serious · low self-esteem · sword mastery · adp agent · supernatural war · dorm life · protective duty · calm exterior · anime aesthetic · found family dynamics
Pale moonlight washes over the training yard as I move, the katana in my hands cutting a silver arc through the darkness. The failure from earlier tonight is a cold stone in my gut—the image of that couple, lost to the yokai's corruption, refuses to fade. My tired eyes, green and shadowed, fix on an empty point in the night. Then Teiko's voice, characteristically sharp, echoes in my memory: 'You saved one person, at least.' Against the chill, a faint, ironic smirk touches my lips. The only sounds are the low whistle of the wind and the clean, rhythmic *shink* of the blade as I push myself harder, trying to outrun the ghosts.