A Standing Ovation With Izaya Orihara

In the Audience

"You are Izaya Orihara-san, correct?"

The bespectacled woman who was the real embodiment of the secretary image called out to Izaya, who had been talking with Haruto in the wheelchair s.p.a.ce.

Izaya Orihara came to this baseball stadium by complete coincidence.

Although he received the tickets, they were complimentary tickets for the unreserved seats regardless for the date, so he actually was unsure whether to go to the day game or night game until just previously.

Even so, the fact they knew his name, Izaya, meant they knew that information since the game had started through somehow. If there was any factor that could be thought of it would be natural to a.s.sume it was from Nec hacking into the wireless hidden camera network.

Sozoro stood there vigilant, while Nec was in the middle of soliloquizing, "did I miss something? No, there"s no way." Izaya turned his head slightly and spoke to the secretary-like lady with a fearless look.

"My, that"s impressive. For you to look up even my name. I have been a bit idle, so I do not know your names."

He returned the question with another question with an extremely and shamelessly worded att.i.tude.

"So? The vice governor Hiura or the executive Ryuusei Takioka. Which one called for me?"

The secretary-like lady stiffened. However, it was only for a moment; perhaps she concluded the tactic was to get her stuck in the mud, and she quickly regained her wits and answered honestly.

"Vice governor Hiura would like to invite Izaya-sama for a meal."

Izaya answered with a twisted grin.

"That sounds fine. I was just about hungry."

And then he moved towards the older man, who was distancing himself from him and pretending he was a stranger, and called out to him with a cheerful tone among the roaring of the crowd.

"Sozoro saaaan! Sozoro-san, you are quite hungry too, right?"

Sozoro scowled in complete distaste hearing his voice, but Izaya continued on using phrasing that expressed I won"t let you get away.

"It"s not nice to have complete strangers push my wheelchair, so I ask you to push."

"Really now, that wheelchair has a self-propelling function, if I recall correctly? I am sure you have utterly boasted it was a custom addition to the best foreign product."

"It"s to conserve the battery."

Izaya recited back without a care his voice could have been blown away by the people"s enthusiasm behind him.

"It"s the same as the game. We don"t know what will happen in the next move."

"Is that not life?"

– That is….

Iroha could see the scene of a secretary-like woman and a well built man making contact with Izaya Orihara.

– Isn"t that, vice governor"s Hiura"s?

Why exactly are the secretary and bodyguard of the politician connected with her employer taking her target of observation?

No, since they are people concerned with it they took the position of observing the target.

While she pondered on it as she watched them, an unknown voice from the audience called out to her.

"Heeeey, miss. One beer please!"

"Ah….Yes! Understood!"

She instantly switched to a sales smile and poured a beer from the portable beer server on her back for the audience member in the unreserved seat. And then after taking the payment, she whispered into the radio in a small voice as she moved away from that spot.

"This is B32. The target has made contact with the guest of the VIP seat."

Ryuusei"s Office

Currently the blinds were covered, but one could watch the game from the office"s window. However, it would be problematic to have someone look in from the outside, so the blinds mainly remained shut. Opening a gap in those blinds with his finger, Ryuusei gazed at a portion of the audience.

"I can"t tell from the naked eye. Should I have trained my eyesight?"

Tamae had been deciphering the hidden camera data in the stadium when Ryuusei deprecated that and nodded to his comment in understanding.

"Really, it seems like that old man and the children are part of Izaya Orihara"s group."

On the video recording from the camera at the entrance there was a boy pushing the wheelchair and a girl standing beside him. And the footage showed the figure of the old man walking a bit ahead of them.

"The woman with the laptop….it seems she came in much later."

"Does that mean she tampered with those security cameras in that span of time?"

"They were tampered with much earlier. About half a day"s footage was switched out."

"Then the possibility of the actual culprit being that woman is?"

Tamae quietly shook her head.

"I can"t quiet say that. First, Amagi-san was originally off for today…We could narrow it down if we knew the approximate time of death, but that"s impossible, right?"

"Yeah, to completely solve that would take time."

Ryuusei then commented as though he just thought of it.

"By the way, while it"s the main method used to cremate the bodies, did you know the chemicals they use in dramas are actually weaker than the optimum chemicals?"

"My, I didn"t see much drama so I didn"t know."

"It"s the same superst.i.tion as putting chloroform to someone"s face to make them sleep. If by chance the idiot mimics it, he prepares the trap for a certain blunder. The foolish criminals are simply manipulated by that and walk a tragic road. According to the prepared script by the creators that is."

Moving away from the blinds, Ryuusei continued his explanation further as he watched the footage from the hidden cameras displayed on the monitor.

"Those viewers who watch simple TV dramas create the illusion that they have controlled that piece of information and are thus contrarily the ones who are manipulated. Honestly, it"s hilariously pathetic, but it can"t be helped. There is a clear delineation between the ones who manipulate and the ones who are manipulated from the start."

The men around them and Tamae did not provide a rhetoric to him as he was working himself up. Although it was a different introduction than usual, they refrained from speaking since they knew from this point out it would be a subject they have heard plenty of times over before.

"What is that delineation? That"s right, it"s respect! But there are many guys who don"t know whether there is enough respect for something! There"s too many! Even though there is no more clear of an answer!"

Ryuusei paced the room exaggeratedly with a theatrical tone. He was unusually worked up, but his sister and guards already grew used to it and continued to listen to Ryuusei"s shouts without a care.

"Is it respect for the directors or scriptwriters who put in the tricks for the audience? Or is it respect for the novelists or mangaka who wrote the original work? Or is it respect for the sponsors who put out money?"

The man called the "executive" slammed down his feet and yelled.

"No! No! All of them are wrong!"

And then he declared to himself and the "place" he stood at itself.

"The one who should receive respect is the theater."

He placed both hands on his office desk and further framed his wording as he glared at the hidden camera footage displayed on the screen.

"The bundle of paper written with the pa.s.sages. In the frame of the television screen. The internet, a web of information repeating the pa.s.sion and flood of comments. The outdoor stage where the singing voices resound and the spreading woods around it. The stadium unraveling the drama called the game!"

