5 An Unforgettable First Impression

The silence pressed down harder oppressive. Hikaru just couldn't shake this weird vibe that something, or maybe someone, was hiding around here just out of his view.

A few paces in front, Takumi halted, his eyes like daggers as he peered down the kinda dim hallway. "You feel that?" he whispered under his breath.

With a slow nod, Hikaru felt the cursed mark under his sleeve give a little throb. This wasn't him freaking out over nothing—something was up.

, like out of thin air, this whooshing sound bolted straight for his noggin.

Hikaru didn't even have time to think. His body just went whoa, and he dodged. Nailed it just in the nick of time.

A sharp object slammed into the wall behind him making a loud thunk that shook the wooden panels. Hikaru spun around, his heart pounding, to see the thing that almost got him.

An axe meant for throwing. Yup, a throwing axe.

"What in the world?!" Hikaru cried out taking a step back.

From the darkness, someone began clapping and deliberately. Then a voice, sounding pretty entertained, said, "Looks like you're not a lost cause."

A woman with hair like silver emerged from the hallway gloom, her arms folded and a not-so-impressed smirk on her face.

in her early twenties, she walked with a kind of easy confidence that told you she wasn't someone to mess with. Those blue chains on her arms, they gave off a soft but steady glow. Like she was a predator, her teal eyes sized up Hikaru, who might as well have been some new kind of bug under a microscope.

Hikaru shaking a bit, gestured at the axe buried in the wall. "You didn't just try to off me, did you?!"

The woman let out a short laugh. ". If kicking the bucket was on your agenda, you wouldn't be chatting with me right now."

Hikaru sarcasm heavy in his voice even as his pulse raced, responded, "Oh, that's super reassuring."

Takumi let out a sigh while massaging his head. "Thought I'd get a standard intro this time." He waved a hand between the two. "Here's Hikaru Kageyama, and that's Ayaka Kurogane. She's one of the top Boundary Keepers' exorcists and, you might've picked up on this kinda intense."

Ayaka paid no mind to his words, her focus locked on Hikaru. "Oh, the new guy?" She cocked her head giving him the once-over. "Doesn't seem like anything special."

Feeling frustrated, Hikaru muttered, ", what's up with everyone making that same comment?"

With a shrug, Ayaka replied , "Cause it's a fact."

Takumi cracked a smile. "Honestly, you're kinda like a 'helpless pup in some risky side street'."

"Wow super," Hikaru muttered.

Closing in, Ayaka's sharp eyes gave him a once-over like she was sizing up something hidden. Outta nowhere, she snagged his wrist hauling up his sleeve.

"Whoa! Chill with the invading my bubble!" Hikaru tried yanking away, but Ayaka held firm. She checked out the cursed mark on his arm, which kinda glowed a bit while she was watching it.

"So this is the notorious mark," she pondered.

Takumi had his back to the wall. "True that. Our pal here managed to rouse a fire deity and tie it to his soul. Pretty wild, huh?"

Blowing out a slow whistle, Ayaka let go of his wrist. "So, you're either super strong or super dumb. Or it's a bit of both."

"I'm throwing my vote in for both," Takumi chimed in.

Hikaru shot him a dirty look. "You guys just here to make fun, or what?"

With a half-smile, Ayaka said, "Nope, I'm around to make sure you don't end up offing us all."

A shiver ran through Hikaru. Ayaka meant every word.

Another voice called out down the hall before he got the chance to say anything. "Hey Ayaka, you're not picking on the fresh face, right?"

A tall dude with dark hair and an easygoing smile strolled over. Seemed about the same age as Hikaru, or maybe a bit older, and he had this natural swag that made Hikaru think of someone.

"Huh, you've gotta be joking," Hikaru whispered to himself. He's like a cooler me.

"What? No way I'm bullying anyone," Ayaka rolled her eyes. "Just checking how quick he is on his feet."

This guy took one look at the axe chilling in the wall and cracked a grin. "Uh huh sure, cause chucking an axe at someone is totally just saying 'hi' in a super normal way, right?"

Ayaka agreed .

Hikaru let out a heavy breath. "So, who's this guy? Should I get ready to duck from his attacks too?"

The dude saluted, but like, in a chill way. "Name's Kaito Sakamoto. I'm not like her hurling axes at new faces. You're not in danger. Most ."

Skepticism crept into Hikaru's look. "Yeah, that 'most likely' doesn't feel too comforting."

With a cheeky smile, Kaito said, "Smart, you're getting the hang of it quick."

