Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens

Top of Seventh Inning

When Lin woke up that day Banba was nowhere to be seen as usual. He seemed to have already left. Yamakasa sure is a troublesome festival. He considered deeply.

He tossed the clothes Banba took off and scattered around into the laundry basket. Even though he kept telling him to clean up a little, that man did not listen.

He turned on the TV. The morning news program was streaming right about now. It seemed they found a man"s body in Hakata Bay. His personal belongings were not on his person, so they were still in the middle of finding out his ident.i.ty. The next program was the sports corner. One of the local stars was high in spirits and was rejoicing in the Hawks" Victory from the previous day. He felt like he was watching Banba.

Before he knew it, it was already nighttime after he had cleaned the office and watched television. Guess I should go out and get some food. Just as he was about to put on makeup the door to the office opened.

The one who appeared was k.u.miko Izuku.

You again? He thought irritatingly.

a.s.suming she came to press for the results into the investigation, Lin answered before she asked. "If it"s about the whereabouts of your husband, we"re still in the middle of investigating."

He had yet to receive a call from Enokida. Since he told her he would contact her once he has a lead, he had tried to chase her away. However.

"That isn"t it." k.u.miko shook her head. "I came for a different matter."

"…..A different matter?" You came to give me more bothersome work again. Lin openly scowls at her.

"I experienced fraud. I was tricked by a man called the Niwaka Samurai."

– The Niwaka Samurai.

Lin"s eyes widened at the mention of a name he did not expect to fall from her lips. "Ha?"

"Please don"t tell the police."

k.u.miko said and with a calm demeanor began to explain what had happened.

k.u.miko had no doubt in believing her husband"s disappearance was due to the woman that was with him in that photo. And then her resent grew to the point she considered killing the woman. However, she was hesitant soiling her own hands. And at the time she came to know of the existence of an underground website from an acquaintance of hers. It was a suspicious website called Undergroundjobs.com f.u.kuoka Version.

k.u.miko had searched for a killer on the job application bulletin board on there. She then contacted the cheapest killer available. She was told, "we will meet with you directly and listen to your request. At that time we want you to bring 100,000 yen in cash as advance payment," and did just that.

The killers were a group of two with one being a samurai-like man called the Niwaka Samurai. The other was the manager Abe. She requested for the woman"s murder, handed over the payment and left. That was around one in the morning. She had received no form of contact since then. When she sent an e-mail asking about the progress, she received an error sending it. That was when k.u.miko realized she had been tricked. However, given the context she could not inform the police about this. Unable to consult anyone and puzzled on what to do, in the end she visited this office.

k.u.miko mentioned again for good measure. "Please, don"t say anything to the -"

"I won"t."

I wouldn"t in the first place.

"Since they were suspicious men, I followed them and took pictures secretly." k.u.miko took out photos from her brand bag. It showed two men getting into a white van.

"……You really are suited for detective work."

k.u.miko stated her third request. "Please take back the money from these men."

" – Say, do you know of G.G?"

Nguyen asked him suddenly while he was slurping his ramen next to him. The place was at a ramen shop near the Gates Building the same as last time. It was Enokida who had called for him this time.

"I know of him. He"s the legendary killer, right?"

"That"s right. Seems his real name is George Gondo."

"……That"s a first for me."

"An acquaintance of mine said he met him in person."

"Didn"t he retire?"

"Who knows. Maybe he resumed work."

Enokida changed the topic. "I figured out the man"s location you had asked for. He is living in an apartment in the Hakata ward. Here"s his address."

Though he said he figured it out, in truth he had known from the beginning. He handed over the note with Saitou"s address written on it. He gave his thanks, and after finishing his ramen he left the store.

Enokida took out his smartphone and made a call to Saitou. The ringing continued. After a while he heard the audio guidance start. [Your call is connecting to voicemail.] Saitou did not answer. Now that he thought about it, he recalled him saying he started working a part-time job at a convenience store at night. Then perhaps he was still in the middle of work. For the meantime he decided to leave a voice message.

[Please leave a message after the beep.]

"Ah, h.e.l.lo? Saitou-kun? It"s Enokida. To tell you the truth, you"ll be getting into some trouble soon. Well, to put it simply, a killer is going to your apartment. To kill you. So, good luck."

After that he proceeded to make a call to another person. As he was wondering if he was available, he picked up the call soon after. [h.e.l.lo.]

"Mar-san? It"s me."

[Ohh, Enokida. What"s up?]

