Chapter 10: Rope
The river... follow the water...
The mountain trail would lead down back to the outskirts of town.
I feel so hot...
That house... Under the house. That terrible place. It had felt so good.
I'm so tired… I need to stop, just for a little while…
The sun burned high in the sky, crowning the mountains with the glow of its light. It was the last thing Akari Niniyama saw, as it burnt into her retinas.
Tatsuya Yuasa was almost ready for work, delicately knotting his tie, when his daughter, Mayu entered the bedroom.
"Daddy, daddy, did you forget what today is?" She beamed. Yuasa smiled, as he saw his daughters excitement in the mirror.
"Yoyogi Park today, right?" He answered, causing his daughter to nod enthusiastically. "Your mother remembered to send back the permission slip?"
"Yes, I just asked her." Yuasa patted his daughters head and ruffled her hair. It was a school trip today, a tour of the attractions of the park.
"Great, I'm sure you'll love it. Go get breakfast, your mother must be waiting."
"And you?" Mayu asked politely. Yuasa took one more look in the mirror to make sure his tie looked correct.
"I'll be along in a minute." He kissed his daughter's forehead and she left the room. Yuasa looked again at the bedroom dresser. An envelope had been placed there by his wife, addressed to him by name. However, there was no address or stampage on the envelope. Whoever had delivered this, had delivered it by hand. If it had just been a postcard, or something of that nature he wouldn't have thought anything of it, but it was too thick to be something as simple as that. Curiosity finally got the better of him; he picked up the envelope and ripped it open. After scanning over the contents, which produced several twitches in his eyes, he carefully slipped the contents back into the envelope, and inserted the envelope into his trouser pocket. He then headed to the kitchen, where Satomi would have prepared breakfast.
The aroma of fried salmon and miso soup was a common characteristic in the Yuasa household. Satomi generally rose about half an hour earlier than himself to begin preparations for the morning meal. The traditional setup were what they both had grown up with, but Mayu enjoyed the more Western influenced diet; preferring cereal over most other things. She sat across from him, eating cornflakes. He did feel if nothing else that it was an efficient choice. He wasn't really much of a genuine traditionalist. Satomi fit that description more, but acquiesced given Mayu's tendencies to get up late and leaving her school preparations to be more rushed. It was most important to the both of them after all, that Mayu didn't skip breakfast owing to lack of time. He glanced over the morning papers, which Satomi always left on the dining table for him. She wasn't sitting with them, as she still needed to make breakfast for herself, but she was hovering around inside the kitchen.
"Busy schedule today?" Satomi asked casually as she boiled the kettle. Yuasa put the paper down.
"Shoots arranged for both morning and afternoon," he answered, "I'll get back home a bit later tonight, probably."
"Well, try not to be too late. You promised to help Mayu with her homework tonight." Yuasa nodded, looking at his daughter.
"I didn't forget," he answered, whilst turning to look at the clock on the wall. "I better get going, tight schedule today."
"All right, let me see you out," Satomi replied. They left Mayu to finish her breakfast. In the hall, Yuasa took his coat from the wall hanger. It was mid February, just the start of spring, but Tokyo was still in the midst of an unusually long cold snap. Satomi handed him his gloves and kissed his cheek.
"See you later," she said with middling enthusiasm.
"Right," Yuasa responded with similar lukewarmness. As he left the house and got in his car that was parked in the driveway, he couldn't help but feel he had forgotten something.
The morning shoot was in Shinjuku; Jun was booked to model the spring selection for one of the larger catalogues. Usually he would pick Jun up; sometimes from her apartment, other times at the relevant train station or subway exit. More lately however, Jun tended to make her own way to the client, and he would meet her there. That was the case this morning, where they met just outside the building around fifteen minutes before the appointed time for their arrival, after he had parked his car nearby, around the entrance of Toyama Park.
"Hi Jun. You got here early, I see," he observed, as she waved him over from across the road. The morning traffic had started to peter out after the morning rush. She was also well wrapped up, wearing a beige scarf that looked particularly good on her. Most things did, really.
"Just wanted to not rush anything today," she replied brightly, "I got an earlier train."
"Great, you want to go over the itinerary, then?" He suggested. She nodded, as they walked inside the concrete building.
"Couldn't hurt," She replied casually. The studio they were heading for, was located on the fourth floor of the building according to the sign at the entrance. As Yuasa checked his ledger, once they entered the elevator he remembered something important that he had made to bring up with Jun.
"Oh, right. The photographer today is going to be Mr. Tanaka. Is that okay?" He asked.
"We already talked about that the other day, it's fine," Jun confirmed. "You seem a little flaky today, is anything wrong?"
"No, no. Don't worry about me, that's not your job, Jun," he reassured her. "It's going to be solo shots first, and then group shots afterwards. I believe more models will arrive in the next hour or so." They got off the lift and arrived at the studio reception. After signing in, They both headed down the hall indicated by the receptionist for the dressing rooms. When they reached the room Jun had assigned to her, Jun stopped at the door.
"I'm sorry to be a pain, Yuasa. I'm feeling a little peckish. There was a seven-eleven just up the street a little. Would you mind picking me up some sweets? And a bottle of water too?" Yuasa nodded. Jun had developed a habit of asking for little errands like this. He didn't mind, and it didn't seem to impact her figure any, even if the agency wouldn't particularly approve of it. Besides, she would be in the make-up chair for around twenty minutes. Plenty of time.
"Sure, I'll be back in ten." Fudo bowed in thanks, and headed into the dressing room. Yuasa headed back down the left and outside the building. It only took a minute to find the shop that Jun had referred to. And it was upon seeing the shops display that he finally remembered something; it was February the fourteenth. It was Valentine's Day. There was a rather beautiful floral display in the window, marking the date. He decided he would pick up some Valentine's chocolates for Satomi, in addition to what Jun had asked for. After paying the cashier, he took the heart-shaped box under arm, and started to head back. His cell phone rang only a few moments later along the street. He didn't recognise the number, but as this was his work phone, it wasn't unusual for him to receive such calls.
"Tatsuya Yuasa, Galatea Modelling Agency speaking," he answered automatically.
"Have you had a chance to look at the envelope I left for you?" A gruff male voice spoke. Yuasa tightened his grip on the phone, and quickly looked around for an alley to move to, to try and make the call more private.
"Just who are you? What is your business with me?" Yuasa said calmly, but firmly once he was satisfied no one would likely overhear him talking. The photographs in the envelope were an invasion of Jun's privacy; and he didn't like the idea of anybody doing that her.
"Sakazawa's the name," the man answered, "I said so in the note. I think the nature of our business is also covered quite comprehensively by the photos, don't you think?" The man's voice was shrewd and focused. Yuasa was disturbed by its cadence.
"Is this some kind of weird blackmail? I don't understand your angle at all," he asked irately.
