Chapter Twenty-Two: The Watching Eyes

The alley was narrow, swallowed by shadow even under the midday sun. Hidden in the silence, two men stood motionless—one crouched on a rooftop, the other leaned against a rusted stairwell. They wore no uniforms, no visible symbols of allegiance. But their eyes… sharp, trained, and deadly, marked them as something more than common thugs.

They were part of the Tsujihara-gumi.

Shigure's surveillance unit—an elite group specializing in observation, infiltration, and vanishing without a trace. Not even the Kurohane elite force could match their ability to shadow targets unnoticed.

Below them, the target moved.

Ryuji Tatsugami exited the local ramen shop with Kaito and another classmate trailing just behind. His hands were tucked in his pockets, a lazy gait concealing the ever-present storm under his calm exterior.

"He doesn't even try to hide himself," one of the spotters whispered into his throat mic. "Target leaving Kirigawa Street, heading north toward Sakuragi Avenue."

"Understood," came the response through the earpiece. "Maintain distance. Don't engage. Oyabun's orders."

From across the street, a third operative tracked Ryuji through a convenience store's mirrored windows. His phone appeared in his hand, snapping a discreet photo of Ryuji's companions.

"Two regulars. One unknown," he muttered.

Inside a hidden surveillance hub beneath the Tsujihara-gumi estate, data flowed in. Shigure Tsujihara stood behind a wall of monitors, arms crossed, his eyes narrowing with each report.

The monitors displayed timestamps, heat signatures, location tags, and whispers pulled from microphones embedded in streetlights and rooftops. Every word, every movement Ryuji made was cataloged.

But Shigure wasn't smiling.

"He's not like the others," he murmured.

A subordinate stepped forward, bowing. "Sir?"

"He doesn't walk like a student. He walks like a predator in a den of prey."

Shigure turned away from the monitors, his voice quiet.

"Double the watchers. We move to Phase Two."

---

Back at Sakuragi High, the atmosphere was… off.

Ryuji felt it the moment he stepped past the school gate. Eyes lingered just a little longer. Conversations stopped when he passed. Even teachers seemed wary, lips tight and glances darting.

Kaito leaned close as they walked the corridor. "You feel that, too?"

"Yeah," Ryuji muttered. "Something's changed."

Posters lined the walls announcing a new disciplinary crackdown—'Zero Tolerance for Violence,' signed by the student council and school board. On the surface, it seemed like just another PR move, but Ryuji knew better.

The list of students under "behavioral review" had been released earlier that morning.

He was at the top.

Behind him, whispers followed. Students exchanging rumors, teachers faking smiles. Even the usual delinquents who once tried picking fights gave him a wide berth now.

Fear.

But not fear of him.

Fear of something else watching.

During lunch, he and Kaito sat on the rooftop, the wind rough and sky overcast. Neither touched their food.

"They're tightening things up. Someone's pulling strings," Kaito said.

"Sora?" Ryuji asked.

Kaito shook his head. "He's finished. Broken. This feels like something colder."

Ryuji looked out over the courtyard. "Then it's the others."

He thought of the Five Immortal Vassals. The ones responsible for destroying the Tatsugami name. The ones who had stained their hands with his family's blood.

His fingers clenched.

Just then, his phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number.

"You're being watched. Walk carefully."

No name. No ID. Nothing else.

Kaito leaned in. "Another threat?"

"No," Ryuji said. "A warning."

He stood up, pocketing his phone. The wind tugged at his uniform, his presence suddenly heavy.

"I'm done waiting."

---

Elsewhere, in a black van parked blocks from the school, one of the surveillance operatives removed his earpiece.

"Sir, he just received an anonymous warning."

Back at the Tsujihara compound, Shigure's eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

"We're not sure. The signal was bounced through six relays."

Shigure tapped the table once, then turned to a shadowed figure behind him.

"Deploy our special unit. Begin pressure operations. I want his routine disrupted—his sleep, his peace, his friends. No blood, not yet. But make him squirm."

The order was clear.

No more watching from the shadows.

The hunt had begun.

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