And on top of it all—Aguni Morizona.
A soldier, a legend.
A man who once defeated a tiger with his bare hands. Quiet, stern, ruthless. With a scar across one eye. With a cold steel gas.
But for one person in this hotel—Nika—his gaze was completely different.
Nika lived here, among the ruins of former luxury, but kept her distance from people. She preferred solitude, quiet routine, breathing without witnesses.
It was her calm, isolated aura that drew Aguni like a magnet. At first, he just watched from afar. Then he began following her. He left gifts at her door: water, rice, warm soup, even books.
But Nika never took anything.
When Aguni took control of the entire hotel, everything changed.
He gave the order:
Traitors – eliminate. Weak – get out. Only the elite remained. The best. The most dangerous.
Among them – Niragi.
Young, reckless, fond of chaos, loud, but obedient to Aguni like a loyal dog. His right to play was one: "Do whatever you want, but don't touch her."
Because Nika was untouchable.
She belonged to the commander. And it was Niragi, on Aguni's orders, who brought food to her door every day. And then he reported like a guard who knew every drop of her silence.
That evening, he appeared before Aguni, tilting his head with an irritating smirk.
"Boss, your girl hasn't eaten anything again."
Aguni clenched his jaw so hard that the muscle twitched.
His eyebrow twitched dangerously.
"Little——" he growled, biting his tongue, trying to contain his rage.
Niragi, chuckling, leaned against the doorframe.
"Nothing, boss, it won't last. She's softening. Everyone softens."
Aguni adjusted his shirt and combat trousers.
Something wild glittered in his eye.
"Bring her in. Now."
Niragi clapped his hands together excitedly.
"Aye, boss!"
--
Nika didn't even have time to protest.
Before she knew it, Niragi and two other soldiers had her locked in the hallway leading to the private part of the building. Niragi pushed her gently toward the commander's door—not roughly, but firmly, as if he were putting goods away in a warehouse.
"Don't worry, princess. The boss is waiting," he chuckled.
--
Aguni's room… didn't look like the commander's room.
It looked like the grounds.
The walls were bare, except for one large feature:
a bed built into the wall Huge, deep, like a predator's lair.
With sliding doors that could be locked from the outside and inside.
An intimate cave.
A secret only Niragi knew.
Because Aguni was territorial.
Obsessed with what he considered his own.
--
"You'll have to lock the door to my bedroom," Aguni said to Niragi. "Entrance to the bed." So she wouldn't run away.
"Oh, boss, this is romantic," Niragi laughed. "Like a love cage."
Aguni didn't answer.
He stood at the end of the bed in the wall, wide, dark, and calm in a way that was more terrifying than a scream.
Nika was pushed gently toward Aguni.
Niragi, standing behind her, laughed softly.
Aguni approached slowly.
Unhurriedly.
As if every step he took was calculated.
"Baby... come," he said quietly, softly, unnaturally gentle for a man who presided over executions.
Nika backed away, her hands clenched tightly against her body.
"You have to eat," Aguni continued. "You have to rest." His voice began to tremble. "You have to... love me." He took a step closer. "Don't run away."
Niragi laughed louder, amused by her reaction and Aguni's plea.
"Boss, catch her!" he said, excited like a child watching a hunt.
—his presence was enough to give her nowhere to run.
He raised the glass of water to his lips and took a sip, never taking his eyes off her.
He knew Nika was thirsty.