"I'm sure you read the papers, and I'm sure you're not completely ignorant to the things going on around us," the man continued enigmatically, "A fashion model you represent meets regularly with people in the military. She has only what could be described as questionable proximity to recent events such as the fire in Marounichi that claimed the life of Genichi Tachibana, not to mention the shutdown of a fitness centre in Shibuya around the time the bodies of several of its female members had been found."
"I have no idea what you're trying to say; Jun's connections with those are just coincidences, nothing more," Yuasa responded in exasperation.
"Then there's the matter of her housemate. Very strange, how her parents happen to die in a so-called gas explosion. When I called the provider, they had a record of it, but a lot of details didn't add up." Yuasa felt rising anger.
"Leave Kazumi Takiura out of this. What you're implying is disgusting. I don't want you to call me again. If I see you anywhere near myself or Jun, I'll involve the police." After a pause, Sakazawa continued.
"I'm telling you all this for your own sake; and for the sake of your family. You should distance yourself from that woman."
"Don't call me again." Yuasa hung up on the call, and hoped it hadn't delayed him too much. There was nothing worse in his job than unsavoury and unscrupulous characters making unfounded accusations or unwanted advances on the people he represented. Unfortunately given the nature of his job, it wasn't totally new to him, but this Sakazawa person really took it to a different level. He'd never encountered anything quite like these insinuations; and about one of the most kind, thoughtful and gentle person's he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing at that. He would need to make sure the agency knew about him. For the moment, he didn't want to tell Jun, it would only cause her more worries. He took a deep breath, surprised at his own loss of nerve, and headed back to the shoot.
Yuasa had been delayed enough that by the time he got back to Jun's dressing room, she had already been called in. By the time he entered the studio, the shoot had already begun. He was pretty sure things were advancing ahead of schedule, which perturbed him a little. He didn't particularly like feeling out of sync with everything going on around him. Jun was standing in the centre of the set, which was a very standard set up for an indoor spring fashion shoot. A matte backdrop of a lively green forest sat behind Jun, while she sat on a pretty standard outdoor table and chair set up. She wore a white, widebrimmed hat, sunglasses and an elegant one-piece with embroidered diamond shapes.
"That's it, you're doing great Miss Fudo," the photographer, Tanaka said as he took his routine shots.
"Jun, please," Jun replied, then she looked over. "There you are Yuasa. Don't worry, you weren't late. Since Mr. Tanaka was already here and set up, he didn't see any point in delaying things further." Yuasa nodded. "Mr. Tanaka, could you give me a five minute break please?" The animated photographer agreed,
"Sure, I could use a smoke break. See you in five." Tanaka walked past Yuasa, and winked at him.
"Dunno what's changed, hard to believe this lively thing was the same girl that turned me down through you," he said, which Yuasa felt was very audacious of him to say with Jun present. Jun didn't look like it bothered her though. Once Tanaka had left, Jun came up to him, before Yuasa could even think straight, she reached forward and grabbed the box of chocolates that he had still been carrying underarm.
"Yuasa, you shouldn't have," she beamed, "What a lovely gesture. I didn't even remember what day it was." Yuasa felt his cheeks flare red, and he started stammering. Fortunately Jun didn't let him embarrass himself further." Relax, I know you're not the lascivious type, even so, I hope you don't mind." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Yuasa managed to pull himself together, now was not the time to act like a schoolboy.
"Don't mention it, I just felt it would be a nice surprise for you. Mr. Tanaka hasn't bothered you too much, has he?" Jun shook her head.
"He's not exactly a gentleman like you, but I realise he's just a little forward. Nothing to be afraid of." Just then, Tanaka entered unexpectedly, and the reason became clear when Jun saw the dark-haired woman following him.
"Miss Fudo, this lady says she is here to see you, and you'll be leaving," Tanaka began, "Is it true? I felt we were just getting to know each other a little better." Jun's demeanour changed considerably, and she sighed.
"I really apologise, Mr Tanaka." Tanaka shrugged, but smiled.
"Don't worry about it, and Shoji, please. There'll be other chances to work together," he replied, "Actually, I can just get this shoot rescheduled, at a more convenient time for you. That would be easiest, yes?" Jun nodded gratefully. "Great, don't worry about the company, I'll smooth it over with them." She looked at Yuasa, and was also about to voice her apologies, but Yuasa simply nodded his understanding. He was pretty used to it by this point. Jun handed the chocolates back to him.
"Sorry, I won't really have anywhere to put these. Just give them to your wife." Yuasa watched her leave with the raven haired woman, feeling a small wave of rejection. As silly as that was, he got these for his wife in the first place, after all.
"The harder they play to get, the better the prize, no?" Tanaka nudged Yuasa in the stomach playfully. Yuasa felt sullen, and didn't grunt much of a reply. "What have you got planned for the rest of the day anyway?" Tanaka continued in good humour. If he noticed Yuasa's mood, he didn't show any sign of it.
"Not much," Yuasa replied, "Jun was the only client I had for today. It seems I'll have to inform our clients for the afternoon that she can't make it." Tanaka nodded sagely.
"Perfect. I have to get across to Osaka, as I have a major gig there tomorrow. I might as well go today so I don't have to go through the night. But schools out for you, once you've made that call. I'd suggest you go get hammered somewhere; that's the finest way to spend an impromptu day off," he said jovially, slapped Yuasa a couple times in the back, and headed off. Yuasa stood for a few moments, considering what he wanted to do. Hitting a bar didn't seem like the worst thing.
Jun followed Kogare suddenly to her black sedan, parked in the basement car park.
"Where are we off to this time?" She asked irritably as she got in the back seat. Kogare did not hold the door open for her.
"We're going for a countryside jaunt, Fudo. Something has happened somewhere along the banks of the Omoi river not far away from Tochigi prefecture; Asuka has gone on ahead," Kogare replied as she started the engine. Jun sulked openly in the back, as the car left the premises; another days normal work completely gone. She was starting to enjoy modelling again, but the constant disruption was aggravating.
"I thought we just dealt with situations in Central Tokyo; don't the jurisdictional police in cooperation the local arm of the JSDF handle things like this elsewhere?" She enquired, trying to sound confident in her understanding of the procedures the HA operated by. Not that she was trying to impress Kogare or anything, but she felt a lot better when she wasn't ignorant of what was going on. And no amount of jargon could really hide that she was in the dark right now.
"We have another unconventional situation," Kogare explained tersely, "And the decision was made to bring you in. You don't have to whine incessantly about it. It's incredibly tedious to listen to." Jun hated this woman; and was sure she wasn't purely human herself, yet getting no straight answer on the fact when directly asked. Last time she had asked about it, Kogare merely fobbed her off, saying she was reacting to the heightened scent, because she worked in the genetics lab directly with the 'captured specimens'. Asuka wouldn't tell her either, giving the same excuse. They treated her like she was excitable simply because she smelled "prey". She hated this, she hated all this so much.
"How long is this trip likely to take?" She finally asked as the car made its way through the outer suburbs of Tokyo.
