Chapter 123: News.

Kai listened to Rei's plan with a growing sense of unease.

The complexity of it, the layers of deception, and the sheer number of moving parts made his head spin.

He couldn't help but feel like a pawn in a game he didn't fully understand.

Yet, he nodded along, his face a mask of calm determination.

Inside, however, his thoughts were a whirlwind of doubt and fear.

The diary hidden in the closet loomed large in his mind, its secrets tugging at him like a dark, insistent whisper.

He was still wondering what the content inside would've been.

Something awful.

As Rei finished outlining the plan, Hina leaned forward, her eyes narrowing.

"And what if Sabushi sees through it? What if he realizes this is all a setup?" she asked, her voice sharp and challenging, while clenching her fists under the table.

She was nervous.

She wasn't feeling confident… maybe..?

Who knows

Rei met her gaze with a calm, almost unnerving confidence.

"He won't. Sabushi is arrogant. He believes he's untouchable. That arrogance will be his downfall." He said, while eating.

Yuna was sitting next to him , throwing some quick glances to Kai.

She couldn't look at him in the eyes.

Hina didn't look convinced, but she didn't argue further.

Instead, she turned her attention back to her food, stabbing a piece of meat with her fork a little more forcefully than necessary.

Kai could feel the tension radiating off her, and it only added to his own anxiety.

She was staring at her food, with empty eyes, like she does when she's overthinking about something in particular.

Kai noticed that Hina wanted to say something, but she didn't want to.

She was probably holding back.

Then, Sakura changed topic, to soften the tension in the air.

"So, Kai, how's the festival organization goin'?" She asked while chewing some food.

The young man snapped to reality after hearing her words.

"Uhm… everything's fine… I guess. I talked with clubs and done some stuff… but I'm still at 10% of work." He said, while scratching the back of his head.

"Understood." Sakura said, moving her gaze towards Yuna.

"And what about you, Yuna? What is the students council going to do?" She asked, like a mother.

"A-Ah… mmmh… to be honest , I don't know." She said, stuttering.

Kai then spoke to her.

"Well, I remember Naomi telling me that you organized the meeting for tomorrow, am I wrong?" He said, blinking his eye, sign that it was a lie.

"Ah! You're right! Y-You must see the teachers, right?" She said , with a nervous laugh.

Kai nodded his head.

"Yeah… it will be a difficult meeting I think. Like last year." He said, with a sigh.

"Oh come on. You're so lucky to be young. I would literally kill to go back to my golden age and have such a peaceful school time like you!" Akira said, with a jokingly tone of voice.

Rei laughed softly, while cleaning his mouth.

"I think that I would do the same." He said , with a soft but also piercing voice, enough to make Kai shiver.

Hina reacted to his voice, and she put a hand on Kai's leg, holding onto it with a firm grip, sign of her nervousness.

She wasn't speaking.

Kai noticed her strange behavior, and caressed her leg under the table to calm her down.

It looked like she was about to snap out.

But Kai's touch made her return to her normal self, so she only took a deep breath and then poured some water into her glass.

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, the weight of the upcoming mission hanging heavy over the group.

When they finally finished, Kai volunteered to help clean up, partly to avoid being alone with Hina and partly to buy himself some time to think.

Akira went directly to sleep.

Sakura , Rei and Yuna left.

As he washed dishes, his mind raced.

He needed to read that diary, but he also needed to keep Hina from suspecting anything.

The sleeping pills were his only option, but the thought of drugging her made his stomach churn.

Moreover, Hina had a criminal life, and he didn't know if she had developed some kind of resistance against these things.

Hina kept cleaning the dishes with him, in silence.

Kai threw some glances at her, noticing her empty expression.

He felt a small pang of sadness in his heart.

Once the kitchen was clean, Kai excused himself, claiming he needed to use the bathroom.

He gave Hina a kiss on her cheek and then walked away.

Hina didn't react like he expected.

Usually, she would've clung onto him with a hug, or give him a kiss.

Instead, she didn't even return the kiss.

After he was gone, Hina remained in the kitchen and picked up her phone to see some random videos.

Meanwhile, Kai slipped into the closet where he'd hidden the diary.

He grabbed it quickly, tucking it under his shirt, and made his way to his room.

He locked the door behind him, his heart pounding as he sat on the edge of his bed.

