Chapter Four

Though Yuta knew that they could trust Shiro to handle his new boss, Mana helped him draft an email to send to Soukichi. He felt terrible that Soukichi had pulled in such a huge favor to get him a job, and even gave Mana and him a place to stay in Tokyo. But Yuta knew that Soukichi would understand that any work related to mermaids could not be ignored.

And when they had the Japanese government breathing down their necks, they especially couldn't ignore it.

"So, where do we start?" Mana asked. They sat side by side on the couch in their apartment. They were both staring down at Yuta's cell phone and his email inbox.

Yuta shook his head. "Going to Natsu Ai's hometown yielded no results. And Shiro said they spoke to the wife of the salaryman who turned into the Lost Soul on the train. She didn't know anything either."

"They checked his computer, right?" Mana asked.

"Wiped clean," Yuta said. "They found no digital trace of any seafood purchases made by him. I think Shiro said the man may have used…coin? Whatever that is—to purchase the mermaid's flesh."

"Hmm," Mana hummed. She leaned her chin into her palm. "Did Shiro mention any other incidents?"

"Ah—I think he mentioned another family member of the salaryman," Yuta said, perking up. "He had an estranged son, I think. He's in university in Osaka. I'll call Shiro to see if they spoke to him." Yuta pulled up his call log.

"Estranged," Mana echoed. "That means he wasn't talking to his father, right?"

"That's right, Mana."

"But if he wasn't talking to his father, how would he know about how his father got mermaid's flesh?"

"It doesn't hurt to check."

Two hours later, Yuta and Mana were on the train heading to Osaka. It was very late; the last train heading to Osaka. But Shiro had given them a black credit card that he said had an unlimited credit limit, and told them to put all their expenses on the card. "Your expenses will be covered with taxpayer money, so please use it wisely," Shiro had said with a cold smile.

"But taxpayers won't know it's being used to hunt down merchants selling mermaid's flesh, will they?" Yuta had responded.

"Of course not."

Shiro had confirmed they had talked to the son of the salaryman who ate the mermaid's flesh on the train. Shiro had said the son had been cold and dismissive of his father's death, but there was…something about the way Shiro had spoken about the young man that given Yuta pause. He could sense that Shiro suspected the young man knew more than what he was letting on. So Yuta and Mana decided to go and see the son in person and try to get information out of him.

Arriving in Osaka was surreal to Yuta, as the city had changed so much even in the 20 years he had last been there. Despite being given a black credit card he found a modest inn for them to stay in. The keeper seemed skeptical of the card, paired with their youthful faces, but the woman accepted the card and showed them to their rooms.

"You're not runaways, are you?" she had asked sternly.

"No, ma'am," Yuta said respectfully. "My sister and I are relocating for work."

"Why must we always present ourselves as brother and sister?" Mana asked Yuta as they settled into their room.

"People don't ask as many questions when they think we're siblings," Yuta said.

The following morning they were up early to head to the university. Mana predictably had a massive appetite but Yuta's stomach was tied up in knots. Incidents of Lost Souls were always alarming, but he had never experienced so many incidents in such a short period of time.

It must be what Shiro suspects, after all. That mermaid's flesh is being mass produced somewhere, and they're selling meat on the black market. And their reach is global…

They reached the university by mid-morning, and it was easy for them to infiltrate the campus. Most people didn't give them a second glance, but Yuta was apprehensive. They had a photograph of the salaryman's son, but the university campus was a lot larger than Yuta had expected it to be. They wandered around for an hour scanning dozens of faces, but could not see him anywhere.

Is he not in class today? Yuta thought. His father DID die, after all. But Shiro said the widow wasn't confident that their son would go to his funeral…

"Hey, excuse me," Mana said, approaching a group of four who were seated on the grass. She showed them her phone screen, which Yuta knew would have a photograph of the person they were looking. "Do you know where we can find him?"

"No," the four responded.

"Damn," Mana muttered under her breath. But this strategy proved to be more effective however, as after they asked a few people and showed the young man's photograph they found someone who knew him. "Oh yeah, he's in my lab!" another young man said. "He hasn't been to class for a couple of day due to personal reasons."