"In all honesty," Kogare shrugged, "We don't know. It would be safe to say that we wouldn't be making it back to Tokyo tonight, so I suggest factoring that into any arrangements you may have to make." The words sounded like they were trying to be helpful; the tone of the voice saying them came from an unfeeling robot. Still, the words were correct at least so far as Kazumi was concerned. Jun didn't want her worried and proceeded to call her.
"Yes, Jun?" Kazumi answered; it was around lunch hour, she was available.
"Hi, Kazumi, sorry to be such a bother," she began, "I've been called out of town for a last-minute substitution. The agency is covering everything, but I don't really know for sure when I'll be back. I know I definitely won't be back tonight." Still, at least in a situation like this, she could pretend it was a modelling thing; it wasn't disappearing in the middle of the night or later evening without frankly giving her any explanation at all. In those situations she didn't even try, what could she say?
"All right, thanks for letting me know. I'll probably just stay the night over at Takae's then."
"Good," Jun replied, "I hate leaving you alone, I'm glad you're going to have company tonight."
"I'll see you when you get back. Have a good time anyway," Kazumi said brightly. Jun said her goodbye and hung up. At least by the tone of her voice, Kazumi was taking it in stride. She showed far more patience than Jun had really earned, or deserved. And the question still hung worryingly close about Jun's head for her comfort; when would Kazumi know about her, about her situation.
"It's very irresponsible for you to keep that girl in the dark about all this and play housemates with her. You should have sent her away." Jun smouldered at the tone.
"I feel more like I can protect her if she's close by; if she's always going to be in danger, I prefer her to be watched, like I am watched. I don't trust the HA will actually do it if she left Tokyo." Jun saw Kogare shrug in the driver mirror.
"All right, then why not just have her taken into military custody. That way, you could tell her the truth," Kogare suggested, "That is, if there isn't something stopping you from wanting her to know." Jun grit her teeth.
"I don't care for your implication, Kogare," she snapped, "She's still a child, you're asking me to inflict military imprisonment on her. I'm trying to allow her to live a normal life, and to remain safe in doing so." Kogare tilted her head as the suburban landscape gave way to a mountain range backdrop.
"Is that really all? Don't you enjoy the power you have over her? Living in ignorant bliss, thinking you care about her, when all it really is is your ego; only you can protect her, and by God you'll make that Sirene beast pay... that is if she was even her parents murderer." Jun narrowed her eyes, and stared murderously at Kogare's reflected own. "There it is," she laughed, "The killer inside you. It's definitely there, no matter how you might try to deny it." Jun looked away, her intended response effortlessly cut off. She was capable of transforming into such a powerful monster, yet no amount of attempts to intimidate the two people she hated most in her life ever even got off the ground. Theoretically she could grow about eighty feet tall and crush them, yet she was sure her foot would bounce off a shield of pure arrogance, and cause her to fall flat on her face, probably crushing a building or two. If she wasn't so frustrated, it would have been a funny image, but she really hated all of this. And there was still some ways to go on this car trip.
"Just drive, that's about all you're good for to me," she finally said. That caused an involuntary twitch.
Good, I'll take it.
Kogare drove Jun through Tochigi and onto the country road that ran alongside the Nagano river. They drove past the village that shared the same name, an unassuming and as far as Jun knew quite a tourist friendly place; there were signs indicating nearby golf and fishing resorts. The Omoi River was just a bit further to the north, deeper into the mountain ranges. There were a number of small settlements, shrines and resorts dotted all around the mountains; and the air was becoming cooler and brisker. They were still some way south from Sendai, where Jun originally hailed from. The general geography and lay out was still pretty reminiscent of home. Finally, she knew they had arrived when they came upon a small brigade of police cars and a parked ambulance. This wasn't far from a trail that led up one of the nearby hills. It was a fairly clear area, no dense forests or foliage. If something happened here, not too hard to believe somebody might have witnessed something, or came across something as they were taking a walk along the riverbank. Kogare flashed her ID to get them both past the crime scene perimeter after they had parked and left the car some twenty five yards away. With the investigation of the immediate vicinity going on around them, Jun found Asuka was talking with an officer as an ambulance trolley stood next to them. The trolley was occupied, with a sheet over the top.
"Good, you're both here finally," Asuka interrupted the conversation she was in when she spotted the two of them approach. Jun saw that the officer, who was female, looked more than a little frustrated.
Join the club.
"About Goddamn time," the female officer remarked sharply, "Maybe now we can get an explanation of why you're holding everything up here, Miss Asuka."
"Kogare, take a look," Asuka gestured at the trolley, "We only have time for a visual assessment. Jun, you better see it too."
"I'm Officer Mika, by the way," the policewoman said, sounding irritable, "and I'm not going to get an explanation for why you're allowing a civilian to look at the body? No offence, but this lady here doesn't look like any kind of expert to me."
"None taken," Jun decided to reply directly, which didn't particularly ingratiate herself with Mika. Being realistic, nothing would. Jun could appreciate the situation she was in with this cadre of shady characters who shouldn't be interfering with a police investigation. Best to just get this over with and away from here as fast as possible, as far as she was concerned. She watched as Kogare lifted the sheet; she was rather surprised that Kogare started with the feet.
"Deep piercing wounds on her insteps, just as you said Asuka," Kogare commented. Jun found the sight of the wounds very unsettling. Also from the size and shape of the feet, this was a young girl, late teens at most. Just like Kazumi. Of course it wasn't the only notable thing in regards to her feet; her soles showed signs of walking along the trail, flakes of dirt stuck to them, and lots of little cuts. As the rest of the sheet lifted, Jun gasped. She couldn't help her reaction; the girl wore a tattered and frayed blue school uniform. One thing that was hard to escape notice was bruising along the girls shins and wrists, Even Jun was able to tell the marks definitely indicated that the girl had been bound tightly at some point The condition of the clothes suggested she had been under some form of distress for quite some time. The worst of it, however, were the girls eyes. It wasn't just the lack of life; it was the blank expression etched into her face. It all added up to a very disturbing conclusion.
"She died slowly of blood loss," Kogare intoned clinically, "If you can give me five minutes, I can take some samples and then you can take the cadaver," she said without turning her head, addressing both Asuka and Mika. Jun could tell immediately that Mika didn't approve of the idea. Asuka clearly had no qualms about her disapproval.
"You have them," she said, "If it bothers you so much Officer Mika, you can supervise. Jun, come with me, private talk." They both walked away from the crime scene back to the parked car Jun and Kogare had arrived in. Jun still heard Mika muttering curse words under her breath.
"This should be far enough," Asuka said as she leaned on the sedan's hood. "I hate having to deal with local civil servants, they're always less important than they think."
"Oh, I'm sure you're always just a bundle of joy to work with, Asuka," Jun replied sarcastically. Asuka smirked.
"I'm going to have to go to the police station, paperwork, protocol, can't be helped. Problem is, this is a tiny hovel, and it's going to be hard to keep word of this discovery spreading. People in the village are jumpy owing to the disappearances and some passers by have already seen the investigation site from across the river."
