The irony of the situation was not lost on Subaru. She had been assigned to the green team, which consisted of a tall blonde woman named Methode and, to her absolute horror, Frieren. The elf who had not only tried to kill her today, but had killed her before in one of the loops. The elf who was now supposed to be her teammate.
Subaru kept her distance. She stayed ten metres away from Methode, who was staring at her with an expression that was impossible to read. Methode's eyes were calm, curious, the eyes of someone who was observing a strange creature and trying to decide whether it was dangerous or just interesting. Subaru did not like that look. It reminded her of Übel, and Übel was trouble.
She stayed twenty metres away from Frieren. The elf showed no emotion, her face a blank mask, her posture relaxed. But the aura was there. The cold, heavy presence that radiated from her like heat from a fire. Subaru could feel it pressing against her skin, making her hair stand on end.
They had not spoken a single word to each other since the teams were announced. Subaru had tried to say something, to break the ice, to make the situation less awkward. But Frieren had simply looked at her with those cold green eyes, and the words had died in her throat.
Übel was on a different team. Subaru had seen her walking away with some blue haired guy and a gray haired girl. They looked confused, as if they were not sure what they had gotten themselves into. Subaru envied them. She would have traded places in an instant.
Genau had explained the rules again. Find the bird. Capture it. Bring it back. Three days. No murder. Simple. Subaru understood the rules. What she did not understand was why she had to be stuck with the two most unsettling people in the entire exam.
Now they were in the forest. The trees were tall, their branches forming a canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight. The air was cool and damp, and the ground was soft with moss and fallen leaves. Subaru walked behind the other two, her steps light, her eyes scanning the shadows.
She did not say a word. She just followed, her hands shoved into her pockets, her head down. She did not want to attract attention. She did not want to provoke Frieren. She just wanted to get through this alive.
Methode and Frieren walked ahead, their voices low, their conversation focused on the task at hand.
"The bird is fast," Frieren said. "As fast as an arrow. And it can sense mana. If we try to approach it directly, it will flee before we get close."
Methode nodded. "We could try to use bait. Something that will attract its attention and keep it in one place long enough for us to capture it."
Frieren considered this. "We have a few days. For now, we should scout the area, identify its nesting grounds, and plan our approach."
Subaru cleared her throat. "Um…"
They ignored her. They continued walking, their voices low, their focus on the mission.
Subaru tried again. "I can see the bird from about a kilometer away. Thanks to my eyes."
Frieren did not even glance at her. Methode tilted her head, as if she had heard something faint, but she did not stop walking.
Subaru sighed. Her shoulders slumped. She continued following them, her steps dragging, her mood sinking.
They walked for a while longer, the forest growing denser, the shadows deeper. Methode glanced at Frieren, her voice curious.
"Did you know the demon before?" she asked.
Frieren's expression did not change. "It was a lower demon. It served under Aura the Guillotine. It somehow, for some reason, killed a great demon."
Methode turned and looked at Subaru. Her eyes studied her, taking in her horns, her features, her posture. "And that makes her," she paused, searching for the right word, "a great demon?"
Frieren's voice was flat, dismissive. "An anomaly. A worm that must be crushed."
Subaru's patience snapped. "I am here, you know! Stop acting like you know everything!"
She took a step forward, her hands raised, her expression furious. She wanted to grab Frieren by the shoulders and shake her. She wanted to scream in her face. She wanted to tell her that she was not a worm, that she was not an anomaly, that she was a person, a human trapped in a demon's body, and she deserved to be treated like one.
Frieren raised her staff. The tip was pointed at Subaru's chest, and the air around it shimmered with cold energy.
"I care less about what happens to it," Frieren said, her voice steady, "but I need some answers from it."
Subaru raised her hands, her palms open, her expression still furious. "Then ask me questions! I am right here! I have been right here the entire time!"
Frieren held her gaze for a long moment. Then she lowered her staff and began to walk away. "Not now."
Subaru stared after her, her mouth open, her hands still raised. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw something. She wanted to punch a tree.
Methode looked at Frieren, then at Subaru, then back at Frieren. A smile spread across her face. It was not a cruel smile, not a mocking smile. It was the smile of someone who had just witnessed something very interesting and was looking forward to seeing what happened next.
Subaru's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Methode giggled. The sound was light, almost musical, and it sent a chill down Subaru's spine. She did not say anything else. She just turned and followed Frieren, her steps light, her smile still in place.
Subaru stood there for a moment, alone in the middle of the forest, her hands still raised, her expression frozen.
"Why am I with freaks?" she muttered to herself.
She lowered her hands, took a deep breath, and followed them.
The forest was quiet. The shadows were deep. And somewhere ahead, the bird was waiting.