Chapter 33: — "The Preparation Setups!” — [INTERLUDE]

Kaito stood near the center table, hands braced on the metal surface. The silence was heavy, not tense, just… waiting. Rin leaned back against a crate, arms crossed, while Jiro hovered near the steps, still unsure if he was allowed to touch anything. I stood beside Rin, arms folded, trying to read Kaito’s expression.

He didn’t start with his usual sarcasm.
“Alright,” he said, voice flat. “We’ve got a lead. The biggest Syntrix Umbra territory yet, and it’s not inside the city.”

Jiro blinked. “Outside Lysethia? You mean… like, off-grid?”

Kaito nodded. “About forty klicks out. Rural zone. No surveillance from the city’s network, no police response if things go wrong.”

That wasn’t comforting.

He tapped the holographic map that flickered above the table, glowing red outlines forming the Syntrix perimeter. It stretched far, bigger than anything we’d faced.

“This,” Kaito continued, “is where Kouji’s been hiding operations. We hit this, we cripple Umbra’s supply chain and maybe—” He hesitated. “…Maybe we finally stop him.”

The way he said it, the small break in his voice, made my stomach twist. I’d seen Kaito serious before, but never like this. This wasn’t strategy; this was personal.

Rin frowned. “You’re sure he’s there?”

“Almost,” he said. “And even if he’s not, we’ll find what he’s doing. He’s gone too far.”

Jiro looked between all of us, adjusting his glasses nervously. “Uh… just checking, when you say ‘raid,’ you mean, like—”

Rin cut him off. “Yeah, we mean exactly what you think we mean.”

He swallowed. “Right. Cool. Just making sure I, uh, packed the right energy drink for that.”

Even Kaito cracked a faint smirk. “Try packing courage instead.”

That earned a quiet laugh from Rin, but it died quickly as Kaito turned serious again.

“We go in prepared this time. No half-gear, no improvising. Syntrix won’t play nice.”

I nodded slowly, my chest tight. For the first time, I realized how much was really at stake, not just the mission, but Kaito himself.

And for a second, I wasn’t sure which one scared me more.

Kaito swiped across the display, bringing up a list that scrolled with endless blueprints and specs.
“Alright, listen up. For this to even work, we’ll need a full loadout overhaul. Stronger blasters, reinforced armor, and better field tech, everything we’ve got right now would get shredded before we even reach the perimeter.”

Rin raised a brow. “So, basically… everything we own is trash?”

Kaito gave her a flat look. “In nicer words, yeah.”

Jiro adjusted his glasses, already leaning toward the hologram. “Wait— stronger blasters? You mean plasma-enhanced? Or maybe the Syntrix E-class rifles? Those have anti-drone output, I could—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Rin cut in, smirking. “You sound like you’re about to marry the damn gun.”

Jiro frowned. “Hey, it’s called enthusiasm.”

“Yeah, sure,” she muttered. “You and your romantic relationship with hardware.”

Kaito ignored them, his voice steady but firm. “I’m serious. The Syntrix defenses are no joke... AI turrets, scanners, motion sensors, the works. Kouji’s been building something massive, and they’ll be ready for anyone dumb enough to walk in blind.”

I shifted uneasily. “So we’re… walking in blind?”

He turned to me, tone softening slightly. “Not if we prepare right. We get new blasters, upgraded armor, Jiro sets up his hacking gear, we’ll have an edge.”

“But what if they’re expecting us?” I asked quietly. “What if Kouji knows?”

That question hung in the air for a moment. Kaito looked at me, not annoyed, not dismissive, just… honest.
“He probably does,” he admitted. “That’s why we can’t screw up. One mistake and we’re dead.”

Rin whistled under her breath. “Great pep talk, fearless leader.”

Kaito shot her a look but didn’t rise to the bait. “We’re not doing this to play hero. We’re doing this because if Kouji keeps pushing this AI corruption crap, Lysethia won’t even be standing in a month. Syntrix will turn the city inside out.”

Jiro stopped fiddling with the map, his expression sobering. “You’re… serious, huh?”

“I’ve never been more fucking serious,” Kaito said, then exhaled. “We start small, weapons and gear first, the car... we'll think about it later. Tomorrow, we meet a dealer I know.”

I glanced at him. “Someone you trust?”

He hesitated. “…Enough to not shoot me on sight.”

“That’s comforting,” Rin said dryly.

Kaito ignored her again, looking between us. “No mistakes this time. If we fuckthis up, if any of us do, Kouji wins. Got it?”

We all nodded, the room falling into uneasy silence.
I could tell he was trying to sound confident, but the weight in his voice said otherwise.

For a moment, I caught myself staring at him, not the strategist, not the fighter, but the person who was about to risk everything for a brother that betrayed him.

And for reasons I didn’t want to admit, that scared me more than the mission itself.

—

Rin’s footsteps echoed up the stairs, followed by Jiro’s voice, something about “downloading battle music for tomorrow.” Then the door shut, leaving the basement steeped in silence.

Kaito stood over the table, staring at the faint blue glow of the map still flickering across the metal surface. His jaw was tight, his hands braced on the edge. I could tell he wasn’t seeing the map anymore, he was seeing something else entirely.

He hadn’t said a word since the others left.

I leaned against a crate, watching him. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” His tone was short, clipped. Then, after a pause, “Just… thinking.”

“About your brother?” I asked quietly.

He didn’t answer right away. Then, with a low sigh, he said, “He was always the one who wanted to change the world. I just didn’t think he’d want to burn it down to do it.”

The way he said it… calm, but with something breaking underneath, made my chest ache. I wanted to say something comforting, but the words wouldn’t come out right. Everything I thought of felt small next to the storm sitting in his voice.

I took a step closer. “We’ll stop him, Kaito.”

He finally looked at me, not cold, not distant. Just tired. “Yeah. We will.”

His eyes lingered for a second longer than usual, and something in me twisted. I hated how much I cared about him, how scared I was of losing him. It wasn’t fair. He carried everything like he could take on the world alone, and I was just supposed to trust he’d come back in one piece.

I tried to hide the tremor in my voice. “You’re sure we’re ready?”

Kaito straightened, closing the map. “We’ll move tomorrow. Get the weapons, make the upgrades, and after that…” He hesitated, then looked at me again. “Don’t worry, Yuzuki. We’ll win. No matter what.”

I nodded, forcing a small smile. “Yeah… sure.”

He gave a faint one back, that kind of smile that wasn’t really happy, just there to keep things from breaking.

I turned toward the stairs, the hum of the machines fading behind me.
And even as I left, the words “don’t worry” kept circling in my head,
but the fear sitting in my chest wouldn’t move an inch.