups of three.
This event is Shinji's idea passed on to the mortals by Tsubaki, for them to strengthen themselves for the upcoming continuous battles with the Kushi Village mortals.
(The real reason Shinji brought it up, nevertheless, is for him to spend some quality time with his girlfriend.)
As the groups were being made, some decided not to participate —e.g. Sora. In the long run, however, they are harming themselves by staying frogs in a well.
Tsukino realized this, and decided to team up with the legendary Mango-Mango, together with the unlucky Tento!
The umber skinned youth moves further away from Mango-Mango, slightly frowning.
As someone reported to be a Tsuki Slave by mistake, he was grabbed by them, and forced to approach Tsukino to request for one of the idiots to team up with them. When he did so, however, Tsukino asked to team up with him, something a pushover like him couldn't refuse.
'Being weak is a crime: even guys I can kill in one on one battle are bringing me trouble.'
He shakes his head, clenching his fist.
'With Tsukino around, it would be hard for me to ask Lucy-san to teach me how to fight.'
—I might as well use this frail body and the tricks my mind can make.
Calmly collecting himself, he starts to strategize a plan in his mind. As someone with the same surname as the First Tama-Artist, it's norm for him to make himself comfort in times of discomfort.
"Tutturuu..."
Hearing that obnoxious voice, he pinches his nose, taking a short glance at the goose-faced moron next to Tsukino.
'Why did Tsukino ask a guy who funks of urine to join us?'
Initially Ten thought it would be Mikino joining them, but when Tsukino approached her, the blind girl coldly snorted, going to another group. With no choice, Tsukino asked the man close to her.
'Whatever.'
Tento turns his head away from the young man made from the sin of goose and mango, gazing into the lash forest with a detached intellection.
'I don't know why we were told to group ourselves into groups of threes, but when I find a chance, I'm going to ditch them.'
—Maybe, I'll run into Lucy-san. If he wants payment for teaching me, I might give him that artificial intelligence my brother made, or help him on whatever he wants to archive, since my future goals are minimum.
'Furthermore, I've to ask if his beautiful girlfriend has a sister. She is the only person to give me that feeling of wanting to fight her. If, she does have a sister, then I'll ask for her hand, so that, we might spend the whole day fighting.'
—Over the past month, his ideal woman turned out to be someone he can fight to hone his skill, until he becomes the strongest!
'Should I aim to be the strongest? Isn't the First Tama-Artist the strongest person born by a mortal woman?'
Meanwhile...
"Tutturuu tutturuu..."
Mango-Mango made sounds, using his giant shield as a drum to kill boredom.
He had long lost devotion to Tsukino. And, currently, only the angel from a month ago has room in his mind.
'Just who is she? According to her words, she has a boyfriend here. After all, Tama-Artists wouldn't help mortals easily unless fooled by that scholar.'
Mango-Mango has raised his awareness against Shinji. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were all taken for fools by him during the event that occurred a month ago. The brown-haired man felt used, and his resentment for Shinji grew to unimaginable lengths.
Dropping the issue of the scholar whom he can kill with one punch, Mango-Mango's thoughts returned to the heavenly beauty.
'She would have stepped up when we killed the Bushi. Yet, she waited until we were about to frame Lucy.
'That's it, Lucy is her boyfriend. If I kill him, she'll come to me; I'll live the life of a king thereafter!'
"Hahahaa!!"
A crazy laugh escaped his lips, prompting the two with him to give him weird glances.
"Lucy has to die! We have to do everything in our power to kill him in these survival hunts!"
Although skeptical about Mango-Mango's sanity, Tsukino agrees, nodding.
"You're right about that. Such a person with no regard for human life has to die! Just thinking about him makes my blood boil!"
Tento rolls his eyes in disdain. Lucien hadn't done anything to them, yet they were thinking of attacking him. Aren't they the ones with no regard for human life?
Shaking his head, he sighs.
"Have you forgotten what he did four months ago? The images of that day are still fresh in my mind. Right now, I can see the mayhem in front of me."
"We are at the place he did it."
