Takahishi turned to Crinix, a concerned look on his face. "Hey, Crinix, do you think we'll be okay for tomorrow?"

Crinix's eyes narrowed, his jaw setting in a determined line. "We'll be fine, Takahishi," he said, his voice firm, but a hint of uncertainty creeping into his tone. "We just need to focus and prepare."

He trailed off, his gaze drifting to Takahishi, who stood with his arms crossed, a skeptical expression on his face. Crinix's eyes locked onto Takahishi's, searching for reassurance.

"Do you...perhaps have any idea how we can make it tomorrow?" Crinix asked, his voice tinged with desperation. He took a step closer to Takahishi, "We can't fail this test."

Takahishi's eyes widened in amazement as he glared at Crinix. "Didn't expect that you'd ask that," he said, pausing as if collecting his thoughts. "To answer that...I don't have a clue what to do."

Crinix sighed, lowering his head for a moment before lifting it up with a hint of determination in his eyes. "I have an idea," he said, his voice filled with conviction.

Takahishi leaned in closer, his curiosity piqued. "What?"

Crinix's eyes locked onto Takahishi's. "We have to find Shinro."

Takahishi's expression turned skeptical. "That's the idea, Crinix. We haven't seen the guy for like two weeks now."

Crinix nodded, his jaw set. "You're right. We haven't seen Shinro ever since the incident with Toshiro, but we have to find him. He's the only one who can help us."

Takahishi chuckled, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Yeah, ever since the incident, the guy just ghosted us. Who knows where he is? Maybe he killed himself."

Crinix's expression turned stern. "Hey, don't say that. We have to find him."

Takahishi shrugged. "Okay, but where do we search? I mean, the Shadow Realm is a huge place, and it would take us the whole day to search for him."

Crinix's eyes lit up with a suggestion. "We can ask Shina. She might know where her brother is."

Takahishi nodded, a hint of relief in his voice. "Well, that's a great idea, but let's go home first and rest. I'm tired, and my brain hurts."

Crinix nodded, and the two of them rose from their chairs, heading for the door. A few minutes later, they found themselves in their room, Takahishi dragging himself to his bed and collapsing onto it.

"Oh, I wanna rest," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Crinix smiled, shaking his head. "Takahishi, I'm gonna go out for a while."

But Takahishi was already fast asleep, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Crinix chuckled, shaking his head. "I guess he was really tired. I think I should head to Shina's place myself."

He slid open the door and stepped out into the corridor, making his way to Shina's room. After a ten-minute walk, he finally arrived at her door. "This is it. I'm finally here," he said to himself, taking a deep breath.

He knocked gently on the door, waiting for a response. But there was no answer. He knocked again, and again, but still, there was no response.

"Maybe she's not around. I'll come back later," he said to himself, turning to leave.

Just as he passed the first block, he heard a soft voice calling his name. "Crinix, is that you?"

He quickly turned, his eyes scanning the area until they landed on Shina. He smiled, walking quickly towards her. "Shina! I was just looking for you."

Crinix's eyes locked onto Shina's, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Hey Shina, how are you?"

A warm smile bloomed on her face as she nodded, her eyes sparkling with appreciation. "I'm doing okay, thanks for asking," she said, her voice infused with a gentle sincerity.

Crinix's gaze lingered on her face, his expression softening.

Shina's gaze turned inquiring, her voice tinged with interest. "How's life at the Academy treating you?" she asked, her tone relaxed and conversational, inviting a candid response.

"Everything is going good," Crinix replied, his voice steady.

Shina's face brightened, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "I'm delighted to hear that. So, what brings you here?"

Crinix's expression turned serious, his eyes locking onto Shina's. "I'm looking for Shinro. I assume you've heard that we have a weapon test tomorrow, and we need Shinro's help."

Shina's eyes widened, her face pale. "Oh, yes, I've heard. Hope you guys do well tomorrow. And about Shinro...I don't know where he is."

Crinix's shoulders slumped, his eyes fixed on the ground. He sighed, his voice laced with concern. "I don't think we'll do well, Shina. I mean, we're new to this Hunter stuff. We need help."

Shina's expression softened, her eyes filled with empathy. "I wish I could help you myself, but I'm not really good at training people."

Crinix's gaze lifted, his eyes locking onto Shina's. "Oh, could you help me find Shinro?"

Shina's face fell, her eyes clouding over. "Like I said before, I'm sorry, I don't know where he is."

Crinix's shoulders slumped, his eyes fixed on the ground. "When was the last time you saw him?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Shina's gaze drifted away, her eyes fixed on a nearby tree. "I'll answer this soon, but for now, can we please sit down? There's a bench under that tree."

She pointed to a tree in front of them, its branches stretching towards the sky like withered fingers. Crinix nodded, following Shina as she walked towards the tree. They sat down on a wooden bench, the wood creaking beneath their weight.

Shina's gaze drifted back to Crinix, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and concern. "I last saw Shinro last week. I didn't get a chance to talk to him; we just greeted each other, and then he rushed off."

Crinix's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed in concern. "Do you think he's okay?"

Shina's expression turned somber, her eyes clouding over. "I know when my brother is like that, and he isn't okay. Something must be bothering him."

Crinix's eyes locked onto Shina's, his voice filled with conviction. "Maybe the incident with Toshiro caused this."

Shina's gaze drifted away, her eyes fixed on the ground. "Huh? What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "You mean Toshiro, Shinro's rival."

"Yeah" Crinix nodded

Shina's gaze snapped back to Crinix, her eyes widening in understanding. "I should have known Toshiro might have pissed him off again."

Crinix's expression turned concerned, his eyes filled with empathy. " Do you think he is okay?"

Shina's face fell, her eyes clouding over. "He is okay, don't worry. He's always been like that."

Crinix's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed in curiosity. "Can you tell me about Shinro? Why you said he's always been like that?"

Shina's gaze drifted away, her eyes fixed on the ground. "Shinro is just someone who had a rough childhood, that's all," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Crinix's eyes locked onto Shina's, his expression softening. "Huh? What do you mean? If you don't mind, can you tell me more?"

Shina's gaze drifted back to Crinix, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and concern.

"You see, me and Shinro...we grew up without parents. Life was tough being orphans here in the Shadow Realm. Growing up, we didn't have anyone. Then one day, Shinjikawa showed up in our lives and took care of us."

Shina's voice trailed off, her eyes clouding over as memories flooded her mind. Crinix's expression turned empathetic, his eyes filled with understanding.

Shina took a deep breath, composing herself. "I wish I could share more, but I don't want to remember the past."

Crinix nodded, his expression softening. "I understand. Sorry for bringing it up."

Shina forced a smile, her eyes still clouded with memories. "It's okay, Crinix. I'm just glad you care about Shinro."

Crinix's eyes locked onto Shina's, his expression sincere. "Of course, I care. We're friends, and I want to help him."

Shina's smile faltered, her eyes filling with tears. "Thank you, Crinix. That means a lot to me."

Crinix's expression turned concerned, his eyes filled with empathy. "Hey, Shina, are you okay?"

Shina nodded, wiping away tears. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that."

Crinix's eyes locked onto Shina's, his expression softening. "Don't apologize, Shina. I'm here for you."