File 14: Trip to Tokyo Tower
Did I do the right thing?
Akihito pondered on what he did to the Brander. The anguish and despair that he had seen before he left Kura Prison after talking to him. It had already been a week since the news of the Brander's death reached Kura again, making them even more confused than before.
He had been wondering why the Chief allowed him to do that.
But I'm doing this to protect my family…
He closed his eyes, trying to justify his actions.
I've got to get Muku a bodyguard. She can't be bullied for this incident either…
Rolling around on a bed in a separate room, he had made a makeshift bed near his photography room so that he could rest when he needed to. Ayako hadn't seemed pleased with that prospect, but she allowed it so that he could have some time to focus on his hobby sometimes.
"Aki-kun, were you in the photography room again?"
Akihito looked up to see Ayako standing by the doorway, looking at him. She sounded a bit discontent, worried about his behavior.
"Resting in this room instead of our bedroom. Did you spend all night preparing for your trip?"
He shook his head at her question and then covered his head with his pillow. He rolled around to the side of the bed, trying not to hear her.
"Come on now. There is still one more day left," Ayako said, shaking Akihito from the bed, "Help me with my preparations as well. My relatives are in the city right now and want to meet up with me."
"Fine, fine. I'll help," Akihito chuckled back, "It's nice that we were able to find a date that worked for both of us. We'll get everything in order."
"Are you sure about this? You don't want me to join you?"
Akihito sighed and touched her gently. He didn't want Ayako to feel even more worried about their safety since the school incident. He didn't want to tell her about his constant dreams that had been increasing in intensity ever since they moved to Tokyo.
He still needed to figure out why John Walker would target them in another city after all this time. It sounded too convenient and precise. It was as if he knew they were going to come here. The underlying sense of fear and dread couldn't be ignored any longer.
Why is Muku being targeted in the first place?
Why him? Why his family?
"Aki-kun, what about Muku's safety?" Ayako muttered, touching his face, "The high school seemed to have been relatively quiet about the incident, saying that it was just an accident from the labs that blew smoke through the hallways. Will she be okay?"
Akihito scratched his head before he gave her an answer.
"As long as they don't say who the killer was targeting, Muku should be fine," Akihito muttered back, "It's already hard enough for her to get into a good school so that she can get a good job, but this will just be ridiculous. I don't want these incidents to negatively impact her even more…"
After they rested together for a while, Ayako got up to prepare them some snacks while he planned for their trips and schedules. Akihito thought to himself on how to convince Hondomachi to be Muku's bodyguard. Her age wasn't too far from Muku's and they were both a similar height, according to how the Brander mission went.
Hondomachi-san could also be Muku's friend. I know that she probably has other friends from her club activities and school but having a bodyguard could increase her security. That way, she won't be limited to some places to where I can watch her…
Akihito then took out his phone and called Hondomachi. She picked up the call not too long after, asking about how things were going over there.
"Narihisago-san, how is your daughter?"
Akihito sighed before replying.
"Hondomachi-san, seems like everything went well. Thank you for protecting my daughter. She didn't see the killer at all in this case. Thank you very much."
"Oh. By the way, what did you say about inviting me on a trip? Are you fine with that? This won't be treated like an investigation, right?"
"No, no. Just be casual and have fun with us. It would be nice to have someone Muku can chat with. It would help a lot with her anxiety from the previous cases…"
Hondomachi didn't respond for a while as there was a silence between them. After a while, she seemed to have accepted his response.
"Alright. I know that you want me to be her bodyguard and want me to know more about her. But I guess having a casual trip around Tokyo doesn't sound like a bad idea…"
She was right. Akihito still chose her to be Muku's bodyguard but was still unsure about her job position and if it was okay. They would later have to check with Kura about it, and probably would need to get Momoki's and the Chief's approval.
But for now, this was just a testing ground to get to know each other better.
Meanwhile, Momoki had papers all over his desk at his apartment condo. They were filled with the previous cases they had dealt with, as well as investigations on Kiki's whereabouts. He had managed to find the scientist's name on his experiments inside the same hospital where she was located.
His name was Nishio Shirakoma.
"He was suspected of being the cause of Asukai-san's disappearance ever since the coma incident, but he had a strong alibi during that time. He had stated that his experiments on the Invasion of the Subconscious Mediated by Dreams was about exploring the human realm of imagination and on how it could be used to see their desires and weaknesses…"
He flipped another page from one of the notes he took from some of the files out of their folders and organized them. There were some notes on Akihito's dreams during the Face Lifter's case and on how the cram school footage and the frog corpse display could be connected.
Togo yawned in the distance as she slowly came forward to see Momoki's messy pile of papers on the desk again. She had been listening to him ramble all day on his solo investigations on Kura, Kiki and on how Akihito's dreams sometimes seemed to collide with the cases that involved his family.
"Momoki-san, how long have you been going at it? Kura might not get a new case for a while since the Brander's death, so you really need to rest. You might overwork yourself."
Momoki shook his head at Togo's remark. Ever since Akihito stopped helping him in their investigation and stopped giving him information on his dreams lately, he had to go by what he knew, reports from others and what Kura had discovered based on their cases.
"Togo-san, a lot of these things seem intentional. Even the timing is very coincidental. Why were we only given the case after the killer had murdered several people?"
"Wasn't it to see if we could find their killer particles from the crime scenes first? Then from there, we could easily catch the culprit afterward."
"True, but some of the victim's cases in between getting caught, it looks like someone was helping them. The professional removal of evidence and how they managed to escape capture sounds off. Suddenly, the answer was given to us to easily capture the killer afterward…"
"Doesn't it show the capabilities of the Mizuhanome? What's wrong with that?"
