Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

He reached out and gently patted Mortis's shoulder, and the touch brought a strange sense of closeness and security.

"From today on, we are allies."

He said softly, his eyes showing a tenderness that was almost doting:

"I will help you, guide you, and make you the real protagonist."

Mortis was completely conquered by these words. There was a fanatical light in her eyes, and she even straightened her back unconsciously, as if she was facing a respected mentor.

"Yes! Teacher!" she blurted out.

——Ha, teacher.

He stood up, his blue hair fluttering slightly in the night wind, his amber eyes sparkling under the streetlight:

"Well, Mortis, our first lesson begins now."

Mortis also stood up immediately, his eyes full of anticipation and admiration: "I'm ready!"

Kujo Renji looked at the chess piece in front of him that he had successfully taken into his possession.

The tool that Wakaba Mu originally used to deal with him has now become his sword.

It's so interesting, fate is always so dramatic.

"Have a good rest, and we'll talk more tomorrow."

He smiled and said in a gentle but unquestionable voice:

"Remember, this is a secret between us. Xiao Mu doesn't need to know...at least not now."

"I understand!" Mortis nodded firmly, his golden eyes gleaming with determination. "Teacher, don't worry, I will keep this a secret!"

Kujo Renji nodded with satisfaction and turned to leave.

.

Outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department detention center, a storm is brewing.

Gloomy gray clouds hung low over the sky, shrouding the concrete behemoth in an ominous atmosphere.

Occasionally a few raindrops hit the sidewalk, like the sky's unconscious sigh.

Seiichi Tsuda curled up in his coat and walked out of the detention center door with his head lowered.

His suit was wrinkled, his shirt collar was yellowed, and there was a tiny crack on his glasses. He looked like he had been picked up from a trash can.

Three days of detention made this middle-level corporate executive, who used to dress neatly in a suit, look utterly embarrassed.

"Mr. Tsuda, this way."

A voice came from nearby. Tsuda looked up and saw a black Lexus parked on the side of the road. The window was slightly lowered, revealing the driver's stern face. It was Sato, a new member of the Ishikawa Group, who was responsible for picking him up.

Seiichi Tsuda walked over silently, opened the back door and got in.

"Good morning, Mr. Tsuda." The driver greeted politely, but his eyes were fixed on the rearview mirror, observing the surrounding situation. "Mr. Ishikawa is waiting for you."

Hearing this name, Tsuda Seiichi's back instantly tensed up. He nodded stiffly, his throat dry: "I understand."

The car slowly started, merging into Tokyo's busy traffic. Raindrops gradually intensified, leaving winding streaks on the windshield, like some ominous omen.

Makoto Tsuda looked out the window. The Tokyo skyline became blurred in the rain and fog, and the outlines of the tall buildings seemed as if they would disappear at any time.

His mind kept replaying everything that happened at the STARRY door that day - what the girl did, and the words that still made him palpitate:

"Tell Ishikawa Shunya that the rule set by the team leader back then...disobedient dogs will have their spines broken."

Tsuda Seiichi couldn't help but shudder. He didn't understand the specific meaning of this sentence, but he could sense the threat contained in it.

What's even more terrifying is that this sentence seems to point to a past that even he doesn't know about - a past related to Ishikawa Shunya.

"Mr. Ishikawa...how are you feeling lately?" he asked tentatively, his voice trembling more than he had imagined.

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror, a hint of imperceptible pity in his eyes. “You’ll feel it for yourself soon.”

This answer made Tsuda Seiichi's heart sink suddenly.

The car turned into the high-end residential area in the port area and stopped in front of a low-key and luxurious apartment building.

It is very close to Tokyo Bay, and on a clear day, you can see cruise ships passing by on the sea from the top floor apartment.

However, today, heavy clouds obscured the distant seascape, leaving only a depressing gray.

The driver didn't turn off the engine, but motioned for Makoto Tsuda to get out of the car: "Mr. Ishikawa is in the passenger seat."

