Kaito smiled as he walked back to his car just outside of the Monolith Square area. He was pleased with his little prey. She was not only like a small pet-like creature, she had sharp claws.

He had been looking for an opportunity to test her, but he had not seen her since her arrival. He had resisted the urge to look for her at her home. He did not want to complicate things for her. After all, she was new in the Yamazaki family.

Fortunately, the chance had come sooner than he expected.

He had chosen a simple method to test her because he was not sure about her specific skill set. However, he knew she was not ordinary.

His probe would have been obvious to a relatively experienced person with a background like his. The simple and crude approach was enough to determine if Akira was as mysterious as he had imagined.

And he was right. As he always was…

She had sensed his interested gaze after a short period of keen observation. Moreover, she had a tough level of bravery that lit something up in him.

Even when she suspected that he was the suspicious character who had been observing her, she did not back down. She had even dared to attack him in a fit of embarrassment.

Everything about her, her words, her angry face, her cold eyes, her small mouth and her little claws, everything was perfect.

It lit something within him.

He wanted to kidnap her and take her home.

But first, he wanted to know her secrets.

Though he had drawn some conclusions about the strangeness of the background investigation, he did not have a clear idea about her life.

His eyes glinted with anticipation.

It would be fun to find out who she was beneath the proper and collected girl she portrayed.

Akira walked back to Pantheon with a contemplative look on her face.

She wondered how the man had found out about her identity. Outside of her past colleagues and close associates, no one knew that she was involved in anything other than normal activities.

But that man seemed to know something. No, he had suspicions, but he was not sure.

Otherwise, he would not have baited her.

At first, she had thought that the person observing her was a normal person with criminal intentions towards her.

However, the rogue in the shop, though he had an evil look, did not seem to have malicious intentions, at least for now.

He seemed to be gauging her abilities, but at the same time, he seemed to know she was not helpless.

Unfortunately, mulling over those thoughts was not helpful. She would need time to discover more about him.

Just as she was about to enter Pantheon, Sayaka and Hanae stepped out of the shop.

"Akira, are you done with your matter?" Sayaka asked casually, suppressing her curiosity.

"Yes," Akira responded simply.

Hanae looked at Akira with focussed eyes, as if she was hoping to see through her, to her very bones. She wanted to find a clue to expose what her cousin had been doing.

At that moment, Akira moved her hand to brush back her hair because of a sudden breeze. She usually kept her hair short, but it had grown almost to her shoulders. If she did not wear a hat, it could be a nuisance.

The action made the new accessory around her wrist ring with a soft and clear sound. Hanae's eyes were drawn to the bracelet like it was a beacon of light.

She did not think the jewellery was special. However, it had a certain appeal. The aged but preserved silver coupled with the ornate designs against Akira's skin was quite beautiful.

It triggered a fit of unknown jealousy in Hanae. Even she could not tell why she was jealous. Sayaka had bought her a much more beautiful and expensive bracelet. However, she still wanted to snatch the trinket from Akira.

She could not stand it. She could not stand that girl.

"Akira, I did not see that bracelet earlier. It is so pretty." She spoke out, pressing down the monster in her heart.

Akira looked at the bracelet and thought of that man. She had thought about removing the little bell and rope from her wrist in anger after leaving Moonpoint. After all, she did not like wearing any jewellery, let alone items from strangers.

However, when she thought of that smug face, she decided against it. She would not feel satisfied if she just took it off.

The bracelet was like a challenge he lodged against her.

She was not willing to surrender to that shameless fox.

When she defeated him, she would put it around his wrist so that he would remember who needed a protective charm against whom.

"Thank you." She responded perfunctorily to Hanae's comment.

"Did you get it right now?" Sayaka asked. "There was no need to spend your money on something. I could have gotten it for you if you wanted it so much."

Hanae gritted her teeth at the caring mother routine. It was like Sayaka could not bear to see Akira suffer even a little bit.

"Auntie is right. That bracelet looks like an antique. It must have been very expensive." Hanae added, trying to ignite flames of discord.

"It was ok," Akira responded.

It was free.