"So you fear the culprit might leave the area, and so we need to find them fast." Jun interpreted. Asuka nodded.
"Exactly; problem is the nature of this case is going to make the investigation difficult through conventional means. Mika told me that they've had a handful of reports of local girls going missing in the last year, and manhunts have been undertaken, but nothing turned up. This is the first find, but this girl wasn't among the local reports; at least Mika claimed she doesn't recognise her. That most likely means the girl was from out of town, meaning it could take weeks to identify her, so that doesn't even help us much," Asuka sighed. "The girl clearly came from the mountains, but the area is too big to search." Jun shivered.
"This case is really strange, but those wounds looked like..."
"The bite of a vampire?" Asuka suggested, Jun nodded. "The idea of such an archetypal beast existing conforms with numerous prospective analyses have been carried out into the different mutations. It's not an uncommon method of sustenance among the creatures on this little dirt ball."
"Yet, she was clearly bound and held against her will; an animal didn't do this to her, something with intelligence did," Jun realised, "Somehow she managed to escape, but eventually died from the blood loss. It might mean the other missing girls are still alive."
"Unexpectedly perceptive of you. Those were all my exact conclusions too." Asuka sounded a little proud but Jun still found it condescending. "I'm going to let Officer Mika know that we don't need you right now, and that you are going to grab a bite to eat in the village."
"You want me to hunt," Jun sighed, "Fine, give me a lift back to the village and I'll start seeing if I can find any leads there. Someone might have seen this girl, and remember if she was a recent tourist." Asuka nodded,
"The only real option we have, but based on previous incidents, I believe the beast must have some connection to this place. They like to hide in plain sight among humans and picking out they're prey. Makes me wonder if the mythic stories about werewolves and vampires are connected with the syndrome. Our researchers do think it's been going on for a very long time." Jun shifted uncomfortably.
"You might be right. But it's a long shot if I only have the afternoon. I can't promise anything," she told Asuka.
"I'm not expecting you too," Asuka shrugged and went to collect Kogare. Jun thought about the poor girl again; maybe Asuka thought hunting beasts came naturally to her; that wasn't the case. Wanting to prevent any more suffering like that poor girl must have gone though however, that very much did. She hoped dearly that if the other victims were still alive, it wasn't too late to help them.
Jun asked to be dropped off outside of a cafe among the first set of buildings along the riverbank. If she was looking to retrace the steps taken by a tourist visiting the area, it seemed like the best place to start. The green painted wooden sign identified the cafe as locally run by the Kobayashi family, sharing the name with her boss at Galatea. Related maybe? More likely a coincidence, and she'd only met the man once or twice. He was very hands off. It was a modern brick building with a conventional set up including out door tables covered by parasols. Inside there was a service counter, more white wooden tables with matching chairs and the walls were adorned with various bits of local art, and a community bulletin board among other things. Jun's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to one particular painting, which looked like a replica; but was very striking all the same. It was a very elegant painting of a geisha sitting outside of a ceremonial teahouse. The period depicted was the 17th century if Jun were to guess, but the art style suggested a contemporary date for its creation. The artist's signature was on the bottom left, which read Sonoba O. The name and the style wasn't completely unfamiliar to Jun. She did get the feeling he was quite famous, but she didn't take a deep interest in this sort of thing.
"Good afternoon," Jun heard. She turned around to see an older woman, maybe early sixties was now tending the service counter. The women's grey hair was bound up in a hair net, and she wore a white apron over her clothing. Her face was kind and lively, she seemed to enjoy her work. "My apologies, I was in the kitchen cleaning up. Can I get you any tea?" Jun took the offer in stride.
"Yes, that would be lovely. Mrs Kobayashi, I assume?" She said as she walked up to the counter.
"Mhmm. I see you noticed Mr Sonoba's beautiful Teahouse painting," Mrs. Kobayashi observed that she started preparing Jun's tea, "Another fan of his I take it?" Jun spotted a possible avenue.
"Why, yes. I take it you've entertained other visitors interested in his work?" Mrs Kobayashi nodded quite intensely despite focusing on her tea preparation, rather than turning towards Jun.
"There was a pretty young thing a couple of days ago. Think she said her name was Akari," the woman said gradually as she remembered things. "She'd arrived in her school uniform, even, said that she left Tochigi straight after class on Friday." Jun was already sure that she had found the identity of the victim from earlier. It seemed very lucky, but, this was a very quiet, small community. A tourist like this Akari would have stuck out.
"Did she plan to visit Mr. Sonoba, by any chance?" Mrs Kobayashi placed Jun's cup of tea on the counter.
"I can't say for sure. She seemed very excited, like she was keeping some kind of secret, " Mrs. Kobayashi recalled, "It was very cute, as if she was sneaking to a night time tryst."
"You think she was invited then, maybe?" Jun asked casually. Mrs. Kobayashi nodded.
"If they'd had correspondance by mail, perhaps he took a shine to her," she suggested. That presented an opportunity, Jun decided to carry her deception a little further.
"I see. I never would have had the courage to send Mr Sonoba a letter. I never thought he would bother replying." Jun sat at the counter and gently sipped from her tea.
"Well, he is something of a hermit, he lives up the mountain aways. Near the shrine. Not too hard to find if you just follow the mountain path. Doesn't give interviews, or anything like that, but Manako often told me he's quite diligent when it comes to correspondence. I imagine it must be nice to have the interest of so many young women." Jun noticed then, as she took a look around, a bookcase. She was looking for a book with a specific characteristic; one by Sonoba. It was time to generate a pretense to go knock on his door.
"I happen to be a fashion model from Tokyo," she began, causing Mrs Kobayashi to sigh pleasantly.
"I thought as much. You're very glamorous, but I wasn't sure if I should say that, I didn't want you taking it the wrong way." Jun smiled and laughed.
"Thanks for the compliment. It never hurts to hear, the thing is, I was on my way to a job in Nagano. Sort of last minute, and I realised I would be passing here. So I have decided to stop because I wanted to see Mr Sonoba, if at all possible. It seems really silly now, to go up there uninvited. I suppose I thought, he wouldn't say no to someone like me. That's really arrogant," Jun said with as much implied modesty she could muster, "I didn't realise he was so private." Mrs. Kobayashi nodded sagely,
"You'd have every other man around here in the palm of your hand if you so much as asked, but yes, Mr. Sonoba is fiercely private. Even more so after the family tragedy; his brother was involved in a car crash, I think. He lives with his sister-in-law and I believe she answers for him. Most people do get turned away without an invite."
"Would you mind, if I could take this artbook up with me? If nothing else, I could ask for an autograph. I didn't think to bring any of my copies with me." Mrs Kobayashi leaned on the counter and gestured for Jun to take the book.
