Chapter Six – The Idea
Karma knew exactly where he had to start if he wanted to get more information on Nagisa. There was only one person who knew about Nagisa's departure eight years ago, and there was only one person that that Nagisa would contact upon arrival.
Shiota Hiromi.
But that didn't mean he had to be happy about.
Karma knocked on the door to the Shiota residence. He and Nagisa had planned to meet up at his house before they went to lunch, but his friend hadn't shown up. Karma pushed away the worry that was nagging at him. He was sure that Nagisa had just overslept or had gotten sick or something.
Although, that wouldn't explain why Nagisa hadn't responded to his texts. Or why his phone number was coming up as disconnected. It had to just been an error on his end.
Right?
Shiota Hiromi answered. "Ah, Karma-kun, how are you?" Karma pushed away his disdain for her.
"Is Nagisa here?" She blinked, surprised.
"He didn't tell you?" she asked. Karma wondered why there was a lump in his throat. He was sure that it was nothing big.
Right?
"Tell me what?" Karma asked, tilting his head. Why were his palms sweaty? Nagisa had to be here.
"He got a job at an international business consulting firm! I'm so proud of him! I thought it was odd that they didn't want a college education for him, but they tested him and he passed with flying colors!" Karma's heart dropped. Nah, Nagisa was still here, right? "I even spoke to his boss! Oh, what was his name?"
"Karasuma?" Karma prompted.
"No, no, that wasn't it…" It definitely couldn't have been it, Nagisa couldn't have done it…
"Lovro?" He prompted, the name sounding wrong against his tongue. It was impossible, he couldn't have left with him.
"That was it!" she exclaimed. He clenched his fists and Karma's vision went red. How dare he?!
"He went off with him and he didn't even bother telling me?!" Hiromi froze, surprised by Karma's sudden outburst. "Where the hell is he now?!"
"I-I'm not sure," she stuttered, "He mentioned something about working in India, I think?" She stepped back at Karma's furious face. "Why are you upset, Karma-kun? I'm sure he'll be back soon enough." His fingernails dug into his palms. Why did Nagisa have to leave today of all days? He couldn't even describe what he was feeling right now. Fury, betrayal, and heartbreak, all at once.
Today was the day he was finally going to confess. He loved that stupid blue-haired boy. And now he was gone.
Maybe forever.
Karma never actively interacted with the woman, but occasionally ran into each other at the same lunch spot. With this in mind, he took the day off, feigning sickness. Shiota Hiromi was a woman of habit, and he knew that she would show up there sooner or later. He swirled his spoon around his tea. While he liked the bistro, it wasn't one his favorites. It was overpriced and further away than he would normally like to travel. He boredly regarded the large LCD TVs that were currently set to the news. The subtitles told him that they were discussing the unexpected downswing in the JPX following a recently released growth report. Nothing that particularly interested Karma.
Especially after three hours of reading the same goddamn headline. If it weren't for the computer game on his laptop, he would've gone insane. He looked up as he heard the clanging of bells, as he had been doing every single time he heard that goddamn ringing. His jaw dropped.
Holy shit, it was actually her. She was every bit as predictable as she had always been.
He closed his mouth and recovered himself. He waved at her with the kindest smile he could give (which wasn't very kind at all). "Hiromi-san!" He called out. She stopped, momentarily surprised. He could see the hesitation in her step as she approached him.
"Karma-kun! I haven't seen you in years!" Hiromi exclaimed, her voice fake and cheerful. She never liked him. He didn't blame her.
"Ah, Hiromi-san, it's nice to see you again," he said politely. He sipped at his drink.
"Same to you. How's the Ministry of Defense treating you?"
"It's been fine. How have you been?"
"Just fine, Karma. Did you know that Nagisa-kun's back in the country now? He stopped by to talk. I think he's up for a promotion." Karma thought back to Nagisa being surrounded by ten armed guards.
"Yeah, I actually met up with him," Karma lied, "We had, ah, a short conversation."
