Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting slowly to the bright photons sneaking through her pupils. White walls. Chilly air. A soft bed beneath her. As her vision sharpened, she registered the figures scattered around the room.
Mirai occupied an armchair in the corner, her presence steady and watchful. Delta stood near the entrance, his back resting against the wall, arms crossed in silent observation. Beta had just burst into the room, the crinkle of a snack bag punctuating the quiet.
Gamma shifted slightly on the hospital bed, her movement drawing all eyes toward her.
"You're awake," Beta announced, stepping closer.
"Yeah… I guess I am," she muttered, her voice rasping against strained vocal cords. The needle embedded in her arm irritated her skin, a sharp discomfort that made her wince. "How long was I out?"
"Let's just say—"
"Forty-eight hours," Delta cut in, watching as she yanked out the intraosseous needle without hesitation.
Their overlapping voices blurred in her mind, fading into the sterile brightness surrounding her. A trance-like state pulled her in, the harsh lights above swallowing her focus.
"Hikaru—"
Mirai's voice shattered the illusion, grounding her back to the present. The room quieted as the others fell in line, deferring to their leader.
Gamma's gaze snapped toward the woman in the corner. Mirai's eyes met hers—calm yet unwavering, tranquil yet commanding.
Her voice cut through the silence again. "Ready to continue our mission?"
"Yes, ma'am," Gamma croaked, suppressing a cough. With a flick of her wrist, a laptop materialized from thin air. Her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, tapping out commands in rapid succession. "Target's location pinpointed. Sending coordinates now."
A simultaneous ping echoed from the wrist screens of the others.
"Not too far," Delta noted, scanning the data.
Gamma swung her legs over the side of the bed, the movement sending a dull ache through her body. Beta stepped forward, lowering the footrests to ease her descent. As she exhaled, her breath formed faint wisps in the chilled air.
"It's still daytime… are we gonna—" She paused as pain flared in her arm, cutting her off.
"We have a safe house nearby," Beta interjected, steadying her as she stood.
"As usual, we'll follow protocol and get the job done," Delta stated, his tone clipped and precise.
Mirai cleared her throat—a subtle but unmistakable command that refocused them all.
"Jōnin Alef is not someone you take lightly," she warned, her gaze lingering on Gamma's unsteady form. "I won't have any of you slowing me down."
"Won't happen again, ma'am," Gamma assured with a nod.
"Activate the nanotech and speed up your healing. We don't have all day."
Mirai rose from the chair and strode toward the door. Delta shot her a sidelong glance, but she didn't acknowledge it.
She stepped into the bustling hospital corridor, moving with purpose. Nurses and staff barely had time to register her presence before she brushed past them, showing no regard for their urgency. Each step was steady and deliberate—her aura began to command attention without a word.
The two men followed closely, their synchronized pace adding to the weight of their presence. Even with Gamma slightly trailing behind, the quartet's intensity was undeniable, an unspoken force clearing their path.
"To the hotel, then?" Beta suggested.
"Eyes are on us…" Delta muttered while glancing both ways. "Lots of eyes."
"Gamma," Mirai's voice cut through the tension like a knife slicing through soft jelly. "We need the drones for stealth."
"Roger that," Gamma responded, pushing past Delta and Beta to match her leader's pace.
Mirai came to an abrupt stop in front of a closed patient room to the right. A passkey panel sat just above the door handle, its screen glowing red. She gestured toward it with a curt nod. "Here."
Gamma double-tapped the button behind her ear. Instead of her full ninja suit materializing, only her gloves surfaced. Without further instruction, she pressed her gloved palm against the ID scanner. The red light flickered green.
The door slid open automatically, revealing a room lined with high-end medical equipment. The air smelled sterile, the furnishings sleek and expensive—fitting for the lone patient lying in the bed.
"Please… I swear, I won't say anything—"
The middle-aged man's plea was cut short as a kunai plunged deep into his skull. His body jerked once before going limp. The heart monitor flatlined, and a silent alarm activated.
The red warning light beside the bed began blinking. That was their cue.
Mirai tilted her head, a quiet crack echoing as she double-tapped the button behind her ear. In an instant, the Spider Lily squad was fully clad in black, their traditional ninja masks concealing their identities.
The alarm light was about to blink for the third time when Mirai vanished through the window of the 15th floor. A medium-sized surveillance drone shot out after her, followed by the sharp crash of three other windows shattering.
Pedestrians on the street looked up at the sound, but all they saw was a rain of broken glass. No bodies. No figures in freefall.