Tsukino answered coldly to Ten's schmuckiness.
"Ah." Ten scratches his head, 'That's embarrassing. How can I forget the place where the first thought of asking Lucy-san to teach me occurred?'
Meanwhile, Tsukino furrows her brows, looking at the place that had recovered from the events that took place.
'Am I strong enough to kill Lucien?'
—I still need to go back and see my brother!
Mango-Mango, on the other hand, didn't consider anything.
"So, what if he killed a bunch of Kushi Village mortals? Those were the weakest ones. Compared to the ones I killed, they are nothing."
Correction: those were Bushi in training. The cream of the next generation of Bushi for Kushi Village, who they were planning to use on the war to invade Kurenai Village.
Oblivious to what took place, Mango-Mango starts to brag:
"I killed a lot of Kushi Villagers at X-You Mountain than Lucy."
—That is true, Lucy didn't steal attention, until the end.
"If I were to go on a one-on-one dual with Lucy, I would kill him in one blow. There is nothing special about that silver hammer of his; it's nothing in front of my shield. Tell me where he is so I can kill him now?!"
"He is right in front of us."
"Huh?"
Tento repeats himself, pointing at the end of the wreckage by Lucien. Looking at Silver Hammer, he shakes his head, lamenting.
"Since I can kill you both in a one on one dual, I suggest we ignore him, and do something else."
In unison, the other two roll their eyes in jest. Who would be killed by a guy who has barely started gaining muscles after luckily finding a good diet?
Taking Ten's words with a grain of salt, the two careful look where he is pointing. Under a tree shed, Lucien sat with closed eyes, his otsuchi on his side.
Seeing him at peace, peeved Tsukino: a man smasher doesn't deserve such peace!!
"He is sleeping," Mango-Mango said the ostensible. A grin perches itself on his face as he took sedate steps forward.
"People are good when they're asleep; sending such a person to eternal slumber is my duty.
"The heavens are helping me; I won't waste such a grand opportunity."
Tsukino wanted to stop him, but decided to follow Mango-Mango. Who knows what would happen when attacking someone like Lucien?
Arriving, Mango-Mango raises his metal shield. At that moment, however, Tento makes a loud shriek, inciting Lucien to open his eyes.
Still, Mango-Mango slammed his shield against Silver Hammer with all the energy he could master in his muscles.
Crack!
Mango-Mango laughed heartily at the sound of something shuttering apart. Nonetheless, his pupils shrank to pin-size when he looked at his hand: his shield was gone, he was only holding crumbs of it.
At that moment, Lucy stood up!
***
Lucien is a simple person. He doesn't do anything to those who don't bother him together with his loved ones. When you poke him, sometimes he might let you go, considering you a fool, or because he is bored.
Nevertheless, going beyond certain limits make most regret it.
On this day, he forced Sora to do the laundry, before setting to the forest with his best friend. A few minutes later, Shinji got kidnapped; Lucien didn't chase since he is no match for the kidnapper.
Left alone, the young man couldn't stand the heat: as a person with ultra, pale skin, he sporadically suffers from hyperthermia. Carefully searching for places with little to no grass —has grass-allergy—, Lucien found a beautiful canopy of maple leaves to rest.
As seconds passed, he fell asleep thanks to the mesmerizing forest sounds.
When noises started occurring around him, he woke up; although Tento called him as insurance, Lucy had already protected his head with Entropy —which he and Shinji can only see at the moment.
'This is bothersome.'
He pondered to himself.
Getting up, he ignores the fools giving him stunned gazes. Not paying much to the previous attack, he moves away from the group, only to find the man with a head shaped like a hybrid of a goose and mango standing in front of him with a grin.
"I know about your girlfriend."
"So?"
"She is very beautiful. Give her to me, and I'll let the issue of breaking my shield go."
On the other side, Tento felt a desire to curse, his completion turning ashen. Clenching his fist for his misfortunes, he repeats one word in his mind like a mantra.
'Damn! Damn! Damn!'
—My chances of getting a fighting instructor have been wasted!!! This bastard!!!