A Crack in the Facade

Kaito stood on the balcony, looking out at the open sky. Below, his students were preparing for their individual flight tests. Each one was about to show what they could do in the air.

"Today,” he said authoritatively, “you all will be taking a test. The goal is to make it through this obstacle course and make it to the other side in record time.”

“Is that really necessary?” Reina exclaimed, “I mean, we do stuff like this every day,” she continued.

“The purpose is to assess your speed and fluidity during aerial maneuvers," Kaito argued, sitting on a bench on the sidewalk in view of the field where he had set the course. "No overthinking—just react naturally to what’s ahead. I want to see how you handle mid-air adjustments and your ability to think on your feet."

Emi, standing a few feet away, furrowed her brow as she examined the task ahead. "No pressure, huh?" she muttered under her breath, her fingers gripping her flight suit a little too tightly.

"You’ll be fine, Emi. Just take it easy," Kaito said, offering a small smile, though he wasn’t sure if he truly believed the words himself.

First up was Hikari. The young man grinned widely, confident as ever. “You’re all about speed, right? I’ve got this.” Without waiting for a response, he shot into the air with little hesitation.

“His optimism’s gonna catch up with him one of these days,” Kaito muttered, watching Hikari pull off an unsteady loop-de-loop.

Emi watched Hikari, shaking her head. "I wish I could be that carefree."

"You will be, just don’t overthink it," Kaito called out, watching her intently. “I don’t think I’ll need it”, she replied jokingly.

Next was Shizuka, who adjusted her posture, eyes narrowing in concentration. She accelerated, her movements precise but stiff. Kaito noticed the subtle glances she shot at Emi before focusing again.

"You okay?" Kaito asked.

"Fine," she replied curtly, pushing herself faster. “Just… focused", "I need to prove myself to Sensei, Emi’s not he’s only talented student”.

“Ogawa, you’re next”. Katsuhito turned looking smug as ever, “I’ll be ready in a minute, just gotta fix my hair. You know this beauty doesn’t just come”.

“Not like it was ever there,” Reina murmured.

Finally, Emi took her turn, nerves flickering across her face. As she took off, Kaito saw the familiar signs: she was holding back, unsure of herself, second-guessing every move.

"Relax," Kaito called out, his voice firm. "Don’t think. Just feel it."

Her flight smoothed out as she nodded, adjusting her approach to the test. She still flinched at each turn but quickly got into rhythm.

When all was said and done, Kaito took note of their performance on his tablet. "Good work, everyone. Keep pushing yourselves, but don’t overdo it"

"You all did well today," he murmured to himself, before heading back to his small apartment for the night. He could be strict at but he always admired their diligence.

Later in the night, Kaito settled into his desk chair, tapping a few keys on his laptop. The screen flickered to life, and Kentaro’s face appeared first.

“Kaito! Good to see you. How’ve you been?” Kentaro’s tone was light, but his eyes were serious, scanning the familiar face of his friend.

"Surviving, I guess," Kaito replied with a small smirk. "You know how it is."

Lucy appeared next, her usual warm smile on display. "Training the recruits again, I see."

"Yeah, but it's different. They’re not quite the same as back in the field," Kaito said, a sigh slipping out before he could stop it.

Kentaro leaned forward. "Well, of course, they’re newbies. Speaking of that, we’ve got some news. You won’t believe it. We’re going after some wannabe terrorists, but here’s the kicker—I hear they’re linked to your last mission."

Kaito froze, his heart skipping a beat. "That’s... unexpected."

"Yeah, and it’s been quiet for a while," Lucy added, "But we’re heading there soon. I thought I’d let you know. Maybe our replacement's got this, but we could use some advice."

Kaito shook his head, trying to mask the urgency building in his chest. "Be careful, both of you. And take this one slow. It doesn’t feel right."

Kentaro raised an eyebrow. "You still trust your gut, huh?"

"Always," Kaito replied, his voice steady, though his thoughts raced.

“Good luck, Kaito,” Lucy said, before signing off.

Kaito sat in silence, his thoughts churning. “I hope they don’t run into any disturbances,” he said to himself.

The next morning, Kaito grabbed a quick breakfast, still thinking about the call. As he turned on the TV to catch up on the latest, the familiar face of a reporter appeared, and Kaito leaned in.

"Breaking news: The mission involving the capture of a terrorist in the North is over. What began as a minor operation escalated quickly into a full-scale battle—though no significant casualties were reported among the team involved."

The screen shifted to a military vehicle carrying the captured persons. “So those are the guys,” Kaito thought to himself with a faint sigh of relief.

As the camera swept through the scene of the conflict, for a split second, Kaito’s gaze locked on something he couldn’t ignore—a graffiti on the wall inside the terrorists’ hideout. It was a familiar image.

He froze. That symbol—he searched through his memories to remember where he’d seen it. And suddenly, an epiphany, the image had traced back to when he had looked through the files relating to his mother’s last mission.

His mind spun. “Probably just a coincidence,” he murmured in denial. But what if it wasn’t, was there a connection between his mother’s illness and the mission he’d left behind?

Questions filled his head as the report continued. Kaito’s pulse quickened.

His investigation was only just beginning.