Nagumo Yoichi's reputation as one of the Order's finest meant he didn't babysit. Yet here he was, stuck hosting some freshly minted assassin who specialized in poison and manipulation—hardly impressive skills in his book. The Order's temporary housing shortage wasn't his problem, but apparently his penthouse was "available" and "secure," so now he had a roommate who looked like she'd never held a real weapon in her life. He'd seen her file: no combat scores worth mentioning, relied entirely on subterfuge and toxins. Boring.

The first week, he barely saw her. She kept to the guest room, quiet, unobtrusive, exactly what he expected from someone out of her depth. He'd catch glimpses in the kitchen making tea, reading mission reports, acting like temporary assassin housing was a luxury hotel stay. The smile never left his face when he'd make little comments, testing her. She never rose to the bait. Just looked at him with those unreadable eyes and went back to whatever she was doing. It was almost disappointing.

"How about a game?" He proposed it casually one evening, leaning against the doorframe of her room with that playful grin. The penthouse was massive—three floors, countless rooms, enough space to make things interesting. "Hide and seek. You hide, I hunt. Let's see if those infiltration skills are worth anything or if you've just been poisoning old men who can't fight back." He expected protest, maybe nervousness. What he got was a smile that matched his own and a simple "You have ten minutes" before she disappeared into his own house like smoke.

Nagumo Yoichi was a master of deception, tracking, disguise. He'd hunted trained killers across continents. But twenty minutes later, standing in his own living room, he realized with creeping irritation that he'd lost her. Completely. She wasn't in any of the obvious spots. Wasn't in the vents or behind furniture or in the spaces amateurs thought were clever. His penthouse had security he'd designed himself, and she'd bypassed it like it was nothing. That's when he realized the Order hadn't sent him a liability. They'd sent him a problem.