"Um, sure Chiyo," Tomo said, as she placed her bokken back into her coat. "Come on in." Tomo unlocked her apartment and noticed that Chiyo was a head taller than her. Tomo opened the door.
"Whoops, hold on," Tomo said, as she let Chiyo into her cramped apartment. "Let me make room."
Tomo rushed to the futon spread out in the middle of the floor, and rolled it up, not bothering to remove the sheets. She stuffed the rolled-up futon into a closet. "Sorry about that," Tomo said. "Make yourself at home. I'll get us something to drink."
Chiyo made herself at home more than Tomo ever had, and Tomo had the apartment for two months. Chiyo tossed her hat and purse on a tiny Pembroke table with unbalanced legs, and removed her shoes. She was barefoot as she walked to the middle of the tatami mat covering the floor. She lay down effortlessly and gracefully, her hair splayed out like sunshine. Tomo raised an eyebrow as Chiyo slowly rubbed the tatami mat with her free hand, like a masseur giving a backrub.
"Um, how do you stand the cold weather in that dress, Chiyo?" Tomo said, groping for something to say to offset the awkward silence. She wished she hadn't followed her, and just stayed at the café a little longer. She removed the bloody paper from her nostrils and tossed it in the garbage can in the kitchen.
"I like the cold," she said. "It's invigorating. Besides, this is a wool dress."
"I'm going to get us some sake," Tomo said, as she washed her hands. She dried them and grabbed two white ochoko, cups specially made for drinking sake, and placed them on the counter. Tomo had a vague idea of getting Chiyo inebriated so she would talk about the group she was in, although Tomo really wanted some sake herself. Tomo wondered why she was still playing detective, even now, when it no longer mattered.
Tomo brought out the sake and the two sake cups on a bamboo tray and placed it on a low table, which she moved toward Chiyo. "I'm just going to serve it at room temperature, I hope that's okay."
"It will be fine," Chiyo said, rolling on her side and propping her head up on her hand, like Scheherazade preparing for a long night of storytelling. She bent one of her long, shapely legs at her knee and the hem of her black dress slid down it, exposing her creamy inner thigh. Tomo glanced at Chiyo's bare leg with irritation, and, she had to admit, jealousy. Yeah, rub it in you brat, Tomo thought.
Chiyo took a cup, poured sake into it, drained it, and placed it on the table. Tomo did likewise, hoping this painful experience would soon be over.
"I heard about your husband's murder," Chiyo said. Tomo put her sake down and looked into her eyes. She couldn't recognize what she saw, and wasn't sure if she wanted to. "I'm truly sorry that happened."
Tomo swallowed. "Thank you," she said. "Your organization was responsible, you know."
"It was," Chiyo said.
Tomo's eyes narrowed. "Chiyo, if you had anything to do with that-"
"Stop before you say something you'll regret," Chiyo said. "Assuming you're capable of feeling regret. But, to alleviate any suspicion you have, I assure you I had absolutely nothing to do with killing your husband."
"Chiyo, as far as I'm concerned, you being a member makes you an accomplice in Rico's murder."
"The police abuse their authority and take bribes every day," Chiyo said. "Some steal, and some even murder. Only a fool would hold you personally responsible for that. Well, back when you were a policewoman, anyway. But here you are, holding me responsible for a few miscreants-" Chiyo paused, and held up a hand. She laughed, like it was a dismissal of an insignificant subject. "I'm not here to talk about that, though. So we'll skip it."
Tomo always knew Chiyo would grow up, and even imagined what she'd be like, but what she saw in front of her was never imagined. She was beautiful and shapely, sure, but her personality would be unimaginable eight years ago. She had an allure, an intellectual and world-weary allure, but there was a flash of danger behind her eyes, like a mantis ready to strike. Tomo was bothered to see that.
"We'll skip it, huh?" Tomo said. "Just why do you belong to that group, anyway?"
"Because they're useful, Tomo," Chiyo said. She sat up, cross-legged, her long amber hair flowing down to the floor. She bent over the table, and lifted the sake bottle, pouring sake into her cup. "But, again, I'm not here for all that." She placed the sake bottle back and raised her head to drown the sake, her silky throat vibrating with delicate gulps. Tomo poured a cup of her own.
Chiyo put down her empty cup. "I saw you in the café, saw you watching us. It was a sheer coincidence that you'd be there when our meeting finished, so I assume you were set up to be there, but that's not important. When I realized you were trailing me, I took it upon myself to meet you at your apartment. I want to tell you something, something I've been meaning to tell you for a long, long time."
