At the exact moment I saw Haruto, a wave of anger surged through my entire body.
Someone I once considered a friend was there, commanding a squad of armed and very dangerous men.
But something didn't add up... I didn't think Haruto was foolish enough to reveal his identity to a police officer... I was certain there was something or someone working behind the scenes... Yuna was nothing more than a fake hostage, used solely to lure us here.
I had to understand his intentions, and I was extremely tempted to break cover and beat him senseless, but Hina held me back with an iron grip, preventing me from doing anything reckless.
My heart was a turmoil of negative emotions and anger.
I wanted to save Yuna and escape, barely able to control myself.
Hina, on the other hand, watched the whole scene in a deafening silence.
Her eyes darted from one side of the room to the other, analyzing every detail, as if searching for a way to save us all. Her breathing was slow, deep, and quiet, her eyes wide open.
At that moment, I realized that one false move would mean our end. Hina had literally sent that police officer in as bait to die.
"And who might you be?" Haruto asked.
His voice was different from usual, much darker.
The police officer, realizing he was surrounded, began to panic but tried to remain calm. Any false move could cost him and Yuna their lives.
"I'm... just a defender of the law here to save this girl," the officer replied, his tone calm but fearful.
I could see his right hand slowly inching toward his gun. That was the most foolish move he could make.
Haruto took a few steps forward, revealing his entire face.
My eyes widened.
He was completely different from the Haruto I knew.
His black hair was styled slightly differently, he wore elegant clothes, black boots, and a kind of jacket draped over his shoulders.
As he got close enough to the police officer, Haruto looked at him and smiled wickedly.
Haruto's smile was cold and calculated, an expression I had never seen on the face of someone I once considered a friend.
His presence here, in this dark and dangerous place, turned our suspicions into a bitter truth.
"Haruto... What the hell are you doing?" My voice was a whisper of disbelief as the tension in the air mounted like an unstoppable tide.
Haruto took another step forward, the sound of his boots echoing on the concrete floor.
Behind him, more armed men emerged from the shadows, their weapons trained on us.
The officer with us gripped his gun, but he was quickly surrounded, raising his hands in surrender. "Don't make any stupid moves," one of the men said, pressing the barrel of his gun against the officer's side.
Haruto raised a hand, stopping any further violence from his men.
"Calm down, calm down... There's no need to hurt each other," he said smoothly, addressing us with a falsely tranquil expression.
The police officer continued to glance around, realizing he was officially trapped.
Haruto approached him even closer, as if to whisper in his ear, and grabbed him by the shirt, yanking it.
"So, now you'll tell us exactly how you got here and how you knew the hostage was here, alright?" Haruto said, with an incredibly malicious smile.
Hina and I were still hidden behind the door, positioned where we couldn't be seen. "O-Or else?" the officer stammered, his voice trembling.
"...Hahahahaha... Did you really say that... Did I hear wrong?" Haruto chuckled, looking around as if to humiliate the man in front of him.
At that moment, a synchronized laughter erupted from the men, so well-timed it seemed rehearsed.
Then, Haruto released the officer and stood up.
The officer seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but just as he relaxed, Haruto pulled out a gun and shot him in the leg, carefully avoiding a fatal spot.
In an instant, the only sound in the room was the officer's cries of pain.
He continued writhing on the ground, clutching his leg and screaming desperately, tears streaming down his face.
My eyes widened further, and a wave of rage filled my heart.
I wanted to reveal myself and save that man and Yuna.
She had a similar reaction. She struggled in her chair, trying to scream, but was gagged and bound.
Haruto then called out a girl's name.
"Lala, stop this man's bleeding," he ordered. "Right away, boss."
A blue-haired girl with twintails and a petite stature emerged from the shadows with a medical kit.
And so, amidst the man's cries of pain, the girl called by Haruto extracted the bullet and stitched up his wound.
The officer was still screaming, but the girl named Lala forced a pill down his throat, and his screams ceased.