"I figured out a lot of information on that hit-and-run case. It seems that car was a stolen vehicle. The plate number was also fake."

[So for there to be a fake plate, they must be someone working in the underground, right?]

"Probably. I haven"t found the stolen vehicle abandoned, so that means the culprit may still have it. And from what I saw from the accident there should be dents on the car"s front left side and scratches on both sides. I"ll send you a detailed photo and data in an e-mail later."

[Thank you. You"re a big help.]

Enokida dropped the call and lifted the ramen to his mouth. He slurped the broth as he was typing on his smartphone. Looking up what was going on in f.u.kuoka day to day while having a meal was Enokida"s daily schedule.

He spotted something that peaked his interest glancing at the local news. It was a follow-up report on case about a body found in Hakata Bay. The body had been identified as Tadafumi Izuku.

Tadafumi Izuku – he wondered if he had heard that name before somewhere. Actually, it was the same name of the man Lin had asked him to "look for his whereabouts." It did not appear it was a scenario of a different person with the same family name and first name..

Enokida muttered. "……He"s dead."

The meetup place with his client was at a jazz bar alongside the river in Nakasu. The client appointed it. When Jiro arrived to the bar, his client was already waiting. She seemed to be a young woman in her early twenties. She was sitting at the end of the counter with a listless expression. Jiro took a seat next to her.

Her name was Kaori. It seemed that was her hostess name. He heard the client wished for vengeance of her lover whom had been murdered.

After Jiro received the beverage he ordered, Kaori went straight to the topic at hand.

"……Are you aware of the body they had found in Hakata Bay?"

"Yes." Jiro nodded. He had just seen the news about it.

"That was my lover."

Kaori"s gaze dropped downward. "Although I say lover, what we had was adultery." She expresses in sorrow.

"He was the driver at the club I work at. We would talk a lot about various things on the way of dropping me off at home, and before we knew it we fell for each other……"

This was a bar filled with memories of him; she often came to this bar with him.

"He originally planned on leaving his wife. However he said his wife wouldn"t ever allow it. So he had planned on hiring a killer to kill his wife. And for that to happen he worked part-time as a driver and saved up on money. Since I loved him too, I decided on helping him. We both were steadily saving up on money."

And yet the other day her lover was suddenly killed. By someone.

He recalled the past. The cause for Jiro starting his career as an avenger was the death of his lover. Jiro"s lover"s life was stolen by a killer. Though he was called a killer he was an abnormal man who took pleasure in killing people and killed at random. Naturally, his lover had done nothing wrong.

He could not turn down a request from the ones bearing anger and resentment towards the person responsible for sending their lovers and spouses to death. It only seemed like he was looking at his past self, and he desired to hold a hand out to them. If he pays attention, he had been accepting mostly nothing but the same requests.

"Here," Kaori took out a thick envelope from her bag and handed it to Jiro. "This is the money we have been saving. Please, will you take revenge on the culprit responsible for killing Tadafumi-san with this money?"

His shift had ended and Saitou left the store. It was a ten minute walk from his part-time job at the convenience store to his apartment. Saitou walked swiftly under the gloomy evening sky.

Arriving at his apartment he searched for his keys to open the automatic locked door. After he fished through his bag, he noticed his cell phone was flashing. He had one voicemail. When he started the recording he heard a familiar voice.

[Ah, h.e.l.lo? Saitou-kun? It"s Enokida. To tell you the truth, you"ll be getting into some trouble soon. Well, to put it simply, a killer is going to your apartment. To kill you. So, good luck.]

"……Eh?"

– What did he say just now?

He replayed the message once more. Saitou carefully listened to the words. A killer is going. That was what Enokida is saying. Someone is coming to kill Saitou at his apartment. He did not understand. What is up with this so suddenly? What does he mean by that? Falling into a moment of panic, he made a call with shaking fingers.

Enokida picked up after the third call. [h.e.l.lo~?]

"Enokida-san! What do you mean by that voicemail?"

Enokida whispers "ahh" as though he has just recalled something.

[An employee from Murder Inc. asked for your location.]

– Murder Inc.

His muscles shook just by hearing that name.

"It can"t be; you told them!?"

[Well, it is my business. Sorry~]

"Wha-" He could not believe it. Saitou"s eyes opened wide. "Why did you do that?!"

[That"s why I"m apologizing.]

"This isn"t something that"ll be fine with an apology! Actually, is that att.i.tude of someone apologizing!?"

