Return of the Ghost

The glass doors of Apex Digital Solutions slid open with their familiar whisper, but everything else felt different

The lobby was shinier than he remembered.

Polished floors, high ceilings, the buzz of movement, his shoes tapped a little louder this time. His posture was straight. Jaw clean-shaven. Shirt cuff brushing a watch that used to be beyond his budget.

Some glanced up, quick, uncertain looks. Like they were trying to place him. Not because he wasn't noticeable, but because he was almost unrecognizable.

Riku smirked at the irony. Once, this same place made him feel invisible.

Today, they looked at him like he was someone new. And maybe he was.

The receptionist glanced up from her screen, then did a double-take. Her usual practiced smile faltered for just a moment, replaced by genuine surprise.

"Good morning. I'm here to see Ms. Kanzaki" Riku said, his voice carrying a weight it never possessed before.

She blinked, clearly trying to place him. "Of course, sir. May I have your name?"

"Riku Asano."

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. Recognition flickered across her features, but not the kind he was used to. Not pity or dismissal. Something closer to... intrigue.

As he waited, familiar faces passed through the lobby. Former colleagues who once ignored him entirely now found their gazes lingering. Some frowned, caught between recognition and disbelief. Others whispered to their companions, pointing discretely.

"Hey, look at that guy," one girl whispered. "He's so handsome."

"Is he here to work at our company?"

"Maybe he's someone's boyfriend… or a model doing some shoot here?" another voice chimed in, all giggles and curiosity.

One man stared, mouth slightly open. Something about Riku's shape looked familiar, like someone he used to know. But he couldn't quite place him.

"Excuse me," Yamada approached hesitantly, "are you here for the interview? The senior consultant position?"

Riku turned, allowing a slight smile to play at the corners of his mouth. "Something like that."

The man squinted, recognition dawning slowly. "Wait... Riku? Riku Asano? Holy shit, is that really you?"

"Last I checked."

"But you... you look..." Yamada's hand waved in the air, grasping for words that wouldn't come. His eyes scanned Riku from head to toe, disbelief etched across his face.

"What the hell happened to you, man? Did you swallow some miracle supplement or something?"

Before Riku could answer, his phone buzzed sharply with a notification, slicing through the moment like a knife.

"Come straight to my office. Don't waste time."

He reached the executive floor. And there she was.

Ayaka Fujimoto, Yua Kanzaki's personal secretary. Mature, graceful, always poised in pearls and pencil skirts. Even back then, she carried an aura of collected elegance.

She glanced up from her tablet, then froze.

Brows furrowed.

"Can I help y....wait… Are you…?" She stood halfway, gaze scanning him.

He gave a slow, amused blink. "Seriously? You didn't recognize me?"

She stared, then her lips parted, soft surprise blooming on her face.

"You really are Riku?" A half-laugh escaped her. "You're… shining, huh? Changed yourself completely."

He shrugged, adjusting his cuff. "Figured I should match the paycheck."

Her eyes warmed with something close to admiration.

"You look good. I mean....different. Confident," she said, recovering fast.

Ayaka glanced toward the IT wing. "My husband's in a meeting with HR today. Security review." She paused. "He'll probably shit himself when he sees you."

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Kenji was... vocal about your departure. Said it was good that he left on his own or would have been kicked out anyway." She shrugged.

"Guess he didn't expect the house to invite you back as the new owner."

They walked past the cubicles. Same fluorescent buzz. Same coffee smell.

Kenji's desk was empty. Of course that asshole got promoted. Riku could still see him, hovering around managers, that fake laugh, staying late just to gossip. Everyone knew what he was doing. Nobody cared enough to stop him.

"He also took your old project," Ayaka said. "Got moved up to senior analyst last month."

"Good for him."

"You don't sound upset."

"Should I be?"

She studied his face in the elevator's reflection. "You're different. Not just the clothes. You carry yourself like..." She searched for the word. "Like you know something the rest of us don't."

