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Chapter 13
February 12th, 2015—Third Day: Midnight—Kyoto—M&D’s Kyoto branch office
Kawanami tried to reach for the ink bomb with his fingers. However, sparks began to fly inside the container, setting fire to it. Kawanami panicked and tried to stop the fire using his leather boot, but it was too late.
“It’s a flammable liquid that burns as soon as it comes in contact with air. Now you can’t fake around with the proof anymore. Well, the pink color is a bit of an extra service from the person who made it.”
Kawanami’s shoulders quivered in rage, ramming his toes into Shinohara’s solar plexus. He had long stopped caring about torture and whatever. It didn’t matter if the other person passed out or died. He just gave in to the desire to hurt this person in front of him. He then picked up Shinohara to place him on his back, attempting to step on his face with his leather shoe. However, right as he was about to angle his leg, a bullet passed through his knee. Kawanami groaned and fell to his side.
“Why are you trying to knock him out? We need him,” said Kaji while carrying a gun.
She then looked over at Shinohara and gave him a signal, to which he showed a devious grin.
“President Kaji, I’m willing to propose a trade.”
“…Speak.”
“The real money stolen by Kurosaki Masaya is already being turned into a bundle of ash as we speak. The person who created the ink copied the signal data and created four separate bombs. We spread them across Kyoto, and will have them explode at timed intervals.”
“I see now…And one of those places is also the one where you burned the money and kept all the tools you needed to even rob the bank in the first place…correct?”
“It helps that you’re so quick on the uptake.”
Met with Shinohara’s praise, Kaji just let out a scoff and closed her eyes.
—The banknotes stolen from Hisamoto Bank strictly speaking aren’t full banknotes yet. In Japan, the banknotes get scanned and receive a number from the Ministry of Finance, which then scans them again to receive the ink bombs before they are being passed into our economy. And that has not yet been done for the money stolen from the Bank.
—Of course, just stealing the money in itself would be a huge issue. Each banknote contributes to the growing inflation, as well as the loss of trust in our financial system. However, if they just burned all that money, it would resolve the entire thing. The only real harm then runs down on the 20 yen printing price for each banknote for having to reprint all that. And from the bank’s perspective, it all depends on if the stolen wares are still “alive or dead.”
—Meaning, as long as they find out that the notes have become unusable, then the bank won’t bother to follow the traces. If Shinohara lets those ink bombs next to the burning money explode, it’ll give us more leeway. And with the other three dummy bombs, it will allow us to act like we didn’t know about any of this.
—If we kill him here, the dummy bombs will not go off. That way, they will follow the money all the way here, and it will all be put under our blame.
Kaji slowly opened her eyes.
“What do you want?”
“I’m glad we could jump ahead like this,” Shinohara maintained his calm position and let out a faint smile. “I want you to make me the chairman of M&D’s Kyoto branch.”
Kaji nodded and then pointed the gun at Kawanami. He thought it was some kind of joke as he sweated profusely, but she didn’t hesitate and fired a bullet straight through his forehead. His dead body collapsed to the ground and Kaji turned back to Shinohara.
“This is good enough, right?”
“First shooting, then asking, huh?”
“You said you were glad to cut through things,” she said and then gave Shinohara a sharp look. “So? Feeling satisfied that your revenge is complete?”
“Revenge? Did you think I did all this for my petty revenge?”
“Wasn’t all this for Suzuki Kanade?”
“I wouldn’t use my dead girlfriend as a reason for murder.”
“What about your trade with Tsubame?”
“All so that I could lure out Kawanami. My one and only goal was for the current chairman of the Kyoto Branch, Kawanami, to die right here. I’ve always been a rotten villain, see.”
“I see, so it wasn’t all for revenge. You won’t burden the dead with your own deeds… Well, it’s a questionable act for a villain,” Kaji said with a cynical tone, but the emotions she packed into her words spoke against that.
To be fair, she had the habit of throwing in cynical jokes like that, but none of the guards present in the room even moved a muscle. They were all frozen stiff from the air that surrounded Kaji.
