Time moved slowly for an observer. Tatsumi sat in the corner of the quiet coffee shop, a cup of cold green tea before him. He had been there for nearly two hours, pretending to read a novel whose contents he wasn't absorbing at all. His eyes, however, never truly left the entrance of the Pachinko parlor across the street. Every person who entered, every person who left, he analyzed in a split second. A tired-looking middle-aged man, a group of noisy teenagers, a woman with groceries. All normal. Too normal.
He fought the urge to fidget, to stand up and pace. This was a different kind of discipline from withstanding Endeavor's fire attacks or diving between laser shots. This was the discipline of patience. He thought about the different types of strengths within their alliance. Endeavor's destructive power, Hawks' speed and strategy, Akame's silent killing expertise, and now... Leone's charisma and street smarts. He realized that this war wouldn't be won just by being the strongest. It would be won by those who could adapt the most. A small, hidden earpiece in his ear remained silent. No signal from Leone. Her hunt was still on.
Inside the noisy, smoke-filled Pachinko parlor, Leone was in her element. The air was filled with the incessant clatter of metal balls, shrill electronic music, and the frustrated or joyful cries of gamblers. To an outsider, it was chaos. To Leone, it was an ecosystem she could read perfectly.
With her undeniable charm, she had managed to "befriend" the three young men she had identified as her targets. They were low-level PLF guards, easily recognizable by their stiff postures and military haircuts that didn't match their worn-out civilian clothes. After pretending to lose and treating them to drinks at the small bar inside the parlor, she began to weave her web.
"Wow, so you guys work as security guards in the mountains? That's so cool!" she said with feigned admiration, leaning forward slightly. "It must be so quiet up there. What are you guarding? A secret treasure?"
One of them, the most talkative and eager to show off, laughed. "Something like that! It's elite security work, Miss. Top secret. We make sure no one disturbs the important 'research' that's going on."
"Research, huh?" Leone winked. "Must be boring if nothing ever happens."
"That's the thing! Our commander, that old Kageyama, he's a real hard-ass," complained the second guard, who was a bit quieter. "We have to patrol for 12 hours straight, even in the middle of the night. Especially on that freezing northern trail. He's paranoid, always sniffing the air as if he can smell intruders."
Bingo, Leone thought. Commander Kageyama. A scent-based sensory Quirk. And the northern trail patrol is a morale weak point.
"At least you guys don't have to deal with the 'ghosts,' right?" the third guard added in a slightly quieter voice, glancing around.
Leone feigned a look of confusion. "Ghosts?"
"Ah, that's just a rumor to scare us," the first guard interjected quickly, trying to look brave. "But some people say there are other guards on the outer perimeter. Real professionals. They're never seen, never heard. They're the ones who handle the real intruders."
Leone filed that information away. Two layers of security: amateurs on the inside, professionals on the outside. She smiled sweetly. "Wow, you all sound so amazing and brave! I feel so safe." She raised her glass. "To the secret guardians of the mountain!"
The three young men cheered, their egos inflated, not realizing they had just handed over their security blueprint on a silver platter to a hungry lioness.
In her luxurious penthouse in Tokyo, Esdeath stared at a datapad presented by the head of the Yakuza clan she had just conquered. The man's face was pale as Esdeath scrolled through reports from their underworld informant network.
"So," Esdeath said softly, her eyes fixed on one paragraph. "The rumors are true. There was an eyewitness from a fishing boat who reported seeing a flash of silver in the night sky over the island, before Endeavor's arrival."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," the man replied, trembling. "Another report from our informant inside the HPSC mentioned an 'unregistered asset' involved in the Hosu incident and the Training Camp. The description matches: a young man in silver armor that resembles a dragon."
Esdeath put down the datapad. A cold, anticipatory smile formed on her face. "Silver armor... a dragon... So, my new toy has a reputation in this world."
She stood and walked to the window, gazing at the endless city lights. Her hunt had been directionless. Now, she had a trail.
"I want everything you have on this boy," she commanded, her voice leaving no room for argument. "His name. His school. His friends. Every detail, no matter how small. Bring that information to me. It's time for the Queen to find her prince."
Back at the coffee shop, the sun began to set, painting the sky orange. Nearly four hours had passed. Suddenly, Tatsumi's earpiece crackled to life.
"Hey, Dragon Boy, the party's over," Leone's voice came through, cheerful as ever, but Tatsumi could catch the note of success behind it. "I've got everything we need for now. I'm leaving with my 'new friends.' They offered to give me a ride to my inn. Don't follow. Head back to the rendezvous point in one hour."
Tatsumi looked across the street. The door to the Pachinko parlor opened, and Leone came out laughing, her arm casually linked with one of the PLF guards who looked utterly delighted. To anyone watching, they were just a group of young people having fun. But as Leone glanced briefly towards the coffee shop, Tatsumi saw it—a sharp glint in her eye, a signal that said 'mission accomplished.' She was a master manipulator.
The guard and his friends escorted Leone to a worn-out car and drove off. Tatsumi waited a few minutes before finally standing up, leaving a few yen bills on the table for his untouched tea.
He walked down the street, now bustling with nightlife, blending into the crowd. The first phase of their ground mission had been a success, not with explosions or battles, but with a few beers, a charming smile, and beautifully crafted lies. He felt a new respect for his new ally. This war was indeed fought on many different fronts. And now, it was his and Akame's turn to enter their own battlefield.