Chapter 63

The Kaze no Aji restaurant, a jewel of the Auton family, had stood in Cloudsea for years. Its staff, thirty strong, were ninjas all, placed there by Susanne, the Auton Group's matriarch, to serve as her son's hidden guardians—a blade in the dark.

Profit was a secondary concern; their true mission was to shield Elio, the heir, from unseen dangers.

All this was kept from Elio, a secret held close by Susanne until his decade of trials neared its end.

Now that Elio was stepping into his role as Master Rinz, the veil of secrecy was lifted. Susanne's parting words to her son: use the ninjas well. In the cutthroat world of business, enemies lurked, and one must always be ready for the unexpected.

In the shadowed hallway, a sea of ninjas knelt, a silent testament to their reverence for Master Rinz. By day, they were the picture of normalcy: elegant shop owners, chefs with killer authentic moves, and lively young waitresses. When the sun set, however, they traded aprons for stealth, honing