Chapter Eighteen: YOU DIED
TRASH [Does it still work?]
RYO [Probably ¯_(ツ)_/¯]
TRASH [Check 4me?]
RYO [Don’t wanna （＾³＾）～♪]
TRASH [YRU such an (‿|‿)? (♯｀∧´)]
RYO [Not my problem]
TRASH [This whole thing is your fault 凸(｀0´)凸]
RYO [(~o~)]
TRASH [Just check]
RYO [2Risky 4me]
TRASH [DUDE went missing getting your ¥¥¥]
RYO [Where is my 💲💲💲?]
TRASH [No Lancelet, NO 💲💲💲! ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡]
RYO [Still…]
TRASH [Got MANAKA Standup. ♡++ Launch]
RYO [(´﹃｀)]
TRASH [HELP ME, HELP U]
RYO [TMM ( ∩´ ᐜ `∩)♡]
TRASH [Deal ON, 20K]
TRASH [Deal OFF, 10,000K]
RYO [Σ(°Д°υ)]
TRASH [Not my problem]
RYO [Bikini?]
TRASH [Of course. ദ്ദി(•ᴗ• )]
RYO [Ping. 00:00 Yurakucho]
RYO [Ping. 06:00 Yurakucho]
RYO [Ping. 12:00 Ginza]
RYO [Ping. 18:00 Shibuya]
TRASH [WTF]
RYO [Yurakucho is Victoria Hotel?]
RYO [Ginza is District 7]
RYO [Shibuya is Takeshita Street]
TRASH [MAP? Where NOW?]
RYO [No Map. Just coordinates. 1 ping every 6 hrs.]
RYO [Next Ping 00:00]
RYO [Now get my 💲💲💲]
RYO [&MANAKA]
TRASH [( う-´)づ︻╦̵̵̿╤── (˚〇˚")/]
「I so hate that guy.」
「Yeah, He’s a prick. What did he say?」
Trash was back at the Charon. The first thing he did after leaving the hotel was start chatting with Sakamoto. First, he wanted to know if Danny had reached out to him. Of course, he hadn’t.
Then he remembered Sakamoto talking about the tracking software that he had installed in the prototype of the Sounds Princess. It was a simple utility that only Sakamoto had the codes to access, supposedly anyway. Convincing him to use it to check on Danny’s location had been challenging however, and the results were disappointing.
It was like he was going in circles. This was his own fault. He had pulled Pazu in. Trash had convinced him to introduce him to the Old Goat. Now Danny was missing, and Hibiki had something to do with it. When Trash had shown the picture to Pazu, his friend confirmed it was Agbor, Hibiki’s butler/bodyguard.
「That guy was super scary. He hardly ever talks, just sits out in front of the store. He won’t help out in the store unless the Old Goat tells him to. I’ve heard stories, though. Tons of rumors about him in Harajuku. Some people say that he was living on the street in London when Hibiki found him and brought him to Japan. Another story said that he was some warlord in Nigeria who owed Hibiki a life-debt.」
「What should we do? Call up the Old Goat and ask him where Danny is?」
「Are you kidding? You’ve met him. He’s freaking scary. 」
「I thought he likes you?」
「He likes my parents. I don’t know why. I think my dad did some business with him a long time ago, and he kind of adopted them. They still go see him every New Year. 」
「What about those pictures on the wall? Danny said it was full of famous people.」
「You’re joking, right? Don’t you ever read the newspaper?」 That wall has like ALL the famous people. Prime ministers and world leaders. Every sports hero and famous celebrity. They all make the pilgrimage to see him.」
「Why? What’s so special about him?」
Pazu shrugged. 「No idea. It’s not like I care about that kind of stuff. But at least I can recognize a picture of the Prime Minister of Japan.」
「Danny said Bill Clinton was up there. Like the real Bill Clinton?」
「Probably. Honestly, I never saw anyone at all. Not even customers. That place is always empty except at night. That’s when people just show up, and then the old man meets with them in his sitting room.」
「Sounds like an easy job.」
「It was sooo boring. So I told him I was going to quit, and he seemed perfectly fine with it. Anyway, I was already starting to look at YouTube by then. Actually, that’s where I started. All I did all day for those two weeks was sit and watch YouTube videos on his computer by the register.」
「We’re getting off track. What should we do about Danny?」
「I don’t know. He’ll be fine, I think. The Old Goat is weird, but he’s not like a real gangster. Besides, it’s not like he has any reason to hurt your friend, right?」
「He’s not my friend. Just a customer. But what about the hotel room?」
「Maybe he got drunk and smashed it up himself?」
Trash had to admit that Pazu was probably right. Besides, what could he do? He didn’t even know what he should do. His only stake in this was getting Danny onto that airplane so he could send Trash the money he promised.
