Thirty minutes later, Akira walked out of the bar. She left a few crisp notes beside the glass of water on the counter to thank the bartender for his help. She could see that he had already seen through her act even though he did not say anything.

It was expected. Her acting skills were not top-notch, especially without a lot of preparation. And people in the service industry were quite experienced with reading people after dealing with countless customers daily.

Fortunately, the bartender was not a problematic person. He was cooperative from the get-go, so he did not force her to deploy hard methods to find out the information she needed.

After hearing the story, she understood the reason he had also come to a quick conclusion about her pretence. Apparently, Kaito had claimed to be a crime journalist with a lot of dangerous enemies. The bartender overheard the matter while serving drinks.

Regrettably, he did not hear the rest of the conversation since it turned into hushed whispers. According to him, it was better not to know too much. The bartender did not know anything about the identity of the person Kaito met.

However, he had given her an indispensable clue.

When Kaito left the bar, the man kept drinking for a long time. As the bar closed, he ordered a car to take him home because he was too wasted. The information seemed vague and useless to the bartender, but Akira knew it would give her a break.

She might need to dig through a lot of data since it was unclear whether the person used an app or called a taxi service. Regardless, it was only a matter of time before she found the destination and identity of that person.

Instead of going home, she walked in the same direction Kaito had walked after leaving the bar. She was not sure about his exact steps, but she had pieced together a general route based on the small flashes of images she caught from the establishments with security cameras.

It was unfortunate that the number of outdoor cameras was quite limited in the locale, except around larger businesses. It was not long before she came to the end of the route she had mapped out earlier in the day.

She looked at the digital map on her phone and tried to figure out Kaito's next move. He must have left the area without a hitch, but he probably did not make it to his vehicle or house. Her eyes narrowed as she tapped on a parking lot some distance away.

She smiled.

Kaito had probably used back alleys to get out of the red-light district. He probably loitered aimlessly by walking around because wanted to confuse anyone who might be following him. She put her phone back into her pleather handbag.

Without further ado, she walked into a dark alley. She did not know the local area, but she could find her way out since she had already deduced the general direction of the parking lot. Her cheap boots clacked on the ground as she walked.

She was not trying to be stealthy. She wanted to look like a woman from the red-light district using a shortcut to get to their destination quickly.

As she weaved through the streets without pause, she had the distinct sensation of someone following her. She could not hear footsteps, but she had always been sensitive to shifts in the air movements. Her first sword teacher said she was like a savannah cat.

She could feel even the slightest change in the wind or breeze. It helped her anticipate and launch attacks even when she was blindfolded.

Her gait did not change as she continued walking through the alleys, moving towards the parking lot. She wondered if this was how Kaito had been stalked before being taken away, but she dismissed the thought almost immediately.

If someone so crude followed Kaito, he would have discovered them right away. At the very least, he would have been able to disappear into the shadows. After living with him for a while, she knew his concealments arts were quite powerful.

Of course, when they played the ninja game, it was all for fun and excitement. But she still had a hard time finding him in the small apartment. It was a show of how powerful he was. If someone had stalked and done something to him…

She could not picture the abilities of such an attacker…

Just as she thought that her stalker would not take action, she heard the soft whizz of an arrow flying towards her. She dodged the bolt with ease by stepping to the side. Another arrow followed the second as if the attacker was anticipating her movement.

The arrow was precise in targeting the position to which she dodged. She leaned backwards with a bowed back to avoid the second bolt. The third one took advantage of her bent back because she would not be able to move quickly from the arrow's path.

Akira cursed as she placed her hands on the ground and flipped her body over to avoid the arrow. When she stood up, she moved her leopard print coat to reveal a long whip tied to the side of her waistband. Though her primary weapon was a sword, it was an impractical item to carry in the modern era.

Therefore, she preferred having a whip on her side when on minor missions. It could pass as a crazy accessory, and it had the flexibility absent from a sword.

With quick hands and feet, she moved towards the source of the arrows and snapped the thin rubber whip at the person hiding around a corner. She did not expect to land a hit on the first trial. She mainly wanted to force the attacker to reveal themselves so that she could move on to a real attack.

Unfortunately for the assailant, they were hit with the first lash, while attempting to reload and shoot more arrows from a small crossbow.

Akira heard a female voice curse as her whip landed. Furthermore, she remembered that voice clearly. Her eyes became cold and angry. She stepped around the concealed corner and snapped back her whip before immediately delivering another lash.

The second lash hit the hands still holding the crossbow again. The pain of the specially-made whip forced the woman to drop the weapon in her hands. Akira's eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she looked at her attacker.

As expected, it was Ayumi.