Chapter 156 - Mind games (2/2)

Now that he mentions it, it is too quiet.

Setsura frowned, ”Didn't you send your other teams to check out the other side?”

Akito nodded, ”Yeah. This building isn't very large, so we should be able to hear them. But there is no sound at all.”

”Then, is this a trap?”

”Not quite. The enemy wants us to believe that he has us boxed in and trapped. He wants to convince us that we can't communicate with anybody else. By creating that twist in our minds, we will start to panic and lose our rationality.”

Ah, Setsura nodded. ”So, it's a trick..”

”Mmm, but that seems too straight forward. Some quickly get back on their feet despite being in such a situation. Therefore we can deduce that the enemy has another motive. As for what that motive is, we will find out,” Akito turned to the wall on their right. Rows of books fell like a row of dominos. He reached out and pulled one out of the shelf. The moment he did, the wall moved, revealing a huge hole on the wall.

Her eyes widened when she saw that. ”How did you..” Setsura paused when she realized something. Earlier, she observed him randomly touching the walls and floors. Could it be, he intended for this to happen all along?

”A detective's intuition. It's going to be dark on the way down, hold my hand.”

”What about the light?”

”You're an easy prey if you have a light source. Don't worry, even if we can't see the steps. Just follow your senses.”

'Follow your senses,' Setsura thought. That isn't an easy thing to do. But, it doesn't look as though she will get anywhere standing around here. She doesn't want to leave Akito by himself too. Hesitantly Setsura nodded and extended her hand out. Akito grabbed hold of her hand and led her along the secret pathway.

The first thing she discovered about the pathway was how narrow it was. Akito and her could not stand side by side. He had to pull her along. If he knew about this passageway and the words he said just now. Setsura assumed that he knew from the start.

”Akito, did you know from the beginning that this case isn't a normal one?” Setsura asked. He acted oddly when she asked about it after all. When she thought about it carefully, Akito has never stopped her from pursuing a case or investigating. He knows she meets with Katakura and asks him a lot of things too.

He knows that she trains with that gun often.

”Yeah, while your safety is the most important thing to me. I won't stop you from taking action; it's futile to do so. You have a goal, just like any other person. Who am I to stop you?”

”You're my boyfriend; you do have that right.”

Laughter escaped his lips, ”Indeed, that status does grant me all sorts of privileges. But, I don't want to be the kind of lover who deprives you of your freedom.”