One hundred and twenty.
That was the total number of candles that were hanging inside the room where Ren was being held. He had calculated every single candle that was in each side and corner of the room. Twenty on his left, twenty on his right, twenty behind him, another twenty in front of him and forty from above. He had the numbers memorized and imprinted in his mind within the two days of being locked in his cell.
To him, the room was nothing less than a cell. There were no windows at all and there was only one entrance and exit which was the front door.
If it wasn't for the numerous candles scattered throughout the room, he would have been surrounded by utter darkness. But more than just the vast number of the candles which served as his light source in the cell, he was intrigued by their lifespan.
He had observed that since the day he was brought there, not even a single candle was replaced. The candles weren't running out. They kept burning for two days straight already.
"Interesting", he mumbled to himself. "Hmmm. Is it cutting-edge technology?"
He shook his head moments later as he realized that the candles looked too real yet at the same time magical.
"Then perhaps some sort of magic or a special ability."
He whimpered like a little child who was discontented with what was given to him. "This is such a pain in the ass."
He went back into considering what the silver-haired woman told him. Based on her words, he knew that the woman obviously wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Should I just tell her then?" he asked to no one. A low chuckle echoed in the room.
"Don't be stupid. If I reveal who he is, everything that I've been working for will go to waste."
A deep sigh escaped his mouth as it dawned on him that he had no other choice but to escape by himself. "Seriously, what a bad luck I have. Of all the times, why did I have to run into such people while on a mission? I don't even know who they are."
As he continued his self-talking and as his mind continued to wander, the screeching sound of the door being pushed open caught him by surprise.
'So, she has decided to come and visit me again. It hasn't been a week though', he thought to himself.
However, he was caught off guard when he didn't see the silver-haired woman. Instead, a woman who looked like in her early thirties with a short black hair was the one who opened the door.
"Oh, hello there. So, you're still awake", she greeted Ren with a charming smile.
Ren had not seen the outside world for two days and he had no equipment with him to confirm the current time, but he assumed it was already nighttime.
She closed the door and walked up straight to Ren. She stopped just a meter away in front of him.
"How do you find your stay here so far? I hope you don't hate us too much for putting you in this room. This is just a standard procedure here", the woman said in a calm and gentle manner. She maintained the smile on her face even while speaking.
Ren couldn't really grasp why, but he found her calmness and even her smiling face uncomfortable and uncanny. Perhaps because what she was showing to Ren could be merely an act to earn his trust and eventually to get what they wanted from him.
"Hmmmm. Giving me the silent treatment, is it?" the woman said when she realized that Ren had no intentions of speaking to her.
She crossed her arms and let out a sigh. It was only then that Ren realized that she had a tattoo of a white albino on her right arm.
The woman caught him staring at her arm with a puzzled look. His reaction was expected because it was how most people would usually react on their first meeting with her.
For someone who looked as neat and as elegant as her, having her skin marked with ink would be the last thing you would expect.
"I understand if you're wary. I would be too if I were in your shoes. But don't worry, I only have one question for you, young man." She paused momentarily and moved a step closer to Ren, her eyes never leaving his for a second.
"Are you afraid that you'll get killed by the person who hired you to assassinate Miyamura if you revealed who he is to us?"
Ren decided earlier not to entertain any question that may come from the woman because he didn't trust her. But after listening to her question, he realized that it was a question he could actually answer.
"I couldn't care less if I'm killed by that person or even by you to be honest. I'm not afraid to die", he admitted with a deadpan gaze.
The smile on the woman's face widened upon hearing his response.
He couldn't help but frown after seeing her unexpected expression.
'Is she mocking me? I hate this. I can't really read this woman.'
"What a very honest answer. I applaud you for that. I believe you. I know you're telling the truth. After all, I've already seen that same kind of eyes before. The eyes of someone who really had no care for their own life - someone who is not afraid of death. But if you do not fear for your own life, then does that mean that you fear for someone else's life? Are you perhaps trying to protect someone?"
The woman's last statement caught Ren flat-footed. His eyes widened. He struggled to speak for a moment. First, he didn't expect the woman to ask him such a spot-on question. Second, he was horrified of what else she might ask of him. He couldn't reveal more than he already had. The last thing he wanted was to have someone see right through him.
'This is bad. This woman is dangerous', he thought to himself, biting his lower lip.
'I should make a run for it while I still can.'
Yet again, the woman grinned as she witnessed the expression on Ren's face after hearing her questions. However, Ren could tell this time that it wasn't really a mocking smile. Rather, he could perceive a sense of sympathy in it.
The crease on his forehead increased and deepened all the more. He just really couldn't make out what was going on in the woman's head.
"Don't worry. I understand. I won't ask any further about the person who hired you to kill Miyamura - at least not for the mean time. However, I'll give you a chance to prove that you're not really our enemy. I've been informed that you have already met my granddaughter and that she gave you a week to tell us who your client was or else she will kill you."
Ren quickly picked up that the granddaughter the woman was referring to was actually the hotheaded silver-haired woman.
"You see, Akira can be quite impulsive sometimes. She might say or do things in the heat of the moment. Try not to hate her too much. It may not seem that way, but she's working on herself. Anyway, I spoke with her already. I convinced her to give you a chance to prove your innocence to us. So, we'll set aside her earlier conditions with you for now, and we'll let you work on proving that you are not actually our enemy."
Again, Ren was taken aback with the back-to-back information that the woman was relaying to him. He truthfully expected that the woman came there for the purpose of threatening him just like what her granddaughter did. But it's the exact opposite.
He found it almost hard to believe that the woman really considered to give him a chance to prove his innocence. He didn't bother hiding the fact that he was relieved for the consideration. He let out a sigh of relief and muttered, "Thank goodness."
If he had to choose between escaping on his own and being given the chance to prove that he wasn't their enemy, he would obviously choose the latter. The former was too risky. First of all, he was stuck in the same room for two days straight and he actually didn't have even the slightest idea where exactly he was and what would be awaiting outside if he got out of his cell. Who knew, they might be in an island in the middle of nowhere or that his cell was surrounded. Also, he rarely knew anything about the people who held him captive. It might as well be a suicide mission had he continued to escape.
"It's too early to be complacent and rejoicing though. I haven't revealed yet how we intend for you to prove that you are not our foe", the woman reminded Ren.
Ren put on his serious mode on his face to indicate that he was willing to listen to what the woman had to say.
"Do you know a man named Tomo Ogawa?"