𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐲𝐧

c h a p. 8

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When Akira got off the phone with Arsyne, his demeanor shifted. The charming, almost tender man he had been moments ago was replaced by a hardened mask of determination. His eyes narrowed, his jaw set as he leaned against the wall in Riki's modern kitchen, the sleek stainless steel and granite countertops a stark contrast to the turbulence within him. The arguing from the living room filtered in faintly, but Akira paid it no mind.

A few seconds later, Asa approached him, her own face a mirror of the frustration he felt. She didn't announce her presence, nor did she bother with an elaborate greeting. Instead, she simply leaned on the wall next to her brother, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes scanned his face, noticing the tension in his jaw.

Her foot tapped lightly against the tiled floor making a sound that reverberated throughout the room, conquering the deathly silent atmosphere. "What did you say to her?" she asked, her voice a mix of irritation and concern. "Is she alright?"

Akira raised a brow, staring down at his sister. "Why do you care? You haven't spoken to her in days."

He handed back Asa's phone, not before saving Arsyne's number into his own. Asa snatched the phone from him, her eyes blazing. "Don't start with me, Akira. You wanted to keep this between us five. I can't keep anything from her, especially this. This is serious. Someone is threatening you both, and you know how dangerous that can be. Our parents, the company..."

Akira's gaze softened slightly, but the edge of anger remained. "I know," he said quietly. "That's why I told her to go home. I need her out of harm's way while we figure this out."

Asa sighed, rubbing her temples. "I just...If her family found out, Akira, I'm scared of what they'll do to her. We need to find out who's behind this, and fast."

"I know," Akira repeated, his voice firmer. "And we will. But for now, we need to be smart about this. Whoever sent that video knows too much."

Kairo, who had been listening from the doorway, stepped into the kitchen. His usually carefree expression was replaced with a rare look of seriousness. "We've got a lead," he said, holding up a piece of paper. "One of my contacts found out where the video was uploaded from. It's a small internet café downtown. We can start there."

Akira nodded, pushing off the wall. "Good. Let's go."

As they made their way out of the mansion, Asa fell into step beside Akira. "I still think you should have told her more," she muttered. "She deserves to know what's going on."

"She'll know when the time is right," Akira replied, his voice brooking no argument. "Right now, the less she knows, the safer she is."

"Is she?" Zero grumbled, a frown of worry on his face. He didn't really care what happened to her. He didn't know her that well other than the few rumors here and there, but he knew Akira. His best friend.

If something, anything, happened to harm his loved ones...he'd take care of it.

The drive to the café was tense, the air thick with unspoken words. Akira's mind raced with thoughts of Arsyne, her voice echoing in his ears. That mouth of hers that never seemed to want to shut up. No matter how attractive she might've been, her unending rambling and smart mouth annoyed him. But, despite her irritation, he enjoyed hearing her voice, no matter what she was going on about.

He pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand. They had to find out who was behind this and why. The stakes were too high to let personal feelings get in the way.

The café was a small, nondescript building wedged between two larger structures. The inside was dimly lit, with rows of computers and a few patrons scattered about. Akira, Riki, Zero, Kairo, and Asa made their way to the counter, where a bored-looking attendant glanced up from his phone.

"Can I help you?" he asked, not bothering to hide his disinterest.

"We're looking for some information," Akira said, his tone cold. "About a video that was uploaded from here."

The attendant's eyes widened slightly, and he glanced around nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered.

Akira leaned in; his gaze intense. "I think you do. And I think you know it would be in your best interest to tell us everything you know."

The attendant swallowed hard, his eyes darting to the door. "Look, I don't want any trouble," he said. "But yeah, someone did upload a video from here. Some guy was in and out really quickly. Didn't see his face, but he paid in cash."

"Did he leave anything behind?" Riki asked, his voice gentler.

The attendant shook his head. "No, nothing. But he did use one of the computers in the back. Number 12. Maybe there's something there."

Akira nodded, pulling out a wad of cash and slapping it on the counter. "For your trouble," he said, then turned to head towards the back of the café, Asa and Riki following close behind while Kairo and Zero requested to check the CCTV.

They found computer number 12 easily, its screen was still on the login page. Riki sat down, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he hacked into the system. "Got it," he said after a few minutes. "There's a trace of the video here, but it's encrypted. Give me a few minutes."

"You're wasting your skills playing the violin, Ki." Akira teased making Riki scoff out a laugh.

As Riki worked, Asa paced nervously, glancing at Akira. "What if we can't trace it back? What if we never find out who did this?"

"We will," Akira said, his voice steel. "We have to."

Riki let out a triumphant noise, drawing their attention. "Got it. The video was uploaded from a burner account, but I managed to trace it back to an IP address. It's a start."

"Good," Akira said, a grim smile playing on his lips. "Let's see where it leads us."

Zero and Kairo come back and tell them they didn't find much other than the fact it was a hooded man, there was no sight of his face showing in any angle of the camera's.

As they left the café, Akira's phone buzzed with a message. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening. Another message from the unknown number: "Enjoying the game?"

His jaw tightened, and he showed the message to the other four. "Fuck," he cursed, his voice low.

"You need to tell her." A flash of fear crosses Asa's face. An emotion she didn't even know she felt. Yet this wasn't fear for herself, or her family. No. This was a crippling fear of losing her only friend to the monsters that were Arsyne's family.

"She's right," Kairo states with his arms crossed, he bit his lip as he thought of all the possibilities that this could end badly.

Akira sighs and runs a hand through his hair in distress. "I'm trying to protect her."

"You think keeping this quiet is going to protect her?" She laughs mockingly, "Wandering the dark without knowing you're in danger is a terrible thing, brother. You know that more than I do."

As he drove away, Akira's thoughts drifted back to Arsyne. He would protect her, no matter the cost. And whoever was behind this would pay dearly for threatening the people he cared about.

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