Hisaki walked out of the restroom, and the spot by the door was already empty.
She stood there, staring at the empty space.
Hisaki didn’t shout, didn’t look around, didn’t pull out her phone to call.
She just stood there, quietly gazing at that empty spot for about three seconds.
Then she smiled.
She really did run after all.
Shiro wasn’t being obedient.
Disobedient children need to be caught and properly punished.
Then she closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, those dark crimson pupils had changed.
The color was deepening.
From dark crimson to deep red, from deep red to a shade of blood-red that could only be seen clearly in the dark.
Hisaki took a breath.
The world rearranged itself in her sense of smell.
Shiro’s scent.
That scent drew a line in the air.
Starting from the restroom entrance, first lingering in place, then stepping back two paces, then turning around, then…
Heading toward the park exit, growing fainter, but never broken.
Hisaki opened her eyes, and the dark crimson in her pupils flickered slightly.
She didn’t run.
Hisaki pressed the brim of her sun hat down a little, hiding those glowing eyes, then took a step forward, unhurriedly following that scent trail.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the amusement park.
Rina was running.
“Hehehe~”
Rina laughed as she ran—this was so thrilling!
This was like playing a real-life battle royale!
She was the protagonist carving a path through the enemy’s encirclement!
The kidnapper was the villain getting played for a fool by the hero’s party!
Once she got out, the villain would be stomping her feet at the restroom entrance, defeated by her genius!
Rina slowed down while mentally adding to her own drama, switching from a full-out sprint to the brisk walk of a pretending-to-be-normal tourist.
She could already see the exit sign, just up ahead. But before leaving, she still had one thing to do.
She pulled the white phone out of her hot pants pocket.
“Sayonara, sucker!”
Rina ran toward a trash can, held the phone above the opening, and let go.
The phone dropped into the trash can with a dull thud.
Now the kidnapper couldn’t chase her, and the phone tracker was gone too—she was truly free!
Rina walked toward the exit with her head held high, feeling like an absolute genius.
What she didn’t know was that about thirty yards behind her, a woman in a sun hat was standing by a balloon vendor’s stall, watching her through the crowd.
The car.
Hisaki’s brow twitched slightly when she saw Shiro throw the phone into the trash can.
Hisaki waited until Shiro’s figure disappeared into the crowd before walking over.
She stood in front of that trash can—no hesitation, no disgust—reached out, and lifted the lid.
Hisaki took out the phone, pulled a wet wipe from her bag, and carefully cleaned off the grime.
Bad child.
She said softly in her mind.
Throwing away something I gave you comes with a very heavy price.
She placed the phone into her bag, setting it next to the anti-loss leash.
Then she continued along the scent trail, her pace still unhurried.
Rina exited the park and stood in the plaza outside, hands on her hips, taking a deep breath of the outside air.
Even though it was still blazing hot, this breath smelled like freedom.
Now the problem was how to get away from here.
She looked around and quickly noticed something… a row of cars was parked at the entrance, but a lot of them looked like sketchy black drivers.
The drivers leaned against their car doors, some smoking, some yelling at tourists, “Goin’ somewhere? Goin’ somewhere? Cheap! Real cheap!” while others eyed every person coming out of the park with looks that made her uncomfortable.
A skinny, dark-skinned male driver spotted Rina standing there alone, looking around, and his eyes lit up immediately.
He stubbed out his cigarette, put on an extremely enthusiastic smile, and hurried over in quick steps.
“Little one! Little one! All alone? Need a ride? Uncle’ll take ya! Cheap!”
Rina glanced at him.
Logically, she should’ve been wary, but right now her brain was running on pure “I’m a little rich girl, who’s got anything on me” energy.
So she puffed out her chest and said in the most arrogant tone she could muster.
“Nearest hotel. How much?”
“Not much! Not much! Meter! Meter!” the driver swore, patting his chest.
Rina got in the car.
***
Ten-odd minutes later, the driver charged her over fifty yuan.
