—Chapter 9—Sunday, May 1st, Evening—
When Makoto stepped off the train in Shibuya, it was like going back in time. Station Square was exactly as she remembered it, and she felt seventeen again. As excited as she was to see her sister, Makoto still took her time making her way across the plaza, every fresh sight triggering old memories.
When she finally reached the statue of Hachiko, she placed her hand upon its paw, and greeted it sentimentally. "Thanks for waiting for me, boy. Good dog." Though the statue seemed silent, staring unflinchingly forward, she could feel it returning her greeting.
"Makoto!"
Makoto turned around to see her sister waving to her, walking briskly, but not hurriedly, across the plaza to her. "Sis!" she yelled, running enthusiastically up to her. The mere act of laying eyes on her sister again cemented in Makoto's mind her need for being there. Just as Naomi had alluded, this is what big sisters were for.
"Oh, it's so good to see you," said Sae. "You look beautiful. I feel bad that it took such awful circumstances to bring us back together, but I'll take it."
Makoto embraced her sister fiercely. "I feel the same," she said.
"Curry for dinner?" suggested Sae, smiling. "I know a great place."
"That would be perfect," said Makoto, happily. "Except that to get to Yongen-Jaya we have to get back on the train," she added, pointing behind her.
"Nah, I'll drive," said Sae, gesturing for her sister to follow her. "This case I'm working on has me going all over the place, so they finally sprung for a car for me. It's this way." Sae tugged at her sister's sleeve, and together, they left the plaza.
Dragging her suitcase behind her, Makoto walked happily next to her sister, anxious to see Leblanc again. "How is Sojiro?"
"He's maybe a little lonely, but he's happy. Futaba is studying abroad in Europe, so he doesn't have much else to do besides run the cafe. When I see him, he complains about his customers as much as ever, but I get the feeling he appreciates them a bit more than he used to." Sae pulled a key fob from her pocket and pressed it. Half a block away, the welcome lights flashed on a black sedan.
Makoto smiled. Sojiro did love to complain.
When they got to the car, Sae opened the trunk and took Makoto's suitcase from her, putting it inside. "Have a seat," she said, gesturing to the front.
"Nice car," remarked Makoto, checking it out with sincere interest. "Is this electric?"
"Yeah, it's a Honda Clarity. The Diet recently voted to set aside a bunch of money to reduce carbon emissions in government affairs, so the prosecutor's office just bought a whole bunch of these."
"Well, climate change is real," said Makoto. "Go us."
"Now if we could just get the Americans to get their asses in gear."
"Ha, good luck with that," she said, getting in and shutting the door.
Sae got in and buckled herself into the driver's seat. "Off we go," she said, putting the car in 'drive'.
Zipping through the streets of Shibuya, Makoto tried not to ignore her sister, but every corner revealed some memory, some something she had to think about. When the signs for Yongen-Jaya started appearing, she settled back into her seat and sighed deeply. "I love Tokyo," she said.
"We all have to leave the things we love sometimes," said Sae. "It helps us appreciate them more when we see them again." She winked at her sister.
Sae parked in an alley, and the two stepped out of the car. The front entrance to Leblanc was the same as ever. "Coffee and curry, here we come," said Sae. The bell above the door jingled at their entry.
Sojiro's back was to the door when they entered, watching TV and wiping a glass to a sparkling shine. "Welcome," he greeted, without looking. "Sit where you like."
"I see the hospitality is as warm as ever," said Makoto.
At the sound of her voice, Sojiro nearly dropped his glass, whipping his head around to look at her. "Mako-chan!" he cried, lowering the glass and coming around to the other side of the counter. "Oh, Sae-san, what a pleasant surprise!"
"We were hoping for some of your world-famous curry," said Sae, grinning wide.
"Hi Boss," said Makoto. "How have you been?"
"I'm perfect, now that you're here," he said, greeting her with a gentle peck on the cheek. "On vacation for Golden Week?" he asked.
"Not exactly, but this was a wonderful alternative to what was in store for me back at school," she answered.
"You mean the kid?" he joked. "Tell that delinquent he could've had the cafe!"
Makoto and Sae laughed. "I'll tell him," she said.
"Make yourselves comfortable," said Sojiro, gesturing to one of the booths. "I'll get your curry going. What kind?"
