Then Hina and I made a lot of love for several hours, and I must admit it was a very beautiful experience.
Our bodies kept moving totally in sync, like we were totally made for each other.
After we were finally done, Hina lay down next to me, and our breaths were really heavy and tired.
We were both facing the ceiling above us.
It was the afternoon, and time literally flew by.
"Kai…" Hina whispered while her hand slowly reached mine and held it.
She didn't turn towards me; she remained still, looking at the ceiling.
"What is it, Hina?" I asked, in a low voice, while taking her hand.
"I… I love you." Hina said, while tightening her grip on my hand.
When she said those three words, my eyes widened in surprise, and I felt my heart freeze in my chest, but not in a negative way.
Maybe it was the atmosphere, but I felt she really meant these words.
"I love you".
These are the most important words someone could say to another person.
"H-Hina…" I said, standing up quickly and looking at her.
Hina had a very warm smile and a small blush.
"Yes, Kai?" She asked while her hand gently rubbed my cheek.
"Do you really mean what you said?" I asked, in a flustered tone.
Hina nodded in agreement to my question.
"Yes. I do. What about you?" She said while still caressing my cheek.
Her question caught me off guard.
So many things happened to me that I didn't even have time to think about my feelings and what Hina meant to me.
I felt genuine affection and, maybe, "love", but I still had to realize what I felt towards her fully.
I cared about Hina, but… saying something like "I love you" would've been too much for me.
I knew that I already said these three words to her before… but they weren't truly sincere as lovers…
So I took a deep breath and thought for a moment about what to say.
"Hina, I-" I tried to say, but she shut my mouth with her index finger.
"Please, don't say things that you don't think, Kai. I want you to say these things genuinely." She said, with a warm voice and a gentle smile.
In that moment, it looked like the world around us didn't exist.
I looked at Hina with surprise, then returned to my place beside her.
She really saw through me.
The atmosphere was really comfortable.
We kept staying like this for some other time, until a phone started to ring.
But it wasn't mine.
It was Hina's.
Her phone had a cute ringtone.
Then, when Hina heard that sound, her expression and mood changed immediately.
From a sweet, loving girlfriend, she seemed to have become the opposite.
She let go of my hand, and I turned my head towards her.
Her smile disappeared, and her loving expression was immediately replaced by an empty and annoyed one.
"Excuse me…" she said in a cold voice, grabbing the phone and standing up.
She didn't say anything.
I heard a woman's voice on her call, but I didn't understand a single word.
Hina remained silent for some time.
Then, before ending the call, she said.
"Understood. I'm coming." Her voice was cold and direct, like the one of a soldier.
After that, Hina put her phone away and looked at me.
Her smile returned when her eyes met mine.
"I'm sorry, Kai, but I need to leave now... I think we'll see each other tomorrow at school." Hina said, with a glimpse of sadness in her voice.
"O-oh… okay… did something happen?" I asked, worried about her.
She shook her head.
"No, it's nothing serious. Don't worry. I'll keep you updated with messages, okay?" Hina replied.
Then, she rapidly dressed up.
I grabbed some light things to wear around the house, and then I accompanied her outside my house.
Hina looked really nervous for some strange reason, and I was still trying to figure out why.
Then, when we were outside the entrance door, Hina smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the lips before saying goodbye and walking away quickly.
I was actually surprised, since it was the first time I had seen her so nervous.
Then, while still confused, I walked inside again and locked the door.
I still had some free time for myself and decided to take advantage of it to relax my mind a bit.
I needed to be alone and think about nothing, so I walked into my bedroom again and jumped directly onto the bed.
I let out a sigh of liberation.
I wanted to step away from my tasks and mission for that little time.
The bed was still messy from our lovemaking session, and Hina's scent lingered on it.
But despite all my efforts, I couldn't stop the intrusive thoughts that kept echoing in my mind.
I wanted to be free only for an instant, nothing more.
I tried to close my eyes to let myself rest with an afternoon nap, but it was futile.
My phone started to ring again.
In surprise and annoyance, I sighed and stood up again.
I grabbed my phone and looked at the caller.
To my surprise, it was Yuna.
"Oh? Yuna? What does she want from me?"
I asked myself, curious about her call.
I answered the call.
"Yuna? What is it?" I asked with a curious tone.
