"So where do you want to start this investigation?” Ryuji inquires. “There isn't a lot to go on.”
“I can't go to the crime scene or the victim's home yet, because those are likely still covered with cops. If I show up, they'll definitely feel justified in any suspicions they have of the clan, and probably even arrest me on sightm” Atreus remarks as he grabs the folder to thumb through the pages yet again. He zeroes in on Camlin's home address, which is in the greater Los Angeles area. “He doesn't live in Kyoba, which means he was near Horizon View for a reason.”
“Horizon View is on Ryokai Street, right?” Devin comments, seemingly struck with an epiphany. “Isn't that the Hoshino family's spot?”
“It is,” Ryuji confirms. “I'm sure they were likely the ones who notified Okada of the murder in the first place.” Simply using intuition, he correctly guessed how Okada came to know of the crime.
“They might have some insight into what happened,” Devin makes a shot in the dark. “I know it's just speculation, but if he doesn't even live near here, then it could be possible someone in that family knows something.”
“Yeah, that's what I've been thinking, too. I guess that's the best lead we have right now.” Atreus concedes. “You think it's safe to go see them?”
“Their office is only a couple blocks down from Horizon View,” Ryuji comments. “They might be dealing with police as we speak. If you go now, you should anticipate a possible run-in with one of them.”
“I can go with you,” Devin chimes in with clear eagerness. “I have a few hours before my money collection starts.”
“Didn't you need to organize a meeting with Raymond Ernst?” Atreus points out, hesitant to pry his friend away from other important engagements.
“We already did that while you were meeting with Okada-san,” Ryuji clarifies. “He'll be coming over next weekend. And by the way, do you want me to make the call to stop your bouncer shifts at Crown so you can focus on your investigation?”
The would-be detective shakes his head, “No, that's alright; I'll keep doing it. I think it's best that we all stick to our normal daily lives as much as possible so we don't risk drawing any attention. The cops could decide to keep a close eye on us at any given moment, and odd deviations from our usual routines might raise a red flag.”
“Fair enough. I'll leave things to you two, then,” the patriarch confidently places the situation in the hands of his most capable men as he returns to his desk. “But if you need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask. This is an important job, and I'll give as much help as I can.”
“Thanks, aniki,” Atreus gives his gratitude as he sets places the folder back on the table and takes his smartphone out. He holds it above each sheet of paper that makes up the profile, taking a precise scan of each page, creating a readable vector copy so he can store and hold onto the information easier. Clutching a beige folder everywhere he goes is bound to seem suspicious. When he's finished, he takes the folder and brings it over to Ryuji, “Can you keep this safe somewhere?”
“Sure,” Ryuji accepts it and simply places it on his desk to put into keeping later.
“Come on, Dev.” Atreus beckons his determined partner. “Let's head over to see the Hoshino family.”
Devin complies and follows the augmented gangster out of the office and back outside, where they hear the faint whirring of something overhead. The two men look up in time to spot a police drone swaying in all directions against the entrance side of the building, it's red and blue strobes slowly pulsating alternately as it peers into as many windows as possible.
“Fuckin' cops,” Devins utters in frustration. “Camlin's body is still warm and they already have drones in our faces. I bet if we had access to their surveillance footage, this could be over sooner rather than later. Maybe they know something already?”
“If they knew anything for certain now, they'd be busting down doors, not being voyeurs,” Atreus responds with barbed words aimed at the openly distrusting law enforcement. “Half of the drones in the city are probably being temporarily repurposed for spying on the Sanada-gumi right now.”
They quietly throw more venomous glares at the remote-controlled flying camera, feeling nothing short of utter disdain towards its presence, before they request another silver, logo-emblazoned Automa taxi to take them a relatively short distance northeast, where Ryokai Street lies nearer to the center of Kyoba. The Hoshino family's building is somewhat similar to the Asano family's, stone-colored and reaching five floors, but not as low profile due to them sharing the complex with a rather popular mobile video game developer on the second floor, who have their sign decorating the side of the structure.
Atreus and Devin exit their driverless ride and upon stepping out onto the sidewalk, notice some odd activity in front of the building: several aimless, worried yakuza exiting and entering the office with quickened steps, and one urgently yelling into his phone nearby. They're all wearing suits and pins, suggesting they're of relatively high level within the family hierarchy. The two visitors notice the same audible mechanical buzzing they heard mere minutes ago at the Asano family office, but this time amplified to an obnoxious degree. They look up to see not one, not two, but three police drones buzzing around the building like mosquitoes.
“Come on, let's head inside,” Atreus beckons Devin toward the entrance, deciding against standing around and gawking. When first entering the lobby, they immediately spot another man barking out orders between his phone and other yakuza nearby, most of whom are simply standing rigidly at attention on one side of the room.
“Where's Makabe at? Where the fuck is he?” the man harshly asks no one in particular. He's wearing a dark red suit with white pinstripes, a black dress shirt underneath the blazer, and a red tie. He has slick, swept back hair, a clean shaven face, and a blindingly shiny diamond-studded earring pinned to his left earlobe. “Has anyone seen where that motherfucker Makabe is at?!” his scratchy, angered voice booms across the room.
