~ Misaki ~
The streets of Kyoto still glisten slightly from the morning dew, and the sun bathes the old facades in a warm light. I walk beside Haruki, my hands in the pockets of my jacket as we stroll slowly past a small temple.
"Look at this..." Haruki says quietly, almost reverently, as he points to the curved roof. "The tranquillity here feels almost fake."
I nod. "Very different from the clubs and the cramped apartments..."
He grins slightly. "Yes, somehow... more real."
I let my gaze glide over the street. People, bicycles, a few tourists with cameras. And then - a slight tug on the back of my neck. An impulse. A shadow that sticks with us longer than it should.
I inconspicuously turn slightly to the side. And that's when I see him. Dressed in black, with a baseball cap and smartphone - far too inconspicuous in his inconspicuousness. Camera at the ready.
Damn.
"We're being watched," I whisper curtly. Haruki looks at me in surprise, but I'm already one step ahead.
"Separate yourself. Now. Get off to the right. I'll take care of it."
He hesitates for a moment, but then he nods, turns without a word and disappears down a narrow side street.
I pull up my hood, lower my head, turn away - my face half hidden. A reflex. I know how to disappear.
And the observer?
I give him one last look. He looks at the picture on his display. I recognize it from a distance: he's got us.
I disappear to the left.
---
~ Jin ~
The afternoon sun bathes the streets in warm light as I stroll aimlessly through Kyoto. Actually, I'm just out and about to clear my head. No mission, no assignment. Just a moment of peace between all the noise.
But then I see him.
A young man, casually dressed, conspicuously inconspicuous. He seems strangely familiar. I stop and watch him unobtrusively through the reflection of a shop window. A woman walks next to him - slim, black-haired, sunglasses. Nothing special. And yet... something doesn't fit. Her movements are too controlled, too deliberate.
My gaze lingers on the man. He speaks, laughs briefly. And suddenly it comes to me - Haruki. The third son of the oyabun of Fushichō-ikka.
Damn.
I pull out my cell phone and let a facial recognition app work in the background. The hit rate confirms my suspicions. Haruki. No doubt about it.
If he's here... and the woman by his side...
But that doesn't make sense. Why would a Fushichō heir be here in Kyoto?
I peek at them again. She's changed her appearance - different hair, different posture - but something about her reminds me of the woman from the club. I follow them slowly, pulling my hood lower over my face. Then, when they stop, I raise my cell phone slightly and point it at them - a quick snapshot.
But just at that moment, she turns her head. Her hand immediately goes up, covering her face.
Crap. Too late.
She says something to Haruki, curtly and quietly, then they part abruptly. Two different directions. Clear tactics. Whoever she is, she knows what she's doing, and I stop for a moment, glancing back and forth between the two directions. Haruki turns into a wide street, open, busy, but not exactly inconspicuous. The woman, on the other hand, disappears into a narrower side street - narrower, more winding, but typical of someone who knows how to get lost.
Damn. I can only follow one.
My gaze lingers on her. It's not just the movements, it's the feeling. This controlled demeanor. I'm almost certain - she's the woman from the club. Only this time with a different mask. If she really is part of the inner circle, then she's the more dangerous variable.
I take a quick breath, pull my hood down a little and follow her. No speed. No pressure. Just keep your distance.
She walks quickly, but not hastily. She keeps glancing briefly over her shoulder without appearing abrupt - like someone who has learned how to check whether they are being followed without showing it.
Not bad.
I keep my distance, my hand close to my cell phone, ready for anything - taking evidence or retreating. I have to find out who she really is. And above all: what she has to do with a Fushichō heir in Kyoto.
She disappears around a corner - I accelerate slightly, just a tick, just enough not to lose the connection. The lane narrows, a few vans parked criss-cross. The smell of damp concrete is in the air, somewhere a loose metal panel rattles in the wind.
I see her again - only for a split second, when she pauses briefly to get her bearings. She's wearing dark sunglasses now, even though it's cloudy. Clever distraction. Another mask.
I lift the cell phone, quietly activate the camera, hold it lower - at hip height, a trick we often use. No zoom, no movement. Just the picture.
Zack.
The photo is taken. I check it as I walk past - not perfect, but good enough.
When I lift my gaze again, I see her again - this time in a different way. She stops for a moment. Her head lifts slightly, like that of an animal that has picked up the scent.
Damn. She's noticed.
I retreat, instinctively change sides of the road, take a turn. But she's already moving - faster now, purposefully. And suddenly - she's gone
I take another step back, looking around the rooftops and side streets. Maybe she's found cover somewhere. Maybe she's lurking-
A barely audible noise behind me - too late.
I turn, but there is only a shadow. Before I can react, something hard hits me on the side of the head. A brief flash of white, then darkness.
----
~ Misaki ~
He slumps silently, the cell phone slips out of his hand. I catch it before it hits the ground. My heart pounds, but my grip remains steady.
The screen is still unlocked. Lucky for me - unlucky for him.
I type quickly: news, media. The app where he saved the photo. The picture of me and Haruki. Not yet forwarded - just in time.
I delete everything. Message history, sent media, deactivate cloud synchronization. Quickly, precisely.
Then I lift the phone over a metal dumpster next to the alley - and drop it. The dull thud, the cracking sound of glass. I take one last look at Jin, unconscious and motionless on the ground.
"Amateur," I mutter before I start moving. Coat collar up, eyes forward, steps quick but not rushed.
One more escape. But I know that the game is getting serious now.