Momoki shook his head in dismay. It felt like she didn't understand the implications of their cases.
"I-It's not just that. Also, the sheer pattern of John Walker appearing in the cases that involved Narihisago's family so far. Narihisago's sudden retaliation for giving me more details on his dreams could be connected to that. Maybe it had to do with the Chie—"
Togo flicked her fingers at Momoki's forehead to get him to stop talking. He pulled back and rubbed his forehead afterward.
"What was that for? I was just trying to explain things!"
Togo shook her head and poked Momoki's face. He seemed annoyed by her actions.
"Momoki-san, did you try to reconcile with Narihisago-san again? You still haven't asked him about Tokyo Tower yet?"
Momoki sighed at the mention of Tokyo Tower again. He had tried to talk to Akihito since the Brander's case, but he got whisked away by the Chief before he could do anything. He also wanted to know how everybody's endings to the Man of Many Faces could be related.
There were clues and riddles everywhere. He just needed to organize them.
"Narihisago said that he had already planned a trip with Hondomachi-san. I don't know if I want to bother them since the high school incident. He just wants to protect his daughter right now…"
"Didn't Narihisago-san also mention asking for yours and the Chief's approval? Maybe it would be nice to watch over them on their trip. It could be like a date."
"A date?!"
Momoki's face blushed red, embarrassed from such a thought. He had been too busy concentrating on his investigations to notice that Togo had tried to get him to go on a date with her all this time. Maybe there was a need for a break once in a while.
"Won't it ruin my friendship with Narihisago if he finds out that we were watching them? Maybe that isn't such a good ide—"
Togo interrupted again by blowing into his ear, distracting him. Momoki didn't seem pleased with all this. It felt like she wasn't listening to him at all.
"Come on, let's have some fun sometimes. I know that you're worried about Narihisago-san, but he doesn't want to think about Kura's implications right now. He still needs time to think for himself. You should take it easy as well, and I'll help as much as I can."
Momoki sighed and put his hands over his face. He felt tired and weary about Kura ever since Narihisago got admitted into becoming Mizuhanome's pilot, without being tested or knowing the whereabouts of the other candidates.
It took Momoki's questions about Kiki looking similar to Kaeru and Narihisago's dreams. The Chief responded back through a private meeting with him on what could have happened to them. He ended up getting cornered by the Chief's words, unable to say anything. Since then, he wasn't able to tell Narihisago anything about the truth of being a Mizuhanome Pilot.
It could bite him in the back later, but he didn't want to impact his best friend's mental state even more. He already was dealing with paranoia from the serial killers targeting his family and needed to take protective measures immediately.
"You could just say that we were keeping an eye on Hondomachi-san," Togo muttered back, "Don't need to be so blunt about it. Let's just enjoy our time together while we can."
Momoki scratched his head and put some files back into their folders. He could use a breather so that he could concentrate on his investigations better. It would be unwise to burn himself out too much.
"Maybe you're right. A trip to Tokyo doesn't sound so bad right now, and we're near the city anyway…"
Togo smiled at Momoki's response, patting him on the back. She then came closer to his ear and whispered:
"You can still try to ask Narihisago-san if he is okay. I don't think he hates you. He probably wants to avoid causing more trouble for you."
"Togo-san, I don't know," Momoki replied, "There's so much stuff I want to ask, but I don't want to overwhelm him either. I'll have to get some of my files in order and think it over."
The two of them then prepared their trip to Tokyo as well, hoping to meet up with Akihito's group nearby.
The next day, Akihito prepared his camera equipment and some money for their trip around Tokyo with Hondomachi and Muku. Ayako would be meeting with her relatives in the city as well, but they would be doing other activities. He could meet up with them another time.
"Muku, are you sure about this?" Ayako asked, straightening her daughter's hair, "Your Dad would be introducing someone to protect you."
"He probably has a point," Muku answered, "I heard that it was related to the school incident a while back."
Hondomachi came forward from their apartment's front door, right near their steep uphill corner of the room where they took off their shoes. She waited for them by the door but was offered a seat near the living room while Akihito and Muku got their things ready.
"Is it always normal like this?" she asked, looking around the Narihisago family's living room, "The room looks more stuffy than usual."
Ayako didn't say a word about Hondomachi's observations. It looked like Akihito might have been trying to hide some weapons for their safety in some areas of the room. Every room had at least a small knife and a bat so that they could fight back when they needed to.
"Sorry for the wait," Akihito said, organizing his camera into his bag, "I needed to make sure the camera wasn't damaged and had enough space for more photographs. I hope I brought enough money…"
Ayako quickly went to the kitchen to grab something. She came back with a small bento box full of onigiri. It was to be eaten as a snack before they had their meals.
"Aki-kun, here take these."
She handed him the bento box, so that he would put it into their bag immediately.
"But what about yours? Don't you think you would need it more?"
Ayako giggled before she responded to Akihito's remark.
"It's fine. They're family. I'm sure they'll take care of me. I'll bring us back some treats afterwards, okay?"
Akihito scratched his head and nodded. He had checked his schedule for their trip and had wanted to visit Tokyo Tower again. It reminded him of his time he had with Momoki a long time back, and the need to bring Muku there. She was now old enough to visit the tower on her own but going there again should be fine.
After all, Momoki had reminded him before about it.
"Well then, let's get going," Akihito said, checking the time, "We need to catch the train to get to inner Tokyo before it gets crowded again."
"Have fun, Aki-kun. I'll leave right after you three."
And so, Akihito, Hondomachi and Muku departed to go have fun in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Momoki and Togo were already near Tokyo while they were resting at one of the café shops nearby. They had been wandering around the city, slowly getting closer and closer to Tokyo Tower, one of the most iconic landmarks in Tokyo.
