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"I can handle this just fine"

"You do realize soht?" Kenn snaps back "This isn’t just so about here"

"And I’ives his friend a firm stare "I will be fine We’ll talk tou, and it occurs to me that this probably isn’t the first time Hideo’s life has been threatened Kenn makes an irritated sound and throws up his hands "It’s not like you used to listen to htens when he sees me "If it hadn’t been for your call round"

A chill runs through lechase to so closer,even worse Had any of the other bounty hunters seen what just happened? I look back to the blood on the bodyguard’s shoulder There’s a faint, metallic scent in the air Hints of my old panic, the familiar desperation to solve this proble has a solution Why can’t I find this one?

Hideo helps his injured bodyguard stand and talks to him in a low voice as another of hisit from view Whatever Hideo had murmured was too quiet for ive hi us all "The attack failed We’re tracking the suspect No need to panic the crowds"

"Hideo--" I start to say, but stop at the look on his face

"Go to your teaently "Continue your celebrations We’ll talk later tonight"

"And you’re going souards take over for their hurt friend, then watches as they lead him to a set of private stairs All I can do is stare Hideo’s shoulders are straight, and his posture is calm--but his eyes are tense, far away from here His hands clench and unclench at his sides Even if he doesn’t show it blatantly, I can sense that he’s shaken

Kenn finds aze and holds it for a moment Talk to him, he seems to say I can sense the silent plea froh to kno difficult he can be

"Hideo," I say softly "You need to get out of here Out of Tokyo Sohts in the stadiuhtness I blink away stars Down below, the crowdtheir way toward the exits, but it is quickly replaced by cheering again as they celebrate the gah the speakers, the security is reassuring the crowd, saying, "A transistor sparked in the upper levels of the do is under control now Please ns" As the people funnel out, Hideo turns to look at me His eyes are still that dark color, and the look in the anywhere," he says Then he turns aith his bodyguards

21

If I thought the a, it was nothing compared to after our first win We’d barely made it out of the Tokyo Dome when the first enors surrounding the arena, the headlines in giant, screa letters

ASHER WING, FIRST PICK EMIKA CHEN

LEAD PHOENIX RIDERS TO STUNNING UPSET WIN

A recap of me plays over and over beneath each of these headlines, ure crouched on the head of a towering creature, lassoing its head, forcing it doard Jena Above the dome, the two crests--the phoenix and the hooded de have now s spread as wide as the do up to the sky in triumph

My level has skyrocketed from 28 to 49

But all I can think about is that Hideo could have died tonight And that no one knows My thoughts continue to churn, looping back over and over on Kenn’s words He will listen to you Please What is Hideo saying about me that makes Kenn think this?

A uards as we flee the arena toward our waiting cars, and suddenly I can’t see anything but a field of flashing lights and ht!" Asher exclai liives the car an instruction to take us into Shibuya instead of back to our doruards clier in traffic nearby, tailing us Myat the reporters outside the , like Asher’s doing, I keepRoshan on the shoulder

A et away tonight?