Every muscle in Tomo's body tensed. Her senses were as wide open as the throttle on a diesel train, and she was ready for any flicker of impending danger. "Oh yeah?" Tomo said. "What's that?"
"Thank you," Chiyo said, and she smiled with a beatific light that could restore a fallen angel.
Tomo couldn't hide her confusion. If she had sake in her mouth, she would have spit it out. "Thank me? For what?"
"For teaching me how the world works," Chiyo said.
Tomo's face changed as easily as if it was clay. "Oh, you're welcome," Tomo said. "I remember those classes I taught. You were a great pupil, Chiyo."
"You're so bitter," Chiyo said. "I never thought you would be this bitter and cynical. But you've even surpassed Ms. Yukari."
"There's kind of a reason for that," Tomo said. "Or are you here to rub that in? Make yourself feel superior?"
"I understand you are angry over your husband's death," Chiyo said, smiling. Her expression was inappropriate for the discussion, like a Southern Baptist preacher addressing his flock while wearing bondage gear. "I respect that. I wouldn't use it against you. I have another weapon."
"Chiyo, what do you want?" Tomo said. "We're not ever going to get along, you thanked me for… whatever hysterical reason you've concocted in that big brain of yours, so why are you still here?"
"We'll never be friends again, you mean," Chiyo said. "But we can be civil. I thanked you for showing me how the world works. You showed me that it isn't a just, fair place. You showed me the kind and the righteous don't win, but get trampled down. And it was a simple thing you did to show me that." Chiyo's smile slowly disappeared as she continued her narration:
"Your stupid prank destroyed my family."
Tomo clattered her sake cup against the table as she put it down. "What are you talking about?"
"The civil lawsuits," Chiyo said. "To see a friend I loved and respected reveal herself to be a disloyal, lying coward. To watch my dad's business crumble apart, and not understand why, and to be powerless to help him. Dad settled out of court, Tomo, but we couldn't hide what happened. Our family business lost its favored status. Business deals we've had since the founding of our company, all the way back to my great-great grandfather, were revoked. Our competitors painted dad as a… as a…"
Chiyo shook her head, as if flinging away harmful memories buzzing around her face. She leaned forward, and spoke quietly. "He was called a failure, Tomo. The last scion of a great family corporation, and he was accused of destroying it.
"He refused to fire anyone. He dropped his salary all the way to nothing so even the lowliest janitor could keep his job. He sold his house and the beach house. He sold his cars, his land, his stocks. I did what I could and dropped out of Stanford, so he could use my tuition money. That's true loyalty, do you understand, Tomo? Of course not."
"Chiyo, that is not fair. I didn't-"
"Let me finish," Chiyo said. "You owe me that. And if you don't want to pay that pittance, I'll take it from you."
Chiyo closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself. She opened them, and Tomo's hair stood on end at the dark aura that shadowed her face. "He begged the board to take a pay cut. They refused. They began mass firings, while raking in profit from backdoor deals with competitors, selling off our IPs. He did everything in his power to stop them, Tomo, but it was too late. The board voted him out. He lost his family business, and he went mad."
Chiyo stared straight at Tomo, and Tomo felt as if she was staring down the barrel of a canon. "I came home from Tokyo University – at least I could go there for free – and came home to our apartment. There were police cars, an ambulance, and a crowd, and I knew, instinctively, what had happened. My dad threw himself off the top of the building. Committed suicide."
Tomo shook her head. "Chiyo, I am truly sorry."
Chiyo did something Tomo had never seen her do before, and it terrified her to the core of her soul: she sneered.
"You're not sorry," Chiyo said. "People with histrionic personality disorder can't feel empathy. I should know; I have a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience."
"What? I don't have a disorder."
"Not important," Chiyo said. "You're not important. My dad committed suicide. My mom stood by him, but she couldn't take that. She's just a little shell, now. Lives with me. I take care of her the best I can."
Tomo poured more sake, and then Chiyo took the bottle and poured some for herself. Tomo drowned her sake and slammed the cup down on the table. She felt warm now, and Chiyo's face was flush from the alcohol. Neither spoke for a while.
"Chiyo," Tomo said. She swallowed. "I'm sorry. For everything that happened. I don't care if you have a degree in cognitive dissonance-"
"Neuroscience."
"-but I am truly sorry for what I did. The prank I pulled."
Chiyo shook her head. "You want to know something? If you had confessed and didn't try to frame Yomi, if you had taken full responsibility for your actions, I would have stood by you to the end. Everything that happened so far – dropping out of Stanford, losing the company, my dad killing himself, my mom having a nervous breakdown- all that could have happened... and... I still... I'd still be your friend."
Chiyo stared down at the floor, her fists balled up in her lap. He bangs covered her face. Tomo sighed and rubbed her eyes with her hands.
