OCTOBER 11TH 2015.
Following the tragic events of October 5th and the death of Joshua Egoshin, the Hunter Force Academy (HFA) suspended all academic activities for the rest of the week. The institution needed time to regain its footing and mourn the loss of one of its own.
Joshua's death reverberated throughout the continent, and the public's faith in the HFA began to waver. Many blamed the Hunters for failing in their duties, while others criticized the system itself, questioning the leadership of Gabriel Esthath. Parents of students in the General Training Course started pulling their children from the academy, unwilling to trust the institution's ability to protect their children.
The media didn't help the situation, amplifying the backlash with an article that read:
"SHOULD THE HFA BE TRUSTED WITH THE PROTECTION OF LIVES IF THEY CAN'T PROTECT ONE OF THEIR OWN?"
The article discussed the HFA's failure to locate and capture the Kaimi Daja, the group responsible for the deaths of two Hunters within the academy and the Shadow Bug incident that plagued the continent between May and July, causing countless deaths. It questioned whether public funds should continue to support the Hunter Force.
Despite this intense criticism, the HFA resumed its activities the following week, as if it were business as usual. However, the situation within the academy left Jason's students feeling unsettled.
On October 5th, during the battle exams, it was revealed that Karla Yoshida was a spy and a member of the terrorist group Kaimi Daja. She was subsequently taken into custody and locked in solitary confinement beneath the HFA headquarters. Before her betrayal was uncovered, Karla had been a student in Jason and Lisa's class. Her discovery left the students shocked and struggling to process the events of the past few days.
Takimo, Rin, Tendo, Silva, and Kazemaru sat together in their classroom, waiting for Jason and Lisa to arrive so they could make an announcement. Each of them (except Silva) wore bandages, the visible marks of their injuries from the battle exams.
Tendo: So, what do you think is going to happen to her?
Takimo: They'll lock her up forever and we may never get to see her again.
Tendo: (scratches his head) DAMN IT!! I can't accept this!!!
Silva: Me either.
Rin: I know you had feelings for her, Tendo, and I get that you were close to her, Silva, but there's nothing we can do about it.
Tendo: But she turned herself in after her "sister" started going too far. She shouldn't be treated like this!!
Kazemaru hissed.
Kazemaru: She shouldn't be treated like this!? What about all the others she hurt before she turned herself in? Give me a break, man! She stabbed our upperclassman in the chest and almost killed me! And let's not forget, she's part of a terrorist group responsible for the death of a Level 1+ Hunter!
Tendo: I KNOW THAT!! (frustrated) You're acting like she's the one who did all that. It wasn't her!! She said it was her sister's soul dwelling in her body that did all that!!
Kazemaru: How does that change anything!? Stop talking like it's possible to punish her so-called sister and leave Karla out of it. Don't let your feelings for her blind you, man.
Tendo suddenly glared at him in anger.
Tendo: BLIND ME!?
Tendo and Kazemaru stood, tension rising as if they were about to fight. Before it could escalate, Rin and Takimo stepped in to stop them.
Takimo: Stop fighting, you two. Things are already bad enough. Don't make things worse by fighting each other.
Rin: (to Tendo) Kazemaru's right. Karla probably knew what would happen when she turned herself in and had prepared herself for it. Getting mad about it won't change anything. So calm down.
After some time, both Tendo and Kazemaru sat back down, as their anger began simmering down.
Tendo: (scratches his head) DAMN IT!!! Why did it have to come to this?
Silva: It's just so hard to accept this. She WAS our friend. And she looked so innocent. I felt like I knew her so well but it turns out I was wrong. WE were wrong.
They sat in silence, each reflecting on the memories they shared with Karla before the betrayal came to light. They remembered how she had been kind, caring, and always seemed to have a friendly ear.
The realization that she had been sharing her body with a bloodthirsty sister and was involved with the Kaimi Daja was a painful betrayal. They had thought they knew her, but the truth shattered that illusion.
The group's internal struggle echoed what Takimo had felt when Kato was revealed as a Shadow and a fugitive. The same hopelessness, the same desire to deny what their eyes had told them, swirled within them. They wanted to believe that Karla wasn't a bad person, but they couldn't escape the conflicting feelings tearing them apart.
Tendo: Hey Takimo?
Takimo: What is it?
Tendo: Is this what you felt when your friend was accused of being a Shadow?
All eyes turned to him as he responded calmly.
Takimo: Yeah. It was just like this.
Tendo: I see.
Rin: And do you still believe that he isn't what everyone says he is?
Takimo briefly thought of Kato and smiled before he responded.
Takimo: Yeah, I do. He's NOT what everyone says he is.
Rin: (sighs) I can't call you out for that, since I'm doing the exact same thing.
Everyone turned to Rin in surprise.
Rin: Despite everything that's happened, I can't bring myself to hate Karla. From what Tendo and Silva have said, she was fighting back, right? Against her sister's control, I mean?
Silva: Yeah, she was.
Kazemaru: But she still ended up stabbing Tendo and almost killed me and the upperclassman. I just feel indifferent about her after this. I don't want her dead but I mean…
He briefly recalled when Karla/Annie was about to kill him and his hands began to shake.
Kazemaru: She could've killed me back then.
Silva noticed his hands shaking and moved to him and began patting him on the shoulder.
Takimo: (to himself) He's traumatized by her...
Rin: (to the group) Let's just hope the HFA makes the right decision regarding her. And we need to look out for each other as well. I don't want to lose anyone else.
Takimo: (whispers to Tendo) Rin's taking on the big brother role, huh?
Tendo: (whispers) Maybe he feels responsible because he's older than us.
Rin: I can hear you, you know.
******
THE BONDS THAT BIND US TOGETHER ARC - BEGINS