Chapter 114: Wanton Recklessness
Under the bright moon, a dark figure lunged at Kira, the sound of sharp claws cutting through the air.
"Hamon Overdrive!"
A ripple of Hamon shone from Kira's hand, illuminating the darkness as he threw a punch toward the claws. However, his fist met no solid resistance. He instantly spun around, his hand striking out behind him, and collided with a pair of furry palms.
Okami took two steps back, rubbing his reddened hands with a wry smile. "It's only been two hours. You can already pinpoint my location...? That's pretty discouraging for a wolf."
As he spoke, the lights suddenly flared to life, revealing a scene that looked like an amusement park.
Yoshikage Kira took a breath, letting the golden glow of the Hamon fade, the sharp glint in his eyes disappearing. He looked up and smiled. "Well, there are only so many places you can attack from—behind, above, below. As long as you can sense it beforehand, it's pretty easy to find the right position."
After the evening's feast, the wolf-man had taken Kira to the zoo's predator zone. The terrain here was relatively open, and on either side were various amusement park rides that the Director had gotten from somewhere. This was where Okami had begun to train Kira's ability to deal with enemies attacking from the darkness.
A wolf-man's eyes could see in the dark, giving him an absolute advantage in this area where all the lights had been turned off. He was going to use real combat to teach Kira how to withstand his attacks.
"For those who move in the darkness, you have to be like an assassin. If the first strike fails, you retreat a thousand miles. As long as you can defend against the first blow and find your opponent's location, then there's nothing to be afraid of."
"Do you two just want to get hurt?" Aoi Hana climbed down from a carousel. She was the one who had just turned on the lights. She wasn't in a very good mood. "I'm a Quirkless human. I don't really understand what you two are thinking. If you're not enemies, can't you train in a more peaceful way...?"
Aoi was looking at Kira. Several red scratches had been clawed into his arm, looking rather alarming.
Okami gave a bitter laugh. "Zookeeper, we can't help it. In the dark, I can see Kira's movements, but he can't see me. I have to use my full strength in every attack. If I hold back, I'm the one who could get hurt."
"There's nothing to worry about. Besides, I was the one who asked Okami to go all out," Kira said, lifting his arm for Aoi to see. "And I'm pretty confident in my ability to recover."
Kira's arm, as if it had never been injured at all, glowed with a pale white halo under the lights.
BOOM! A loud crash suddenly came from the central plaza, followed by the deafening, pained trumpet of an elephant.
"Kira-kun, I've already simulated all the different tactics a wolf pack uses when hunting in the dark. You learn very quickly. As long as you don't panic, you won't receive any fatal injuries against this type of enemy," Okami said, clearly worried about his other partners. "Let's pause our training for now and go see how everyone else is doing."
Kira didn't refuse. He had been maintaining a high level of mental concentration for two hours straight. Even if Hamon could enhance his lung capacity and allow him to recover his stamina quickly, he was still very tired.
Shishido had returned to the predator zone a while ago. His cage wasn't far from their training spot, and with his enhanced vision, he had easily watched the entire session.
He was lying in his cage, his head propped up on his hand, and he snorted as he watched them leave. "That Okami is an idiot. He really thinks he's a wolf? He's just a husky. With that level of strength and speed, even if he simulates a hunt, it's all form and no spirit. Without the resolve to actually kill his opponent, how could he make that kid feel a real sense of threat...? Whatever. Time for sleep. I don't care about them."
"A little slower, a little slower! The dumb gorilla can't keep up!" The Director had fixed a sofa to the elephant's back and was now sitting on it, holding a fishing pole with a banana tied to the end, dangling it in front of the elephant as it ran.
The gorilla, Kongo, his eyes red at the sight of the banana, was endlessly chasing the elephant, which was running in circles around the plaza, letting out a pained cry every so often.
The cheetah was running inside a giant, circular wheel, with bars on either side preventing him from escaping. At first, his speed was incredible, making the wheel spin faster and faster. But as his stamina gradually declined, he could no longer keep up with the wheel's momentum. Finally, with a thud, he fell, his claws scratching at the surface as he was spun around and around...
"Has the Director finally hit his stride...?" Watching this scene, which was both comical and absurd, Kira really wanted to ask, Why are you so good at this...?
Kira hadn't given the Director any suggestions on what kind of acts the animals should perform. He didn't know them well, and this wasn't music he was familiar with. He had only proposed the idea of forming a circus.
Just like with the "Statue of Liberty-Director" he had carved, the Director had an immense passion for things that interested him. In just a few hours, he had already come up with several acts. The main purpose of a circus was to make people laugh, and both the cheetah who couldn't keep up with the wheel and the gorilla who couldn't catch the banana would surely bring a smile to people's faces.
"Okami! Are you guys finished over there!?" The Director knew about the deal Okami had made with Kira. In fact, he had been the one to approve it. He felt a little bad for tricking Kira into coming to this remote place, after all.
The Director put down his fishing pole, ignoring the gorilla who had now gotten the banana, and leaped down from the elephant's back, landing in front of Okami. Just like a real rabbit, he was an expert at jumping.
"Rhino! Bring me the paint!"
At the Director's words, the rhinoceros, who had been staring into a bonfire, slowly stood up, hooked a bucket of paint on its horn, and brought it over.
Seeing the Director looking at him with a wide grin, Okami grew flustered. "Director, what do you want me to do?"
The Director dipped a brush into the bucket of golden paint and said, his face beaming, "Every circus needs a grand finale. Since Shishido isn't willing to jump through the hoop of fire, if we just paint you yellow and dress you up as a lion, the effect should be more or less the same, right? Now, don't move—"
"Like hell I won't move!" Okami immediately leaped backward, away from the Director. "I'm a wolf! Even if you paint me yellow, I'll just be a coyote! I'm not going to turn into a lion!"
"Then how about a coyote jumping through a hoop of fire?"
"No one would want to see that!"
The rabbit was getting a headache. "Honestly! If only Snake Sis were here! You guys are all so unreliable..."
"You're the one who's the most unreliable!" the animals shouted in unison.
The Director ignored their complaints and suddenly turned to Kira and Aoi. "You two are humans, right? Our zoo is closed for the next few days. I want you two to go to Oma City or one of the neighboring towns and find a suitable place for our circus to perform. This Friday night, we will hold the debut performance of the Twilight Circus."
"That's way too fast!"
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