Chapter 22: Epistrophy

Early the next morning, they all met up on the train. When they were all settled in and the train was underway, Takamaki said, "Hey, last night reminded me — we don't have a team name!"

"We don't need a team —" Goro began.

"Goro's Angels," said Takamaki, over his objection.

"No. Veto," said Goro, resigning himself to wasting some time on this. He checked his watch, deciding to give it five minutes.

"Hell's Angels," Suzui amended.

"I don't want to piss off those other Hell's Angels," said Goro.

"Fallen Angels? Dies Irae?" suggested Sae.

"Those are intimidating, but what's with the religious imagery? We're not pretending to be divine beings," Goro sighed. "How about…a Conspiracy of Crows?"

"Too long," Takamaki said.

"Twenty Faces, like the villain from the Kogoro Akechi stories?" suggested Togo.

"Good, but it gives too much away," said Goro.

Togo nodded. "I suppose so. Anybody could see a link between your stage name and Kogoro Akechi's most famous nemesis."

"Stage name? What are you talking about?" asked Takamaki.

"The most famous character of one of Japan's most celebrated authors? The great detective?" prompted Togo. "You didn't think Goro Akechi was his real name, did you? I mean, it's so…obvious…." She trailed off as Takamaki and Suzui exchanged blank looks.

Goro waved impatiently. "Forget it, Togo, nobody reads anymore. You're the first person ever to ask me about the name. Even so, I don't want our whole plan relying on that."

"What is your real name, then?" asked Takamaki.

"Does that really matter right now?"

Takamaki frowned, and for a second it looked like she was going to press the point. But then she interrupted her own thought with, "Ooh — Dance Monkeys!"

"Why, Takamaki?" Goro demanded, slapping a hand on his armrest.

"…Because I have that song in my head," she admitted sheepishly.

They continued tossing ideas around for a while. The five minutes ticked down. Goro was about to tell them it was time to give it up and talk about something serious, when a raised voice from behind him said, "Damn brats! Shut it!"

They were all surprised into silence for a moment. Then Goro smirked. "The Damn Brats show no sign of slowing down," he said, imitating the formal speech of a newscaster.

"What will those Damn Brats do next? Experts tell us, after this break!" Takamaki added, following his lead.

Sae shook her head in dismay. "Really? That's what you're going to call yourselves?"

"Ourselves," Goro corrected, enjoying her long-suffering sigh.

"Damn Brats have no place in decent society, said the Prime Minister," said Suzui, looking down her nose. The girls collapsed in giggles. Even Togo had to hide her smile behind her hand.

"Oh! Birds of Prey! Or Legal Eagles! Because we all have birds —" Sae began, but Goro cut her off.

"Too late. It's decided. Anyway, we have more important things to talk about. Togo and I spent last night coming up with some strategies. We won't have time to practice before we put them into play, so everybody needs to pay attention."

While he spoke, Togo took out a shogi board and two small pouches full of pieces. "It'll help us visualize," she explained.

Goro checked his watch. Whatever Ren's "message in a bottle" had meant, it was worrying that he'd felt the need to encrypt it in song titles. Orpheus may have found Eurydice, but only one of them escaped the underworld.

Whether this trip was going to be a harrowing one worthy of myth, Goro didn't know. Maybe he was mistaken after all. Possibly everything would be fine and they'd just walk in, grab Ren, and catch the next train back to Tokyo. But just in case it wasn't so easy…he had about two hours left on the train to lay out some plans.

"Let's get to work," he said.

Ren's hometown, Souzencho, looked normal from a distance. But as the train approached the town station, Goro noticed that something wasn't quite right. At first, he thought there was something wrong with him — like it was time to get his eyes checked, perhaps.

"Does this place look…fuzzy to you?" he asked his teammates, feeling ridiculous.

They all nodded somberly.

"I thought it was just me," said Sae with evident relief.

"We're all seeing the same thing, but I'm not sure that's better," said Togo, turning her eyes away from the window.

After they disembarked, they found a quiet spot in the station to discuss where to go next. Goro realized in a moment of panic that he didn't have Ren's home address — he'd meant to ask Sojiro Sakura, but with everything on his mind, he'd completely forgotten. A quick discussion with the group revealed that none of them had it; Ren hadn't sent any of them his hometown contact info, or even so much as a letter with a return address on the envelope.

"Takamaki, can you send Futaba Sakura a text and ask if she or her dad has Ren's address?" Goro asked.

"Futaba? Sure…just give me a sec…huh?" Takamaki frowned at her phone screen. "Message can't be delivered? Why not? I have full bars."

Goro sent a test message, but got the same response. Then he tried connecting to the rail station WiFi, but although it showed a strong connection, he couldn't access the Internet. It was like the connection to the outside world stopped at the station.

