Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens Volume 3 Chapter 5

Top of Fifth Inning

'Starting now the final exam will begin.'

The instructor's voice coming from the speakers was even colder than usual. It was time. They final exam would begin. And yet the doors to their cell remained closed. The trainees were still all locked into their private cells.

After a while they heard the sound of several footsteps. The guards came to their cells and tossed in weapons between the bars including knives, short swords, axes, and clubs. The various kinds of weapons thrown into their room clanked in disarray between Lin and Feilang.

What the h.e.l.l is this? What is going to go on? Lin tilted his head, confused. He frowned dubiously and looked over towards Feilang.

'There is no time limit.'

The instructor's voice vibrated through the entire cell from the microphones.

'The one who kills the other first will pa.s.s.'

Those unbelievable words came from the speakers.

"……Wha-?"

Lin doubted his ears.

"He's kidding, right……"

The one who kills the other first will pa.s.s. That was what the instructor said without question. The doors were locked shut. The two trainees were trapped inside, and they were provided with weapons.

Wait. They want me to kill Feilang? That's the final exam?

Lin froze at the unthinkable situation. He could not believe what the instructor had said. He did not want to believe it. At the same time he finally understood. So that was the meaning of what he said. Lin finally realized the true nature of that unsettling feeling from that time.

He thought it was strange. When he came to this facility the instructor had told him: 'Don't place any trust in others. You can only trust yourself. That will be your lesson here.' He then had added, 'you will work together, help each other out, and devote yourselves in training together.'

Those statements clearly contradicted each other. They should not trust others, yet they had to support and help each other out. In truth, the instructor had pointed to them the answer at that time. The trainees would continue to fight all alone. They would be reserve troops with no connection to people. And yet the cell was a room for two. They had their daily lives working together as partners; working together and with joint liability.

All of that was for this purpose then? Lin was taken aback. That certainly was the meticulous and cold thinking that man would do.

"Wha-what kind of joke is this……?" Feilang had an awkward smile. His face had contorted and gradually became strained.

'The method is up to you. You can use any weapon out of the ones provided. Now then, begin.'

And then the broadcast cut off.

'Don't kid with us!'

Feilang turned towards the outside of the cell and yelled that. He grabbed the bars and bashed against them.

"Are you saying we have to kill each other?! Don't kid with us!"

However, no one replied. The guards in the hallway merely looked down at Feilang raving at them with cold gazes.

"……Dammit." Feilang punched a fist into the bars and collapsed. "Are they serious about this……"

Lin stood dumbfounded as he looked at his back. Feilang was his one friend who had helped him throughout the whole ordeal. He was the first friend Lin had, and someone he viewed like a brother. I have to kill him? I had to go through all of that for five years just to kill him? To do this bulls.h.i.+t? Rage boiled up inside him. His thoughts were scattered.

He got a hold of himself and shook his head. He could not do it. He could not kill Feilang. He did not want to. He absolutely would not. He made a promise that they would leave together.

"Feilang."

Lin spoke up to him as the other trembled.

"We gotta survive this, together."

He proclaimed firmly.

Feilang turned around and looked up at Lin. "……But how?"

"We're going to get out of here."

Lin picked up an axe out of the pile of weapons tossed to them.

"We'll break the bars with this. With our sizes we can slip through the window."

Lin swung the axe. He swung it down at the metal bars multiple times. There was the pounding, metallic sound. Break, break, break! He put extra strength behind his attacks and smashed the axe against the bars. They had to get out of here. No matter what. Lin continued to swing the axe down desperately.

It was then. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his back.

"Ow-ah-"

Lin's face contorted in pain, and he turned around. Feilang stood behind him. He was holding a blade in his hand. That blade was covered in blood.

"Fei, lang……?"

Lin's eyes opened wide in shock. Blood dripped down his back and onto the floor. He staggered and fell to his knees.

"You-"

Stabbed me?

He could not believe it.

Feilang tutted in front of the dazed Lin. "……Ah d.a.m.n. You moved, so I missed your vitals."

"Wh-why-"

Why would you do this?

"Why, you ask? This is part of the exam, you know?" Feilang laughed at him.

Lin stared at him, uncomprehending. He could not wrap his head around it. Just what is he saying?

With Lin confused and unable to move, Feilang sneered at him.

"I'll tell you since you're so pathetically unaware. I told you before that my other cellmate committed suicide, right? It actually wasn't. I killed him. I wrung his neck and hung him."

"Wha-"

Feilang continued as he twisted the blade with his hand. "I coincidentally heard the guards talking about it. That the cellmates had to kill each other for their final exam. So if I finished off my partner, I would pa.s.s. So I killed him and showcased it as a suicide. Then I should have been exempted from the exam."

Instantly the smile fell from Feilang's face. He looked down at Lin with a cold glare.

"And then you arrived. To fill in a vacant position. I thought it was bulls.h.i.+t. Just how much trouble do you think I put into that? I considered killing you too, but I decided against it. If two of my partners committed suicide, then I would be suspected after all."

"Yo-you're lying." Lin grimaced and shook his head.

He did not want to believe it. That Feilang would try and kill him. His one and only friend he considered to be his partner.

So everything was a lie? His smile, his words, and his promise too?

"……I could laugh for how easily you fell for it. You're not suited to kill people." Feilang turned the tip of the blade towards Lin.

And so, he added.

"I will survive and become a magnificent killer in your place."