The elevator dinged. Top floor. "Yua's been waiting," Ayaka said, straightening her jacket.

"Fair warning, she's been pacing since you called."

Riku adjusted his collar.

Time to step back in, not as who he was. But as who he was meant to become.

___

The door to Yua Kanzaki's office was still the same.

Frosted glass. A minimalist brass plate. And silence, thick like an unspoken secret.

Ayaka didn't knock. Just opened it with the crisp ease of someone who didn't need permission.

"She's ready," Ayaka said softly, her glance lingering on him, like she was watching something unfold, unsure if she liked what it meant.

Then she was gone.

Riku stepped inside.

Her eyes were already on the door. On him.

The moment he appeared in the frame, her expression shifted, pupils widening slightly, lips parting just enough to catch a breath she wasn't expecting to need.

It was shock. Pure, unfiltered shock.

Like seeing a ghost walk through fire and come out golden.

For three full seconds, neither of them moved. Neither spoke.

She just... stared.

At the cut of his shoulders in the tailored jacket. At the clean line of his jaw. At the way he filled the doorframe now, not hunched, not hesitant, but present. Really present.

Her fingers had stopped moving over her tablet. Her usually perfect composure cracked just enough to show something raw underneath.

Then she blinked. Once. Twice.

The mask slid back into place.

"Good morning, Ms. Kanzaki," Riku said, his voice steady and formal. A small bow of his head. Professional. Controlled.

She cleared her throat softly, setting the tablet aside.

"You..." she started, then stopped. Her eyes traveled over him again, slower this time, more deliberate. "You look good, Riku. Very good. I hardly recognized you."

A pause.

"You've improved. Considerably."

He adjusted his cuff, that small, confident gesture, and met her gaze directly.

"Didn't I tell you I'd surprise you?"

Her smile came slow. Dangerous.

"Let's see how many more surprises you've got."

She stood then, smoothing her skirt with practiced ease.

"But first, let's talk business." Her tone shifted, still warm, but edged with authority. "This project isn't like the smaller contracts you handled before. We're talking about a complete infrastructure overhaul for the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Security protocols, data migration, system integration across twelve government departments."

She moved to the window, hands clasped behind her back.

"Timeline is eight months. Budget is..." She glanced at him. "Let's just say it's significant enough to make or break careers. Including mine."

"And my role?"

"You're my second-in-command on this. Direct report to me only. No committee meetings, no bureaucratic approval chains. You answer to me, I answer to the client." She turned to face him fully. "Which means when I'm not available, you speak with my authority. When decisions need to be made, you make them. When problems arise..."

"I handle them."

"Exactly." Her eyes narrowed slightly, studying his reaction. "Think you can manage that level of responsibility? Or should I have brought back the old Riku who needed his hand held through every major decision?"

He met her gaze without flinching. "Try me."

A beat of silence.

Then she walked to her desk, picked up a sleek keycard and a sealed envelope.

"Your office is down the hall. Corner suite, windows, proper desk, all the executive perks you never had before." She extended the items to him. "Envelope's encrypted chip contains access keys and your onboarding credentials."

He stepped forward to take them, their fingers brushing briefly as she handed them over.

"Any questions?"

"Just one." He pocketed the keycard. "Why me? Really. What made you choose me for this?"

Her smile softened, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I couldn't find anyone better for the technical side. You're… annoyingly brilliant."

She paused, then added with a tilt of her head,

"And lately, you're not as hopeless in a room full of people either."

He frowned. "That's the reason?"

She shrugged. "You wanted the real reason?"

"Yeah."

She met his eyes, steady. "What do you think?"

Before he could answer, she turned away, already done with the conversation.

Dismissed.

She moved back toward her chair, dismissing him with elegant efficiency.

"Don't disappoint me, Mr. Asano. I don't give second chances."

"Good thing I won't need one."