Kageyama arrived at the research facility in a fairly exasperated state. In order to make up for the lost time they spent dealing with Tsukishima, the group had made their way to the facility at double speed, making sure they wouldn't fail the exam if any unforeseen events occurred on the way there. Even for all his training, Kageyama was still worn out by the time they arrived. They entered the building, breathing heavily. Tsutomi was the only one who seemed to not show any obvious signs of fatigue.
"I underestimated you." Kageyama said to her.
"People usually do," she smiled. "So, you wanna tell me what the hell that thing we fought was?"
"It was probably another participant." Kageyama said. Kanji stared at him.
"Like hell that was a person!" Kanji exclaimed. "It had to be some sort of monster."
"It's complicated, but I'm pretty sure it was just another applicant." Kageyama said.
"I don't think s-" Kanji reasoned before he was cut off by Kageyama.
"Just shut up and trust me." Kageyama snapped.
"I have a feeling this has something to do with your needles." Tsutomi mused.
"I don't want to talk about this."
The group walked up to the desk where the blank-faced receptionist stood, waiting for them to sign in. The receptionist pointed to the sheet. Kageyama walked up first, signing his name, followed by Kanji, and finally Tsutomi.
"The boy's dorm is on your right, then make a left." she said, expressionless. "You," she said, pointing to Tsutomi, "=are sleeping in the boy's dorm."
"What? Why?" Kanji asked. Tsutomi looked embarrassed but showed no signs of protest.
"It's complicated." Tsutomi muttered. Kageyama didn't know what was going on, but he didn't press it. The group made their way to the dorm. As they arrived, they took count of the people who had already arrived.
"14." Kageyama muttered. He walked over to the bunk furthest from all the other applicants. Tsutomi took a bunk that was equally far from the others but also opposite of Kageyama. Kanji shrugged and took a bunk near the other applicants, not understanding why the other two picked beds so far away. As Kageyama lay on the bed, he thought about what had happened in the forest. He fiddled with his hands as he thought.
"I didn't expect there to be another user taking the exam." he mumbled to himself. It's true, he genuinely didn't, although now it seemed obvious. If he had gotten training at his school, it was only natural that at least one other high-performing applicant would have gotten similar training. Still, he didn't think an applicant could be so… unhinged. He recalled the unsightly form of the applicant. Slight shudders ran down his spine. Then, his thoughts turned to Hinata.
Why did I save him? He thought. He had wasted valuable time trying to incapacitate an enemy they could've easily slipped past. His teammates had initially protested, but after some yelling, they had agreed to help. Why did I want to help him? He wondered. There was something faintly different about Hinata, Kageyama felt. He didn't know what, but some inkling of him felt that Hinata was somehow important. What does he have that I don't? Kageyama thought. He desperately wanted to understand why he thought Hinata was so special, but answers refused to surface. There was nothing about him that Kageyama thought was special other than the vague feeling. His performance when they had fought in the tournament earlier in the year was brave, but otherwise not outstanding. What was so special about him?
Kageyama tried to think about something else. For a moment, he attempted to discern the nature of Tsukishima's ability. Was it some kind of mutation? His mind went fuzzy again. Time passed as his mind raced with cluttered thoughts. He stilled as he heard a familiar sounding voice heading towards the dorms. Hinata, he thought. He silently observed as Hinata and one of his teammates entered the room, the two of them picking a bunk together. They're probably friends, too, Kageyama thought. He began twiddling his fingers as he observed. The friend quickly fell asleep after collapsing on the bottom bunk. He wasn't sure what Hinata was doing. Why did he care what Hinata was doing?
Kageyama stayed like that, motionless and awake. It was a good 20 minutes later when he heard a scream of terror reverberate throughout the dorm. Hinata, he realized. A slight amount of concern sprung through him from nowhere. He figured it was probably the shock of having nearly died. Most ordinary people would be traumatized after encountering such a monstrosity. The aura of fear settled after a while, though not before nearly every person in the room had woken up, some of them openly speculating the cause of the scream. It was not long after that Kageyama began feeling the familiar waves of drowsiness creep in. His mind trailed off before he fell asleep.
Why can't I stop thinking about him?