Momoki kept trying to organize his thoughts on what he had found from his investigations and continued to discuss them with Togo.
"The Brander case feels a bit off," Momoki muttered, sipping part of his coffee, "The way we found the evidence so quickly sounds way too convenient. Apparently, they have had trouble finding him beforehand, and then we're suddenly given an obvious clue that led us into capturing him…"
"What do you mean?" Togo asked, "Does it have to do with the Brander's id well?"
"I-It's not that, Togo-san. I'm talking about the footage that we got from the previous crime scene. The other places where the other murders took place either didn't have a security camera near that location or was temporarily shut off during that time. It's a bit odd that it gave the killer the right circumstances so many times."
"It can't be just luck, right?"
"I don't think so. It feels the same as the Face Lifter's case as well. There must have been accomplices that had helped them with their murders. I know that the Face Lifter had briefly mentioned working with someone to move the bodies to their designated locations after killing them based on Muku-chan's statement. The way they were moved matched a different pattern than how he operated."
"They both had John Walker inside their wells…"
"Exactly. So, I believe that this strange John Walker man must have been helping them with their murders as their coordinator. He even dared to record a very blurred out footage of himself, taunting us. These all can't be a coincidence…"
Togo sipped her coffee before responding back.
"Like Narihisago-san's daughter being targeted…"
She then took out her phone while Momoki stared back out at the café window in front of them. They were seated close to a train station nearby, so that they could leave quickly after they were done drinking their coffee. Togo had a few pamphlets to the side on some recommended locations to explore around Tokyo.
Maybe the Chief has the Challenger's well already. He did tell me that he managed to get his and Narihisago's in that meeting. I'll have to see if that has John Walker in it as well. We'll have to see…
Momoki turned around to see Togo calling Hondomachi. They were talking about their plans about the recommended Tokyo attractions to check out. It would be fine to go on a few detours while they're in Minato City, and meet up in Tokyo Tower with Akihito's group near the end.
"Togo-san! What are you doing?! Why would you call them?"
"Checking up with Hondomachi-san," Togo answered back, still on call, "Just letting her know that we might meet up with them at some point. She said that she's with Narihisago-san and his daughter right now."
"Where are they going?"
Togo shushed him and told him where they were after she finished her call.
Akihito took Hondomachi and Muku to Minato City, where Tokyo Tower was located. It took at least an hour train ride from Chofu to inner Tokyo, changing a few stations along the way. They arrived near the parks, so they decided to rest and eat some of the onigiri that Ayako had given them.
"Togo-san called me to ask where we were," Hondomachi muttered, eating an onigiri, "Seems like she and Momoki-san were just asking about a meetup in Tokyo Tower."
"Tokyo Tower?" Muku asked, "I haven't been there yet."
"I had always wanted to take you there," Akihito answered back, shaking his head, "But you were too young at that time. It's better to do it now while we still can. I have brought my camera for this occasion after all."
"But what about Mom? Will she be able to come too?"
Akihito sighed, finishing his onigiri.
"N-Not today, Muku. We can go there again with your Mom another time. Today, I just want to introduce you to Hondomachi-san, who could be your bodyguard for your activities…"
Muku looked back and faced Hondomachi. She stared at her, wary about her Dad's co-worker right in front of her. Hondomachi looked back at her, smiling nervously.
"But aren't you one of Dad's co-workers?" Muku said, scratching her head, "Won't it be weird?"
"It should be fine, Muku. She may be short but she's a reliable person and wants to know you bett—"
Hondomachi quickly stomped on Akihito's foot, a bit annoyed. He tried to cover up his painful expression after saying that. Muku looked at them, confused but felt a bit relieved. Hondomachi at first seemed to have an expression of a stern young woman.
But after her Dad's remark, she might not be so scary after all.
"I'm not that short, Narihisago-san!" Hondomachi exclaimed, elbowing him, "You didn't need to say that…"
"Sorry," Akihito muttered, "Just wanted to say that your appearance can make Muku less afraid of you. She needs someone to protect her from the killers, and you did a good job with the last case…"
Hondomachi blushed at his praise and nodded. It felt like a long time since she had been appreciated by someone. Narihisago needed her and wanted her so that she could protect his daughter. Muku stood by, resting on a bench nearby. After Akihito's and Hondomachi's chatter, they told her about visiting a park first.
"Muku, we're going to visit Happo-en Garden first. It's a great place to take photographs there. After that, we can go check out some other places…"
Muku shook her head in dismay. Her Dad just wanted an excuse to take photos again.
"Please don't make us only stay in the parks, Dad," Muku replied, "There's more to the city than just that."
"I know, I know. We'll find somewhere else to go after that," Akihito muttered back, trying not to sound boring, "We'll visit Tokyo Tower in the end. I promise."
Hondomachi elbowed Akihito in the stomach, making him crouch down in pain.
"Don't get so full of yourself, Narihisago-san. Let me help you find some cool places around here. Togo-san and Momoki-san are in the city today as well. I can ask her for some suggestions…"
No! Not now. I have to get Hondomachi-san to get friendly with Muku first. That takes time!
"Dad? Are you okay?" Muku asked, poking him, "Hondomachi-san is pretty rowdy with you."
"I-I'm fine, Muku. J-Just get along with her please…"
Muku looked up to see Hondomachi poking Akihito too, trying to get him to move. She looked back at Muku and smiled. Narihisago's daughter might not be so bad after all.
"Well, then. This trip might not be so bad after all," Hondomachi chuckled, "Let's get moving."
Momoki and Togo rested near a vending machine with some drinks before they went towards a nearby park. It was called Odaiba Seaside Park. Not far from them, the coastal shores and sand breezed close to them. A bridge overlooked the park, making it a great scene for tourists and travelers alike to take photos together.