"Do you know how we can reach him?" Yuta asked. "We have something important to discuss with him."

"Sure, I got his cell number from when we worked on a project together. I'll send him a text and see if he's up to seeing anyone."

Yuta and Mana waited while the student sent his text. After a minute his phone chimed with a reply. "He wants to know you want," he said.

"Tell him we have information about his father," Yuta said. The other man's eyes went wide and he tapped frantically on his phone. The chime in reply was quicker this time. "He's on his way."

Their target arrived less than ten minutes later. He looked very similar to his photograph; he was even wearing the same shirt. "I'll take it from here," he told his classmate, who nodded and hurried off.

"Yamagishi-san?" Yuta greeted him. The young man in question turned to look at him, his eyes narrowed over the rims of his glasses. "My condolences on—"

"Save it," Yamagishi interjected. "My father was a fool chasing the fountain of youth. I saw the video online, I know who you both are."

"Wait, what?!" Mana exclaimed.

"The video," Yamagishi said bluntly. "The train attack. The government has been working to scrub it from the internet, but I saw a 10-second clip of the both of you fighting a monster. That monster was my father, right?"

Yuta and Mana stared at him in shock. Yamagishi waved to them and turned. "Come. My apartment is not far from campus. We can talk more there."

Yamagishi took Yuta and Mana to a small apartment that was a few minutes walk. The apartment was so small that there was hardly room to sit. Yamagishi motioned to them to sit on the tatami mats, and they did so. "So…your father sought immortality, Yamagishi-san?" Yuta cautiously asked him.

"Yes," Yamagishi said, his tone grim. He didn't sit down but instead leaned against the wall near the window and folded his arms over his chest. "He's been obsessed with preserving his youth since as far back as I can remember. As I got older—as we both got older—he started to resent me for being younger. I knew that he wanted the youth that I had but didn't know how to achieve it. Somehow that became my fault." Yamagishi scoffed and looked away. Yuta didn't miss the sorrow in his face.

"Then…a couple of weeks ago," he said quietly. "I got an email from him. A gloating email. He was talking about how he found some "miracle fish" that would give him youth and immortality. He was so smug in the email that I just deleted it. But now…"

"Why haven't you been cooperative with the authorities?" Yuta asked him.

Yamagishi shrugged stiffly. "I don't know. I haven't spoken with my father face-to-face since I graduated high school. All of our communication has been electronically because of his resentments. And I didn't want to hear about his obsession with immortality. Besides, the family Natsu Ai was spirited away somewhere. I'm comfortable with where I am now, and I don't want anything to change."

"You might be in danger though," Mana pointed out. "If you know more than you're letting on."

Yamagishi narrowed his eyes at them. "Are you here to kill me then?"

Yuta reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. Yamagishi shifted slightly, but then gasped harshly when Yuta opened the blade and cut the back of his left hand. He held up his hand for Yamagishi to see. Yuta knew that Yamagishi would see blood spill from the wound briefly, and then for the cut to heal and the blood to dissipate. Yamagishi's widening eyes confirmed that it was exactly what he saw.

"This is what your father sought," Yuta said. "The "miracle fish" he told you about is in fact a curse. Mermaid's flesh. It grants immortality but not youth. Your body freezes in time at the moment you eat the flesh. But like I said; it's a curse. Almost no one achieves immortality. The flesh is extremely poisonous. Most who eat the flesh die. They are the lucky ones—others turn into the monster you saw in that video. And a very, very small minority become like us."

Yamagishi's arms dropped to his sides and his mouth hung open. "He…my father was right?"

"Only partially so," Yuta said. "Almost no one becomes an immortal from mermaid's flesh. I gained immortality hundreds of years ago. Mana—" he motioned to her. "Was the first other person I met to achieve this. But that was 500 years after Ibecame immortal. What happened to your father…that is what happens to most people who eat mermaid's flesh."

Tears filled Yamagishi's eyes. He clenched his jaw and looked away. "So…he had no chance," he hissed. "He was doomed the moment he ate that shit. And even if it had worked…he wouldn't have gotten his youth back."

