SWNOVELXO Chapter 15: New Skin
The studio apartment wasn't his old place. It was sharper, cleaner, too pristine to feel like home. A gift from Yumi. Functional, but unfamiliar. The faint scent of fresh paint still lingered in the corners, reminding him this life was newly unwrapped.
Riku loosened his tie and placed his jacket carefully on the chair. The day had been long, but not heavy. Just... tightly wound. A performance laced with subtle provocations and quiet calculations.
He headed into the shower. Steam rolled over the glass as hot water pressed against his skin, stripping away the masks he wore. This was where the thoughts came, free of scrutiny, full of clarity.
Yua's eyes, curious and assessing. Fuyumi's attention, unfiltered. Kenji's silence, loaded. The Ministry project....a proving ground masked as an opportunity.
After drying off, he moved to the small desk. A notebook waited, but he didn't open it.
He didn't need it.
"System" He murmurred.
[MIDNIGHT SYSTEM – STATUS PANEL]
[Host: Riku Asano]
Focus: 10
Charisma: 10
Stamina: 10
Libido: 10
Composure: 10
[E-Cap Earned: +130]
[Total Available MP: 7.5]
[Skills]
[Primordial Alpha – On Cooldown (28 Days)]
[Body Sculpt (Passive)]
[Voice of Velvet (Passive)]
[Posture Protocol (Passive)]
[Microexpression Mastery (Passive)]
He nodded to himself, pleased. Every move today had been measured, and it was working. Not explosive. But effective.
Day One – Tactical Summary:
Yua Kanzaki:
Attracted. Guarded. Opened the door slightly, just enough to tempt.
Fuyumi:
Wants more than she lets on. Unhappy. Valuable and vulnerable.
Kenji:
Quiet today. Will move soon. Watch closely.
The Ministry Project:
Ideal battlefield. High visibility. Eight months of embedded access.
Riku's phone buzzed. A new notification, email from Yua.
Subject: Briefing Prep
"Read through all Ministry project files. You'll present your analysis tomorrow. Consider this a dry run. I want to see how sharp your instincts are." – Y.K.
He smirked.
No pleasantries. No mercy. Just expectations.
Perfect.
He opened the attachment. 200 pages. Detailed, dry, but layered.
This was the test.
And Riku Asano had no intention of failing.
___
The Vice President's First Move
The glass conference room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Fuyumi sat at one end of the polished table, one leg crossed over the other, pen in hand though she hadn't written a word. Yua stood by the window, backlit by pale clouds and glass reflections, arms folded loosely like she was deciding whether to bother with mercy today.
Riku arrived exactly on time.
No nervous glance. No hesitation. Just the quiet push of the door, the crisp click of his shoes across the floor, and a short nod as he took his seat opposite them, precisely equidistant.
He didn't bring a laptop. Just a leather notepad and a matte-black pen. Old-school. Clean. Confident.
Fuyumi quirked a brow. "No slides? No printouts? No bribe in the form of designer pastries?"
Riku met her gaze. "Didn't know I needed to win your approval. Thought I already passed."
The corners of her mouth twitched. Yua didn't look over, but something about her stillness shifted slightly, like a note struck on an instrument only she could hear.
"You're not here to pass," Yua said finally, her voice as soft as it was surgical. "You're here to perform."
"I plan to," Riku replied. Calm. Unbothered. "Shall we?"
Yua walked slowly toward the table, heels silent on the floor, each step unhurried. Not a performance. Just a statement.
She took her seat beside Fuyumi but didn't open the file in front of her.
Instead, she looked at him directly. Studied him. Not like a superior reviewing a subordinate, but like a woman reviewing something she couldn't quite categorize.
"Tell me your read on the Ministry project," she said, voice low but clear. "You've had the files for seventy-two hours. Don't summarize. I want insight. Real insight."
Riku didn't hesitate.
"The budget is bloated," he said. "The proposed timeline's a political bluff....they'll move the goalpost the moment we're in too deep to pull out. And the senior liaison on their end? Kiritani? He's not the real decision-maker. He's just the mouthpiece."
Fuyumi blinked. Yua didn't.
"And who is the real decision-maker?" Yua asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
"His assistant," Riku said. "Yamamoto. Quiet. Observant. Never interrupts. But he's the one watching who you shake hands with and how long you hold them. He's logging power dynamics, not policy."
Fuyumi let out a low whistle. "Damn. You always this paranoid?"
"Only when it matters."
Yua leaned back in her chair, fingers steepled. "That's either very sharp… or very rehearsed."
Riku shrugged. "You hired me to tell you what no one else will."
"That remains to be seen."
Fuyumi watched the exchange with quiet interest. She wasn't smiling anymore, not the usual teasing grin, anyway. Something more curious had replaced it. Her gaze flicked between them like she was reading an unspoken script they hadn't handed her.
"Alright," Yua said, breaking the silence. "Let's say I'm impressed. Mildly."
"Which is a lot, coming from her," Fuyumi muttered.
Yua ignored her. "So what do you suggest? Cancel the deal?"
"No," Riku said. "You don't cancel a dance because the floor's uneven. You adjust your footing."
Yua's lips curved. Not quite a smile. But close.
"Clever metaphor," she said.
"It wasn't a metaphor."
Another pause.
Tension didn't rise here like drama, it thickened like cream, quiet and rich and slow. There was no shouting in this office. Just carefully placed words, sharpened glances, and moves made two turns in advance.
Fuyumi finally leaned forward, folding her arms on the table. "Alright, mystery man. Let's cut the seduction act."
"Wasn't aware I was performing one," Riku replied without looking at her.
"Please. You walk in here with your tailored silence, your perfect grooming, your barely-there cologne...what is that, oud and vetiver?, and expect us to believe you're just here for spreadsheets?"
Yua chuckled softly. "She's not wrong."
Riku met Fuyumi's gaze evenly. "Let me ask you something. Would you respect me more if I came in flustered, apologetic, and begging for your approval?"
Fuyumi opened her mouth, then stopped. He saw the flicker of genuine thought cross her features.
Yua answered for her. "No. We'd eat you alive."
"Exactly."
Silence fell again. But this time, it was a different kind of quiet. One of mutual recognition.
Finally, Yua closed the file in front of her. Tapped it once.
"The Ministry meeting is on Monday," she said. "You'll lead it. I'll sit in, but I won't step in."
Fuyumi blinked. "Wait, you're throwing him into the fire already?"
"He doesn't seem the type to burn easily," Yua replied, eyes still on Riku. "Let's see if he's smoke… or steel."
Riku stood. Adjusted his cuff links. Not smug. Just deliberate.
"I'll be ready."
Yua nodded once. "Don't disappoint me."
Riku met her gaze, and for the first time, let a smile curve just slightly at the corner of his mouth.
"I won't. But I might surprise you."
He left without another word.
___
Scene: After He Leaves
The door shut with a soft click. Fuyumi leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
"Well, fuck."
Yua didn't move. Just kept watching the empty doorway, her thoughts unreadable.
"Are we promoting a rising star," Fuyumi muttered, "or feeding a wolf?"
Yua exhaled slowly. "Maybe both."
Another beat. Then, softly, like an admission that didn't want to be one:
"He was right about Yamamoto."
Fuyumi turned to her, surprised. "You already suspected?"
Yua didn't answer.
But her silence said enough.