"Chiyo... what can I do?"
Chiyo raised her head, contempt on her lips, and fire in her eyes. "Kill yourself."
Tomo's expression hardened like a petrified forest.
"You know Tomo, I wanted revenge," Chiyo said, ignoring the fuming Tomo. She let out a dainty hiccup, and poured more sake into her cup. "If we had bumped into each other years ago, I honestly would have killed you with my bare hands. But look at you. Your husband is dead. You have no friends. You're not a detective anymore. You work at a terrible job. You live in this rundown place. You're burned out. Your life, for all intents and purposes, is pretty much over. You'll kill yourself soon, I know it. I mean, you're too cowardly to do it out of decency, but I see a time, maybe a year from now, when you'll step in front of a bus, or fall over into an oncoming train." Chiyo laughed. "They say living well is the best revenge. If that's true, I had my revenge on you the day I was born."
Chiyo lifted the cup to her mouth. Tomo leaned over the table and smacked the cup out of Chiyo's hand. The cup clattered against the wall, stained it with spilled sake, and bounced on the tatami mat. Chiyo left her hand suspended and glanced up at Tomo in tired indifference.
"Really," Chiyo said. She leaned over and picked up her cup, which had rolled next to the table.
"I listened to you," Tomo said, as Chiyo poured more sake. "Now listen to me. What I did… You call me a coward. You're right Chiyo, I am a coward. My whole life is centered around fun, okay? Being entertained. I know that's not right, or healthy. When something like fear crops up, or guilt…"
Tomo grabbed the sake bottle and took a great swig from the top. She gasped when she had finished and slammed the bottle on the table, the crystal liquid sloshing against the inside of the bottle. What am I trying to say? she wondered. This started off as a defense against Chiyo's accusations, but now it sounds like a self-indictment. She held on to the neck of the sake bottle and stared into Chiyo's eyes.
"I can't handle it," Tomo said. She let go of the neck. She was gesturing. "I'm a coward, and I'm weak. I push those bad feelings aside instead of dealing with them. I lash out… I hurt you guys." Tomo looked into the distance beyond the confines of her apartment. "I hurt Torako for no reason."
"Torako," Chiyo said, as she poured more sake into her cup. "Your former partner." Chiyo drained her cup and looked across at Tomo. Chiyo had the gleam of someone that knew secret, dangerous information, and she wasn't going to tell it.
"I blamed her for something that wasn't her fault. I knew it wasn't her fault. I did it to make me feel better. I made her snap." Tomo lowered her head and shook it. "I haven't changed," she whispered.
Chiyo leaned an arm on the table and stared at the wall, sparing Tomo the occasional sidelong glance. "I was being untruthful when I said you don't have empathy," Chiyo said. "I was trying to hurt you out of malice. I apologize."
"Thanks," Tomo muttered. She looked up. "You know Chiyo, I'm glad Osaka wasn't there. I'm glad she was gone when all that happened. With her, it can be like it was before. And it'll be the same when I see her again."
Chiyo turned toward Tomo and smiled. "Oh, I wouldn't count on that," she said. "I found her last night, and told her what you did."
...
The first thing Torako did when she got back to the koban was to call the office of the prime minister and warn him about the disinformation campaign that would soon be waged against him. She was unable to get through, even after identifying herself as a police officer, although she was able to reach his secretary. The disbelief in the secretary's voice was obvious – why would a powerful industrialist like Mr. Mainichi conspire with a gangster?
Torako ran her rounds as if nothing had happened. She figured it was the least she could do. As the sky darkened, she sat alone in the koban, cleaning out Jichiro's gun. He was out at the moment, patrolling the neighborhood, making his rounds. The koban itself was a small two story building, with Jichiro's living quarters above.
She tried to avoid thinking about Tomo – there would be plenty of time for that when her shift ended – and so put the radio on a classic jazz station. She hadn't developed a taste for the music, but it was the only thing she could tolerate on the radio. Besides, it reminded her of chief Akiyama's giant phonograph player in his office. The radio wasn't loud enough to drown out the squeak of the entrance door.
Boots clamped into the private room in the back, where Torako sat.
"Forgot something, Mr. Jichiro?" Torako said, placing the cylinder of his service revolver on the table. She looked up, expecting to see Jichiro, but instead saw a gun aimed at her.
She jumped out of her chair and was about to reach for her own gun when she was shot. The sound was deafening as it echoed throughout the koban, the flash blinding. Two more shots rang out, and Torako lost feeling in her legs and fell to the floor. The pain hit, and Torako was too shocked to moan. She pressed her hand to her chest and felt the blood pour out of her. Thick, muddy blood poured out of the right side of her waist.
