Page 113 of Kotori
"I'm proud of your courage in seeking truth instead of accepting shame." I lean forward, holding her gaze with paternal certainty. "And I'm going to make sure the man who hurt you pays for what he's done."
She recognizes the violence implicit in that promise, there's no missing it, but I hope she also knows that her father's protection will shield her from further harm. "What happens now?" she asks quietly.
"Now you go upstairs with Paige. You rest, and tomorrow we begin rebuilding what that predator tried to destroy." My voice drops to something implacable. "Leave Daichi Shuichi to me."
They rise to leave, but Paige pauses at the door, meeting my eyes with understanding that chills my blood. She recognizes the promise of violence in my tone, the absolute certainty that retribution will be swift and complete. "Be careful," she says softly.
The concern touches something deep in my chest, but tonight isn't about being careful. Tonight is about being thorough.
Alone in my study, I reach for the encrypted phone that connects directly to Takeshi. Solitude allows my rage to crystallize into something pure and lethal.
He answers on the first ring. "Aniki? I was hoping you'd call."
Of course he was. Takeshi has been investigating, probably already knowing more than his initial forensic report revealed.
"Tell me you have everything on Daichi Shuichi."
"Complete profile ready for your review. Financial records, properties, security details, daily patterns." His voice carries grim satisfaction. "The technical analysis was just the beginning. I kept digging after our conversation."
"And?"
"The bastard frequents joshi kosei bars in Shibuya. Multiple establishments, regular customer, known by name." Takeshi's disgust bleeds through his professional tone. "Lowest of the low, Aniki. He gets off on schoolgirl fantasies, pays to sit with teenagers in uniforms."
The revelation makes my vision blur with rage. Not just a predator, but someone who systematically seeks out the youngest legal targets available. Someone who fetishizes innocence itself.
"How long?"
"Years. Since he turned twenty. The bar owners know him, keep his preferred 'type' available when he visits." Takeshi's voice drops to something lethal. "Specifically requests girls who look naive, inexperienced. Girls who remind him of proper daughters from good families."
The pattern crystallizes with perfect, sickening clarity. He wasn't content with occasional exploitation. He's built his entire adult life around hunting innocence, whether paid for in sleazy bars or groomed within respectable family circles.
"His father's involvement?"
"Sho had to know about the bars, probably considers it harmless compared to actual prostitution. But the grooming operation? That's all Daichi's innovation." Takeshi's analysis cuts deep. "He figured out how to get the same thrill while gaining political leverage for his family."
"And Hiroshi?"
"Opportunistic. Saw Daichi's leverage over our family and decided to exploit it for political gain. Probably doesn't know about the schoolgirl bars, just knows his ally Sho's son has compromising material on your daughter."
"What is Daichi's current location?"
"Downtown high-rise, thirty-second floor. Minimal security. He feels untouchable." Takeshi pauses. "Aniki, this requires careful handling. If we move against him directly, it exposes your daughter's situation. The shame might follow her regardless of the truth."
"Then we handle it quietly." I reach for the bottom desk drawer, retrieving items I haven't needed in years. "No witnesses. No evidence. Just consequences."
"Understood. What about his father's business interests?"
"Leave Sho to me. Tonight is about the predator who abused my daughter." The tactical knife slides into its ankle sheath with familiar weight. "Everything else can wait until morning."
DaichiShuichimadethefundamental error of threatening what belongs to me. Not just my daughter, but my family's honor, the sacred trust between father and child that forms the foundation of everything I've built. He convinced an eighteen-year-old girl that degradation was education, that exploitation was preparation for marriage. Used her innocence against her, then presented himself as generous salvation from the very trap he'd constructed.
The intelligence Takeshi provides is thorough. Daichi lives in a luxury high-rise downtown, the kind of place where wealthy young men play at sophistication while preying on innocence. His daily routine, his security protocols, his habits. All mapped with clinical precision.
But I don't want efficiency tonight. I want him to understand what it feels like to be helpless, watched, stalked by someone with absolute power over his fate.
The way my daughter felt for three months.
I follow him home from his favorite hostess bar, maintaining distance while observing his arrogant swagger. He feels safe in his expensive tower, protected by his father's reputation and his own assumed invincibility.