He frowned and put the phone back in his pocket. Pieces were coming together in his brain, clicking here and there but not quite revealing a full picture yet.

"We could look for him at school," suggested Suzui. "If he has a club meeting today, he might be there. Or someone there might know him."

That seemed reasonable, so they found an information booth in the train station and asked the attendant for the address of the high school. Luckily, since the town was small, there was only one. From the map the attendant gave them, it looked like a short walk to the school, so they set out on foot.

At first, the street seemed normal enough. Then Goro realized it was strangely noisy. He was used to the constant background noise of Tokyo, but this place had a different sound. Instead of the blend of vehicles, conversations, footsteps, phones, and traffic signals that filled Tokyo, there was the tinny sound of radio. It sounded like there was a receiver in practically every window, some playing the same thing, but mostly all playing different things. There was none of the give-and-take of normal conversation, just endless voices talking over one another.

The heat rising off the asphalt made everything look wavy and distorted, but even things that should have been clear were blurry. Then, after a few blocks, things started looking clearer and sharper, the way a TV signal looks clearer when its antenna is in the right place. They started noticing TV sets through every window, sometimes even pointing out the window.

Many of the TVs showed Shido — Goro recognized some of them as TV interviews he'd done during his campaign. Others showed a different man, very handsome in a staid, conservative kind of way: serious dark suit, serious short haircut, serious expression. Whoever he was, he was on a lot of the TV screens here. Yet Goro had never seen him before.

Waving to his team to follow, Goro found a large-screen TV and watched it for a bit, waiting to see if the man was identified. Finally, a chyron on the bottom of the screen identified him as "Myojo."

The girls gasped. Goro frowned. Sae said, "Just a minute. Since when does Myojo have a face? I've never seen this person on the news before."

"Well…he's always communicated by text before, but there's no reason he couldn't go on TV, right?" said Suzui reasonably.

Sae admitted it was possible, but didn't look convinced. It seemed unlikely to Goro, too. Sae usually kept the news on for hours every day, sometimes muted, but always on, just in case a headline caught her eye. If neither of them had noticed Myojo, or even a rumor that he might appear in person — an enormous story in itself — that was strange to say the least.

Moving away from the houses, Goro tried another test. He spotted a store window and lingered at the display.

"Everyone, come over here," he said. "Tell me what you see."

The team crowded around the window, which belonged to a bookshop. When he'd approached, Goro saw a standing poster in the window, with an author's photo and biography, along with new books arranged in an eye-catching pattern. But when he got closer, he found that the photo didn't look like any particular person, and the words were illegible. The more he tried to focus on the details, the more they seemed to dissolve into a meaningless blur, like in a dream.

"Why can't I read any of these titles?" asked Takamaki, distressed.

"What are you talking about? It's all copies of 'Prince of Nightmares' by Ango Natsume. Look, that's his picture there on the board," said Suzui.

"Oh, I keep seeing ads for that book. Yeah…yeah, you're right. That's what it is," Takamaki agreed.

As soon as they said it, the blur started to resolve into the image of a handsome young man with glasses, Ango Natsume. The books in the surrounding display now all appeared to be copies of 'Prince of Nightmares.'

Eyes wide, Togo said, "That's not what I saw. They were all shogi books…but now they've changed. How can that be?"

Goro rubbed his chin. "We're in the Metaverse, that's how."

"What? The Metaverse? But it looks…" Suzui trailed off. "Normal" didn't quite describe their surroundings, although it was very close.

"Do you have some idea of what's going on?" Sae asked Goro.

"I have a hypothesis. If we aren't in the Metaverse, then things are significantly worse than I suspect. Let's just proceed for now," he replied.

Before they could start out again, the door opened and Ren came out wearing an apron.

"Hi there!" he greeted them cheerfully. "Welcome to Books Ahoy. Would you like to come in? Can I help you find anything?"

"Ren-kun!" cried Takamaki. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

Ren's eyebrows raised. "Uh…do I know you?"

Takamaki looked offended for a second, but then she stepped closer, uncomfortably close. "Ohhhh," she said knowingly. "It's a Shadow. You can tell by the yellow eyes."

Sae, Suzui, and Togo moved in closer to gawk at Shadow Ren. The Shadow looked flustered by the attention. He tried to step back, but ran into the door.

Goro motioned for the girls to step back and said to the Shadow, "Hey. Where do you live?"

"Live?" said Shadow Ren blankly.

"Yeah. Your house. What's the address?"

The Shadow shook its head uncomprehendingly.

"Let me give it a try," said Sae. Goro stepped aside with a by all means, Madam Prosecutor gesture.

