The air in the Kazama estate's inner study was heavier than usual.
Riku Hoshino sat across from Ren, his posture relaxed but his smile calculated. A cup of untouched tea sat between them. The door had been closed at Ren's request. Emi and Hina excused to the family wing and Yuto quietly trailing behind but not far.
Now, the two men, old allies and old rivals, sat alone again like they hadn't in over two decades. The silence between them was familiar, shaped by years of shared ground and unspoken tensions.
"You haven't aged much," Riku said, leaning back slightly. "Still the same sharp stare. Still quiet as hell."
Ren said nothing.
Rikui sighed and glanced around the room. "Things have changed. You've cleaned house, secured your borders, and even groomed your heir, your daughter no less. That's impressive."
"You came to observe or disrupt?" Ren asked coldly.
Riku's smile didn't falter. "Neither. I came to offer… opportunity."
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"I've been rebuilding," Riku continued. "Quietly. Out west. My family, what's left of it, still has roots. Resources. And I know you've been watching the outer groups. Fractures are forming, Ren. What you built is strong, but no empire stands forever."
"Mine will outlast you."
Riku chuckled. "Maybe. But wouldn't it be smarter to realign old bonds? I'm not asking for territory. Just a seat at the table again. A small one."
Ren studied him for a long, silent beat.
"Old allies don't return without reason," he said. "You want something."
Riku's smile finally cracked just slightly. "Don't we all?"
*****
Down the hall, Yuto leaned casually near the outer window, hands in his pockets, eyes unfocused but ears sharp. He wasn't eavesdropping directly. He knew Ren's study was soundproofed, but every instinct in him said Rikui wasn't here for goodwill.
When Emi passed him in the hallway, she paused briefly. "You're thinking something."
"He's too polished," Yuto murmured. "He spoke to Hina first. Not Ren. Not you."
Emi nodded once. "He always knew where the pressure points were."
"I don't like how he looked at Hina."
"I don't either."
Yuto pushed off the wall. "I'm going to make some calls."
Emi didn't stop him.
She just said, "Start with Osaka. That's where the last of Hoshino's name had any real pull."
*****
Inside the family wing, Hina sat on the edge of the long velvet bench near the window, her fingers lightly tapping the edge of a lacquered box on the side table. The tension in the air hadn't left her, not even after Ren had dismissed them from the study. She turned as her mother entered, carrying a small tray of tea.
"Mum," Hina said quietly. "Who is Riku Hoshino?"
Emi stilled. Her eyes shifted, sharp and alert, before she carefully placed the tray down. She sat across from Hina, silent for a moment as if weighing how much to say.
"He used to lead the second biggest mafia group in Tokyo," Emi said. "Years ago. Ruthless, smart, dangerously persuasive. He had backing, soldiers, reach… and the arrogance to think he could take anything he wanted."
Hina's brow furrowed. "You knew him personally?"
Emi's jaw tensed. "I don't really know him but he tried to hurt me twice. The second time, he nearly succeeded. Took me from your father, briefly. Long enough to leave a scar neither of us talk about."
Hina's hands tightened in her lap. "And Papa?"
"Your papa took care of it," Emi said simply. "And when he did, Riku's name vanished. No one spoke it after. Whatever was left of his group scattered. We thought that was the end."
"But now he's back," Hina said, voice low. "And not just visiting. He's here to rebuild."
Emi nodded. "It looks that way. Men like him don't surface unless they think the ground is soft. He's watching for cracks in the Kazama name."
"Then he's wasting his time," Hina said, rising to her feet. "I'll protect what Papa built. I'll protect him. And you."
Emi looked up at her daughter, expression unreadable for a long moment, then nodded once, slowly. "Then listen carefully. Riku doesn't strike first. He waits. He creates openings. He uses charm like a blade. Never mistake his smile for peace."
Hina nodded, her voice steady. "I won't."
As she turned to leave, Emi spoke again. "And Hina?"
She paused in the doorway.
"Ren didn't raise you to follow in his shadow," Emi said. "He raised you to stand beside it."
Hina said nothing, but her eyes held the weight of her promise.