"That's good! I know you were upset when he left without telling you. I'm glad to see that he came to reconcile with you. He's really matured."
"I'm glad he got the chance to meet with you as well." Karma's hand twitched. He hated small talk. He just wanted to get to what he needed to know. He felt his phone buzz. Goddamn it, Terasaka not now. "Did he happen to mention why had come back to Japan? Our conversation wasn't, ah, quite that polite."
"He didn't tell you? He's back in town to meet with his bosses. He seemed to think he'd only be in town for two to three weeks, although I expect he'll hear about getting a promotion at his corporate offices soon." Two-three weeks. If he was in for a big assassination hit, he'd be in for longer. There's no way the Minister was his target.
"Do you know where he's staying?"
"He's in some hotel downtown. I offered to let him stay at our house, but he refused." Karma avoided snorting, he could imagine why.
"Would you happen to have his contact info? We kind of left on a bad note, and I want to apologize." Hiromi gave him a sweet smile.
"I'm glad to see you've grown up, Karma-kun." She reached into her purse, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and a pen. Behind her, he saw the screen cut away from the woman talking about finance news to BREAKING NEWS. Karma's heart dropped, he didn't have a good feeling about this.
The suspect arrested in the assassination of the Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Technology, and Science has been identified, the subtitles read. Karma's eyes widened. His time had just run out.
His eyes shot back to the woman hunched over the table scribbling down Nagisa's phone number. Karma's breath hitched as Nagisa's mugshot appeared in screen. Shit.
Time slowed down as Shiota Hiromi looked up. The suspect is identified as Shiota Nagisa, a Japanese National. The pen and paper fell out of her hands, clattering to the ground. Her face contorted in horror and Karma had to look away.
"No," she whispered. Karma couldn't help but feel a little bad for her, despite everything. She was probably the only one that honestly had no idea about Nagisa's real career. Her eyes were fixated on the screen.
"Did you know?" she whispered, not looking away for a moment.
Karma wasn't sure what to respond.
Somewhere not too far away, a housewife exclaimed as she saw the news report. "Irina!" she exclaimed, "Isn't that the student you met with a week ago?!"
"Huh?" Irina said, confused. Akemi handed her phone to her friend. Irina glanced over the headline. Her grip tightened. She looked up in total fury and disappointment.
"Isn't that him?" Akemi asked excitedly.
"THAT IDIOT!" Irina swore.
Karma tapped his pen incessantly against his kitchen table. Something was off about this whole affair, and he had no idea what. There was a voice in the back of his head (that sounded suspiciously like Terasaka), that was telling him to drop this. To let the justice system take care of it.
But this was a challenge, and he never steered away from a challenge.
Karma pulled out an old notebook from his bookshelf, flipping through old class notes until he got to a blank page. He began to scribble down his thoughts.
1. Nagisa said he would be in and out in two weeks.
Perhaps this wasn't as strange as Karma thought. Maybe Nagisa was so confident in his abilities as an assassin that he thought he could go in and kill the Minister and get out just as quickly? Karma frowned.
2. Why the Minister?
Nagisa didn't seem like the type to kill a man for political purposes. Nagisa always wanted to make a difference in the world. Where did the death of a cabinet member fall into that? What did Nagisa know about him that they didn't? There weren't any past scandals that Karma knew about. Did he have involvement in the underground?
3. The interrogation team was strange.
This was a much harder point to refute. Karma didn't work in the interrogation department, but he knew enough about it to know that there was no reason for a newbie to be with a veteran interrogator. Especially if the criminal was as dangerous as an assassin. Why was a virtual unknown down there with him?
He didn't know.
He hesitated as he wrote down the next point.
4. It just wasn't something Nagisa would do.
Karma felt a lump in his throat. He had no idea what Nagisa had gone through in the last eight years. For all he knew, his former best friend was an amoral murderer, ready to kill any and every one. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew that people changed. Hell, in the last eight years he had definitely changed. Who was he to say that Nagisa wouldn't do something like this? He smiled bitterly. Nagisa had proven eight years ago that he could be heartless when he needed to be.
