On Thursday night, Akira left Tokyo for Mountain Ridge while Kaito remained in the house at Blue Mountain Park. He did not want to live the place because he had gotten used to it, and Akira did not want to waste her time convincing him to leave.

In any case, he had already lived there for three days. It would make no difference if he continued to live in her home for a few more days.

Kaito wanted to leave with Akira and return to Mountain Ridge with her. However, the sudden resignation of his vice-president meant that he had to manage Shuriken Logistics until he found a vice-president, and the company stabilised a little.

Naturally, he planned to return to Mountain Ridge as soon as possible, but for the moment, it was impossible. He could only watch as Akira left. The only thing he had to comfort himself were some leftovers of the stewed chicken Akira cooked before leaving.

In the wee hours of Friday morning, Akira arrived in Mountain Ridge. She picked her car from the lot at the train station and drove back. Instead of going to the Yamazaki mansion, she went to the apartment Hina prepared for her before she moved to the city.

She did not want to meet her parents because they would probably disrupt her mood for the grand opening of Elements. Also, the apartment was not too far from the restaurant, so she could rest there without stress for some time before beginning preparations.

Additionally, she wanted to meet up with Hina.

Once she arrived at the apartment complex, she did not go into her place directly. She knocked on the opposite door lightly and waited. She heard some movements from the other side of the door and then, the door opened.

Seiji looked at his sister with confusion, shock and then, embarrassment.

Akira looked at the door number again and confirmed she was in the right place. She looked at her brother with a lifted eyebrow in question.

Seiji cleared his throat. "Akira…"

He wanted to explain something, but he choked up after calling her name. He did not know what to say. Moreover, facing his innocent sister, he could not be open and honest.

"I won't ask." Akira lifted a hand to stop him. "Tell Hina I am looking for her."

She would not ask her brother, but she had no qualms about asking Hina about this unexpected situation that looked like a one-night stand. She turned and opened the apartment opposite and entered under Seiji's awkward gaze.

The place Hina had prepared had a bit of a childish design. It was like her bedroom in Blue Mountain Park. The colour scheme was pink, black and a soft cream hue. The colours had a juxtaposed effect, creating an interesting look.

Hina also incorporated a lot of manga and anime décor, including action figures, plushies and some limited edition posters. However, the most eye-catching thing was the human-sized figurine of Yuki the Sword Princess.

Akira had only seen the apartment in photos, but she was pleased with the results of the real thing. It was a little narcissistic to have a large figurine from her own manga as the centrepiece, but she could not deny that the limited edition item was impressive.

After she took a shower, she made herself a pot of tea and sat down with her tablet and a digital pen. For a while now, she had been neglecting drawing the manga because she could not get fresh inspiration.

Originally, she had a lot of ideas because she was taking on cases for the brigade. However, after she stopped taking on new missions, she did not feel like drawing anymore.

She had finally gotten new ideas after her evening out with Kaito. She started drawing a little in Tokyo and on the train. She almost had enough material for the new volume. Her lips turned up into a smile as she drew while drinking tea.

She only looked up when she heard her door opening. She faced a freshly showered Hina with a guilty look on her face. Akira put aside the tablet and looked at Hina with a subtle smile.

"Come over here. Have a cup of tea with me." She held back her amusement.

Hina sat down beside her on the couch, and Akira offered her some green tea. Hina gulped down the tea and placed the cup on the saucer. She choked a little while swallowing and started coughing. Akira patted her lightly on the back.

"Talk to your big sister," Akira said.

"I am older than you." Hina retorted.

"Don't get caught up in details. What happened there? I didn't expect you to move so fast." Akira suppressed her laughter.

"It was not me. Things just escalated out of control." Hina sighed. "Yesterday, my new co-workers threw me a surprise welcoming party. Well, it was more of a night out in a club. Everyone was toasting here and there."

"I would have died if Seiji had not offered to drink for me a bit. Those doctors do not care about their livers at all! One thing led to another, and here we are." Hina drank some more tea.

"Those must be a lot of things in between." Akira teased.

"Give me a break. I am so tired, and my head hurts." Hina placed her head in her hands.

"So, did you do it?" Akira asked curiously.

Even though the matter involved her brother, she was first Hina's best friend. If she did not make her feel awkward and uncomfortable about this matter, who would? She laughed in her heart.

"Well, maybe," Hina said.

"What do you mean by maybe?" Akira cringed.

She was not sure if she wanted to know the details anymore. Could it be her brother requires a special doctor due to a dysfunction? Could Hina's happiness be in danger?

If Seiji knew his sister's thoughts, he would be both mortified and heartbroken. She clearly only cared about her friend.

"Well, we did some things but not all of them." Hina's usually confident face was bright red.

"Pfft!" Akira laughed. "I won't ask anything more in case my virgin ears are contaminated."

Hina rolled her eyes. "Says the person who was behaving unscrupulously during the party."

Akira cleared her throat at the change in topic. "Let's get down to business. I have a favour to ask."

Hina did not expose Akira. "Just say it."

Akira took out a small clear vial from her tablet pouch. It had a crystalline powder, but there were no markings. It was the strange zombie drug that they had picked from the shipping container. She had only taken a small sample from Kaito.

"Check out the composition of this substance for me." She said solemnly.

Though she had some background in pharmacology, she was not a specialist in psychostimulant substances like Hina. Furthermore, she had access to the facilities of the research institute.

Hina nodded with matching seriousness. She was not completely clear about Akira's secret life, but she knew that her friend often took up strange tasks. If she was requesting help, it had to be something serious.

She took the vial. "I will let you know as soon as I have information."