Reconnaissance

The next time Koji contacted Miyori was nearly two weeks later.
"I got someone," he said as she walked up to him and Sayaka at the park he'd suggested as a meeting point. "I'll explain in a bit, but we're good to go." 

"Hello, Ogimura-san," Sayaka said. 

"Right!" Koji clapped his hands. "Okay. First rule: no last names while we're doing this. We're on a first-name basis now, Miyori-chan, Sayaka. Better still, don't use names at all—if we're overheard, it's another clue they can follow."

Sayaka blushed. "If you say so…Koji-kun." 

Miyori nodded. "Understood." 

"Great." He pulled an small bag from his pocket, doll-sized in his large hands. "Second rule: I got you a change of clothes, Miyori-chan." 

Miyori took it from him, reaching inside and feeling fabric and the familiar spark of magic beneath her hands. "These will change with me?" she checked. 

"They will. I want you in human form for anonymity, but if things go bad, promise you'll prioritize getting yourself to safety." He waited for Miyori to nod, then gestured towards the corner of the park where there was a bathroom. "Good. Go get changed into that, and then we need to move. We have a little over an hour to get into position." 

***

"So you convinced your grandfather to help?" Miyori asked as they stepped onto a half-empty local train.

"No, actually. Word came through the grapevine that the Kuraishis had beef with the Shijos, and when I went to ask about it, their new head was willing to hear me out." Koji shrugged. "But I don't know the guy that well, and neither does gramps. So we're starting small." 

So another fae family was getting involved. "And they're going to run a diversion for us?" 

"Yeah. I didn't ask for too many details, but if they do their jobs right, and if our map is correct, then this spot here is going to be open to investigate." 

He pulled a map from his jacket and pointed at a spot on the other side of town, near one of the furthest points they knew the Garden extended to. 

"I know it's not where you were hoping we could start," he added, before Miyori could say anything. "I tried asking for that, but they weren't willing to take too big of a risk just yet. They chose a spot at the edge of their territory instead, and we just have to work with it." 

"That might be for the best," Sayaka said at Koji's elbow. "If we start out by breaking in somewhere too close to their base, they might strengthen the security later." 

That was a little disappointing. But if this was the safest starting point, Miyori couldn't very well argue about it—not when it was her and Noa's carelessness that had gotten him captured last time. 

"We're looking for evidence," Koji reminded them. "Sayaka works in infrastructure, and Miyori-chan, you've seen Iseki's work firsthand. You two are our experts, so you'll be taking the lead on examining anything we find. I'm just here as muscle and to hold the camera." 

"Are we going to do any sabotage?" Sayaka asked. "Or just leave things as we find them?" 

Koji grinned. "Let's play it by ear." 

*** 

They got off the train near the port district. The sidewalks were wide and cracked and the air smelled faintly brackish. The neighborhood was nearly deserted on a Friday evening, though they had to step out of the way of a few gaggles of workers and businessmen on their way to happy hour.

"I don't know how tight the security will be," Koji said, "but stay close. Any sign of trouble, get out of the way and let me handle it." 

They both agreed, and he led them down two side streets before pulling out a sheet of paper and a needle. Pricking the side of his finger, he pressed it to the circle's center, and the circle flared briefly, then vanished. 

"That was the signal," he said. "With me, now. Quick and quiet." 

They turned the corner and came to a stop beside a tall wooden fence. Koji stopped, grabbed Sayaka around the waist, and hopped it in a graceful vertical leap, appearing a moment later to do the same for Miyori. 

"I don't sense a spell around the perimeter," he said, "so there might be one inside. Keep an eye out." 

The building they were breaking into looked like an abandoned factory, dark and with gaps in the window panes. 

"This building was bought a couple years ago," Sayaka said quietly. "A construction company that declared bankruptcy. It doesn't look like it's being used…."

"But there's something here," Koji said. "I don't know where, exactly, but I can feel it. Can't you?" 

Miyori closed her eyes. The spell thrumming through her body, keeping her large, was a distraction, but… "Maybe?" 

"That's not how magic works," Sayaka said. "You can't just…oh." She paused, and Miyori opened her eyes in time to see Sayaka closing her own. "What is that?" she muttered. 

Koji grinned. "So you agree I'm not imagining things? Because my instincts are telling me to start at that end of the building." He pointed. "Shall we?" 

"Stop being smug and let's go," Sayaka said, stalking away with her head held high. 

"Ah, ah!" Koji rushed in front of her. "I'm taking the lead, remember. For one thing, I think I can feel a ward…" 

They stopped at the far end of the building, Koji pacing back and forth in front of the door. He brought a hand to it and then whispered, "Break," and Miyori thought she heard a shudder. 

"There's no way breaking a ward is that easy," Sayaka hissed. 

"It's worth a try, isn't it?" Koji said. "If no alarm goes off, I got it. Now we just need to get the door—"

"I can do that," Miyori said, and jumped into the air, shrinking and letting her wings unfurl. "Give me a minute." 

The inside of the building was as dark and quiet as the warehouse had been, and it was the work of a moment to touch down next to the door, grow big again, and open the lock. Miyori saw no sign of any security spells—though since she hadn't noticed anything in the warehouse either, that didn't mean much. 

"Good job," Koji said. He snapped his fingers and a ball of light appeared overhead. "Now, I think we should head…oh." 

Miyori turned and saw exactly what he was looking at. 

A massive pile of dirt stood at one end of the building, beside a spot where the floor had been ripped up. Planks lined a rough path into the ground. 

"I bet they don't have the zoning for that," Sayaka muttered. 

Beside her, Koji laughed. "You think? Come on. Let's find out what they're up to."