Dark Knight

Secret Objective

"This isn't what it looks like," Rin said, his tone edged with desperation, as if he were trying to convince her.

Chizuru remained silent, speechless at the scene before her.

"I can explain," Rin added quietly.

A few minutes later, both were seated at the dining table, eating seasoned scrambled eggs and bread, a mug of coffee placed between them. Rin wore a black long-sleeved shirt and matching pants, his demeanor calm but tense.

"So… you're the Dark Knight who's been going out every night and beating up people on the streets?" Chizuru finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I had an objective," Rin replied. "My goal was to find Yuusuke and avenge my family. But recently, I found out that a dangerous organization I thought I’d destroyed is still out there—lurking in the shadows."

"What organization?" she asked.

"It’s complicated," Rin said. "Long story short, I was trained under the Yubiwa for three years—an organization based in Mongolia. I joined to gain the skills and knowledge to take revenge on Yuusuke, since he was once part of them. But when I discovered they were using weapons from my company for malicious purposes, I blew everything up."

"And that’s why you shut down the weapons division?"

"Yeah," Rin said simply. "But there are still some of them lurking inside my company."

"What?" Chizuru leaned forward, eyes wide.

"I don’t know who they are yet, so keep this between us," Rin warned. "I suspect Kevin and the others are part of it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I’m not," he admitted. "But I need you to hack into his computer, download all his files, and send them to me."

"I—I can’t," Chizuru said, standing up, her voice trembling. "You’re going to get yourself killed this time, and I just—"

"Chizuru!" Rin stood up too, stepping toward her. "I need to prevent them from enacting whatever plan they have."

"Rin, I thought I lost you. Now you’re going out every night, putting your life at risk. I can’t take part in this."

Rin exhaled deeply, standing close in front of her. "You’ve stood by my side all these years. And now, when I finally have a chance to redeem myself, you’re just going to walk away? I’m taking responsibility into my own hands. I’m doing this not just for the company, but for everyone Yubiwa is trying to destroy."

Chizuru’s eyes glistened, tears welling up. "Do they know who you are behind the mask?"

"No," Rin said softly, taking her hands into his, his thumbs gently caressing her skin. "I doubt it. I suspect Yubiwa has subgroups—like the ones in Toronto working for them. If they knew who I really was, they would’ve targeted me already."

"Okay…" she whispered, nodding slightly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Where’s Kevin?" Rin asked.

"He went on an international trip a few days ago. I don’t know where."

"When is he coming back?"

"I don’t know," she admitted.

"Alright," Rin said, pulling a small black USB Type-C drive from his pocket. He placed it in her palm. "This will bypass his login credentials. Plug it into his computer, download all the data, and send it to me as soon as possible."

"Alright," Chizuru said quietly before wrapping her arms around him. He held her close in return.

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