After getting new chopsticks, Hina started to eat again, while launching occasional glares at her sister.
She even pretended to talk about a lot of different topics, like nothing was happened.
"Okay. She's definitely planning something." Akira repeated in her mind.
The "show" kept going for other 10 minutes until the cafeteria began to empty.
Every soldier, one by one, started leaving the place.
Yuna had left quietly, walking towards the corridor while looking directly on the floor.
Hina waited for everyone to walk out , except Rei and her aunt Sakura.
She scanned every single soldier in the room.
Then, she glanced at her sister and blinked her eye..
She literally said "Follow me".
Akira lingered for a few minutes longer, then followed Hina out without a word.
Only two people remained — sitting at opposite ends of the now-silent room like two chess masters facing the final move.
Sakura slowly stood, her hands still gloved in elegance.
Rei, already finishing his second coffee, didn't move.
"Walk with me," he said, not as a request.
They left through the side corridor, into a private hallway guarded by two silent men.
As they walked, the walls dimmed behind them, and the door sealed.
Inside — a planning room.
Screens flickered with data, satellite feeds, maps, and biometric logs.
A large central monitor displayed a 3D rendering of an industrial compound — surrounded by dense forest.
Rei stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at it in silence.
Then, he spoke.
"The original plan was flawed. Too reactive. Too much uncertainty. I've optimized it."
Sakura raised a single brow. "Optimized? What do you mean?"
Rei smiled faintly.
"We'll let Hina be the bait."
Silence.
He tapped on the screen. A blinking green dot marked a familiar sector.
"Her old crew is sniffing around again. They'll take the offer. They'll think they're finally getting her."
He turned, pacing slowly.
"Meanwhile, Akira, Kai, and my most loyal operatives will flank from the north. Hit their base while they're distracted. It'll be loud. Quick. No time for retaliation."
He gestured again — now showing a pulsing red triangle on the screen.
"During the chaos, I'll use the military radar to track Sabushi himself. I know he's not far. He always shows up when the scent of blood is in the air."
Sakura remained stone-faced. No expression. No resistance.
"And if the Kurotaka try to interfere…"
He pressed a new panel. A different unit map appeared.
Dozens of soldiers. Heavily armed. Shield icons across their insignia.
"…I've already set up a defensive battalion. Reinforced checkpoints. Snipers. They won't even make it to the front gate."
He finally turned to her, calm and absolute.
"Everything is ready. The board is set."
Sakura studied him for a long second.
"Wait a second, you just said that you're sending Akira with Kai? Didn't you think he was useless?" Sakura asked.
Rei's lips curved into a small smirk.
"Exactly. I Thought. It was past. This guy has a talent for killing, but his true nature only comes on the surface on certain conditions..." Rei said, while scratching his chin, not moving his eyes from the monitors.
"Isn't that survival instinct?" Sakura asked.
"No. He's different. I can sense it. His soul was rotten from the day it was born." Rei said, with a "proud" tone of voice. "You can cover the evil with kindness, with a good education... but a kind person cannot kill someone so easily. I saw him." Rei said, moving his glaze to Sakura.
His eyes were open wide.
"You see, this guy is special. I saw him killing a man a lot bigger than him. A mercenary gangster who was working with Haruto. I was there, looking from the distance."
Sakura didn't seem surprised for some reason.
"I knew it... you were there... waiting for Sabushi , didn't you?" Sakura asked while clenching her fists.
Behind her words, she was probably meaning something deeper, like another event.
Rei didn't answer.
Instead, he just laughed.
"Let's stop the talking now, shall we? We have lot of preparations to do."
Then — just one nod.
No questions. No hesitation.
Sakura perfectly knew that she couldn't talk anymore.
Pissing off Rei would've mean Death.
They were both people who lived in silence before the storm.
----------
Cut to: Hina & Akira – Exit Corridor
----------
The metal doors of the cafeteria hissed shut behind them.
"Wait up," Akira said.
But Hina didn't stop. She kept walking.
"Where are you going?" Akira called.
Hina glanced over her shoulder, the barest flicker of a smile on her lips.
"Just getting a little air. Don't follow me anymore."
