Sixty minutes. The number hung in the air, a tangible, terrifying weight. Aiko stared at Kaito, who had just effectively declared checkmate in a war she was only beginning to understand.
"Will he do it?" she whispered, the question hanging on a thread of hope and fear.
"He will," Kaito stated, his voice devoid of any doubt. "He loves his daughter more than he loves his pride." He immediately turned from her, his focus shifting, becoming the commander once more. He activated his earpiece. "Kenji. Senso-ji Temple. Main steps. Now. I want eyes on every rooftop, every alley, every car within five blocks. No one is to engage. No one is to be seen. We are there to observe and retrieve only. Is that understood?"
"Understood, sama," Kenji's voice replied, crisp and immediate.
The large monitors in the living room flickered to life, displaying a dozen different camera angles of the famous temple. The area was bustling with late-night tourists and locals. Kaito stood before the screens like a general surveying a battlefield, his face a mask of concentration. Aiko came to stand beside him, her own eyes scanning the feeds, searching for anything out of place, just as he had taught her. She was no longer a spectator. She was his second-in-command.
The clock on the main screen was a small, brutal icon in the corner, counting down from 60:00.
The minutes crawled by, each one a lifetime. Aiko watched the crowds, her stomach twisting into a knot. Every person looked like a potential threat. Kaito was completely still, a statue of pure focus, his eyes moving methodically from one screen to the next.
32:17
"I have a visual," Kenji's voice murmured in their ears. "North corner. Two men. Known Kageyama associates. They're just watching."
"Let them watch," Kaito replied, his voice calm.
15:42
Aiko's own heart was pounding so hard she was sure Kaito could hear it. She watched Mochi sleeping peacefully on the sofa, oblivious to the life-or-death drama unfolding on the screens. The contrast was dizzying.
04:03
"Vehicle approaching," Kenji reported, his voice tense. "Black van. Kageyama markings."
Kaito zoomed the main monitor in on the street in front of the temple. A dark van pulled to a screeching halt. The back door slid open with a violent clang.
"He's here," Aiko breathed.
Two of Takeda's men roughly shoved a figure out of the van. It was Ryo. He was beaten, his clothes were torn, but he was on his feet. He stumbled, then forced himself upright, walking with a pained but defiant gait up the stone steps of the temple before collapsing near the top. The van's door slammed shut, and it sped away into the night, its tires squealing.
"Kenji," Kaito's command was sharp as a razor. "Retrieve him. Now."
On the monitor, Aiko watched as two of Kaito's men materialized from the shadows of the temple gate. They moved quickly, their movements a blur of efficiency, flanking Ryo and helping him to his feet. They supported him as they disappeared back into the darkness, where a car was waiting.
A few seconds later, Kenji's voice came through the comms, thick with relief. "Package is secure. He's alive, sama. He's asking for Kamae."
Kaito closed his eyes. For a single, unguarded moment, the immense tension drained from his body. The iron control gave way to profound, bone-deep relief. He had won. He had brought his man home.
Aiko reached out and touched his arm, a simple gesture of shared victory. He opened his eyes and looked at her, and the gratefulness in his gaze was a powerful, unspoken thing.
She thought it was over. But it wasn't.
Kaito's phone rang again. The screen read: Takeda Kageyama.
Kaito's face hardened, the victorious general replaced by the grim executioner. He answered the call, his voice pure ice. "Yes."
He listened for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he spoke a single, final command. "Good. I will be waiting."
He hung up and turned to Aiko. The war in the shadows was over. Now, something else began.
"It's done," he said, his voice low and heavy with the weight of what came next. "Now I must go to accept his surrender. And deal with the consequences."