But Yorinobu blocked him, refusing to let him approach.
Smasher, who stood farther back, dutifully stayed where he was.
Nor did he use his optical implants to scan Saburo Arasaka's body.
Smasher was indeed an utter scumbag and a piece of trash.
But that didn't mean he was brainless.
The balance of power at Arasaka was about to shift.
Now was the time to pick a side.
Yet at this moment, Goro Takemura reacted less astutely than Smasher.
It wasn't really his fault.
His loyalty to Arasaka, along with his rigid, meticulous ways, had blinded him.
They prevented him from immediately recognizing the situation for what it was.
"Raijin-san... I suspect..."
"What is your duty, Takemura?"
"I don't understand."
Goro Takemura's heart jolted.
Only then did he abruptly realize something was wrong.
His own father had been killed.
Yet the son neither allowed his father's personal bodyguard to examine him nor hurried to order a search for the killer.
And the speed at which Lord Raijin had recovered from his grief...
Wasn't that a little too fast?
"It's a very simple question. Please answer."
Goro Takemura fell silent for a moment.
In the end, he gave an impeccable answer, one that would also satisfy Yorinobu.
"I am responsible for protecting the head of the Arasaka family."
"I sincerely hope you will carry out your duties better from now on..."
Goro Takemura bowed his head respectfully.
"My apologies, Lord Raijin. I will. I certainly won't disappoint you."
Only then did Raijin Arasaka head toward the elevator, satisfied.
Goro Takemura took a long, searching look at Saburo's body on the floor.
At this point, without Yorinobu blocking him, all he had to do was scan it with his optical implants...
And he would discover Saburo's true cause of death.
In fact.
He