~ Misaki ~
The door to the hall slammed shut behind us. Haruki was already waiting, his laptop on his lap, the screen flickering in the light of the streetlamp. Ren detached himself from the shadow of the wall and approached us, his gaze watchful but calm. The night was cool, the weight of the fight still in our limbs.
Makino dropped Shōgo into the back seat. He was conscious, but too dazed to fight back. The stranger was handcuffed and placed in the trunk.
"Anything?" I asked as I closed the trunk.
Haruki nodded, typed something else, then turned the screen. A dossier, rough, with gaps - but legible.
"I've now read through the record again. His name is probably Takuma Aizawa. Rookie. Fresh into some program, probably privately trained, maybe even independent. Little field experience, but well trained. That's why he acted the way he did."
I crossed my arms. "Not a professional. But not an amateur either."
Haruki: "He was just supposed to observe. He probably didn't even know what he was really getting himself into."
Makino snorted softly. "Then he's out of luck."
I looked at the motionless body.
Haruki closed the laptop. "Where to take him?"
I looked at Ren, who was already starting the engine. "To the oyabun. He'll decide how valuable our rookie really is."
"Good," I said. "Then let's get back to the accommodation. We'll have a short rest for now. But we'll leave the next morning."
Haruki then asked: "Ren, can you drive? I want to sit in the back with him. If he comes to, he might talk spontaneously."
Ren nodded and went to the wheel. I looked at Makino. Her hand was slightly bloody, but her gaze was clear.
I stepped closer for a moment, looked her in the eye. "Good job."
A tiny nod. Then she got in.
I turned back to the hall. One last look. Then to Haruki.
"As soon as you know something, let me know."
"You'll get it first."
The doors slammed shut. The engines started quietly. And so we made our way back to the accommodation
---
~ The next morning
The morning haze was still clinging to the windows when I entered the kitchen. It was quiet - just the low hum of electronics and the distant sound of the city. I turned on the tap and let the cold water run over my hand.
I turned on the water for the tea, reached for the rice stove and took a quick look around. The traces of last night were gone - but the atmosphere still hung in the air like smoke. I opened the fridge. Not much there. Rice balls, eggs, spring onions. That was enough.
I cut the vegetables, cracked the eggs. The rhythmic clicking of the knife was soothing. At some point, I heard footsteps behind me.
"You're up early," Haruki said. His voice was hoarse from sleep, but his gaze was clear.
"Someone has to start," I mumbled without looking up. "Breakfast will clear things up."
He sat down at the table and placed his tablet in front of him. "Takuma's quiet. He's barely slept."
I seasoned the egg and threw the vegetables into the pan. "He has no reason to be quiet either."
"Do you think he talks at oyabun?"
"He's a rookie. Sooner or later, every rookie talks."
Haruki raised an eyebrow. "You were never a rookie."
I gave him a quick glance. "Yes, I was, I was just better prepared."
Makino joined us, rubbing the back of his neck. "Smells like breakfast. I almost thought I was back in Osaka."
"There was no breakfast. Just cigarettes and bitter instant noodles," I replied.
"And you were always up before everyone else." Makino sat down, grinning slightly. "Old habit."
"Old habits last longer than people," I muttered.
Ren was the last to arrive, slapping the doorframe with the flat of his hand. "I'm ready. Car's parked. What's for dinner?"
I put the bowls on the table. Fried rice, soft-boiled eggs, tea.
"Enough," I said.
Everyone helped themselves. It wasn't a happy meal, but it was calm. A moment we could share before everything got heavy again.
Makino sipped the tea. "What are we going to do with this guy? Takuma. When we get to the oyabun?"
Haruki replied, "If he goes along, maybe he can live. Maybe."
"That's optimism, from you?" asked Ren, half-jokingly.
Haruki shrugged his shoulders. "Realism. The oyabun decides. We just deliver."
I nodded. "But first we clean up. Everything. No traces."
Everyone looked at me. They knew what I meant.
Haruki stood up. "I'll take over the hard disk."
Makino stretched. "I'll do the room."
Ren finished his tea. "And I'll check the car again."
I collected the bowls. Rinsed and dried.
The rinsing was done quickly, the water ran clear and silently down the drain. I folded the towels while Haruki deleted a few last bits of data on his tablet. Makino had disappeared into one of the rooms, the door half open. Ren checked the outside of the car and the trunk.
"Everything clean?" I asked, my hands still damp from drying off.
