Chapter Ten: There Ain’t No Gettin’ Offa This Train We On!

The main street was still full of people at 10 PM. This was not always the case in Akihabara. In fact, only a few years ago the streets of the Electric Town would have been all but abandoned by 7 PM. As part of an urban revival initiative, popular restaurants and entertainment venues had opened up, drawing customers to spend time and money after all the electronics shops had closed. Today, however, was special. It had a mood similar to a summer festival but lacked the fireworks, street food, and carnival games.

The late-night line-up was an Akihabara tradition, a rite of passage for true fans to show their passion and loyalty. Actually, it was mostly for show. In the internet age, it wasn’t hard to find an easier way to get that popular product, even a limited edition release, online. Still, the tradition was alive and well in Akihabara, and tonight was due to be a record-breaker for crowd size.

Even Trash didn’t know where the fad started. Perhaps from the huge lines of customers that formed in the 80’s when the new Dragon Quest games were launched to overwhelming demand. It could have been the extremely limited drops of fanzine comics at Toranoana after the annual comiket or some similar rare fan goods. Now, it felt like there were lines every week. Lines to reserve AKB48 theater tickets, or to get special release-day-only perks like an invitation to a hand-shake meetup with a popular gravure idol promoting her new release.

Trash walked down the main street after leaving Pazu’s restaurant. It was starting to drizzle, as foreshadowed by the humidity and clouds earlier. He just put up his hood and kept walking. An umbrella on the crowded sidewalks was always troublesome. Already, the lines were forming, like clouds before a massive storm.

Tonight was a once-a-year convergence. There were lines visible across the town. A huge line in front of Yodobashi Camera, and another one in front of the big Sofmap on the corner by UDX. Smaller lines in front of a dozen other small and mid sized shops scattered around Akihabara.

Tomorrow morning was the widely anticipated launch of the iPhone 4. A global phenomenon that had upset the domination of domestic handset makers in Japan and changed the tastes of Japanese consumers in just a couple of years.

For those who absolutely needed to ensure that they had the coolest new phone on launch day, lining up was often the only way. With lines expected to reach over a thousand in front of some stores however, the earlier, the better, to ensure a shot at the finite stock.

In front of some of the biggest stores in Tokyo, lines had started forming a couple of days earlier, and in Akihabara, on the night before the launch, already hundreds of people were standing in neat and orderly lines for the stores to open the next morning.

Trash had heard that at the Apple Stores in Ginza, they had staffers passing out Apple-branded umbrellas and snacks to the people waiting in line. If they were doing that tonight, he would have liked to see if he couldn’t obtain a few of those umbrellas. The brand’s popularity right now was sky-high.

Those lines for the iPhone were not his target tonight, however. He actually had a reservation for a new phone to replace his still, relatively new 3gs, last year’s model. He had lined up weeks ago to get that. All he had to do was walk in the shop and pick up his new phone, after paying for it of course. Right now, however, paying anything to replace a perfectly good, working phone was an easy thing for him to pass up.

He was aiming for one of the lines, though, but a much smaller and different type of line altogether. At one of the smaller Sofmap satellite stores on the main street, a much more humble line had formed.

This line was waiting for the launch of Love+Plus. An updated version of a popular dating simulation game for the Nintendo DSi. The game was a mix of dating simulation and Tamagotchi virtual pet. Players would interact with a 3d model of one of three young girls to gain their favor using the built in touchscreen and camera on the game machine. Being Nintendo, the content was rather tame, but it obviously catered to a very specific type of fan.

Trash had watched the development of the series closely. It had all the markers of a great kusoge. It was expensive, with huge development costs, it was in a niche genre, and the games were bug-prone and difficult to navigate. Not only was it hard to develop, but there were three separate versions for sale, not counting the special editions that sold with limited editions game machines. Each version only had one of three possible partners programmed into it. Completionists would have to buy all three.

Its rabid fanbase kept Konami, the game’s publisher, spitting out new versions at a steady pace, but they also quickly started showing up on the second-hand market, as all but the die-hard fans quickly tired of the novelty and tried to recoup their expenses before the market fell. Availability was already fluctuating, and soon, Trash predicted that some of the games would start to get rare and difficult to find.

Trash would stockpile cartridges of games like this when the sell-offs peaked, and he could pick them up for a song. Then he waited. These games would never be reprinted, and with age, they would eventually disappear.

