“Is that true?”
Minase’s voice was low, but it had gone rigid.
His secretary, Akiyama, reported with his head bowed.
“Kuroda jumped from the hotel. Kuroda… died at the scene.”
For a moment, silence settled over them.
Only the faint sound of flowing water could be heard beyond the garden.
Kuroda was dead.
It was hard to believe.
He recalled the call he had had with Kuroda a few days earlier.
“Chairman, someone keeps following me. I won’t be coming to headquarters for the time being.”
“I’ll submit my reports in writing. Please bear with the inconvenience for just a little while.”
“Their eyes keep following me. I’ll stop them somehow.”
“I’ll do whatever I can at my level to stop this.”
Kuroda’s voice had been firm, but there had been a trace of unease in it.
Minase had sensed that unease, yet had deliberately pretended not to.
A heavy sense of guilt surged into one corner of Minase’s heart.
Kuroda had been a core member who had stood with him for decades, solely for Japan’s revival.
And to such a man, simply because things had gone a little awry, Minase had thrown a teacup at him,
and humiliated him.
That image of himself came back to him.
‘Did I push him too hard?’
Minase’s hand trembled faintly.
He was sorry.
He wanted to apologize.
But Kuroda was no longer here.
Even so, his feelings had to be conveyed.
“See to Kuroda’s final rites without the slightest negligence. And make sure his remaining family can live the rest of their lives without lacking for anything.”
“Understood.”
Akiyama answered.
His spirits sunken, Minase stepped out into the garden.
This was Minase’s kingdom.
The ideas that changed Japan had come from here,
and the strategies that raised Japan back up had been decided here.
That was why Minase liked this place.
But today was different.
The air in the garden felt unlike usual—uncomfortable, stifling.
The carefully tended orchids and the silk carp gliding elegantly through the water could no longer bring Minase peace.
When he raised his head, he saw the buildings encircling headquarters like fortress walls.
Those buildings were a shield.
They were walls built to protect headquarters.
And yet, something felt strange.
Those walls seemed as though they were glaring at Minase.
The countless windows no longer seemed to be protecting him, but watching him.
The reassurance of being protected disappeared, and in its place settled only the unpleasant feeling of being under surveillance.
The fact that Kuroda had been tailed
meant the enemy had already found this headquarters.
It was no coincidence, either, that the planning manager of Arata Consulting, who had handled all the dirty work, had vanished as if evaporating.
It was all connected.
This headquarters, which he had believed safe as a fortress, now felt like a giant prison.
“Is it quiet outside?”
“There is nothing unusual.”
Minase asked in a trembling voice, but Akiyama replied as calmly as ever.
That drove Minase even more insane.
People loyal to the Seiwakai were disappearing and dying, yet this place remained peaceful.
The enemy had done nothing, but Minase felt the pressure.
Minase took out a strong liquor he normally never touched and filled his glass to the brim.
He felt a burning heat as though his esophagus were on fire, but there was no sense of relief.
He only felt more stifled.
Those buildings seemed to be drawing closer and closer.
As if they were tightening around him.
“I think I need to get out of here.”
“Pardon?”
Akiyama looked at Minase in surprise.
It was exceedingly rare for Minase to leave this place.
Even the prime minister came here in person when he wished to meet Minase.
And yet he was saying he would leave.
“Chairman. It’s dangerous outside. Right now, this place is the safest.”
Akiyama answered out of concern.
In Akiyama’s view, headquarters was the safest place.
Minase looked at Akiyama as if he found it unexpected.
It was strange.
In his entire life, Akiyama had never once voiced a differing opinion against Minase.
He was closer to a robot who did exactly as ordered.
And now, at this crucial moment, he was suddenly talking back to Minase?
Telling him not to leave this place?
Was there perhaps a special reason he needed to keep Minase here?
Suspicion raised its head.
Could Akiyama be a spy?
If so, it would explain everything.
Kuroda’s death, and the planning manager’s disappearance as well.
Minase’s gaze sharpened.