"That will probably work. Manako would take it from you, I think. You still wouldn't get to see him, but you would at least have that to leave with. She's a generous sort. I'll just ask her for another copy next time she's here. Doesn't go out too much either, but certainly moreso than her brother-in-law." Jun picked up the book from the case and bowed in thanks to the café proprietress.
"Thank you very much, I really appreciate it." Jun then spent a few minutes to finish her tea, paid the bill and left; she had a mountain trail to follow.
The air around the Omoi's hills was cool and brisk. In the distance of the trail, it was possible to see the more prominent mountains of the area, including Akagi to the west and Nantai to the north, depending on the viewpoint. Jun passed an old Shinto shrine, where she decided to take a moment to call Asuka. She still didn't think she was going to be so lucky to find this devil beast; not with just one or two days to search. It was still best to be cautious and keep the taskmaster informed. Once that was done, it only took another fifteen minutes walk to find the Sonoba residence. It had an imposing wooden gate, which looked like it could have been built hundreds of years ago. The only suggestion that it was a more contemporary structure, was the presence of a call buzzer, built into the side wall. The Sonoba family must have been quite affluent to reside in a place like this. Jun rang the buzzer, and waited. It maybe took a minute and a half for a female voice to answer.
"Who is calling?" The terse voice said. Jun took a moment to compose a response and hoped she would come across convincingly.
"My name is Jun Fudo. I'm a fan of Otoya Sonoba's work," she said with as much unassuming grace she could manage.
"He doesn't entertain uninvited guests, I'm afraid. If you send a letter, he might give you an invitation," the voice replied, polite but firm.
"I was told as much by Mrs Kobayashi. I was just hoping to have one of my books autographed. It would mean a great deal to me, I'm not asking to see Mr Sonoba." The voice on the other end, which Jun assumed must be Manako Sonoba, paused a few moments and then replied,
"I imagine that will be fine. I'll come and get you, you can sit in the guestroom with me. It may take a little bit of time to convince Otoya to do it, is that all right?"
"Definitely! Thank you," Jun answered enthusiastically. This was going to be extremely awkward if it turns out to be a completely false trail, and Jun wasn't even sure what to do, other than find some pretense to try and sniff around. Jun gasped when Manako opened the gate. She wasn't a young woman; maybe in her early fifties. However, age had not dulled this women's appearance. Dressed in very fine silk, and her hair formed into an immaculate bun, Manako Otoba was striking, elegant and represented probably everything that any woman would want to mature into.
"My, Otoya's work seems to draw prettier and prettier girls to this door. Do you mind if I ask where you're from, Miss Fudo?" She asked gracefully.
"No, that's fine. Sendai. Well, I grew up there. I live in Tokyo now," Jun almost stuttered. This woman had such grace that even she felt rather cowed by it.
Manako gestured for Jun to follow into the courtyard, which had a small pond, well-groomed bonsai trees and a number of pretty, vases and display plates. Jun felt like she was stepping into history, here. Such sites were very common at what were now tourist hotspots, but she was a little surprised to find someone living like this; and maybe a little envious too.
"I take it from you not correcting me that you are single? That surprises me a little." Manako asked, "I'm not being too forward, am I, asking so?" They reached the front porch, where Manako slid the canvas door across to allow entry into the front tatami room.
"No, I don't mind. I guess I wanted to be independent. I focus on my job," Jun answered as she removed her footwear; an act of etiquette which she hadn't forgotten.
"Allow me," Manako gestured for Jun to hand her the shoes. She stored them inside the tatami room's cabinet, and Jun noticed a low legged table occupied the centre. It had been a fairly long time since Jun had gone through these rituals. The urban life was really becoming something different from what she had grown up with.
"Take a seat dear, I'll bring us through some tea," Manako said just before leaving the room through the internal set of sliding doors.
Jun sat down, crossed her legs and scanned around the sitting room's walls. It wasn't as bare a room as she expected, as there were a pair of bookcases, along with framed artwork dotted around the walls. And there were a set of framed diplomas that stood out; one for Law signed Sasuke Sonoba, one for Art signed Otoya Sonoba, and the last for Chemistry; signed Manako Hiragawa. She sat patiently for a few minutes, when Manako returned, carrying a decorated wooden tray with the teacups onboard. Manako must have noticed Jun's glances as she laid the cups delicately on the low table.
"Yes, Hiragawa is my maiden name. I studied before I met Sasuke," Manako sighed, "Otoya feels it should be framed and in view. My husband did not." Jun wasn't certain how to politely respond to that. Manako must have realised, and gestured an apology.
"Never mind, it's all in the past now. I look after my brother-in-law, and work as his representative. He doesn't much care for business meetings, so I deal with that for him. I'm happy enough with that. You mentioned your job, what is it that you do?" Manako asked as she sipped from her cup.
"I'm... I work in modelling," Jun said bashfully, as she considered sipping from her own cup, but placed it back down. It was strange that her normal vocation almost felt rather crude to bring up, but there wasn't much reason to be evasive about it. "My mother is actually a trained Doctor, I sometimes wonder why I never felt... very academic growing up." Manako tilted her head sagely. "Nonsense, dear. Your mother will certainly be proud of you, I'm sure of it. I imagine it's still stressful work, but I can picture you wearing most elegant gowns; it suits you," Manako complimented, as she stood up again. "Please, allow me to take your book to Otoya. It may take him a little while to get around to it, so make yourself at home," Jun handed the book to her as she continued, "Please, feel free to peruse the bookshelves. Though many of them are books on Law as my late husband was an attorney; Maybe that wouldn't interest you, I just haven't had the heart to move them yet," Manako sighed wisfully, "But, there are scrapbooks of Otoya's on that shelf there. I imagine you would appreciate the opportunity." Jun nodded.
"Thank you very much, Mrs Sonoba."
"Manako, dear, I don't think we have to be that formal, anymore," Manako said airily, smiling at her. Jun nodded again, still holding her tea cup. As Manako left, Jun concentrated to see what she could smell. The air was fresh, and there was a pleasant, almost fruity incense to it. There wasn't anything obvious that stuck out to her, not from Manako herself, or this place. Nothing obvious; but something subtle. There was a strange scent underneath all that; something peculiar that she couldn't exactly place. It was enough to tease at her curiosity; just as she was about to write off this lead. She left her tea sitting on the table, and carefully slid the door, just creating a narrow enough gap that she could squeeze through. Jun's instincts led her left, down the hall which turned to the right. Sliding through another panel door, Jun found a more contemporary styled room; an office or study. There was a computer work desk , a pair of filing cabinets and several more bookshelves. Sasuke Sonoba's work space, no doubt. The vague scent was ever so slightly stronger in this room, and Jun's suspicions went beneath the ground. There was a a simple olivegreen mat on the floor Jun picked up one end and lifted, surprised to find an unusually large trapdoor in the floor. Cautiously she found an attached cord and pulled gently. The hinges, did not creak. Clearly this was the entrance to some kind of cellar, which wasn't really unusual for a house this size.
