HA3 8.1 - Talk About Takeo
Morning in Oda Household went calmly. Shizuka and Reiko wake up early as usual. After enjoying warm soymilk and milk bun together, the two started their daily routine. Reiko went to Yumi Resto to help morning prep before going to school afterward.
As for Shizuka, she started her morning training right away. Today, Hide asked Takeo to go to the workshop with him, so she would train alone in the backyard of lodging house, back to her old routine before Takeo asked her to train him.
After doing jumping rope alternately between high-pace and slow-pace jumping for thirty minutes straight, sweats instantly drenched Shizuka from head to toe, but her breathing stayed calm and casual. Then, she continued with basic routine like push up, sit up, squat, and pull up before doing karate kata.
She would do the kata until 5:30, when most people in her neighborhood had woken up. Then, she would switch to heavy bag, and hit and kicked it as if she wanted to kill it. A few minutes later, she just finished her second round when her father came out of the house. His hair was disheveled while his face was dreary, but he looked very happy as he went to and then sat in nearby bench.
“I can’t help,” Shizuka’s father opened a conversation before putting a cigarette in his mouth, “but to pity that sand bag.”
“He doing his job perfectly and believe me he is fine,” Shizuka said before gulping down a mouthful of water.
“I see,” Shizuka’s father lit the cigarette and then took a puff. “When is your next tournament?”
“Next month,” Shizuka casually said.
Shizuka didn’t surprise that his father started to have interest again with her karate tournament. After Reiko joint the household, for some reason his father was lessening his drinking and took his time to teach Reiko basic culinary skill.
He also started to wake up early again, like when he still had to help morning preparation in Yumi Resto, even though now it became Reiko’s job.
Then, after taking a deep breath, Shizuka went for topic that his father avoided the most. “About your cancer, can yo---“
“I won’t change my mind,” Shizuka’s father casually said before taking another puff.
After having a deep sigh Shizuka vexingly said, “Are you fucking serious?”
“I’m.”
About a week ago, Shizuka told his father that she knew about his cancer. She also showed to him that she had 10 million Ren they could use for his treatment. However, his father rejected her idea about the treatment.
Instead, he asked Shizuka how she got the money and he was very persistent about it. In the end, Shizuka managed to convince him that it was money she collected from her part time job, school allowance, and prize money from karate tournament since she was in grade school.
His father believed her explanation as she never bought fancy clothes, went to café, karaoke parlor, cinema, or spent money for other fun things like other girls in her age.
“Dad, I still need you, for another ten years at least,” Shizuka said in a drop dead serious tone. “After that, if you want to jump off a cliff, feel free.”
“You will be fine even without me,” Shizuka’s father casually said. “I also already make arrangement with your mother. After I’m gone, you will stay with her in Americ. She also agrees to take Reiko.”
After rolling her eyes Shizuka stubbornly said, “I don’t want to stay with that woman.”
“Stay with her until you graduate from high school. After that, you can find work and live on your own with Reiko, or do whatever you want.” Shizuka’s father took another puff before adding, “And the money I gathered will help you a lot when you want to leave your mother’s place.”
“Money is not a problem,” Shizuka protested.
“Money will always be a problem as long as you live,” Shizuka’s father casually said.
“Dad, please,” Shizuka genuinely begged. “Just take the treatment.”
“As you know…” Shizuka’s father paused for a moment before continuing in low voice, “It’s a fucking rare cancer. The chance the treatment will fully take care of it, is low.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Most of all, even though Nikko has advance but cheap medical system, the treatment will still cost us 7-8 million and that’s the lowest estimation. It’s not worth the money.”
“It’s worth the money even though the chance is low,” Shizuka firmly insisted. “And the money is ready.”
After a smile Shizuka’s father said, “Stubborn girl.”
“Forgive me for my stubbornness,” Shizuka said in sarcastic tone. “But I don’t want my father to leave me too early.”
“I don’t want to leave you too early too,” Shizuka’s father genuinely said. “It pains me greatly, and if killing someone will give me more time to stay with you, I will kill a few hundreds already.
But, my early departure is inevitable. So, let me do the best option available with everything I have.”
In the end, Shizuka failed to persuade his father to take the treatment. She then went to take morning bath in silence. But under the shower, her chest became unbearably tight as she thought that his father would be gone for good in less than a year.
Then, as her tears flowed like a flood she made silent oath, ‘After Knosses job, I will send you to the treatment forcefully.’
