Biological Experiment, KK

34. Biological Experiment, KK

"Akira, how much do you know about biological experiments?"

After arranging matters related to intercepting the pursuers, Akira got into the prepared vehicle with Oda Sandayu and Hanako Arasaka. The instant the door closed, Hanako Arasaka's sudden question made his heart constrict sharply.

Even Akira, who was usually composed, could not help feeling a trace of tension upon hearing her unexpected question.

It was not without reason—just recently, he had taken on a Biotechnica job that was closely related to biological experiments.

And that job had been done under his other identity.

Hanako Arasaka had been a captive. Yet at the critical moment after being successfully rescued, just as she was about to leave the villa for good, she had brought up something directly connected to his previous assignment. Such a precise coincidence made Akira uneasy. Almost instinctively, he began considering whether something had gone wrong somewhere, whether his identity had already been exposed.

As Akira rapidly considered whether he had let something slip, whether his earlier arrangements had allowed Hanako Arasaka to spot a flaw, Hanako Arasaka mistook his silence for a different kind of difficulty.

She tilted her head slightly. Her long lashes cast faint shadows in the sunlight streaming through the car windows, and a thoughtful curve appeared at the corner of her lips.

"Looks like you haven't had much involvement in this field." Her voice carried a deliberate pause, as though leaving him room to explain himself while assessing him. "Though that makes sense. Your résumé does not show much work in this area, nor any participation in related experiments."

There was an almost deliberate consideration in Hanako Arasaka's voice. Her tone was so gentle that it did not sound like the manner of someone in authority, but more like a subtle