Hesitation
Hesitation (迷い Mayoi) by Yuuri Fushimi is the sixth chapter in the Zero Shisei no Koe Comic Anthology.
Story
Amane and her best friend Hisame are walking together when Hisame brings up Amane's selection as a Handmaiden. Hisame is impressed and thinks it's a prestigious thing, but Amane disagrees, saying that she was only chosen because she wouldn't hesitate and mess up the sacred rituals.
As they walk, Hisame spots a cat lying by the roots of a tree. Seeing that its paw is broken, Hisame wants to take it home to nurse it back to health, but Amane quickly breaks its neck, explaining that it would only have suffered otherwise. They take the cat to a clearing in the woods, a place where flowers bloom even in the darkness, to bury it in a place where it can "sleep in peace." This is the first time Hisame has seen a dead body, and she admits that she was afraid at first, but she is impressed by Amane's composure and intends to follow her example.
Soon after, Amane leaves home to begin her Handmaiden training. On the first day, she makes origami figures with a woman at the shrine, thinking that the atmosphere is much less strict than she was expecting. The woman then takes the two figures and tells Amane to think of them as her mother and father as she tears them to pieces. The woman then tells her to pull herself together, as hesitant Handmaidens are useless.
Meanwhile, Hisame comes across a girl crying over a sick bird. She comforts the girl and breaks the bird's neck, explaining that as Amane did, it's better to end its suffering. But the bird doesn't die as quickly as planned, and Hisame is distressed at the thought that she caused it to suffer more. She wishes Amane had been there to show her what to do. The girl then offers to be Hisame's friend, and Hisame happily agrees so that they can practice together and improve.
Amane's training continues, and one day, after study, the woman gives her a letter from Hisame. In the letter, Hisame tells her about Shigure, the new friend she made. She then tells Amane to think of her when training gets hard to bear, but Amane doesn't think the training is hard at all - everyone at the manor is kind to her, always smiling. Amane is happy to be in a place where she can be helpful, and even her cold heart can begin to stir.
Soon after, Amane is allowed to visit the village for three days. She wonders if she will return to her old self as Hisame comes running up, proclaiming that Amane hasn't changed. Hisame introduces her to Shigure, and the three girls go into the woods to visit the cat's grave. When they arrive, Amane is shocked to see how many graves now fill the clearing.
Another girl, Minamo, is also there, torturing a rabbit. Hisame gently admonishes her for making it suffer, and Shigure goes over to show her how to kill it quickly. Hisame is proud to tell Amane how much she and Shigure have improved, even though Minamo is still young and not very proficient.
The girls realise they can no longer tell the gravestones apart. Minamo suggests drawing faces on the gravestones to distinguish them from the others, and the three of them set to work enthusiastically. Amane is the only one who doesn't join in their laughter. Not long afterwards, the other three girls are selected as Handmaidens.