[I said I"m sorry. I"ll compensate for it.] Enokida laughs. [So try your best to survive.]

The other dropped the call. Saitou stood stock still in front of his apartment. Unable to grasped the current situation he was dumbfounded.

He looked up at the building. He could see an unknown man on the balcony to his room. He was watching the street while smoking a cigarette. And then suddenly he made eye contact with the man. "Ah," the man spoke. There was no doubt about it. It was a killer from Murder Inc sent to kill him.

At long last what he had feared had come to pa.s.s. h.e.l.l had come to greet him.

Saitou ran without any thought to it. He felt the man"s voice yelling "wait" from behind him. I got to run, he thought. At this rate he would be killed by the company. He ran with all his might to get away from the apartment the killer was at.

Someone help me. Save me. Saitou opened his contact list on his phone with those clinging thoughts in his mind.

Yamato made a displeased face when Lin intruded his work place at the host club Adams. He seemed to be rather annoyed being summoned while in the middle of work.

When he brought up the matter he wanted done, Yamamoto made an even more sourful expression. "Haa? Why do I have to do that?"

"Isn"t it fine? You"re off right now."

"Does it look like I"m off?" I"m in the middle of work, Yamato bore his teeth. Ignoring that, Lin repeated his request. "Anyway, find the owner of this vehicle and take their money."

He pointed to the photo k.u.miko took, but Yamato was not taking it. "I said no."

"You just have to follow them, take their wallet, and give back 100,000 yen. That"s an easy win for you, right?"

"And what if there isn"t 100,000 yen in their wallet?"

"Then just continue pick pocketing them until you get 100,000."

"Are you a dumb a.s.s?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I won"t do that."

"……About that club, Eve." Lin grinned. "The hourly pay is good, and the seniors there are nice, so I guess I should just start working there."

If Lin made a mistake there it would put Yamato"s position in danger as he was the one who recommended Lin. At Lin"s provocation Yamato"s expression changed. Just as he thought he would turn pale, the next moment he had a resentful expression. It seemed his threat worked.

"Dammit. Alright! I just have to do it, right?"

He plucked the photo out of Lin"s hand and left the club angrily. Although he was pushing the task onto others, at least one of the troublesome jobs was taken care of.
When he got back to the office it was already dawn. Banba had returned at some point and was sleeping on his bed.

After he took off his makeup and laid down on the sofa he heard the ringtone of a cell phone. The intro of Iza Yuke Wakataka Gundan began to play. It was not Lin"s. It was Banba"s cell phone. Even though it continued to ring Banba did not respond; he was fast asleep. The tune reached to its chorus.

"……Who is calling at this hour?"

He picked up the cell phone left on top of the desk and peeked at the screen. It displayed the characters "Saitou." He was also a common acquaintance of his, so it would be no problem if he picked it up instead. Lin pressed the accept call b.u.t.ton. "What is it?"

[Help me! Please help me! Save me!]

His screaming voice pierced into his eardrums. Lin grimaced and moved the receiver away from his ear. "……Calm down a bit."

[Huh? Lin-san? Where"s Banba-san?]

"Banba is," he glanced over to the bed. He did not feel he will wake up anytime soon. "He"s completely pa.s.sed out and snoring."

[Then, Lin-san is fine!]

"What the h.e.l.l do you mean by Lin-san? Wait."

[Anyway, save me! Please save me! Please!]

"……That"s why I said calm down."

When he asked what was going on Saitou explained his situation although a bit distracted. [I"m being chased by a killer! Please save me! Enokida-san sold me out! So an a.s.sa.s.sin came after me! To kill me! Please save me!]

"Haa?"

[Anyway, please get here quickly! Please!]

"Where are you right now?"

[I"m heading towards Hakata Station!] His breath was ragged. He must have been running all this time. He consented reluctantly. "Alright. Wait for me at the station."

Lin dashed out of the office.

Saitou"s legs were nearing their limit. No matter how much he partic.i.p.ated in the once a week baseball exercises, it had been a long time since he ran this hard. Maybe not since his high school club activities. Although he felt he could not lift up his feet or that they could tangle, Saitou just kept running. When he looked back he could see the silhouette of the killer in the distance. He picked up speed in his haste. If his feet stop, he would die. He would be killed. He told himself this to urge himself on.

Finally he could see JR Hakata Station.

He entered from the Hakata entrance on the west side of the station and pa.s.ses by the elevators in the center. The first train had yet to arrive, so there were hardly any people. Saitou concealed himself behind one of the pillars along the concourse.

