*Chapter 23: True Business*

The fluorescent light buzzed overhead. Rey sat with his back against the cold concrete wall. His throat was dry, and his head still throbbed from everything that had happened. Around him, in the dim corners of the room, he could see other kids. Some sat hugging their knees. Some whispered quietly. A few just stared at nothing. The air was filled with fear.

Anya stood a few feet away, her arms crossed. She had positioned herself between Rey and the silver-haired woman, as if that small distance could protect him. Her eyes never left Jokirin.

Jokirin moved slowly, deliberately. She picked up a plastic water bottle from a crate near the wall and walked toward Rey. Her steps were soft. Her smile was gentle. Everything about her seemed designed to be perfect.

She crouched down in front of him, holding out the bottle.

“Drink,” she said softly. “It’s good for your throat.”

Rey stared at the bottle, then at her. His throat was burning, but something held him back.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Jokirin tilted her head, her smile never fading. “Yes, indeed. We have to keep you healthy before your little trip.”

She said it carefully, choosing her words so gently that it almost sounded like a holiday.

A small voice piped up from the corner.

“Where are you taking us?”

A little girl, maybe ten years old, sat clutching a stuffed rabbit. Her eyes were red from crying. She looked up at Jokirin with the kind of hope that made Rey’s chest ache.

Jokirin turned to her, her expression softening even more. She walked over and crouched beside the girl.

“That’s a little secret, silly,” she said, tapping the girl’s nose gently. Her voice was playful, but not mocking. The kind of voice a kind aunt might use.

The little girl’s lip trembled. A tear rolled down her cheek. Then another. Soon she was crying openly, her small shoulders shaking.

Jokirin’s face changed instantly. The playful smile vanished.

“Oh, sweet thing,” she murmured. “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry.”

She reached out and touched the girl’s cheek with the back of her fingers. It was the gentlest touch imaginable. Like touching something precious and breakable. She wiped away the tears with her thumb.

“Look at me,” Jokirin said softly. “Take a deep breath. Can you do that? Just one deep breath for me.”

The girl sniffled and nodded. She took a shaky breath.

“Good girl,” Jokirin smiled. Her voice was so warm. So genuine. “Another one. There you go. You’re so brave, you know that? So very brave.”

The girl’s crying slowed. Her breathing steadied. She looked up at Jokirin with wide eyes, still scared but no longer trembling.

“That’s better,” Jokirin said. She brushed a strand of hair from the girl’s face and tucked it behind her ear. Then her fingers lingered. They traced down the girl’s cheek, down to her chin, slow and soft. Her eyes grew distant, dreamy. “You’re safe right now. I promise you that. No one here is going to hurt you.”

She said it with such simple sincerity that even some of the other kids seemed to relax a little.

Suddenly, Anya stepped forward and pushed Jokirin’s fingers away from the girl’s face.

“Stay away from her,” Anya said, her voice cold and hard.

Jokirin looked up, blinking. She seemed genuinely puzzled, like a puppy that had been scolded for a reason it didn’t understand.

“Hmm? Is something wrong?” she asked.

“You heard me. Get your hands off her. Now.”

Jokirin stood up slowly. She looked down at the little girl, then back at Anya, still confused.

“Yeah, I know exactly what you were doing,” Anya spat. “I’ve seen people like you before.”

“People like me?” Jokirin tilted her head. “Whatever do you mean?”

Anya didn’t answer. She just stared at Jokirin with pure disgust. The kind of look you give something dirty you found under a rock. The way she hovered over them like they were forbidden candy she wasn’t allowed to eat.

She’s definitely a predator, Anya thought. A total creep who gets off on this. Pretending to be kind while she… ugh. I can’t even think about it.

Jokirin, completely oblivious, simply smiled her gentle smile.

“I see,” she said quietly. She looked down at the little girl and gave her a warm, maternal nod.

“I’ll give you some space then. But if any of you need anything, I’ll be right over there.”

She pointed to her corner, then looked at the little girl one more time.

“Rest now, princess,” she said gently. “I’ll check on you later.”

She turned and walked back toward her spot, her silver hair swaying softly behind her.

Anya watched her leave, her fists clenched.

Tch. That weird lady.

Jokirin stepped out of the room. Standing outside was Sao Yaome, her arms crossed and her expression unimpressed.

“Hey, what was that?” Sao asked, narrowing her eyes. “Aren’t you spending a little too much time with the captives?”

“The sweet little children, you mean?” Jokirin corrected gently.

“What’s wrong with you? Agh, come on. That’s… ugh, forget it,” Sao snapped.

She coughed, cleared her throat, and spoke again.

“Anyway, did you hear the operation’s code name?”

“Indeed. Operation True Business. Reizen was the one who named it, no?” Jokirin replied.

“Yeah. It’s shitty as hell. Master… I mean, Renji would’ve named it better,” Sao said with an unimpressed look.

“Anyway, I’m going to check if breakfast is ready for the kids,” Jokirin said before walking toward the underground kitchen.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Sao muttered, watching her suspiciously.

As Jokirin disappeared down the hallway, a soldier approached carrying a bucket filled with phones and other electronic devices.

“I removed all the batteries from the electronic devices confiscated from the captives,” he reported. “However, there was one phone with a non-removable battery. It was extremely difficult to open without damaging the core processing unit, so I brought it to you for verification.”

Sao picked up the phone with two fingers like it was something disgusting. It was a light pink smartphone with an aluminum body, locked behind an alphanumeric passcode.

“This thing, huh? Why does it look so girly? Stupid phone,” she muttered, staring at it with irritation.

Then suddenly-

SMACK!

She hurled the phone against the wall hard enough to shatter the screen and dent the frame.

“What are you doing, ma’am?” the soldier exclaimed. “The higher-ups ordered us not to damage the phones because they could be used as detonators later.”

“Shut up!” Sao snapped angrily. “If there was even the slightest chance this thing had a GPS tracker, do you have any idea how much damage it could’ve caused to Master Renji’s plan? Besides, one broken phone won’t matter. You should be ashamed of how careless you are.”

“I apologize, ma’am,” the soldier said quietly before leaving.

Sao glanced at the broken phone lying on the floor and muttered under her breath,

“Bunch of idiots.”