The city of Beika
The Sky Lounge atop the Tenryuu Tower was Kaito's stage. At seven years old, he presided over an empire.
His parents, the true Dragon Throne, were operating on the global stage, too powerful to remain localized in Tokyo.
His father, Tenryuu Akihiko, was dismantling a major European bank's leadership. His mother, Tenryuu Mei, the master profiler, was advising a covert anti-terrorism unit in Asia.
They were everywhere, and they owned everything.
Kaito used the secure holographic display to check in with his siblings, the strategic pillars of his resources.
Tenryuu Ryuu, his older brother, the military strategist, reported from a secure U.S. base.
"Kaito. The enhanced surveillance drone fleet is prepared. The government thinks it's a mutual defense strategy. It's for your Beika City monitoring."
Tenryuu Sara, his older sister, the intelligence broker, reported from an unknown European location.
"I have finalized the acquisition of three major Kanto region media houses. You have absolute control over local narratives and digital footprints. Your fortress of silence is ready."
Kaito ended the calls. He was the child of a dynasty that transcended mere wealth. He commanded a global, functional apparatus of military, financial, and intelligence power.
Outside, the late afternoon sun bled a molten gold over the Tokyo skyline, catching the polished steel of buildings that Kaito's family secretly owned.
He was sipping, with unnatural poise, a small cup of Darjeeling tea, harvested from a private estate in the high Himalayas.
It was a tea most adults would never taste.
He was an outlier. A child with the memory of a thirty-year-old man, transmigrated into a legacy of power he hadn't earned, yet was now destined to wield.
Kaito's current task was to observe.
His current resource was patience.
Shinichi Kudo, the high school detective, is causing a stir a few districts away, he thought, adjusting the perfect cuff of his custom silk pajamas. The timeline has begun.
He didn't envy Kudo's fame. Fame attracted the spotlight, and the spotlight attracted bullets.
Kaito preferred the throne room, the control center, the place where all the wires connected.
He looked down, tracing the path of a tiny, glittering silver sedan moving quickly along an expressway near the Beika Art Museum.
The car seemed normal. Too normal, perhaps, for a vehicle traveling that fast while weaving so aggressively through traffic.
Kaito narrowed his eyes, instinctively seeking the pattern in the chaos. His wealth was useless if his mind was dull.
Why the sudden surge of speed?
Why did the driver tap the brake light exactly three times before cutting across three lanes?
A panicked driver? Or a calculated maneuver to lose a tail?
His heart gave a faint, unnatural thrum—a familiar sensation that had been dormant for the last few months.
It wasn't fear. It was activation.
A cold, crisp interface, invisible to the eye, snapped into existence behind his vision.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Triggered Investigation Protocol.]
[Current State: Lack of necessary observational skills to confirm hypothesis.]
[Recommended Acquisition: Skill Package - Advanced Vehicular Deduction (Level 1).]
[Cost: 0—Wealth Generator is currently idle. Unlimited Funds Available.]
[Proceed with Acquisition?]
Kaito didn't hesitate. Yes.
A cool, electric wave, like plunging his consciousness into pure water, washed over his mind. It was painless, instant.
He didn't just know how to read the car now; he felt the drag coefficient of the silver sedan, calculated the engine's RPM, and mapped the driver's stress level based on the tiny, almost imperceptible corrections of the steering wheel.
[ACQUIRE SKILL: Advanced Vehicular Deduction (Lvl 1) — Complete.]
[Analysis Complete:]
The silver sedan is not fleeing.
The driver is a highly trained professional executing a precise, evasive driving pattern, likely testing the car's limits on a public road, completely confident in their ability to avoid accident or apprehension.
He is driving a brand-new prototype model—likely a Tenryuu Security vehicle, being tested by one of your father's chief operatives.
Kaito sighed, the tension leaving his shoulders. Just a security test. Boring, but a perfect showcase for his new skill.
The System is still too literal, he mused. But infinitely generous.
He stood up, walking across the marble floor toward a hidden console built seamlessly into the wall paneling. His seven-year-old hands tapped a sequence of coordinates that would baffle any adult hacker.
[New Objective Detected: Immediate need for ground-level, secure observation capability in the Beika District.]
[Recommended Acquisition: Asset - Beika Sector Safehouse 001.]
[Asset Details: Fully automated three-story building, disguised as a luxury coffee shop. Includes: underground garage, secure armory, communications center, and a level-3 laboratory suite (equivalent to an Agasa-grade facility, but professional).]
[Cost: ¥4.5 Billion — Funded instantly by Tenryuu Holdings Shadow Account Alpha-7.]
[Proceed with Acquisition?]
A coffee shop disguise? Perfect, Kaito thought, smiling. Nothing was more invisible than a simple, necessary amenity in Tokyo.
"Acquire," he whispered, a childish voice issuing a command that shook the financial and real estate foundations of Beika City.
Across the city, entirely unnoticed, a small, perfectly located building near Beika High School changed hands. The previous owners vanished from all public records, their bank accounts seeing an unexpected, generous spike.
The deed, the permits, the zoning—all were instantly wiped clean and rewritten under a ghost corporation controlled by the System.
Kaito returned to his chair, the tea now cool. He held the cup up to the light, watching the way the fine porcelain shimmered.
He had acquired a single deduction skill and a multi-billion yen tactical asset. The whole process took less than five minutes.
This is the power of the Dragon Throne, he thought. Not the gun, not the fist, but the infinite resource.
He looked out over the sprawling, innocent-looking city. He saw the high schools, the parks, the police stations, and the quiet, elegant homes.
And somewhere in the darkness, the Organization was moving. Gin, Vodka, their nameless soldiers—they were planning, moving, killing.
They feared the police. They feared the FBI. They feared the detective they had turned into a child.
But the fear that truly haunted their ancient, corrupted masters? That was the fear of a power they couldn't bribe, couldn't fight, and couldn't even see.
They once destroyed an organization like you, Kaito promised the unseen shadows, a faint, cold smile touching his lips.
This time, I'm not just the destroyer.
I'm the commander.
He took another sip of tea, the taste of which was now sharper, laced with the metallic tang of strategy and absolute certainty.