He called a bodyguard with a gesture.
“Lock Akiyama in solitary confinement.”
“Pardon?”
“Pardon?”
Akiyama and the bodyguard both asked back in shock,
but upon seeing the sharp look in Minase’s eyes, the bodyguard immediately changed his answer.
“Understood.”
“And we’re leaving this place. Prepare.”
“Understood.”
Akiyama was dragged away.
Minase’s kingdom, once peaceful,
had been twisted into distrust and terror in a single morning.
*******
“We’re ready, Chairman.”
“Very well.”
At the words of the bodyguards, Minase moved.
Unlike usual, Minase headed underground.
No one knew,
but the basement of headquarters was connected to the adjacent buildings.
It had been prepared so that he could make an emergency escape if needed.
There had never been any occasion to use it, but today he had to.
This time, the situation was different.
He had to be careful.
He had to get away from watching eyes.
Minase went to the parking garage and got into an armored vehicle.
Three identical armored vehicles stood in a row.
Minase climbed into one of them.
Only after getting into the car did Minase state the destination.
“Let’s go to Yokohama.”
The bodyguards nodded as if they understood.
The destination was a private dock located near Yokohama.
If they took the expressway, it would take less than thirty minutes.
There, an ultra-high-speed yacht Minase had prepared for emergencies was waiting.
He thought that as long as he got out to sea, no one would be able to pursue him.
“Depart.”
Once Minase boarded the vehicle, the armored car slowly left the parking garage.
Security SUVs attached themselves to the front and rear of the armored vehicle.
.
.
.
“The shut-in is going on a picnic.”
A transmission came in from an Obsidian Unit operative watching the area around headquarters from afar.
After finishing his report, the agent muttered with a snort in his voice.
“I mean, what’s the point of sneaking out if they come out in a pack like that? Even if you don’t want to be suspicious, you can’t help it.”
Upon receiving the transmission, I immediately radioed all personnel.
“Execute operation ‘Ensoku’—Picnic.”
The day Kuroda jumped.
We secured Kuroda’s phone.
From Kuroda’s phone, we were able to find several pieces of evidence.
A record of access not to the external network, but to an independent network.
That was the Seiwakai’s private network.
The target Kuroda had risked his life to hide.
The center of all this.
We were able to learn about Minase.
We learned that he was the one behind everything.
How should we catch him?
I had been wondering how to enter that massive castle, and right on cue, he came out.
‘Thank you.’
“Car One. Confirm whether it’s Minase.”
—I’ll get close.
A motorcycle with a rider in a black helmet drew near the security vehicles.
Just then, the cars were caught at a traffic light.
The motorcycle scanned beyond the bulletproof glass in a fleeting instant, then sent a transmission.
—Confirmed. Minase has been verified.
Before the motorcycle had even finished transmitting, the vehicles started moving.
But we had absolutely no intention of letting Minase go where he wanted.
“Old man. Get ready.”
—I’ve been ready for a long time.
Kurokawa’s rough voice came through the radio.
.
.
.
Just as Minase’s armored vehicle was about to enter the expressway,
a waste disposal truck ahead forced its way in.
Then, at last, it overturned.
The truck’s rear wheels struck the curb and wobbled.
The overturned truck and its waste filled the asphalt.
They slammed on the brakes and avoided the accident.
But it looked difficult to take this route.
It seemed it would take quite some time to clear the accident.
“Chairman, there’s been an accident here. It looks like it will take time to clear, so we’ll take a detour.”
“Do that.”
The vehicles chose the national road instead of the expressway.
They entered a narrow national road, but the situation was much the same.
A narrow two-lane road.
A waste disposal truck was driving slowly.
Its speed was awkward.
The road was too narrow to overtake,
and with so many curves, it was dangerous.
There was no clear line of sight.
They hesitated.
Should they overtake despite the risk?
Or should they continue like this?
But the bodyguard chose another method.
“We’ll turn off at the next fork.”
“Then we’ll be far too late.”
