With the fight between the Hunter and Saizou concluded, one that resulted in the latter's defeat, there was no more need to remain at the forest. Classes were soon to commence after all, and he did not want to be tardy.
With the unconscious Saizou, still in his beastly form, being held by his legs; the Hunter begun to drag the student through the woods before the Academy. He took in his surroundings, mentally creating a map within his head, a habit he had developed and honed through experience.
Just outside the forest and near the academy gates, the Hunter saw Moka up ahead with Tsukune, still unconscious by her shoulders, seemingly awaiting his arrival. When he reached the awaiting student, he raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity. "Did I not say to go on ahead, Miss Akashiya?" The Hunter inquired. "Aono requires medical attention as soon as possible."
Moka fidgeted in place, taking quick and subtle peeks at the top of his head, it was clear what she was concerned of. Though he was unsure whether it was out of worry, or because of her... cravings.
"There is no need for concern," he stated, taking off his withered hat to show the worrying student his wounds, or where said wounds should have been, as it had all but healed.
The student seemed disappointed upon his saying of his wounds healing, further having him believe she was only worried for him for her own cravings.
"Is it really okay to handle Komiya-kun like that?" Moka, eyeing the unconscious student that was still in his youkai form, asked.
"... I pray the commotion with the wall may provide me an opportunity to slip by unnoticed."
"... The one Komiya-kun broke?" Moka asked, a nod being her answer.
"Before I found you three in the woods, he..." the Hunter shifted in place to emphasise who he was referring to. "left unnecessary attention at the wall he destroyed."
Unfortunately for the Hunter, there were a few students who were not paying attention to class, and instead were procrastinating by observing outside the window.
Rumours already ran rampant throughout Youkai Academy of a demonic teacher that took down a delinquent for not complying with school rules barehanded, and that the fight went so out of hand that said delinquent was all bloodied. Although some rumours were falsified, with the Hunter being the sole person who bled as he tried to end their confrontation without issue, the blood, his own blood, which covered his head did not help.
So for the rest of the day, his remaining classes were filled with wary students. The rumours had already spread to even the ears of the Headmaster, who had called him in once the school day finished.
"My apologies, Headmaster. It could not be avoided. I must state that I only act in self-defense." a monotonous Hunter explained, showing no clear regret over his words.
The Headmaster let out an amused chuckle upon hearing the response. "Normally I would fire a member of faculty for breaking the rules. Especially on the first day." (A.N. To anyone who either read the manga or watched the anime, I wonder how many would figure out the bullshït.)
"It is not too late to take back your decision to enlist my tutorlage, Headmaster." the Hunter reminded.
Another chuckle from the Headmaster. "Still adamant about wanting to leave I see, even after I spent such a long time making you these?" The Headmaster emphasised, holding a sealed folder. He placed it on the desk, facing his employee.
"These?" The Hunter asked, taking the folder and unloading its contents. It was documents which validated his identity, a birth certificate, a passport, banking details and many others, with last and certainly not least, a visa, which effectively meant he was allowed in the country for work purposes. "I assume you have connections with the high government if you managed to compile these documents in such a short amount of time."
The Headmaster did not respond, only keeping his grin, which the Hunter took as confirmation.
"Although, would it not be more convenient to place my country of birth as this... Japan?" The Hunter asked while eyeing his forged birth certificate, which had his mentioned country of birth as... England. He made a mental note to learn of this world's geography when he had time.
"It would be difficult for you to pass off as a native Japanese, wouldn't it?"
"Fair judgement, fine. I shall keep with the charade until I learn of your motives."
"Oh don't worry, you'll know one day. I can't possibly let an interesting man go after only such a short amount of time." The Headmaster stated. "Speaking of interesting, how is Tsukune Aono? And how do you propose we deal with our little troublemaker?"
"Aono was in critical condition once I arrived, had I arrived any later, he would certainly be dead." The Hunter stated, leaving out the detail where Moka had also breached the rule of not transforming into the alternate form. "I would propose an expulsion to be an appropriate punishment for breaching so many established rules on the first day. However it is merely the first day, there may be other incidents coming on a similar scale, a suspension may be suffice for the time being."
According to the directions provided by the headmaster, the place where he will reside during the period he 'educates' the beasts, the Teachers' Dormitories, was a few minutes walk away from the academy.
By the time he had arrived, it was near dawn, most of the time he spent to observe his surroundings and to take in additional mental notes.
Unlike the Students' Dormitories, which he had passed on the way to his destination, the Teachers' Dormitories at first glance seemed relatively... normal.
It was as equally large as the student campus to accommodate the large number of staff needed to maintain and educate the large cohort on campus.
He had earlier met his fellow educators, when the Headmaster introduced him to them. His sudden appointment being a surprise to them nearly as much as his; because of the rumours regarding him and Komiya, many of his fellow faculty members were wary towards him. It also did not help that there was a language barrier between him and the majority of them. Though he did not fault them, even preferring for them to keep a distance away from him.
So it was no surprise as soon as he entered the lobby of the building, many of the teachers looked away from him.
There was a cafeteria inside of the Teachers's Dormitories where staff were able to order and eat should they not have time to cook their own food, in addition to the cafeteria in the Academy.
The cafeteria staff in the cafeteria did not seem wary of him as his peers were, he assumed it may be because the rumours of him did not reach their ears, but who would know?
