Naru watched the door apprehensively as it closed behind Mai, Masako, Yasuhara and Sakuro as they left the base. He can't help worrying about her, but he felt a bit at ease knowing that she is not alone. His danger-magnet girlfriend will be fine, at least...
The sound of stacking plates resonated in the room. The staff were putting their dishes in the carts.
"Thank you!" John said to the staff after they cleared out the dishes. He bowed and smiled at them. Takigawa did the same.
Back to work, Naru thought. He approached Lin's table and sat beside him. Lin who had put his phone down just finished his call with Madoka.
"Madoka finally got ahold of Katrina Charters' assistant. We're scheduled at 5 pm at her office."
Naru nodded and smirked. "Good." After a pause, he said inquiringly, "You know that she suggested to Ms. Charters to open this business here, right?"
"Not at all." Lin replied as he shook his head slowly. "There are a lot of things I don't know about her business with other people. But knowing her, she might have a motive for giving that advice."
The young boss pinched his nose. "Your girlfriend is... weird."
Lin chuckled. "No, your mentor is just a curious, crazy woman."
The two just grinned. Madoka will always be Madoka.
"Katrina Charters, is she very close with Madoka?"
Lin shook his head. "You know how Madoka is. They're friends, but she keeps a safe distance as always."
Naru took his notebook out and opened it. "Gene and I met Ms. Charters when we were young. But we haven't talked to her that long to gauge what kind of person she is. Have you met her recently?"
"Yes, at Madoka's birthday party last year. I am not fond of her." Lin deadpanned. Before he can add to that, a sound from his laptop caught his attention.
Ping!
Naru's eyebrow went up. "You're chatting with someone?"
"Since when did you become curious about other's affairs?" Lin retorted calmly. "Don't worry, this is still work."
That piqued Naru's interest. "Is that from one of your 'business circle'?"
When Madoka and he got together, it was mandatory for Lin to come as her date on business parties that the woman has to attend to in behalf of British SPR. Those were all boring for him. "Not my cup of tea, but I make the most out of it. I can't fall asleep in the middle of it anyway."
So he just built connections by chatting briefly with people he thought will be useful for him one day. And that day has come.
Lin read the message quietly for awhile. As Naru waited for him to finish, he overheard John and Takigawa talking about what happened at lunch. They were sitting in front of the monitors.
"Bou-san, are you and Ayako really okay?" John asked worriedly.
Takigawa smiled but it did not reach his eyes. "It's just a misunderstanding, really." He inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. "We've been busy recently. She just started being a professor, then my band's album did well so we did a tour. I barely see Ayako in the past month even when we are living at the same house..."
John looked at him skeptically. "But she sounded... like she was fed up with the situation."
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed before answering. "We argued before coming to the office today."
The priest sympathetically patted the monk's shoulder. Then Takigawa continued. "She was very upset that I was able to set aside time for SPR, but I cannot for her."
"Well, if that was the case, she would really get angry."
"I know, but it just bad timing, you know? She had been asking for us to have a day together but I can't since my schedule was packed. Then, the album tour ended a week ago. I was about to tell her yesterday that I planned a vacation for us for next week, but then we were called for this." He gestured to the monitor. "Of course, I said I can come because the schedule was alright and the vacation was for next week. Before I can explain myself, she started scolding me and well... you know how it is."
John sighed sadly. "It really was bad timing... But you should tell her what you really think before it gets more complicated."
Touching his forehead in frustration, the monk replied, "I just wish Ayako would listen."
"Don't worry, she will." John assured him. "The girls would have talked to her by now. If there's anyone who can talk sense to her, that's them."
The monk finally smiled. He now felt hopeful. He is really lucky to have these people as his friends. "Yeah, of course..."
A few feet away from them, Naru smiled slightly. He wished that Bou-san and Ayako can fix their problem. Despite their loud personalities, he thinks they are compatible, but they must work on their communication skills. Most of the time, instead of using words, Ayako uses her purse and Takigawa shouts.
He was taken away from his thoughts when Lin tapped the table with his finger. He finally finished reading, and he looked sharply at the young CEO by his side.