“Use your title as chairman of the Kyoto branch as much as you’d like. Because of the incident at the third containment facility or sending out soldiers to go after you and the others, we barely have enough people to stand their ground at the branch. We will abandon this sinking ship, so how you use the remaining resources is up to you.”
Kaji snapped her fingers. One of the guards moved closer and lit the cigarette she had between her fingers. She put it in her mouth and then breathed out some white smoke.
“You at least have the talent to live in this world of darkness. Maybe you realized this while talking to the Robber Rabbit and Tsubame?”
Kaji took one step forward when another man in black put her jacket on her shoulders. While the sleeves fluttered in the air, she turned her back to Shinohara and started walking. Upon leaving the room, she didn’t look back at him but spoke with a voice loud enough.
“You best prepare yourself, Shinohara Touma. From now on, you will stand at the center of hell, dancing with all the devils. You will be loved by every villain out there, more than anybody else.”
*
Followed by guards, Kaji walked down the hallway when a youth wearing a hoodie appeared in front of her. The guards tried to step between them, acting as a shield for Kaji, but she stopped them with her hand.
“So you must be Kurosaki Masaya.”
For a moment, Kaji looked at the empty hallway behind Masaya.
“What about Tsubame?”
The youth showed a bowler hat to her. The inside was empty, drenched in blood. Kaji let out a sigh.
—Judging from the cuts, he probably got a knife between his eyes.
“…Tsubame tended to be straightforward with his attacks, so I guess he was simply a bad match for you. We also confirmed Tobi’s corpse over at the confinement facility. And Karasu has already been killed ages ago, right? Now it’s only you and Suzuran who are left as Fukuro’s disciples.”
“That’s true. Also, would you happen to need this one?” Masaya handed her a black smartphone.
It was the one he had taken from Karasu after killing him.
“I already handed every necessary data regarding Pikaro and the administrator rights to Shinohara-san, but this phone is a mountain of treasure on its own. Karasu created a bunch of malware, see. A few hacks allowing you to use someone else’s transport vehicle wouldn’t be half bad to use, don’t you think?”
“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do this as an apology. I’ve already made close to 400 million in profit thanks to you.”
“This and that are different. I just want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Where is Tsubaki?”
“I see… That is definitely an easy request. Now that even Tsubame died, I have no more need for her.”
Masaya smiled and tried to hand her the black smartphone, but Kaji wouldn’t take it. This left Masaya confused.
“I just want to know one thing, Kurosaki Masaya. Why did you create all this chaos?”
“The one who came up with the bombs was Shinohara-san, you know?”
“You’re his patron. Outside the 400 million for the young girl, just how much money did you pay him?”
“The robbers who helped rob the bank got 400 million, Shinohara-san being protected by my older brother is another 100 million. Of course, the person who made the bombs worked for free, but they’re instead getting a backdoor opening to Blooth and Bayatt that I got one year ago. He’s probably going to get a bunch of valuable information.”
“But those profits should have been yours to begin with. Millions of yen, too. But with all this ruckus, you won’t be able to use that anymore… And you should still have enough money. I’ve been wondering about this for quite some time, but why would you go this far? Were you feeling sympathy toward Shinohara?”
“No, not at all. I just helped him because he seemed like an interesting guy.”
“Well, I can agree with that. For better or worse, he’s going to shake up our world from now on. But if this isn’t about him…then is this all to help Suzuran’s revenge?”
“What are you talking about? Leaving aside Karasu, the other four were added to this chaos by Tsubaki-san. That’s not within my knowledge what led to all of this.”
“That makes sense. So do you have a grudge against human traffickers? You lost your best friend in China because of that, no?”
“Of course I do. That is exactly why I started this whole plan to buy back Hinago-san. But that’s not quite it, either.”
“Then why are you doing all of this?”
“…Well, I did something bad to Hinago-san, after all. And to get rid of my own guilt, I decided to help her and crush anybody who’d try to go after her.”
“…I don’t understand. She is a regular citizen. What connects the two of you?”
“Oh, we just happened to be connected, see. I was only using her room to lure Karasu in and kill him, but to think that the owner of the room got abducted by such an evil organization.”
