Under the Veil of Night

Hospital

Kanae sat down on her bed as the sound of footsteps grew nearer. Although she already knew that it was Kevin because of his conversation with Ferdinand a few minutes ago, she decided to play the fool. There was no need for them to know that she has good martial arts ability with better senses than ordinary people.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in," Kanae answered.

Kevin walked in with Mike and Neo behind him. He looked towards Kanae as a slight smile appeared on the corner of his lips. Seeing her still look fine made him extremely glad.

"What are you doing here, President?" Kanae asked in a surprised tone.

"I'm visiting my employee."

As Kevin walked to Kanae's side, Mike moved to the other end of the room and stood there. He used his big body to block the hidden camera behind him as he didn't want the government to see this scene. On the other hand, Neo walked to the nearby side table and took out his handkerchief to block the listening device there.

Kanae pretended that she didn't see their actions as she straightened her body. "Is there anything wrong? You don't have to visit me twice in a single day."

"I want to," Kevin answered calmly. He raised his hand slightly, but chose to put it down again. He couldn't do anything more than what a friend usually did. It might cause Kanae to shrink back as he was not sure of her feelings towards him.

Kanae looked towards his arm for a moment. Why did she have the feeling that she wanted him to touch her? Even if it was for a brief moment, she wouldn't mind having him caress her head like what she usually did to her sister. Erasing those weird thoughts, she smiled.

"Can you take me out of the room? It's rather suffocating here."

"Sure."

Kevin extended his hand, and Kanae accepted it without much thought. Although she didn't really need help, she felt rather happy that he wanted to help her. At this moment, she truly felt that her thoughts were going awry. Ever since his visit a few hours before, weird thoughts have been going on her head.

This has never happened before, and she felt embarrassed to have him getting so close to her.

The two of them rode the elevator to the rooftop with Mike and Neo following behind them. Neo already checked the cameras and turned them off as he didn't want anyone to know that Kevin walked with a girl while holding hands. If word got out, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully for the next few days.

On the rooftop, Kanae gazed towards the blue sky. The sun was hidden behind the thick clouds, yet there were parts that were only covered with a wispy layer of clouds, making it possible for her to see the beautiful blue sky.

"It's far more refreshing this way," she smiled happily.

Kevin nodded his head. Her smile was infectious as a faint smile also appeared on his face. This place was certainly better than the room.

"Is your back fine? You're hurt, right?"

Kanae was stunned when Kevin mentioned her back. She was pretty sure that she didn't tell him anything about where her wound was. How did he know?

At this time, her mind drifted to the fact that Kevin belonged to the Ryukalin Clan. Ah, he must have asked someone to find out about what happened that day. As the clan head, he should be able to use the clan's resources. Still, she didn't understand why he wanted to use them for someone like her. It was just a simple matter that didn't concern him.

"It's fine. I'll be able to go to school in two days," Kanae answered. "After that, I'll return back to my job as your secretary."

As Kevin recalled Kanae's work at the company, his lips curled up into a bigger smile. Working with her by his side would surely be something he looked forward to. Aside from her excellent performance, he loved the feeling of her staying near her.

When Kanae saw Kevin's beautiful smile, she was stunned in place. That was cheating! How could he have such a gorgeous smile? Usually, she would only be surprised by handsome faces, but this time, she could feel her heart thumping. Heat rose up to her cheeks, and she quickly turned her head towards the sky. She didn't want him to see her like this.

"You have to be fully recovered before you think about work."

"I'm fine," Kanae answered.

Kevin frowned slightly. He raised his hand and flicked her forehead. "You're already hospitalized. How can you say that it's fine?

Kanae pouted. "It's not that bad. They're just making a big fuss out of it."

The two of them glared towards each other as neither side was willing to back down. He didn't want her to overwork herself while Kanae knew her physical limits very well. This kind of wound wouldn't be able to hinder her from her daily activities.

In the end, Kevin shook his head and raised his hand to caress her head. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Kanae was startled, yet a smile appeared on her tiny face. For some reason, she enjoyed his caress. It made her feel like she was a little kid being pampered by a big brother. Wait, did it mean she saw Kevin as her brother?

She quickly erased those thoughts as she retorted, "I know myself best. It's not that bad. I only acted like it's bad to make them bring me here and not to the government building."

It was much more dangerous for her if they took her to the government building because there was nearly no escape route. She didn't want to be confined in their interrogation room, so the hospital was her second best option.

Kevin was rather astonished by her answer. He didn't expect that this girl also knew that the government has a hidden side. It seemed she was far smarter than he thought. He smiled slightly and messed up her hair.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm just making you look better."

"You're not! President is being a bully today!"

Kevin laughed at her remark. His laugh was rather refreshing because it contrasted with his usual cold and indifferent face. "You're easy to be bullied."

"That's not right!" Kanae pouted again. She was trying her best to stay angry. His laugh made it rather hard for her to do that, though. His face was truly a deadly weapon.

After a while, they ended their joke and sat down silently, gazing at the sky.

Behind them, Mike and Neo could hardly believe what they saw. They already knew that Kevin started to smile and show more emotion, but this was the first time they saw him laugh so freely. His expression seemed to be vastly different from what he usually showed others.

When the two of them finally stopped their teasing and stayed silent by each other's side, Mike and Neo breathed in relief. The two of them sat while keeping their distance with each other as they did in the office and in the Student Council Room, but they had the feeling that the distance would get closer very soon.

Neo stared at the two of them for a moment. "Mike, I'm going to do a complete background check on Kanae. You won't stop me, right?"

If Kevin wanted to pursue Kanae, he had to make sure that Kanae has a clean past. He wouldn't be able to bear it if Kanae might be someone from the opposing side. Before Kevin reached the point of no return, he had to make sure that there was nothing to worry about.

Even if Kevin got angry at him later, he still had to do it. He couldn't bear seeing Kevin break down again like what happened in the past when Yuki died because of their clan's negligence. Even though he hadn't been by Kevin's side for long at that time, he didn't want to see the proud leader of the Ryukalin Clan fall into despair again because of a woman.

Mike shook his head lightly. "I won't."

Even if Kevin got angry at them later, they didn't want this man to get hurt. At the same time, Mike was also trying to build a relationship of his own. He was still hiding the fact that he was part of a clan from Misae. He knew, once he told her, he wouldn't be able to stay by her side.

After all, Misae had a bad experience with the clans in the past. His identity was something that he couldn't change, yet he wanted to have her by his side.

Right now, he had the feeling that even if Kevin knew about Kanae's past, Kevin wouldn't care about it. He would still pursue the girl because he has feelings for her. That was something that he understood very well right now.

"Thank you, Mike," Neo sighed.

Mike nodded his head.. They stayed silent in place until it was evening and Kevin had to return back to work.