Today was not a good day for Akemi Miyano.
The bank robbery she had planned yesterday was actually intercepted by the very people she had chosen in the end.
She knew the ones she picked were all people with strong desires and an insatiable hunger for money. She had even considered the possibility of them wanting to monopolize the loot. But the fact that they acted so quickly was far beyond her expectations.
The one who took action was not a thug, but the incompetent middle-aged driver.
"I was careless..."
Akemi knew this was the result of her own carelessness.
"You were indeed careless."
"!?"
The voice was so cold it could freeze her soul, making her body stiffen instantly.
There was no visible figure in the dim room, but under the faint moonlight, the outline of a man could be seen.
Gin.
When Akemi muttered his name, her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.
"A simple bank robbery, and you turned it into a mess. A billion yen lost because of a loser like you."
The cold voice carried ridicule and mockery, making her face burn with humiliation. She forced herself to remain calm.
"I will get back the lost billion yen."
"Heh, get it back? You, a loser?"
The sneer shattered her composure.
Gin casually tossed a few boxes in her direction.
"This is..."
Akemi's heart trembled. A bad premonition surged within her.
"The billion yen you lost."
His mocking tone only deepened her unease.
The billion yen had been recovered, but not by her. Gin had retrieved it himself.
Sure enough, when she looked up, the moonlight revealed the dark barrel of a gun aimed at her.
"Miyano Akemi, you are only a tool to keep Shiho in line. Why would you think you have any value on your own?"
"And your incompetence proves you are useless."
Bang.
The suppressed shot echoed softly in the room.
Her forehead felt damp with sweat as her strength drained away. She could no longer stand.
She collapsed to the floor like a boneless puppet.
Her consciousness had not completely faded.
Shiho... I failed...
Guilt consumed her. She had failed to save her sister from the organization's clutches.
She had been prepared to sacrifice herself, but she never expected her end to come like this.
Not only did she fail to see Shiho one last time, but she also did not know if her actions would affect her sister's fate.
"If things truly developed this way, what would you do, Ms. Miyano Akemi?"
The sudden voice startled her.
The cold floor sent a chill through her back. She instinctively tried to prop herself up.
But as she sat up, she realized something.
I'm... not dead?
Her hand went to her forehead. She remembered being shot, but there was no wound. No blood.
"Death is only a matter of time."
"I believe you understand whether the scene you just saw would actually happen."
"..."
Akemi bit her lip. She had to admit, such a scene was entirely possible. In her mind, Gin would never bother cleaning up her mess. He would simply wait for her to recover the money, then kill her without a word.
She forced down the bitterness and looked toward the shadowed figure in the darkness.
"Who are you?"
She couldn't identify the person, nor could she understand why she had just seen that vision. It felt like hypnosis.
"I am someone interested in your fate."
Interested in my fate?
Akemi didn't understand.
"Including your sister."
"!?"
She understood that perfectly. Her teeth clenched, but soon she relaxed them.
"My sister is still in the organization, under their watch."
"Yes, I know."
"Then why come to me? I am worthless to them now, and I can't help you."
"I know that too. Perhaps you misunderstood. I have no interest in that organization. I am only interested in the fate of you two sisters."
Akemi hesitated.
"I don't quite understand."
"Let me put it simply. Your death will deal a heavy blow to your sister. She will stop assisting the organization in drug research. Once you die, her fate will be sealed."
Akemi's composure shattered.
"Shiho... she won't die like that!"
"Really? Are you sure?"
The gentle tone made her heart waver. Cold sweat formed on her forehead.
"You know what kind of place that organization is."
"As her sister, you have done many things that have implicated her. You are well aware of that."
"A CIA undercover agent infiltrated the organization and made a certain impact. That man has targeted you and decided your fate. He wants you to die in despair."
"They discarded you like trash. What do you think they will do to your sister, who they used you to control?"
Images formed in Akemi's mind.
After hearing of her death, Shiho would lose all hope and walk straight into the organization's trap.
Then, an explosion...
Shiho!
Akemi's heart throbbed in pain.
She understood her own ending. But if it came to that, what would happen to Shiho?
She could already picture Shiho resisting the organization, only to be utterly crushed.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Akemi clenched her fists. She knew she had dragged her sister down. Without her, Shiho would never have been involved.
If she had done nothing, at least things could have continued as before.
But because she had acted recklessly, this was the result.
(To be continued.)
***
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