Her vision blurred, and the shadow stood over her.
"I'm going to watch you die," he said. "I will enjoy it, Ms. von Wallenstein."
Torako moved her hand to her coat, and felt the warm rubber grip of her Sig P250. Before she could pull it out, the man leaned over and grabbed the gun from her. She didn't have the strength to fight him.
"Not going to work," he said.
Torako moved her hand to another coat pocket.
"Really, this is pathetic," the man said, watching her. He reached into the pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes.
"Ah," he said.
"...cig..arette..." Torako rasped.
The man took a cigarette out and placed it in her mouth. Torako moved her hand to grab a lighter, but she lacked the strength to pull it out. The man leaned over her, and lit her cigarette with his own lighter. Torako inhaled.
"Thanks... asshole," she said, keeping the cigarette steady with her lips. Despite her dying body, her mind raced. Are those going to be my last words? Say something else, she thought. She couldn't form words, and only breathed in cigarette smoke with each rattling breath. She felt strangely at peace. I can handle this, she thought. I'm strong enough. She tried to say, 'I'm sorry Tomo', but the words only left her heart. 'Take care of her, Osaka'.
Her eyes closed.
...
Her eyes opened.
She shut them again, as the glare of the sun was too bright. She sat up, blinking tears out of her eyes. She was sitting on something hard and metallic. She patted it with her hand, and realized it was the hood of her Fiat.
She slid off the hood and rubbed her eyes with her hand. She was disoriented, but looked around to see where she was. She wasn't in her neighborhood, but she recognized it, somehow. A place she hadn't been to in a long time.
"Hold on a minute," she said.
She heard footsteps behind her, and turned around. She focused, and saw who it was. The citrus sun made her long brown hair shine like gold. She had the face and body of a model, and a charming, mischievous smile.
Torako nearly gasped. "Asagi?"
"Face it, tiger," Asagi said. "You just hit the jackpot."
...
"You told her?" Tomo said. "Why did you do that?"
"Well, it was incidental to my real reason for talking to her, but I figured she deserved to know." Chiyo took a sip of her sake. "The Rain of Terra has taken an inordinate interest in her, to point of neurosis. I do intel, after I inherited the job from my mentor."
Asagi Ayase, Tomo thought. She didn't say it aloud. Chiyo's face was flushed, and her speech was slightly slurred. I got her, Tomo thought. I just got to keep her talking.
"I've been lying to them to protect Osaka," Chiyo said. "Pretending I don't know who she is, that I don't know what she's doing. Her comrade has done an admirable job of hiding her identity, but I already knew it was Osaka. I knew who she was the instant you guys went back to the Ueno hotel."
"Wait- you knew about that?"
"Of course," Chiyo said. "The instant you and your partner showed up at the hotel to investigate Asagi's murder, I knew it was you, Tomo. I had some people keep an eye on you, in the National Public Safety Commission." Chiyo took a sip of her sake. "I maneuvered things to get you guys off the case, especially after finding out Torako was friends with Ms. Ayase. I didn't expect her to pursue the case after I got it sealed, or you to go along with her."
Tomo poured some more sake into her cup, just to do something. She pretended to take sips, hoping to keep Chiyo at ease. She felt buzzed, and had to keep herself in control.
"Were you the one that reported our car, the second time we went back?"
"Yes," Chiyo said. "I also got Hayakawa to interview you two at Ueno Park, hoping he'd bring you guys in and apply some pressure. Make you stop. We were thwarted by officers from your district showing up. That was before we discovered your chief was working at cross purposes against us."
Tomo's cup slipped out of her hand and landed flat on the table, sloshing sake out. "Are you telling me," Tomo said, "that chief Akiyama was part of your group?" She avoided saying Rain of Terra, wondering if that would tip Chiyo that she had said too much.
"Yes, ever since the black water incident," Chiyo said. "Before our time. He was more interested in protecting you guys than he was himself. A noble man. And before you ask, no, I absolutely did not order his murder. I am not a killer, Tomo."
Tomo poured more sake into her cup, and this time, she drank it. "I knew he was murdered," Tomo said. "The media tried to make him look like a madman."
Chiyo took a sip of her sake. "We run most of the media," she said. "But anyway, I found Osaka – or she found me, I guess I should say – and warned her that we were after her. She was aware of it. That's when I told her what you did."
"What did she do?" Tomo said, light-lipped.
"Oh, she was heart-broken," Chiyo said airily, like it was a humorous adlib. "She couldn't believe you'd ever do such a thing, and then act so dishonorably when you tried to cover it up."
