Extra

NOTICE

Notice to Readers:

This is not the official Chapter 11, but an extra version with alternate scenes and added content. The official story will follow the main chapters, but I wanted to share this version for those who are curious about the characters' deeper thoughts and some extra moments. Feel free to skip or enjoy this bonus — either way, thank you for supporting Hotaru's Assassin!

Hotaru finally placed her notebook on the table in front of Kai. The edges of the pages were slightly bent, the ink smudged in a few places where her tears must have fallen. This wasn't just any manuscript—it was her story, her truth, raw and unpolished.

"I want you to read it," Hotaru said softly, her fingers trembling.

Kai picked it up without a word. As his eyes scanned the pages, the weight of Hotaru's past unfolded in front of him. There was no fantasy or elaborate plotline, just a cruel reality inked into paper—a reality where the people Hotaru trusted the most had betrayed her, exploited her kindness, and discarded her the moment she needed them.

The pages revealed friends who smiled to her face but whispered behind her back, family members who used her as a tool to fulfill their own selfish desires, and strangers who saw her vulnerability and decided to feast on it. Each chapter exposed another scar she carried. And yet, at the end of it all, Hotaru had written one unexpected sentence.

"Still, I am grateful."

Kai paused. "Grateful?" he muttered under his breath.

Hotaru nodded, her smile faint and almost bitter. "Because all of it made me stronger. I learned not to trust so easily. I learned that kindness isn't always a virtue—it can be a weakness. I was foolishly kind, and they tore me apart because of it."

Kai closed the notebook, his fingers tightening around the edges. "Should I end their lives?" he asked bluntly. His expression was serious, but his voice trembled with barely contained fury.

Hotaru's eyes widened. "What? No! I don't even wish for that. What happened… happened. I'm not a child anymore."

"But they deserve punishment," Kai insisted. "After everything they did—"

"Kai," Hotaru cut him off gently. "Killing people is not the answer."

Kai gave her a skeptical look. "You say that, but if I recall, you once said that evil should be eradicated from the root."

Hotaru smiled weakly. "I did say that. But I meant… in my stories, not in real life." She shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to become a criminal. I don't even want to hurt anyone anymore."

For a moment, Kai said nothing. He seemed deep in thought, his jaw clenched tightly. There was something more on his mind, something he wanted to say but couldn't.

Hotaru noticed his hesitation. "What is it?"

Kai looked away, his hands resting on the table. "It's nothing."

"Don't lie to me," Hotaru said firmly. "If you have something to say, say it. No matter how bad it is, I want to know."

He took a deep breath, his voice low and serious. "Alright. But promise me, after I tell you, you won't hate me. And you won't cut me off or kick me out of your life."

Hotaru frowned. "It sounds serious."

"It is."

"I promise."

Kai's hands curled into fists as he spoke. "Hotaru… the reason I'm so protective over you, the reason I get so angry when people hurt you… it's not just because we're friends." He exhaled shakily. "I know some of the people who betrayed you."

Hotaru's breath caught in her throat. "What?"

"I was there, in the background. I saw everything. I knew some of them—your so-called friends, your classmates. I knew what they were doing to you. And I…" he hesitated, "I didn't stop them."

For a moment, the room fell into silence. Hotaru's fingers froze on the edge of the table, her heart thundering in her chest. "Why?"

"Because I was weak too," Kai confessed. "Back then, I was scared of standing out. I thought if I tried to help you, they would turn on me too. So I stayed quiet. But I saw everything. Every insult, every time they made you cry, every time they used your kindness against you. I knew."

Hotaru's throat tightened. Her mind raced, recalling every painful memory, wondering if Kai's eyes had been watching from the shadows all along. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I can't live with it anymore," Kai said softly. "Every time I see you smile, I remember how you used to cry when no one was looking. I want to make it right. Even if you hate me after this, at least I told you the truth."

Hotaru stared at him, her emotions a whirlwind inside her chest. Anger, betrayal, sadness—but also understanding. She knew how cruel the world could be, how fear made cowards of even the strongest people.

"You should've helped me," she whispered. "But… I can't say I would've done anything different if I were in your place."

Kai's eyes widened. "You mean you—"

"No," Hotaru shook her head. "I'm still hurt. But I understand."

For a brief moment, relief flickered across Kai's face, but it was short-lived. Hotaru leaned forward, her expression turning serious. "But you owe me now. You owe me your complete loyalty. No more secrets, no more hesitation."

"I swear," Kai said without a second thought.

Hotaru sat back, her gaze drifting to the window where the sun had started to set. "Do you know why I wrote all of this down?" she asked.

"To heal?" Kai guessed.

"No," Hotaru's voice was colder now. "To remind myself. Every time I think about trusting someone again, I want to remember what trust did to me. Every time I think about loving someone, I want to remember what love turned into. And every time I think about showing kindness, I want to remember how kindness almost killed me."

Kai shivered at the intensity in her voice. "What does that mean for me?"

Hotaru turned back to him, her smile sharp like a blade. "It means if you ever betray me again, I won't hesitate."

The room felt colder suddenly. Kai swallowed hard, but he didn't look away. "I won't."

Hotaru stood up, walking to the window. Outside, the world carried on, unaware of the storm brewing inside her. "Good. Because now that you've read my story, you're part of it. And if I ever have to write about betrayal again, I want you to know—"

She glanced back over her shoulder, her expression unreadable.

"This time, I'll be the villain."