Yuukie’s hand glided across the paper, usually her grip was steady and precise. Drawing was the only time she didn’t feel nervous, the only time she felt safe and calm. However, now that was all gone. Her hands were shaking, the pencil lines rugged and misshapen. She struggled to focus, her breaths coming in quicker and more shallow with each passing moment. Yuukie pressed the tip of the pencil harder against the thin paper, her knuckles white with the pressure. The paper tore beneath the relentless force, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. Her vision blurred, the room around her shrinking as if the walls were creeping in on her. Sitting on the floor, she felt small, trapped. Yuukie closed her eyes, she didn’t want to hear those thoughts anymore.
STOP
“YOU MONSTER!”
STOP
“YOU ARE NOT OUR DAUGHTER ANYMORE,”
STOP
“HOW COULD YOU DECEIVE US?”
STOP
STOP
STOP!
Yuukie’s eyes snapped open, her previously glazed-over gaze now alert and blinking rapidly. The room around her seemed to spin as she struggled to catch her breath, feeling as though a weight was pressing down on her chest. She looked down and saw a slow trickle of blood running down her bare leg from the wound caused by the sharp point of the pencil. Her sketchbook lay on the floor, forgotten as she had unknowingly pressed the drawing tool against her leg instead of the paper. She quickly discarded the pencil and covered her face with her hands, silently crying. She was going to die, wasn’t she?
* * *
“Oi, stop staring you’ll burn holes right through her,” Gin whispered as she nudged Kaen’s arm. “What, pfft. I’m not staring,” Now that was a lie because Kaen was certainly staring. Yaeko was going through the mission instructions. He knew that it was important to listen since they wouldn’t have anyone down there to help them. However, it didn’t help that Yaeko was very pretty. Like extremely Pretty. Gorgeous even. Kaen decided that he had never seen a person prettier than her. He hadn’t thought about it the last time they saw each other, but now it was literally impossible not to notice. Her shoulder-length black hair and pristine blue eyes were just so beautiful.
“Hey! Kaen are you listening?” Kurokawa’s voice snapped him back to reality.
“Eh, what?” He looked to Ren and Gin for help but they just shook their heads, being of no help at all. Kurokawa sighed before gesturing for Yaeko to continue.
“As I said,” eyes bore straight into Kaen’s, which made his heart do a loop.
“In a few hours, you will be going to the underground. You will be on your own, but we will be monitoring your movements, so don’t even think about running away.” She picked up a remote and switched on the same monitors as last time. Kaen saw Yuukie look away, not wanting to see the same things they had seen before.
“Your mission will be to locate one of The Rebellion’s headquarters, specifically in the underground district Iwaori,” The screens now showed pictures of Iwaori, Kaen had never been in that district. But he was glad that he hadn’t, it was supposedly a crime palace, with murder and theft in every corner. Even though almost all places underground were like that.
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“We have inside information about an exchange of goods that’s going to happen between a gang and a few Rebels. You will then follow these Rebels until you get to the headquarters,” She paused her gaze falling on each of them seemingly watching if they understood. Kaen unconsciously nodded.
“We have estimated that the exchange would take place between the 3rd and 14th of June.” Kaen’s mind stopped for a bit, that was 11 days, were they going to wait for the exchange for 11 days? He was about to say something but Kenzo was quicker.
“11 days? That’s a broad spectrum don’t you think?” His voice didn’t sound angry, but the irritation seeped off him.
“I know it’s a lot but there’s nothing we can do about it,” She changed the image on the monitor before she continued talking.
“The thing you’ve been training is this,” Yaeko pointed to the screen. A blurry CCTV footage showed a busy street full of people. Arrows pointed toward two individuals, each with their names beneath them. Kori and Taiyo. Kori’s wide, round eyes glowed like light bulbs in a dimly lit room. His complexion had a sickly green tint, making his already prominent features seem even more exaggerated. His grin was infectious, stretching from ear to ear and revealing teeth that were chalk white. They were almost too well maintained, looking like he hadn’t eaten a single bite of food in his life. Kaen looked over at Taiyo. He had a leather mask covering almost his entire face, and the part that wasn’t covered by the mask was covered by long dark brown hair. The only facial feature that was actually visible was a pair of yellowish-orange eyes. Kaen didn’t know what it was, but something eerily familiar about him made him want to look away.
“These two are part of the Infinite Clover, they are leaders in The Rebellion and extremely dangerous, I’ll only tell you this once. If you see them run, don’t do anything else just run. Understand?” Everyone nodded immediately, seemingly finding the two just as scary as Kaen found them.
“That concludes my explanation, the rest of the details will be provided through these,” Yaeko crouched down and retrieved a little white box secured by a small metal lock. Gently, she placed it on the mahogany surface of the table. Yaeko placed her key card on the lock and the box opened. As the lid lifted, a soft, neon glow illuminated her face, making her blue eyes shine. Inside the box lay five wristbands, each with a small screen embedded in the black, metallic band. The screens pulsed with a faint, steady glow, flickering between shades of electric blue and green.
“These wristbands are your lifelines,” Yaeko explained, lifting one out and holding it up for everyone to see. “They’ll monitor your vital signs, track your movements, and allow us to communicate with you while you’re in Iwaori. The screens will display any updates or instructions from HQ, so keep them on at all times.”
Kaen watched as Yaeko handed out the wristbands, her gaze intense and serious. When she reached him, their hands brushed against each other, and the unexpected contact sent a jolt through him. Her fingers were soft and warm against his skin. He blushed profusely, hoping nobody noticed.
“These also have an emergency alert function,” Yaeko continued, moving away from him. “If you’re in danger or need to abort the mission, press the red button on the side, and we’ll extract you immediately. But only use it if absolutely necessary. We can’t afford to compromise this operation.”
Kaen slipped the wristband onto his wrist, feeling the cool metal against his skin. The screen lit up, displaying his name and a series of icons. He hadn’t really thought about it before, or rather he had ignored it. But now he was feeling the anxiety creep in. What if they messed up? Would they just send him back to prison forever? He glanced around the room, the others seemed to be thinking the same thing. All of their futures were at stake here.
As Yaeko finished her briefing, Kurokawa stepped forward. “Remember,” he said, his voice firm, “this is a covert operation. Blend in, gather intelligence, and avoid confrontation at all costs. The success of this mission hinges on your ability to remain undetected.”
With a final nod, Yaeko closed the box and handed it to Kurokawa. “Good luck,” she said, her eyes sweeping over each of them. “We’re counting on you.”