The faint glow of Yukari's laptop illuminated the dimly lit room of the safe house. Her fingers danced across the keyboard as lines of encrypted code flashed on the screen. The air was tense, the only sound being the occasional tap of keys and the hum of the aging ventilation system.
Renjiro stood by the window, his sharp eyes scanning the deserted streets outside. He hadn't spoken in a while, but his hand remained close to his holster. Hana leaned against the wall nearby, casually inspecting her knives, though her gaze occasionally flickered toward Yukari.
"How much longer?" Saito finally broke the silence, his deep voice tinged with impatience.
"I'm working as fast as I can," Yukari shot back without looking up. "Kaede's encryption is layered and dynamic. It's like peeling an onion, only this onion is made of firewalls and quantum-level locks."
Renjiro smirked faintly but didn't turn around. "Just don't let it blow up in your face."
"Funny," Yukari muttered, though her focus didn't waver.
Aiko sat in the corner, her knees drawn to her chest. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over her since the explosion. She glanced at Renjiro. "Do you think they'll find us here?"
"They're looking," Renjiro replied without hesitation. "But we've got some time. Kaede's good, but this isn't her backyard."
The tension broke momentarily as Yukari let out a triumphant noise. "Got it!" she exclaimed, spinning her laptop around to display a map on the screen. "This is Kaede's next meeting point. It's set for two days from now in Kyoto."
"Kyoto," Hana repeated, frowning. "That's risky. The city's crawling with surveillance, not to mention Kaede's people."
Renjiro crossed the room, his expression grim as he studied the map. "We don't have a choice. If we miss this meeting, we lose the lead—and the buyer gets their hands on whatever she's selling."
Saito stepped forward, his arms crossed. "What's the plan? We can't just walk into Kyoto without drawing attention."
Renjiro nodded. "We'll split into two teams. Saito and Hana will secure our entry and scout the area. Yukari, Aiko, and I will head straight to the meeting point. Yukari, you'll be our eyes and ears. Aiko... you stay close to me."
Aiko blinked in surprise. "Me? But I'm not—"
"You're part of this team now," Renjiro interrupted, his tone firm but not unkind. "We'll need every hand we can get."
Yukari raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Instead, she turned back to her laptop. "I'll prepare the comms and encryption. We'll need to stay off the grid as much as possible."
Saito chuckled dryly. "Off the grid in Kyoto? Good luck with that."
"We don't need luck," Renjiro said, his voice steady. "We just need to be better than them."
As the team began their preparations, the unease that had gripped Aiko started to ease, replaced by a sense of purpose. She wasn't sure what the next two days would bring, but for the first time, she felt like she was exactly where she needed to be.
Outside, in the shadows of the city, unseen eyes were already watching. Kaede's network was vast, and her reach extended further than they knew. As the safe house grew quiet once more, a dark figure slipped into the night, heading toward Kyoto.
The game was far from over.