"The house special, of course," answered Makoto with a smile.
"You got it. Coffee?"
"Yes, please," she said enthusiastically, taking a seat. She looked expectantly around the cafe. "Where's Morgana?" she asked.
"That layabout?" he said, waving his hand dismissively. "I kicked him out for the afternoon. Told him to catch some mice or something. It's not healthy for him to just sit around watching me watch TV all day…"
"I'm so sorry I missed him," she said.
"Yeah, I'll be sure to tell him you're in town. He'll be here next time," he said, smiling. "So tell me about school," he asked. "You must be top of the class, right?"
"Oh, I'm doing alright," she said.
"And Ren? He never tells me anything, you know."
She smiled. "He's fine, mostly. Things are a bit crazy right now. I felt bad leaving him there." It only just occurred to her that she could've asked him to come along—he had nearly as much of a reason to come back to Tokyo as she did.
"What's going on? Utsunomiya's been in the news lately, but I bet that's not why you're here."
"Oh, have you heard about the murders?" she asked.
"Yeah. It's just that kid's luck that as soon as he gets to a place, people there start dying. I hope he's keeping a low profile—pretty soon they'll be banging down his door."
"Oof," grunted Makoto. She hadn't actually considered that. It was a joke Tetsuo had made, but, well—it was Tetsuo. Honestly, though, it wasn't that great of a stretch. "He is actually making quite an impression with his knife skills. He's already advanced from level one to level two in the Bladed Arts sequence, and he's trying to test his way into level three."
Sojiro shook his head. "Stupid kid. I hate to say it, but with his history, he's going to draw all sorts of scrutiny doing crap like that. Knock him upside his head when you see him next, would you?"
Makoto smiled. "I will."
"Anyway, if it's not strictly for vacation, what does bring you back to these parts?" he asked, handing her a cup of fresh coffee.
Makoto inhaled deeply of the aromas wafting from the cup, and took a languorous sip, thinking of how she would answer.
"She has a boyfriend she needs to hide from for a few days," said Sae, answering for her.
Sojiro grimaced. "Oh, tell me you're kidding," he said.
Makoto frowned. "He has a key to my house, and a really bad temper, so it was time to disappear for a while, at least until I can get my locks changed. I got a restraining order in place yesterday, but frankly, I'm not sure what good that'll do."
Sojiro shook his head glumly, stirring his curry. "Guys like that need their heads knocked in. You're a tough lady, and I know you can take care of yourself, but you shouldn't have to deal with that. What does Ren say about it?"
"They have a mutual dislike of one another," she said, grinning.
"That boy always did seem to be a good judge of character," added Sae, taking a sip of coffee.
"He does have a way of figuring people out, doesn't he?" said Sojiro. "I'll never forgive myself for how awful I was to him when he first got here. But he just kept his cool, being patient with me as I warmed up to him over time. I guess he could tell I wasn't all bad, and he let me take my time figuring out that he wasn't all bad either. He's a good kid. I hope you're looking after him, Mako-chan, now that I can't."
Sojiro wasn't one to give in to sentimentality easily, but when it came to Ren, he just couldn't help himself. She nodded sweetly at him. "I'll do my best," she said.
They spent the rest of the evening talking about Futaba's studies, Yusuke's latest and greatest works of art, and the new marketing campaign of Okumura Foods. It was wonderful to get to sit and listen to their stories as told through Sojiro's eyes. She knew about most of it already, but hearing it from him gave it all fresh life. She'd been in Tokyo for all of a few hours, and already, her soul felt refreshed.
—Monday, May 2nd, Afternoon—
The next day was set aside for girl time—Sae had scheduled a spa day for the two of them to indulge in. After enjoying a nice, leisurely Leblanc breakfast together, they headed to the spa for manis, pedis, massages, and a good hot soak. As the two of them lounged together in the women's-only section of the bathhouse, Makoto had managed to almost entirely forget her troubles.
A chiming sound from over by their stack of towels helped her remember.
"Is that yours?" asked Sae.
"I think so," said Makoto, craning her neck to see if she could read the banner notification from her spot in the water. She could.
"Who is it?" asked Sae.
Makoto hesitated before responding. "It's Ren," she answered.