"So, you chose to go to a park first?" Togo said, clutching one of his arms, "That's nice that you chose such a beautiful seaside scenery. It's pretty nice to look at during the day."
Momoki closed his eyes and scratched his head. He still needed some time to concentrate and discuss some more details with Togo, and a park seemed like a decent natural place to chat. They could also warm up at the park before going into the more urban attractions in Minato City.
"Everyone's ending was so different from each other's," Momoki muttered, "Habutae-san's ending was for the man to turn himself in, Shiratake-san's ending was for the man to be suspicious of the police due to what they asked him, and Wakashika-san's ending was to have the man investigate on his own. They sounded like typical answers."
"And you already heard mine," Togo answered back, "Have you thought about your own ending to the story?"
"Why would the Chief tell that sort of story to everyone?" Momoki said, looking at the trees around them as they walked, "There must be something to it."
They continued walking along the park path, leading them to the other side of the shore. They had found some restaurants and small local eateries near them as they got towards the edge of the park. Togo suggested that they head out to get something to eat, since it was close to lunchtime.
"Momoki-san, the Chief said that the story was to see people's inner desires and wishes. Although I don't see the point of doing that through that, I can sort of understand why he would do that. It might probably explain what kind of people he is working with."
"A man of many faces," Momoki said, thinking to himself, "Could it have something to do with the masks that society wears in different parts of life? He mentioned having one for work, home and police…"
Togo slowly dragged Momoki out of the park and into the nearby eateries.
"How about some food first. It could probably help clear up your head a bit."
But before Momoki could respond, she dragged him through the door for lunch.
At Happo-en Garden, Akihito was looking for a spot to take good photographs. The park was rife with beautiful cherry blossom trees around them. There were a couple small lakes that were furnished with some traditional Japanese posts and a few pagodas. The pagodas faced the lakes, giving a serene atmosphere to the place. There were many other people walking in the park, with some families and couples around them.
Akihito walked up ahead while Muku and Hondomachi stayed behind, talking to each other.
"What should I call you?" Hondomachi asked Muku, "It could get confusing with two Narihisagos. How about Narihisago-chan?"
"That's fine," Muku answered, "What about you?"
"Hondomachi-san is fine. Say, has everything been alright? Nothing troublesome at school?"
Muku nodded and looked down on the ground. Her Dad had been doing everything he could to keep them safe, even though some actions seemed a bit rash. But he meant well and didn't want their family to be ruined because of this.
After their snack of onigiri, Akihito had planned for them to have lunch nearby after they went through some of the park and took photographs. They were closer to the other attractions as well, so that Hondomachi could lead them somewhere else immediately afterwards.
"Look! I found us a good spot," Akihito said, pointing to a koi pond near them with a small waterfall, "There are rocks around the area to give us a good background to take pictures in."
But Hondomachi seemed unsurprised by Akihito's remark. She shook her head and came forward to check his camera. It was already filled with photos of some of the park. He had gone ahead of them, taking pictures of the park landscape around them to let the two of them talk with each other.
"Clever, aren't you? Going on ahead taking photographs while leaving us behind."
Akihito smiled nervously and tried to hide his embarrassment. He just wanted to give Hondomachi and Muku time to talk to each other while he took his time exploring the surroundings.
"You got me, Hondomachi-san," Akihito chuckled back, "Now, do you mind standing over there for some photo shoots?"
He pointed towards the small waterfall near them, that was covered with bits of rock to create a small path around the koi pond. A few couples were taking photos near them, and Akihito wanted to take some photos with Muku and Hondomachi in it. It would be a shame if he only took photos of just the landscape and not his own group.
"Narihisago-chan, do you want to come? Your Dad wants to take pictures of you!"
Muku hesitated for a bit before coming forward. Akihito smiled a bit as he saw her try to make herself comfortable with Hondomachi. He tried to pat her head, but she quickly grabbed his hand and put it down.
Did I go too far trying to get Muku and Hondomachi-san close with each other? Was that a bad idea?
"How about you take photos of me first? Hondomachi-san can wait…"
Hondomachi giggled at Muku's remark. She pushed Muku forward to let Akihito take some photos for her first. She looked around the park to see if anyone was following them before sitting nearby.
"I'll be nearby looking over the pagoda not too far from here," she said, waving at them, "Have fun taking photos of you two!"
Akihito sighed. He showed Muku where to stand and to do many poses. Hondomachi came later and he took photos of the two of them side by side. Not too long after, someone else also came to take photos for them so that the three of them could be in the picture.
So far so good. I can show some of these photos to Aya-chan later tonight after she comes back from visiting her relatives…
Akihito rested while he checked his camera, looking at the photographs he took. Muku and Hondomachi were talking about how Akihito had pushed them to do many different poses around the pond, such as standing on the rocks and being near the water to look at the koi fish swimming in them.
"At least they're talking with each other now," Akihito said, sitting on a bench nearby, "Hopefully, Muku won't mind her being her bodyguard this time. I don't want to scare her with strangers when she goes out…"
He then took out his phone to check the time. It was getting close to lunchtime.
"Not a bad start for the day, maybe I should ask Hondomachi-san for a good restaurant recommendation nearby…"
But as he finished his sentence, he suddenly felt an eerie prickly sensation around him.
It felt like he was being watched.
This feeling again. This is the same feeling I had when I was at Muku's school festival a few years ago…
He quickly examined his surroundings, but there was no one there. There weren't many people in the park right now, so it confused him on why he had that intuition in the first place. He went over to Muku and Hondomachi not far from him and asked if they had felt anything during the photo shootings.
