Tokyo, Japan.
Near Tokyo University, Gakuen-sai's night.
June 18th, 2026
10:40 PM 21° Celsius/69.8° Fahrenheit
The silence between them was unbearable. The air felt dense, like smoke after a fire, thick with unspoken truths and impossible memories.
Risa was about to speak when another figure approached through the haze, armor glinting, steps sharp and respectful. A Chinese Special Forces operator, his helmet under one arm, moved toward her, stopping just a few feet away. He bowed deeply before speaking.
("At your command, Matriarch.") The operator spoke in Mandarin.
Ray's eyes widened slightly.
He spoke Mandarin and had understood every word.
"Matriarch...?"
The word echoed in his mind like a hammer against stone. His heart sank, and his stomach twisted. The ice in his veins deepened.
"She's the Matriarch...?
The Queen of the underworld... the one we've been fighting?
My mother...?"
He felt dizzy. It wasn't just betrayal anymore. It was a cruel twist of fate, a dagger driven through the only thread of family he had left.
Risa didn't flinch. She simply nodded in response to the soldier, commanding the stage like a monarch without a crown. The operator rose to his feet and gave the full report.
"The Yakuzas are neutralized. All dead. Except two. Ryuji Takahashi and Maria Tachibana. They escaped. Killed many of our brothers."
Risa's tone was calm, clinical.
"Good work." Risa responded in Mandarin.
Ray's fists clenched, his breath shallow.
This woman, the woman who abandoned him, was the very enemy he'd spent months fighting from the shadows. The mastermind. The unseen queen. The Matriarch.
He looked away, unable to bear the sight of her.
But then, the soldiers moved again. Three of them emerged from the shadows, their boots heavy on the pavement. They carried burdens, three limp, unconscious bodies.
Ray's heart lurched.
Reina. Kitsune. Arashi.
The Himura sisters. Unconscious... but alive.
The leading operator bowed again to Risa and spoke in Mandarin.
"I believe they were with your son's." The operator said in Mandarin.
Risa looked at the girls, expression unreadable. Then her voice came out flat.
"Fine." Risa replied in Mandarin.
No concern. No interest. Just cold acknowledgment.
Ray stared at her. In that moment, he felt something inside him fracture.
He shrugged off Izanami's grasp, slowly but with growing strength. His legs trembled from exhaustion and pain, but he pushed forward, step by agonizing step. He dropped to his knees beside Reina first, brushing a blood-matted strand of hair from her face. Then Kitsune. Then Arashi.
He held all three close to him. His breath caught in his throat. They were the daughters of the woman who married his father. They weren't his sisters by blood, but they were still... family.
"I need a car," he muttered, voice low, barely audible.
Risa's gaze flickered.
"But Ray, listen to me—"
"NOW!" Ray barked, his voice cutting like a blade through the night.
The entire courtyard froze. Even the soldiers flinched.
Risa blinked in surprise. For the first time since her arrival, she looked... uncertain.
She turned to the operator beside her and gave a curt nod.
"Get him a car."
The operator gave a quick salute and moved away.
Izanami approached cautiously.
"Ray... are you sure? You can barely stand." Izanami said, a worried look on her face.
"They need to get home." he replied, eyes still locked on the girls. His voice was hollow. Mechanical.
Risa stepped forward, unsure. "Son... please..."
He turned toward her, finally meeting her eyes.
What she saw in them wasn't hate. It was worse.
Emptiness.
A son who no longer knew who his mother was. A child who had grieved her for years, only to discover her alive and wearing the mask of the enemy.
"You don't call me that. I don't care what your reasons were," he said.
"You left me. Then you became... this." He added.
She looked down. The Matriarch, silent.
The car arrived, sleek and armored. One of the operators opened the doors. Ray gently lifted Reina and Kitsune in his arms, wincing from his wounds. Izanami carried Arashi with equal care. Together, they loaded the sisters into the vehicle.
Before entering, Ray turned back.
"You're not my mother. Not anymore."
Risa didn't respond.
Daffodil gave a mocking pout and waved. "Bye, little nephew. Don't die too fast. You've got her temper, I like that."
Ray ignored her. He stepped into the car, closing the door with a finality that echoed through the courtyard.
As the car drove off into the night, the silence left behind was thunderous.
Risa Rourke - the Matriarch -stood unmoving, the shadows dancing across her face.
She had found her son.
And lost him all over again.