"You work here part-time, right?" Sae began conversationally.

"Yes…?"

"When you're not here, where are you?"

"School."

"And when you're not at school?"

Shadow Ren smiled and nodded, as though he finally understood. "I'm here."

"When you aren't at school or here?"

The Shadow just blinked at her like she was speaking a foreign language, but Sae wasn't thrown so easily. Pivoting to another line of questioning, she asked, "Where are your parents?"

"Parenting? We have a whole section on that inside," said Shadow Ren.

"Not 'parenting' the topic. Your parents. Your family," Sae clarified.

The Shadow furrowed its brow and seemed to think, the confidence fading from its face.

"When the store closes, where do you go?" Sae asked.

The Shadow turned and looked at the door, where a hand-lettered sign read, "Open." The hours were printed underneath. "The store is open right now," he said.

"Yes, but when it's not open. When the sign says 'closed,' then what?" Sae pressed, stepping closer.

"Not…open…." The very thought seemed to rattle the Shadow.

Sae's eyes narrowed. "What's your name?"

The Shadow started to look down at his nametag, but Sae reached over and covered it up. Goro pressed his lips together. She really was brutally efficient.

Looking deeply disturbed, Shadow Ren bowed low and mumbled, "Please excuse me, but I have to go. Sorry I couldn't help you find a book."

With that, he disappeared into the bookshop. They heard the deadbolt slide into place and watched the open sign turn over to "closed."

"That was…" Togo began, but trailed off. "Strange" didn't seem adequate, somehow.

"Well. Let's keep going, shall we?" said Goro, and they did. There didn't seem to be any other option.

While they walked, the noise from the TVs intruded into Goro's thoughts, ruining his concentration and setting him on edge. He had hoped to talk with his team, but a hunch told him not to. He couldn't put a finger on it, but he felt somehow like he shouldn't shout over the TVs. Like something bad might happen if he did. That made no sense, but he couldn't shake the feeling, so he stayed quiet. Looking at the others, they looked as unsettled as he felt.

He wished he'd told them his theories back on the train, but it all seemed too far-fetched at the time, besides taking up precious time that they needed to go over their strategies. He just had to hope they'd catch on once they saw the secret at the heart of this place. It wasn't exactly a Palace, but….

The first Ren Amamiya wasn't the only one they saw. There was another one working the register in a convenience store. Another was walking with a girl in a school uniform that matched his own. They followed this pair to the high school, where they found another Ren playing soccer and yet another practicing kendo.

Togo observed, "Interesting that they don't overlap. Each one seems to have his own territory. Very…orderly."

"Can they all be Shadows? One of them must be the real one, right?" Takamaki wondered out loud.

Sae said, "I think we can assume the real Ren is in this town somewhere, but determining which may be harder than it seems."

"All we need to do is look at their eyes," said Goro. He stopped and thought for a moment. There was a rattling sound coming from the far side of the school building that he thought he recognized. "Maybe one of them can give us an address. Why don't we split up and talk to them?"

Suzui went to talk to the soccer-playing Ren, Takamaki took the couple, and Sae the kendo Ren. Goro headed around the side of the building, following the sound he'd heard.

As he suspected, there was another Ren there, spraypainting the wall. This Ren had dyed his hair candy-apple red and was dressed in black jeans, a leather jacket despite the heat, and sunglasses even though he was on the shady north side of the building. A delinquent style, although a somewhat old-fashioned one, in Goro's estimation. Then again, trends tended to take a while to make their way out of Tokyo and into the countryside.

Goro watched him work for a moment. Those jeans were…really tight.

"Get lost, narc," said Ren, without turning his head.

"You got another one?" said Goro, pointing at the cigarette dangling from Ren's lips.

"Not for a cop."

"I'm not a cop. That was just a TV thing."

"Whatever. Like I care." Ren shrugged and handed him a pack of smokes and a lighter.

Goro lit one up and inhaled, then immediately coughed. Are these unfiltered? Jeez, this Ren really is tough.

"First time?" Ren asked, snickering.

"Nah. I smoked in middle school. Gave 'em up for the TV gig."

Ren made a face and spit on the ground. "TV, huh. Bunch of phonies spreading lies. I hate it."

"I would too if I lived here. Looks like there are more TVs than people. What's up with that?"

"Don't ask me. I didn't put all those squawk boxes around here. Sometimes I take 'em out, though…." Ren pulled back the leather jacket a little to reveal a gun tucked in an inside pocket. He smirked. "Scared?"

"Of an airsoft gun? No, not really," said Goro lightly.

"You know your stuff, huh? Most people can't tell the difference."

