"Good day, ____.
What- did you think I was joking? Of course not! I always hold true to my word. After all, I started a game and I'm not willing to let it die right after I threatened you all with your very worst secrets being shown to everyone in the world! Ahahaha!
Without further ado, here are your first clues--"
Gensai Ryuunosuke
"I won't stand for this..."
"I won't stand for this..."
The sound of the busy streets of Hanamura during nighttime was lost on the ears of those working within the Ryuunosukes' main building. People within the building of the high-rising business worked almost like clockwork- never stopping from their normal routines. File these, prepare that, answer this e-mail...it was always the same thing almost every single day. On a normal occasion, this would hold true, even for the leader of the Ryuunosuke business himself.
But this was no normal occasion.
6:30 PM. At this time, Gensai Ryuunosuke should be looking out of the window of his living space within the main building, observing the many interactions and movements within the estate. At exactly 6:35, he would then proceed to his desk and handle more paperwork, possibly sneaking in a call with Yukino somewhere in there. By 7:00 he'd be done and have the rest of the hours to his sleeping time at 10:30 for free.
But right now, Gensai stared, puzzled at his phone. Unlike any normal circumstance, he wasn't waiting for a call from any sort of business partners or anything- he stared at the message from the unknown number, containing the clues to start the sick game this...this strange seller has made. There were two problems Gensai had to deal with, on closer look- the first was obviously his secret. He couldn't let the truth of the Fall of the Dragon come to light. He had already taken his steps to making the Ryuunosuke business a fair one towards its competitors, unlike the unjust rule of his forefathers. Had that bastard seller revealed that he had killed both his grandfather and his father, all of that work would be laid to waste, and the entire business would fall with him.
The other problem was something small, and yet so important; someone had let that seller into the Ryuunosuke estate. But who? Was it one of his men? Was it another person entirely? Who did have the rights to get into the estate scot-free, if they weren't working for him? Right now, Gensai had no way to tell.
The man's cool blue eyes swept again and again across the two clues- "Might need some wipers?" Was that person someone who had a car that didn't have any windshield wipers? If only it was that easy- then again, Hanamura was a big city and Gensai didn't want to tire his resources looking for cars that don't have windshield wipers. And knowing how the seller spoke to him that day, it was obvious this was supposed to be some riddle- a riddle that Gensai had no idea how to solve. His eyes shifted towards the second clue- the person who owned the secret in his file.
"The person who owns the secret in your file does not live at home."
"That isn't very useful." It could literally be anything- they could be living in a dorm, or they could be staying somewhere else. Maybe they lived on the streets. Streets weren't considered homes after all. Still, the clue was clearer than the first, and he could at least appreciate the fact that the seller made the second clues easier. Though this still wasn't enough to go off on. At best, he could rely on the idea that perhaps the second person lived in a dorm. He could narrow down his choices to the youth.
Speaking of youth...
He felt his phone buzz and a notification for a new message came up- from Yukino, to boot. His finger hovered over the message for a brief moment- then he slowly tapped it.
Subject: About your endorser...
I got good news for you, Gensai! I just found this great musical prodigy, and judging from how my coworkers say about her, it seems like she's a hit among the younger audiences! I already messaged her about your offer and, well...she said she'd show up at this particular meeting place. Please give her a shot! Her name is Haruka Shinomiya!"
Gensai paused. Did Yukino just really pick her to be his endorser for the newest gadget launch by the Ryuunosukes? He shook his head- she really was that impulsive. He supposed she was doing it for his sake, but still. But at the same time, he should give this musical prodigy a chance- Gensai wasn't one who interacted with the younger people often, so he would let them surprise him this time. And besides, the product launch was literally tomorrow, and he had interacted with the girl every now and then. He had no other choice.
He glanced at his white suit jacket on his coat hanger, and sighed.
Moments later, he had reached the biggest shopping mall in Hanamura- not a place he'd like to be at, considering the amount of people flocking here and there, but this was supposed to be the stage of his product launch tomorrow, and the meeting place where he was supposed to meet Haruka was also within here. He heard rumors of a very skilled hacker hounding this district- that was most likely the seller who had sold off his secret. He gritted his teeth, lowered his head, then briskly walked towards a well-known cafe near the main plaza.
Some people stared as the leader of the Ryuunosuke business stared at his watch, glancing outside the cafe every now and then. All he had to do right now was wait and see- maybe he would get lucky and catch some wind of whoever was in his clues there. After all, the mall was a natural magnet for all sorts of people.