Chapter 60
Hikari scrutinized her beloved suspiciously from the side. There was something in his behavior that suddenly made her uneasy. Kakashi pulled her close with a slight grin and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"I have a brief matter to attend to. Give me two hours; once I'm back, we can set off," he whispered to her. Hikari placed her finger under his chin, pulling him closer. "Kakashi, what are you up to?" Suspicious glances exchanged between them, then he withdrew from her grasp.
"I'll just drop by an old friend's place to settle something. Don't worry; I won't avoid our countryside trip." Hikari crossed her arms. "And who might this friend be? You're not talking about Kenji, by any chance?"
Kakashi's expression darkened slightly. "And if I were?"
"You promised Taiki that you'd withdraw," she reminded him of his own words. Kakashi waved it off. "No worries, I won't step foot in that traitor's house again. I'm going to Hiroshi Chiba," he snorted, leaving Hikari without another word.
Shortly after, he arrived at the secluded property of the Chiba family. He locked his car and proceeded to the front door. Grumpily, he rang the doorbell and waited. It took a while until the door was opened. Rei Chiba greeted him with a friendly smile. "Mr. Kou, what an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you?"
"I would like to speak with Hiroshi. Is he in the house?" Kakashi forced himself to be polite, even though he felt differently. However, the black-haired woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, but my father is currently on a trip, and my brother will only be back after New Year's. Should I convey a message for you?"
Kakashi snorted. "And who is managing your family affairs in their absence? It can't be that no one is present here." Rei smirked at him. "Dear Mr. Kou, I am still here. Don't underestimate me just because I am a woman. So, if it's business-related, I am at your service. If you have something private to discuss with my father or brother, I will, of course, inform them that you were here."
Did this girl just try to stand up to him? Kakashi was momentarily at a loss for words, but he quickly regained his composure and switched to his usual professionalism. "Very well, then convey to Hiroshi to contact me as soon as possible. Tell him it concerns long-standing issues that we finally need to resolve. He will know what I mean."
Rei became instantly serious. She sensed that there was more to Kakashi's visit than the old customer let on. "Alright, I will convey the message to him. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Kakashi turned away. "No, I wish you a pleasant day. And don't forget to inform your father. It is important."
Tellu raised her head, disoriented, and looked around. She wasn't fully present yet, but she recognized a figure with long silver-blonde hair from behind. Without a doubt, it was Yaten, she thought.
He had turned away from her once again, contemplating a strategy to extract answers. If he inflicted physical harm on Tellu now, he wouldn't expect any information from Mimete. It was more likely that Tellu would seek revenge in her own way. Yaten opened a small hanging cabinet in the farthest corner, where he always kept some alcohol for emergencies. The silver-blonde poured himself some light brown liquid, sipping from a glass, patiently waiting for the stylist to react.
The fear in Tellu's eyes immediately resurfaced as Yaten approached her. With nonchalance, he placed the bottle on the table in the middle, alongside another empty glass, and then turned to his guest. Casually, he pulled his chair closer and straddled it.
"So, you're having a fling with the assistant," Yaten began, smirking, lighting a cigarette. Tellu's eyes widened in shock. Yaten didn't need further confirmation; Mimete had already provided that, and Tellu's reaction was clear. "Tell me, how long has this been going on between you two? She seems to care about you a lot if she's willing to betray her big boss for you." He took a deep drag and provocatively blew the smoke into the bound woman's face. Tellu started coughing and shook her head to disperse the smoke.
"Leave Mimi alone," she gasped.
Yaten, however, remained unimpressed. He seemed as calm as ever. "Well, well, looks like we've found your weakness. Listen, I'll make you a one-time offer, and I won't repeat it," he said, introducing a deliberate pause to heighten the tension in the room. Then he stood up, walked slowly to the metal table in the center of the room, and filled the empty glass with whiskey. He returned to his visitor, who watched him intently.
"Here's my offer: You'll answer all my questions without holding back information. In return, you'll get alcohol, and nothing will happen to Mimete. If Mimete's information aligns with yours, I'll set you free, and you can happily go wherever, maybe to Africa. However, if you refuse, I have no problem escalating things. As you've become familiar with this room over the last few hours, you can see I'm prepared for everything. It's up to you," he presented his proposal.
Tellu swallowed hard, her gaze shifting to the saws, knives, and heavy equipment displayed on the opposite wall. A shiver ran through Tellu as she thought about what Yaten might do to her. The incision he made on her forearm a few hours ago still burned like fire, and she knew that might just be the beginning. "Do you have Mimete in your custody too?" she asked with a trembling voice.
