Aiko's world became the four glowing screens in front of her. The quiet, charming cat cafe was now the most important place on the planet. Her mission: find the truth hidden beneath the layers of normal.
"I have an operative inside," Kaito's voice hummed in her ear. "His camera feed is number three. The view is limited. Don't rely on it."
Aiko switched to feed three. The view was from a table near the window, partially obscured by a menu. She could see the front counter and a few of the tables. And in the corner, she saw the old woman, Fumi Kageyama. She was sitting perfectly still, a cup of tea untouched in front of her, looking like a serene, harmless grandmother. Aiko knew better.
"She's not moving," Aiko reported, her voice a low whisper. "She's just... waiting."
"She won't make the first move," Kaito replied. "The courier will approach her. Look for anyone who doesn't belong. Anyone who seems nervous."
Aiko began to cycle through the patrons. A pair of giggling tourists. A quiet man reading a book. Then she saw him. A young man, probably a university student, sat alone. He kept checking his phone, his leg bouncing nervously under the table. He was the only person in the cafe who wasn't paying any attention to the cats that prowled around the room. He was watching Fumi.
"I have him," Aiko said. "University student, maybe twenty. Black backpack. Looks like he's about to take an exam he didn't study for."
"That's our courier," Kaito confirmed. "Stay on him."
The student didn't approach Fumi. Instead, he got up, went to the counter, and ordered a drink: an iced yuzu tea. As the barista made the drink, the old woman, Fumi, rose silently from her table and walked towards the back of the cafe, disappearing down a short hallway that led to the restrooms. A blind spot.
A moment later, the student picked up his drink and followed her down the same hallway.
"They're moving," Aiko reported, her heart quickening. "Both heading to the restroom corridor. It's a blind spot for the internal camera."
"My team is ready to move on the back alley exit," Kaito's voice was tense.
"Wait," Aiko said, her instincts screaming. It was too simple. Too obvious. She quickly switched to the drone feed, then to the operative on the street. She scanned the area around the back alley. The woman with the stroller was now standing right at the corner of the alley, pretending to adjust the blanket. The delivery bike courier started his engine. It was a getaway plan.
"Kaito, it's a misdirection," she said, her words coming faster now. "The student isn't the target. He's a decoy. They're setting up a hand-off in the alley. The real package is what's in his backpack. They're going to split up."
There was a half-second of silence on the line. He was trusting her, processing her analysis. "Kenji," Kaito's voice was sharp. "New plan. Back alley. The target is the backpack. The woman with the stroller is your priority. Ignore the student and the bike. Go."
Aiko switched the main monitor to the back alley feed. It was a shaky, covert view from behind a dumpster. Just as she did, the student exited from the cafe's back door, looking left and right. The woman with the stroller met him. Without a word, he shrugged off his backpack and handed it to her. She quickly placed it in the base of the stroller, covered it with a blue blanket, and began to walk away, calm and unhurried. The student, now unburdened, jogged to the delivery bike, hopped on the back, and sped off down the street in the opposite direction.
It was a perfect, clean exchange.
But just as the woman with the stroller was about to round the corner and vanish, two shadows detached themselves from the walls of the alley. Kenji and another of Kaito's men. They moved silently, blocking her path.
The woman froze. The camera zoomed in on her face. She wasn't scared. She was annoyed. Kenji said something Aiko couldn't hear and then reached into the stroller, pulling out the backpack. The woman clutched her purse but didn't fight. She just stared. Not at Kenji. She stared directly at the hidden camera Aiko was watching her through. It was as if she knew.
Kenji's voice, crisp and professional, came through Aiko's earpiece. "Package secured, Ishikawa-sama."
Aiko let out a shaky breath, a triumphant smile touching her lips. She had done it.
"Good work, Aiko," Kaito's voice was low, filled with an unmistakable pride that made her heart soar. "Now for the hard part. Getting my men out."
Aiko's smile faded. She switched the feed back to the operative inside the cafe. The student had never come back. But the old woman, Fumi Kageyama, had returned to her table. And she was smiling. It was a cold, thin, knowing smile. And she was looking directly at the hidden camera.
The Bakeneko's power wasn't just about luck. It was about knowing. She had known they were being watched the entire time. The hand-off wasn't the main event. It was just the bait.
The trap had just been sprung.