“He looks serious. Split into three groups and tail him.”
✦ ✦ ✦
They started across the street, passing in front of the stopped motorcycle.
✦ ✦ ✦
There was nothing strange about the motorcycle at first glance, but on closer inspection, the driver was a little unusual. She wore a leather jumpsuit and safety boots. The kind people wear in a factory to stay intact, even if several tons fall on them. There was a military style backpack slung over her shoulders.
✦ ✦ ✦
Her face was hidden beneath a full face helmet, but she was clearly female.
✦ ✦ ✦
Kotoe’s group reached the other side, and started following after Masaki. He had the Boogiepop disguise in a bag on his shoulder. Two of them took the lead, and the others took side streets, temporarily staying out of sight.
✦ ✦ ✦
The signal changed.
✦ ✦ ✦
"..............."
✦ ✦ ✦
The biker girl made a sudden sharp turn into the other side of the road, and roared off back the way she had come.
✦ ✦ ✦
Of course, I had noticed.
✦ ✦ ✦
The moment I saw that woman-the girl who had been so snide with Orihata, Kinukawa Kotoe-I knew the moment I’d been waiting for had come. Luckily, it looked like they didn’t know that I was onto them.
✦ ✦ ✦
I made a show of heading to a deserted area of town, like I’m sure they hoped I would, and then turned into a shopping area and had some fun going up and down elevators for a while.
✦ ✦ ✦
It looked like there were several of them trading off, but I wasn’t worried. I knew someone was after me the whole time, so I didn’t bother trying to distinguish between them.
✦ ✦ ✦
(Okay. Now what?)
✦ ✦ ✦
I was having trouble deciding. I did have an idea, but it was a tad. . .out there.
✦ ✦ ✦
(Right then...still not gonna change the fact that I’m pathetic.)
✦ ✦ ✦
I left the main streets for a stretch of dimly lit back roads.
✦ ✦ ✦
I knew this area well. This was the type of place I’d often patrol as Boogiepop.
✦ ✦ ✦
And this alley leading down to the station had a special place in my heart. I hadn’t been there in almost six months, though...
✦ ✦ ✦
Yet, it still smelled of stagnant water. You could never call it beautiful.
✦ ✦ ✦
"............"
✦ ✦ ✦
It made me a little sad.
✦ ✦ ✦
I’m sure I’m far too young to reminisce, but if I had no future, then who cares if I act like an old man? I just went for it.
✦ ✦ ✦
This was the place where I’d been surrounded by kouhai from my Junior High school. . .where I’d been saved by Orihata Aya. . .where I first met her...
✦ ✦ ✦
(Man, she sure bowled me over. I mean, just look at how she...)
✦ ✦ ✦
I could feel my face turning red at the thought of that memory.
✦ ✦ ✦
I brushed it off with a chuckle to myself.
✦ ✦ ✦
Footsteps came towards me from behind.
✦ ✦ ✦
I grinned, and dove into the shadows.
✦ ✦ ✦
The footsteps sped up. They were on the offensive. They weren’t going to just follow me around any longer.
✦ ✦ ✦
Another set of footsteps came towards me from the opposite direction. They had me surrounded.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Where is he?”
✦ ✦ ✦
I could hear voices.
✦ ✦ ✦
“He’s gotta be hiding somewhere!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Don’t panic. Every way out of here’s a dead end. He must be here somewhere!”
✦ ✦ ✦
I started counting.
✦ ✦ ✦
(One, two. . .six in all. Basically, the same number I saw from the window.)
✦ ✦ ✦
All men.
✦ ✦ ✦
“We split up and search?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“No. Wait. I have a plan.” This was Kinukawa Kotoe’s voice.
✦ ✦ ✦
That made seven.
✦ ✦ ✦
They were all here.
✦ ✦ ✦
I started to move, slowly and carefully. Her voice grew louder.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hey! Taniguchi Masaki-kun! Are you still in love with Orihata Aya?”
✦ ✦ ✦
I didn’t answer.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Do you know what she really is?” Kinukawa continued.
✦ ✦ ✦
“She never let you screw her, did she? Such a shame. After all the experience she’s had with those other guys. . .you know what they call her behind her back? The public toilet.”
✦ ✦ ✦
She was trying to provoke me. Trying to make me mad.
✦ ✦ ✦
I didn’t answer.
✦ ✦ ✦
“And you’ve got a pathetic sense of duty to a bitch like that?
✦ ✦ ✦
How can you be fooled by that little goody two shoes exterior of hers?!”
✦ ✦ ✦
In the darkness, I grasped the Nike bag, now much lighter.
✦ ✦ ✦
For a second, I closed my eyes.
✦ ✦ ✦
In my mind’s eye, I pictured her.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You ’re really strong, aren ’t you?
✦ ✦ ✦
“Masaki...will you become him?
✦ ✦ ✦
Wrong, Orihata.
✦ ✦ ✦
I’m not strong at all. Truth is, I don’t have any idea what’s right. Only way I get by is from paying close attention to the expressions of the people around me.