The mirrored drone hovering outside the hospital reflected the sky so perfectly that it blended into its surroundings, rendering the assassins invisible as they landed lightly on the curb.
A shimmer of light ran over their black attire, and in a blink, all four shinobi were dressed in civilian clothing. They split into pairs, appearing as couples dodging the falling glass.
Delta's arm rested around Mirai's waist, and Beta followed suit with Gamma, wordlessly sticking to the plan.
They moved in opposite directions just as screams erupted inside the hospital. Sirens blared in the distance, growing louder as police vehicles raced toward the scene.
Tick. Tick. Tick—Tock.
A few hours later, the four assassins regrouped outside the entrance of a five-star hotel.
Their target was only five minutes away at a normal pace—two minutes if they rushed. More than enough time to remove her head if necessary.
"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Ashikaga," the receptionist greeted with a polite smile, directing her attention toward Mirai and Delta.
A forced smile tugged at Mirai's lips.
"The key to the suite?" Delta said, his hand outstretched, his gaze firm.
The key card was in his palm almost instantly, the receptionist offering a small, nervous bow. "Enjoy your stay, sir." Her voice wavered as she cast a wary glance at the other couple standing nearby, but she dared not ask questions.
"No room service. No guests. Do not disturb," Beta added with a raised brow.
The receptionist nodded quickly, but the assassins were already walking away mid-conversation, uninterested in any further exchange.
Click—
Clack-Clack—
Swish—
Ding—
They stepped into the luxurious suite just as Mirai made her presence known, her gaze sweeping over the opulent space.
"What now, boss?" Beta asked, pacing the room, his fingers grazing the gold and diamond embellishments with idle admiration.
"We wait," Mirai replied, her voice calm yet firm.
"Guess that means more time for me to heal," Gamma scoffed, exhaling as she sank into the plush fur-lined cushion. Her eyes fixed on the massive flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. After a beat, she spoke again. "I have to ask… was the old man a target?"
"Do we kill civilians?" Delta's deep voice cut through the air. "I wasn't aware we had another target."
"We don't," Beta interjected with a scoff, drawing the attention of the others.
"Boss?"
No response.
Mirai lay on her back, staring at the white ceiling adorned with embedded diamonds. Her eyes drifted shut, her thoughts elsewhere.
"He saw your face—he was a living witness, Gamma," Beta stated evenly. His gaze flickered away from her, sensing the shift in her mood. "It could have happened to any of us," he added, an attempt at reassurance.
"But it didn't," she countered, her voice steady but laced with something colder. "His only mistake was looking my way at the wrong time."
"Actions breed consequences. That's the world we live in," Delta remarked dryly.
"Reactions," Beta corrected with a smirk.
"What?"
"For every action, there is a reaction. You can't even quote things right," Beta mocked, making his point both vocally and visually.
"And is that why you needed Hikaru to step in and save your sorry ass back then?" Delta shot back, arms folding across his chest.
"I dare you—say that again," Beta hissed, stepping in close, a vein bulging at his neck.
"It's time," Mirai's voice rang out from just behind Delta.
The room tensed, breaths held. None of them had noticed her move.
"Senjuro," Mirai continued, her voice sharp, unwavering. "I wasn't exactly pleased with your performance in our last fight, so I suggest you stop reminding me of that moment."
Delta stood frozen, unable to see her behind him. He could only wait, feeling the weight of her presence like a blade at his throat.
"Get dressed."
Before her final word had even faded, all three of them were back in uniform.
Mirai strolled toward the open-rooftop swimming pool on the hotel's top floor, stopping just at the edge. The moon bathed the city of Saitama in a soft glow, casting long, wavering reflections across the water.
The Spider Lily strike team stood ready for another blood-soaked night. Their eyes scanned the glittering city below, but before any of them could move. The steady whir of helicopter blades grew louder.
A chopper soared above them, its side doors wide open. Two figures, clad in black, stood at either side. Their faces obscured.
Delta's sharp gaze caught sight of the emblem on the helicopter's tail. His expression darkened. "The Taira Clan?"
Under the moonlight, one of the shinobi removed his mask. His features were sharp, his hair whipping in the wind. A smirk played across his lips.
Ise Heishi, heir to the Taira Clan. His expression was both mocking and utterly at ease, as though the battlefield was nothing more than a stage for his amusement.
"They're reinforcements for the American," Mirai stated.
"No more time to enjoy Saitama's hospitality," Beta scoffed before leaping off the building's edge—the last to vanish into the night.