“Hey! Ha!”
In the courtyard, the children were practicing the combat techniques Cassim had taught them.
Sweat dripped from every forehead,
but none dared to slack off—they refused to disappoint Teacher Cassim, so each doubled their efforts.
Thud!
“Ow, that hurts!”
The boy with long black bangs fell to the ground, his wooden sword flying from his hand.
“Grisa is totally useless~!”
Opposite him, a girl stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding her wooden sword, shaking her head in mock disappointment.
“What? It’s not my fault—Lina’s just a brute......”
“Huh?”
Lina grabbed Grisa by the collar and hauled him to his feet,
fixing him with a dangerously sweet smile.
“Grisa, what did you just say~?”
“Ah! N-Nothing! I didn’t say anything!”
Grisa waved his hands in panic.
Clang!
A sharp rap on the head later, Grisa was on the ground again, clutching his skull.
“That hurt! Lina, you’re way too rough!”
“Hmph~, serves you right for calling me a brute. And it’s not my fault you’re so scrawny—don’t blame me for it.”
“I’m not scrawny! It’s you who’s—”
“Children, training time is over~!”
Cassim’s voice rang out across the training ground.
“Time for your injections~!”
“Okay!!!”
All the children stopped practicing and replied in unison......
In an infirmary-like room,
the children—fresh from training—lined up to receive their shots.
“Teacher Cassim, why do we have to get these injections so often?”
Staring at the needle pricking his right arm, a young child asked curiously.
Cassim smiled gently:
“Because I want you to stay healthy. Humans get sick so easily—even a small illness can take a life.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“But with these injections, you’ll never have to fear sickness. And they’ll make you stronger too. Don’t you want to be as powerful as me~?”
“Really? I can be like Teacher Cassim?! Then I want injections every day! I want to get stronger!”
“Haha, what a good boy~.”
After administering the injection, Cassim pulled out the needle.
“All done. Next~.”
“Um, Teacher Cassim...... I’m scared of pain......”
The next little girl stared at the needle, her face pale with fear.
“Don’t be afraid~.”
Cassim comforted her softly.
“This pain is only temporary. Think of it this way: this small pain will make you strong. And once you’re strong, nothing in the world can hurt you anymore~, right?”
“I-I...... I’ll try my best......”
Cassim hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said:
“Alright~. If everyone is brave enough to endure the pain today, I’ll make fruit pies for dinner tonight, how about that?”
“Really?!”
“Fruit pies? Yay!”
“Teacher Cassim is the best!”
The children cheered.
Emboldened, the little girl tremblingly held out her arm and squeezed her eyes shut tight.
“Please go ahead, Teacher Cassim.”
“What a brave girl~.”
A faint smirk tugged at Cassim’s lips as he slid the needle into her arm......
...
“It hurts...... it hurts so bad...... Teacher Cassim......”
Inside the cage, a boy’s body was covered in grotesque veins as he moaned in agony. His muddled mind made him call out instinctively to the person he trusted most.
The other children stood outside the cage, staring at him in fear.
Cassim approached,
standing silently before the cage and watching the boy inside.
Sensing Cassim’s presence, the boy stretched out his right hand toward him, his voice weak:
“Teacher Cassim...... it hurts......”
“......”
Cassim said nothing.
Gone was his usual warmth—his eyes hid a cold indifference.
The other children asked anxiously:
“Teacher Cassim, what’s wrong with him......”
Faced with their worried gazes,
Cassim spoke solemnly:
“He’s contracted a curse from the outside. Children, you must be careful—don’t touch him, or the curse will infect you too.”
The children believed him, stepping back in alarm,
their faces filled with even deeper fear.
“Teacher Cassim, is he going to die......”
“Is there any way to save him?”
“Will we get cursed too......”
Their anxious voices filled the air.
Cassim’s expressionless face broke into a gentle smile, his usual warmth returning:
“It’s alright~, children. Go back to your rooms now. I’ll take care of this—you have nothing to worry about.”
“Just keep training hard and take your injections obediently, and the curse will never touch you~.”
“......Really? That’s all we need to do?”
“Okay! We’ll work even harder from now on......”
Once the children had left,
Cassim turned back to the boy in the cage,
his gaze cold and alien.
“This test subject has failed...... No matter. I’ll have to be more careful from now on—can’t afford to lose too many of them halfway.”
...
“Meow~.”
The boy with long black hair squatted in the corner, holding a stray black kitten in his arms.
“Another friend got cursed......”
Unease clouded his face as he stroked the kitten repeatedly, as if the touch could calm his racing heart.
“Hey......”
He spoke to the kitten in his arms,
“What even is a curse, anyway?”
“......”
“Meow~.”
The kitten let out a soft, affectionate mewl.
“......Yeah, you’re just a cat. You wouldn’t understand what I’m saying.”
He looked down at the kitten and scratched its chin gently.
“Teacher Cassim says you’re a mutated shadow cat—super dangerous. He told me to throw you away.”
“Meow~!”
The kitten purred happily and licked his finger.
“......But you’re just a regular kitten, right?”
The boy smiled helplessly.
“You have to be careful, though. Don’t wander off. If Teacher Cassim finds out I’m hiding you, we’ll both be in trouble, okay?”
“Meow~!”
The kitten nodded its head.
“Huh? You can nod? Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Meow~!”
“Wow! You’re so smart, Sphinger!”
...
In the underground facility,
“Teacher Cassim, why are we stuck here?”
“It’s so dark!”
“I’m scared!”
“Teacher Cassim, please let us out......”
The children’s cries echoed through the deep, well-like room.
The only window was covered with iron bars—and it was over twenty feet above the ground, set into smooth, unscalable walls.
With their current strength, escape was impossible.
...
