Akira looked at the man with some apprehension. The taciturn look in his eyes betrayed the fact that he was serious about killing her if her answer was wrong. However, she did not intend to go down quietly or easily. Not after making the long journey.

She lifted the sword in her hand in defence even though it would probably not get her the best outcome in her current condition. She was tired, hungry and weighed down by her bag. Her speed would probably not be good enough to deal with bullets.

​​

However, she stood firm.

"Who are you?" She asked.

The handsome man released the safety from his gun without hesitation. The chilly look in his eyes became even more intense when he heard her responding to his question in Japanese. Either he did not understand, or he was not taking kindly to the question about his identity.

Her bet was on the latter.

"I will not give you another chance. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" The cold voice was chilling.

The two of them faced off for another long moment before a third person walked up to them, seemingly from nowhere. This person looked groggy and unwilling to open their eyes due to sleepiness, despite their mysterious appearance at the scene without being detected.

However, that was not the most interesting thing.

Akira realised that the third person was a short woman in a black bear onesie. The woman removed one bear paw and rubbed her eyes with her bare hand. She looked closer at Akira and tilted her head in confusion.

"Who is she?" She asked the handsome man.

The man looked at the bear, and his eyes softened a little, the ice melting. If he was not holding a gun and there was no intruder, he would rub her head lovingly.

"Why did you wake up? I told you I would take care of it." Zhong Feng said with a slight, almost imperceptible smile.

"The bed was too cold without you." Hu Lei said with a pout.

She looked back at Akira and assessed her. The young woman holding a sword defensively and looking at them suspiciously was not familiar to her. If they had met, she would remember her. Even though she looked tired, she had bright eyes that became seared in one's heart after a single glance. Hu Lei like the tenacious spirit shining in them.

However, she could not allow weapons to be wielded by strangers in her home.

Akira did not see the small woman across from her make her quick move, despite the protruding belly and the silly, restrictive attire. Akira tried to retreat and retaliate against a possible attack. However, her hand was caught in a soft but immovable grip.

Before she could do anything, the sword was in the hands of the costumed bear. The image was a little comical. The short woman had a round stomach like a fat bear who had overeaten, so the sword did not make her menacing.

Instead, she looked a little cute.

Hu Lei turned to Zhong Feng and looked at him with triumph as she held the sword like a victorious gladiator. The smile showed off her little tiger teeth, which further enhanced the cute and somewhat hilarious appearance.

Zhong Feng holstered his gun and sighed helplessly.

"I told you to be a little more careful during this period. You should not be fighting or doing strenuous exercise." He rebuked her, but the underlying gentleness was unmistakable.

"Are you calling me fat?" Hu Lei asked with the sword glinting menacingly in the light of dawn.

Zhong Feng was speechless at the sudden turn in the conversation. Since Hu Lei got pregnant, she had picked a bad habit. She would ask that question at the most random times with a fierce expression, along with pouted lips, puffed cheeks and misty eyes.

It was difficult for Zhong Feng to avoid all potential landmines that could lead to the question. However, Hu Lei had become a little more creative in detecting nuances that could even be related to her protruding belly.

"How could it be?" Zhong Feng rubbed the head covered in the bear hood. "How could anyone fat move so swiftly? You were like the wind."

Hu Lei knew she was being unreasonable, and she could hear the glibness in Zhong Feng's voice. Still, she smiled, and her cheeks reddened a little without her control.

Actually, she knew that she was not fat. She had hardly gained weight since getting pregnant, and her physical condition was greater than ever. Since she became pregnant, she became a little less picky with food. She had even started eating foods she disliked, like eggs.

And yet, apart from her protruding belly, the rest of her was still lithe. She just liked riling up Zhong Feng and asking if he thought she was fat. She always enjoyed hearing his responses. He got more creative with each incident.

Akira looked at the loving couple and forgot about fighting back and running away from the scene. The two people were not welcoming. One held a gun to her head while the other grabbed her katana from her hand.

These things did not faze her.

However, looking at them flirting like she was not there, she felt lonely. She especially felt bad because the small woman looked about to burst. And the man beside her was indulging her, putting up with her obviously unreasonable temper.

And what did she have? Nothing. Even her sword was taken away.

She could only imagine how hopeless and pathetic she would be when she was as advanced in her pregnancy as the other woman. She would be alone and sad. That is if she survived… Judging from the situation, her chances of survival were not that great.

Obviously, these people did not recognise her. They would probably throw her out since they did not seem keen on killing her. Once she was outside, she would probably be found by whoever was hunting her again.

It seemed that Kaito's plan was a complete failure.

She was in an unknown place. She could not be sure if she was even in Japan anymore since the couple was not speaking her tongue. Her Mandarin was passable, but she was not an expert, except in listening. Her accent was poor, and she spoke slowly.

If she was tossed out, she would not be able to fend for herself. And Kaito would probably never even know about Little Precious. With these thoughts in mind, Akira's mentality broke down. She burst out into tears and started bawling like a baby.

Hu Lei and Zhong Feng were startled and turned to look at the intruder of their quiet Azure Woods. The young woman was crying so loudly and dramatically, that she seemed to be made of water. The red face and broken cries were overwhelming.

They looked at each other in stunned silence.

Who was this woman?