Chapter 67: Battle of minds

The ride to the police station felt like an eternity.

The air in the car was thick with the weight of unspoken words, charged with the knowledge that a confrontation was inevitable.

As they neared their destination, the tension only seemed to escalate.

Kai sat motionless, trying to calm his racing heart.

Every muscle in his body was tense, his mind replaying the events of the last few days, wondering how it had come to this.

More than that, the shock that his soul was enduring after killing a man played a risky role in all of this.

He could lose control of his mind at any moment.

He glanced at Yuna, whose grip on his arm had not lessened.

Her eyes were still wide, filled with fear, and though she tried to stay composed, it was clear that the ordeal had taken its toll on her.

Hina, on the other hand, remained eerily calm.

Her gaze never wavered from Yuki's reflection in the rearview mirror, her mind working overtime to prepare for what was coming.

More than that, her eyes were completely open wide and it looked like she wasn't blinking, like she was in another different dimension.

It wasn't fear that gripped Hina, but anticipation.

She was showing a calm demeanor.

She probably knew Yuki Nakamura better than Kai did.

She probably also knew how she operated and how dangerous she could be.

But Hina was prepared for this.

She had been ever since the moment she had crossed that line, the line that marked her as a killer in Yuki's eyes.

Her silence was sign that she was thinking about a milion possible solutions to get out in a very clean way, like she was nothing more than a victim.

They pulled up to the station, the car coming to a stop in front of the imposing building.

The heavy silence inside the vehicle was broken by Yuki's voice.

"We're here," she said flatly, as if they were arriving at a casual meeting rather than the scene of an impending interrogation.

She opened the door and stepped out, waiting for the others to follow.

Kai was the first to move, sliding out of the car with Yuna and Hina close behind.

He felt Hina's hand on his arm, a gentle but firm squeeze that grounded him, reminded him that they were in this together, like she was saying "Leave it all to me."

Yuki led them inside, her posture rigid and purposeful.

The station was bustling with activity, officers and detectives moving quickly from one place to another.

But the moment Yuki entered, it was as if a wave of silence rippled through the room.

People stopped what they were doing, their gazes shifting toward her and the group trailing behind her.

Then, all of them bowed their head towards their leader.

She was truly respected.

Then, a random female officer dressed with formal clothes arrived near Yuki and spoke.

"What is it, Nakamura-San?" The worked asked.

"Take them to interrogation room three," Yuki ordered her, her tone cold and commanding. "I'll be in shortly." She said, while going walking away in another room.

The officer nodded and gestured for Kai, Hina, and Yuna to follow her.

As they walked through the station's corridors, Kai's nerves began to get the better of him.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his mind racing with thoughts of what was to come.

Hina, however, remained calm.

Her calm demeanor was sign that she had already been there as she seemed familiar with the place.

She hadn't spoke a single word and the expression on her face was still empty, but calm.

Her steps were steady, her expression unreadable.

Yuna followed closely behind, silent but visibly tense.

Well, a few days ago she was just a normal girl who used to attend school and live an ordinary life.

They were led into a small, dimly lit room.

A single table sat in the center, with three chairs on one side and another chair on the opposite. The walls were bare, save for a large mirror that stretched across one side of the room—a one-way mirror, no doubt, through which Yuki and her team could observe them.

"Wait here," the officer said before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

Kai, Hina, and Yuna took their seats, the silence in the room heavy and oppressive.

Kai's mind was a whirl of conflicting emotions: fear, guilt, confusion.

His heartbeat was medium-high, sign of his anxiety rising, to the point where he wasn't feeling his legs.

Kai's body was moving automatically, just like a robot.

He knew that Yuki Nakamura was going to tear them apart in this room.

She would push, prod, and provoke until she got what she wanted. And Kai wasn't sure how long he could hold out.

One single bad move and he would've been in trouble.

Hina, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered.

She sat with her back straight, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her gaze fixed on the door as if she were waiting for an old friend to arrive.

There was no sign of fear or uncertainty in her expression.

Minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an hour.

The door finally creaked open, and Yuki Nakamura stepped inside, her presence filling the small space with an air of authority and tension.

She took the single chair across from them and sat down, her eyes immediately locking onto Hina's.

For a moment, no one spoke. T

he silence was deafening, the air so thick with tension that it was almost suffocating.

