Chapter 10
And then there were two
The heavy air weighed the city down and the sun conspired with the shaved ice vendors to make their fortune. Standing under the awning of the post office, Kenji wiped his face with his handkerchief. He spied a few stray dogs sprawled down in the shadows of an alley. He envied them. If only going around in only a fundoshi were still legal. He tucked the handkerchief back in the sleeve of his yukata and pulled out an envelope. Following Tsubame's advice, he had sent a letter to Iribe Yumiko. Not well versed in the epistolary art, he'd kept it simple. He'd introduced himself and announced both his parents' deaths. He had ended the missive by asking if the woman could tell him more of her relationship to his father and to the girl named Ai. He had also included a picture of himself, that he had had taken following the decision to send the letter. He hoped he hadn't been to blunt and that they wouldn't take offense. He had no idea how long it would take for the letter to get there; it would surely be a few months. For now, however, he had something else to occupy himself with. He crossed the street.
It took him almost and hour to reach the army training ground at Hibiya. He took refuge in the shade of a tree. His yukata stuck to his back, his hair was plastered on his forehead, and his geta's straps bit the skin between his toes. For a while, he observed the soldiers maneuvering in full gear, no doubt roasting alive under the sun. What had it been like for his father? Had he fought in the sweltering Kyoto summer? He had found himself thinking more about Kenshin. Finding information about him ran contrary to his father's wishes, and that pleased Kenji.
A cicada started to chirp next to him. He looked away from the field to find it. He started.
"Kuso!" blurted Kenji. He bent forward, put his hand on his thighs and exhaled loudly..
A mere pace away stood Sanosuke. He grinned, pleased with himself.
"You were miles away there, kozo."
The young man rolled his eyes, irked. He fanned himself with the envelope.
"You're the one who was miles away. Literally. We haven't seen you for over a week. Where were you?"
Sanosuke shrugged.
"Oh you know. Here and there. Keeping busy. I'm touched you were worried."
"I wasn't worr…"
"What are we up to?" interrupted Sanosuke.
Without warning, he snatched the piece of paper from Kenji's hand. Kenji tried to take it back but Sanosuke's height meant defeat. The tall man frowned.
"Where is that? And why is it addressed to Kenshin?"
Kenji jumped and reclaimed the envelope. Sanosuke's sweaty fingers had smudged the ink.
"I don't know. That's what I wanted to find out but now you've made it barely legible."
"Don't worry. It's all in here." He tapped the side of head with two fingers and winked. Kenji shuddered.
xxxx
"Erh… Well, that's that," said Sanosuke.
"Ummm" replied Kenji.
The pair stood in front of the burnt remains of what appeared to have been an old but stately house. A few calcined pillars still stood up, but a pile of charred wood and black ashes occupied most of what had once been someone's home. The walls of the neighbouring building still wore scorch marks. The roof of the residence on the right had been torn down to avoid propagation and was still being replaced. Sanosuke called out to one of the builders.
"Excuse me! Sorry to interrupt your work. Could you tell me who lived here?"
Kenji sniggered. He's never heard Sanosuke being so polite. The worker wiped his forehead with his forearm and squinted at the two men below.
"Hidaka Shunso Seinsei's house, t'was, sir. Burned down maybe…"
He turned around to face his colleagues. The group debated in a thick accent that made it clear they weren't from Tokyo. Kenji could barely follow. The first worker finally turned back to Sanosuke and Kenji.
"Maybe two months ago." He sniffed, wiping his face again. "Try the Daishin'in, that's where they be, the law kind."
xxxx
The Supreme Court of Judicature, with its shiny bronze roof and bright red bricks dwarfed the entire neighbourhood with Victorian grandeur. Men in both Japanese and European clothing came and went through the gates, some carrying heavy ledgers with urgency, others smoking leisurely. Sanosuke and Kenji joined in with the bustling crowd and made their way across the lawn to a series of arches. Kenji craned his neck, trying to take all the novelty in. Sanosuke observed him with amusement while making sure the youngster didn't bump into anyone. As soon as they stepped in the main hall, the temperature dropped a few degrees, bringing the duo some relief. Kenji gawked at the dark woodwork, the coffered ceiling, and the oil paintings. He'd been impressed by the police precinct at Kajibashi before, but its simplicity was no match for this. He bumped into Sanosuke.
"You'll break your neck if you don't stop."
Kenji scratched the back of his head.
"It's just so… grandiose," he said. He wiped his face with his handkerchief.
Sanosuke gave the place a cursory look and sniffed.
"A waste of money, if you want my opinion. Anyway, let's go. I know where to find our man."
"How?"
Sanosuke pointed at a reception desk. A young Japanese woman in foreign garb smiled at him and gave him a shy wave.
"We can't both be drooling; one of us has to be useful."
A two flights of stairs and a few corridors later, the men found themselves in a remote corner of the building. The door of Hidaka Shunso's office was ajar, revealing a wiry man in his last fifties asleep behind a desk. Sanosuke knocked. The man jumped awake and readjusted his clothes.
"Come in."
Kenji pushed the door open and walked into the stuffy office followed by Sanosuke. The claustrophobic space could barely contain the desk and two shelving units. On the floor, scattered documents, ledgers and discarded paper made it a challenge to stand anywhere.
