Chapter 17: — "The Bigger Picture" — [INTERLUDE]

I showed up at Kaito’s house with Rin right after school, still feeling the drag of the day. The moment the door opened, it was obvious he hadn’t slept much, if at all. His eyes were heavy, his movements sluggish, and even the way he rubbed his temples screamed exhaustion.

“Wow,” Rin said, smirking as she leaned against the wall. “You look like a corpse. Don’t tell me you stayed up drooling over your little computer toys all night.”

She chuckled at her own joke, but the room stayed silent. Kaito didn’t even twitch. I didn’t laugh either, I wasn’t really in the mood. Rin’s smirk faltered, her arms crossing in irritation.

“Whatever,” she muttered, waving her hand. “Just… continue.”

Kaito ignored the jab, pulling his chair back to the desk. His monitors glowed with maps littered in red pins, delivery schedules scrolling down one side, and lines crisscrossing between them like veins on a living thing.

I blinked. “What the hell…”

“This,” Kaito muttered, his voice flat with fatigue, “is bigger than I thought.” He tapped a pen against the screen, pointing out one of the red pins. “That outpost you two broke into? Just one branch. A tiny branch.”

He zoomed out, and my stomach dropped. The map widened, dozens of pins appeared, all linked in messy webs of lines.

“One of many,” he continued, his tone heavier now. “They’ve got an entire network moving under our noses. And that little stash you saw? Just a drop in the ocean.”

Kaito zoomed out again, and the veins of routes stretched across the city like a spider’s web. Delivery points, outposts, smaller hubs, each one glowing faintly on the map. But then I noticed something else: the routes weren’t random. They all funneled into larger nodes, like branches to a tree.

Rin leaned closer, her smirk gone, eyes sharp now. “So it’s not just scraps. They’re building… a system.”

“Exactly.” Kaito’s tone was clipped, but I could hear the weight behind it. He pointed at one of the glowing hubs. “Each outpost connects to a hub. And every hub connects to…” He trailed off, jaw tightening. His fingers hovered over a blank space on the screen.

“To what?” I asked, my voice lower than I meant it to be.

His eyes flicked toward me. “That’s the part I can’t crack yet. The connections vanish beyond a certain point, like they’re deliberately scrambled. Whatever’s at the end of this chain, it’s big. And they don’t want anyone finding it.”

Rin crossed her arms, serious now. “So we’re not just poking at random trucks. We’re messing with a machine that knows what it’s doing.”

My throat tightened as I stared at the blinking lines. It was like staring at a city map where every street led to a shadow. Organized. Enormous. And way out of my depth. Still, a part of me burned with curiosity. “What happens if we find the end?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Kaito’s eyes narrowed. “That’s when things get dangerous.”

The way he said it made my stomach knot.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, screens flashing faster than my eyes could follow. He muttered under his breath, his shoulders tense, jaw tight. Then suddenly, he slammed his palm against the desk, making me and Rin both flinch.

“Dammit!” His voice was sharp, raw. “I’ve traced routes, hacked into their schedules, pulled apart every breadcrumb I could find, and still—” He stabbed a finger at the blank section of the map, lines fading into static. “No name. No leader. Nothing. Just ghosts hiding behind machines.”

I froze. This wasn’t the calm, cold Kaito I’d gotten used to. This was him rattled, cracks showing through the armor.

For a moment the room went quiet, only the hum of his computers filling the air. Then he took a sharp breath, dragging his hands through his hair. “But…” His tone shifted, softer but still strained. “There’s one thing.”

My chest tightened, waiting.

He pulled up a file, and a blocky set of letters appeared on the screen. The words felt heavy, even though I didn’t know them.

Syntrix Umbra.

Rin’s chair screeched as she shoved herself closer. “No fucking way. You actually found the name?” She dropped into the seat beside him, eyes wide, practically vibrating with excitement.

I leaned in too, the glow of the monitor painting the letters across my face. “Syntrix Umbra…” I whispered, like if I said it aloud I’d understand more than I did. But all it did was make the knot in my stomach grow.

Kaito leaned back, his expression unreadable, though I could still feel the frustration simmering under his skin. “The company’s name, yeah. But still no face. No figure pulling the strings. Just… emptiness.”

Rin rolled her eyes, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “Oh, don’t act like that’s nothing. You cracked their cover. That’s huge, Kaito.”

