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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

I left the temple feeling both hopeful and confused. Hopeful that Reina was trying to help me but baffled by how matter of fact she was about the challenges and deaths. Was she desensitized, or was she more like Chef Sakamoto than I wanted to admit?

She spoke about the challenges as if they were written exams. Show effort, work hard, and you’ll earn a gold star. Simple as that. But nothing here was simple. Not even her advice. She was just as cryptic as Iron Face. What did she mean about paying attention to the knife? Still, I felt grateful for her guidance, even though I knew better than to blindly trust her.

What bothered me most was how she’d brought up my father. It had come out of nowhere, like she knew it would dredge up painful memories. Had she even known him? Maybe. He’d been best friends with her husband. But my father had never mentioned Reina, not once. And the way she compared us, as if I were destined to fall short of his greatness, made my blood boil. What could she possibly know about me? About my potential?

I stepped out of the temple and into the gardens. The night air was cool against my skin, raising goose bumps along my arms. The pathway was dimly lit by the ishidoros, their faint candlelight barely enough to counter the darkness. Every so often, a shadow flickered in my periphery—a trick of the moonlight, I told my jumpy self.

Then I heard it. A crunch of gravel up ahead. My breath caught, and I froze. Someone was there.

Had Reina come back to provide me with more cryptic advice?

From the shadows, a figure emerged. The light from the ishidoros glimmered over them, but not enough to reveal their face. By the outline, I could tell it wasn’t Reina. A man. Kenji, maybe? My mind jumped to the worst possibilities. Taka or Dori. Maybe they’d come to finish what they’d started the day before.

Behind me, leaves rustled faintly, making me glance over my shoulder. I thought I heard voices, faint and indistinct. My imagination was taking on a life of its own.

The person continued toward me, slowly, deliberately, making the gravel crunch underfoot. If they’d already seen me, there was no use in trying to hide. The fork in the path was still a ways off, making a detour impossible, and venturing off the trail into the dark would mean losing what little light the ishidoros offered. I had two options: run or face them.

Everything is a test, Akiko.

If it was Taka or Dori, maybe this was my test. To outthink them. I had information they might want, something I could use to keep them at bay. Keep your enemies close.

I held my ground, heart pounding as I watched the figure approach. Their footsteps crunched louder with every step, their shadowy outline growing clearer. But the flickering light played tricks on their features, keeping them hidden until they stepped into a patch of moonlight.

I blinked. It was Jiro.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his familiar smile coming into view. “Isn’t this area off limits?”

“I should ask you the same,” I replied, arms crossed.

“I hate being cooped up in the dorms.”

I no longer considered Jiro a direct threat. He’d had countless chances to sabotage me and hadn’t. But that didn’t mean I trusted him.

I shifted my weight to one foot, my stance firm. “Jiro, what do you want from me?”

“What do you mean?” He’d moved close enough that I could make out the hazel in his eyes.

“You defended me at dinner. You pulled Taka and Dori off me. What’s your angle? Just come out with it once and for all.”

He threw his hands up in mock surrender. “Whoa, I’m sorry if I was being too nice.”

“That’s exactly what I’m getting at. Why are you being nice? I broke up with you, and from what I remember, you weren’t exactly thrilled about it. We shouldn’t even be talking.”

He hesitated. His gaze fell to the ground for a beat before meeting mine again. “I’m just trying to keep things fair. Level the playing field… I hear the whispers you don’t, Akiko. You have no idea how much danger you’re in.”

“Me? You mean us…everyone here.”

“Yes, we all are, but you especially. I know you’ve gotten this far, and I’m not trying to take that away from you. But…”

“But what?”

Jiro kicked at the ground with his shoe, avoiding eye contact. I just didn’t get it. Why was he even here? Why did he care? One minute he was acting how I expected, like someone who despised me. And the next, he was singing praises and telling me I was cute and deserved to win.

“You have to trust me. That’s all I can say,” he offered up eventually. “You deserve to be here. I don’t want to see your chance at real opportunity diminished.”

“Fairness? That’s the angle? That’s what this is about?” I raised a brow. “This has absolutely nothing to do with our past. I mean, you can see how this looks from where I’m standing, right?”

“I’ll admit, I was pissed when you broke up with me. But this isn’t about revenge, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He paused, as if reflecting for a moment. “I was kind of an asshole back then.”

“Kind of?” My voice pitched higher.

“Okay, fine. I was an asshole.” He shrugged, a sheepish grin tugging at his lips. “But?—”

“Please don’t tell me you’ve changed,” I interrupted.

“People do change. Cut me some slack here… You’re not the same person you were back then.”

I tilted my head, studying him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, for starters, you’re confident now. You’re not afraid to speak your mind or step into the spotlight. Back then, you were quiet and kept to yourself. But now…” He gestured vaguely, as if searching for the right words. “You’re surer of yourself. And you’ve grown up. You’ve always been cute, but now—” He eyed me up and down. “Now you’re beautiful. Graceful, even. It suits you. You were kind of clumsy back then.”

I stared at him, caught off guard by his words. Compliments I didn’t realize he was capable of giving or that I even wanted to hear. At least I think they were compliments. Whatever they were, he had to have been paying attention to dish them out. I mean, really paying attention.

