A week had passed since Emi left Ren, and though time continued to move forward, her heart refused to follow. She missed him every single day. Even when she was at work or among others, her thoughts always drifted back to him.
At night, she would bury her face into her pillow to muffle the sounds of her crying, telling herself again and again that it was the right decision. She had convinced herself that she did the right thing by walking away from the man she loved, believing that her presence in his life would only bring danger and pain.
While she was busy clearing the tables at the café, placing empty cups and plates on a tray, a familiar voice called out gently behind her.
"Emi."
She turned and froze. "Granny Chiyo?"
Granny Chiyo smiled and stepped forward with slow grace. "I know you're working now, my dear. I won't take up your time. I'll just sit and wait until you're free."
Emi nodded quickly and guided her to a quiet seat. "Let me bring you some fresh tea."
A few minutes later, when the café quieted and Emi was finally able to step away, she returned to the table and sat across from her.
Granny Chiyo took a small sip of tea and looked at her with kind, steady eyes. "I heard what happened. I'm truly sorry, Emi."
Emi lowered her gaze. "Ren saved me."
Granny Chiyo tilted her head slightly. "And I also heard that you broke things off with Ren. Is that true?"
Emi hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
There was a pause. Then Granny Chiyo asked gently, "Are you happy, child?"
Emi's lips parted, but she struggled to form the words. Eventually, she admitted, "I miss him. Every day. But I didn't want to be the reason something terrible happens again. I didn't want to be his weakness. I didn't want to be used to hurt him."
Her voice trembled. "I'm not strong enough. I couldn't protect myself. I just… I felt useless. I didn't think I deserved to stand beside someone like him."
Granny Chiyo listened quietly, then reached out and placed her hand over Emi's. "You remind me of someone. Ren's mother once said the same thing. She was assaulted twice. It only stopped when Ren's father lost his temper and made a very clear statement to the entire mafia underworld. After that, no one dared touch her again."
Emi looked up in shock. "I never knew that."
Granny Chiyo nodded. "That's not a story we tell just anyone. But I want you to know it because I want you to understand something about the man Ren has become. He will protect the woman he loves with everything he has. Have you heard what he did to Hoshino's people?"
Emi blinked. "No. I haven't."
Granny Chiyo leaned slightly forward. "Ren brought the men who took you and your friend directly to Riku Hoshino. He beat Riku with his bare hands. Then he stabbed those men through the hands, one by one. And after that, he shut down every business Hoshino owned. Not just threatened. He did it. Within one night."
Emi's eyes widened in disbelief. "He really did that?"
"He did," Granny Chiyo said calmly. "It was a message. One that the entire underworld received loud and clear. Kazama is not to be tested. Especially not when it comes to you."
Emi's voice was barely audible. "He had let me go. He didn't stop me."
Granny Chiyo shook her head. "No, my dear. That's not what it means. Sometimes the people we love the most are the ones we let go because we think it will protect them. Ren has always been that kind of man. But let me tell you this. In all my years watching him grow and lead the Kazama family, I have never seen a woman more suited to stand beside him than you."
Emi's hands tightened around her teacup. "I don't know if I can be that person. I really don't."
"I'm not asking you to go back to him," Granny Chiyo said softly. "I'm just asking you to believe that things will fall into place when the time is right. Trust Ren. Trust in the strength of Kazama. And trust in yourself."
There was a long silence between them, and then Granny Chiyo stood slowly. Before she turned to leave, she looked at Emi with a heavy expression.
"Ren hasn't been doing well," she said gently. "Since you left, he's been drinking every day. He doesn't talk to anyone. He hasn't smiled. Not even once."
Emi's breath caught.
Granny Chiyo gave her one last smile. "Just think about what I said."
Then she walked away, leaving Emi sitting alone, the cup of tea cold between her hands, and her chest full of aching questions she didn't know how to answer.
*****
While Emi spent her nights staring at the ceiling and wondering if her decision had been right, Ren drowned himself in relentless work. He started leaving the Kazama residence before the sun rose and often returned only when the moon was high. Meetings, territory audits, logistics updates, silent trips to overlooked warehouses, and ruthless cleanups of what remained of Hoshino's network kept him occupied. On the surface, Ren looked composed and in control. But Daiki could see the damage behind the stillness. The man was unraveling slowly in silence.
Daiki entered the office one afternoon to find Ren alone, his hands busy flipping through files, his eyes bloodshot from too many sleepless nights.
"You look like shit," Daiki said, walking in and tossing a report on the table.
Ren didn't even glance up. "Is that your official report?"
"No. That's my personal opinion."
Ren leaned back in his chair, sighing as he finally closed the file. "I'm fine."
"You're not," Daiki said bluntly. "You've been on edge since the day she left. Drinking less now, maybe, but you're killing yourself in a different way."
Ren didn't respond. He stared at a corner of the table, unmoving.
Daiki's voice lowered. "What's the point of letting her go if you're just going to rot like this?"
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. "She's safer this way."
Daiki scoffed. "Safer? What makes you think danger has a rulebook? You think if she's not your girlfriend, the rest of the world will stop targeting her? You think people like Riku care whether or not you're still together?"
Ren remained quiet, his jaw tightening.
"What if someone else goes after her again?" Daiki continued. "What then? You going to pretend she doesn't matter to you?"
"She made the choice to leave," Ren said, but his voice lacked conviction.
"No, she didn't. She left because she thought it was the only way to keep you from getting hurt. She loves you, Ren. And you let her go because you thought doing nothing would be the noble thing. How's that working out for either of you?"
Ren closed his eyes briefly, exhaling. "I couldn't protect her."
"Then protect her now," Daiki snapped. "You don't walk away from the one person who's willing to face hell for you. You don't punish each other with distance when what you both need is each other. I've never understood love, but even I know this. What you two had, it wasn't ordinary."
Ren finally looked at Daiki, and the weight behind his eyes said everything. He was exhausted, not from work, not even from the responsibilities of being the Kazama heir, but from pretending he didn't ache for her every time he woke up alone.
"I keep thinking about what would've happened if I got there just a minute later," Ren muttered. "If I saw her after they—"
"You got there," Daiki said, cutting him off. "You stopped it. And you made every man involved pay. Now stop making her pay too."
Ren looked away.
Daiki stood and picked up the stack of papers on the table. "I'm not telling you to go beg. I'm just saying... stop lying to yourself. Because whether you admit it or not, she's still in your heart, and she's not going anywhere."
As Daiki walked out, the door closed behind him with a quiet thud, and Ren sat alone once more, his chest heavy with the truth he had tried to bury beneath paperwork and silence. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, and whispered to no one in particular.
"I still love you, Emi."