“Exactly what I said. The medicine won’t work,” he replied matter-of-factly, tilting his head. Faint blue and green lights rose up from his hair like steam, swirling together in a spiral.
“Then what’ll happen to Himari?”
“She’ll die,” he answered, all too casually, and the lights popped.
“Gimme a freakin’ break!”
After all that, it still wasn’t enough? No matter how much money and how much of his life he offered in trade, he still couldn’t save his beloved sister? Meanwhile, Sanetoshi smirked, enjoying Kanba’s despair.
“I’ll kill you,” he choked out. Then he climbed on top of Sanetoshi and grabbed both of his slender, pale wrists, pinning him to the chair he was sitting in. But his captive didn’t try to escape.
As Kanba tightened his trembling fingers, Sanetoshi’s faint smile never faltered, nor did he groan in pain. Instead, he simply whispered, “You’re wasting your time.”
“I’ll kill you!”
“What if there’s still a way you could save your sister?”
As he gazed up at Kanba, he snapped his fingers, and two shadowy figures appeared behind him. Sensing their presence, Kanba slowly looked up—then relinquished his grip and staggered backwards a few steps. The look on his face was precisely what Sanetoshi anticipated.
There stood Kanba’s dead parents, staring vacantly back at him.
“All you have to do is heed our curse,” Sanetoshi declared, quietly wishing he had a camera to capture the delightful expression on the boy’s face.
As for Kanba, his only option was to comply.
At the KIGA hideout, Kanba sat in front of several large computer monitors, holding a discussion with a group of men in black. The room was practically overflowing with black teddy bears, and their numbers were steadily increasing.
“The time to act is finally upon us. Load each train with fifty teddies.” Kanba looked around at each of the men in turn. “Do we have enough for every train line?”
“Production is underway and proceeding smoothly,” one of the men replied.
“We need three hundred more. Make it happen.”
“Understood. Survival Tactic!” he shouted, flashing a peace sign.
“Survival Tactic,” Kanba parroted back quietly, averting his sharp gaze.
“Bad news!” another man shouted on a different monitor, holding a cell phone in one hand. “Apparently the pigs found the room under the La Terre sculpture in Ikebukuro. A portion of the planning data is still there!”
At this, the men appeared mildly unnerved. “We gotta delete it!”
“I’ll handle that,” Kanba told them without batting an eye, projecting the resolute confidence of a leader. The other men applauded him, but he didn’t notice; he was already thinking about the next order of business.
Regardless of who led the organization, regardless of “talent,” his task remained the same: change the world and save Himari. KIGA was merely a means to that end.
“For now, just make sure to produce enough teddies,” Kanba muttered, then ended the transmission. The monitors all faded to black, and with the curtains in the room drawn, everything went pitch-dark. Pensively, Kanba walked among the stacks of teddies to a large armchair and sat down, his posture perfectly straight.
“Kan-chan,” called a feeble voice as Himari slid her slender arms around his neck from behind.
“What is it?” he asked without looking over his shoulder.
“Oh, nothing. Just felt like it.” She pressed her cheek to his and whispered, “We’ll be together forever, okay?”
Over the past few days they’d spent together, no matter how many times she asked him to quit, he refused to listen. He was clearly concerned for her, asking about her condition and making sure she wasn’t too cold, but when it came to what she wanted most, it was like he couldn’t see it at all.
“I love you, Kan-chan.”
Though they weren’t blood-related, Kanba had always looked out for her and Shoma, and he was an important part of their lives.
“I realized I don’t have to be afraid anymore. You were the one who showed me that, Kan-chan. And now I’m willing to do whatever it takes for the people I love.”
But Kanba didn’t flinch, nor did he afford her so much as a passing glance. The eyes that used to look after her now seemed vacant; it wasn’t clear whether he was actually looking at anything anymore.
“I’m sorry… I can only imagine how much you’ve suffered all this time.”
This outcome was the direct result of Kanba having to carry the Takakura family on his shoulders all the time. Truth be told, she and Shoma had picked up on this, but instead of acting on it, they took advantage of Kanba’s kindness, single-handedly driving him to the brink of self-destruction.
“I made this choice,” he replied in a low, quiet, almost emotionless voice.
“No. You made so many sacrifices…gave me a piece of your life…but I pretended not to see it.” Her arms tightened around his neck.
“Tell me, Himari. Do you remember the day we became a family?” He quietly reached up and touched her feeble arm.
“Yeah, of course.”
“You gave something to me that day.”
“I did?” She tilted her head slightly, then buried her face against his back. His black clothes smelled of dust, but he was warm, and his scent was familiar.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll save you, I promise.”
“Stop. Don’t put yourself in danger!”
No matter how tightly she clung to him, her strength would never exceed his. Still, she couldn’t afford to let go, lest he cross a line that could never be uncrossed. And at that point, he would officially be a stranger to her.
“It doesn’t matter if I die. Just stay here with me.”
Kanba sucked in a breath and held it quietly. Was he listening to her? Or was he thinking about something else entirely?
“You, me, and Sho-chan.”
She wanted to go back to the days when they were just three kids living in the Takakura house, waiting patiently for their parents to one day come home.
“I gotta go.” Kanba rose from the chair, but Himari refused to let go.
“No!” she shouted, louder than usual. “Go where?!”
Startled, Kanba looked over his shoulder and met her gaze. “Let go of me.”
She glared back at him. “I refuse!”
Then his expression faded, and his eyes grew vacant once more. “Let go of me,” he repeated, grabbing her arms and easily extricating himself from her grip.
Hastily, Himari latched on once more. “No!”