chapter 13: A night of surprises and a morning of emptiness

When Hotaru reached home, everything was pitch dark.

"Huh?" She frowned, her fingers feeling along the wall for the switch. "Did Kai forget to pay the electricity bill again?"

The second the light flickered on, Hotaru's mouth fell open.

The entire living room—no, the entire house—was decked out with decorations that screamed extreme effort mixed with zero experience. There were colorful ribbons draped unevenly across the walls, a few balloons hanging at awkward heights, and even a "Happy Birthday" banner tilted so dramatically that Hotaru had to squint to read it properly.

And then her eyes fell on the big, bubbly balloon letters stuck to the wall. They read:

"Happy Birthday Hotaru & Congrats on Being Victorious in Your War!!"

Hotaru burst out laughing, covering her mouth with both hands. "A war? Kai, it was a writing competition, not a battlefield!"

Kai, who was leaning casually against the doorway, shrugged. "Same thing. You fought with your brain, didn't you?"

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. "You're impossible."

"Thank you." He gave a mock bow.

Before she could tease him back, Kai dragged her to the table where a small but beautiful cake sat waiting, candles already lit. Hotaru's eyes widened. "But… I didn't even remember my own birthday."

"I remembered," Kai said smugly.

She raised a brow. "How?"

He tapped his temple. "This much is nothing for a man of my talent. I can gather any kind of information."

Hotaru narrowed her eyes. "Creepy but impressive."

"Thank you again."

With a soft laugh, Hotaru closed her eyes and made a quick wish before blowing out the candles. The small room filled with soft golden light from the flickering flames, and for a brief moment, everything felt peaceful.

After cutting the cake, she turned to him suspiciously. "Hold on. Where did you even get the money for all this? The decorations, the food, the cake—"

"Don't ask," Kai said, his expression overly innocent. "Just enjoy it today."

Hotaru narrowed her eyes. "You didn't rob anyone, right?"

Kai gasped dramatically. "I'm offended you'd even think that."

She snorted. "That's not a no."

Ignoring her detective instincts, he dragged her to the kitchen where the table was covered with a feast fit for royalty. There were dumplings, noodles, spicy wings, sushi rolls, fried rice, fancy desserts, and even a giant bowl of ramen with her name written on it in seaweed strips.

Her jaw dropped. "Kai! This looks like the final round of a cooking show!"

He crossed his arms proudly. "I may have called in a few favors."

Hotaru shook her head fondly. "You really are something else."

For the rest of the night, they ate like kings, played silly games, and even had a mini karaoke session where Kai's tone-deaf singing made Hotaru laugh until her sides hurt. Life felt so simple, so bright.

For the first time in forever, Hotaru thought—maybe her happy ending had finally begun.

---

Days passed in a warm blur after that. Hotaru started attending the prestigious university she had dreamed of, and Kai became her self-proclaimed bodyguard, escorting her to and from campus every day.

They bickered over breakfast, teased each other on the walk home, and spent their evenings talking about everything and nothing at all.

It was perfect.

Until one week later.

A single black envelope arrived in their mailbox.

The second Kai saw it, his smile vanished. His fingers trembled slightly as he picked it up. Without a word, he scratched the back of the card with his nail, revealing a hidden code underneath.

His heart sank.

He knew this day would come.

That night, after Hotaru had fallen asleep, Kai quietly packed his things. He moved around the house silently, leaving no trace behind—like a ghost disappearing before dawn.

He stood by her bedroom door for a long time, watching her sleep peacefully, completely unaware of what was coming.

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly. "But I can't drag you into this."

And just like that, he was gone.

---

The next morning, Hotaru woke up to silence. The house felt… hollow.

"Kai?" She called out, her voice echoing. "Where are you? Don't tell me you overslept—again."

She checked the kitchen. Empty.

The bathroom. Empty.

His room. Completely bare. Not a single scrap of paper, not even his favorite hoodie lying around.

Hotaru's heart dropped into her stomach.

"As I thought…" she whispered, voice cracking slightly. "He left."

She stood there, staring at the empty room, fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"I knew it," she whispered bitterly. "I knew this was too good to last."

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away fiercely.

"No. I'm not weak anymore." She took a deep breath. "If Kai has a reason to leave, I'll find out what it is. And this time… I'll be the one who chases after him."

Her voice trembled, but her resolve was steady.

After all, Kai had always been the one protecting her.

Now, it was her turn.

---

The end of chapter 13

WARNING

This is the original version of the webnovel "Hotaru's assassin" by the author "Hanagaki Ryuka". Please don't copyright or upload it in your name

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1cON4UEjsjFPMZxqNSY425-fdHW19779uAKscbDsy8/edit?usp=drivesdk