Feilang made his attack. He grabbed Lin by the shoulder and pushed him onto the ground. He lifted up the blade in his right hand high into the air and laughed. "Goodbye, Mao."

Bottom of Fifth Inning

"Lin-chan. Lin-chan!"

Lin was grabbed roughly by the shoulder, and his eyes immediately shot open.

"……Are you alright there?" Banba's face was right in front of him. "You looked like you was havin' a nightmare."

He looked around the room. To his right was the TV and low table, in front of him was the part.i.tion screen, and to his left was the cupboard. It was a familiar setting. Lin was lying on the sofa in the Banba Detective Office.

It was just a dream. He made a heavy sigh.

"You alright?" Banba asked again.

"……Yeah." His voice was hoa.r.s.e. "I'm alright."

He was covered in sweat. He was not sure if it was from the summer heat or from the nightmare. His whole body was drenched, making him feel uncomfortable. His breathing was ragged and his heart thudded hard in his chest.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Banba peered closely at Lin's face and asked him that.

Yeah, that's right. It was just a bad dream.

Even though it was just a dream, it had unsettled his heart greatly. The events from that time were surprisingly vivid in his mind. The events of that day that should have been forgotten. It was imprinted into him, and he could not escape from it.

"……I'm going to take a shower."

Lin pushed Banba aside and stood up from the sofa. He remained silent as he headed to the shower room.

Even now his heart was still pounding. He put his head under the water to try and calm down and washed off the sweat. It'd be great if I could wash away the memory of that day too, he thought. Even now that event at the factory which happened six years ago – his friend's betrayal – had left a deep scar into the young Lin's heart.

Long ago he dreamt it often. The memory had followed him for many years. He thought he had finally forgotten about it. He believed he was finally released from the curse.

The shoulder Banba grabbed still burned. It burned as though it had gotten scalded. When he looked at it there was a handprint on his upper arm. Even though Lin was grabbed so hard and his name was called numerous times, he was unable to wake up from his dream. He felt ashamed. Was he that captivated by that event or had his senses dulled?

This was pathetic. I'm a failure as a killer. If by the chance it had been an enemy and not Banba – as soon as he imagined it he stiffened. I would have easily been killed. I could have died without even realizing it.

"……I've been far too out of it lately."

He brushed back his damp hair and whispered that to himself.

'Don't let your guard down. You must not trust others. You can only trust yourself.'

As the instructor's words pa.s.sed through his mind, he suddenly had a thought.

If it wasn't Banba but an enemy? What am I saying? In the first place, I don't have any proof that Banba is an ally.

When he thought over it more thoroughly, Lin did not know anything about Banba. Where was he born, and how was he raised? Why is he working as a killer? What was his objective? And why did he save me at that time?

He put trust in a man he knew nothing about and spent his days with him. Just because Banba was a little kind towards him Lin opened up to him, making him defenseless.

Isn't this the exact same scenario as six years ago? Do I want the same thing to happen again? Lin questioned himself and shook his head. "……Am I an idiot?"

He should be more weary of him. It would only be a matter of time for Banba to suddenly turn his sword towards him one day. He lived in that sort of world.

The seed of doubt began to sprout. I might be betrayed again. Just like with Feilang. I can't stay here any longer. Lin suddenly became frightened. He was a.s.saulted by the crippling sensation as though he would lose his footing beneath him. I have to get out of here. Before I'm betrayed again.

He had the opportune moment. He turned off the faucet to stop the water. After he changed clothes, he did not find Banba anywhere in the office. Banba had left a note on the table. 'I went out for a job. I may be late.' He only wrote that in explanation. He must have left already.

That was perfect for Lin. He could leave without being scrutinized. Once Lin gathered his belongings, he wrote on the back of the paper: 'Thanks for everything.'

Suzuki had waited fifteen minutes while drinking his coffee at the designated meetup place – inside a cafe with air conditioning on the southern side of downtown Tenjin – before the other man appeared.

"You're Suzuki, I take it?"

The killer named Zhao, whom Yang introduced him to, was younger than he expected. He seemed to be twenty or perhaps still a minor at youngest. Will he be enough? Suzuki got a little bit anxious.

"Will this kid be enough? That's the face you're making."

Once Zhao took a seat facing him, he stated that. Suzuki cleared his throat and laughed.

"No, absolutely not……" Having been seen through, Suzuki falted unconsciously. He looked over the man Zhao closely again. He was not very large but of medium build. He had red, short and ruffled hair. His features were neatly arranged, but he had a scar running over his left eye vertically. When Suzuki observed closely, he could see the color in his left eye was slightly different. His right eye was brown, but his left eye was a dull black. Maybe it was an artificial eye.

His clothes were simple. He wore a tank top with his shoulders bare. There was a barcode-like tattoo on his upper arm. He wore skinny jeans and rugged designer sneakers. At first glance he looked like any ordinary young male, but Suzuki felt a peculiar air about him.

Suzuki had heard Zhao had a twisted personality, but he was surprisingly expressive. He would chuckle regularly and would grin when he said something. He even would raise his voice and smile. However, his eyes were not smiling. Zhao was an unsettling person who was difficult to read into his true feelings.

Finished his re-evaluating him, Suzuki brought up the main topic. "Is it true what he said?"

"Who said what now?"

"About the payment. You're fine with a favor instead with us?"

"Yeah."

Zhao nodded readily as though disinterested in the matter.