"As clean as if we'd never been here," Haruki replied. "I've deleted all the files and set up several VPN connections to make any tracing impossible."
Makino came back, nodding. "The rooms are empty, no legacies."
Ren got into the car, tapped the handlebars. "Ready to go."
I took one last look around the accommodation. "Good, let's get going then."
Outside, the sun had already risen higher and the haze was beginning to clear. We loaded Shōgo and Takuma into the car, and I made sure that they had no chance to escape. This time Shōgo was in the trunk, as we didn't have enough room.
Ren sat behind the wheel, Haruki sat next to him, Makino and I took the back seat, while Takuma sat between us.
The car started moving, the streets of Kyoto passed by, but in our minds there was only one destination: Kōbe in Hyōgo Prefecture.
---
The landscape slowly passed by as the car drove quietly through the streets. Shōgo lay unconscious in the trunk - silent and vulnerable, like a broken doll.
Takuma was tied up and looked tense, his eyes fixed on the ground. The space was cramped, the air heavy.
Makino glanced at me, then spoke quietly: "He'll shut up. For the moment."
I nodded. "That's good. Less talking, less mistakes."
Haruki put the tablet away and leaned back. "The oyabun is waiting for us in Kōbe. He wants to know everything. No excuses."
Ren checked the seat belt again. "We should be prepared for anything."
I took a deep breath. "Then let's be ready. No matter what comes."
The sun rose higher, and with it the tension in the car. Kōbe lay ahead of us.
---
The driveway seemed shorter than usual - familiar. The gravel crunched under the tires as we approached the main house. The air in Kōbe was slightly warmer than in Kyōto, but also fresher. I smelled the sea, cedar wood... and home.
Sota was already standing in front of the door, his arms crossed loosely as usual, his face stern but not unfriendly. Yuki was leaning relaxed against the wall of the house, with a half-smile, as if he had just seen us yesterday. And it probably felt exactly the same to him.
Makino and Ren got out first. I stayed seated for a moment, took a deep breath and then opened the door.
"Finally," Yuki said without moving. "We thought you were taking your time."
I stepped next to Haruki. "We were only a few hours later than planned."
"That's why you're bringing presents," Sota said dryly as he walked to the trunk and eyed Shōgo briefly. "Nicely wrapped."
"He doesn't talk much," Ren said. "But the other one almost too much."
Takuma stood somewhat unsteadily between Makino and me. His eyes darted nervously back and forth between our faces. Sota barely gave him a glance, but Yuki stepped closer.
"He's the rookie?" he asked.
I nodded. "And he doesn't even know who he works for."
"Even better."
Sota made a curt gesture with his hand. "Makino, Ren - come with me. We'll take these two straight to the oyabun."
Haruki and I stayed behind as they left with the two. I followed them for a moment until the door closed behind them.
Then I heard footsteps - quick, light, barefoot. Then something small and warm flew towards me.
"Misaki!!!"
I caught Hina just in time before she knocked us both down. She clung to me as if weeks had passed.
"You're back! I've missed you so much - and Haruki too!"
"I was away for five days," I said, tilting my head slightly. But I couldn't help smiling. "You're exaggerating."
"Five days is a long time!"
Haruki laughed softly. "She told us off to the oyabun for half an hour every night that we weren't there."
"I didn't!" Hina pulled an offended face and let go of me - only to immediately latch onto Haruki. "But I might have whined a little."
"A little?" I mumbled.
Yuki had come closer in the meantime. "Come on in. The tea is hot. Mother and father are expecting you in a moment."
We entered the house. The tatami mats were newly laid out and the smell of incense was in the air. Familiar. I let myself sink onto the cushion in the living room while Hina bustled around between us.
"I've learned how to make good green tea," she said proudly, setting down a tray. "Not like last week."
"The last one was... creative," Haruki said diplomatically.
"It was terrible," Yuki said.
I accepted a cup. "This one's good."
Yuki sat down, stretching her legs. "So, how was Kyōto?"
"Messy," Haruki replied without hesitation.
I added: "But successful."
"And the rookie - what do you think?"
"Unsure," I said. "But not stupid."
Sota wasn't back yet, so we had a moment's peace. Hina finally sat down between Haruki and me and rested her chin on her hands.
"Are you staying longer now?"
I looked at her. Her eyes were shining. "That depends on what Father says."
"Then I'll tell him to say yes."
Haruki smiled again, and for a moment it was quiet. Not like a pause before the next storm - but like a home that was complete again for a moment.