Aiko stared at the dark, twitching shape on the warehouse roof, her mind struggling to comprehend. "Ryo's partner? What is that thing?"
"A Kamaitachi," Kaito explained, his eyes glued to the screen, his voice a low, reverent whisper. "A weasel spirit that moves with the speed of wind and carries the blade of a sickle. They are masters of silent infiltration. Ryo raised him from a kit. Their bond is absolute. He is not a slave; he is family."
Family. The word struck a deep chord within Aiko. This wasn't just about recovering an asset. It was about rescuing family.
Kaito leaned closer to his comms mic. He didn't speak a command in Japanese. He spoke a name, a single, soft word that sounded like a rustling leaf. "Kamae."
On the drone feed, the creature on the roof stirred. And then it was gone. Not just fast. It vanished from one frame to the next, a blur too quick for the high-speed camera to capture. The rescue was in motion.
"The Kageyama will expect a full frontal assault," Kaito said, his focus absolute. He brought up a schematic of the warehouse on a secondary monitor. "They'll have their forces focused on the main entrances. The Kamaitachi will enter through the ventilation system and cut the main power line. It will create chaos. That's when we move."
He turned his intense gaze from the screens to Aiko. "Your job is critical. When the lights go out, their men will pour outside. I need you to be my eyes. I need to know where their forces are concentrated and where they are weak. Kenji's team is waiting for your signal."
"I understand," Aiko said, her own fear replaced by a sharp, focused determination.
It happened exactly as he said. On the main drone feed, the lights of the warehouse and its surrounding yard suddenly blinked out, plunging the entire area into pitch-black darkness.
"Power is down," Kaito stated calmly. "Aiko. Talk to me."
"Men coming out the main entrance," Aiko reported immediately, her eyes darting between the infrared camera feeds that had just flickered to life. "At least ten of them. They're confused... heading for the east perimeter."
"Good," Kaito murmured. "They think it's a standard assault."
"Two cars have started," she continued, her voice gaining confidence. "They're moving to block the main road. The western exit is heavily guarded... but the south side... Kaito, the south side is completely empty. They've abandoned it."
"They think it's a dead end," Kaito's voice was grimly satisfied. "Kenji," he spoke into his mic. "The south wall. Aiko has given you a clean path. Go. Five minutes."
Aiko switched the drone feed, zooming in on the deserted south side of the warehouse. For a heart-stopping minute, nothing happened. Then, a small, unassuming service door was kicked open from the inside.
Two figures emerged from the darkness. The first was Ryo, his face bruised and bloody, but on his feet. He was being supported by the grim-faced Kenji. They moved quickly and silently across the empty yard. A black, unmarked car slid out from the shadows of a neighboring building, its doors already open. They bundled Ryo inside, and the car peeled away into the night without its headlights on.
It was a clean, perfect extraction.
Aiko watched until the car's taillights disappeared. A few moments later, the lights of the warehouse flickered back on. She could see the Kageyama's men scrambling, shouting, realizing they had been utterly played. Their prisoner was gone, their defenses had been useless, and they had no idea how it had happened.
A wave of triumphant adrenaline surged through Aiko. They had done it. She had done it.
Kenji's voice, rough and breathless, came over the comms. "Package is secure, Ishikawa-sama. He is alive."
Aiko let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, slumping back into the leather chair.
Kaito's voice came into her earpiece then, and it was different from how she had ever heard it. The cold, calculating commander was gone. The fury was gone. It was replaced by a deep, resonant warmth. A sound of profound pride.
"They're safe," he said.
He paused for a beat, and then he added the two words that changed everything, cementing her place in his world forever.
"Good work... partner."