That very night, Eri was placed under special detention, and several doctors were immediately assigned to examine her. Although she did have a documented history of epilepsy and autism, the doctors concluded that everything she had done had been carried out while she was fully conscious.
They asked her what her real purpose had been when she suddenly decided to ruin Yelsulin University's alumni reunion. Eri merely let out a foolish little laugh before saying,
"I simply wanted to give Mina a present."
That single sentence left many people deeply unsettled. Once again, the alumni reunion had failed to end peacefully. Many attendees were bewildered, and even more rumors and speculations began to spread. Cai Ying was taken back to the hospital for another examination, just to be safe, as her mental condition was still unstable.
Since Mina, Duyen, and Shana appeared to be involved in the incident, the three of them were brought in for questioning for several hours as well. However, all three were extremely careful not to reveal any classified information, and their statements were perfectly consistent with one another.
The police did not intend to press further after noticing how visibly displeased Mina was. Even so, the officer still tried to persuade her.
"Mrs. Kamakiri, the suspect claimed that her purpose was to give you some kind of gift. Do you have any idea what she might have meant?"
Mina remained completely expressionless. She sat gracefully with the elegant posture of a noblewoman, her arms folded lazily across her chest.
"I don't know, and I don't care."
"Uh... Mrs. Kamakiri..."
The icy aura surrounding her was enough to send chills down the officer's spine. He had interrogated countless people before, yet sitting in front of Mina made him feel as though a block of ice had been placed squarely upon his shoulders.
When Mina slowly raised an eyebrow—as if silently asking, Isn't that the obvious answer?—the officer found himself breaking into a cold sweat.
At that moment, a faint sound came from outside the room. Then, a man's deep, emotionless voice spoke.
"My apologies. However, the questioning of Ms. Kamakiri has come to an end. Please allow her to leave."
The officer blinked in surprise. He recognized the voice...Yet somehow, it didn't sound quite right. Still, the order had come from his superiors. There was no reason to question it.
Feeling awkward, he looked back at Mina, only to see her wearing a confident smile before giving a small shrug.
Just what kind of pressure is this...?
"Even so, Ms. Kamakiri," the officer continued, "I have a feeling this 'gift' may carry some dangerous meaning. If you notice anything unusual, please contact us immediately."
Mina nodded.
"I understand, Officer."
Without waiting for him to say anything else, she rose gracefully from her chair, turned around, picked up her designer coat, and draped it over her shoulders. As the two of them stepped outside, they saw a police officer standing stiff as a statue. His mouth was frozen. His eyes were completely lifeless.
Standing beside him was a beautiful woman with voluminous reddish-brown hair. She stood there with one hand on her hip, wearing a confident smile, while an oddly seductive fragrance filled the air—so intoxicating that it could almost drive people insane.
The officer who had just walked out had no idea what had happened.
But the moment he inhaled that scent...His own body suddenly froze as well.
Without paying much attention to Shana, Mina quickly walked past her. She headed straight toward.
"Oh, for heaven's sake... this bitch..." The smile on Shana's face immediately twisted into a pout.
"If you had actually wanted to help, this wouldn't have dragged on for two whole hours."
Hearing that, Shana mockingly repeated Mina's words one by one in an exaggerated tone while Mina merely rolled her eyes.
"Anyway..." Shana's expression quickly became serious again. "What do you think that 'gift' could be?"
The moment Mina heard the question, her mood visibly darkened. She muttered under her breath,
"It'd better not be anything related to that bastard Valko..."
Shana raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.
Just then, Duyen walked out from another room. It wasn't an interrogation room—It was the temporary detention room. She was unusually quiet. Yet the tension on her face was impossible to hide.
Seeing that, Mina and Shana hurried over. Mina immediately took hold of Duyen's arm.
"Duyen? You actually went to talk to her? That was reckless! What if she'd done something dangerous to you?"
Shana, on the other hand, remained calm. She gently rubbed Duyen's back before asking softly,
"Did she say anything? What is this 'gift'?"
Duyen simply shook her head.
"I don't know... She wouldn't tell me."
Her eyes lowered sadly.
"She actually told me a lot of things... About her secret relationship with Valko... and about how Valko used her..."
Duyen paused. She wasn't sure whether she should continue. Shana and Mina exchanged curious glances.
"...She was once pregnant with Valko's child."
