It was Tuesday afternoon when Cassie walked a few paces behind Luke's friends, hoping to not catch their eye. The chatter ahead was sharp, each word cutting deeper than she wanted to admit.

"I still can't believe the police found that many students carrying drugs!" one of Luke's twin friends gushed, her voice far too bright for the situation.

The other twin folded her arms, her tone slightly more serious. "It's such a mess. I wonder what'll happen to them now. You think they'll be jailed?"

Cassie's chest tightened. Her mind jumped to Laura, who was already in prison. She had tried to reach her there, but to no avail. Drug possession in itself was a serious crime in Japan, she wondered what happened to those who dealt with them.

Luke shrugged ahead of her, his voice slightly sarcastic. "They're minors. And most of them come from families who can afford to make this go away. A slap on the wrist — rehab, some community service, a fine their parents can pay without blinking. Maybe constant supervision for a while, but nothing life-ruining."

Nothing life-ruining. Cassie bit the inside of her cheek, Easy for him to say, it wasn't his friends they were talking about.

Hillary shook her head, "It still won't be nothing. This is going to follow them, no matter how much their families try to cover it up. Mr. Nakamura's probably already drafting their expulsion letters."

Cassie's stomach twisted painfully, thinking of her other friends. Expelled. She realised her school life would never be the same again.

Ahanaa let out a sigh, brushing her hair back like this was just another school drama. "And no good international school will take them after this."

Hillary nodded along, "They'll probably have no choice but to go to public schools. That's not some terrible punishment in itself. I studied in a public school until last year — they're good. But for them? Yeah, it'll feel like everything's crashing down."

Luke gave a soft huff, entering the cafeteria for lunch. "And this will haunt their college applications forever. No top college is going to want to take a chance on kids tied to drugs."

Cassie lingered by the hallway. The others had just come from the auditorium, where the principal's 'urgent' announcement turned out to be a cover — a distraction while police searched student bags.

Apart from the six of her friends that were arrested on the night of the concert, thirty-eight more students were caught from their school today. Apparently, their school wasn't the only one being raided, and that a lot of schools had drug dealing going on secretly. The police had caught nearly two hundred minors within the last three days alone.

"Hey there Cassie!" Tyson called out suddenly, swinging his arm around her shoulders and pulling her with him.

"Hey there." Cassie replied, trying to match his energy. "Let's grab a tray together. The principal ate up fifteen minutes of our lunch time and I'm starving!" Tyson continued, already taking two plates.

Cassie winced inwardly. She didn't want to see Kai so soon — not after the way their last conversation had ended — but she didn't have the heart to tell Tyson no. The Blade Breakers were all she had left in school.

Thankfully, Tyson saw the hesitation on her face. "Hey, is everything alright? You didn't join us yesterday. Is that because Kai wasn't there? You don't have to worry about that sort of thing. You can join us anytime."

Cassie couldn't describe how relieved she felt just hearing Tyson say that. "It's not that... It's just- we had an argument and I told Kai to get out of my face." She sputtered out, feeling embarrassed. Instead of growing uncomfortable, Tyson just laughed out loud.

"He got into trouble with you too?" He huffed, stacking her tray with food. "You've got enough company at our table. Last I checked, Kai's not on talking terms with neither me nor Ray. You'll be fine... Maybe we'll even be able to get a raise out of him! " Tyson smirked, his eyes getting a kind of shine that screamed trouble.

Given Tyson's jovial tone, Cassie didn't think he knew anything about Kai and Laura. They must have had one of their petty squabbles during training, she reasoned.

"Look who's joined us today!" Tyson said, grinning as he steered her toward the table where the Blade Breakers usually sat. "I was just telling Ray we should start a club for people pissed with Kai. You'd fit right in!"

Cassie gave the rest of them a small, uneasy smile, her eyes darting to Kai. He was seated at the end of the table, eating in silence. His expression didn't change when she sat down across from him, but his grip on the chopsticks noticeably tightened.

Ray and Mariah raised an eyebrow as Cassie slid into the seat opposite to them. "Hey, Cassie." Max greeted quietly, glancing not-so-subtly between her and Kai.

Tyson plopped down beside her, still grinning. "I mean, look at us! We've got a full table of people who aren't on speaking terms with Kai. Me, Ray, now you! We could get matching t-shirts or something!"

