The phone suddenly rang.
I woke up in a hurry.
...The clock read 9 p.m..
"...Dammit...!!
I slept past the time I was supposed to report in..."
I picked up the receiver.
"Akasaka-sama.
You have a call from an outside line, shall I connect you?
It's from a coworker named Kanou-sama."
...I knew it.
...I didn't call in, so they had phoned me.
"...Sorry, please put them through."
"Understood.
I'll connect you, so please hang up the receiver for the time being."
After I had put down the receiver for a few seconds, the phone began to ring again.
"Yes, hello?
This is Akasaka...!"
"Akasaka-kun?
This is Kanou.
Good work out there.
You didn't call in for your regular report, so we called instead.
What's your situation?"
...Leaving the lecture for later, my senior coworker got straight to the point.
"Today I went to the village proper.
Under the guise of a tourist, I managed to establish contact with the mayor and several other core members of the Guardians.
I wasn't able to ask them anything, but I left a good impression and was able to make a bridge for my investigation from tomorrow onwards."
"I see.
It looks like things are going smoothly.
Akasaka-kun, you seem rather naive sometimes, but that might have worked in your favor.
I guess you made some good progress for now?"
"...I don't have the experience to make a comparison, so I don't know if it's that good or not.
...I think things went well for today, though."
"Did you find out anything from the prefectural or local offices?
Does it look as though the Onigafuchi Guardians is unrelated to this incident?"
I still didn't know.
...I should have been able to say that immediately.
...I only had to say that, but for some reason...
I hesitated.
"...I'm still investigating, so I don't know what to say yet."
"I see.
Could you let us know as soon as possible?
I think you understand, but after tonight, it'll have been a full four days since the kidnapping happened.
...They didn't set a time limit, but it's obvious that time is not on our side.
...I think you know that."
"Yeah.
I know.
I'll investigate a little quicker, while still being careful about it."
"Okay.
Be sure to look after yourself.
You're dealing with a violent organization here.
...It might be dangerous to let your guard down.
If you feel that you're in any danger, contact me immediately.
In that case, I can get the local Public Safety Office prepared to help you."
"Thank you.
I'll do my best."
"...Anything else to report?"
I reported several bits of supplementary information... and at the very end, I decided to ask.
"...How's the investigation going on your end?"
"Hm.
Everybody's doing their best here, but we're not making much progress.
After all, the number of organizations we're investigating is vast.
So, if you find out the one you're investigating is in the clear, we'll have you return to Tokyo to assist some of the other officers.
...The Chief is saying to dig up what you can on Onigafuchi, but I don't think a residential anti-dam protest group has any relation to the incident at hand.
Sending somebody out just to investigate a single group makes me cringe, really."
At this point he was just complaining.
...He was telling me to stop taking time enjoying my trip. To finish up and get back quick.
"I'll try and resolve this as soon as I can."
"Thanks. I'm counting on you!
Well then, if there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Okay.
That's all I have."
As we were ending our call, he scolded me thoroughly for being late with my regular report.
After that, I hung up the phone and sprawled out on the bed.
...Come to think of it, I hadn't heard anything from Ooishi.
He was supposed to contact me about a time and place to meet with the informant tonight.
...I thought about getting angry with Ooishi in retaliation for being scolded for forgetting my daily report...
Come to think of it, though, Ooishi didn't really say anything other than that he was going to call tonight.
...Waiting for a phone call when you didn't know what time it was going to come was in itself rather difficult.
Just when I thought that, the phone rang.
I picked up the receiver in a hurry.
"H-Hello?"
"Well, this is a surprise.
...Akasaka-san, you're pretty quick to answer the phone.
Are you a regular user of dating chatlines or something?"
"I would never even try something seedy like that...!"
"The way you overreact is rather... interesting.
Na ha ha ha!
Wanna go to a place where you can have a little bit of lewd fun?
Nfu fu fu!"
"...I'll pass, so could you please get to the point, Ooishi-san?"
"Really?
Too bad, we'll leave that for next time, then.
...Well, I'll get to the point."
Many of the executives in the Onigafuchi Guardians had a lot of sway in the neighboring regions.
Even in Okinomiya, there were a lot of people with relations in the village.
...That's why meeting in the Shishibone Market District, far from Okinomiya, was a matter of course.
"Akasaka-san, over here!
Did you get a little lost?
Coming from the north entrance might have been a bit of a detour, but it was easier to give directions from there."
"No, I'm sorry for being late."
"Did you eat dinner already?"
"Yeah.
I already did."
"Well then, shall we go to a place where we can get a drink?
Do you prefer western alcohol?
Or maybe sake?
Would you prefer a place with or without women?
Mfu fu fu fu!"
"Don't worry about it.
I don't drink while I'm on the job."
Hearing that, the man that Ooishi had brought along bent backwards as he guffawed, clapping Ooishi on the shoulder.
"See?
Isn't he just adorable?
In exchange, can you give him a bit extra?
That money all came from this guy's wallet, you know."
The man that Ooishi had brought seemed almost like a ticket scalper or a bookie. Even his appearance was dubious.
The informant grinned deviously.
"Hey boy.
How much did you give this guy?
It looks like there was quite a bit skimmed off the top, you know."
"Ooishi's handling fee was included, so I took that into account."
It seemed that the informant had expected a more extravagant reaction on my part.
...When I responded matter-of-factly, he realized that I was an entirely different type of person than he was.
But rather than putting a distance between us, it seemed that I had piqued his interest...
"I said it, didn't I?
He's the serious type.
But do you see, Akasaka-san?
People in a line of work like ours can really use their wealth of experience to their advantage."
"I'm wondering exactly how the experience of drinking in a bar with women would work to my advantage..."
"Waa hahaha haaa ha ha!!"
The informant, unable to contain himself, clutched at his stomach as he guffawed, heedless of the people watching.
"Oh lawdie!
Akasaka-san, you really can judge people!
That's what an education does for you!"
"...Ooishi-san?
You've been drinking somewhere, haven't you!
Are you drunk!?"
"What's wrong with drinking when I'm off-duty~!
