Chapter 714: Hide And Seek.

The door to the physio room at Colney swung shut behind him with a soft click, the faint scent of antiseptic and minty ointment clinging to the air.

Izan adjusted his pace, one hand brushing against the crutch handle he didn’t really need but had been made to carry so it could alleviate the stress on his ankle.

His ankle, wrapped snug in the brace, didn’t throb the way it had a day before.

"Faster than expected," the head physio had said, smiling in that careful, professional way.

"Keep doing the exercises. You’re on the right track."

Izan’s jaw flexed as he made his way down the hallway.

Of course, it’s faster than expected.

I bought every bone-strengthening fluid you had, didn’t I?

he muttered mentally.

And the system’s reply came instantly, crisp, and irritatingly smug.

[System]: If it had been a bone injury, you wouldn’t be missing these games at all. But no—someone thought ignoring an ankle infection was a bright idea.

Izan slowed, his brow creasing.

You’re saying all those upgrades don’t mean a thing if it’s an infection?

[System]: Correct. Unless you’d like me to conjure a "bone-strengthening pill for infections"? Very cutting edge.

He stopped dead in the middle of the corridor, staring at the floor tiles as if the sarcasm had come with an actual slap.

His lips twitched, caught between a frown and a reluctant laugh.

You’re an ass, you know that?

[System]: I’ve been called worse. Usually by you.

Izan exhaled sharply through his nose, shaking his head as he resumed his walk.

The brace squeaked faintly with each step, a reminder he couldn’t ignore now.

Fine. Point taken. I’ll live with it. Just... drop the sarcasm next time.

*

[System]: Noted. But don’t expect me to lie about cause and effect. You play, you pay. Or in this case, don’t play, still pay.

He rolled his eyes, finally pushing open the doors into the cafeteria where the chatter of teammates already seated, the clink of cutlery on trays and the comforting aroma of pasta and chicken filled the space.

...

[Hampstead]

The front door clicked open, and Hori stepped in, her school bag swinging off her shoulder before she lazily tossed it onto the couch.

It landed with a soft thud, one strap dangling off the edge as she turned immediately, eyes narrowing at Izan, who was lowering himself onto the armrest with his braced leg stretched out.

"Seriously?" she started, half annoyed, half amused.

"You picked me up in the Gemera again. Do you

ever

think about not causing a scene?"

Izan lifted a brow, feigning innocence.

"What? It’s just a car. Instead of being grateful for your elevated status in school, here you are complaining while I volunteered to come and pick you up with a braced leg. "

"Just a car? And please don’t bring that fake ankle injury here." Hori’s voice rose slightly as she tugged off her shoes.

"Half my class was filming us when you pulled into the parking lot. You might as well have landed in a helicopter."

Before Izan could retort, Olivia’s voice floated in from the kitchen.

She stepped out with a cup of coffee in hand, her hair pulled into a messy bun.

"Telling Izan to be lowkey is like asking water not to be wet," she said dryly.

Izan glanced at her, mouth twisting into a smirk. "Wow, betrayal from my own girlfriend."

Olivia ignored him, eyes moving to Hori instead.

"So," she said, walking over to perch on the arm of the chair opposite.

"What’s the plan for your week off? Mid-break, a whole seven days... you must’ve thought of something."

Hori sighed dramatically and collapsed into the chair, pulling her knees up.

"Nope. Nothing. I don’t even know what to do with myself."

Olivia set her cup down on the coffee table, then leaned a little closer to her, lowering her voice like she was about to share a secret.

"Well... I might have something."

That piqued Hori’s interest.

She tilted her head, eyes brightening. "What is it?"

Olivia smirked, glancing sideways at Izan, who was scrolling through his phone with exaggerated disinterest.

Then she leaned in closer to Hori, her tone conspiratorial.

"Stagecoach Festival. Big lineup this year — Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Lana Del Rey, even Nelly and the Backstreet Boys are showing up."

Hori blinked at her, stunned for a moment, before the name clicked.

"Wait—Lana Del Rey?

Lana’s

going to be there?"

Her entire demeanour shifted, excitement rushing in where boredom had been.

She fumbled for her phone, thumbs flying across the screen as she searched it up.

"Where is it? Where’s it happening?"

"Indio, California," Olivia answered with a little grin, watching her.