“I believe that is the best method right now.”
The bodyguard spoke.
Those words grated on Minase’s nerves.
Minase was a man who had locked Akiyama, who had guarded his side for over twenty years, in solitary confinement over a single suspicion.
There was no way the bodyguard’s behavior would look favorable to him.
“Just go.”
“Understood.”
A road appeared where Minase’s vehicle could turn off, but it did not take it and continued following the waste truck.
The waste truck ahead turned on its blinker and pulled to the side.
Thinking this was the moment, the bodyguard tried to speed up, but it was impossible.
Ahead, two passenger cars had gotten into a minor fender bender.
Now he understood why the truck had pulled away.
Minase’s vehicle also turned aside and took a detour.
When they did, that same truck appeared again, as though it had been waiting.
It was a narrow alley.
On both sides were the walls of old factories.
The navigation system grew busy.
“Recalculating route.”
“Rerouting.”
It could not find the road.
If he had his way, he would have stopped the convoy, reorganized it, and then set off again,
but cars kept coming after them from behind.
They could not stop.
Until they reached a space where the cars could stop, they had no choice but to keep moving for now.
With vehicles following behind them, they could not halt.
For the moment, they continued driving.
The alley grew narrower and narrower.
A width through which a single car could barely pass.
The waste truck ahead slowed.
And stopped.
Huh?
Why was it stopping here?
A sense of unease flashed through them.
The road ahead was blocked,
so they had to get out, even if by reversing.
A hurried transmission went out.
“All personnel, reverse. We’re getting out of here.”
But the vehicles could not reverse.
Two dump trucks were blocking their rear.
There was no way out.
The front and rear were blocked by vehicles,
and the left and right were blocked by the high factory walls.
“Raise security to Level Three. Arm weapons. Stand by in the vehicles.”
“Yes, sir.”
Not knowing what danger might be present, they waited in the cars for now.
They were armored vehicles. Inside was safest.
They kept honking, demanding that the vehicles be moved.
A long time passed, but nothing changed.
It was becoming increasingly clear that Minase was growing displeased.
They had to take action.
“Alpha Team. Check the surroundings.”
At the transmission, an agent got out of the SUV at the very front.
Using the vehicle body as cover, he carefully checked the area.
“Nothing unusual.”
“Delta Team, secure the rear.”
Agents from the rearmost vehicle got out and checked the surroundings.
“Nothing unusual.”
“Check the truck behind us.”
“There is no driver in the vehicle.”
“Then drive the truck and move it.”
“There’s no key.”
The feeling was ominous.
The destination had definitely been Yokohama.
But as they avoided the accident and evaded problems on the road, they had ended up here.
And yet it felt as though they had been dragged along according to a carefully written scenario.
If it was a scenario, there was no way no one was here.
They had to confirm it.
“I’ll go out and take a look.”
Minase merely nodded without a word.
The head of the security team opened the car door and stepped out.
After confirming that the security chief had emerged, all the security personnel got out of their vehicles as well.
They wanted to search the area, but there was nothing they could do.
The front and rear were blocked by vehicles, and the left and right were blocked by high walls.
The security chief went to the very back.
He had to start the engine, even if it meant tearing open the ignition box under the steering wheel.
The chief moved, and the team members covered him.
Pew, pew, pew, pew.
Though no sound had been heard, the bodyguards collapsed at the same time.
They could not even scream.
But Minase inside the car did not see that sight.
He was only waiting endlessly for the security chief to return.
The longer the wait dragged on, the more it felt as though he would go mad.
Irritation and fear surged over him at once.
The chief who had gone to check the surroundings did not come back,
and he began to hallucinate that this narrow space was closing in around him.
Even so, he did not have the courage to open the car door and go outside.
It was then.
Bzzzzzzzz.
The cell phone rang.
Minase checked the phone.
[Kuroda]
Minase nearly screamed.
A dead man’s cell phone had come back to life and was calling him.
