The truck and a convoy of black cars came to a halt in the center of a dimly lit warehouse district. Akechi's subordinates dragged out three unconscious individuals—two men and one woman—and securely tied them to chairs arranged in a triangular formation. Moments later, Wakizou, Akechi's trusted lieutenant, stepped forward with a metal bucket full of cold water. With a sharp toss, he splashed it over the trio, causing them to jolt awake instantly, gasping and blinking in confusion as they realized the severity of their situation.

The three individuals—two men and one woman—gasped sharply as icy water drenched their faces, jolting them into full awareness. Blinking rapidly and struggling against their restraints, they took in their surroundings, disoriented and alarmed by the severity of their condition. "What happened? Where am I!?" one of them cried out, panic rising in their voice. As the haze of unconsciousness faded, the two men began to grasp the gravity of their situation, dread tightening their expressions as the realization set in—they were in serious trouble.

Then Akechi stepped forward, his presence radiating quiet menace. "I'm sure you all already know what kind of situation you're in," he began, his voice steady but laced with a sinister edge. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way—you tell me everything you know, and maybe you'll leave here with just a few broken bones. The hard way—you keep your secrets, stay stubborn, and while your bodies might remain untouched, your souls... well, they might end up in a completely different place altogether. So, choose wisely."

Akechi grinned maniacally, the glint in his eyes making it clear he wasn't bluffing.

The three people, especially the first cameraman, turned pale—he knew exactly who was speaking. Akechi Hamazou. The Rashomon of Hamazou. He was notorious, a figure whispered about in fear. One of the most terrifying things about him wasn't just his reputation for brutality—it was his infamous skill in torture and interrogation. Techniques that left no physical mark, but shattered the mind, unraveling a person's sense of self entirely.

But the woman remained clueless about his identity. Oblivious to the danger, she leaned forward with a flirtatious smile and began to ramble, "Ooh, you're quite the handsome one, aren't you? Come on, untie us already. You clearly don't know who you're dealing with—we have powerful people backing us, you know!" Her tone was dismissive, almost mocking, as if she believed charm and bravado could get her out of the situation.

The first cameraman snapped at her, "Shut up, Miyuki! You're going to get us all killed!" Then, trembling and turning toward Akechi, his voice cracked with fear, "H-Hamazou-san, please... we'll cooperate. We'll tell you everything—everything we know, I swear! Just don't hurt us."

The second cameraman, Saito, froze in place, a chill running down his spine. His eyes widened in disbelief and fear. Hamazou!? he thought, horrified. That name alone was enough to make hardened criminals tremble—this was very bad news.

Meanwhile, Miyuki, still oblivious to the full gravity of their predicament, glared at the first cameraman and screamed, "Wada! You coward!" Her voice cracked with a mixture of anger and fear. Wada, already on edge and trembling, snapped back at her with a mix of desperation and frustration, "Shut UP BITCH!" His shout echoed harshly in the cold, empty warehouse.

Akechi regarded them with an unreadable poker face before turning his piercing gaze toward Wada. "So, you're Wada," he said slowly, his voice low and deliberate. "Do you have any idea what I want to know from you?"

Wada gulped. "It... it's about what we did to Zaboru, right? When we took that picture of him helping Miyuki..."

Akechi smirked, his expression dark and knowing. "Yeah. I already figured out what you planned to do with those pictures. But just tell me one thing—who gave the order? Who pulled the strings behind all this? Oh, wait, let me guess... ZUSUGA, right?"

Wada hesitated for a moment, then nodded nervously. "More likely Zanki Zagashira..." he muttered. "He just took over as ZUSUGA's new chairman, replacing his brother, Zukechi." His voice was low, almost trembling, as if merely speaking Zanki's name could summon trouble.

Miyuki shouted at Wada, "WADA! How dare you! Zanki-sama will kill you!"

Before she could say another word, a hand suddenly seized her face. Startled, she gasped as Akechi gripped her jaw tightly, forcing her mouth open. With his other hand, he yanked her tongue out roughly.

"Woman," he growled with a terrifying calmness, "you'd better shut up, or this tongue of yours will be cut clean off."

He pulled a pocket knife from his coat and, with unnerving precision, began to lightly score the surface of her tongue. Just a trace of blood appeared, emphasizing his terrifying control. Miyuki whimpered in pain, her eyes wide with panic.

Akechi leaned in, his gaze cold and threatening. "Speak one more word, and who knows what'll happen next…"

Miyuki turned pale, tears brimming in her eyes as she nodded rapidly, too scared to speak. Wada and Saito looked on in horror, their faces drained of all color. Akechi's terrifying presence was more than they had ever imagined.

Akechi then turned to Wada again. "Everything is starting to make sense now. I've finally grasped the full picture—it's all clicking into place. Zukechi is an idiot at best; the most he did was hire a few thugs to rough up Zaboru, which is easily dealt with. And Zanki... well, he's notorious for his underhanded tricks. That part fits perfectly."

Akechi nodded slowly, his piercing gaze shifting between the three captives. He took a deliberate step forward, the dim warehouse light glinting off his sharp eyes. With a voice that slithered like a blade through silence, he asked, "So, give me one good reason why I should keep the three of you alive."

His grin stretched wide, feral and unnerving, like that of a predator savoring the fear of its prey. The air around him seemed to chill, and even the shadows recoiled slightly, as if in fear of what might come next.

