Kill the spies

NN, Junepai, Himeno, and Yuya all gathered at Junepai's home.

“If what he says is true, then that means we’re probably being watched at this very moment,” NN spoke calmly.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case,” Himeno added.

“Then was it really a good idea for everyone to meet here?” Junepai asked.

“I see why not by this point. If it’s true that the Takeba group has some relations to Watchful Eye, then secrecy is entirely pointless.” NN answered.

“Who are these ‘Watchful Eye’ people? I’ve heard that come up like ten times and still have no idea who they are.” Yuya chimed in.

“They aren’t very well known to the general public, which makes sense considering they’re a spy organization. They have ties to K-Corp international as well as several other big groups around the world, though I had no clue that the Takeba group was one of them.” NN hummed to himself silently, “How annoying, how annoying, how annoying!” He threw his head back and groaned.

“Die! Die! Die!” Sylvie sat before the blaring TV.

“What should we do?” Himeno asked.

NN returned his head to its natural position before answering her question. “We need to find out where they’re currently residing. They’ll likely have some temporary base of operations to store evidence and equipment. Knowing their process, they won’t move in until they can undeniably prove that we have Sylvie in our possession. From there, they’ll take their evidence to K-Corp, and we’ll be arrested and likely executed. We need to prevent that from happening, and the only way to do so is by destroying whatever evidence they’ve gathered so far. Finding their base shouldn’t be too hard; the real issue comes from the second part of this plan.”

“Destroying the evidence?” Junepai asked, to which NN nodded.

“They’ll have people stationed there, wherever they are, keeping an eye on the evidence and securing the location.” He paused, looking between everyone there, “We’ll likely have to kill them.” He stated plainly.

“What?” Yuya spoke, shocked.

“Think about it. Let’s say we somehow sneak into their base and destroy all the evidence. What happens then? We leave, they realize they’ve lost their evidence, and simply gather more. These guys are tenacious and won’t quit until the job is finished. The only way to ensure Sylvie's safety is to kill the spies.” His words were harsh, but everyone else knew there was some truth to them.

“Ok, well, what about Sasha? What happens when she interrogates us about the spies suddenly dying and having their evidence destroyed? Lying won’t work.” Himeno added.

“We won’t have to worry about that.” He simply stated.

“How come?”

“Consider the way she’s moved until this moment. Why go through the trouble of hiring spies? Why let us off the hook so easily if she was suspicious? I’m not sure what, but I have a feeling her true intentions aren’t in finding Sylvie.” He answered.

“And you’re willing to risk your life based on this feeling?”

“We’ll be risking our lives either way. If they move in and capture Sylvie, they’ll know we had something to do with her escape, and we’ll be labeled as traitors. This plan is simply a risk we have to take.”

“I see your point, but is killing them really necessary?” Yuya’s voice shook as he spoke. NN turned to him, then to Junepai.

“Yes, but you won’t be killing anyone, neither you nor Junepai.” He calmly stated.

“Wait, wait, wait. I can understand not taking Yuya, but why am I also being left out of this?” Junepai seemed almost offended.

“Himeno’s information comes from a temporary agent of Watchful Eye. This could be a trap, and if it is, I’ll need you both on the outside.”

“Makes sense.”

“Himeno and I will be enough. I doubt they’ve brought many agents for an overseas mission. We’ll move in whenever we pinpoint their location.” He turned to Himeno with expectant eyes.

“I’ll talk to Shindo about it, but I can’t make any promises.”

|

Sasha walked silently down a long, empty hall. The floor was polished tile, so clean that you could see your reflection clear as day. Large windows acted as walls at either side, allowing the sun to shine inside.

There was a set of wooden double doors at the end of the hall; the sound of silent talking could be heard from beyond them.

The sound of the doors creaking echoed within the room, the two people inside turning their attention toward her. They were both separated by a brown desk, each of them in office chairs. The one sitting on the end closest to her was much younger; his hair was pure white, like snow, and the pale skin on his face was smooth and soft, his large gray eyes covered by large circular glasses. She looked away from him and at the older man behind the desk, his hair well combed and gelled, and he too wore glasses. Through them were a pair of golden eyes.

“Sasha.” He calmly spoke.

“Ms. Linda!” The boy exclaimed with enthusiasm, standing from his chair so fast that it slid backward. “It’s great to see you again.” He sprinted forward, leapt into the air, and crashed onto the ground in a bowing position. His forehead pressed against the floor, and his muffled voice could be heard echoing throughout. “I’ve become much stronger since you last saw me, a man more fitting of the title of husband.” He lifted his head from the ground, getting onto all fours.

“That’s great to hear.” Sasha spoke, getting onto one knee, “Is it ok if we resume this conversation later? My father and I have something important to discuss?”

He nodded his head rapidly, “Yes ma’am! Absolutely, I apologize for impeding!” He stood quickly and was out the door much quicker.

The two waited a moment as his footsteps echoed down the hall, Sasha turning her attention toward her father with a wide grin.

“When will you stop leading that boy on?” He asked coldly.

“He needs proper motivation if he plans to be our right-hand.” She answered, sauntering toward the once-occupied office chair and seating herself.

“He isn’t what I came here to discuss.”

“What did you come here for?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“An opportunity has arisen, and I’m hoping that you’d like to indulge.” Her smile refused to leave her face.

“Are you going to tell me about this opportunity?”

“It’s concerning the international agent and the monster. I recently hired Watchful Eye to investigate them and find the monster.” She spoke.

“You did what?”

“Before you get angry, allow me to finish. I also requested that he personally handle this mission. I’ve effectively backed them into a corner.”

“Why would that be a good thing? If we do happen to find the creature, we’ll have no choice but to execute the international agent!” He exclaimed.

“But that won’t happen. I planted a… Seed.”

“Seed?”

“Shinichi Shindo. His aversion toward the Takeba group's actions has become much more apparent over the years, especially in relation to your other daughter, Himeno Takeba. I assigned him to the Watchful Eyes task force as a temporary agent. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll warn Himeno about the spies.”

Takeba hummed in silence, folding his hands together. “Go on.”

“Shinichi has been a problem for quite some time. He’s a liability, but I can’t simply kill him, at least not without real reasoning. At the same time, we’ve also been struggling in terms of gathering magical energy for the beast. So, I came up with a plan that could potentially kill two birds with one stone. By backing the international agent and his crew into a corner, they’ll have no choice but to take action against Watchful Eye, where they’ll meet him. If a battle were to break out between such powerful forces, a copious amount of residual magical energy would be left behind, an amount much higher than any group of civilians could provide. We could collect that residual energy, not only that, Shinichi’s betrayal will allow me to execute him.”

“And what if the international agent were to die while fighting Watchful Eye?”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. Though whatever the outcome may be, it’ll be a huge step forward for the Takeba group.”

“Your plan has several holes and relies on multiple uncertainties. I’d have expected such impatience and foolishness from someone much below your level.” His tone was full of frustration.

“With all due respect, Father, you should know more than anyone that progress is only made with risk. We’ve been playing it safe for far too long now. It’s been twenty years, and hardly any progress has been made. Relying on civilians to feed the shadow beast is no longer going to cut it; we need to start making bigger moves.” She slowly stood, her face devoid of any expression, “If my plan fails, I’ll gladly accept any punishment you wish to throw my way, but I have a feeling it won’t fail.”