Arimari drops into the alley and cuts off the scarred man’s path. Rain beads on the tiles above. The man stops short, one hand lifting toward his blade, the other clutching a folded receipt tied with tea cord.
Scarred Man
You should not be here. Give me the ledger, and walk away.
Reina
Too late for that. He is carrying the exchange mark, Arimari.
Reina slips out behind him, sealing the alley’s exit. The man glances back, sees the fox, then looks again at the ledger hidden in Arimari’s sleeve. His throat tightens.
Scarred Man
They know the route. If Jiro’s hands were seen, the tea house is burned.
Arimari Tiarasan
The tea cord matches the routing code.
Arimari eases the ledger from his sleeve just enough to show the marked page. The scarred man’s face drains of color. He has not come to buy tea, he has come to cover a meeting. The exchange is here, and the chain points straight back to the tea house master.
Scarred Man
No. Wait. If you force this now, the man above us will vanish.
His fingers twitch, torn between flight and surrender, while the alley holds its breath.
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose the tea house exchange
“Tell him he can live if he gives me the receipt”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +2)
Rain needles the alley as Arimari Tiarasan keeps the scarred man pinned in the lantern glow.
Arimari Tiarasan
You can live. Give me the receipt.
Scarred Man
His throat works. Fear wins.
The man’s wet fingers tremble at his sash and draw out a folded receipt, creased and stained with tea.
Reina
There. The seal ink is fresh, but the paper is older than the claim.
Scarred Man
I only carried it. Matsunaga Jiro paid me to pass it on.
Arimari opens the fold just enough to catch the light, and a second mark appears beneath the brushwork, hidden under the false name.
Reina
That hidden hand is the real signature. We have the exchange, and we have the forger.
Quest Complete
Expose the tea house exchange
Skill Upgrade: Investigation Great→Superb
Quest Complete
Expose the conspirator behind the forgery
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Great→Superb
+ New Item Acquired
Receipt