Tomo looked away. "I guess I deserve that," she said.
Chiyo put her cup down and studied Tomo. "You have changed, a little," she said. "You seem more reflective. More contrite. Not that it changes anything, of course."
"I'm older," Tomo said. "Grew up, I guess." She rubbed the back of her head. "I just wish I could've found out who killed Asagi Ayase. I know it would've made Torako happy."
Chiyo giggled. "What an obvious setup," she said. "Trying to get me drunk to tell all."
Tomo stuttered her excuses.
"Oh, don't even try," Chiyo said, taking a sip of her sake. "It's cute. I'm only telling you what I feel like telling you. But, if you must know, even now when it doesn't mean anything, Ryo Watanabe killed Asagi."
The gears in Tomo's brain whirled and clicked. "Wait, detective Watanabe? He was in jail for corruption charges!"
"He and Saito would show up on roll calls and cell checks, but neither was ever really in prison," Chiyo said. "We had to get them in there when you and your partner interviewed them – and I tell you, I'm glad Torako split his lip. He's an execrable human being – but both were out on our payroll, although Watanabe was exclusively used."
"If that's true, then why did he kill her? Revenge? For thwarting him when he and Saito tried to muscle in on her organization?"
"I'm sure that was part of it," Chiyo said. "Out of wounded pride. Vanity. It angered me. I reported the murder to the police, but I couldn't do anything about Watanabe. I'd be found out, and quick."
"When you called from Tokyo Station."
"Yes," Chiyo said.
"But what about everything else?" Tomo said. "Those insane torturers? Aya Suzuki's forged suicide note? Getting shot at by Section One? Waking up at the beach house? That girl next to me, dead?"
Chiyo choked on her sake and put it down. She coughed to clear her throat. "Miruchi," she said. She did not hide her anger.
"Chiyo?"
"I'll tell you who killed Miruchi," Chiyo said. "You did."
Tomo laughed. "Oh come on Chiyo, that's ridiculous. I was out the whole time."
"No, you weren't," Chiyo said.
Tomo's blood raced, carrying frost throughout her body. "Chiyo? You're pissing me off. I did not kill that girl."
"Remember the video on the news, with you waving a gun around in Oda Otomo's office?"
"Chiyo..."
"You don't remember that because you were drugged. You were drugged when you killed Miruchi. They held her down, and you slit her throat and watched her die."
Tomo jumped to her feet. "That's a lie!" she shouted.
Chiyo looked away from Tomo and played with her empty sake cup. "You're innocent of her murder, don't worry about that. You were brainwashed. It was supposed to be the other way around – she was supposed to kill you."
Tomo froze. "How did... how do you know this?"
"It was a warning to me," Chiyo said, not looking at Tomo. "From... an enemy. Miruchi was an old friend of mine. I still cared for her. They were going to kill you to get you out of the way, and they were going to use her to do it. Get her arrested by the police, and then indict her for murder. A show put on for my benefit, to warn me."
Tomo slowly sat back down, her mouth opened as she tried to process what Chiyo told her. "I don't remember this," she said.
"I'm glad you don't," Chiyo said. "And I actually mean that. You were drugged out of your senses, so I doubt you ever will remember it."
Tomo leaned her head on her hands and rubbed her forehead. "Who saved me?"
"I don't know," Chiyo said, looking at Tomo with a weary smile. "Someone in the organization found out what was going on, and purposely misidentified you as Miruchi. I suspected Chief Akiyama."
"That's crazy! He wouldn't allow an innocent girl to die, even if it was to save me!"
"I agree," Chiyo said. "So I'm not sure who was responsible for sacrificing Miruchi to save your life. As for the rest, well, I don't know. We work in cells, some cells completely separated from others. Recently, I've been secretly combining... but that's not important."
Chiyo poured down the rest of her sake and stood up. She staggered a little, and let out a hiccup. "I need to be going, Tomo. Thanks for your hospitality."
Tomo stood up, more steady than Chiyo. "Chiyo, wait. Why are you a part of this evil organization? This is wrong, Chiyo! You can't expect to remain innocent and pure belonging to this... Rain of Terra! They'll drag you down!"
"Innocence and purity may be admirable in children," Chiyo said, as she went to the door to collect her belongings, "but it's tedious and egocentric in adults. Besides, I already told you they're useful to me. Officially, though, I joined to get my father's company restored."
"And... unofficially?"
Chiyo put on her shoes and faced Tomo head on. "I'm going to change the world."
...
"Asagi?" Torako said. "Really?"
"Really," Asagi said, "The one and only. I've been waiting for you, Torako."
