Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Threats
My hands trembled as I slowly opened the letter.
My mind raced, trying to comprehend how it was possible that Rina had sent me something.
Rina was dead, yet here was a letter with her name on it.
With my heart pounding in my chest, I began to read.
**"Dear Kai,
If you're reading this letter, it means you've gone too far. For your own sake and for those close to you, I warn you to stop now. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, and I assure you the consequences will be disastrous.
There are eyes everywhere. They are watching your every move. Every word you say, every person you meet. You are under surveillance, Kai. Every step you take brings them closer to you and Hina.
Do not think for a moment that you can escape their control. They have already shown what they are capable of, and they will stop at nothing..
I'm writing this letter because a small voice arrived to my ears.
It said to me that you're working with the police and with a traitor.
I know who your father and mother are, and that's why we didn't lay a single finger on you yet, so i'm writing this letter to ask you to gently stop investigating.
Sometimes the truth can hurt.
A friend."**
I sat there, my heart pounding in my chest, trying to process everything I had just read.
The words were eerie, threatening, and conveyed a sense of imminent danger.
I felt as if a dark shadow was closing in on me, enveloping me in fear.
My mind raced, trying to figure out who could have written such a thing.
Could it be someone close to Rina? Or perhaps it was someone from the criminal group Sakura had mentioned?
The possibilities overwhelmed me, and every thought seemed to worsen the situation.
I got up and paced nervously around the living room, rereading the letter several times. I had to decide what to do.
Rina's words, or whoever had written that letter, revealed a danger much greater than I had imagined.
The confusion I had felt listening to Sakura now seemed to make sense.
It was as if every piece of the puzzle was slowly finding its place, but the picture that emerged was terrifying.
Finally, I decided to take a deep breath and think calmly.
I needed to understand what to do, but fear was paralyzing me. I had to protect myself and Hina, but how?
Soon, a plan began to form in my mind.
I had to act cautiously, without raising suspicion, especially from Hina.
I had to continue investigating, but in a much more discreet and careful manner.
I picked up the phone and replied to Hina, trying to keep a normal tone: "I'm back home, darling. Can't wait to see you tonight. I have a surprise for you."
Hina responded almost immediately: "I can't wait! I'll be there at 7. I love you!"
With that message, I knew time was running out. I had to act quickly. I checked the clock: it was 2:30 PM. I had a few hours before Hina arrived. I had to use that time to prepare.
The first thing that i had to do was inform Sakura-San about what happened to ask for any kind of information, but at the same time i thought that doing nothing and letting the situation to calm down would've been a better choice.
Other than my situation , someone was also stalking me and watching every single movement.
I wondered what would have happened if Hina knew about this...
Then, i put that letter away, in a hidden place where no one could find it and pretended like i never read it.
From that moment, i had to behave like i did every single day before meeting Hina.
"But wait... I said to Hina that i bought her a gift..." I suddenly thought, remembering that i didn't buy anything yet.
"I need to buy something for her." I said to myself.
Then, i grabbed my jacket and went outside, headed to a souvenir store.
I walked for like 10 minutes and found a little shop who sold cute things like plushies etc.
I went inside and got welcomed by a girl in a maid uniform.
"Welcome to our s-" The girl said with a bow but as soon as our eyes met, she instantly stopped to speak and looked at me with a very embarassed tone.
I was more shocked than her.
The girl was actually Yuna.
"Y-Yuna?" I said, suprirsed by seeing her.
"K-K-Kai?! What are you doing here?!" She asked in an embarassed tone of voice.
"Well, i just wanted to buy something for Hina, nothing more." I replied, trying to sound as normal as i could.
"Ah... okay... and... please, don't tell anyone that you're here, okay?" She whispered in my ear.
"Sure, don't worry about it." I replied with a smile.
Then, Yuna showed me around the shop, suggesting some things that i could buy for Hina.
Maybe it was just my impression, but it looked like she was annoyed to do these things.
The fact that i came to buy things for my girlfriend seemed to have bothered her.
At the end, i bought some red and white dango-shaped plushies with a cute face on it, and i also bought some cute girly things that she could use for herself.
"Thank you, Yuna! See you at school." I said , while turning back to walk towards home.
"Ah, wait!!" She said while stopping me.
"What is it, Yuna?" I asked , curious about why she stopped me.
" Why didn't you come at school today?" She asked.
I remembered my day, thinking about the fact that i involved my self with gangsters, that my girlfriend is a psychopath murderer and that i got a letter from a dead girl.
Everything is normal, i guess.
"Ah, well, i just felt tired and thought i had a fever, but i'm okay now. I might return in two days." I said, while scratching the back of my head.
"O-Oh, okay... haha... I was... worried. That's all... you never write to me despite all the times i said that you that you can write me. I told you that you do not disturb, you know?" She said, with a slight blush on her face.
"W-Well, i have a girlfriend now, you know. I don't want to make her jealous, that's all. And i know how busy you are with your studies and hobbies... and most of all, you know about my shyness." I replied, in a normal tone of voice.
"Yeah... i know..." she sighed. "S-See you at school, Kai. I'm gonna go back to work now." She added, while giving me a small smile.
"Yes, see you at school, Yuna. Good work!" I replied while smiling, before walking towards my home.
As soon as i arrived, everything seemed normal.
Nothing bad happened, no letters from dead people... everything was okay.
I opened the door and walked inside and as soon as i entered, i immediately locked the door.
Then, like magic, my phone buzzed and my soul trembled..
