Chapter 23

Kinji was staring into the deep for minutes long. His expression was as empty like a pantomime's face. No sign of any emotion on him, no anger or disappointment. Hoping, that Riki and Sonoko may jumped into their death, he made a mouth sourly, then headed back to the mansion. Or what was left of it.

After a few seconds, Kinji heard strange noises coming from the near. That was enough for him to pull a gun and be ready to shoot any time. He was listening to the smallest noises around him, like the rustling wind on the leaves was. You could never know, if a classmate was moving in the thicket. Kinji took his steps such way, listened to every part of his eyesight. Sometimes he hid behind a tree for a second, then continued the way to the mansion.

Somewhere in the distance an owl's croaking echoed through the woods, maybe that one, which was heard by Rumiko and Sonoko in the mansion's window ledge sitting. Later, another owl answered - except these two, the whole forest was unusually silent.

The noise in Kinji's near suddenly broke off, maybe it was a wild animal. The boy remained cautious anyway, mainly when the strange noise sounded again. That's not an animal!

For a proof of that, the vegetation shattered and the leaves were grazed together by someone, who had hard, confident steps. It was a human for sure and did not want to hide its presence anymore - and even - wanted to introduce a much noisier arrival. Kinji pressed himself to a coarse tree-trunk, he found the comer's acting very suspicious. And what was more, the moon disappeared behind the dark group of clouds and stopped shining its light down the forest. The surroundings could not be more deep, like in the current times.

Great. This was only needed for the perfect jungle-feeling.

Kinji crouched and was waiting in the cover of a big bush for the other one to reach the place, where he was. Who could be seen as a tall, stalwart shadow and it was also obvious for Kinji: the man made himself at home in the pure nature. He was wearing a long coat and something like key chains gave clanking sounds under it.

The Japanese boy saw this shadow passing by his tree, so he used this advantage out (the bastard has no idea, I'm here) and sneaked behind the man. Kinji attacked immediately.

He grabbed the man's neck with one if his arms, while pressed the handgun to that neck with the other. For the boy's surprise, the victim struck back and until Kinji could take a breath, found himself on the ground.

With Kinji lying on the cold soil, the mysterious man looked twice tall as usual. His shadow darkened the boy in the reappearing moonlight. Before the student could say a word, the other one spoke - Kinji realized, that it was Nikolai Moskvin soviet commander, the interception-works chief.

"I can tell you honestly, you surprised me, Ryusaki." Moskvin acted like it would have been nonsense and stepped on the boy's hand, which he held the handgun.

"As you did." groaned the twin.

Moskvin let him get back to his feet and give the gun back. He watched Kinji as he freed his uniform from the leaf-litter and dead leaves, then leaned against a tree in the end. They stared at one another for minutes silently; Kinji was waiting for an explanation: why was the soviet there? But the answer was late, at first Moskvin just gazed at him. Later a lighter and a can of cigarettes came out of his deep pockets.

"Do you want some?" he asked with a cigarette in his mouth, holding the can under Kinji's nose. The boy changed look between the soviet's wandering face and the can - according to the writing on it, was a Russian product.

"No." finally he said out "until it is not White Moon."

White Moon was the best known cigarette brand in the Empire of the Rising Sun and also was not the most expensive. But Kinji smoked it, because this kind was the first cigarette in his life. Did not know the reason, but he liked no other after White Moon. In everything else was something to disapprove: too smelly... a bit bitter... this one is too smoky... this burns down very fast. So he remained a WM consumer.

"Well, well, someone's really a Richie Rich." Moskvin did from an ear to ear smile "but let's get back to business!"

A few clicking with the lighter and the end of the smoke glowed in red. For example, this is too smelly - thought Kinji in queasy voice. The soviet continued:

"You might wonder, why have I come to you personally instead of sending text messages."

He just continued smiling and did not care about the other's face, which was reflecting straight boredom.