Wada went pale. "P-Please, Hamazou-san! I've told you everything I know!" he pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation. The other two joined in, their voices quivering with terror, begging for mercy as panic overtook them. Even Miyuki, now fully realizing the gravity of their situation, broke into sobs, her tears streaming down her face.

Akechi stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he raised his hand slightly—ready to strike the final blow. But then, he froze. A memory surfaced in his mind, sharp and vivid. He remembered who he was now, and more importantly, who he wasn't anymore. He wasn't a Yakuza—not anymore. And these trembling, pathetic people weren't truly his enemies. Not in the way that mattered.

"Wakizou, break one of their legs and two of their fingers. Then knock them out and drop them off at the garage of the nearest hospital," Akechi ordered coldly.

Wakizou gave a firm nod. "Consider it done, boss."

A moment later, the warehouse echoed with the chilling sound of screams, piercing the stillness like a blade through silence.

Meanwhile, Akechi stepped outside and lit his cigar, exhaling a slow stream of smoke into the night air. "Zanki Zagashira, huh… I thought the Zagashira family respected Hamazou. Is this happening because we've tried to distance ourselves from the underworld? Has Hamazou lost the respect it once held?" He took another drag, his brows furrowed in contemplation. "Well, maybe that can't be helped. But still, how should I approach this...?"

He paced slowly, deep in thought. "I can't let Zanki go around slandering Zaboru's reputation. That would be extremely problematic. I could handle it myself—but that would only be a temporary fix. It wouldn't address the root of the issue in the long run. And Zanki, despite being a schemer, is actually a sharp businessman. Under his leadership, there's a real chance ZUSUGA could become a serious rival to ZAGE and Sonaya. They might even start producing some solid games, and honestly, Zaboru would love that. It's good for the industry."

He paused, rubbing his temple. "So I can't just eliminate Zanki... or make him go insane. This is a lot more complicated than I thought." Akechi sighed. "Guess I better consult Grandfather about this one. If i'm not mistaken Grandpa had history with the Zagashira."

With that decision made, Akechi turned on his heel and made his way back to the Hamazou household, ready to meet with his grandfather.

Akechi really admires Zaboru—not in a romantic way, but because he sees him as a genuinely remarkable person with a limitless imagination. He thinks Zaboru is incredibly cool and deeply respects his creativity, especially in the world of gaming. Akechi is also a game enthusiast himself, and his company, Akaishidan, publishes games for the ZEPS Consoles , which is ZAGE consoles

Thanks to Zaboru, Akechi's fortunes have grown significantly. Zaboru hired Aoshidan, Akechi's security company, giving them massive business opportunities. He also supported Akaishidan's growth as a game developer and even allowed Akechi to still acquire a 30% stake in AKAI—an investment that has become extremely valuable due to the immense success of the latest AKAI Phone Z-1. Moreover, Zaboru is dating Akechi's sister, which makes their bond even more personal. Because of all this, Akechi is deeply care of Zaboru and is determined to protect him at any cost.

Meanwhile, in the vibrant heart of Kabukicho at a popular nightclub, Zenkichi Zagashira was meeting with Asumi Hamazou—Ayumi's older sister and Akechi's younger sister.

"Asumi-san, like I said—Zanki-nii wants to mess with Zaboru. You have to stop him! And don't underestimate him. He's not playing around this time." Zenkichi's voice was urgent, almost pleading.

Asumi just let out a loud, amused laugh and took a long swig of her drink. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Shut up, dumbass. My brother Akechi is protecting him, so he'll be fine. If anything, Zanki should be scared. What's weird is you telling me this—since when did you start caring so much about Zaboru?"

Zenkichi grinned.

"Well, I love ZAGE games. They're incredible. Not only are the games fun as hell, but they also keep rolling out these insanely hot female characters—and let me tell you, I love seeing girls cosplay as them." He licked his lips, a smug grin spreading across his face. He couldn't help but recall a wild night just a couple of evenings ago when his girls dressed up as Chun-Li and Nina Williams and served him drinks like it was some surreal, erotic fever dream. The memory made him chuckle. "Honestly, it was one of the craziest experiences of my life." He leaned back with a satisfied sigh. "That's exactly why I can't let Zanki-nii mess with Zaboru. If ZAGE goes down, I'm never getting that kind of magic again."

Asumi clicked her tongue in disgust. "Ugh . Disgusting Fucker seriously. Anyway, quit stressing—Zaboru's fine. My brother's watching over him, and believe me, nobody's getting through Akechi. So just relax, alright? Trust me on this one."

Zenkichi then said, "Hey! You forced those poor guys to dress up as Mario and Luigi and made them serve you drinks! How's that any different?"

Asumi snorted, flipping her hair with a smirk. "That's completely different, dumbass. I'm a woman—I want them to be unique, stylish, and entertaining. It's about the aesthetic, okay?"

Zenkichi sighed and shook his head

"Haa, suit yourself, Asumi-san. But hey, Asumi-san... how about going on a date with me? I could even dress up as Mario if that's your thing—hehehe."

Asumi rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Nope. In your dreams. I'm not interested—you're boring." She leaned back in her seat, clearly unimpressed. Zenkichi just chuckled, unfazed, and raised his glass in mock salute.

To be continue

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