As they walked, Kai noticed how the corridor seemed longer than before, the air thicker, as if the underground base itself was holding its breath.
The sharp click of Daichi's dress shoes echoed cleanly through the hall, perfectly spaced, almost rhythmic — like a countdown.
Kai's own steps were heavier, his sneakers muffled on the polished floor.
He didn't speak. Neither did Daichi.
And maybe that silence was louder than words.
Kai's heart beat just a bit faster with each step forward.Not fear. Not quite.
But a sensation that something was about to change.
Finally, they stopped.
A large metallic door stood before them. Sleek. Featureless. A sensor pad glowing faintly beside it.
Daichi raised a hand, tapped something on the interface.
Beep.
The door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a wide, dimly lit room lined with monitors, maps, and digital schematics on the walls. The center was dominated by a sleek glass table with blue holo-projections spinning slowly above it.
And sitting calmly on one of the leather seats…
Hina.
She didn't turn when the door opened. She had sensed him.
Her posture was composed, her hands folded in her lap.
Kai stood at the threshold, frozen for a second.
She looked beautiful — and untouchable.
Like a blade sheathed in silk.
Their eyes met.
No words.
Just tension.
Daichi gave a shallow bow. "I'll leave you here."
Then he turned and left, the door hissing shut behind him.
Kai took a few steps inside.
Rei stood by the far wall, adjusting the interface of a large monitor displaying satellite footage, schematics, and live movement feeds. His coat hung from a nearby rack, revealing a tight black shirt and a belt lined with tools and weapons.
"Kai," he said without turning. "Thank you for coming."
He tapped a key.
The main screen zoomed in on a military compound.
"And you've already seen Hina, I suppose. She's been here for a while."
Kai didn't respond. He looked at her.
She didn't look back.
Rei finally turned.
His expression was focused, businesslike.
"This meeting is short and necessary. I'm here to give you the details of the plan."
He moved to the holo-table and gestured for them to come closer.
Hina stood first.
Kai hesitated a moment, then followed.
They stood side by side, inches apart — and miles away.
Rei's tone sharpened.
"We're going to give them what they want."
Kai frowned. "What does that mean?"
Rei looked at Hina.
"She'll return to her old allies. Voluntarily. As bait."
Kai's eyes widened. "What?!"
Hina didn't flinch. She had already agreed.
Rei raised a hand. "Calm. Listen."
"She goes in, pretends surrender. They'll lower their guard. Meanwhile, I'll dispatch my best unit — Akira, some of my elite men… and you."
Kai took a sharp breath.
"You're using her as a decoy?" he asked, his voice tightening.
"No," Rei replied calmly. "I'm using her as a key. No one else can open that door."
He pointed to the map. "Their defenses are still too strong. But if Hina gets close — everything changes."
Kai turned to Hina.
"You agreed to this?"
Still, she didn't look at him.
"I did."
Her voice was cold. Distant, with a glimpse of sadness in it.
Like she was protecting herself from more than just bullets.
Kai clenched his fists.
He didn't know what to say. Didn't know what to feel.
Judging from Hina's reaction, she wasn't totally okay with the plan.
The fact of seeing Sabushi could probably trigger something within her.
Rei continued.
"While the main distraction unfolds, I'll be using our satellite radar system to locate Sabushi's exact position. Once we have him… I'll hunt him down myself."
His voice darkened at the last part.
"And if the Kurotaka Syndicate decides to intervene—" he flicked to another screen, showing the outline of a second platoon— "I've prepared a secondary strike unit. They'll handle it."
Hina clenched her fists.
A part of her didn't want all of this.
She was doing everything for Kai's safety.
"Sabushi... is a smart man. He won't believe that I just came back to him without a proof." Hina said.
Rei nodded his head.
"I'm perfectly aware of this, and that's why we'll go with an offering." He said.
He then snapped his fingers and two men of him came inside the room.
They were holding a bag, containing something.
One of them then pulled out the content.
Kai's eyes widened in disgust while Hina remained completely calm.
A beheaded head of a man came out from it.
He was young, with white hair.
Everyone could tell that his life was taken recently since the blood was still falling down.
"What the hell is this--!" Kai thought.
He was on the verge of vomit.
Hina remained silent.
"This man is called Luigi Morsuno, he was a young man who killed and raped several girls and boys. He was wanted by the police since a while and we took care of him. You'll bring this head to Sabushi, saying that this man is Kai. We even tyed his hair and got Kai's DNA on him." Rei said, with a completely emotionless expression.
Kai lowered his head, asking himself how they took his DNA.
He couldn't look a the horrific scenario in front of him.
Hina smirked.
"Do you really think that this stupid trick is going to work against him? Do you even know how smart he is?" She said, with an aggressive voice.
Rei chuckled.
"Oh well, you're totally right. You should directly go with Kai, so he'll probably believe you." He said, with a sinister tone of voice.
Hina snapped out.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT." She said, while standing up from the chair.
She started breathing heavily, while the two soldiers of Rei put the head back in the bag.
"Relax. You just gave me the perfect idea..." He said.
But that wasn't true.
He was planning to go in this direction from the start.
He knew that Hina wouldn't have approved his first plan, so that's why he was now forcing her to accept his decision.
She couldn't refuse.
"You and Kai are safe. Don't worry about that..." He said, trying to sound softer.
"I don't care. I won't put his life at risk." Hina said.
Rei sighed.
"Do you really think you're in the position to refuse?" He said, sending a deadly glare to her.
This time, Hina became angry.
"I have no problem in killing you and everyone here and now if you become a threat to my happiness." She said, with a deadly whisper.
Rei laughed, while his two soldiers dropped the bags and embraced their rifle against Hina.
"So, just accept my first offer. I give you one last chance to go back." He said, teasing.
Hina stood there.
"Fine." She said, while sitting down again.
"But I need more proofs." She added.
Rei nodded his head.
"I'm fully aware of that. That's why we've already informed the police that Kai is missing."
"WHAT? YOU DID WHAT? MY PARENTS? I HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY CALLS FROM THEM!" Kai shouted.
"Every phone here can't be localized. Moreover, everything won't work. But yes, they know about this, and they're really scared... This will make everything more... realistic." Rei replied.
The poor Kai couldn't believe his ears.
Now, even the parents were involved.
He was on the verge of a panick attack.
Kai shook his head, barely processing it all.
"Is this really the only way?"
Hina was looking at him with sad eyes.
This was the only way.
"It's the most efficient one," Rei replied flatly. "The war has already started. This is us trying to win it."
Silence.
Heavy. Dense.
Rei turned away, typing something again into the console.
"You have twelve hours to prepare."
Then he looked at Kai.
"Kai, you'll go with Akira on this one. You'll flank the enemies from the north."
The young man didn't rely.
"And you two might want to talk. This could be your last chance." He added.
With that, Rei left the room.
The door slid shut.
Only Kai and Hina remained.
The stillness between them was deafening.
He turned to her — slowly.
Her eyes were still fixed on the projection, pretending it meant more than what had just been said.
But her hands?
They trembled ever so slightly.