Goro looked around and spotted a tiny portable TV sitting on a windowsill, pointed outward and blaring at nothing. Second floor, maybe forty feet away. Cakewalk. He kept his eye on the TV and held out his hand, relying on Ren's curiosity. After a moment, he felt the weight of the gun press into his palm. He aimed it and plugged the TV with four rounds in one smooth motion. They were just pellets, but it was enough to stop the noise. Only then did he turn back to look at Ren.

"I've seen better," said Ren sourly, taking the gun back.

It was Goro's turn to laugh; even though they had moved beyond rivalry, he still relished one-upping Ren. "Sorry to disappoint you, then."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" said Ren, turning back to his painting. He added a few red lines at random.

"Looking for you."

"What for?"

"Because you don't belong here. I'm going to take you back to Tokyo. Let's go back to your place and pack a bag. C'mon."

"Tokyo…? Nine million phonies instead of nine thousand. Who gives a shit?"

"Sure, but why stay here?"

The Shadow ignored the question and instead painted a hand giving the middle finger on the wall.

"There are a lot more untagged walls in Tokyo," said Goro.

Ren turned his head and tipped his sunglasses down so Goro could get a good look at how unimpressed he was. His eyes were yellow, not that he really needed the confirmation. Too bad. I kind of liked this one, thought Goro.

Deciding to take it up a notch, Goro said, "What, are you comfortable here? Mama makes you sandwiches and washes your underwear, and you don't want to give all that up?"

Ren scowled. "Don't talk about my mother."

There's got to be some way to crack him, Goro thought. He thought over what he knew about this version of Ren. He had an idea that these weren't exactly Shadows, not the same way that Palace rulers were extensions of their owners' egos. Even Ren couldn't animate unlimited copies of himself, each tailored to a specific purpose. No, they had to be cognitions, meaning this version of Ren was how someone in this town envisioned him. Of all the Rens they'd seen, only one was a bad apple. And Goro only knew of one person who thought of Ren that way.

He'd have to take a gamble, but he didn't have many cards left to play. And if he had to gamble, he might as well have some fun while he did.

Goro leaned in uncomfortably close, close enough that his breath tickled Ren's ear. He could sense the tension in Ren's shallow breathing and the way his muscles tightened under his t-shirt. He ran a finger along the edge of the leather jacket, not quite touching Ren's chest, but close enough to feel his body heat.

He looked up. The Shadow was trying to look outraged, but couldn't quite manage to erase his interest in the flirtation. Goro grinned. The real Ren was pretty much nothing like this copy, but wouldn't it be funny if this was the one thing that was accurate?

Goro looked down again and pretended to be very interested in straightening the leather jacket's lapels. "You know," he said casually, "bringing a boy home…would probably really piss off your dad."

He let go and sauntered off, leaving the Shadow to trail after him.

Behind the school, Suzui, Takamaki, and Togo were gathered around a picnic table. He guessed from their somber looks that none of them had had any luck with the other Shadow Rens, but it turned out there was another problem too.

"I'll be fine," Suzui insisted, brushing Takamaki's hand off her arm. "Really, I can walk."

"We're tiring out faster than usual in this heat. We could all use a rest. And if we called a cab, maybe they could help us find Ren's house," Takamaki said.

Of course. Why didn't I think of this? We could have rented a vehicle, Goro chided himself. He'd been so focused on the problem of getting here and how to help Ren that he hadn't even thought about Suzui's stamina.

Sae appeared with an armful of cold drinks. "I couldn't get any information from the Shadows, but I did find some vending machines," she explained, handing out cold bottles of water. She put a spare in a small backpack. "I've got more water and some snacks in here too, just in case."

I should have considered that too! Goro thought.

Suzui took a long drink and sighed contentedly. "Mmm…that's better. Team work makes the dream work." She reached out a fist. Sae tapped it with her own, looking amused.

"Okay, we've had a rest, but we still don't know where we're going. We can't just take off in some random direction," Takamaki said.

"I found us a guide," said Goro, nodding at Shadow Ren. "His house is…" he was about to say it was a walkable distance, but maybe it wasn't for Suzui. He felt another stab of embarrassment. He was the leader; he should have every detail in hand.

"If this is Amamiya-kun's school, his house can't be that far, right? Let's just try it. I don't want…" Suzui trailed off uncomfortably, but her meaning was clear. She didn't want to hold them back.

"I'll be right by your side," said Takamaki reassuringly.

It wasn't the best solution, but they didn't have a lot of options. Turning back would be worse. At least Ren's house would have a bed or a couch Suzui could rest on, if she needed to.

Shadow Ren eyeballed the girls. "Wow. You're full of surprises, aren't you, pretty boy?"

"You have no idea," said Goro with a smirk.