8:00 AM
The private jet made a successful landing without the slightest difficulty. Armed soldiers were already lined up on both sides of the runway, standing straight and rigid, ready to act at any moment.
Red stepped onto solid ground, closely followed, all while staring at his phone.
A woman approached him with confidence. Her hair was neatly tied back, and she wore a suit accompanied by a long black coat flowing in the morning wind. She stopped right in front of him and introduced herself with a slight bow.
— Hello, I am General Masako Takamura. A pleasure to meet you.
Her voice, far from being rigid and authoritarian, was calm and composed. She did not wait for an immediate response and raised her hand slightly to the left, at the level of her assistant's neck, in a smooth and calculated gesture.
— Allow me to introduce my assistant as well.
The man, who seemed slightly less at ease than his superior, bowed his head slightly toward Red and remained completely impassive.
— I am Haruki Sato, pleased to meet you.
Red replied in a deep tone that he was also pleased to meet them, but his gaze quickly shifted to the line of soldiers behind them. The mere fact that they were all armed had already put him on guard.
— I don't recall asking for an escort… I can protect myself just fine.
Masako smiled slightly and asked him to forgive the misunderstanding.
— But if these soldiers are here, it is not to protect you… but to take you down.
The atmosphere, already tense before the conversation had even begun, suddenly became heavy. Sato, sensing the discomfort, looked away while lightly scratching his head.
Masako added further clarification:
— As you may have understood, the Japanese government does not truly trust you. Because of your reputation around the world, they decided to take precautions… as a security measure.
The soldiers, already prepared for the worst with their hands on their triggers, expecting an aggressive reaction, were caught off guard. Red slipped his hand into his pocket with a heavy sigh.
— Yeah, I understand… but it would have been smarter if they weren't all within my range.
Masako asked what he would have done if the Japanese government had truly set a trap upon his arrival. His answer came instantly, spoken with chilling coldness.
— I would have killed you… you and your entire family, including your loved ones.
Feeling threatened, several soldiers immediately aimed their weapons at him.
Sato raised his hand to signal them to stop, clearly indicating it would be useless.
Masako remained calm. She simply turned and asked Red to follow her, along with the boy.
— I understand you reacted that way because you were with a child… but please try not to complicate matters. Your young protégé can stay with Haruki during our discussion.
Red asked no questions and followed her, hands in his pockets.
Sato moved behind Zain and gently pushed him forward. His eyes fell on the boy's phone, and even he, an expert in computing, couldn't understand what he was doing.
— And also…
Red stopped abruptly and turned toward Sato.
— Please… do not let anyone — and I mean anyone — get close to the boy. Understood?
Sato nodded, slightly uneasy.
Red resumed walking without another word.
All the soldiers realigned, following Red and Masako in perfect synchronization.
Zain continued what he was doing. A new message appeared on his screen, filled with data being decompressed.
"ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS GRANTED
STARTING DATA TRANSFER OPERATION
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM TRANSFER TIME: 24H"
After reading it, he put his phone away and walked at the same pace as the others, silently.
Meanwhile, the morning light quickly and gently filtered through the rice paper panels, casting golden lines across the perfectly maintained black wooden floor.
In this vast traditional Japanese room, every element seemed carefully arranged down to the smallest detail. The futon was perfectly placed, the white wooden table immaculate, and the tatami mats aligned with precision. A vase holding a miniature maple tree with red leaves captured the light, casting delicate shadows on the walls.
Seated formally in front of the low table, a man in his forties, dressed in a black kimono with subtle patterns, kept his eyes closed. His face, marked by anger, remained controlled.
— 緊張しているようですね. "You seem tense."
A woman's voice echoed through the room—calm, soft… yet unsettling.
The man frowned without opening his eyes.
— 誰だ? ! "Who's there?!"
A figure emerged silently from the shadows behind him. His skin was unnaturally pale, almost glowing in the sunlight. His pure white hair fell slightly over his face, and his deep red eyes amplified the smile he wore.
— Don't worry… it's just me.
This time, his voice became completely different—deep and heavy.
— White? Who authorized you to enter this place?
asked the leader, his voice controlled despite the anger beneath it.
White tilted his head slightly, a nearly childlike smile appearing.
— Why are you so tense? I'm not a monster, as far as I know.
His voice changed again—deeper, almost like that of an old man.
— Get to the point. What do you want?
White let out a soft laugh, almost like a child's.
He lay down casually on the wooden floor beside the man.
— I'd like to ask you a favor.
Hearing this, the man allowed himself a faint smile.
— So… a member of Omen asking me for help? I never thought I'd see that.
White admitted it was humiliating, but he had no choice.
— The same goes for you, Akira.
He spoke with a woman's voice, briefly unsettling the man.
White stood and walked toward the wall, picking up a sheathed sword.
— How does your situation relate to mine?
Akira asked calmly.
— Red.
White's voice changed again—this time perfectly mimicking the clan leader.
Same tone. Same breath. Same authority.
Silence filled the room.
The man slowly opened his eyes.
— It's possible that my little brother is already in Japan as we speak… Apparently, he came to retrieve… your son, the future head of the clan.
The temperature seemed to drop.
— And why?
White stepped forward, knelt before him, sword in hand.
— You know how much your son is a problem for the Japanese government… Not only does he have an overflowing criminal record… but he has also made many enemies because of his personality.
White gently raised his hand and caressed the clan leader's chin with unsettling tenderness.
— It's very possible that someone hired my brother… to put an end to his life...