"Of course, and she has already promised me the information if I spare you," he replied dryly, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "So, what's your decision? Will I get my answers?"
As Tellu's nervousness reached an unprecedented level, Yaten felt a slight anticipation, even though he couldn't indulge in his preferences if she accepted the offer. Still, he would obtain answers to all his questions, and he had quite a few. The green-haired woman contemplated her response intensely, her fingers gripping the chair's backrest tighter.
"Do you at least untie me so I can drink on my own, or how do you envision this?" Tellu hissed as she concluded her contemplation. With a fluid motion, Yaten released the restraining strap on her right hand.
"And don't even think about running away. There's no way out for you here without me," he added, handing her the drink. Tellu grabbed the glass and emptied it in one gulp, then extended the vessel towards him.
"Come on, don't be stingy, pour me another. I haven't had anything to drink all day," she urged him.
With a smirk, he complied with her request; he hadn't thought it would be this easy.
"So, let's get started. Where is Serena's little sister?" Tellu swirled the brown liquid briefly and met Yaten's penetrating gaze. "Here in Tokyo. Rubeus has her in one of the remote apartments. I can't tell you exactly which one, simply because I didn't care, but I'm sure Mimi can give you the details," she paused again and took another sip.
Yaten resumed his position on the stool, the bottle of alcohol within reach. "Is the girl being treated appropriately?" he inquired further.
"As I said, I wasn't interested in the little girl. From what I gathered, Kenji arranged a private tutor, a nanny, and a playmate for her. I really don't know the specifics," she replied.
Patronizingly, Yaten poured her another drink. His plan was subtle and simple. Alcohol would surely loosen Tellu's tongue better than pain ever could, and the stylist fell entirely into his trap. The silver-haired man took only a small sip and continued his questioning.
"And what can you tell me about Minako?" His complete attention was fixed on Tellu's body language. He knew there were plenty of other things he needed to find out, but Minako wouldn't let him go, and Tellu had been close to her every day.
"Minako is dead. What more do you want to know about that?" she laughed, slightly mocking. Yaten scrutinized the stylist intensely and immediately sensed that Tellu genuinely believed what she was saying. She had no idea that Minako was still alive, incognito as Mrs. Chiba in America. His grip on the bottle tightened slightly, but he couldn't let anything show.
"What do you know in detail about the circumstances of the accident? How much investigation did Kenji conduct back then?" were his next questions.
"Why does that interest you so much? You were separated, and she was supposed to marry your brother. Do you even realize how much you hurt her with your behavior?" she asked him provocatively, and Yaten felt a dull ache in his stomach.
"No counterquestions. Just answer my questions straightforwardly, or we'll explore other avenues," he growled back.
"Fine. No need to threaten me again... So Minako was acting very strange the days before her accident, somehow introverted and didn't confide in me as usual... Normally, she used to talk a lot in the mornings about her plans for the day and in the evenings about her experiences. It seemed somewhat odd to me, but I thought it was nervousness about the upcoming wedding. Kenji had already settled everything with your father, and, as you know, there was a clause in the contract that she couldn't fulfill, thanks to you."
"Still, there were two of them. Fast forward, and use fewer words in the future. What does Kenji know about the circumstances of the accident, and what did he find out?" he interrupted her brusquely, on one hand eager to hear what troubled Minako, but the memories were also painful.
Rolling her eyes, Tellu emptied her glass again. "Not much. Actually, we all expected him to conduct an extensive search for the cause of the accident or at least turn every stone until everything was clarified... But no. As soon as it was confirmed that the corpse was his daughter, he withdrew a bit, and a few days later, he started searching for Serena... And you should be familiar with the accident. It is suspected that she was forced off the road by another vehicle. Her car was wrapped around a tree and completely burned, her included. I really don't know more than what's in the files. According to our documentation, she drove herself. Around noon, she grabbed the car keys and left the premises, she was constantly on the move until the accident, which was barely twenty minutes later."
Yaten's expression was unreadable. His thoughts circled around what Tellu had just told him and the facts he had already found out. While trying to piece together the puzzle, he poured Tellu another drink and took a sip of his own. Then he turned around and extinguished his cigarette. "You said Mina was acting strange the days before. Describe it more precisely," he demanded with some emphasis.
It was evident that alcohol was gradually taking its toll on Tellu, making her more relaxed. "Oh, you knew her. She used to be open, talked a lot, and then about a week before, she suddenly changed. Quiet, reserved... I don't know exactly how to describe it; she just wasn't the same. She even started neglecting her project work and was often out, usually with her friend Rei Chiba. Rubeus was always shadowing her. Therefore, Kenji always knew where she was, GPS trackers in all her jewelry, on the car, and, of course, her phone. She could hardly move freely, poor thing, but if you don't know it any other way..."
