Heat crept up my neck, but I held his gaze.
Toma’s grin vanished.
One twin’s head tilted. I believed that was Yuki.
The other’s fingers tapped against the table.
Hiro’s hand, resting near mine, went still.
“Tonight,” Reo sighed. “Nyomi is going to need access to the Personal Scales’ rooms. Kenji’s Three.”
A muscle jumped in Hiro’s jaw. “Why?”
The word came out sharper than he probably intended, like it had been waiting in his throat, loaded and ready.
Every Claw turned toward Hiro.
The Fangs went still.
Even the twins’ synchronized breathing hitched for half a second.
Reo crossed his arms over his chest. “Nyomi wants to look further into Hina.”
The name dropped into the silence like a stone hit a stream. There was this rippling effect of shock and disbelief.
Hiro shook his head. “Little Hina?”
Heat pricked the back of my neck, but I forced my voice to stay calm. “Earlier today, I got a look from Hina I couldn’t shake.”
Kenji’s head turned a fraction, and his focus tightened on me.
I took a breath. “It might mean nothing. She could’ve just been tired or overwhelmed. But when Reo showed me the photos and we realized someone had been tracking me through the house, my brain went back to Hina’s look. It wasn’t just surprise or admiration. . .it felt like she was hiding something.”
Images flickered in my mind: the way Hina’s lashes had lowered for a heartbeat too long, the way her smile had lagged behind everyone else’s, like it had to be manually turned on.
“I’m not ready to accuse her of anything, but I don’t want to ignore my gut either. If she’s innocent, the evidence in her room will line up with that. If she isn’t. . .” I let the thought hang. “I just think that. . .her bedroom is the one place her guard might’ve slipped.”
Hiro took the lollipop out and stared at me. "It would destroy me if she were involved, and it would shatter Kenji."
Silence.
The kind that made my ears ring.
No one looked away from him. That confession dropped heavier than any threat. Hiro—who probably never showed vulnerability, who maybe kept everything locked behind violence and dark humor—had just named one of his breaking points.
I caught movement from my right. Kenji's hand had gone completely still on my thigh. Not tense. Just. . .frozen. Like he was holding something fragile that might crack if he moved wrong.
The twins shifted in their seats, nearly imperceptible, but I noticed. Their gazes flicked to Hiro, then away.
Protective.
Worried.
I swallowed hard. "I know. Which is why I want to be sure. Not based on afeeling. Based onfacts."
“Good.” Hiro didn’t appear pleased at all as he returned to sucking on the lollipop. “Before you makeanyfinal assessment. . .make sure you’re thorough. I consider Hina a little sister, and I will not let anything happen to her without clear evidence.”
You’re loyal to the bone.