Karma sighed and sat back on his bed. Parts of this case were suspicious, but there was nothing conclusive. Nagisa was caught assassinating the Minister, he was arrested, interrogated, and now he was probably going to get tried and thrown in jail. He buried his head in his hands. He'd always wanted to see Nagisa again, but never like this. His stupid friend had been caught with a literal smoking g—
Karma bolted up. He was caught with a literal smoking gun. If the police knew that Nagisa had plans to assassinate a cabinet member, why hadn't they stopped him before the act was committed? If they didn't, why were they there so soon after he had killed the minister? Shouldn't Nagisa have had some time to put the weapons away?
He pulled out his computer, furiously entering the URL to the Tokyo Police Department. He scrolled through the police dispatch archives, hoping to find what he was looking for. The internal documents stated that he was killed last Friday around six pm. That easily narrowed down what dispatched records to look at.
Karma scrolled through the documents. There should be dispatch records indicating a police presence of some sort around the building. Yet, as he scrolled through the records, there was nothing. There was not a single emergency call to the building in which Nagisa was arrested, nor was there even police nearby. Karma furrowed his brows. He quickly logged into his work's remote online system, hoping to see anything about the Special Forces being involved in the arrest. Yet as he scrolled through their dispatch records, there appeared to be none. If the Special Forces AND the Police were not there that night…then…
Then who the hell arrested Nagisa?
Karma's phone buzzed. One Message from Isogai Yuuma.
Hey, we were stuck in a meeting all day. We just saw the news. If you want to come talk, you can always stop by the café or our apartment.
Karma stood up, grabbing his coat. Isogai was smart, maybe he could work through Karma's disjointed thoughts. If his suspicions were right (and he was pretty sure they were), then there was something more to this case. He was beginning to think Nagisa was framed. But if he was right, and his friend was innocent…
What was he going to do about it?
Karma opened the door to the Pink Octopus Maid Café. A busty girl wearing a very short skirt and a pink wig greeted him. Maehara's idea, no doubt.
"Good afternoon, sir!" she chirped, "Do you have a reservation?" He gave her a serious stare. She faltered.
"Are Isogai and Maehara in the back?"
"Ah, yes," she said, "May I inquire as to your business here today?"
"No," he said curtly, already moving past her. If he had turned around, he would have seen her scowl at his back, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. He had other things to worry about. He took a quick look around. They'd made some interior decorating changes since he'd last visited them. At least the octopus portraits on the walls were new. He pushed open the door to their backroom, satisfied to see the two people he was looking for in the back.
"Karma!" Isogai exclaimed, surprised to see him there so soon. They were already done up in their butler uniforms. "I guess you got my text."
"Yeah, holy shit, we couldn't believe the news when we saw it," Maehara said, "I mean, at least we know what he's been up to."
"Where is Kayano?"
"She's in the kitchen, want me to grab her?" Maehara asked. Karma nodded. He watched Maehara push open the double doors to the kitchen, calling out to the girl. Karma sat calmly, trying to figure out the best way to phrase his thoughts. Moments later, a black-haired girl poked her head out.
"This better be important," she muttered, "I have a lot of prep to do for this evening." She looked at Karma, who gave her a short wave. "Is it about the news?"
Karma took a deep breath. Best to start from the beginning. "I saw him." Silence reigned in the room.
"So you saw him? What happened? Did he acknowledge you?" Maehara asked.
"I think he saw me, but he was on his way to interrogation. He was flanked by about ten heavily armed guards." Maehara whistled.
"They must know he's dangerous," Isogai reasoned, "How are you doing though, Karma? It can't have been easy to see him again." That was an understatement.
"It was a shock," he said honestly, "I never expected to see him again." Isogai nodded solemnly. Karma closed his eyes. He and Isogai had never been particularly close in high school, but they had formed a sort of tentative friendship through college and adulthood. He probably knew more about Karma's feelings than anyone else (Terasaka included).