Sae studied her sister. "And how is Ren these days?" she asked. Makoto could barely hear anything over the subtext marbling through that question.
"He's fine," she answered casually.
Sae allowed for a nice, pregnant pause before following up. "Care to elaborate on that?"
Oh, to be a prosecutor's little sister. "He's fine, Sae. What more would you like me to say?"
"Do you spend much time together?" she probed.
"Not so much when there are classes going on, no."
"And when there aren't?"
"You're basically just describing the last few days, since Golden Week started and I've been on the lam."
"That's not an answer to my question," she said.
Makoto sighed. "We have spent some time together, yes."
"Tell me about it," encouraged her sister.
"It's really not a big deal. There's nothing to say."
Sae cocked her head incredulously. "I'll be the judge of how big a deal it is. Name one thing you've done together."
"Sae, I don't want to talk about this."
"Why not?"
"Because, it's… awkward!"
"What's awkward about it?" she asked innocently. "Do you have feelings for him?"
Makoto huffed in frustration. "Sae, I've been in a relationship with someone else practically the whole time he's been there!"
"That doesn't really answer the question I asked, though."
Makoto splashed at her sister. "Fine," she sighed. "Yes, I think I do—probably have for a while. Are you happy?"
Sae smiled. "Yes, in fact. I am."
Makoto glared at the prosecutor across from her. "You can be such a pain," she said.
"Likewise, my dear, but I'm happy for you all the same. I've always liked that boy."
Makoto scoffed. "You were investigating him. You didn't like him so well then."
"No, I think I did," Sae countered. "From the start, it didn't feel right that he was the enemy. I had an agenda, an obligation to fulfill, and I worked as hard as I could to justify to myself that what I was doing to him was fair. But in the end, in the span of just a few hours, he had me completely convinced that he was on the side of justice. He's a good person, and it makes me happy that he makes you happy—I've often wondered why the two of you didn't get together sooner."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," cautioned Makoto. "It's not like we're even dating or anything. If you'll recall, I just broke up with my boyfriend."
"Because Ren showed back up in your life?" she guessed.
"No, because the boyfriend I had drugged me and tried to rape me."
Makoto's answer dropped like a rock into the water. She hadn't shared those details with Sae yet. Sae didn't know the extent of what Tetsuo had tried to do.
Sae's jaw tightened. "Is that right?"
Makoto could feel the mama bear rage welling inside of her sister. "'Tried to', remember. He didn't succeed. I'm fine."
"How did you escape?" she asked.
Makoto sighed. "I didn't," she said. "Ren… stopped it."
Sae relaxed a little. "Good," she said simply.
Sae didn't ask any more questions after that, and Makoto didn't volunteer any more answers.
—
From his work computer, Dean Yoshinora could access all of the CCTV footage stored on the school's servers. At present, he could go back as far as Friday mid-day, exactly seventy-two hours into the past. He knew which dormitory was closest to the body, and found which cameras to check for footage of the jogger and the red car. There were cameras aimed at the south-facing entrance of the building that included the street out front, as well as cameras in the east and west alleys on either side. Scrolling forward through the footage from there, the dean jumped to the period of time he was looking for:
Northwest Dorm, Entry, 10:10pm: A red car pulls up quietly on the street out front, and its lights go out. The driver remains in the vehicle.
The dean watched for a few seconds, but when it started to look like nothing was going to change for a while, he set the playback to 3x speed, and scanned back and forth between the video and the timestamp, waiting for anything that looked new and different. Other than the coming and going of a shuttle, nothing of interest occurred.
Northwest Dorm, Entry, 10:34pm: The driver is still in his vehicle, but there are occasional erratic movements visible through the side windows.
The dean rewound the playback to the beginning of the weird movements, watching. As the minutes tick by, the movements inside the vehicle become more and more extreme. Another shuttle passes.
Northwest Dorm, Entry, 11:04pm: The vehicle shakes. More erratic movements.
Northwest Dorm, Entry, 11:10pm: The man continues his gesticulations. A light goes out in the dorm.
Northwest Dorm, Entry, 11:11pm: A man in a jogging suit appears from the rear of the vehicle and taps on the roof. He engages the occupant in some conversation. They appear to talk for just a couple of minutes.
