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There had yet to be a true destination in mind, one that would make up for all the miles they had walked. But Takashi knew the importance of exploration, and he expected both Himari and Kiku to understand that, as well. Without knowing what type of world they were up against, whether it truly was Tōkatsu Jigoku or something else, he needed certainty before he could create a plan.

And so Takashi wandered through the woods, through the sloping hills and through the weaving streams—he traversed the foreign terrain with the true determination of the Kagetsu running through his blood.

That was until a scent of thyme and pine…and something sickly sweet slowed his forward-reaching steps and narrowed his eyes along the tall grass before him. There was no scent of prey or regular wildlife (something he had come to learn through the many miles he had walked); rather, it was instinct alone that alerted him to a nearby wolf.

Kagetsu Takashi blinked in the direction of the stranger’s scent.

Despite the shadows he preferred to utilize on any given day, the brightness of the sun removed what cover he would’ve preferred. Instead, he used the tall grass as his shroud, slinking through the long stalks in a carefully lowered walk as he followed that sickly-sweet, herbal-infused trail.