It was taking a risk, trespassing like this, but this time would be completely wasted if she didn't make an earnest attempt to find those missing girls, and that would require a willingness to follow a path to the end, successful or not. Jun descended the wooden stairway into the dark, her supernatural senses easing her trepidations. Now the scent was stronger, and she could tell what it was; a mixture of tanned leather, paint, polish and metal. She couldn't see much more than the outlines of shapes in the dark however, so her first inclination was to look for a light source. She didn't have to look far, there was a light switch on the wall not far from the base of the stairs. As light filled the chamber, she gasped. Adorning one of the walls, were art pieces that not only depicted acts of sadomasochistic torture, but they depicted it happening in this very room. The presence of metal bars, chains and leather straps were all around the room, and the smells that emanated from them suggest some care was taken to maintain all of it. Also, it was rather clear that the art depictions were drawn by Otoya, with Sasuke and Manako as the subjects. And in all of the acts, Manako was the one being inflicted upon, being whipped or strung up in various profane ways. After taking a moment to collect herself at the shock of all this, Jun considered her next move, but her thoughts were interrupted.
"My dear, I'm disappointed. I didn't take you for a trespasser, or a snoop," Manako spoke piercingly from midway down the stairs. Jun stuttered, knowing she had no real defence now she was caught. "So what are you, one of those sleazy paparazzi type journalists? Or did you come here with more carnal intentions in regards to my brother?" Jun couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't dig the hole even deeper. "Well, it doesn't really matter," Manako continued as she moved in front of Jun. From one of her sleeves, Manako produced a perfume bottle. Jun wasn't prepared to react, as Manako sprayed the contents in her face.
"What, what have you done to me," Jun choked, as she felt a sensory overload and her body seizing up in a manner that she had never felt before. She crumpled to the ground, her mind still aware, but her body completely unable to respond to her will.
"Something smelt off about you. I knew from the moment you came to the porch," Manako sneered, as Jun felt her legs being forcibly lifted. Manako was using rope to bind her at the ankles.
"Otoya saw his brother as a misogynistic ogre, in the way that he forbade me to pursue my own intellectual pursuits and maintained a very traditional house life. So he tried to talk me into leaving this place with him," Jun heard as she laid helpless and paralysed, "And truth be told, back then I was completely pathetic. I guess little more than you are right now," Manako continued as Jun felt he arms being raised up and bound together. "Otoya wouldn't let it go, so it came down to a confrontation between the two of them, and Sasuke was the stronger. He broke the poor boy's legs; he was confined to a wheelchair." Jun felt Manako's breath as Manako leaned in to gag her.
"I do wonder if you feel the rope," she breathed into Jun's ear. "I don't really need to tie you up, as I'm sure you can feel. The paralytic effect of the toxin in high doses is powerful. It has a very interesting side effect, though. It takes a little time to gradually develop, so it will be some time before you can move and by then," Manako leaned in to make sure Jun could see her visage clearly, "You won't even want to escape, " she said through a smile. Jun looked into Manako's eyes, about the only thing she could voluntary do. What she saw in them terrified her; she had never felt helpless like this since she discovered her abilites. Whatever Manako had sprayed her with, it was incredibly potent. Jun felt herself being dragged by the rope as Manako continued.
"At first it was all a punishment. Otoya helpless in his wheelchair, drawing as my husband did those things to me. Because if he didn't, Sasuke would do much worse. He must have enjoyed having that power over us... and I think at some point, the two of us grew to enjoy what our roles were."
Manako was deceptively strong to manage it, although it was still a struggle, and Jun felt herself be cut by the uneven stone floor across her back. Eventually, Manako raised her by her arms, and placed her down on what felt like a raised wooden platform.
"Something unexpected happened, however, one time when Sasuke abused his brother; turns out Otoya was not so helpless after all," Jun heard. She watched as Manako came into her narrow sightline. Her captor grasped a lever on the wall. "This house was once the estate of a feudal warlord," Manako explained coldly. "He was a paranoid sort, and so there is a reason he picked this location to build this place. This room that you found, is merely Sasuke's secret, a place where he could be a beast. It existed close to the surface. My beast; is buried further down." Manako pulled the level, and Jun felt the ground give way beneath her.
Jun found herself dangling by her waist in close to total darkness. The lack of stimulation to her eyes however, was more than made up for by the stench. It wasn't what she expected; there was a very slight copper odour, the very familiar scent of blood that so often excited the beast within her. But it was dominated by a very different but no less disturbing smell; the musk of feminine sexual excitement. She could also hear something breathing heavily, something that wasn't human. It wasn't aware of her presence yet; the pattern of its breathing suggested it that it was sleeping. That was little comfort given her situation. As the toxin did its work on her body, she realised what Manako had meant by the side effect she mentioned; it was a powerful urge she felt desperate to quell, to find or sit on anything that would do, but her body remained paralysed. She hung there with her loins starting to drip for what felt like an eternity, her mind struggling to maintain self-awareness even; before a lantern light finally broke the darkness. Beneath her, Manako's visage appeared within the orange glow.
"I can see it's already started," she said as she caressed Jun's crotch, "It's a very potent aphrodisiac. The paralytic effect only happens from a large dose; in more manageable portions, it truly brings water back to the most barren deserts." Jun watched in disgust as Manako licked her finger.
"But what was truly most fascinating to me, was what happened to subjects who routinely receive large doses. Because the true intent of this chemical, is to ease the method of sustenance that my brother now craves. Truly there can never be a more efficient way to do this than to make your prey come to you. Observe," Manako held up the lantern and directed its light to to a wall in what must have been an underground cavern. Jun's eyes widened at what she saw; there was a man chained by his wrists by iron manacles. His torso was naked, but beneath that... beneath the torso was not what should have been there; if she had been capable, she would have screamed. Not many things rattled her quite so much now, but this still horrified her to the core. From the waist down, had grown a ten metre long snake. A snake not of scales but of skin, and abominable mockery of the man's phallus. And three girls, dressed in rags tended to it, were licking it.
"Come now dear," Manako reached forward and pulled on one of the girls by an arm,"Why dont your pleasure your newest room mate?" Manako did not phrase it as a question. Jun felt the girl rip at her clothing, exposing her womanhood; and then start to pleasure it.
"Right now, you really need this. Believe me, I know," Manako chuckled, as Jun felt the girl lick her nether.
"D-damn you..." Jun finally managed to speak, her tongue and vocal cords responding just a little bit to her will again.
"Oh, strange. You shouldn't be able to talk yet, not for maybe another hour if the other girls were any indication. But, it is a small sample size."
"Sis... sister. Don't, please don't tell me you've trapped another one," Jun heard a shaking, broken male voice emanate from the wall." Manako walked up to her captive brother.
"My dear Otoya," she said as she caressed his chest, "I've worked hard for us both. I've heard how you moan when you draw out the blood." Jun could just about make out Otoya's ragged face. He looked like hell, like someone who'd been captive in a dungeon for the better part of a year. His unkempt beard had grown out of control, his eyes twitched involuntarily, and he seemed barely present within them.