"We saw the mugshot, he's changed a lot, hasn't he?" Isogai said.
"I guess," Karma said. He leaned against his arm. "I think there's more to this story than what's being reported." That caught their attention.
"What are you talking about, Karma?" Kayano asked, crossing her arms.
"It's just suspicious to me," he said, "Nagisa comes back to Japan for the first time in years to assassinate a government official that only deals in internal affairs? What's in it for him? The MEXT's policies weren't even particularly controversial either."
"Well, Nagisa works in the black market. They probably have information that we don't," Isogai reasoned.
"There's been no indication of that," Karma said, "The dude was a father of two and had a loving wife. Nothing indicates foul play on his part." He sat back. "I looked into police records and special force dispatch logs, and there's no record of anyone being there during the time of his arrest." He carefully watched their reactions. Maybe they could figure something out. Something other than the crazy idea floating around in his head.
"What do you mean?" Maehara questioned, "Maybe a security guard got him?"
"Do you really think a security guard could take down Nagisa?" Kayano prompted, "He's been a professional assassin for eight years now, a rent-a-cop has nothing on him. Karma, what are you trying to say?"
"It's just suspicious to me," he said flatly, "Even if the police were alerted ahead of time, there should be some indication of a police presence in the records." His heart pounded. Please, come to the same conclusion as me. "I think there might be foul play at work."
"Like, a conspiracy?" Maehara asked, getting straight to the point.
"I got Terasaka to send me the names of the men interrogating him, and it was an odd duo. When interrogating a suspect, especially a high level suspect like Nagisa, we would normally send our most experienced men. But this time there was an experienced member and a newbie on the team. It's unusual and out of protocol." He leaned forward over the table. "Finally, I spoke with Nagisa's mother. She said that she had met with him, and that he was intending only to be in Japan for two to three weeks. If it was really as big a job as this, why would he only be in Japan for such a short period of time? From what I remember of Nagisa, he was meticulous." The three stared at him.
He felt a lump in a throat as he finally voiced his thoughts. "I think he was framed."
"You're crazy," Maehara muttered, running his fingers through his hair, "You think Nagisa was framed? By who? Why?"
"I don't know," Karma said after a moment, "I don't. But…but I think he's innocent."
"Karma, he kills people for his job," Isogai reminded, "He's not exactly the picture of innocence."
"You can't deny the evidence," Karma protested, "Everything about his arrest is suspicious! Procedures are being skipped! Why would he kill the MEXT Minister? He's not someone to do anything for a paycheck!"
"So what do you want to do?" Karma asked.
"I want to make sure I do good in the world," Nagisa responded, looking up at the sky, "I want to make the world a better place."
"You don't know that!" Maehara said, pounding his fist into the table. Isogai gently placed his hand on Maehara's back. The blond sat back, giving Karma a level stare.
"He's right," Kayano said softly, "Nagisa, at his core, was a gentle person, and I refuse to believe that he would kill without reason."
"We don't know that he killed without reason," Isogai said, "We don't know much about the Minister's personal life. Maybe there was a hit on him because of that."
"That wouldn't explain why Nagisa was caught," Karma defended, "Or why there were no records of a police or military presence there the night of the capture." He pulled out his tablet, swiping through to find the documents he was looking for. He turned it around so that the three could see. "According to the records, he was arrested at around 18:00 hours. If you notice, all of the police who were remotely close to the area were called away around 17:30 hours, leaving the closest police presence about 25 minutes away." Kayano scrolled through the records, a frown on her face. Maehara and Isogai glanced over her shoulder. Isogai furrowed his brows.
"It's got to be a coincidence," Maehara reasoned, "No one's got that kind of power."
"Why were they redirected elsewhere?" Kayano asked, "Was there crime or something?"
