The twenty-one had soon become twenty-two because Lira, who had not stopped following squad 25. They were still one member short, but anytime someone dared join, Kaka would make them suffer so much that they quit. Only one had dared, and he had not lasted. Perhaps it was because the squad did not want to give away Sagiri's sport. Even so, Lira had become their shadow so much that they had grown weary of sending her away. She was now like a shadow member of the squad. She fought well and was smart, but sometimes she behaved like a child or just said weirdly odd things.
She had even asked kiuga once if he remembered where he was born because she didn't.
The twenty-two had entered the valley midday, nine days ago. It was cold and dark and mostly silent, but nothing was odd. They were not planning to stay long, just entering the valley that everyone avoided for decades, and coming out alive was all they needed to do to get the highest merit score.
