Alpha Core smiled and said, "Gyan Mudra."
In the next instant, he vanished at incredible speed and appeared inside the room.
Hiruma's eyes widened in shock. Her body began to tremble.
Alpha stood right in front of the bed under which Hiruma was hiding.
Seeing him stand there, Hiruma held her breath.
Suddenly, Alpha took a step back.
Hiruma let out a sigh of relief.
But in the very next moment, Alpha bent down and looked directly under the bed.
"How are you?" he asked.
Hiruma screamed at the top of her lungs.
Startled, Alpha screamed as well and jumped backward.
"Hey! Don't do that!" Alpha shouted while holding his chest. "You're going to give me a heart attack!"
He pointed toward the outside of the bed.
"Now come out. Quickly."
Hiruma shook her head, refusing to come any closer.
Alpha let out a small sigh.
"I may look scary, but I'm not," he said calmly.
After a moment of hesitation, Hiruma slowly crawled out from under the bed.
"There's no need to be afraid," Alpha said gently.
His voice seemed to calm her, and the fear in her eyes gradually faded.
Then Alpha glanced at the book she was holding.
"Whose book is that?" he asked.
Hiruma immediately hid the book behind her back, as if protecting a precious treasure.
For a moment, Alpha remained silent.
Then he bent down slightly and placed a hand on her head.
Without saying anything else, he turned around and started walking toward the door.
Just before leaving the room, he stopped and spoke softly,
"You can trust me."
With those words, he stepped outside the room.
Keeping both of her hands behind her back, Hiruma slowly walked forward and followed Alpha.
A few moments later, Alpha arrived at the edge of the ship and looked toward the distant shore where Ajina was sitting.
"You're still alive, right?" Alpha shouted.
Then he turned toward Hiruma and gently placed a hand on her head.
"Gyan Mudra."
The next instant, their bodies split into countless particles and vanished.
A moment later, they reappeared on the seashore directly in front of Ajina.
Ajina's eyes widened.
The moment he saw Hiruma, he immediately stood up.
His gaze remained fixed on her face
She looks just like Atura... he thought to himself.
For a brief moment, Ajina was unable to look away from her.
"What are you thinking about?" Alpha asked.
Ajina suddenly snapped back to reality.
His expression became strange, and his body swayed slightly before he collapsed onto the ground.
Meanwhile, far away, everything seemed completely different for Vasuki.
The final school bell rang.
Students rushed out of their classrooms, grabbing their bags and hurrying toward the exit.
Unlike most days, Vasuki was in a great mood today
His teacher had praised him in front of the class.
As he walked through the corridor, Vikar ran up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks, friend!" Vikar said with a grin.
Vasuki looked at him in confusion.
"For what?"
Vikar laughed.
"For giving me your cake."
A smile appeared on Vasuki's face
"Oh, that."
"You don't need to thank me. It was my fault that I dropped your cake, so I simply gave you mine in return."
Vikar stared at him for a moment before smiling.
"Still, not everyone would do that."
As they walked, a group of boys suddenly passed by Vikar.
The moment he saw them, Vikar waved and quickly went over to join them, as if he knew them well.
Vasuki didn't pay much attention to it and continued walking on his own.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Friends can't always stay by our side, he thought.
After a brief pause, another thought crossed his mind.
Why do I always think so negatively?
He looked down at the ground as he walked.
Maybe it's because people here have always seen me as weak.
No matter what I do, that's the image they have of me.
The smile on his face slowly faded.
But he kept walking forward.
A turn appeared ahead, and Vasuki quietly followed the path.
After some time, he finally reached his room.
Without wasting a second, he threw himself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
I'm exhausted today, he thought.
A small grin appeared on his face.
Why not try something different today?
Suddenly, he jumped off the bed.
His eyes landed on a chessboard resting on a nearby table.
Vasuki walked toward it and took a seat.
There was no opponent in front of him.
Yet he moved a piece as if he were facing a grandmaster.
One move after another, he continued playing against an invisible rival.
The room remained silent except for the sound of chess pieces touching the board.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
Someone was at the door.
Vasuki raised an eyebrow.
"Who could that be?" he muttered.
"It's already evening. I wasn't expecting any visitors."
The moment he heard the knock, Vasuki quickly pushed the chessboard under his bed.
Then he walked to the door and opened it.
Standing outside were Mara and Pasito.
Vasuki blinked in surprise.
"Who told you where I live?" he asked.
Mara pointed beside him.
"Pasito did."
Vasuki looked around.
"Then where is Pasito?"
Suddenly, Pasito stepped out from behind Mara with a huge grin on his face.
"Oh! How are you, genius?" he said playfully.
A faint smile appeared on Vasuki's face.
"Come in, you idiots. What do you want?"
"We'll tell you in a second," Pasito replied.
Before anyone could say another word, Mara rushed toward the kitchen as if he already owned the place.
Meanwhile, Pasito's eyes wandered around the room.
Then he suddenly bent down and peeked under the bed.
His eyes widened.
"A chessboard?"
He looked back at Vasuki with a mischievous smile.
"Don't tell me you've been playing chess all alone."
Pasito shoved his hand under the bed and pulled out the chessboard.
"Come on, let's play chess," he said excitedly.
Without waiting for an answer, he sat down on the bed and began arranging the pieces.
A few moments later, Mara returned from the kitchen.
There was a cookie in his hand.
He took a bite and looked at Vasuki.
"Hurry up," Mara said. "We have somewhere to go."
Pasito paused for a moment and looked up.
"Yeah, don't take forever."
Vasuki stared at both of them in silence.
Inside his mind, however, he was already suffering.
Well... there goes my peaceful evening.
And there goes my sleep too.
He let out a quiet sigh.
These two are a disaster whenever they show up.
Night had already fallen.
Ajina sat quietly in his room. A plate of biscuits rested on the table in front of him.
He frowned.
"How did I even get here?" he muttered.
"And where is that girl?"
At that moment, Alpha walked out of the kitchen.
"So, how are you feeling?" Alpha asked.
"I'm fine now," Ajina replied.
Alpha pointed at the biscuits on the table.
"I made those."
Ajina looked at him in surprise.
"You made them?"
Alpha laughed.
"My wife made sure I learned how to cook."
Ajina chuckled.
"That's kind of embarrassing."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Silence filled the room.
Then Ajina finally asked,
"Where is the girl?"
Alpha leaned against the wall.
"She's staying in a building near her school.
A faint smile appeared on Ajina's face.
Near her school...
Interesting.
Isn't that the same place where Mara lives?
His smile widened slightly.
Maybe it's time to obtain Scarface's soul...
The thought lingered in his mind as he quietly picked up one of the biscuits.