Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
I sighed.
Daisuke actually smiled. It was rare to see any expression on his face, but the idea of a haunted blade or my Tiger’s meal clearly appealed to him.
One of the twins spoke, “And if we win together?”
Hiro shrugged. “You both get first and second place.”
“Bullshit.” Daisuke pointed his knife at them. “We don’t get team points. You two are getting judged separately.”
One twin sneered, “That’s not fair.”
“We’re a team.” The other nodded.
Daisuke was about to argue, but Toma laughed. "It doesn’t matter. I'm taking that sword home tonight and enjoying a nice meal with the Dragon’s Heart later this week."
I sneered.
No one noticed.
"Like hell you are," Daisuke muttered.
The twins exchanged another glance and nodded in unison. Then, one twin cracked his knuckles. The other flinched at the sound. It was the only difference I'd ever consistently noticed between them, and I still didn't know which one cracked and which one flinched.
Hiro put the lollipop back in his mouth and leaned back in his seat. "Regardless, our biggest prize is going to be the cocktail party this evening hosted by our Tiger."
I rolled my eyes.
Our Tiger. I can’t wait until this goddamn party is done.
Hiro caught my expression and grinned around the lollipop. "What? She said she's cooking for all of us. That makes her ours too."
"She's mine."
"She's our Tiger," Hiro corrected. "You just get to fuck her."
Kaede coughed into his fist. Toma snorted. Even Daisuke's mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile.
I stared at Hiro. "You're pushing it."
Hiro raised his hands. "I'm just stating facts, brother. I apologize for any perceived disrespect."
“The second prize is not my Tiger’s cooking. It is my chef who will be cooking that.”
One of the Claws grumbled, but when I looked at them neither owned up to it.
Hiro shrugged. “Fine. We’ll have your chef be the second prize. Six course meal and that aged sake you’ve been holding onto.”
“You mean the bottle that I’ve been saving to open for my first born child?”
“Yeah. That one.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then, the second born child’s bottle.”
I gave up talking to him.
Hiroko made a small sound next to me. When I looked at her, she was smiling and shaking her head like she was watching two children argue over a toy. “I knew Nyomi had captured your heart. I had no idea she’d stolen your brother’s heart too.”
“Unfortunately.”
Hiro returned to naming other prizes and rules for their little contest.
Hiroko looked out the window and then back at me. "How are we getting into Tokyo without anyone knowing? With six or seven helicopters? Wouldn’t that be too obvious?"
"As far as anyone's concerned, these are government official helicopters. Prime Minister level. No one's going to question it."
Her eyebrows rose slightly. "Reo's work?"
I nodded.
Hiroko was quiet for a moment. Then she turned fully to face me. "Kenji. . .I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me."
"Go ahead."
"Are we walking into a trap? Surely. . .you know that it could be one. Right?"
The helicopter hummed around us. Hiro's contest chatter faded into the background.
I looked at her. "It could be."
"Could be?"
"Some of my best victories have come from walking straight into traps, Hiroko. The difference is knowing what the trap is before it closes."
She studied my face. "And you know what this one could be?"
"Sun Tzu said, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." I let that sit for a second. "I know myself, my strengths. My weaknesses. And I know my father. I know how he thinks. I know how he builds. I know how he wins. And that's why I know this possible trap is the best thing that could've happened to us."
Hiroko's brow furrowed. "Explain that to me."
"If this is a trap, it means my father knows I've been monitoring the Butcher. It means he's aware of exactly how much I've been watching. So what happens if this trap fails? If I never take the bait?
"He goes silent."
"Exactly. He goes completely dark. New routes. New methods. New faces. He rebuilds from scratch, and we lose every thread we've been waiting to pull. That alone makes this worth walking into. We can't afford to let him reset."
Hiroko nodded slowly but didn't look convinced.
"But here's the part my father didn't think I'd see." I leaned forward. "If this is a trap, he won't be there. The Fox never sits inside his own traps. He watches from a distance. That's his way.”
“Then, who will be there?”
"A new puppet. A new commander. Someone my father trusts enough to put inside the trap itself. Someone vital to carrying out his instructions. Someone he can't afford to lose in this war, and if he can't afford to lose them. . ."
She raised her eyebrows.
"Then the trap has safe points. Built into the design. Escape routes. Protected positions. Places where this person can be shielded if things go wrong.”