Chapter 20 – Uncoding Etsuya, Satoshi's Plan
'Alright, what's next?'
Erina flitted her violet eyes over the document Hisako put out for her this morning. Morning classes had been an utter bore but she powered through it. She was glad that summer was waning and the weather started to quell. The sun was more forgiving, bringing in a more comfortable temperature. The large elm trees rustled softly outside, brushing against the large window panes of her office. Erina enjoyed the free periods in the afternoon such as this because it allowed her to catch up on all her Elite Ten work. Lately she'd been distracted by thoughts of the second-rate chef Yukihira. Grrrr... Those things could sneak up on her if she wasn't careful and burying herself in work was the only way to remedy this. It was a good thing she had Hisako to help her out. She was a more than satisfactory assistant and Erina couldn't have been assigned someone better by Ojii-sama. A sense of pride swelled up inside her for Hisako. She was extremely loyal, selfless and nurturing. Always on top of things, helpful and looking after Erina, keeping the majority of the stress at bay. Hisako regarded her as her 'Empress' while she in turn regarded her as her right-hand woman or trusted advisor and confidante. She bet Alice's Kurokiba Ryou could never live up to those standards.
Erina stretched out the kink in her neck. According to the schedule Hisako typed up for her, she was supposed to meet a new employee of Tootsuki. Hiroka Sekito was the name. Hisako had told her one time that she had to help a person named 'Sekito-san' to reset his account password last week. According to her, he sounded like a bumbling fool who wouldn't know the difference between a computer and a television. Thank god for him, he came across someone as patient as Hisako to help him. This Hiroka Sekito was probably the one and the same according to Hisako and Erina agreed but she won't be here to confirm this, as she had requested permission to prepare for her spice seminar assignment as well as preparing for the Elite Ten competition. Not many people were born with the name 'Sekito'. She didn't expect anything less of her aide. Not only did Hisako excel in her culinary expertise and met her standards, but she was also exemplary in all things secretarial ranging from managerial to IT affairs.
Again, she bet Alice's Kurokiba Ryou couldn't live up to that.
Erina checked her desk clock. It was almost three in the afternoon.
'President Kageura will be here soon'
Erina picked up her terracotta teapot set and poured herself some ginseng and goji berry tea. It was a special blend Hisako developed specifically for her to rejuvenate her physical and mental strength. She breathed in the warmth and allowed the tendrils of steam clear her sinus. Despite only two ingredients, it had a complex, earthy aroma, only tea aficionados could fully appreciate. She placed her lips over the rim and sipped slowly, savouring it. Her body instantly warmed from the inside. The tea was steeped in the perfect amount of time. The bright sweetness of the goji berries was infused with the bitterness of dried, wild ginseng. She could see herself sitting in the lotus position in a sacred Shinto rice field, deep in the mountains away from the chaotic modern world. The mountain wind kissed her face as it dance through each individual rice stalk, making it sway and bend gently under its power. She inhaled the crisp, pure air and sighed, relaxing her shoulders, feeling the energy of the rice field fill her being. The taste was a harmonious balance and she could feel the meticulous care Hisako had put into carefully drying the ginseng and goji berries. The earthy sweetness layered beneath the bitter ginseng obliterated the tension she carried the whole day, like water flowing down for irrigating the holy rice fields. Suddenly, the sweet, sad sound of a miko, or shrine maiden, singing and strumming the shamisen made herself known as the wind carried the distant and ethereal voice across her sacred rice field. She couldn't pinpoint where the singing came from, for it echoed through her heart also. The oriental taste lingered on her tongue and palate as she swallowed the hot tea. Bitter-based tea was good tea. All of Hisako's tea had a bittersweet taste, as she knew any herb that was bitter meant it was medicinal and good for the body. She released a sigh. Yep, she could feel her strength returning.
Knock Knock
"Excuse me Erina-sama, do you have a minute?"
Erina slowly opened her eyes.
"Ah, Kageura-san, please come in. I was expecting you."
