Chapter 70: Kai’s family

The moment was thick with tension as the reality of the situation dawned on Yuna and Hina.

Kai's mother, the beautiful white-haired woman, embraced her son tightly with tears welling up in her eyes.

She loved her precious and only child with all of her soul… considering the difficulties she had during her pregnancy.

The elegant man beside her, Kai's father, stood just behind them, his expression stoic yet filled with unspoken relief.

Despite his age around 40's, he looked like he was 20.

Hina looked at him in admiration.

The famous writer and artist Fumihiro Suzuki was right before her eyes, appearing out of nowhere like magic.

For a brief moment, the world outside the police station seemed to shrink.

"Oh… my poor baby… you're all dirty… and you stink a little… what happened to you?" Kai's mother said after breaking the hug and taking a better look at her son.

"Oh… well…" Kai said while scratching the back of his head and looking away.

"Come on, Haruka, stop treating him like a baby in front of his friends… he's a grown man, you know... geez…" Kai's father said with a small sigh.

Kai's mother looked at her husband in angry way.

"And as I expected, you always underestimate every kind of situation… we're in front of one of the main police departments in this whole country, with our son in dirty clothes… do you think that I shouldn't be this worried ?!?" Haruka Suzuki said in a passive-aggressive tone of voice.

"No, I'm just saying that he's a grown man." Her husband said.

"So what? It's maternal instinct!" She exclaimed.

A small laugh escaped from Kai, Yuna and Hina's mouth.

All the chaos and manipulation of the last few days felt like a distant nightmare as Kai stood between the two women who meant so much to him: Hina, the enigmatic force that had dragged him into this dark world, and now, his mother, a beacon of his past life.

Yuna and Hina exchanged quick, tense glances.

This sudden appearance of Kai's family threw them off balance.

No one could actually prevent and event like this, and both were acutely aware that this changed the dynamic.

Hina's mind raced with thoughts about what this meant for her plans, while Yuna, still fragile from the ordeal, simply tried to process the unfamiliar faces.

A sinister grin appeared on Hina's face.

After Yuki, she now had another plan.

She decided to introduce herself as Kai's girlfriend to his parents so that he could never escape from her.

"Kai…" his mother whispered after moving her gaze to him. "We've been so worried about you. We've been called directly by the police… they didn't tell us the details… but they only said that they found you and your friends standing outside a crime scene… can you tell me what happened ?" She added in a worried tone while gently touching her son's face to make sure that he had no wounds.

Kai, caught between emotions and the weight of the truth he could never fully share, forced a smile.

"I'm sorry, Mother, Father. Everything happened so fast… but I couldn't…" Kai said, but he got interrupted.

He was probably about to say that they were taking a walk in a dangerous place.

"Couldn't?" His father's deep voice cut in, not with anger, but with concern.

His eyes flicked to Hina and Yuna, analyzing them quietly before returning to Kai.

"It's unlike you to get involved in something so dangerous without telling us. Who are these girls?" He said with a teasing tone.

In his head, he actually thought that his son was actually doing naughty things with Hina and Yuna.

To be honest… someone could think something like that.

One boys and two girls standing in the middle of nowhere… caught by the police in the middle of the… "act."

Haruka pinched her husband's arm since she immediately understood what he meant.

She then took a glance at the girls and, after seeing Hina, a shiver ran trough all her spine.

But it was not a shiver of fear…

It was a shiver of… recalling bad memories…

"Yeah… who are these girls?" She asked, while tightening the grip on her husband's arm.

Hina's lips curled into her trademark smile, though her eyes were cold, calculating.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Hina Ishikawa… Kai and I are… close." Her voice purred with just the right amount of sweetness, though the underlying tone was unmistakable—a subtle claim of possession.

She even bowed to as a sign of education.

Even Kai's father felt a shiver down his spine after hearing Hina's presentation.

But despite these feelings, they both offered their hands for a shake.

Hina immediately took the offer and shook their hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ishikawa-San." Kai father said in a friendly tone. "I'm Fumihiro Suzuki, and this is my wife Haruka Suzuki." He added.

"I'm pleased to have met you, Ishikawa-San." Kai's mother said.

"Oh please… no formalities. Just call me Hina." She said with a lovely voice and a smile all over her face.

"Oh, okay, Hina-Chan." Kai's mother said , returning the smile. "But what did you mean when you said that you and Kai are close?" She then asked, with a curious tone.

Kai swallowed some saliva out of embarrassment, but he didn't speak.

"Well… we are a couple. I'm Kai's girlfriend." She said.

Her voice was merely a whisper.

Haruka's eyes widened in surprise and she gasped a little.