Torako looked around the neighborhood, and recognized it; it was the Ayase's old neighborhood. The same upper middle class houses, the brick fences and iron gates. The Koiwai's house, next door, with little Yotsuba. She's a teenager now, Torako thought. Let's see... fifteen, maybe sixteen years old.
"Hey," Asagi said. She leaned in front of Torako and waved her hand in her face. "Enough of that, Torako. No need to reminisce while I'm here. Really, I'm offended." Asagi cocked her head and faked hurt feelings. "I thought you'd be all over me."
"That was you," Torako said. "Am I... dead?"
Asagi looked at her thoughtfully. "Not yet," she said. "You got a little left, I think, but it won't be for long. Come on, people are waiting."
Torako followed Asagi over the soft sidewalk to the gate of her house. Asagi opened the gate and entered. Torako could hear voices inside the house, and joyous laughter.
Torako stopped at the threshold. Asagi turned around and grinned at her. She held out her hand.
"Come on, Torako," Asagi said.
"This is just a hallucination before I die," Torako said. "A dream made by my dying brain." And yet, Torako grasped Asagi's hand, and Asagi pulled her past the gate. Torako felt great joy.
...
Torako's cigarette smoldered, fell out of her mouth, and landed in the sticky puddle of blood. The flame was extinguished. All that was left was her murderer lingering over her, as her lungs let out one last breath.
...
"Change the world?" Tomo snorted. "Oh come on, how can you do that?"
"I studied what I thought I needed to study," Chiyo said, putting on her hat. "I also have a Ph.D. in Economics, with an emphasis on game theory. I'm changing the world from the top down, starting with how it's run. We've become too decadent. Rain of Terra is the best chance I have of putting my ideas into play, if I can kick the psychos and bitter old fogeys out."
"Kill them, you mean."
"Of course not," Chiyo said. "They're too busy killing each other."
Tomo felt physical revulsion, and didn't pursue the subject. Chiyo exited Tomo's apartment, her hat on her head and her glasses in her purse. She let her long amber hair out, instead of stuffing it under her hat. Tomo followed her to the elevator, and Chiyo pressed the button.
Chiyo turned to Tomo. "I don't really want you to kill yourself," she said.
"That's nice," Tomo said. "Sake getting to you?"
"Probably," Chiyo said. "I came here wanting to hurt you. I wanted you to feel the same despair I did. But you've changed... I've built you up as some monster in my mind over the years, but you aren't a monster. You're just weak."
"Gee, thanks," Tomo said, rolling her eyes. "That really means a lot, coming from a stuck-up brat like you. How do I know you haven't lied to me this whole time?"
"You don't," Chiyo said. "And I'm not going to bother to tell you. I just want you to remember this; the reason I am what I am today, is because of you. Because of what you did."
"Great," Tomo muttered.
"I believe you want to make amends," Chiyo said. "So this is what I want you to do. I want you to live. I want you to live, for as long as you're supposed to, with what you did. I want you to ponder over it, and use it as a warning on how to behave in the future. Never forget it. It'll be your scarlet letter."
Tomo turned to face Chiyo. "Chiyo? I know what you mean. But you have to understand, coming from you, what you are now... well... I have a hard time taking your morally superior attitude seriously. It's hypocritical."
"You're probably right," Chiyo said. "I don't hate you anymore, Tomo. If we're lucky, we'll never see each other again." The elevator chimed, and the doors opened. "Bye Tomo," Chiyo said, as she stepped in.
"Bye Chiyo," Tomo said, walking away.
"Tomo," Chiyo said. Tomo turned around. Chiyo stood in the elevator, her face ghostly pale.
"You're right," Chiyo said. "I can't be in an organization like this, and not expect to be sullied. I... I've made... a terrible mistake."
"Oh yeah?" Tomo said, wondering what silliness Chiyo was going to depart with. "What would that be?"
As she pressed the button for the lobby, Chiyo said, "I allowed the murder of Asagi Ayase." Her pale face disappeared behind the closing doors, and the elevator descended through the lower levels.
"Chiyo!" Tomo shouted. She ran to the elevator doors and jabbed the call button. She slammed her fist into the door out of frustration. "You said you weren't a murderer, Chiyo!"
Tomo ran down the hall toward the stairwells. She made a sharp turn at the end of the hall and fell over, slamming into the wall.
"Ow," she said, struggling to get up. "Too much sake."
She got to her feet and hit the stairwell, grabbing the cold metal banister tight while running down stairs as fast as she could. She didn't risk jumping. She made it to the bottom and burst into the lobby.
She ran to the elevators and smashed all the call buttons. The elevator Chiyo was in opened, but it was empty. Did I get the right elevator? Tomo thought. The other two opened, both empty.