Silence instantly fell over them. Both Shana and Mina froze. The air itself seemed to turn ice-cold, as though even the oxygen had been drained away.
"...What?" Shana couldn't stop herself from blurting it out.
Mina clenched her teeth so hard they ground together.
"...Damn it."
Duyen and Shana both jumped when Mina suddenly stormed toward the exit of the police station, her entire body radiating overwhelming fury.
"Wait, Mina!"
But all they heard was Mina's enraged scream tearing through the air.
"THAT BASTARD...! HE DESERVED TO DIE A HUNDRED THOUSAND TIMES OVER!"
The scream was so full of rage and anguish that everyone nearby froze in fear, unable to understand what had happened. Mina's anger, hatred, and the grief buried deep within her past all erupted at once. Her cry sounded less terrifying than heartbreaking.
Shana and Duyen could only stand there, watching with profound sympathy.
Suddenly—One of Mina's eyes began glowing a deep crimson. Her killing intent had surfaced. That was the moment Shana and Duyen knew they had to intervene. Duyen whispered quietly,
"Stop..."
Instantly, everyone around them froze like mannequins. A moment later, they moved again, looking around in confusion, unable to understand what had just happened. It was as if something inside their memories had been erased... and overwritten.
The two women quickly grabbed Mina by the shoulders.
"Mina! Are you okay?"
"Hey, Mina! Do you even realize where we are? There are eyes watching us everywhere!"
Hearing those words, Mina seemed to snap back to her senses. Her fury was still there, but she pressed her lips tightly together, forcing herself under control.
Just then, Dao, Nayeon, and Yu came running over.
"Is everyone alright!?"
Duyen gently rubbed Mina's shoulder, helping her calm down little by little. Even so, their friends quickly noticed that something was terribly wrong with Mina.
Mina simply brushed their hands away and walked briskly toward the parking garage. Left with no choice, Duyen turned to them and said,
"I'll explain everything later, okay? For now, everyone should just go home and get some rest."
Meanwhile, Mina was already standing by the car with the door open, waiting for Duyen. From a distance, the expression on her face made her look like a sulking child who simply wanted to hurry home as soon as possible.
Shana couldn't help laughing. She pointed toward the car.
"...I just hope she saved me a seat."
Not a single one of them spoke during the drive. The three of them drove back to their apartment—a vast penthouse located within the luxury residential district developed by the Kamakiri Group. It was incredibly secluded, with security so tight that, in theory, an ordinary person would never be able to set foot there.
At least, that was the theory.
However, the moment the elevator doors opened onto their private floor, Duyen's instincts immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"...That box..."
A cardboard box sat there. It had already been opened. That alone was deeply unsettling. Only the three of them were allowed access to this floor. So where had that box come from? And how long had it been sitting there...?
Even Mina, someone who had always seemed incapable of fear, found herself frightened by her own suspicion.
The three of them cautiously approached the box. None of them wanted to see what they feared might be inside.
Just what was in that box that made Duyen freeze in shock, instinctively covering her mouth with both hands?
Shana hurried over. Her sharp eyes swept over the contents for only a brief moment before she gently, carefully, and incredibly delicately lifted something out.
Mina was so stunned that she stood frozen.
In Shana's arms was a baby girl only a few months old, wrapped in a makeshift silk cloth and wearing a dirty diaper. A beautiful little infant. Fast asleep.
Asleep?
Shana spoke quietly.
"She's been given some kind of sedative. That's why she's been sleeping so deeply for hours..."
"Oh my God... Who would do something like this...?"
Before Shana could even finish speaking, Duyen was already on the verge of tears.
She hurried over to the baby.
The child looked thinner than an average infant. She had long, beautifully curled eyelashes and an exceptionally delicate face, almost like an angel.
Duyen finally let out a sigh of relief when she realized the baby was only sleeping. But to go this far... And then leave the baby here?
Duyen noticed there was something else inside the box. Several clean sets of baby clothes. A baby bottle. Fresh diapers. And a letter.
One corner of the letter had been soaked because the baby bottle had leaked, allowing the milk to seep into the paper.
Duyen carefully picked it up. She had barely skimmed through it before turning toward Mina.
Mina stood there motionless. Her fists were clenched tightly. They were trembling.
"...Mina."
Duyen silently handed the letter to her. Although Mina clearly did not want to read it, she reluctantly accepted it because Duyên had given it to her.
