The Signal Before Dawn

Airi had to explain every strike out loud before it worked, and that made her both useful and easy to read. In Sengoku Japan, she served a righteous house while hiding the part of her power that felt dangerous to admit. The night-blooming flower in the garden gave her one more reason to stay awake, because some people only spoke when the petals opened. Then a sealed contract in her holster, a badge on her vest, and a founder who watched her through a recorder pulled her into a night full of careful lies.