That and trying to keep the police out of this whole mess.
As for whatever deals he had made with Hibiki and what happened with Sakamoto, he really didn’t care anymore.
「It’s just…」
「Just what?」 Pazu looked worried. Not about Danny, but concerned that Trash was getting pulled into something weird.
「If the hotel calls the police. They are going to come looking for me. The hotel had my number, and now they even know what I look like. If the cops come asking about Danny, what can I tell them? If that old man knows Prime Ministers, he has nothing to fear, but what about me? Shit, Pazu, am I screwed? 」
「Well, yeah. I mean, you were already getting evicted in less than a week, right? 」
「Not helping!」 Trash could feel a panic attack coming.
「Look. Why don’t we go over there? Wait until midnight and see if Sakamoto’s magic phone pings inside the record store. If it does, we have a reason to knock on the door and ask to talk to Danny. If not, we can stay away from the old man, and out of his business.」
「Huh? You would go over there with me?」
「Of course! I’m telling you, he’s not that bad. Just weird. I’d just rather not knock on his door and accuse him of kidnapping.」
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
「What about…?」
「Saki? She’s over at Meg’s tonight. I won’t tell her if you don’t.」
「If she finds out, she’ll just yell at you. She’ll kill me.」
「True. So let’s just be back before the trains stop running, and she’ll never know.」
「What’s going on with you two now? Is everything good?」Trash asked, trying to be subtle.
Pazu looked down, and blushed.
Trash gave him a sideways look.
「What’s with that face?」
「We’re good. She said she doesn’t care about the live streaming. She’ll even help me with the free lunch cafe.」
「Really? I figured that crazy idea would send her packing.」
Pazu punched Trash in the arm, though even if he tried in earnest, he wouldn’t even leave a bruise.
「Ow!」Trash feigned injury.
「Actually, it’s kind of a compromise.」
「Huh?」
「So, after we do the restaurant… I promised…」
Trash looked at his friend with a deeply concerned look.
「Promised? What did you promise her?」
「That I’d take her to the US. So she can try to get work in Hollywood. You know, as a costume designer.」
「Hollywood? Seriously?」
「She’s got the talent. Once she gets her degree, and maybe a few jobs here in Japan. You know she can do it.」
「But Hollywood?」
「Hey, you’re still wearing that jacket around, aren’t you? She won’t admit it to you, but she is really proud of it, and the fact that you like it so much.」
「So you’re just going to follow her to America?」
「Well… yeah… I mean…」
「What?」
「afterwegetmarried…」
「WHAT!?」
「Well, I kinda… asked her…」
「You. Fucking. Normie!」
----------------------------------------
It was a strange feeling. Hearing about his friend’s happiness somehow gave Trash a burst of optimism. As they took the train to Shibuya, they joked around and chatted, just like they used to do when they were kids taking the train to Akihabara.
He never actually forgot about what they were going there to do, but somehow, he suddenly felt sure things would work out. Just as children believe in the future before the adults around them beat the hope out of them by tearing apart their dreams.
Suddenly, Trash felt that childish belief that things work out. Even if everything fell apart, he could always start over and build it up again.
If he had Pazu and Saki around, maybe even Meg, who was cool and yet scary: if he had people he could count on; people he could have fun with; people who enjoyed life. He would somehow figure something out.
Screw his relatives. They never hid their disdain for his background or his dreams. He didn’t want to stay at the factory anymore if it meant he had to be under their judgment.