Naru gave his full attention to Lin. "Anything useful?"
Lin smirked and rested his back to the chair. "These are one of those "secrets" that only in the business circle exists. Katrina Charters mother, apparently, stormed on her brother's house one day, and asked 'not nicely' for this land here in Japan. She stayed there for 3 nights just to get her goal. Her brother refused as much as he can but he gave in after she blackmailed him into leaking to the press about his dealings with the black market."
Olive Thompson-Charters, a well-known prodigy in the world of music, is Katrina Charters' mother. Her reputation in the music world, as well as her manners, is unparalelled. Who would have thought that she can bully her brother into giving this land to her daughter?
Anyway, Naru is not interested in that gossip. "I don't think that's relevant to our case."
Lin put his right hand under his chin. "We're just starting. The rumors about this family are very revealing."
Naru's left eyebrow raised. Lin took that as a cue to continue.
"My acquaintance said that no one in the Thompson family had ever given up this land once they were named as its inheritor. Even if some outsiders tried to buy it from them for double its price, they just refused to do so. That's why everyone was surprised that the uncle, who was the current inheritor, transferred the ownership of the land to Katrina."
"So there is great interest in this land." Naru remarked.
Lin nodded. "They say the land has golds and other treasures. But no one knows what this land really has except from the Thompsons."
Naru lifted his left hand to his face and rested his cheek on it. I hope Ms. Charters will answer that for us later, he thought.
His long-time assistant continued. "They just know that it's really valuable because even George Thompson, the person to whom this land is first registered, left America for this land in Japan and never came back."
He may not show it in his face, but Naru's eyes twitched in curiosity.
"George Thompson's wealth was impressive but not everyone liked his business methods. " Lin approached his laptop and read again the message he received. "They described him as sociable but conniving. He usually deals with foreigners with businesses in the US. At first, he will befriend them and once they get to know each other better, he'll either have deals or partnership with them. They said that Thompson took advantage of the foreigners' lack of knowledge about the laws and language. Mysteriously, after a few months of partnership, the foreigners' businesses will be on the brink of bankruptcy. He apparently advised the partners to sell the business. Thompson was entrusted with the task and got a big percentage of the sale."
"Scumbag businessman!" someone suddenly shouted. Naru and Lin both turned to its source ans found Takigawa sitting near them on a swivel chair that was supposed to be in front of the monitors. John, who was beside him sitting on an identical chair, smiled apologetically while scratching his head.
Naru shook his head in amusement. "You were supposed to watch the monitors."
"The rooms still have low temp, yada yada. Overall, no activities yet, so we were bored, then we found out that you are having juicy gossips here. And what is one of the things that I like? Gossip. So Lin-san, please continue," the monk smoothly explained.
Lin chuckled a bit. "Alright. Where was I?"
"Thompson scamming his business partners." Takigawa seriously replied. He was really invested in this story.
The Chinese man cleared his throat before he continued. "So that's how he accumulated his wealth. One day, for his 65th birthday, he went on a vacation at another state with his family. There he met a Japanese who was on a business trip in the US. This man was said to be a farm owner in Japan and was there to know more about new farming techniques. He was fluent in English and is well-versed in the business."
"Ha! That one he can't fool." Takigawa stuck out his tongue and mocked Thompson.
Lin nodded in approval. "That's what everyone thought. Anyway, despite that, for some reasons Thompson still befriended him and was very hospitable to the man. He gave him a tour around the area, introduced him to farm owners he knew and suppliers... He accompanied the man to almost everywhere. The Japanese man was very grateful that before he went back to Japan, he invited to Thompson to his farm in Japan if he happens to visit the country. He left his address to Thompson and went back here.
"A month later, the Thompson family went on a trip to Japan. Two weeks after, they came back to the US and the patriarch started to ask around about farming supplies and equipment. He met with many business owners and a few weeks after that, numerous shipment to Japan were made."
John was astonished. "Wow, that was fast."
Takigawa nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Maybe... just maybe, he had made a business deal with the farm owner?"
The story teller shrugged. "I can't confirm that. Remember, this is still a gossip from the circle." Lin glanced again at the message in his computer then continued.
