"Ah! Why was I the only one forced to open up embarrassing secrets?" Nahashi yelled out.

"You're the only one who looked seconds away from fainting," answered Zero. Shinichi narrowed his eyes on her.

"So, you see someone just about to break down, the first thing you'll do is to hit them with a barrage of questions?"

"They would have questioned Nokori if that were truly the case," Rinko mumbled,

"Shush! Don't question my methods." Shinichi flicked his hand on Nahashi.

Currently, they were travelling to Henkei Forest on foot considering that following to Chisau Forest would be impossible without a vehicle.

There they were: four figures walking on Zen Highway.

The sun had not settled down at all. If anything, its heat only grew stronger as they walked. It obnoxiously spread its rays everywhere, its fiery pit intimidating everything in sight. Whatever foliage there was growing at the side of the road had long withered to death. There was also a familiar sizzle at each stride Shinichi took. The sole of his shoes were melting, he concluded.

The only one who shared his sentiment towards the heat was the other girl, who he'd finally learned also had a name, which was Rinko. Inside her thick hair was a bucket full of sweat and her own uniform was drenched. The frail girl looked seconds away from collapsing yet she insisted on walking on her own even when Nahashi offered assistance.

Nahashi herself walked on with no pause. For a wimp, Nokori was managing fine on his own. He was happily sipping away on a dumbbell sized water bottle even though his brown hair was dripping wet.

Shinichi pulled his cap, hoping to drill his head permanently into it. Even with the small shade, he could still feel light bouncing into his eyes and he was pretty sure his blue hair was burning. The heat had boiled all of Shinichi's energy and patience. Each time someone spoke to him, he snapped. He should have just stayed home.

"Why Henkei Forest?" Zero had asked. She wasn't even sweating. Damn privileged mana consumer.

Shinichi's brain took a while to catch up. "A brother of mine should be there, he can help us," Shinichi explained.

"And you know how this exam should go because…?"

Shinichi's eyes turned into slits. "What else would MMA students do at Zone 1? Actual combat against devourers. Anyone would come up with that conclusion." 

Zero smiled. "Really?"

"I'm a janitor. I know my stuff."

It wasn't long before they reached the gravelled path leading to Henkei Forest.

It wasn't long before they reached the fork and the directional signpost.

Shinichi's grateful there was no burnt body with its head blown off laying there. Either someone recovered the body or Hoshina was still strong enough to leave on her own. She wasn't dead, that's for sure.

They slowed down their pace as they entered the vicinity of Zone 1's Henkei Forest. Shinichi led the group while Zero guarded the rear. Both fell into vigilance without a hitch. With how big the group travelling to Chisau Forest was, devourers' surely would have detected its alluring scent and wander to its direction. Yet accidents could always occur within the zones. One could never be too careful.

The forest was a land of brown and yellow. It looked as though it was dying. Leaves continuously fell as they succumbed to the hot weather. Nokori would purposely step on them, delivering a delicious crunch to echo through the woods. The trees provided the group a bit of respite from the summer heat. Though occasionally the boughs opened to welcome in pools of dangerous gold inside the forest and Shinichi could only silently scream for his delicate skin each time he'd accidentally step into the beam.

The area where Shinichi and Irish's treehouse usually reside was empty and clean of debris. Shinichi hoped this was a sign that Irish had fixed their house. There was no sign of Irish anywhere though.

Is he inside his matchbox? he thought to himself.

"Ohh, am I hearing a river nearby?" Zero wondered aloud.

"Let's stop here. As the janitor of this group, I'd say this is a perfect spot for our safe zone," declared Shinichi. The three students promptly dropped their backpacks.

"He's a janitor. So we know he's judgement is perfect in regards to the wildlife," Zero explained to the students.

"Our safe zone's inside the forest…" Nokori's voice was faint.

Nahashi snapped her fingers near his face to stop him from zoning out.

"Hm, is it really a river?" Zero continued her thoughts.

"Alright, enough of that!" said Shinichi, voice gentle. His lips curled up into a pleasant smile. "Let's rest for a bit then we can set up our camps."

Nokori and Rinko groaned in relief. Rinko even went as far as to gulp down a whole healing vial. Nahashi protested at the misuse of the product, to which Shinichi only answered with a shrug and a small smile. Welp, everyone has their own way of recovering their strength.

Everyone focused on their own task. Nokori and Rinko sat at the side, drinking their water bottles and chewing on energy bars Shinichi had given them. Nahashi and Zero didn't waste any time and started putting up their tents.

Shinichi parted from the group, taking a brief look around the area. "Where the hell is he? He better not be causing trouble anywhere…"

Perhaps Irish's matchbox was farther away from here yet Shinichi didn't want to distance himself too much from the group.

When he came back, Nokori and Rinko were up and about, their camping materials scattered on the soil. Nahashi was fiddling with a knife and explained Zero had gone to find the water source she heard.

"I see," Shinichi hummed. "Call me when she's back."

Nahashi gave a two-fingered salute as Shinichi walked away.

Shinichi approached Nokori, who seemed to be doing quite well despite his initial collapse.

"Hello, Mr. Janitor," Nokori greeted politely. Sweat was pooling over his forehead and he looked pale.

Shinichi waved a chocolate bar and smiled worriedly. "Are you feeling alright now?"

Nokori nodded his head, accepting the snack, and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Yes! My heart's beating so fast, it's pumping so much life inside me! I can't even feel the heat!"

"It's good that you feel better," said Shinichi. He narrowed his eyes at his appearance. "Do you think you can handle doing a practical exam?

Nokori smiled brightly. "Yes! I'm so excited. Oh god, I'm so excited that I can't breathe. I'm glad I packed a whole jug of coffee. It successfully invigorated me."

"Wait, you were drinking coffee the whole way?"

"Yes," Nokori tilted his head. "By the way, how old are you, mister?"

"Hold on, are you sure you're alright--"

Nokori talked in one breath. "Ms. Zero called you old man even though you two look like you'll be the same age. As far as I know, Ms. Zero should still be 18. But if she called you old man, you must be older than her. And considering she settled for the term 'old man' instead of like 'big brother' or something, that must mean you're significantly older than her! Are you, like, in your 40s already? But you look so young! Must be the baby face. Though Ms. Zero could have been just teasing you. She is a bit bizarre and quite rude. It'll be amazing though if you were actually an old man. Like a vampire. How did you manage to keep looking like a youth?"

…..

Shinichi walked away. Nokori would be fine on his own.