February 7th, 2026
At Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department - 8:34 PM
It was already nighttime.
The shadows stretched long across the floor of the local detention center.
Ray sat in the corner of the cold, narrow cell, his back pressed against the hard wall, his arms resting on his bent knees. The dim yellow light flickered above him like a dying heartbeat.
His expression was unreadable - cold, deadly, still. The kind of stillness that unnerved people, made them keep their distance. Except, some didn't.
Female police officers and detectives hovered around, their eyes lingering on him like moths to flame.
His towering frame, the deadly calm in his eyes, the stoic presence of a man trained to kill without hesitation - it drew them in. Some of them whispered, giggled, even exchanged jealous glances.
A woman approached.
Detective Riko Matsuya, written on her name plate. Late 30s. Muscled, curvy, confident. Dressed in a black suit tailored tightly around her voluptuous figure. She stopped just outside the cell bars, twirling her ID between her fingers.
"A US Delta Force operative, huh?" she said, flashing a sly grin. "You don't belong here."
Ray didn't respond. Didn't flinch. His eyes were lifeless, like a corpse that could breathe.
Riko raised an eyebrow and leaned closer. "Tell you what. I can make this little jailbird situation disappear. All I want is a night. You and me. No cuffs involved, unless you're into that."
Still nothing.
Ray just stared blankly through her. As if she didn't exist.
Then suddenly...
"Matsuya! Get your ass over here!" Someone called for her. The voice seems old and loud. Must be her superior.
Her lips curled in disappointment, but not defeat. "I'll be back to persuade you," she winked, blowing a kiss as she turned to leave.
Suddenly, murmurs echoed from the hallway.
Then silence.
A different kind of silence.
Then came the sound - heels clicking, one after another, growing louder, closer, heavier, like a countdown to something inevitable.
Ray slowly looked up.
Sakura.
Reina.
The two women walked in like a storm wrapped in silk.
Sakura's expression was hard, her black eyes wild and stormy. Her lips were curled in a line of pure disdain and rage. Her black trench coat swayed behind her like wings. A queen in darkness. A mother with fury.
Reina, on the other hand, was a contrast. Her smile was soft and twisted. Lust oozed from her narrowed eyes. She licked her lips, taking her time studying Ray like a meal she was finally allowed to devour.
"Who did this to you?" Sakura's voice sliced through the silence like a dagger.
Ray sighed. "I broke someone's arm. They're pressing charges."
"Who?" Sakura's tone darkened.
Ray met her gaze. "Ryuji Takahashi and his family. It was self-defense."
Sakura nodded slowly. "I know. We saw the video. You were just trying to de-escalate a fight between pigs."
Her venom when she said "pigs" made Reina chuckle.
"That Ryuji guy is a fucking dumb idiot," Reina whispered. "Trying to pick a fight with you. And look what happened."
Just then, two officers stepped into the hallway, both trembling. They clearly recognized who had just arrived.
"O-Open the door," one of them said to the other.
"Hurry up," Sakura hissed.
The guards jumped to comply.
"Y-Yes, Himura-sama!"
With shaking hands, they unlocked the door. Ray stood up slowly. Towering. Imposing. He walked out, brushing past them without a glance.
"I'll handle this. No one messes with my stepson," Sakura declared.
My stepson. Sakura emphasised it as if Ray was her possession.
At Sankai Private Medical - 8:50 PM
The night air was thick as Sakura's black sports car screeched into the parking lot of Sankai Private Medical. Neon lights flickered on the building's glass exterior.
"Your father wants to see you," Sakura said.
Ray didn't respond.
They stepped into the elevator. Reina stared at Ray, pressing closer to him, her breasts brushing his arm. He didn't move.
Sakura noticed.
She didn't say a word, but her eyes narrowed.
The elevator doors opened into the private suite floor.
They entered Shinjo's room.
Ray froze.
The room was full.
Arashi, Kitsune -
Three women he didn't recognize. All beautiful. All silent.
Two tall, broad-shouldered men stood like sentinels.
And then...
Shinjo.
"What the fuck were you doing out there!? Breaking someone's goddamn arm!?" His voice was thunderous.
Ray stepped forward. Calm. Like a soldier before a superior.
"It was self-defense."
Shinjo tried to move in his bed, rage overtaking his pain. "Self-defense!? You didn't think about consequences before playing goddamn Captain America out there? This isn't war!"
Sakura suddenly stepped in. Her tone changed completely. Sweet. Warm.
"Honey, stop. Ray was doing the right thing. He was just de-escalating the fight between those two...airheads."
She reached behind Ray and grabbed his butt possessively.
Ray didn't flinch.
But Reina saw it.
And her expression twisted. A smile, but her eyes screamed murder.
"Right thing my ass!" Shinjo snapped. "That boy doesn't learn!"
Sakura stepped closer to Ray, brushing his back. "Honey, please... my sister and her daughters are here. Have a little etiquette."
Ray turned to look at the three unknown women.
His breath stopped.
Around their necks...
The same necklace.
Identical to the one worn by Angela.
That cultish shape. The Matriarch's Promise.
He saw it once around the neck of a dead cultist in South Africa. The same shape. Same etching. This wasn't coincidence.
They were really here.
They had infiltrated.
They already set their foothold here.
Japan.
His father's family.
And now, they were looking at him, smiling softly.
Ray's eyes darted around the room.
Suddenly, it all made sense. The trial. The timing. The pressure. It wasn't just Ryuji. It was a setup. A web.
A trap.
And he was the prey.
Ray stands frozen while the women in the room smile at him... as if he already belonged to them.