There were currently only a half dozen people in line in front of the Sofmap Entertainment Annex, the video game specialty outlet that would be hosting a large launch event the next morning. Sakamoto stood there, the third person in line. A die hard Manaka Takane fan, there was no way he was going to miss this launch event.

Sakamoto had an odd style. Atypical even for the geek-chic fashion that was the norm on the streets of Akihabara, he considered himself a Showa-era dandy. He was average height, with an average build, but he looked like he would fit in better at some retro style barbershop than a launch-day late-night line-up in the geek capital of Japan. His hair was greased and slicked back into an onyx duckbill covering his neck. He had a thin face, but black, thick-rimmed glasses magnified his eyes, giving him an almost comical appearance. The pink, striped office shirt and brown suspenders holding up slacks that were short at the ankles completed the image of a different kind of social outcast than was the local standard.

He carried a cheap old see-through umbrella. The kind that would be tossed on a garbage pile after the rain stopped because the thin tines had already warped or snapped.

Trash thought he looked like a fool. Still, Sakamoto had been one of his most reliable customers.

「So what did he say?」

「What do you think he said? I told you there was no way he could get that much cash. He’s a foreigner. There are laws about traveling with too much cash,」 Trash spoke in a low whisper, moving closer to prevent his voice from being lost by one of the few cars driving by.

Sakamoto spoke loudly, seemingly without concern about who could overhear him on the busy street. This was a place where he felt as safe as in his own home.

「Can’t he just transfer the money by bank transfer?」

「There’s limits there, too. If you send too much, the police check out what you are doing, sending so much money to another country.」

「Well, then how was I supposed to get the money back here?」

「We already went over this part, remember?」

「We did? I don’t remember that.」

Trash was losing his patience. They had already discussed this several times, including the last evening. Sakamoto was a genius, at least that was according to himself. He designed the Sound Princess, after all. But it was like his brain could only hold certain types of information. Anything that wasn’t something he cared deeply about just evaporated from his brain.

「We did. He already has the money. It’s in a corporate bank account in Singapore. You can transfer smaller amounts over time, or just leave it there and just get a house or something down there. I don’t know. You said you were fine with it.」

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

「I did? That’s funny. I don’t see why I would agree to that. They said they were going to do an audit. They want to know what I did with the R&D money.」

「Who’s they?」

「Hansa finance department. HR too. They said it’s part of the departmental reorganization, but I know they are looking for something to blame on me.」

This was a mess. Sakamoto was a mess. With all this going on, he’s outside, lining up all night to buy a dating sim girlfriend? Trash was starting to tremble. He didn’t know if he was angry, or tired, or scared. The stress was far more than he could deal with, and Sakamoto was out of his mind.

It was a stupid, desperate idea, and now everything was falling apart. If he hadn’t been so desperate, he would never have even entertained the idea. Instead, he had wasted days, weeks, trying to pull this deal together, only to have it all fall apart at the last minute. He had been so close, but now it seemed doomed to fail, leaving him with nothing, just days before he lost his house.

「Are you okay?」

Trash stared at Sakamoto. Part of him wanted to strangle the man. Of course, he wasn’t okay.

「Can’t you just go with the plan? What if they search your house and find the cash? Isn’t that just as bad? Maybe even worse?」

「No, no. That’s fine. I know where to hide it. That’s right! That’s why I can’t take the money by transfer. There would be records. Paper trail. Cash is safe. Untraceable.」

「But it’s not untraceable when we bring it into the country, right? So how do we get the money into Japan?」

The anger in his voice surprised even himself. He never got mad like this. Never fought back. But he had never been this flustered or desperate before.

Trash realized he was not angry at Sakamoto. This time, he couldn’t blame anyone else. It wasn’t his mom’s fault, or his dad’s. It wasn’t even his Uncle, or Aunt. He was the one who didn’t use the time wisely. He was the one who staked his future on a pipe dream. He put himself in the situation, and he was the one who gambled on this crazy scheme.

And it had all fallen through; predictably. Maybe if he had told Pazu months ago, or even weeks ago when Sakamoto told him about this stupid plan, then perhaps Pazu would have talked him out of it.

「Let’s go get something to drink. I need a smoke too,」 Sakamoto put his hand on Trash’s shoulder.

