***Later that night after the chase***
The charred scent of gasoline lingered thick in the night air.
Black smoke still rose in lazy spirals from the wreckage strewn across the country road—twisted metal, shattered glass, and the kind of silence that only followed violence.
The wheat fields were scorched, long lines of trampled stalks marking where vehicles had veered off course.
The aftermath of a war.
Yuki Nakamura stepped out of her black government-issued sedan with a grim expression carved into her sharp features.
Her black suit was spotless, her badge gleaming against her blazer. The only thing out of place was the faint scowl across her lips.
She hated scenes like this.
Too late.
Always too late.
"Clear perimeter. Set up the scanners. Sweep for shell casings and tire marks. I want everything," she ordered, and her team moved instantly. No hesitation.
Her voice was calm, but inside, she was seething.
Walking past the first overturned SUV, she paused at a pool of dark blood, half-dried, almost hidden beneath the shadow of the vehicle. A man's body lay nearby, half-burned, the insignia on his gear barely visible.
She recognized it.
One of the Kobayashi Dragons.
So Hina had been here.
She crouched down, examining the angles of the bullet wounds. Clean shots, some through the windshield, others clearly from close quarters.
Professional.
Methodical.
"This wasn't just a hit," she muttered to herself. "This was a damn execution."
"Captain," one of her agents called, approaching with a tablet. "Drone footage confirms vehicle tracks matching the model of a non-identified taxi. Our target was was definitely here."
Yuki's eyes darkened.
So Kai had chosen to stay with her willingly, not remembering their deal.
That stupid, naive boy.
She had warned him.
She had made it clear: bring her Hina, or suffer the consequences. And yet here he was—riding shotgun in a bloodbath.
Moreover, she didn't expect another bloodshed.
"Any signs of pursuit?" she asked, keeping her voice neutral.
"Yeah," the agent said. "They were being tailed. Possibly ambushed. But they got away clean."
Yuki rose to her feet, brushing her hands off as she turned toward the open road ahead.
Kai was still protecting Hina. She could feel it.
And Hina… she never left a mess unless she wanted people to know where she'd been.
And with that, he was "finally" marked as a criminal to Yuki's eyes.
"Leave the bodies," Yuki said. "I want forensics done within the hour. Get ballistic reports to my desk by end of the day. And clean this up before the press starts sniffing around."
She looked out across the horizon.
The sun was just starting to rise—casting the fields in a golden glow that made the scorched patches seem even darker in contrast.
Her husband would've loved this view.
If he were still alive.
Her fingers curled into fists.
"You always loved running," she whispered, voice low and bitter. "But I'll catch you, Hina. Just like you caught him that night where you took an innocent life."
She turned to her team, eyes like frozen glass.
"They'll show themselves again," she said, her voice razor-sharp. "People like them always do."
"And for you , Kai... I promise that I won't be so gentle from now on. I guess that I'll have a talk with your parents as soon as I'll have the chance." She said to herself, while returning to her car