Even if you're working, I'm not.
Heh heh heh heh heh~!"
Ooishi, who was the sort that'd fool around to begin with, was in such a good mood I couldn't figure out a way to deal with him.
...Completely different than me, who had come worried about getting every bit of information I could.
...Ooishi-san.
After taking so much money, you were supposed to get me information worth at least as much...
I thought this, but then realized that I was getting my information from the informant, so it didn't matter how drunk Ooishi was.
...It was nothing I could complain about, but I still felt slightly riled up.
Ooishi and the informant (it was no doubt a fake name, but he introduced himself as Sato) led the way deeper and deeper into the back streets of the market district.
Even though the market was bustling, a couple of turns off the main street and you were in a desolate alleyway.
Ooishi started climbing a set of stairs on the side of a seedy building.
There wasn't any sort of signage, so I couldn't tell if the place was open, or if it was even a store at all.
"...Don't worry.
This isn't a dubious place.
Nfu fu fu fu!"
Those words, coming from Ooishi's mouth, had absolutely no credibility...
Beyond the door... was thankfully, a typical mahjong parlor.
I was relieved that it wasn't the sort of suspicious place I had to be on my guard about...
"Welcome, welcome~.
Oh, Ooishi-san, it's been a while!
Want to join in?
There'll be a free spot soon."
"No, no, I'm here with a group today, so it's fine.
Oh, sorry to keep you waiting."
Mahjong is a game played with four people.
...It seems that a middle-aged man who was going to be our fourth had already arrived and was waiting for us.
"You're late, Kuraudo.
I was just thinking of going home!"
Ooishi made an excuse for why we had taken so long.
...Eventually, realizing that I was a new face, the other man grew interested.
"That's Akasaka-san.
He's a rookie who came all the way from Tokyo on assignment. They have high hopes for him."
"...Boy.
Can you play mahjong?"
"W-Well... I played a bit when I was still a student."
Sato and the old man cackled in unison.
...Their plot to sucker me out of my money was painfully obvious...
"I thought you'd be a bit tired from your assignment leaving you on edge all the time!
So I thought I'd give you a night to cleanse your spirit.
Mfu fu!"
"...I know asking this now might be stupid... but we're all police, aren't we...?"
"""GA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"""
"Well~, let's not talk about that.
Loosen up a bit, we won't actually gamble anything.
We're just deciding who's going to pay for everyone to go play at a very ni~ce place afterward~~!
Mfu fu fu fu fu~~!!!"
"...Go play?
At what kind of place would you be doing that?"
Without reservation, the three of them started suggesting places like cabarets, high-class clubs, and even brothels.
...At the very least, they were the type of places that you couldn't go to with money that was just 'for funsies.'
"...Ooishi-san took all my money the other day, and I also have work to do, so I can't stay for long..."
"Then all you have to do is win!
If you win, then you won't have to pay for this table, and you can talk to Kuraudo about work or whatever."
...No matter what happened, it seemed like they were intent on playing mahjong for free...
...I would have to fasten my resolve a bit.
If I was going to be underestimated like this forever it was going to get in the way of my work.
"...I understand.
Then, I'll play with you guys for just a bit.
If I win, you guys don't get any of the money or get to go to any of those dirty places, and we talk about work right away."
"""GA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"""
"Yeah, yeah!!
Bring it on!
Mfu fu fu!"
"If I win, we're headed straight to the Blue Mermaid on Flower Road!!"
"This ol' lech here likes that place too~!!
Of course, we're going to hop between all the places where they keep the girls coming!
Akemi-chaaaan!!!
Mua ha ha ha!!
What about you, Sato-san?"
"I'd prefer a place where we can drink 'quietly.'"
"Like a nice quiet place with a bunny girl?
Muahahahahahaha!!
The last time we went drinking, you pulled the tail right off that bunny girl, didn't you?
Didn't you end up having to pay for that?"
"The owner started a bottle of Dom Perignon on my tab and called it a 'tailoring fee.'"
""Wa ha ha ha ha ha!!""
...What a lively table this was.
...I could tell the other customers were glaring at us while we loudly continued our crude conversation...
...Speaking of which, the fact that they assumed I was the same was a bit disheartening...
...Ooishi had taken all the money I'd brought, so everything I had left was out of my own pocket.
...In addition, there wasn't that much left of that, either.
...If I kept on hanging around him like this, through his goading, my wallet would disappear into the night.
...I had to somehow win and return the conversation to my job.
...But these people, no matter how you looked at it, were pretty good...
...Sorry,
Yukie.
"Na ha ha ha!
Well then, I'll just call riichi here!"
...Well, the ol' man and Sato-san probably won't fall for this silly riichi.
I wonder if Akasaka-kun will spit out what I need, mfu fu fu!
"At any rate, Kuraudo's hand is probably holding something like that, huh?
In that case, this one oughta go through.
There!"
Oh-ho!
The ol' man's pretty good.
He's quietly trying to use one of my safe tiles to complete his hand, isn't he?
It seems that Akasaka-kun has at least learned the ropes when it comes to guarding against someone's riichi.
...But that will be his downfall!
"...What's wrong, boy?
Would you hurry up and discard?
If you're not sure, anything that Kuraudo's already thrown away should be safe, no?"
"..."
Oooh, Akasaka-kun's really fretting over this one~!
It was glaringly obvious that he had a safe tile to discard, but he didn't want to throw it away because it would move him farther from completing his hand.
Mmmm, they're so nice when they're young and innocent☆.
Come on, hurry up and throw out the kicker~!
If he gave me the winning tile, we'd be headed to an establishment where I could do with all sorts of licking and sucking!
If he gives the ol' man his winning tile, we'd be headed straight to the place with maids in bloomers~~!!
"...This... will go through, right?"
He looked up as he hesitantly threw out a tile that was...
...Oh, too bad.
"Hey now, that's a dangerous tile, you know!
Kuraudo, does that go through!?"
"Yeah, it will!
Mfu fu fu!"
It seems this time you were lucky.
But as long as the round kept going, I could still win off the draw!!
Nfu fu fu!