Erina got up from her seat with utmost grace and strode over to the middle-aged, President Kageura by the open doorway and the other man he had in tow which she assumed was Hiroka Sekito. The president of the Shokugeki Administration Bureau, Kageura Hisanao, was once again in a snazzy, loud, patterned suit. This time it was the famous the Great Wave off Kanagawa pattern all over him. The Prussian blue tsunami waves were outlined with stark white and gold trimmings. The man was basically wrapped in origami paper. Erina counted herself lucky that she didn't have 'God's Eye' otherwise she would have ordered the man to burn his wardrobe a long time ago. His clothes were normally a hit-and-miss, sometimes gaudy, sometimes tasteful. It's a wonder that no one asked him about unprofessional work attire yet because surely dazzling patterns were uncalled for at most times. The prim and proper man had some questionable fashion choices. Did he want everyone to faint from dizziness just from looking at him?
He pushed his new glasses up the bridge of is nose and cleared his throat. He bowed to her and stepped aside to give more room for the man beside him.
"Good afternoon Erina-sama, I hope you weren't too busy. I want to introduce Hiroka Sekito to you. I'm taking him to greet everyone. He is my new assistant and will be the Elite Ten's contact person for the Shokugeki Administration Bureau" said President Kageura.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Nakiri-sama! I look forward to working with you and the rest of the Elite Ten" said Hiroka-san.
He bowed deeply before her and had to toddle backwards a bit to re-balance. She gave a small bow herself. He was a small, very porky man, probably in his mid-forties and was about the same height as she was. He had a booming belly voice that was deep and gruff like a Japanese Santa Claus. His face was a jolly red colour as if he did a lot of laughing in his time or was perpetually tipsy, either way both included utmost joy. He had wrinkles around his eyes and forehead, evidence of his aging and they folded deeper when he smiled widely. His stomach was very pronounce, exceeding over his belt line and he kept his tight suit jacket opened as it wouldn't close over properly anyway. He rested his plump hands on his belly, not by his side like President Kageura. His thinning hair and kind, brown eyes made her feel at ease. She had a good feeling about this man and was confident that he would do his job well.
"I look forward to that too. I trust you've had no further issues with your Tootsuki account? The password they issue us are quite confusing, so it is recommended to write them down somewhere safe" said Erina.
"Oh my! News travel fast, doesn't it? I'm honoured you know of me already Nakiri-sama. It's so funny, I could log-in to my account with no problems before, and then suddenly I couldn't anymore! Even when I triple checked. But anyway, the IT Department was very helpful and gave me a new password and I managed to get back in" he boomed loudly, placing a pudgy hand on his round head as his shoulders shook with laughter.
"Yes I did hear about it, and I'm glad my assistant Hisako was able to help you out. She's a very reliable person and you can count on her should you need to get in touch with me" Erina smirked, crossing her hands over her chest.
"Hisako? Haha! It was Morimoto Mouza-san from the IT department. He was mighty helpful, but a little bit on the otaku side though... I've never spoken to your assistant Hisako-san before, but I look forward to working with her too" he grinned widely and shared a cheerful and respectful look to President Kageura, who nodded happily.
Erina tilted her head. Not Hisako? But Hisako told her that she helped out a new employee named 'Sekito-san' reset his password, and this seemed like the right person according to his story. Could she have been mistaken somehow? Not likely, Hisako was very thorough and never got the details wrong in anything.
"Are you sure? My assistant told me she helped you out in the beginning of last week to reset your password over the phone" Erina pressed further, narrowing her eyes.
"Over the phone you say? I may be reaching half a century, young miss, but I do clearly remember visiting the IT people down in the basement over the weekend to fix this. Oh don't worry about it anymore Nakiri-sama, as long as I can log into my account again, I'm happy! Please take my card. It has my email address on it" Hiroka-san bowed once more, struggling a bit to do so as he presented to her his meiji, or introduction card, and she received it with both hands too.
Erina felt a bit muddled, almost embarrassed. Hisako's and his story only added up halfway. She stuttered a thanks, trying to maintain her dignity as she couldn't get over what she just heard. She hated being wrong, especially when receiving second-hand information. There wasn't any lies in the man's kind eyes, his words were true to him as the sun was in the sky. President Kageura thanked her for her time and she reciprocated automatically as her mind played out what Hisako told her and compared it to what she just heard from Hiroka Sekito-san. When Erina finally closed her doors and returned to her plush seat, she stared at the business card in her hand. The thoughts gnawed at her stomach and she grunted. It didn't matter anymore, the issue was already resolved so she thought no more about it. If she remembered this sometime later, she'll ask Hisako about it.