Northwest Dorm, Entry, 11:13pm: The vehicle turns on, and the sunroof opens. The driver pulls away, his middle finger jutting out the opening in the roof. The jogger watches for a moment before crossing the street, northwards toward the dorm.
The dean sighs, and decides to download the first hour of the footage, from 10:10 to 11:10pm, putting it on a thumbdrive.
Then, just to satisfy his curiosity, he clicks into the camera trained on the east alley of the building.
Northwest Dorm, East Alley, 10:10pm: There's nothing in the alley, but the dean can see into parts of some of the rooms. Coincident with the arrival of the red car, there is motion in a third story dorm room. The camera is positioned high up on the adjacent building, angled down to focus on the alley itself, but through the dorm windows, the dean can see part of the floor and some of the furniture on the north wall of the room. A woman's feet become visible, and a desk chair to the south moves into view. A man's shadow covers the floor as he stands.
The dean watched enough to understand why the man in the red car was so irate, then fast-forwarded to the point at which the jogger became visible again. At 11:13, he appears in the alley and looks up toward the window before continuing northward, out of view of the camera.
Finished with his investigation for the time being, the dean clicked into the surveillance settings for the whole system, adjusting the automation. Effective at midnight tonight, the system would begin holding on to surveillance footage indefinitely.
Opening his word processor, he began composing the latest safety bulletin to go out to students and staff. Things were getting serious.
—Monday, May 2nd, Evening—
After dinner, Sae had some calls to make, so Makoto made herself comfortable in Sae's backyard. The yard had been designed by a professional landscaper, and was the epitome of the traditional Japanese garden, right down to the bamboo water spout and the koi pond. It was a paradise to behold.
The pond was large enough that the wooden bridge spanning its width was actually functional as opposed to just decorative. Makoto walked into the middle and sat down, letting her bare feet dangle off the side and into the cool water. She wondered briefly if koi bite. More curious than concerned, she kept her feet in the water—for science.
As the sky darkened, little LED flames ignited inside the stone lanterns—an elegant combination of traditional aesthetic and modern technology. She listened to the pond noises, to the periodic tipping of the shishi odoshi fountain, and to the chirping of the crickets. Sae had created a little slice of heaven back here.
Relaxing into her spot on the bridge, Makoto pulled out her phone and checked her texts, which she'd been ignoring all day.
Naomi: Don't forget presents! ❤️^_^
Tetsuo had left her another message as well: Still hoping to hear from you. I love you
At least he hadn't pestered her further than that. He was trying to manipulate her though, and she wasn't having it. She would ignore him for as long as possible.
From Ren: I hope you're able to enjoy your time with Sae. If you get a chance, please tell her I said 'hi'
Even though his message was hours old, she decided to text him back: I have been, thanks, and I will
The three bouncing dots appeared a moment later, letting her know he was crafting a reply. She straightened up a little bit, clearing her throat as though she were about to talk to someone.
I'm glad
Did you have a good day?
Yes. She took me to a spa, and we spent all day getting pampered. It was quite nice
Sooooo… the bathhouse in Yongen-Jaya?
Makoto laughed out loud.
Lol
An *actual* spa
Like, with massages and everything
Fancy
Yes, quite fancy
How's your sister?
She seems great. She has a backyard garden straight out of the Tokugawa shogunate
I'm dipping my feet in her koi pond as we speak
Oo la la
And Sojiro?
Misses you
Awww, that's sweet
Poor guy has to wash his own dishes now
Haha
You know it's more than that
Yes, I know. I'm kidding
I miss him too. You can even tell him I said that
I will
And Morgana says hi
Good kitty
Wishes you'd brought him along
Doesn't understand why you didn't
I'm sure that would've gone over real well in the dorms…
I tried to explain that to him, but he wasn't having it
I think he *does* actually understand, he's just bored
Sojiro is not riveting company
Do the others never visit?
Rarely
They're busy with their own things… Everyone has their own lives happening…
Mmm
There was a lull after that. She didn't know what else to say, but she didn't want to put her phone away yet either. Besides, if they stopped talking now, Ren would just go to bed feeling guilty about Morgana. But before she could think of what else she could talk about to keep him on the line, he beat her to it.
Did you ever hear back about how your aikido exam went? he asked.