While trying to regulate his ragged breathing, he looked around the area. Lin was not here. He probably had not arrived yet. Should I wait for him? Or should I go look for him? As he was wondering what to do to himself he saw the killer at the entrance of the station. He noticed Saitou and ran after him.

This is bad; he found me. His heart jumped in his chest.

What do I do? He looked around the area and searched for an escape. Saitou immediately took out his IC card and put it in the center ticket gate for the JR line. The killer was quickly catching up to him from behind, but the ticket gates closed faster than the killer could capture him. The killer tried to forcefully push through, but the staff stopped him.

Now"s my chance. Saitou ran further. He dashed up the stairs to the nearest platform, track 3.

On the third track platform a normal train was stopped bound for Kokura. It was a red and ash gray colored car. Saitou got on that and hide himself in one of the seats.

He was caught in the moment. Please close the doors quickly. Please take off right away. Before the man comes. He looked at his watch in prayer. There was three minutes left until the train departed.

It was then. He received a call.

[I"m at the station.] It was Lin. [Where are you?]

"I-I"m in the train. A regular train heading to Kokura."

Looking outside the window Saitou was startled. The killer was standing on a platform on the other side. He looked around him, searching for Saitou. At last he noticed him in this train car. The killer unhesitatingly jumped down onto the track. He attempted to climb onto the third platform.

Still connected to the call, Lin rushed to the platform. A train bound for Kokura was stopped at the third stand. Lin slipped through just as the train doors were closing.

"I got on the train." He looked for Saitou while walking through the pa.s.sageways. "Where are you?"

[I-in the third car.] His voice was shaking.

Lin was in the second car. He immediately headed to the adjacent car.

When he opened the door, Saitou was waiting for him; he was making a pathetic expression. "Lin-san!"

"Where"s the killer?"

"Over there." Saitou pointed with his finger. He saw a man on the other side of the pa.s.senger door. He was walking in their direction.

"We"re moving back."

He moved with Saitou  to the second car and then the first. There were no other pa.s.sengers here.

[Next stop is Yoshizuka. Yoshizuka.]

He heard the voice of the announcer. They would arrive to the next train station soon.

When we arrive, you get off the train and run. I"ll buy time. He was going to say that but stopped himself. What if that killer is just a decoy? It would be a repeat from Shindo then. He must not leave Saitou alone.

He pushed Saitou between the seats for four people. "Hide here."

"Eh."

"Just do it; don"t move."

Lin stood next to the pa.s.senger door and waited for the man to appear.

The door opened. At the same time Lin leapt forward and punched the man"s face. The man stumbled from the unexpected impact and collided with the opposite door. He collapsed in the canopy.

The man was holding a gun. It was entirely in an ocher color, and the tip had a noise suppressor on it. It was a gun he had seen before. Furthermore it was a large caliber weapon with a form suited for military use. It probably used 45 ACP bullets. Since it had strong power, one shot could be fatal.

The man stood back up and stepped into the first car. He kicked his arm. The man dropped the gun. He reached out to pick it up from the ground, but he would not give him the chance to do so. Lin made to slash at him with his specialty knife. The man gave up on the gun and stood up to face him bare handed. He seemed to have the confidence to handle himself in a one-on-one fight.

"You," The man asked with a miffed expression. "What is your connection with Saitou?"

Lin answered his question curtly. "Nothing much. I"m just a hired killer."

He persisted with his fierce attacks whilst conversing.

"And you, what is your deal with him?" He brandished his knife to create a diversion.

The man bent over, dodging the attack. "I"m just here to eliminate a traitor."

"M-hm," so that"s the case, huh, Lin grinned. "You should just leave a weak guy like this alone. That company Murder Inc is surprisingly cowardly."

For an instant the man"s eyes widened. He seemed shocked that he knew who he was. "It"s to prevent guys like you knowing of them if he talks about us."

They left Yoshizuka, and now the train should proceed to Hakozaki, Chihaya, and then Kashii Station. At some point they had pa.s.sed Hakozaki Station and were already heading to Chihaya Station.

Saitou poked his head out from the seats and watched nervously.

"So you are there, huh." The man spotted Saitou and smiled. He took something out of the pocket in his cargo pants. It was a bluish black, elliptical shape object.