"That is correct," Yuta said.

"Look," Mana quickly jumped in. "I'm sorry for what happened to your father, but what happened to him has happened to many people. Many people are getting mermaid's flesh from somewhere and we need to find out where. We need to stop it before more people die. Before more people end up like your father. If there is anything—anything—that you know or that your father told you, we need you to tell us. We don't want anything else to die, or risk getting the curse."

"You both achieved the impossible and you think it's a curse?" Yamagishi asked them.

"The only good thing I can say about this curse is that I have many good people," Yuta said. "And I would have never met Mana had I not eaten the flesh."

Mana gasped in shock. "But I would be lying if I said that I was a blessing," Yuta said. "We're trying to stop more suffering and more death. If you know anything Yamagishi-san, we would really appreciate it if you could tell us. If you want amenity, then we won't tell the government officials that you gave us the information. We just want the information to stop this."

Yamagishi was silent again for a long time. Yuta and Mana sat patiently and waited for his response. After several minutes he exhaled sharply…and nodded. "Okay. I'll give you what I have."

Arita had never been to such a large house party in his forty years of life. He was certain that his boss had invited the entire corporate office to his home. Eighty people at least, along with their plus-ones. Champagne flowed freely and expensive hors d'oeuvres were available on platters throughout the first floor of the house.

When his boss called for dinner, various tables were brought out to accommodate the guests. Arita sat at the main table beside his wife Makie, and he chatted with his colleagues good-naturedly as platters of foods were carried out. He realized his lips were loose while speaking, and he suspected he drank too much champagne. But he was mostly lucid, and he was known for being a fun drunk, so he wasn't concerned.

Platters upon platters of food were placed in the center of the tables. Arita saw that it was bowls of white rice, and slices of pristine fish ready to be eaten. He glanced at Makie, who was making a face. Makie wasn't fond of sashimi but Arita knew that she would eat it as to appease his boss.

Arita however loved sashimi, and eagerly helped themselves to the fish. Murmurs of excitement flooded the dining room and the other rooms as Arita's colleagues helped themselves as well. Everyone waited for their boss, their host, to eat some of the fish before they all started eating.

The fish was delicious. Arita had never tasted anything like it in his life. It wasn't slimy on his tongue, and the flavor was a perfect balance of sweet and savory. He ate one piece with a single bite, and then quickly eat the next two he had placed on his plate. He drank more champagne, and the fish proved to be a perfect pair with the fish.

"Delicious," Arita praised as he shoved a mouthful of white rice into his mouth. "Shachō, where did you—"

A horrible lurching noise was heard at the head of the table, cutting Arita off. Arita and his colleagues glanced towards his boss in confusion, only to see the older gentlemen grabbing at his throat and his face turning purple. He's choking! Arita flew out his chair and raced towards his boss. His boss was making horrible wheezing noises and Arita pulled him out of his chair. "Shachō, keep coughing!" Arita shouted. He assumed the position for the Heimlich maneuver and pressed hard on his abdomen. His boss opened his mouth—and vomited blood all over the table.

Several people screamed and jumped out of their chairs, and Arita let his boss go in shock. "W-What…?!" he exclaimed, his panic rising. He's dead?! I killed him?!

It was then that everything fell into chaos.

Screams filled the house and suddenly everyone was grabbing or clawing at their throats. Men and women in posh clothing vomited blood and dropped dead to the floor. But then—then the monsters arrived. Two men and one woman mutated and their flesh exploded off their bodies. They roared and screamed and began rampaging throughout the house.

"M-Makie!" Arita rushed to his wife's side and grabbed her arm. He pulled her in the direction of the front door. "Makie, we have to go!"

"W-What?" Makie seemed to be in a state of shock. "Arita…did your boss poison us?"

The fish! Arita's panic rose to greater heights as they burst out of the front door. The screams within the house echoed in the night. "Hurry! We have to—"

Makie suddenly made a lurching noise, and pain erupted in Arita's chest. He grabbed his wife around the shoulders and pulled her towards the car. "W-We're almost there Makie! We—"

Makie vomited blood all over him. Arita's body froze, and he collapsed to his knees while still holding onto his wife. "M-Makie—!"