But after that, Akasaka-kun managed to luckily avoid throwing any bad tiles, and somehow the round managed to end without anybody completing a hand.
"Tenpai."
"Tenpai."
"Noten."
Sato-san had keenly anticipated that two players were in riichi and had decided to play it safe.
What a cool-headed way of playing.
Now let's see, what kind of hand did Akasaka-kun have?
When the round ends with nobody winning in mahjong, anybody in tenpai has to show their hand.
But if you're not in tenpai, you have no obligation to reveal it.
...Your average beginner would normally show their hand even if they weren't in tenpai, and start a commotion about how if this tile or that tile came they would be in tenpai.
But he didn't.
...Being stingy?
"How'd you do, boy?
C'mon and show me!"
Sato-san reached over to flip the hand that Akasaka-kun had casually placed face down.
"Hmmm~~...??
What the hell is this...?"
He was nowhere near tenpai.
...Was Akasaka-kun totally bad at this after all?
Mfu fu fu...?
Right then, as the ol' man compared the tiles from Akasaka-kun's hand to the discard pool, a puzzled expression crossed his face.
"...Boy.
You were in tenpai right around here, weren't you?
Why'd you break your hand?"
"...The higher manzu tiles suddenly got more valuable, so I held them back.
Even though the chance they were safe tiles had increased with respect to Ooishi-san's riichi.
It would have been safer to read the discards, but there was a player who went out of their way to keep the tiles out of play."
"...Oh?
...So Kuraudo's tenpai was no good from the start, in other words."
"...If it wasn't such a high-level trap, I would have thought that you were waiting for me to throw out the winning tile.
But, the more concerning thing is that you were in tenpai and didn't say anything."
"When did you realize I was in tenpai?"
"....Around here?
You threw out 4 tiles in a row immediately.
At first I thought you were just discarding redundant tiles, but I noticed you glancing over at me, and realized you were waiting for something."
...Akasaka-kun... you...
"Akasaka-san, when did you first start playing mahjong?"
"I never did, except in high school and university.
Now, let's continue.
Since Sato-san wasn't in tenpai and the round ended without a winner, then I'm next, right?
...The next dealer."
...It seems like Akasaka-kun is really aware of how the game flows...
We'd thought we were just going to eat him alive... but it looks like that isn't going to be so easy...
"...Ooishi-san, looks like you're going for the bamboo tiles.
Should I put some in play?"
"...Tch.
..This boy...!
Kuraudo, don't back down!!"
"As long as I get 3 more good tiles...!
Sato-san, think you can do it?"
"Dammit...!
I'll just force you to go for a cheap tanyao!
Chi!"
"A straight?
Well, sorry, I'm going to pon that tile."
...Whoa now, going to call three-of-a-kind after he declared a straight?
...Trying to override and interfere!?
"...Boy, you're getting pretty used to this...!"
"Oh no.
...I couldn't even compare to you guys, who have been playing since before I was even born.
...That's game.
Ron.
Triplets,
2 red dora,
and three more dora.
...I'm the dealer, so this'll cost you quite a bit."
"...Gah!"
"Na ha ha ha ha ha!!
Akasaka-san, nice job!!
Now we'll have to get serious!
Won't we!?"
"Well, can you get serious about handing over your points?
...I'm tired, so let's end this quickly."
...Akasaka-kun?
...This is somehow unreal...
Nahahahaha...
Before I could realize it, there was an ominous cold air emitting from beneath Akasaka-kun's feet.
"...How blasé.
The 2, 5, and 8 manzus are laughing at you."
"D-Dammit!!
Boy, you--!!"
"...Kuraudo, finish it!
You have to end the boy's turn as dealer!"
"...I hate to admit it, but that seems like the best option..."
"There it is!
Ron!
Simple straights, one dora!!"
"Sorry, headbump.
...Ron.
Straight."
"...A headbump!?
You damn brat!!"
"Brat?
So you'd play that sloppily against a brat?
...Guess that means you're worse than a brat yourself.
...It's so interesting.
The way you guys call people things like 'brat' and 'boy.'
Heh heh heh...!"
"A-Akasaka-kun?
That is you, isn't it?
It feels like you're a totally different person..."
"....You thought that I, being a sucker, would let you drink some good booze tonight.
Seems that you were a little off the mark.
Ron.
Triple straight, red dora, and another dora."
"...Whoa!!
He actually did it!!"
"That's why I'm saying you guys are slacking.
...No matter how you look at it, you have to be able to read such an obvious three-way wait."
Akasaka-kun chuckled as he rested his chin in his hands.
...That pose was so fitting it was almost scary.
"...Hey, Kuraudo!
This isn't what we discussed!
Who the hell said he was a naive sucker ripe for the picking!?"
"Ah... na ha ha ha...!!
Who could it be?"
"...Ooishi-san, this is bad.
If he keeps going like this, we're seriously going to lose!"
...Akasaka-kun.
...For you to make me get serious.
...Looks like you really want to be milked dry...
"Pon.
...Pon.
...That sounds nice, one more time! Pon."
Akasaka-kun was almost singing at this point.
...The tiles he had open were all pin tiles.
...You can't be serious... are you really going for the flush!?
"...Pon."
"...Boy... are you right in the head...?
You've opened four sets.... you only have one tile left, you know."
"That's right.
...Did you know?
Waiting on a single tile is the hardest thing to read."
"A-are you an idiot!?
With that much of your hand revealed, you don't think we'd give you a tile you need, do you!?"
"....Nfu fu fu!
...I know what you're doing, Akasaka-san.
...That's not a flush or a half-flush, is it?"
"..."
"The fact that you called Pon four times means you're already in position for an all-triplet hand.
...Right now, you're far and away in the lead.
...You're trying to show a flush and goad us into giving you triplets, aren't you?"
"...If that's what you think,
want to try throwing out some pins?
The left five tiles in your hand, Ooishi-san.
They're pin tiles you're reluctant to throw away, aren't they?
Why don't you try discarding them in order from the left?"
...You must be joking...
Is he a mahjong god...?
If not, he had to be the main character of a manga or something!!
