An eerie silence filled the atmosphere as all three of us sat around the small dining table in Shigeru's apartment. I tried my hardest to look presentable, but despite my best efforts I still looked too sleep deprived to even be considered prepared for this long awaited meeting. I guess I should take makeup into account next time I plan to attend an important gathering.
"So, Miyazaki... this is your plan after all, aren't you going to inform us the best ways to approach this situation?" Shigeru asked, breaking the silence.
"Ah- yeah, a-about that... you're not gonna like what I have to say..." I stuttered, scratching the back of my head in a nervous gesture.
"Hikaru-" Kaito started, "Let him speak, Kai. If this is the best option, then there's nothing we can do to change that. He's spent weeks preparing for this, I doubt he's gonna give up that hard work and effort for our sake when clearly his priorities lie with his roommate." Shigeru said, interrupting Kaito without hesitation.
I released the breath I had been holding in, relieving myself of the pressure building in both my head and lungs. "For us to get in successfully without being detected, I'd need to purposely get caught sneaking in. It's the fastest way to get to where Kan- I mean my roommate is." I said.
"That's too risky, what are you going to do once you've been captured? They're the mafia, they might just decide to kill you immediately or worse, keep you alive while writhing in agony. You have nowhere near the strength needed to pull this off alone, how are we going to get in to save your a$$?" Shigeru asked, Kaito nodding in agreement.
"We'd need some sort of tracking or communication device that's compact and effective. That way, you'd be able to know where I am in the building and the fastest way to get there based off of the blueprints we have. And don't worry about my safety, I know for a fact that they wouldn't kill me once I've been taken in." I answered, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach.
"And how would we get you and your friend out alive?" Shigeru questioned, Kaito nodding in agreement.
"You're just going to have to trust me on this one, okay? In order to win, you need to take risks, otherwise your efforts will be wasted. I don't care if you disagree with it, or think of me as a fool for even suggesting it in the first place, but if you don't want me to go through with it you'll have to drag me back kicking and screaming." I said, my fists clenching into an iron grip under the table.
"..." Shigeru and Kaito exchanged a concerned glance, neither of them looking pleased nor taken aback. "I trust you and your intentions, Miyazaki, you have my support." Shigeru said, earning a shocked glare from Kaito.
"Are you insane?! What if you get yourselves killed?! Hikaru, you can't really be serious! Tell me this is all a joke?!" Kaito exclaimed, brows furrowed and mouth agape.
"Kai, he said it himself, Hikaru isn't backing down from this. Whoever this person is, I haven't a single doubt they mean more than the world to him. Can't you see the flame of determination in his eyes? Nothing we can say will sway him, it's best we just support him and make sure he lives to see another day alongside his friend." Shigeru stated, squeezing Kaito's shoulder.
Kaito's face became a twisted mess of emotion, but after a few moments an exhausted sigh escaped his lungs and he caved. "Alright, I'll go along with your plan. But the second things turn south I'm pulling you out, got that?"
Shigeru ruffled Kaito's hair with a content smile painted across his face, "Glad you came around, Kai."
It might've just been my eyes playing tricks on me, but for a split second I could see the warmth in Kaito's eyes and the blush across his face before he turned his head away and removed Shigeru's hand from his rust colored hair.
They would've made a great couple.