Ken woke up abruptly, his eyes snapping open as if he'd just had a bad dream. For a fraction of a second his mind thought that everything had been an illusion, yet the dark warehouse and the clinking of his chains brought him back to reality.
His heart sank as he realized that it wasn't all a dream.
"Ugh."
Ken groaned, the pain from his beatings beginning to take its toll. His lips were dried and bloody, a sign that he'd not had a drink for a long time.
He looked to his left, seeing Katsuya with his head lowered. Just from a glance he could tell that the guy was not doing well.
"Hey… Are you okay?" He asked, not even recognizing his own voice.
It hurt to speak, likely from the screaming making it hoarse.
Katsuya didn't respond right away, but his body twitched. He raised his head, the once pretty face looking like it had been tossed into a blender.
"What do you think?" Katsuya replied sarcastically.
Ken didn't get offended however.
A long silence stretched out between them, filled with despair. Both teens were in a bad state, but neither seemed like they'd given up just yet.
"How long?" Katsuya asked, his voice sounding weary.
"How long what?" Ken was a little confused by the question.
"…"
"How long have you and Ai been dating?"
At these words Ken felt a little odd. It didn't seem like an appropriate question, considering the situation they were in. But nonetheless, he answered.
"Since the day before she left for Tokyo."
Katsuya was silent for a while before letting out an airy sigh. "I guess some things aren't meant to be…"
Ken raised his eyebrow, but felt a sharp pain from his face. He wasn't stupid. These words were enough for him to make some kind of assumptions.
The fact Katsuya was willing to jump in and try to save them, him going to the same school as Ai. It was clear that he had feelings for her.
Ken felt a mixture of emotions, but chose not to act on any of them. If anything, Katsuya was a pitiful person. If he didn't have feelings for Ai, he would have still been a free man, and it would have been Ken here all alone.
It was true that misery begets company.
Before he could continue the conversation, the sound of the door opening entered their ears. Both Katsuya and Ken flinched at the sound, which was now synonymous with pain.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the warehouse eerily, bringing a sense of foreboding.
"Turn the light on."
In the next moment, both Ken and Katsuya were blinded as the lights filled the warehouse. Having gotten used to the darkness, they could not see for a while.
Since they were bound to a chair, they could only close their eyes in defense.
Ken felt someone grip his chin and raise his head, but due to the light, he couldn't see the figure. He tried to fight back, but the grip was strong.
"You're not looking so good there Ken." A deep voice said.
The voice wasn't familiar, but instinctively he could guess who it was. Despite his pain, Ken felt a deep and burning hatred erupt from within him, causing him to thrash around in his restraints.
"Tetsuhiro you bastard!" He spat through his teeth.
"Oho? You know who I am?" Tetsuhiro said, sounding a little surprised.
He tapped the side of Ken's face a couple of times before relinquishing the hold on his chin.
By the time he gained control, Ken's eyes began to clear up. He saw the guy reach into his pocket and produce a napkin, wiping his hand clean.
"If you're so smart, do you know why you're here right now?" He asked sounding almost apathetic.
Ken was silent for a few moments, deciding whether or not to answer.
"How could I guess what goes through a psychopath's head?" He said in a scathing tone.
"Hahaha. Yes, I shouldn't expect you to understand my brilliant mind." The laughter sounded genuine, if not psychotic.
Ken couldn't help but shiver, feeling a cold sweat drip down his back. There was something about the way that Tetsuhiro was talking that made him feel a grave sense of danger.
He couldn't understand what his goals were. Killing Daichi's mother in cold blood and capturing him, he was too unstable.
'I need to be careful with what I say.' Ken's face morphed, as if finally understanding what predicament he was in.
Tetsuhiro pulled out something else from his pocket, a phone. It looked to be a rather old phone, which was weird considering he was quite literally a billionaire.
However, in the next moment Ken recognized the phone.
'That's my phone?'
Tetsuhiro tapped the phone against his hand a few times before turning to Ken. Only now could he finally see the visage of the man who had been targeting his family for so long.
The guy had wide shoulders and thick black hair. His face was clean shaven, giving him a debonair look. If it wasn't for the disgusting grin on his face, he could be called handsome.
"You know," he began, "I was quite surprised that your father was able to survive after I killed his career." He started to pace slowly, back and forth.
At the mention of his father, Ken felt his anger rise.
"But then I found out you had some help…" Tetsuhiro said, coming to a stop in front of Ken once more.
"It was such a nice thing for your Grandpa to gift you money in your time of need. Unfortunately, he was interfering with my plans…"
"What did you do…" Ken spat through his teeth, unable to hold himself any longer.
"Heh… Hehe. Oh nothing too fancy, I just had a few friends open up an investigation into his investments. His bank accounts should be frozen, so don't expect any new payments to show up."