Oh, yeah
I passed. :)
No surprise
You were better than your proctor
I was worried they'd ding me for not better anticipating his limitations
That would've required them to *acknowledge* his limitations
Can't have that…
Yes, well…
Now *I* get to be the proctor :)
And the whole Fist-using community is the better for it
:)
That reminds me…
I heard back from my Blades teacher
Oh?
Do you get to test?
Yeah, Monday
A week from today?
Uh huh
God, that feels like an eternity from now
It really, really does
Sojiro raised a good point having to do with that, actually
Oh?
Yeah, he said to be careful. He's heard about the murders
What, does he think they'll come after me? Based on what? I'm not the only guy in the Blades class, you know
Yeah, but you'll be the only first-year in the Advanced class
But I *look* older
Haha. Don't joke. Anyone who catches wind of your history, however undeserved it may be, will wonder if this is just more of the same
Now may not be the *best* time to be showing off your talent with knives…
I should've pursued the bo staff, is what you're saying?
I'm being serious
Sigh
I feel sort of bad reminding you of this, but no one except the dean or whoever else reviewed my application would've known about my criminal record had you not already told everyone before I arrived
Ouch. He was right about that. If his record was such a cross to bear, she did him a real disservice by advertising it to everyone ahead of time. At the time when she decided to tell it around, it didn't seem like that big a deal, so it was a little unfair of her to decide that now, he should start acting like it was.
When she didn't respond right away, he added more to the thread:
I'm not a criminal
I'm a little tired of being thought of as one
And you know as much as anyone how much it sucks to have to hold yourself back
She thought about that, and he was right. She'd been trying so hard not to draw too much attention to herself, because god forbid anyone figure out she had actual talent. Why should he do the same?
You're right
I'm sorry
For everything. I should've kept my mouth shut about your past. I tend to think it makes you a sympathetic figure… I didn't think it would come back to bite you. I screwed up
It's alright
I'm not upset about it
I just want to be able to show what I can do. I want to take this test
You should
Give 'em hell
Thank you
They had reached another lull in the conversation, but she really didn't want to end the night yet. Not after having just concluded the closest thing to an argument it felt like they'd had since their first meeting, when she was the one threatening to expose his supposedly criminal behavior. This time it was her turn to keep him from saying good night:
On another note…
I heard from Tetsuo again today
'Again'?
You mean you'd heard from him *since* Friday morning, and now *again*? I don't think I knew that already...
Oh, crap, did I not tell you?
Well, he's sent me a few texts
He's *very* interested in patching things up
:O
Well color me surprised
Does he forgive you for getting all uppity with him?
For dropping him on his ass in your bathrobe, which he *totally* didn't deserve?
Was it your 'woman's period'?
Lol
Sounds like he does
Well, thank god for that
What a standup guy
May as well tear up that restraining order, cuz I hear wedding bells
Makoto chuckled, trying to think how she might top that, but then she saw him writing something again.
I'm sorry, am I being a dick?
I don't mean to make fun…
No, you're fine
It's an absurd situation
Justifying an absurdist response
I just don't want to make you feel bad
This is totally fucked up
And really not funny at all
I know
But this makes me feel better
Thank you
Okay, good
There was another longish pause between texts, and Makoto deliberated whether or not she should call it a night.
Makoto?
Yeah, I'm still here
I'm really looking forward to you coming back
Her breath caught in her throat. She wasn't sure how to answer.
Me too, she said finally, worrying that she'd taken too long to say it.
I love my sister, but this is going to be a long few days
Mhm
Well, I should go
Have to get back to studying
Have fun with that
I didn't even pack my books
?!
That doesn't sound like the student council president I know
I know… This is a week *full* of earth-shattering tumult
Well, if anyone has earned a few days off from work, it's you
Not me though
Jurisprudence calls…
That'll give you some sweet dreams
Speaking of…
Yeah…
Good night, Makoto
Good night, Ren
Talk to you soon
Makoto watched with longing as Ren's text avatar grayed itself out and he went offline. She really did need to get home. A face-to-face conversation was in order, so they could get over this tense, awkward thing that was sitting between them. While it may be true that he had studying to do, she didn't for one second believe that that was why he had chosen that moment to sign off.