ACADEMY OF SURVIVAL

As Micheal watched Tohira messing with Rodè, a realization struck him. Rodè seemed like another loner, someone cut off from the world, much like himself and Tohira.

"Rodè, right? You said you joined this for the money, for personal reasons," Tohira teased, tugging Rodè's head back and forth in a mock playfulness.

Rodè, however, looked completely detached, like an empty shell—no emotion, no soul.

"Hey, Tohira, I think you should let him go. He's obviously going through something," Micheal said, sitting on his bed and masking his own unease about the situation.

"Come on, he joined this of his own free will," Tohira retorted, jumping down from Rodè's bed and strolling toward Micheal.

"Seeing a sinder shouldn't leave him this empty. Besides, how did he even make it out, then?" Tohira asked knowingly, his smile carrying a hint of provocation.

Micheal glanced at Rodè, a creeping suspicion growing within him. Tohira's words made unsettling sense. Something wasn't adding up.

Meanwhile, Rodè remained frozen in terror, his mind consumed by the horrors he had witnessed in the forest.

His memories took him back to a haunting scene: a younger Rodè stood before a lifeless body, tears streaming down his face.

He screamed in anguish, clutching his head as he stared at his little sister's corpse, unable to process the nightmare unfolding before him.

Tohira's teasing voice suddenly snapped Rodè out of his tormenting thoughts.

"Go on, mind telling us how you survived the House of Crows?"

Rodè flinched, his body stiffening as he was dragged back to the present. His gaze flicked nervously between Micheal, who sat with a towel draped over his head, his cold, scrutinizing eyes filled with suspicion, and Tohira, whose smiling face loomed uncomfortably close.

"Umm... Umm..." Rodè stammered, his hands trembling.

"I guess... I guess I was lucky," he finally blurted out, his voice shaky and uncertain.

"Umm?!" Tohira repeated, his tone playful yet laced with suspense, raising an eyebrow as if waiting for more.

"Seriously," Rodè continued, struggling to find his words.

"I... I just avoided those monsters, and now... here I am," he finished, barely able to speak, his voice barely above a whisper.

"And now... I don't know if I'm going to make it out alive this time," Rodè admitted, his voice breaking as he clutched his head with trembling hands.

"The next trial is individual. I really don't want to die. I don't!" he cried, his composure crumbling as tears streamed down his face.

Tohira stood nearby, his teasing demeanor unchanged, while Micheal watched Rodè with a calm and cold gaze.

"Avoided them? This story isn't adding up," Micheal thought, his mind racing.

"Then again, he might have been lucky," he considered, glancing at Tohira, who was now playfully tugging Rodè's head back and forth like a doll.

"So that means he doesn't have any supernatural abilities like Tohira, huh?" Micheal mused as he leaned back onto his bed, his expression thoughtful.

"Then again... this could all be a façade," he added, suspicion flickering in his eyes as he studied Rodè.

Just as Micheal's thoughts grew darker, Tohira's voice cut through.

"Hey, Micheal, do you believe him?" Tohira asked, his tone playful and lighthearted.

"Get off me already! It's getting annoying now," Micheal said, shoving Tohira away as he clung to him. Rising to a sitting position, Micheal let out an irritated sigh.

"Besides," he added, "it's not far-fetched that he was just lucky... like we were." His voice was calm, but his eyes flicked discreetly toward Rodè, who remained hunched over, trapped in his own despair.

"Ummm!" Tohira said, drawing out the sound in a playful, almost mocking tone as his gaze locked onto Rodè.

His expression softened slightly, but his eyes remained sharp, studying Rodè like a puzzle he was trying to solve.

Then, shifting his attention to Micheal, Tohira's lips curled into a faint smile.

"I guess..." he trailed off, leaving the air thick with unspoken intent, his tone as ambiguous as ever.

Micheal met his gaze but said nothing, sensing there was more to Tohira's unfinished statement than met the eye.