Silence pressed down on the small room, thick enough to strangle. The only sound was the faint creak of the tatami mats as Sentarō shifted restlessly, his head cradled in both hands. His mind churned like a storm, a thousand thoughts crashing into each other with no order. Across from him, Ujiyuki sat quietly, chuckling under his breath at the boy's visible panic.
Sentarō suddenly shot to his feet, clutching his head as if he could squeeze the frustration out of his skull. His eyes were wide, frantic, raw.
"Oh no!" he shouted, the sound echoing against the wooden walls.
Ujiyuki finally rose, the old wood beneath him groaning as if it shared his weariness. He stepped closer, resting a steadying hand on Sentarō's trembling shoulder.
"Calm down, kid" he said softly. His tone was calm, but it carried weight, an anchor to keep Sentarō from spiraling further.
"The exams are held every year, try again next ye-"
"That's not even an option, Mister Ujiyuki!" Sentarō snapped, cutting him off before he could finish. His head shot up, eyes locking onto the man with fiery resolve. His panic melted into something sharper, fiercer. "It doesn't matter if the exams are two weeks away. I have to take this year's exams"
The fire in his words filled the room, making the silence afterward feel heavier than before.
Ujiyuki sighed quietly, rubbing his temple. He had seen this look before, the fire within burning with ambition, blinding the person to their own limits. He gave Sentarō a hard stare, his voice cutting like steel.
"Sorry, kid, but just five years of training isn't enough to get you ready for the exams."
Sentarō froze, disbelief overtaking his face.
"What?!" His voice broke, carrying hints of both anger and betrayal. "Where is this coming from, Mister Ujiyuki?"
"Why won't you let me? Isn't my training enough!?"
Ujiyuki stayed silent for a bit, the tone of the air was stern, unwavering. His eyes narrowed with something far heavier than disapproval, Regret. "You need more time."
"Why?" Sentaro asked in disbelief of Ujiyuki's words
"You are not ready, Sentaro!"
The words stung like a slap. Ujiyuki's expression wasn't one of scorn, it was one of worry, carved deep into every line of his face. His sternness was born not from lack of faith, but from fear.
"The danger of the Shinsengumi recruitment exam is far greater than you can imagine," Ujiyuki continued, voice low but firm. "It is a brutal event that bears zero regard for the life of it's candidates"
"I get it." Sentarō's voice cut through, sharp but steady. He straightened his back, forcing calm into his tone. "You're worried about me."
Ujiyuki blinked, momentarily caught off guard. The boy had always been hot-headed, yet here he was—grasping the heart of the matter with sudden clarity.
"But, Mister Ujiyuki," Sentarō went on, his face shifting into something different from the reckless fire of moments ago. His gaze was steady, mature. "Now that I know the next step toward my dream is right before me, I can't dream of backing down now."
The room seemed to still at his words. Ujiyuki studied the boy's face. This wasn't just childish rebellion, it was resolve, a resolve that Ujiyuki hadn't seen in a long time. The worry in his chest didn't vanish, but it softened.
"Heh… it's like I'm talking to the same person" Ujiyuki let out a sigh that carried both amusement and resignation. He turned away, his mind churning with possibilities. After a pause, his eyes hardened with decision.
"Alright, kid. It seems you're dead set on taking the exam, and stopping you will be impossible…" He walked to the entrance, sliding open the wooden door. Cold spring air slipped inside. "So take your wooden sword and follow me. It's time I see for myself just how far you've grow."
Sentarō didn't hesitate. He snatched up the weapon leaning against the wall and hurried after his mentor.
The forest greeted them with cool air and the rustle of leaves. They walked in silence, wildflowers bloomed along the way, glowing faintly beneath the bright morning sky. Sentarō's curiosity gnawed at him with every step as they took paths that he never knew existed in the around Ujiyuki's home.
Finally after about an hour, he couldn't hold back. "Mister Ujiyuki, the path we are taking is unfamiliar, where are we headed?"
But Ujiyuki's remained silent, his tone unreadable, leaving Sentarō to stew in restless anticipation.
After what felt like forever, they reached a fairly wide clearing deep within the forest. Trees ringed around the space, their trunks bound together with thick ropes strung with countless small bells. The clearing had a quiet, strange weight to it unfamiliar to Sentaro.
Sentarō's eyes widened. "What… is this place? Why are we here, to spar?"
Ujiyuki turned to face him, his expression carved from stone.
"You and I sparring isn't nearly equal to what you will face during the exams, so I brought you here for something else."
"A test."
"A… test?" The word hung awkwardly in the air.
"Yes, a simple test." Ujiyuki stepped closer, placing his hands firmly on Sentarō's shoulders. His gaze bore down on the boy like a weight. "And you passing this test, will show me just where you stand in term of your training."
Sentarō swallowed. His nerves steadied, his expression hardened.
"Is that's what it takes?, I'll do it."
"Great." Ujiyuki's voice was steady. "Alright, the test is simple."
"Survive till dawn"
Sentarō blinked. He waited for more instructions. None came, he then looked to the sky studying the bright mid day sky, his head tilted with confusion etched on his face
"That's… it? Survive till the next day? That seems easy enough."
"That's right." Ujiyuki turned away, slipping under one of the bell ropes. "Since it's an easy task, you should have no problems. I'll check on you in the morning."
Before Sentarō could argue, Ujiyuki disappeared into the forest, leaving the boy staring after him with his mouth slightly open.
Sentarō chuckled under his breath until suddenly a growling noise came from his stomach. "Oh, I only had green tea this morning. So hungry." Sentaro thought to himself with his hand placed on his abdomen.
He walked to the center of the clearing, kneeling with his wooden sword resting at his side. He steadied his breathing, each inhale and exhale measured. The air cooled as night fell, the spring chill settling into his bones.
"Damn, it's cold," he muttered, wrapping his arms around himself. His teeth chattered before he remembered his training, "That's right, Kokyu Chōsei". Closing his eyes, he slowed his breathing, shifting it into deep, rhythmic waves. Heat bloomed faintly in his chest, spreading warmth through his limbs.
A grin tugged at his lips. "Worked like a charm."
The minutes stretched to hours, he forest grew darker, quieter. Yet as silence deepened, a faint sound broke through.
Jingle.
Sentarō's brow furrowed. He ignored it at first. Then another chime. Then another. The bells swayed in the night air, but only one direction carried the sound.
"Tch. a squirrel?" he muttered curiously, scanning the ropes. The bells closest to him were still. The sound was deeper in the trees.
His curiosity got the better of him. He rose, moving toward the noise. The jingling stopped as abruptly as it began.
When he arrived, his stomach sank. One of the ropes was shredded not cleanly, but torn apart, fibers sticking out in jagged tufts.
His pulse quickened. "A squirrel… can't do this."
GROOOOAAAR!
The earth seemed to tremble as a massive beast burst from the shadows, it was a tiger-bear, it's size two times bigger than the average bear, its eyes gleaming as the orange fur the night sky and its fangs bared.
Sentarō froze. His body trembled, not just from the beast's presence but from a trauma long buried, clawing back into his mind. His grip tightened on his chest, with his hands shaking violently.
Far above, hidden in the branches of a tall tree, a figure sat cross-legged. The gaze of the silhouette was sharp, calculating, as he watched the boy below.
"Alright" the man muttered under his breath, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Show me what you can do."