Dormitory Backlash
The school dorm room was silent, save for the grunts of pain. Satsuki was sleeping, as always. Ayane was awake, reading a book under a small lamp. Kurone was trying desperately to sleep, and Itsuki was restless, clutching his ribs.
"Damn this blood manipulation that Kurone used," Itsuki groaned, shifting his weight. "Even if we hit the pillars, it cost us our bodies."
"I heard that, and it'll wear off," Kurone mumbled back, too tired to levitate.
"What's the ruckus for, roomies?" Ayane asked softly, not looking up from her book.
"Kurone somehow managed to manipulate our blood, and she... well, it's hard to explain."
"Mmmm, I see. Well, I can't really say, can I... also, where's Kai?"
A low sound emerged from the corner. "Mmmmmmmmm." Keito, still sedated, was slowly returning to consciousness.
"What's up with him?" Ayane asked.
"The sedatives are wearing off, but he'll still be tired. As for Kai, he's still with Lyra and Elara, I think."
"I see." Ayane yawned dramatically. "Well, goodnight." She closed her book and went to bed.
Suddenly, a massive wave of exhaustion hit Itsuki, Kurone, and the recovering Keito. They slumped instantly, tiredness hitting them like a truck. Ayane had manipulated the mood around them, using her Innate Law to enforce rest.
The Missing Pillar
The next morning, Itsuki and the others woke to find handwritten notes by Ma'am Neko: "Please meet me at the stone pillars."
They quickly got dressed and made their way to the training ground. As they walked, Kaida noticed something odd about the destroyed pillars.
"Didn't we all agree to leave Kai's pillar alone?" Kaida asked Kurone.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well," she pointed ahead. Kai's stone pillar was also destroyed.
Standing by the rubble, inspecting the scene with a smug smile, was Ma'am Neko.
"Uhhhh, we are innocent, I swear," Reina blurted out instantly.
"I know."
"Oh yeah!? What makes you think we wouldn't help our friend!?" Kaida challenged.
"Nothing," Ma'am Neko said coolly. "But if you look at how you guys destroyed yours and this one, you can see the difference. When the pillars are destroyed, they should still contain unstable \text{Kishō}, but Kai's pillar has no trace of it."
"Umm, okay?" Kaida said, confused.
"This can't be Kai," Kurone concluded.
Just then, Kai walked up, spotted the destroyed pillar, and wailed loudly.
"My pillllaaaar... I was gonna destroy it!"
Everyone else sighed. "It's definitely not him."
The Seeker and the Shadow
"Doesn't matter," Ma'am Neko declared, wiping her hand clean of dust. "Today we shall have a pure test—one that will determine if you should continue with me. It's called... Hide and Seek."
"The same one we played as kids? Oh, come on, you really want me to win?" Reina complained.
"Nope. But I feel kinda tired today, so I'll be simple. You guys choose who the seeker should be, and every time they find one, that person should help find the others until the last one is found. Clear? Now, I'm going to sleep. Oh yeah, I usually wake up in an hour, so begin or whatever." Ma'am Neko yawned and walked off.
The class huddled up.
"So who's gonna be the seeker?" Itsuki asked.
"Definitely not Kai, we don't want to delay," Reina said immediately.
"I will," Kurone volunteered.
Satsuki gave a curt nod. "Let's go already."
They turned to Kai.
"Kai, I'll find you first, okay?" Kurone said with a smirk.
(Kai's internal Dialogue: Let's see about that. Once in my past, I was suspected of missing for two days because my mom forgot we were playing hide and seek.)
"Okay," Kai replied.
They were given a ten-second head start. Everyone scattered. Kai, however, walked into the nearest tree and quietly settled on a branch, deep within the bushy leaves, and completely suppressed his presence.
Kurone began her hunt. Within that hour, she quickly found Kaida in a lake with the Kappa. Thirty minutes later, she found Itsuki and Satsuki in the library. Finally, they all located Reina in the forest.
But they still didn't find Kai. The whole group looked for an additional two hours, getting increasingly frantic.
Finally, Ma'am Neko awoke and walked outside to see everyone except Kai standing there.
"We lost Kai," Itsuki admitted miserably.
"We used all we could do," Kaida confirmed.
"He's in that tree," Ma'am Neko said, pointing to the spot where Kai had been hiding.
They all looked. Kai wasn't there.
Ma'am Neko's eyes went wide. "What!?"
But Kai placed a hand on her shoulder and walked past her with ten books cradled in his arms.
"Oh, hey guys, done with your sesh?"
"How did you... escape us?" Itsuki stammered.
"Mmmmm, since he's a Kō-shi, his Kishō output is low to none, meaning we can't use Kishō sensors on him," Ma'am Neko mused, recovering quickly. "But still, he proved to be rather impressive. He took three hours to find."
(Kai's internal Dialogue: It's mainly because I suppressed my very presence... I'm still trying to master it, but it still flickers.)
(Flashback: The True "Hiding")
Kai literally walked behind Kurone without her noticing.
Kaida felt like she was getting pricked when it was Kai busy poking her.
Itsuki just felt colder (Kai was waving a fan).
Satsuki took a nap.
Kai left Reina alone because Elara saw him busy bothering others.
(End Flashback)
"And that's what I did," Kai said with a shrug, completing his story.
"You're so lucky I am tired," Itsuki groaned.
"I forgive you," Satsuki said simply.
"HE BARELY DID ANYTHING TO YOU!" Reina shouted in disbelief.
"The point," Satsuki replied.
"So maybe Kai does have... value, or the pages are slowly unfolding," Ma'am Neko observed. Kai's eyes shimmered a faint crimson, and Ma'am Neko smirked. "Or maybe I'm just dreaming."
"Okay then, class is dismissed, and we shall meet tomorrow again," she told the class.
No one complained. They just left, heading to their dorm rooms.
The Push
Back in the teachers' lounge, Tenguhiro and Miss Kuchisake were present as Ma'am Neko entered.
"So, I have a theory: Kai is actually strong," Ma'am Neko stated, leaning on the table.
"Oh dear, you have lost it," Miss Kuchisake said flatly.
"Strength lies in many, but never in Kai," Tenguhiro added dismissively.
"You usually say that, but are always proven wrong. Maybe Kai needs a push."
"You volunteered to include him, and this is what you got—theories upon theories."
Ma'am Neko smiled coolly. "Maybe so, but..."
The scene shifted to a panel of Kai sitting on a rooftop, his crimson eyes clashing with the abyss violet of the night sky, while Ma'am Neko's voice finished her thought: "There's something different about this boy."