chapter 16: Shadows in the rain
The rain hammered against the windows of the old warehouse, drowning out the sound of Hotaru's quiet footsteps. She moved like a shadow, her breath shallow, her hand gripping the hilt of her hidden blade. The air was thick — not just with moisture, but with the feeling that someone was watching.
A faint sound echoed — metal scraping against concrete.
She wasn't alone.
Hotaru's assassin instincts kicked in. She slid behind a stack of rusted crates, eyes scanning the darkness. Her target was supposed to be here — a mid-level informant working for the secret organization known only as Kurogane. But something was off. The location had been too easy to trace, almost like they wanted her to come.
Suddenly, a blade whistled through the air, narrowly missing her face.
Hotaru spun, parrying the next strike with her own dagger. Sparks flared in the dark, illuminating a masked figure cloaked in black. Their movements were precise — not sloppy like a hired thug, but trained like someone who knew her style.
An assassin. But not from her guild.
"Who sent you?" Hotaru asked, her voice low. No answer — only the clash of steel as the masked assassin attacked again, forcing her backward. Every strike was meant to kill, no hesitation, no mercy.
Hotaru ducked under a slash, spinning low to sweep her attacker's legs. They jumped — too fast — landing gracefully on a broken beam above.
"You're not here for the informant," Hotaru realized. "You're here for me."
The masked figure tilted their head slightly, as if amused. Then they spoke for the first time — a voice distorted by a voice changer.
"You knew too much."
Hotaru's mind raced. The message, the informant, the trap — all of it had been set up to lure her here. But why? Had she gotten too close to something Kurogane wanted buried?
No time to think — the assassin lunged again, this time with a second blade drawn. Hotaru dodged sideways, feeling the cold sting as the blade grazed her shoulder. Blood bloomed against her sleeve, but pain only sharpened her focus.
I can't die here. Not until I know the truth.
Hotaru flicked a throwing knife from her belt, sending it flying into the darkness. It hit a hanging chain, sending it crashing down toward her enemy. The assassin dodged, but the distraction gave Hotaru a window. She closed the distance, grabbing the masked figure's wrist and slamming them into the wall.
The mask cracked, falling to the floor. Hotaru's eyes widened.
It was someone she knew.
But before she could speak, the assassin twisted free, leaving behind only a torn piece of fabric with a strange emblem embroidered on it — an emblem she had seen before, years ago, on the night her family died.
The door to the warehouse creaked open, and in the dim rainlight stood Sai.
"Hotaru!" he shouted. "What the hell is going on here?"
Breathing hard, her blood dripping onto the floor, Hotaru clenched the piece of fabric in her hand.
"We're not just hunting Kurogane anymore," she said. "They're hunting us."
Outside, thunder rumbled, and the storm swallowed her words.
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The end of chapter 16
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