"I'm an Evangelion fan, though," Ogura said, his nostrils flaring proudly. Kuji had no response for that.
"Can you get on with the rest of the story? Besides, where did you even find that?"
"I was just about to tell you," Ogura said sullenly, and resumed. "I was lying on my bed writing my resume when I dropped my pen."
He had climbed down from the bunk bed and gotten down on the floor to look at the gap between the bottom bunk and the floor.
"That's when I found it. It was on the floor. There's definitely something wrong with that. He would never leave it lying on the floor like that. He was always careful not to drop it, and when other people touched it by mistake, he'd get really angry."
Kuji felt he had a point. The figurine was small enough to be hidden in one's closed fist.
"When was the last time you saw that Yoshida guy?"
"Five days ago. He said Mr. Morimoto found him a good job, and he was really stoked. He hadn't been working for about a week that time. He was pretty eager to go back. But he didn't come home that day. I had the late shift on the cash register at the convenience store, and even when I came home after that, he still hadn't come back."
"And you haven't seen him since?"
Ogura nodded.
"And when I looked the next day, his things and his sheets were gone, too. I hadn't found his Darth Vader yet, so I thought he'd moved out. I was kind of pissed that he didn't even say bye, but I figured that was how things went."
"You had other roommates, right? Did you ask them?"
Ogura shrugged. "I did just in case, but no one saw him leave."
Nango would probably have done a better interrogation. But Kuji had no idea what else he could ask. He tried to sort through his thoughts.
"Okay. So, one: Yoshida left. Two: His Darth Vader was left behind. We can't say for sure that Yoshida was abducted based on just these two things. But there's one solid fact that we can deduce. Yoshida wasn't the one who cleaned out his belongings. Correct?"
Ogura widened his eyes. "I see. Wow, you're smart."
"I just sorted out what you told me. There's a possibility[m1] that Yoshida was too busy and asked someone else to bring his stuff for him. But I don't think so. He would probably tell that person to bring the Darth Vader, no matter what. If the guy that packed for him forgot, Yoshida would probably come fetch it himself, or he would contact you and tell you to keep it safe."
"You're smart," Ogura said again, impressed. Kuji wondered what else he could think of. There was a phrase - one he heard on television often.
"The police have affirmed the possibility of foul play in this incident."
But if Yoshida had been abducted or disappeared as a result of foul play, would he bother to come and retrieve his belongings?
No. Someone had come to fetch them so as not to generate suspicion. If Ogura hadn't found the Darth Vader figurine, everyone would have assumed that Yoshida had simply moved out. Which meant that the person who had come to retrieve Yoshida's belonging had also gotten him involved in something sinister.
"Hey, remember how you said Morimoto might be 'one of them'? What do you mean by that?"
"Because he told me that Yoshida came to pick up his own stuff," Ogura answered. "He lied."
"He told you directly?"
"Yeah."
"When was that? Just now?"
Ogura nodded. Kuji could barely restrain himself from calling Ogura an idiot. He could have asked immediately after Yoshida left, and it would have been no problem. But asking now would almost make him seem like he had caught on to the disappearance.
If Morimoto really was one of the abductors, Ogura's question would have put him on guard. Yoshida's disappearance had already become an accomplished fact in Kuji's mind. And his final conclusion was that Yoshida had disappeared as a result of foul play.
But what kind of foul play? Was it what Song had been worried about? Kuji had no idea how to go from there. He stuck his hand out toward Ogura.
"I'll keep the Darth Vader for now."
Ogura handed it over to him without a moment's hesitation. "Sure," he said. "If Yoshida comes back and I'm not home, I wouldn't be able to give it to him, anyway. I've got work, too."
"Well, yeah, I guess," Kuji said.
Kuji left the building, sticking both hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. The entertainment district was lit up with streetlamps and neon lights, making the place seem brighter than it had been during the overcast day. He made his way toward the subway station when he was suddenly grabbed by the arm.
"What—?" Kuji was dragged forcefully into a gap between two buildings. He whipped his head up to see an angry face right up close to his.
"Nango!"
"You bastard, you didn't pick up my calls to meet! What have you been doing these past two weeks?"
Kuji desperately tried to twist out of Nango's grip.
"I'm not letting you go," the man snarled, snapping his teeth like a wild animal as he pinned Kuji's arms behind him and pushed his head against the concrete wall. A hand towel was shoved into his mouth before Kuji could even raise his voice. Nango pulled off Kuji's leather jacket down to his forearms and tied the sleeves together. His hands were bound behind him and he could not move. Kuji leaned against the wall.