Hori’s jaw dropped as the location popped up on her phone.

"You’re kidding. No way—" She looked up, grinning so wide it made Olivia laugh.

"Okay, that’s actually insane."

Then, Hori’s fingers froze mid-scroll, her face still glowing with excitement from the lineup.

Izan, who had been leaning back in the armchair with his phone lazily in hand, let out a low chuckle.

"It’s in Indio, California," she said, almost triumphantly.

Izan lifted his eyes from the screen, the corner of his mouth curling.

"You do realise it’s like half a day away, right?" His tone was teasing, half-amused, half matter-of-fact.

"Think Komi’s gonna let you just jet off across the ocean like that?"

The spark in Hori’s eyes dimmed, just a fraction.

She bit her lip, shoulders sinking a little as the reality hit.

He wasn’t wrong.

Flying halfway across the world for a music festival wasn’t exactly something she could slide past her mom.

Her phone lowered into her lap as she leaned back into the couch, puffing out her cheeks in mild defeat.

"Ugh... you’re right," she muttered, though her voice carried more frustration at herself than at him.

But then, almost like a lightbulb, her brows lifted slightly.

She sat up straighter, her expression shifting, and Iz­an could see that flicker of realisation flash across her face.

She had a plan.

And just like that, the sulkiness was gone, replaced by a quiet sort of plotting that even Izan noticed.

Izan tilted his head, studying the sudden brightness on Hori’s face, the way her lips twitched like she was holding back a grin. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Whatever you’re plotting," he said slowly, voice low with mock warning, "you should stop," but Hori didn’t answer.

She just turned her gaze on him, lips pressed together, eyes sparkling with something unspoken.

The silence stretched, thick with her mischievous stubbornness.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Izan noticed Olivia shifting on the other end of the couch.

When he looked, she was already watching him the exact same way—quiet, steady, and just as unreadable.

Izan leaned back, exhaling through his nose, caught between them both. "I don’t like this," he muttered.

.....

The sound of breathing was uneven, almost ragged.

It was like a desperate attempt to stay quiet while lungs begged for air.

Each inhale came sharp and shallow, each exhale pressed between trembling lips, as though even the smallest gust of sound might give away the hiding spot.

Somewhere close, the faint scuff of a shoe on the floor echoed through the silence, followed by a slow, almost sing-song voice.

"Where are you..."

The voice stretched through the air, playful and teasing, but with an edge that made the silence afterward feel heavier.

A bead of sweat rolled down the forehead of the one hiding.

His chest rose and fell quicker now, despite his effort to control it.

He pressed himself back further, into the corner, shoulders brushing against the wall as though stone and shadow might swallow him whole, but at the time, it might have been better if the shadow swallowed him.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are..."

The words drifted like a whisper, playful yet unsettling.

Then, silence.

The hider’s throat tightened.

He clamped a hand over his mouth instinctively, muffling the sound of his breath.

The seconds crawled.

His ears strained, trying to catch any hint of movement and yet, nothing.

Then — a rustle.

He froze.

The sound was close, too close.

His pulse hammered in his ears, drowning everything else.

He dared not move, dared not breathe, no couldn’t—but then,

"Got you?"

The voice came suddenly from somewhere else, sharp enough to make him flinch.

But nothing followed.

The tension stretched until it felt unbearable; every muscle in his body coiled tight.

Silence again.

He swallowed hard.

Maybe... maybe she’d gone? Maybe she’d turned the other way, convinced he had slipped past her?

The quiet pressed in as the seconds stretched like minutes and then hours.

Then — a sharp inhale, followed by a burst of laughter right in front of him.

"Found you!"

Hori’s face popped into view, grinning with triumph, her eyes glinting with mischievous victory.

The hider’s breath escaped in a rush, shoulders sagging as all that tension broke apart at once.

What had been a scene of horror melted instantly as the heart-pounding game of hide-and-seek that only Hori could turn into something this intense came to an end.

A/N: Hello. Once again, I am sorry guys. I don’t really have much time nowadays. I have a paper on Friday so I can only fulfill more commitments the day after that. I will release a Chapter after this so don’t worry. See you in a bit and have fun reading. For the readers of the other novel, I am really sorry. I will find time to upload a couple Chapters.