chapter 15: Whispers in the rain

The rain poured down like a relentless drumbeat, drowning the sound of Hotaru's footsteps as she dashed through the narrow alley. Her boots splashed through puddles, but she didn't care. Her heart hammered louder than the storm. Every corner she turned, every shadow she passed, she expected to see his face — Kai's face. But all she saw was emptiness.

She wasn't supposed to be out here. Not after the incident in the morning, when the news of Kai's disappearance shook their entire circle. But how could she sit still? Not after seeing that message on her window.

"He's still alive, but time is running out."

The handwriting was familiar, almost like Kai's — but something was off. Too precise. Too clean. As if someone wanted her to think it was from him, but lacked the raw chaos of his usual scrawl.

Her breath misted in the cold air. The city around her was a blur of neon lights and rain-washed streets, but her focus was razor-sharp. If this was a trap, so be it. She had walked into worse.

Then she saw him.

A boy standing under the broken streetlamp, half his face hidden under a soaked hoodie. His head tilted slightly, like he had been waiting for her. Hotaru's fingers twitched toward the hidden knife in her sleeve.

"You're late, Hotaru." His voice was low, but there was a teasing edge to it — like he knew how much she hated being told what to do.

She stepped closer, rain plastering her hair to her face. "Who the hell are you?"

"Does it matter?" he shrugged. "I'm here to guide you. To him."

Her heart stumbled. To him? Could he mean Kai? But why would some random boy know anything about Kai's disappearance? Unless…he wasn't random at all.

Hotaru's eyes narrowed. "You have five seconds to explain, or I slit your throat."

The boy chuckled — actually chuckled — like they were discussing the weather instead of a life-threatening situation. "Still the same ruthless Hotaru." He took a slow step forward. "Fine. I work for someone who wants you to find Kai — before the others do."

"Others?" Hotaru's blade was already half-out of her sleeve.

The boy pointed skyward, where the rain blurred the rooftop's edges. For a moment, Hotaru saw nothing but the storm — until her trained eye caught it. A flash of movement, almost too fast to track. Someone was watching. Not just one — at least three. Assassins.

Her blood ran cold. "Why would assassins be after Kai?"

The boy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Because they know who he really is. And so do you, deep down."

Hotaru's grip on her blade tightened. She knew Kai wasn't some ordinary target — they had both been raised in the assassin world, after all. But if this was about his true identity, that meant…

"Khoya." The name slipped from her lips before she could stop it — his real name, the name only she was supposed to know.

The boy's expression shifted, just a flicker of surprise before it disappeared. "So you do remember."

That was enough. Hotaru lunged, blade flashing in the rain, but the boy dodged easily — too easily for someone who claimed to be just a messenger. Their knives clashed once, twice, a metallic ring swallowed by the storm. The boy's moves were fast but controlled, like someone who had been trained in the same brutal system she had survived.

"Who sent you?" she demanded, voice sharp.

"Someone who doesn't want you dead. Yet." He blocked her next strike, then stepped back, arms raised in surrender. "Look, Hotaru — you want answers, I can give them. But not here."

She hated this — hated being led around like a puppet. But if there was even a sliver of a chance he could lead her to Kai, she had no choice.

"Talk." Her knife stayed ready.

The boy gestured to the alley's end, where an old black car waited. "Get in. I'll tell you everything."

Hotaru glanced back once — at the rooftop, at the hidden figures she could no longer see — then followed him. The car smelled like damp leather and cigarettes, and the engine rattled to life like a dying beast.

"First things first," the boy said, wiping rain from his face. "Kai — or Kyoya — didn't just disappear. He was taken."

Hotaru's chest tightened. "By who?"

The boy's gaze met hers in the rearview mirror. "The Organization. The same one that trained you. The same one that trained me."

Her fingers curled into fists. Of course. The Organization had always been watching them — even after they escaped. But why take Kai and leave her behind?

"Why him?" she asked, voice low.

The boy hesitated. "Because they need him to finish what you two started."

Hotaru's heart pounded louder. What they started — the mission they abandoned long ago. The mission that cost them everything.

"What's your name?" she asked, because she needed to know.

The boy smiled, sharp and knowing. "Call me Sai. I'm your unwanted ally, Hotaru."

She hated him already.

But if Sai could lead her to Kai — no, Kyoya — then she would follow. Even if it meant walking straight into hell.

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End of chapter 15

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