Kaito moved to the window, his body a rigid line of fury. He scanned the rooftops opposite them, his eyes narrowed into slits. The brief, fragile peace of their morning had been utterly shattered.
"They dare use their spirits to spy on my home," he said, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "A Bakeneko. Arrogant."
He turned away from the window, his mind already formulating a new strategy. The hunted were about to become the hunters. He looked at Aiko, and for the first time, he wasn't looking at someone he needed to shield. He was looking at his partner. His secret weapon.
"They don't know we can see their spy," Kaito said, a cold, sharp edge to his voice. "Your sight is our greatest advantage. We are going to use it."
His gaze was intense. "I need you to do what you just did, Aiko. Reconnect with the Zashiki-warashi. Ask it to be our eyes on the roof. I need to know the Bakeneko's exact location, its movements, and if it's alone."
Aiko's fear was a cold knot in her stomach, but Kaito's confidence in her was a steadying fire. She nodded, her expression determined. She found a piece of candy and placed it on the floor of the library. The small, translucent child spirit peeked out from behind a bookshelf almost immediately, its large eyes curious.
Aiko knelt and projected her thoughts, not of play, but of urgency. There is an unwelcome guest on our roof. A black cat with two tails. Can you watch it for us? Can you show me what it does?
The Zashiki-warashi's playful aura vanished, replaced by a feeling of childish, protective duty. It was a spirit of the house, and this was an intruder. It gave a single, solemn nod in her mind, and then Aiko felt a new connection open—a clear, persistent image of the rooftop, seen from the perspective of the Zashiki-warashi, who was now peeking out from behind a chimney.
While she established the link, Kaito prepared. He didn't get a gun. He went to the hidden library and returned with a pair of simple black gloves and a set of three white paper talismans, covered in stark, red calligraphy. He slipped the talismans into his pocket and put on his comms earpiece.
"The Kageyama expect me to hide," he said, his voice a low hum as he checked his own connection. "They sent a spirit to watch a human. They have forgotten what I am." He looked at Aiko, his plan clear in his eyes. "I'm going to the roof. A captured messenger sends a much stronger statement than a dead one."
"I'll be your eyes," Aiko said, her voice steady. She sat in the chair in front of the monitors, but she didn't need them now. She closed her own eyes, focusing completely on the mental image the house spirit was feeding her.
"I'm going," Kaito's voice murmured in her ear. A moment later, she heard the soft click of the apartment door.
She was alone again, but this time, she was his lifeline.
"Talk to me, Aiko," Kaito's voice commanded in her ear.
"It's preening," she whispered, describing the image from the Zashiki-warashi. "On the east corner of the roof, by the satellite dishes. It doesn't know it's being watched."
She felt a shift in the Zashiki-warashi's perspective. "Wait... it's stopped. It senses something. Its head is up, ears twitching."
"Keep watching," Kaito ordered. His voice was calm, but she could feel the tension coiled beneath it.
"It's moving now," Aiko said, her heart pounding. "Stalking along the edge of the roof, toward the central air conditioning units. It's staying low to the ground. It's hunting."
A tense silence followed. Aiko held her breath. Then, through the spirit's eyes, she saw it. A shadow detached itself from another shadow behind a large air duct. Kaito. He had appeared on the roof as silently as the setting sun.
The Bakeneko froze. Its fur stood on end. It arched its back, and a low, guttural hiss echoed in Aiko's mind, a sound of pure hatred that the Zashiki-warashi felt. Its two tails lashed back and forth like whips.
Kaito stood perfectly still, a calm predator facing another. The Bakeneko crouched low, its muscles coiling, ready to spring.
The fight was about to begin.
Kaito's voice came through her earpiece, a low, intense command that was as much for himself as it was for her.
"Stay connected, Aiko. Don't look away."