Makie gurgled on her own blood for a few moments before she went still in his arms. Arita cradled her and cupped a hand to her cheek. She stared back at him with half-lidded, empty eyes. "Makie? Makie?"

The world seemed to fade away. The realization that his beloved wife had just died in his arms came in rippling, agonizing waves. Arita clung to her, tears streaming down his cheeks as he began to wail. "Makie! MAKIE!"

Arita was so consumed by grief that he did not notice the people dressed in black who ran past him into the mansion. He didn't hear the gunfire, or the ceasing of screaming. All he heard was his own wails as he rocked his wife's corpse in his arms. Time seemed lost on him. He didn't even notice that he had not succumbed to same poison that killed his wife.

"Only you, then?"

This voice, however, broke through the frenzied grief in his mind. The only reason that it did though was because the voice seemed so out of place from the carnage he was witnessed. It was the voice of a young boy.

Arita lifted his head, blinking through his tears. To his shock and horror he saw a boy standing before him. It was child wearing a green summer raincoat with the hood pulled over his head, despite the fact that it wasn't raining. The boy could not have been older than nine or ten years old, but his eyes…there was something wrong with his eyes. The way they stared at Arita…it was like he was staring into a void.

"Congratulations," the boy said, smiling. It was a smile that did not reach his void eyes. "You are one of the rare lucky ones to achieve immortality."

Arita gaped at him in horror. His throat was too tight for him to speak.

"I was hoping for more," the boy sighed, glancing towards the house. "But one is better than nothing, I suppose. We still don't have enough yet to bring on the new age, so I will need your help with that."

Arita stared down at Makie and then looked back up at him again. "Wh…What have you done?" he whispered.

The boy glanced at Makie for a brief moment before looking at Arita again. "She was important to you?" he asked coldly.

"Makie's my wife," Arita rasped.

"It wasn't meant to be," the boy said bluntly. "You were chosen and she was not. It's better this way to lose her now. You will find someone else."

"Did you…" Arita looked towards the house. He quickly looked back at the boy. "You did this?!"

"Your boss did. He believed in the cause. He spent his fortune to purchase enough mermaid's flesh for you all." The boy shrugged. "He knew the risk but thought himself worthy of the power. But it was only you."

"You did this," Arita repeated himself, phrasing it not as a question. "You—You killed everyone? You killed my wife?"

"As I said," the boy responded, speaking slower condescendingly. "This was arranged by your boss. I was only his collaborator. He was the one who chose you to—"

"YOU KILLED MY WIFE!" Arita shrieked, setting Makie down. He lunged at the boy and tackled him, pressing his hands to his throat. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!"

The boy was unfazed and unafraid. He did not struggle under his grip. He merely stared unblinkingly up at Arita. His eerie calm frightened Arita, and he loosened his grip—

And at that moment, the boy pulled out a gun and shot Arita in the stomach.

Arita wheezed in pain, and collapsed onto his side. He clutched at his stomach as blood spilled from his lips.

"Masato-sama!" Someone shouted from far away. Footsteps ran over to him. "Masato-sama, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the boy, Masato, said. "But I no longer want this man as my ally. Cut his head off."

"S-Sir, this man was the only survivor!" Another voice protested.

"I don't care," Masato responded. "Get rid of him. I don't need him to bring about the new age."

New age. The boy had said it twice now. Arita was confused, but his mind was numb with pain. But…But the physical pain was starting to wane slightly…

A man dressed in black wearing a mask kicked Arita onto his back. He reached down and tore the lapels of Arita's black over coat aside and ripped aside the blood-soaked shirt. He picked something up off Arita's stomach and held it up for him to see. "Do you see it, idiot?"

Arita blinked with shock. The object the man held…it looked like a bullet.

"This was just expelled from your body," the man told him sardonically. "Had you played it smart, then you would realize that you are immortal. But you attacked my boss—and now you must pay."

Arita realized that he was holding an axe in his other hand. Before he could react, the man quickly raised it high and brought it straight down upon him.