Episode4

The ride to the Moriyama warehouse was silent except for the low purr of the black SUV’s engine. Rain had returned, a fine mist tracing patterns across the tinted windows.

I sat in the back, Jun on one side, Mei on the other, Renji in the front passenger seat. Riku was driving, his hands steady on the wheel, eyes scanning every intersection. Ayane sat behind a laptop, her fingers a blur as she traced movement patterns around the target location.

“They’ve got two lookouts at the front,” Ayane said without looking up. “One on the roof. And heat signatures show at least six inside.”

Jun’s leg bounced restlessly. “What if—”

“He’s alive,” Renji cut him off, his voice low but certain. “They wouldn’t risk killing him before they make a demand.”

Jun muttered something under his breath, but he didn’t push further.

I leaned forward. “So what’s the plan?”

Renji finally turned his head to look at me, his gaze locking on mine. “The plan is you stay in the car.”

I stared at him. “Excuse me?”

“You’re not trained for this,” he said. “You’re a liability in a firefight.”

Anger flared in my chest. “He’s my friend. I’m not sitting here while you—”

Renji’s hand shot out, gripping my chin with surprising force, tilting my face toward him. His voice dropped, each word a razor.

“If you step into that building without knowing how to survive, you’ll get yourself killed. And if you think I’ll let that happen, you’re out of your mind.”

For a moment, the air between us felt charged, the weight of his stare pressing down like a physical thing. My heart was hammering, but not entirely from fear.

Jun bristled beside me. “You don’t get to order him—”

Renji’s eyes flicked toward him, and the look alone was enough to shut him up.

Ayane cleared her throat. “Boss, we’re two minutes out.”

Renji released my chin slowly, his thumb brushing my jaw before he turned back to face the windshield. “Riku, pull into the alley. We go in from the side.”

---

The warehouse loomed out of the rain, its corrugated metal siding streaked with rust. The side alley was narrow, littered with broken pallets and the smell of damp concrete.

Renji, Riku, and Ayane moved with practiced precision — Ayane disabling the side lock, Riku sweeping corners with his rifle, Renji gliding forward like a shadow.

I stayed close behind despite Renji’s order. Mei stuck with me, her hand brushing the small taser she’d pulled from her bag.

Inside, the air was thick with the scent of oil and mildew. Faint voices echoed from somewhere deeper in the building.

We slipped down a corridor, the sound growing clearer — harsh laughter, the scrape of a chair. And then I heard it.

Taro’s voice. Weak, strained. “Let me go…”

Renji raised a hand, signaling us to stop. He leaned just far enough to peer around the corner.

Three men stood in a makeshift office, its walls made of stacked crates. Taro was tied to a chair in the center, a cut bleeding at his temple.

Renji’s movements were swift and brutal. He stepped into the doorway, two silenced shots dropping the first guards before they could even raise their weapons. The third lunged for a gun on the desk, but Riku’s rifle barked once, and the man crumpled.

Jun rushed forward, untying Taro’s ropes. “You’re okay. You’re okay.”

Taro groaned but managed a weak smile. “Took you long enough…”

Renji didn’t move toward them. His eyes were fixed on me, his jaw tight. “You disobeyed me.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but movement in the shadows cut me off.

A door burst open and two more men charged in. I barely had time to react before one was on me, shoving me back against the crates. His breath was hot with alcohol as he raised a knife—

The blade never touched me.

Renji’s arm was suddenly there, smashing into the man’s wrist. The knife clattered to the floor, and Renji’s other hand gripped the back of his neck, slamming his head into the crate with a sickening crack.

The man dropped, blood already pooling beneath him.

Renji stepped into my space, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him, his breath steady despite the violence. His hand came up, cupping the back of my head almost possessively.

“You stay behind me,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Always.”

Something in his voice made my chest tighten — part threat, part vow.

---

We made it out without more resistance. The SUV was waiting in the alley, engine running. Riku took the driver’s seat again, Ayane sliding into the passenger side. Jun and Taro sat together in the middle row.

Renji all but pushed me into the back seat, taking the spot beside me. His hand stayed on my knee the entire drive, a steady weight that felt less like comfort and more like a silent claim: You’re mine to protect.

When we reached the mansion, Hana and two others rushed Taro toward the medical wing. Jun followed, throwing me a quick, grateful look over his shoulder.

I lingered in the hallway until I felt Renji’s presence behind me.

“You’re angry,” I said without turning around.

“I’m furious,” he replied.

I finally faced him. “Because I didn’t listen?”

“Because you don’t understand yet,” he said, stepping closer. “Every person who’s come after you has died. And I will kill every one who tries. But if you put yourself in the line of fire…” His hand lifted, brushing my cheek with surprising gentleness. “I can’t replace you, Kaito.”

My throat tightened. “I’m not yours to keep.”

His lips curved into something dark, dangerous. “You’re wrong about that.”

And for one dizzying moment, I didn’t know whether I wanted to push him away… or close the space between us.

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