Then she turned the corner and was gone.
Akira remained stunned.
Her expression was literally screaming "Is she serious?"
Suddenly, Akira's attention changed when she heard a gunshot.
A smirk appeared on her face.
"Guess I'm gonna go do some training." She said, walking towards the source of the sound.
Cut to: Hina.
Hina kept walking and walking trought he corridors, following a familiar scent.
Her steps got her to the entrace of the training hall where Kai had been before her.
She sniffed the air, realizing that Kai's smell was pretty strong.
"He's been there... In such a lonely place." She said in her mind.
The training hall was dimly lit, the same scent of sweat and metal still lingering in the air.
Hina entered slowly.
Her steps were silent — practiced. Her expression unreadable.
She expected the room to be empty.
It wasn't.
A figure stood in the center of the mat, arms folded behind her back.
Hiromi Tanaka.
Still in training attire.
Hair tied up.
Calm.
Composed.
As if she had known Hina would show up.
As if she had been waiting.
"Fancy meeting you here," Hiromi said casually.
Hina's eyes narrowed slightly. "Were you following me?"
"No," Hiromi replied, tilting her head. "I was already here, don't you see?"
A beat.
Then Hina stepped forward, dropping her jacket off her shoulders.
She seemed angry.
"You already met Kai this morning, didn't you?"
Hiromi smiled — but didn't answer.
Her silence was confirmation enough.
Hina didn't know why, but her chest tightened.
She had come here to train. To fight. To focus. But something in her twisted at the thought of Hiromi spending time alone with him.
"Did you do something to him by anychance?" Hina asked, with a low and menacing tone.
Hiromi only smiled at the sight of Hina's scary aura around her.
"Oh, not at all. I just trained him a little since he wanted to learn. I must admit that he's quite talented." Hiromi said, with a normal voice.
Hina's fists clenched.
She felt a pang of jealousy in her heart.
"I'll rip you apart." her soul screamed.
She could kill her in any moment.
But she had to contain herself.
Being angry would've been futile.
And it would've caused problems to herself and Kai.
She just took a deep breath and ignored her, moving to the punching bag.
"So," Hiromi said, tilting her head, "here to blow off some steam?"
Hina didn't answer.
She adjusted her stance, spine straight, breathing steady.
Her eyes were cold steel.
Hiromi's smirk grew.
"Weird. I figured you'd be more… tense. Especially since Kai spent an entire hour this morning getting very hands-on with me."
She said it casually. Too casually.
But the words weren't casual at all.
Hina didn't flinch.
No twitch. No visible reaction.
Just a blink — maybe to push the image out of her mind.
Hiromi chuckled under her breath.
"Aw… don't tell me you're jealous."
"I'm not." Hina's voice was flat. Razor-sharp.
"Oh really?" Hiromi stepped forward, barefoot on the mat, graceful and light. "Because you look... a little... angry..."
Hina turned her gaze toward her. Not like she was looking at a rival.
Like she was looking at a target.
"If you're done playing games," Hina said, voice like ice, "I'd like to train, please. I must stay in shape."
Hiromi raised her hands slightly in mock surrender, still smiling — but a flicker of something passed through her eyes.
Respect, maybe.
She'd tried to poke the beast.
And the beast didn't blink.
"Alright," she said, settling into a more neutral posture. "No more teasing. But hey — if you ever do want to talk about him… I'm around."
Hina adjusted her stance again.
"Leave me alone," she said coldly. "I need to train. I can't afford to be unprepared."
Hiromi stared at her for another beat. Then gave a small, respectful nod.
For all her playful nature, she wasn't stupid.
She knew exactly who was standing in front of her.
And in that moment, she remembered why people used to tremble when Hina stepped into a room.
No matter the heartbreak.
No matter the chaos.
That cold fire was still there — and it was very much alive.
Actually, Hina and Hiromi perfectly knew themselves.
They fought once, and it ended in a draw.
Why? Because Hina didn't have enought time.
After their little meeting, Hiromi moved to the corner of the room, in the darkness.
She was about to land a hit on Hina.
She wanted to train with her and test how strong she became.
So...