A loud crash echoed through the small clearing. Covered in poles and pegs was Rinko's petite figure. Dust flew and blanketed the girl. She wheezed as it entered her lungs, only to breathe in locks of hair. Even her curly hair was threatening to suffocate her.

Shinichi sighed and approached her. After clearing the debris off her, he helped her up. "You okay?" He gave what he hoped were comforting pats on Rinko's shoulder.

Rinko only frowned. Her hair was a mess and a few scratches engraved itself on her face.

"You know you're not supposed to fight the tent, right? That's not part of a hunter's responsibility. Not to mention losing against it…"

Rinko's scowl deepened. "You don't have to tease me about it," she whined. "I'm trying my best here! I'm not a janitor like you who's good at this."

Shinichi damped down his urge to sneer by giving a warm smile. "Need a hand, then?"

Rinko squinted, seemingly dwelling on the idea. She then shook her head, hair ruffling along. "No, I can do this myself. I just have to rely on another plan…"

Shinichi crossed his arms, observing her in silence. Her physique may be lacking but that could've been the result of her continuous reliance on something else. An ability of sorts. Like how Irish never bothered to learn how to properly use his hands in combat, considering he could just go ham with his fire. Shinichi couldn't exactly point out her mana aura, which was strange. However, there was an underlying force that he could detect. The energy it oozed out… it was even stranger. This girl must be in possession of a very powerful ability.

Rinko clasped a tent pole. Her brows creased with resolve. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine on my own."

"Well then," Shinichi tilted his head to the fallen tent fabric. He smiled, placed a piece of chocolate on her palm, and gave Rinko a quick pat on the head. "I'll leave you to it."

"Mr. Janitor Shin! Miss Zero's back!"

At Nahashi's holler, Shinichi turned and followed her voice. "Great timing," he murmured.

Shinichi walked away and his footsteps disappeared from Rinko's ears.

Then the pole ripped into the tent's fabric.

Rinko's eyes widened. With pressed lips, she turned to the group.

No one noticed.

Minutes later, Shinichi called the group to gather near the running river. With the heat out of their system, the reason for their being here came back to their minds.

"Man, what the hell is that noise I'm hearing?" Zero murmured to herself.

"How do we know that this would actually be viewed as an official exam?" Rinko asked.

Nokori and Nahashi wondered to themselves why they didn't ask this beforehand.

"Just trust me," answered Shinichi.

Nahashi stilled, a stiff smile planted on her face. "That sounded very reliable."

Shinichi presented his most charming smile. "I'll talk to Bobu and then he's gonna do his magic. Professor Bobu has some pretty great connections, you know."

"That weird sound got louder!" Zero exclaimed.

Everyone turned to her.

Then they went back to business.

The three students huddled together, silently speaking with their eyes. Nahashi spoke impassively: "I feel like I'm being scammed."

Shinichi placed a hand on his chest, eyes shining in sadness. "What would I be scamming you of anyway? I'm doing this at the goodness of my heart!" he proclaimed.

The students eyed him, sharing matching stony expressions.

"You're not gonna ask for a coin loan after this?" 

Shinichi made an odd noise. "N-no! I'm just an innocent janitor. What could I do?"

The students watched him with unblinking eyes. With their shoulders touching each other, it felt as though they were linked together as the same thought passed through all their minds: "He's definitely hiding something."

Nahashi's eyebrow lifted an inch. "But…"

Rinko pressed her lips together in thought. "I just want to get this exam over with."

Nahashi sighed at this. "I guess I have nothing to lose."

"An unprofessional exam… lots of things could go wrong," mumbled Nokori. He chewed on his bottom lip, another wave of sweat descending on his temples. "But, I'm already here anyway…" He was too out of it to consider this stupid plan properly.

Zero clapped her hands. All heads turn to her. "Good, glad that's finally settled," she nodded. Seconds passed before she narrowed her eyes. "What are we going to do again?"

Traditionally, a hunter party consisted of 5 people. Each member had their corresponding roles to fill to keep the group alive and to effectively eliminate instances and any devourers encountered. And if Shinichi's guess was right, this trip's first day should comprise activities that'll determine their exact job in a party.

As far as Shinichi knew, there were no recorded appearances of instances in Zone 1 as well, so organising an actual party shouldn't be needed.

"We only have three students here though," Shinichi scratched his chin in thought. "Can I know if any of you are mana consumers?"

"I'm a Himere, so I've been eating mana stones ever since I could walk," began Nahashi. "As for my ability…" Nahashi whistled. A stray butterfly slowly made its way to her, landing softly on her hair.

Shinichi tilted his head at her. Butterflies, not cockroaches.

"What?"

He narrowed his eyes before shaking his head.