"Give me as many as you want. I'll kill any number of people. However, you have to accept my condition." He took Suzuki's coffee and downed it before continuing. "I want you to help me look for someone."

"Look for someone?"

Zhao took out a photo and showed it to him. "This guy looks familiar to you, right?"

It was the photo of a young man. He was still a child. He looked like a boy around fifteen or sixteen years of age. He had long hair that reached his shoulders. He had unique features, but Suzuki did not recognize him. He shook his head. "No, he doesn't."

At that, Zhao's expression changed. He did not appear to like Suzuki's reply and frowned, displeased. "You must have seen him. He's a killer you guys hired."

Although he said that, Suzuki truly could not remember him. Was this man among the killers we hired from Murder Inc? No, he saw all their faces, but there were no young boys among them.

Then maybe he was hired personally by someone.

"It's not like I hired him, so I wouldn't know."

Zhao gave a sigh and asked in a slightly irritated voice. "Nonetheless, you can figure it out if you look into it, right?"

"Probably." If Suzuki checked with most of the executives, he should be able to find the boy right away.

"I want to meet this man. Find his employer and call him up. If you will let me meet him, then I'll work for you guys as you wish. And of course, I don't need payment for it. That is my condition."

"……Why do you want to meet this man?" Just what reason does he have to go this far for it?

"He's an old friend of mine. We got separated about six years ago, and I've been searching for him this whole time. I got a lot to talk to him about." Zhao made a profound smile.

"Alright then." After Suzuki thought over it for a few moments, he agreed. It's not a bad deal, no, actually it's the best deal. His wish is simple. They just have to present him with some killer. There are no risks for them.

"However, before that-"

They needed to test this Zhao to see if he was truly capable. They would rather not be tricked with a faker by that shady mediator.

"Yeah, I got it." Zhao cut off Suzuki. "You want me to prove my abilities to you, right?"

He cuts straight to the point. Suzuki nodded. "Yes."

"So? What do I have to do to pa.s.s?"

He explained the details in full. "Some of our executives got killed off these past few days in quick succession. When we looked into it, we figured out it was a killer working for an organization called Shouwan."

"Ahh, Shouwan. They've been getting ahead of themselves recently." Zhao spoke as though he knew them. "I'll give them a friendly reminder. I'll sneak into their hideout and bring back their heads."

"Don't do that."

That could provoke them and cause them to go into a frenzy. And we'd be the ones to receive the backlash from it.

When Suzuki explained that, Zhao relented. "In other words, we have to restrain them."

"Well, yes, if that's-"

Zhao boasted. "Then I'll make a situation where Shouwan can't lay a hand on you guys."

"How?"

"I have an idea." Zhao readjusted himself in his seat and leaned forward. "Their main source of income is drugs. They should have a place to hide them somewhere."

"If that's the case, then we already have looked into it. They have them stored in a warehouse."

"Where's it at?"

"Near Hakata Pier."

Alright then, Zhao said as he stood up. "Prepare a car. One where we can put many people into. And of course, we'll need a driver."

"I'll drive." Suzuki also stood up.

"Uh-huh." Zhao grinned. "You will?"

"I'm good at driving."

That was just a coverup. There was a necessity to watch this man and see just what he was planning and what he would do. So Suzuki volunteered to be the driver.

As instructed, he got a black van which could have eight pa.s.sengers. Zhao only brought with him a Chinese sword and got into the pa.s.senger's seat. For charging into enemy territory, he was equipped lightly.

After driving for twenty minutes, the sea came into view. There were small and large s.h.i.+ps floating on the water. Warehouses stood along the coastlands. One of these buildings belonged to Shouwan. They parked in the shadow of a nearby building and watched the area for a few minutes from the car.

"……There's a truck."

One truck parked in front of Shouwan's warehouse.

"They must be transporting drugs."

Men came out of the warehouse and were conversing amongst themselves about something. Zhao watched them wordlessly. After a while the shutter began to open. The truck moved inside, and the men began to move the cardboard boxes inside. There were five people including the driver of the truck.

"Five, huh. Guess that will do."

Zhao finally spoke up.

"You stay here and keep watch."

He told him and got out of the car. He approached the warehouse with his Chinese sword in one hand. No way, Suzuki realized. He plans to trespa.s.s the enemy's turf alone? And just with a sword for a weapon? Suzuki was amazed.

From there it was only a few moments. By the time the men realized Zhao's presence he had already slipped under the shutter and got inside the warehouse. Zhao saultered up behind one of the man and slit his throat.

Confusion ran through the other men at the sudden death of their friend in front of them. One of them went to attack Zhao unarmed and one made a run for it. And one of them tried to make a call somewhere, trying to request for reinforcements.

Zhao first attacked the man coming at him. He dodged the attack as the man leapt towards him and stabbed him in the heart from behind. He then turned to the man trying to run away and threw his Chinese sword at him. The blade struck the man head on right through the back of his thigh. Zhao walked up to the man and pulled out his weapon from his leg. The man gave a yell as Zhao adjusted his grip on the blade before piercing the man's heart with it.

Two men were left. Both were unarmed and unable to move. Zhao went up to them and punched them in the face and gut, making them unconscious. He then waved a hand towards Suzuki, signaling him to drive over. Suzuki did as prompted and parked the car in front of the warehouse before getting out.

"……Is it really alright to do this?"