“He's on his way over, sir!” a foot soldier in street clothes – a chinpira – answers with obvious fear in his eyes. “He woke up late this morning.”
“Call him and tell him if he's not here in five minutes, I'm taking his fucking pinky,” the frustrated man fires back. “I want every single family member in this lobby within the next five fuckin' minutes! This is not a joke!” The nervous errand boy timidly slinks back into line while gradually peeling his phone out his pocket, as if his livid superior's vision is based on sight.
“We're gonna have cops breathing down our necks any second now, you got it?!” he loudly remarks, likely referring to the presence of the drones outside. Before he can continue his tirade, however, he turns his head in time to notice Atreus and Devin standing near the entrance. His fearsome expression drops and turns into something a bit more friendly and approachable. “Well, shit, what are you two doing here?” he asks with a smirk as he approaches them. His name is Ichiro Bessho, and he's the Hoshino family lieutenant, right hand of patriarch Katsunari Hoshino.
“We heard about the incident down the road and decided to see what's up,” Atreus casually responds, not hinting at any sort of investigation. “What are you guys doing?” he can't help but ask about the dozens of perplexed men standing in neat rows on one side of the lobby.
“Well, as you might've noticed outside, there's three police drones surveying the building, and usually, that many of them is sign for a potential raid, or at the very least, a cordial visit from a few cruisers,” Ichiro heaves a sigh, very clearly not looking forward to the eventual meeting from law enforcement. “I'm trying to collect the men and count heads so we can get this shit over with as soon as possible. Best way to get the cops off our backs when they're bothering us over shit we didn't do is to tolerate them and wait for them to leave when they realize they have nothing substantial on us. Honestly, it's probably not a good idea for you two to be here, unless you wanna get wrapped up in this bullshit, too.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Does anyone know anything about the murder? Were any of your boys witnesses?” Atreus asks quietly, ignoring the warning to instead pry for information.
“Nah. A couple of them found the body, but I already interrogated them about it, and they don't know anything other than what they found in the alley after it had happened. They looked at the guy's ID, and noticed he had been shot in the head and chest, but that's pretty much it. Other than that, everyone here wasn't anywhere near that alley last night.”
“So is everyone accounted for?”
“Makabe's on his way over, as are Shibusawa, Williams, and Okui,” the irate gangster strokes his chin as he examines the group of stiff yakuza. “Wait, where's Takiyama?” he asks aloud to anyone who can answer as he points to an empty space near the back of the group. “Has anyone seen Takiyama?!”
“Sir!” one street-clothed, low rank gangster meekly calls out. “Takiyama's not answering my phone calls or texts.”
“God dammit,” Ichiro curses under his breath. “When was the last time you saw him, then? This morning?”
The nameless foot soldier shakes his head, “No, sir. Last time I saw him was last night, at about ten-thirty or eleven PM. We were here in the office, then he said he had to go somewhere – wouldn't say where, exactly.”
“Fuck's sake. I'm gonna have that bastard's whole hand next time I see him,” the livid lieutenant continues to gripe harshly about the incompetence and lack of communication from his own men. However, Atreus and Devin perk up at the news of this Takiyama person supposedly doing something near midnight.
“Where does he live?” Atreus asks, much to the surprise of Ichiro. “We're not gonna stick around, so maybe we can look for him for you.”
“You sure?” Ichiro wonders, wanting to be considerate of his peer, though his eyes glitter with a sense of relief. “It wouldn't interfere with any other plans you have?”
The augmented gangster shakes his head, “No, we're pretty much free until the afternoon.”
“You're a lifesaver, Atreus,” Ichiro gratefully clasps Atreus's shoulders. “He lives in Wakiya Heights, which is on the west side, apartment 308. Please drag him the fuck back here if you see him.”
“I will. What are you gonna do about the police in the meantime?”
“I'll just say everyone's here anyway. It's unlikely they care enough to cross-examine who's here with every name on whatever list they've made. A few absent chinpira like Takiyama might not be too much of a concern. Hopefully.”
“Alright, we'll leave it to you, then,” Atreus announces his leave. “I'll let you know if I find Takiyama.”
“Thanks, man. I'll see you around,” Ichiro cordially lets his visitors leave before resuming his ranting and overbearing command of his crew. On the way back out, Devin is hardly able to contain his eager – though hardly developed – sense of investigation.
“So you're thinking what I'm thinking, right?” he asks in a hushed voice as they approach the exit. “This Takiyama guy last being seen only about an hour before the murder happened? Seems almost too good to be true.”
“It probably is,” Atreus remarks. “But it's not like we have anything else to go on. A lead is a lead; can't afford to be picky right now.” They step out onto the sidewalk again and turn to continue down the street to put some distance between themselves and the Hoshino office, but they suddenly stop in their tracks at an unanticipated sight.
