M stood in front of the large window of his dimly lit office, gazing out at the city below. The flicker of streetlights and the distant sound of sirens echoed through the night, but his mind was far away from the chaos outside. He had been following Riku's moves carefully, every step calculated, every choice leading to this inevitable conclusion. But even with the plan coming to fruition, there was something about Riku that still unsettled him.
Riku, he thought to himself. He's not just a pawn in this game. He's something more... something unpredictable.
M had seen many like Riku before—calculated, ruthless, and willing to cross lines others wouldn't dare approach. But Riku was different. It wasn't just his skill or his cold efficiency. It was the way he operated, as though nothing touched him, as though he moved through the underworld without ever truly being a part of it. He was a man who played by his own rules, even when those rules defied the logic of the criminal world.
For weeks, M had been monitoring the growing tension around Okada's empire, knowing that the collapse was inevitable. But what surprised him wasn't that Riku had dismantled Okada's operation—M had expected that. What surprised him was how cleanly Riku had done it, without leaving a single trace behind. He had taken down a powerful man like Okada as if it were a mere formality, a stepping stone to something bigger.
He didn't even break a sweat, M mused, a small smirk forming on his lips. That's what makes him dangerous.
Meanwhile, Riku walked calmly through the quiet streets, the weight of Okada's defeat still fresh in his mind. He knew the game wasn't over—there was always another player, another target. But tonight, for the first time in a while, he allowed himself a small moment of satisfaction.
M had been the one who started this. Without his resources, without his influence, Okada would have been a far more difficult adversary. But in the end, even M had grown weary of Okada's unpredictability, his uncontrollable ambition. It wasn't Riku's precision or cunning that had sealed the deal—it was M's decision to pull back.
The moment M had decided Okada wasn't worth protecting anymore, the game had shifted. Okada had been left exposed, and Riku had taken advantage of the opportunity, moving in with surgical precision.
M turned away from the window and walked back to his desk, his thoughts still lingering on Riku. This is why I gave him control, he thought. I may have pushed the pieces into place, but Riku... Riku is the one who knows how to finish the game.
He remembered the final conversation with Okada, where the once-powerful man had begged for more time, more resources, a chance to regroup. But M had seen the cracks forming long before that. He had known that Okada's empire was a house of cards, and when the time came, M had made the call to stop supporting him.
It was a calculated decision. Riku had been watching, waiting for the right moment, and M had stepped aside, letting nature take its course. That was the true essence of control—not in micromanaging every aspect, but in knowing when to let go and let the storm do its work.
And Riku, M thought with a sense of quiet admiration, is the perfect storm.
Later that night, Riku's phone buzzed. A single message from M appeared on the screen:
"Impressive work. Clean. Efficient."
Riku stared at the message for a moment before responding with his usual brevity.
"You let him fall. That's why we won."
There was no reply, but Riku didn't need one. He knew how the game worked, knew that even in a victory like this, there were no clear winners. Okada was gone, his empire crumbled, but the shadowy power structures that held the city together remained.
As Riku put his phone away, he allowed himself a fleeting thought about M. Their partnership was built on mutual understanding—each knew the other's strengths, and neither overstepped. M provided the information, and Riku handled the execution.
But tonight, Riku knew that it wasn't just his skill that had ended Okada. It was M's decision to give up on him. And as much as Riku thrived in these games of manipulation, he was keenly aware of one thing:
No matter how strong you were, no one won alone.
M sat back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him. Riku, he thought once more, is a man who knows how to win. But even he must understand that every victory comes with a price.
A price that, one day, would have to be paid.
End of Chapter 30