Glancing into the warehouse splattered with blood, Suzuki frowned. The other went nuts in there. He started to become anxious, hoping that the enemy would not try to attack them back.

Zhao on the other hand was calm.

"Put these two in the car." He pointed to the men with his chin. He only let two live. One of them held a cell phone in his right hand.

"It looks like he called for help."

"Well, that couldn't have been helped." Zhao laughed.

Suzuki lifted up the men and put them into the vehicle.

"Reinforcements may arrive. We should hurry up and get out of here."

He called out to Zhao, but there was no response. Zhao was crouching down to one of the bodies.

"What are you doing?"

"Since I went through all this trouble, I thought I could get some spoils from them."

When Suzuki looked closer he saw the man was fis.h.i.+ng through the pockets of the dead person's. Zhao took out the man's wallet and put it into his own without hesitation. Suzuki was shocked.

"Hurry up and get in the car." Suzuki wanted to leave the scene as soon as possible. It would be a problem if someone from the Shouwan or just a bystander spotted them. "We're getting out of here."

However, Zhao did not do as he instructed. He paid no mind to Suzuki and walked over to each corpse cheerfully and pilfered through their belongings. He was a man with bad habits. Suzuki sighed. This looked like it was going to take a while, so he went ahead and got into the driver's seat first.

After that Saruwatari was unable to track the Kakyuu Group's executives whereabouts. The job to a.s.sa.s.sinate that was setback, leaving Saruwatari with time he did not know how to use. While he was waiting around in a hotel in f.u.kuoka until he received the next instruction from his client, Nitta called him. It was an emergency call for help. Apparently someone had attacked Shouwan's warehouse. 'Go and help them right away. I'll head over there shortly too.' He was told before being given the address of the warehouse.

It was perfect timing; Saruwatari was just about bored. "Leave it to me." He replied happily and left the room. He got into a taxi and urged the driver to hurry. Their destination was the Hakata pier. It was about a five minute drive from where he was.

However, when Saruwatari arrived to the scene it was already too late. The shutters to the warehouse were open. There were a few bodies likely to be Shouwan members fallen inside. A man stood next to one of the bodies. Noticing Saruwatari's presence, the man turned around. He was young – probably younger than him. He had a sword in his right hand. Red blood coated the widely curved blade. This man must be the one who attacked the warehouse.

"Ahh~," The man looked over Saruwatari and shrugged his shoulders. "An interference arrived."

Saruwatari, vigilant, reached for his ninja sword hidden in his upper jacket.

"……You're the one who killed these guys?"

He gripped the guard and glared at the man. The other smirked provocatively. "I am. What will you do if I say that?"

"Kill you."

Saruwatari unsheathed his sword. The moment the man reached for his pocket Saruwatari struck his blade down towards his chest. There was the glint of light. The ninja sword and the man's weapon clashed, countering the attack. Saruwatari tried to take a step forward when it happened.

Saruwatari saw something s.h.i.+mmer far behind the man on the water. Someone's there. It was the glint given off of a lens. Could it be the scope of a rifle?

In that moment when he lost his focus, his opponent closed in on him. As Saruwatari tried to quickly step back he slipped, and he fell over unintentionally. Dammit. The ground was wet. He must have stepped in the blood. He then fell forward.

"What the heck? Are you an amateur?"

The moment Saruwatari used his sheathe to hold up his body, he heard that voice next to his ear. Then there was an attack directly from his side – a swiveled kick. Saruwatari was blown back outside the warehouse and fell onto the concrete. He remained on the top of the pier and stood back up.

He suddenly felt another presence. There was someone else here. Saruwatari saw the silhouette of another man besides the red-haired one in his peripheral vision.

He had friends? Saruwatari tutted. Then the glint earlier was from him?

He saw the man holding a gun. He had it pointing towards Saruwatari from a van. He pulled the trigger, and there was the sound of a gunshot. Saruwatari immediately jumped back and dodged the bullet. He then plunged into the sea back first. There was the sound of splas.h.i.+ng.

In an instant, Saruwatari was wrapped up by the ocean waters. The lukewarm sensation and the scent of the sea a.s.saulted his senses, and the water coiled around him. It was hard for him to breathe.

s.h.i.+t. I can't swim.

He flapped both of his hands around him and somehow managed to get his head above the water's surface. In the distance he saw the van drive away. Dammit, they got away.

His clothes got soaked, adding more weight onto him. It was heavy. He felt like he was sinking. And with the additional weight of his weapon, it was hard to move. Once again he submerged under the pull of the water.

It was then.

An arm reached into the sea. Someone's hand managed to grab Saruwatari's arm as he drowned. Saruwatari was pulled up with a lot of strength.

"Bu-ha…….!"

When he emerged from the water, a small white boat was in front of him. A man was holding onto Saruwatari on it. He held out his other hand towards Saruwatari. He grabbed that hand and scrambled onto the boat. It was a simple fis.h.i.+ng boat no more than two meters in length. The boat greatly shook from Saruwatari's weight collapsing onto it.

"Gah, ha, gah." Saruwatari coughed out the water from his longs while taking in deep breaths. The ocean water got into his nose and blurred his vision. "Gah, kah, haa, haa."

He was saved. Did one of the fishermen pa.s.sing by save me? Just as he thought that, however –

"Whoa, I caught a big one."

He heard a familiar Hakata dialect from above him. Saruwatari quickly whipped his head up towards the man.

