---
The meeting place was an office building in Roppongi, anonymous glass and steel. Akane met him in the lobby. She wore the same black coat, her prosthetic hand gloved in Kevlar. Her grey eyes swept over him.
"You look better. Not good. Better."
"Erm... thank you."
She led him toward the elevator. "Takeda is a Dealer for the Empire. Don't mistake his boredom for weakness. He has survived twenty years in the Empire. That makes him more dangerous than any soldier.
"And then theirs the other one."
" There's another one?"
"Miya." Akane's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "She's the Black Adjudicator. That woman's sword. She doesn't speak often, but be careful and don't do anything rash. She holds tremendous and significant authority in the Empire second only to that woman."
The elevator rose. Damilola watched the floor numbers climb.
The elevator stopped. Forty-second floor. The doors opened onto a hallway of grey carpet and neutral walls, corporate anonymity so complete it became its own kind of threat. No logos. No signage. No indication that anything existed here except empty space.
Three doors down. Akane opened it without knocking.
---
The room was small. A conference table. Four chairs. A window overlooking the sprawl of Tokyo. And four people who had been waiting in silence.
Takeda sat at the table's head. Fifties. Tired eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. An impeccable suit that was slightly outdated, the cut from five years ago, the fabric expensive but worn. He held a tablet. His power was information. He looked at Damilola the way an accountant looks at a receipt.
Miya stood by the window. She was smaller than Damilola expected,compact, wiry, dressed in a dark blouse and slacks that could have been business casual if not for the way she held herself. A cloth-wrapped bundle leaned against the wall beside her. A sword. She didn't look at him. She looked at the city, her expression unreadable.
There were two others standing in far end of the room, it felt like they were part of it. One man, dark skin and well built. The woman was clearly European, blonde hair green eyes. Damilola felt something strange about them, he couldn't quite get it. They definitely weren't normal, he was sure of that.
"Don't stare at them." Akane took a chair against the wall. Not at the table. She was witness, not participant.
Takeda tapped his tablet. "Nigerian national. Age twenty-one. Former asset of the Yamashita-gumi. Current..." He paused, as if searching for the right word. "Person of interest in the ongoing succession dispute. You killed Kenshiro Yamashita."
"He killed himself, I just held the blade." Damilola said.
Takeda's expression didn't change. "The Empire doesn't care about philosophy. We care about classification. And you, Mr. Olamide, are currently classified as 'Unprotected Asset with Potential Liability.' That's an expensive classification to change."
Akane's voice cut in, flat. "Get to the terms."
Takeda's thin smile flickered. "Kurosawa-san. Always direct." He tapped the tablet again and adjusted his glasses. A screen on the wall illuminated. Two documents appeared, redacted in black bars, watermarked with a symbol Damilola didn't recognize.
"Two separate matters require two separate resolutions," Takeda said. "First: St. Mercy Orphanage, Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria. Currently vulnerable. The recent kidnapping of a child from this location demonstrates exposure. The Empire can provide permanent protection. No asset, affiliate, or contractor will act against it. External threats will be managed."
Damilola's hands tightened on his thighs.
"Second:" Takeda continued, "Damilola Olamide, the 'Shadow Heir' of the Yamashita-gumi. Kaguya Yamashita has declared a blood hunt. You have no clan, no army. You are, frankly speaking, prey. The Empire can provide formal recognition of your status as heir-in-shadow, even support you. This would grant you personal protection and standing within our ecosystem."
Takeda set down the tablet.
"Two problems. Two deals. You may choose one."
Damilola stared at him. "Why not both?"
Miya spoke for the first time. Her voice was soft, cold, final.
"Can you bear the debt?"
The room went silent.
Takeda cleared his throat. "The Immortal's terms are non-negotiable. Protection is an investment. You are an unproven asset. One investment is generous. Two would be... imprudent."
Damilola looked at Akane. She met his eyes. Her expression was unreadable. Dami thought angrily. 'This Empire bastards know what they doing. There are trying to pressure me into making a rash decision, exploiting my situation.'
"The orphanage," he said without hesitation. "I choose the orphanage."
Takeda nodded once as if expecting it. He tapped the tablet. "Done. St. Mercy Orphanage is now under permanent Black Empire protection. The child, Chidi, will be escorted safely back to Lagos within forty-eight hours."
He looked up from the screen. "Congratulations, Mr. Olamide. You now owe the Immortal a personal favor. The terms will be determined at her convenience.
Miya turned from the window. Her eyes, dark and depthless, settled on Damilola for the first time.
"When she calls, you answer. If you run, she'll find you. Even in death you will pay one way or the other." She paused. "She hates bad investments."
She picked up her wrapped sword and walked to the door. Paused with her hand on the frame.
"The Immortal was sad about Kenshiro's death, she said it felt the world suddenly lost its colors."
Then she was gone.
Takeda stood, tucking his tablet under his arm. "The escort for the boy will arrive tomorrow morning. Kurosawa-san, the operational details will be forwarded to your people."
He and the other two bodyguards left without another word.
The door clicked shut.
Damilola sat in the silence, the weight of what he'd just done pressing down on him like deep water. The orphanage was safe. Chidi was going home. And he had just sold his future to an entity he'd never met, for a price he couldn't begin to calculate.
Akane rose. "You did the best thing you could do."
"Then why does it feel like I just sold my soul?"
"Because you did." She looked at him without pity. "The question is whether you can earn it back. Now come. You have people to meet."
---