The Animagus: From Hunter to Monster-Chapter 41: Back to School

As Buji continued jogging, the music which he was playing filled his ear, drowning out the sound of his footsteps on the track.

By the time he completed his first five kilometers, his body was drenched in sweat. He slowed tiredly to a stop and walked over to a nearby bench, falling onto it with a sigh of relief.

His heart pounded fast in his chest and his legs ached. But he felt accomplished.

"Halfway there," he muttered, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

The system chimed again.

[Jogging: 5/10km. Remaining 5km]

’Such an emotionless system,’ Buji thought and sighed.

He took a moment to catch his breath. The second round was harder, simply because he had lost consistency. His muscles protested with every step, but he strived and pushed through. At least, he wanted to complete the Jog quest.

When he finally finished the ten kilometres, he collapsed onto the same bench as earlier. It seemed as though the bench was his starting point. His chest heaved as he gasped for air.

<Daily quest>

- Push-Ups: 20/50 (not completed)

- Jogging: 10/10 km(completed)

The notification finally brought a tired small to his face. He did done it, if not for the remaining Push-up counts.

As he sat there taking a rest, a sudden realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

His thoughts turned to Emra. Her recent peculiar behavior towards him. And the way she always seemed to be a step ahead, like a shadow that knew his every move.

Even after all she had done, her presence in his life still felt constant.

’Something is wrong…’

He frowned. His mind racing and piecing together fragments of his encounters with her. It might be understated, but now that he thought about it, there were many coincidences.

Emra always seemed to show up at his critical moments, plus her actions always seemed to align with situations that had deeper implications concerning him.

Buji recounted few encounters, ranging from when he was preparing for his first raid to the moment in the hospital when Emra had come in with the raid team selection division.

Thinking about it, Emra didn’t participate in any raid, yet she was chosen to be part of the team.

’This might have something to do with the father. Wait… the plan.’

"I mean, she’s always on the sleek end," Buji muttered under his breath, his palms curling into fists on his lap.

Their moves are really quick and precise. Emra hadn’t just being a passive observer but was also an active participant in a game he hadn’t realized he was playing.

And then there was his father, Mr. Zin. The man who carried an air of authority and subtle menace. Just the thought of him alone made Buji’s stomach tighten.

"Just, what’s their game?" he wondered aloud.

This realization hit him hard. They were testing him, probing his limits, and perhaps even manipulating him for their own agenda. Come to think of the team he was selected to join, even without a talent.

Either ways, he was going to play the game along with them. At least, for the benefits he was going to be getting as a result. Yet, he still needed to be very careful and use the game against them.

’But why? What could they possibly gain from involving themselves in his life? They must have realized my bloodline status. But like the rule, they should have slaughtered him immediately they found out. So, why still keep him alive?’

Buji shook his head in order to clear his thoughts. He couldn’t afford to get lost in a labyrinth of speculation. Instead, he needed to focus on what he did know and piece the rest together.

He was going to be using the principle of using the "known to find the unknown."

With his right hand, he snapped his thumb against his third finger. "Correct," he said.

After resting for a while longer, he pushed himself off the bench, His legs still felt heavy from the run, but the ache was manageable. It carried him as he made his way back to the hospital.

---

When Buji entered his room, he was greeted by an unexpected sight. Kira stood by his bed, her hands busy packing some belongings into a duffel bag.

"Kira?" Buji said, blinking in surprise.

She glanced up at him, relieved. "Took you long enough to get back," she said, folding a shirt and tucking it into the bag.

"What’s going on? I mean, how did you know about the discharge?" Buji asked stepped further into the room.

The students at school, it was everywhere that you were going to be discharge today.

Buji hesitated, his gaze shifting to the neatly packed bag on the bed.

’The students at school? What is their plan this time around?’

"Travel out of that thought of yours," Kira said, turning to face him fully. Her eyes narrowed as she tugged a smirk at the corner of her lips.

Buji couldn’t help but stare longer at Kira. She was damn… so beautiful.

"What is that stare?" Kira asked, zipping the duffel bag.

"Nothing."

"You still owe me," Kira retorted.

"Huh," Buji raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Kira crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the edge of the bed. "Don’t play dumb. You haven’t told me anything about you raid. How you had survived."

Buji’s stomach clenched at her words. What else did she want to hear from him?

"Weren’t you here when I told my experience?" Buji asked, trying hard to hide his current expression.

"Buji, you and I know that was a bleak narration you told them," Kira said.

Buji looked away, his mind racing in thoughts. Should he tell her? Could he even tell her? The truth was far from ordinary, and he wasn’t sure how much of it she could handle.

Kira tilted her head, studying Buji’s expression. "You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?" she said. "Don’t overthink it, Buji. Just so you know, I know a bit already. Just tell me the truth."

Buji turned his gaze to Kira and opened his mouth to say something. But before he could respond, the system interrupted their converstion.

- Push-ups: 20/50

- Jogging: 10/10km

[The Player is yet to complete his daily quest.]

[12:00:00 remaining.]

Buji sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The system’s reminder was persistent and it was becoming annoying.

"Something wrong?" Kira asked, her brow furrowing.

"No, nothing," Buji said quickly, shaking his head. "Just… thinking about how much I still have to do."

Buji raised an eyebrow but thought best not to press further. "Well, you can still figure it out on the way," she said. "For now, let’s get back to school."

As they left the hospital, Buji couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. The weight of his unfinished quest, and the punishment he was going to get if he happened not to finish it loomed over him.

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The system had said it was going to deduct some of his stat scores, but he didn’t know how it was going to affect him physically. However, he decided to push the thought to the back of his mind.

He would deal with the remaining push-ups to complete his daily quest. But that will be when he gets back to school.

After a few minutes, the cab they had entered pulled up to the school gates. Buji got down from the cab and took a deep breath, bracing himself for whatever came next.

"Whatever, I’m back to school."