𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔⭑.ᐟ 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐔 (✔)

chapter 13

The ride back to the Bonten base carried a different kind of silence than before, one that felt sharpened rather than heavy, as if every detail from the warehouse was still unfolding in real time instead of sitting in the past where it belonged. The city slowly came back into view around us, but neither of us paid much attention to it, our focus lingering on what had just happened and what it meant.

I leaned slightly against the window, watching the reflections blur across the glass while piecing everything together. The positioning, the timing, the explosives, none of it had been improvised. It had been built with intention, with precision, and most importantly, with knowledge.

"They knew it would be us," I said finally, breaking the silence without looking away from the window. "Yeah."

"That wasn't a general ambush," I continued, my voice steady as the realization settled more firmly. "They were prepared for specific targets."

A brief pause followed before he added, "Which means someone told them." That part didn't need debate.

By the time we arrived, the atmosphere inside the Bonten base had already shifted into something tighter, something far less forgiving than usual. The moment we stepped in, it was clear that whatever conclusions we had reached on the way back had already been reached here as well.

Everyone was gathered.

Ran stood off to the side, his posture relaxed in appearance only, while Takeomi remained still and observant, his expression giving nothing away. Sanzu, on the other hand, paced with visible irritation, his movements sharp and restless, like he was waiting for something to snap.

At the centre of it all sat Mikey. Quiet, composed, and waiting.

"You're late," Sanzu said, though the usual bite in his tone was dulled by something more focused. "Traffic," I replied, just as flat.

He didn't react, which said more than if he had. Rindou stepped forward, getting straight to the point. "It was a setup."

"I know," Mikey said calmly, as if he had been expecting nothing else.

"There's no way that was coincidence," Rindou continued, his voice steady but firm. "They knew where to position themselves, how to control the space, and when to trigger the explosives. That level of coordination doesn't come from guessing."

Mikey didn't interrupt or argue.  He simply let the words settle before responding, "It doesn't."

The silence that followed wasn't empty, but deliberate, stretching just long enough to let the weight of that sink in. Then Takeomi spoke. "The information about that location was restricted," he said, his tone measured. "Only a small group had access to it."

My gaze shifted slightly at that. That narrowed things down more than enough. Sanzu let out a short, humorless laugh. "So what now? We start accusing each other?"

"No," Ran said smoothly, pushing himself off the wall with an ease that didn't match the tension in the room. "We don't accuse."

A small pause. "We verify."

The shift was immediate. Mikey moved slightly, just enough to draw everyone's attention back to him. 

"Bring him in."

His voice remained quiet, but there was no room to question it.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway soon after, steady and controlled, and when the figure finally stepped into the room, nothing about him seemed out of place at first glance. His posture was straight, his expression neutral, and yet something about the way his eyes moved gave him away almost instantly.

"You called?" he asked evenly. No one answered right away.

Mikey's gaze settled on him, calm but piercing in a way that didn't need force to be effective. "You leaked it," Mikey said.

There was no accusation in his tone. No buildup. Just certainty. The man hesitated, if only for a fraction of a second, but it was enough. "I don't know what you-"

"Don't lie."

Mikey didn't raise his voice, but the interruption cut cleanly through the space, leaving no room for deflection. "I shared that information with a limited circle," he continued, his gaze never leaving the man. "And yet an external group knew exactly who would be there, how to handle them, and when to strike."

The room fell completely still. The man's composure faltered, his jaw tightening as his eyes shifted, just once, toward the exit.

That was all Sanzu needed.

He moved instantly, grabbing him on the collar before he could even think about stepping back, forcing him into place with a grip that made resistance pointless. "Trying to leave?" Sanzu muttered, his tone edged with something unhinged.

"I didn't- "

"You did," Ran cut in, his voice smooth but final. This time, there was no recovery.

The man's expression cracked, something more desperate surfacing beneath the surface as the weight of the situation closed in on him.

"...You don't understand," he said, his voice tightening. "This isn't just about betrayal." No one interrupted him.

"You think I did this for power?" he continued, a strained edge creeping into his words. "You think this is that simple?"

Mikey's expression didn't change. "Then explain."

The response came from Sanzu this time, his voice flat as he raised his gun, the quiet click of it cutting through the silence like a warning.

The man swallowed, his composure slipping further before something unexpected replaced it.

He laughed. It sounded strained, almost unstable.

"You're already too late," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Bonten isn't the only one building something."

That shifted the air. Mikey's gaze sharpened, just slightly.

"Who?"

For a moment, the man said nothing, a faint, knowing smile forming instead. "You'll see."

The gunshot came without warning. Sharp. 

The sound echoed briefly before silence rushed back in to fill the space. The man collapsed where he stood.

Sanzu lowered the gun slightly, his expression unchanged. "Fucking bastard..." he muttered under his breath.

I exhaled slowly, my thoughts already moving ahead, already piecing together what little we had been given. Whoever this group was, they weren't small, and they weren't reckless. They were organised, patient, and confident enough to provoke Bonten directly.

That alone made them dangerous. My gaze shifted briefly, meeting Rindou's for just a second. Nothing was said. But it didn't need to be.

This wasn't over.

Mikey stood, and the shift in the room was immediate, every ounce of attention snapping back to him. "Find out who he was working with," he said calmly. There was no hesitation in his voice. Because there didn't need to be.

"Because next time," he continued, his gaze lifting slightly, something colder settling beneath it, "they won't miss."

A brief pause followed. 

Then, almost as if it had already been decided,  "Neither will we."

EDITED: 21/4/2026