Riku leaned against a streetlamp, watching the building from a distance. His cold, calculating eyes tracked every movement at the entrance. People passed by, oblivious to the quiet storm brewing inside the polished walls. He could almost feel the tension beneath the surface—the anticipation of a plan well-laid, the calm before the inevitable chaos.
He had been playing this game for too long not to know how it would end. Yuki was inside now, delivering the evidence. The gears were in motion. Okada wouldn't even know what hit him until it was too late. But Riku knew better than to celebrate early.
From his vantage point, Riku noted subtle movements—two men in suits standing too close to the side entrance, a black car parked conspicuously nearby. His instincts, honed from years of orchestrating delicate revenge schemes, told him there was more at play than just a simple handoff. Okada's cronies weren't going to sit idly by while their empire crumbled.
Riku's phone buzzed. He glanced at the message:
"They're moving. Careful." —Yusei.
Yusei's insider information had been invaluable, as always. It was rare for someone working in law enforcement to tread the line between official duty and clandestine favors, but Yusei had always known how to walk that tightrope.
Riku exhaled slowly, slipping his phone back into his pocket. It was time to make his next move. He pushed himself off the lamp post and started walking, his steps measured, calm. He had anticipated this. The whole setup—Yuki's delivery, Okada's men watching from the shadows—was part of a larger web that Riku had spun from the start. He was playing the long game.
But Yuki didn't need to know that. Not yet.
Inside the building, Yuki was already heading back towards the exit. She glanced nervously over her shoulder, her heart pounding in her chest. The handoff had gone smoothly, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The weight of the USB in her pocket was gone, but the pressure in her mind hadn't lifted.
As she neared the exit, she caught sight of the two men near the side entrance. They weren't security guards—she knew enough about body language to tell that much. Their eyes followed her, their stance too alert, too focused. Panic surged through her veins. Were they watching her? Did they know what she had done?
Yuki quickened her pace, her pulse pounding in her ears. She had to get out—get back to Riku. He would know what to do.
But before she could reach the door, one of the men stepped forward, blocking her path. His voice was low, threatening. "Where do you think you're going?"
Yuki's breath caught in her throat. She tried to step around him, but the second man moved to block her. She was trapped.
Outside, Riku continued his steady approach, his mind carefully calculating the next steps. Yuki was taking too long. He knew she would feel the pinch soon—he had seen the muscle Okada's men had brought in. They were watching her, ready to make their move.
But that was all part of the plan.
Riku had purposely let them get close, had allowed them to think they had an upper hand. They believed they were setting a trap for Yuki, that they could intimidate her or coerce her into revealing more. What they didn't know was that Riku had already anticipated their every move.
He rounded the corner, glancing up at the building's side entrance just as he saw Yuki blocked by the two men. His expression didn't change, his pace didn't quicken. He was always in control.
One of the men reached out, grabbing Yuki's arm. Riku's eyes narrowed, but he kept his composure. Now was not the time for rash action. Everything was still unfolding exactly as he had predicted.
"Let her go," Riku's voice rang out, low and steady as he approached.
The two men turned, their hands still on Yuki, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in their eyes. They hadn't expected someone to confront them so directly.
Riku's presence was unnerving. He radiated an authority that made people hesitate, a quiet but palpable danger that made even hardened criminals second-guess themselves. The man holding Yuki's arm loosened his grip slightly but didn't let go completely.
"This doesn't concern you," the man growled, trying to sound tougher than he felt.
Riku stepped closer, his eyes locked onto the man's. "You don't want to make this a concern of mine."
For a moment, no one moved. The tension between them hung thick in the air. But Riku wasn't worried. He knew how this would end.
The second man shifted uneasily. "Boss said we should deal with—"
"Your boss isn't here," Riku cut him off, his tone sharp, leaving no room for argument. "But I am. Now let her go, or I'll make sure you regret it."
The man who had been holding Yuki finally released her arm, stepping back with a muttered curse. They had already realized they were in over their heads. Riku's reputation preceded him, even in circles like Okada's.
Riku waited until the two men had backed off completely before turning his gaze to Yuki. She was shaking, but there was still a fire in her eyes—a determination that hadn't dimmed.
"Let's go," Riku said, his voice softer now, but still commanding. He started walking, and after a brief hesitation, Yuki followed.
As they walked away from the building, Yuki's mind was racing. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She had been so close to being caught, and yet Riku had handled it with such ease, as if it had all been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
"How did you…?" Yuki started to ask, but Riku interrupted her.
"It was under control," he said simply, his tone as calm as ever. "They were never going to touch you."
Yuki stared at him, her confusion and frustration bubbling to the surface. "But how could you know? I almost—"
Riku stopped walking and turned to face her. His eyes were intense, but there was no hint of arrogance in them. "I told you, Yuki. This isn't a game to me. I know every move they make before they make it. That's how I stay ahead. And that's why you're still standing here right now."
Yuki's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or scared. Riku was always so composed, so in control, but there was something about the way he seemed to anticipate everything—like he was playing a different game entirely.
"I'm not like them," Riku said quietly, almost as if reading her thoughts. "But that doesn't mean I don't know how they think."
They walked in silence for a moment longer before Yuki finally asked the question that had been gnawing at her. "How far are you willing to go with this?"
Riku didn't answer right away. Instead, he glanced at the horizon, the city lights twinkling in the distance. "Far enough," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
And Yuki knew, in that moment, that Riku's definition of "far enough" might just be farther than she could ever imagine.
End of Chapter 21