Challenge

The cafeteria doors burst open to reveal controlled chaos. Floating trays zipped overhead carrying everything from normal-looking sandwiches to writhing tentacles. A green-skinned lunch lady stirred a cauldron that occasionally belched purple smoke rings. At one table, a group of students had somehow merged into a single entity sharing crackers with itself.

"Line's too slow." Akane marched straight past the queue of waiting students. Several yelped and scrambled out of our way.

She approached the lunch counter where a disheveled ghoul was arranging plates. "My mate needs food. Now."

The ghoul took one look at Akane's determined expression and frantically began piling food onto a tray - a steaming bowl of something that smelled divine, fresh bread, and what looked suspiciously like a raw steak.

Finding a table proved surprisingly easy. Students scattered as we approached, leaving a perfect radius of empty seats around us. I couldn't tell if they were more afraid of the "vampire" or the aggressively protective werewolf.

"Eat up!" Akane smiled as she set me down and pushed the tray closer.

I had just taken my first heavenly bite when heavy footsteps approached. Ginji appeared, carrying his own tray loaded with meat. Without a word, he sat down directly across from us, his gray ears rigid with tension. Akane's tail bristled as she glared at Ginji.

"Leave." Her voice carried a low growl.

"Not until I get a proper explanation." Ginji's shoulders tensed, making him appear even larger. "You owe me that much."

"I don't owe you anything."

Ginji leaned forward, his dark eyes taking on a predatory gleam that made my skin crawl. "Then answer me this - why did you choose a human girl as your mate?"

The blood drained from my face as I realized my secret was out. Ginji knew - he'd probably known all along with his werewolf senses, after all.

But before I could panic, Akane's hand found mine under the table. When she spoke, her voice had lost all its usual playful mockery.

"Because she sees me. And she still chose to stay."

Ginji's gaze locked onto me, his dark eyes piercing through any pretense. "And you? Do you love her back?"

"My feelings aren't any of your business." I kept my voice steady, matching his stare. "What matters is that I chose to stay with her."

His nostrils flared. The table cracked under his hands as he shot to his feet, looming over us. "You're just using her kindness, aren't you? Taking advantage of her protection."

"Ginji!" Akane snarled, but he ignored her.

"Then let's settle this properly." Ginji's voice dropped dangerously low. "At the Silver Ball. You know what that means, Akane."

"The Heron's Trial," Akane whispered.

"Two weeks from now, during the full moon." Ginji straightened his jacket. "If you truly believe in your bond, prove it by completing the trial together. Get the Aosagibi's feather. Show everyone your love is real. Or admit this is all a farce."

"Impossible!" Akane shot up, her chair clattering behind her. "No one has ever gotten a feather from an Aosagibi. Not in all of Nebou's history."

Several nearby students stopped eating to watch our confrontation.

Ginji's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Then maybe that's your answer right there. If you don't think you can get the feather together, what does that say about your bond?"

"That's-" Akane's voice cracked.

"Oh for crying out loud." I slammed my fork down. "We'll do it."

"Ryou?" Akane's ears twitched in surprise.

"If getting a stupid feather will make you shut up and leave us alone, fine." I leveled my gaze at Ginji. "We accept your challenge."

His smug expression faltered for a moment. He clearly hadn't expected me to agree so readily. Good.

"We'll see if you're still this confident when you're hunting down an Aosagibi." Ginji snatched up his tray. "Two weeks. Don't forget."

I watched him stalk away to a table full of his creature friends before turning back to my lunch. My appetite had vanished, but I forced myself to take another bite. I'd already fainted once from not eating - I wasn't about to give anyone more ammunition against us.

Akane slowly picked up her fallen chair and sat back down. "You shouldn't have accepted that."

"What happened to all that confidence from earlier? The Akane I know wouldn't back down from a challenge."

Akane's yellow eyes widened. "You really think we can do it?"

"I think you need to stop letting others define what we are." I poked her forehead. "Weren't you the one who kept chasing after me even when I tried to push you away? Where's that stubborn wolf now?"

A familiar glint returned to her eyes. She grabbed the raw steak off her plate and tore into it with renewed vigor, juice dripping down her chin. I couldn't help but smile - this was more like the Akane I knew.

Though watching her devour raw meat still made my stomach turn a bit. I focused on my own considerably more cooked meal instead.

As I ate, my mind wandered to the impossible task ahead. No one in Nebou's history had managed to get an Aosagibi's feather. That means not the strongest werewolves, not the craftiest witches, not even the most powerful yokai. And here I was, a regular human with some herb knowledge, thinking I could somehow succeed where supernatural creatures had failed for generations.

The logical part of my brain screamed that this was insane. That I should back out now before I got us both killed trying to chase something impossible.

But when I looked at Akane, happily gnawing on a bone with her tail wagging, I couldn't bring myself to voice those doubts. Instead, I shoved another chunk of meat into my mouth. One problem at a time. Right now, I just needed to eat and regain my strength.