HiGH&LOW Series: Until The End of the World (SmokeyxOCxSlight!AmamiyaHiroto)

5

Misako stared dumbfounded at the USB that her mother had given her. It has been a few months since she last saw her mother and two months since she received the mysterious USB. She had kept the USB in a safe place and hadn't told anyone about it nor did she open it to see what it was inside. She just remembered that she had the USB when she was giving a bath to Meong-Meong.

"What is that?" Smokey asked her, sitting down beside the woman. Misako had come earlier to the Nameless City to visit the Rude Boys and the children there. She spent her time distributing the snacks that she had brought. Smokey had more time for himself seeing that his health was getting worse due to his illness. He would still be on patrol sometimes, but would never engage in fighting too much as per Misako, Lala, and the Rude Boys' request.

"My mother came to visit me a few months ago, gave me this USB and then left without a trace. I don't know if I should open it." Misako said, still staring at the object then turning to look at Smokey.

"You should," Smokey gently patted her hand, "she gave you that for a reason, didn't she?"

"I have a bad feeling about it though..." Misako pursed her lips still debating on whether she should open the USB or not. Smokey noticed Misako's distress and took her hand giving it a small squeeze. He was aware that the woman was never close to her biological parents and had her doubts about whether she should trust them or not. Nevertheless, they were still her parents and they clearly gave her the object trusting their daughter with whatever was inside the USB.

"You should still check what's inside," Smokey suggested, "it might be important."

Misako nodded her head, deciding to open the USB. Besides, what was so important that her mother had specifically delivered the object herself? Her parents would usually request things through phone calls, so it was rare to see her mother come to find her.

"I'll tell you tomorrow about what I found in this USB then," Misako concluded.

Smokey gave her a gentle smile and leaned his head on her shoulder. Misako reached out her hand and grabbed his interlacing fingers looking up at the ceiling in worry. Lately Smokey had been weaker and weaker, his attacks were more constant and Misako was always hesitant to leave him despite trusting the others to take care of him.

"You should rest more," Misako whispered, her thumb gently tracing his hand. Smokey simply hummed in response, clearly tired. The woman moved gently and helped Smokey get into a comfortable position so that he could rest. The man moved with her leaning back to get to a cosy position not really wanting to protest against her. Once he was comfortable, Misako stood up, still unsure if she wanted to leave him.

"I'll be fine," Smokey said quietly, giving her hand a kiss.

Misako was still skeptical, but nonetheless nodded her head and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. With one last smile, she left Smokey to rest. While she was leaving the Nameless City, she told Lala that Smokey was resting so that she wouldn't worry for her brother. She also informed the Rude Boys to keep an eye on Smokey as his health kept declining.

Arriving at her shop with Meong-Meong, she went straight up to her room and grabbed her laptop. Plugging the USB in she was met with codes before checking what was in it. They made the woman realize that the USB was supposed to be extra careful and wary of what she was about to see.

It didn't take long for her to unlock the passwords and codes. Being an informatic expert had its pros. Misako's eyes widened looking at what was in the mysterious USB. Proof against Kuryu. A whole bunch of them. The real reason is why they were specifically targeting the Nameless City. Not only that, she found out the proof that her grandparents, Tatsuya, and Noboru's car accidents were not accidents at all.