Out of all the visits to Eizan-kun, this time it was the most nerve-racking.
Satoshi always found it difficult to relax on those plastic chairs supplied for the visitors' room in the police station. He loosened his school tie and rolled up the sleeves of his school dress shirt to relieve some of the humidity in the small square room. The box was concrete and battle ship grey. It only had a metal table and two plastic chairs. There wasn't even a window. Satoshi wasn't usually claustrophobic, but this small and dismal room with yellow artificial lighting did make him feel a bit like it. He found more comfort in crawling through the Polar Star Dorm ceilings in the middle of the night, filled with cobwebs and night critters than here. He sighed. Police visitors' room weren't supposed to look like this. Maybe back in the fifties or something, but it shouldn't look like a Western type cell. Even TV versions of interrogation rooms looked better. He had to drop his seventh seater duties today to come down to Central Tokyo and visit Eizan-kun. The ten-day extension granted by the public prosecutor was almost up. He had also spoken to the lawyers provided by Tootsuki and there was pretty much nothing else they could do, despite their best. Eizan-kun agreed to plead guilty and just accept his punishment. There was only now the preliminary hearing, away from the public's eyes. At least Tootsuki Culinary Academy would be away from the spotlight and unfortunately, Eizan will be sentenced for a maximum of five years in jail, but hopefully pleading guilty might reduce his sentence.
Satoshi got up from his seat when he heard footsteps zeroing in on the cold visitors' room.
"Alright, alright. Stop pushing…" came a voice.
He smoothed out his tie and craned his head to see a scowling Eizan-kun, scoffing at the warden as soon as they entered the room. He pushed Eizan-kun roughly into the seat opposite Satoshi before taking his leave, closing the door and standing guard outside.
"How are you feeling, Eizan-kun" asked Satoshi, smiling.
Eizan-kun briefly looked up and then to the side, like he didn't give a damn. He looked terrible. His face was pale and his eyes were red and sunken from lack of sleep behind his glasses. The seventh seater was starting to see some brown regrowth from his scalp as he no longer had the luxury of dying his hair blonde under the police's care. Also, with his hair gel no longer in his possession, his hair took on a more dull, brittle and unkempt appearance. It was very unlike the normally chilled and slick Eizan-kun, and it unsettled Satoshi to see him this way. His cheeks were hollow and he had large eye-bags. Eizan-kun continued to avoid eye contact. However he was gritting his teeth tightly and Satoshi sensed some animosity targeted at the rough warden earlier. These were stressful times and Satoshi didn't blame him. He couldn't imagine what Eizan-kun was going through and he didn't wish to. Satoshi knew Eizan-kun was going to get what was coming to him as soon as he had a strong inkling that he was dabbling in the stock markets, but he took no pleasure in seeing it.
"Not dead yet"
"Your hearing had been set up for next week. The Elite Ten are all going to be there for your support and also Senzaemon-dono will be flying back in as well. He'd been kept abreast of everything that's been happening. We're sorry we couldn't do any more for you, Eizan-kun" Satoshi managed to keep his voice leveled as always.
Eizan-kun flipped his head back and groaned "Yeah, yeah I already know. As long as the school is untarnished, that's all that matters right?"
"No, don't say it like that—"
"Don't worry, I'm not blaming you guys" he flopped his head back and rested one of his arm over the back of his plastic chair and crossed his legs as if he was behind his usual office desk.
Satoshi closed his mouth and continued smiling. It seemed like Eizan-kun was up to the acceptance stage. His body muscles were quite relaxed and not as tense like the other times Satoshi and the lawyers had visited. He was glad. He didn't want Eizan-kun to hold onto any malice to the police, because they were just doing their jobs.
"So what's been happening?" asked Eizan-kun.
"We've just had the Summer Solstice Festival. It was a huge success and everyone enjoyed themselves. Nakiri Alice came first in the Main Street Area over all and Nene-san came first in the Central Area"
"Good profit?"
