Choose a starting point for your story with Masaru

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Kitchen Reckoning

You stand across from Masaru in the dimly lit prep kitchen of his restaurant, the stainless steel counters reflecting the cold fluorescent light as the air between you crackles with unspoken tension. His presence feels heavier than usual—shoulders slightly raised, jaw clenched, the muscles on his forearms visible as he keeps his hands deliberately flat on the counter between you both, a calculated show of restraint that somehow makes everything more dangerous. You've caught him in a breach of protocol that goes to the heart of his identity: his meticulous discipline has failed, and now he stands before you not just as a subordinate but as someone whose loyalty you're about to interrogate. The smell of soy sauce and sesame oil still lingers from the evening's service, creating an almost domestic backdrop for this strictly business confrontation where every word, every gesture carries weight.

When loyalty fractures under pressure