章 4: A Human or Not?

Akira paused for a moment as she carefully thought of how she should answer the question.

"His life force shows that he is just a normal human being. However, I still have my doubts considering what I saw last night", Akira replied truthfully.

She gave Kaito a quick glance knowing that he was aware of what she was talking about.

"He almost sent Kaito flying last night, and that's the problem. It just doesn't make sense. How could he be that strong if he was just a mere human?"

Kaito recalled the events from that night. He remembered being in a complete shock for a short while at the unexpected turn of events. He gently touched the part of his stomach that took the strong blow from the man from last night. Fortunately, it wasn't aching anymore.

"Unless..." Haru said, his voice trailing away as he dwelled deep in his thoughts.

"Unless what?" Akira asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

"Unless he is actually just like us but someone who is capable of hiding or restraining his full life force", Haru replied. He was hesitant to continue what was in his mind for he realized that the idea might sound ridiculous.

"Is that even possible?" Sato said, leaning in closer to the table.

Kaito and Akira both shook their heads at the same time.

"I have never heard of, nor seen anyone who can do that. After all, our life force is the very essence and core of our being. While the physical body and the outward appearance are important, it is someone's life force that matters the most. I guess you can say that it is someone's true self", Kaito explained. "A person's life force might be invisible to ordinary humans, but not to us. We can always see what's truly inside of a person, and more specifically what kind of creature they are based on their life force", he resumed to elaborate.

"If that's the case, then we can only assume for now that he is just really an ordinary human who must be naturally gifted with exceptional physical abilities", Akira concluded, but deep in her heart, she wasn't fully convinced yet. She felt like there was really something off about the guy, but she couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Now the next problem is the man's real goal. He claims that he is a hired killer, and his previous client ordered him to kill Miyamura that's why he was in the scene last night. His alibi is actually pretty solid, but I don't buy it. This could be a trap. Chances are he was sent to either derail our mission last night or that he is a spy. I'm not so sure though. I could be wrong, but these are the only possibilities I could think of right now, and all I know is that there are numerous people who are after our clan", Akira placed her arms on the table while she carefully delivered to the group her thoughts regarding the matter.

She had so many questions in her head and if there was one thing that she hated the most, it was having unanswered questions. It always infuriated her since she was young when she couldn't find the answers she was searching for, especially when she had many questions in mind at that.

"But what if he was telling the truth? What if he is just really a mere human who works as an assassin? What if he really had a client who sent him to kill Miyamura? And what if his client has the same goal like us? And that is to eradicate people like Miyamura. What are you going to do?" Sato raised another question that messed up Akira's head.

She didn't want to entertain the possibility because for her, it was always better to assume someone as your foe than your friend.

Akira let out a long heavy sigh before responding to the tough question, "Then that means we have to let him off the hook. Also, we all know that we cannot really hurt humans - humans who have no evil intentions towards us at least."

After her discussion with the group, Akira spent the rest of the night in the meeting room waiting for her grandmother to get back home from her business meeting.

She was still seating on her swivel chair. Turning around, she peered through the window closest to where she was seated. She could see from her view the moon in its waning crescent form.

There was not a night that she would not search for the celestial body. Often times, she would spend an hour or so just staring at it and marveling at its beauty. She knew people who did not like the night, after all, most dangers come out when the night arrives. However, she had always loved the night, even more than the day since she was young, and it was because of the moon for the most part.

In a time where the world is overshadowed by darkness, there, hangs a creation in the heavenly sky shining gloriously, proving that even in the darkest and ugliest moment of life, there can still be beauty.

Moments later, Akira could hear the sound of footsteps getting louder as it got closer and closer to the room. She could tell who the person was based on the clicking sound of the heels against the floor. The person stopped right in front the door, turned the knob, and pushed the door open. Akira was welcomed by the lovely face of her grandmother.

"Grandma, you're finally here", Akira greeted her. Just seeing her grandmother gave her troubled and tired mind a little ease.

