Sumi slowly opened her eyes as the faint light of morning spread across the sky. The deep blue of dawn was beginning to form, and the steady sound of the river flowing beside them filled the quiet air.
"You awake?" Tokarou's voice came from her side.
Sumi pushed herself up, rubbing her eyes a little.
"Not the most comfortable sleep…"
Tokarou stood and stretched lightly.
"Let's wash ourselves and start walking."
She nodded and began untying her shoes. After placing them neatly on the grass, she slid her fingers along the top of her high socks and slowly pulled one down, revealing her pale leg. Tokarou glanced in her direction without meaning to.
Noticing his eyes, Sumi looked back and gave him a small smirk. Tokarou immediately looked forward and started walking toward the river. Sumi pulled off her other sock and followed him.
They reached the river together. Tokarou crouched down to wash his face and hands. Sumi began washing her legs, but midway she froze. Her eyes shifted to her right, narrowing slightly at a thick bush between the distant trees.
The bush moved.
In an instant, Sumi disappeared from the riverbank and reappeared behind the bush her speed send a fast gust behind making the tree's leaf and bush move, her expression turning cold.
Behind her were four figures wearing the same type of worn leather armor. All of them had animal ears and tails, cat and dog features mixed among them. One woman and three men. Their eyes widened in shock when Sumi suddenly appeared among them. The woman had been holding an old sword, and she spun around, lifting it defensively.
But before she could even complete the motion, her sword vanished from her grip.
A cracking sound echoed.
The sword lay shattered on the ground several meters away. Tokarou was beside them now, his leg still slightly raised from the kick he had delivered so fast they couldn't even register it.
"Shit! Boss, we're caught!" the brown haired man shouted in panic.
Tokarou tilted his head slightly.
"Who are these people…?"
Sumi replied quietly, still staring at the group.
"They were watching us."
The woman stared at her broken sword, then dropped to her knees, trembling.
"P-please don't kill us!"
Tokarou stepped beside Sumi and looked down at them.
"Who are you people?"
The woman looked up, her whole body shaking. The two figures standing before them felt overwhelming, the oppressive dark and red aura surrounding them made her breath catch.
"This mana…" she whispered.
Sumi's eyes remained cold.
"You didn't answer the question."
The woman jolted and immediately started speaking.
"S-sorry! We… we were just scouting this area! We spotted you and were observing, nothing more!"
Sumi stayed silent, letting the pressure linger. Tokarou spoke instead.
"Scouting… so you people live nearby?"
She nodded quickly.
"Yes! Our village is near—"
"No! Boss you shouldn't reveal—" one of the men shouted, but stopped when the woman shot him a sharp look. He swallowed, realizing she had made a decision.
The woman took a breath and looked back at Sumi and Tokarou.
"We beast men live a little far from here… in our village."
Only now did Tokarou and Sumi take a closer look, the ears, the tails, the features they hadn't noticed earlier.
Sumi looked at Tokarou.
"Wow, darling….
Tokarou nodded slowly.
"Didn't expect that."
Tokarou crouched down a little, making his voice calmer.
"So this place… it's dangerous? We saw monsters yesterday."
The woman nodded.
"This forest is filled with them. It's one of the reasons we live deeper inside, our village is built in a safer part of the territory."
"Then why stay here at all?" Tokarou asked.
The woman looked down, her tail lowering slightly.
"We don't have anywhere else to go. Humans drove us out long ago. They said beastmen attract monsters and bring misfortune, so we were banned from their lands."
Sumi crossed her arms, observing them quietly.
"So you settled in a forest full of monsters."
"We had no choice," the woman replied. "At least here we can defend ourselves…."
Tokarou blinked slowly and said.
"I see. So you were scouting for monsters when you saw us."
"Yes," she said. "We thought you might have been strong monsters because… your mana felt too heavy."
Tokarou exchanged a glance with Sumi.
"We're new here. We don't know much about this place and we are lost too."
The woman blinked, surprised.
"New…? Are you travelers?"
"You could say that." He replied in a small tone.
Tokarou straightened up.
"Can you show us the direction to your village?"
The woman hesitated, looking at her men.
"If you truly mean no harm… I can guide you. Our chief will want to meet outsiders anyway. But please don't use that overwhelming strength inside the village."
Tokarou nodded slowly.
And with that, the beastmen slowly stood up, preparing to lead them deeper into the forest.
"Before that…" Sumi spoke, her voice calm but carrying a certain weight.
The beastmen looked at her, unsure of what she wanted. She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked,
"What were you saying about our mana?"
The woman blinked, confusion rising as she tilted her head.
"Eh… your mana? Don't you… see it yourselves?"
Sumi and Tokarou exchanged a glance.
"Darling, can you see anything?" Sumi asked.
Tokarou shook his head.
"No."
"I can't see anything either," Sumi replied, then turned her gaze back to the group. Her expression flattened.
"Are you lying to us?"
The woman froze instantly and waved her hands in panic.
"N-no! I swear I'm not lying! I don't know why you can't see it, but we can clearly see your mana… It's so dense we can barely see your faces."
Sumi stared at her silently, causing the woman to shrink even further.
Tokarou then spoke in a low voice.
"Is there a way to hide our mana?"
The woman nodded hesitantly, and one of the men behind her stepped forward slightly.
"You need to suppress your mana inside your body so it doesn't leak out."
Sumi shifted her gaze to him.
"And how do we do that?"
The other man answered this time.
"You… you have to think like you're pulling all your energy back into the center of your body. Concentrate it inside, don't let it flow outward."
Tokarou muttered in a small voice,
"Same as those novels huh…"
He closed his eyes and focused. For a moment nothing happened, then slowly the dark red aura surrounding him began to shrink inward, pulling back invisibly as though absorbed into his body. The air around him cleared.
All three beastmen froze. Their eyes widened.
"H-human!!" one of the men stuttered.
Now that his mana wasn't obscuring him, they could finally see his face properly,his sharp jawline, black hair, and deep red eyes. The woman's cheeks reddened unconsciously, while the two men stared with their mouths open.
Sumi watched him for a moment, then closed her eyes as well. She took a slow breath, focusing the same way he had, and the aura around her began to withdraw. Within seconds, her mana was completely hidden.
The moment her presence cleared, the entire group stiffened.
Her real appearance, unobstructed was even more striking. Her soft features, smooth skin, and red eyes gave her a calm but captivating beauty. The beastmen all blushed at the sight of her.
"So beautiful…" the woman whispered.
"G-go-goddess!?" one of the men blurted out.
Sumi blinked, slightly confused.
"Huh…?"