"George also put up a job advertisement asking for men who are willing to work overseas. After a month, the advertisement was took down. Many men were recruited and were sent to Japan. A few days after that, the business circle were stunned to know that Thompson, at 65 years old, left the US for Japan... He did not say anything to anyone aside from his family. No farewell parties were done at all. He just left.
"Despite his absence, the family still did well, in fact, they got more wealthy. In the next five years, they were able to purchase different properties in the US: houses, lands, etc."
Takigawa butted in. "In those five years, did Thompson ever visited his family there?"
"Not once. He never came back."
"Why?" John asked curiously.
"On the sixth year after the old Thompson left the US, he died for reasons unknown to the circle. His body was also never sent back. And the family never disclosed why. It was a tight secret of the clan up to now."
His face may not show it, but the gears in Naru's brain were starting to piece every information he got since this morning. "Hmm," was the only thing he said.
"Why did he die though?" Takigawa asked as he touched his chin, deep in thought. "Why are they so secretive about it?"
A heavy silence permeated the room. They were all thinking about the same thing. The story was very telling, indeed. But more questions arose. What happened at the farm? What happened to Thompson here? Who is the farmer?
Suddenly, something clicked in Takigawa's brain. He snapped his fingers, breaking the silence. "Earlier, Mai said she saw foreigners at the farm in her dream..."
"And an old man with a cane." John added slowly.
"Also, the farmers mentioned Kotubiki-san..."
" 'If only Kotubiki-san was alive...' that's what they said."
The two looked at each other fast and said at the same time, "Could it be...?"
"Okay hear me out," Takigawa hurriedly said to the group. "Thompson, based on the registry, was the first owner of this land among the clan, right? But what if he was not the real owner?"
"Based on the story, it's not possible that he can purchase a land of his own at a foreign in a short span of time. But George purchased farm supplies and equipment in the US, then hired workers before coming here," Naru replied. "Thompson probably came here as a business partner or consultant of the farm owner he knew through the trip..."
"That farm owner is maybe Kotubiki-san." John theorized.
"Then for some reasons, Kotubiki-san died and Thompson took over the farm and registered it as his own," Lin continued.
Now they have more questions that before. Takigawa is more confused now. "But how? I'm pretty sure that Kotubiki won't just hand the farm over to a foreigner he just knew for a few months. And traditionally, especially here, a family property or business is inherited by the next of kin, not by an outsider."
The priest beside him looked disturbed. "If that was really Thompson... and he did those horrible things to the farmers. That maybe the reason why the souls cannot move on?"
"Because they died violently?" Takigawa said.
Naru nodded. "A theory with a very high probability..." He looked at Takigawa amusedly. "Took you long to know though."
The monk stared annoyedly at Naru. "Sorry I'm just a lowly monk."
That earned him a warm chuckle from the boy. "You're getting better, Takigawa-san."
Takigawa was taken aback because of that remark with no trace of sarcasm. Naru's compliments are very rare. Then he smiled despite being annoyed at first. "You're getting better, too, Naru-bou," he said to himself.
Naru took out his phone and started typing several messages to Mai and Yasuhara. When he finished, he looked at his companions with cool demeanor. "We may have established some of our characters in our case. But I believe there's still a bigger picture that we haven't seen yet."
Buzz.
A wave of connection wafted through Naru's brain. The sign that Gene is connecting with him.
"Gene."
Then he heard Gene's urgent voice. "Mai needs you."
"Why? We were just texting each other-"
Before he can finish his reply to his twin, the door burst open and a huffing woman came to view. She was wearing the restaurant's uniform.
"Sir, I think something happened to your companions. We heard screaming from the park-"
Before she can finish what she's saying, the young boss passed by her swiftly, followed by the priest and the normal-looking monk.
"-across the restaurant.." she trailed off.
The Chinese assistant approached her and said thanks in behalf of the group. Then he assured the bewildered and worried staff.
"Don't worry, they will be fine."
Lin smiled and stepped out to the hallway. His gaze followed the backs of the three running man until they were out of sight.
Then his eyes roamed the hallway thinking, "Madoka, what have you got us into?"
