After a few minutes, someone came through the living room door. The tall man was wearing a black combat uniform of the Immortal Sword Brigade. Of course, only a select few would recognise the difference between this specific uniform and other similar ones.

"Chief!" Akira stepped forward quickly.

She did not salute or bow, but she stood at attention out of pure instinct. She had been promoted to the point where she did not need to be servile. Also, she was semi-retired from the brigade. Her current position was as a veteran teacher.

It did not seem like an appropriate position for someone her age, and most people felt uncomfortable addressing her as a 'Teacher'. But she had refused to keep being a regular agent after the agreed-upon terms were fulfilled.

It was not her choice to join the Immortal Sword brigade, so the chief could not force her to remain after she fulfilled the initial agreement set by her other mother.

Her compromise was helping out where she could through training and taking on missions when it was convenient. Still, she could not take the chief lightly. Every time she saw him, she remembered the scary man from her childhood.

"Are these the people holding you as a prisoner?" The chief asked as he looked with disgust at the family members.

The years of power and command could be seen on his face and heard in his voice. It made the five people in the room tense and afraid.

"Chief, you did not have to come personally," Akira said, even though she was deeply touched.

She knew he was a busy man, so she expected he would send a team to deal with the guards. Who knew he would overreact to the situation?

"How could I not come personally after I knew the situation? You know Raiden monitors the news in Mountain Ridge with care. When he saw the incident, he reported it to me immediately. You should have said something earlier." The chief looked at her with disapproval.

Akira felt a little guilty. "It is nothing big. I have already handled everything. But send someone to look for a recorder in a lockable jewellery box in the master bedroom. It is supposed to have evidence of my kidnapper from years ago."

The Chief backed some orders into his communication device. "What else? Who tried to send you away against your will?"

"My mother." She pointed at Sayaka. "She was talking to someone from a facility called Sisters of Divine Repentance. Send someone to track them in case other people are being held there against their will."

The chief looked at Akira flatly. "You are quite good at giving your superior orders. Are you sure you do not want to come back and rise through the top ranks? It shouldn't be a problem if you want to join the orthodox forces."

Akira made a face at him. "I am already retired. Didn't you see I am about to become a mother?"

The chief felt like the girl was being ridiculous. She sounded like a grown-up, but he still remembered her on the day she came to the valley. She was so small, that a sword seemed bigger than her. But she was tenacious and tough. While others older than her would drop their swords almost immediately, she would remain stable and focussed.

She was cute as a button, but a lethal manslayer.

Now, she was acting all grown up, but she was still short and adorable. He knew she was not weak, but she was still a child to him. Therefore, there was a deep anger in him when he remembered her condition.

"We will talk about this at length. And when I find that fool, my sword will taste blood." He declared through gritted teeth.

Akira thought of Kaito and his predicament, and her face fell again. He still had not called her or even sent a message. She did not want to overthink or freak out. But she was more worried than ever.

"Let's go back. I think something is wrong." Akira said.

The chief looked at the girl and sighed in his heart. Of course, something was wrong. She had slept with a dangerous assassin and was now expecting his child. And the assassin had disappeared without a trace, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

Her situation would get worse if Kaito's enemies found her. She was someone with a target on her back because of the small posts on that dreadful MR Circle. If she did not leave Mountain Ridge, it would only be a matter of time before someone found her.

She was always a sensible child who made rational decisions.

What possessed her to make so many bad choices, starting with returning to the Yamazaki family?

But he could not scold her when she was already down. If she had the presence of mind to reach out to him, she probably knew that things were not good.

"Yeah. Let's go home. Don't worry." He rubbed her head gently. "Raiden is taking care of cleaning up all news of you and that man. I have also sent in a team to clean up other clues. Within hours, only the unavoidable tracks will remain."

"Alright." Akira nodded obediently. "But someone has to bring me my things from my apartment."

She was just so tired. She did not have the energy for a detour.

"Ok. Just make a list on the way back, and I will have someone bring in everything by tomorrow morning." The Chief indulged like she was a child.

Akira took another glance at her family before following the Chief out of the house. No one dared to stop her or speak up against this man.

The five people had already noticed the gun in the hidden holster. Although the Immortal Sword Brigade was like a samurai sect, it was only with regard to their core training. They did not shy away from modern weaponry.

As the chopper rose into the air, another vehicle drove onto the Yamazaki property. This familiar vehicle belonged to Daiki, but Seiji was driving. He had offered after he realised that his father was not in the right state as they left the medical facility.

The two Yamazaki men were shocked by the mess in the home. The chaos was inexplicable, especially the squad vehicles and armed police walking around the property. Seiji and his father looked at each other in shock.