Satoshi replied with only a wry smile. Eizan-kun already knew the answer to that. He did help plan the festival after all before he was arrested.
A moment of awkward silence fell upon them.
"Eizan-kun, do you—"
"Know anyone named Nakamura Azami, Isshiki?" Eizan-kun cut him off. He continued to look off to the side and Satoshi swallowed his words and back tracked a bit. Nakamura Azami?
"No, I've never heard of them"
"What about Nakiri Azami?"
"Nakiri? Not that name either. Although Nakiri-kun and Alice-san might. Why do you ask?" asked Satoshi a bit curious, referring to the Nakiri cousins.
Those were random questions. He thought for a moment. None of those names rung a bell, even the Nakiri name. As an Elite Ten, he had to know about all the members of the Nakiri family because they were the sole proprietor of the school. He'd never heard of a 'Nakiri Azami' during his stay at Tootsuki. Should he have? Eizan-kun shifted his position and leaned forward in his seat. He placed his forearms on the table slowly and deliberately. He clasped his hands together in front of him and hunched his back over the table slightly as if making a very tough business decision. The atmosphere changed into a serious and oppressive one, and it piqued his interest. Satoshi would say he knew Eizan-kun best out of all the Elite Ten, even if he only scratched the surface.
Satoshi was very observant and prided himself in it. He knew what made others tick and he knew their calling cards. Eizan-kun wasn't the only cunning genius on the Elite Ten.
This change in posture was one of Eizan-kun's calling cards.
'He has something important he wants to say… but he can't'
"Sounds like they are the same person with two different names"
"…"
So they were, then.
The brunette third year student mirrored Eizan-kun's position too, except lacing his fingers and placing in front of his mouth. The first step was to read his eyes. The blonde delinquent finally looked at him and it was steeled and filled with some sort of anticipation. They were locked on. They've done this a few times before back in first year high school, when he started up his consultation business. Satoshi would try to find out if it was legal or illegal and Eizan-kun would let him try and find out for his own amusement. This was first year high school all over again, but worse. Satoshi will play the game once more. He was going to have to try and decipher what it was he wanted to say to him
'Alright then, lets see where this is headed.'
"What's so important about Nakamura or Nakiri Azami?" he asked.
"…"
"Do you know this 'Nakamura or Nakiri Azami' yourself, Eizan-kun?" Satoshi returned another question.
"I don't know anything about him" he said.
Him. It was a man. The brunette student leaned back against his seat and rubbed his chin, his eye never leaving the blonde student's impervious stare. Something was very wrong.
Why would Eizan-kun give the name of a person he knew nothing about? It was unlike him. Eizan-kun had no use for a name he knew nothing of. He researched the stuffing out of people so that he could find ways to suck money out of them, or add them to his client pool to make business with. Eizan-kun only bestowed his attention span on things and people that mattered to him, things that he could use to his advantage. By the vicious look on his face, Eizan-kun genuinely knew nothing of this Azami person, but he was playing that same childish game of 'I'm not saying', but this time to make deliberate, indirect and cagey attempts to somehow pass on the importance of what he was trying to say to Satoshi. He could tell, he was cornered. But he was already in jail, where else could he be cornered? That worried him greatly. He desperately wanted Satoshi to know something, but a thick shadow was holding him back from speaking plainly to him. But what? Why? The answer must be within those names. How did he randomly come across these two names in the first place and why tell him about it now and not before?
Satoshi felt his stomach drop.
The only answer was that Eizan-kun never heard of these names until after he was arrested.
"Who gave you those names?" he resumed the same position again. Leaning forward, forearms on the table, finer laced together and looking Eizan-kun dead in the eyes, his heart beating faster.
Eizan-kun's jaw clenched.
"Okay, You can't tell me who… Why?"
"…"
"Are you trying to protect this person?"
"..."
"Are you protecting yourself?"
"…"
"Are you trying to protect us"
"…"
"Maybe it's all three"
Eizan-kun relaxed his jaw.