– A hand grenade

You"re kidding, when that thought pa.s.sed through his mind the man removed the pin. He threw it towards the seat Saitou was at. Lin immediately leaped up to try and grab it. He stretched his body as much as he could like a runner when trying to catch the baseball. However, he did not manage to make it. The grenade pa.s.sed over Lin"s left hand and fell at the seat Saitou was at.

"Uwaaa"

Saitou stumbled out into the pa.s.sageway as he yelled out a cry.

The man had been waiting for it.

The grenade did not explode. It was a fake. It was to distract Lin and bring Saitou out into the open. The man picked up the gun while Lin was distracted with the grenade. He pointed the gun at Saitou.

"Look out!"

Lin yelled. He moved at the same time. Reflectively and unconsciously. He jumped into the pa.s.sageway to shield Saitou. He collided with him; he fell over onto the ground, tripping over him.

The gunshot goes off at the same moment. The bullet grazes Lin"s left thigh. A sharp pain shoots through him. The wound is hot as though it is burning. Even though it is just a graze it has this much force behind it.

The path of the bullet veered and missed Saitou.

" – Don"t move."

However, the man once again points the gun in their direction.

"Drop your weapons."

The man ordered.

Lin stopped moving and thought. What should I do? Should I do as he says? Or should I oppose him? Even if he waited for an opening and fired a shot with his knife-pistol there were too many risks. Lin"s weapon was short-ranged, and its blasting force was far weaker than his. Would I even be able to obtain victory with three shots of 22LR bullets? And what if I miss a vital spot? If he fires back it will be the end.

The situation put him at a disadvantage from what he could see. He had no choice but to obey. Lin placed his weapon onto the floor.

His past failing pa.s.sed through his mind. Will I fail again? Just like the time with Shindou. I"m not suited for this in the first place. Protecting other people"s lives. Besides a killer is different for a bodyguard. And yet, to protect a person"s life. It would have been better not to ask for me to do this.

"Dontcha make some excuses now."

Banba"s voice suddenly came to his mind.

Shut up, he thinks to himself. Ahh, that"s right. It"s my error. For that time when I left Shindou alone too. And even though there is no way he would cause an explosion on a train I was distracted by that grenade and turned away from my opponent. I"m such a bonehead for a pro.

"That"s why I always tell you, right? You gotta have a grasp on your surroundings." He recalled Banba"s words. That"s right. He has always been telling me that. To take into consideration the conditions left around me. How many outs are there. Where are the runners. Compare the speed of the runner and the strength of my arm to make an out at the adequate place. It"s the same for this job.

Lin quickly glanced around him to try and grasp his conditions and put his mind to work.

The ground is within a train. We are just about to leave Chihaya Station.

I"m unarmed. We are standing roughly between the exits on both sides. There"s a means to retreat. However, my leg is injured. It"s a minor wound, but it would be difficult trying to run with Saitou right now.

And the enemy? He is standing directly in the middle of the pa.s.sageway between seats and is holding a gun. The gun is pointed at my head. If I make the slightest move he could pull the trigger at any moment. In this narrow car I cannot dodge from the range of the blast.

Think. Of a way to cut through. Somehow I have to distract this man"s attention. Could I delay the time it would take for him to pull the trigger even if it"s just for a moment?

The train was moving. He saw the familiar landscape outside the window from Chihaya to Kashii. Now that I think about it, he considers. I used to live nearby here some time ago. When I used to be a killer for the Kakyuu Group, I commuted on this train. That"s right. This is my home (stronghold).

– Find it. A way to cut through.

"……Tell me." Lin asks him. "Are you from f.u.kuoka?"

The man shook his head while still holding the gun towards him. "No. I"m on a trip here."

An outsider then? That"s perfect. "Then you probably don"t know."

The train was entering Kashii Station.

"I used to live near here awhile ago. So I know."

"……Of what?" The man frowns deeply.

"This train, at this place, will always," he grinned and took a strong step forward. "Jerk here."

The whole train jerked harshly. It was enough to take him by surprise.

"Wha -"

The man stumbled back, and his gun accidentally pointed upward. His aim had strayed. Now"s my chance. Lin moved. He managed a kick to his right arm. After the gun was knocked to the ground he delivered a fist into his solar plexus. The man groaned a little and fell where he was.

He picked up his knife-pistol and made shots to the man"s chest. There were three gunshots in the train. At the same moment he heard the train conductor speak. [Kashii. We are at Kashii. The exit is on the left side. Please watch the opening doors and your footing.]

Both doors opened.

The killer was unmoving. Lin grabbed Saitou"s arm and pulled him up. "Come on, we"re getting off."

