Dinner with a terrorist

The first thing I remember is feeling comfortable—cozy, even. The bed was thick with layers of quilts, each fold cradling me like I was lying on clouds. A soft crackle and steady warmth tipped me off to a fireplace nearby. The only thing slightly out of place was a precise clicking sound, like metal needles being aligned.

Other than that, I was so relaxed I wanted to stay in bed a while longer.

Then a somewhat important detail came back to me: I'd been kidnapped.

My eyes snapped open and my body jerked upright.

"Hey there. Finally up, sleeping beauty?" Kairi lounged in an armchair, chin resting on one hand.

A man in a white coat was working on his shoulder. The clacking of his instruments was the sound I'd been hearing.

Firelight danced across the walls, throwing long, soft shadows. Even the boards sealing the windows caught the glow. I loosened my shoulders, let my posture slacken, and gave Kairi a friendly smile—before darting straight toward the door.

A yank at my throat pulled me back. I coughed, hands flying up as I realized what it was. Cold metal circled my neck, attached to a chain anchored to the headboard.

"Sorry about that, but I need you to stay put, and I'm in no condition to keep you in check."

My glare made it clear I didn't accept the apology. I then turned to the man in the coat.

"The person you're treating is a dangerous criminal."

"Avery, do you really think I'd overlook something that obvious?"

Of course he wouldn't. Still, giving up without trying felt like surrendering to my fate far too easily.

My eyes studied the surgeon again. His attention never left the wound. He worked with steady diligence, completely ignoring me and my chains. Whatever Kairi had on him, it was enough.

"Let's start over. Nice to meet you, Avery. I'm Kairi." He smiled, treating the steel around my neck like decor.

"Right. The terrorist madman who kidnaps people in his spare time."

"Ouch. That one stings almost as much as the arrow you stuck in my back." A grin tugged at his mouth. "Let's not get caught up trading accusations, or we'll be here till winter ends. I actually want to have a proper conversation with you."

"Sure. Let's sit down with pastries and green tea and calmly discuss you bursting out of the Munakata Estate covered in blood and guts."

"I get that it doesn't help my reputation, but if you knew the true nature of the Munakata, you'd understand—" He stopped abruptly, amusement draining from his face. "Please stop that."

"Stop what?"

"The magic you're sneakily conjuring."

"I don't know what you're—"

He flicked a finger. A compressed bullet of wind struck my forehead, shattering my concentration and unraveling the spell.

"Anything else you'd like to try? Get it out of your system so we can talk."

Part of me wanted to keep up the hostility, to stay alert against the man who'd caused so much damage and had me leashed like a pet.

But when I curled my fingers into my palms, a sting flared through my hands. I looked down and only then noticed the bandages, remembering how I'd torn my palms open drawing the giant bow to shoot him.

He'd had the doctor treat my injuries before his own, far more serious ones. At the very least, he was putting real effort into his nice guy act.

And truth be told, I wanted to hear his side of the story.

I could scream, fight, try to escape. It probably wouldn't work—he was far too strong. And maybe letting him talk, letting him think he had the upper hand, might give me an opening. It felt wrong, but it was easier.

So I dropped the tough act and let my usual self surface.

"Fine. Hi, Kairi. I'm Avery Bennett, currently trying to prevent further conflict and reform the Munakata family peacefully, from the inside."

"That's more like it. I knew you were reasonable and open-minded."

"Excuse me." The surgeon finally looked up. "Your shoulder is done. Keep it clean, don't strain it, you know the drill."

The man packed up his tools, bowed and left.

As the door opened, I caught a glimpse of the outside—a snow-covered forest.

We were in a wide, one-room cottage, probably hidden deep in the wilderness. The only sources of light were the fireplace and two oil lamps. No electricity—and likely no phone signal either.

"This setup is too convenient. How long have you been planning this?"

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this. No chains, no drama, just a few talks over coffee." He shifted in his chair, then paused. "I'm going to stand up. I won't approach you. Is that okay?"

He waited.

I nodded.

Only then did he rise, turning his back as he crossed the room. At the table, he laid out plates and cutlery, unhurried.

"This wasn't how I wanted it to go." He didn't turn. "Just a contingency plan. It also doubles as insurance if I ever need to kidnap a Munakata."

"Your contingency plan sucks. You really think you can convince me of anything like this?"