"I don't think we saw anybody around here that looked at us, Narihisago-san," Hondomachi whispered, "Did something happen?"
"No, no. Nothing happened. I-I was just making sure that everything's fine."
But Akihito's expression said otherwise. He was wary about the park already. There definitely was someone watching him a while ago. But he couldn't scare Muku like this. He had to adjust his plans quickly.
"Hondomachi-san, do you know of any good places for lunch around here? It's already close to noon."
Hondomachi shook her head at his suggestion. Muku was by their side, confused on what was going on. She looked back at her Dad, who was putting away his camera into his bag for later.
"Sure, I know a good place to eat around here. I'll show you two the way."
Meanwhile, Momoki and Togo finished eating their lunch and were looking for more places to go around Minato City. Togo had suggested that they go to Zojoji Temple, which was very close to Tokyo Tower. It was one of the famous landmarks in Tokyo and was a Buddhist temple that held the remains of some Tokugawa shoguns.
It tended to be one of the popular tourist destinations for travelers as well.
"There are a lot of people here today," Momoki muttered, looking overhead at the main gate in front of them, "Wonder when we can find Narihisago's group…"
"They said that they will arrive here later," Togo answered, "But since it's so big and crowded here right now, we might not be able to find them easily."
Nearby, there was a monkey performance going on inside the Zojoji Temple Main Hall not far from them. A small crowd had gathered around it to watch the monkey do stunts. After the monkey finished performing, the crowd applauded before going to the other areas of the temple.
"How about we go inside the gates for now?" Togo said, checking the time, "They can come tell us where they were later. Hondomachi-san did say that we'll meet up in Tokyo Tower together anyway."
"Good point. Since we're here, might as well explore the temple grounds here."
And so, Momoki and Togo went inside the Main Gate to check out the place.
A few hours later, Hondomachi took Akihito and Muku to Zojoji Temple. The crowd had lessened since it was a few hours past noon, but there were still many people due to it being the weekend. She checked her phone and glanced around for Momoki and Togo.
They were nowhere to be seen, but the crowds of people inside the temple could have hidden their presence inside the area.
"Maybe they went inside," Hondomachi muttered, scratching her head, "Are you two ready to go to Zojoji Temple?"
She looked back to find Akihito taking his camera out and Muku nodding back. They went inside to see the monkey performance still ongoing, and another crowd formed around them. Muku had tried to touch the monkey to no avail, but it ended up just giving her a high five, in which Akihito managed to snap a photo of their interaction.
"Excellent posture, Muku! Aya-chan would love this!"
Akihito snapped a few more shots over the temple grounds, which were large and wide and filled with people. There was the Main Hall in front of them, with many other areas such as the Big Bell, the Kyozo and the Koshoden.
Up ahead, there was the Mausoleum of the Tokugawa shoguns and the Ankokuden.
"According to the guide, this Buddhist temple was famous for having the tombs of the shoguns from the Edo period," Hondomachi said, looking over the temple grounds, "The temple got relocated to this area after the shogunate Ieyasu Tokugawa moved his ruling providential government to Edo in 1598. Since then, this has been one of the main Buddhist temples in Tokyo."
"Interesting," Muku answered, looking around her. There were some people looking at the Big Bell nearby, which hadn't rung for a while.
"They ring that bell twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. It is rung six times each time it chimes. It symbolizes the purification of the bonno, or the one hundred and eighty earthly passions that lead people astray."
Akihito walked not far from them when Muku came forward to ask when they were going to Tokyo Tower. He pointed towards the towering red and white structure not too far from them. The Zojoji Temple is seated underneath the Tokyo Tower skyline, making it a perfect spot to take photos in the area.
"Muku, is everything okay? You're not talking with Hondomachi-san again?"
Muku sighed. She knew that her Dad wanted her to be friendly with Hondomachi so that she could get familiar with her. But sometimes, she also wanted to talk to him too.
"Dad, will everything really be fine? You sound worried all the time whenever you're with me…"
Muku really knows that I'm bluffing, huh. But I got to be normal, for her and the family…
Akihito smiled softly and looked at the crowds around them. Hondomachi came running forward to show them some neat places in the Zojoji Temple to look at and offered some great viewing areas to Tokyo Tower. He snapped some more photos before offering to take some pictures of Muku and Hondomachi again.
"Again? You do that in every location we go to!"
"Calm down, Muku," Akihito chuckled, "Your Mom would like to have some more photos of you growing bigger every year. I'm helping her with that. No need to take everything out on me."
After some chattering and teasing, Akihito managed to take some great photos for Muku, Hondomachi and himself. He smiled as he went through some photos on his camera, checking for any faults and light problems that might require editing or retakes.
Everything seems to be going well. I'll need to take Muku and Hondomachi-san to Tokyo Tower soon. We'll also be meeting up with Momoki and Togo-san there.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes watching him from the distance. It was the same feeling that he got from Happo-en Garden that morning. They seemed to have followed them here.
Keep calm. I can't scare Muku with my worried expression again, she noticed already…
Akihito looked around for anyone suspicious in the crowd but there was no one sticking out in the open. It felt like his mind was playing paranoia tricks on him again. He might be overthinking things again.
"Last time I thought I was overreacting, Momoki discovered some strange people in my photographs," Akihito said, thinking to himself, "I might need to snap some more photos of the crowds around me to see if I notice anything…"
He got up from the resting bench and went to check up on Muku and Hondomachi. They were busy looking inside the Koshoden, which was a lecture hall filled with beautiful pictures of flowering plants on the ceiling. They were staring in awe until Akihito interrupted Hondomachi by tapping on her shoulder.
"Enjoying this place, Narihisago-san? What is it?"