Bottom of Seventh Inning

Saruwatari met up with Nitta at the usual udon shop. He told him the details of the Kakyuu"s request from the day before while slurping down his firm udon noodles, sitting across from him. It had been two weeks as of today, July 14th, since he teamed up with Nitta, and finally he managed to pull in a huge job.

When he mentioned the name Niwaka Samurai, Nitta was a little bit shocked. "Niwaka Samurai……I"ve heard the rumors regarding him."

"Is he that famous of a guy?"

"More or less. He is a freelance killer with various mysteries. I only know that he wears a Niwaka mask and uses a j.a.panese sword though. He seemed to be more of an urban legend, so for him to really be real……"

Nitta took out his smartphone. He operated the screen with his left thumb, and he held the chopsticks in his right hand to eat his udon. He did so skillfully, but his manners were poor.

"Whatcha doin"?"

"I"m searching if there is any information on the Niwaka Samurai."

Nitta was browsing through an underground site called Undergroundjobs.com. It was a site that apparently gathered various information of their industry and not just listing job offers. The posts were anonymous, so naturally it was not credible.

Nitta searched the term "Niwaka Samurai" throughout the whole site. After a moment Nitta whispered. "Ah, here it is."

"What is?"

"The Niwaka Samurai."

"Ah? You"re kiddin"."

"It really is there. Look, here." He showed him the screen.

On the bulletin for job listings there was a post under the handle name "Niwaka Samurai."

"Awaiting to accept murder requests for one hundred thousand yen, exact. Niwaka Samurai."

At the end of the paragraph the e-mail address was listed.

"That"s a fake, ain"t it?"

"That"s a fake."

What is this "awaiting to accept" c.r.a.p? That is so fishy. That has to be a fake. He considered it pointless to fight with someone like that.

However at the same time Saruwatari felt a familiar bad feeling at agreeing to that opinion with Nitta without objection. Actually, something similar to this happened in the past, he recalled. It was that match when he was in high school.

It was the summer nominations for Koshien in his third year of high school. Saruwatari had stood on the mound on the bottom of the ninth inning. 112 pitches have been thrown with one point lost. It was 2 to 1, with the team in the lead. They had two outs with a runner on first base. If they managed one more out they would be certain to attend at Koshien.The batter was the fourth man up with no hits up until that point. 18 to 44 meters ahead the catcher Nitta made a sign to him. His request was for a slider. Saruwatari shook his head to both sides. No way, it"s got to be a straight pitch. He threw a straight pitch at the corner of his mitt. The batter did not swing. The striking zone was plenty. The umpire raised his hand.

His second pitch was a slider. The ball flew outward in the same orbit as the first, and the batter missed.

The third was a tough inside pitch. The batter pulled back to dodge.

Now then, what should he do? Saruwatari thought over what mixed pitch to do. It"s got to be an in high straight ball for a sucker pitch.

Nitta made a sign for a straight and placed his mitt at the height of his head. An in high straight pitch. Surprisingly enough they had an agreement on something; Nitta grinned. He nodded to the sign.

It was probable that to Nitta prepared for this pitch to get them out next time with a charged, outside pitch. But Saruwatari did not think of that. He wanted to get him out with that pitch. He would get them to have three outs from missing. That was what he planned for.

He raised his left arm, stepped forward and swung down his arm. The ball flew in a straight line towards Nitta"s mitt. The batter took a step forward and swung the bat. Alright, he missed. So he thought.

However, the next moment he heard the metallic chime. It was a loud, crisp sound that could wake someone up. The bat managed to reach the high ball and hit. Shouts of cheers rose up from the rooters. Saruwatari stood there dumbfounded while watching the white ball disappear into the stands.

It was a game-ending home run. It was 2 to 3 and their lose. Saruwatari was unable to move and stood right where he was.

"That was incredible. Who knew that pitch would end up being a home run." Nitta walked up to the mound while taking off his mask. "Really, I can only praise the guy who hit that."

What are you saying so carefree? Because of us we lost. Saruwatari got mad and after throwing down his glove onto the ground he punched Nitta in the face with his right hand a few times. His teammates ran over to him crying and stopped Saruwatari. Still mad, he punched his teammates who tried to stop him. "Drop it." He heard the yell from his coach. He punched their coach too. That was Saruwatari"s last day playing baseball.

Saruwatari shook his head as he slurped down his udon, I remembered something unpleasant. Ever since that happened whenever he saw eye-to-eye with Nitta he felt a bad premonition coming up. He could not help but feel something was going to go into a bad direction.