"Why the h.e.l.l are you here?!"

The one who saved Saruwatari was Banba.

"That's what I should be sayin'." Banba slumped his shoulders. "Whatcha doin' 'round here?"

A pair of binoculars were laid down in the boat. Saruwatari made an a.s.sessment. I see, so that glinting earlier were from theses lenses. This man watched us?

"……Shut it. As if I'd tell you."

Banba drew close to Saruwatari's face. "Come now, dontcha say that. How 'bout we exchange information?"

"Haa? As if I would held you."

"Hmm……it's fine, ain't it? You don't got to be all worked up over it."

Banba grinned. But in the next moment –

"Wha-"

Saruwatari was roughly pushed, and he lost his balance. Stumbling, he was swallowed by the ocean once again. There was the splash from colliding with the water.

Saruwatari had fallen into the ocean again and clung onto the side of the boat. Banba looked down from above the boat. "I'll help you if you speak honestly with me."

d.a.m.n this b.a.s.t.a.r.d to h.e.l.l.

"……Don't get ahead of yourself."

Saruwatari reached over and grabbed Banba's clothing. He then pulled with as much strength as he could muster.

"Oo-wah."

This time Banba was the one who lost his balance and fell from the boat. There was another large splash immediately following it.

Banba learned from the information Enokida provided him that Suzuki had headed over to Shouwan's warehouse. He arrived before he did, so he got onto a small boat floating nearby and waited for him to appear. And then something unexpected happened. The man Suzuki brought with him began slaughtering the members of Shouwan. And then Saruwatari appeared a few minutes later. Banba watched them while remaining hidden as they fought. Suzuki and the other man managed to flee in the end. He saved Saruwatari who had fallen into the ocean and was drowning, but he was nonetheless surprised at the turn of events.

"……I got wet because of you."

Banba scowled at him while wringing his s.h.i.+rt.

"That's my line." Saruwatari glared back at him.

The two fell into the sea together and fought for a bit in it. They gave in after some time and reluctantly shared information since they could not stay in the water.

"So, what was you here for?"

"I was called to come here. They said they needed help because they were being attacked."

"And who called you?"

"A client." Saruwatari answered plainly. "I won't say more than that."

"Was it the Shouwan?"

"……"

Banba apparently hit the mark.

"You're hired by the Shouwan? Ahh, so that's why you killed Kim."

"……You knew about that."

Saruwatari relented and acknowledged it. He must have thought it was pointless to hide it.

"More importantly, who were those two?"

Saruwatari asked him. Banba was the one to answer this time.

"One was a man from the Kakyuu Group named Suzuki. He's the guy who shot you. I don't know the other fella though."

"Probably a killer hired by the Kakyuu Group."

That's the vibe I got off from him, Saruwatari stated. It was nothing more than a deduction made by his instincts, but that was also an appropriate train of thought.

"……I'm gonna kill that red-head." Saruwatari made a grave expression recalling what had just transpired and clenched his fists tightly.

Suzuki glared to the man in the pa.s.senger's seat beside him while gripping the wheel with his sweaty hands. "Because you were messing around, you unnecessarily encountered someone."

Suzuki did not expect for the enemy to rush over that quickly. Let alone that killer – the Submarine Ninja.

"That guy from earlier," Zhao spoke with his chin resting on his hand against the window; smiling. "He was a killer Shouwan hired? He was a mere simpleton."

Suzuki recognized the man as soon as he appeared to the warehouse. It was him. When he realized it he got out of the driver's seat and took out his gun. He had the perfect opportunity to get back at him for earlier. He hid beside the vehicle and pointed the gun towards the man. The other was facing him. Noticing his presence, he drew back. Like h.e.l.l I'll let you escape, Suzuki pulled the trigger. The man bounced back and fell into the ocean. Suzuki thought the bullet had hit him. He must have gotten him.

He wanted to check whether he was alive or not, but he felt the presence of another enemy. Staying around too long would have been too dangerous. Zhao got into the car, and Suzuki sped off. They left the warehouse behind them and continued to drive, bringing them to the present situation.

"So what are you going to do with them?" Suzuki pointed to the men in the back seats with his thumb. The two men they kidnapped were still in the back.

"Do you have a jail?" Zhao gave a strange request. "One with cell bars would be great."

After Suzuki thought over it for a few moments, he suggested. "If you want a cage, we have a small room in our main branch office."

"A cage?"

"Our previous president made it to keep a tiger in." The tiger had died some time ago though.

"Head over there." Zhao told him.

They arrived at the main office and carried the men out of the car. The two men were still unconscious. They put them inside the cage and locked them up.

Zhao looked into the cage from the outside and gave his approval. "It's a little too big……But I guess it'll work."

The Banba Detective Office formerly did have a bathroom and a sink, but it did not have a bathtub. When Lin began freeloading from there he persistently complained, 'there's no way I'm staying here without a bath!' He went ahead and called a specialist to begin reformation construction last year in early winter. He had a room with a bathtub and shower installed in it and a changing room in the corner of the office. Banba was startled that he did that on his own volition. However, 'I got permission from the landlord and I'm paying for it, so no complaints.' Unable to say any rhetoric back at the proud Lin, Banba had only given him a sullen look.

The office that was Banba's workplace and living residence had been fairly changed as well. Lin had remodeled it to as he liked it, bought and replaced the furniture and brought in more of his personal belongings. His roommate liked it clean, so the trash was always kept under control. Banba's lifestyle had changed too. Since they had gotten a bathtub, Banba had been visiting the bathhouse less often as of late.

