Under the Veil of Night

Kanae woke up after hours of sleeping. She stared straight at the ceiling far above her for a moment. Recalling the fight from before, she abruptly sat up and saw Jason leaning on the stack of mattresses not far from her.

He smiled when he noticed that she had woken up. "You finally woke up, little princess."

"How long has it been since I fainted?"

"I don't know. There's no way to know the time in this place," Jason shrugged. "You should properly treat your arm now. We only disinfected it with alcohol and stopped the bleeding."

Kanae looked down at her arm, where she saw a dark red cut. It was no longer bleeding, but it still looked rather scary. Kanae took the nearby medication and treated her own arm calmly. Her movements showed that she was already familiar with it.

"Kanae, are you alright with the battle earlier?"

The sound of her real name caused Kanae to stop her movements momentarily. She looked back towards Jason. "I'm fine, Oro. It's already a given that people from Black Street can't keep their hands clean."

"I do want to keep your hands clean," Jason sighed.

Kanae smiled. "I don't think it's possible. Sooner or later, we're going to do higher-tier missions, which will make it harder for us to return safely. At that time, I too, won't be able to escape this fate."

Jason gazed at the calm in Kanae's eyes. He knew that she had come to terms with her fate right now. In the past, he had already offered her money if she worked for him, but she refused. She wanted to earn the money herself and not be given it by others.

"Besides, this is not the first time I've killed someone," Kanae smiled bitterly, her eyes tinged with scorn.

Jason was stunned when he heard Kanae's words. "What did you…?"

"I have killed someone when I was younger," Kanae rephrased her words. "Do you really think I can get this far without having killed anyone before?"

Jason looked at the young lady before him. Somehow, the sight of her acceptance made him feel weird. It was as if she were already starting to grow even without his help. "I see. Ever since I met you, I never saw you kill someone until today, but I guess, I didn't know you too well."

"Well, it's not like it was reported," Kanae replied and leaned her head back onto her palms. Her eyes reflected a hint of sadness and frustration.

Jason didn't know what Kanae had experienced before they met one another. But he knew that she had already awakened her talent even far before they met. That tragic event she had experienced before must have allowed her to awaken her talent.

"You have numerous other easier options. Why did you pick the hardest?"

Kanae blinked. "You have a lot of reasons to not participate in this fight; why did you come and bet your own life?"

"Your mouth is truly annoying, little lady."

"Thank you for your compliment."

Jason leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "You're right, everyone has their own reasons and things they're willing to bet their lives for. It's not my place to pry in your business, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong," Kanae smiled. "When I first started, I didn't really have any other choice."

The failure to take back her inheritance left her with nothing but the mansion. There was barely enough money for their food, so she had to search for a way to earn money. The only thing that crossed her mind back then was the Black Street because it was hard for an underaged minor to get a job. It was not the best option, but she decided to try.

As the daughter of a rich family, she already had some foundation in combat. Her days on the street started as a lonely journey. As time passed, she made friends whom she could fully trust.

"I always feel afraid that I'll lose my life because I know I can't afford to. My sister is waiting for me at home, looking forward to meeting and having breakfast together. I have to stay alive. It's that feeling that always drives me fight with my all and make my way home.

However, I always try to keep my hands clean by not killing anyone. Now, I fully realize how naïve I was. Once I step into the underworld, I can no longer be the innocent person I once was anymore. I have to deal with the guilt all by myself," Kanae smiled sadly as she looked towards her hands.

Wanting to keep them clean was simply impossible. She had inevitably stained them with blood little by little from the various jobs she took on. Nothing could clean them up as they would only get soaked in more blood as she knew herself that she could not leave Black Street that early. There were still many things she had to do here.

"I have to accept the fact that I might die and that to not die, there are times when I have to kill my enemies," the girl chuckled. "In fact, there have been several times when I think of killing my uncle because of what he did. I never realized before that I'll be this hesitant."

Jason looked towards the girl in front of him. Although she has only just now come to terms with her actions, he knew that it was already enough to make a world of difference in her fighting. She would no longer hesitate to kill her enemies. Her biggest flaw, which was her kindness, would disappear without a trace.

When he saw her figure, he recalled the time when he was still a kid. His father always told him to be ruthless to his enemies and not give them any chances. Any unnecessary feelings would only make him weak.

His father was not completely wrong because he had seen for himself people who were destroyed because they were swayed by their feelings. However, his life became dull as he saw everything as nothing but a contest of power against each other.

People got close to him because of his power.

People approached him because of his position.

Women offered themselves in exchange for money.

All his relationships with other people were made only with transactions in mind. It was so nauseating that he no longer felt anything. His days were extremely dull. Even his father's praise no longer registered in his ears. There were like the passing wind, entering his ears on one side and out the other side.

He had become nothing but a robot that only knew how to use people for his benefit and never actually tried to understand them. With everything in his control, he never thought that it was necessary to comprehend them. He could no longer differentiate between non-living things and living beings.

It was right at this moment that he met this young girl. A girl filled with energy and determination. Seeing her doing reckless missions just for small sums of money, he learned how powerful the word called 'love' was. For her sister, she didn't mind braving through the harshest storms.

Something the old him could never understand.

He first followed her around because she piqued his interest. She was nothing like what he knew. However, he soon learned much more from the weird friends around him in the time he spent in Black Street.

'You changed my life, Rei. I'll forever protect you and everything you hold dear,' Jason smiled as he looked towards the girl in front of him. Even if she was now stronger than him, he would do anything he could to protect her. She was the very first person who taught him about feelings and brought color back to his dull life.

For him, she was the light that shone color onto his monochrome life that only allowed for perfection.

"You don't have to follow me forever, Oro," Kanae's voice woke him up from his thoughts. "There will come a time when you should follow your own path."

Jason frowned. "I don't want to leave you alone, Rei."

"Fiore Group won't last forever. It's only a group that gathers us together temporarily. Someday, its name will disappear into the annals of history without anyone remembering it."

"I will never forget it, Rei," Jason said solemnly. Even if others forgot this name, it was impossible for him, who had etched it deeply inside his brain. Nothing would make him forget this small group. A group that only consisted of four people from completely different backgrounds.

Every second of his adventures with the others was very precious.

He would never forget them.

Kanae chuckled. "There's no need to be so serious. You should rest, I'll take over guarding for the next several hours."

"Alright," Jason pulled out another mattress from the stack and lay on top of it. His eyes stared at the ceiling above him. He had disguised the mission this time as a business trip. He never disclosed the details to his family.

'If I die, will anyone cry for me?'

His father only wanted a perfect successor. His cousin had long wished for his death. His mother had already died a long time ago, leaving him alone in this world.

The people who truly cared for him right now were only the three people whom he met coincidentally on the street. He would not hesitate to throw away everything for them.. Really, fate worked in a weird way.