“Did you know Mado, Yanagi?”
“Not well, but I’ve heard a lot about his Quinque. There are a lot of guys who talk about Mado, and I’m so bad at handling a Quinque that I’ll be damned if I talk about anyone else, but I always envied Mado for his skill and knowledge when it came to handling one.”
A memory of Mado clutching his precious attaché case arose in Amon’s mind. Seeing the look on Amon’s face, Yanagi cut in as if he’d suddenly remembered something.
“Speaking of Mado, how is his daught—?”
Before he could finish his thought, the waitress appeared with their food. “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“Well, let’s leave the talk about the old days there, shall we? Eat up, Amon. The food’s really good here.”
Amon would have liked to talk more about Mado, but he nodded and started eating.
“The thing is, though, if the culprit really is a Ghoul, then where did this Ghoul take that schoolgirl? I know they found her barrette with Ghoul fluids on it, but her body was never found. So I wonder if, instead, she actually ran away from home or something …”
“Tojo, if Morimine heard you say that he’d flip out.”
“But then that means she might still be alive. Amon, what do you think?”
Amon set his chopsticks down.
“I have to be honest and say that at the present stage, I can’t rule anything out. But …”
“But?”
Amon sat up stiffly. “If a Ghoul was involved we will find and destroy it. Absolutely.”
“O-of course,” Tojo nodded, taken aback by Amon’s enthusiasm.
“For now, Amon, just keep your focus on the case.”
“Yes sir.”
They stayed out drinking for three hours. Tojo started joking about moving on to somewhere else, but Yanagi cut him off.
Amon wanted to get a feel for the streets at night, so he said goodbye and walked alone through the 8th Ward.
No eyewitness testimony. No body. So it’s possible that she was snatched off the street and taken somewhere private … Which means it’s highly likely to be a Ghoul with an ukaku, Amon thought to himself.
Ghouls had physical abilities far superior to humans. And the instantaneous force of an ukaku would easily overwhelm someone.
Amon checked the case files that Yanagi had given him to see whether there were any Ghouls with ukaku in the 8th Ward who repeatedly preyed on humans.
But there weren’t.
So it must be a Ghoul who recently arrived in the area. I should send a request to other branches asking if they have any information on a Ghoul with an ukaku known to prey on teenage girls, he thought, then checked his watch.
“I’ll do it when I get home.”
Amon picked up the attaché case containing his Quinque and headed to the train station.
This way’s the shortcut, he thought, going down the side street that Morimine had showed him. The alley was small and narrow, with no lights to show the way. Probably only locals know this route.
He heard only the sound of his own footsteps echoing as he walked. Then, suddenly, he heard voices somewhere. They were getting louder as he kept walking.
As he proceeded he saw a young man and woman arguing at the end of the alley.
“What are you saying?! I want it all, as soon as possible!”
“I’m sorry, please, this has to be the last …”
It seemed like the man blamed her for something. Sobbing, she took a white envelope from her bag and handed it to the man. He snatched the envelope from her hands and checked the contents. To the naked eye, it looked like a huge wad of cash. Is this blackmail?
“Hey, what are you doing there?” Amon yelled, rushing up to the two of them. They both turned to look at him, and their eyes widened in surprise. As Amon started trying to subdue the man, the woman yelled, “No!” and spread her arms, trying to protect him.
“Do whatever you like, you stupid bitch!” The man ran off, clutching the envelope.
“Hey, wait!”
Amon tried to chase after him, but the woman grabbed him. “You don’t understand, you don’t understand,” she said.
“Wasn’t he just shaking you down?”
“Ah …”
Then they both gave a yelp of surprise.
As they stood there in the dimly lit side street, Amon finally got a good look at her face and saw that she was the sophisticated woman who had told him where to go that morning. What’s she doing out at night giving a wad of cash to that guy? What on earth is going on here?
“I’m embarrassed that you saw that. I’m really sorry …”
She lowered her head in apology.
“But everything’s fine.”
She gave a weak smile and bowed again, then turned her back on Amon and started walking away. But her gait was unsteady.
Sure enough, she made it only three steps before she stumbled and hit the ground.
“Are you all right?” he called out.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry …”
Amon lent her a hand to help her up, and she bowed her head apologetically again.
“Are you sure you can walk? How are you getting home?”
“Someone is waiting for me at the train station. So I’ll be fine,” she said.
She looks refined, and she may well be, but there’s something suspicious about her. And what was that business with the money?
“I’m on my way to the station right now. Let’s walk together.”
Suddenly she looked at him suspiciously. “But …”
“This morning you helped me find the way to work. I owe you,” he said.
It wasn’t the only reason he wanted to accompany her, but something about what he said made her smile.
“Well … if you insist.”
“I do.”
They did not speak as they walked; the only sound was their footsteps. She walked slowly, taking ten minutes to walk what should’ve taken three or four.
As light from the main street began to filter into the alleyway, someone saw them and shouted, “Miss Koharu!” Koharu. I suppose that’s her name. Amon saw the elderly woman who had been with her that morning rushing toward them. Probably not her mother if she calls her “Miss.”
“Mrs. Otokaze, I’m sorry for making you wait …”
“It’s fine, dear. And who is this?”
The elderly woman she called Mrs. Otokaze stared up at Amon presumptuously.
“I got lightheaded and he was worried about me, so he walked with me. I’m not sure if you remember, but we met him this morning,” Koharu explained neatly, but Otokaze’s eyes still searched Amon’s face. She seemed wary of him. Between the cryptic conversation earlier, the envelope stuffed full of cash, and Otokaze’s attitude toward me, there’s no doubt that Koharu is caught up in some kind of trouble.
“I don’t know what happened, but if there’s something criminal going on, you should tell the police,” Amon warned Koharu. “This is not the kind of thing you can just put up with until it goes away. Because other people could get hurt, not just you.”
She might understand better if I talk about the impact on the people around her, rather than what might happen to herself. Amon’s words seemed to make her look at herself in surprise.
“Other people … Oh, you’re right, you really are …”
She nodded slightly as she mulled over what he’d said.
“You’re too kind,” she said and gave him a gentle smile. A blush spread across her pale cheek.
But Amon said flatly, “I’m not.”
“Um, may I have your name?”
“My name? I’m Kotaro Amon.”
“Kotaro … what a nice name. If there’s anything I can do to show my gratitude …”
“Please, don’t worry. I owe you for this morning.”
“You really are too kind,” she said. “Thank you.” Koharu bowed deeply before disappearing with Otokaze into a taxi waiting at the station.
This place is wearing me out already and I just got here, Amon thought to himself. First Detective Morimine, and now Koharu.
Amon sighed and finally started on his way home.