After he left Saruwatari, Banba went to the large public bathhouse. He wanted to wash off the salt water from his body as quick as possible. He ended up taking a long, leisurely bath there and got dizzy for staying so long.

By the time Banba returned to the office, it was already late at night. He got dirty thanks to Saruwatari, but he felt great that he was able to take his time and enjoy the public bath once in a while. He opened the door, feeling pleased.

"I'm home."

There was no reply. That was always the case, and yet it was unusually quiet inside. Banba did not even hear the TV playing.

"Lin-chan?"

He called out for him once more.

"What's this now?"

He could not find his roommate in the bathroom or the water closet.

"…….Lin-chan ain't here."

He spoke to himself and tilted his head. Did he go out somewhere? He should be watching TV at this hour though.

He spotted a note on the desk. It was the back of the paper Banba left him earlier that morning.

'Thanks for everything.' That was written with his scrawled, messy handwriting.

Zhao gripped his Chinese sword and banged it against the steel bars roughly. With the sharp metallic sound the men in the cage regained consciousness. However, they still were unable to catch up with the situation. They looked around the area with blank expressions.

"You guys awake?"

Zhao called out to them from outside the cage.

"This is the main office of the Kakyuu Group, meaning you two are held captive by your enemy."

The men's faces hardened at the mention of the Kakyuu Group.

"There's one way for you to get out alive. Fight each other to the death."

What did he say? Suzuki's eyes widened in shock. The men who were ordered to do so were also taken by surprise.

"Use these and kill the other." Zhao tossed in two survival knives from between the bars. "The one who wins will be allowed to leave."

The knives dropped next to the men's sides. However, neither one of them made any motion to grab them.

"D-don't screw with us!"

"As if we could do that!"

The men's yells resounded loudly in the s.p.a.cious room.

"Ha, you two are such d.a.m.n hypocrites." Zhao cackled. "If you don't hurry up and kill the other, then both of you will die."

What on earth is this man thinking?

Suzuki watched Zhao closely from the side. He was taken aback upon seeing his expression. His eyes were wide open, and his lips were curved up into a large smile. He looked like a demon. He was enjoying this – this situation.

It was just as Yang had said. This man was insane.

"Uwaaaa!"

One of the men suddenly screamed and picked up the knife. He pointed it not to his comrade but towards Zhao. He reached through the bars and attempted to make a slash at Zhao's face.

"You! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Die!"

However, the blade did not reach him. It merely swung in front of Zhao.

Zhao watched silently at the display. The smile vanished from his face. He stared down at the futile resistance with cold eyes.

After a few moments, he muttered, displeased. "……You're no fun."

He then swung down his sword and severed the man's arm mercilessly.

"Gu-waah." The man held his arm and dropped to his knees.

Zhao pushed his sword through the openings in the cage. He stuck it through the man's throat as he sat in agony and then twisted his wrist; the man's severed head dropped to the ground unceremoniously.

"Congratulations. You are the winner. ……Although it was an unfair victory." After he swiped off the blood from his sword, Zhao locked gazes with the other man and stated. "The winner gets to have a prize. So how about you take it with you and boast to your comrades about it?"

Nitta, upon seeing Saruwatari thoroughly sodden and dripping wet, widened his eyes in surprise. He asked what had happened, but Saruwatari did not answer honestly. "A person was drowning, so I saved them."

"Whaa!"

Nitta raised his voice in shock.

"Sarucchi, you learned how to swim? When? You sunk like a rock in high school though."

"……Shut it."

"Ah, now that I think about, when we were timed in swimming cla.s.s, you were the only one who had to use a kickboard." Nitta blurted out that past memory.

He p.i.s.ses me off. This s.h.i.+tty gla.s.ses freak. "I told you to shut the h.e.l.l up!"

Saruwatari gave him a punch right into his gut. Nitta gave a small groan and crouched over.

At that point, Lau had arrived to the scene. There were the fallen bodies of his comrades scattered about, their merchandise devastated, and blood on the walls and ground. Looking at the disastrous scene, Lau did not conceal his resentment.

"……My G.o.d." He then blamed Saruwatari who had arrived not a few minutes earlier to the scene. "This all happened while you were present?"

"As if." Saruwatari frowned at the accusation. He objected back as he wrung his tank top. "By the time I arrived everyone was already dead. They were slow to call for backup."

"That's right." Nitta agreed with him. "He took the call and headed over right away, but we were a step too slow."

Lau made a small click of his tongue.

"One, two, three -" He then counted the bodies in the area and tilted his head. "……That's strange. We're missing two people."

Two among the five including the guard and the driver were not present. Did they vanish somewhere? Did they manage to get away or were they captured by the enemy?

The place had fallen silent. And then –

"L-Lau-san……"

They heard a small voice calling out to Lau. A man stood holding a box at the entrance of the warehouse. He seemed to be one of Lau's subordinates who had disappeared, but something was off.

"Where did you go?"

"……I was captured by the guys from the Kakyuu Group." The man was completely spent.

This was what went down according to his story. They were on watch as usual when the transporter truck came. They opened the shutters and let the vehicle inside. Just as they started to pack the truck one of their comrades was killed out of nowhere in front of them. Before they realized it there was an unknown man standing before them. He was a young red-haired man who wielded a sword.

