“Wow, did that really happen?”
The day after the meeting, Banjo was in a room in an abandoned building used as a hangout spot, giving the full rundown to Ichimi, Jiro, and Sante, who hadn’t been at the meeting. The three of them, in matching hoods and masks, were longtime friends of Banjo’s. They didn’t take him very seriously because he was always unwilling to act with them.
“Well, she is known as the girl with the big appetite. And Usu’s the one who always has to clean up. Of course he’s angry,” Jiro said, stating his objective opinion while flipping through a magazine.
“But there’s no evidence it was her.”
“Nor is there any evidence it wasn’t her, Banjo,” Ichimi said calmly. Banjo frowned.
“Well, Yuri has a point, you know. Right now, whatever anyone does can be pinned on Rize,” Sante said, providing a voice of moderation.
“Exactly!” shouted Banjo. “I can’t let someone get away with using her.” He balled his hand up into a fist and looked around for agreement. Ichimi’s lack of excitement was inversely proportional to Banjo’s passion by a factor of one million.
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“Catch him! And if doubts become clear, then I’m sure Rize will be happy …”
Seeing Banjo looking so passionate, the other three were taken aback.
“Well, yes, probably.”
“Might this not backfire?”
“You might get killed …”
“Can it, guys. Anyway, that’s what I’m doing!”
Banjo thrust his fist into the air.
“But wait, Banjo. How are you going to find the guy?”
Banjo’s fist dropped weakly.
“I’ll … I’ll do my best.”
“You haven’t thought about this at all.”
“That’s very Banjo.”
It was a snap decision. But I can’t stop feeling like I have to do something to help her. Banjo started grappling for a solution, and the rest of them looked exasperated.
“Banjo, it’s time to start gathering intelligence.”
Jiro held up the magazine he was looking at to show everyone. The page he held up had a detective from a new film on it.
“Intelligence …”
“Usu is the one who found the body, so you should ask him first.”
This genuine proposal brought Banjo back to life.
“You’re right! I’d better hurry. I’ll go now.”
Unable to control his passion, Banjo ran off alone.
“Wait, Banjo! Do you even know where Usu is right now?” Sante yelled. It was five o’clock, the time when Ghouls started getting active in anticipation of nightfall. Usu was usually still out on patrol, nervously walking the streets from morning until night. That’s why he was able to discover the bodies that Rize had left behind, but it also made him harder to find. Banjo didn’t seem to have heard Sante’s yell, and that worried Ichimi. He felt like he had to run after him now.
“What can we do? We gotta follow him for a while,” Ichimi said, giving the instructions. He knew Banjo well. Jiro and Sante looked used to it.
“Roger that!” they said.
Banjo ran for who knows how long. Even a Ghoul gets tired, he thought, just as he spotted Usu.
“Usu! About that last meeting. I really don’t think it was Rize’s work!”
Usu frowned. “What’s all this about?”
A blue vein, that symbol of frustration, popped out on Usu’s broad forehead. I guess he didn’t think anyone would keep pushing it.
“Well, the thing is …” Ichimi cut in. “Usu, you’re the one who found the woman’s body in the, uh, beachside park. What kind of state was it in? Must’ve been a lot of hard work, wasn’t it?” He took over from Banjo and pushed for more details.
“Oh, the one on the weekend. Her stomach was slashed and all her organs had spilled out. The culprit might’ve taken their favorite ones and left the rest behind. I worked so hard to clean up the scraps and leave no trace. I’m hungry, too, you know, but I only have one meal a month, like we’re supposed to, and then she comes along …”
Usu clicked his tongue. For those who followed the rules, Rize’s actions were intolerable.
“Wait a minute, now, we don’t know it was …”
“Hold it, Banjo. Now, Usu, are there any telltale signs that this body was one of Rize’s?”
“The body at the beachfront park was more intact than the others, but they were all eaten in a thoughtless way, without concern for what to do with them afterwards. She messes everything up and then just leaves without a care in the world.”
Rumors had been going around about the Ghoul with the big appetite for a while. Usu had been going out on patrol more than ever lately, hoping to protect his own safety more than that of the 11th Ward.
“Anyway, it’s a real pain in the ass. Breaking the rules … How can we get free of someone like that?” Usu said in conclusion, trying to end the conversation. But Banjo slapped an arm around his shoulders.
“What?”
“Are we really free right now?”
Usu furrowed his brows.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m so tied down by all these rules, it feels like I can’t even breathe when I want. Is this really freedom?”
That feeling had come to him the day he met Rize, and it had only grown since.
“Rize can’t handle that, but since everybody else sees eye to eye, who needs the rules—”
“Banjo, if you say anything else, I’ll report you to Hagi,” Usu said in a low voice. Banjo said nothing else.
“The way you think is selfish. There is freedom in the rules. Quit pushing your fantasies onto everyone else,” Usu said clearly, then left.
“Dammit.”
Once Usu was out of sight, Banjo started chewing his lip. Pathetic of me to get scared at just hearing the leader’s name. If I was stronger, I could’ve told him what I really think. I’m so frustrated with myself.
“Look, Banjo, why don’t we go to the beachfront park?” Jiro said, hoping to give him encouragement.
I’m so weak. I can’t do much. But it’s better to do something than to sit around here wasting away.
“Right! Let’s go!” Banjo yelled, changing his attitude and dashing off ahead again.
The beachside park was empty at night, and the sound of the waves was all they could hear.
“I guess it’s easy to attack at night.”
Sante sat down on a bench, looking around the park. Although they were tired from chasing after Usu, they’d all run after Banjo as fast as they could. Ichimi and Jiro took a seat too, and looked up at Banjo.
“Taking a break?”
Banjo, who was more exhausted than the three of them, sat down next to them.
“I need to know, Banjo. Do you really have this much respect for Rize?”
“Course I do. Rize has many of the things I don’t have that I want for myself.”
Far in the distance they could see a boat bobbing on the sea, and the lights of an industrial area farther along the coast.
“She’s strong, both mentally and physically. So she can just live exactly as she wants. If I were that strong, all kinds of paths would open up to me … All I am is big and dumb.”
As he spoke he started to feel sleepy. Ichimi saw him start nodding off and stifled a yawn of his own.
“If nothing else … I want to be useful to her.”
It was a nice thought. But it was also what had brought Banjo this far.
“But Rize doesn’t need anyone’s help.”
“You’re right.”
“I think the kindest thing to do would be to drop it.”
The three of them gently trampled on Banjo’s dream. “Shh,” Banjo whispered, and drifted off to sleep.