3:17 AM – Tanaka Estate, Private Study
The scent of jasmine tea curled through the air as Saeko poured two cups, steam rising like ghosts between them.
Ren sat rigid in his chair, his fingers tracing the rim of his untouched cup. The blood had long since dried beneath his nails.
"You hesitated today," Saeko murmured.
Ren didn't answer. The defector's scream still echoed in his skull.
Saeko sighed, setting down her cup. "I wonder… does the name Hana Shiraishi mean anything to you?"
Ren's pulse stuttered.
Hana.
The ghost in his mind sharpened—gold-flecked eyes, a knife pressed to his throat, the taste of salt on her skin—
"No," he lied.
Saeko smiled. She tapped a button on her desk, and the wall screen flickered to life.
Security footage: A dim cell. A girl curled on a cot, her face bruised but defiant.
Hana.
Ren's teacup shattered in his grip.
Flashback: Age 9 – Soundproof Room
"Again."
Young Ren's fingers trembled over the keyboard, the numbers blurring. Three days without sleep. Three days locked in this white room with nothing but stock tickers and Saeko's cold gaze.
"The Nikkei will drop 2.3% by noon," he whispered.
"Why?" Saeko pressed.
"The… the Bank of Japan report. Page seven. The—"
"Wrong."
A shock collar around his wrist activated, sending agony up his arm. Ren bit his tongue to keep from screaming.
Saeko crouched beside him, her perfume cloying. "Predict the reason, not the result. Anyone can read numbers."
She pressed a button. The screen changed—live footage of a man stepping onto a subway platform.
"Tell me what happens next."
Ren's stomach twisted. "He… he'll jump."
"Why?"
"Because—" Ren's voice broke. "Because you paid him to."
Saeko patted his cheek. "Good dragon."
On screen, the man leapt.
Present – Saeko's Bargain
"Join me," Saeko said, "and Hana lives."
Ren's vision swam. The room tilted.
"You're lying. She's dead."
"Then why does your algorithm spike every time you see her face?" Saeko pulled up a graph—Ren's neural activity, jagged red peaks at the mention of Hana's name.
"The coup begins tomorrow," she continued. "Hiroshi's empire falls. And you?" She leaned in. "You get to keep one thing he tried to take from you."
Ren's nails dug into his palms.
"What do you want me to do?"
6:45 PM – Docks District
The shipping container reeked of gun oil and sweat.
Hana adjusted the black mask over her face, her mercenary disguise holding under scrutiny. Around her, Saeko's men loaded crates marked "Agricultural Equipment"—each one stuffed with enough firepower to level a city block.
"You. New girl." A scarred lieutenant tossed her a crowbar. "Check the latches on Container 12."
Hana nodded, slipping away.
Container 12 held something different: rows of sleek metal cases, each stamped with a dragon emblem.
Tanaka tech.
She pried one open.
Inside, a neural interface glowed—an exact replica of Ren's childhood restraints.
Hana's blood ran cold.
Saeko wasn't just staging a coup.
She was building an army of Rens.
9:30 PM – Ren's Decision
The contract sat before him, its terms simple:
Publicly denounce Hiroshi.Activate the Dragon's Call protocol in Tanaka systems.Execute all loyalists.
In exchange: Hana's freedom.
Ren picked up the pen.
Across the room, hidden in the vents, Hana watched.
11:59 PM – The Sabotage
Hana's knife slit the last fuel line, gasoline pooling at her feet.
She struck a match.
"For Ren," she whispered.
The explosion lit up the night.