"Let's see, uh…the High Priestess, reversed...the Moon, and…Death, reversed."
"Uh huh. What does that mean?"
Rin squints at the cards as if the answer's written on them in very fine print.
"Watch out for nuns under the full moon."
"Rrright," you say, returning your attention to the building across the street. Rin huffs and slams her elbow down on the table in frustration.
"Tetsuooo!" she groans, "you could at least pretend to be impressed."
"Oh, sorry. I'll watch my back then."
"Well, it's too late now that I know you don't mean it."
"Maybe on the way home we could pick up a book that tells you what the cards actually mean," you suggest.
"Nah, that sounds like a hassle," she says, and starts building a tower with them instead.
The man in the ill-fitting tweed suit standing at the entrance of the office building takes a step forward. For a moment, it looks like he's going to leave, but instead, he drops down on one knee to retie his shoe.
"Tch," you scoff.
"Still there?" asks Hayate. He plunks three fresh cups coffee down on the table, collapsing Rin's tower.
"Hey!"
The three of you have set up shop in a small café on Cat Street across from the G-Net offices. Aside from the barista, a stubbly, but neatly-dressed fellow in his mid-thirties, the place is completely empty, making it perfect for an afternoon of reconnaissance.
"Yeah," you answer as you bend over to help Rin pick up her cards. "Whatever he's up to, he's not in a hurry."
In fact, he's been out there ever since you arrived. Given the sheer volume of people moving up and down the street, he would be easy for the average passerby to overlook - just a typical, middle-aged salaryman waiting patiently for their associate or other such liaison.
But under more intense scrutiny, one starts to notice other details – the slight bulge of muscle beneath the too-tight shirt, the faint scarring that runs behind his ear, and most telling of all, the small pin affixed to his lapel. A pin that, like the bright skin of a tree frog or the hourglass of a black widow spider, carries a lot of weight.
With him waiting outside, it's been too risky to get any closer to the G-Net offices to look for the entrance to Saito's Cloud. So for the time being, you've been keeping watch from here, waiting for him to leave. You've earned a few suspicious glances from the barista as he continues wiping out the same mug he's been cleaning all morning, but seeing as you're the only customers he's received so far, he seems content to mind his own business.
"You think he's really…you know…?"
Hayate stays fixated on the man in tweed as he eases himself into the chair next to you, almost spilling his coffee in the process.
"Careful," you say, pulling the cup away from his elbow.
"Oh, definitely," says Rin without looking up from her card tower. "Kurogawa family," she adds, poking at her blouse in the same spot where the man wears his pin. Hayate lets out a soft groan and buries his face in his palms.
"Fantastic. You think he's got a gun?"
"Probably. But what's that matter? Doesn't Mariko have one, too?" Rin says.
"Well obviously, one's going to shoot me and the other won't!"
The barista glances over the top of his thin shades at Hayate, and you kick him under the table.
"Don't go saying shit that like out loud," you hiss.
Rin chuckles to herself and starts a new layer of her tower. "What he said. We're not going to be picking any fights in this world, so it doesn't matter whether he's got a gun or a bazooka. Just be patient and wait for him to go away. I doubt he's going to stand there all day anyways."
She glances up and points out the window. "Oh. Speaking of which."
Another man wearing a Kurogawa pin emerges from the G-Net offices and exchanges a few terse words with the one in front. His presence is significantly more commanding than his partner's – his suit's sharper, his posture's straighter, and his stride as he descends the short steps carries a distinct sense of purpose. He must have asked the first yakuza a question, because he shakes his head and shrugs. With a roll of his eyes, the newcomer beckons his partner into a nearby car and the two of them drive off.
"Finally!" breathes Hayate. "Let's get moving before anyone else shows up."
But Rin has her mind elsewhere.
"You guys go ahead and take care of it. I'm going to follow them."
You launch out of your seat, saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why?"
But Rin's already heading for the door.
"Just curious about something. Don't worry, I won't get caught," she says with the sarcastic tone of a teen promising to be home by curfew.
"T-Text me later so we know you're okay!" you shout after her as she starts jogging down the street.