At that moment, the ol' man sent me a sign under the table.
The message was simple and clear.
(...Kuraudo.
...Do it. Crush him.)
(...I don't like to cheat against kids like this.)
(Idiot!
After being disrespected like this we can't pull back now!)
(...Well, I'm not responsible for what happens, you know?
Go ahead.)
"Here we go, boy!
Riichi!!
We'll go open!
I'm waiting for a 1, 4, or 7 of pins!"
"..."
Most likely, the tile that Akasaka-kun was waiting for was one of those tiles.
...With this, Akasaka-kun was no longer capable of winning the hand.
...When I drew from the wall... I switched out the tile that Akasaka-kun would draw.
...The tile that I put in was the 1 pin.
One of the tiles that the ol' man was waiting on.
Akasaka-kun discarded it a little while ago, so there was no threat of it being the one he needed...
"...Come on, it's your turn, boy."
".....Hm."
I knew he was troubled that the tile he drew was the 1 pin.
...Of course, he couldn't discard it.
"Boy.
You must be aware, but... if you discard into an open riichi, it's worth the limit, you know?"
"You don't have to tell me that."
The tile that came from Akasaka-kun's hand was,
...an honor tile!
Whew!! Ain't that something!
There's only one North wind tile left, isn't there?
You were counting on a really rough wait, weren't you!!
But... with this, Akasaka-kun's fate was decided.
"....Heh heh, brat.
...You're lucky you're safe.
...But your hand only has a single tile.
You think you'll be able to run away the rest of this round...?
Heh heh..."
"...So, it's going to be like that."
Akasaka-kun glared at the ol' man with a discerning eye.
...This guy had pretty good instincts.
Did he figure out we were cheating!?
(...Let's stop this.
Akasaka-kun is a step or two ahead of us.)
(Fool!
You think we can stop after we've come this far?
Next!
Make him draw it!!)
...The next tile Akasaka-kun would draw was the seven pin.
...With that, it would be settled.
No matter which one he discarded, he'd play right into the ol' man's hand.
...An unavoidable full payout!!
When I drew my tile... I sneakily swapped Akasaka-san's---
"Achoo!!!"
*Crash*
...What!?
...Akasaka-kun suddenly sneezed, collapsing the wall of tiles in front of him!!
"H-....Hey, what are you doing..."
"Sorry, I accidentally knocked over the wall when I sneezed.
...There's a penalty for that, right?
I'm the dealer, so four thousand to everybody?
Or should I pay a deposit?"
"...Wa ha ha ha ha ha!!!"
Unable to hold back, I guffawed.
Akasaka-kun, knowing he was going to be cornered a second time and unable to escape...
He took the drastic measure of knocking over his own wall!
"...You're good, boy...!!
To get away from a full payout like that!!
Ga ha ha ha ha ha!!!"
"...Ooishi-san, could you not bother putting me in such an obvious trap?
...If we were at Baba, this would have been the point where I flipped the table..."
"Oh no no no no, sorry, sorry!
I underestimated you!
For some reason, you're really good, aren't you!"
"Answer me honestly.
You got a lot of experience when you were younger, didn't you?"
"I played quite a bit around Waseda and Takadanobaba.
The place I frequented banned me for winning too much.
...I made the woman who would become my wife pretty angry, so I washed my hands of it all."
"Raised the stakes too high?
How much were you playing for at the time?"
"It depends on who I was playing with, but I had an almost perfect record playing in Kabukicho.
Especially since when I played against a certain crowd, my life was on the line."
20 times!?!?
What kind of stakes were those?
Did you have yakuza at your table?
Or pro baseball players!?
"...What's this!?
Kuraudo!!
You buffoon!!
Where did you pull this guy from? He's practically a professional!!
I give up!!
Geez!!
Boy, it's your win!
I surrender!!"
"Thank you very much, it was an honor."
"...Na ha ha ha...
Oh my.
...Akasaka-san, your personality really changes when you play~!
Why do you even have a day job!
You'd have no problem living as a freelancer!"
"To be a pro mahjong player, you need both talent and luck.
I didn't have anything like that supporting me."
"...Luck is luck.
With somebody of your skill, I'd think you'd be able to make it pretty far."
"Normal luck doesn't cut it.
Calling a Kan and one time out of three, you can aim to win on the extra draw with four dora.
That kind of luck."
"....Akasaka-kun, if you can judge something like that, you're already bordering on the supernatural..."
"No, there's plenty of people who can do that without cheating or superpowers.
There was a person I met in Shinjuku who would get doras every time you blinked... he was as strong as a demon.
There was a pro I played with in Yokohama, who would draw the tile he needed immediately after calling Riichi like it was an everyday thing.
I don't have that kind of luck."
...What type of folks were those...
They weren't named Ryuu or Satoshi by any chance...?
"Well then, is it alright if I'm declared the overall winner, then?"
"Yeah yeah~!
We totally lost!
Mfu fu fu~!"
"I lost, I lost!
It's been a while since I lost this big!!"
"Still, when you were playing, boy, you were pretty into it.
It was kind of scary..."
"I hear that a lot.
...I don't mean to change gears like that, though.
Did I really look that scary...?"
"""Yup."""
The three of us nodded emphatically in agreement.
...So that was Akasaka-kun, the mahjong prodigy.
...Before he goes home from his assignment, maybe I could have him go play at a high-stakes table in my place!
...But it's not good to get greedy.
Nfu fu!
"...Well then, nothing for it.
It was a promise.
We'll break up our little late-night study group right now.
Sorry about this, ol' man.
That's it for tonight."
"Nothing you could do.
I'm going home to sleep!
My body won't last like this!"
"Problems at work?"
"Oh, he's the foreman of the primary construction site at the Hinamizawa Dam.
He's butting heads with the residents every day.
It's a rough business."
"...Around next year, I might be in charge of the second site as well.
I heard that Kuroda-san was pissing blood.
He won't hold out much longer."
"You'll be alright, ol' man.
Your skull is thicker than it looks.
Nfu fu fu!"
"I'm not exactly a saint, you know!
There's times that just make my blood boil.