"The most recent one, I, I let her go. I cut her bonds and I let her go." Manako sighed.
"I thought as much, as this one turning up on my doorstep didn't seem like a coincidence. I'm sorry
Otoya, but I can't protect you any longer. This one is my last gift to you, but afterwards, everything must burn." Jun watched Otoya's eyes widen. He looked grateful at Manako's proclamation.
"You-you'll never get away with this. Others will come, they'll find you," Jun gasped through fits of stimulation. Manako held the lantern up to her face.
"I have to move on, true. But all they'll find here, dear, is ashes. The samples from Otoya that I've collected should make it possible to replicate. Until then, well, I have these three. You there, come now." Jun felt the constant stimulation finally stop as the entranced girl followed Manako's instruction. Manako ushered the other two girls who stopped tending to the beast.
"When enough of the toxin has been absorbed into your body system, the mind becomes completely malleable. It makes it possible to completely dominate another human being."
"You're a monster!" Jun cried. Manako shrugged.
"My only regret, is I do not have enough time to make you a love slave. I meant everything I said when I complemented your looks, it's unfortunate it has to be this way." Jun watched as Manako trailed by her victims walked up a set of stairs and disappear above, leaving her to her fate.
"I can't control it. It's about to wake up and feed!" the voice of Otoya emanated desperately. Jun watched in horror as the face of the snake finally raised from its torpor. Two pairs of blood red eyes addorned its horrific visage, and its forked tongue hung lazily from its mouth. Jun watched it slowly shift forward, making its way to her. How could it all end like this? She spent months fighting other beasts, besting them, proving her superiority; and here she was undone by that old bitch who simply sprayed her with this creature's toxin. Work. Work. Goddamnit, Work. Her body would work through the effects far more efficiently than a human body could, but it was now or never. The creature took its time, sniffed around her feet. Slowly it raised it's head, and Jun realised it was about to shoot its tongue into her instep; this was it. Only then, she felt the thundering through her body. Yes! The transformation had never felt as pleasurable as this; the substance's strange effect on her libido was still present, but the paralytic effect was fading fast. She felt her powerful muscles burst through the rope. She had a strong urge to sully herself. If it wasn't for the immediate situation, she wouldn't have been able to resist it; but as things were, she was busy. She dropped to the ground, and the creature hesitated. It seemed unusually slow and lethargic, for a beast that was suddenly facing a threat.
"Y-you're like me?" Otoya gasped. Jun looked towards him with a great deal of pity; his transformation was definitely corrupted. He was trapped in some kind of mongrel state, and the creature wasn't acting from his will. The creature finally shot forward, but Jun was prepared. She trapped the head underneath her arm, and the force of its struggles lifted her off the ground. The organism was like one giant muscle, even Jun's strength was not enough to completely control it. She squeezed with all her might, however and finally, it stopped recoiling, and she dropped to the ground. The head was mangled, but the creature wasn't dead yet.
"It will just revive itself, it won't die... Unless you kill me." Jun walked up to the pitiable human lump that was Otoya Sonoba. He stared into her golden eyes, with concentration Jun hadn't expected him to still possess. "I can see it. Underneath this, you're still a human being." Otoya's observation stalled Jun for a moment. It was unexpected, and something she was grateful to hear. "Please, from one human to another. I have a final request." He begged. Jun leaned in.
"What is it?" She asked gently. He grit his teeth. "I want you to end it, and burn it all, but, rescue the girls. And spare Manako." Jun sneered.
"She doesn't deserve it; I've never wanted to kill a human being like I do now."
"Please. She was a loving, kind woman once. Everything that's happened... its just twisted her." There was such a powerful yet pathetic sincerity in the man's voice. Jun sighed.
"Alright, I promise." Otoya sighed in relief.
"In all my years as an artist, I never even imagined what it might feel like to want oblivion. To truly be jubilant that it will just end." Jun nodded in agreement.
"I think I might understand it, just a little bit. I'm sorry about all of this." Otoya tilted his head gratefully towards her.
"None of it was your fault. I just hope Manako can find some sort of peace." Jun realised the gravity of what was happening. Otoya's body had mutated out of control, rebelled against his will and done horrific things that he didn't want to happen. And yet for all that, his thoughts were still of compassion for another. For someone who had done the things she'd done to him.
"Are we... are we all just monsters?" Jun asked out loud. Otoya smiled, it looked pained, but also honest.
"I only see a saint in front of me right now." Jun couldn't find it in herself to agree, but understood the sentiment. Instinctually, she reached forward. She felt a spark of energy, flow through her hand, and in an instant, fire consumed Otoya Sonoba. Fire so pure in its intensity, that he didn't scream; it merely took a few seconds for the entire body to be reduced to nothingness. Jun looked at her hand, realising that her body had evolved another ability.
"Like the fires of hell," she whispered to herself. She remembered Remi Takashima, the innocent child who could spark such flames at will, but hadn't learned how to control her power. Had Remi imparted a belated gift? Regardless, she wanted to burn Manako in the same way, to erase her awful existence. The power to snuff out a human life, so easily. But she'd possessed that ever since her first transformation, she just wondered where the alterations of her body would ultimately take her. The only thing that truly separated her from the beasts she fought so far, was she hadn't taken a human life. She stood aside once, but that wasn't the same. Nor was this, granting mercy to a desperate man. And a beast could still make and keep a promise.
Manako was hastily cataloguing and storing the chemical samples of Otoya's toxin inside her workroom, situated in a side room at the front of the house, along with the physical sample she cut from one of its glands within a leather bag. She was going to have to vacate the premises tonight, and killing her brother-in-law would give her no pleasure. At least he wouldn't have to suffer any more. She was busy, focusing on the task at hand, and only realised something was wrong when one of her slaves made a strange moaning sound. She looked towards the sliding door, and saw a very large, monstrous silhouette appear on the other side.
"What...?" She said, dumbfounded as a clawed hand covered in black fur pulled aside the door and entered the room, whatever the creature was needing to duck its head. Once in the room, Manako was flabbergasted at the well endowed titan that stood before her.
"Manako, you're done!", The female creature smiled toothily, as it advanced on her.
"Fudo? You're some kind of monster too?"
"No, the real monster is in front of me," Jun snarled, before raising her hand. Manako braced, and Jun was still in two minds in what to do, when she noticed the three girls had all approached her, and began pawing and licking at her legs.
"Look what you reduced them too," Jun sighed, as she lowered herself to try and comfort Manako's victims. Manako took the distraction and backed away.
"Look, just spare me. We can share it. You're incredible! Such a powerful and beautiful body. Human beings should just be this way before you. I'll do whatever you want," Manako then reached forward, and Jun realised in disgust that she was going to kneel to perform oral sex. Reflexively, she slapped Manako to the ground.