Bullseye. Satoshi released a shaky breath. He was getting the hang of it again. If Eizan-kun was going through so much effort to keep his mouth shut like this, it meant he and the school had been threatened by someone. Fear took hold of him. How? When? What relationship did he have with Eizan-kun? Whoever breathed those two names to Eizan-kun sounded like a dangerous person. That was the only plausible explanation for his strange behaviour. This didn't make a whole lot of sense and Satoshi desperately wanted to force the logic out of it. But right now, it wasn't possible. Especially if Eizan-kun was being too stubborn and incapacitated to tell him.
Cracks were starting to appear in the metaphorical wall. If Satoshi was staring at a solid wall, it was now sporting a small crack. He could see little flakes peeling off around the wound and wafting away to nothingness, making the crack in the wall a bit bigger. Satoshi had no idea what he would find behind the flaking crack, but he was sure it would continue to flake off in bigger pieces until the wall revealed a scenery that won't make sense to him. The whole picture. If Eizan was standing side by side with him, staring at the same wall with the same crack, he already knew what the scenery looked like. Satoshi would have to take the long way around, and wait for the crack to widen on its own or take arm with a sledgehammer and beat the wall down.
The draft coming from the crack in the wall smelled foul. He needed to take up the sledgehammer.
"This person… they threatened you and our school. Somehow they made contact with you during your detention here and had given you those two names… they want you to cover them from the police… or something. You want me to find out who this 'Nakiri or Nakamura Azami' is. Correct?"
Eizan-kun's eyes soften.
Satoshi smiled broadly in return. Another crack in the wall, but he still couldn't see past it. There was still swings of the sledge hammer he had to do. Despair and relief filled him. He didn't like where this was going one little bit, and it screamed at him that something bad was going to happen if he kept going down the path he set for him. At the same time, he was successfully deciphering Eizan-kun's silent message. But he looked like he was becoming increasingly desperate. One thing for certain now was that Tootsuki was in the line of fire. If Satoshi tried to think in the shoes of this mysterious person who threatened his classmate. He wouldn't make a threat unless he could back it up.
"This mysterious person, who's made contact with you. Will they be making contact with Tootsuki too?"
"…"
Eizan-kun held a grim expression, but his eyes told him what he needed: 'Yes'
'I see'
Eizan-kun was naturally a selfish person, never thinking of others but himself, but he wasn't entirely uncaring, and Satoshi was sure he was the only student alive to see it. A lot of people underestimated the loyalty Eizan-kun had for the school. If the school was in danger, he was going to do everything he could to prevent that from happening. He took a deep breath.
"Eizan-kun, I understand someone's twisted your arm to keep silent and you're going through great lengths to wordlessly communicate to me that Tootsuki is caught in some impending, danger to do with this 'Azami Nakiri' or 'Azami Nakamura' person. I know you feel guilty about what you've done in getting the school tangled in this and you are trying to do some good to protect us from your mistakes. It's alright, I forgive you. But now it's a different matter altogether. What's important right now is that you could prevent this and all you need to do it tell me what's going on. What's going to happen. Who threatened you and why. Tell me who it is. The police could help you if you speak to them about it. This is no time to play the martyr. You're not alone. You need to cooperate, Eizan-kun"
"…"
Satoshi leaned back in his chair again and sighed deeply.
'So he refuses to mention that information broker, Orihara Izaya, even to me. I wonder if Chief Inspector Shoseki thought this would be the outcome when he'd put me up to this, to extract his name'
Eizan-kun flopped back onto his chair, he sighed and rubbed his head. "Check up on my mum for me will ya?" he said.
"Sure..."
"Alright. Warden-san, I'm ready to go back to my cell now"
That was it? Satoshi stood up as soon as the large metal door opened up and the warden escorted Eizan-kun back to the cell. He watched as he walked down the corridor without so much as a scuff of his shoes, just like the usual way he would walk arrogantly back down the school corridors, his head held high and hands stuffed in his pocket. He gave a casual backward wave as he disappeared around the corner like he always did when he thought he was done with a useless conversation. It made the brunette seventh seater smile sadly. Satoshi waved at his retreating back also. He genuinely pitied Eizan-kun. He was a man trying to repent.
