The Hollow District was quiet now.
A bit too quiet.
It was a sharp contrast to the loud chaos Daiki and Yui had just endured. Broken pavement and crumbling buildings surrounded the two as they made their way back to the rendezvous point, near the entrance of the Hollow District.
They were far too injured and fatigued to fight anymore.
As they made it closer and closer, a sharp and extremely loud whistle rang out, slicing through the silence like a blade.
"Class 1-F, regroup!"
Kojiro-sensei's voice carried through the ruins, surprisingly loud considering it didn't sound like he was using a megaphone or anything of that sort. Daiki and Yui exchanged a brief, tired glance before continuing forward.
Soon, other pairs trickled in from alleys and shadowed corners, their uniforms dusted with dirt, some with blood. Their eyes darted between each other, checking and quietly counting.
When Kojiro's gaze swept the line, his grin stretched wide, feral as ever.
"Not bad," he said, hands on his hips. "Bruised, battered, but all breathing. Looks like you guys aren't all hopeless lambs."
Daiki rubbed the side of his head, wincing when his fingers brushed the wound near his temple. He muttered to himself a bit louder than expected, "This hurts like hell..."
Yui blinked at him before letting out a small, quiet laugh, her shoulders relaxing for the first time since the fight. Before either could speak further, Kojiro's voice rang out across the street, sharp and commanding.
"Alright, lambs, we're heading back! Move before I leave you here!"
No one argued. The class trudged toward the bus with scraped arms, bruises, and more than a few exhausted expressions that said: "I'm sick of this". Daiki let out a slow breath, standing straighter despite the throbbing in his head. Yui slowed before reaching the bus steps and looked back at Daiki.
"Thank you... for trusting me back there."
Daiki blinked, then smirked.
"Guess we're even now."
There was nothing to stress about anymore, for now. The ride back on the bus was a quiet one. Fatigue hung over Class 1-F like a heavy fog, silencing the usual chatter into tired silence. Some slumped against windows, others leaned back with arms crossed, trying to nap and ignore the exhaustion.
Daiki sat with his forehead against the cool glass, his temple throbbing in time with the engine's hum. His body ached from head to toe, memories from the chaotic day replaying in his head.
He really wanted to go to bed.
He looked outside through the window, his eyes examining the many things passing by. Old houses, grasslands, stuff like that.
The Shinyo Institute was really in the middle of nowhere. How far was he from home?
When the bus finally pulled into the Institute's courtyard, Kojiro stood and barked, "Out. Straight to the infirmary if you're hurt. No excuses unless you want to die."
Daiki didn't argue.
His temple throbbed enough to remind him that Kojiro was completely right.
After leaving the bus, Daiki made his way over to the infirmary, walking along the now quiet halls of the Institute. After a bit, Daiki finally made it to the infirmary entrance, a big white door on the first floor of the Institute. He twisted the doorknob and opened it, immediately inhaling the faint smells of herbs and antiseptic.
Nurse Midori clicked her tongue the moment Daiki stepped in.
"You again," she muttered, guiding him to a folding bed for him to sit on. "Didn't even make it a week without winding up here again."
Daiki snickered a bit, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "You make it sound like you don't like me."
"Maybe I don't," she shot back, wrapping up the cut on his temple with practiced care. He winced, earning a smirk from her. Hold still, boy. You'll live. Just a small wound."
Ten minutes later, his head was clean, and his temple was neatly covered with a white bandage. Nurse Midori waved him off. "Try not to get killed before your next class, please."
"No promises." Daiki grinned a bit. "Maybeee there should be more rest days in the curriculum."
Midori offered the faintest smirk. "Rest is for corpses. Get out."
By the time Daiki dragged himself back to the dorms, the halls were dim, with a couple of lights flickering from time to time. He pushed into his room to find Jin leaning back into his chair, watching a movie on a CRT Television that definitely hadn't been there before.
Daiki blinked, pointing at it. "...That wasn't there yesterday."
Jin smirked without looking away from the screen. "Perks of knowing a guy who knows a guy. Don't ask questions, just enjoy the free cable."
Daiki took his uniform off and threw it to the ground before he dropped into his bed, getting into a sitting position. He raised a brow. "Cable? On that old thing? We're not in the '90s anymore, man."
"Hey, don't disrespect greatness," Jin shot back, tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth. "This 'old thing' is built to last. It's way better than those flat screens that need constant maintenance before they fry after a year."
Daiki squinted at the static-fuzzed picture. "What are you even watching?"
"Some old American cop drama. Half of the time, I can't understand what they're saying, but it's entertaining when they get into shootouts and cars explode." Jin leaned back further, grinning. "You wanna pull up a chair? You look like you got run over by a truck."
Daiki chuckled, rubbing the bandage on his head. "Yea, close enough."
Jin finally took his eyes off the screen, giving him a quick look. "Seriously, man. What happened in Kojiro's class today?"
Daiki began to lie in his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Progress, apparently." His voice was dry, but his mouth curved into a crooked grin. "I think that's what Kojiro was going for, anyway. Personally, it felt more like I almost got chewed up and spat out."
Jin let out a laugh. "Ahhhh, so he threw you to the wolves, huh?"
Daiki turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing. "Not just wolves. Yurei. At the beginning, there were some weak ones, and then eventually we had to fight a pack of smarter ones. They even fused together! It was fucking crazy." He began to recall the fight and added, "The girl I was partnered with figured out her Ketsugojin-thingy mid-battle. Summoned a short and fat Yurei that we killed earlier out of nowhere. It was pretty cool, to be honest."
Jin let out a low whistle, leaning back into his chair. "No kidding. That does sound pretty interesting."
"Yeah," Daiki murmured, the memory replaying in his head. He smirked faintly. "She saved my ass, honestly. If she weren't there, you probably would've lost your second roommate today."
Jin grinned. "Oh, so she carried you basically? That didn't take long."
Daiki groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Not what I said..."
"Pretty much what you said," Jin shot back, clearly enjoying himself. "Second day and you're already getting saved like a damsel. Rough start, man."
Daiki tossed a pillow right at his head, which Jin caught without looking away from the TV. "I'll remember that when YOU'RE the one about to get chewed out there."
"Would never happen," Jin said with a shrug, smirking. The flickering glow of the TV washed over him. The room began to fall into comfortable silence.
Daiki let out a long breath, his body sinking deep into his bed sheets. "Still... if this was just the beginning, I can't imagine what the rest of the year is gonna look like."
Jin tilted his head back, his eyes half-closed. "Then don't. Just survive tomorrow, alright? It'll be a bad look if you die so soon."
"Yeah, yeah," Daiki muttered, his eyelids already heavy. "I'll try."
The TV cracked softly in the background, and before long, Daiki drifted off, the weight of the day finally pulling him into the world of sleep.