章 119: Chapter 103: Hina is back
As Hina opened the door to their apartment, she immediately heard soft laughter coming from the living room.
It was a familiar laugh, one that she recognized instantly.
It was Akira.
Hina walked inside and was met with a sight that made her heart skip a beat.
Akira was leaning over the couch, pinching Kai's cheeks playfully, her mischievous smile bright as she teased him.
"You're just too cute, Kai. I can't help myself! Hina is very lucky!!"
Kai, clearly flustered, was trying his best to stay calm, his face slightly red as he awkwardly tried to push her hands away.
"Akira, come on! Stop it already!" he protested, his voice a mix of embarrassment and frustration, knowing that he could fight her back.
Hina's eyes narrowed, her usual calm exterior cracking for a moment as a wave of jealousy swept over her.
She felt a possessive instinct rising within her.
An urge to protect what was hers.
But for the first time, there was something different.
She didn't lash out.
Instead, Hina walked toward them, her steps quiet but purposeful and silent at the same time.
She could've easily sneak to them to launch a surprise attack.
But, instead, placed herself directly between Akira and Kai, her back facing her boyfriend as she shielded him from her sister's teasing.
"Akira," Hina said softly, but there was a sharpness to her voice, "that's enough."
Akira blinked in surprise, standing upright and raising her hands in a mock surrender.
She didn't felt her sister's presence.
"Whoa, easy there, sis. I was just having a bit of fun. No harm done. I swear." She said in a
Hina's intense gaze softened slightly, but the protective edge in her tone remained.
"Kai's not your toy, Akira. He's mine." She said, with a slightly possessive tone of voice.
The room fell quiet for a moment as Akira studied Hina's face.
She expected her sister to be more aggressive, maybe even lash out in her usual possessive way.
But Hina didn't.
She was clearly upset, but she didn't react with her usual fiery temper.
Instead, Hina's protective instinct wasn't just about jealousy.
It was layered with something deeper.
She had grown to care about Akira as well.
The love she held for her "sister" stopped her from being aggressive.
She perfectly knew that she could trust Akira.
Hina would've killed any other girl who touched Kai in that way.
Despite her tendency to protect Kai fiercely, she realized she didn't want to hurt Akira either.
She had started to view her sister in a different light.
Initially, she decided to get along with her only because of the plan.
But then, her reaction answered a lot of questions.
Hina didn't held any other kind of hate towards Akira.
But, obviously , they needed to talk about a lot of things.
Moreover, Akira was someone had been there for her through very hard times.
Kai, sensing the tension, gently placed a hand on Hina's shoulder from behind, his touch calming her further.
"Hina, it's okay," he said softly. "She was just teasing."
Hina let out a small breath she didn't realize she had been holding, her shoulders relaxing.
She took a step back and turned to face both of them. "Sorry… I just don't like it when people mess with him."
Akira grinned, clearly amused by Hina's reaction. "Don't worry, Hina, I'm not here to steal your man. Just having some sisterly fun."
Hina shot her a look but let the moment pass without further conflict.
It was a sign of how much she had grown, how her emotions were beginning to settle beyond just protecting Kai.
She was now considering the people around him.
People she had come to care about in her own way.
Hina also realized that staying alone with Kai forever would've brought to nothing.
After a few moments, Hina's expression shifted to something more serious. "I need to tell you both about my meeting with Emi."
Kai and Akira immediately picked up on the change in her tone, their playful banter disappearing as they focused on Hina.
"What happened?" Kai asked, concerned.
Hina took a seat on the couch, folding her arms as she gathered her thoughts.
"Emi knows more than she's letting on," she began. "During our conversation, she mentioned things… about people from my past. People she shouldn't know about."
Akira's expression darkened slightly, her playful demeanor vanishing. "Like who?"
Hina's eyes met Akira's, and for a moment, there was a shared understanding between them.
"She mentioned a girl with red hair and an eye patch…" Hina said.
"Me?" Akira raised an eyebrow.
"…She also talked about a muscular man with scars.. She was probably referring to Sabushi. And…" her voice dropped slightly, "Jin." Hina added. "She literally described him."
Akira's eyes widened when she heard the name "Jin".
"J-Jin…?" She repeated, sounding a little bit scary.
Kai felt a shiver run down his spine at the mention of those names.
But, despite not knowing who this Jin was, the sound of his name from Akira made his soul shiver.
"Impossible. Jin is dead. I saw him dying a few years ago." Akira said.
Hina took a deep breath and then spoke.
"Emi didn't directly say these names. But that's all I could think about." Hina continued, her voice steady but laced with tension. "Justin from the way she spoke about them, it was clear that she knows more than she's letting on. She's connected to something, or someone, from my past." Hina said.
Akira's eyes narrowed, her expression serious. "If she knows about them, then she's either been involved with our world or is trying to pull some strings behind the scenes."
Hina nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We can't trust her. Not until we figure out what her true intentions are."
Kai sat down next to Hina, his mind racing. "So… what do we do now?"
Hina glanced between Kai and Akira, her face calm but resolute. "We stay on alert. Emi is playing a game, but I don't know what her end goal is yet. We'll need to be careful, especially at school. We can't let her get too close, and we can't let her know we're onto her."
Akira leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "I'll keep an eye on her too. If she's trying to dig into your past, we'll find out why."
Hina gave a small nod of gratitude before standing up.
"For now, we lay low. But the moment she slips up, we'll be ready." She said in a direct tone.
Kai reached out, taking Hina's hand. "You handled this really well," he said softly. "I know how hard it must've been to keep calm."
Hina gave him a small, appreciative smile. "I can't afford to lose control now. Not when there's so much at stake. And… I want to protect you." She whispered to Kai, with a lovely glance.
Kai smiled back at her.
Akira stood up as well, her usual smirk returning. "Well, I guess things are about to get a whole lot more interesting. I'll keep my daggers sharp, just in case."
Hina chuckled softly, but her mind was already elsewhere, thinking about the next move in the dangerous game that Emi Fujimoto had started.
The only thing that was clear in this situation, was that everything was getting worse by any moment.
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