Happy birthday (2) – 15
The police came. And with them the family of my ex-scholar, who died. The mother was trembling and crying as she asked me, "Why? Why?"
I did not answer. I'd gotten tired of repeating the redundant sentence, "I did not kill him." Humans are not capable of learning something new than what they've already held on to.
"He was one of the few, of the very few, that remained true to your dojo! True to you... How could you? How could you!"
Shigi persisted at my side, silent. I was relieved when the police brought us away from that accusing and pointing crowd; I could hardly take my brother's horrified expression at this unfairness any longer. I was afraid he would fall apart.
It got worse in the police station. The officers were not interested in the truth, but only in gouging a confession from me. It was not so bad; after all if I'd died they knew they'd get into trouble, so now and then they remembered to hold back. I stood to the truth, naively thinking my stubbornness would convince them sooner or later. Obviously they thought it was just because I could endure the pain.
According to the rules, I wasn't allowed to see Shigi. It was fine for me. I did not want him to see me in that condition; he'd overreact. But I learned fast enough to realize there is an unbridgeable gap between the rules that are written and those that are played.
Shigi came. He was shocked to see my state. He told me that while I was interrogated, a man showed him the dojo's debts. "I met Akito. He said he could settle it all, and, Toki, he said he could free you!"
"No," I immediately disagreed. "I did not kill Kazuhiko."
"I know, but they might kill you," his voice quivered.
I looked at him and I knew he was going to give himself up for me. "No, Shigi, please don't do that."
An officer came to take him away, announcing, "The time is up."
It was urgent for me to make it clear to Shigi that he needn't save me.
"Come on, lad," the officer led him away.
"Shigi, don't do it!"
"The time is up," the officer repeated. Unthinkingly I pushed him away, hurting him more than I intended. A number of officers instantly entered the room and charged at me. In the middle of all the commotion someone ushered Shigi out. My brother said to me, "Please buy me, Toki!"
I was released, but all these free years of mine were his imprisonment.
- - -
Mishiba came to himself when a drop of cold water fell on him, followed by millions of others.
It was raining.
He stared at the mound of soil in front of him, then suddenly an urge to see Shigi took hold of him. Like a possessed person he dug the barrow open with his bare hands furiously. All these years he'd kept all his anger and fear buried deep inside himself. Now tearing this pile of earth was an act of bringing it all out in the open. His rage gave him a new strength he'd never experienced before. Even under the rain he felt heat coming out from him.
"Toki, I don't want to see Akira-san anymore. He's a liar. He told me that I'm too dependent on you while you find yourself self-sufficient, so you will disappoint me someday. That's not true, is it?"
"Of course not."
A liar.
Would a liar be telling me the truth?
The morning sunshine on the earth revealed parts of a cocooned body. Mishiba jumped inside the grave and reached to disclose it with a trembling, bleeding hand.
- - -
Somewhere in a mansion, a man watched a monitor displaying Mishiba's accomplishment. "Well done, Toki..." he said and turned to another figure in the dark. "It seems your brother's not as dense as he used to be, Shigi. That makes a nice birthday present, doesn't it? Happy birthday..."
- - -
Mishiba stared at the dummy inside the plastic bag. Its face had been drawn in an attempt to resemble Shigi; it was amateur work, but he could recognize the objective behind it. He put the mocking doll away, nauseated.
His knees felt weak. As he slowly sunk on the grave's floor, he felt his back, arms and feet ache dreadfully. For a while he put his face inside his hands, half-relieved that he hadn't found Shigi dead. On the other hand the picture of what this sick person was able to do to Shigi tortured him. There was no other way; he had to win the Bus Game.
He climbed out of the grave and headed home.
- - -
At home a bathed Mishiba picked up his portable phone and turned it off. He had also left his mobile home and now stared at the long list of miscalls from Saitou and one miscall from Nakajou.
He dialed Saitou's number but no one picked it up, so he dialed Nakajou's number instead.
"Nakajou-san? You called me earlier today."
"Yeah. Saitou's been calling you since midnight and since you didn't answer, he called me at half past three in the morning."
"What does he want to talk to me about?"
"Nothing important. He wants to wish you a happy birthday."
A happy birthday... huh. "...Yeah, it's nothing important."
One of them grinned, with a cigarette slipped between his lips. The other smiled slightly.
- - -
Later, just after midnight.
Saitou woke up, eyes blinking sleepily as he tried to discern the time of the day. "Aaaargh!" he yelled. "I overslept Toki-san's birthday!"