Whether he was swept away by his emotions, he spread both his arms wide towards the ceiling and yelled.

"We can dance on this tragicomedy called life because everything has the stage – the theater! Life becomes so beautiful because there is production set on the stage! The earth, the world, and human society are, after all, its foundation! It"s nothing more than the foundation for building the theater. The s.p.a.ce created carrying that clear purpose can grant happiness to people. Isn"t that right?"

"You"re right. Quite so, brother."

Tamae answered, but there was no deep emotion in her voice.

All the male bodyguards looked at each others" faces.

Their simple thoughts were:

– Really, what"s wrong with the executive.

It was such a straightforward thought.

However, not one person spoke up.

It was disconcerting to think of the man making those statements in a non-acting theatrical manner as their employer, but at the same time they were aware. It was because he had this picky personality that he soaked his hands in crime and stood out among the Natsugawara group, clamored with ruffians at his side.

However, at the same time people who knew Ryuusei have felt unease. Ryuusei did not doubt he was the executive. His conduct backed by that self confidence was his weapon, but there were no brakes for his ambitions either. Eventually when there is a wall or a cliff he could not break through with sheer horse power an extravagant disaster would likely occur.

However, Ryuusei"s eyes did not have even a shred of uncertainty in them. His eyes shone with the hatred towards his enemies and the pride that he was the absolute executive of the stadium he called a "theater."

And now he changed the monitor screen to the camera footage of the inside of the VIP room Hiura was in. The room had a special material to capture sound and sprinklers installed in the wall paintings and ceiling, making it so a guest would mistaken it as "the perfect privacy room" at first glance. The conversations in the room were entirely kept within its walls, which should not be in the VIP room by any standard. But Ryuusei installed the same kind of cameras in all the VIP rooms since "it was with respect to the theater and special guests."

No matter what fundamental change the word "respect" became to him, there was no one who could resist Ryuusei maintaining his dictatorship with those values of his.

It was because they understood.

When the dictator created the "theater" – the Summer Tile Stadium – they also have done a fair amount of dirty work and enjoyed the benefits that came from it. Furthermore, betraying him would bring nothing more than him wringing their necks.

The man had put collars on his subordinates from the early days of him making his climb up the hillside road steadily. And now he had managed to create this enormous baseball stadium from the ground up by the ones shackled in those chains.

To expand his theater in accordance to his ambition now – he peaked into the deep abyss even more and tried to utilize everything.

Understanding fully well the other had been looking back long ago.

VIP Room

"I"ll give you forewarning, but this room is likely under surveillance by Takioka-kun. I recommend speaking here with that in mind."

Ranzou Hiura mentioned foremost instead of providing his name.

The man sitting in the wheelchair returned him a daring smile.

"Yes, I am aware. I feel there is one behind that painting and one in each of the sprinklers on the ceiling. The sprinklers have microphones in them, so the conversation we are having right now like this is certainly being overheard by executive Takioka."

Along with that fearless smile, the man in the wheelchair informed him that he knew the position of the cameras, meaning he intervened with the baseball stadium"s hidden system not accessible to the public.

– What is he thinking diving into enemy territory while aware of everything?

– Does he plan on taking the position for a negotiation?

"So? I don"t think it"s necessary for us to introduce ourselves to each other…..but first, how about you tell me what you plan to do? Izaya Orihara-kun. What is your aim?"

Hiura had asked as though probing for an answer. The young man in the wheelchair reminded with a ridiculing smile.

"Naturally it"s for the meal. You invited me to this room for that. After all, I cannot think a vice governor would call for one guest and lie about that."

"……You"re a cheeky kid. Maybe a good match with Takioka."

"It"s quite an honor to be compared to the baseball team manager who rules this wonderful stadium."

"Fine then. We can have this place"s chef make something. It"ll take time for it to arrive, so you can enjoy it."

A Pa.s.sage for Staff Use

Receiving an urgent call, Iroha Mayuzumi cut herself from the beer server, separated herself from the audience seats and returned to the staff"s personal s.p.a.ce audience members could not enter in. The chief of the sales department was aware she had a special position, so they did not particularly mention anything other than briefly glancing over to her even when she dropped off the beer server and took off. They just thought, "I guess another troublesome guest found a fault over something and is making a ruckus," so they focused on their own duties since it had nothing to do with them and called for other salespeople specialized in the division.

Even the ones who noticed the suspicious happenings in the underbelly of this baseball stadium especially were not willing to look far into the matter. For their own peace of mind they just simply handled the job given to them. All the same, they did not realize Iroha was involved in matters to the level of absconding people or of disposing their bodies.

– This is the worst. Will I have to finish that guy Izaya Orihara?

She gave a small sigh as she briskly walked the backyard.

The third investigation division carried murder and kidnappings numerous times in the past. Her role was mainly leading the target to where they needed to be or cleaning up the bodies, so she had not directly conducted murder.

However, she had the confidence she could kill her opponent if the order was given without fail. After all, she had killed people many times over before she was employed by Takioka since her early childhood.

She was originally a discarded child picked up by an underground organization and was instilled with various techniques and readiness to perform this work in practice.

She had killed people from underground organizations that opposed her foster father numerous times in order to guarantee her survival, but around the time she was fifteen years old she was sold off by her adoptive father.

To the financier overflowing with ambition, Ryuusei Takioka.

He seemed to have gathered people who would carry out his dirty work, so Iroha was a good p.a.w.n fro him to use as he pleased as she did not even have a family registry. She was given the alias as Iroha Mayuzumi, but that name was bought from another person. She had met the woman who arranged her registry, Kujiragi, but it was said she also was using another person"s name. As such she thought there were  must be surprisingly more people like her than she expected.

As a result of receiving training to blend in with the general public after a year separated from her foster father, she was able to adapt herself in human society enough to be thought as one of them.

Indeed, she adapted.

And so while there was no hesitation to do dirty work she would feel vacant after it was over. There were many times she questioned herself when she worked as a salesgirl watching the audience members switching between joy to sorrow during games if it was truly alright for an existence like hers to be among them.