He asked if it was possible that Momoki and Togo were still on the temple grounds, and if they were just messing with them by hiding in the crowds.
"Well, I'm not sure about that. We haven't been able to find them yet and it's already been an hour or so. This place is pretty big though."
Akihito tried to remain calm, looking back at the crowds in the other areas of the temple.
"Togo-san already said that they were here earlier, so they would have been done checking out this place by now. Is something the matter?"
"I-It's nothing, really. Just double checking," Akihito replied back, "Maybe it's about time that we get ready to go to Tokyo Tower. How much time do we have left?"
Hondomachi took out her phone and checked the time. They still had some time left. She then noticed that Akihito was still holding onto his camera.
"You're still going to take more photos? I thought you were done already and were checking them at the bench."
"I…uh want to take some last minute snapshots of the area before we leave, okay? Just wait a while, please."
Hondomachi raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She pushed Akihito back outside so that he wouldn't distract Muku from looking around the Koshoden. Afterwards, she gestured to him to get his things done before they left for Tokyo Tower.
"Thank you, Hondomachi-san. Please watch over Muku a little longer…"
And Akihito began to snap photos of the crowds around him, looking for any possible suspicious people that could appear in them. If Momoki managed to find them, maybe he could too.
I'll have to see for myself. I can't just do nothing.
And so, Akihito went to take some pictures of the crowds around him while he waited for Muku and Hondomachi to finish exploring the temple grounds.
Momoki and Togo walked into Tokyo Tower and bought tickets. They looked up to find that there was an extra admission fee to go on both the Main Deck and the Top Deck. In order to view the Top Deck, it required a reservation, which they didn't have time for. There was an option to use the staircase to climb the tower again, which gave Momoki some hesitation about going up that way again.
"Do you want to wait for them or go up already?" Togo asked, checking her phone, "They should be arriving soon. They were near the Zojoji Temple last time Hondomachi-san called, so they're probably not that far away."
But Momoki didn't want to climb the staircase again. He just wanted to go on the usual elevator up to the Main Deck. It could get dark anyway, and he didn't want to be stuck on it while climbing up like last time.
"M-Maybe we should go in first," Momoki muttered back, "We got the tickets to go on the Main Deck, and the staircase is an optional path. Narihisago will probably take his time climbing up taking photos with Muku-chan and Hondomachi-san anyway…"
But Togo felt some wariness in his voice, showing that he really didn't want to go up the staircase. Knowing Narihisago, it was kind of obvious which path he would take again.
"Fine," Togo said, dragging Momoki to the elevator, "We can just wait for them at the Main Deck. We can spend some time looking at Minato City while we wait…"
Someone was at the elevator, in which Togo showed him both their tickets. He pressed a few buttons and they slowly went up. The backdrop of the elevator showed the city's surroundings, which showed multiple skyscrapers and bridges and coastal areas around them.
"Welcome to the Main Deck," he said as he showed them out of the elevator. Other tourists and families came out as Momoki and Togo got out to see the scenery.
It was beautiful. Although it hadn't gotten dark yet, the city landscape glowed from the small lights that were scattered from their windows and cars. It was early evening, so there were still red, blue, and purple tints that had just started forming in the sky. There was a souvenir shop and a small café on the Deck, so that people could enjoy the view and pick out keepsakes of their trip.
Momoki walked over to the edge of the Main Deck, to look closely at the cityscape around him. There were a few telescopes that could be used for a few yen, but there were people using it already.
Togo came over to ask what Momoki was thinking about. He had a wary far-away look on his face.
"Still thinking about the Chief's story?"
Momoki shook his head and looked back at the landscape surrounding them.
"I think I know what kind of ending I'd want for the story…"
Not too long after, Akihito arrived at Tokyo Tower with Muku and Hondomachi. They bought their tickets to the Main Deck before looking around for Momoki and Togo. They seemed to have already gone up without them.
"Did they forget about us again?" Akihito muttered, dumbfounded, "Were you able to contact them, Hondomachi-san?"
Hondomachi took out her phone again and had gotten a text from Togo. They were already up and waiting for them there. She chuckled at the reason why.
"Momoki-san didn't want to climb the staircase, so he went up earlier than you to wait. He told you to enjoy your time climbing up to meet them…"
She looked back up to find Akihito had already put his camera away. She edged him on, trying to get him to answer.
"So, are we going to climb the staircase or not? Narihisago-chan would like to know too."
But Akihito was too focused on what he had felt at Happo-en Garden and Zojoji Temple, the feeling of being watched. His wandering expression had made Hondomachi and Muku worried, so they didn't say much on why he began acting like that.
"Ah, it's nothing. Let's climb up the staircase before it gets dark."
Akihito gestured for them to go but forgot to open his camera bag again to take photo shoots while he was climbing the staircase with them. Hondomachi had to poke him to get him to respond and get his camera back out.
"Not now, Hondomachi-san. I'll get my camera out once we're higher up on the staircase."
They began to climb the 600-step staircase up to the Main Deck of Tokyo Tower.
"Muku, I know that this is your first time in Tokyo Tower," Akihito said, heaving himself up slowly up each stairway, "Hope you won't mind climbing up the old fashioned way instead of taking the elevator."
"That's fine, Dad," Muku replied, looking through the gated enclosure of the staircase, "It's pretty neat going up like this. You're going to take more pictures again?"
Akihito smiled a bit before he checked how far up they were. They still needed to climb a few more hundred steps, but they were in a good range to take some more photographs. He took out his camera from his bag and tried to focus.
"Narihisago-san, do you even have enough space left?" Hondomachi asked, "You took lots of photographs since we started the trip."
"Yeah, there's plenty. There's enough space for everyone's picture."