******
Outside the estate, Yuto stood beneath a cedar tree near the back entrance and tapped into an encrypted number.
"Hayate. I need you to pull records on a man named Riku Hoshino. Activity from the last twenty years, especially out west."
"Quiet or deep dig?"
"Start quiet. If there's something buried, I'll go deeper."
"And if he's clean?"
Yuto's voice was sharp.
"No one who shows up at Kazama's door uninvited is clean."
The silence in Ren's study thickened as the minutes passed.
Riku's half-smile had long faded into something more neutral, his charm failing to crack through Ren's still, unmoving gaze.
"I don't deal in nostalgia," Ren said finally, voice low and composed. "You want a seat at the table. But you come with nothing to offer but a name that's been buried for a decade."
Riku leaned forward slightly. "I come with vision. The groups out west are restless. Leadership is fractured. You could use someone who understands the old guard and the new blood."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "And what would you want in return?"
Rikui's fingers tapped once on the table. "Protection. Visibility. A share of revival under your shadow, of course."
Ren's gaze narrowed.
"You mean legitimacy."
Riku didn't deny it.
Ren stood, slowly.
"I'll consider it," he said. "But you'll remain under observation. You move without my knowledge, speak to anyone in my circle without permission, especially my daughter, and our conversation ends. Permanently."
Riku's lips curled into a half-smile once more. "Spoken like a king."
"No," Ren said as he turned toward the window. "Spoken like a father."
*****
Elsewhere just outside the estate, Yuto's phone buzzed.
Hayate:Got something odd. He's been in Kyoto, Osaka, and Fukuoka last 6 months. Met with three mid-tier family heads. Two of them suddenly cut ties with the larger alliances after.
Hayate: Pattern's too clean. Too calculated. He's offering something under the table. But no one's saying what.
Yuto frowned, stepping away from the courtyard lanterns. His fingers tightened on the phone.
He called immediately.
Hayate answered in a low tone. "He's buying influence in places where the power vacuum is the deepest. Timing aligns too well with minor shakeups in the lesser circles. Nothing big but enough to weaken the outliers."
"Any mention of Kazama?" Yuto asked.
"Not directly. But his recent return here? It's not random. He's been circling this way for months."
Yuto's jaw tightened. "Keep digging. Quietly."
"Copy that."
He hung up, eyes drifting toward the main wing of the house.
If Rikui's goal wasn't territory or trade, then it was something deeper.
And if he thought Hina was a pressure point…
He was already too close.
Yuto's fingers hovered near his message app for a moment before he typed:
[To Ren]: He's been meeting mid-tier groups quietly. Strategic cuts to outer alliances. I'll prepare a full report.
The reply came quickly.
Ren:Good. Stay close.
Yuto slipped the phone into his pocket and looked toward the house.
He would stay close, to Hina, to the truth, to the enemy in disguise. And if Riku dared to make a move, he'd already have someone watching.
Riku's visit was supposed to be brief but he lingered.
He moved through the Kazama estate with a grace that felt rehearsed, offering polite bows to passing staff, soft-spoken words, and a seemingly innocent request over tea that unsettled everyone who heard it.
"May I speak with your daughter? Alone, if possible."
The silence that followed his request in the main parlor was immediate.
Emi, seated with perfect posture, set down her teacup. "Why?"
Riku offered a calm smile. "Curiosity, mostly. I've heard much about her role in recent months. It's rare for someone so young to command a presence at the negotiation table."
"You watched her," Yuto said flatly from his seat beside Hina, his tone low but unmistakably protective.
Rikui turned to him with a nod. "As I would any rising figure. I believe in understanding the minds of those shaping the future."
"And you want to do that alone?" Ren asked quietly.
Riku's eyes flicked to Ren. "With your permission."
The air hung heavy for a beat.
Then Hina, who had said nothing yet, lifted her gaze. Her voice was composed, even.
"I'll speak with him."
Yuto tensed beside her, his hand subtly brushing against her fingers, but she didn't flinch.
"I won't be far," Ren said. "You have ten minutes."
Rikui inclined his head. "Of course."