Chapter 90: THE DISGUISE BEGINS

Kai stood in front of the Class IX-9 door. His hand was already on the handle—cold, metal worn in places—but he hadn’t opened it yet. He stared at that door for a moment, remembering the gaze of his nine students this morning—a gaze that made him feel like he had just done something wrong. He didn’t know what. But he knew that gaze wouldn’t disappear just because he blinked. He took a breath—slow, deep—and he opened the door.

Ella was already standing before Kai had fully entered. "Stand!" Her voice was firm, filling the room. Nine students stood in unison—chairs creaking softly against the floor—and they said their greeting almost in unison. "Good morning, Mr. Kai."

Kai nodded. "Good morning. Please sit down." He walked to the teacher’s desk and placed his equipment—book, attendance sheet, a pen with only half its ink left. He opened the attendance sheet, noted the attendance quickly, and started the lesson as usual. He explained—writing on the blackboard, erasing with measured movements, pointing at numbers with his fingertips. There were questions and answers—Mira raised her hand enthusiastically, Rin furrowed her brow and asked in a challenging tone, Ella took notes neatly. There were problems—Kai wrote several equations on the board and asked them to solve them. There was homework—he gave several numbers from the book, and Eve immediately noted them on her laptop. Like school in general.

The break bell rang. The students started taking out their lunches—Mira opened a lunchbox full of rice and side dishes, Rin took bread from her bag, Ella put away her notebook and opened a neat lunchbox. Kai stood from his desk and walked out of the class. He didn’t have a lunch. He never had a lunch. He walked down the corridor that was starting to fill with students pouring into the cafeteria—past several classrooms with open doors, past several teachers talking in front of the teachers’ room—and he stopped in front of the vending machine at the end of the corridor. The machine was dark blue with a slightly scratched screen. Inside were various drinks—boxed tea, packaged juice, mineral water, canned coffee—and on the bottom row, in the right corner, was his favorite drink. The strange-tasting soda, the one he always bought, the one he always kept in the fridge.

He inserted money into the machine—coins falling with a distinctive sound—and he pressed the button for that drink. The machine hummed softly, and the can dropped into the retrieval slot. Kai bent down to pick it up.

"Kai."

The voice came from the side—a voice he recognized, with a firm and calm tone. Kai turned. Reina stood there, with a white blouse and a long black skirt, with her hair tied half-back, and with a folder in her hand that she held like she was on her way somewhere. She looked at Kai—with an unreadable gaze, like she was assessing something.

Kai took his can and stood up. "Ms. Reina," he said. "Want a drink?" He pointed at the vending machine—a clear gesture.

Reina shook her head slowly. "No need."

Kai nodded. He opened his can—the sound of carbonation escaping—and took a gulp. "What’s up? Were you looking for me?"

Reina stepped closer. She stopped beside Kai—not too close, not too far—and she stared at the corridor that was starting to empty. "I’m fighting with Leina," she said.

Kai turned. "About what?"

Reina let out a breath. "She wants to go with her friends. But she doesn’t want me to come along." She paused for a moment, like she was choosing her words. "She said it’s a school reunion. She said I’d be a bother."

Kai took another gulp of his drink. He didn’t say anything—he just listened.

"So I want to ask you a favor," Reina continued. "To watch over her. I can’t—"

Kai held out the drink he had bought toward Reina. Reina stopped mid-sentence. She stared at that drink—strawberry milk, a small carton with a picture of fruit on the front—then she looked at Kai. Kai didn’t say anything. He just held out the drink—with a steady hand, with eyes that didn’t demand.

Reina took it. A reflex—like her hand moved on its own. She stared at the strawberry milk in her hand, then she lifted her head again. "Kai—"

"Leina will be fine," Kai said. He took another gulp of his drink, then he turned and started walking away. "I have to get to class. The bell already rang."