I took the phone out and saw a message from Hana.
I took a sigh of relief and read the text.
"Hey, Kai!! How are you?? They told me that you're not feeling well... is everything okay? I hope yes!! Oh, and i also wanted to tell you that Hiro is feeling much much better!! Today he could stand on his own legs... but... he seems different. We need to talk... even trough a phone call or by person..."
I knew the reason of why he seemed different.
The girl that he loved died in a horrible way and he saw her dead body laying down on the ground before his eyes... i didn't want to imagine his pain in that moment...
But my instincts were telling me that maybe there was something more to it.
Hiro didn't tell me everything.
There was something that he hid for me, that's for sure.
I heard so many different stories about Hina that i didn't know who to believe.
All i could do was unite all the pieces like a puzzle and behave like a totally normal person stranger to this situation.
The only thing that was sure was that i was in a real danger.
"Sure, Hana, we can talk tomorrow if you want... now i'm not feeling well and i'm so tired... i've been sleeping for all this morning, i swear." I texted back.
The reply arrived almost immediately.
"Sure, Kai. Just text me when you want to talk, okay? I'm always free for you~! *kiss*"
I stopped replying.
A part of me wanted to ignore Hana to make her remain totally stranger to my situation so that she could've been safe, but my heart knew that i also held a lot of affection for her.
Then, i looked at the time again and noticed that it was already 15:00.
I had to prepare the house for Hina's arrival, so i started to do some house cleanings and prepared some movies to watch for the night.
Hina probably wanted to stay over, so i had to be prepared for the occasion.
Then after some preparations and other stuff, the house was finally ready.
I even prepared the kitchen.
"I'm so proud of myself." I said.
A thing of me that i never understood was how i could remain calm even in the hardest situations.
I mean, i could get killed in every moment but my mind was soft in that moment.
I never understood this part of me.
After i done everything, i took a look at the time again and saw that it was 18:30 already.
Time actually flews when you do houseworks... that's incredible.
I decided to stay a little bit on the sofa, but suddenly, i head the sound of my doorbell coming from the entrance.
I took a look at the time again and saw that it was still 18:30.
"How strange... maybe Hina is too early, i guess..." I said to myself, while walking towards the door.
"Who's there?" I asked after reaching the entrance.
"It's me, Haruto!" The voice said, but... it was strange... his voice was different.
Sadly, i couldn't see who was behind, since the camera which let me see who's at the door was broken at the moment...
"Wait a second! I can't find the keys." i said, while walking into my room to grab the knife gun that Sakura gave to me.
Then i walked towards the door again and talked.
"Haruto, are you still here?" I asked with a very low voice.
As I stood there in the dimly lit hallway, clutching the knife gun behind my back, an uneasy silence settled over me. Haruto's voice had been eerily different, and a knot of dread tightened in my stomach. Something was very wrong.
"Haruto, are you still there?" I called out again, but there was no response.
Instead, a deafening crash shattered the stillness as the door was violently kicked open.
I stumbled back, barely maintaining my grip on the knife gun, as two masked men burst into the apartment.
Their eyes were cold and ruthless, and they moved with the precision of seasoned criminals.
"Don't move!" one of them barked, pointing a gun at my head.
The other quickly closed the door behind them, securing the lock.
I raised my hands slowly, the knife gun still hidden in my grip but useless against their firearms.
My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to think of a way out, but the fear paralyzed me.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice was trembling from fear despite my effort to stay calm.
"Shut up," the second man growled, advancing towards me.
He roughly grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back, forcing me to drop the knife gun.
It clattered to the floor, and I winced in pain as he tightened his grip.
The first man moved quickly, pulling a length of rope from his bag.
"We know you've been asking too many questions, Kai. Consider this a warning."
They worked with frightening efficiency, binding my hands tightly behind my back and forcing me to my knees.
I struggled against the ropes, but their knots were firm and unyielding.
"PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME!" I pleaded, desperation creeping into my voice.
The man with the gun laughed coldly. "You should have thought of that before you started poking your nose where it doesn't belong."
They finished tying me up and stepped back, their eyes scanning the room as if to ensure they hadn't missed anything.
I was left kneeling on the floor, my hands bound and my heart racing with fear.
"Don't try anything stupid," the first man warned, his voice dripping with menace.
But then , one of the bad guys, took a better look at me by grabbing my chin and moving my head side to side.
"Oh... this one surely is a beautiful one... can i have my way with him, Marko?" He said, while licking his lower lip.
I was scared for my life... no, i was totally terrified.
"Do whatever you want, just don't kill him... these weren't the orders." The other said.
Every second seemed like an eternity.
I wanted that situation to end... i wanted that someone could save me...
Then , the guy who was looking at me, started to unbutton his jeans to take them off...
He was about to do.... something awful to me.
Then, he picked a knife and started to rub it against my face... i could feel the ugly sensation of the cold iron on my skin, giving me shivers.
"Oh, i'm gonna have so much fun..." The man said with a malicious tone of voice.
But then, when he was about to touch me, something unexpected happened.
I saw someone standing at the entrance of my door.
"What is happening here...?" The voice said.
I tried to take a better look and... saw Hina.
While the man was still holding me, the other one talked to her.
"Who the fuck are you, bitch?" He said, while walking closer to Hina.
Her eyes were empty and emotionless.
She was holding a little bag of something but as soon as she saw the scene , she dropped it on the floor.
Something awful was about to happen...
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Ryukiro
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