Shadows

Tomoki left Ren in the bathroom with the truth burning in his hands without looking back. He had achieved his goal of sowing doubt in the Prince's mind. Without remorse, he headed for the elevator. As the metal doors closed, his relaxed chef's demeanor disappeared. He quickly removed his cap and stained apron, revealing black tactical clothing underneath, designed to blend into the darkness of the hallways.

He took out his phone. His fingers tapped the screen, typing a short message to an unsaved number: “ Phase 2 initiated. I'm on my way up. ”

Several floors above, the elevator stopped with a soft chime. The doors opened and a silhouette entered. At first, silence reigned in the cabin. The woman, dressed in an impeccable suit, maintained a rigid posture as she stared straight ahead. Tomoki did the same. Both continued to ride the elevator, like two strangers.

It was then that the woman spoke without turning her head. “ I hope you know what you're doing, Young Master. ” Her voice had a professional tone, but there was a hint of anxiety in it. “ I'm risking my position and President Kaguya's trust by allowing this. ”

Tomoki glanced sideways at his companion. “ Don't worry, Tanaka. ” Tomoki said calmly. “ Kaguya will never find out about this. This is just to confirm something. I need to know if he's real. If everything goes perfectly, no one will get hurt... except maybe me. ”

Tanaka sighed, adjusting his glasses. His loyalty to Kaguya was absolute, but his loyalty to the disinherited son he had watched grow up was something deeper. “ We're here ” said Tomoki.

The elevator stopped at the VIP floor. They both stepped out cautiously. From the shadows of a side hallway, they watched as Ren hesitantly swiped the black card and entered the balcony room where Mio was already waiting. “ They're inside. ” Tomoki whispered.

Tanaka nodded and strategically positioned himself in a corner, keeping an eye on the main hallway to make sure no staff or guests arrived. Tomoki, meanwhile, approached a maintenance door adjacent to the room. He knew there was a loose ventilation panel; he had loosened it himself hours earlier. He opened a small hole. Through it, he had a perfect view of the balcony.

He saw Ren and Mio. He saw the tension in the room. He saw how they talked. And, painfully, he saw how they grew closer. Tomoki clenched his fists in the darkness. He wanted to go in. He wanted to stop it. He wanted to be the one there, caressing Mio's cheek. But he forced himself to watch. He needed to know if Mio looked at Ren with the same eyes she looked at him. (“Damn... she does.”)

She was about to look away, unable to bear that kiss that seemed imminent, when her instincts kicked in. She heard a sound that did not belong to romance. A click. A faint flash bounced off one of the hallway walls, a few feet to her right.

Surprised and wide-eyed, Tomoki slowly turned toward the sound. There, crouched behind a plant, was a figure dressed entirely in black and wearing a mask. Most importantly, he had a professional camera with a telephoto lens pointed toward the balcony. (“A spy for Ryōma!?”)

Tomoki, horrified to realize that Mio's intimate moment was about to become his public downfall, didn't think. He reacted. He lunged at him.

The cameraman was so focused on focusing on the kiss that he didn't see the shadow coming. Tomoki intercepted him in the middle of the hallway. He pushed him hard and slammed him violently against the wall. That was the thud that Ren and Mio heard inside.

The photographer tried to fight back, but Tomoki was faster and visibly annoyed. He pinned his arm down and snatched the camera away. Without hesitation, Tomoki opened the slot, took out the SD memory card, and snapped it in two with his bare hands, dropping the pieces on the floor. “ Nobody touches it. ” Tomoki growled in the stunned spy's ear.

But all that happened in a flash. The door to the room burst open. Mio ran out, her face covered in tears and panic, rushing through the hallways. Tomoki barely had time to drag the unconscious cameraman into a nearby cleaning closet and hide himself, holding his breath as he watched Mio's trail of perfume fade away.

Minutes later, Ren also left the room looking devastated, heading toward the main elevators.

When the hallway fell silent, Tanaka emerged from her hiding place and walked quickly toward Tomoki, who was coming out of the cleaning room, brushing dust off his black clothes. Tanaka looked at the photographer's body lying unconscious on the floor. “ What happened? ” she asked, alarmed. “ Who is he? ”

“ A paparazzi, possibly hired by the Shinomiyas. ” Tomoki explained, breathing heavily. “ He had some compromising photos. But I managed to take the pictures away from him. They're destroyed. ”

Tanaka looked at the pieces of plastic on the floor and then looked at Tomoki. She saw the sadness in the Young Master's eyes. “ Young Master... ” she said softly. “ Did you get what you needed? Did you confirm what you wanted? ”

Tomoki looked toward the empty balcony where, just moments ago, the girl he loved was about to kiss someone else. “ Yes.” Tomoki said, his voice heavy with resignation. “ I confirmed it... ”

"Well?"

Tomoki smiled, but it was a broken, bitter smile. “ The result wasn't what I expected, Tanaka. I think... she loves him. And he... seems to truly love her too. ”

He adjusted his black jacket, returning to his role as protector of the night.  “Let's go. We have to get this trash out of here before he wakes up. ”