I especially can't stand dealing with that bratty daughter of Sonozaki's!
I think one of these days I'm going to rearrange her face."
"Now now now!
At least the pay is good, right?
I heard the wages were pretty exorbitant."
"Of course they are!
If the pay was cheap, nobody would hang around that god-awful job!
Hey Kuraudo, exactly when are the police going to tell all the villagers to shove off?
There'll be a notice of eviction from the government, right!?"
"...Hmmm... Maybe? I wonder what will happen."
The old man, who identified himself as the foreman of the Hinamizawa Dam, spewed a few complaints until he felt better about it, then left quietly.
"Well then, let's go.
...I'll leave the rest to Sato-san."
"...Ooishi-san, are you going home?"
"If I'm here, I'll just be in the way, won't I?
Besides, the one who bought Sato-san's services was you.
I didn't pay for my share."
Ooishi-san was kind of sketchy, but he was strangely conscientious about some things.
...I felt quite a bit of a gap between myself and Ooishi's generation from that part of him I didn't comprehend.
"Then, boy.
...No, I can't call Mr. Mahjong here 'boy' no more.
Is 'Akasaka-kun' all right with you?"
"Yes."
"Then, Akasaka-kun.
Shall we go?"
"Well then, Akasaka-san.
Later.
...If you're having any trouble, you can count on me any time."
"I don't have any more money to pay you, you know that?"
"'Kay. If you go easy on me the next time, we'll be even.
Na ha ha ha!"
Ooishi, seemingly still not having had his fill of playing around, but without overstaying his welcome, disappeared into the night.
The informant, named Sato-san, had me get into his car before he set off.
He favored narrow roads and made numerous short left turns.
"...Checking if we're being followed?"
"Yeah... you know a lot about this."
Checking to see if you were being tailed by making left turns was a rather classic technique.
If it was just a single pursuer, you could confirm it that way.
...But if you were being tailed as a team, this archaic method wouldn't let you shake them.
...Of course, doing it anyway was better than not.
"...I didn't hear anything from the boss as to who you are, Akasaka-kun.
...Related to the police?
If you're familiar with checking for being tailed, the only other possibility I can think of is something like a private detective."
"If it's not something I have to say, I'd like to refuse to answer that question."
"My my...
Ever since we played mahjong, you seem a lot more mature!
I wonder where that hesitant person went, from when we first met."
I smiled wryly.
...Looking back now, I had to be a little grateful for being made to play mahjong.
Thanks to that I was able to relieve some tension.
Eventually Sato-san, confirming that there were no cars following us, slipped outside the city.
We were on a pitch-black country road, unable to see anything besides the lights outside...
...The only things I was able to hear were the hum of the car's air-conditioning, and the chirping of insects and frogs.
"...I heard from the boss that you want to hear a bit about Hinamizawa Village, yeah?"
"Like about the old houses known as the 'Three Families' who control the place, or that right now it's pretty much the Sonozaki family running things?"
"...If you know that much already, I'll cut out the introductions."
"Then, if you would.
...Can you confirm or deny if the Onigafuchi Guardians is involved with the kidnapping of Minister Inukai's grandson?"
Sato-san checked the rearview mirror one more time to confirm there wasn't anybody behind us before speaking.
"...Last night, the Sonozaki main house held a family council.
Did you hear about it from the boss?"
"No."
"If it was a normal meeting, then it would just be all the relatives coming together over a nice cup of tea or something.
But, a family council held by the main house isn't quite so relaxed."
A family council held by the Sonozaki main house.
...That would be a meeting between those who truly controlled Hinamizawa Village.
They wouldn't be talking about private family matters... it would be about the village as a whole.
About organizing activities against the dam project.
Among other things... everything would be decided there. In reality, they were deciding the fate of the village.
At the head of the meeting was Oryou Sonozaki.
...More or less called 'Empress Sonozaki,' as the ultimate decision-maker of the clan she was to be feared and respected.
...Infirm with old age, she was often unable to stand on her own, but her words carried enough weight to sway the fate of the village.
It seemed that lately she had grown weak, and on days where she wasn't feeling well, remained bedridden.
Family councils that occurred while she wasn't feeling well took place with her on the floor.
In the middle of a dignified Japanese-style room, still in a futon, only the upper half of her body sitting upright, a stern look on her face... that was Oryou Sonozaki...
Sitting next to her was her heir, Mion Sonozaki.
She was still young... no, young wasn't quite the right word.
She was a girl who remained childish.
Her role was to merely sit beside Oryou Sonozaki, sometimes responding to her requests... however...
She was the only one deemed worthy to succeed Oryou.
She had the same hawkish eyes, enough to give pause to anybody who so much as looked at them... Much was expected of her in the future... this granddaughter of the Sonozaki's leader.
And, also on either side of her, sat several other important members of the remaining Three Families: the Kimiyoshi family, and the Furude family.
First on the list for the Kimiyoshi family was of course the mayor of Hinamizawa Village, Kiichiro Kimiyoshi.
...And lined up beside him were several more of his direct relatives.
Opposite to them sat the other of the Three Families, the Furude family.
The Furude family was only comprised of the family of a Shinto priest, so the only ones sitting there were said priest, his wife, and their daughter Rika.
Rika was doted on by many of the older folks in the village, and it seemed that Oryou was no exception.
While the stress from just attending a family council was said to be enough to shorten your lifespan by three days, it seemed like Rika was the only one exempt from that.
No matter how charged the atmosphere was around her, she paid it no mind, instead humming along as she doodled in a sketchbook.
In fact, the night before, lying on her stomach while humming and doodling, she nonchalantly tucked her legs into Oryou's futon like it was a kotatsu.
All this was the Three Families.
...And all around the room, lined row-upon-row, were relatives of the Sonozaki family.
The only ones who were afforded cushions to sit on were direct relatives.
The others were left to sit in the seiza position directly on the tatami mats.
With Empress Sonozaki enshrined at their center, they were almost like a giant snake coiled around the room.
It was decided that everybody would sit in order of their rank...
The number of people from the Sonozaki family was overwhelming.