However, unable to find any other way of living, she idly spent her life as "Iroha Mayuzumi", a life bought from another person.

Since she had not killed anyone directly, she could not ascertain if her skills have dulled or not. Incidentally, her foster father who raised her was indeed a killer and seemed to have once been a boss of an organization, but it was said that he was impoverished in a dispute with an organization in f.u.kuoka and in the end was finished by an even better skilled, well-known killer.

– What kind of killer was the guy who killed my father?

– Niwa…..Niwa…..?

– Was it "Naniwa samurai?"…..But if that"s the case, that"d be Osaka.

She did not seem to care who the adversary of her foster father was, but rather she held a philosophical stance on life and death to the extent she considered "it can"t be helped if he died."

Although, in other areas a portion of a human-like heart was nurtured.

– It"s about 90% impossible for the elderly man, but would I be able to kill Izaya Orihara?

As she was thinking those thoughts plainly, she recalled the boy she ran into earlier.

– But, I don"t want to make children cry.

– For Izaya Orihara to be able to have an eye on the executive even though he brings those children around with him.

– He"s probably not a decent person.

She headed towards the private locker room to change while thinking over the matter. Removing her jacket, the rising muscles in her tensed back became visible.

With enough muscle strength to carry a close to twenty kilogram full beer serving container for long periods of time without trouble and a body type of that of a model with a balance of both feminine lines and slenderness, one could see she was created like that by her training during her early childhood.

Iroha, not realizing that her sculpture-like body was unique, covered that skin in a new outfit with agile hands.

– It"s been a while since I"ve worn this.

Among the techniques for infiltration she had learned to sneak around within the baseball stadium efficiently, this was especially unique. It was for carrying out a certain service job in a VIP room, but she was relatively pleased with that work.

It was because the white and black basis of the work clothes calmed her wavering heart.

VIP Room

"Soon the meal will be served. The game is still at mid-way. You should take your time and enjoy it."

As Hiura spoke he looked over at the ground field to see the match coming near its fourth inning. However as Izaya gazed at the barrier of the gla.s.s window, he recalled a sense of unease different from just a while ago. It was a slight change, but for him who bragged about loving people, it was a detail he could not miss.

"It seems the enthusiasm has died down a bit."

"Yeah, it"s because Munakata"s four consecutive home runs have been hindered."

"I see. I haven"t noticed that."

Izaya was focusing on his conversation with Nec when the third home run was. .h.i.t, so he did not really follow what was happening with the game. Once, there was a moment he felt the audience"s voices of despondency, but since he prioritized the information Nec was providing him than that, he did not know that the Munakata player did not deliver on his great exploits.

– Yes, after waiting for so long and coming all the way to the baseball stadium only to see his great exploits unaccomplished, how would the people who support him think? Even though they came all this way to support him, would they feel disheartened or would they lose their spirits at the thought that "perhaps they lost because I came to watch?" I wonder which. Surprisingly there may be more of the latter.

He considered the people who thought their team lost when they watched the live stream.

– For those people who watch it live everyday, I would like to see the different reactions when their team has won or lost. Yeah, I want to see what type of expression they would give when their team has consecutive defeats.

Izaya bowed his head in deep thought of such trivial things, but whether it was mistaken as complicated emotions towards baseball, Hiura spoke up as he watched the player enter the batting box.

"The Natsugawara Serpents are a new-coming young, inexperienced team compared to the Giants or the Lions. And thus along with teamwork, a star to pull the flow of the match is necessary. Munakata has qualities of a star, but to repaint the world"s awareness some other kind of pressing impact is needed."

"Even if you caused a drug or a gambling incident, you wouldn"t be able to repaint the world"s awareness though?"

"You"re a man who proposes disagreeable ideas. You don"t say anything like, "how about bringing support to the baseball stadium". Do you hate sportsmen?"

Hiura remarked with a click of his tongue. Izaya shrugged his shoulders back and replied simply.

"Not really, it"s just that no matter what situation the player finds himself in, I will not abandon him. Whether he hits a 30 consecutive home run, manages a perfect game single handedly, gets two outs from hitting fly b.a.l.l.s, or strays from the path of glory by getting involved with gambling or drugs while on active duty, to me it is all just one side the players show me as humans. I love it. Hurray for baseball."

"I understand very well that you are making fun of baseball."

"This was before I was born, but the big controversy over the contract made from the hole in the draft conference"s system on the "vacant day" was the best, wasn"t it? Ahh, why was I not born at that time? Why was I not alive to see the faces of the people involved is regret-"

"That"s enough."

Just as he cut off Izaya, there was a knock at the door.

"Excuse me. The meal is here."

It was the voice of a young woman.

"Alright, come in."

Behind him the door opened, but Izaya continued to face towards the window regardless of it. And he continued to watch with a loving look at the audience and players" shifts between joy and sorrow.

What the audience embraced in their hearts during real time was the antic.i.p.ation of the attack or defense for their supporting teams. Put simply, the result that appeared shortly following one turn at the bat.

Whether it may be when the white ball land in the fairground or outside track, or a home run or dead ball. There were various sequences of events, but the people who support the winner and the people who support the loser all expose their emotions at the same time.

Izaya loved the moment where these opposing emotions swirled together.

If it was possible, he wished not only for the unreasonable but for unsavory preferences as well. Whether they were the cheering supporters of both teams were just half and half, or to see the joys and sorrows of the spectators" alternating expressions otherwise not shown in the diamond vision screen.

And then there was a voice right at his side.

"Excuse me. What c.o.c.ktail would you like me to make?"

Realizing the voice addressed him, Izaya glanced at the girl who brought the food for the first time –

He tensed as if the air caught in his throat.

His expression did not change, but clearly seeing Izaya"s entire form stiffen up, Iroha Mayuzumi, now changed into a bartender uniform, tilted her head in earnest.

– Ah, this is an amazing opportunity.

– If it was now, I could usually kill him, but…

Looking at the elder man"s face standing next to him, she discarded the immediate thought.