Ray shook his head but didn't reply. His gaze flickered to Kai, as if gauging his reaction. Max and Mariah kept their head down and ate, trying to avoid the drama altogether.

Kai didn't even look up. "How about matching muzzles?" he said coolly, his voice low but clear.

Tyson raised his eyebrows, amused. "Oh, look! He can talk."

"I can do a lot of things," Kai shot back, still not meeting anyone's eyes. "Like minding my own goddamn business. You should try it sometime."

"You know," he mused aloud, "if we did make it a club, we'd need a real name. Something dramatic. 'Survivors of Kai's Secrets and Sulking' has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Ray shot him a warning glance. "Tyson."

Kai let out a soft huff. His tone was dry, but not angry — not yet. "Absolutely hilarious. Ever thought of going into comedy Tyson?"

Tyson chuckled, his voice carrying an edge now. "Nah, but if I did, I'd just use our lives as material. I mean, who wouldn't laugh at the disaster that is our group right now? A real sitcom."

Cassie shifted uncomfortably, poking at her salad. As much as she hated sitting alone, she hadn't wanted this — to be part of this weird, passive-aggressive performance.

Max too shot Tyson a look, but Tyson either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. "What? You gotta admit it's catchy."

Cassie saw it — that flicker of real irritation cross Kai's face. He exhaled through his nose and stood up, his tray half-finished.

"Sure! Enjoy your club meetings, but I doubt you'll get much material to talk about either way." Kai sassed back, rubbing in the fact that they'll not be privy to any of his secrets anytime soon.

His voice was clipped but quiet enough not to draw attention beyond their table. Without another glance, he picked up his tray and walked off.

The rest of lunch passed quietly. Conversation drifted from topic to topic, including the arrests, rumors, and what this meant for the school, but Kai's absence lingered at the edge of it all.

Cassie kept stealing glances at the door where Kai had disappeared, her heart heavy. She was still angry, still hurt — but she hated how much she missed him, how much she wished things had been different.

*****

It was Hillary's first day going back to swim practice and wanted to grab a snack in a cafe on the way before going in. It was also her first time walking alone after a long time, in a sparsely populated place, and Hillary kept glancing back every few minutes, scared of what she'll see.

That was until someone suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Hillary froze for a second, fear coursing through her veins. "Don't you watch where you're going?" Said a familiar voice, as Kai came into view. "You were walking straight into that manhole!" He said, voice gruff, still inspecting the manhole and not having looked at her yet.

Hillary willed her heartbeat to slow down, willed herself to take deeper breaths as she looked down. And sure enough, there was a manhole partially opened. It wasn't a small hole either. She wondered how she had missed it, but the answer was pretty obvious, she was way focused on what might be behind her than what was ahead of her.

Kai had left her hand and was saying something, "-was hoping I could take you somewhere. It isn't far, just a quick detour. You'll be back for your practice in no time."

Hillary found herself nodding along, even though she wasn't thinking it through. She may make it in time for practice, but she was afraid that she wouldn't get a chance to grab a snack, she realised.

But it didn't matter anymore. This was the first time she and Kai were alone together after everything. And neither of them had to run anywhere. Kai must have sensed the question in her eyes. "Not here — too exposed. Just a few minutes, I promise."

They walked for a few minutes before they arrived in front of an apartment. "This is where I live." Kai started, looking towards the building. "Third floor, third house. This place is less than five minute's walk from the swim centre. I want you to come here if it ever gets too late." Hillary blinked up in surprise, whatever she'd been expecting, this hadn't been one of them.

"I would appreciate if you never told Tyson about this, or any of the blade breakers for that matter." He added. "They don't know where you live?" Hillary asked, astonished.

Kai shook his head, smirking slightly. "I live alone and I value my piece of mind. Tyson and Max will turn it into a circus the moment they get to know of it. Can you imagine the kind of ruckus they will get into without adult supervision?"

Hillary chuckled at the thought, even when her heart swelled with gratitude. Kai wasn't someone who shared details about himself. He protected his privacy like a hawk. So, for him to voluntarily share his address, just for her safety, was a huge thing in itself.

"Now, let's get you something hot to eat." He said, directing her a cafe opposite to the street.