“But if you hadn’t bothered with her disappearance, I wouldn’t have had to go through with all of this chaos.”
“Well, I couldn’t just let it slide. All because of this man called—Incessant Kazama.”
“What kind of slapstick comedy is this?”
“That’s where it all started.”
“…Fine, whatever. But that only leaves more questions. You supported Shinohara, threw away millions of yen, and even got chased by Fukuro’s pupils… Why were you willing to sacrifice everything just to save her?”
“Well, I didn’t think it was actually limited.”
“…What are you talking about?”
Masaya showed a teasing grin like a child and just smiled to hide his own feelings.
“I happened to eat her limited 160 yen ice cream, see.”
Kaji’s iron expression melted away for the first time ever. Like she was extremely exhausted, she massaged her temple and groaned.
“I…see. I see now. I had such a fun day today, Kurosaki Masaya. I thought I would never be able to experience my heart dancing like this after growing up,” she breathed out more smoke and then continued with a pained tone. “Really, growing up is such a pain. Just causing a ruckus with brats…I’m quite jealous.”
February 13th, 2015—Fourth Day: Shortly after Dawn—Kyoto—A high-rise hotel
Tsubaki was furious as she walked down the hallway while ruffling through her hair. She tried calling Tsubame’s number, but he did not respond.
—Is he dead, too? These hounds are all useless, I swear…
Tsubaki entered the elevator and wanted to call a taxi to the hotel, so she took out her smartphone. But because she panicked, she accidentally clicked on photos in her gallery. It was the very photos she had received two days ago, which was actually surveillance camera footage of the flat Hinago Asami lives in. Shown on there were three people. From Tsubaki’s view and knowledge, it was all too clear what happened in that flat. First, the Robber Rabbit appeared. Then came Karasu, probably lured in there, with Suzuran chasing after him. However, Karasu was the only one who didn’t leave the flat alive. It was obvious what must have transpired in there.
—The body identified by that investigative employee called Shinohara must have been Karasu.
—The contract of him abducting the Robber Rabbit was not fulfilled yet, and when he wasn’t careful, he got killed. I would have preferred if he’d gotten me the administrator account for Pikaro…but the Robber Rabbit probably has that now, and I doubt I’ll get that back.
She finished checking out of the hotel and got into the taxi that belonged to the hotel’s own taxi service. She only told the driver to get her to Kyoto station.
—All the assassins I made contracts with and had worked for me got killed. Now I’ll have to start from scratch again.
Tsubaki looked outside the window and realized that the car had lost its way into a dark back alley. Tsubaki guessed they’d gone down an unfamiliar road. Tsubaki obviously proceeded to hurl insults and whatnot at the driver, but the person just tilted their head, seeming confused. She continued to complain, but the driver only responded with a single word.
“Yeaaaaah.”
Suddenly, the car changed its direction. It entered the grounds of an abandoned facility, past a gate that was already red from all the rust. The world around them was still dark, still only the moonlight creating any kind of light source. Suddenly, the door next to Tsubaki shot open with a white arm appearing. It grabbed Tsubaki by the collar and dragged her outside. Rolling along the ground, Tsubaki’s eyes shot wide open.
“Suzuran!”
Suzuran grabbed Tsubaki by the collar and raised her up, walked to the front of the car, and slammed her giant body into the bonnet of the car. A coarse cough escaped Tsubaki’s lungs. The Robber Rabbit then appeared, knocking on the driver’s window. Said driver lowered the window and started talking to the Robber Rabbit.
“Well done, Driver. Sorry to make you help me out right after our first gig. But don’t worry about getting rid of the car. Just celebrate with the other three. Though I do have some advice. Trying to hide the fact that you can’t speak Japanese well by just saying ‘Yeaaaah’ all the time is probably not the best idea.
“My friend…once told me…that’s fine…to say…”
“Who the hell told you that?”
“The hacker…we often work together…”
“Him… Really, he only has the worst possible advice.”
“Yeaaah, yeaaah. But, Hem-san is…a good friend… He gave me…Ninja Slayer…to study Japanese.”
“And you never considered that weird?”
