Mastermind | Chuuya Nakahara.

TWENTY

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
CHAPTER TWENTY:
Don't you dare move.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The raven-haired woman lay on her back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling through tired eyes. She felt exhausted. She hadn't experienced so much emotions in such a long time and it had left her feeling like she could sleep for a week. She didn't understand why Nobu had even been in the Port Mafia in the first place. She couldn't imagine that Katsu had sent him, why would he? Having her mentor there would only interfere with her mission—and Katsu knew that. He was more than aware of the effect the man had on Aki—but perhaps, it was some kind of manipulation tactic. Katsu didn't make orders unless it benefited him in some way.

Aki found herself thinking of Chuuya. It had infuriated her, the way that he stood up for her—it had made her sick. She didn't want anyone protecting her, especially not him. She couldn't even phantom why he would defend her in the first place. He hated her, right? So what had made him so damn angry? What brought him to snap in front of his Boss? Aki knew that despite being a part of the Port Mafia, Chuuya kept his morals very close to his heart. Perhaps, he just couldn't stand the way the man was talking about her—like she was some kind of pet.

Aki's head perked up as she was snapped from her thoughts, hearing the sound of ringing. It was the burner phone she had hidden behind the painting. She knew it would be Katsu, he was the only one that knew about her mission and the burner phone. She didn't want to speak to him, she wanted to ignore everything. But still, she was curious as to what her Boss had to say to her.

She got up, crossing the room before pulling the painting forward, allowing the phone to drop into her palm. She flipped the phone open, answering the call. There was a silence, and then she heard the voice of her Boss, "Did you receive my present?" Katsu's voice drawled out—she could hear the smile on his face. Her heart dropped.

"This was you?" She asked before she could stop herself. It didn't make sense to her. Why the hell had Katsu sent Nobu to the Port Mafia? What did he have to gain from losing one of his best men?

"I thought you would be happy to see your old mentor again," His voice was deceiving. He knew that she wouldn't be happy—he was more than aware of what her reaction would have been. And that's exactly why he had done it. "Akira, you remember your mission, don't you?" He asked her, making her brows pull downwards.

"Of course I do." She told him, her teeth gritting together. What kind of game is he playing?

"I've been keeping my eyes on you, Akira. Your sole mission is to assassinate Ogai Mori, so why is it, you've spent the majority of your time with the Gravity Manipulator and his little friends instead?" He questioned, only confusing Aki further. Wasn't that a part of the job? Get close to Mori's men in order to eliminate him? They had spoken about it in detail. That was exactly why Katsu had given her so much time to complete the mission.

"Mori paired me with the Gravity Manipulator the moment I got here. As for the others, it was in the brief to get close to them." She reminded him, beginning to pace in her room. It was far easier speaking to her Boss over the phone than in person—she could form full sentences.

Katsu sighed, "That I did. Though, I didn't expect you to actually start to enjoy it." His voice was sad, as if he held the weight of the world on his shoulders.