Chapter 5

I forced myself to take a deep, calming breath, my voice barely above a whisper as I tried to reason with myself. ‘Calm down, Han Grayson! I still can’t believe this is reality!’ The words tumbled out of my mouth in a frantic attempt to grasp the situation unfolding before me. My heart was racing like a runaway train, threatening to burst free from my chest at any moment.

As I struggled to compose myself, the front door of the house swung open, and a woman emerged, her slender fingers wrapped around the tie of a garbage bag. The sight of her was like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless and stunned.

‘Gasp!’ The sound escaped my lips before I could stifle it, a mixture of shock and awe.

The woman standing before me was a vision of loveliness, her curves accentuated by the tight jeans and shirt she wore, an apron draped over her clothes like a badge of domesticity.

Her pert nose and full, red lips seemed to pout at me, while her snow-white skin glowed with an ethereal light. Her dark brown hair was tied back in a neat, elegant style, revealing the contours of her heart-shaped face. But it was her voluptuous hips and breasts that really caught my attention, sending a jolt of electricity through my entire being.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The AV actress I had only ever seen on a monitor was standing right in front of me, her presence both captivating and unnerving.

‘Sh-she’s really Mizuno Asahi...!’ I stuttered, my mind reeling with the implications of this unexpected encounter.

As I frantically scanned the surroundings, a thought crossed my mind - could this be an AV filming location? The possibility sent my imagination into overdrive, conjuring up all sorts of scenarios.

But then, my gaze landed on a man, and my heated head cooled down instantly, as if doused with a bucket of ice water. As I stood there, my gaze drifted towards a peculiar sight - an older man, partially concealed behind a wall, his eyes fixed intently on a married woman. A spark of recognition ignited within me, and I felt a surge of indignation.

‘That’s the same uncle who frequently appears in those adult videos!’ I thought to myself, my mind racing with the implications.

My jaw clenched in disgust as I pieced together the unfolding scene. It was a development that seemed all too familiar, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I knew exactly where this was headed.

The memories of that adult video flooded my mind - the same man, breaking into a house, and the married woman ... My thoughts trailed off, consumed by a mix of anger and frustration.

The married woman, who had been tidying up the front yard, began to make her way inside, oblivious to the danger lurking nearby. I could sense the predictability of the plot unfolding before me - she wouldn’t lock the door, and the man would seize the opportunity to break in.

As I stood there, weighing my options, a sense of resolve washed over me. I took a deep breath, and after a moment of contemplation, I made a decision.

“ ... I’ve made up my mind,” I thought to myself, a sense of determination etched on my face.

The course of action was clear, and I was ready to take a stand.

As the man began to stir, a sudden surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins, propelling me into action. I sprinted towards him, my feet pounding the ground with a sense of urgency.

“Sir, thank you for everything until now!” I exclaimed, the words tumbling out of my mouth in a frantic bid to express my gratitude, even as my body seemed to move of its own accord.

In a flash, I launched myself into the air, unleashing a dropkick that connected with the man’s chest with a sickening thud.

The impact sent shockwaves through my own body, but I barely registered the sensation as I watched the man’s form crumple beneath the force of my attack.

The man’s body flew backward, slamming into the wall with a brutal intensity that seemed to shake the very foundations of the room. His head lolled to one side, his scalp partially exposed, as a trickle of blood began to seep from the wound.

I approached him cautiously, my heart still racing with the aftershocks of my adrenaline-fueled assault. I reached out a trembling hand to check his pulse, my fingers closing around his wrist in a desperate bid to detect even the faintest flicker of life.

But there was nothing.

The man was dead.

A cold, creeping sense of dread began to seep into my bones as I gazed upon the lifeless form before me. I had seen human corpses before, but this was different. This was the first time I had actually taken a life, and the weight of that realization threatened to crush me beneath its oppressive yoke.

As I gazed down at my hands, I couldn’t help but notice the tremors that racked my body. The shaking was almost imperceptible, but it was there, a subtle betrayal of the turmoil brewing within me.

‘ ... This can’t be reality,’ I muttered to myself, the words barely above a whisper. ‘It’s just not possible.’

I had spent years mentally preparing myself for the harsh realities of being a Hunter.