Reina stood there—with strawberry milk in her hand, with eyes staring at Kai’s retreating back. Strawberry milk. Her favorite drink when she was tired. Kai didn’t know that—or maybe he did, and he didn’t say anything. Reina watched that back until it disappeared around the corner of the corridor, and she said in a soft voice—almost inaudible. "I’m counting on you."

Kai walked down the corridor toward Class IX-9. He hadn’t reached the corner when he saw two figures he recognized—Eve and Fay—walking from the direction of the bathroom. Eve walked with calm steps, with her laptop in her bag, and Fay walked beside her—with her doll hugged tightly, with eyes slightly alert, with steps closer to Eve than they should have been.

"Mr. Kai," Eve greeted. "Good afternoon."

Kai stopped. "You two haven’t gone to class?"

"We just came from the bathroom," Eve said. "Fay needed to go to the bathroom, so I accompanied her."

Kai nodded. He looked at Fay—the girl stood beside Eve, with her doll hugged as usual. But there was something different. Her eyes—usually empty, usually staring in an unclear direction—were now slightly more alert. Like she was watching something. Like she was waiting for something.

"Fay," Kai said. "You look scared. What’s wrong?"

Fay didn’t answer. She just looked down—deeper than usual—and she stepped closer to Eve. Eve looked at Kai for a moment, then she let out a breath. "Fay is always being bullied," she said. Her voice was flat—as usual—but there was a colder tone in it. "Because she’s too quiet. Because she never fights back. Earlier—" she paused for a moment, "—when I was about to go to the bathroom, I saw her already surrounded by the students who often bother her. I got there just in time."

Kai looked at Fay. The girl was still looking down—but she stepped forward, slowly, and she held Kai’s sleeve. Her fingers were small—cold, with a slight tremor she couldn’t hide. Kai could feel that hand trembling on his arm. He didn’t say anything. He just raised his hand—slowly—and he held Fay’s hand. Then he stroked the girl’s head—with careful movements, with a light touch.

Fay lifted her head. Her eyes were still a little alert—but the trembling in her hand started to subside. She looked at Kai—for a long time, without blinking—then she nodded slightly. Like she was saying something she couldn’t say with words.

Kai released his hand. "Let’s go to class," he said. "The lesson is about to start."

He walked between Eve and Fay—with Fay still holding his sleeve, with Eve walking beside him—and they entered Class IX-9. Fay sat at her desk—in the corner, with her doll still hugged—and Eve sat beside her. Kai stood at the front of the class, opened his book, and started that afternoon’s lesson.

The lesson ended when the sun started tilting westward. Kai ended the class—saying his farewell, closing his book, tidying his desk—and he didn’t go straight home. He sat in his chair, took out his phone, and read the incoming message—from Bear Brant. Come earlier tonight. Wear neat clothes. And make sure to wear dark glasses.

Kai read that message once more. Then he stood, took his bag, and walked out of the class. He went home—along the sidewalk that was starting to empty, past shops starting to close, past a few people walking with quick steps. He arrived at his apartment, showered—with warm water, with cheap soap—and he ate cup noodles while drinking his favorite drink. He prepared himself—neatening his usually-untouched hair, putting on the black suit he kept in the wardrobe, wearing leather shoes slightly worn at the tips. He stared at the mirror for a moment—the person in the mirror looked different. Not a teacher. Not a door guard. Someone he would wear tonight—like a costume.

He left an hour early. He arrived at Hot Viper when the sky was still slightly dark—with the spotlights not fully on yet, with a few staff still getting ready. Bear was already waiting for him at the back door—with a black shirt unbuttoned at the top two buttons, with tattoos covering his neck, and with a wide smile.

"Kai!" Bear greeted. He looked at Kai from top to bottom—from the neatly styled hair to the shiny leather shoes—and his smile grew wider. "You look like a different person. I didn’t even recognize you."

"This is the first time I’ve styled my hair," Kai said.

Bear laughed softly. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out two things—a pair of dark glasses and a small radio with a clip on the back. "These are for you," he said, handing over the glasses. "Wear them. And this—" he handed over the radio, "—to communicate with the others. If there’s a problem, press the button on the side. Everyone will hear."