"A young red-haired man?" Saruwatari frowned. That's the same guy I saw.

That man then killed their other friends and knocked out the other two. They were then captured and brought to the Kakyuu Group's main office.

"The man ordered us to kill each other. But he was against it and……"

The subordinate cut off. He looked down and pointed to the box he was holding. It was a one meter squared cardboard box. He must have received it from the enemy. Initially it looked like any other cardboard box, but it was spoiled red in some spots. Red liquid was dripping from the bottom. They had a bad premonition about this.

The box was neatly sealed with duct tape. Lau's face stiffened when he opened the box and looked inside it.

"This is-" He was at a loss for words.

Inside was a human head – specifically their comrade's head. It was the head of the other man who was taken.

"……That b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He's making fools of us."

Saruwatari tutted. How annoying. He felt like the man was making a fool of them. The word 'amateur' said by that sneering man resounded in his head still.

"Leave it to me. I'll head into their hideout and kill all of-"

"Wait!"

Lau raised his voice and stopped Saruwatari. He looked inside the box again. Something glinted inside the severed head's mouth – something was held in there. When he examined it closer, he saw a ring with a large jewel on it placed between its lips. Lau's complexion changed upon seeing that ring as though he recognized it.

"Don't raise a hand against the Kakyuu Group for a while."

"Haa?" Saruwatari scowled at Lau's words. "What are you saying?"

This was a declaration of war. They had been provoked. If they did not do anything soon, then his men would be crushed. And yet Lau completely lost the will to fight.

"Do not go up against them." He repeated without any strength backing it. "This is an order. Obey it."

What the h.e.l.l? You're kidding. Just when I thought I could enjoy a good fight. After waiting for so long, I'm told to just 'don't go up against them?'

The face of the redheaded man flickered in his head. Is he saying I have to let him go? I have to? You're kidding me.

Suppressing his pent-up anger, Saruwatari kicked a nearby wall.

The Shouwan requested armisty roughly two hours after they sent them their comrade's head. The group turned their attention away from them and took a sudden peaceful att.i.tude towards them. They even proposed a time and date to meet, expressing interest in settling matters in a discussion.

"See?" Hearing that, Zhao gave him a triumphant look as he lounged in the main office's parlor room. "It went swimmingly, wouldn't you say?"

Zhao had boasted that he would restrain their enemy for them, but everything had gone exactly according to his plan. Suzuki found that unusual.

"What sort of trick is this?" Suzuki questioned back as he sat down facing him.

"It's really nothing special. I killed a Shouwan executive not too long ago. It was a job I took from the largest underground organization in China. That ring was something I took from then, and it's an item that serves as proof of their executive status."

Now that he mentioned it, Suzuki recalled that Zhao had put an expensive-looking ring into the severed head's mouth.

"Well, in any case, I'm a bit famous among them now. And now I'm with the Kakyuu Group. What do you think about that?"

After Suzuki thought it over for a moment, he said. "……They would think we have an alliance with that big organization?"

"Exactly." Zhao nodded and continued. "They are beginning to fear the possibility of someone backing you. They can't reckless make a move against you guys. So now you should be able to relax for a while."

I see, Suzuki hummed in understanding. So without realizing it, they managed to catch a fairly large fish. They could use this man to their advantage. He was more than he antic.i.p.ated.

"Now then." Zhao changed the topic. "Will you get to doing my favor already?"

"Of course we have."

Suzuki nodded deeply.

"I had my subordinate look into the killer Xianming Lin you were searching for." He took out a stack of papers from his bag and handed it over to Zhao. "We found his data."

"This is it? There's not much." He made a displeased expression. He looks at the photo pasted on the sheet and nodded. "Yeah, that's him. No doubt about it."

"Xianming Lin was personally hired by an executive named Zhang."

"And where's that Zhang now?"

"He's dead."

Zhao's eyes widened. "……What did you say?"

"He was killed. Zhang's head was cut off, and he died in the torture room. Xianming Lin was involved in that case. He seemed to have been unsatisfied with his treatment. His lackeys have seen him dispute with Zhang over payment many times."

Zhao gave a laugh. "I see. So he couldn't be fully manageable?"

"There were no surveillance cameras in the torture room, and the footage we did have were terrible quality. And so what went down has remained a mystery, but it seems Lin had hired another hitman to kill Zhang. After that, Lin had disappeared. We don't know his current whereabouts."

"……Disappeared?" Zhao frowned deeply. "When was this?"

"Last year in November."

Right now it was the end of July. So this had happened more than half a year ago.

"Then he may no longer be in f.u.kuoka. ……Ahh, dammit. This was a waste of time and effort then." Zhao grimaced in regret and ruffled his hair.

Suddenly they heard an electric ring. Zhao's cell phone was ringing. It was an incoming call. Zhao pressed the accept call b.u.t.ton and pressed his phone to his ear. "What's up, Yang?"

Yang – the face of that suspicious mediator came to Suzuki's mind.

"What? You found him? Where?" The tone in Zhao's voice turned cheerful. It must have been good news. "Hakata Station? Okay, got it."

Suzuki asked Zhao as he dropped the call, "what was it?"

"A Vietnamese hitman scout Yang knows apparently saw a man who looks similar to Xianming Lin a week before last." So he was around during the events of the week before last. "The possibility that Xianming Lin is still in f.u.kuoka is high then."

