“Clatter… clatter…”
The rhythmic sound of wheels rolling over the rails echoed eerily through the silent night.
This was an express train heading north, plunging into the endless darkness.
Inside the first-class private cabin, the air conditioning was blowing quite strongly.
The dim, warm wall lamp cast a tranquil glow, shaping this cramped space into an isolated island cut off from the outside world.
Kaoru Hoshitani leaned against the backrest of the leather seat, eyes shut tight, breathing softly.
Beside him, Aina Saiten was turned sideways, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the boy’s profile.
Kazune… is he asleep?
Aina Saiten softened her breathing and carefully picked up a soft cashmere blanket from beside her, gently draping it over Kaoru Hoshitani.
Her movements were so gentle, as if she feared shattering this hard-won peace.
Under the faint light, she looked at the boy’s jawline, which had thinned from days of extreme terror and psychological torment, and at his brows that remained furrowed even in sleep.
A lingering, bitter ache pulsed deep within her heart.
I’m sorry, Kazune.
I said I’d protect you, yet I still let you experience something so terrifying.
But… you were so brave.
Aina Saiten’s gaze fell on the two train tickets resting on the small side table.
In her understanding, Kazune was a child who would instinctively flinch even when meeting a stranger’s gaze, someone accustomed to enduring and submitting.
But today, to escape the clutches of that twisted woman Rika Kawasaki, he had secretly gone out to buy these two first-class tickets on his own, even taking her hand and saying such resolute words as “Let’s go on a trip.”
My Kazune… has finally learned to fight back, to protect himself.
At that thought, Aina Saiten’s eyes grew slightly warm.
The “position embezzlement” frame-up she had suffered at the Quansheng Group during the day, one that could have ruined her reputation completely, suddenly seemed trivial now.
As long as she could pull Kazune back from that demon’s bed, as long as she could protect his pure, unsullied soul, then even if she lost every job opportunity in the industry, even if she carried the stain of never being hired again, she would accept it willingly.
Aina Saiten reached out and gently smoothed the crease between the boy’s brows.
Don’t worry, Kazune.
No matter how much hardship we face in Hokkaido, I will never let anyone hurt you again.
However, Aina Saiten had no idea.
At this very moment, Kaoru Hoshitani, eyes closed and seemingly fast asleep, was more alert than ever.
Onee-san’s hand… it’s so cold.
Kaoru Hoshitani felt the warmth resting on his forehead in the darkness, his long lashes casting a faint shadow beneath his eyelids.
He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue to keep from letting out a choked sob.
In Kaoru Hoshitani’s world, the logic at this moment was a different scene entirely:
During the day, Aina had endured overwhelming persecution from Rika Kawasaki and the Legal Department at the company, even coming within a hair’s breadth of facing ten years in prison.
She was backed into a corner, forced to resign, losing the career she was most proud of.
Yet when she came home, to keep him, the “root cause,” from feeling guilty, she forced a smile and lied, saying she was just “too tired from work.”
I’m sorry, Aina Onee-san… It’s all because of this filthy body of mine, because I angered Rika Kawasaki, that you’ve been brought to this state.
But it’s okay now. Miss Chika gave me the tickets, Miss Chika erased the evidence.
As long as we escape to Hokkaido, as long as we get outside the Quansheng Group’s reach… you’ll be safe.
Kaoru Hoshitani quietly clenched his fist beneath the blanket.
Yet, within this seemingly warm darkness, a tiny, spine-chilling doubt suddenly pricked at Kaoru Hoshitani’s nerves like a sharp, thin needle.
Come to think of it… isn’t the arrangement of this train ride a little… too meticulous?
With his eyes closed, Kaoru Hoshitani’s mind uncontrollably replayed everything from tonight.
Miss Chika had handed him the envelope during the day.
Inside were not only an untraceable SIM card and a thick wad of cash, but also these two hard-to-get first-class compartment tickets for the Shinkansen departing promptly at 9:00 PM.
Nine o’clock.
That time… was exactly the absolute latest they could pack up and leave after Aina Onee-san came home from her usual overtime.
Moreover, Miss Chika had specifically emphasized taking this private compartment.
Throughout the journey, no conductor had come to check their identification.
They were like two completely invisible ghosts, slipping out of Tokyo’s boundaries with almost impossible smoothness.
From the moment Miss Chika discovered Rika’s “rampage,” to her stealing the internal network key, to buying these privacy-protected tickets, and even renting a hidden apartment in Hokkaido…
All of this, at most, had only been a few hours.
Could a bastard daughter marginalized by her family really lay out an escape route so flawlessly in such a short time?
No… stop overthinking.
Kaoru Hoshitani, what exactly are you doubting?
Kaoru Hoshitani mentally slapped himself hard.
Miss Chika risked punishment from her family to save you, and now you’re suspecting your savior?
You’re beyond hope!
He forcibly cut off that faint alarm in his mind, attributing every suspicion to Chika’s “kindness and extraordinary connections.”