Tomo ran out of the lobby into the street, turning in all directions. She did not see the amber hair, the black dress, or the wide hat. Chiyo had disappeared.
...
Her conscience boiling within her, Tomo called the police and made her report, detailing everything she heard. There, I made a report, Tomo thought. Let's see if that gets anything to happen.
She spent most of the day pacing up and down the neighborhood, trying to burn up the mad energy within her. She usually slept during the day due to her night shift, but she could only stare wide-eyed at the ceiling. She had time to spend, so she went to a doctor to get her nose checked. The doctor said only a part of the cartilage had broken. He gave her some decongestants and pain killers to help while it healed.
Tomo tried to watch a movie, but her mind wandered too much. She hit an arcade, but was too riled up to memorize the pattern of the shooter she was playing. Thoughts surged within her, her conversation with Chiyo a jumble of phrases. The phrases built a path in her mind, but she ignored it. She sensed where it would end, not in words, but in feelings. The rest of the day up to her shift was spent in front of the television, doing what she could to quiet her mind. The sky darkened, and Tomo got ready to go to work.
...
"'Sup Tomo," Danube said as she marched into the kitchen. "A little early today."
"Yeah, I'm going to prep," Tomo said, as she put her purse up. She had carried a wallet for so long that using a purse seemed weird to her. She wasn't able to use a purse while she was on the force, as it was too cumbersome.
Danube studied her face. "You okay? You, uh, look different."
"Bunch of stuff happened today," Tomo said, getting turkey out for finger sandwiches.
"So you're not on drugs."
"No!" Tomo shouted.
"Hey, just checking," Danube said as we walked back to his office.
"Ha, more like you were hoping I was on drugs so you could buy some from me," Tomo said, picking up a hefty slicer. "Like I'd ever-"
I'm sorry, Tomo.
Tomo gasped and dropped the slicer. It clattered on the floor with a metallic racket. She stood, stiff, in the middle of the floor.
Danube rushed out of his office. "Tomo? Are you okay?" He walked over and grasped her shoulders. "Tomo? Are you having a seizure? Tomo!"
Tomo moved her head toward Danube. "I've got to go," she said. She ducked from his hands and ran out of the door.
Danube followed her. "Tomo! What's going on!"
Tomo stopped, and ran back.
"Danube!" she shouted. "Go back inside! Hurry, hurry!" She pushed him along.
"Okay, don't shove," he said, trotting ahead of her. "What's the deal?"
"Find out what koban Torako von Wallenstein is in!"
"What-?"
"Call the Traffic Information Bureau! Look up their number! Hurry, hurry!"
...
The Kanda district.
Tomo hailed a taxi and gave him the exact address. She should've realized she'd be in Jichiro's old koban. The taxi driver drove along while Tomo nearly disintegrated her seat from fidgeting. She looked ahead and gasped.
"What's that!" She said, pointing ahead.
"Looks like police lights," the taxi driver said.
"Stop here! Pull over!" Tomo dug into her purse and thrust a fistful of yen at the driver.
"Thanks for the tip!" he said, as Tomo slammed the door and ran toward the koban. She choked back a sob, because she knew what had happened.
She ran past the two police cars. An ambulance pulled away from the curb, its lights turned off. She burst into the koban and saw a tearful Jichiro, clutching his hat, sitting between two detectives. She recognized them from the Manseibashi police station.
"Mr. Jichiro!"
"Hey, get out of here!" One of the detectives said. "No civilians allowed! Can't you read?"
"It's okay," Jichiro said. "Let her in."
Tomo pushed past the two detectives and squatted in front of Jichiro. "Mr. Jichiro, what happened?"
Jichiro shook his head.
"Officer Torako was shot and killed," one of the detectives said.
Tomo clutched the tails of her coat and bit her lip. She did everything in her power to swallow the sob growing in her breast. "How," she choked out.
"She was shot," Jichiro said. "I was out on my rounds. One of the local officers found her when he was looking for me. They think I killed her, Tomo! Why would I do that? I loved her like my daughter."
One of the detectives cleared his throat. "We're not accusing you," he said. "You're just a suspect."
Tomo shook her head. "He would never kill her," Tomo said. She stood up. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jichiro."
"They wouldn't even let me look at her when they carried her out," Jichiro said, grinding his hat in his hands. "To see her one last time."
Tomo's eyes narrowed, and she gained control over the wail trying to creep out. "You didn't see her body?"
"No," he said. His eyes narrowed as well.
"Where is the body being taken?"
"That's enough," one of the detectives said.
"1630 building, the police morgue there," Jichiro said.
"Thank you!" Tomo said.
