Deus.Ex.Machina Chapter 38

I was in my study that evening, staring at papers I couldn't read, when Hayama knocked softly.

"Young master? Miss Shitori is here to see you."

Sona. I'd forgotten we were supposed to et about the hospital thing. The thought of trying to talk business right now made feel tired.

"Tell her I'll call her later," I said without looking up.

"I... already tried, sir. She said no."

Of course she did. Sona never gave up easily.

"Fine. Send her in."

The door opened, and Sona walked in. She wasn't wearing her school uniform or fancy clothes. Just a dark sweater and jeans, her hair down. She looked... different. Softer.

"I brought tea," she said quietly, putting a thermos and cups on the table. "And I canceled our eting."

I blinked. "What?"

"The hospital project. I moved it to next week." She poured tea into both cups. "I'm not here for business, Leon."

Sothing in her voice made really look at her. Her purple eyes were watching with an expression I'd never seen before - gentle, worried, almost... caring.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because you're hurting." She sat down across from , holding her tea. "And because I... I care about you."

The words hit hard. I'd been trying to hold it together for days, pretending to be the strong heir even when everything inside was falling apart.

"I'm fine,"

"No, you're not." Her voice was soft but sure. "Leon, you don't have to pretend with ."

I stared at her, feeling sothing crack inside my chest. All the walls I'd built up, the mask I'd been wearing - it all felt so heavy.

"I don't know what I'm doing," I whispered.

She didn't say anything. Just waited.

"They taught everything. Every part of the business, every person, every plan. Dad would explain board etings to after, tell about the politics, the business stuff, how to read people." My voice was getting shaky. "I thought I was ready. I thought I got it."

"But?"

"But I can't think straight. I sit in those etings and all I can think about is how he should be there, not . How he'd know what to say, what to do." I put down my pen with shaking hands. "I'm seventeen, Sona. I'm seventeen and I'm supposed to run a company worth billions, deal with supernatural politics I barely understand, and I can't even get through a simple eting without falling apart."

The words hung between us. I'd never said that to anyone - not even to myself.

Sona put down her tea and ca around the desk. Before I could react, she was kneeling beside my chair, her hands covering mine.

"Leon," she said softly. "Look at ."

I did, and saw sothing in her eyes that made my breath catch. Not pity. Not the cold interest I'd gotten used to from other devils. Just... warmth. Understanding.

"You're not supposed to have all the answers right now," she said. "You're hurting. Your parents just died, and everyone expects you to step right into their place. That's not fair."

"But the company-"

"Will be okay while you figure things out." Her grip on my hands got tighter. "You're not alone in this. You have people who want to help."

"Like who?" The question ca out bitter. "Board mbers who think I'm just a kid? Supernatural people who probably think I'm weak?"

"Like ." The words were barely a whisper. "You have ."

Sothing broke open in my chest. All the pain, the fear, the loneliness I'd been carrying - it all ca rushing out at once.

I started crying. Not quiet tears like at the funeral, but ugly, gasping sobs that shook my whole body. All the hurt I'd been holding back, trying to be strong, trying to be good enough for my parents.

Sona didn't say anything. She just pulled forward, wrapping her arms around as I completely fell apart. Her sweater was soft against my face, and she slled like vanilla and sothing that was just her.

"I miss them so much," I choked out between sobs. "I miss them and I'm scared I'm going to ss up everything they built."

"You won't," she said firmly, one hand stroking my hair. "You're stronger than you think, Leon. I've seen it."

I don't know how long we stayed like that - crying into her shoulder while she held , whispering quiet words. Eventually, the crying stopped, leaving empty but sohow lighter.

I pulled back slowly, suddenly aware of how close we were. Sona's face was inches from mine, her eyes soft with worry and sothing deeper I didn't want to think about.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"You don't need to thank ." She reached up, brushing away my last tears with her thumb. "This is what people do for each other. What... what friends do."

The word 'friends' hung between us, heavy with all the things we weren't saying. The way she was looking at , the way my heart was racing even through the grief - this felt like more than friendship. But neither of us was ready to say it yet.

"I should go," she said softly, but she didn't move.

"Stay," I said before I could stop myself. "Please. Just... for a little while."

She nodded, going back to the chair beside . We sat quietly, drinking our tea as it got dark outside.

For the first ti since Hayama told the news, I didn't feel completely alone.

My phone buzzed on the desk, breaking the quiet. A new ssage.

I almost ignored it - I'd been getting sympathy calls and business stuff all week. But sothing made pick it up.

The ssage was from Dad's phone.

My blood went cold. I stared at the screen, not breathing.

"Leon?" Sona's voice seed far away. "What is it?"

I couldn't answer. Couldn't move. Just stared at that impossible ssage from a dead man's phone.