Eight kilometers, over fifty yuan.
Rina’s heart bled as she handed the money to the driver.
Over fifty yuan! That was the price of half a kiss!
Whatever.
She was a little rich girl.
Rina jumped out of the car and looked up at this “nearest hotel.”
Honestly, not too bad—it looked like a chain economy hotel, with warm orange lights at the entrance and cold air blowing out of the lobby.
All she had to do now was go in, book a room, lie flat on the bed, and wait for the system to announce “Escape Successful”!
“Little one… where are your mom and dad?”
Rina stood at the front desk, looking up at the front desk sister who towered a full head above her, feeling her life collapse at an irrecoverable speed.
“I… I’m staying by myself.”
Rina tried to make her voice sound mature, steady, and reliable.
But her height wasn’t cooperating, and her face wasn’t cooperating.
Standing there as a whole, she was basically a walking sign that read “I’m under fourteen years old.”
“Are you an adult?”
The front desk sister’s voice was gentle, but the question was lethal.
“…I’m an adult.”
“Then could you show me your ID card?”
Rina fell silent.
She looked down at her own two empty hands.
She didn’t have an ID card.
To be precise, she didn’t even have a single piece of paper proving she existed.
And her escape budget hadn’t accounted for “ID card” at all.
Hotel, food, transportation… she’d calculated all that, but she’d completely forgotten hotels required an ID.
Damn it!
Rina let out a desperate scream in her mind.
She should’ve planned this better!
What now?
Was she really going to have to sleep under the bridge?
But she’d just mentally blacklisted the bridge underpass!
That sweltering, mosquito-infested bridge underpass with no hot water!
She couldn’t go back!
Her body had already been spoiled by the constant 23-degree air conditioning!
The front desk sister watched the complex emotions flickering across the petite girl’s face, and her concern grew.
She put down her pen, leaned forward a little, and tried to make her voice sound less like an interrogating adult.
“Little one, why are you out by yourself? Where are your mom and dad? Do you know your parents’ phone number? Want me to give you my phone to call? Or…” she paused, “should I call the police for you?”
“No need.”
That voice didn’t come from Rina.
That voice came from less than a yard behind Rina.
Rina’s body froze.
She stayed in her position, looking up at the front desk sister, completely motionless, as if she’d been turned to stone by Medusa.
A hand rested gently on her shoulder.
That hand was cold.
In this muggy heat, it was cold in a way that wasn’t normal.
Hisaki stood behind Rina, her sun hat nowhere to be seen, her black hair falling softly on both sides of her shoulders.
Her face carried that familiar smile—gentle, composed, flawless.
She gave a slight nod to the front desk sister, like an older sister apologizing for her immature younger sibling.
“I’m sorry, my little sister was in too much of a hurry. Here’s my ID card…”
Hisaki pulled an ID card from her bag and placed it on the counter.
“One double room, please.”
Rina turned her head slowly, inch by inch.
Then she met Hisaki’s eyes. Those dark crimson pupils were looking down at her, the smile still there, the gentleness still there—but Rina saw what was underneath.
It was the calm verdict of “Game over. I found you.”
H-How did she catch up?!
Was there a tracker on her clothes?!
Rina’s brain ran at light speed for three seconds, then all systems crashed at once.
All that was left was…
I’m so dead!!!
The front desk sister looked at Hisaki’s ID card, then at Rina’s face that screamed “I want to run,” then at Hisaki’s flawless gentle smile.
Her professional instincts were telling her something about this felt off, but the other party looked completely normal. The other party even smiled and asked, “Is there a problem?”
No problem at all.
“Alright, one double room.”
The front desk sister handed the room card to Hisaki.
Hisaki took the room card and looked down at Shiro.
Her hand was still on Shiro’s shoulder, fingers tightening just a little.
“Let’s go, Shiro.”
Rina’s feet felt nailed to the floor.
Hisaki gave her shoulder a light tug, turning her whole body toward the elevator.
Think! I need to think of something fast!!!