"Okay, honey!" she teases before rounding a corner and disappearing from sight.
Hayate sidles up next to you and slaps a hand on your shoulder.
"Man, what a piece of work. You have interesting tastes, dude."
"Oh yeah, I for sure wanna listen to your take on this," you say, pushing his hand off. "C'mon, let's have a look around."
"Okay, okay, just making an observation," says Hayate, trailing after you.
The G-Net offices are located on the second floor of a squat office complex nestled in between a trendy clothing shop and a Wild Duck Burger. There are a pair of cramped alleys on either side so tight that you almost have to sidle in sideways, but neither conceal what you're looking for.
"Should we go in?" asks Hayate, awkwardly sidestepping a bag of trash as he emerges from the other alley. He nods towards the second floor.
"Yeah, while we have the opportunity. Gotta make sure."
A brief elevator ride dumps you off in front of a sleek pair of sliding glass doors emblazoned with the G-Net logo. The two of you stop just outside their detection range and look at each other.
"Think he's in there? Like, he could be just a few meters away, man," Hayate whispers.
"I'm…trying not to think about that. Let's just have a look around the lobby and go."
Inside is a small space for receiving visitors furnished with slick leather sofas and low, glass-topped tables. While the receptionist is busy aiding one of the other guests, the two of you have a quick glance around. However, nothing out of the ordinary jumps out at you. The place is clean.
"Well, that was a bust," says Hayate as the two of you step back out onto Cat Street. "I figured this would've been it."
"Yeah, I thought so, too. After all, we know it's Saito, so we should be able to see the entrance when we find it."
"Eh, maybe the others had more luck. Still, wonder why he had those yakuza here if this wasn't the place?"
"Dunno. Maybe they were there for something else. Rin might find out something about that. For now, let's head back and wait to hear from Shibutani."
• • • • •
It isn't until much later, as you're approaching the gate to your house, that you hear from Shibutani and the others.
[We were unable to discover anything at the Saito household. How did things go on your end?]
[Not much better,] you text back, [we came up empty, too.]
After a few seconds, Shibutani responds, [That's concerning. Shall we meet tomorrow to decide our next course of action?]
[Sure. See you then.]
You stand there with your hand resting on the gate's latch, staring at nothing in particular. Those were the only two places you could think of that had any particular connection to Saito. If the Cloud's not in either place, then where is it? You could try tailing him like you did with Mariko, but surely that would be next to impossible…
"Tetsuo?"
The voice at your side makes you start, but it's only Mariko.
"Oh, it's just you. Hey."
She gives you a quizzical stare. "You're a little jumpy – did everything go okay today?"
"Hm? You don't know? Actually, wait, weren't you supposed to be with Shibutani-senpai today?"
"Oh, that." Her eyes drop to the ground. "I…wasn't feeling all that great, so I just stayed home. I had some homework to finish, so it worked out alright anyways."
"Jeez, that's rough. Doing any better?"
"Yeah," she says while giving you a halfhearted smile. "A little. Actually, is it okay if we talk right now?"
"Um, okay…what about?"
She points towards your garage.
"Let's go inside first."
Once inside, you pull up a pair of folding chairs and sit down. Mariko is visibly uncomfortable, and refuses to make eye contact with you. You think you have an idea about what's bothering her.
"You wanna talk about what I've been seeing in the Clouds, right?"
She nods, chewing her lower lip. In the moment, she reminds you of a small child debating whether or not to divulge a secret.
"In Cloud Five...did you have another vision, too?" you ask.
Another nod. The two of you sit opposite each other in heavy silence, seemingly waiting for the other to elaborate first. You're hoping that she does – this was her idea in the first place. But after another minute of stalemate, you swallow the lump in your throat and come out with it.
"Okay, so…it's weird. It's like I'm watching a scene from a movie, but it's been all chopped up. Each time I have one of these visions, I see a little bit more. But from what I can piece together, this is what happens."
Mariko leans forward and scooches her chair closer, listening so intently that it's making you sort of uncomfortable. Regardless, you go on.
"I'm a passenger in a car with…two other people, I think. It must be late at night, because it's hard to see well, so I can't really tell who they are."
You're about to say that the woman's voice sounds familiar, but your gut advises against it.
"…What happens?"
"I…well…"
All of a sudden, it becomes extremely difficult to continue. It's as though some physical force has obstructed your mouth and tongue; constricting your chest in an effort to prevent you from recounting the events in your vision and speaking them into horrible existence. It's only through tremendous effort that you're able to free them long enough to oblige your friend's curiosity.
"…We crash."
As you say it, a weight descends on your shoulders with a pressure so terrible that it forces the rest out like a leak in a burst dam.
"It's awful, Mariko. The whole time, I'm trapped there like a prisoner. I can't move or speak – the only thing I can do is listen and watch what little I can see. Someone…someone dies, Mariko."
At this, she gives a whimper and claps her hand to her mouth. It takes a while before you're ready to speak again.
"Someone dies. I don't know who they are, or what happens to them. The last thing that I saw was us driving off. Me and one of the other people. And…that's as far as it's gotten. I'm not sure what comes next."
Mariko doesn't respond or even meet your eyes for a long while, seemingly losing herself in her thoughts. When she finally does say something, her tone is unnaturally guarded.
"Why do you think you're seeing this? Is it something that happened to you? Like a memory?"
"I wish I knew," you answer, "but if it is, it doesn't belong to me. I feel like I'd remember something like that."
"Hmm. Right," Mariko says, with more than a little frustration. "But then, if that memory doesn't belong to you, who does it belong to? And why are you seeing it?"
"I know. If there was some kind of connection to the Shadows we've been fighting, maybe then it'd make sense, but I can't see how that'd be the case, either. But, hey – what about you? You said you've been seeing some stuff, too, right?"
You think that maybe the visions are like pieces of a puzzle – you only get the whole picture once you put them together. However, Mariko appears awfully hesitant to share her piece.
"Yeah, I have, but…"
"But?"
"It's just…I'm sorry, Tetsuo! I know I asked you to tell me about yours, but…I don't know. It's hard to talk about."
"Do you think you could try? If they're related to each other, I wanna know. I promise that whatever you tell me won't leave this room. You can trust me."
Mariko swallows hard and shuts her eyes.
"For me…it's the same thing every time. It's the day…"
Her voice wavers and cracks, and shiny tears peek out from the corners of her eyelids.
"…It's the day they tell me Mom's not coming home."
With that one sentence, she breaks. Falling out of the chair to her knees, she's a child again, her face buried in her hands, trying and failing to choke back a string of ragged sobs.
"Mariko!" you blurt out, sitting straight up in shock, ashamed. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't…"
"No…" she sniffles, pulling in lungfuls of air to suppress the crying. "It's okay. I'm okay."
She sits up straight and backs up into the chair again, wiping the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.
"I mean, it's been a few years, after all. I've gotten used to it," she says, forcing a weak smile that betrays the lie. "So, you don't need to cry, too."
"Huh?"
Reaching up to your own eyes, you find them wet as well. What's going on here? Both of your parents are still around, so why does hearing her talk about her mom make you feel so empty? You sigh, and wipe them clean.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to make things weird. I guess the things we're seeing didn't have much to do with each other."
"Don't apologize, Tetsuo. I asked you in the first place, so it was only fair for me to tell you, too."
She gets up, and heads towards the door.
"I'm still feeling a little funny, so I think I'm going to head home now, okay?"
"H-Hold on!" you cry, jumping up from your chair. "You'd…tell me if something was wrong, right? Are you sure everything's good?"
She feeds you another smile, more reassuring than the last, but not by much.
"Of course, Tetsuo. You're one of my best friends. I'll be all right."
She turns to go, but halts after the first step. Looking back over her shoulder, she asks, "Tetsuo?"
"Yeah?"
"If you ever see more of that vision, and...you find out who's driving that car…you'll tell me, right?"
"Um…y-yeah, sure?" you answer, caught off guard by the sudden request.
"Good."