Her grandmother walked up straight to the long table and took the chair closest to Akira. She then placed her bag on the table.

She was wearing a black suit partnered with black trousers which Akira knew was an indicator that the meeting that she attended was a very serious one.

She had a shiny black hair which was done in a pixy haircut. Akira was well aware how her grandmother was not a fan of long hair. She said it would just get in the way of her working. She was also wearing her signature red lipstick.

Gazing at the way her grandmother looked tonight, Akira couldn't help but just admire her grandmother's beauty. There was no doubt, Aiko Genji was easily one of the most stunning women in their clan. Anyone would agree with it.

"Yes, my dear granddaughter. That was quite a long meeting", Akira's grandmother replied as she leaned back on her chair and intertwined her arms together.

She silently studied Akira. Her granddaughter had a distressed look on her face.

"How was it?" Akira asked.

"The discussion was intense, but we ended up making an agreement. The Itos agreed to let us retrieve the book, but they shall be taking possession of it while we shall reproduce a copy of it. The Itos want it because it rightfully belongs to their family while what we only need is what is written in that book. So, it's a win-win situation for both sides. "

The book that Akira's grandmother was referring to was actually a diary written by one of the ancestors of the Itos. It was the diary of Suzume Ito.

Almost a thousand years ago, Suzume worked as a servant of the Genji clan, and while serving the clan, she wrote a diary of her daily life in the estate, including the things that she had witnessed and observed in the clan.

Rumors say that the diary contained crucial information and secrets regarding the Genjis - the reason why Akira's clan was eager to get their hands on it.

The diary was passed down to Suzume's descendants. However, after Suzume's granddaughter died, the diary suddenly disappeared, nowhere to be found. The Itos and Genjis had been searching for it for centuries, but to no avail.

Then two days ago, news of it suddenly appearing in an auction and being purchased by a mysterious man reached them.

"So, when are we going to retrieve it?"

"Two to three days from now perhaps. We are still in the process of digging information about the buyer. He appears to be a very private person. There aren't many particulars we can get about him. The only thing we know is that he is filthy rich and that his house has one of the tightest securities in the city."

Akira frowned at the information that her grandmother had just relayed to her. Such little information about the man would prove their mission to be a hard one.

"Also, we are not yet certain if he is just like us. If he happens to be one, that will be another huge problem for us. That's why you need to prepare and plan well before infiltrating his territory."

Akira listened carefully and made sure to digest every single detail her grandmother spoke of.

"Alright. I'll meet the guys tomorrow for the preparation", she said.

"So, how is your prisoner so far?" her grandmother suddenly asked, pointing out to the man they caught last night. "Is there any progress?"

Akira shook her head in response. "I wouldn't necessarily call it a progress. His life force shows that he is just a mere human, but his physical strength doesn't actually match with it. He also claims that he doesn't know us, that he is just a hired killer and that his client sent him to kill Miyamura last night", Akira replied.

"Hmmmm", her grandmother mumbled as she pondered on the information she got from her granddaughter. "Did he show any aggression while you were interrogating him?"

Akira shook her head. "Not really, but he was the cocky type."

"But that's all to it", she continued.

Akira's grandmother let out a low chuckle at her granddaughter's response. She knew Akira very well. If there was one thing that her granddaughter detested, it was men who are arrogant.

"I see. So, what do you plan to do with him now?" her grandmother followed to ask.

"I told him I'll give him a week to tell me who he was working for. If he fails to do so, I said that I'll kill him", Akira replied honestly. There was a little hesitation in her voice when she got to the part of killing the man.

"Are you sure about that? But what if he is really innocent? Won't you give him enough time and a chance to prove his innocence?"

Akira didn't respond right away. She contemplated about what her grandmother said and realized that her grandma did have a point. The truth was, Akira had already thought about it, but she was too scared to consider the idea as an option. After all, she had deep trust issues. She just couldn't take the risk.

"I'm not sure. What would you do if you were in my position, grandma?"