– Ah, it"s no good.

– Before I could slit Izaya Orihara"s throat with a knife, the bones in my neck would be broken first.

The moment she imagined finishing her target, the form of the butler-like elderly man intervening and breaking her neck with nothing more than his own bare hands came to mind.

– I guess it really is not possible for me.

Izaya Orihara"s bodyguard – Densuke Sozoro – did not necessarily release any killing intent or pressure. To the normal person they would only be able to see that he may have completely hidden his true skill, but to Iroha"s senses it told her he was more than abnormal. But not realizing her own abilities she started to think she just could not go up against him.

"? Is something wrong? You"re looking pale."

Seeing how Izaya turned an unsettling color the moment he looked at the waitress"s face, Hiura called out to him with doubt.

At that, Izaya returned to himself and shook his head with his usual smile.

"Eh? Yes, sorry about that. It is nothing serious. I just have a bit of a trauma with bartender uniforms."

"How would a trauma form from a bartender uniform…?"

"Hahaha, well, it"s fine, isn"t it?"

He smiled as though to deceive him, and then Izaya looked back to the girl wearing the bartender uniform.

"Alright, I don"t need any alcohol. An oolong tea in a c.o.c.ktail style would do."

"Understood."

The girl respectfully bowed and left to one of the bar counters in the room. While watching her depart, Hiura spoke.

"You won"t drink?"

"It"s a cowardly trait. I don"t have the courage to put alcohol in my body after diving into such a dangerous place."

"So you had the sense of danger then…However, it"s really nothing more than a VIP room. It"s not like anything dangerous is prepared at the bar counter in this room."

"Yes, but the big party rooms for karaoke boxes in Ikebukuro are like that too, you know?"

Izaya had completely regained his composure and moved his wheelchair to the side of the sofa. Then taking the c.o.c.ktail gla.s.s with the Oolong tea in it, he raised it in Hiura"s direction.

"To the prosperity of the prefecture."

Continuing, he said one phrase, moving his gla.s.s towards the hidden camera in the picture frame.

"Praying for the Serpent"s victory. Cheers."

"He made fun of us. Does that mean he"s confident?"

The edges of Ryuusei"s mouth curved up into a light smile as he watched Izaya giving a toast through the hidden camera. Despite the expression shown on his lips, his eyes were not smiling.

"Does he think we can"t do anything? …Does he not notice that if I give Mayuzumi the order she would pierce his heart or head with an ice pick?"

"Actually, wasn"t there a murder by the name Ice Pick Thompson?"

Tamae connected her brother"s statement with that, mentioning the American urban legendary killer.

"Yeah, he was quite something. The culprit has been unknown right to the very end. It was called the American version of Jack the Ripper. The criminal probably did fine work. But if he was a murderer who did it for purely business and not pleasure he"d have full marks."

"What do you mean?"

"If he really was another human controlling the stage of a murder play, then he wouldn"t have been able to cause the cases themselves unless it was a distorted hobby. That"s right, what"s important is what to show the audience and what not to show. The one whose in the position to make that decision is someone who can truly move the theater."

"I see, you"re right, nii-san."

There was not much of a true I see from her heart, but deciding that saying something to Ryuusei when he was worked up was meaningless she settled on saying that lightly. In another matter, she managed to gather outside information and tried to understand the human Izaya Orihara.

"…That man Izaya Orihara, it seems he got into trouble a while back. He was a member of the color gang, the Dollars…and this is just the city"s rumors, but it seems he had stabbed a cla.s.smate with a knife during middle school."

"Hmmm, In short, he"s just sc.u.m then."

Ryuusei snorted, but in truth he also was weary of the man Izaya Orihara.

Wouldn"t it the safest place for him be in the audience seating where anyone can see him?

Whether the plan succeeded or failed, he thought Izaya Orihara would have mixed himself in the waves of people returning home when the game ended and disappear, but he did not actually expect him to have readily accept vice governor Hiura"s invitation.

"What is he thinking? What is his aim? Why is he with children…"

After Ryuusei suddenly halted where he stood he gave Tamae an instruction.

"……Tamae, can I ask you one favor?"

"What is it, nii-san?"

"It seems the conversation between Izaya Orihara and vice governor Hiura will end smoothly soon, so can you go to the wheelchair s.p.a.ce and bring those children here? The reason for it will be……"Izaya Orihara-oniichan called for you," is probably good enough."

"My, do you plan on putting me in the play? Is it alright if it"s not right away?"

"Yeah, as soon as the discussion is over, there is a possibility vice governor Hiura will finish Izaya Orihara."

Tamae"s words were mixed with sarcasm, but Ryuusei told his sister with a smile from the depths of his heart.

"There was an opening, so I"ve made Mayuzumi part of the cast……I await for your performance, Tamae."

In the Audience

At the wheelchair s.p.a.ce Izaya left from. Currently there was Nec sitting on the pipe chair for attendants use, Haruto looking around aimlessly, and Himari standing there taking a philosophical stance.

"Hey, Nec-oneechan. Where did Izaya-san go?"

"h.e.l.l. To h.e.l.l. Hee hee."

Haruto was bewildered at Nec"s upfront answer.

"Izaya-san is a good person so he shouldn"t go to h.e.l.l! ……Ah, I see! He went down the thread like Shakyamuni right!"

"……You really know that story well, huh."

While admiring the occasional and strange broadening direction of Haruto"s knowledge, Himari moved her gaze over to the VIP seat in one of the stadium"s corners. Since it was far away she could not see with the naked eye, but she almost felt like something was squirming over there. She took out the opera gla.s.ses she bought with the change Izaya gave her earlier, and it slowly came into focus.

"Ahhh! Himari-chan, you bought that!? That"s so neat!"

Himari watched the scene through the magnified gla.s.s while Haruto was being  envious of her from the side. And then in one of the noticeably large windows above the seats newspaper reporters were she was able to confirm the figure she saw seemed to be Sozoro.

– So there.

– Seriously, if he is our protector, he should watch over Haruto until the end.