The fact that the Sonozaki family held so many seats at a meeting where everything pertaining to the village was decided made determining where the balance of power was held in the Three Families as clear as day.
The number of members in attendance from each of the families directly reflected how much influence they had in ruling Hinamizawa.
"...What was talked about... at that meeting?"
Sato-san, after remaining silent for a while, quietly began to speak...
"...Wasn't our monetary gift of appreciation to the media a little large?"
Breaking the long moment of silence was the head of the Kimiyoshi family, Kiichirou Kimiyoshi...
The Onigafuchi Guardians wasn't a business.
...They were nothing more than a private organization pushing for the cancellation of the Hinamizawa Dam Project, with no reliable source of income.
Fundraising had always been a problem.
When they first started operating, they had managed to collect a sizable amount of funds through donations, but as the conflict dragged on, that amount was steadily declining.
"...This isn't an era where you can get what you want just by throwing rocks.
It's very important you don't underestimate the power of the media, and we want to borrow some of that down the road."
The expressions of the people related to the Sonozaki family were sullen.
...As the one who suggested that they should borrow that power was the family head, Oryou Sonozaki.
The battle wasn't just about force of arms.
In this civilized age, there were civilized methods of fighting.
...Oryou suggested that, creating a strategy incorporating the mass media.
Oryou's foresight was spot on... and the effects of that plan, while at first unclear, slowly began to manifest.
If the physical confrontation at the construction site was meant to delay progress on the dam by even one day,
...then the propaganda war using the media was aimed at attacking the dam project itself.
At first, there were those who had doubts about that strategy, but there was nobody now who called those results into question...
But in order to maintain those media ties, a colossal amount of money was required.
As long as the amount of funds they had was abundant, things would turn out fine.
It couldn't be argued that it was a massive expense, but the results spoke for themselves.
...But, with the conflict continuing to drag on, the circumstances had changed.
The head of the Sonozaki family-- no, the one who sat at the pinnacle of the Hinamizawa's Three Families, Oryou, had suggested the idea herself, so it was already untouchable, and continued to be allowed to drain from the budget.
...Nobody acknowledged that it should be so allowed, but nobody could say anything.
...That was the price of dealing with the mass media.
"...What do you think, Oryou-san?"
The only person who could object to a plan proposed by the head of the Sonozaki household herself was probably Mayor Kimiyoshi.
Oryou... with a hard-to-define expression on her face, as if she had severed herself from the fetters of mortal emotion, simply listened quietly to Kimiyoshi's words.
...But really, it was hard to tell if she was quietly listening or didn't even have the intention of listening at all.
"Last year, we went through a lot of trouble getting people to wrap their heads around the price hike on the bulletins we were putting out.
...We convinced them it was just the one time... it just wouldn't do if we had another one this year...
...Right, Furude-san?"
The mayor looked to the priest and his wife from the Furude family for affirmation.
...The priest gave a vague expression, avoiding a prompt response.
But his wife gave her answer without a second thought.
"That's right...
The cost of the bulletins are a particularly harsh burden for the poorer families.
Everybody is dealing with it for the sake of the village, but it's best we don't increase the prices any more."
The bulletin was, as its name implied, a bulletin published by the Onigafuchi Guardians.
It outlined the Alliance's activities, ideals, and resolve, but you couldn't deny the contents were rather piecemeal.
That bulletin's main goal wasn't to inform people, but rather was something to sell to businesses and people living in the village or connected to it, and using those sales to collect funds.
...In other words, it had become something of a tax.
Of course, it didn't have to be said that this was one of the main sources of income for the Onigafuchi Guardians.
Originally, purchase was supposed to be voluntary, but in Hinamizawa it had silently become the opposite.
In the neighboring towns as well, it seemed that many businesses were buying copies just to avoid butting heads with the Alliance.
...The priest whispered to his wife to not say anything unnecessary, but was struck down decidedly with a cold glare.
Cowering from that glare, the priest shut his mouth.
The priest's wife always held the power in their relationship.
...That was because she was the one who carried the Furude bloodline.
The priest merely married into the family.
He was nothing more than somebody who adopted the name just to join the Three Families.
He should have been able to find a spot fairly high up in the hierarchy of things, ...but the lack of authority in his voice meant that he had still not gained any favor.
Casting a backwards glance at her rather disparate parents, Rika continued to doodle whimsically without paying them any mind.
Signaled by a look from Oryou, Mion brought her ear closer to her grandmother.
There, something was said to her in a quiet voice.
After responding with a couple questions, with a nod from Oryou, Mion looked around the room and conveyed her grandmother's words...
"...There will be no freeze on the price increase for the bulletin."
Kimiyoshi made a face like he had just bit into something unpleasant, but that expression quickly disappeared like it had never happened at all...
"B-But, Mion-chan.
...I think you already know this, but the cost of the bulletin is by no means easily affordable.
It's a burden carried by everybody in Hinamizawa.
If we make people carry too much of that burden, it's possible we'll collapse from the inside..."
"...And who on the inside would start that collapse?"
"Who? ...I didn't mean it like that--"
"...I'm asking who would be the first to buckle."
Being cross-examined by a girl who still had fragments of childishness remaining within her, the words stuck in Kimiyoshi's throat as he sunk into silence.
Mion repeated her question once more, looking around the crowded room.
Everybody refrained making eye contact to avoid being pierced by her gaze...
The words she had spoken were unarguably said in proxy for Oryou.
That's why when Mion spoke them, they carried the same weight.
...But, the look in her eyes was different.
Like Oryou's, they had a hawkish gaze, strong enough that anybody looking upon them would freeze in their tracks and yield.
...But, that gaze was without question, one that belonged to Mion herself.
As Mion would eventually inherit everything from Oryou, the day when she would stand up as a young and capable leader in her own right would come.
...Nobody wanted to believe otherwise for even a minute.
...That's why, nobody even thought of Mion as just some sort of little kid.
"...Kimiyoshi-san.
Nobody will lose their resolve over something like a price hike on the bulletin."
"....Hmm...
....mmm..."
Kimiyoshi, while grumbling a little bit, made a gesture as if to say he had no objection.
