A Liar's Truth [UNDER FINAL REVISION]

Ch 41: Government's little puppet

Third person's point of view 

"Your little brats are getting bold," he hissed, eyes glinting. "That trap could've taken my damn eye."

Karasuma didn't flinch. His arms remained loosely crossed, stance steady. "And yet, it didn't."

Takaoka stepped in, breath hot and rancid with smoke and old rage. "I don't take kindly to being threatened."

Karasuma's voice didn't rise, but there was a hard edge beneath the calm. "Then maybe stop acting like a threat."

The silence that followed wasn't peaceful — it was the kind of silence that prickled at the back of the neck, that warned of an oncoming storm.

Heels clicked sharply on the gravel as Irina approached, hips swaying like she hadn't noticed the sharp tension slicing through the yard. Her tone was bright — too bright.

"Oh, please," she said, flicking a hand through her hair like she couldn't be bothered to take this seriously. "You think one of these kids set something that complex up? They're smart, sure, but let's not pretend they're little James Bonds."

She wasn't mocking them. Karasuma knew that tone — it was deflection, the kind that sounded dismissive on purpose. She wasn't insulting the students. She was feeding Takaoka exactly what he needed to feel superior, and stupid enough to let it go.

Takaoka sneered, not quite convinced. "Don't patronize me. That wasn't a toy-level trap."

Karasuma straightened slightly, letting the weight of his presence fill the space between them. "We rotate through them all the time. Could've been left over from a previous setup. If someone meant to target you, it didn't work."

A pause.

Then Takaoka's jaw twitched. "I want names."

Karasuma's gaze didn't budge. "That's irrelevant."

The heat pulsed between them. 

Irina gave a short, mirthless laugh. "Well, at least no one lost a limb. Training accidents happen, don't they?"

Takaoka looked at her, then back at the tree line behind the training ground — where a few students were watching from afar, too still to be innocent.

His eyes narrowed. Fiery. Measuring.

And then, without another word, he turned and stalked off, his boots crunching loudly in the dust.

Irina waited until Takaoka was out of earshot, then gave him a sideways look, her voice quieter now. "That man's got all the subtlety of a hand grenade."

Karasuma didn't respond right away. His eyes were still on the trees.