Only then did Seiichi Tsuda notice that there was another black car parked next to him, with a figure sitting in the passenger seat.

He was stunned for a moment, then quickly got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.

Ishikawa Shunya was sitting there, wearing a well-tailored dark blue suit with understated gold cufflinks shining on his cuffs.

He was about fifty years old, with a stern face and eyes as sharp as a hawk. The few silver hairs on his temples added a sense of majesty to him.

As the head of Vortex Livehouse Co., Ltd., he looks more like a successful entrepreneur than the tattooed gangster that most people imagine.

"boarding."

Ishikawa Shun didn't even look at him, but gave a brief order.

Tsuda Seiichi hurried back to the back seat and got in. The car started again and drove into the rainy street.

The atmosphere inside the car was heavy as lead. The windshield wipers spun rhythmically, like some kind of silent countdown. Ishikawa Shunya remained silent, staring straight ahead, as if Tsuda Seiichi didn't exist.

"Mr. Ishikawa, I..."

"Shut up." Ishikawa Junya interrupted him coldly: "We'll talk about it when we get there."

Seiichi Tsuda immediately fell silent, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

In their world, silence can sometimes be more threatening than words.

The car drove over the Rainbow Bridge and headed towards the bay area. Through the rain and fog, I could vaguely see the outline of the towering Ferris wheel in the distance, which was the landmark building of Odaiba.

On weekdays, this is a popular tourist attraction with crowds of tourists, but in such gloomy weather today, it seems particularly deserted.

Finally, the car stopped at a remote pier.

This place is far away from commercial and residential areas, with only a few abandoned warehouses and docked small fishing boats. It is a typical place suitable for "private conversations".

Ishikawa Shunya signaled the driver to stay in the car, while he got out and walked towards a small warehouse that looked like it had been abandoned for many years.

Makoto Tsuda followed behind tremblingly, the rain soaking his suit and hair, but he didn't dare complain.

The warehouse was dark and damp, and the air was filled with the smell of sea water and rust.

The only source of light was a worn-out wall lamp in the corner, which emitted a faint yellow light, adding a cinematic atmosphere to the space.

Ishikawa Shunya walked to the center of the warehouse, turned slowly, and stabbed Tsuda Seiichi with his eyes like a knife: "Now, tell me what happened in Shimokitazawa."

Tsuda Seiichi swallowed hard, forcing himself to remain calm. "At first, everything went according to plan. I brought those forged documents and a few people to threaten them into accepting the acquisition... but then something unexpected happened."

"Be more specific." Ishikawa Shunya interrupted him, his voice frighteningly calm: "I want to know every detail."

So Makoto Tsuda began to describe in detail what happened that day - how he walked into STARRY with the documents, how he met the blue-haired girl, and how she saw through the flaws in the forged documents at a glance.

"That girl...she looks like a high school student, but she was able to find loopholes in our carefully prepared documents." Tsuda Seiichi's voice was cautious. "She said the date on the land transfer agreement didn't match the notarization date, and she also pointed out problems with the seal..."

Ishikawa Junya narrowed his eyes: "Continue"

Tsuda Seiichi said: "Then my people wanted to scare them, but... the girl..."

His voice became dry, and the horrific scene seemed to reappear before his eyes:

"She single-handedly defeated all my men. Her movements were lightning-fast, and each strike was incredibly precise... It's simply not something an ordinary high school student could do."

“Then, she said…”

Tsuda Seiichi hesitated, not knowing whether to say it.

Ishikawa Shunya's expression remained indifferent, but a barely perceptible flicker of emotion flashed across his eyes: "What did she say?"

Tsuda Seiichi hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and finally said:

"She said, 'Tell Ishikawa Shunya that the rule set by the team leader back then...disobedient dogs will have their spines broken.'" Tsuda Seiichi finished speaking in one breath, his voice trembling.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Ishikawa Shunya's reaction was beyond Tsuda Seiichi's expectations.

There was no expected rage, no harsh questioning, but a more terrifying silence.