By the time the youth and the driver were done talking, Tsubaki could finally breathe normally again. Suzuran pointed a knife at her throat while not saying a word and just looking down. Tsubaki could see the hesitation in Suzuran’s eyes and started thinking. She showed a peaceful smile like she was a saintess and started talking with a sickly-sweet voice.
“Hey, Suzuran… Why don’t you work for me again?”
The grip of Suzuran holding the knife softened. In her mind, Tsubaki already started celebrating. However right after, the blade from the youth’s special Spetsnaz knife flew right into Tsubaki’s temple. Her eyes opened wide shortly, only for them to lose all life, her body sinking to the ground. Suzuran saw this and bit her lip.
“…I should have killed her.”
“If you kill Handlers like her, it’ll only hurt you more in the long run.”
The Robber Rabbit looked at Tsubaki with contempt.
—Handlers like her love to use brainwashing and other psychological strategies to get their slaves attached to them. If she’s already solidified her existence within her, it won’t be as easy to forget her.
Suzuran crouched down and leaned against the door of the taxi. She used her sleeve to cover her mouth.
“You know, Bro Masaya… You sure act reliable sometimes when it’s just the two of us. Completely different from normal.”
“Really? Aren’t you much more strict when other people are around? Shinohara still thinks you’re terrifying.”
“I’m just cautious, that’s all. And when it comes to you…”
“Huh? What’s that mean?”
Masaya was genuinely confused at that. However, Juri didn’t respond.
“One year ago, without knowing anything, you tried to kill Tsubaki, right? What were you planning on doing after killing the remnants of those who murdered Fukuro-san, having Ishihebi turn over to your side, repel Yodaka and Botan, and eventually kill Tsubaki-san at the very end?”
“I wanted you to kill me. After I’d killed both your mentor and mother figure, you’d get your revenge after killing me…and that would be the end.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Huh? Well, yeah? Well, my brother was also pretty perplexed when he heard about my plan.”
“…There are a lot of things I want to say right now, but most importantly… You don’t value your life at all, Bro.”
“…I don’t see it that way. My life is only worth a mere 100,000 in cash.”
“And who exactly told you that?” Juri lowered her sleeve and showed a tired smile.
She then stood up, brushed off all the dust, and approached Masaya.
“That said, Tsubaki-san was right about one thing,” Juri said and embraced Masaya’s head, pulling him in to keep him close to her chest.
In response, he narrowed his eyes. She gently caressed his hair and enjoyed his warmth while she looked down at Tsubaki’s dead body.
“Fukuro-san wasn’t the only one who saw me as their family.”
*
Shinohara was left behind in the storage room at the Kyoto branch. Right before one of Kaji’s guards stepped outside, he freed Shinohara from his restraints. He then texted Ichinose, telling him to set off the dummy bombs, as well as not to spread the magic password.
—With this, my job is over. I did everything I needed to do.
—But even so… What I have to do from now on probably isn’t any better. I’m going to fall down into the pits of hell.
Shinohara didn’t try to get up and just looked up at the ceiling for a while. Finally, he moved closer to Kawanami’s dead body and picked up a photo. It was the photo that showed Suzuki Kanade’s body in captivity. Even though she was harmed, injured all over, and most certainly in pain, she fought to embrace a small girl. In the corner of the screen, one could see the shadow of a whip. It was clear that Kanade tried to use her body as a shield to protect the girl. She must have been bought together with her. Red lines ran along Kanade’s arms and shoulders, her skin peeling off, but the girl in the photo had no injuries or wounds whatsoever.
—My reason for killing others has nothing to do with Kanade.
—But I think…if Kanade hadn’t been Kanade, I would have been dead ages ago.
Despite all his injuries, Shinohara opened his mouth and smiled while talking to the picture.
“You really did your best.”
His voice was anything unlike Kawanami’s condescending laugh, nor Kaji’s cold and calculative tone. It was a gentle voice. Shinohara sank to the ground and closed his eyes.
“So did you.”
As his consciousness began to fade, Shinohara heard a voice deep within his ears that made his eardrums quiver. It wasn’t fabricated, it wasn’t made-up, it was Suzuki Kanade’s genuine voice.
CClaw Translations 