He lifted a pot from the fireplace. "The Munakata have convinced people with far worse. Atchan himself is proof." Ladling stew onto one of the two plates, he added, "Think of it as a small resort. A month or two."

Kairi looked up from the steaming pot. "Dinner?"

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

After I made him swap our plates and watched him clearly—unmistakably—swallow the stew, I finally tried mine. It was alright. Almost good. Pretty boys were usually much worse at these things.

"Why didn't you try convincing your dear Atchan?"

"You've been with him long enough to know what would've happened if I walked up and said, Hi there, Atchan, wanna destroy the Munakata together?"

I'm sorry, Atsun, but he had a point. You never would've sat down and listened to Kairi the way I did.

That didn't mean I intended to just nod along and agree with everything he said, though.

"So you do admit you've been spying on us."

"I assumed you'd already deduced that much."

"Well, yeah. I just didn't expect you to confess so casually."

"I don't intend to lie to you or hide anything. I want us to trust each other, and that only works with honesty. Ask me anything. I promise to answer with the utmost truth."

"Okay then." An undesirable question had already taken shape in my mind.

Focusing on keeping my voice steady, I asked, "Did you… kill the Elders?"

His unblinking stare locked onto mine.

Then he nodded.

That single motion sent a shiver crawling down my spine. The wind outside seemed to howl louder all of a sudden, cutting through the walls and brushing over my skin.

But Kairi didn't stop there.

"I was also the Elder Yorinobu you met that morning. I used a rough illusion to slip inside, then killed the real one during one of his solitary walks and hid the body."

My thoughts lagged behind his words, so I reached for the next question instead. "H-how… did you feel… when you killed them?"

He closed his eyes, lips curving downward. "It was horrifying. I hated every second of it." Opening them again, he looked straight at me. "At least, that's what I'd like to say. But in truth… I liked it. It felt like releasing a lifetime of pent-up hatred for all their sins against the city."

His gaze dropped. "And yes, it was also personal. Their system cost the lives of the three most important people to me."

My spoon clattered against the plate. My stomach lurched, threatening to reject the stew I'd barely touched.

He was too honest. Why didn't he just lie and stick with I hated every second of it?

Probably because I would've noticed, sooner or later.

The idea that he'd found release—pleasure, even—in killing people… it cracked something inside me. It was unnatural. Wrong. Something that should never exist.

And yet… the courage it took to admit that made it impossible to fully hate him.

My verdicts could wait. There was one more thing I needed to ask.

"I thought it was only your parents. Who's the third?"

Kairi looked at me again, a faint tremble in his eyes, a quiver at his lips. "Let's… not get off topic."

An exhale left him. "The point is, Avery, you've been with them for merely three months and already want to change everything. Now imagine my perspective as someone who suffered under them for sixteen years."

He stirred his stew, circling a piece of meat. "There's no fixing their system. The rot runs too deep. Burning it all down is the only option."

"That's not the only option, just the easier one." I wanted to say.

But I couldn't.

Instead, I let the subject die. I set my plate aside, appetite gone, and crossed the room to sink into the armchair. I'd had enough talking for the night.

Whoever that third person was, this wasn't the moment to press Kairi—especially when it was easier for him to admit to murder than to say their name.

After finishing his plate, he stretched with a string of low groans and moved to one of the oil lamps. "I'm turning both lamps off. If you're not sleepy, there are books on the shelf. The fireplace should be enough light."

He went to the bed—the only bed—and lay down.

"So… where am I supposed to sleep?"

"Next to me. There's room. You wouldn't ask an injured man to sleep on the floor, would you?"

I sighed. "Fine. But I'm a restless sleeper, consider yourself warned."

"I'll manage."

He closed his eyes just like that, leaving me free—or so it seemed.

Of course I tried snooping once he fell asleep, though the chain around my neck limited how far I could go. The door and most of the drawers were out of reach. And every time I tried to weave even the faintest trace of magic, Kairi murmured without opening his eyes, "Don't bother, please."

If I ignored his warning, he'd get up and flick my forehead, breaking my concentration.

Still… there were things he wouldn't stop.

I could've grabbed the fire poker. I could've swung it down on his head while he slept and ended everything there.

But I wouldn't. Ever.

Kairi probably knew. Or maybe he knew something worse—that if I crossed that line, if I chose a solution that simple, I'd one day do the same to what remained of the Munakata.