" – No." Saruwatari backtracked. "I"ll meet them and see if they really are the real deal."

"You will? Well, I don"t really mind." I think it"s pointless though, Nitta chimed in but agreed. "Then let"s contact them."

He sent an e-mail to the person claiming they were the Niwaka Samurai. "I have a man I want dead. I"ll pay any amount for it." He wrote to them. He looked at his wrist watch. Right now it was just before seven o"clock.

"I"ll be going." Saruwatari stood up and left a thousand yen bill onto the table. "I"ll be back soon."

"Be careful." Nitta waved to him as he left.

The designated place was at an underground parking garage in Ca.n.a.l City. Saruwatari took an express sonic train from Kokura to Hakata.

Arriving at Ca.n.a.l City he took the elevator to the bas.e.m.e.nt floor. Two men had been waiting for Saruwatari at a corner of the dark parking garage. They were in a position where they could hide from the security cameras.

One was the rumored Niwaka Samurai and the other called himself his manager. The man calling himself the Niwaka Samurai definitely looked the part for samurai. Or more specifically he was pleasantly dressed as though to attend a costume party.

"……You"re the Niwaka Samurai?"

Saruwatari frowned and asked the man. He considered he was being made fun of.

"Indeed I am." The long topknot haired man spoke. "I am called the Niwaka Samurai."

They"re fakes. Saruwatari confirmed. It was just as Nitta said, this ended being a complete waste of time.

Saruwatari went to punch the man in the face as a test. If he was the real Niwaka Samurai he should be able to easily dodge this attack. However, Saruwatari"s fist directly hit the Niwaka mask. "Bu-heh." The man let out a pathetic cry and fell onto his rear on the ground.

The mask slipped off, and he could get a clear glimpse at the man"s face. It was a young, stupid looking man. "Wh-what were you doing?! You insolent man!" He was fl.u.s.tered.

Saruwatari took out his hidden ninja blade.

"You see, I"m here to kill the Niwaka Samurai." He drew his sword and pressed the tip to the man"s throat. "Are you really the Niwaka Samurai?"

"No. No I"m not!"

He answered immediately.

"I"m not the Niwaka Samurai!" The man shook his head left and right. It was with such a velocity that it looked like his head would snap off. He completely changed his manner of speaking. "I"m a fake!"

"No doubt "bout that."

At present this means they were merely small fry killers using the Niwaka Samurai"s name to earn their fame. He had no business with them regardless of who they were unless they were the real Niwaka Samurai. "Well I guess I should kill you too then."

He lifted up his blade.

The imposter shrieked. It was then.

" – Wa-wait." The other man spoke up. "Let us go."

"And why should I?" Saruwatari inclined his head to the side.

"There"s no reason to kill us."

"I don"t need a reason to."

The man was poor at giving up. He desperately continued to try and persuade Saruwatari from swinging down the knife. "We"ll be of more help to you alive. We know of the Niwaka Samurai"s whereabouts. ……Or more specifically, we know the mediator of the Niwaka Samurai."

At the man"s words Saruwatari stopped his movements. He lowered his blade and glanced over to the man. "……You telling me the truth?"

"Yeah," the man nodded deeply. He did not appear to be bluffing on the fly. "You"re looking for the Niwaka Samurai, right? We"ll call out the real one through his mediator. So in exchange let us off the hook."

He could not believe all of his words. However, he had come all this way to f.u.kuoka so he could not go back empty handed.

"Alright." Saruwatari pressed the tip of his blade to the imposter Niwaka Samurai"s throat and ordered. "Bring the Niwaka Samurai here. And no runnin", alright? I"ll keep this guy as a hostage in the meantime."

When he pulled back the curtains at the Genchan food stall, "you finally showed your face "round here." The moment he saw Abe"s face the head of the store Genzo scowled at him. He knew full well he put him in a foul mood.

"No matter how much you plead, I ain"t givin" you work."

Genzo spat out at him coldly. His att.i.tude was curt, but Abe had no intention of backing down.

"That"s not it." He shook his head. "I came here as a client."

"A client?"

"I want to have the Niwaka Samurai do a job for me."

Genzo made a shocked face for a moment.

"You"re the mediator for the Niwaka Samurai, right? So please." Otherwise, our lives are in danger.

Abe continued on with the negotiation as ordered by that killer.