To Mina,
I know it's far too shameless to call this a gift for you. I think it's more accurate to call it a plea. I know this must sound insane, but it feels as though some unseen force guided me to you, telling me that you are the right person. First of all...
This child is Valko's daughter...
Mina's brows knitted together. By the time she finished reading that part of the letter, anger had already spread across her face. Without hesitation, she raised the letter in the air.
"So she expects me to accept something like this!? Does she think I'm some kind of joke!?"
Without even sparing another glance at the baby, Mina violently swiped her access card and shoved the penthouse door open before storming inside.
Duyen watched her go with concern before turning to Shana.
"...Let me carry her."
Shana nodded and carefully handed the baby over. It was obvious Duyen had far more experience holding an infant than Shana did. She looked down at the little girl with warmth and a gentle smile.
"...She's a baby girl."
Shana smiled knowingly. Duyen nodded. Then Shana teased with a grin.
"She's adorable. Thankfully she takes after her mother more than her father."
"Shana..."
Duyen frowned and lightly smacked Shana on the shoulder.
"This isn't really the time to joke."
Even so... Duyen had to admit she had almost laughed as well. Her gaze drifted toward the penthouse. The warm yellow light inside the master bathroom had already been turned on. Mina's high heels had been carelessly kicked off and lay scattered outside the bedroom.
Duyen sighed softly.
"...We probably shouldn't talk about this right now. I think this information is too much for Mina to process. We'll discuss everything tomorrow."
With that, Duyen carried the baby inside while Shana brought the cardboard box with her. Fortunately, no argument broke out that night over the child. Even so, everyone could feel an indescribably strange atmosphere hanging over the penthouse.
That night, Mina couldn't sleep. She quietly sat up. Beside her, Duyen was sleeping peacefully. A small smile appeared on Mina's lips as she gently brushed Duyen's hair away from her face. Duyen had gone to bed the latest because she had been taking care of the baby.
That...
Was something Mina simply couldn't accept.
Her expression darkened as her gaze slowly shifted toward the baby, who was sleeping soundly inside the crib they had rushed out to buy in the middle of the night.
The next morning...
Duyen woke up. Still half-asleep, she sat up. The strap of her camisole had slipped down over one shoulder, giving her a slightly disheveled appearance. But she immediately sensed something was wrong when she heard Shana talking to someone over the phone.
"She did that? ...Alright."
"...What's wrong?"
Duyen walked out of the bedroom. Shana's face looked pale. She murmured anxiously, still sounding shaken.
"...I can't find the baby."
Shana ended the call before turning toward her.
"Duyen... Mina took the baby away."
"...What?"
---
"Mina... I don't think this is a good idea."
Inside a reception room that resembled a secret chamber, velvet carpets covered the floor. A jade-green marble table and chairs occupied the center of the room, while enormous pillars wrapped with carved stone serpents supported the lavish hall. Yu and Mina sat facing each other with steaming cups of tea.
Despite the tranquil surroundings...The room was filled with an unexpectedly loud sound. A baby crying at the top of her lungs. Nearby, Amuro and Satoru were taking turns trying to calm the infant. Amuro gently rocked her in his arms.
"There, there... Uncle's here. Don't cry, okay?"
Unfortunately...It wasn't working.
Satoru, meanwhile, was rapidly losing what little patience he had. He looked at the child as though she were nothing but unnecessary baggage. His voice was utterly devoid of emotion.
"She's making too much noise. Lock her in the storage room."
"No. Absolutely not."
Amuro refused to hand the baby over to Satoru. Instead, he smiled warmly at the little girl.
"Don't listen to him, alright? You're the prettiest baby... the sweetest baby... the smartest baby... Peekaboo~"
To everyone's surprise...The baby suddenly stopped crying. A bright smile spread across her tiny face. She had a pair of remarkably beautiful blue eyes. Satoru merely clicked his tongue.
"You're making a fool of yourself, Amuro."
Amuro glanced at him.
"And you should remember that she's only a baby."
Satoru remained unconvinced.
"I think she'll grow up to be a crafty little brat. She'll be every bit as vicious as her traitorous father..."
The moment Valko's name was mentioned, Amuro fell silent. He thought about it for a moment. Then he chose to ignore the remark.
Instead, he continued gently rocking the baby while softly singing the same lullaby he had once sung to his own child.