"It was for a number of reasons. A reported robbery to the south, a domestic dispute in the north, a car accident to the west," Karma explained, "But all of these reports came in at around the same time."
"Who says it can't have been Nagisa calling these reports in so he could do his assassination?" Maehara asked, "I don't think that's enough evidence."
"Then who arrested him?" Karma pushed, "Tell me, Maehara? Who was there to have the authority to arrest him?" Maehara didn't have a response.
"Maybe he was incapacitated and then found?" Isogai suggested.
"His arrest record clearly states 17:56 hours, The Minister was killed at 17:54 hours," Karma countered, "Not possible." Isogai sat back in his chair.
"Okay, fine, whatever. He was supposedly arrested at a time when it was impossible for any proper authority to arrest him. Fine. Suppose we believe that, suppose we believe that he was framed. What do you want us to do about it?" Maehara asked. Karma's hand twitched. He knew what he wanted to do, but it was going to be a hard sell.
"I think we should rescue him."
"No," Maehara said instantly. He crossed his arms. "He's the one that decided to be an assassin. He knew the risks going into it. He's probably got a contingency plan. Why the hell should we risk everything we've built up in the last four years to help someone who, might I remind you, abandoned us?"
"I'm in," Kayano said.
"What?!" Maehara exclaimed, his eyes shooting to the black-haired girl, "Are you crazy?! If he's innocent, then let the courts figure that out! We shouldn't get involved."
"I'm inclined to agree with Hiroto," Isogai said, "We don't know all the facts, so we shouldn't get involved. Who knows what could go wrong?"
"Nagisa was always there when we needed him in high school. I don't know why he left without telling us, nor do I know what he was doing assassinating the minister, but I do know that he wouldn't do something without a just cause," Kayano reasoned.
"But why is it up to us to help him?" Maehara demanded, "Why should we sacrifice all we've worked for to help him?!"
"Who else could possibly know about this?" Karma said evenly, "Moreover, who else could do anything about it?"
"Who says we can do anything about it?" Isogai responded, "I'm not sure you quite understand what this would entail if we agreed. We would have to break into the Ministry for Defense, find one of their highest security holding cells, get Nagisa, and then get out. All without getting caught on camera or triggering an emergency response. We do not have the skills for that, Karma-kun." Karma gritted his teeth. Isogai's words held some truth. They had not kept up the intense training regime that they had learned in middle school. Even with Terasaka and himself as inside men, they couldn't guarantee that they could pull it off.
"But, if Karma is right, and Nagisa was framed. How can we guarantee that he'd get a fair trial? Could you stand by and watch as our friend was put in prison for the rest of his life for something he didn't do?" Kayano said. She leaned forward. "I couldn't." Silence reigned in the room as they thought her words over.
"He may have left us, but that doesn't erase the fact that we were once friends and comrades," Karma finished. Maehara slammed his fist into the table, frustration finally getting the better of him.
"God damn it," he swore. Maehara's fist was clenched tightly as he thought over Kayano and Karma's words. "If we're caught, we'd be charged with treason."
"If we're caught," Karma reminded, "We can come up with a plan, we'll get him out of there with minimal risks to us." You can't guarantee that, Karma silently reminded himself.
"But what if we get there and we realize he's guilty, what then, Karma?" Isogai asked. Karma didn't have a response for him.
"Then we turn around and pretend like this never happened," Kayano said for him, "But I'm sure he's innocent. He wouldn't have done something like this." Maehara gritted his teeth, thinking over their words. "Think of all the good times you and Nagisa had together in high school. Think of that, do you really think that man would kill someone without reason? Do you really think he deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life?" Maehara's knuckles were white. He glanced back at Isogai, who hesitantly gave him a nod.
"Fine, we'll fucking do it."
"Only, and only if we can come up with a plan that minimizes our involvement," Isogai jumped in.
"Good, I have a fist that has a long-awaited appointment with Nagisa's face," Kayano said. Isogai and Maehara shivered, turning back to the red-haired government worker.
"So, what do we do now?"