Kibishi's POV

  Even after a few steps, my heart was still racing.

  Step! Step! Step!

  Step after step, I could feel that our destination was near. A quick swerve to the left, then down the right hallway. I made a clean drift to the right and finally reached the room where David and Riley were being held captive.

  I saw Akuma and Tao speaking to a soldier in full gear.

  Most likely, they were trying to convince him to let them pass. But the soldier quickly shook his head. That confirmed my suspicion. I slowed down and caught up with the two girls and the male soldier.

  "Kishi!" Tao called out to me, her voice ced with fear.

  "W-what is it?!" I responded, my breath heavy as I lowered my upper body, resting my palms on my knees.

  "They won't let us pass! They said it's a restricted area for newcomers!" Tao expined.

  "And I tried to ask if they'd let me in with you two as witnesses, but he refused," Akuma added with a frown.

  "Sorry. Founder's orders," the man in the suit said in a deep, smooth voice. Now that I got a good look at him, he was pretty fit, with dark skin. But who cared about that now?

  "Why can't we get in, sir?! Please, you have to let us in!" I pleaded, sweat dripping down my face. I couldn't help but feel nervous—panicky, even. My vision wasn't sitting right, and this time, it wasn't because of my powers. I couldn't calm down until I saw David and Riley again. I had to know if they were safe!

  I had to!

  "You kids need to follow the rules around here. Rules are rules. You can visit the suspects when we're done with them," the soldier said, folding his arms and closing his eyes.

  "They're not suspects, they're our friends!" Tao shouted, anger creeping into her voice.

  "Yeah! Haven't you heard the saying, 'Innocent until proven guilty'?! What kind of adult are you?!" I yelled, balling my fists.

  "Shut your mouths! Do you want to be reported to The Founder?! I suggest leaving before you piss me off!" the soldier snapped at Tao and me.

  I gritted my teeth, my mind bnk. I couldn't think—couldn't even feel my soul at that moment. All I cared about was David and Riley's safety. And he was standing in our way...

  If he was in the way...

  Static!

  He was in the way, wasn't he?

  Static!

  Yeah, he was in the way...

  The eyesore was in the way...

  "If you're going to stand in our way, then..." I muttered in a low voice, instinctively reaching into my pocket—

  Grab!

  A hand cmped around my wrist, stopping me from pulling out whatever was in my pocket. I looked up with cold eyes—icy, unlike the usual burning intensity I felt. Akuma stood there, giving me a small smile. She gnced at the soldier and ughed nervously.

  "Oh, right! We weren't actually going into the investigation room!" Akuma smoothly took my hand out of my pocket, holding it gently. "The Founder wanted us to bring the troublemakers to his office for a personal investigation."

  "And why is that, Akuma?" the soldier asked, skepticism heavy in his voice.

  "What?! You're not going to let us take the troublemakers to The Founder?!" Akuma widened her eyes in exaggerated shock. From where I stood, it looked like acting—convincing acting, too.

  I felt my emotions cooling down, warmth returning to my eyes.

  Akuma sighed deeply, then gnced at Tao, who looked just as furious as I had been. It seemed Tao had the same idea—she'd been reaching into her jacket pocket for something. What, exactly? I had no idea. Honestly, I wasn't even sure what I had been reaching for. My pockets were supposed to be empty. But now that I thought about it, they'd felt heavy ever since we left the care center earlier. How had we not noticed?

  Akuma pulled out what looked like a phone and tapped swiftly on the screen before showing it to the soldier.

  "You sure? I'm pretty sure he wanted to handle this himself. See that tiny, tiny little detail in this form here, buddy? Yeah, it says that no soldier should speak louder than the fighters risking their lives to keep this city and its people safe."

  The soldier narrowed his eyes, but Akuma brushed it off and turned off the phone.

  "Sooo, by default, you'll have to listen to us. And if you're not keen on that idea, then you'd better at least listen to me, since I'm in the top five rankings of this whole organization. In other words, my word is absolute—as long as it doesn't break the rules." Akuma pnted a free hand on her hip, her tone calm but firm.

  "Aha! The rules say—!"

  "'Anyone who doesn't follow the rules can't try to overrule them.' But you're missing something, bud. 'They can't be overruled unless it's for something important, or if The Founder himself gives permission to certain parties who've supported him for days, months, or even years.' Yep. I did my homework, Mister. No need to give a young adult the runaround, now, is there?"