"So..." he blew out the smoke "I thought it is the base of mutual trust, when we can know each other personally. You can see, I don't want to fool you, nor lure you into a trap. You already know, that we made a little betting with my comrades, and you are my candidate. So you can expect more useful information about the location of your classmates and… other delicacies, like the hidden door in zone I6 was."

Moskvin turned his look up to the sky and wondered.

"I will be a rich person, if you win this game. That's why I tell you in every message: this is profitable for both of us. I get money and you get your life back. Don't forget that! I'm sure you won't, 'cause it's more about your life."

"And you're here only to tell that?" Kinji broke the monologue "to me?"

Moskvin looked at him half surprised, half annoyed.

"Of course not!" with that, he blew another wave of smoke into Kinji's face "how can I say... I'm here more to run you down."

Kinji immediately gathered his brow.

"... as I can see, you don't wanna win enough hard anymore, don't take your task seriously. What do you think? If you let the enemy go, the good ol' Moskvin will always track them down?" said Moskvin, acted like he was sad. After that he cleared his throat and started to speak seriously with hardened features.

"Look, boy! I want you to kill your friends as fast as possible, no matter the costs. Do you understand me? I'm giving you all the information you need, you only have to do is eliminate them! What more do you want, huh?! One dead not long ago and you let the rest go. And you killed that one, because she could not see you!"

He leaned as close to the boy, that he smelled Moskvin's whiffy breath. For the soviet's surprise, Kinji smiled.

"You don't know my brother." he said while crossing the arms. "Remember those three not long ago?"

"Should I?" Moskvin waved hand impatiently.

"Two girls and my bro. As you can see, they allied against the rest."

"And?" Moskvin had no idea, what was Kinji talking about.

"My brother is different, not an average kid. He got the best training someone can get."

"So you're both criminals." Moskvin nodded with smiling eyes. "Come on, don't try to deny it. Enough to take a glance at you."

Kinji did not like this interruption, so he looked daggers at the other man. But he continued without to mention that.

"He teamed up with poor people, but he hates them. I bet he's up to something. Riki doesn't stop until he reaches his goal, no matter the loss. Believe me, he's a match even for me."

"So what do you want? Speak!"

"I can handle it of course, but I need time and have to take some preparations."

After this sentence, Moskvin had a sigh of relief.

"What's the problem, then?" he asked and spread the arms "I still don't get you."

Kinji answered after a short pause.

"Just let me do my job, okay? I will send Riki to hell, he's only going to be the last one. I know his weak point, but he doesn't know mine... 'cause I don't have any."

Moskvin made an eye roll and decided not to say out loudly, what he was thinking at the moment. He simply flicked the cigarette butt away, then turned his back on Kinji - it was a clear sign that he will leave soon.

"Good, then Riki will be your last victim. I'm going to send you the coordinates of others via text message at the time our planes bring some support." after he stopped speaking, turned around for a last goodbye.

"Wait!" suddenly Kinji shouted at him.

The addressed one stopped and waited with curious-superior look.

"I'm staying here until the ten-pm-message. Send my package here. I want a gun with more firepower and a can of White Moon." the student told these with such noncommittally, as much as to say: It's too late now, see you tomorrow.

He did not get an immediate answer, but when Moskvin opened his mouth, he spoke with an ear-to-ear smile.

"You're a real Money Bag Junior, I can tell you that. You know how to give orders." short silence, then "that's why we have communism, to avoid these bloated, interested-in-themselves maggots."

Before Kinji could say something the commander continued, this time pulled up his first finger and his eyes sparkled severely and warningly.

"Don't get wrong again, because I won't be such friendly this time. All my money is on you, as my win and fall, too."

"And what if your cheat unfolds?" asked Kinji.

Moskvin shrugged the shoulders.

"Don't panic, everything goes perfectly. The comrades don't have the remotest idea what's going on!"

So the man in red uniform left the student in black uniform, Moskvin disappeared in the dark forest as fast as he came up. The other one who stayed there, stood in one place and pondered on this previous talk. At the same time he took a look onto the display of the watch, which was lighted in green at the moment. Barely forty minutes were left to ten.


[Number of students: 17]