The brunette student removed the wireless microphone from behind his tie and made his way over to one of the neighbouring rooms in the police building. He opened the door with a heavy and exhausted heart and was greeted by the sight of the crimson-haired superior police officer. It was Chief Inspector Shoseki. He was standing over a laptop with a pair of headphones hanging around his neck. He was dressed in the same suit as the day he and Special Detective Rii came to interview Aldini-kun and a few other students, except with a different coloured tie.
"Come on in Isshiki-kun. Well done in there. Don't look so down." said the Chief Inspector in a jovial voice. He still wore a medical eye patch and he smiled at him.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't able to get Eizan-kun to confirm his association with Orihara Izaya, sir. Even when you went through the trouble of helping me prepare" said Satoshi as he bowed deeply at the tall police officer and handed over the wireless microphone.
"That's okay, not everything goes to plan. Silence tells us a lot of things, you know?" he smiled. "Nakiri Azami' huh? Well, we got some homework to do"
Satoshi watched as the one-eyed police officer finish transferring the audio file of his and Eizan-kun's conversation from the laptop to the memory stick, attained from the hidden wireless microphone he clipped to Satoshi's school neck-tie and shut down the laptop.
"I have to ask before I leave, if that's alright. How did you know Eizan-kun was going to make a possible confession today out of all days?" asked Satoshi.
"Interesting question. Simply because he asked me when you were allowed to come to visit him next"
Satoshi widened his eyes. "He… asked for me?"
"Yeah. That's when we knew he was going to tell you something. Lots of prisoners do that. He'd been acting strange all week too, keeping to himself, not talking to any of us. You and I both know him well. He doesn't ask for something unless he is desperate and he will do it in the most roundabout way."
"I see. That's why you asked if I could visit him today because you thought he was going to confess Orihara's name to me, and gave me the wireless microphone, so you could tap in… You need the solid evidence" Satoshi mused aloud.
Chief Inspector Shoseki was right on the money about Eizan-kun. He had great experience in knowing how people's mind worked, as expected on a top ranking police officer. It took Satoshi years to break through Eizan's wall and try to understand him, whereas it only took the Chief Inspector a few weeks.
"Sometimes talking to friends is better than talking to us. But yeah, given by the look of things, Orihara must've paid him an unauthorised visit behind our backs, that slippery bastard" the Chief Inspector sighed and shook his head.
"I need to debrief with my partners this afternoon. Let us know as soon as someone unfamiliar makes contact with the school. Orihara may do it himself, or he might use a proxy. You best be vigilant. We highly suspect that he will try to infiltrate Tootsuki to get his hands on sensitive information and sell it, since that's what he does best. With today's revelation, 'Nakiri Azami' or 'Nakamura Azami' could possibly be one of Tootsuki's hidden secrets he's in possession of and if that's the case, then he's already infiltrated the school. Or he could be a new client. Who knows. We need to find out" said Chief Inspector Shoseki.
Already infiltrated?! How could that be possible? This was unforgivable. Orihara Izaya was unforgivable.
'Damn it'
Satoshi felt sick. If mentioning Nakamura or Nakiri Azami was enough to put a muzzle on Eizan-kun, then it must be a devastating secret, which the information broker had already stolen and was using it as a bargaining chip to keep Eizan-kun silent. On the other hand, if the other theory was correct, Nakamura or Nakiri Azami might be a cut-off or less well-known outside Nakiri who hired the information broker to retrieve inside information to strike at the underbelly. Why else would he hire an underground information broker? Was it for revenge? Was it for usurping? Both? The information broker could be using this golden opportunity for himself to hold Eizan-kun's tongue as a bonus. This was dark waters and he needed to speak to Senzaemon-dono as soon as he arrived back to Tokyo.
'No, these are only hypothetical. There are too many 'ifs' and 'maybes' I can't lose my head over this'
"Thank you for your time Isshiki-kun. Expect us to pay you a visit again. Looking forward to your cooperation again" said the Chief Inspector.
The crimson-haired Chief Inspector kindly escorted him out of the detention halls and up to the large front door of the police building. Once Satoshi was back on ground level, the busy colours and incessant traffic and pedestrian noises hit him with full force. He forgot he was slap-bang in the centre of Tokyo CBD, where the headquarters of TMPD was located. The detention level was so quiet, probably sound proof. He made his way to the nearest bullet train station to start his journey back to Tootsuki.
