Operation: Make the protagonist happy

26. Operation time bois

"Kidnapped?"

"Eh... partially."

"Oh no... please don't tell me it's—" Lumi gulped, "— a mafia story." Upon a nod of confirmation, his entire face whitened. By the time the two finished their guessing game, everyone was downstairs in their pajamas. It was clear who was a morning person and who was a night owl by their expressions. Some were pumped with adrenaline, while others were still recovering from being harshly awakened.

"You're kidding," Nari blurted from the kitchen, already making a large pot of coffee to share. "Aren't we too low-level for a mafia story? I thought those were for more experienced groups."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the sleep-deprived crowd. A mafia story? In this economy? Typically, they were in charge of high school rom-com with a hint of vampire stories tossed in to add flavor and dimension.

A pleasant smile crept its way onto Aidyn's face as he said, "well, headquarters specifically requested that we take this mission, dear Nari. I agreed because we need more money considering our last mission didn't go that well."

[Name] glanced down with a strained grin. Ouch that hurt.

"Just give us the story details, and stop leaving us in the dark," N sighed, combing back his bed hair only for it to bounce back up. The cup of black coffee in his hand released puffs of white smoke into the air.

"I'm gonna wait till everyone is here," Aidyn winked before preparing to relax on the couch.

The entire house fell into an awkward silence. "Everyone is here, Aidyn," [Name] softly said; bittersweet words spilled out of her mouth without restraint. No one expected Aidyn to care considering his history with troublemakers like Sei.

Even though he didn't show it explicitly, there was a falter before the same shit-eating grin was plastered across his face. "Haha, I was just testing you guys. You all passed!" That same condescending tone returned as if everything was just a game to him.

Essi chuckled out of pity. Of course, the gesture was greatly appreciated by everyone because it allowed Aidyn to transition into plot-debriefing with ease.

"As you all know, this story is considered a mafia story. Since none of you have experienced this kind of plot, I included the basic structure of all mafia stories in the back: badass/weak girl gets captured, mafia boss notices girl, angst, angst, police fight, girl either become mafia boss or runs away, the end." By now, a thick packet— titled OPERATION: STOCKHOLM SYNDROME— was already distributed to the crowd. Paper flipping and pen scribbling accompanied his lecture.

Despite all his questionable antics, [Name] only had admiration for Aidyn's work ethic. He understood the inner workings of a system that was anything but kind. Working Aidyn was an entirely different man from bastard Aidyn. He was punctual, shrewd, and knowledgeable. When mistakes went awry, [Name] never forgot the dark circles under his eyes or how the consequences weren't as extreme as she'd thought. Perhaps his sadistic nature was the by-product of countless all-nighters.

After turning the page, Aidyn took in a deep breath, mentally bracing himself. "Another thing about this story is that there are kidnapping elements, which means that the setting will be this house. Hence, the name OPERATION: STOCKHOLM SYNDROME. The protagonist will eat with us, sleep with us, and— all-around— live with us." As expected, outrage ensued. This house was the only place they could act like themselves without consequences. If the protagonist was monitoring their every action, then they had to constantly be in-character and working.

[Name] couldn't help but wonder if this was how Headquarters made sure she didn't mess up again. Even one slip up would result in her landing on the blacklist.