  Damn.

  Not even I had anything to say to that.

  I gnced at Tao, who looked more surprised than I was. Akuma wasn't pying around.

  Akuma sighed again, then chuckled. "I really didn't want to pull that card on you, but you left me no choice. So why don't you let us in so we can do our job, okay? And hey—while you're at it, take a break! It's on me!"

  She winked at the soldier with a bright smile.

  "Ugh. Forget it. Not worth my time," the soldier grumbled, finally giving in. He turned and walked away, disappearing down the hall.

  Akuma exhaled sharply, pressing a hand to her chest.

  "That was close. Talk about a close shave."

  I stared at the ground, conflicted. It made sense—I'd been about to do something reckless, something that would've gotten Tao and me kicked out for sure. But all I could think about was David and Riley's safety. I hadn't been thinking clearly.

  "You guys shouldn't do that again, okay? What would've happened if I hadn't stepped in?" Akuma's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

  I looked up. She seemed angry, but there was also understanding in her expression. Still, beneath that, I could tell our actions had scared her.

  "Supernaturals don't use their powers for selfish reasons. If we do, this whole organization will turn into chaos." Akuma raised a hand, smiling. "Why else do you think I don't use mine all the time?"

  Weren't you the one who smashed open that door earlier, though?

  "Well, today I sort of did the exact opposite of what I just said, but I'm sure there are exceptions!"

  Her expression turned serious as she locked eyes with me. "But unlike you two, I can get away with it because The Founder knows I sometimes act before I speak. That's just how I am—and it's because of my rank here. But you two are still new. Any reckless actions could have consequences you can't take back."

  I averted my gaze, staring at Akuma's upper body—not for any inappropriate reason, but out of shame.

  "Tao, I'm surprised you'd resort to violence to get what you want. While I admire your courage and loyalty to your friends, that kind of mindset will poison you in the long run. You've got to keep it in check, got it?"

  "I-I'm sorry for my actions, Akuma..." Tao whispered, her voice trembling.

  "As long as you two understand your mistakes." Akuma finally let go of my arm and, without hesitation, reached into my pocket. I wanted to protest, but she pulled out a small weapon—a knife.

  She did the same with Tao's pockets, retrieving another knife.

  Wait, where did these come from?

  "The foundation you two were kept in—alongside your other friends—pnted small devices in your clothes that slipped weapons into your pockets as soon as you left. I knew that was a bad idea for civilians. It was bound to cause problems, but The Founder didn't listen."

  Akuma twirled both knives effortlessly, like a performer showing off a party trick. She must've had serious skill if she could spin them so casually in front of two newcomers.

  "That's another favor The Founder owes me. This, and going easy on David and Riley. Depending on what they did, of course."

  She stopped spinning the knives and tucked them into a pink, flower-patterned wallet before slipping it away.

  "Rest assured, your friends won't be kicked out. If they'd really caused trouble, they would've been banned immediately. This is probably just a warning."

  "You think so?" Tao asked.

  "I know so, Tao." Akuma pced a hand on Tao's shoulder. "I'll have to apologize to that soldier, though. Using the rules against him like that wasn't fair. It was an abuse of power, but it was the only way to get him to back down."

  "Thank you for helping us, Akuma. You have no idea how much this means to me." Tears welled up in Tao's eyes as she smiled.

  "A-ah! No need for tears, alright? You're making me want to cry!" Akuma's own eyes grew watery.

  "I'm sorry, but it's just—!"

  Tao couldn't stop the tears. Meanwhile, my guilt slowly faded. I had been out of line—unreasonable, even. Horrible, some might say. I wouldn't deny it.

  Maybe someday, I'll make up for this mistake.

  Tao wiped her tears as Akuma turned toward the door.

  "You two can make it up with tomorrow's work, okay? Oh, and you'll be apologizing to that soldier with me." Akuma pressed her fingertips against the door.

  "Right," Tao nodded.

  "That's fair. We went too far back there." I scratched the side of my face out of habit.

  "As long as you both take responsibility for your actions, then it's all good."

  With that, Akuma finally opened the door to the investigation room.

  Right. Time to see David and Riley.