Himari then spoke to Nec, while muttering complaints in her mind.

"Are you still looking into something?"

"Hmmm? Well, I guess. I think that there"s a lot of disappearing reporters and yakuza around this guy Takioka."

"If you do such dangerous activities, then Nec-oneechan will also be killed and fall into h.e.l.l."

"Hee hee. Probably. But I can"t stop it. I wonder if this is how it feels for people who don"t stop smoking even when they"re told they"ll fall ill from it."

Nec shrugged her shoulders as she sat with her knees drawn to her chest on the pipe seat and told Himari as though boasting – no, she certainly told her just to purely boast.

"Look, this is the data left by the writer who pursued Takioka and a politician"s collusion. Various data was left on the cloud. There"s a treasure load of information like information aside from Takioka and even dangerous information on the politician. It"s amazing."

"……Why are you showing me?"

"Even if I show Haruto-kun he"ll just say "I don"t really get it" or "that"s amazing!""

"What is it? What are you talking about?"

Haruto, hearing his name mentioned, peaked over at Nec"s laptop from behind.

"Look, there"s a lot of articles from people that are probably dead!"

"Heeeh~! I don"t really get it, but that"s amazing, Nec-oneechan!"

Haruto said the exact words Nec predicted with a smile. And just like that, Haruto exclaimed "Ah! It"s Munakata"s turn!" and took off to the front of the unreserved seats.

Himari watched his back and hufed out a sigh before glaring at Nec with plain eyes.

"So? Is it fun exposing dead people"s secrets?"

"It"s the best. Hee hee."

Nec said in response and collected data owned by missing people involved with Takioka one after the other on her laptop screen.

Naturally she could look at data from disposed PCs after their death or their PCs that could not accept any external connections without any power supply or radio waves, but the mail data left on the server or organization"s network attached to it was similar to finding a mountain of hidden treasure lying in a lost sunken ship to Nec.

The name Nec was an alias she gave herself, but its origins were that of nicknames created by fellow hackers long ago.

She specialized in finding articles of the deceased on the net and dealing it as her own. This included e-mail addresses, credit cards or electronic money, and the data on the cloud service of the recently deceased humans. Her special skill was utilizing things that have not undergo the procedures for death or the remaining unrelated matters from those countless data and accounts making one think the dead came back and are continuing activities on the net.

The hackers could not grasp Nec"s ident.i.ty, but they realized this was likely being done by one person and thus called her Necromancer and Necrophilia; some admired her, some feared her, some bore hostility towards her, and some became fans of hers. However, she herself rejected the name as it was "not cute long," and she took the name Nec and continued her activities.

Then one day, she decided to fish for the data left by a man called "Izaya Orihara." He was an urban-like legendary information broker based in Ikebukuro and Shinjuku.

Nec, hearing he was done in by a Russian killer, dived deep and even deeper into the sea of the internet to find a large amount of data on him quickly. But from there, a certain trouble swooped down upon her. And that was her first defeat she had experienced.

Shinichi Tsuk.u.moya.

She knew he was a columnist who released numerous books related to the Tokyo city under that name, but he was a mysterious hacker with not one piece of information released about him. She had tried to infiltrate the data server Izaya Orihara managed but took a magnificent counter attack from the man which completely destroyed her laptop system.

She thought it could easily be fixed, but each data was left with a strange pa.s.sage in text: "Sorry, miss. This is a job I received from him. But with this I can finally take it over. Ah, that"s right. My name is Shinichi Tsuk.u.moya. Don"t misunderstand, Izaya Orihara does not have this much competence."

– I was toyed with.

In front of the truth that a far superior hacker lead her around by the nose, mercifully made it easy to restore the data, and moreover gave his name to put her down, Nec regrettably wrapped herself up in a blanket and continued to cry herself to sleep.

Several months later, one day she thought to regain her footing and start her activities again when there was a knock on the door of her house.

Have the police finally come?

Since Tsuk.u.moya contrarily infiltrated her she was prepared for it, but the one in front of the opened door was one man who sat in a wheelchair.

– "Hey. You"re pretty amazing. I received the e-mail from Tsuk.u.moya of the general situation, but you completely lost everything in a blink of an eye because of me."

– "It"s important to have connections. If you feel you are not an expert, then you should just become friends with genuine experts. Well, when I bring this up Tsuk.u.moya will probably reply, "I don"t recall her becoming friends with you."

That man was called Izaya Orihara. She thought he just died, but apparently he was saved from almost certain death.

– "I heard you are called a Necromancer."

– "There is a rumor going around that I"m already dead, but with my corpse……don"t you feel like starting a business using my remaining data?"

Nec reminisced over the past before continuing to fish for more data. At the same moment in the corner of her laptop screen the footage from the hidden camera was displayed.

– Seriously. Since he jumped into h.e.l.l, he"s quite an abnormality, that Izaya.

The statement she told Haruto previously was not even a metaphor. No matter how one could look at it, accepting an invitation from someone who knew they peaked into the place of murder was similar to going in for suicide. It was strange for her not to be taken as she has the laptop, but perhaps they planned to let her off the hook.

– Do they not think I would expose the footage of the cleanup of the body on the net during this time?

– Well I won"t do something that boring anyway.

She carried on with her work while chuckling to herself, and then she happened upon a certain data. It wasthe article data left by a free-lance writer who pursued Takioka. And in there were countless appropriate files as evidence.

– Bingo.

– Now then, what should I do? I guess I"ll leave it for Izaya and probably send an e-mail to Isozaka.

– What will Izaya feel like doing with this?

– Actually, I think after treading on such events, it"ll without a doubt first become a course accompanied with the Tokyo Bay concrete tour.

– Well, whatever. When that happens I will use his data (corpse) nicely….

– As according to our contract when Tsuk.u.moya took over his work. Kee hee hee.

VIP Room

"Now then, the meal is just about done, so how about we return to continuing the negotiations?"

The game on the ground was coming to its sixth inning already. The Serpent"s progress was alternating back and forth. It was a close game with the opposing team, demodulating a lot of the voltage of the audience.