"I already have the payment prepared." He placed a large attache case onto the table. He had received it from the killer. "There"s 10,000,000 in there."

"No matter how much you have I ain"t -"

"Wait. Don"t misunderstand." He cut off his words and stated. "This is the advance pay."

Genzo"s eyes widened at Abe"s proclamation.

"The payment for completing the job is 90,000,000. All together it is 100,000,000."

Naturally even for Genzo his complexion changed at the price. "……What are the details for the job?"

"Tell the Niwaka Samurai to come to the underground parking garage in Ca.n.a.l City right away. His client is waiting for him there. He just has to meet up with him and listen to what he has to say. He can decide if he wants to take it or not there. It"s not a bad deal, right?"

After a few moments of silence from Genzo, he only replied with, "I"ll consider it."

In all honesty he wondered if he could not go to Genzo"s shop and just run off with the 10,000,000 yen. If he did Yamamoto would be finished off and he would have a large sum of money. However, Abe"s conscience would not allow that. Even though he was a killer he could not bear the poor aftertaste of letting someone die because of him. It was instances like these which make him too naive.

And so to save the hostage Yamamoto, Abe headed back to the killer. The killer was waiting for him at the back seat of the van. He asked Abe while keeping his blade pointed towards Yamamoto. "Did it go well?"

"Yeah. He didn"t seem too put off by it. Because the pay is so ma.s.sive he was a bit suspicious of it though."

"He"ll come though, right?"

He could not say for certain. However, if he answered honestly the other would probably not accept that. Of course, Abe nods.

"It"s a promise then. I"ll let you guys off the hook."

The killer accepted Abe"s request rather easily. He sheathed his sword and stepped out of the van. Finally released from his imprisoned state Yamamoto stroked his chest.

Abe got into the driver"s seat and starts the engine. He wanted to leave from this place as fast as he could. The killer turned towards them and threatened, "Prepare yourselves for me comin" to kill you two when the Niwaka Samurai doesn"t come." He proclaimed that as though no matter where they went he would chase them down. Abe stepped onto the acceleration pedal while praying in his heart that the Niwaka Samurai accepted the offer.

The silhouette of the killer gradually grew smaller in his rearview mirror. If we leave here we should be fine, right? Abe was relieved.

As he paid the fare and left the parking garage Yamamoto sighed deeply. "……Ahh, I was scared. Look here. My hands are still shaking."

"Did you quit from the drugs?"

"Even so, that was sure a shock. Who knew it"d end up like that."

"We met with a punishment for making money so easily."

Even though he could have been killed Yamamoto was unexpectedly nonchalant about it. He started typing away on his smartphone while smoking his cigarette half stuffed with illegal drugs as usual.

After a few moments, "……Ah!" Yamamoto suddenly raised his voice.

"What is it?"

"Look at this!"

He pushed his smartphone at Abe"s face.

"What is it?"

He parked the car to the side of the road and peeked at the screen. It was a page from Undergroundjobs.

There was a post relating to the Niwaka Samurai among them.

"There"s a bounty on the Niwaka Samurai"s head! And it"s 100,000,000!"

Yamamoto said excitingly.

It certainly said on the page, "We will pay the one who captures the Niwaka Samurai 100,000,000 yen. It does not matter if he is alive or dead." Then perhaps the killer from earlier had seen this post and was looking for the Niwaka Samurai.

"……This isn"t a ruse right?"

It is far too suspicious to pay 100,000,000 yen. Besides, you cannot believe the information on the internet. We"re a good example of that.

However, it was not awful to consider. That killer put down high advanced pay to meet with the Niwaka Samurai. He would not have done that unless he could break the difference even if he lost 10,000,000. It means that there was someone out there who was placing an even higher price on the Niwaka Samurai"s head. They could receive good pay if they could bring the Niwaka Samurai in alive.

"Let"s catch the Niwaka Samurai!" Yamamoto was entirely invested in it. "That guy from earlier is going to meet up with the Niwaka Samurai, right? We can s.n.a.t.c.h the Niwaka Samurai when there"s an opening as they fight!"

This man always thought up crazy ideas. He worried if it would really go that easily, but their first fraud had went smoothly. There was a one in a million chance. Gaining 100,000,000 yen and going back to that place again. He evaluated the natural skill of the two and risks. It was a feasible price for them to bet their life on. Besides, Abe had his pride. He could not let this slip by them. He wanted to give Genzo the shock of his life. That was the position he took, but in truth his eyes were on that large sum of 100,000,000 yen.