It was a medium sized cafe, buzzling with customers, mostly couples. The aroma of freshly baked goods hit her the moment they went in. "They're known for their pastries, their pastas are just as good." He told her, remembering her go-to food. As they settled into a small corner booth beside the glass, Hillary soaked in the warm sunlight that had started making a slight appearance since morning. Two more days and she was sure that Tokyo would be done with snow for the year.

"How often do you come here, Kai?" She asked, not able to keep the smile off her face. She's noticed the name of the cafe earlier, 'Café Cheri', which translated to 'Darling Cafe'.

The entrance had tiny bells that jingled when the door opened, and pastel menus with doodled hearts. Definitely not a place she imagined Kai frequenting.

Kai rolled his eyes, clearly expecting her to be above such teasing. "The food's good here. I live opposite the street. I usually come in early in the morning or late at night and take parcels when I'm not in the mood to cook." He clarified. That made sense, but it was just not a place she imagined Kai frequenting.

Their menus stayed unopened between them, though, as the mood shifted when Kai finally spoke.

"I still don't know who did it," he said quietly, not meeting her eyes.

That sobered her up real quick. No matter how much she laughed or tried to act normal, she knew she was far from fine.

She tried not to let the disappointment show — she really did. Kai wasn't a detective, and she hadn't wanted the police involved. But some foolish, desperate part of her had hoped that if anyone could find out the truth, it would be him.

"That's okay," she said softly, folding her hands on the table. "Tell me what you know as of now."

Kai kept his gaze fixed ahead, eyes scanning the window but clearly not seeing the street outside. "It took some digging around. But I now know the drugs that were used."

Hillary blinked. "Drugs?" Her voice was quiet, but sharp with unease.

Kai nodded once. "You weren't given a single drug. It was a cocktail of three. All street-grade, recreational. Easy to obtain if you know where to look. But combining them the way they were — that wasn't amateur work. Someone had to have real experience to combine them in the right proportions to do what he did to you."

A chill passed through Hillary, curling low in her spine.

"They gave you enough to slow your reflexes and make you pliable. Not enough to kill. Which means whoever did this knew what they were doing. They wanted you weak, scared, and confused. Not dead."

The silence that followed was heavy. "I also found the dealer of those drugs. You'd be surprised who it was."

Hillary sat up straighter at this, but before she could speak again, the waitress came by to take their order, a pleasant smile plastered across her face. Kai barely glanced up.

"Yaki udon and hot green tea," he muttered.

Hillary cleared her throat. "Ebi Doria, please. And water."

When the waitress left, Kai finally turned to her fully, leaning forward slightly.

"Who's it?" Hillary whispered, intrigued now. "Laura." Kai said, keeping his voice as stoic as possible, but the anger behind it wasn't hard to recognise.

Hillary's throat went dry. "What? But why would she- I don't understand-" But something else flashed in her head, "Is that the reason for the sudden drug arrests in our school? I haven't seen Laura, nor her friends for the last two days."

Kai nodded, "I got to know that she was the one dealing with multiple students across the city on the night of the fundraiser. I turned her and her friends in after I got a list of all the people she had dealt with for the past three months."

"I just went through the entire list, and hit a dead end. None of them match up. Everyone somehow has an alibi or some sort of proof. I went through all the camera footages near the street where I found you, another dead end." He said, the frustration bleeding through his voice.

Hillary looked at Kai — really looked. His eyes were tired, drawn at the edges. She slowly took his hand in hers, and thankfully, Kai didn't pull away. For a second, neither of them said anything. The noise of the café faded into a dull hum— the clink of cutlery, soft murmurs , the bell at the door. It all blurred.

"Walk me through that day." he said finally, voice low. "Everything. I want to know exactly what you remember — even the smallest thing could help."

Her voice barely above a whisper. "What if none of it helps?"

Kai's gaze didn't flinch. "Then at least you won't be carrying it alone."

*****

Words: 2525

*****

A/N: Hello guys! What do you think of this chap? It was supposed to be longer, but i dont have the time to proof read it, so that's it for now? What do you think of Kais detective work so far? I promise everything will implode from next chap onwards! So stay tuned until next tuesday!

Until then, vote and comment guys! I love hearing from you! And do try interacting with the story itself(with inline comments) is soo much fun! We could fangirl together, i might even give you hints about future chapters if you ask the right questions!

Happy reading!