"...The expenses related to the mass media will continue.
If those expenses become too much, we'll have no choice but to continue the price hikes."
Mion had rendered her judgement.
Everybody bowed their heads, silently listening to her words.
"In the name of Mion Sonozaki, as acting head of the Sonozaki family.
I hereby declare that all this shall be effective immediately.
...There shall be no objections, and any opposition shall be removed by force."
The formal decree was read aloud, indicating her judgement.
....There would be no retrial. But there was a certain authority behind those words that even a courthouse couldn't compare to.
If she was a judge, she would have banged her gavel, signaling that the matter was settled.
...Mion pulled out a large bell from inside her clothes and rang it.
Everybody present could only prostrate themselves before the harsh sound of the bell.
"...Well.
...That's a rather old-fashioned family council, isn't it."
"A young guy like you would probably find it hard to believe.
...In an antiquated place like this, these types of things have firm roots."
It was exactly as Ooishi had said.
...The old system of the Three Families had vanished, and now the Sonozaki family was running things by themselves.
On top of that, their rule was borderline despotic.
"...Was that the end of the meeting?"
"No, there's more.
I'll continue."
Eventually, after the ringing of the bell ceased, there was a deafening silence.
Within all of that, a lone man shuffled closer to Mion and whispered something in her ear.
Mion asked several questions quietly in response.
When she was satisfied, she motioned for the man to leave.
...The man who talked to Mion was a member of a gang that her father was the leader of.
That organization had the entire area of Shishibone City under its control, so it was quite well known even here.
...Of course, this was talking about the criminal underworld, so it's not like just anybody would know...
But just showing a patch with the gang symbol on it was enough to resolve any disputes in the neighborhood...
Mion's biological father, to Oryou, was her daughter's husband.
The power of that man's gang was the driving force that controlled the dark underbelly of the Onigafuchi Guardians.
...And so that man, from his position as the next-in-line to control the Three Families, continued to coerce everybody around him with his unconventional presence...
Mion exchanged a look with her father.
...Was it okay for her to tell what she just heard directly to Oryou?
...It looked like she was asking him that question.
Her father gently, but firmly, nodded his response.
Mion also nodded, then sidled up to Oryou and informed her of something...
Eventually, Mion finished conveying her message, separated herself from Oryou, and fixed her posture, waiting for Oryou to signal her response.
It wasn't often that Oryou showed any emotion.
...That's why, when she started to laugh quietly, a vague sense of uneasiness crept over everybody in the room.
"...That's... quite the conundrum isn't it.
...Keh keh keh keh...!"
Oryou was laughing so happily that Kimiyoshi had to hesitantly ask.
"...What is it, Oryou-san?"
"...If this land is like a mother to us... then this business with the dam is like somebody threatening our mother's life, isn't it?"
Kimiyoshi, unable to comprehend the meaning of her words, looked confused.
Oryou, with a wide grin on her face, turned towards everybody and addressed them in a clarion voice.
"...The Minister behind the Dam Project, is apparently rattled over the kidnapping of his grandson.
That makes us even.
...Keh keh keh keh!"
"...That's absurd!!!"
Information on the kidnapping of Minister Inukai's grandson... shouldn't have leaked from anywhere.
...How did they know!?
Even we didn't know much about the kidnapping incident.
Exactly how did an antiquated household so far away from Tokyo come to know of it?
...It was a tranquil place, but I couldn't help but have an uneasy feeling about Hinamizawa Village.
...At some point, I had mentally filed this place away as unrelated to the incident at hand.
...That mental paperwork had just blown away in the wind.
"...How... did the Onigafuchi Guardians know about that..."
Sato-san, unable to come up with an answer, fell into silence...
"...I'm sorry.
Please continue."
"...Sure."
"The Minister of Construction's grandson... was kidnapped?
...Oryou-san, is that true?"
That major of an incident was nowhere to be seen in the newspapers or on TV.
...But, in Hinamizawa, there was nothing strange about Oryou knowing something that the rest of the world didn't.
"Our pain is the pain of losing a mother.
...I don't think it completely makes up for it, but the pain of losing a grandchild...
...keh keh keh keh!
He'll have to bear with that for a bit.
...Don't you think?"
...The last question wasn't addressed to anybody in particular.
...It was as if she was looking for consensus.
"...Still... land and a human child are different things.
...I don't mind hiding him here... but I want no harm to befall him.
...The child isn't to blame.
...Make sure to keep that in mind."
"That means that.... the Onigafuchi Guardians were involved in the kidnapping!?"
"..Hrm... I can't say for certain."
"Why?
Even though their leader, Oryou, was clearly giving orders on the treatment of the kidnapped child!?"
"Lad, you see.
This is what the Sonozaki Family always does."
"...Always does?
What do you mean by that?"
...Let's say there was a particular problem.
...One that wasn't exactly favorable for the Sonozaki family.
If Oryou shows 'concern' over that particular problem,
hearing that, somebody who attended the family council would 'be helpful.'
As a result, Oryou's wish would be granted.
...However, neither Oryou or anybody else would know who actually did it.
With this kind of clever little ploy, the Sonozaki family was able to manipulate events even though they had their hands laid out on the table.
"Then... that means that somebody who was at the family council was the culprit?"
"Or, there's the possibility that there was never a culprit in the first place.
...Oryou herself, in that room full of people, didn't explicitly say that somebody pulled off the kidnapping.
She was just giving her 'opinion.'"
It was an odd and unpleasantly secretive way of doing things.
...Were they involved or weren't they?
...I couldn't see beyond the veil.
This much, however, I could say with certainty.
This kidnapping was an ironclad secret.
...No matter how high a position somebody was in, even they wouldn't know about it.
If there was somebody who would know about it, they would be connected to Public Safety.
In other words, one of us.
The only other options were people connected to the case itself.
...Including the Minister, there would be people affected by the incident.
...Or... the people that committed it.
...In any case... there was no way an old household in a place removed from Tokyo by over 6 hours of highway travel should know about it.
Them knowing at all was already strange.
...My suspicions began to accumulate.
...Like falling snow.
