An hour had passed since she had given the hybrid the teddy bear.
After a few questions and a little back and forth, the officers had come up with a cohesive idea of what had happened.
Akira sat inside the study of the Chief Executive, an old middle-aged man who had made it very clear that he never liked her being there.
She sat quietly in the corner, the executive staring at her like he was waiting for a wild animal to finally play its part.
Yet—
she remained still.
Legs tucked close to her chest.
Eyes staring at the only safe thing in the room.
And her hands nervously sweating as she wiped them against her pants every now and then.
Outside the study, at ground level, Geisha and the other officers gathered a handful of eyewitness accounts regarding what had happened before, during, and after the fire.
Upstairs, on the third floor, right down the hall, a closed door with a single word that read "Executive" held a tension behind the expensive plywood.
For a long while, she could practically feel the middle-aged man's gaze piercing through her clothes.
Literally.
Her left hand gently squeezed the teddy bear beside her.
She didn't like it.
The situation.
The glare.
The worry Akashi would have when he found out.
That last thought made her heart churn.
Part of her didn't know what to do.
How she would have to begin explaining what happened...
and how she would have to tell him that her body had practically moved on instinct all on its own.
Even the officers, especially the one dissecting her body piece by piece, didn't know what she was capable of.
Normal civilians didn't do this.
Not humans, at least.
Her eyes flicked up for a brief moment.
He saw it.
Mistake.
She immediately retreated.
That made the old man smile for a moment, his old gray eyes shimmering faintly behind his crooked grin.
Her cheeks burned as she literally felt her body being tormented under his inappropriate assessment.
Her eyes shut.
Everywhere his gaze traced over her body, goosebumps followed, and it made her uncomfortable.
But how was she going to say that?
And was he even going to listen?
A moment passed.
Her legs tucked closer to her chest.
His eyes traced through the fabric.
Lower.
Lower.
Lower—
"E-Excuse me..."
The gray shimmer flickered, his eyes reverting to their withered blue hue.
The old man grunted.
"Hm?"
The teddy bear squeaked faintly beneath her grip.
[ "I used to call him 'Bravey.'" ]
"Could you...
Her voice wavered.
Then she quietly squeezed the bear as she looked directly at the man.
A shaky breath left her as her heartbeat grew louder.
Say it.
Just—
say it.
The old man's brows furrowed.
But then finally—
"C-Could you please stop doing that?"
A small silence settled between them.
And yet, in that moment, the hybrid had just experienced something new.
Something she'd never thought she had in her.
Bravery.
But the moment of awe was short-lived as the old man's lips curled into a smirk.
His eyes, no longer merely shimmering but glowing a more purposeful gray, stripped her from top to bottom again.
"Don't be shy." he said, voice scratchy as he leaned forward. "You know you like it."
She could feel his eyes stripping her bare through her clothes.
Neck.
Collarbone.
Chest—
She covered herself, her expression no longer hiding how uncomfortable she felt.
"S-Stop it." her voice tremored.
He stood up slowly and walked forward.
"Oh, don't pretend with me, you demon..."
Step.
Step.
Step.
"Everyone knows that hybrids don't have a place where they belong."
She sank backward.
"So why don't I give you a place to belong?"
The teddy bear silently screamed for help under her grip.
"I said stop it..." she whispered, her back already meeting the wall. "Please."
He lowered himself, one hand settling on her forearm as he slowly began to pry it away from her chest.
"Let me see..." he whispered, licking his bottom lip. "Let me see what you're hiding."
Her eyes widened.
Hairs on end.
Fear on her tongue.
She should've been stronger than him.
But he wasn't the average Essential.
He was trained.
And he had the strength to pry her open—
"Chief."
Her breath hitched sharply as he froze.
The door.
Still closed.
Good.
He immediately looked at her and placed a finger over his lips.
"Shh."
And in the next instant, the middle-aged man's withered blue hue returned as he sat back down in his chair, adjusting his collar and clearing his throat.
"What?" he called out, his voice returning to its raspy aged tone.
"Lieutenant Hoshinoi wants to speak with you."
The man glanced at the hybrid whose entire body was still frozen in place, tears quietly staining her cheeks.
He sighed.
"I'll be right there."
"Actually, she's right here."
That made the man instantly go pale.
"What..."
"Mr. Kisaragi."
The old man's eyes widened slightly as he looked back at Akira.
The moment she heard Geisha's voice, her eyes slid immediately toward the door.
"Geisha..." she whispered.
"Shit."
"Mr. Kisaragi." Geisha's voice came through muffled. "I'd like to speak with Akira Hashinada." she said, her voice even and formal.
The Executive immediately stood and moved over to the hybrid.
"Keep your mouth shut, y'hear?" His hushed voice dripped with venom. "Don't you dare mention anything related to what just happened, or I swear to you..."
His voice dipped into a low murmur against her ear. "Next time, I won't just stop at looking."
He pulled back and stared at her.
"Mr. Kisaragi?"
"Do you understand me, you goddamn demon?" he hissed.
Akira nodded slowly.
"...yeah."
"Wipe your tears and shut up."
He didn't wait.
He straightened himself and opened the thick door.
"Glad you came back." he said, voice low and scratchy again, his usual frown plastered on his face. "Another second with her and I swear I'd have come down there myself and sped up the process."
Geisha's eyes swept across the room almost instantly and immediately landed on the hybrid woman sitting in the corner.
Her fingers twitched.
"Akira. I need to speak with you." Geisha said, her voice still soft, yet formal.
The hybrid nodded as she stood up.
"Yeah... okay."
And as she rose, Geisha immediately noticed the faint tremor in her hands.
And the way she was squeezing the life out of the bear.