I must admit that "luck" was on my side, since whenever someone called me on the telephone, Hina wasn't with me.
Coincidences.
"Kai! How are you?" Yuna's voice sounded very worried through the telephone.
"I'm fine, luckily. What about you?" I replied.
"I'm… fine too. I was just worried about you since I didn't see you in school… how are you feeling?" Yuna asked, seeming slightly relieved.
"I-I'm feeling much better, thanks for asking… I might return to school tomorrow." I replied.
"Oh, I'm glad about that… I'm really glad." She said. "But I have a question: Where are you now?" Yuna asked.
I was somehow "curious" about the reason for her question.
Did she know that I had to stay in another city?
"I returned home. I've been staying with my grandparents until now." I replied.
"Okay… c-can we meet outside the souvenir store where you saw me working in thirty minutes? I'm gonna finish working early, and I'd really like to see you again." Yuna said with a shy tone.
That was the first time Yuna asked me to meet up alone.
With surprise, I said yes to her request.
"Why not? This would be a great idea. I'll take a shower and come there, okay? See you in 30-40 minutes." I replied, curious about the real reason why she wanted to meet.
"Okay!! See you later!" She said before hanging up.
Then I quickly took a shower, dried and cleaned myself, and got dressed.
My mind couldn't stop thinking about why Yuna called me so suddenly.
"Hmm… something seems off…" I said to myself as I looked at myself in the mirror.
"Holy… I'm so beautiful… I said to myself as I saw my own image.
That was my funny way to see things.
After that, I took a closer look at the bruise on my face and noticed that it had almost disappeared.
"Maybe it was the shower… or maybe I'm a superhuman with hidden powers inside my body," I said to myself.
Then, I grabbed my things and walked out of my house.
I normally walked towards the place where Yuna was working.
It took me 20 minutes to arrive.
When I finally arrived, I saw her standing outside, waiting for me.
She was dressed casually, her hair tied in a ponytail.
I walked closer to her and, when she noticed my presence, she ran towards me.
Before even realizing her intentions, she hugged me.
"Kai!" She said, while her arms were wrapped around me.
I was very surprised by her gesture, not expecting something like that, especially from someone who's always been so unaffectionate.
But, by coincidence, I noticed two guys standing outside the place where she worked.
Their faces were the classic faces of someone you surely cannot trust.
Yuna then leaned close to my ear.
"Please, pretend you're my boyfriend for some minutes," Yuna whispered.
Then I did what she had done and gently hugged her, pretending I was her boyfriend.
That was a bad situation, and it's likely the reason Yuna called me.
While hugging her, I could still feel the softness of her body in my arms.
I could barely see the guys I'd noticed before as they started to walk away.
Then, when they were finally out of sight, I whispered into Yuna's ear: "It's okay, they're gone."
Yuna gently separated from me and sighed.
"Thank you.. You saved me." She said with a tone of gratitude while smiling at me.
"It's okay… you're welcome," I replied with a friendly smile.
Yuna then took a better look at my face and noticed the bruise on my cheek.
"Kai? What happened to your face? What's with that bruise?" She asked while taking a closer look.
Caught by surprise, I managed to find an excuse.
"Oh! Nothing. Just home accidents. Haha-" I said, while looking away.
"Mmm… I think that you're lying, but I won't ask anything more. But if Hina is the culprit, stay assured that I'll teach her a lesson."
Yuna said with a sigh.
I looked at her again.
"Don't worry, Hina has nothing to do with this…" I said.
"Mmm…" Yuna gave me a distrustful look.
"Okay, let's change topic. Were those guys the reason why you called me?" I asked.
Then, Yuna's expression darkened a little.
"N-no…" she said in a whisper.
"Uh? And why did you call me?" I asked in curiosity.
"Well… I have a question: Do you know where Naomi is?" Yuna asked with a very worried tone.
My eyes widened a little, not understanding what she wanted to ask.
"What do you mean, Yuna?" I asked with a slightly anxious tone.
"Naomi… it looks like she's disappeared… she doesn't answer calls, messages… but it has been days. I thought that you knew something…" Yuna said.
"You can't be serious…" I replied.
"I am," Yuna said in a direct, cold voice.
Yuna… disappeared.
Considering everything that happened, I couldn't let this slide.
I had to investigate, and very rapidly.