Aera hesitated for half a second.
Ryo had stayed near Nari, trying as best he could to find an opening to make her smile.
— Hey! Nari! Look at me…
He made a ridiculous gesture, miming a broken robot.
— Beep beep… system error… most beautiful employee of the Black Orchid not found, please reboot your eyes…
No reaction.
He tried again.
— You know Kai confessed to me he's going to rename the bar "Nari Orchid"?
He attempted a wink.
Nothing.
She stared at the void.
The counter.
An invisible point.
As if she couldn't even hear his voice.
So Ryo placed his hand on her shoulder, gently.
His hands on her trembling back, his chin resting on her head.
— Hey… it's gonna be okay…
I don't know what happened, but… it's gonna be okay, alright?
We're here… Aera, Kai, me.
You're not alone. Never.
She remained still.
Completely still.
And it broke his heart.
Meanwhile, Aera was standing in front of Kai, her heart about to explode.
— It's going to be okay, I'll take care of her…, she finally said.
Kai locked his gaze on hers.
A gaze that made the air vibrate.
— That wasn't my question.
Every word was a blade.
Aera swallowed.
Her hands twisted together.
She spoke quickly — too quickly, her voice slipping, her words tumbling over each other in panic.
— Last night… she called me.
She lifted her eyes, her eyelids trembling.
— She called me panicking… almost screaming… because someone… someone tried to… to touch her… at her place.
Kai stopped breathing.
— Excuse me?
His voice was a burning breath.
Aera nodded, eyes shining.
— Yes… she was terrified. She was barefoot, shaking, crying… I took my car and went to get her right away.
She struggled to continue, her throat tightening.
— When I arrived… she was… uh…
She inhaled, searching for courage.
— She was in a state I'll never forget. She had bruises… everywhere. Her body was… so fragile it looked like she'd break if I touched her too hard.
Kai felt a wave of pure rage tear through his chest.
— And then?
His tone was icy.
— Then she stayed at my place last night…
Aera began nervously fiddling with her shirt sleeve.
— She had already told me about her… um… not easy relationship… but I didn't think it was… that bad.
She swallowed.
— This morning, she left to go see him… I thought, "okay, things are going to work out."
Her voice cracked.
— And she came back to my place an hour ago… like this.
She shook her head.
— She didn't say a word. Not a single one.
She suddenly realized she had maybe said too much.
She took a step back, panicking.
— I… I shouldn't say this much, sorry…
She lowered her eyes.
Kai stood up slowly, so slowly it gave Aera goosebumps.
His gaze was black.
His fists trembling.
His breath uneven.
— Who.
His voice was no longer human.
— Who did this to her?
Aera whispered, in a breath:
— … her father.
Her boyfriend's father.
Kai felt the floor vanish beneath him.
One second.
Two.
His face tightened.
As if something inside him had just broken.
— I'll take care of her, Kai, Aera repeated like a mantra — but this time, her voice truly trembled.
Please… give her time…
Kai answered only with a look.
A look that said:
"If anyone touches her again… I kill them."
Aera, facing him, almost lost her breath.
Kai rose slowly, like every motion was calculated down to the millimeter.
He cast one last look at Aera and Ryo.
— Can you handle the service just the two of you, or do I close for tonight?
His voice was low, authoritative, non-negotiable.
Aera and Ryo exchanged a look, hesitated… then lowered their heads at the same time.
— Yes… we'll manage, Ryo answered.
Kai barely nodded.
Then he gently — yet firmly — grabbed Nari's arm.
She let herself go like a rag doll.
He brought her to his office and closed the door behind them.
The space was silent, dimly lit, the smell of whisky and dark wood floating in the air.
Kai placed Nari on the couch.
She collapsed into it, eyes lost in a point that didn't exist.
He remained standing in front of her.
And he stared.
Long.
Five minutes.
Maybe more.
Long enough for silence to become a heavy, almost suffocating substance.
He studied her face
as if searching for a trace of the girl he knew.
A spark.
A reaction.
Nari barely blinked.
She barely breathed.
Then Kai ran a hand through his hair — a sharp, nervous gesture — before saying, in a firm, almost cutting voice:
— Now… I'm going to protect you.
Nari lifted her eyes a little toward him.
A tiny gesture.
A flicker.
A micro-second where her gaze crossed his.
Then she immediately lowered her head, as if that simple movement cost her too much.
Kai crouched in front of her.
At a reasonable distance: not too close, not too far.
Just enough for her to feel his presence without feeling trapped.
— Listen to me.
He spoke slowly, each syllable weighed.
— You're not going to collapse here. Not on my territory.
His tone was sharp, almost harsh.
— As long as you're in this bar, nobody touches you. Nobody comes near you. Nobody takes you.
He gritted his teeth.
— Not even him.
Nari inhaled abruptly.
A reflex.
A small jolt in her chest.
The first human reaction in hours.
— Rest.
You're safe here.
And… I won't let anyone come near you anymore.
He then stood up slowly, as if an invisible weight was hooked to his ribs.
Without another word.
Without touching her.
Without looking at her too long.
Just… present.
Solid.
Immovable.
Like a wall behind which she could, for the first time in a long time… breathe.
And at that same moment… something, somewhere, had already begun to move.