"W-What... did you give me?" he asked. "We gave you a painkiller..." the girl replied before retreating back into the shadows.
Haruto approached the man again.
"Well, I think you understand the position you're in now, don't you?" Haruto asked.
The officer scooted back on the ground, utterly terrified.
"A-a whole squad of special forces and—police is coming—soon y-you'll be surrounded..." he stammered, breathing heavily between words.
Haruto's response was nothing but another laugh.
"And do you really think we'll just stay here waiting to be arrested? You must understand our goal is something else... and if you don't tell us what we want to know, I'll rip out your fingernails one by one before shooting you in the other leg," he threatened, grabbing the officer's shirt again.
You could see the fear and terror reflected in the officer's eyes.
Hina remained completely indifferent to all of this, watching the scene as if nothing were happening, but I could see the murderous mania in her eyes.
She felt the need to hurt someone.
Her grip around my wrist tightened, but she seemed careful not to squeeze too hard, avoiding causing me pain.
The officer let out a terrified sound.
His eyes widened, and he crawled further back, finding himself with his back against the wall. Haruto sighed in boredom.
"Ah... it seems we're not very cooperative here..." Haruto said, stepping closer to him again.
"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" the officer shouted, pulling out his gun in an instant. He aimed it at Haruto, but his hands were shaking with fear. "Hahahaha..." Haruto chuckled again, almost resigned to the fact that the officer wouldn't talk. "Shoot if you want, I'll give you permission," he added in an almost friendly tone, smiling.
As I watched this scene, Hina released my wrist and turned to face me.
Our eyes met, and she leaned in close, whispering something in my ear.
"Kai... please stay here and don't reveal yourself, or you'll only make things harder," Hina said, caressing my cheek and smiling lovingly at me before running off.
My only choice was to wait. I had to listen to Hina.
I turned my attention back to the officer.
A few moments after Haruto's response, the officer fired several shots, emptying his magazine, but missed every time.
Haruto dodged them all with ease, as if he had supernatural reflexes. He approached him again and, with a kick, sent the gun flying.
"Now, how about you play nice and tell me how you got here and who brought you here?" he demanded, this time with a very aggressive tone.
His eyes were wide open, and they had turned red, just like Hina's sometimes did...
My heart was still full of rage, and for the first time, I felt the urge to hurt someone. Haruto had lied to me.
He was part of a criminal gang and had kidnapped two of my dear friends... friends I thought were dear to him as well.
And at the same time, I thought that all this mess had started when Hina and I became a couple.
A mechanism had been set in motion that led to many worse situations.
"... Fine... I'll tell you everything... but—" The officer stopped and, in an instant, pulled out a knife from his pocket.
"DIE, CRIMINAL!" he shouted, but his voice was cut off.
A single gunshot echoed, and in a moment, the officer's body slumped to the ground.
Someone from the shadows had shot him in the head.
Some blood spilled on his face, leaving him with a confused expression.
Haruto let out a sigh of annoyance after standing up.
He looked at his right and spoke.
"Akira... come here..." He said.
Then, another woman emerged from the shadows.
My eyes widened.
I saw an adult woman, maybe around 30-35 years old dressed with nothing more than a white shirt, military pants and boots.
She had long red hair and eyes, and an eye-patch.
But... most of all, she had a very big chest and a muscular body.
She was holding an assault rifle and, when she arrived closer to Haruto, she threw her cigarette away.
"What a beauty..." I tought instinctively in my mind.
"What is it, Boss?" She said, with a very strong and direct tone of voice.
"Why did you kill our only source of information...? Did you really think that something like that could kill me...?" Haruto said in an aggressive tone of voice.
"I'm sorry, but my body moved on its own." She said while bowing her head.
Haruto sighed and said: "Okay... let's get out of here..." before wiping the blood from his face.
In the exact moment he said that, a man from his gang fell on the floor, with a pool of blood under him.
...His troath was slit open.
Akira raised up her gun and all the men gathered around Haruto, in order to protect him.
He smiled.
"It seems like the show just began..."