"Same space, but not with me. Like. . .we're all doing different things in the same area. It has to look natural."
Reo's analytical mind was already working. "We need a location that makes sense. Somewhere braiding hair wouldn't seem strange, but where others could naturally be present too."
Satoshi raised one finger. "The beach?"
I shook my head immediately. "Absolutely not. It can’t be a place outside."
Everyone looked at me.
"My stylist would lose her mind. Hair in the wind? Humidity? Even a light breeze could ruin the tension on the braids, and if any loose hair blows away. . ." I paused, knowing how this would sound. "There's this superstition. If birds get your hair and use it to build nests, it makes you go crazy. She takes that very seriously."
Rin—the royal Fang who was typically bored—actually tilted his head to the side. "Birds make you crazy?"
"It's a belief. Something about your hair being connected to your energy and spirit. If birds take strands and weave them into their nests, your energy gets trapped there, scattered, makes you lose your mind." I shrugged. "I don't make the rules. But she won't work outside. Won't risk it."
Kaede's real eye narrowed. "How would birds even—"
The twins tilted their heads in unison.
"Specific birds?" Yuki asked.
"Why crazy?" Aki finished.
"Any birds," I said. "Sparrows, crows, whatever. And I have no idea why crazy specifically. But trust me, one strand blowing away in the wind and she'll stop everything. Pack up. Refuse to continue."
Kaoru touched the two studs on his ear—diamond and ruby—and looked genuinely baffled. "So. . .indoor only?"
"Indoor only."
An awkward pause settled over the room as everyone processed this information.
Yeah, guys. Black hair has tons of rules and superstitions.
Ever practical, Reo moved things along. "So. . .we need an indoor space. Large enough for multiple people. Public enough to seem natural and casual."
"The main salon upstairs?" Satoshi suggested.
Reo frowned. "Too small. Too isolated. Won't feel public enough."
"One of the sitting rooms?" Rin offered.
"Same problem."
Then I remembered the tour Sako had given me that first day. "There aretwotheaters in the mansion, right? I saw them during the tour."
Reo nodded. "The small screening room where Kenji and I will have the spies tonight. And, there is also the main cinema that hasn’t been used yet. It seats over a hundred and fifty people."
"That's it." Excitement built in my chest. "We open the big theater up. Make it an event, Movie Day for everyone on the entire island."
Hiro's eyes lit with understanding. "Any spy working here would come. It's a perfect cover."
"Exactly." I was talking faster now as the pieces fell into place. "We do multiple showings. Four or five different movies. People sign up for different time slots throughout the day. That way we know exactly who's going to be at which showing and when."
Reo was already thinking through logistics. "Different groups for each movie. Staggered throughout the afternoon and into the night."
"Yes. We make it casual, low-key. Like we're trying to boost morale during tense times. Give everyone a break. The spies won't suspect it's a trap—they'll think we're dropping our guard."
Yoichi tapped his wolf charm and leaned back in his chair. "Where would you be during all this?"