He needed to think. He needed to think fast. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Most importantly, he needed to conduct his own investigation too. This was what Eizan-kun wanted him to do. Find out who 'Nakiri Azami' or 'Nakamura Azami' was and what was his connection Tootsuki and or the information broker. He definitely had to set up a meeting with the Nakiri Cousins. Eizan-kun had no idea the police already knew about the information broker, otherwise why else would he 'speak' so cryptically. Eizan-kun was scared of the police finding out, and if he knew they did, the illegal information broker will eventually find out too. Then nothing will stop him from making his threat come true. But it was too late, the police were already onto it. The Chief inspector had instructed him under no circumstances to not to let Eizan-kun know this, to keep things simple.
Satoshi was an extremely intelligent, and cunning young man. He didn't get to the Elite Ten by pure talent. He was confident he could work through this. He just needed the rest of the Elite Ten to help him on it as he knew he couldn't do this alone. Right now, he needed to tighten Tootsuki's internal and external security. Have the officials and the Elite Ten keep an eye out for any suspicious activities, especially for the computer mainframes, phone conversations, visitors. Everything. He wasn't going to let this Orihara Izaya or the chance of this mysterious Nakiri person screw with the school like Eizan-kun. Satoshi stared out the bullet train window whipping past him at breakneck speed.
How to do this while organising the Elite Ten competition at the same time… there was no way he could delay it.
'The faster we fill those vacant seats, the more people I'll have to help me'
He needed to come up with something over the coming days and the weekend.
Takumi was having second thoughts about this. It was the weekend again and he'd finally finished his preliminary research for Royal medieval Spanish food. Now he was up to the stage of concocting the perfect recipe to reflect all his hard work. He re-assured himself at a good stage, he wasn't chasing any deadlines and he'd been keeping his cooking skills sharp and deadly with plenty of independent practice times for the Elite Ten competition.
So why the Diavolo was he sitting in the front seat of a black sedan, belonging to the scariest person on the planet…?
"Stop fidgeting, or do you want me to throw you in the fucking boot?"
"S-Sorry sir!" he yelped.
"Otou-san… please stop it" said Ayame from the back seat.
"Tch"
He willed his body to stop moving. Ayame had invited him to join her in visiting her grandfather. He was on her father's side and that spoke volumes already. He had said yes and was curious about what her father's father would be like. Would be just like him? Worse or better? He hoped deeply he was better. She told him it was the same grandfather that inspired her to become a mechanical and robotica engineer whom his engineering team worked together during World War Two to keep the train systems running despite the catastrophic atomic bombs when they first sat down together at the Cioccolatini café. He was a hero in Ayame's eyes.
She told him he was currently looked after by a government home carer, paid by the Kanda family, for the majority of his elderly life. Of course he would be honoured to meet her grandfather and was more than nervous. This was a step-up from meeting 'the parents' and Takumi made sure he dressed respectfully and appropriately and his hair was done right. As soon as she said her father was going to come along too, everything looked like choppy seas and whirlpools filled with starving krakens.
Once the blonde Italian's legs stopped fidgeting entirely, he starting fingering one of the buttons on his waistcoat as if it were a rosary bead. He continued to pray in his head that the Superintendent General, aka her father wouldn't maim him at some point during the visit.
He could see the sword, glistening in the light, next to his foot. He probably purposely put it there, right next to Takumi as a constant reminder. Her father practically ordered him to sit in the front seat, so that he could 'keep an eye on him'. Takumi was about to assure him that it was okay, he could sit in the back and Ayame could sit in the front but he chose to keep his mouth closed to avoid getting his tongue cut off. Why did he carry around a samurai sword anyway? Wasn't it illegal in Japan nowadays? Oh wait. Her father practically sat on the law… That was another mystery he was too scared to ask him, but would rather ask Ayame instead.
He turned his attention to the side mirror. He could see Ayame reflected in there as she sat in the backseat and she looked especially cute today. She wore a nice yellow dress with floral patterns, and a thick black belt around the middle. Her hair was loosely braided to the side so that it looked light and natural. As always, he couldn't stop staring at his amore.