“Kazune?” Perhaps sensing the boy’s breathing had become irregular, Aina Saiten called out softly.
Kaoru Hoshitani slowly opened his eyes, putting on a drowsy, just-woken look.
“Aina Onee-san… I can’t sleep.” Like a small animal seeking security, he gently rested his head against Aina Saiten’s shoulder.
“Is the air conditioning too strong?” Aina Saiten wrapped an arm around his shoulder tenderly, pulling the blanket up higher. “Look outside.”
Kaoru Hoshitani followed her gaze and turned to look out the window.
The express train was racing through the night at tremendous speed.
The dazzling, suffocating sea of neon lights that belonged to Tokyo had already faded into a faint, hazy glow on the distant horizon.
The towering Tokyo Tower had long since vanished into the heavy veil of night.
“We really… left Tokyo.”
Aina Saiten murmured softly, her tone carrying a relief akin to being reborn.
“Yeah.” Kaoru Hoshitani leaned against her shoulder, watching the darkness recede outside the window, faint light reflected in his eyes. “Everything will be fine, right?”
“It will.”
Aina Saiten lowered her head and placed a gentle kiss on the top of his hair.
In this small, cozy first-class cabin, on this speeding train.
Aina Saiten joyfully believed she had finally severed Rika Kawasaki’s chains and firmly grasped the future of herself and Kazune.
Kaoru Hoshitani, too, believed with deep gratitude that he had finally cut away the filth of the past, successfully rescuing Aina Saiten from the brink of court and prison.
Tender feelings flowed quietly between them.
…
“Clatter—!”
The train suddenly plunged into a long tunnel, and the night scenery outside the window was instantly replaced by endless pitch black.
The light inside the cabin dimmed for a moment.
In that brief darkness.
“Buzz—”
A short but unusually muffled vibration suddenly emanated from the inner pocket of Kaoru Hoshitani’s chest.
“!”
Kaoru Hoshitani’s body went rigid, his heart skipping a beat.
“What’s wrong, Kazune?” Aina Saiten noticed his stiffness immediately and looked down at him with slight confusion.
“N-nothing… maybe my position was uncomfortable, my leg fell asleep.”
Kaoru Hoshitani gave an unnatural dry laugh, sitting up straight from Aina Saiten’s shoulder. “Um… I’m going to the restroom.”
“Okay, be careful, the train is a bit shaky.” Aina Saiten showed no suspicion at all, smiling as she smoothed the wrinkled edge of his clothes.
Kaoru Hoshitani practically fled into the small, sealed private restroom inside the cabin.
“Click.” The door locked.
The cold white light of the washbasin illuminated his pale face.
He gasped for air, his trembling fingers pulling out from the depths of his pocket the item Chika had given him along with the tickets during the day—an untraceable black smartphone with no brand markings.
The screen was emitting a faint cold glow, showing one unread message.
Kaoru Hoshitani bit his lip hard, nearly drawing blood, and swiped the screen open.
The message was only a short line, but the moment he read the text, the blood in his veins seemed to freeze into ice.
[After getting off, absolutely do not go to the crowded exits, and don’t take a taxi. Rika Kawasaki’s people may already be waiting for you at the various exits of Sapporo Station. Follow the escape route I sent you. Trust me.]
Signed: [Chika]
“…” Kaoru Hoshitani stared at the line of text on the screen, feeling a bone-deep chill surge from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
Rika Kawasaki’s people… are already waiting for us at Sapporo Station?!
How does she know we’re going to Hokkaido?!
Did Miss Chika’s attempt to erase our purchase records get discovered?!
In that restroom of less than two square meters, Kaoru Hoshitani’s chest heaved violently.
He could almost see Rika Kawasaki’s face twisted in a cruel smile, staring at him through the phone screen.
His instinct screamed at him to rush out, to tell Aina Saiten this terrible news, to tell her that Rika Kawasaki’s pursuers were already closing in.
But his hand, gripping the doorknob, stopped dead.
No… I can’t tell Aina Onee-san.
A flicker of desperate anguish passed through Kaoru Hoshitani’s eyes.
Aina Onee-san was already forced to resign and flee because of me.
If she finds out that Rika Kawasaki’s reach can penetrate even Hokkaido, she’ll definitely break down.
Miss Chika is right… Since she’s already arranged the escape route, I can only—and must—trust her.
Kaoru Hoshitani closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He shoved the black untraceable phone back into the deepest pocket, vigorously rubbed his face that had gone stiff and cold from fear, and forced a smile with no trace of a flaw.
“Click.” The restroom door slid open again.
“Kazune, what took you so long? Are you feeling unwell?” Aina Saiten turned her head with concern.
“It’s nothing.”
Kaoru Hoshitani walked over and sat back down beside Aina Saiten.
He even reached out on his own to wrap an arm around her waist, burying his face in her embrace.
He lied with a voice full of hope:
“I’m just… so looking forward to our new life in Hokkaido.”
The train roared out of the tunnel, plunging headfirst into the deeper, colder northern night.