Breaking the tension, Takumi put his hands together . "Alrighty, let's get a move on before Ayaka ends up taking the kid out for good."

With a snort, Ayaka shot back, "Well, the guy's still breathing, right?"

Hikaru shot back, "That's not what I'm talking about!"

Kaito chuckled. "Chill out, dude. If Ayaka wasn't into you, you'd be down an arm by now."

"Not comforting either!"

With a smile, Takumi slung his arm over Hikaru's shoulders. "Good to have you with us rookie. Fingers crossed you make it through okay."

Letting out a sigh, Hikaru thought to himself that this day would stretch on forever.

Hikaru chucked his bag onto the wooden floor of his fresh dorm with a low thump. Though on the small side, the room was all right for living in—it had one bed, a basic desk, and a closet squished against a distant wall. One of the windows gave a view onto the quad, with its flickering lanterns throwing big shadows across the flagstones.

Following the mad rush of the last day, the quiet was kind of... spooky.

He plopped down on the bed's edge breathing out long and steady. His thoughts were all twisted up with feelings—worn-out, irked, and smacked with a huge wave of not believing what was happening. How did my life get turned upside down in just one day?

Just a day ago, he chilled at the shrine, his usual chill days rolling by. But boom—that's ancient history. Now he's deep in a secret squad of top-tier exorcist badasses, getting eyeballed like he's some kind of guinea pig by folks who could off him easy-peasy.

Takumi's over there owning his mad skills with that annoying smirk of his.

Ayaka, she almost chopped his head off just messing around.

Kaito's playing it ice-cold, nothing seems to rattle this dude.

Oh, and don't forget about that weird thing squirming around in him.

He ran his fingers over the cursed symbol on his arm. It was cooler after its heated episode, but an ember-like sensation lingered under his skin. It seemed poised to spark into flames.

His eyes clenched . No use whining. This is just how things are now.

Yet as soon as his vigilance slipped, that well-known voice wound its way into his head.

"You sure took your sweet time to realize I'm here, kiddo."

Hikaru's eyes flew open. The room's atmosphere grew dense, shadows reaching for the edges in a strange dance.

He let out a breath. "Thought I'd snagged a bit of quiet, but guess not."

A soft laugh bounced off the walls, yet the place was empty. "Peace?" The taunting tone of Kagutsuchi's voice cut through the silence. "Geez, you're so innocent. You don't even grasp what mess you've stumbled into."

Hikaru couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Big thanks for jogging my memory, I let slip my mind about the whole 'angry deity chilling in my soul' situation."

"It's a big deal," came the smooth reply. "Stop fighting it and you might just start to dig the kind of strength I could hook you up with."

Hikaru bent his fingers back and forth noticing a dim light sparkle under his skin. Power was the tricky part, right? He had zero clue on managing it. It would just erupt—erratic and risky. And he had this deep scare that it might come a time where reining it in wasn't going to be possible.

"Power's supposed to be a gift, huh?" Hikaru mumbled to himself. "Seems more like a ticking time bomb to me."

"You're weak."

The comment made Hikaru go rigid.

Kagutsuchi switched up his tone making it all silky and persuasive. "Takumi, that dude you saw. The way he's all muscle and cut through that beast like butter. Makes you feel kinda tiny, doesn't it?"

Hikaru's hands balled up, his nails digging into his skin.

A laugh came from Kagutsuchi. "Come on, own up. You're itching for that sort of power, right?"

Everything went quiet for a bit.

After a moment, Hikaru let out a breath, his shoulders dropping. "Yeah, I want it."

A pleased sound came from Kagutsuchi. "That's what I wanted to hear."

"Hikaru made it clear, 'Nah, not from you.' Not to become just some puppet."

The dark corners of the room seemed to flinch. And then, Kagutsuchi's voice full of chuckles, dropped its happy tone. "Foolish boy."

Hikaru just shrugged it off. He was set on not getting played—no way by an annoying exorcist not by some fire deity, and not by the whispers of doubt in his head.

"Look, it's simple," announced Hikaru getting to his feet. "You're in this with me just like I'm tied to you. So, guess you gotta handle it, or zip it."

Silence hung in the air for a bit. , a soft growl echoed around.

"We'll see how long that confidence lasts."

, the heavy vibe in the space vanished. The evil symbol on Hikaru's arm lost its bright glow, and it seemed to sink back under his skin.

He released a breath he didn't know he had trapped inside.

I nailed it this time.

But just for the moment.