"Hidaka-sensei?" asked Kenji.
"The man himself. And you must be Himura-kun's son."
The young man stared agape. He managed a nod.
"You knew my father?" he stammered
"Afraid so. And no good it did me, I tell you!"
Kenji froze, unsure of how to react. He felt Sanosuke flinch next him. The old man looked at them, a twinkle in his eyes. He then broke in a wide grin and bellowed a loud laugh, making his bushy eyebrows wiggle up and down.
"I jest, I jest. I did know your father. Please excuse the mess. I would invite you to sit but as you can see, there is no space. I've been holed up in here since that damn bolt of lightning struck my house. A curse and a blessing it was, I dare say. With my daughter married off and my wife dead, the place was rather empty. I didn't dare sell it, what with the family tradition and all, but now it's just a worthless pile of ashes. I plan to sell the plot, I should think I'll get a nice sum for it in that neighbourhood. Then I'll move to the country for a nice retirement."
Sanosuke and Kenji stared as the man rambled on. Each word came so close to the previous one they wouldn't have even known when – or how– to interrupt.
"Forgive me. I'm sure you didn't come here to listen to an old man babble. I take it you came to discuss your father's affairs. In that case the verandah will do nicely."
The man took them halfway across the building to a covered open space lined with arches on three side. He invited them to sit on a bench and stood his back against a pillar. For all its busyness, this part of the court was strangely empty.
"This is the most pleasant area in this building. No one comes here, though. The British, they know how to relax and enjoy themselves, but we don't. But enough platitudes. Excuse my rudeness, I haven't even asked your names."
The two men introduced themselves, relieved to be able to place a word at last.
"Good. Good. I have heard of you Sagara-kun. Himura-kun had nothing but praises. And of you as well, of course, Kenji-kun, although he never told me your name. Please accept my most sincere condolences. On with business. What do you wish to know?"
Kenji took the envelope from his sleeve. The paper was limp and the ink blurred, but his father's name was still legible.
"I found this letter in my father's things. "
He handed the man the piece of paper. Hidaka took spectacles out of his breast pocket and put them on. They magnified his eyes comically. He flipped it over twice then took off his glasses.
"I remember this. Accompanied by a large European trunk?"
Kenji nodded.
"Why was my father sendhing his foreign correspondence to your house?"
"My relationship with your father was first and foremost legal. Unlike most lawyers, I rarely plead in court; I take care of financial agreements, contracts, and litigations. Most of it ends up being settled outside the courtroom. Your father did a lot of work for the government and his services were remunerated through various arrangements. Minister Okubo appointed me to deal with his affairs shortly before being assassinated. You looked surprised. I understand. You probably think, how could a simple man like me end up working for such an eminent person?"
They didn't really care, both for different reasons, but there was no stopping the man.
"My mother was the late Minister Okubo's mother's sister-in-law's cousin."
Kenji chanced a glance at Sanosuke. He had a complicated look on his face. He could almost hear the gears in his brain turning.
"My family remained neutral during the war – truth be told, my father whisked us away to China at the first sign of bloodshed. I studied finances with some of the greatest British expats in Hong Kong So I was the perfect choice."
Kenji hoped this was going somewhere but he feared asking any question would throw them so far off course they'd still be here in a few hours' time. Sanosuke's blank stare revealed he was still trying to figure Hidaka's lineage.
"Where was I…? Oh yes, your father's accounts. Each of Himura-kun's contract with the government stipulated a professional wage, daily stipends, and, in some cases, a bonus to be awarded upon completion."
Suddenly, Sanosuke snapped to attention.
"With all due respect, Sensei, that doesn't sound right. Kenshin never accepted any money from the government."
"You're a sharp fellow, Sagara-kun. Indeed, Himura-kun resisted all payments in the beginning but I knew he would come around. Everyone does when it comes to money. So I set up a trust for him and managed it in his name. The birth of Kenji-kun here changed his mind, especially since two of his earlier contracts also provided annuities to be paid in perpetuity and to be transferred to any direct progeny alive at the moment of his passing."
Sanosuke crossed his arms and eyed the lawyer suspiciously.
"Kenshin has been dead for more than a month. Why didn't you reach out?"
Hidaka laughed. His eyebrows wiggled.
"You're a devoted friend, Sagara-kun. Kenji-kun is in good hands with you, as was his father. I was getting to this. It is actually connected to this Dutch letter. Your father's notary, Horibe-sensei, brought me his will within hours of his death, knowing that this would be a conundrum. You see, Himura-kun added a clause to his testament that has thrown me in a legal quandary. He willed his estate to be divided between his progeny excluding his adopted son Yahiko, who would be the sole recipient of your mother's estate. Nothing unusual so far, but one of the descendants being female, and her share to be conditionally obtained solely upon agreement of the male heir, I am being asked to find a way to circumvent Japanese inheritance laws, not to mention to meddle with international laws."
Kenji stared at Hidaka. Had he switched to Chinese halfway through? Sanosuke raised his hand slightly.
"I'm sorry… What?"
Hidaka sighed. He brandished the letter in his hands.
"Himura-kun is dividing his fortune between his two children: Kenji-kun and his sister, Ai Van Der Meer. This his her address in the Netherland."
Kenji's heart skipped a beat.
Sister…?