"I killed your brother. He wanted me to. He begged me to spare your life. That's the only reason I'm staying my hand," Jun growled. Out of desperation, Manako got up and grabbed the nearby oil lantern that she had left on the desk and hurled it at the very flammable wooden floor. Jun felt the immediate searing heat in front of her, and it was all she could do in reaction to quickly spread her wings and use them to defend the vulnerable girls. Quickly she pulled them up, holding them two under one arm and one under the other. Manako had immediately ran for it after grabbing the samples bag, but there was no way she was going to get far. Jun arced her wings, and shot up, smashing through the roof. The house could burn, a place where such horrors had occurred was better off to no longer exist as far as she was concerned. She landed in the estates grounds, right in front of a retreating Manako. She quickly dropped the girls softly on the ground, giving her free hand to grab Manako by the scruff of her robe.
"Pathetic, you were willing to incinerate your victims just to try and get away," Jun barked at her, "Well, you will never hurt anyone else ever again." Jun tore the bag from Manako's hands, and walked to the burning house, that was already entering the stages of a raging inferno. She pulled her hand back, and tossed the bag into the flames. All of a sudden, Manako dived past her, desperate to try and retrieve the bag. Only thoughts of Otoya's compassion made Jun reach forward and pull Manako back, restraining her with one arm. Realising it was all over, Manako finally bowed her head and accepted it. They heard sirens emanating from the base of the hill. Asuka would likely be heading up any response, so after dropping Manako on the ground and being satisfied that she wouldn't try to run, Jun reverted back to human form and tended to the girls she had rescued. Jun pulled the three of them in embrace towards her.
"It's over. You'll all be okay," she tried reassuring them, even if they were so distant they barely could hear her. She wanted to believe they could be helped.
Around two hours later, Jun sat in the waiting room at the local clinic, where she and the girls had been taken to. She didn't envy Asuka having to get the situation dealt with. Right now she would be fielding a lot of professional questions, and forbidding the police to be able to speak to Jun as a witness. Kogare had reminded her to rebuff any informal advances the local constabulary might try. It would have to be incredibly frustrating to be on the outside of all this, having three girls in that state without anything approaching a reasonable explanation for what happened to them. She never thought she'd be so glad to get back to Tokyo and back to the usual methods of beast hunting. Finally, Asuka entered the room. Jun stood up, wanting to hear any news about the three teens.
"I'm afraid that after a cursory examination, the early assessment is that those girls have undergone a complete destruction of their self-awareness. They've regressed to an infantile stage of development." Jun sat down and hung her head. In a very rare and unusual act of compassion, Asuka sat down next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "There's also the side effect of that they appear to be in a constant state of stimulation. I think we can only hope that once they've undergone whatever withdrawal symptoms are likely that their body functions return more or less to normal. Once we have time to properly debrief you, I will have the best experts we can field on this. You have my word."
"What else can be done for them?" Jun asked, hoping that would be better news.
"A long, probably never-ending period of social reconstruction. It will be hard, and I don't think they'll ever be the same. But they'll be back in the care of their families, ultimately." Asuka stood back up, heading towards the exit. Before leaving, she turned to Jun. "I know you don't always trust the HA. Which is why I've made sure to make their affairs a matter of record with the police and the medical staff here. The girls will stay with them. You can keep tabs on them if you want. I told them you could be trusted." Jun nodded gratefully.
"What about Manako Sonoba?" She asked. Asuka looked away distantly at the wall.
"An isolated trial, so as to properly address her crimes. Prison, for the rest of her life will follow. I think they will keep her relatively comfortable, just because it would be easier to buy her silence that way."
"All right, I think I did everything I could to keep my promise," Jun murmured to herself. Asuka continued.
"She did say some strange things to me. Something about her brother's body being underground, that if we retrieved it, we would potentially gain unfettered access to the toxin those girls are affected by. She was trying to bargain with me, citing a number of potential applications. Do you know what she's talking about?" Jun shrugged.
"There's no body to collect. Nothing was left after I dealt with him." Asuka smirked.
"Well, I can tell you're not lying. There's not much left of the house either. And I think that suits everyone for the moment. Is there anything else, Jun?" Jun shook her head, and Asuka left.
Jun sat for a while longer, wondering if she wanted to ask to see the victims she rescued. But like the memories burnt away at the Sonoba estate, she decided it would be best if she disappeared from those girls lives as well. She could always keep tabs from a tasteful distance.
Yuasa waited patiently outside Jun's apartment block. It was her first scheduled appointment in three days, roughly since she last disappeared early from that shoot with the photographer Tanaka. He had been a little bit concerned when Jun had called him and asked him to cancel two days worth of engagements. When Jun confirmed her availability for today, he had asked if she would mind if he picked her up and took her there. She accepted his offer. He was focused, quite intent on the front door of the building. As such he was caught unawares when someone approached him and hailed him by name. It was a bearded man wearing a ragged trenchcoat.
"Do I know you?" Yuasa asked.
"Yes, I gave you my name the other day." Yuasa realised who the man was.
"I don't believe this. Do I have to call the police?" He stammered angrily. Sakazawa put his hands up.
"I swear you won't see me again after this, but I felt the need to give you this message in person; in the hope that you take it more seriously. You have a wife and daughter, and a duty to protect them. You're putting them in danger as long as you remain close to that woman."
"Jun would never hurt me, or them. I don't know where you get these ideas from, but I would be grateful if you go back there and never return." Sakazawa shrugged, and walked away.
"Who was that, Mr. Yuasa? " He heard from behind him. He turned around to face Jun, who looked prepared to go to work.
"Nobody in particular. Just a man looking for directions." Jun stayed silent, as she watched after Sakazawa strangely. "What is it Jun?" Yuasa coughed. It seemed to snap her out of her trance.
"Oh, nothing. There was just something a bit familiar about him I think. Never mind."
"Then I hope you don't mind me bringing this up now. I wanted to ask, if you still want me to represent you." Jun's face showed mild surprise.
"Why do you ask?" Yuasa rubbed the back of his head.
"I think you've made progress leaps and bounds, with your own personal representation. I've sort of felt less and less useful to you, in the last few months. And please don't mistake my meaning, I think that's great."
"I, I see." For a moment, Jun didn't know what to say. Yuasa gauged her reaction.
"Really, if you think that you can handle your own engagements, it'd be beneficial for you to do so from now on. I'll still do the paperwork. I'll be around if you ever need to call me. But I think this is a good opportunity for you to grow and become more independent." Yuasa was surprised when Jun unexpectedly reached forward and placed her arms around him, and rested her head on his chest.
"I like things the way they are now. Can't we just keep them like that?" After a moment's hesitation, Yuasa recognised that for whatever reason, Jun's feelings needed some level of reciprocation. He calmly placed his arms around her.
"Of course. I have no problems with that." He worried about being too forward when he placed his hand on the back of Jun's head, but she stayed in his grasp for what felt like hours. Jun saw her own eyes in the window of Yuasa's car, when she looked over his shoulder. Her eyes glinted gold.