His body began to tremble slightly, not out of fear, but a complex reaction mixed with shock, disbelief and some deep emotion.

"She...did she really say that?" There was a rare fluctuation in Ishikawa Shunya's voice.

Tsuda Makoto nodded slightly, not daring to look his superior in the eye. "Yes, exactly. And then she...she knocked me out with her knife."

Ishikawa Shunya turned around and faced the small window of the warehouse. Rainwater flowed down the glass like silent tears. His figure looked particularly lonely in the dim light.

"What's the girl's name?" Ishikawa Shunya asked, his voice regaining its composure.

"According to our subsequent investigation, her name is Toyokawa Shoko, and she is a new shareholder of STARRY."

Ishikawa Shunya frowned.

Toyokawa Shoko...? The Toyokawa family?

The sharpness in Ishikawa Shunya's eyes had been replaced by a complex emotion: "What happened next? Did the police come?"

"Yes, it was someone from the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division. They took me and my men away." Tsuda Seiichi replied in a low voice: "The girl seemed to know the leading officer and called her 'Inspector Nikaido'..."

"Nikaido Kiriko." Ishikawa Shunya whispered the name, with a hint of elusive meaning in his tone.

Ishikawa Shunya was silent for a moment, then walked to the back of the warehouse, where there was an old wooden chair. He sat down and crossed his fingers on his knees.

"Tsuda, let me ask you a question."

His voice was low and calm:

"If someone told you that a person had even planned what would happen after his death, would you believe it?"

This sudden question left Seiichi Tsuda speechless for a moment.

He didn't understand what Ishikawa Shunya wanted to express. Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Zhuge Kongming?

After hesitating for a moment, he could only answer cautiously: "It...it depends on the specific situation..."

Ishikawa Shunya chuckled, but there was no joy in that laugh. Instead, it was filled with an indescribable bitterness:

"Yeah, it depends on the specific situation."

He stood up, walked up to Tsuda Seiichi, and looked him straight in the eye: "Who gave you the instructions regarding your actions in Shimokitazawa?"

Tsuda Seiichi was stunned: "Yes... it was your special assistant, Mr. Kawashima. He said this was your intention..."

Ishikawa Shunya's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Does Kawashima know about the existence of that girl?"

"I... I'm not sure." Tsuda Seiichi stammered, feeling as if he had strayed into some dangerous maze. "He just told me to take over the STARRY land because it affected Vortex's expansion plan in Shimokitazawa..."

Ishikawa Shunya sneered, "Shimokitazawa's expansion plan? I've never approved such a plan."

This sentence struck Tsuda Seiichi like a bolt of lightning. His eyes widened, his lips trembling: "But...but Mr. Kawashima said..."

"Kawashima is gone," Ishikawa Shunya said calmly, as if discussing the weather. "During the days you were detained, he accidentally fell out of his office window on the 19th floor and died instantly."

Seiichi Tsuda felt dizzy and his legs could hardly support his body.

He understood that this was no accident, but rather the Ishikawa Group's unique way of "cleaning up the house."

"Mr. Ishikawa, I...I was just following instructions..." He explained tremblingly, afraid that he would become the next victim of an "accident".

Ishikawa Jun also waved his hand: "I know. You are just a tool to pass on the message. There is no need to pay the price for other people's ambitions."

This sentence made Seiichi Tsuda feel a little relieved, but he immediately realized that there must be a deeper purpose behind the other party's abnormal tolerance.

"I need you to do something."

Ishikawa Shunya lowered his voice a bit:

"I need to know everything about Toyokawa Shoko—her background, daily activities, social circle, and most importantly, why she appeared in STARRY... In the meantime, all the resources Kawashima left behind will be yours to use."

Tsuda Makoto nodded slightly: "I understand, Mr. Ishikawa."

"but..."

Ishikawa Shunya's eyes suddenly became sharp: "Don't get close to her, don't let her find out that you are investigating her, and don't try to harm her. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Mr. Ishikawa." Seiichi Tsuda responded quickly.