A sudden wave of jealousy enveloped her heart.

In her heart, no girl could touch her beloved child.

Kai was still her precious baby, and the fact that he found a girlfriend was enough to make her heart broken.

But despite that, she hid her jealousy to be more professional.

"Oh. I-I see…" she said with a distant voice while still clinging to her husband's arm.

Hina probably sensed Kai's mother jealousy, but she did/said nothing since the first thing she wanted to do was showing Kai's parents some respect.

Kai's father, on the other hand, had a totally different reaction.

"Oh! That's great!!! He finally found a lovely girlfriend!" He said, with a joyful tone of voice.

"Oh! I'm glad that you approve! And , I'm a big fan of your works, Suzuki-San!!"Huna said.

"Oh!!! Really?" Kai's father said, with a voice dripping of joy.

Hina nodded her head eagerly.

Meanwhile, Kai was staying silent, completely embarrassed from the situation, and Kai's mother was in another different dimension.

Then, Yuna, feeling the intensity of the moment, stepped forward nervously.

"I'm Yuna… Kai helped save me."

Her voice was soft, almost apologetic, and she looked at Kai's parents with wide, innocent eyes.

Everyone's attention then moved to Yuna.

Kai's mother snapped to reality and she seemed to soften at Yuna's words.

"Saved you?" she echoed, her gaze flicking back to her son. "Kai… what have you gotten yourself into?"

Kai sighed, trying to navigate the delicate balance between truth and the lies he was trapped in.

"It's a long story, Mother. But what's important is that everyone's safe now." He said, with a soft tone.

"We're gonna have a real big talk once we get home, okay?" Kai's mother said in an almost menacing tone.

Kai looked down on the ground and nodded his head.

"Yes… Mama…" he said, with a defeated tone of voice.

Hina's eyes gleamed with amusement as she watched Kai struggle to keep the truth hidden from his parents.

She could see the cracks in his facade, but she wasn't ready to let him fall just yet.

She had plans—plans that required keeping Kai close and ensuring that Yuki Nakamura remained one step behind.

Kai's father, still suspicious but no longer pressing, placed a hand on Kai's shoulder.

"We're just glad you're alright, son. But we'll need to discuss this further, at home. And you gotta tell me how you met this sweet and lovely girl." He said.

His tone left no room for argument, though his gaze shifted toward Hina, as if he already sensed something off about her.

Hina, feeling the weight of his scrutiny, tilted her head slightly and smiled.

"Oh! You flatter me!! Thank you!" She said, with a smile and a lovely tone of voice.

She wasn't one to back down from a challenge, especially not from someone as straightforward as Kai's father.

In her mind, she had already prepared for this moment long time ago… meeting Kai's parents, integrating herself into his life, becoming indispensable.

It was all part of her larger plan to have Kai just for her and only her.

As Kai's parents guided him toward their car, Hina and Yuna followed at a respectful distance.

Hina's mind churned with possibilities, while Yuna remained quiet, still shaken but relieved to be in the open air.

Kai glanced back at them, torn between the two worlds he now straddled.

He knew that the moment they all left the police station, things would only get more complicated.

The line between his past life and the dangerous world Hina had dragged him into was becoming increasingly blurred, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the two from colliding.

As they approached the car, Kai's mother turned back, her eyes softening as they landed on Yuna.

"You should both come with us," she said, her voice gentle.

"We have plenty of room, and it looks like you've all been through so much. You could use a safe place to rest."

Yuna blinked in surprise, while Hina's smile widened.

The invitation was unexpected but convenient.

Hina had no intention of declining such an opportunity.

Being close to Kai's family would give her even more leverage over him.

"That's very kind of you," Hina said sweetly, stepping forward. "We'd be honored to accept your offer." Hina said, while grabbing Yuna's hand. "Right, friend?" She said, in an almost menacing tone.

Yuna's eyes widened a little and she forced a smile.

Kai's father narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.

He could feel something was off, but for now, he allowed it to pass.

There would be time to figure things out once they were all home.

As they all piled into the car, Hina's mind raced with new strategies.

She had successfully managed to survive Yuki Nakamura's interrogation, and now she was about to embed herself deeper into Kai's life.

Everything was falling into place, just as she had planned.

Kai, on the other hand, felt the weight of the world pressing down on him.

He could sense that things were spiraling further out of his control.

But for now, all he could do was play along, hoping that somehow, he would find a way to keep the people he cared about safe.

Even from Hina.

As the car pulled away from the police station, Hina glanced out the window, her smile never fading.

She had won this round, but she knew that Yuki Nakamura wasn't done with her yet.

The game was far from over.