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Inside the room.
Sōichirō Takagi sat cross-legged on a cushion with his eyes closed. A sheathed katana rested across his lap, both hands placed on top of it.
Beside him, a small incense burner sent thin curls of white smoke drifting upward from the burning sticks, the scent designed to calm the mind and steady the spirit.
On the wall behind him hung a large calligraphy scroll with a single bold character: "Stillness," brushed in powerful ink strokes.
This was what people called meditation—or maybe heart cultivation.
Slide—
The wooden sliding door opened, and Yuriko Takagi stepped inside.
Sōichirō slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. "How did it go? Did that young man agree to join the Takagi family?"
The man he meant was obviously Shuya.
Sōichirō had always thought highly of the guy his daughter Saya kept talking about. After all, in the middle of this nightmare, Shuya had ridden a motorcycle across half the city just to bring Saya home safely. That alone proved both his skill and his guts.
Given how bad things were in Bedmaster City right now, the Takagi family needed talent like him more than ever.
But because of Shuya's Tokyo University background, Sōichirō had stayed hands-off. He didn't want to push and create bad blood. So he'd left it to Yuriko—the person in the family with the most influence after himself.
He'd expected her to come back with good news.
She'd been gone a long time, so he figured she'd pulled it off.
After all, he knew Yuriko. Once she decided something was possible, she made it happen—no matter how long it took or how much it cost. If she decided it was impossible, she wouldn't waste a single second on it.
That was just the kind of woman she was. Her eye for talent and her judgment were both flawless.
"No," Yuriko answered flatly.
"No?"
Sōichirō blinked, genuinely surprised it had taken that long and still failed.
He wasn't crushed, though. He'd gone into this with the attitude of "if we get him, great; if not, fate." He waved a hand. "All right, I understand. It's late. If there's nothing else, go get some rest."
"There is something. I came to say goodbye."
Yuriko's face stayed completely blank, like she was talking about the weather.
"Goodbye? Why?"
Sōichirō was caught off guard.
Had he given her some assignment that required travel?
Especially with the streets this dangerous right now.
The family's food stockpile should still be fine, right?
And none of the usual errands needed Yuriko to handle them personally.
"Because I've found the best investment opportunity in the entire world."
Yuriko didn't dodge his gaze for a second.
As she spoke, her eyes lit up with real heat, like she was remembering something incredible. Even her voice carried clear excitement.
"What? I won't allow it! Not now—the Takagi family still needs you!!"
Sōichirō caught on immediately. This wasn't a mission. She wanted out.
He didn't understand it, and he sure as hell didn't accept it.
His eyes widened like a beast finally breaking free of its cage. Pure pressure rolled off him as he stared her down.
"Won't allow it?"
Yuriko let out a cold laugh. "Did you misunderstand something? I'm not asking permission. I'm informing you."
"Old man, I suggest you don't ruin the best mood I've had in years by making me slap you."
As an investor, she had just locked onto what she considered the single best project on the planet. She'd barely put her chips down and was already seeing massive returns—how could she not be thrilled?
At first she'd been skeptical about Shuya's whole "opening the pores" thing.
But the second his hand touched her, every pore in her body had been forced wide open. Her life energy had rushed out like a dam breaking. She had panicked hard.
Still, she'd fought through it with pure willpower and learned to control that surging life energy inside her.
She had mastered this mysterious power called Nen.
And with it, she had officially boarded the great ship of the new era.
That was why it had taken her so long to come see him.
"Why? Because of that man named Shuya?"
After hearing everything, Sōichirō already knew.
It was over.
Yuriko was the kind of woman who never went back on her word. Once she decided something, no force on earth could change her mind.
Even so, he still had to ask.
The way he'd brought her into the family all those years ago hadn't been clean, but he honestly believed the Takagis had never mistreated her. How could she just walk away like this—especially when the family needed her most?
Yuriko waved her hand dismissively. "You wouldn't get it. Guys like you and the rest of the Takagi family are relics of the old era. You should've been swept away by time a long time ago. I was the only one keeping this ship afloat."
"Over the years I've done more than enough for this family. The debt of gratitude was paid back long ago. I, Yuriko Takagi, don't owe you anything—and I sure as hell don't owe the Takagi family anything."
"So what I want to do, what I'm going to do, what I should do… is no longer any of your business."
To outsiders it looked like Sōichirō Takagi had built the family into one of Bedmaster City's top powers.
But only Yuriko knew the truth: he was short-sighted, stubborn, and completely full of himself.
She had always hated the family's political leanings. If not for his stubbornness, the Takagis would've broken out of this city years ago under her guidance.
"You—!"
Sōichirō glared furiously, hand clamping down on the hilt of his sword like he was one heartbeat away from drawing it.
But deep down he had to admit she was right.
The Takagi family's way of doing things really had been wrong. He knew it. But it was also the samurai way, and it was his way.
In the end, his hand fell away from the sword. He looked at Yuriko—her whole presence glowing with a completely different energy now.
It reminded him of the confident, fiery woman he'd first met all those years ago.
His voice came out low and tired. "Do you think the Takagi family still has any chance?"
"What do you think?"
Yuriko threw the question right back at him.
Sōichirō didn't need an answer. He already knew.
In that moment he looked twenty years older. His straight back slumped.
After a long silence, his voice came out hoarse:
"If that's how it is… then let the Takagi family go down with this old relic of a bygone era."
"But Saya… I hope you'll take her with you onto that 'great ship of the new era' you mentioned."
He trusted Yuriko's judgment completely. Otherwise he never would've used those dirty tricks to tie her to the family in the first place.
If she said Shuya represented the new era, then there had to be a reason.
Even if the Takagi family was doomed to be smashed to pieces in this coming wave…
As long as his daughter Saya could board the ship Yuriko called the great ship of the new era, that would be enough for him.