Yaten suppressed a laugh. Of course, Minako knew exactly where her loopholes were and had used them. More than once, he had exploited them himself. It seemed that none of this had really reached Kenji. Even though thoughts of Minako were dominating his mind again, he knew there was much more he needed to find out, and he couldn't afford to lose focus. He realized he needed a break; these conversations about Minako were tearing him apart from the inside.
Thoughtfully, Yaten stood up and paced around the room. Suddenly, he was back in front of Tellu, securing her wrist to the chair within seconds. "I'll be right back, then we can continue drinking... But I need to check something first," he said sternly, without turning around, and was already at the door. He couldn't go on like this. Yaten realized he needed a break; these conversations about Minako were tearing him apart from the inside.
"Hey, are you serious? You can't just leave me alone here again!" Tellu shouted after him, but the door slammed shut.
Yaten's thoughts were racing. Everything he had experienced with Mina came back as if her accident had happened just a few days ago. Lost in thought, he walked to his office. As if in a trance, he opened old pictures on his phone, and Minako's laughter greeted him.
Four months ago, he had seen her for the last time. She had sneaked out of the villa again that day and had partied all night with Yaten. However, the next morning, she had slipped out of the hotel room and avoided him for a good three weeks. The silver-haired man was somewhat hurt at the time because he had allowed himself to hope again, but Minako completely ignored him in the following period. Only shortly before her accident, she began to contact him again, but at that time, Yaten was busy dealing with increased police checks, and then it was suddenly too late.
His fingers tightened around the phone, and on impulse, he threw it across his office. Minako was alive; he knew that. His sister-in-law had clearly identified her voice. Now he just had to find out why she had faked her death and why she had married Chiba of all people. It just didn't make sense to him. Although Tellu had mentioned that she had met Rei Chiba quite often, he decided to follow up on that.
He sat down at his desk, resting his head in his hands. After a while, he opened the top drawer and pulled out a notepad. Carefully, he noted down everything Tellu had told him. Then Yaten paused. His gaze fixed on the line about Chibiusa.
Taiki needed to know that Chibiusa was in Tokyo. After that, he still had time to think about Minako or delve into Kenji's other secrets. The search for the little one had been going on for far too long. Yaten's eyes returned to his phone with a cracked display at the other end of the room. He sighed, picked it up, and thankfully found that at least no functions were impaired. He unlocked the screen and dialed Taiki's number.
It rang for a while before his brother picked up. "I hope you have better news than Seiya. What's up?" Taiki asked tersely.
A slight surprise spread across Yaten's expression. "Why, what happened with Seiya?" Yaten inquired, as his brother's statement threw him off a bit.
"Long story, I'll tell you when we meet in Spain... where, by the way, I'm already on my way. So, keep it brief; my flight is about to leave, boarding has already started."
"I've questioned Tellu a bit. Serena's sister is apparently here in Tokyo. Should I thoroughly investigate Kenji's properties?" Yaten tried to focus on the essentials, despite his curiosity itching again. He pushed aside the question of what his older brothers were currently hiding from him.
"Yes... do that. Anything else?" Taiki asked more tensely.
"Actually, yes. Should I accept Mimet's offer? I haven't received an answer from you on that, and we should clarify it before my vacation. I can't exactly organize a babysitter for her until I get back. I would continue questioning Tellu and then compare her answers with the Blondie's. If all statements align, we can assume they're telling the truth since they couldn't coordinate. From my perspective, they can then tremble somewhere that Kenji won't find them."
"Yeah, yeah... sounds good. Do that and keep me posted," Taiki mumbled, sounding absent.
"Taiki, are you sure everything is okay? You sound strange somehow," Yaten couldn't help but address his brother's peculiar tone.
"As I said, my flight is about to leave. I'll be reachable again by tomorrow afternoon. If there's anything, Ruka and Chiru are in Tokyo and will support you," Taiki replied evasively. Before Yaten could respond, the monotonous sound of a ended call echoed.
Shaking his head, the silver-haired man slumped into his chair. His gaze returned to the note where he had started jotting down his notes. To make sure he didn't forget anything, Yaten continued the list. He meticulously recorded everything he knew and noted questions he still had for the stylist. In no time, two large sheets were filled with queries. If he had the chance now to find out everything about Kenji Tsukino, he would seize it. After all, his conversation partner seemed willing to share information. From small hideouts to finances and personnel details to more specifics about Minako, he listed everything. Armed with another bottle of whiskey, he made his way back down to the basement.