From there, Akihito went on to take many pictures from the staircase, with Muku and Hondomachi not far from him. They climbed and climbed, slowly reaching 600 steps into the Main Deck. By the time they reached the Main Deck, the sky had turned dark.
Many lights started popping up all over the city. Tokyo Tower lit up to show its glimmer throughout the cityscape. They went inside the Main Deck to find many people still in the area, looking over the scenery around them. Hondomachi quickly took Muku to find a good spot to explore the Minato City surroundings.
"We'll help look around, Narihisago-san," Hondomachi muttered, "Momoki-san and Togo-san should be around here in this small crowd."
"You want to look for them already?" Akihito answered back, "But we just got up here. They'll probably notice us afterwards."
Hondomachi shook her head in dismay before responding back.
"Are you stupid? It's already dark, so it would be harder to find them right now in this dim setting. Narihisago-chan also seemed interested in self-defense too."
"Fine, fine. We'll look for them, then enjoy the rest of the night here. We'll probably go out together with them for dinner afterwards…"
So, they went to look for Momoki and Togo while exploring the Main Deck.
Momoki waited for Togo while she went to get drinks for them at the café. A small crowd of people were gathered near them, looking over the city through the glass in Tokyo Tower. He sat by a table, where there were a few empty chairs around him. Momoki waited for the others to show up from their climb up from the staircase to the Main Deck.
"They should be here by now," Momoki said, looking outside from his café seat, "I hope Narihisago-san is okay with this…"
He had reminded himself that he was here in Tokyo Tower many years before, going along with his friend on an outing to take pictures from this tower for his family. Before, Muku was too young to come here, but now she was old enough to visit this location.
As he looked out, Hondomachi came forward and tapped him on the shoulder. Momoki thought it was Togo, so he didn't turn around immediately.
"Back already? You sure came back qui—"
Momoki turned around to see Hondomachi in front of him. She had brought Muku with her. Akihito was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Narihisago?"
"He is just exploring the Main Deck right now. I'll go get him so that we can meet up now."
Hondomachi left again to look for Akihito, while Muku stayed behind. She looked at Momoki for a moment before looking down on the floor. She didn't say anything for a while before Togo came back with some drinks.
"Oh! Narihisago-san's daughter is here," Togo muttered, putting the drinks down, "So his group has arrived. We're together now."
"Seems like it," Momoki responded, shaking his head, "Hope they enjoyed the trip. We didn't want to bother them…"
But Togo noticed Momoki's dreamy look, as if he were recalling a memory.
"This tower really seems nostalgic to you. Guess Narihisago-san really left a big impression on you…"
Momoki chuckled at that remark. She was right. Even though he hadn't gone on the Tokyo Tower that often, Akihito would sometimes drag him there whenever they went to visit Tokyo. He always liked to take photos from the tower, due to the beautiful cityscapes and trying to recognize landmarks and locations.
Although there already was a bigger Observatory not too far from them, called Tokyo Skytree, he still chose to come to Tokyo Tower for the nostalgia and memories here.
Think. Think. What should my own ending to the Chief's story be? The story itself is a clue, but everyone seems to have their part in it…what is mine…
Meanwhile, Akihito felt like he was being watched again. It was already getting dark, so Tokyo Tower's indoor lighting was a little dim. Looking around him, all he saw was just crowds of tourists in different corners of the tower. The café near him was bustling with people at the tables, drinking and eating.
Did they manage to follow us here too? I didn't see anybody suspicious while we were climbing the staircase…
He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.
That means that they were already here on the Main Deck before we came. I wonder if I should ask if Momoki and Togo-san saw anything strange…
While contemplating on what to do, Akihito got some strange looks from some people. Despite carrying his camera, he wasn't looking outside at the scenery like everyone else. He tried to act natural, but his own fear and paranoia wasn't helping.
"There has got to be something I can do; I can't just be overthinking this…"
Then, somebody touched his shoulder and arm. Akihito freaked out for a moment before turning around to see who it was. It was Hondomachi, looking at him like he had just seen a ghost.
"Are you seriously okay? You haven't been acting right since we were at the park this morning."
Akihito didn't say a word from her remark. After all, she was right. She knew that he had been acting all day so that he wouldn't scare Muku about them being watched.
"Not saying anything, huh," Hondomachi muttered, grabbing his arm tightly, "I know that you're worried about Narihisago-chan, but please. For her, please act more natural."
Some people were staring at them again, so she took Akihito to a nearby wall where there were less people looking at them.
"From what I had gotten from your daughter, she seemed to have limited herself a lot since moving to Tokyo. She didn't want to cause any trouble for you. It was kind of sad…"
Akihito looked away from Hondomachi, feeling helpless with his attempts to make Muku's life feel as normal as possible since the last two cases.
It seemed like Muku noticed it right away but had gone along with his plan so that things could feel somewhat normal.
"…A new city. A new life. A new job. Only to get faced with another killer targeting her. Narihisago-chan probably didn't say it to you directly because she was afraid that you could get too extreme on limiting her activities. She didn't want to get shackled by fear and paranoia."
Then, was getting Muku a bodyguard a bad decision? Did I limit her too much?
"If that is the case," Akihito muttered under his breath, "Is getting Muku a bodyguard the right choice?"
Maybe Hondomachi-san made her decision already. She might not accept the position after all…I guess I failed today…
But Hondomachi giggled at Akihito's remark. She sounded sarcastic and relaxed compared to his worried expression.
"Come on, Narihisago-san," she replied, elbowing him, "I'm not that heartless. I understand your position in this matter. You want your daughter to not feel so afraid in the city, and you want her to not be afraid of her bodyguard. Someone like a companion."