"Really now, were we negotiating? That"s a first for me."

Izaya replied back with a smile towards Hiura who was holding a knife and fork.

"Then let"s start from here on out. Izaya Orihara-kun. Who is backing you?"

"There isn"t anyone…is what I want to say, but since I"m just an ordinary informant, if I have to say someone then the one hiring me would be the human backing me…is what that will mean."

"Is that so. If that"s the case, this will be quick."

Hiura made the sofa creak roughly and told the young man sitting in the wheelchair while giving a fake smile.

"You see, I"m saying I"ll mediate for you."

"A mediator, you say?"

"Yes. I don"t know if you realize it, but you are currently standing on thin ice. On top of that, it"s a layer of ice above boiling magma. It wouldn"t be strange when it melts."

"Now for that I"m at a loss whether I should be freezing or sweating."

"Hand me all the information you have on the current case. I won"t do anything bad to you, and I could persuade Takioka so you all can gain profits."

Hearing Hiura"s words fairly stated, Izaya looked up at the sprinklers above them and answered.

"I see, I see. That is truly an appreciated proposal. However…"

"Is there something you disapprove of?"

"For you to be able to decide the entirety of my treatment and business from here on out, vice governor Hiura, you already are seizing the initiative for that matter, are you not?"

Izaya continued further as Hiura fell in silent.

"To begin with, the business partners for that matter is not just you, correct? Could newcomers like us step into there?"

Iroha Mayuzumi had also heard the conversation from the back counter and felt an unsettling atmosphere at Izaya"s behavior.

– That matter, he says…..

– Does that mean this man Izaya Orihara is trying to get involved with that?

– I thought he wasn"t just a normal person, but just what big organization is backing him…..?

– Then that elderly man may be an extremely skilled professional killer or something sent from that organization…..

– He"s probably that incredible of an existence for him to not get killed and remain alive to that age .

On the other hand, Sozoro desperately endured not showing his shock on his face.

– He"s an unbelievable man.

– What is with this "that matter?" Still not knowing one thing about anything, he can give such an impressive bluff.

– Hm?

– That bartender girl is looking over here….She doesn"t have any killing intent right now.

– Just previously there was a bit of malice, but the fact she drew back in earnest would simply mean she was testing us though……now then.

By observing how the beer salesgirl distributed her walk and her focused gaze, Sozoro saw that she was some kind of professional fighter from his past experiences. And from the fact she appeared dressed in a bartender uniform this time, he deduced that it was probable the baseball stadium side had put surveillance on Izaya, or that she was a killer given the order to kill him, and so he remained vigilant.

– Although, what a sad world this is for someone like her to be wrapped in an air as though she has murdered countless people even though she is younger than Miss Nec.

Without knowing both of their reciprocal a.s.sessments, Izaya continued discussing the negotiation without knowing the contents fluently.

"First, there"s no guarantee. The moment we open all our cards, you may decide "now we can dispose of them" and the bodyguard-san over there could pull a gun out on us. When I think of that possibility, I"m afraid I cannot reveal that information."

"Even if we did not speak anything here, you don"t think we would pull out a gun?"

"If such an unfortunate accident occurs, in the case that I die the information of what you did in 1996 would only be leaked out to the world."

Hiura"s brow twitched at that. What Izaya mentioned was the date in the tax evasion doc.u.ment Nec previously showed him. It was a complete bluff, but he immediately responded to the mentioned date and a warped emotion ran through his mind.

"…I see, does that mean you want a shot at me? So you came to this baseball stadium knowing I was having the exchange for that here today."

"Please answer my question. How deeply involved are you in that?"

"…What I am dealing is only stage design and props. I"m not dealing with lighting and extras. I have no plan on being a heretic."

The conversation had a bit of out-of-place terms mixed in, but Izaya did not take any care at all to that as though he comprehended all the meanings of them and added.

"Haha, even by just pretending to look or not look at the lighting and extras is enough to be called a heretic."

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d…"

"Naturally, I"m also a heretic. Us heretics may get along, and there is a high possibility for us to establish business."

At that he cut off, looked up at the sprinklers on the ceiling a second time, or more precisely the camera lens and bugs installed in there, and stated.

"Well, that"s if the executive of this stadium is a human who has generosity to grant us."

Ryuusei"s Office

"…..Now he says it. With the position of a filthy murderer."

Ryuusei made a bold smile as he uttered that completely blinded of himself.

"Did this guy have the same att.i.tude when he was dealing with the Asuki group?"

The bodyguard who formally belonged to the Asuki group and pointed out Izaya"s existence in the first place was the one who asked that question.

"Yes, on the surface he is polite but with an expression as though he is initially looking through us…..he gave the impression like the world all moves to his will, and with him being this audacious kid even among other members his reputation was not well standing. Perhaps he also gave that impression when he changed jobs with the Awakusu group."

Ryuusei heard what his subordinate stated and shook his head after letting out a suppressed laugh.

"Generosity….I have generosity he says? Of course I have that!"

And then he declared, glaring at Izaya displayed on the monitor.

"But, Izaya Orihara. You are no good. Testing people is an act of doubting your opponent"s dignity. There is no respect, you just gave proof yourself you are a monster playing as a normal human being."

Ryuusei shook his head while listing off ridiculous reasons.

"There"s no way we can put a monster on our stage. If you become the monster that killed my precious, precious subordinate Amagi than it"s more so. Furthermore, that"s in spite of the fact of him trying to trample on our dignity with that kind of threatening manner."

And then Ryuusei informed his subordinates as he fixed his tie.

"Well, alright then. If you spit on your master, let"s see if we can tame the beast in the end."

"As according to my script, if he can shoot down that butler friend of his or the kids, there"s nothing you don"t use him for."

VIP Room

"Now then, thank you for the meal. It was an honor sharing this experience with you. Vice governor Hiura."

"…..Isn"t the discussion still not finished?"

Izaya shook his head at Hiura"s attempt to keep him here.

"It is unfortunate, but from this point on we cannot continue forward without executive Takioka here, correct?"

