The next day came and went, and the whole time, Kaede kept thinking about what Maki had said the previous night. That a monster hunter could have somehow snuck onto school grounds... the thought was nerve-wracking enough, but what if the rumor ended up spreading throughout the school? No doubt there would be mass panic and finger-pointing, especially towards the few human students. Without enough evidence pointing towards a culprit, it likely wasn't a good idea to let everyone know yet.

At the same time, though, it definitely wasn't something that Kaede could just leave alone. What exactly had Maki seen that convinced her that a monster hunter was in the student body? If she was able to find her and ask again about the topic, then maybe they could find some more leads together.

It was getting close to sunset, which meant that the more nocturnally-inclined students would be waking up soon, Maki among them. Hoping to catch the vampire bright and early (or would dark and late be a better phrase?), she waited by the dorms, playing a game on her phone to pass the time. As the minutes dragged on and the sky got darker, however, Kaede began to worry. Maki certainly didn't seem like the type to get caught so easily, but what if she had? The thought was enough to spur Kaede into actively looking for her new friend rather than just waiting for her to show up.

For a bit, Kaede wandered around the school grounds, trying to find any trace of Maki. Unfortunately, there was no sign of her anywhere. The sun had almost set completely by this point, and Kaede again found herself going back to the dorms to wait for Maki. On her way back, however, she saw something peculiar- a reserved-looking boy with a baseball cap and fluffy, bug-like wings staring at the horizon, almost as if he was entranced by it.

While her primary goal was to make sure that Maki was safe, Kaede couldn't help but wonder what this boy was doing. She stepped over to him, but he didn't move. She waved her hand in front of his face, but there was no response. Only when she firmly gripped his shoulders and shook him with an incredible amount of force did he snap back to reality, and his cheeks flushed a deep red when he realized what was going on.

"A-Ah, um...! Sorry, did I worry you?" He asked, conspicuously avoiding eye contact.

"You were staring right at the sun! Of course I'd be worried!" Kaede retorted, finally letting him go. She folded her arms, a frustrated look on her face. "You're going to hurt your eyesight like that, you know."

"Well, um... I can't really help it when I get like that." He pulled his hat down over his eyes, trying to avoid looking at her face. "Sometimes the moth part of me just wants to stare at a light... it's nothing to worry about, really. I can't hurt my vision by doing that, at least."

Kaede's expression softened, though she let out an exasperated sigh as she did so. "Geez... It's just weird to see a guy standing in the middle of the path staring into the sun." She paused for a moment. "Well, I guess if it's not hurting anyone, it's not a big deal. What's your name?"

"...Shuichi Saihara." He spoke softly, almost fearfully.

"I'm Kaede Akamatsu. Try not to worry anyone else, okay?" She said, smiling at him. "I'll see you around."

Shuichi nodded, not saying a word as Kaede left. For some reason, he left the distinct impression of someone who wanted to say more, but didn't know how.

As the last trace of the sun's light slipped below the horizon, Kaede returned to the dorms to check one last time for Maki. In the front of them, she spotted two figures discussing something- Maki and a shorter boy, who looked like he was about to topple over in exhaustion. For a moment, she kept her distance out of politeness, but ultimately couldn't keep herself from interrupting the conversation.

Her unsteady footsteps set them both on high alert, with Maki brandishing a dagger before realizing who was there. "Don't startle me like that." She stated, just as coldly as ever. "I could have killed you."

Undeterred, Kaede simply laughed it off awkwardly. "Sorry, sorry. Actually, I did want to ask you something." She said, now able to get a better look at the guy Maki was talking to. "...Unless you're busy right now?"

"No, go on. If it's about the hunter on school grounds, I'd like to hear it too." The smaller boy spoke in a voice that quite didn't fit his stature.

Maki looked uncharacteristically surprised- concerned, even- at the fact that Ryoma had heard about the hunter. "...I'll tell you both more about it, but if either of you even so much as think about spreading any kind of rumors, consider your lives forfeit." Again, she easily brought up the potential of killing them, though neither of them seemed particularly disturbed. "And Ryoma, don't go doing anything stupid with this information. Understand?"

"I've got it." He said, pulling his hat down in response. "No need to threaten me again."

Maki breathed out an annoyed sigh before proceeding. "I don't know how a monster hunter even got in here in the first place. The school screens its potential students extensively before they even consider sending them an acceptance letter. That doesn't change the fact that one of them got in, though." She pinched the bridge of her nose in thought. "Trust me when I say that I know what hunters are like. A misplaced footprint here, a small whiff of blood there, things like that. Even if they get discovered, they will stop at nothing to kill whatever monster they have their eyes on."

She continued. "Most hunters come from old families, who have done this deplorable work for generations. They use any means at their disposal to create a bloodbath, claim their victory, and then move onto the next job. Even now, there are still monster hunters who are essentially hitmen for bigoted humans." A pause. "The people most suspicious at this academy would naturally be the randomly selected humans- but like I said, hunters will use any means at their disposal to get the job done. One of them could be in disguise."

Maki turned away, leaving Kaede and Ryoma behind. "As long as you don't tell anyone else about it or do anything stupid that'll get you killed, you're free to conduct your own investigations." She didn't even wave goodbye as she walked out into the night, presumably to get something to eat.

Ryoma, for his part, had a sinisterly dark look in his eyes. "Any means at their disposal, huh..." He contemplated, before moving back into the dorms. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

Now by herself, Kaede took out her phone, walking into her own dorm, as well. She needed to think about what she was going to do from here.