Pulled up to the building is a police cruiser with two detectives standing on the sidewalk, waiting for an opportune moment to finally enter the complex or pull aside an unsuspecting yakuza for some intense sidewalk grilling. They've arrived and made themselves comfortable in the short time it took for the two Asano family men to speak to Bessho.
One of the detectives is a tall, barrel-chested man with dark skin, a bald head, and dense goatee. His thick neck and massive frame make him look more fit to be linebacker than a cop. His right hand is cybernetic, lacking synthetic skin just as Atreus's limbs do, and clutching a thick brown cigar that's being puffed between his pursed lips. The built man's name is Terrence Colter. The other detective with him is a shorter, younger man with pale skin, side-swept auburn hair, and five o'clock shadow, leaning against the side of the vehicle with a listless gaze directed towards the ground. His name is Mason Howard.
Terrence turns his head in time to catch Atreus and Devin on their way out of the building, before they can attempt to inconspicuously turn and head the other direction. He releases a mouthful of thick grey smoke as he tilts his head in mild surprise and walks up to the two gangsters.
“Atreus Watanabe? Trouble seems to find you wherever you go,” the detective's extremely low, reverberating voice carries the heavy weight of authority.
“What are you doing here?” Atreus can only utter the first question that pops into his head.
“What am I doing here?” Terrence facetiously repeats the question while pointing to himself with his free hand. “Last I checked, I'm still part of the homicide unit. A far better question would be: what are you doing here?” he brings his extended index finger to Atreus's shoulder. “This isn't Asano family territory, so you must be here on some sort of business, I assume? Hopefully nothing related to the incident last night?”
“Just a formality,” Atreus dismissively answers. “I'm surprised you're here, because I didn't know the cops were already so sure that this is Sanada-gumi's doing to begin with. I guess you don't take the murder for some sort of random mugging that had an unfortunate end?”
“A murder in Sanada-gumi territory? Random? Especially so close to the Hoshino building? Not likely,” Mason finally joins in with a snarky comment of his own in a slightly nasally voice. “It's not a good look that everyone seems to be scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off, either.”
“They're only preparing for the inevitable onslaught of uppity police officers,” the defensive gangster fires off his own rebuttal before narrowing his eyes at Terrence's cigar. “Is that genuine?”
“You bet it is,” Terrence answers with confidence, lifting the pristine, expensive-looking cigar up for a prideful examination. “Wanna puff?” In a surprising gesture of good will, he holds it out for Atreus to try.
“Sure,” Atreus graciously accepts. Making sure to take extra care in handling such a rare item, he cautiously motions the cigar to his lips and takes multiple savory puffs.
“It's a gift from my father-in-law. Wife and I had our fifteenth anniversary last week. Handmade and imported from Nicaragua. A box of twenty costs over a thousand bucks, so make sure you relish it, because I don't plan on being liberal with 'em.”
Atreus releases a mouthful of grey smoke with a content expression on his face. “Pretty good,” he gives a withheld, though positive reaction to the quality of the cigar as he hands it back. Devin can't help but eye it with burning curiosity since hearing the insane cost of a box of them, likely considering how effective they'd be at making him appear rich and tasteful at Mystik, or impressing Ami.
“You're smart to leave the area now, before more of our boys start to drop in – should be here any second now,” Terrence comments as he takes another puff of his own.
“Considering that we have nothing to do with what happened last night, I'm not worried about the risk of being taken in. I know you know that the Asano family doesn't deal with hits.”
“But the Hoshino family does, and that's why we're here,” Mason interjects with an unfortunate fact. “Their office being so close to the crime scene is icing on the cake – practically a big red arrow hanging over the building, telling us to break down the doors.”
“If I were you, I'd be more interested in whoever hung that arrow instead,” Atreus remarks, attempting to draw blame away from his colleagues.
“Are you suggesting this was a setup of some sort? Do you know something?” the smaller of the two cops furrows his brow in heightening suspicion.
“I'm only suggesting you operate with a broader scope. Just a nickel's worth of advice. Have fun,” the gangster ends the conversation at the first possible opportunity before he's potentially fooled into giving away any hint that he's on an investigation of his own. He walks past the two detectives with Devin trailing close behind him.
“Atreus!” Terrence's ground-shaking voice calls out, causing Atreus to turn one last time. “I accept the fact that Ryuji keeps his boys on the straight and narrow more so than other clan patriarchs. I really do. But if I ever find out that Sanada-gumi is behind this murder, and you helped to cover it up, I won't go easy,” the broad-bodied man warns as the smoky remnants of his last cigar puff rise into the air in front of his face.
Agitated by the reserved, though constant third degree and not wanting to humor the detectives any longer, Atreus and Devin proceed walking down the street, soon turning a corner and using their chance to breathe to order another ride. As they wait for their electronic taxi to arrive, they watch three more police cruisers turn the corner in a single file line and head down the direction the two men came from, no doubt going straight to the Hoshino family building.