"Then what will you do? Will you drop by the informants in f.u.kuoka City and have them search for him?"

"No," Zhao shook his head. "I already tried that, but it didn't work out. So I'll set it up so he'll have to come and look for me this time."

"How?"

"I'll leave a message. Addressed to Xianming Lin."

Suzuki did not follow what he was saying. However, Zhao seemed to have an idea.

"……Hey, Suzuki." Zhao grinned. He seemed to be in a good mood. "I have a little favor."

"What is it?"

Zhao proclaimed without any hesitation. "I want personal information on individuals. As much as you can find."

Lin wandered around the city aimlessly after leaving Banba's place. He left Hakata and headed towards Tenjin on a bus. He thought to kill time by going shopping, but his belongings were heavy and it would be more trouble on him, so he decided against it.

He got off the bus in the middle of its route and unwilling decided to stay at an internet cafe in Nakasu's Gates Building.

"Ah."

Just as he got off the elevator, a familiar mushroom head greeted him.

"Geh." He unconsciously raised his voice.

He ended up crossing paths with Enokida again. He did not want to see any of his acquaintances at the moment.

"What are you doing here?"

Enokida asked him, but Lin was unsure how to respond. "N-nothing much. There's just a manga I wanted to read……"

"Uh-huh." Enokida merely muttered. He said it in a tone where Lin could not tell if he believed him or saw through his lie.

"Well, in any case, perfect timing. I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?"

He was the one to ask the informant Enokida for favors. It was rare for him to ask Lin favors.

"You're free right now, right?" Enokida grinned. "Take up this job."

Enokida grabbed Lin's arm without waiting for a reply and dragged him into the elevator. There was a bookstore on the first floor of the Gates Building with a cafe in its corner, and Enokida brought him there. After ordering two iced coffees, they head to a table in the center of the room.

"The truth is." Enokida entered the main topic while pouring syrup into his gla.s.s. "Two informants were killed in succession just recently."

Lin's eyes widened, and he removed his lips from the straw.

"That's, um……sounds pretty terrible."

"It is, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"The next one could be me."

Enokida smiled as he said that. He had the att.i.tude of putting the words 'what should I do?' or 'how thrilling' after saying 'could be me.'

"Well, I don't plan on easily being killed though."

Lin felt he knew what Enokida would ask for a 'favor.' "So you want me to be your bodyguard? So you don't have to worry about when you'll be attacked?"

"No." However, he shook his hand in denial. "Not that. I want you to kill the culprit."

Lin frowned at the unexpected reply.

"It was the same guy who killed the two. He's around twenty years old. He's about 170 centimeters tall, I'd say."

"You already know that much about him."

As expected of an informant. Lin admired his skill. The police probably had not even found the culprit yet.

"Others in the same trade can be work partners and rivals to an informant. So we watch each other's backs and engage in a battle of intelligence. For instance -" Enokida pointed to Lin. "Look under the chair you're sitting at."

"Under my chair……?"

As instructed, Lin leaned over and looked underneath his seat. There was something there. A small black object was attached to the leg of the chair. Lin reached over to grab it.

"Is this……a bug?"

"Indeed." Enokida nodded. He took the listening device and dropped it into the coffee he was drinking. "This is another informant's work. Someone knew I visited this cafe sometimes and planted this here."

"……What a crazy world for you informants."

"And naturally I do the same thing back. I listen in on the conversations other informants have to fish for information. I set up hidden cameras in the homes of those two informants who were killed as well. They must have noticed the bugs though, as those were disposed of. So it was fortunate the cameras I set up caught the culprit killing them."

"So that's it." Lin understood it now. That was how Enokida knew the details of the culprit's characteristics then.

"The culprit is this man."

Enokida took out his tablet from his bag and placed it on the table. The image was displayed on the screen, and he showed it to Lin. There was a young man leaving an apartment shown in clear quality on it.

"He's-" Lin's eyes widened in shock. He recognized that man.

"There's no way……Why is this man……" He should not be in this world in the first place anymore. He should be dead.

Lin was taken aback and in panic as though he had seen a ghost.

"Do you know him?" Enokida tilted his head in question.

"……Yeah."

Lin nodded with wide eyes.

"We were raised in the same facility. This is the proof of it." Lin pointed to the man's arm. Enokida enlarged that area. On the man's upper arm was a barcode-like shape.

"Is it a tattoo?" Enokida adjusted the device and read aloud the barcode. "……I see numbers. It's seven digits. What is this number?"

"It's a management number. I have the same one." Lin rolled up the sleeve of his T-s.h.i.+rt and showed him the same marking on his arm. He then looked down at the screen again.

"His name is Feilang. ……He was my friend."

Lin closed his eyes, his sealed memories of the past surging up within him.

"I killed him six years ago."

Translation Notes:

For those wondering what a water closet is, it’s a s.p.a.ce/room for just a toilet. It’s not common to use this term in America, and we usually have the toilet and shower area in the same room.

In j.a.pan, however, it is rare for the toilet and the shower area to be in the same room and there’s always a shower head to clean yourself off with separate from the bathtub, which is purely for you to soak and relax in. You don’t ever clean yourself in the bathtub, as you share the same water with the rest of the household to conserve energy.

The text actually brings up some of these layout differences, but you can read more if you want to learn the cultural differences better.

And thank you Voissane for editing this ma.s.sive chapter! I appreciate it as always!