"Hold on a moment," one of the detectives said. "We need to take you in."
"What? I didn't do anything!"
The other detective put a hand on her shoulder, and Tomo bolted.
...
She took the same taxi to the morgue, this time paying her fare exactly. The taxi driver didn't mouth off about the lack of tip, but grimaced and drove away.
Tomo entered the building, walking past the protesting secretary. Tomo marched into the cold, sterile morgue, and saw two autopsy technicians talking to each other in low, hushed tones. Both clammed up when Tomo entered.
"Torako von Wallenstein. Policewoman. Where is she?"
The technicians glanced at each other.
"The new body!" Tomo shouted. "Where is it?"
"Um, Ms. Torako was just delivered. We need to prep-"
Tomo stomped toward the technicians, her fists clenched. She made for the one that flinched. "Where is she!"
"Don't," the other technician said, but he glanced at one of the cold chambers.
"Ha!" Tomo said, and she rushed at the chamber, and saw Torako von Wallenstein, ink barely dry, on a tag placed in a window. Her heart sank as she grabbed the handle and pulled the chamber open.
"Stop!" One of the technicians said.
Tomo held her breath, grabbed the zipper of the black body bag, and ripped it down. Inside was... a man. Tomo exhaled. The man had a beard. Who is this? I've seen him before. She saw a nasty scar down the middle of his upper lip, as if it had been cut straight through.
"Ryo Watanabe," she said out loud. She slammed the chamber shut and glared at the technicians.
"Was a woman brought in here?" she shouted. "Where is she?"
The braver technician held out two hands, trying to calm the raging inferno in front of him. "Ms. Takino, let's be reasonable."
"I am being reasonable!" Tomo shouted. "Where-" How does he know my name, she thought. I didn't tell him!
She ran to the swinging doors. The technician stepped in front of her, so she smashed her fist into his stomach. He doubled over, and Tomo grabbed the hair on the back of his head and slammed his head into her knee, rising up to meet him. He fell to the floor. She blasted through the swinging doors, and ran past the secretary, who was babbling on a phone. She lurched out of the building and ducked into an alley when she heard blaring sirens getting louder and louder as they bore down on the building.
...
Torako took Asagi's hand, and felt great joy. She led Torako through the entrance.
"I tried hard to find your murderer," Torako said. "It seems so inconsequential, now."
"It is," Asagi said with a laugh. "It doesn't matter. You and Tomo did your best."
Tomo.
Torako jerked her hand away from Asagi, and Asagi turned around, puzzlement on her face.
"Torako?"
"I can't be here," Torako said, shaking her head.
"Torako, where else are you going to be?"
"I've got to go back," Torako said. "I need to help Tomo."
"Torako, you burned that bridge already!" Asagi said.
"Did that matter with you?" Torako said. "Why would it be any different with Tomo?"
"Tomo can take care of herself," Asagi said. "Besides, she has Osaka."
Osaka.
"I've got to go back," Torako said. "There's too much to do. I have a responsibility."
"Your responsibilities are over!" Asagi said. She grabbed Torako's shoulder before she could step outside the gate. "You can be with me now! Why do you want to go back to that rotten old world?"
Torako turned toward Asagi. "Asagi, I loved you the day I saw you. I never stopped loving you. I never will stop loving you. But my responsibility is with the living now. Not the dead." Torako let out a laugh. "You know, it's funny. I'm an only child, but now I have these two wonderful, beautiful, maddening sisters. And I can't leave them now."
Asagi gently grabbed Torako's shoulders, and moved her toward her. "Torako," Asagi said. "You aren't going to make it."
Torako shook her head. "I've got to try," she said. "I can't remember much now. It's getting fuzzy. I don't know what's out there for me, but I've got to go back. I'd never forgive myself if I don't try."
Asagi moved her hands to Torako's face. Asagi grinned, wide and beautiful.
"Go get them, Tiger," she said, and the golden sun turned black.
...
The last breath from Torako's lungs sputtered, and became the first. Torako opened her eyes and breathed heavily, gulping the stale, cold air. She still couldn't focus her eyes, but she saw the shadow squatting over her.
The shadow whistled in admiration. "I am deeply impressed," the shadow said. "Everyone else would've died of shock by now, but you fought back. Of course, you'll die of shock eventually. You can't live much longer, considering the rate of your blood loss. I give you... twenty minutes?"
The shadow laughed. Torako's eyes gained focus, and she saw who it was. He laughed when he saw the recognition in her eyes. "I can't wait for you to die, so I hope you'll forgive me for speeding things along."
He stood up. "Good day, Torako," he said, and he aimed his gun at her head.