Aya opened the drawer and after searching it for a moment, she told me, “Ryuu…it's not here.”

— — — — —

The moment Aya said the injection wasn’t there, my heart started beating really fast.

I rushed to the drawer and opened it quickly. It was empty.

Starting to panic, I said, “No…it was right here. Where did it go?!”

My hands were sweating and my head was full of thoughts.

I turned to look at Aya. She was looking at me strangely, she wasn’t scared or worried.

She was…amused.

For a second, she bit her lip, as if trying to hold something back. Then…she started laughing.

I asked, confused, “Aya?”

“I was kidding.” She said, still laughing, “It’s right here.” and she lifted her hand and showed me the injection.

She had been hiding it the whole time.

I asked her, “Are you serious right now?”

She smiled, “Your reaction was funny.”

I shook my head, “That wasn’t funny.”

She giggled and handed the injection back to me, “By the way, Akagi made something for me too.” she said.

She reached into her pocket and took out a small jar filled with white pills.

“What are those?” I asked curiously.

“After you left, Akagi kept working.” She said, ”These pills are for me. If Semyaza comes back, they will boost my powers over the limit.”

I looked at the jar, “Can I take a closer look?”

“Sure!” She said, giving it to me.

I looked carefully at the pills. They were completely white and looked normal.

“So if you take one, you just become stronger?” I asked her while looking at the pills.

“Yes, that’s what they should do.” She said with a smile.

I tried to open the jar and said, “And what if I take one?” trying to make a joke.

Suddenly, Aya grabbed the jar back from my hands.

“Don’t.” She said seriously.

I froze, “What?”

“You shouldn’t try that, you will most likely die.”

I felt a chill in my body and said, “I’m sorry, I was just joking.”

She looked at me for a second, then smiled again like nothing happened, “It’s okay!” she said, making sure the jar was closed properly.

I stayed silent for a moment, then asked, “What are the pills made of?”

She looked straight into my eyes and said quietly, “Star dust.”

“Star dust? What do you mean?”