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CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kenji came running toward me just as I peeled the last of the duct tape from my wrists.

“Don’t worry, she was safe with me,” Jiro said, his voice full of smugness.

Kenji’s glare followed Jiro as he walked away before turning back to me. “Are you okay?” His hands moved to my shoulders, and his eyes darted over me, scanning for injuries. “Did he hurt you? Did?—”

I reached up and touched his uniform. Blood was streaked across the front.

“It’s not mine,” he said quickly. “Iron Face whipped Kaiyo straight through his uniform. Split his back open a little. It sounds worse than it looks. He’ll be uncomfortable sleeping on his back for a few days. Even more so in that uniform he has to squeeze into every day.”

He pulled me into a tight hold, his arms firm and protective. “I can’t believe this place. These challenges are insane.”

“We knew they wouldn’t be easy,” I said, my voice dead as a numbness overcame me.

“Knowing it and seeing it are two different things. Did Jiro try anything? If he did, I swear I’ll?—”

I cut him off. “No, he didn’t.” I hesitated, a little taken aback that Kenji was more concerned about Jiro and me than what had just happened to Osamu and Sana. “Actually, he made sure we got through it safely. Even took a couple of hits himself.”

“Good for him,” he muttered. “Seems like the right thing to have done. But that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. You still can’t trust him, Akiko. I don’t care how helpful he pretends to be.”

“He understands what it takes to survive here,” I countered, though part of me bristled at defending Jiro. “There’s no room for games anymore. Not if any of us want to make it out of this.”

Kenji scoffed, his grip on my arms tightening. “He’s playing a game. I don’t know what, but I’m sure of it.”

Shouting erupted nearby. Taka’s and Dori’s voices rose, each louder than the last, their argument echoing in the blood-streaked kitchen. Taka and Dori had been close friends since day one, but now they were at each other’s throats. Watching them, I couldn’t help but wonder, was this what the program wanted? For us to turn on each other?

“Let’s get out of here,” Kenji said as he eyed them. “No reason to stick around for this.”

I nodded, letting him lead me.

Once we stepped outside the training kitchen, Kenji steered us away from the dormitory. “It’s too dangerous to go back there. People are unpredictable right now. Let’s go to the gardens. It’s safer, calmer, and we can think.”

I nodded, silently following him to the bench near the koi pond. The vibrant fish glided playfully beneath the surface, blissfully unaware of the madness that had just taken place.

Kenji sat beside me, the crease between his brows deep enough to plant seeds in. “We need to watch out for Iron Face,” he said, barely above a whisper. “It’s obvious he has it out for you. Splitting us up like that? Total bullshit.”

I shrugged. My shoulders felt tight. “I figured that out on day one. It’s not exactly subtle.”

He turned to face me fully, his dark eyes scanning mine. “We need a real plan, Akiko. I mean it. Something solid. I know we have each other’s backs, but I can’t afford to wing it anymore with you being such an easy target.”

The way he said it felt like a punch to the gut. “An easy target?” I said, arching an eyebrow.

His expression softened. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just, you know what I mean. Iron Face is gunning for you. I need to be ready for anything.”

“And I’m supposed to do what? Sit back and let you ‘prepare’ while I hope for the best?” I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Look, the plan is simple: We do our best in the challenges and try not to die.”

It was meant to be a joke, but Kenji didn’t laugh. If anything, his frown deepened. “That’s not a plan, Akiko. That’s wishful thinking. I was thinking more about needing a plan to protect you,” he said, frustration creeping into his voice. “I should have teamed up with you during this last challenge. You could’ve easily been the one injured or, worse, killed.”

“You don’t think I thought about that? I knew there was a risk with Jiro, but I dealt with it. And guess what? It worked out,” I said, trying to keep my tone under control.

“Yeah, this time,” he shot back. “You need me. I can protect you better than anyone. Jiro might’ve behaved himself during this challenge, but who knows about the next? As far as I can tell, two more people are out of the competition.”

“Kenji,” I said, exhaling slowly, “I appreciate your concern, but you need to trust that I’m not completely hopeless. I don’t need you sheltering me every step of the way.”

“What is it with you and Jiro, anyway?” he snapped as his gaze held mine. “You seem awfully quick to defend him.”

“There’s nothing between me and Jiro,” I said firmly. “We used each other strategically to survive the challenge, just like you and Kaiyo did. Kaiyo could’ve easily slit your throat.”

“I don’t think Kaiyo would have done anything like that.”

“Maybe so, but you still had to trust him. Look, Kenji, people already think we’re a team, and we can look stronger to them, like a threat. Let’s not give them reasons to target us. Plus it’s important to me to prove to them I can stand on my own.”

Kenji hesitated, then ran a hand through his hair. “I totally get it, Akiko. It’s just… People can be cutthroat.”

I placed a hand on his arm, trying to calm him. “Relax. I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not, Akiko,” he said, shaking his head. “You need me to protect you. No one else will look out for you like I can. Next time, we’ll fight to make sure we’re paired up. Whatever the challenge is, I’ll take the more dangerous part. You don’t have to do it alone.”

His words gave me pause, not because I thought he was right but because his protectiveness was starting to feel stifling.

“Kenji,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “I appreciate what you’re saying. I really do. But nothing happened to me this time. You can’t fight every battle for me. I need to face some of this alone, whether or not I want to. That’s part of what Chef Sakamoto is testing: how we handle pressure. I need to show that I can stand on my own two feet.”

Kenji kept rattling off ways to protect me, such as how he’d shield me from the others and take on the riskier tasks in future challenges. He wasn’t hearing a word I said, his mind spinning out of control. And his jealousy over Jiro? It was starting to unsettle me. Was this about protecting me, or was it about him wanting control over me?

Finally, I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “Kenji. Listen! I don’t need you to protect me. What I need is for you to be my friend. That’s it.”

Kenji’s shoulders dropped, his head bowing slightly. When he spoke, his voice softened. “I hear you, but…I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you. You mean so much to me, Akiko. Please, listen to me. If you don’t, I can’t protect you, especially from Jiro. Sooner or later, he’ll strike. And honestly? It looks like you’re getting comfortable around him, which is probably his plan. You can’t trust him. Trust me.”

I forced a small smile. “But you need to trust me, too, Kenji. Trust that I know what I’m doing.”

He nodded, even though his expression disagreed. As I stared into the pond, my thoughts drifted to Jiro’s actions during the challenge, how he had protected me from the whip and guided me through the challenge. Could it all be an elaborate setup? Or was there something genuine behind his behavior?

Kenji’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Whatever happens, Akiko, remember, you can only trust me.”

I didn’t respond. Watching the koi swim lazily beneath the surface, I couldn’t shake the feeling that trusting anyone in this competition, even Kenji, might be the greatest risk of all.