Now, as we briefly cut away from Rika and Germain's tense dinner conversation, let us turn our attention elsewhere.
In the depths of the city, more shadows watch. More players position themselves on the board. Nairobi, like any metropolis, is home to a plethora of personalities—the good, the decent, the ones who mind their own business. And then there are the nosy. The ones who can't help but poke and pry. Often annoying, sometimes well-intentioned.
And sometimes... the exact opposite.
Akame's prison cell lay approximately one kilometer beneath the Sorcerer Association Headquarters—a fact known to few, guarded by fewer still. It wasn't a prison in the traditional sense. No bars, no concrete walls, no guards patrolling corridors with flashlights.
It was a box.
A big metal box.
Made of something... interesting.
The material's original name has no direct English equivalent, but most refer to it as Sesshō-seki (殺生石)—"Killing Stone"—first discovered in the Land of the East Sun centuries ago. Perhaps we'll learn more about its origins as the story progresses. For now, if pronunciation eludes you, simply call it Tan.
I cannot definitively tell you what the raw ore does. Legends speak of a strange pull—a weight that settles in the bones when in close proximity. Travelers claim exhaustion upon contact with its pure form. Miners whisper of dreams that leave them hollow.
Which is why, in modern times, metallurgists create alloys. They mix Tan with stronger metals—tungsten, titanium, steel—to produce something more manageable. And this I can explain:
When Tan alloy comes into contact with Fragment Energy, it absorbs it. Drains it. Nullifies sorcery entirely.
This alloy is used worldwide—for sorcerer chains, prison cells, handcuffs, restraints of every kind. It's a real pain, because its effect covers an extremely wide radius—nearly a kilometer in all directions. Hence why Akame's cell sits so far underground.
Now that we've established that, let us see what transpires far above.
***
SORCERER ASSOCIATION HEADQUARTERS — NAIROBI BRANCH
MULTIPLE DAYS PRIOR TO GERMAIN AND RIKA'S MEETING
DEAD OF NIGHT — 0730 HOURS
The hour was strange—neither night nor morning, that liminal space where darkness hesitates and dawn hasn't quite committed. The perfect time for shadows to move.
"There are over twenty normal guards and five sorcerer guards stationed at the top of the facility." Maomao stood atop a building several blocks away, her voice barely a murmur carried on the pre-dawn breeze. Through high-powered optics, she studied the HQ's exterior. "Each takes rounds across the building every thirty minutes. The system is designed so that each guard moves along a certain corridor every ten minutes. The corridors that remain unmanned have high-level security—lasers, security cameras, motion detectors, thermal imaging."
Note: these restrictions only apply to the lower levels of the HQ. The reason? I'll let Mao-chan explain.
"Because the only route to the prison is located on levels one through three." She spoke aloud, though her voice was barely a whisper in the wind. "Only one of those levels contains the actual door that leads to the path downward."
"What about the other paths, Tatsu-sama?" A voice emerged from the darkness beside her—one of her operatives, invisible against the building's rooftop.
"Most likely decoys." Maomao didn't lower her optics. "Traps. Designed to catch thieves in the act of attempting to break out Akame-chan."
"So how do we figure out which one's the real door?" Another voice, from her other side.
"We don't." A third operative answered before Maomao could. "That's the entire point."
"I hope this won't be a drag." A fourth voice, tinged with boredom. "Like it normally is."
"Will you please show some tact when we're with Tatsu-sama?" A fifth hissed. "Don't behave like a wild animal."
"Yeah, it's bad rep for all of us."
"You guys," Maomao interrupted flatly, "aren't really being discreet at all."
Silence fell immediately.
"I'd like to get this job done," she continued, "before we even think about starting that trial on February 8th."
"YES, TATSU-SAMA!" Six voices whispered in unison, their synchronization perfect despite their earlier bickering.
'Still, though,' Maomao thought, lowering her optics at last, 'I am really concerned.'
Even for ninjas—masters of discretion, inheritors of centuries of stealth tradition—this would be a challenge.
And she might have been right. The guard rotations she'd detailed weren't a joke. Security cameras, motion detectors, thermal imaging, laser grids—all of it was real. And those were just the visible measures. The rotations she'd observed tonight would change tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. No discernible pattern. No rhythm to exploit.
'Not to mention,' she added silently, 'twenty normal guards isn't enough. There are almost certainly hidden guards—operatives we can't see, can't count, can't prepare for.'
"Tatsu-sama, if I may..." One of her operatives spoke hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"I believe an 'Ace 10' formation reconnaissance would be appropriate for this one." The voice was measured, professional. "Due to the multitude of unknown factors we might uncover while inside."
Maomao held her chin thoughtfully. Her hand drifted up, squeezing her cheeks—making her lips pucker, as some would say—a habit she'd never been able to break when thinking deeply.
"I don't think we should sacrifice anyone yet," she concluded. "Not until we figure out something more concrete."
"Of course." A note of relief in the voice. "Please forgive my insubordination."
"It's okay. We'll conduct a normal reconnaissance in the coming days—prior to the beginning of February. We'll split into groups of three. The usual formations:
MIWA
YU
ICHIGO"
"YES, TATSU-SAMA!"
The nine members of the Okinawa Group dispersed with no sound at all—simply vanished into the pre-dawn gloom, each to fill in the blanks of their new lives. Lives they would burn into their hearts and souls for this very mission.
Maomao remained on the rooftop a moment longer, watching the HQ's lights flicker in the distance.
'Don't worry, Akame-chan,' she thought. 'We'll save you.'
LET'S SEE WHAT THEY'VE BEEN UP TO.