Hunter and prey

Ponzu stood nearby, dumbfounded.

Odin walked over to the eldest brother and pulled the number badge from his waist.

Number 197.

Then he walked over to the second brother and took number 199.

Next, he went to the third brother and took number 198.

Three number badges, three points.

He pocketed the badges and turned to look at Ponzu.

Ponzu was still in a daze.

"Gone stupid?" Odin asked.

Ponzu snapped out of it and hurried over. She looked at the three brothers on the ground, then at Odin. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

Odin took out the three badges and held them up for her to see.

"Any of these your target?"

Ponzu froze. "For me?"

"Yeah. I have enough points," Odin said. "Any of them?"

Ponzu shook her head. She looked at the badges in Odin's hand with a hint of longing, but knew she shouldn't take them.

"Take them." Seeing her reaction, Odin casually held out all three badges.

She froze, staring blankly at Odin. "I... I shouldn't!"

"What's wrong with it? Take them." Odin firmly pressed the badges into Ponzu's hand.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Odin said nothing. He waved off her thanks, then went to sit down nearby.

Ponzu sat down too and began tending to her wound.

She took bandages from her backpack and wrapped the wound on her shoulder. Her movements were practiced; clearly, she did this often.

The bees flew back and circled around her. A few landed on her hat, their wings gently vibrating.

Ponzu looked up at them, her expression relaxing a little.

"I lost almost half of them," she said, sounding a little dejected.

Odin glanced at the bees without saying anything.

The two sat in silence.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting dappled patches of light and shadow on the ground. Birdcalls occasionally sounded in the distance, along with the rustle of leaves in the wind.

A few minutes later, Ponzu spoke. "How did you find me?"

"I heard something," Odin said. "I'm pretty familiar with the buzzing of your bees by now."

Ponzu paused, then gave a wry smile. "So I gave myself away."

Odin said nothing.

Once she had finished bandaging her wound, Ponzu stood and stretched her arms and legs.

She walked over to the three brothers and crouched down to check on them.

"They're all unconscious." She stood up.

Odin said nothing.

Ponzu came back and sat beside him.

"Thank you," she said again.

Odin nodded.

Looking at him, Ponzu suddenly asked, "Are you really eighteen?"

Odin turned to her. "Why do you ask?"

"You don't really seem like it," Ponzu said. "You're too calm. Those three were ganging up on me, but when you came out, your expression didn't even change."

Odin thought for a moment. "I was pretending."

Ponzu paused, then laughed.

"I don't believe that."

Odin didn't explain. He used to be nothing more than a college student, not some cold-blooded killing machine.

Being able to pretend was already about the best he could do.

The two fell silent again for a while.

Ponzu looked up at the sky. Sunlight filtered through the leaves onto her face, illuminating the sweat and dust on it.

"This is my first Hunter Exam," she said. "I used to raise bees at home. I'd never traveled far. My dad said it was dangerous out here and wouldn't let me leave. But I still wanted to give it a try."

Odin said nothing.

Ponzu continued, "I want to become an Insect Hunter. To specialize in studying rare insects and protecting species that are close to extinction.

"There are plenty of unusual insects in this world, but humans know too little about them."

She paused, then added, "Besides, insects are more honest than humans. They don't lie."

"Yes, I wasn't lying to you before."

Odin nodded. "That's a good goal."

"What about you?" Ponzu asked. "Why are you doing this?"

Odin paused before saying, "I wasn't lying to you either. Becoming a Curio Hunter really is my goal."

Yes, he hadn't lied, though becoming a Curio Hunter wasn't all he wanted.

Ponzu paused. "Looks like neither of us knows how to lie."

What could Odin say? Now he finally understood why people online used to say that college students had a kind of pure, unclouded stupidity in their eyes.

Back then, he'd thought they were just insulting college students.

Apparently not.

A scream rang out in the distance, brief and quickly cut short.

Both looked up at once, turning toward the sound.

Ponzu's expression grew tense. "Someone else is fighting."

Odin stood and brushed the dust off himself.

"Let's go," he said. "Find somewhere to rest."

Ponzu nodded and stood too.

They left the clearing and headed deeper into the woods.

Behind them, the three brothers still lay on the ground, unconscious.

Odin first retrieved the number badges he had hidden, then took Ponzu to a suitable spot where they could settle down and use it as their base.

Time passed slowly, and before they knew it, the third day had arrived.

Sunlight slanted in through the cave entrance.

Odin opened his eyes. Ponzu was still resting beside him.

He checked their supplies. They wouldn't last them through the next few days.

After a moment's thought, Odin spoke to Ponzu, who had just been woken by the noise he made while checking their supplies. "I'll go find some food and bring it back. Wait here for me."

Ponzu nodded. "Okay. I'll look nearby for some dry grass and leaves to make our bed thicker."

Odin's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement with her idea.

They had slept reasonably well last night, but the ground was too hard and had left their backs aching.

Leaving the cave, Odin activated the Rabbit Talisman at thirty percent power and began racing through the surrounding area.

Before long, he hunted down a small wild boar, just enough to feed them for the next few days.

Carrying the boar, Odin returned to the cave.

"Ponzu?" he called.

No answer.

Odin stood up and walked to the entrance to look outside.

Beyond it lay the woods. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and birds hopped about on the ground.

No one was there.

He glanced back at the cave.

Did gathering dry grass take this long?

Odin thought for a moment, then left the cave too.

After searching nearby, he spotted Ponzu lying on the ground.

She lay motionless on her side, her hat fallen beside her.

A swarm of bees flew around her, standing guard.

Odin hurried over.

"Ponzu!"

He crouched down and turned her over.

It seemed Ponzu had taught the bees to recognize Odin's scent, as they didn't attack him.

Ponzu's eyes were closed and her breathing steady, but he couldn't wake her.

She had no injuries, and her clothes weren't disturbed.

Odin frowned.

He looked around.

There were footprints on the ground, rather large ones that didn't belong to Ponzu.

They led into the woods and disappeared.

He looked down at Ponzu's backpack.

It was open, and its contents had been rummaged through.

One number badge was missing.

Odin was silent for a few seconds.

"Tch."

He picked Ponzu up and carried her back to the cave.

He laid her on the dry grass bed and covered her with a coat.

About ten minutes later, Ponzu stirred.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the cave ceiling.

"You're awake?" Odin asked.

Ponzu turned to look at him, then abruptly sat up.

She searched her backpack.

She went through it twice.

"My number badge..." Her voice was tight.

"One's missing," Odin said. "Someone must have knocked you out in an instant."

Ponzu froze.

She sat there, staring at her emptied backpack without a word.

Odin said nothing either.

Silence filled the cave for a few seconds.

"Who?" Ponzu asked.

"I don't know," Odin said. "You were already on the ground when I got back."

Ponzu lowered her head.

Her hands clenched the backpack straps tightly.

"Number 197 is gone," she said. "That must have been their target."

Odin took a number badge from his pocket.

He held out number 61.

"Take it."

Ponzu looked up at him.

"You don't have enough points now," Odin said.

"This is yours."

"I have numbers 38 and 48. Six points is enough."

Ponzu didn't take it.

Odin pressed the badge into her hand.