Yuki leaned back in her chair, her gaze shifting between the three of them before settling once again on Hina.

"Let's make this simple," Yuki said, her voice low and steady. "You're all here because there are questions that need answers. And I expect the truth."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked directly at Hina. "Especially from you."

Hina didn't flinch under Yuki's gaze.

Instead, she met her eyes with a calm, measured look. "Of course," she said quietly. "I have nothing to hide, Miss-Nakamura." Hina said, with an almost mischievous and challenging tone.

Yuki's lips curved into a smile, but there was no warmth in it.

Only cold calculation. "We'll see about that." She said with a low voice.

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze piercing. "You see, Hina… I'm not just here for Kai or Yuna. I'm here for justice. And I'm going to get it, one way or another."

The challenge in her words was clear, and Hina's expression remained unchanged.

But Kai could feel the weight of Yuki's words pressing down on him, and he had to fight the urge to speak, to say something that might somehow defuse the situation.

But Hina spoke first.

"Justice?" she repeated, her voice calm and even. "Or revenge?"

The air in the room seemed to freeze at Hina's words. For a split second, Yuki's facade slipped, and a flash of anger passed through her eyes.

But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by the cold, professional mask she wore so well.

"Justice," Yuki said firmly. "For everyone."

Hina's smile was subtle, almost imperceptible. "We'll see."

It looked like her soul was laughing at her enemy.

Yuki's eyes narrowed again, but she didn't respond.

Instead, she turned her attention to Kai, her gaze softening slightly as she looked at him.

"Kai," she said gently, "I know this has been hard for you. But we need to know what happened. We need to know the truth."

Kai swallowed hard, his throat dry.

He glanced at Hina, who gave him a slight nod, her expression reassuring. He took a deep breath and looked back at Yuki.

"The truth?" he said quietly. "The truth is… we did what we had to do."

Yuki's eyes flicked to Hina for a moment, then back to Kai. "And what exactly did you have to do?"

Kai hesitated, his mind racing.

He knew that Yuki was trying to trap him, trying to get him to say something that would incriminate them all. But he couldn't let that happen.

"We protected ourselves," he said slowly. "And we protected each other."

Yuki's gaze was sharp, her eyes boring into him as if she could see straight through him.

But Kai held her gaze, refusing to back down.

Yuki's eyes remained locked into Kai's for some seconds.

Her expression was speaking.

"Kai, this is your chance to tell the truth and live a normal life, otherwise I can't do so much without any proof." 

These were the words that Kai read from her soul.

A chance to live a normal life again...

Kai then lowered his gaze to the floor and started to nervously play with his fingers.

The silence stretched on, heavy and oppressive, until Yuki finally leaned back in her chair, her expression unreadable.

Hina looked at him , almost with a satisfied look on her face.

Then, she moved her gaze towards Yuki again.

Yuna didn't say anything.

The situation seemed strange.

Yuna was the victim, the girl who had been kidnapped by criminals, yet Yuki didn't ask her anything.

"I see... But I need to know what happened and what your eyes saw. We must bring criminals to justice." she said quietly.

She stood up, her eyes lingering on Hina for a moment longer before turning toward the door. "We're not done here," she said over her shoulder as she walked out. "Not by a long shot."

The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving Kai, Hina, and Yuna alone once again.

The tension in the room slowly began to dissipate, but the weight of Yuki's words still hung heavily in the air.

Kai let out a shaky breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

He turned to Hina, who was still as calm and composed as ever.

"What is it, Hina?" he asked quietly.

Hina's lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "Leave it to me... Fufufu~" Hina said, with her usual malicious tone of voice.

Kai felt a shiver down his spine and nodded his head, while Hina gently patted his back.

Hina then looked at Yuna.

"Hey, my friend Yuna. How are you ?" Hina asked , with a friendly tone and a big smile on her face.

Yuna's eyes widened a little in surprise, not expecting such a kind question from Hina.

"I...I'm okay... but I want to return home... My parents are probably deadly worried..." She said, with a glimpse of sadness in her voice.

But before that, there was a small obstacle to surpass: The police leader.

Yuki Nakamura wasn't going to give up easily.

And neither, it seemed, was Hina.

The battle between them had only just begun.

"I see..." Hina said with a friendly smile. "Don't worry, we'll return soon..." She added.