Was she wearing a bit of make-up?
Soon they arrived at her grandfather's home. The black sedan rolled smoothly into the driveway. It looked small and cosy. It was a two story house with a small front yard filled with beautiful plants. Some were in bloom, but most were starting to turn golden and brown, getting ready for the coming Autumn. The lawn was very green and looked fresh and healthy. He guessed the Kanda family also paid for a gardener to maintain the gardens too.
"Get out of the car, I'm going to park somewhere else" said her father in a gruff voice.
"Okay, let's go Takumi-kun"
"Y-Yes…"
Takumi and Ayame alighted from the black sedan and watched as her father pulled away to find another parking sport. The street was packed with parked cars and it looked like he might need to drive further up the street to find a decent spot. Once he was sure the Superintendant General was gone from his sight, he took hold of Ayame's hand and kissed her cheek. She blushed and gave him a peck on the lips too. He wanted to do that as soon as he saw her this morning and didn't get the chance. Now he did and he was happy. They both strolled up to the front door and rang the doorbell.
"Ojii-san's carer has taken the shift off today and won't be back until tomorrow. That's why Otou-san and I are here. Umm…"
"Yes, what is it?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.
She was chewing her lips again and he wanted to reach out and stroke it, but resisted. What did she want to tell him?
"There's something you should know about Ojii-san! Umm… whatever he might say to you, please don't be offended. If he makes a comment on your hair colour, your eye colour… or your skin colour and in general says something rude. Please don't take it to heart! It's just… he's like that… and he can't really help himself and has trouble monitoring what he says… it's not entirely his fault… I'm sorry for not telling you earlier…" Ayame looked down at her shoes, nervously tightening and loosening her hands from his.
Takumi was thoroughly confused. She was painting her grandfather as some sort of cranky, tough, uncouth and scary old man, much like her father actually. It probably wouldn't make a difference if she told him earlier or not. He knew her father was a police officer beforehand and look at how that turned out. He still felt like walking on a knife's edge. Takumi and Isami had come across a few people who judged them on their half-Japanese and half-Italian lineage before and had tawdry comments thrown at them, and they head-butted those people more times than they could remember thanks to their hot-blooded Italian side. Ayame was standing in front of him looking quite scared and apologetic. He didn't like to see his amore like that.
"I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle" he said.
He considered this was probably a man in his seventies, eighties or nineties, so it was possible he retained traditionalist Japanese thoughts, which he guessed was common in the older population. Takumi understood that the patriotism for 'The Land of the Rising Sun' of the older generation was phenomenal, and some may not take too kindly to foreigners. If Ayame's grandfather had iron-clad traditionalist views, then so be it. He was currently in training to at least speak without stuttering around her father who basically lived his life by the bushido, so he will pour in the same dedication with her grandfather. Takumi was bound to meet him at some point, so he guessed it was better sooner than later. The important thing was that he remained courteous, regardless if he won both of Ayame's important male figures in her life's approval or not.
He smiled and tilted her chin to look up at him. "He can't be worse than your father, no offense. But why would he make such comments at me?" he said as gently as possible.
"Well, the reason is… Ojii-san has dementia and well… he still thinks its World War Two…"
Takumi is going to be in a heck of a ride! If he thought Ayame's dad was a piece of work, wait until he meets Grandfather Kanda... Her grandfather's condition is based on a real person
OH! SO close! Isshiki and Chief Inspector Shoseki ALMOST landed upon the truth. I want to yell at them "Orihara has already hacked the system! And it's Hisako's fault!" How soon before Isshiki finds out? You guys already know what Orihara Izaya the info broker is planning, but illustrating how Isshiki figures out Eizan's cryptic warning using only his intelligence, reasoning, his cunning and wit alone was quite an experience.
I don't think Erina is a tsundere bitch 24 hours a day (except on special occasions). I'm sure her governess taught her proper manners, respect and social etiquette when speaking to someone older than herself. I hope it's not surprising to see her amiable in this chapter.
Until next time!
Signing off
- TripWire-dono
