Chapter 64: A new move

And so, the young man passed out from a panick attack.

Hina had a terrified face on her face, thinking she had lost the love of her life and the first thing she did was searching for his heartbeat.

She placed her fingers on his wrist and felt that Kai's heartbeat was really high and she started going into panick too.

Kai was laying unconsciously on the floor , not showing any sign of life.

Hina was about to start some CPR to save his life, but Akira stopped her.

With a very calm demeanor, she gently placed a hand on Hina's shoulder and spoke.

"Don't worry. He's okay, leave it to me." She said, with a calm tone.

Akira was also the "Doctor" of her old criminal gang.

She also used to heal and help wounded criminals.

In another situation, Hina would've never let anyone else beside her touch her boyfriend, but she knew Akira.

She was the only one who could reassure her.

So, in silence, Hina moved away with a very worried expression, almost on the verge of tears.

Her reaction seemed to have surprised Sakura, who never saw her niece almost crying for someone except her last boyfriend.

Yuna, on the other hand, was also worred but kept staying in silence.

Reluctantly, Hina allowed Akira to approach her beloved Kai.

In the blink of an eye, Akira knelt beside him, carefully checking his pulse and breathing to ensure he wasn't in any immediate danger.

Once she was satisfied, she stood up and gently lifted Kai's legs, holding them up with her arms.

The other girls in the room exchanged confused glances.

"Nee-chan... what are you doing?" Hina asked, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Akira turned to her with a reassuring smile.

"He had a severe panic attack and fainted. It's nothing too concerning. I'm just raising his legs to help his blood flow, so he'll wake up soon." She said, with a reassuring tone of voice,

Hina let out a sigh of relief, her breathing slowly returning to normal.

Silence settled over the room as all eyes remained fixed on Akira and Kai.

After exactly five minutes, Kai's eyelids fluttered open, and he slowly began to move his head, looking around in a daze.

"KAI!" Hina exclaimed, rushing over to him.

She gently cradled his head in her lap, offering her legs as a pillow.

Kai, still disoriented, blinked and gazed around the room as if he was trying to figure out what had actually happened to him.

He looked lost, unsure of his surroundings.

Akira, still holding his legs up, carefully lowered them to the ground once he regained consciousness.

Her movements were soft and deliberate, almost as if she was afraid of causing him any pain.

Her unexpected tenderness surprised everyone in the room, even Sakura.

Sakura's mind flashed back to a memory from years ago when Akira was helping one of their "colleagues" who had been shot in the legs.

 Back then, Akira had been cold, methodical—ruthlessly extracting bullets without any anesthetic, leaving the man writhing in agony.

And yet, here she was now, treating Kai with a surprising gentleness, as if he were someone precious.

Perhaps it was because of Hina's presence… or perhaps there was some deeper, more mysterious reasons behind Akira's sudden change in demeanor.

"...What happened...?" Kai murmured weakly, rubbing his forehead as he tried to clear the fog in his mind.

His eyes met Hina's, and he blinked again.

"Oh... good morning, Hina," he said with a faint, tired smile.

Hina returned his smile, her expression full of warmth as she gently stroked his face.

"Good morning, my love," she whispered back tenderly.

Kai blinked a few times, his vision slowly clearing as he took in his surroundings.

His head rested gently on Hina's lap, and the warmth of her presence seemed to ease the lingering fog in his mind.

He shifted slightly, trying to sit up, but Hina gently pressed her hands against his shoulders.

"Take it easy," Hina whispered, her voice soft and filled with concern.

She smiled lovingly at him, brushing a few strands of hair away from his forehead. "You fainted, Kai-kun. You need to relax."

Kai groaned softly but managed to sit up with her help.

His limbs felt weak, but Hina was right there to support him.

As she helped him sit upright, Yuna approached from the corner of the room with a glass of water, her steps tentative but determined.

"I-I brought you some water, Kai!" Yuna said shyly, extending the glass toward him.

Her eyes were wide with concern, clearly unsure if she should intrude on such an intimate moment between Kai and Hina.

Kai smiled weakly, appreciating her thoughtfulness.

"Thank you, Yuna," he said, his voice still a bit hoarse as he took the glass from her hands.

He sipped slowly, letting the cool water soothe his dry throat.

Meanwhile, Akira watched the scene unfold from a distance.

She stood with her arms crossed, observing Kai with a critical yet satisfied expression.

Her earlier gentleness with him had surprised even herself, but something about the fragile connection between him and Hina had drawn out a protective instinct in her—something she wasn't used to feeling.

As Kai drank the water, Hina hovered close by, ready to catch him if he showed any signs of collapsing again.

Her eyes never left his face, scanning it for any signs of discomfort.

"Are you feeling better?" Hina asked softly, her fingers tracing small circles on his back.

Kai nodded slowly, finally feeling more grounded in the present.

"Yeah... I think so," he replied, his voice gaining strength. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Hina shook her head gently, her lips curving into a soft smile.

"Don't apologize. I'm just glad you're okay." Her voice was filled with warmth, and she pressed her forehead lightly against his for a brief moment before pulling back.

Akira, sensing that the moment between them had passed, stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"You gave us all a scare, but it looks like you'll live," she said with a smirk. Her tone was teasing, but there was a flicker of genuine relief in her eyes.

Kai chuckled, feeling a bit embarrassed by the attention. "Sorry about that... Guess I'm not as tough as I thought."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Not tough? You're still alive, aren't you? That counts for something."

Yuna, who had been standing quietly nearby, offered him a timid smile before retreating to a corner of the room.

She was still unsure of her place in the group but felt comforted knowing she could contribute, even in small ways.

As Kai finished the glass of water, Hina helped him to his feet.

His legs wobbled slightly, but he found his balance with her steadying hand on his arm.

"We need to stay focused," Sakura said suddenly, her voice cutting through the gentle moment.

She was seated across the room, watching them all with a sharp gaze.

Her earlier amusement was gone, replaced by her usual intense focus.

"There's still a lot at stake here. We can't afford to get complacent."

Kai nodded, his eyes meeting Sakura's.

He could feel the weight of the situation creeping back into his mind.

They might have had a brief moment of peace, but the world outside the bunker was still as dangerous as ever.

"I know," Kai replied quietly. He gently pulled away from Hina, standing up straighter despite the lingering fatigue. "What's the next move?"

Sakura leaned back in her seat, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest.

"We wait until we get more information from Saito," she said, her tone measured.

"But that doesn't mean we can sit around doing nothing. We need to prepare ourselves for what's coming next."

Akira nodded in agreement.

"Right. We don't know how much time we have, but it's best to be ready for anything."

Hina glanced at Kai with a reassuring smile.

"We'll get through this together, we must..." she whispered, her voice filled with determination while a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

Kai smiled back, though the uncertainty still lingered in his mind.

He could feel the weight of everyone's expectations pressing down on him. But he wasn't alone in this... or maybe he was.

The only thing that he knew for sure was that any single wrong move could cost someone's life.

As the atmosphere in the room shifted back to the tense anticipation that had defined so much of their recent lives, Kai felt a renewed sense of purpose.

Then, after standing up, he recalled the memories of the man he killed, but this time he didn't react.

He just felt a knot in his heart for some instants, but that feeling didn't last long as everyone got interrupted by a mysterious call.

"Oh? Who is it?" Sakura said, while grabbing her phone.

Everyone's attention moved on her, as they were waiting to know who was was calling.

A malicious smile appeared on Sakura's lips.

"I guess that our relax time is over..." She said, while showing the screen of her telephone, revealing that the one calling was nothing more than Detective Saito...