---
Twenty minutes before the class started, with casual steps Shizuka went to the rooftops of main building. She didn’t surprise when finding the door to the rooftop was unlocked. A moment later, she found Hide was casually sitting on top of air conditioner exhaust. He held his smartphone with one hand, with an earphone in his left ear.
“What do you watch?” Shizuka asked as soon as she arrived before Hide.
“Old footage of 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre,” Hide casually replied.
“I heard lot of people died on that massacre,” Shizuka said as she sat next to Hide.
“Yeah, and the number is far higher than the official statement.”
“Why do you watch it this early?” Shizuka curiously asked.
“Do you remember Gua Be Go?”
“The fat goof you shot in the face?”
“Yeah.” Hide lightly nodded. “Last night, on the documentary about Tiananmen Massacre, I accidentally discovered that his grandfather was one of main actor for the massacre. This role brought him a great raise in rank.
After that he handled the intelligence section for new established anti-riot police, and he had a group of rabid mutherpucker under his command. He then passed down this position to his son, and his son passed it down to Gua Be Go.”
“So, we have killed someone from a family who had a group of rabid mutherpucker in their disposal,” Shizuka casually said.
Hide nodded. “And this rabid mutherpucker has network to suppress pro-reform activities overseas. I believe they have network in our country.”
“How bad is our situation?” Shizuka asked with tone full of concern.
“Right now, everything is fine,” Hide casually said. “And if it comes to the worst, we will handle it as best as we can.”
“I see.” After a short pause Shizuka turned her gaze to Hide. “So, why do you call me here?”
“I want to talk to you about Takeo’s training.”
“Do you find a problem with my training?”
“No, you do excellent good job with his training,” Hide firmly said. “It’s about his training for precision shooting.”
Question mark instantly popped up in Shizuka’s forehead. “Is Twig not suitable for it?”
“On the contrary, he is a natural shooter,” Hide paused for a second before continuing, “But, it can be a problem too.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Have you heard Texas Tower Syndrome or Munich Massacre Syndrome?”
“Nope.” Shizuka shook her head before continuing, “And who the fuck comes with such creepy term?”
“The term comes from a psychologist who specifically handled Americ Delta.”
After having a deep sigh, Hide continued his explanation. It was pretty much an explanation that was written in Inside Delta Force, a book about Americ Delta written by Eric Lamar Haney, a former Delta operator.
The book mentioned that the training for Delta shooter would enable a shooter to have their instinct-to-kill work like a switch for a light bulb. When they needed it they could turn it on, and then turned it off when the job was done.
This way, the shooter would become one with his rifle every time he made a shot, and delivered the best shot he could pull with the peak of his ability.
However, there were two conditions where a shooter had trouble with their switch. First condition was Texas Tower Syndrome. The name was based on shooting incident in Texas University, where an ex-Americ Marines took position in university clock tower and started indifferently precision shooting to people in the area.
In summary, it was a condition where shooter lost their ability to turn off his instinct-to-kill, because they felt extreme pleasure from the sensation of taking someone life, right after their first kill. Unfortunately, there was no medication for Texas Tower Syndrome. The shooter with would keep delivering fatal shooting until someone killed them.
As for Munich Massacre Syndrome, the name was based on the failed attempt to eliminate hostage taker using simultaneous precision shooting, because some of the shooters failed to pull the trigger in the last moment.
In short, it was a condition where the shooter lost their ability to turn on their instinct-to-kill, because after monitoring the target for a while they grew sympathy for their cause. It’s sounded stupid, but pretty humanely actually.
The shooter observed their target using high-powered scope that enabled them to see their activities to the smallest detail, while also having power to take their life at any moment. However, the target didn’t even know the shooter exist, so they were not a threat for the shooter.
And so, the shooter started casually asking why the target did the act that brought them into deadly situation. If the shooter didn’t be careful, they would start questioning the decision to eliminate the target. And finally, when they received the order to carry the kill they couldn’t pull the trigger.
After having a deep sigh Hide closed his explanation, “One out of five natural shooters is very likely to have one of the conditions. Takeo is not an exception and whichever condition he will have, it will be very bad for us.”
Shizuka nodded and said, “But, the chance is one out of five.”
“Yeah,” Hide replied in low voice. “But still, we need to prepare ourselves.”
After a long pause Shizuka asked, “Can you give me some time to think about it?”
“Sure,” Hide calmly said. “Let’s talk about it later.”
Hide and Shizuka then left the rooftop separately in five minutes interval.
*****