Tokyo, Japan
In the penthouse of Asuka Tower, located in Marunouchi.
June 18th, 2026
11:20 AM 24° Celcius/75.2° Fahrenheit
The afternoon sun bathed the Tokyo skyline in amber light as it filtered through the towering windows of the penthouse, the current private lair of the Matriarch. At the highest floor, overlooking the city she quietly pulled strings within, Risa Rourke sat at the head of a long, obsidian dining table set with golden cutlery and crystal glasses. The air was steeped in power, silence, and subtle tension.
Seated besider her was Daffodil Rourke, veiled in couture elegance like a panther in silk. Across from them sat Hiro Fukuhara, the vice mayor of Tokyo, a man caught between loyal, fear, and ambition. Around the room, Risa's chinese special forces stood like statues - silent, disciplined, and lethal. Behind the Vice Mayor, his bodyguards looked uneasy in contrast, like prey invited into a den of lions.
Fukuhara sipped delicately from a 1845 Bordeaux, eyes lingering on the guards.
"The scale of your...organization..." He began, voice thin, reverent and yet wary.
"Your reach, Matriarch....it's unprecedented. You hold more sway across nations than some governments." He followed.
"And these men of yours...." he nodded toward the Chinese special forces.
"Their loyalty - it's.....astounding, unwavering....and unrealistic." He added.
Daffodil smirked, her lips painted a muted cherry red. She leaned slightly forward, amusement flickering in her eyes.
"Oh, vice mayor....you make it sound like loyalty is rare. Perhaps it is - among those who never earned it." She said.
Fukuraha's eyes narrowed slightly at the jab, but he forced a polite chuckle.
"I didn't summon you hear for compliments, Fukuhara. Let's get to the point." Risa spoke without looking at him, her gaze fixed outside where the clouds danced across the afternoon sky.
The vice mayor straightened in his seat.
"Of course, Matriach."
"I need something done. Swiftly, quietly, and efficiently." Risa said, smoothly.
"And to do it, I need the Mayor's cooperation." She added.
Fukuhara hesitated, rubbing his hands together.
"That may not be....feasible." He said, regretting what he had just said.
Risa finally looked at him, her light silver eyes calm and terrifying in equal measure.
"Why?" She muttered, her voice cold and deadly.
He cleared his throat. "Because Mayor Kawakami is....compromised. He answers to someone else."
"Who?" Risa's expression did not shift.
There was a beat of silence before Fukuhara spoke the name..
"The Mistress." He replied, barely above a whisper.
Daffodil let out a soft hum, sipping from her glass. "The boogeyman of Tokyo politics. I was beginning to think she was a bedtime story."
"No." Fukuhara said solemnly.
"She's real. Her identity, unknown. Her past, erased. No records, no origins. Even those who serve her don't know she truly is. Only that she sees everything. Moves everywhere. And those who oppose her....disappear." He added.
Risa didn't blink. Instead, she pushed her chair back and stood gracefully, walking toward the massive window. Her silhoutte towered, a goddess wrapped in elegance and danger.
The vice mayor, still seated, hesitated...
"May I inquire, Matriarch....what's so urgent? What requires such haste?" He stopped hesitating and asked away.
Silence.
Then Risa turned her head slightly.
"It's unwise for a lowlife like you to be inquisitive and try to pry in my intentions." She uttered slowly, her voice calm, yet cold enough to draw frost from stone.
"Curiosity....can be fatal." Risa added.
Fukuhara flinched subtly, sweat lining his brow.
"My apologies. I meant no offense."
"But you took a step too far. And in this game, missteps are often punished." Daffodil chimed in lightly, inspecting her nails.
Still....
"It's about someone....personal, isn't it?" Fukuhara dared to press, his voice hushed with concern.
Risa paused for only a second, then..
"This matter will be handled without you knowing about it nor you concerning about." She answered with quiet finality.
Fukuhara swallowed hard. He understood.
She didn't need to name that somone, her son, Ray Shigeyoshi.
"If you want the mayor, you'll need leverage." Fukura said cautiously.
Risa turned back, walking slowly to her seat with the grace of a queen descending her throne.
"I don't need leverage. I am leverage." Her message was clear.
She sat down again, folding her hands elegantly. The message was clear.
The Mistress may have the mayor. But the Matriarch had already begun her move.