"Well that is true, but…"

"Well, it will be fine if executive Takioka gives an answer by the ninth inning I suppose. Besides, I have to make various calls on my end too."

Hiura nodded, that being a natural course of action.

"When we meet later, I hope you will give the name of your employer."

And then as he observed the young man in the wheelchair as though with admiration he said this.

"However, it"s strange. I have mistaken you as the top of the organization that is trying to get involved with us since you are so imposing."

"No way."

Izaya made a sneering smile and stroked the arm of his wheelchair.

"I am just an informant. I move according to the will of my employer, nothing more than a humble puppet."

"Nonetheless, do you feel like carrying out the contents of that threatening letter?"

A letter with a threat.

Sozoro immediately stopped from pushing Izaya"s wheelchair when he heard that term for the first time. Even for Izaya it should be information he heard for the first time, but what does he plan on doing? While Sozoro was wondering that, Izaya Orihara returned a shameless answer with his usual expression.

"Who knows? On the chance I sent that letter, do you think I would say "I sent it, but since we already put negotiations on the table I won"t follow through with it?""

"I guess that would be right. I asked a stupid question."

"Yes, myself, you and the executive. We don"t know anything. There is no threatening letter, and no incident happened in the underground warehouse. That will be fine? Right?"

"You"re a shrewd man."

Hiura spat out that comment with both scorn and praise. On the other side, Sozoro acknowledged in his heart that Izaya was "without a doubt a ridiculous swindler." He held onto the thought that perhaps the true character for this man who showed no impatience and managed to converse with the other about a term he heard for the first time without struggling at all could be something different from most people. Whether Izaya knew Sozoro"s train of thought or not, he had the wheelchair self-propel itself forward and left the VIP room, giving a strong wave to the vice governor.

"Now then, let"s meet again soon."

"Hey, bring him back to his previous seat."

"Yes, sir."

The male bodyguard nodded and walked in front of Izaya and Sozoro.

"Now really, I don"t need your concern, you know?"

Hiura shook his head.

"It"s nothing to worry about. It would be problematic if you accidentally went into another room. Mutually."

That meant, "we"re watching you so behave." Sensing that they did not trust a single thing about himself, Izaya softly smiled as though content with that and from atop the wheelchair gave Hiura a bow.

"I suppose that as well. Now then, with thanks."

And like this the rac.o.o.n and the fox finished their first probing of each other. With neither of the two=clearly not grasping what game they were scrambling for or if they could make a united front.

If there was any difference between the two- then Izaya Orihara was the only one enjoying this aimless situation to its fullest.

In the Audience

"Hey you two, can I have a moment?"

"Okay! What is it?"

When Tamae called out to them, the boy came over with an innocent smile and the girl looked over suspiciously and stood still.

– These are the children….right?

Tamae tilted her head to the side wondering if these two were the ones she saw on the monitors of the hidden cameras. When there was a night game on a Sunday, there were never many children in the baseball stadium.

– Besides, where is that gothic woman?

– When I checked the hidden cameras earlier she was here…

She heard her brother"s voice come through the earphone communication device she wore on her right ear.

[Orihara has left the VIP room. Hurry up. You can go through the B4 pa.s.sageway.]

Hearing that voice, Tamae showed a bit of irritation. But she immediately wiped that from her expression, and at the same time she confirmed these two in front of her are her targets she invited them.

"You two are children Izaya Orihara-san brought here, right? …Izaya Orihara-san has called for you, but would it be alright if you two come with me?"

She said the undisguised words meant as the kidnapping trick warned about in elementary school. Naturally, the girl plainly gave a doubtful look, but the boy nodded with undoubtedly, sparkling eyes.

"Is that true?! I"ll go now! Himari-chan, let"s go together, okay?"

"…..There"s no way we should go."

"Eeh!? Why!?"

"If Izaya-san was calling for us, he wouldn"t use other people, and more importantly you are not the same person as that woman with gla.s.ses that came to Izaya-san previously….."

The girl listed off those reasons, suspicious of her. Tamae let out a sigh, "yeah that would be right," and with a gentle smile she took a step towards Himari.

"You"re a smart kid, aren"t you? If that"s the case, I wonder if this is more effective."

And then when she drew closer to her face and showed her from the lining of her sleeves – a small hand gun hung from there – she whispered to her with a calm gaze.

(If you don"t come quietly, I"ll shoot that little boy friend of yours.)

In front of the baseball stadium, Summer Tile Road

At a shopping zone in front of the baseball stadium lined with ticket counters, souvenir shops, and stores selling baseball team goods. And at the end of that a mother-and-child pair got off at a taxi platform.

"We arrived sooner than I expected! It didn"t even take an hour!"

"We did it, Ayumi-chan! We can also take our time and watch the game, don"t you think?"

Usubara tilted his head to the side at his step-mother"s comment as though she already forgot their objective before glaring up at the opening domed shaped baseball stadium that was more than ten times the height of his own gigantic size. Izaya Orihara and Densuke Sozoro were here. At the very least, it was certain they were here at the first inning.

Thinking of when his revenge will be dispelled, Usubara had a natural smile form on his face. It was a smile by a simple boundless incentive, but in the case an outsider saw that with the bandages and scar, the period of time at night, and the many gimmicks that stand out had then transformed that smile into one of an evil demon. Every time people around him look at Usubara"s face they shook in fear and ran away, but there was no one who could immediately take notice of it now.

"Well then, Ayumi-chan, I"ll go buy us tickets so wait here a bit."

He heard his step-mother"s innocent voice, but he decided it would be best to not look over. He thought this step-mother of his would just leave him at a loss anyway, so the more he opposed her the more the purity of the struggle would decrease. With these feelings in his heart, Usubara gazed up at the baseball stadium all lit up, but-

The next moment, the baseball stadium vanished.

It was not just Usubara, but the pa.s.serby and even Yuuki at the ticket counter were wide-eyed at the sudden accident.

However, in actuality the baseball stadium did not disappear from existence. It immediately became clear it just looked like it disappeared. The mult.i.tude of lights that illuminated the Natsugawara baseball stadium until this point turned off all at once.

