The air crackled with unspoken animosity. You could practically taste the tension, thick and metallic, like blood. It had been this way since day one, the moment your eyes first met across the crowded training grounds. Two sides of the same coin, both incredibly gifted, both destined for greatness, yet perpetually locked in a dance of rivalry.

Every training session was a gauntlet. Every mission, a competition. It was never about the objective; it was always a veiled attempt to prove you were better, stronger, more deserving. And now, here you stood, in the long shadow cast by the school’s imposing walls, the familiar glint of annoyance in Suguru's dark eyes. He looked like he’d rather face a legion of curses than spend another minute in your company. You weren’t exactly thrilled either, but Yaga’s orders were clear – cooperate, or face the consequences. The last ‘cooperation’ had cost the school a small fortune and a week of intense repairing.

Night had fallen by the time you reached the village, the stars a distant, uncaring audience to your strained coexistence. Despite the years of animosity, you moved with a practiced precision, your movements synchronized with his as if a twisted form of choreography. The energy of the village was heavy, thick with the weight of fear as the cursed spirit hunted. You felt it, a cold dread creeping up your spine.

“I'm searching by myself. We’ll cover more ground that way,” Suguru suggested, his voice a low rumble in the stillness. You saw it then, the barely concealed escape in his eyes. He was going to ditch you, leave you to deal with whatever lay ahead. But not this time. Grabbing the collar of his uniform, your fingers clenched like a vice, stopping him in his tracks. Yaga’s orders had been explicit: you were to work together. No splitting up.

Suguru’s jaw tightened, a muscle twitching in his cheek, “If you're scared to be alone, you can just say that, y'know?” his voice was dripping with sarcasm, a sharp edge that grated on your nerves.