The Assassin's Resolve

CHAPTER 15: Time to Spy

For the record and for exam’s sake…

“JUST GREAT!”

Kaede frantically flopped her head up and down on the pillow and even unintentionally banged it on the headboard a few times now, but she doesn’t care anymore. Her head will soon break into half if she doesn't stop.

She threw her pillow again, repeating the same thing after picking it up on the floor.

Tomorrow will be their exam. Of course she’s stressed that she hardly get any sleep since her dramatic encounter with Aguri. Nobody noticed but it’s killing her inside. The thoughts were echoing in her mind. EVERY. SINGLE. INFORMATION. IN. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. All these years, she’s been fooled.

Now that she found the truth, Kaede can finally mourn for the lost. That was one thing. The second’s, she wasn’t expecting that it can be that tragic; you know, your granddad and your sister’s fiance conspiring to silence anyone who dares to stop their schemes?

She could not think of something worst than this… but maybe she did found something worse. Kaede changed her mind after a couple of days of thinking.

The most upsetting of all was the fact that she never heard of Akihito since who-knows-when, not even a shadow, nothing. She’s not even allowed to visit the lab as ordered by Karasuma, now that she’s dragged into the mission. Great. Just how many secrets do they want to bear?

She’s dead waiting for her old man’s arrival. Though he has done wicked things, little Akari’s still worried with her granddad. Yes she’s angry and she hates him for his wrongdoings but… weighing his mistakes against his kindness doesn’t make sense. It’s pointless, spending every night miserably crying on her bed thinking of these things.

Those were some of the reasons why she can’t sleep right now and for the past terrible week.

She even finished counting countless herds of sheep but to no avail.

Looking at her clock makes it worse either.

She's overwhelmed.

11:03

“Wait…” she mumbled.

Kaede looked at the clock again but in a different perspective this time; something clicked in her head. A magnificent smile decorated her face, or rather… an undeniable smile of mischief.

She cheerfully sat up and jumped out of bed, pulled her thickest coat, silently and cautiously walked on the wooden floor to Irina’s room. Everything’s going smooth--

She knocked again for the fifth time but Irina did not respond.

So she’s not home, Kaede inferred.

She didn’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing-- ah, it’s good, it’s good. Kaede nodded for gut’s sake.

She then decided to go alone, forgetting her exam tomorrow and everything that’s been bugging her these past days.

Jumping outside her window, Kaede landed gracefully.

It’s satisfying. Her secret training will be put to good use tonight.

She managed to get out of their well-secured property. Besides, she’s been preparing for this in a long time; memorizing the cameras’ blind spots, including the shifts of their helpers and the time when their dullness is on the apex.

But honestly, she made all those preparations in case she’ll find a chance to take down her former targets, who’re in reality, her allies. And she’s glad that she met them.