✦ ✦ ✦
But I think I can ‘become’ him. When you said that. . .when l was with you-It might just have been a delusion. But I don’t care if it was-even without evidence, without proof. . .isn ’t that what this is?
✦ ✦ ✦
“That girl’s better than anyone at fooling men. I almost feel sorry for how you jumped right into her trap. You’re the saddest person in the world...”
✦ ✦ ✦
As Kinukawa was talking, there was a sudden noise from behind her.
✦ ✦ ✦
The men rushed towards it. One of them kicked over a pile of wooden crates, exposing something hidden in the shadows.
✦ ✦ ✦
The empty Nike bag, lying right where I’d flung it.
✦ ✦ ✦
"......!"
✦ ✦ ✦
The men stiffened-their backs to me.
✦ ✦ ✦
Surprise attacks are over in seconds.
✦ ✦ ✦
I kicked them in the back, right between the spine and ribs, three of them in less than two seconds.
✦ ✦ ✦
“GUH!”
✦ ✦ ✦
All three of them went flying.
✦ ✦ ✦
The other three turned towards me. As I’d expected, they all had guns.
✦ ✦ ✦
But I was very close to them. I could attack as fast as they could aim.
✦ ✦ ✦
I bent down and swung my leg, sweeping the legs out from all three of them.
✦ ✦ ✦
All three lost their balance and fell over.
✦ ✦ ✦
I leapt on them, slamming my knee into two of them.
✦ ✦ ✦
Leaving them crumpled, I slammed my elbow into the third.
✦ ✦ ✦
When I stood up again, all six of them were unconscious.
✦ ✦ ✦
"..............."
✦ ✦ ✦
I quickly picked up one of the dropped guns.
✦ ✦ ✦
Spinning around, I released the safety, and aimed it right at Kinukawa Kotoe. And yes, I’d held a real gun before, back in Phnom Penh, and I sure was ready to use it.
✦ ✦ ✦
She froze instantly. “. . .T-taniguchi Masaki,” she stammered.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I think I may have underestimated...”
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’m not Taniguchi Masaki,” I interrupted, quietly.
✦ ✦ ✦
I wore a black hat and cloak. In this outfit, “I am Boogiepop.”
✦ ✦ ✦
I stepped slowly forward, and placed the barrel of the gun against her chin.
✦ ✦ ✦
But she wasn’t the least bit frightened. She gave me a confident grin. “Okay, point for you. You’ve earned my respect. If I told Axis about you, they’d probably pick you up, convinced you were the real thing.”
✦ ✦ ✦
I had no idea what she was talking about.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Tell me what you did to Orihata,” I said, trying to suppress my anger, but well aware that I was failing. I was this close to the edge.
✦ ✦ ✦
“But I just did. That was all true. She really has been with any number of men.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Did you make her do that?!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“So what if I did? She still didn’t tell you; she still betrayed you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Augh. . . . . .” My eyes misted over.
✦ ✦ ✦
I suddenly understood what she had meant all those times she’d said she was sorry.
✦ ✦ ✦
But I was a fool. I hadn’t noticed. All this time, she’d been asking for help.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’ll ask you again. . .where is Orihata?!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Fuck you!” Ignoring the fact that she was a girl, I smacked her with the butt of the gun.
✦ ✦ ✦
She spat blood, and fell over into the ditch water.
✦ ✦ ✦
Even then, she smiled.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hee hee hee hee. . .go ahead and kill me. After all, I’ve had my way with your woman all along!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Graah!” I could feel my head ignite.
✦ ✦ ✦
My hands were shaking so hard I could barely keep the gun pointed at her.
✦ ✦ ✦
I could pull that trigger at any second.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’d planned to leave a corpse for everyone to blame, but I’m just as happy leaving you a murderer. . .how about it?” she wheedled, venomous.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Sh-shit. . . !” Wave after wave of hatred poured out of me. I couldn’t stop it.
✦ ✦ ✦
With a will of its own, my fingers pulled back the hammer.
✦ ✦ ✦
With a click, it was ready to fire.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Rrrrrrrrrr!” Grinding my teeth, I could hear my blood roar-ing in my ears.
✦ ✦ ✦
Even though I looked ready to shoot her at any second, her gaze was directed not at me, but at something behind me.
✦ ✦ ✦
Alarmed, I spun around.
✦ ✦ ✦
Too late.
✦ ✦ ✦
Someone had snuck up behind me, and they touched my neck, moving much faster than me. A shock ran through my body.
✦ ✦ ✦
“GACK-?!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Suddenly unable to move, I toppled over.
✦ ✦ ✦
Electricity-a stun gun.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Idiot,” said a voice I’d heard before-a girl’s voice.
✦ ✦ ✦
But could it really be her.
✦ ✦ ✦
I struggled to turn my head, and at last succeeded. It was her.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I thought you were up to something dumb, but Christ. . .if I let you kill someone, how the hell could I ever face your parents?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Only one girl talked like a boy and ran around in a leather jumpsuit and safety boots, heedless of how they looked.