Somewhere across town, in the dimly lit confines of a smoky bar, Riku sat alone at a corner table. He swirled the drink in his glass, staring blankly at the amber liquid. The bar was nearly empty, save for a few regulars sitting at the counter, and the low hum of conversation filled the air.
Riku's phone buzzed, but he ignored it. He wasn't in the mood for new clients tonight.
The conversation with Kenta had unsettled him, though he would never admit it. No one had ever asked him about his past before—not in the way Kenta had. Most of his clients were too consumed with their own pain to care about the man who helped them. But Kenta had been different. He had noticed things. He had seen through the mask Riku wore so carefully.
The truth was, Riku's past was a carefully guarded secret—one he had buried long ago. His life had once been as ordinary as Kenta's, but that was before everything had been taken from him. Before the betrayal. Before the pain that had shattered his world and pushed him down a path of vengeance.
But that was a lifetime ago.
Riku took a slow sip of his drink, his mind wandering back to those days. He had once believed that revenge would bring him peace, that it would heal the wounds left by those who had wronged him. But he had learned the hard way that revenge was a double-edged sword—it cut just as deeply into the one seeking it.
His phone buzzed again, and this time, Riku glanced at the screen. It was a message from a potential new client.
"My name is Yuki. I need your help. They took everything from me."
Riku stared at the message for a moment, feeling the familiar pull. It was always the same—the desperation, the anger, the need for retribution. He had seen it in every client he had ever worked with. And yet, each time, he couldn't help but be drawn in.
He set the glass down and typed a reply.
"Meet me tomorrow night. I'll listen to your story."
Riku put the phone down, his mind already shifting to the new case. Another client. Another soul seeking revenge. It was a cycle that never ended.
But as he sat there, a thought crossed his mind—a thought that had been lingering ever since Kenta had asked him about his past.
Maybe it was time to face his own demons.
Riku's eyes darkened as he downed the rest of his drink, the bitter taste of whiskey burning his throat. He had buried his past for years, but perhaps it was time to unearth it. The road he had walked was long and filled with pain, but there was something at the end of it—a truth he had been running from for far too long.
As the night grew darker, Riku stood up and left the bar, his mind heavy with memories. The next client would come, and he would help them, just as he always had. But now, for the first time in years, he couldn't shake the feeling that his past was catching up to him.
And when it did, Riku knew that his own story of revenge would finally have to be told.