The immediate aftermath of the test was a whirlwind of encrypted data transfers and silent threats. Thanks to Hiroshi's swift intervention, the public networks only buzzed with the news that the newly found Saito heir was a rare Rank 5 genius with a singular beast-type soul form. The triple manifestation and the ancient myth of the Blade Mother Tree were buried beneath layers of corporate security.
Later that evening, the heavy atmosphere of the villa was interrupted by a direct encrypted call to Hiroshi's personal phone. It was Kobayashi Minato. Despite Hiroshi's cold demeanor and his severe struggles with normal human interactions, Minato was his sworn brother when it counted the most. They trusted each other with their lives!
Minato had asked to meet, throwing out a location: a famous, highly private restaurant hidden away in the downtown avenue of Neon City.
The restaurant sat on the top floor of a traditional-style skyscraper, looking down at the endless neon lights below. The room was secluded, sliding paper doors blocking out the rest of the world. A low table filled with expensive, traditional dishes sat between the two old friends.
Minato leaned back against his cushion, staring lazily at his drink before looking up at the stoic Chairman. "You managed to quiet down the academy board, Hiroshi. But you can't fool me. A Rank 5 is one thing, but the sheer power coming from that room... you're hiding something big about that kid."
Hiroshi took a slow sip of his tea, his eyes reflecting the dim lights of the private room. "He passed the test. That is all the public and the board needs to know."
Minato snorted, a rare all-knowing smirk appearing on his face. "Always so tight-lipped. It reminds me of when we were teenagers running around the capital. Back when you actually had a temper."
The comment broke the tension. For the next hour, the two men found themselves drifting into a rare series of trips down memory lane. They caught up on the foolish things they did before they had to carry the weights of their respective corporate empires. They laughed quietly, the old bond between sworn brothers warming the cold room.
Eventually, the conversation drifted to a name neither had spoken in years.
"Do you ever think about Saina?" Minato asked quietly, his tone losing its usual laziness.
Saina Kabaya. She was the daughter of a prestigious noble family in the capital, and a direct relative of the Supreme Ruler of the Riverpearl Continent; the vast continent that Country T was a part of. She had been Hiroshi's first and only true love. When they were young, their relationship had been incredibly strong, defying the corporate boundaries of the city and the hierarchy they had been placed from birth. They met at a carnival Hiroshi and his league of Tyrants had been looking forward to for months. They hit it off and were inseparable ever since, But suddenly, without warning, she had been pulled back to the capital by her family to be married off to a noble son from the capital; Tokyo City. Hiroshi had been left devastated, stepping into the role of Chairman at eighteen with a frozen heart.
Hiroshi went quiet. He stared at the steam rising from his tea cup. He took a deep, heavy breath, the cold mask he wore for twenty-four years finally cracking in front of his sworn brother.
"I think about her every day. Every moment i wake up thinking that if i had been strong enough to stop them from taking her... she would still be alive." Hiroshi said, his voice dropping to a low, emotional whisper. He looked straight into Minato's eyes, finally opening his heart. "Hayato is not an unknown I picked up from the streets to play a part, Minato."
Minato raised an eyebrow, slightly confused. "I know. You told me three months ago he was your son. I assumed you meant you officially adopted him to secure the Saito bloodline since you never married."
"No," Hiroshi said, his hands tightening around his cup. "He is my real son. My biological child."
Minato froze.
"When Saina was forced to return to the capital all those years ago," Hiroshi explained, his eyes filled with a mixture of old pain and new determination, "she went off with my child already in her womb. She had my son. I only found out the absolute truth through a DNA match when he was admitted to the hospital three months ago. Whatever happened to him before he ended up in that alley, it was tied to the capital."
Minato stared at Hiroshi, completely baffled. His muddled mind tried to connect the dots, but the timeline and the underlying scheme didn't make sense based on what Hiroshi had told the world.
"What do you mean..?" Minato asked, his voice sharp with utter confusion. "If he's actually your biological son from Saina, what's with all the charade? And why does the boy himself look at you like you're a stranger?"
Hiroshi leaned back, his expression turning grim once more. "Because, whatever it is that happened in the capital... I don't know about it. What if... that family is still watching and waiting for him to turn up. If they knew he possessed three soul forms... would they let him go as easily as last time! Right now, even Hayato has no idea he is actually my real son. He thinks he is just an amnesiac playing a corporate role for a lonely Chairman. It has to stay that way until he is strong enough to defend himself."