The room was silent.
"But if you stay," Hanae continued, "you need to understand something. I'm not my father. I'm not interested in honor for honor's sake. I'm not interested in tradition that doesn't serve us. What I am interested in is survival. In protecting our people. In making the Kurosawa clan so strong that no one dares to fuck with us ever again."
She placed both hands on the table, leaning forward.
"I disappeared for six years and that was my mistake. But I'm back now. And I'm done apologizing. So tell me—are you in or are you out?"
Ichiro was the first to move. He pulled his tanto from the table, held it horizontal across both palms, and bowed.
"I'm in, Kumicho."
One by one, the others followed. Knives lifted. Heads bowed. Even Saito, after a long moment, picked up his weapon and bowed.
"We're in," he said. "But Lady—Kumicho—if you disappear again, if you choose another man over this clan, I will hunt you down myself."
