The next morning, the Kazama estate was calm but beneath the surface, preparations had already begun.
Ren and Yuto met in the lower study, the one few knew existed. It had no windows, no decorative shelves. Just walls lined with file drawers, maps, and a long oak table with embedded encrypted communication lines.
Yuto laid out the compiled timeline of Riku's movements across Fukuoka, Kyoto, and Osaka. On the board behind them, red pins marked locations of suspicious syndicate splits and quiet betrayals, each one subtly destabilizing outer rings that once aligned with the Kazama network.
Ren stood over the table, arms folded, eyes tracking the pattern. "He's not trying to claim territory. He's trying to fracture loyalty. Pull support from the outside in."
"And position himself as a 'stabilizer,'" Yuto added, "once things start shaking enough."
Ren gave a cold nod. "Classic controlled collapse."
They had seen this before once, years ago, when a rival group had tried a similar tactic in Kyushu. But Riku was playing smarter, slower. And this time, his bait wasn't just power.
It was Hina.
"We hit back two ways," Ren said. "One visible. One invisible."
Yuto raised a brow. "Visible?"
"I've arranged a meeting with the remaining undecided mid-tier groups next week. We'll reaffirm alliances and make it clear Kazama is still the pillar."
"And the invisible?"
"You," Ren said simply. "You'll continue tracking Riku's quiet movements. Anyone he speaks to, we speak to first. Anyone he offers something, we offer better."
Yuto nodded. "I've already contacted three former Hoshino informants. One's willing to talk if we keep his name off the record."
"Good," Ren said. "Start pulling threads. If he's hiding a larger plan, it's buried in the relationships he's trying to revive."
*****
Two nights later, Yuto met the informant,an aging strategist named Noboru, in a quiet teahouse just off the Sumida River.
Noboru looked over his shoulder twice before sitting.
"You don't know what you're playing with," he said.
"Tell me," Yuto replied, "so I can."
The man sighed, leaning in. "Riku's not just trying to climb back. He's been buying off the disgraced and the desperate. Promising them restored honor once he claims legal footing."
"What kind of legal footing?"
Noboru looked him dead in the eye. "Marriage."
Yuto froze.
Noboru continued. "He's told two maybe three groups that he intends to 'bind' the legacy of Kazama and Hoshino. That the Kazama heir is still unwed. And that once united, he can challenge the old council votes."
Yuto's voice turned ice cold. "He's trying to use Hina as a political weapon."
"Not just her name," Noboru whispered. "Her blood."
*****
Yuto returned to the estate just past midnight.
Ren was still awake waiting in the small side room, nursing a cup of green tea.
Yuto walked in, set down a file, and said simply:
"He's spreading word he intends to take Hina as his bride. He's using it to gather traction behind the scenes."
Ren didn't flinch. But the tea cup clicked lightly as he set it down.
"He won't get near her again," Yuto said.
Ren's voice was quiet. "Not if we move now."
He stood and without another word, the next phase of the counterattack began.
*****
The atmosphere at the Kazama estate had shifted. It was subtle like the tightening of air before a storm.
Servants moved a little quieter. Ren's advisors paused longer before knocking. And even Emi, though still warm, seemed to watch Hina with a more careful gaze.
But no one said anything directly.
That was what unsettled Hina most.
She caught Yuto whispering quietly with her father twice in a single day, both times falling silent the moment she entered the room. At first, she brushed it off as Kazama business was often delicate, and she knew Ren didn't involve her in everything yet.
Still… something wasn't right.
Even her mother had gone quiet during breakfast.
"Is something going on?" Hina finally asked, setting down her chopsticks. "Did something happen at the last meeting?"
Emi gave her a small, practiced smile. "Nothing you need to worry about."
But it was too polished. Too careful.
Hina frowned. "Mama—"
"I promise," Emi said more gently, "you'll be looped in when it's time."
That answer didn't satisfy her. But Hina nodded anyway.
Later that evening, as she sat alone in the courtyard, sipping her tea and watching the koi drift in slow circles, Yuto joined her.
He didn't say much at first, just sat beside her on the bench, gaze fixed on the water.
"You're hiding something," she said softly, not accusing—just certain.
Yuto sighed. "Not from you. Just… not yet."
"Does it involve Riku?"
Yuto's eyes shifted to hers quiet and steady.
"Everything does."
She felt the weight of his words more than she heard them. Her stomach twisted. "You think he's after something."
"I know he is," Yuto replied. "And we're preparing for that."
"Why not tell me?"
"Because I want you focused on becoming who you're meant to be and not distracted by shadows that aren't yours to carry. Not yet."
She was quiet for a moment.
Then she whispered, "But I want to carry them. With you."
Yuto looked at her then something in his expression softened, pride and tenderness in equal measure.
"I know."
*****
Elsewhere in the city, Riku sat in the private lounge of a luxury hotel, sipping dark wine as he reviewed a sealed envelope.
Inside was a list of names of heirs, smaller syndicate leaders, mid-tier council seats and those he had quietly courted.
Beside him, his assistant leaned in. "Sir, we've confirmed that Ren has begun calling meetings. The outer groups are falling back in line."
Riku smiled faintly.
"Let them," he said. "It's time I showed them what I have."
******
The letter arrived in a black envelope, pressed with a crimson seal.
It was delivered to the Kazama estate early in the morning, hand-delivered by a courier who refused to say a word, only bowing before disappearing down the gravel path.
Ren broke the seal in silence.
His eyes scanned the contents. A formal request for a private audience. From Riku Hoshino.
At the bottom of the message, in Riku's elegant handwriting, one final sentence stood out:
"It's time we speak of legacy and the rightful blood that carries it."
Ren folded the letter once and passed it to Emi, who read it with a slow, wary breath.
"He's coming for it, then," she said. "The old claim."
Ren nodded once. "He's done hiding."