"Hey, Mr. Janitor! I'll have you know that once I reach your age, I'll be able to send a swarm of butterflies your way with ease," threatened Nahashi. The butterfly on her head flew to her cheek, as though it was trying to calm her down.

My age… that'll prolly be in 10 years or so. You're saying you'll only be capable of sending a swarm by then? Shinichi mused.

"Well as for me," Nokori broke through the tension. "I'm still waiting for graduation before I can eat my first mana stone, so I haven't manifested my ability yet."

"Fair enough. That's the safer option," said Shinichi, nodding. But… as rare as it is, there's still a possibility that your body wouldn't be capable of ingesting the mana stone. Then, all these years of training would be for nothing.

Rinko made a non-committal sound. "I've consumed. As for my ability, I'd rather not say."

Shinichi shrugged. "Zero," he handed his cap to her. "Wear this."

Zero glowered at the offending item. "You want me to wear your sweat filled hat?"

Shinichi forced the cap on her head. "You should be honoured that you have the opportunity to be covered by my sweat!"

"You do realise that sounded wrong…"

Shinichi ignored her in favour of the students. "Since my friend's still not here, why don't you three fight Zero?"

Three heads whirled to the woman in question. Zero offered a lazy wave. Nahashi was the first to recover yet her mouth could only utter one word: "What."

"Go fight Zero," repeated Shinichi. He made his way to a large tree, resting his back on it with crossed arms. The tree had a decent amount of leaves. Shinichi happily hid in its shadow. "More specifically, knock the cap out of her head. I wanna see what your combat styles are like. Feel free to use all the equipment you want."

Zero rested her hand on her hip, leaning her weight on one foot in a relaxed stance. "You think those three can even land a hit on me?" There was a dangerous glint in those crimson eyes. "They'll be better off fighting against you."

A bead of sweat trailed down his temple. Shinichi pointed a finger at her. "Don't break any bones," he said then hesitated. "Scratch that, don't even fight back."

"I just dodge then?" Zero scoffed, eyebrows haughtily raised.

"Can't you control your strength?"

"Mana Aura is innate, Shinichi," her tone was flat, yet Shinichi knew she was mocking him. She hummed. "Iron can't suddenly turn into fabric."

"Technically, you also nurture it," quipped Shinichi. "But, yes, just dodge. And don't touch the cap."

"Alright," smirked Zero. She beckoned the students with her finger. "Come at me."

The students turned to Shinichi, eyes full of doubt.

"Whenever you're ready," said Shinichi, motioning them to Zero with a wave of his hand.

Nahashi wavered. "You," she stammered. "You want us to fight an Akatsuki and an 18th rank hunter?"

Upon hearing Zero's rank, Shinichi blinked hard and turned to Zero. "You're only 18th rank?"

Zero scowled at him. "What do you mean 'only'?"

"Anyways, as she said, she won't do anything. If you get hurt, then consider that as another lesson. You'll have to learn to endure it if you really want to become hunters."

Nahashi gritted her teeth, unable to argue back. She grabbed Nokori's and Rinko's arms before dashing to the woods.

"Think they'll be able to do it?" asked Zero.

"If they're good students and paid attention to class, then they should know the basic openings and gambits in a devourer fight. And considering you won't attack at all…"

"Would any of that work on a human though?" Zero said. Her raised eyebrow seemed to add 'especially someone like me'.

Shinichi only shrugged. "They'll have to make it work. And only dodging…" he smiled at her. "You've handicapped yourself a lot for a 3v1 fight."

"What? Think I can't handle it?" taunted Zero. Shinichi only scoffed. "What else do you think about them?"

"Hm, Nahashi seemed like she can hold herself well in a fight. She's a got short fuse though and quite emotional, like she could be manipulated easily. Speaking of emotional, Nokori's a fucking wimp. How did that guy get through middle school MMA? Rinko, on the other hand, looks too frail to be even considered as a hunter in training. Girl looks like a dried prune with a haystack glued on its head."

"I thought she was your kid at first!"

Shinichi gaped. "How even?"

"You two kinda look alike?" Zero hummed. "Your faces are too sugary and the curly hair?"

"I carefully brush and prim my hair everyday! Hers is a thicket. I wouldn't be surpised if birds built their nests there."

"Sheesh, someone's offended," cackled Zero. She soon sobered up, lips turning solemn. "Do you think they'll survive as hunters?"

Shinichi stared at her for a few moments before turning away. "Why're you asking me all these questions? You're the hunter here. I'm just a lowly janitor," Shinichi huffed. "In any case, who knows how the students will perform. I haven't seen any of you fight."

"Watch and learn then," Zero smirked before continuing with a lilting tone. "Mr. Janitor~"

Shincihi clicked his tongue. "Talk tough all you want, they clearly have the advan--"

Zero suddenly whistled. "Looks like they're coming back." She flexed her neck. "Watch carefully."