Episode 11: Camellia Secrets

The tension from the last mission was still thick in the air, but life at the Academy refused to slow down. The whispers of Aoi's betrayal had spread through the ranks like wildfire, though no one dared bring it up in front of Chou. For her sake, I tried to keep things light, but there was a weight hanging between us—a shared silence neither of us was ready to break.

The day started like any other: drills, briefings, more drills. But something about today felt... off.

"Chou," I called, jogging to catch up with her after training. She was walking ahead of me, her posture stiff and tense.

She turned slightly, raising an eyebrow. "What's up?"

I hesitated. "You doing okay?"

She sighed, brushing her hair out of her face. "If I wasn't, would I tell you?"

I frowned. "Probably not. But that doesn't mean I won't ask."

Chou's lips quirked into a faint smile before she shook her head. "I'm fine, Hana. Really. Just tired."

I didn't believe her, but I let it slide. For now.

Later that evening, I was in the archives, going through files on Aoi's past missions. The Academy didn't exactly keep a user-friendly system, and I was knee-deep in documents when Chou suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Didn't peg you for the studious type," she teased, leaning against the frame.

I rolled my eyes. "Funny. What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "I could ask you the same thing."

I hesitated, my eyes flicking back to the files. "I wanted to see if there was something we missed about Aoi. Maybe a clue about where she might go next."

Chou's expression softened, and for a moment, she just stood there, watching me. Then, she sighed and pulled up a chair beside me.

"Guess I'll help," she said, her voice quieter now.

We worked in silence for a while, the faint hum of the overhead lights filling the room. Every now and then, I'd catch Chou sneaking glances at me, but she didn't say anything. I didn't push her either. Whatever was on her mind, she'd tell me when she was ready.

It was nearly midnight when we found it. A small, almost insignificant note buried in one of Aoi's older mission reports.

"A tea shop?" Chou muttered, squinting at the text. "Why would she—"

"It's not just a tea shop," I said, pointing at the address. "It's a front. For a black market operation."

Chou's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

I gave her a small, sheepish smile. "Let's just say I've been there before. For recon, obviously."

Her expression was skeptical, but she didn't push. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. "So, what now? Do we tell the director?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. We need more than just an address. If this is connected to Aoi, we can't risk tipping her off."

Chou nodded slowly. "Alright. Then we check it out ourselves."

"Tonight?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She smirked. "Got somewhere better to be?"

The tea shop was nestled in a quiet corner of the city, its unassuming exterior masking the illicit activities inside. Chou and I approached cautiously, our weapons concealed but ready.

"Okay, what's the plan?" she whispered as we crouched behind a parked van.

I glanced at the building, noting the guards stationed near the entrance. "We'll go in separately. You take the back entrance; I'll distract the front."

Chou frowned. "And if something goes wrong?"

I grinned. "Nothing's going to go wrong."

She didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway. "Fine. Just... don't do anything stupid."

"Who, me?" I teased, already moving toward the entrance.

The tea shop's interior was cozy, with warm lighting and the faint aroma of camellias in the air. I kept my movements casual, blending in with the small crowd of customers.

It didn't take long to spot the hidden door at the back of the shop. Two guards stood in front of it, their eyes scanning the room. I slipped into a seat nearby, pretending to scroll through my phone while keeping them in my peripheral vision.

Chou's voice crackled softly in my earpiece. "I'm in. Back entrance was unlocked. You good?"

"Peachy," I muttered under my breath, earning a strange look from the woman at the next table.

"Alright," Chou continued. "I'm heading toward the storage room. If this place is a front, there's bound to be something useful back there."

"Be careful," I said, my tone more serious now.

"You too," she replied.

Things went south faster than I expected.

I was halfway through my surveillance when one of the guards caught me staring. His expression turned suspicious, and before I knew it, he was heading straight for me.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his tone curt.

I plastered on my best innocent smile. "Oh, no. I'm just waiting for a friend."

"Is that right?" he said, his eyes narrowing. "Mind showing me some ID?"

Shit.

Before I could respond, the lights flickered, and a loud crash echoed from the back of the shop.

"Chou," I hissed into my earpiece. "What the hell did you do?"

"Nothing!" she hissed back. "I might've knocked over a shelf, but it wasn't my fault!"

The guard's attention shifted toward the noise, and I took the opportunity to slip away, heading toward the hidden door.

We regrouped in the storage room, where Chou was frantically digging through a stack of documents.

"Find anything?" I asked, my voice low.

She glanced up, her expression triumphant. "Yeah. A shipping manifest. Looks like they're smuggling weapons—and it's tied to Aoi."

Before I could respond, footsteps echoed down the hall.

"Time to go," I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the exit.

We barely made it out, the sound of shouting guards chasing us into the night. By the time we reached the safety of the Academy, we were both out of breath, but we couldn't stop laughing.

"That was insane," Chou said, leaning against the wall.

"You're insane," I shot back, though I was smiling too.

She grinned, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, but you love it."

I didn't respond, my heart skipping a beat as her words hung in the air.

Chou didn't seem to notice, her attention already shifting back to the documents in her hands. "Come on. Let's figure this out."

And just like that, we were back to work. But the warmth in my chest lingered, a reminder that, no matter how dangerous things got, I wasn't in this alone.