The preview showed only the first few words: "Son, if you're reading this..."

I stared at the phone screen, my hands shaking.

"Leon?" Sona's voice was full of worry. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't look at her. Couldn't think straight. A ssage from Dad's phone.

"I need..." I started, my voice cracking. "I need you to leave. Please."

"Leon-"

"Please." I finally looked up at her, and whatever she saw in my face made her step back. "I need to be alone right now."

She hesitated, clearly not wanting to go. But sothing in my expression must have convinced her.

"Okay," she said softly. "But call if you need anything. Anything at all."

I nodded, not trusting my voice. She gathered her things and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

The mont she was gone, I grabbed my phone with trembling fingers and opened the ssage.

Son, if you're reading this, then your mother and I are dead.

The words hit like a punch to the gut. I had to read them three tis before they sank in.

I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry you have to go through this. I set this ssage to send automatically if sothing happened to us. I hoped I'd never need it.

My vision blurred. I wiped my eyes and kept reading.

There are things I never told you. Things I should have prepared you for, but I wanted to keep you safe. I wanted you to have a normal life as long as possible.

The world isn't what it seems, Leon. There are things out there - supernatural things. Devils, angels, fallen angels and gods. They're real, and they're part of our business. Your grandfather made deals with them long ago. That's how Mishima Corporation beca what it is.

I stopped breathing. He knew. Dad knew about the supernatural world.

Your mother didn't know. I kept her out of it to protect her. She died not knowing the truth, and maybe that's for the best. So knowledge is too dangerous.

But you need to know now. You need to understand what you've inherited. Not just a company, but a responsibility. A balance that's kept the peace for decades.

My hands were shaking so hard I could barely hold the phone.

If you're reading this, we probably didn't die in an accident. I can't say more but be careful, son. Trust no one completely. Not even those who claim to want to help.

The room felt like it was spinning. They were murdered. My parents were murdered.

I know this is overwhelming. I know you're scared and angry and lost. But listen to carefully - your life matters more than the company. More than any deal or responsibility or legacy.

If it gets too dangerous, if you feel like you're in over your head, walk away. Sell the company. Leave Japan. Live a quiet life sowhere safe. I would rather have you alive and poor than dead and rich.

Tears were streaming down my face now.

You're stronger than you know, Leon. Smarter than you give yourself credit for. But you're also my son, and all I've ever wanted is for you to be happy and safe.

I love you. Your mother loved you. Whatever happens next, rember that. Rember that we were proud of you. That we believed in you.

But most of all, rember that your life is worth more than anything else. Don't throw it away for a company or a legacy or anyone else's expectations.

Be safe, son. Be smart. And if you can't be both, choose safe.

All my love, Dad

I let the phone drop onto the desk and buried my face in my hands.

They were murdered. My parents were murdered because of the supernatural world I'd been diving deeper into every day. The very world I'd been training for, preparing for, thinking I could handle.

And Dad had known. He'd known about devils and angels and all of it, but he'd kept it from . Kept Mom from knowing. Tried to protect us both.

But it hadn't been enough.

The ssage was clear - he'd suspected sothing might happen. Had prepared for it. And his last words to weren't about the company or responsibility or carrying on the family legacy.

They were about staying alive.

Your life matters more than the company.

The words echoed in my head as I sat there in the dark, crying for parents who'd died trying to keep safe from a world I was already neck-deep in.

A world that had just beco infinitely more dangerous.

I cried until there were no more tears left. Until my chest felt hollow and my eyes burned. I cried for my parents, for the life we'd never have, for the innocence I'd lost.

And when the tears finally stopped, sothing else took their place.

Cold. Hard. Absolute rage.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and stood up slowly. My reflection in the dark window looked different sohow. Older. Harder.

"This is the last ti," I said to the empty room, my voice hoarse but steady. "The last ti I cried. "

I picked up my phone and deleted the ssage. Whatever Dad had been afraid of, whoever had killed them, they thought they were dealing with a grieving teenager. A normal human boy who'd inherited more than he could handle.

They were wrong.

My mind started racing, going through possibilities. Who would want my parents dead? Who would benefit from destabilizing Mishima Corporation?

The Khaos Brigade. Those terrorists loved chaos, loved destroying the balance that kept the supernatural world stable. Our company was a perfect target.

Devils. Maybe soone who thought they could take over our supernatural contracts if the human leadership was gone.

Fallen angels who disagreed with Azazel's involvent.

Even ambitious gods who saw our neutral stance as a threat to their own power plays.

The list was endless. Without evidence, I couldn't be sure who had pulled the trigger. Could be any of them. Could be all of them working together.

But I was sure of one thing.

Whoever was responsible for this.

They had no idea what they'd unleashed.

I didn't care if it was gods or devils or the entire supernatural world.

They were going to die.

All of them.

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