The phone kept ringing with stubborn persistence, but Minase remained frozen, unable to answer.
He could not muster the courage.
Kuroda’s pale face seemed to rise before his eyes.
The ringing stopped, then began again.
Minase picked up the phone.
There was nowhere to run.
It seemed this was the person who had planned all of this.
He had a feeling this situation would only end if he spoke to this person.
He pressed the call button.
“What took you so long to answer?”
“Who are you?”
“How old-fashioned, asking for names. Would you even know if I told you who I was?”
“...Why did you set this up?”
“Are you a science major? Why are you so obsessed with cause and effect?”
“If I’m going to die, wouldn’t it be better to know the reason before I do?”
Minase spoke in as calm and composed a voice as he could, trying not to let his trembling heart show.
“I don’t really have a reason. It’s just that you tried to kill one of our people, old man. So revenge? That sounds a bit too grand. We’re just showing you that this is about how fucking awful we felt that day. Something like what Kagero did back then. Was it all right? Did you like it?”
“......”
Minase bit his lip.
The operation Kuroda had pushed forward was now coming back to Minase.
“Come out. Come out and let’s talk face-to-face.”
“Do you think I’ll go out there? This is the safest place.”
“Has our old man gone senile? You ran out of the safest house on your own two feet, and now you’re talking about safety inside a tin can? That’s hilarious.”
“What?”
“The security at that headquarters of yours was so tight we had a lot to worry about. But then you came out on your own, old man, and made our job easier. Thanks.”
Minase squeezed his eyes shut.
Akiyama’s loyal advice came to mind.
Blinded by anxiety and suspicion, he had failed to make a proper judgment.
He had walked into the jaws of death by himself.
‘Are you saying I, Minase, was frightened?’
“So come out. Let’s talk face-to-face.”
Minase did not answer.
To be precise, he did not have the courage to go out.
He intended to dial 110, report it to the police,
and hold out.
“You’re going to call the police, aren’t you?”
At the words that saw straight through his intent, Minase stopped moving.
“But it’ll explode before then. The bomb. The same kind of bomb that went off at the Port of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya is under your car too, old man.”
“What?”
“If you’re curious, try holding out. Let’s see which is faster, the police or the bomb. Now, starting the countdown. Ten, nine, eight, seven.”
With every number that fell, Minase felt his heart being squeezed tighter.
His hands trembled under the pressure, and sweat poured from him like rain.
“Four, three. I’m pressing it now. Goodbye. Two.”
“I’ll go out. I said I’ll go out.”
Minase snapped back irritably, then opened the car door and stepped out.
Once outside, Minase stared blankly at the scene before him.
All the bodyguards who had been waiting were collapsed on the ground.
They were the bodyguards who had protected Minase all this time.
But only for a moment.
People emerged from somewhere and roughly seized both of Minase’s arms.
Through them came a young man, accompanied by Kurokawa in work clothes.
The young man looked at Minase and said with a smile,
“It was a bluff.”
“What was?”
“The bomb. How would we attach a bomb when we didn’t even know when you’d come out, old man? But that actually worked? Amazing.”
Minase’s rage surged all the way to the top of his head.
He was the hidden power of Japan.
The brain.
He had made all of Japan’s important policy decisions.
And yet the fact that he had been fooled by such childish wordplay was so humiliating and infuriating he could hardly bear it.
Minase glared at his opponent with venomous eyes, breathing hard, but there was nothing he could do.
“Let’s go. First time here, right? This is Kurokawa’s waste disposal plant. It’s a good place. They’ve got an incinerator here that can burn anything without leaving a trace.”
At the word incinerator, Minase flinched.
“Come on, let’s hurry. Looks like the yakuza really had a grudge against you, old man. They must have gotten pretty angry after being dragged in this time. Maybe the police didn’t feed them or let them sleep.”
Hearing that, Minase let out a deep sigh.
Minase was dragged into the waste disposal plant just like that.
His retreating back was utterly powerless.
It seemed to paint a picture of Minase’s miserable future.