𝓛𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓼 | ʜɪɢʜ & ʟᴏᴡ

Chapter 8: And so, it begins

"Why did you save me?"

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"Why did you save me?" Hiyori asked as Kikuchi wrapped a bandage on the burn on her arm. The latter looked at him and sighed as Saigo entered the room.

"That old man Yoichiro will kill me in the afterlife if something ever happened to his precious granddaughter," Saigo told her.

Hiyori was lucky enough that her life had been spared.

Earlier...

Hiyori felt her ears ringing as she crawled her body to the ground. She grunted as she can feel the pain all over her. There were few cuts and bruises but she winced at the sight of the burned sleeve of her hoodie and the bleeding part of her arm that has been burned from the grenade explosion earlier.

She moved fast based on her instincts as the girl ran towards the kitchen and flipped the dining table to shield her from the explosion. It worked as it minimized her injuries.

Hiyori groaned while the folder is still in her hands. She placed it inside her jacket as she heard some men shouting at the front door.

The girl stood up and made her way towards the backdoor as it connects to the small forest.

She ran away from the burning house limply as she winced in pain.

She looked on her back and saw some men making their way toward her.

"There she is!" someone yelled.

Hiyori felt her heart almost leap out of her chest when they spotted her. She whimpered lightly and decided to ignore the pain as she speeds up her pace. She ran like there was no tomorrow.

The girl squeaked a bit when someone yanked her on her arm and pulled her behind one of the trees. She almost screamed as someone placed a hand on her mouth and shut her eyes. She whimpered and tried to break free from the person that was holding her.

"Shut up, they'll hear us." Hiyori opened her eyes and saw Kikuchi, Saigo's underling, in front of her. He was covering her mouth while looking around to see if the men are still there.

When they have finally lost them, Kikuchi pulled his hand away from her.

Hiyori breathed a sigh and groaned when she felt the stinging sensation on her arm.

"Let's go," Kikuchi told her. The girl did not complain anymore as they get the hell out of that place.

"You know my grandpa?" Hiyori asked even though it already cleared her suspicions. Kikuchi cleaned up the used medical supplies as he was done patching her up. He stood up as he left Saigo and the girl in the room.

"He helped me dig the dirty things on Kuryu," Saigo spoke making the girl frown in confusion. "He was the one who started to see that there's something illegal going on with the organization and to that abandoned factory that was shut down years ago."

"You're working for Kuryu," Hiyori stated. Saigo sighed as he leaned his body against the wall and looked at the girl who was sitting at the table.

"I am, to get information," Saigo explained. He saw the girl's look as if she was trying to see if he can be trusted or not. He sighed, "I don't care if you trust me or not, but I've known your grandfather for a long time and I am basically responsible if something happened to you now."

"Your grandpa knew eventually that you'll be in danger when he started to make Kuryu his enemy. That's why he asked me before he died to keep an eye on you," Saigo told her. She squinted her eyes as she tries to read his expression. There was no lie.

However, it was still hard for her to believe that this man is someone that can be trusted.

"We need to go," Kikuchi said as soon as he entered the room. Saigo nodded in his direction.

"You stay here," Saigo said as he glanced at the girl. "You'll be safe here for the meantime as Kuryu might think you're already dead."

"But—" she wants to ask so many questions, especially about her grandfather who is surprisingly even if he's dead, he's still a part of this situation.

"We'll be back," Saigo told her as the two males left her. Hiyori sighed and put on the black long sleeves shirt that Kikuchi handed to her.

It was a bit big for her but it will do.

• • •

Meanwhile, after Cobra had kicked one of Kuryu's leaders, the SWORD had split apart and went back to their places. As for Cobra and the Hoodlum Squad, they stayed a bit far away from Sannoh so that the town will not get involved with their mess.

Kuryu had begun to crush SWORD.

"Those bastards!" Yamato yelled in anger as he kicked some scraps.

"Let's go," Yamato told Cobra and Noboru.

The blonde took the broken necklace out of his pocket and stared at it.

If she was really gone, there will be no peace within him.

Hiyori is one of the reasons he keeps going. He keeps on fighting.

She is his home.

She is his solace.

And he will blame himself for the rest of his life if she died because they made an enemy of Kuryu.

Yamato and Noboru looked at the blonde who is looking down at the thing in his hand. The two didn't say anything as they weren't also sure if Hiyori is actually alive or gone.

They couldn't say anything to comfort him.

"Cobra!" Dan yelled as they walked towards them.

"Why are you guys here?" Noboru asked them. Dan's with Chiharu, Tetsu, and the others who skip the fight at the abandoned train station.

"It's Kuryu!" Chiharu exclaimed.

"I told you already, you can't mess with Kuryu," Dan looked at the Sannoh leader. "Because of you, we got attacked! It's fine if you want to destroy Kuryu, but think about your friends, too!"

"That's how Hoodlum Squad should be!" Dan exclaimed and Yamato yelled at him to stop. "We're out of the group. We came here to tell you that."

Dan turned around to Chiharu and the others, "Let's go."

With that, they left immediately.

"Listen up, you guys," Cobra began. "For the time being, don't go out too much. Kuryu might be waiting."

All of them would be targeted by the organization and they have to be careful and think of a plan to get rid of them without involving the town they are protecting.

This fight has nothing to do with the town of Sannoh anymore. It was only their fight.

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Only five chapters to go. ಥ‿ಥ