Ehito was slightly surprised that she could shoot so many arrows on her own, but he didn't have time to think. He knew two things: first, that this person was very strong, and second, that she was ruthless and wouldn't hesitate to kill him. As 20 arrows flew toward him, he ducked. One of the arrows, part of the 20, was aiming for his eye. Its trajectory had been altered because the person knew he would duck—a perfectly logical reflex. So, when she also ducked, bending her knees, Ehito realized where she was. She hadn't moved; he could sense it. He could hear the wind's direction and what it carried. The person hadn't changed position.
He knew something else about the person: she was a woman, small, but despite her frail-looking body, she was very powerful. She could shoot arrows from far away, with great force and at a surprisingly fast speed—almost invisible to the human eye.
Before Ehito could think about it, another arrow flew at him. He quickly pulled out one of the knives he had kept that morning and cut it in mid-air. The person, shocked, didn't have time to react when a throwing knife headed toward her eye. She dodged, but it grazed her, yet she didn't give him the satisfaction of hearing a cry of surprise or pain.
Ehito had thought of a plan. He had coated the throwing knife with poison from the arrows. The person started to convulse, but since she used poison herself, she had an antidote. After two minutes of remaining still, Ehito could still sense everything. The woman finally came down, granting him the pleasure of seeing her.
She was as he had imagined: a woman, around 25 years old, about 1.65 meters tall, relatively small compared to him. Not too thin, not too bulky, but she looked strong and determined. This time, she wasn't holding any darts but two daggers, and a throwing knife was lodged near her chest. She grabbed the knife and threw it at Ehito, who dodged and caught it mid-air, spinning it to gain more momentum before throwing it back. The woman avoided it and rushed toward him, sliding on her knees to stab his foot.
The blade pierced his flesh, bones, and nerves, causing Ehito immense pain, but he didn't give her the pleasure of hearing him scream. He would never give anyone that satisfaction—not even himself. Surprised to see no reaction, and even more so to witness Ehito pulling the knife from his foot to strike at her back, the woman barely managed to roll to the side.
She grabbed a dagger and threw it at Ehito's eye, but it only grazed his forehead. Unfazed, Ehito continued his advance and stabbed the woman's hand, making her scream in agony. Ehito turned, jumped, performed a forward flip, and struck her spine with his heel, paralyzing her on the ground. He then stabbed the other hand, immobilizing her completely.
However, he didn't kill her. Ehito only killed when it was unavoidable. He wasn't a monster—he didn't take lives unless absolutely necessary. Yet a thought crept into his mind: She could be a threat, endangering his family, his love, and his life. He shook off the thought but would soon regret it.
The woman pulled her hands free from the daggers, stabbed Ehito's right leg, ripping through his thigh, and continued slashing upward. Panicked, Ehito stepped back, but his thigh was nearly shredded. Grimacing in pain, he tore his pants and used the fabric to tie around the wound, stopping the bleeding.
With no other choice, he took a knife and threw it at the woman's head. The blade struck her skull, splitting it in two instantly. Blood trickled from the wound, her eyes closed, and a morbid expression remained frozen on her lifeless face
Tilan arrived under Ehito's orders. He knew Ehito was injured, so he brought some bandages and disinfected them, allowing Ehito to take care of his wounds. Then, Ehito took a lighter and cauterized his wound, enduring indescribable pain. In any case, no one could see his body—no one had the privilege to. Suffering in silence, Ehito returned home without limping, hiding his injury under his hair that fell over his eyes, making him appear even more mysterious and sinister.
His parents were still not there, but he didn't hold it against them. Deep down, he was just a little sad to have such busy parents, even though he had more than enough money to support them. But he respected their choice: they wanted the money he earned to be used for his future, and only for that. His parents had chosen to earn their own money to raise their children, which Ehito found noble but a bit foolish. His sister, on the other hand, thought it was much more absurd, as she already preferred to use Ehito's money rather than relying on their parents'.
The next day, after taking a shower and falling asleep without reading for once (which was unusual), Ehito headed to school, his gaze slightly more lively, though almost imperceptible. Even Lia, who had spent several months by his side, couldn't notice it. They took the train and didn't get attacked, but Ehito remained on guard, extending his sensory range to a kilometer.
Once they arrived at school, he lowered his vigilance. He knew it was foolish, but he had no choice. Lia's bodyguard had infiltrated the school as a student in his class—a new student named Shina. She was very beautiful, gentle, with a perfect figure, which immediately caught the boys' attention. They were the first to approach her, asking for her contact information and phone number. Although a bit embarrassed, Shina kept her composure. In reality, she was a year older than them and had altered her identity. Ehito had arranged it.
Ehito didn't approach her, which surprised everyone. Despite being mysterious and a bit sinister, he was still a boy. After the boys' attempts, the girls took their turn, but they were more cautious, complimenting her and making her feel even more uncomfortable. Shina wasn't used to this environment—she had been taken in by Ehito when they were eight years old and trained by him. Later, she was employed in his company as a secretary, holding the same position as Tilan, the second-highest position in the company.
In fact, Tilan was supposed to enroll in the school the next day. He was quite handsome and was looking forward to finally being able to talk to someone about everything.
After all the introductions, Shina asked Ehito to show her around the school and take care of her, which shocked everyone. Despite Ehito looking a bit more put together—having styled his hair slightly—he still seemed quite gloomy. Moreover, he hadn't even approached her, which added to the surprise.
Ehito thought to himself, She's an idiot. I didn't approach her; now it's going to look suspicious. But his aunt, who vaguely knew the situation, allowed it, trusting her nephew. After all, what could she do? He was far more powerful, influential, and strong than her.
The school day passed, and Ehito gave Shina a tour. That's when the person he had encountered two days earlier—precisely on his way back, the one who had told him to give up on Lia—appeared. He repeated the same thing. This time, Ehito didn't react, but it made Shina angry. Shina was even more furious than Ehito had been and was about to attack.
The man, noticing her angry expression, smirked and said, "Oh, a pretty little woman too, huh? That's why you shouldn't stay around Shina. She can only belong to one man. She's way too much for you. You're dreaming if you think you can have both. Let me have this one, and you'll see."
The woman was ready to attack, but the man didn't see it coming—he was too weak and foolish for that. Ehito held Shina back but grew even angrier, saying, "You better mind your own business if you don't want to die."
The man looked Ehito straight in the eyes and saw death staring back at him. He stepped back in fear, tripped, and hit his head on the window, breaking it and causing him to bleed. The students who witnessed the scene knew Ehito wasn't to blame, so no one could accuse him. Though they were dying to do so, Ehito walked away, thinking, You're all idiots.