I noticed that when I had torn open Akane’s assassin outfit earlier, her smooth, porcelain-white stomach was fully exposed. The elegant, subtle muscle definition on her abdomen looked incredibly alluring. Akane noticed my gaze lingering and quietly covered her bare stomach with her bloodied hand.

"Wait a minute..." I said.

I left the room quickly and returned shortly after with a long, high-quality black coat from the SUDIX Store. Akane took it without a word and wore it over her torn clothes, the coat slightly oversized on her slender but toned frame.

After that, we quietly left the villa. Outside, a sleek, matte-black motorcycle was waiting — more aggressive and tactical than Yuko’s. Akane mounted it effortlessly. I sat behind her. There were no rear handles, so I had no choice but to wrap my arms around her waist.

Akane started the engine. The powerful bike roared to life.

"Hold tight," she whispered over her shoulder.

She twisted the throttle hard. The motorcycle shot forward violently, the rear wheel lifting slightly as she accelerated at high speed.

I instinctively tightened my arms around her waist. I felt her body stiffen for a moment at the close contact, but she soon relaxed and focused on riding.

She drove like a shadow through the night — first through quiet rural roads, then onto rough dirt paths, and eventually deep into a dense, dark forest. The further we went, the thicker the trees became. There were no signs of human life anymore — only moonlight barely piercing through the canopy.

After a long ride, we reached a hidden clearing. A large, ancient-looking wooden door camouflaged among the trees slowly opened from the inside. Several figures in black assassin outfits emerged.

Akane drove straight in without slowing down.

The moment we entered the secret compound, I felt dozens of sharp eyes lock onto me. The disciples’ faces were hidden behind masks, but their eyes showed clear shock at seeing their Master bring an outsider — especially a man — into their hidden sanctuary. However, since I was with Akane, no one dared to question it.

I stepped off the bike, reluctantly releasing Akane’s waist. She dismounted gracefully and walked forward with purpose.

One disciple stepped closer, her voice trembling with worry:

"Master... Sister Tachibana... she..."

The disciple struggled to speak. "Master... her situation is not good. She might not make it through the night..."

"Enough," Akane cut her off coldly, though her fists were clenched tightly. "Nothing will happen to her."

Akane grabbed my hand firmly and pulled me inside one of the inner rooms. The atmosphere was heavy and somber. Several female assassins stood silently around the room, all wearing identical black outfits and masks. The moment Akane entered, they all bowed deeply in unison.

"Master!"

In the center of the room lay a single bed. Only the girl on it had her mask removed.

Tachibana.

She looked on the verge of death.

Her face was deathly pale, almost ghostly white, with dark circles under her eyes. Cold sweat covered her forehead and neck. Her lips were dry and slightly bluish. Her breathing was extremely shallow and irregular — each breath seemed like a struggle.

Blood had soaked through the thin blanket covering her body, creating multiple dark red stains, especially around her chest and abdomen. Her once sharp and beautiful eyes were now dull and unfocused, half-lidded as if she was fighting to stay conscious.

She looked fragile, like a single gust of wind could take her life.

Akane walked straight to the bedside and sat down. Her voice softened slightly as she gently touched the girl’s cheek.

"Tachibana... you will be fine."

The young disciple slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Akane standing beside her bed, a very faint, weak smile appeared on her deathly pale, bloodless lips. Her once sharp and beautiful eyes were now dull and clouded with pain.

"Master... I’m... happy... you are safe..." she whispered hoarsely, her voice barely louder than a breath.

She took a shaky, painful breath that made her entire body tremble. A thin trail of blood slowly dripped from the corner of her mouth as she continued with great difficulty:

"I don’t care... what happens to me... My life... has always belonged to Master... Please... don’t worry about a worthless disciple like me..."

Her hand weakly lifted from the bed, trembling violently as she tried to reach out and touch Akane’s arm. She couldn’t make it. Her fingers gave out halfway, and her hand fell limply back onto the blood-stained sheets.

The room was deathly silent. One of the senior disciples standing nearby finally spoke, her voice heavy with grief and exhaustion:

"Master... we removed all the bullets, but her wounds have become badly infected. She has lost far too much blood. Her internal organs are damaged... We’ve done everything we possibly could, but... her condition is critical. She may not survive until morning."

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the room.

Akane stared at her disciple for a long moment, then spoke in a cold, authoritative voice:

"All of you... Get out. Leave us alone."

The disciples exchanged uneasy glances but slowly began moving toward the door, their black capes swaying silently. However, one of the younger disciples stopped near me and glared sharply.

"What are you?" she yelled, her voice filled with hostility and suspicion. "Didn’t you hear, Master? Get out! This is none of your business, outsider!"

The girl’s hand even moved toward the dagger at her waist, clearly ready to threaten me.

Before the situation could escalate, Akane suddenly reached out and firmly held my hand in front of everyone. Her grip was surprisingly strong despite her earlier blood loss.

"He is staying here," Akane declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. "All of you, leave. Now."

The disciples froze in shock. Several of them looked between Akane and me with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"But Master...!" one of them protested, clearly disturbed. "He is an outsider! A man! We cannot allow—"

Akane’s eyes turned icy cold. Her voice suddenly boomed with pure authority and barely contained anger:

"I said GO OUT NOW."

Her furious tone echoed through the wooden room like thunder. The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly. All the disciples immediately lowered their heads in fear and obedience. Without another word, they quickly filed out of the room, closing the heavy door behind them.

The moment they were gone, the room became eerily quiet, save for Tachibana’s weak, labored breathing.