But this was also Jiro. Fuckboy numero uno. He was the guy who could talk his way into any girl’s bed. Had he rehearsed this entire spiel? Or had he really changed?

“Well, thank you,” I said cautiously. “That’s nice of you to say. But you still haven’t answered my original question. What do you want from me?”

He sighed, his expression softening. “I guess I’d like to be friends again.”

“Friends? The Jiro I know doesn’t just want to be friends with a girl.”

“I’m not that Jiro anymore,” he said. “I’ve grown and changed. Look, I was a punk in university. I know that. Honestly, how you even put up with me is a mystery.”

“It really is,” I quipped, unable to help myself.

“If I were you, I would’ve dumped me sooner.”

“I’m glad we can agree on that.”

He chuckled. “I probably wouldn’t even entertain a conversation with me right now. It’s asking a lot.”

“No arguments there,” I said simply.

“But when I think back… We had some good times, didn’t we? You made me feel…different. Like I could open up and say things I didn’t tell anyone else. Remember how we’d talk for hours before falling asleep? Those are good memories for me.”

Don’t crack, Akiko. This is Jiro. Remember why you broke up with him.

“And every time you cooked for me…” His voice dipped. “It made me feel special. Loved. I know I didn’t show it enough back then, but I felt it.”

Shit!

“I’m sorry, I have to go.” The words spilled out before I could stop them. I pushed past him, my shoulder brushing against his chest as I forced myself forward. My pace quickened with each step, each one heavier than the last. I didn’t dare look back, afraid even a glance would shatter the fragile dam holding my tears back.

“Wait, did I say something wrong?” he called out, his voice laced with confusion.

No. You said everything right.

As I marched on, I clenched my fists at my sides, wishing the cool night air could numb my heart.

I rushed into the dorms, footsteps echoing faintly down the empty hallway. Reaching my room, I shoved my door open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind me. I leaned against the wood, squeezing my eyes shut to steady my breathing.

Tears pricked at my lashes, and I swiped at them angrily. How could Jiro still manage to affect me like this? I thought I’d buried those feelings long ago, yet here they were, surfacing with brutality.

Then, movement. I held my breath as a figure stirred in the shadows near my bed, the dark silhouette sharpening into focus.

“Where were you?” The voice was quiet but unmistakable. My eyes adjusted to the dark, and there was Kenji, perched on the edge of my bed, elbows on his knees and hands clasped tightly together.

“Kenji?” I forced my voice to remain calm despite the creepy feeling that overcame me. “What are you doing here?”

He switched on the small lamp, and the dim yellow glow warmed the room. “I was worried about you,” he said calmly as he stood, his figure looming closer. “You disappeared without saying anything. I thought something might’ve happened.”

“I’m fine,” I said, forcing a tiny smile I didn’t feel. “I just needed some air.”

“Air?” His voice rose. “You think it’s smart to wander off alone in the middle of the night? This place isn’t safe, Akiko. You know that. How am I supposed to protect you if you won’t tell me where you are, always?”

“Kenji, I don’t need protecting,” I said firmly, taking a step back until my body pressed against the door. “I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.”

His gaze punched right through me, unrelenting. His voice dropped, low and menacing. “You’re not handling anything. You’re acting like you’re untouchable, like the rules here don’t apply to you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do.” His lips curled into a cold smirk. “You’re the special one here. Wait, what did Jiro call you? Oh yes, the trailblazer. The one who has no problem accepting help from him or Reina, but when it’s me, suddenly, it’s a no-go.”

“Kenji.” My voice cracked, fear bleeding through. “Leave. Now. Please.”

He tipped his head. “Why won’t you answer me? Where were you? Who were you with?”

“I went for a walk.” I folded my arms across my chest, trying to project confidence while nausea churned in my stomach. “Do I need your approval now?”

His laugh was low and soulless. “How can I protect you if you keep shutting me out?”

“Kenji, we’ve already talked about this. I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“Yes, you’ve said that many times. Why is my help labeled suffocating ?” He took a step closer, his presence growing like a shadow. “That’s what you think, isn’t it?”

“That’s not true. You know I appreciate you.”

“For us to survive, we have to trust each other.” His words crawled under my skin as he closed the distance. “And I’m starting to feel like you don’t trust me anymore.”

I shifted uncomfortably, my back pressed flush against the door, no room left to retreat. “You’re overthinking this, Kenji. We’re still a team. We’ve come this far together, and we’ll make it to the end. But right now, I need you to leave.”

His chest heaved, his breathing ragged like he was wrestling with a dark thought. For a long moment, he stood there, his frame rigid, his gaze searing into mine.

Finally, he let out a slow, reluctant breath. “I’m only trying to help,” he said, but there was nothing soft about his tone.

He reached for the doorknob, and I quickly moved to the side. He hesitated at the door, his hand lingering on the frame for a moment before he finally stepped into the hallway.

The second he was gone, I shut the door and wedged the chair beneath the handle, the scrape of wood against the floor breaking the silence. My hands shook as I backed away from the door, exhaling a shaky breath. Something about this place was making everyone change.