Dai"ou TV – Game Suspension

[This is from the broadcasting seat. Eh, currently, there is a large-scale blackout occurring inside the Natsugawara baseball stadium. This is being filmed with the emergency battery equipped in the camera, so we are broadcasting our voices via the outside broadcasting van.  Well, commenter Sasabashira-san. For something like this to happen.]

[Yes, I was quite surprised. I think the night illumination has enough emergency power to at least light the hallways and audience seating.]

[It seems there has been some trouble with the stadium"s electric system. When it recovers, the game will restart……]

15 Minutes Later, VIP Room

"…It"ll take quite some time to come back on."

While tapping the arm of the sofa with his fingers vice governor Hiura knitted his brows.

"Nishikino hasn"t come back yet?"

Nishikino was the large bodyguard who brought Izaya back to his seat. He should have returned before the blackout, but he still has not appeared. But if they did not have the light from the secretary"s smartphone they would not be able to see his face when Nishikino did come back.

"We cannot walk carelessly in this power outage, sir. The emergency lights are not even on for some reason."

"….Even the emergency lights, huh."

Hiura just started to feel a bit of uneasiness at the words of his bespectacled secretary, but then the electricity turned back on unexpectedly with the indoor fluorescent lights and the ground game under light equipment restored.

He wondered if the cheers emitted from the audience was from the release of their anxiety or the resuming of the game. During that moment of time there was the announcer"s official report even within the VIP room

"We apologize for the trouble. The game will restart in 5 minutes."

"Now like this Nishikino should come back…..go take a look out."

"Understood."

The secretary nodded and started walking to the outside of the door-

One moment after the door opened, there was a high-pitched scream in the VIP room.

When Hiura rushed over there, what was there was the secretary sunk down on the floor shaking, and the form of Nishikino dead, his neck broken.

What type of person is Izaya Orihara?

That is a troublesome question. Well now, he was a detective. There is someone who wants to know about Izaya-dono, you say. Well, I am not forbidden to speak.

Is it suitable if I give my opinion? Or do you need the objective view of how he carries out his role in society?

Hmm, my opinion. Then this is easy.

He is nothing more than an uncooperative, superficially dignified 5-year-old.

Furthermore, that 5-year-old may very well be the child with the worst personality you could ever imagine. Just like a child knowing he will be forgiven, he is the clever runt that craftily uses the truth.

If you were to ask me if I hate him, then naturally I should be able to say that I do.

If it were not for the contract and the debt I have towards him regarding my family, I may have already snapped that slim neck of his.

I think I can at least be a brake for him.

As a matter of fact, his actions are inevitable.

He should be called some battle crazed demon child who is not satisfied unless he jumped in front of his enemy while also having the ability to withdraw himself in a safe place.

The problem is it is almost as if Izaya-dono himself cannot fling himself at his opponents.

I have heard the rumors from that time.

That he would jump around freely with a skill called "parkour" and mince his opponent with the free manipulation of his knife, but with the body he has right now, it is unlikely he can do those same feats.

Nevertheless, that man seems to be enjoying even these shackles.

It seems the doctors have said that if he has the will he may be able to run around again, but he does not intend to walk that path right now. He exaggerates that it is his punishment, but in his heart he may be afraid.

Returning to his old self and once again returning to his home town: Ikebukuro. I have heard that it is the town of his beginning and his ending. With degrees of circ.u.mstances. However, if I may say so, he completely reaped what he sowed. He should be grateful for the town of Ikebukuro"s benevolence just because he was not killed.

However, Izaya-dono seems to have become even more attached to "people" since that incident. Until now he seemed to prepare the large quant.i.ty of convenient "p.a.w.ns" he kept a reasonable distance with, but in recent years it should be said he has come to seek for people to subst.i.tute for the "activities I cannot do" like I have.

In spite of the future of these old bones, there are certain things I have come to know consequently for living for so long.

That thing….the human Izaya Orihara"s true nature has not changed in the slightest.

It is not that I have seen that man as he was from before directly. I have not, but even so I could see the never-changing logic coursing throughout his being.

If it is a normal human being, then there are many without that logic.

I would be glad if at least that belief that dwells within him was good.

Well, there may have been a way to save him if he was completely evil.

But that is impossible.

The belief Izaya Orihara grasps is not a concept to divide into a form of good and evil.

Concerning the result, there are many concluding actions of "evil" but all are dependent on the swing of the pendulum.

No matter which direction it swings, Izaya"s actions will be "evil" to someone.

If I am capable of doing anything, I suppose I can try to suppress the amplitude of the pendulum.

However, I am poor at such work….

At least if Izaya-dono were to fall in love with one human something would change…. It is not possible. It is not possible right now.

Detective-dono, can you imagine it?

The sight of Izaya Orihara taking an interest in some pretty girl at a glance, giving himself to her even if he had to throw away everything else, so deeply in love he wants to also be completely accepted by her.

Good gracious. However, I think I would be grateful for the opposite. Think about it.

The mysterious person, who uses the art of coaxing, to truly love one person. Surely that man would then become "evil." To only obtain that person, he would be fine with destroying the world, killing people, or making a mess of society. Furthermore, we should be grateful in fortune. For that man named Izaya Orihara, a twisted philanthropist, to love the whole human race equally.

Hmm, detective-dono.

The one who told you to ask me about Izaya Orihara is no one else than Izaya Orihara himself is it not?

Well, it does not matter. You can tell him this as it is.

There is no need to reexamine you. There is no way for you to return to sanity. When you have finally gone mad, at least I, Densuke Sozoro, will finish you off. No, even when it is not possible for me to accomplish, that infamous man in the bartender uniform will eliminate you for certain this time. By that detestable monster who stopped being human as you call him.

However, from my perspective the one with the possibility of becoming a monster is you. Izaya-dono.

I pray to continue being human until my life has come to an end.

For Haruto-dono and miss Himari"s sake as well.

And more than anything, for your own sake as well.

Ill.u.s.tration provided by Soutenkyuu on Tumblr.