Blood and Shadows
The great doors of the mansion closed behind Keith with a muted thud.
The interior was vast—dimly lit, old wood and modern steel woven together like time itself had bent here. At the far end of the hall sat a single man in a high-backed chair.
White hair.
A frail body.
Eyes that had ruled from the shadows for more than a century.
Karasuma Renya.
For the first time since arriving, Keith sheathed Yamato fully and walked forward—slow, unguarded.
Renya studied him in silence.
Then—
Keith stopped three steps away.
And hugged him.
The room froze.
Rum's eye widened.
Gin's hand twitched near his coat.
Kir and Curaçao sucked in sharp breaths.
Ethan went completely still.
Renya, who had faced empires collapsing and nations begging, froze for a full second.
"…Great-grandfather," Keith said quietly, his voice sincere, warm, and unafraid.
"Thank you… for protecting me all these years."
For a long moment, Renya said nothing.
Then his thin hand lifted—and rested on Keith's back.
"…You figured it out anyway," Renya murmured.
"You really are her child."
The hug ended.
Renya smiled—not the cold smile the world feared, but something rare and human.
The Truth of the Organization
They moved to a long table.
Rum, Gin, Ethan, Kir, and Curaçao took their places, tension thick in the air.
Renya folded his hands.
"There are things you must know," Renya said.
"The organization you've brushed against—the one the world fears—it exists to—"
"I know," Keith said calmly.
Silence.
Every gaze snapped to him.
"…What?" Ethan asked.
Renya's eyes sharpened.
"You know?" Renya repeated. "Explain."
Keith didn't argue.
He simply reached into his coat and placed a sleek black smartphone on the table.
It was thin.
Too thin.
Seamless.
"This," Keith said, "will explain."
He tapped the screen.
Red Queen
A red glow expanded above the device.
A three-dimensional hologram formed—crystal clear.
A small, cute girl with red eyes and twin tails floated midair.
She bowed politely.
"Hello," she said cheerfully.
"My name is Red Queen. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
The room exploded into shock.
Kir covered her mouth.
Curaçao's heart pounded.
Gin stared in disbelief.
Ethan whispered, "…An AI?"
Rum's breath hitched.
"This level of processing…" Rum muttered. "Impossible…"
Renya wasn't staring at Red Queen.
He was staring at the phone.
"…That design," Renya said slowly.
"That architecture…"
He looked up at Keith.
"This device alone could rewrite the world's economy."
Rum nodded grimly.
"If this hits the market," Rum said,
"even conservative estimates put it in the hundreds of billions."
Red Queen tilted her head cutely.
"Correction," she said.
"Projected profit exceeds one trillion within three years."
Everyone went silent again.
Keith remained calm.
"I know about the Black Organization," Keith said.
"I know its structure, its internal conflicts, its spies, and its true purpose."
He looked directly at Renya.
"And I know why you created it."
For the first time, Renya laughed softly.
"…So you've surpassed me already."
The Sword
Ethan exhaled slowly, then glanced at the katana at Keith's side.
"…That blade," Ethan said. "May I?"
Keith nodded and handed it over.
"This is Yamato," Keith said.
Ethan unsheathed it.
The air itself seemed to recoil.
The edge was flawless—too sharp, too perfect.
Gin's eyes narrowed.
"…That sword cuts more than flesh," Gin said.
Rum nodded.
"It cuts space."
Kir and Curaçao felt chills run down their spines.
Ethan carefully returned the blade.
"…You're walking a path none of us can follow," he said quietly.
Keith smiled faintly.
"I don't plan to walk it alone."
A New Understanding
Renya leaned back, studying his great-grandson anew.
"You're not just the future of my bloodline," Renya said.
"You're the future of the world's shadows."
Keith met his gaze evenly.
"Then let's make sure the shadows protect people," Keith replied.
"Not destroy them."
For a long moment—
Renya said nothing.
Then he nodded once.
"…Very well."