Life could be an adventure. The kind that he always wished he was on when he was young. Nothing so mundane as studying, getting into a good school, getting a stable job, getting married, having kids, growing old, and dying.
He still wanted to get the special power to fight his enemies. He wanted to be pulled into another world where he would have to make friends, build his skills, and fight the demon lord. He wanted to stand on the center mound and pitch the final inning of the high school tournament while the girls from his school screamed and cried from the bleachers. Why did he have to give up on all those childish fantasies?
Trash wondered when he stopped having dreams. He looked at his friend, watching the city pass by as the train cut through the heart of the city. Pazu never gave up on his dreams. Saki has her own dreams. Had he just been using them? Sticking to them so that he didn’t feel the need to find and follow his own path?
He used to have dreams, but then, little by little, he stopped. He had been told, countless times by the people around him to give up on the childish things and get serious about the important ones. The so-called important things that he never had any interest in at all.
Maybe, Trash thought to himself, he just needed to have the superficial stuff stripped away, so that he could start fresh.
He didn’t care about the deal anymore. He didn’t care about Sakamoto and Hansa. He didn’t care about Danny and his shady games.
But going on an adventure with his best friend. That was something worth doing. Crossing the city in the middle of the night. Infiltrating the heart of the enemy. Harajuku, the antithesis of Akihabara. Trendy versus geek. He would face off against the old master of that foul place. By releasing the prisoner held captive there, and by doing so, he could restore the balance and reap a treasure as a reward.
「Are you okay?」 Pazu was looking at Trash with a worried expression.
「Sure, fine.」
「You were just standing there with a dumb grin on your face.」
「Look who’s talking. You haven’t stopped smiling since last night.」
「Shut up!」
The announcement that the train would be arriving at Harajuku station soon, blared over the train’s speakers.
Exiting the train, Trash almost walked toward the stairs to the exit when Pazu grabbed him.
「Let’s use the other exit. It’s faster.」
Trash remembered the exit right at the entrance to Takeshita street.
Pazu went the opposite way, and sure enough, there was a staircase down into the train platform. Going down, they exited onto the street, facing the entrance to Takeshita street. Trash found himself back at the same place he had last seen Danny, less than two days earlier.
「How long until the phone pings?」
「Should be at midnight. I sent Sakamoto a message to let me know where it lights up.」
「That’s more than an hour from now. This place is dead at night. There’s a burger place here where we can wait, though.」
Trash remembered the fancy western restaurant he saw the other day, but watched as Pazu passed by without even glancing at the sign.
The burger place Pazu had mentioned was, in fact, a Lotteria. It was an old McDonald’s copycat brand that never really took off. Trash recognized the logo and colorful store decorations, but he couldn’t remember actually eating in one. The near-ubiquitous nature of McDonald’s, coupled with a competitive market for the number two slot, limited his exposure to the domestic hamburger chain. After all, there was no Lotteria in Akihabara.
They just ordered some coffee, which turned out to be a complete waste of money, as it was undrinkable, and sat at the window, waiting for Sakamoto to update them.
Just as Pazu mentioned, there was almost nobody on the shopping street. All the clothing and accessory shops were closed, and even most of the restaurants were closed by now. Just down the road at the center of Shibuya, Trash knew the scene would be lively until the early morning hours when the trains started running again, but Takeshita Street was a quiet place at night. It reminded Trash of how Akihabara used to be before the redevelopment boom brought more late-night restaurants and shops.
Midnight came and went. It was easy to tell the time as the fast food restaurant they were camping in, closed and put them out on the street.
Trash sent messages to Sakamoto, but received nothing back in return. He didn’t know what to make of that. Did he go to sleep? Was he just not interested in helping anymore?
It put them into a strange situation. They had come here to find out if Danny was still there. But they had counted on having the tracking ping of the Hansa phone to use as justification for bothering the old man. Without that, they had just wasted hours. They could go ahead with the plan, but now they would be knocking on the door after midnight with no proof that Danny was there.
Or they could just go back. They could still make it in time to take the last train to Akihabara. But that felt wrong to Trash. He had come this far. This was his great adventure. His chance to try and do something interesting. He had met with an American businessman, an ancient shadow master, he had even viewed the Imperial Palace from the top of a luxury hotel. He had done more in the last two days than he had in the previous two years.