The diary felt heavy in his hands, its worn leather cover rough against his fingers.

He could still feel the blood on its cover.

He opened it carefully, the pages brittle and dirty.

The first few pages were filled with cramped, hurried handwriting, the ink faded in places.

"What the fuck is this…?" He asked to himself.

Kai's eyes scanned the words, his breath catching as he began to read.

*"I never wanted this. I never wanted any of it. But now, there's no turning back. The things I've seen, the things I've done... they haunt me every night. I thought I was protecting them, but now I wonder if I've only made things worse. If they ever find out the truth... I don't know what they'll do. I don't know what I'll do."*

"What…? Is this Hiro's journal for real…? What does he mean?"

Kai's hands trembled as he turned the page. The entries were fragmented, disjointed, as if the writer had been in a state of constant fear and paranoia.

There were mentions of a "shadow organization," of experiments, of people disappearing in the night.

And then, there was Hiro's name, repeated over and over again, always in the context of danger, of betrayal.

*"Hiro knows too much. He's always known too much. But he's also the only one I can trust. If something happens to me, he'll know what to do. He'll protect them. He has to."*

Kai's chest tightened as he read the words.

Hiro had been involved in something far darker than he'd ever let on.

And now, with Hiro gone, Kai was left to piece together the truth on his own.

"'He knows too much' Hiro… what…?" He asked to himself.

There was more to Hiro.

He probably had a second life.

He… or his family…

He flipped through more pages, his eyes widening as he came across a series of sketches… crude drawings of symbols, maps, and what looked like blueprints for some kind of machine.

In the margins were notes, cryptic and hurried, as if the writer had been in a rush to get everything down before they were discovered.

*"The device is the key. If they get their hands on it, it's over. But if we can destroy it, if we can stop them... maybe there's still a chance. Hiro says we need to move quickly. We can't afford any mistakes."*

Kai's mind raced. What device? Who were "they"? And what did any of this have to do with him?

And most of all, why was this journal here? In his closet ? In the LOCKED closet?

He felt like he was standing on the edge of a precipice, the ground crumbling beneath his feet.

The more he read, the more questions he had, and the more he realized just how deep the rabbit hole went.

A sudden knock on the door made him jump, the diary slipping from his hands and landing on the floor with a soft thud.

"Kai? Are you in there?" Hina's voice called from the other side.

Kai's heart leapt into his throat.

He scrambled to pick up the diary, shoving it under his mattress before unlocking the door.

Hina stood there, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, her tone light but with an edge that made Kai's skin crawl.

"Sorry, dear… I was just... thinking," he said, forcing a smile. "You know, about the plan and everything."

Hina studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"You've been acting strange, you know? Are you sure you're okay?" She asked while gently caressing his cheek.

Kai nodded, his throat dry. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... a lot on my mind."

Hina didn't look convinced, but she didn't press further.

Instead, she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "You know you can talk to me, right? If something's bothering you, I'm here."

Kai's stomach twisted.

He wanted to tell her, to share the burden of what he'd just discovered, but he couldn't.

Not yet.

He had the feeling that Hina was involved in what he read on the journal.

"I know," he said softly. "And I will. Just... not right now. I don't think you're in the mood… and it's a very stupid thing," he said, with a soft voice.

Hina sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

"Alright… if it's something about me, or what I've done earlier, just tell me, okay?" Hina said.

Kai nodded, his guilt gnawing at him.

"Together," he echoed, though the word felt hollow.

"I'm going to take a shower now, okay? Just wait for me. I really need… to feel your touch." Hina said, while looking at Kai with a very lovely expression, with a small blush on her cheek.

And there it was , the Hina whom Kai fell in love with returned in that moment.

He felt his heart fluttering for some instants before she moved her hand away.

"I'll wait." Kai said.

As Hina left the room, Kai sank back onto the bed, his mind a whirlwind of fear and uncertainty.

He knew he couldn't keep this secret forever, but for now, he had no choice.

The diary held answers, but it also held danger.

And until he knew more, until he could trust Hina with the truth, he would have to carry this burden alone.

He glanced at the clock.

It was late, but sleep was the last thing on his mind.

He reached under his pillow, pulling the diary back out.

There was still so much to read, so much to uncover.

And as he saw the first page, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was about to step into a world far darker and more dangerous than he'd ever imagined.