The sharp buzz of my phone jolted me from the haze I had drifted into on the couch. For a second, I stared at the screen, squinting at the name flashing in front of me: Sasaki.

My heartbeat, which had just begun to slow after the run, kicked up again.

This was it.

The moment I’d been half-dreading, half-expecting. My finger hovered over the screen for a second before I finally swiped to answer.

“Yeah?”

I said, my voice a little breathless from the anticipation.

“Hey.”

Sasaki’s voice came through the line, calm and composed as always.

“We’re ready to move forward with the plan. I need you to come down to the station. We’ve set everything up, and there’s a lot to go over.”

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. I had agreed to this—to letting myself become the bait in Sasaki’s dangerous game against the Shima-Kai gang—but that didn’t mean I was ready for what was coming next.

Still, it wasn’t like I had much of a choice.

“Okay.”

I replied.

“I’ll be there in about an hour.”

“Good.”

He said.

“We’ll meet in the briefing room. Ask for me at the front desk”

“Alright. See you there.”

I said before hanging up.

As I stood from the couch, the reality of what I was about to do hit me like a freight train. I was about to walk into a police station and set the wheels in motion for a sting operation against one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the city.

And all because Sasaki had somehow convinced me that this was the only way.

But this time, I wasn’t going to let fear stop me. I’d come this far. Now, I just needed to follow through.

After taking a shower I went to the police station, the place felt almost surreal.

The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting everything in a harsh, artificial glow.

The front desk officer gave me a nod and waved me through after I mentioned Sasaki’s name, and I made my way down the sterile corridors, my footsteps echoing off the linoleum floor.

My heart pounded harder with each step.

I was in too deep now to back out.

As I approached the briefing room, I could hear voices inside—Sasaki’s familiar low tone and...a voice that sounded oddly familiar.

I stopped just outside the door, feeling my chest tighten. Who could it be? Not that i have seen so many people lately.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I shook off the thought and pushed open the door.

Inside, Sasaki stood at the head of a long table, several folders spread out in front of him, his focus intense as he gestured to the various documents. And sitting next to him, leaning over one of the files, was the girl from my morning run.

She glanced up as I entered, her eyes widening in recognition, a small, surprised smile forming on her lips.

“You?”

We both said at the same time.

Sasaki looked between the two of us, one eyebrow raised, before smirking in that knowing way he often did.

“I see you two have already met. Good—this’ll make things easier.”

I stood there, stunned for a moment, trying to process the situation.

My mind was a whirlwind of confusion, but a part of me couldn’t help but feel a weird sense of relief.

The girl stood up, extending a hand toward me with that same easy smile I’d seen earlier.

“I’m Hana Fujimoto”

She said.

“I'm Sasaki-Senpai's assistant—and apparently your running partner too, I guess.”

I couldn’t help but smile back as I shook her hand. "Keisuke Mori, nice to meet you... again."

I smiled.

“Small world.”

“Small city.” she corrected, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

Sasaki cleared his throat, drawing both of our attention back to him.

“Now that the introductions are out of the way, let’s get down to business. Hana’s been handling the logistics of this operation, and she’s going to be working with you closely throughout the whole thing. You'll call your contact inside the gang and plan a meeting to give them the needed money."

I felt the weight of the situation hit me again as Sasaki laid out the details.

"You'll have a bag with some cash just to make them less suspicious, you will use it and flee if the things get bad."

So there's the possibility? i thought.

I accepted because i needed money but now i understand the situation.

It was dangerous.

The kind of plan that could get me killed if anything went wrong.

As Sasaki talked, Hana leaned over the table, pointing out key details on the map he had spread out.

She was surprisingly focused, her demeanor sharp and professional—nothing like the casual, carefree attitude she had during our run.

This was a different side of her, and I found myself admiring the way she shifted so seamlessly between roles.

“You’ll need to meet them this night.”

Sasaki said, interrupting my thoughts.

"When the meeting is scheduled, you will inform us and we will be placed close to the location so that we have everything under control."

I nodded, my mind buzzing with everything I needed to remember. The names, the locations, the fake backstory they’d concocted for me. It was a lot to take in, and part of me wondered if I was really up for the task.

As if sensing my hesitation, Hana leaned closer, her voice low but reassuring.

“Don’t worry. We’ve got your back the whole way. You’re not doing this alone.”

Her words grounded me somehow, pulling me out of the spiral of doubt that had started to form.

I looked at her, seeing the same calm confidence she’d had earlier, and it helped.

Just a little.

“Alright”

I said, taking a deep breath.

“What’s next?”

“Later i'll send you an e-mail with all the informations you need.”

Hana added.

“I'll put in all the signals, what to say, what to avoid. And if anything feels off, you call it off. No one’s expecting you to take unnecessary risks.”

I appreciated her words, but deep down, I knew the risks were unavoidable.

There was no way to pull this off without putting myself in danger.

But at least I knew I wasn’t going in blind.

Sasaki had planned for everything—or at least, he thought he had.

We spent the next couple of hours going over the finer details of the operation.

Hana took the lead for most of it, explaining the positioning of the surveillance team and the communication setup we’d use.

The more she talked, the more I realized how vital she was to the whole operation.

She was smart, sharp, and seemed to have everything under control.

Eventually, Sasaki closed the folder, leaning back in his chair.

“That’s all for now. Get some rest Keisuke. You’re going to need it.”

I nodded, standing up, the weight of everything settling on my shoulders. Hana stood as well, giving me a small nod as she gathered her things.

“Hey”

She said quietly as Sasaki stepped out of the room.

“Here's my number, after setting up the meeting send the informations to me. Also If you need anything—anything at all—you can call me. I’ll be there. I mean it.”

Her words caught me off guard. There was something genuine in the way she said it, something more than just professional concern.

I nodded, my throat feeling tight as I tried to find the right words to say back.

“Thanks”

I said finally, my voice a little hoarse.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

As I left the station and stepped out into the cool evening air, the weight of what I was about to do hit me full force.

This was real.

There was no backing out now.

Tonight, everything would begin.

And whether I liked it or not, I was going to have to trust Hana—and Sasaki—with my life.