The private living quarters of the Osaka Continental were quiet.
Aleksander set a sleek, black metal case on the low wooden table between Koji and Akira.
He opened the lid.
Inside rested pieces of technology that looked like they belonged in a sci-fi movie.
He handed the first items to Koji and Akira: Kimoyo Bead wristlets.
They were a seamless loop of eleven dark, obsidian-colored spheres.
Glowing blue lines traced across the glossy surfaces, and glowing white Japanese symbols were etched into the center of each bead.
Akira picked one up and wrapped it around Aleksander’s wrist.
The beads pulled together magnetically, snapping into a perfect loop.
Smiling, she quickly grabbed her own and let it snap onto her wrist.
“What do they do?” Akira asked, looking at the glowing blue lines.
Aleksander tapped the center bead on his own wrist.
Instantly, the lights in the room dimmed.
A crisp, blue hologram projected right out of the bead, floating in the air.
It showed a perfect, real-time 3D map of the entire hotel.
“They are completely untraceable computers,” Aleksander explained, swiping his hand to dismiss the map.
The hologram changed into a floating video screen.
“You can use them to make secure holographic calls, control the hotel’s security doors, or even scan a room for hidden cameras.
But this is your real gift, Akira.”
He handed her a sleek headset.
It had two metal rings that crossed over her head and a purple visor covering the eyes.
“I call it the AmuSphere,” Aleksander said simply.
“It doesn’t just put a screen in front of your eyes like a normal video game.
It connects straight to your mind.
If you play a game in this, you will actually feel the wind on your face, smell the air, and walk around like it is real life.”
Akira’s eyes went wide.
She looked from the headset to Aleksander, let out a loud, excited laugh, and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
Without wasting another second, she grabbed the AmuSphere and rushed down the hall to her room to try it out.
That left Aleksander and Koji alone in the quiet room.
Aleksander reached into the bottom of the case and pulled out a neatly folded, matte-black uniform.
He set it on the table in front of Koji, along with a small medical injector.
“This suit is for you,” Aleksander explained.
“It is completely bulletproof, and it absorbs the heavy hits so your ribs won’t break.
And this injector has tiny microscopic machines inside.
If you are ever shot or stabbed, the machines will instantly close the wound and heal you up from the inside.”
Koji looked at the suit.
As a master of the underworld, he knew this armor would keep him alive through almost anything.
But his eyes didn’t focus on the high-tech fabric.
They locked onto the inside of the collar, where a small, silver plate was stitched into the mesh.
Engraved perfectly into the metal were two words: For Father.
Koji’s breath hitched.
He had raised Aleksander for nearly a decade.
Koji always knew Aleksander cared for them, but the boy’s mind was so logical and focused that Koji sometimes wondered if Aleksander only saw him as a guardian or a teacher.
Seeing those two words changed everything.
Koji, the tough, hardened leader of the Shimazu clan, felt his vision blur as a single tear slipped down his cheek.
“I love my birth parents,” Aleksander said softly, dropping his usual serious tone.
“My mind won’t let me forget a single thing about them.
But when they died, I was completely lost.
I was at the lowest point of my life, and you were the one who pulled me out.”
Aleksander stepped closer, looking directly at the older man.
“You gave me a home when I had nothing.
You will always be my father.”
Koji didn’t say a word.
He didn’t need to.
He stood up, crossed the short distance between them, and pulled Aleksander into a firm, tight hug.
For all the boy’s god-level intelligence and terrifying skills, in that moment, he was just a son holding onto his dad.
Koji finally pulled back from the hug, clearing his throat and wiping a hand over his face.
The hardened assassin leader composed himself, returning to his usual calm demeanor.
He gestured for Aleksander to sit across from him at the table.
“You have given me a great gift today, Aleksander,” Koji said, pouring them both a fresh cup of tea.
“So, as your father, I am going to give you an order.
One you might not like.”
Aleksander took the teacup, raising an eyebrow.
“Is there a problem with Apex Industries?”
“The problem is you,” Koji said bluntly, though his eyes were warm.
“You are fifteen years old.
You are a genius, a billionaire, and a deadly fighter.
But you cannot spend your entire youth switching between a basement laboratory and hunting monsters in the dark.
A lab and an assassination list cannot be your only life.”
Aleksander took a sip of tea.
“I don’t need a normal life, father.
My mind doesn’t require standard social interaction to function.”
“Your brain might not need it, but your soul does,” Koji countered firmly.
“You need to learn how to be around normal people your own age.
You need a social life.
So, I have already enrolled you in a high school.”
Aleksander blinked, genuinely surprised.
“A high school?
Where?
If I go to a private academy in Tokyo or New York, the other syndicate families will notice.”
“That is exactly why I picked a place far away from the Continental, the High Table, and prying eyes,” Koji explained.
“It is a quiet, completely normal small town in America.
Aleksander’s hand stopped halfway to setting his teacup down.
His mind instantly fired, diving deep into the locked, archived memories of his previous life.
Riverdale.
It wasn’t just a town on a map.
He remembered his old life as an overworked financial analyst.
He remembered sitting in a sterile breakroom while his coworkers endlessly gossiped about a popular television show with that exact name.
Aleksander hadn’t watched the show himself.
Working hundred-hour weeks before his heart gave out didn’t leave him any time to relax and watch teen dramas.
But because he remembered everything he had ever heard, he perfectly recalled the watercooler talk.
His coworkers had described a town filled with high schoolers dealing with ridiculous amounts of murder, gangs, and dark secrets.
He had already accepted that he was reborn into a world where John Wick and the Trinity Killer existed.
It seemed Riverdale was real here, too.
“A quiet, completely normal small town,” Aleksander repeated slowly, a very faint, knowing smirk touching his lips.
“Yes,” Koji nodded, completely unaware of the town’s true nature.
“Fresh air.
Normal teenagers.
It will be boring, but boring is exactly what you need right now.”
Aleksander looked down at his tea.
If his coworkers’ old conversations were accurate, this town was going to be anything but boring.
But Koji was right about one thing—it would be a change of pace.
“Alright,” Aleksander agreed, setting the cup down.
“I’ll go to Riverdale.”
Koji smiled, clearly relieved that the boy hadn’t argued.
“Good.
I am already setting up a quiet house for you near the edge of town.
I am having it upgraded to ensure your security and privacy, so it will take a couple of months to be completely ready.
You will have to wait until then.”
Aleksander thought about the current timeline for Apex Industries.
He looked at the hardened assassin who had raised him, his mind perfectly registering the shift in their dynamic.
“That timing is perfect, Father,” Aleksander said, the title settling naturally between them.
“I just finished a major prototype in the lab.
A couple of months is exactly what I need to finalize the manufacturing and release it to the public before I leave.
Once it launches, Cortana can manage the company remotely while I am in class.”
Koji’s smile widened just a fraction, the word Father warming the quiet room.
“Then focus on your work for now.
Once the house is ready, your normal life begins.”
Aleksander gave a small nod.
He knew Riverdale was going to be anything but normal, but he kept that to himself.
“I will get everything ready, Father.”