「Not yet.」
「Huh?」
「I’m not ready to give up yet.」
「But…」
They were already standing in the park in front of Denmark Street.
The store was dark and closed, as was the sitting room that he had been drinking tea in the day before, but he could just make out that in the window of the adjacent room to the sitting room, there was still a light on.
「Just wait a minute. Someone is still awake there. Do you think someone is inside that room?」
「That’s the office. I never really went inside there. It’s like the Old Goat’s study. He would take a pot of tea and spend hours in there.」
Trash looked at the building. The store was actually on the third floor of the building, but it rose to the level of the hill behind the shopping street, so from this perspective, it looked like it was at ground level. There was a thin wooden ledge around the bottom of the third floor that extended from the ground at the upper level. The ledge was narrow, but Trash realized that by standing on it, just a few steps off the ground by the sitting room, he should be able to look directly into the study.
「What if I stand over there? I bet I can see if anyone is inside the study.」
「Are you nuts? That’s hanging right over the street. You’ll fall and break your neck.」
「It’s only a few steps onto the ledge. I’ll just take a quick peek. Then we’ll at least know if anyone is inside.」
「Stop it. It’s not worth it. Let’s go back.」
「Just a second. I promise,」 Trash said as he started to skirt the building so that he could get behind the sitting room and move onto the ledge.
He was now staring straight into the sitting room, but with the lights out, he couldn’t see a thing in the darkness.
Stepping out onto the ledge, Trash instantly regretted this plan. He hadn’t realized how high over the street this floor was, or how exposed he would be.
Underneath him, he could see the stairs winding up from the shopping street. He was about 10 meters up with no rails or anywhere solid to grip. It was too dark to judge his position or footing.
The room was only about three or four steps forward, but now that he was out there, Trash was starting to think this was another one of his very bad ideas. He had gotten so wrapped up in the adventure fantasy that had been playing in his head, that he had not taken into account that those stories were written by people who had no idea what reality outside was really like.
「Hey. Come back already. It’s not worth it. Let’s just go ahead and knock on the door. Or come back tomorrow. You’re going to break your neck out there.」
Pazu had a point. Pazu was wise. Trash should listen to Pazu. This was stupid.
Trash turned to start shuffling back along the ledge when he felt himself lose his balance.
Just like they say in stories, the world does indeed slow down when something big happens. Suddenly, Trash was aware of a multitude of things. He could see Pazu reaching out to him with an expression of fear. He could feel the shift in his balance with unbelievable clarity. As he started to fall backward, he could tell that if he just had a bit more strength in his legs, he could push down and regain his balance. Directing as much power as he could, he tried to regain control, but he could tell it would not be enough. Not even close to enough.
He could see the stairs below him. He could even guess where he was going to fall. That was a long fall. He had never fallen from so high before in his life, and this would not be a jump where he could break his fall with his legs. He was definitely going to lose control.
From the corner of his eye, he saw something else strange. In the dark window of the sitting room, he could swear he saw the shadow of a person. The room was completely dark, but just like sometimes, when you see shapes in the darkness, he could almost see a human shape that was even darker than the darkness, if that made sense.
As his movement started to spin him towards the stairs and the street below, the shadow moved. It moved so fast, it was like the shadow disappeared. Then Trash heard a cracking noise as the window was thrown open. Then he couldn’t see the building anymore as his fall had twisted him away, and now all he could see was Pazu, who seemed to be yelling something.
He felt a jolt as time suddenly sped back up to normal. He felt like his jacket had been caught on something. That was strange, though, as there was nothing for it to catch on. He turned his head to look at his right arm where he could feel something tugging him back, helping him to gain his footing back.
He saw a pitch-black hand grabbing his jacket just below the shoulder. He had enough time to wonder if whoever had grabbed him was wearing gloves when he heard the horrible ripping sound.
This time, time did not slow down. In a single instant, he saw the arm of his jacket rip cleanly off. Then he saw the street flip down in his vision as up and down reversed. Then everything went black.
End Part II: