The Underground Missions of Ryozanpaku
One day, Nodoka told Ranma that she was curious to see the place where her son spent all his time and, in her words, "to see if she could trust the people living there" (although Ranma had the strong feeling she was just nosily curious to meet Miu, having formed some strange ideas about their relationship).
Unable to refuse, he asked the Elder if his mother could come over for dinner one evening, hoping for a refusal, but of course, Hayato, encouraged by everyone else (including Miu and Kenichi, who had been eavesdropping from behind the door but then, out of excitement, jumped out to cheer them on without any shame), not only accepted but raised the stakes: after dinner, they could even stay overnight.
Trapped in this way, Ranma, who would have preferred to keep his private life and training separate (and who was a bit worried about introducing Nodoka to all those nutcases), could only set the condition that the dinner take place on a Saturday, the best day for everyone and especially for him, since he wouldn't be busy training Kisara on the weekend.
Two more weeks had passed (a month and a half since the tests) since he had officially started his "part-time job," which he had only mentioned briefly to his mother to reassure her it wasn't anything illegal but without giving too many details (because he didn't want to confess to her that, to do it, he had to willingly transform into a woman).
During that time, he had pushed Valkyrie hard, but he had also realized that the girl had potential, and he was determined to help her develop it.
At the same time, ever since he started, he could no longer spend his afternoons at Ryozampaku, and so he barely saw Kenichi (whose progress he would have wanted to monitor) and Miu (who seemed a bit saddened by his absence).
Ranma mostly told everyone he found a job teaching gymnastics for a rich family (which was basically the truth) and no one inquired further.
The pigtail boy also had the impression that Renka living and training at the dojo with them had caused some small tension in the relationship between the two, most likely due to jealousy.
Well, and why should I care? Matters of the heart never lead to anything good.
"Hey, Ranma, a hundred yen for your thoughts."
The pigtail boy snapped out of his daydreaming as he carried a huge sack of groceries down the street.
"Don't tempt me, Sakaki, I might actually ask you for it."
"Oh, have mercy on me," teased the Hundredth Dan Karate Master, "we already have enough money to spend on this damned shopping. Let's see, the next stop should be..."
But at that moment, Ranma noticed that, about fifty meters away, two familiar-looking people were… arguing?
No, not quite. But they were definitely having a heated discussion, as if they were talking about something very important to both of them.
It was the Shimpaku Alliance boxer, Ikki Takeda, and the staff user, Kaname Kugatachi, also known as Freya.
Ranma observed them gesturing from a distance, without understanding the words. Then both calmed down. The girl, looking sad, turned and began to walk away slowly. Takeda raised a hand as if to try to stop her but quickly gave up, lowering his gaze.
Ranma realized that Sakaki, having exited the shop, was also watching them.
Quietly, after loading the groceries onto their shoulders, they walked away to avoid being seen, and only after a few dozen meters did the karateka comment on the scene.
"So, it seems what blossoms in spring, dies in autumn."
"Is that so? I've only seen them once, but I didn't know they were dating."
"From what Miu says," Sakaki continued, "it's a recent thing, dating back to just before the summer break. Moreover, they were apparently keeping it a secret from everyone else; assuming that's even possible, of course, with all those people at Shinpaku."
"I didn't know gossip was a thing at Ryozanpaku," Ranma teased him.
"What can you do? Life can be so boring... if Miu is excited about something, she starts talking even to herself… and sometimes, I even listen to her," he concluded simply.
"So… it didn't work out between them." Ranma felt inexplicably sad, as if the memory was taking him to other places, to other faces...
"Yeah, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. According to Miu, the situation was a bit more complicated."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"It seems that before Freya dated the boxer, she liked his friend, the big guy who practices Judo, who's been getting beaten up by Akisame at our place recently… by the way, I didn't think he'd last, but he's still coming."
"Really? Freya was into Ukita?"
"So it seems, but he, in turn, has always had a crush on that other one, Kisara Nanjo, and after hanging around her for so long, he finally convinced her to go out with him."
Ranma was startled and remembered something that had happened the week before.
While waiting for Kisara to arrive, he had gotten there a bit early. Already transformed into a girl, he had popped out of the alley where he hid the bucket of water and the teapot of hot water and was walking aimlessly on some walls. When he noticed other people, he hid behind the branches of a tree. That's how he found himself, unintentionally, observing a very strange scene. Again, he hadn't been able to hear the exact words, but Kisara was clearly talking to Ukita, and he didn't seem too happy about it. In the end, he looked desperate, while she turned and began walking with large, somewhat unsteady steps, looking down, her cap pulled down low over her head. Later, while training with 'Ranko,' Valkyrie hadn't mentioned anything, but her eyes were watery...
"Uhm," the boy with the pigtail started, "then it's likely that Freya will soon be able to make her original wish come true..."
"What?!" Sakaki leaned in to gossip like an old hag. "So, you know more about this matter?"
"Maybe, but I'm not entirely sure..."
Just then, they were interrupted by the screech of tires on the asphalt, a clearly unnatural sound. In a flash, four people jumped out of a car and rushed into the bank. They were wearing balaclavas and were all armed.
Neither of the martial artists needed anything more to understand the situation. Sakaki suddenly turned serious, his face becoming a mask of stone. He turned to Ranma and said, "We'd better postpone the rest of our shopping. Stay out here and watch the guy in the car. Make sure he doesn't try to escape."
"What? You don't want me to help? I can handle this too!"
"This isn't a game," the karateka scolded him. "As skilled as you are, those guys are armed, and there are potential hostages in the bank. Trust me, I know how to deal with these situations. It's my job."
Ranma suddenly remembered that Sakaki worked as a bounty hunter for a living. Sure, he had faced worse than bandits before... but bullets were dangerous for anyone, and he wasn't used to fighting while protecting civilians.
Reluctantly, Ranma nodded, set the groceries down, and stealthily approached the getaway car, while Sakaki dashed inside the bank, where chaos quickly erupted.
The getaway driver wasn't sure if he had seen the giant man enter the bank—it had been too fast—so he wondered if his eyes had played tricks on him when... a punch hit him in the head, and all he saw were stars and then darkness.
Ranma swiftly slashed all four tires with the edge of his hand; then, worried, he snuck closer to the glass doors to peek inside.
Sakaki had already taken down two of the four robbers who had entered. One had been tossed up and was now spinning unconscious on the ceiling fan, while the other had been punched so hard he was embedded into a marble column. Their shotguns, which they had been holding when they entered, had been twisted together like towels.
"No doubt about it, Sakaki's efficient, but... hey!"
One of the robbers on the right had an assault rifle, an old AK-47, and was threatening to shoot a group of hostages. Sakaki's eyes were glowing white, his aura inflating his clothes like a menacing force. The last robber, on the left, who had a simple handgun and had just started filling a bag with money, was practically paralyzed with fear.
"I WOULDN'T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU..." Sakaki warned the robber on the right.
"You... you won't stop us, you damn monster!"
A burst of "BRRRTT" echoed immediately, but at an unreal speed, the terrified bank customers were moved one by one, and the bullets passed through the spaces where they had been standing just a minute earlier, as if they were ghosts, embedding themselves in the wall behind them.
When the dust settled, the robber couldn't see anyone, and he thought he was dreaming. Instead, from the cloud of dust emerged a massive figure, his eyes bloodshot.
Sakaki grasped the barrel of the robber's rifle with two fingers and bent it as if it were made of paper.
"THAT WAS A MISTAKE."
A front kick exploded toward the robber, sending him crashing through the cashier's glass window and flying like a missile towards the vault door, where he slammed hard.
The last robber, on the left, dropped to his knees, in a state of shock, foaming at the mouth, letting go of his gun. He also wet himself.
Ranma let out a sigh of relief. Sakaki returned to his usual expression and gave the hostages a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it's all over."
But then, one of the previously terrified tellers, while his colleagues applauded, decided it was time to press the alarm button. The robber on the left, hearing the siren, snapped out of his shock, grabbed the gun, and pointed it at the teller, shouting, "You bastard! Mind your own business!"
"NO!" shouted Sakaki.
At that moment, a red blur shot into the bank. Ranma grabbed the robber's gun with one hand, clenching it by the slide with his left hand, while delivering a powerful backhand to his face with his right, sending him into dreamland.
After a brief moment of terror, calm returned to the bank, and the hostages erupted into a second round of applause.
Sakaki was a bit surprised but also pleased. He approached Ranma with a smile. "You disobeyed me, but well done, kid. In situations like this, the unexpected can always happen."
"Hehe. Thanks. I don't know much about firearms, but it wasn't too hard."
"I noticed, but let me give you some advice for next time: the way a gun works, blocking the slide might help, but it doesn't guarantee that a shot won't accidentally go off. To be sure it won't fire, you need to block the hammer… see, this part here."
"Oh, I get it. I'll keep that in mind for next time."
Sakaki observed him for a moment. Then, with a grin, he said, "You know, if you're interested, I could teach you a few things that could help you earn some extra cash. But for now, let's get the groceries back. We're already late for dinner with your mother."
However, dealing with all the formalities with the police took longer than expected. Ranma found out that, at least, the officer handling it was someone Sakaki knew well, an inspector named Honmaki, who had a huge respect for the virtues of the Ryozanpaku Master and even made a comment about how their dojo never failed to live up to its reputation, especially now that they had a new student like him.
It was only after another hour that they were finally able to rush back to Ryozanpaku, so Miu could prepare dinner, and they had to explain what had happened during the robbery.
When Nodoka finally arrived at the dojo, it was Apachai who went to greet her—which made Ranma understandably anxious—but then he saw his mother walking arm in arm with the Thai giant, praising "the charm and kindness of that foreign young man."
The Masters had lined up for the occasion, and the most excited person of all was probably Miu, who probably didn't often see adult women apart from Shigure (who was definitely in a category of her own...).
Nodoka was wearing an orange and blue kimono and, for some strange reason, was carrying the family katana on her shoulder, just like she used to.
"Good evening, everyone," she said with a short bow. "I'm Nodoka Saotome, Ranma's mother. I'm honored by your kind invitation, and I hope this small gift can repay your kindness," she said, handing over a small package.
Hayato stepped forward, bowed in return, and took the package. "Madam, I assure you, the pleasure is all ours. We don't have many social visits here, and certainly not from such a refined lady," he added, causing Nodoka to blush slightly and Ranma to raise an eyebrow. "My name is Hayato Furinji, and I am the head of this dojo. You are most welcome. May I ask what this is?"
"Homemade sweets."
All the Masters introduced themselves one by one: Akisame gave a Western-style hand kiss; Kensei started praising the beauty of their guest, remarking that it seemed impossible for her to have a twenty-year-old son (which earned him a simultaneous smack on the head from Ranma and Renka); and Shio Sakaki, who seemed extremely embarrassed as if he weren't used to formal occasions, started stammering as he said his name, so much so that Nodoka, for half the dinner, believed his name was "Shikaki Kao."
The strangest introduction was with Shigure: on one hand, Nodoka seemed to judge it "unfeminine" that the girl was a warrior, while the Prodigy of Swords appeared extremely interested in the fact that Ranma's mother always carried a katana and asked her if she knew how to use it.
At that point, Nodoka, a bit embarrassed, fumbled with the sword, which slipped out of its sheath and got stuck in the wall, ten centimeters away from Kenichi, nearly giving him and Ranma a heart attack.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," the woman said with a casual tone, "It's a family heirloom, but I'm not very skilled in using it!"
After the incident, meeting Kenichi seemed to positively surprise Ranma's mother, as she was pleased to meet such a well-mannered young man who aspired to be a writer and had a passion for botany. However, she couldn't help but mention that those weren't very "manly" interests, causing some perplexity.
When Nodoka was finally introduced to Miu and Renka, she seemed to size them up, as if to decide which one was better, like they were on display at a market, but then she smiled sweetly at Miu, whispering that she'd heard a lot about her. Miu was absolutely delighted, completely missing the subtext, while Ranma turned as red as his training outfit, Kenichi strained to listen, and the Masters all burst into laughter.
Dinner, against all odds, turned out to be quite convivial and enjoyable. Miu really outdid herself, preparing tuna, salmon, and swordfish sashimi as appetizers; then miso soup with seaweed and mushrooms, tofu in broth with ginger, beef ramen with eggs, and chicken and shrimp yaki udon as the main courses; followed by curry rice, roasted eel, grilled octopus, yakitori chicken skewers, and shrimp tempura as second courses, with sides of vegetables and fruit carved using the mukimono technique. Dinner was accompanied by Western white wines, particularly an Italian Pinot Bianco, and finished with Nodoka's sweets: manju, anmitsu, and warabimochi.*
Throughout dinner, the Masters exchanged various anecdotes, but mostly they bombarded Nodoka with as many questions as possible about Ranma's past.
However, she answered them simply, without revealing too much. In turn, she seemed curious and naturally asked everyone if they had someone special in their life, causing some embarrassment. Kensei tried to dramatically proclaim how he had to tragically leave his family in China to come to Ryozampaku and help his friends fight against evil: for a moment, Nodoka admired him, but Renka threw a plate at him, asking if he wasn't ashamed to say all that crap.
The young ones weren't spared from Ranma's mother's curiosity either: Kenichi and Miu were drenched in embarrassment after an innocent remark suggesting there might be something romantic between them, while Renka was told not to distract Ranma too much from his training... The girl turned practically red-hot, frantically gesturing that she had no interest in Ranma, who protested likewise.
During this, Ranma let slip, "just now that I don't have all those would-be fiancées breathing down my neck…", which was like digging his own grave.
Everyone began bombarding him with questions, trying to get him to spill something, while Nodoka, now slightly tipsy, casually dropped references:
"Oh yes, there was that cute little Chinese girl… what was her name? Shampoo... and that other one who did rhythmic gymnastics… I think it was Kodachi… Oh, and then there was the one who made okonomiyaki... I liked her... Ukyo, I think."
Poor Ranma tried to protest that he had never really been engaged to any of them, but Miu appeared quite upset upon hearing these stories, Kenichi became annoyed by Miu's reaction, and Renka, in turn, grew irritated by Kenichi's response.
However, it's strange, Ranma reflected.
First, my mother thought I liked Miu, then she assigned me to Renka and asked if there was something between Miu and Kenichi... so, everything's backward... and now she's bringing up these stories…
Unless... NO! Could it be that she's trying to observe... how we would all react to this? Is that possible? She's…manipulating us as well, to discover our feelings?
Poor Ranma felt a shiver down his spine: the female universe remained a real mystery to him.
By the second round of sake for everyone, and while Sakaki was downing a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey straight from the bottle, the truly awkward moment finally arrived.
Curious about the fact that Ranma often spoke of his father as his Master, but that he wasn't present, it was Akisame, the most unsuspecting person, who made the most scandalous remark:
"By the way, Madam, I'm sorry for your loss. Ranma always speaks of his father, Genma, as the man who trained him, but since he isn't here, I suppose that…"
"Oh, but my husband isn't dead!" Nodoka responded with simplicity.
BINGO! Ranma thought immediately.
"W-well, yes, the thing is…" he started to say, but Nodoka finished first
"I just kicked him out of the house-his mother said-after finding out that for years, while training Ranma all over Japan, he hadn't mentioned my existence at all," she added nonchalantly as she poured herself another glass of sake, while an icy silence fell over the room.
Later, as everyone was cleaning up, Nodoka had dozed off (Ranma had placed a pillow under her head and covered her with a blanket), mumbling in her half-sleep—probably tipsy—some short phrases about how happy she was that Ranma had found such nice and well-mannered people to be with.
Despite everything, the boy couldn't help but notice that he wasn't really used to the concept of family… even though seeing his mother happy because he was doing well warmed his heart in some way.
There had been some awkwardness after Nodoka's declaration, and at one point, Miu had come close to Ranma and placed her hand on his, looking at him with an expression that seemed to say: don't worry, I understand, we're not here to judge you.
But now she was no longer with him; she was somewhere in the garden bickering with Kenichi because, apparently, he was letting Renka get too touchy with him.
Thus, for the first time since knowing her, Ranma approached Renka, who was sitting on a bench under a small gazebo, her face red, though it was unclear whether it was more due to drinking, which she wasn't used to, or from accumulated embarrassment.
Careful not to let his gestures be misunderstood, the boy with the pigtail sat at a distance and, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, said, "Hey…"
"Yes…" she responded, staring at a corner.
"E-ehm, about what my mother said earlier... I'm sorry, I…"
"Yes, I know."
"Uhm… okay."
"Ranma," Renka said after a few minutes of silence, "you're really lucky."
"What? And… what makes you say that? I wouldn't really describe myself that way, you know."
"Well, you don't seem to lack people who are interested in you… me, on the other hand, I just can't get noticed by the one I like..."
"B-but, you know, in reality… all those situations just kind of fell into my lap, I never really… well, took advantage of them, so to speak.
And I've never… been with the one I really wanted," he concluded with a sad note in his voice.
"Oh, really? So, there's another girl you would have liked to be with, instead?"
The face of the pigtailed young man darkened all of a sudden. "Sorry, but I don't want to talk about it."
"Of course, I understand, don't worry," she replied.
After another pause, the girl continued, "Listen… I know we don't know each other well, but… do you think… there's something wrong with me? As a woman, I mean."
Ranma blushed. "I-in what sense? I… don't think I'm the right person to judge… but… no, I wouldn't say so. I mean… you're very cute, most men would be truly happy to date you."
He didn't even know how he managed to say that without exploding.
Gosh, now she'll misunderstand everything, as usual...
Instead, Renka turned to him with a spontaneous and grateful smile, a hint of tears of joy in her eyes.
"Really? Thank you! Thank you so much!" Ranma's heart raced, but he was glad she understood correctly.
"Uh… well, you're welcome."
"Heh, isn't it strange…here we are, both of us…those who could have everything… and yet we don't have what we want the most… I guess in that, you and I are much alike," the girl reflected.
"Well, yeah, but… you know, I think that… if you really care about someone… you should fight.
You shouldn't give up until you've made your dream come true! Or at least… until you've really tried!
That way, at least… you can live without any regrets!"
As Ranma said this, he held her by the arms and spoke passionately, face to face. Renka was stunned.
"You… shouldn't make the same mistake I did.
If Ken… i meant, if that person you like… doesn't know how you feel… you should tell him…before it's too late."
Ranma himself wouldn't have been able to explain why he did get so excited about it. A sort of instinct.
Maybe he could prevent someone else to suffer as he had.
Renka seemed to understand. "Thank you, Ranma. Really," she said softly.
"And for what matters... I hope that you, too will find…"
But just then, Miu appeared with a fiery aura around her hair.
"REEENKA... what are you two up to? Not that I care, of course…" she asked, a vein popping on her temple.
Ranma and Renka jumped away from each other as if they had caught the plague and began talking over one another, incoherently.
"NO-BUT-SO-BECAUSE-WE-ACTUALLY…"
At that moment, Kenichi, looking a bit bruised, was dragging himself across the grass toward them.
"Miu-san… but… so, are you jealous… of which one of us? AAAH, I don't understand anything anymore."
The next morning, an unexpected scene occurred.
After breakfast, and after saying goodbye and thanking everyone (unaware of all the mahyem she had caused the night before), Nodoka was given a ride home by Sakaki on his motorcycle (he had given her his helmet and was driving with just his sunglasses).
Ranma was a little worried but had learned to trust the Karate master, though he was only really reassured when he saw him return, confirming that his mother was safe and sound.
But that wasn't the only surprise of the day. Sakaki tossed the helmet to him and said, "Hop on," in a tone that brooked no argument. Hesitant, Ranma obeyed (it was the first time he had ever been on a motorcycle, he realized) and they sped off at full speed toward neighborhoods he had never seen before.
"Where are you taking me?"
"For a little joyride," came the reply.
After another good 20 minutes of driving and various turns, they parked in a suburban neighborhood and got off.
"What are we doing here?" Ranma asked.
Sakaki lowered his sunglasses and pointed to a building behind him.
"See that building? That's where Kazuhide Noyamura lives, wanted for forging and trafficking fake documents, complicity in international drug trafficking, perjury, and illegal possession of bladed weapons."
"And what does this model citizen have to do with us?"
"With YOU, very little, for now. Maybe a lot in the future. For ME, quite a bit, since I'm going to earn my paycheck for the next two months tailing him, hoping he leads us to his buddies, so we can discover some interesting things."
Ranma stared at him in shock, but Sakaki gave him a knowing grin.
He had decided to involve him in his work or at least let him try it, without even consulting him.
The stakeout turned out to be long and boring.
"YAAAWN! Do we really have to wait for this guy to come out? Is this what your job is always like?"
"Not always, but sometimes, yes. I'm an impulsive person too, but to do this job, I had to learn patience."
"If you want my opinion, this is a waste of time. We don't even know if he's home right now. For all we know, he could've slipped out the back before we arrived."
"My informants say he has a big job to complete: preparing at least 30 fake passports for smugglers arriving next month. With a job like that, he won't leave the house. It's already a miracle if he'll manage to eat and sleep. Our job is to follow him to see who he hands them off to... but, yeah, it is odd... he hasn't come out in two days, and I haven't seen any takeout deliveries. I hope he hasn't changed his plans."
"If you want, I can go check if he's home. From that tree outside his window, I can see inside the apartment. Don't worry, I can be very discreet."
"Alright, but just take a look and report back right away."
Ranma climbed the tree and confirmed his hypothesis was correct: the dingy studio apartment on the first floor was completely empty, and someone had used the drainpipe to climb down into the garden, where fresh footprints could be seen.
"Well?" Sakaki asked when he returned.
"Our little bird has flown the coop!"
"Damn! That's not good! He must have left this morning before we got here."
"What are you going to do now?"
"Show you another little trick of the trade."
In no time, Sakaki was fiddling with the building's front door with some lockpicking tools he had hidden in an inside pocket of his leather jacket.
"You know, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure what you're doing is illegal."
"A small sacrifice for a good cause."
After the front door, they climbed a staircase and entered a corridor filled with rooms where people were minding their own business. Then Sakaki knelt down to repeat the process with Noyamura's apartment door, which clicked open quickly, without leaving any trace.
They slipped inside, and the apartment was a mess. Empty chip bags, takeout containers, and bottles littered the floor. A strong smell of sweat and stale air hung in the room. A large table was stacked with about twenty finished passports, ten more still to be made, and all the tools of the trade: brushes, pens, cutting knives, and more.
But Sakaki's attention was quickly drawn to a spilled bottle of multicolored ink on the floor.
"Bingo!" he exclaimed.
"Mind explaining to me?"
"Now we know why our man left in such a hurry. He was so desperate to finish the job on time, and so tired, that he spilled this rare printing ink for passports. Now he doesn't have enough to finish the job. You need to know that to make a perfect forgery, you need the same type of ink as the original passports… so, he went out to get more."
"But… that's not the kind of thing you buy at the mini market."
"No, definitely not, but luckily, I know where to find this information."
"So you're going to continue the investigation? Couldn't we just stay here and wait for him to return?" Ranma suggested, thinking he had a brilliant idea.
"That's not a bad thought," Sakaki conceded, "but in this case, I'd rather not. First, because even though the door shows no signs of forced entry, he could still spot us and flee, or be warned by some of his neighbors. Second, because I intend to rough him up a bit to make him spill the names of his clients, and I'd rather do that away from prying eyes… in this building, even the walls have ears."
"Okay, I understand," Saotome agreed, "but didn't you plan to wait for him to finish his job and then follow him to find the masterminds?"
"Plans change based on circumstances," Sakaki clarified. "In this case, since he's left the house, I'd prefer to track him down outside rather than wait and risk him slipping away for any reason. Besides," he added, cracking his knuckles, "I have persuasive methods to make him talk anyway."
After a quick search—though not so quick that Ranma couldn't observe and appreciate Sakaki's methods, seeing him in a new light compared to both the brutish drunk and the Karate master he knew—they found a large bundle of yen (likely the advance payment for the job), a folding knife, a turned-off walkie-talkie, an unmarked map of the port, a notebook densely written in ciphered code, and an empty gun holster. Sakaki frowned at the holster but said nothing. Instead, he stuffed the rest into a leather shoulder bag he kept on the motorcycle, and they left.
This time, the journey was a bit longer, taking them to another part of Tokyo Ranma didn't know. It was a shady neighborhood, unsurprisingly, that seemed to consist entirely of stores that looked illegal, covered in billboards like a Christmas tree is with lights. Trash was strewn all over the street, where an incalculable number of people swarmed, wearing all sorts of combinations of clothes, hairstyles, and beards. Ranma noticed that many of them weren't Japanese but guessed they were Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino. There were also some South Americans and even a few Westerners.
Sakaki told him to stay close, and after locking the bike with a chain as thick as his arm, he confidently led the way in one direction.
After descending the stairs into a basement, they entered a dimly lit, smoky place with a low ceiling. It was packed with people quietly chatting in groups of four or five along the walls. Ranma couldn't tell if it was a bar, a betting hall for horse races—they were showing races on the wall-mounted screens—or a slot machine room. Probably all three.
Sakaki blended perfectly into the environment. With his stern look, the scar on his face, his sunglasses, and the leather jacket open over his sculpted muscles, he looked like a full-fledged criminal. He approached the bar counter and said to the bartender nonchalantly:
"A beer, buddy… and some information," he added, sliding a 10,000-yen bill (about 64 euros) under the counter.
"You can have one but not necessarily the others," stated the bartender, a chubby, bald man with narrow eyes, "and depending on the type, not for that price."
"You start singing, and we'll see if I give you a second round," the karateka grinned as he sank his lips into the foam of his mug, "after all, old Matsui told me this is the best place in town for certain services."
"Matsui sent you?" the man asked, scrutinizing him. "Well, in that case, we can talk, but I can't guarantee I know what you're looking for."
Renma, in the meantime, unlike his Master, stood with his back to the bar, lazily observing all the other idlers to make sure no one would try to sneak up on them if necessary. Sakaki gave him a quick nod of approval.
"I think you do," the karateka continued after another sip. "I want to know where I can find a certain type of ink... the kind that's gone missing from the State Printing Office, if you catch my drift."
"Hm! Not a request you hear every day. And yet, you're the second person today to ask me the same thing. What is this, some kind of bet?"
"More like a competition. You see, the guy who asked you before me is a rival of my boss. They're both trying to land a big contract with some people who pay well... and it would be a shame if he beat us to it, you understand. I get the feeling he usually gets his supplies elsewhere, but... there's been a shortage of raw materials lately."
The bartender seemed satisfied. "Well, I can't promise you'll beat him to it, but you're in luck. There's only one dealer in the whole neighborhood who sells that kind of stuff—among other things—and that's Raiden, who has a warehouse three blocks from here. But they never open before 3 PM because, well... they work nights."
The man with the wolfish grin nodded. "Got it."
"When your... competitor found out, he seemed desperate. He must have been in quite a hurry. He made a bit of a scene, and the guys had to threaten him a little to calm him down. He spent some time here with us. Had a rum and coke, played the slots—but I don't think he had much luck—and left about an hour ago. I'd bet he's already at the warehouse, pestering Raiden the moment he opens—which, by the way, is not a good idea. That guy doesn't mess around. But if you leave now, you can probably catch up with him."
"Thanks a lot, friend. How do I get to that warehouse?"
"Here, I'll draw you a map."
"Perfect. How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing more. Matsui's friends are my friends. But," he added, keeping his hand on the map instead of letting go of it, "if something... happens to that guy. Or if Raiden gets... upset by your presence... I don't know anything about it, are we clear?"
"You can count on that."
Sakaki pocketed the map, downed the rest of his beer in one gulp, and headed for the door with Ranma without saying another word.
The pigtailed boy, now back in the open air, felt the need to wash himself.
"Phew. What lovely places you hang out in."
"Sometimes it's necessary for the job. After a while doing this work, the right friends, the right names to drop, a good network... they can work wonders."
Ranma was glad to have a map because otherwise, he would have been hopelessly lost in that neighborhood, and for a moment, he understood what it must feel like to be Ryoga.
When they arrived at the warehouse— a two-story building on a strangely deserted side street, with a large gate for trucks on the ground floor and huge windows on the first floor—they became cautious.
Before going in, Sakaki warned him, "Whatever happens in there, remember... let me do the talking... if something goes wrong, follow my orders. Our target is Noyamura, no one else. If there's trouble, focus on him, got it?"
"Crystal clear. But why go in and reveal that we're looking for him, especially in the middle of all those thugs? We could wait for him to come out."
"Sure, if he hasn't already finished and left through another back exit... in which case, I'll have to interrogate Raiden to find out which way he went. If he gets back to his place before us and notices the door, or if one of the tenants alerts him to our visit—unlikely, but not impossible—he'll vanish, and we'll lose him."
With that, they slipped under the half-open gate.
In front of them, about ten meters away, stood their man.
Noyamura was wearing an old beige trench coat, his beard unshaven and he had the eyes of someone who hadn't slept in two days.
In front of him, with a mohawk crest and a dyed-red beard, stood a huge man who had to be Raiden, the boss. Surrounding them in a semicircle were at least ten henchmen.
"And who the hell are you?" barked one of them, noticing the two strangers.
"Hey, what kind of manners are those?" Sakaki started with a sardonic smile. "Is that how you treat paying customers?"
"I decide what kind of manners to use in my store," Raiden declared authoritatively, "especially since I don't trust customers I don't know, and three of them showing up in a few hours makes me... suspicious. This smells fishy"
The pigtailed boy couldn't help himself.
"Ah, and here I thought the smell came from this junkyard. Or... maybe from one of you."
Noyamura shot a quick glance at the newcomers, then turned back to the boss. Ranma noticed he was trembling.
"L-listen, Raiden, I don't care about any of this. I just want to pay and leave. Take my money, and..."
"NOT SO FAST!"
It was Sakaki, who had expanded his aura just enough to make everyone tense up. The goons were sweating bullets.
"Heheh, sorry for the rudeness, but… if my eyes don't deceive me, that's printing ink. I'd bet that even for the famous Raiden, it's rare to get his hands on that, so… I wouldn't want it to be the last one you've got, you get me? How about… we let that little guy go and hold a small auction instead? I'll pay you triple whatever he's offering."
Despite his fear, Noyamura protested, "Hey, but… that's not fair! I was here first! And besides, why do you guys even want that ink? You don't do my job, that's obvious!"
Raiden sized up the newcomers. He tightened his grip on the iron bar in his hand and pointed it at them.
"Yes, in fact, all this sudden interest seems suspicious to me. One of you is a spy. Or maybe all three of you are. The sale's off, and I'm going to package you up and interrogate you thoroughly. BOYS! GET THEM!"
Ranma couldn't help but notice how the plan was falling apart. And yet, Sakaki seemed to have considered this possibility from the start. He kept expanding his aura, causing his leather jacket to disintegrate, and his slit eyes showed no more pupils as he grinned hungrily.
"OH, REALLY? Well, that's a shame… I was hoping to settle this the friendly way, but after all…"
And as soon as the first thug rushed at him, Sakaki sent him flying with a terrifying backhand strike.
"…I DON'T MIND LETTING LOOSE !"
So much for "he might have escaped through the back exit," thought Ranma, "he was just itching for a fight from the start!"
The rest of the goons jumped at them all at once, surrounding them with menacing stances. The smugglers didn't have guns, but almost all of them wielded knives, sticks, and chains.
Noyamura took advantage of the chaos to wriggle free and bolt in any direction he could.
"RANMA! STICK TO THE PLAN!"
"I'm on it!" declared the boy with the pigtail, vaulting over the thugs in a single leap and chasing after Noyamura.
"But be careful! He's got a gun!"
"Hey! That kid's fast!" one of the goons protested.
"Don't worry, we'll catch him later," Raiden said, testing the iron bar in his hand, "and that little worm who ran off without paying. The warehouse has no other exits."
"OH, really?" Sakaki, now emanating smoke from his mouth, sneered, "What a shame… FOR YOU!"
"Enough! Take him down!"
But as the nine thugs rushed him all at once, Sakaki erupted into a series of close-quarter karate moves: punches, forearm blocks, backhand strikes, and knife-hand chops, all executed from a tight guard and swiftly rotating in different directions.
The smugglers were knocked back in every direction and plummeted to the ground, broken and stunned. None of them would recover in less than three weeks.
Raiden, strangely unimpressed by the spectacle, approached while weighing the iron bar in his hands as if he were using it to applaud.
"Not bad at all… there aren't many fighters at that level… that was Karate, wasn't it? You wouldn't happen to be…?"
"THE HUNDREDTH-DAN KARATEKA, SHIO SAKAKI. AT YOUR SERVICE."
"Oh-oh, this time I've been found out by a ravenous beast. But don't think it'll be that easy, Shio Sakaki. Old Raiden may not have studied martial arts, that's true," and as he said this, almost contradicting himself, he raised the iron bar in what looked like a guard position, "but in Street Brawling, I'm what you'd call… a Master Level!"
Umpf! Looks like this will be fun. As for Ranma… just make sure you don't get yourself killed by that little punk's toy.
Ranma was chasing Noyamura up a spiral staircase and down what seemed like endless corridors lined with towering shelves full of wooden crates. Every now and then, the forger would turn around, hysterically yelling at him to leave him alone.
Ranma was about to catch him when he turned again, this time with a revolver in his left hand, firing three quick shots.
Ranma had never faced a gun before. But seeing the man's movements, he had quick enough reflexes to jump out of the line of fire as soon as he saw the finger on the trigger.
Even with his superhuman speed and reflexes, the bullets whizzed past him… too close for comfort, he thought.
Sweating, he ordered the man to stop.
"Cut it out, Noyamura! We know the whole story—" he lied, "—this place has no exits, and you've got a much better chance with us than with those guys… or your clients, for that matter."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Ranma realized the man wasn't used to action and had become hysterical. But he was a hysterical man with a revolver… and at least three more bullets in the chamber, probably. Ranma hoped he didn't have a fourth one loaded in the barrel.
Since the corridors had no exit, when he saw the man turn a corner, instead of following, he leaped to the right, climbed up the crates, and popped out the other side to cut him off.
He dropped down silently, and when he was close enough…
A gun. The weapon of cowards.
"STOP! FINAL WARNING!"
The forger was shocked to find Ranma cutting him off, hanging from the crates like a monkey, ten meters off the ground. He raised the gun again and fired.
"DIE!"
Ranma dropped just as the gun was being raised. The first bullet hit where he had been a moment ago.
He landed on the ground, and the second bullet passed a couple of meters above him in mid-air.
He rolled forward toward the criminal, and the third and final bullet whistled twenty centimeters over his body.
Ranma jumped to his feet in front of Noyamura, his expression unusually fierce.
The man almost had a heart attack as he raised the weapon one last time…
…and Ranma grabbed it with one hand and crumpled it like tinfoil.
"NO MORE TOYS," he declared icily.
Noyamura fainted.
Under different circumstances, Sakaki would have enjoyed himself, but at that moment, he was in a hurry.
Raiden didn't boast about his reputation, but after about a minute, all he had managed with his bar was to leave superficial bruises on the Karateka's forearms.
Sakaki raised his arms, bent at a right angle, one above his face and one below, covering his abdomen. The entire center of his body was exposed.
MOUSOU GAMAE ****
"Tsk!" Raiden spat. "That guard seems... FULL OF HOLES!"
He attacked with a powerful thrust.
Shio quickly dropped his right arm and simultaneously raised his left. The smuggler's weapon got caught between his massive forearms and broke cleanly into three parts before it could even graze his body.
Raiden was left speechless.
"You mean your head will be full of holes...
Sorry, I would have liked to keep playing with you..." the Karateka declared, winding up his punch.
"...but unfortunately, NOW I'M BUSY!"
DOTSUI SAJIN THRUST! *****
He unleashed a single, powerful right straight, shattering the bandit's jaw, knocking out several of his teeth, and sending him flying, unconscious, onto the pile of bodies that now made up his former gang.
Breathing normally again, Sakaki declared,
"Phew! Well, that was easy... I just hope Ranma made it through."
"Ranma made it through!" replied the boy in question, jumping down from the stairs with the forger slung across his shoulder and a satisfied grin on his face.
A look of relief spread across Sakaki's face.
"Good, good. When I heard those shots, I feared the worst."
"Well, to be honest, it's not like he didn't try," the pigtailed boy conceded, "but he wasn't much of a shot. Let's just say it was good practice for dodging bullets with perfect timing."
"Maybe," Sakaki mused, "but now we need to hurry. The shots will have attracted the police—one of the few things that can get them to come out in force in neighborhoods like these—and scared off every other criminal within a mile.
I don't want these bandits to get away with it—not that they'll be able to move for the next week, really—but I don't want to hand Noyamura over to the cops either, not before making him talk.
Here's the plan: I'll stay here to talk to the cops—don't worry, if I mention Inspector Honmaki's name and they call him on the radio, they won't arrest me—and you take our prisoner to my bike and wait for me there. I shouldn't be more than an hour or two."
Ranma obeyed the Karate master's suggestion, carrying the unconscious forger under the shoulders (as if helping a drunken friend walk) with as much nonchalance as he could muster, while the locals fled in all directions and half a dozen police cars raced toward the warehouse they'd come from, sirens blaring.
He sat in the alley on Sakaki's bike—by the way, he discovered he liked it—after tying the prisoner up with his own belt, for about an hour and a half, before seeing his shirtless Master approach, wearing sunglasses.
"Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. The police couldn't believe it. That Raiden has so many priors, and they found so much evidence of his trafficking that it'll be a century before he sees daylight again. Now, let's see... Hasn't he woken up yet?"
"No. And I didn't wake him; it was more convenient this way than if he started screaming."
"Yeah, a real lionheart," Sakaki said, lightly slapping the forger awake.
Kazuhide Noyamura would have preferred to stay in the world of dreams because when he woke up, he found himself in a nightmare. Sakaki could be incredibly intimidating when he wanted to be... and often, even when he didn't.
Seeing the light dim in his eyes, Ranma put a hand on his shoulder. "Sakaki... maybe tone it down a bit," while the prisoner flinched and trembled.
"Don't worry, we're just going to have a little chat... right, Kazuhide, my friend?"
"I'm... I'm not your friend! I've never seen you in my life! What do you want from me?"
"Informations," the Karateka simply declared, cracking his knuckles.
The forger gulped.
"What... what do you need to know?"
"Oh, just a couple of things... like who the friends you're making thirty passports for are, when they're arriving in Japan, what their cargo is, the name of the ship, when the exchange will take place... things like that."
With each statement, the forger paled more and more, realizing he was trapped.
"Oh, and a couple of other things," Sakaki added, pulling out the items he had confiscated from the forger's house.
"I want to know the meaning of this map; I know it's not where they'll land because it's the civilian port, not the commercial one; and of course, I want you to translate this cipher for us."
"I... I can't do it! I CAN'T DO IT!
You... you have no idea who those people are! If they find out I talked, I'm a dead man!"
Sakaki punched the wall, shattering a brick ten centimeters from Kazuhide's face.
"BUT IF YOU DON'T TALK, YOU'LL SOON WISH YOU WERE DEAD."
The poor man flinched. Ranma sighed.
"Fine," he finally said after calming down a bit. "They... I don't know who they are, they contacted me through a dead-drop, as I do with all my clients. Someone must have told them about me.
They'll arrive here by ship next month, and they didn't trust anyone abroad to make the passports; they wanted a local professional. So, I have to deliver them only the day before they dock here."
"Hmm, I'm starting to understand," said Sakaki, his expression returning to normal. "This map of the port, it's related to them, isn't it?"
"Exactly. Right now... well, for the whole month actually, they've been stationed just outside the Coast Guard's jurisdiction, a few kilometers past the start of International Waters. When they're ready, they'll enter Japanese territorial waters, and that's when I'll deliver the passports. One of their accomplices here will take me to them at night by speedboat, they'll pay me, and I'll head back. The map is to know where to go, but they haven't told me yet, just the quadrant. Their accomplice will call me on the afternoon of the chosen day."
"Clever," commented Sakaki. "But why stay so close to the Japanese coast for so long?"
Noyamura hesitated for a moment, then figured he might as well spill everything.
"Apparently, there are international initiatives against smuggling that Japan and South Korea are carrying out in the Pacific in collaboration with the U.S. Navy. So, to avoid running into a warship, they didn't set sail with an illegal cargo from wherever they started. Instead, they'll make an exchange with other ships in open waters."
Ranma's eyes widened. "Really? That means they're an extremely organized gang."
"Exactly," confirmed the forger. "From what I've gathered, they're transporting a load of frozen fish, and that's the cover they'll use when they dock in Tokyo. They'll radio in that they had a breakdown just outside Japanese territorial waters, using it as an excuse to stay idle for a few weeks, pretending to repair the ship. Meanwhile, smaller boats—some posing as repair ships, others as small fishing vessels from all over Southeast Asia—will meet them every night to bring the illegal cargo on board."
"Wait a second," Ranma interrupted, "there's something I don't get. If it'll take them a month to do all this, why are you in such a desperate rush to finish your job? The way you're acting, it seems like you have to deliver the passports in a few days."
Sakaki shot Ranma a look of respect for his smart observation.
"Because... they themselves aren't sure how long the transfers will take. If even one of the small boats is delayed for any reason, they have orders to wait. The Japanese recipient of the goods is strict: if even a single crate is missing, he won't pay the agreed sum. So, I have to finish the passports as quickly as possible and then wait for orders. They could call me the day after tomorrow... or three weeks from now. But if I don't have ALL thirty passports ready when they call... well, I'm as good as dead."
Now everything was clear. Ranma and Sakaki both felt pity for the forger and finally understood his emotional state. The man then finished his explanation.
"Finally, when they're done, they'll dock in Tokyo in the middle of the night—but they'll choose one of the smaller ports, the kind that doesn't operate around the clock."
"I think I can guess the rest," Sakaki interjected. "That same night, probably with a bribe to the officer on duty, trucks will arrive to haul away the illegal cargo, while the frozen fish will remain onboard to be legally unloaded the next morning, as if nothing happened. Am I right?"
"Exactly."
"Well, well, it's a brilliant plan. I can't wait to shake hands with the mastermind behind this masterpiece. But there's just one thing that doesn't add up..."
Kazuhide closed his eyes, bracing for the blow.
"The illegal cargo... what is it exactly?" Sakaki whispered, leaning in slightly, his expression serious.
The forger averted his gaze, unable to meet Sakaki's eyes.
"They're crates... crates of automatic rifles."
"WHAT?!" Sakaki grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
"DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT? MACHINE GUNS? AND YOU'RE HELPING THEM BRING WAR WEAPONS INTO YOUR COUNTRY, YOU DIRTY BASTARD?!"
Ranma was shocked by the revelation but still had the presence of mind to try and stop Sakaki.
"Stop, Shio! You're choking him!"
Once the forger was set back down and had finished coughing, Sakaki, staring at him with a merciless expression, resumed speaking more calmly.
"And your little notebook, the one with the encrypted code? What's written in there?"
"That... cough... isn't directly connected to them. Well, not just to them, at least. I've kept notes on every job I've ever done... ever since... they kicked me out of the Mint because of my gambling problems, and I went into business for myself. I wrote down the buyers, what I did for them, how much they paid me... everything."
"Very good," Sakaki said, now in a better mood. "So, here's what we'll do from now on. First, we'll take you back to your place, with the ink you took from Raiden, and you... will finish your work like nothing happened."
"What?"
Ranma was equally surprised but sensed that Sakaki had a plan.
"Second. When they contact you for the delivery, you'll respond as usual through your walkie-talkie, except we'll make a little modification."
The bounty hunter pulled out the walkie-talkie taken from Kazuhide's house, quickly unscrewed the casing using the switchblade he had confiscated, and slipped in a tiny device that Ranma had only seen in movies but recognized as a wire tap. He then screwed it back together as it was before.
"Third. You'll make the delivery as planned, except after the courier lets you go... you'll be picked up by Inspector Honmaki of the Tokyo police."
Kazuhide nodded, too emotionally drained to worry about his future. Besides, ending up in a jail cell was far better than ending up in a coffin.
"Fourth. You'll reveal the code to Inspector Honmaki and confess to ALL your crimes." Seeing the horrified look on the forger's face, Sakaki raised his voice slightly, but his expression softened. "And you'll testify against ALL the people you've sold fake documents to during your career, including these arms traffickers. That way, you'll enter witness protection, and no one will be able to lay a finger on you."
Kazuhide now looked at him differently, as though Sakaki were a beacon of hope.
"And lastly," Sakaki added in a neutral tone, "once you're out of jail, I suggest you get help for your gambling problem and find honest work to put your talents to good use. You don't have what it takes to be a criminal, Kazuhide. If you continue down this path, it's only a matter of time before it ends badly."
The man lowered his gaze, almost moved.
Ranma had never seen Sakaki act so admirably, and it warmed his heart.
"AND FINALLY," the Karateka continued, changing tone once more, "IF, during these days, you get the crazy idea to TRY to escape, tell ANYONE about our deal, or let the SLIGHTEST hint of trouble slip to your clients... you'll end up like this toy."
As he said this, Sakaki picked up the switchblade, closed it, and pressed it between his thumb and forefinger, crushing it into a dense metal cylinder no taller than an inch.
If Ranma broke out in a cold sweat at the sight, the forger turned completely pale, shaking his head frantically in agreement.
A few dozen minutes later, after escorting Kazuhide back to his neighborhood and watching from afar to make sure he entered his building, Sakaki turned to Ranma with a warm smile.
"Well, what do you think, Saotome? It's been a good day's work, don't you think?"
"Yeah, varied and intense," the boy with the pigtail agreed. "But I imagine detective work isn't always like this."
"No, not really," admitted the Hundredth Dan Karateka. "Like I said, sometimes it can be very boring. But it can still be rewarding."
The two men exchanged a knowing look.
"So, what do you think? Would you be interested in this line of work? Even part-time?"
Ranma crossed his arms behind his head and stretched.
"Maybe. I'm not sure. It would definitely be a way to put some of my skills to use... but I'd have to learn a lot of other things. Still, maybe..."
Sakaki grinned.
"Everything you need to learn, I can teach you—on weekends, mind you. And you're lucky, kid, because you'd be learning from the best.
Also," he added, "this investigation isn't over. You've seen the beginning of the story—surely you don't want to miss the ending?"
Ranma just nodded, smiling.
By the time they returned to Ryozanpaku, it was already seven in the evening. Ranma intended to greet everyone since he'd disappeared so suddenly, but also to call his mother to let her know he'd be late for dinner, before getting a ride back with Sakaki.
But first, the boy with the pigtail had a strange surprise.
In the dojo courtyard, standing and talking with the Masters, was someone from his past, someone he thought he'd never see again.
His old acquaintance from Nerima.
Glossary
Mukimono: the traditional Japanese way of cutting fruit and vegetables decoratively
Manju, Anmitsu, Warabimochi: Manju are cakes made of flour and rice powder filled with jam (anko) and sweet beans (azuki); Anmitsu is a dessert in turn composed of anko, which covers pieces of fruit salad-like, served with agar agar (a gel derived from red algae) dissolved in fruit juice; Warabimochi is a soybean paste cake covered in sesame powder
Tetsuki Hyakudan: one of Sakaki's techniques in the manga; it is as I described it, it translates as "Hundredth Level Iron Demon". Visually, it is a bit reminiscent of certain moves from Kata Tekki, of the Shotokan style
Musou Gamae: A guard position as described, meaning "supreme/unrivaled guard position." Sakaki in the manga uses it in Okinawa, to face the Spear of the Center
Dotsui Sajin Thrust: one of Sakaki's moves, a straight Karate punch, but much more powerful than normal
Author's Note:
I had a lot of fun to bring some misunderstandings at dinner. Nodoka is smarter than she looks and i imagined her a little more devious, under her respectable facade (but still good natured overall).
Ranma and Renka have a different kind of relationship, instead, one of mutual understanding, forged out of regrets from the past. I liked that: they're TOO similar, in a way, to be put as possible love interests. Ranma finds himself rooting for someone else to find happiness, since he didn't.
But misunderstandings and jealousy still ensues.
Now, Sakaki starts having more of a mentorship with Ranma, which was one of my main goals since the beginning.
Here Ranma is in a new world and needs some guidance, but he can still holds his own.
Making Ranma learn a different craft was a way for him to become something else, going in another direction and choosing something to do with his life, not forced by someone else.
And Sakaki…i love him, plain and simple. So, even if he and Ranma are not SO MUCH alike, i still thought Ranma could gain some life experience from him and forge a masculine bond.
Now, about the-overly complex, i admit-smugglers plot…there's of course much a much bigger fish to fry…in 2 chapters you'll see PART of the mistery…but maybe not the whole picture.
Oh, right, and about Kisara-Ukita-Kaname…well, i always thought the conclusion of Kenichi, relationship-wise, was unsatisfactory…Kisara did not seem so much attracted to Ukita…who in turn deserved happiness…and at Despair Island we discovered Kaname was interested in him…but she ended up with Takeda, instead, at the end of the story…personally, i prefer different matchups.
And…of course. I like teasing you guys.
You'll discover who's the visitor next week