Chapter: Built Different
The academy had gone quiet. Not in peace — in awe.
Evening light bled across the courtyard, filtering through the high windows of Nevermore's west wing. The whispers had started hours ago and hadn't stopped since.
"He beat Valmont."
"Six seconds."
"Didn't even shift."
By now, everyone knew the story. Nobody believed it — not really — but they repeated it anyway, the same way mortals gossip about ghosts until they almost convince themselves they've seen one.
Toji didn't care.
He sat on the marble ledge of the training hall balcony, a towel slung over his shoulder, shirt halfway buttoned. The faint wind from the forest carried the scent of pine. His knuckles still ached faintly, because how much he had to hold back against valmont.He was a lucky guy indeed.
Below, the arena floor was empty. The only evidence of the duel was a faint sword mark where valmont sword landed.
The door creaked open behind him.
Light footsteps — soft, quick, hesitant.
He didn't have to turn around. He could already tell who it was.Her smell was rather distinctive
> "You shouldn't be here," Toji said, his voice low, even.
> "Neither should you."
Enid's tone was quiet, but not timid. She stepped closer, her sneakers scuffing the stone. Her pink-and-silver hair caught the dying light, haloed in orange.
Toji tilted his head slightly, watching her reflection in the glass before him.
> "You came to congratulate me?"
> "Something like that."
She stopped a few feet away — close enough for him to feel the shift in her heartbeat. Her eyes weren't bright with her usual sunshine. They were calculating, conflicted.Something that never usually happen
> "Valmont's no rookie," she said. "He's one of the strongest werewolves here. I've never seen him lose — not even in practice. And you…"
She looked him over, disbelief curling in her voice.
> "You ended it in six seconds."
Toji said nothing.
> "That's not possible for a human," she murmured. Then, after a beat, more directly —
"You're not, are you?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Not what?"
> "Human."
There was no accusation in her tone — only curiosity. The kind that burned a little too bright for her own good.
Enid took another step forward, slowly, cautiously, like someone approaching a dangerous but fascinating animal.
> "Are you… a werewolf?"
Toji smirked faintly, the kind of expression that said he'd been asked worse questions. "If I said yes, would it make you feel better?"
> "Maybe."
> "Then no."
Her brows knit together. "You don't smell like one."
That made him glance at her — just once. Sharp. Measured. "You've been paying attention."
> "I have to," she said, stepping closer again. "It's instinct. We can tell when something doesn't belong. But you…"
She stopped right in front of him now. Close enough that the wind carried her scent — slight hint of roses, wildflower and something metallic, like the taste of moonlight.
> "You smell…" she hesitated, words failing her for once, "…different."
Toji watched her — calm, impassive — as she leaned in slightly, eyes flicking to his throat, then up to his jaw. She inhaled softly, uncertainly. The moment stretched — fragile, electric.
For her, it was primal instinct; for him, a test.
Enid stayed there for a few seconds, almost dazed, as though trying to memorize what she didn't understand.This scent..... Impeccably Amazing
> "It's not possible," she whispered, half to herself. "No human smells like that. It's… too clean. Too sharp. Like the forest before a storm."
But she didn't said what her heart was telling her.
He didn't move — not until she blinked and seemed to realize how close she was.
Then Toji sighed lightly, raised a hand, and tapped her forehead with two fingers — soft, precise.
> "I guess I'm just built different."
It was almost playful. Almost. But there was something in his eyes that made the words feel heavier than they sounded.
Enid froze at the touch, a flush rising on her cheeks that had nothing to do with embarrassment. Her mind blanked for a second — her instincts warring between flight and fascination.
When she finally stepped back, she forced a shaky laugh. "You know, that's not an answer."
> "It wasn't a question," he replied.
Enid folded her arms, but it didn't hide her unease. She wasn't used to being thrown off balance like this.
> "You don't act like a student," she said. "You don't fight like one either. People are saying you're dangerous."
> "People are often right," Toji said.
> "And Wednesday?"
He looked at her then, really looked. The air between them stilled.
> "She's persistent," he said. "But she's a stain that won't wash off."
Enid blinked — half-offended, half-confused. "That's… harsh."
> "It's honest."
He stood, stretching lazily, the last glow of sunset framing him in red and gold. His movements were too smooth, too fluid for a man who'd supposedly just fought a duel.
> "Tell her not to waste her time," he said quietly. "Curiosity's a habit that gets people killed."
>"Although l think she would enjoy that.
Enid frowned. "You talk like you've seen it happen."
> "I have."
He stepped past her, brushing lightly against her shoulder. For a second, the scent of Toji lingered — the kind of smell that stayed in your head long after it was gone.
Enid turned to watch him go, heart pounding for reasons she didn't want to admit.
> "You know," she called after him, "for someone who says he doesn't want attention… you really don't make it easy to ignore you."
Toji paused at the doorway, one hand on the frame.
> "Neither do you, pup."
And with that, he was gone — footsteps fading into the echo of the halls, leaving Enid standing alone in the dying light, her thoughts a tangled mess of awe, suspicion, and something dangerously close to curiosity.
She exhaled slowly, rubbing the spot on her forehead where his fingers had touched her.
It still tingled.
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