The Thermal Signature
The atmosphere in the sub-level command center of The Azure Blend was electric with anticipation. Kaito, Shiori, and Kazuya watched the central monitor, which displayed the live feed from Ryuu's enhanced surveillance drones.
"The digital fog is holding," Shiori reported. "The rival is expending 85% of their computational power simply filtering the digital static we created. They are effectively blind."
Kazuya had the thermal overlay active. The city glowed with ambient heat, but the powerful computers required for high-level cryptography generate unique, intense signatures.
"There!" Kazuya exclaimed, pointing to a non-descript storage unit three blocks from the Mouri Detective Agency. "A massive, sustained heat signature, perfectly shielded from external cameras. It requires enough power to run a small factory."
Kaito leaned forward. "That is the command server. The heart of our rival strategist's operation."
The System immediately cataloged the location: Asset Target: Storage Unit 207.
The Acquisition Plan
Kaito smiled. He had the location, but he didn't want the evidence to disappear in a police raid. He wanted the strategist.
"Kazuya-san, profile the resident of that unit. We need a name, a weakness, and a reason why they are not aligned with a major corporation."
Kazuya accessed the local grid, cross-referencing utilities, property ownership, and tax records—all filtered through the Dragon Throne's private access to global databases.
"The unit is leased under the name Arai Masato. Age 32. Former lead cryptographer for a major Japanese security firm. He was unjustly fired three years ago after whistleblowing on corporate corruption. He's brilliant, bitter, and entirely reliant on his own network for income."
"Brilliant, bitter, and wronged," Kaito summarized. "The perfect profile for an acquisition."
Kaito activated the System's 'Acquire People' function, but guided the process with his own strategy.
"Shiori, arrange a simultaneous three-pronged action. One: Ryuu's drones are to simulate a catastrophic power grid failure targeting only Storage Unit 207—a total digital blackout. Two: Sara's network is to place a single, untraceable deposit of 100 million yen into Masato's primary offshore account. Three: Kazuya, you will deliver the final offer."
The Offer
Fifteen minutes later, the area around Storage Unit 207 plunged into darkness due to a sudden, highly localized power failure.
Inside the stifling unit, Arai Masato watched his complex servers die, the evidence of his corporate espionage vanishing into the thermal heat he had failed to conceal. He was trapped.
A quiet knock came at the metal door. Masato opened it to find Kazuya, impeccably dressed, holding a small, silver business card—the Tenryuu insignia subtly etched into the corner.
"Mr. Masato," Kazuya said calmly. "You have just received 100 million yen. That is a down payment. You are about to lose your freedom, your livelihood, and your safety, unless you accept the next offer."
Masato, stunned, stared at him. "Who... who are you?"
"We are the ones who can make your former employers disappear. The ones who know you used the Mouri Agency's chaos as your shield. You are a strategist, Mr. Masato. And my employer is looking for a loyal, efficient mind."
The New Asset
The scene shifted back to the Azure Blend command center. Masato, humbled and strategically outmaneuvered, was now sitting opposite Kaito.
"You knew exactly where I was, what I was doing, and you attacked my financial stability and my operational base simultaneously," Masato stated, his voice filled with awe and disbelief. "You are children. Who are you really?"
Kaito looked at him, his seven-year-old face entirely serious. "I am Tenryuu Kaito. I am not limited by money, morality, or time. Your crime was efficient, but my resources are infinite."
"I was a fool," Masato conceded. "I thought I was running the board."
"You were a pawn, albeit a clever one. Now, you have a choice. Become a liability to be erased, or become an asset to be acquired."
Kaito leaned forward. "Your job will be simple: Utilize your digital genius solely for the protection of my assets and the tracking of true threats—groups like the Black Organization. You gain unlimited resources, a salary beyond your dreams, and absolute immunity from your past."
Masato looked at the 100 million yen in his account, at the advanced lab around him, and at the frighteningly assured child before him. He had been beaten by power he couldn't even comprehend.
"I accept, Kaito-sama," Masato stated, bowing his head deeply. "I am your loyal follower. What is my first command?"
Kaito smiled. The first acquisition was complete.
"Kazuya will brief you. Your first task is to turn your former command center into our secondary, Black Organization surveillance hub. And Masato," Kaito added, his eyes briefly glowing with strategic fire, "never fail to account for the unexpected variables."