The ride was surprisingly calm at first.
Yuto kept a steady pace as the car rumbled down the nearly empty highway, the city lights fading slowly behind them, swallowed by the dark horizon.
Inside the car, the silence was heavy but not oppressive—it was the kind of quiet that made you hyper-aware of every little sound. The faint buzz of the tires on asphalt.
The soft whirr of the air conditioning.
After a few minutes, Akira turned halfway around in her seat, looking back at Kai with a sly grin.
"We're heading to Hanairo District," she said.
"Hanairo?" Kai repeated.
"Yep. 'Flower-colored district,'" she explained. "Beautiful place. Lots of rivers, endless fields of flowers. It's far from the city—perfect for hiding things you don't want people to see."
Kai swallowed hard.
"Hiding things" wasn't exactly comforting.
"How long until we get there?" he asked.
"About an hour," Yuto replied briefly without taking his eyes off the road.
Kai sat back against the seat, trying to process everything.
Hina, next to him, kept holding his hand firmly—surprisingly warm, surprisingly gentle—a silent way of telling him *I'm here. Don't lose it.*
Kai squeezed back, grateful, even if his mind was still racing.
Akira, meanwhile, was busy.
With an almost casual hum, she reached down and pulled a long, black rifle case onto her lap.
Without hesitation, she unzipped it and pulled out what Kai immediately recognized as a fully functional assault rifle.
Kai's mouth went dry.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen a gun.
But seeing Akira casually assemble it—clicking in the magazine, adjusting the scope, checking the safety—like she was simply preparing for a picnic—was something else entirely.
As she checked the sights, she smiled warmly at the weapon.
"I missed you so much, my precious baby..." she whispered, almost lovingly, like she was speaking to her own child.
Kai blinked.
Was she talking… to the *gun*?
His anxiety spiked.
"Don't worry, Kai," Akira said, noticing his expression and flashing him a cheeky grin. "I'm a professional."
That didn't make him feel better.
Not at all.
"I know. But can't you just tell me now why are we randomly going away from the city? You know, just to have any kind of information." Kai asked.
"No time for casual conversations, boy. everyone must stay focused. You'll know everything as soon as we arrive at destination." Yuto said, his voice cold and steady, and his eyes never left the road.
Still, the first half-hour of the ride passed smoothly.
They left the wide, brightly lit highways behind and transitioned onto smaller, rural roads.
Green fields stretched endlessly on both sides, swaying in the evening breeze.
The sky above had turned a deep navy blue, littered with stars.
It would have been almost peaceful if Kai's nerves weren't frayed to the breaking point.
Hanairo District was just ahead.
One of the places that looked almost untouched by the human hand.
And in the heart of Hanairo, hidden beneath the colorful fields, was their destination: a secret place, where a very well known person is actually waiting for them.
Yuto drove confidently through the winding paths, finally pulling onto a massive, straight road—a ten-kilometer strip cutting through golden wheat fields as far as the eye could see.
Kai stared out the window, mesmerized.
It was beautiful in a way that almost made him forget the tension in the car.
Almost.
Then, everything changed.
A low rumble echoed behind them.
Kai looked into the side mirror.
Headlights.
A large, black van.
Coming fast.
His blood turned to ice.
He felt Hina's hand stiffen in his.
Slowly, she let go.
Without a word, she reached for her pistol, checking it with a swift, professional motion.
The sound of metal sliding into place was crisp and final.
"Tch. Took them long enough," Akira said, her voice practically purring with excitement.
She pulled the assault rifle closer, cradling it with almost childlike glee.
She turned and grinned at Kai—but this smile was different.
It was sharp.
Evil.
"Now," she said sweetly, "the real fun begins."
Kai stared at the black van, getting closer, and closer.
He swallowed hard.
Fear twisted in his gut, but it wasn't just fear.
It was something else.
Something darker.
Something… exciting.
His heart pounded in his ears, and his fingers tingled.
He wasn't afraid of the action itself.
He was afraid of *how much he wanted it*.
Hina, without even looking, reached into a side pocket of her jacket and pulled out a second pistol—a smaller one, compact but deadly.
She handed it to Kai without a word.
He took it hesitantly, feeling the surprising weight of it settle into his palm.
The metal was cold.
Too real.
Kai looked at her, wide-eyed.
Hina met his gaze—and smiled.
A small, sad smile.
"Don't think," she said. "Just protect yourself."
Kai's hands trembled slightly, but he nodded.
He slipped the gun into his waistband awkwardly, trying to mimic what he'd seen in movies.
The black van behind them sped up.
Yuto glanced in the rearview mirror.
"They're getting ready," he said calmly. "Brace yourselves."
Kai tightened his grip on the edge of the seat.
Hina loaded a fresh magazine into her pistol with a cold click.
Akira lowered her window halfway, positioning herself with the rifle.
The tension was so thick Kai could taste it—bitter and electric.
"Kai," Akira said casually, "if you die, I'm not going to your funeral. Too boring."
"Gee, thanks," Kai muttered, dry-mouthed.
Hina gave her a deadly glance for that joke.
Kai, on the other hand couldn't tell if she was joking.
Probably not.
The van swerved slightly, creeping closer to their back bumper.
Kai held his breath.
The road ahead stretched out—ten endless kilometers of open, exposed space.
Nowhere to hide.
No one to call.
Just them.
And the enemy.
As the van pulled closer, almost kissing their rear bumper, the side doors slid open with a metallic scrape.
Kai caught a glimpse of men in black, armed.
And then—
Yuto hit the gas.
The engine roared.
They rocketed forward, the wheat fields blurring on either side.
"Hold on!" Hina barked.
Kai grabbed onto the door handle, heart hammering in his chest.
Bullets shattered the silence—
a burst of gunfire ripped through the air, sparks flying off the back of Yuto's car.
Kai flinched.
The world dissolved into chaos.
And just like that—
It began.