Calculating the Odds

“WE WERE SET UP,” said Ryuuji, facing the undeniable truth.

“By whom?” Ren asked, itching to know who harmed Akari.

“Yura Akiko, a senior researcher of the IDP. She was a mole and collaborator, and we were supposed to pick up an important item she prepared for us, but she led us into an ambush instead.”

“Did she flip on you, or was she compromised?” Shūgo asked, as Ren shook with rage beside him.

“She must’ve been captured,” replied Hotaru, her face clouded with concern for her friend. “We’ve been close since I was a child; she would never betray me.”

“Are you sure about that? There’s still a billion yen bounty on you, and if it’s the Red Thread, they’d pay even more to turn you in,” Shūgo pointed out.

“I’m absolutely sure; Akiko-chan is like a second mother to me. If she led us into a trap, then it means the Red Thread forced her to. They do have the magic for that.”

“I see. And if they did capture her, then it would mean they got access to all the intel she had on you. If such were the case, then... how bad would the leak be?”

“Devastating. Almost every operation I have planned, I planned with her help. If the enemy has her, then they know every trick I’ve got up my sleeve, and how I intended to use them. I’m talking raid plans, safe houses, informants, travel routes… I have to redraw everything from scratch.”

“Do they know we’re here?” Shūgo asked, his eyes narrowed.

“No. At Miyuki’s request, I never told her about my contacts from the Divine Veil. She knew I worked with them at times, but nothing specific. She does know we poached you, though. Same with Hino Katsuro.”

“Whoa, you poached Hino!? That Hino!?” Itsuki exclaimed.

“Yes, and if Akiko-chan was captured, then he’s in danger. He needs to be warned, immediately.”

“Understood. Can you handle that, Raiden?” Shūgo asked.

“Absolutely. Got anything else to say before I go?”

“The guys who attacked us were dressed as civilians. A child, too. Be careful.”

“Bastards…” Ren clenched his fists, as did most of the Amaterasu Unit. There were certain rules to follow in war, and dressing hitmen as civilians utterly broke them.

“Noted. I’ll be back soon,” said Raiden, and he promptly vanished from sight.

“… Can we trust him?” Ryuuji asked a few seconds later. It was an awkward question to make, but necessary, considering his grievances with Hotaru.

“Yes, he’s honorable,” Aoi replied. “Though we might want to keep an eye on him with the Moon Mirror. If he gets captured and turned on us, it’d be no joke.”

“I’ll get to it soon,” said Miyuki. “But first, we must discuss what to do about Akiko. Ideally, we’d want to rescue her… but I fear we are in no position to launch such an attempt.”

“That’s true,” Shūgo weighed in. “We don’t know where they’re holding her, and now that they know we’re working with you, they’ll keep their eyes peeled for us. There’s no chance we’ll gather enough intel on time, let alone make a plan and execute it.”

Hotaru bit her lip in frustration. It was so tempting to use Kotodama in an attempt to bring Akiko to her, but she knew the Red Thread had countermeasures in place. Worst case scenario, she’d lead the enemy straight to the temple.

“The same goes with any raid ideas,” Ryuuji chimed in. “We had a few options in mind, but Akiko must’ve leaked all of them.”

“That, and you’re in no shape to fight,” Itsuki added. “You and Akari should be as good as new in a few days, but you need to rest. Going to the field is out of the question.”

Indeed, even Ryuuji had to admit that, no matter his thirst for revenge. Healing magic was potent, but for extreme injuries it took a while to set in. If he pushed himself and went to battle, he would only be a hindrance for everyone else.

“It seems we’re in a bind,” Shūgo concluded.

“No shit, Sherlock,” said Aoi. “So what now? If we can’t strike first, then all that’s left is to wait for them to make their move.”

“We don’t have any other options,” Shūgo replied. “By now, the Red Thread knows we’ve allied with the Songstress, and if we move recklessly, they could find enough political capital to pit the ACU against the Divine Veil. I don’t need to explain how that’d be a disaster, do I?”

“Yeah, the Red Thread would be eating popcorn while we duke it out,” said Aoi.

“But if we don’t stop them, the Obon Festival will turn into a calamity,” Hotaru said, trembling with anger. “Do you have any idea what’s at stake?”

“We do,” replied Shūgo. “Jōnoha-san has explained it to us. We’re on the verge of a mass contamination event, the likes of which we haven’t seen since 8 years ago.”

“Then how can you stay calm despite knowing this?”

“Because it’s out of our hands. If we launch an ill-prepared assault and get wiped out, then the only line of defense remaining will be the ACU… the same ACU that’s compromised by the Red Thread. So, we can’t afford to risk it. Our only option is to wait for the enemy to expose itself, and then we can join the loyalists. If we do it the other way around, we’re done for.”

That was the Takeda Shūgo of legend — utterly unshakeable. Ryuuji had heard the stories about him before, and the man lived up to his reputation to a tee. Now that he saw him in person, Ryuuji realized why Reigetsu was willing to part with his relic for their sake.

“Do you have any objections?” asked Miyuki, looking at Hotaru and Ryuuji.

“I have plenty of them,” Hotaru replied with a scowl. “But… Takeda-san is right. We don’t have the power to stop them. We’ll have to let them move and react.”

It was frustrating to no end, but despite her tremendous magic, Hotaru remained powerless. The enemy’s defensive advantage was simply too great: they beat them in numbers, intel, fortifications, traps and political capital. They were outmatched, through and through.

As they descended into an uncomfortable silence, Ryuuji grew unsteady for a moment. His wounds were catching up to him, and it was getting difficult to stay alert.

“You’ll want to go back to bed, Hasegawa,” said Itsuki. “We’ve got a lot left to discuss about our contingency plans, so you can leave it to us and rest. Besides, we need someone to keep an eye on Akari.”

Ryuuji would rather stay, but his body urged him otherwise. The adrenaline had worn off, and even magic could only get him so far. It was off to the infirmary with him.

“I’ll walk you there,” said Hotaru, helping him up.

“Thank you. I’ll leave the planning in your hands,” said Ryuuji, briefly bowing to the rest of the team.

Then, he and Hotaru excused themselves and walked over to the other room.

Before entering, though, Hotaru stopped for a moment and stood there in silence.

Then, she quietly hugged him.

She was shaking—and even sniffling a little bit.

Ryuuji hugged her back without saying anything. There was no need for words.

They stood there for a while, without really keeping track. It was a fleeting moment, but just for this time, they allowed themselves to indulge in each other’s comfort.

Eventually they let go, and they exchanged a deep, meaningful look.

“Thank you, Ryuuji. I’ll take care of it for now, so rest well.”

“I will. I love you, Hotaru.”

They pressed their lips in a short, soft kiss. Then, they turned around and left.

Back during the ambush, it wasn’t lost on Hotaru that Ryuuji had protected her with his life. The man didn’t duck for cover and didn’t flinch; he faced the attack head on and took every single bullet in her stead.

It was a feat she’d never forget. If fate ever allowed her the chance, she would return the favor… in this life or the next.