"Wait, does that mean—"
Hondomachi nodded. It seemed like she was going to accept being Muku's bodyguard. Maybe all that effort of trying to get her close with Muku during this trip would not be wasted after all.
"Yes. I'll accept your offer of being Narihisago-chan's bodyguard."
Momoki, Togo and Muku waited for Akihito and Hondomachi to come towards the café. They arrived not too long after, apologizing for being late. Togo had bought Muku a drink while they waited, so they were the only ones left without anything to drink.
"Sorry for the delay," Akihito said under his breath, "Good thing Hondomachi-san found me before I took too many photos again…"
"You weren't kidding about that," Hondomachi muttered back, "Did you manage to take a picture of everything you wanted here?"
Akihito scratched his head and thought for a moment.
Hondomachi had suggested that he take some photos he wanted first, because he was here in Tokyo Tower and not stick out too much. Afterwards, she could help him in looking for any possible suspicious people around them that had been watching him. But to no avail, they couldn't find anybody.
There were just too many tourists around them.
"I also can't take photos of just the crowd either," Akihito said, sighing in dismay, "It would look suspicious and not normal. Usually, people would want to take photos near the cityscape around them. They won't take pictures of the building like this…"
"You can take photos of me near them," Hondomachi suggested, "I can help pose for you."
It sounded like a good idea, but he wasn't sure. He had already taken many pictures of the crowds at Zojoji Temple beforehand to search through later, and he didn't know if there was much space left for his normal pictures inside his camera.
"We can do that," Akihito said, looking down on the floor with his camera in hand, "But I also want to take some normal photos here too. It would be regretful to not take pictures of Muku here just because I was paranoid about somebody watching us…"
Hondomachi didn't say anything from his answer. She took a while to respond.
"Maybe we can lessen the amount of photos taken of the crowds then. Probably just the corners of the Main Deck where there are many people could help."
And so, Akihito and Hondomachi took some pictures around the crowds after he took some basic landscape photos on the Main Deck. They had quickly finished and then rushed back to meet up with the others.
"Do you two also want some drinks?" Togo asked, "I can buy them for you."
"Thank you for the offer, Togo-san," Akihito replied, "But I think I'll buy the drinks for Hondomachi-san and myself just fine."
"Dad, can I go check out the Main Deck?" Muku asked, finishing her drink, "You can text or call me back to take photos later."
Akihito took out his phone to check the time. They still had some time left. The crowd was thinning as it was getting late, but they could all go out for dinner together afterward. For now, they could take a breather.
He couldn't worry too much in front of his co-workers and Muku.
"Sure, go ahead. I have something to do real quick."
Muku quickly put down her drink and left for a while to explore the Main Deck by herself.
"Well then, I'll now be taking Hondomachi-san," Togo said, taking Hondomachi to a different side of the café, "I'll be borrowing her for a while and be getting her a drink anyway. Have fun, Momoki-san!"
She quickly grabbed Hondomachi, leaving Akihito and Momoki alone at the café table. Since he hadn't ordered his drink yet, he abruptly went back up to get his drink at the counter before coming back to chat with him.
"Narihisago, it's been a while," Momoki muttered, taking another sip while looking outside, "Now that you're back at Tokyo Tower after so long, has everything been going well?"
Akihito sipped at his drink before replying back. He looked out from the windows as they sat from the café area. It reminded him of his time in Tokyo Tower, many years ago. It had been a while since the two of them had a private conversation together, due to their previous cases with Kura and Momoki's persistence on checking up on him.
"It's been going alright," Akihito answered back, feeling a bit melancholy, "This place really does leave memories. How's it going with Togo-san?"
"Trying to take care of me," Momoki chuckled back, shaking his head, "Seems like her actions of ghosting me might have to do with me. Now that we're together again, things have been picking back up…"
"That's good," Akihito said, sipping his drink again, "So, do you think I'm making the right choices?"
"What do you mean?"
Akihito sighed. He put a hand on his chin, trying to think.
"Like, giving Muku a bodyguard. With how things are going now, she really needs more protection. Do you think I'm going too far with this?"
Momoki took another sip of his drink.
"Narihisago, I don't know. But based on your actions, you really do care about your family. From what I have seen, you really want Hondomachi-san to be Muku-chan's bodyguard, right?"
Akihito nodded at his remark.
"Well, she showed that she can protect Muku with the Brander case. At least this time, she didn't see the killer unlike the previous cases. I hope this can help mitigate the problem, even a little…"
Momoki smiled a little from relief. At least Narihisago wasn't ignoring him on purpose. He had his reasons for focusing on protecting his family from future killers that might target them again.
"Thanks for the explanation. If Hondomachi-san accepts the job, she can be Muku-chan's bodyguard."
Akihito's eyes widened in surprise.
"What? I didn't think you would allow it so quickly. What about the Chief's approval? I don't know how Matsuoka-san would react to all this…"
"I'll manage. Didn't you basically take Hondomachi-san on a trip with you and Muku-chan just so she can warm up to your daughter? That's very clever of you. We saw it coming from a mile away."
"You got me," Akihito muttered, holding back his chuckle, "Of course you did. We're all detectives here."
They sat and enjoyed their time together in the café. Later, Togo and Hondomachi came back from their small talk and Muku finished exploring the Main Deck. While they were all together, Akihito suggested taking photos of everyone on the Main Deck, followed by posing in various corners of the lit up cityscape around them.
After all, they were here together in Tokyo Tower for tonight.
Momoki closed his eyes, thinking about his ending to the Chief's story.
The man of many faces didn't want to do this job anymore. All he wanted was a normal life and to be with his family and friends again. Especially his best friend.
He didn't want to negatively influence someone he cared about.
In the end, the man risked his life to protect them.