Kai took the glasses and the radio. He examined both for a moment—the glasses were ordinary, with dark lenses and a thin metal frame; the radio was small, with a button that felt solid under his fingers—then he put on the glasses and clipped the radio to his chest. Bear nodded with satisfaction. "Good. You look like a VIP guard now." He turned and walked away. "I have other business. You guard the VIP door tonight. Don’t let anyone in without a ticket."

Kai nodded. He walked out of the changing room—down the corridor that was starting to fill with passing staff—and he stopped in front of the VIP door. That door was different from the ordinary entrance—smaller, with the word VIP shining above it, with a small spotlight hitting its facade from below. No line. No crowd. Just him—standing in front of that door, with dark glasses covering his eyes, with a radio on his chest, with his hands in front and his back straight.

He waited. Not long. A few minutes later—a group of cars arrived. The first car was a red sports car—low, with dark windows, with a smooth engine sound. The car stopped in front of the VIP door, and a man got out—young, with slicked-back hair, with an expensive shirt, with a smile he recognized from the newspapers. An artist on the rise. Kai didn’t know his name—but he knew his face. The man handed his VIP ticket to Kai—a thick piece of paper with a hologram in its corner. Kai examined it for a moment, then he opened the door. "Please."

The artist entered without saying anything. The next car was a larger black car—with an unreadable license plate, with bodyguards in the front seats. A middle-aged man got out—with a gray suit, with graying hair, with a face often seen on TV. A government official. Kai had seen him give a speech—though he didn’t know what he was talking about, because he only turned on the TV so it wouldn’t be silent. The man handed his ticket. Kai examined it and opened the door. "Please."

The third and fourth cars arrived together. Kai turned—and he froze. Those cars weren’t luxury cars. Not sports cars. Those were ordinary cars—with ordinary colors, with ordinary shapes. But the people who got out of those cars—Kai recognized them. Leina. With a dress neater than usual, with styled hair, with a wide smile. And behind her—nine friends. Nine people he didn’t know—but nine people who made Kai feel like he was standing on the edge of a cliff.

Kai swallowed. Gulp. He didn’t move from his post—he couldn’t move from his post—but in his head, he was already starting to panic. Leina must not recognize him. Leina must not know that he worked in a place like this. If Leina knew—if Leina saw his face behind those dark glasses—everything would fall apart.

The group started to approach. Leina walked in front—with light steps, with a smile still on her face—and she was talking to the friend beside her. "I didn’t expect this place to be this big," she said. "I thought HV was some kind of small café."

The friend beside her laughed. "You’re too innocent, Leina. HV is—"

Leina stopped. Her eyes shifted—toward the figure standing in front of the VIP door. Toward Kai. She looked at him—for a long time, with narrowed eyes, with an unreadable expression. Kai could feel that gaze—even though his eyes were covered by dark glasses. He could feel Leina trying to remember something. Trying to recognize someone.

But before Leina could say anything—a man appeared from another direction. The man wore very neat clothes—with a gold watch on his wrist, with glasses shining under the lights, with a smile too friendly for a stranger. He walked toward Kai—with quick steps, with a hand already extending a ticket. "Ten tickets," he said. "For my group."

Kai took the tickets. He counted them—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten—and he opened the door. "Please."

The man entered—followed by his group. Leina still stood there for a moment—with eyes still on Kai—but the friend beside her touched her arm. "Leina? What’s wrong?"

Leina blinked. She shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "I just—" she stopped, then she smiled. "I just feel like I’ve seen that person before."

The friend looked at Kai for a moment—then she shrugged. "Maybe you have. He’s a guard here. Maybe you’ve been here before."

Leina nodded slightly. She stepped into Hot Viper—passing Kai, without looking back again. Kai stood at his post—upright, with his hands in front, with dark glasses covering his eyes—and he let out a breath. Haaah. Leina didn’t recognize him.