Page 387 of Mercy Written in Blood

"I know."

"You have delayed the meeting twice."

"I was unconscious the first time."

"The second?"

"I was avoiding it."

Renji raised an eyebrow.

"No masks."

Haruki sighed.

"That phrase is becoming oppressive."

"It remains accurate."

The meeting waited two floors below in a private conference room. Ken. Akiko. Commander Mori. Mina. Ryota. Riku's mother. Representatives of the Ishida Family, Accord eastern command and what remained of the Unveiled leadership. No one had agreed on what the gathering was. A negotiation. A debrief. An armistice. A temporary arrangement made necessary by the fact that every faction now possessed enough information to damage the others and not enough to survive doing so alone.

Haruki stood again. Renji reached for him. This time, Haruki took his hand before he could decide whether to offer support openly. Renji looked down at their joined fingers. Neither released the other.

They walked towards the door. Slowly.

The conference room had once been used for private high-limit games. The card table had been removed. The security cameras remained. Mori noticed them immediately.

"You are recording this."

Haruki lowered himself into the chair at the head of the table.

"Yes."

"That complicates candour."

"So does your organisation."

Ken covered a cough that might have been a laugh.

Mori sat opposite Haruki. His throat still carried faint bruising from Renji's hand. He did not look towards him.

Renji took the chair beside Haruki. Not behind. No adviser's distance. The placement drew several glances. Haruki ignored them.

Mina sat with Ryota on one side of the table. Her white band had been removed from her wrist and placed before her on the polished wood. Riku's mother sat farther down with her son beside her. He wore borrowed clothes and held a carton of apple juice he had not opened. Akiko stood near the wall with a medical bag and the expression of someone prepared to end the meeting through force if Haruki's pulse changed. Ken remained by the door. Not guarding it. Making certain no one mistook access for control.

Mori placed a thin file on the table.

"The official position is that a terrorist cell targeted the Casino in connection with organised crime activity."

Mina stared at him.

"You're still lying."

"Yes."

The direct answer silenced the room. Mori continued.

"The explanation is insufficient. It will not survive sustained scrutiny. But it prevents immediate panic while we assess exposure."