He didn’t answer. He just stared at the screen, the letters burning into all of us. And I stared too, the name echoing in my head like a warning.

Kaito finally tore his eyes away from the glowing screens and turned toward us, his expression sharp again, though not as unhinged as a few minutes ago. He crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

“This is where things change,” he said flatly. “The small outpost was child’s play. But the bigger hubs? That’s where the real information is buried. If we want answers about who’s pulling the strings, that’s where we go.”

My stomach dropped. Bigger hubs? Real information? That sounded like… real danger.

Kaito tapped one of the lines on the map, his finger dragging along the glowing routes until it stopped at a massive cluster of connections. “This one. Friday night. All three of us go.”

I blinked. “Wait... all three?”

“Yeah.” His tone left no room for argument. “I’m not sending you two into something this risky alone. Sneaking past a couple drones is one thing, but if we’re stepping into one of the main arteries of Syntrix Umbra…” He trailed off, the name heavy in his voice. “It won’t be that simple. We’ll need precision. We’ll need backup. We’ll need to move as one.”

Rin leaned forward instantly, practically bouncing in her seat. “Finally! About damn time you stopped hogging all the dangerous shit. You’re telling me we actually get to storm a hub? Count me in.”

Of course she didn’t even hesitate. Rin thrived on this kind of thing.

Meanwhile, my throat went dry. Just the idea of stepping into something bigger, scarier, more dangerous made my hands tremble in my lap. I could already picture drones swarming, alarms blaring, bullets flying. My heart thudded against my ribs like it wanted out.

But Kaito’s eyes locked onto mine. Serious. Searching.

I swallowed hard, forcing my shaky voice to work. “O-Okay. Friday night. I’m in.”

He gave a small nod, like he’d expected nothing less.

Rin grinned, pumping a fist into the air. “Hell yeah. We’re gonna tear this place apart.”

I tried to match her energy, but all I could manage was a weak smile. Inside, though, my nerves buzzed like a live wire.

This was no longer practice runs or “easy” missions. This was real. Risky. And no matter how much my fear screamed at me to back out… I’d already said yes.

—

Rin stretched her arms, slung her bag over her shoulder, and with her usual smug grin, called out, “Tootaloo, losers,” before heading out the door.

I rolled my eyes, but secretly, I kinda envied how fearless she was.

I was about to follow her when Kaito’s voice stopped me.
“Hold up, Yuzuki.”

I froze mid-step and turned back. He was staring at me with that unreadable look, one eyebrow raised.

“You look like you’re about to pee your pants,” he teased, dead serious, like he wasn’t even joking.

My face heated instantly. “S-Shut up…” I muttered, crossing my arms.

His smirk widened just a little, a rare sight. Then, before I could react, he stood and walked over, placing both hands firmly on my shoulders.

My brain short-circuited.
Kaito… touching me. HIM holding me by the shoulders.
HELLO??? HEART, CALM DOWN!!!

I probably looked like I’d swallowed a whole firework.

But then his voice pulled me back to reality.

“Before the big mission, you need more than just blaster training,” he said seriously.

“H-Huh?” I blinked at him, confusion washing over the blush still burning my face.

“Movements. Dodging. Getting around without tripping over yourself. Rin told me you were kinda clumsy while sneaking around during the scope out.”

My face went from pink to bright red. Clumsy?? Really, Rin??

He must’ve seen my embarrassment, because his tone softened slightly. “Don’t take it personally. You’re new to all this. It’s normal.”

I lowered my gaze, biting my lip. He wasn’t wrong. Still… ouch.

“So,” he continued, releasing my shoulders (and thank god he did because my brain couldn’t handle much more), “Thursday night. After school. Basement. Training session. Don’t be late.”

I nodded quickly. “Got it. Thanks… for, you know, doing this.”

“Anytime.” He gave me one of those casual shrugs, already turning toward his bedroom. “Now go home. I need sleep.”

And just like that, he disappeared down the hall.

I stepped outside, the cool night air brushing against my cheeks. But no matter how chilly it was, I couldn’t stop smiling.

He used to brush me off. Tell me I didn’t belong. Act like I was just getting in the way. But now… now he actually believed in me. Trained me. Trusted me.

I clutched my bag tighter, my grin stretching wider with every step I took toward home.

For the first time, I wasn’t just chasing after Kaito.
I was walking beside him.