"...That's as much as Oryou said in regards to the kidnapping.
...Hopefully what you wanted to find out was in there."
"..."
"...After this, it's up to you.
...I don't know what kind of work you're doing, but if you're going up against the Sonozaki family, you'd best prepare yourself.
...Ooishi might be fearless, but even he's been attacked two or three times.
He hasn't been wearing it lately, but at one point he was wearing a stab-proof vest while off-duty."
"...Oh?
...Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful."
"...You speak pretty well.
Are you from Tokyo, by any chance?"
"Huh?
...What's your point?"
Investigators were always close to danger.
...It was best not to divulge any information on myself.
"Your job.
...Could you possibly be somebody from the Metropolitan Public Safety Division?"
"..."
I couldn't remain silent here.
It would be the same thing as admitting it.
"...Huh?
No way!
...Hahahaha!"
"...This wasn't accounted for in the money I got from the boss...
but as somebody who played at the same table today,
I'll give you this one as a freebie.
After Oryou talked about the kidnapping, there was one other topic that came up."
Another topic that Oryou brought up?
...And right before he told me this, Sato-san asked if I was from the Metropolitan Public Safety Division?
In other words...
...What those two things meant caused a chill to run up my spine.
"...So you see...
...That in order to investigate the kidnapping of the Minister's grandson,
there's word that there will be an investigator from Public Safety dispatched all the way from Tokyo."
"...An investigator from Public Safety?"
"...They can't be reckless and make a big deal over the kidnapping,
so it seems the Metropolitan Public Safety Division is investigating this on their own.
...Ain't that grand.
...Hm?
What is it?"
Rika, who had been drawing the entire time and was completely uninterested in the conversation up until now, looked at Oryou with an interested face as soon as the topic of Public Safety came up.
"...Did the Metropolitan Police come?"
"Ohhh ...So Rika-chama knows about the Metropolitan Police Department?
...That's very admirable."
"...Who came?"
"...Is there anybody that knows what kind of guy from Public Safety came here?"
Mion's father raised his hand slightly.
"...I hear that it's a nice young piece of fresh meat."
"...Fresh meat?
Is it nice and tender?"
"Hm? Haha!
Yeah, it is.
...Fresh meat."
Mion's father smiled wryly as he answered Rika's question.
"...Tender and tasty?"
"...Yeah."
"Tender and tasty."
Rika smiled with interest.
...Why did Rika suddenly act interested only when it came to this topic?
...That was a question that apparently nobody had the answer to.
"...Does Rika-chama know something about this man?"
"...
...I don't know."
After her rather flat reply, Rika buried herself underneath Oryou's futon again...
But when she buried herself there, Rika no longer started drawing again. Instead, she was making an expression like she was deep in contemplation...
"...What shall we do about him?
Mother."
Mion's father posed the question.
...He had the type of uncouth expression on his face indicating that, given the order, he could snuff the problem out at any time.
"...He came all the way to Hinamizawa.
...Let him take it easy for a little while."
"So you're saying to just let him go around as he pleases...?"
Mion's father asked in response.
Oryou smiled thinly as she responded.
"...Leave him alone.
...But... If he starts causing too much mischief, when that happens, don't hold back.
...I don't enjoy being taken lightly."
"...Is what they talked about apparently.
...It couldn't be that you're that fresh meat from the Metropolitan Police, are you?"
"....It couldn't be.
...Hahahaha."
The sensation of cold, bristling fear began to crawl its way up my back.
This family council took place, last night.
...In other words, yesterday.
...Then, today, when I was dressed up as a tourist headed towards Hinamizawa... my cover was already blown?
...When I remembered the first person I met when I got to the bus stop... I couldn't breathe.
...The person at the family council who expressed interest in the man being dispatched from the Metropolitan Police, Rika Furude.
And then, the person who was waiting for me the whole time in the bus shelter, Rika Furude.
...It was an unthinkable image.
...No, it was a delusion.
When we met at that bus shelter... did Rika-chan already know my true identity?
Did she know that I was Akasaka, dispatched from the Metropolitan Police Department, and come to meet me...?
...Then, including Mayor Kimiyoshi... every villager that I met... everybody knew but just pretended not to...?
Because Oryou had given instructions not to interfere?
...Thinking about it logically...
...it didn't seem possible.
I met quite a number of people.
...If there's people that are good at acting, then there's people who are bad at hiding things.
...If there was that many people, then there should have been somebody among them who knew I was from Public Safety and couldn't hide their hostility.
...However, I didn't feel any presence like that.
But then, even still...
...Why did Oryou tell them to leave me alone?
Was it because if they were careless about it, it would only raise more suspicion?
Or was it because they believed a rookie like me wouldn't be able to find anything?
Akasaka is a coward.
...I recalled that strange voice which could only make me believe that Rika-chan had been possessed.
...That unknown entity, no matter how you looked at it, knew my true identity from the get-go.
...And then... how did it warn me again?
That's right.
...It warned me to hurry up and go back to Tokyo.
Instead of the realistic worry that the Onigafuchi Guardians had discovered my identity, the absurd worry brought on by the unknown girl stuck with me more.
...What exactly was that girl?
...What was the thing I would eventually regret?
That mysterious girl.
...Rika Furude.
Let's stop this.
...Everything I was thinking of right now was merely conjecture.
Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, I'll report everything I heard right now to HQ and await further orders.
There was no mistaking that the possibility the Onigafuchi Guardians were related to this case was there.
...And that the fact that my cover was blown meant I was in a precarious position.
...But as everybody at HQ was already extremely busy, they might not be able to spare the support.
"...Is that everything?
If you want, I can drop you off wherever you like."
"Ah... sorry.
In that case, the station where we originally met, please."
A rural road where even a street light was rare.
...I couldn't see anything.
I wasn't aware of anything but the asphalt that was lit up by the headlights.
Outside of that light, was it simply darkness?
Or was there something lurking there, waiting to strike?
...I had to think I drew the short straw here.
...I wanted to go back to Tokyo.
For some reason, the voice of the girl warning me to go back to Tokyo still lingered in my head...