Chapter 89: Intruder

Kai swallowed hard, his heart racing as he cautiously unlocked and slowly opened the door to his home. It had been locked. No one should have been inside.

Yet, for some strange reason, he didn't lower his guard.

The noises he had heard earlier were not imagined. They were real. Someone had to be in his house.

His hand tightened around his phone, ready to call for help if needed.

Kai stepped over the threshold, glancing around.

The lights were off.

He couldn't remember whether he had left them on before leaving, but one of his particular habits was to always leave the kitchen light on.

From the front door, the kitchen light would normally be visible at the end of the hallway to the right.

That faint glow would usually welcome him, but tonight, the absence of light only increased his suspicion.

Keeping the door wide open, just in case he had to make a run for it, Kai steeled himself, took a deep breath, and began walking slowly down the hallway.

The corridor was dark, with only dim, hazy illumination from the streetlights outside filtering through the curtains.

Every step he took was measured, careful to avoid making too much noise.

His heart pounded in his chest, a knot of anxiety tightening around his stomach.

Yet he told himself to push forward since he knew that he would have to face situations like this sooner or later.

When he finally reached the kitchen, his hands trembled slightly as he reached for the light switch.

A flick of the switch flooded the room with bright light, illuminating every corner.

Everything was exactly as he had left it.

No signs of disturbance. Nothing out of place.

Kai exhaled deeply, his tense muscles relaxing for the first time that night.

He must have turned off the light without realizing it earlier.

Just as his relief began to wash over him, something else happened.

Kai he was grabbed from behind in an iron grip.

In an instant, two strong arms coiled around his neck in a chokehold, and Kai's phone slipped from his hand, crashing onto the floor.

He had been caught at the exact moment he let his guard down.

Kai's mind spiraled into panic.

He thrashed wildly, trying to break free, but the hold around his throat was too strong.

His breath came in short, ragged gasps, and he could feel himself losing air.

He desperately clawed at the arms wrapped around him, but every movement only seemed to tighten the grip.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Kai shouted, panic gripping him as he struggled for air.

He hadn't expected this.

He hadn't expected an ambush in his own home.

That surely brought up some memories to him, when the two men actually broke into his house.

But this time was different, he was completely assaulted by someone way stronger than them, and Hina couldn't save him this time.

Each frantic attempt to escape drained more of his strength, and he could feel himself slipping toward unconsciousness.

His vision blurred, his legs weakened, and his mind grew hazy. But amidst the chaos, one odd sensation stood out.

A soft cushion-like pressure against his back.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

"You're too weak... I had sixteen opportunities to kill you in twenty different ways." The voice was cool, calm, and distinctly female.

And with those words, the arms around Kai's neck relaxed, releasing him.

He collapsed to his knees, gasping desperately for air, clutching his chest as he tried to steady his breath.

His pulse thundered in his ears as oxygen flooded back into his lungs.

After several seconds, he turned his head and looked up at his assailant.

Kai's eyes widened in shock as he recognized who was standing before him.

"Akira?" he croaked, still catching his breath, staring at her in disbelief.

The woman standing in front of him smiled.

On her face there was a playful, almost innocent grin curving on her lips.

She still had her signature eyepatch, but tonight, she wasn't dressed in her usual combat attire.

She wore casual clothes, a simple hoodie and jeans.

She was clean, neat, and looked like she had just come back from a casual day out. The contrast was jarring.

"What the hell...?" Kai muttered, still confused and trying to make sense of the situation.

His mind raced.

How did she break into his apartment? And why was she here?

"Hey, kiddo," Akira greeted him casually, her smile widening as if she hadn't just nearly strangled him.

She spoke with an eerie calmness, like what she'd done was the most normal thing in the world.

Kai, still on edge, shakily got to his feet, one hand still pressed to his throat.

"Akira?! What are you doing here? And h-how did you even get in?" he demanded, his voice a mix of confusion and frustration, coughing a little.

Akira chuckled softly, tilting her head as if the answers were obvious.

"I have my ways," she said cryptically. "But don't worry, I didn't come here to kill you. Not tonight, at least." She added in a playful tone, obviously joking and teasing him about the fact that she would've done it again.

"Oh, please. Just tell me how you broke in." Kai said, this time in a more serious tone of voice.

Akira giggled at his reply.

"Come on, boy. Did you really think that an expert like me couldn't force this door easily?" Akira said.

"Well..." He said, while scratching the back of his head. "Did you close the door the same way?" Kai asked.

"Nah. I just found a couple of keys in your room." Akira said.

Kai blinked at her, still processing everything.

She had just attacked him out of nowhere, only to act like it was nothing.

The fact that she was so composed, so unfazed, unsettled him even more.

And more than that, she walked into HIS room.

Hina would've gotten very angry.

"Okay... it seems like I have to learn some self defense here..." Kai said with a sigh.

But what unnerved him the most was her casual admission that she could have killed him very easily.

The strength in her grip had been undeniable, and the fact that she chose not to follow through on it meant she was toying with him, testing him.

Akira leaned against the kitchen counter, folding her arms as she continued to study him with an amused expression.

"You really should be more aware of your surroundings, Kai. If it had been anyone else, you'd be dead right now." Akira said, this time in a more serious tone.

It seemed like she did that to help him.

Kai's throat tightened again, this time not from the physical chokehold but from the weight of her words.

This was no ordinary visit.

This was a warning, a reminder of just how dangerous Kai's situation was.

"You can't lower your guard so easily, Kai. There are a lot of people like me and Hina in the criminal world, you know?" Akira said, with a serious tone with a glimpse of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I think you're right... I have to learn so many things. I can't get out from this situation, right?" Kai asked, with a resigned tone of voice.

Akira nodded her head in agreement.

"Exactly, I'll be your teacher." Akira said, with a commander-like tone.

Kai nodded.

But then, some questions gnawed into his mind.

Why was she here like nothing happened? How did she know that this was his house? And what if Hina saw her?

Kai really needed some answers.

But he didn't even have the time to think that a loud sound of footsteps echoed in both Kai and Akira's ears.

Kai's eyes widened, realizing who was walking.

It was nothing more than Hina.

He knew that she "promised" to work together with Akira, but if she would've know about what she did, Hina could even kill her with no remorse.

Not even a matter of seconds that Hina's figure appeared from the door, holding a bag with a teddy bear logo.

Once she arrived, she looked at both Kai and Akira with a deadly expression.

But a strange thing was that she wasn't surprised about Akira.

Kai felt a shiver down his spine after looking into her eyes.

"What is happening here...?" Hina asked with a deadly whisper.

Akira, on the other hand, didn't seem to be scared.

Instead, she was leaning her back against the wall with her arms crossed like nothing was happening.

"What the..." That's all the confused Kai could think about this whole situation.