It seemed the Headmaster prepared beforehand before his arrival in the dorms, he knew from the addition of English beneath each menu items for him to read. The sheer amount of menu items surprised him, a variety of foods for each time of day were presented in a neat and tidy format.
When he thought of it, it would be his first time since awakening that he would consume food items that were not the least amount of suspicious. Although, he was unsure whether he had a need for sustenance; for the Dream always maintains him to peak physical health. But it could not hurt to try.
Once the Hunter ordered what he wanted, and with a few minutes of waiting for it to be prepped. He brought his meal to a table far from other teachers, as to not intimidate them.
With a wary approach, he lowered his face mask and inserted the food into his mouth. His tastebuds, which was accustomed to the taste of iron and blood, greatly welcomed the foreign taste, and soon he begun to wolf it down.
"Afternoon Syn-sensei!" a cheery voice shouted from across his table, in response he pulled up his face mask before whoever spoke could see it.
Earlier he thought the whole faculty were concerned of him, but there were two who seemed unconcerned of the rumours which surround him.
Shizuka and Kagome, or Miss Nekonome and Miss Ririko respectively, who both sat besides him on each sides. Much to the annoyance of some male teachers, from the sounds of annoyed grunts he could hear.
He nodded at Miss Nekonome's greeting, returning it formally.
The Hunter knew that Shizuka (Miss Nekomone), as she had told him to call her, was not intentionally trying to intimidate him, but he could not help but be instinctively cautious. Even despite her efforts to establish a peaceful relationship with her new co-worker, to the point of trying to converse with him with somewhat legible English (which he appreciated).
It was not her enthusiastic personality which made him wary, rather, it was her appearance. Her animal-like appendages loosely reminded him of the Yharnamites undergoing the process of lycanthropy, or what was known as the transformation into a werewolf, due to the ministration of Yharnam's tainted blood.
And this appearance of hers is frequently visible due to her subconsciously manifesting them. Even now, her catlike properties betray her humanoid disguise.
"Oh my, how can you eat with that mask covering your face, Syn-sensei?" a sultry voice, one that seemed to try to seduce him, yet at the same time seemed unaware of its seducing nature, asked. The voice's hand reaching out to pull down his face mask, the Hunter slightly leaned away instinctively.
Unlike Shizuka, Kagome (Miss Ririko), who had also told him to call her by her first name, even telling him to disregard the honorifics for both her and Shizuka, stating it was because they were equally ranked that he had to; he was intentionally avoiding.
He had learnt more then he needed about her in the short time that they met, while he did respect her passion in teaching her students, he however was wary of her for a different reason, it seemed that she was interested in him. He could faintly hear her silent sniffs whenever she was around him, starting from when the Headmaster was first introducing him to his fellow educators, to when they pass another by the hallways.
Even after his class had finished with hers coming afterwards, he saw her taking glances at both him AND Aono, which could not be a coincidence, as their only similarity was that they were both humans. Especially now, where she's leaning too close for comfort.
"I have had my fill for today." the Hunter stated, standing up from his seat and taking his half-eaten lunch. "Please have a good evening, Shizuka, Kagome."
"Mrow?"
The sixth door on the second floor was his assigned apartment for the duration of his stay.
Taking the key given to him by the Headmaster, which was a relatively simple design from the ones he was accustomed to seeing, he unlocked the door.
On the other side was a large apartment, with the bare essentials somewhat filling its interior, a bed, a desk amongst many others. If he had to compare it to the workshop, then he would say it would be roughly four times the size, with the addition of the bathing area he would add, which he headed towards first.
He was used to being dyed in a crimson red from those he had hunted, so being in a shower for who knew how long was a much appreciated change of pace.
Once done, it was soon to be sundown, he sat on the couch that had already been in the apartment. Now that he thought of it, this was the first time he was able to relax peacefully, without the thought of being attacked at any moment.
Rummaging through his coat, he pulled a fountain pen as well as a worn leather notebook, one which he had since the very beginning of his Hunt, evident from its appearance, which had been erroded due to exposure to the elements, the ink in his early entries having already begun to fade.
He unwrapped the string which held the notebook tightly closed, and he turned to a blank page nearing the end. And in neat, cursive handwriting, he begun a new entry.
With the hunt concluded, I had expected for my role as a Hunter to come to an end.
It however did not lead to this outcome, instead, I find myself to be in a world where beasts, who are capable of altering their appearance at will and were more varied then the ones found in Yharnam, are educated to co-exist with humans.
Many Hunters in Yharnam would have shrugged this possibility off as an impossibility. I cannot fault them should they think this, as even though I am here now to bear witness, I still find it difficult to fathom.
As of the writing of this entry, I find myself appointed as a member of faculty for an educational institution which teaches such beasts to blend in to human society.
There is little doubt that the Headmaster of this academy is a suspicious one. His motives to appoint a man foreign to his native land to educate his students points him to having a motive for such decision.
For now, I shall play along and act as the role of a lecturer, till I find the reason for my beckoning in this academy of beasts.
The Hunter closed the notebook after he finished his latest entry, retying the string.
As he laid flat on the couch, a bed being something he would need to be used to, the fatigue finally hit him - not from his new responsibilities as a member of staff, but from his never-ending night; from his hunt, from everything that transpired in Yharnam.
And for the first time in what felt like a millennia, he had a dreamless sleep.