There was an etiquette to the lines. Of course, people had human needs. It’s not like you could pee in a bottle, not on the main road in the middle of the LED light capital of the world.

Veterans maintained a social structure with customs and rules. When you needed a break, you just tapped the guys in front and behind. Let them know, and all was good. When you get back, maybe bring them a can of coffee, or offer them a cigarette. Later on, they would ask for the same treatment. No one ever complained, as long as you didn’t stay away too long.

Sakamoto led them around to the alley on the side of the building. Further off the main street, there was an empty lot. Half a dozen people were standing there, under an old awning, the red glow from their cigarettes lighting up their faces. A couple of them also had handheld game consoles lighting up the lot with dim flashes of light. They must have been playing some fighting game or RPG.

「Look, I get it. But can’t you guys figure something out? It’s just too risky right now. Maybe after the audi-」

「Danny’s not going to wait that long. He’s already got guys in Singapore ready to take apart the code and build some new systems. He needs it now.」

「He what?」

「He’s doing some new start-up down in Singapore. You knew that, right?」

Sakamoto’s face went from surprised to concerned.

「He shouldn’t show it to anyone else. If anyone tracks it back to me. What if Hansa gets their hands on it?」

Trash wanted to scream. How could someone so smart be so incredibly stupid? What did he think was going on? Did he believe Danny was paying him that much money to put it up on a shelf like an anime figure?

That’s the thing about obsessive geeks. They had no sense of value or consequences. They live for their passion, and ignore the rest.

He hadn’t even said the words out loud, but still, the thought passing through his brain shook him. His uncle had used those exact words to criticize him. Trash had to admit he lived in this world that defied common sense. That celebrated the fact that they had rejected the normie life. It was hypocritical to attack it now that it worked against him.

「Look, I know you have concerns, but if you want the deal to happen, you have to compromise. It’s just not reaso-」

「Cash. Nothing else makes sense.」

Back to this again. Trash lowered his head in defeat. He had done what he could. Sakamoto wouldn’t budge.

「Fine. I’ll tell him. If we figure something out, I’ll let you know.」

「If he doesn’t go through with it, he needs to give me back the hardware,」 Sakamoto warned.

「If he doesn’t go through with it, you can fucking get it yourself,」 Trash spat out. He was sick of this. Sick of everyone just worrying about themselves.

He was no different, of course, but he had no power. These rich guys, guys with abilities, influence, futures. Even Pazu…

Trash stopped himself short of that cliff. Of course, he had been jealous of Pazu, many times. But for everything that Pazu had, that he coveted, abilities, resources, even a girl…

He had sworn he would not turn his jealousy against the only person who had always stuck up for him. The one person he knew would have his back.

Trash turned and started to move away. Sakamoto called out to him, but didn’t budge an inch from under the awning. With his lit cigarette between his fingers. He didn’t even take a step outside the lot as Trash walked away.

Trash kept walking past the line of guys waiting in the Love+Plus line. It had already grown by a couple of people. He crossed the main road and walked past the Flagship Sofmap on the corner.

The line there was stretching around the building and was already many times longer than the one for the Love+plus launch; as expected. Once the trains started running in the morning, the lines would all explode in size. The news and camera crews would show up. In just a couple of years, the new iPhone craze was already a major event. Trash used to revel in events like this, but today he didn’t have the heart to watch it unfold.

He stopped in front of the main entrance of the giant electronics store. On the curb, he could still see the remains of the makeshift shrine that had been there for the last couple of weeks. There had been a mountain of flowers and cards here just a few days before.

It gave him chills remembering the massacre that had taken place on this spot two years prior. The knife attack. Things in Akihabara had changed after that. Maybe it was just his imagination, but it felt that people were now more wary, more shut off. An impressive task for a town known for introverts, shut-ins, and social misfits.

They didn’t close off the main street on Sundays anymore, and on weekends, bands of retired old men walked the pavement, on the lookout for “public order violations.” Perhaps one of the most shocking changes was the giant new Aoki Suits store down the block that had opened up a few months back. It was like a declaration of war by the normies. A demand that they give up their selfish ways and get a suit and report for incarceration in some mindless job.

Trash kept walking, heading for the tracks. If things had gone differently, he would already be lined up in front of one of these buildings, Maybe to get the new iPhone, or to try to nab some of the promotional goods. Those standups at the Love+Plus launch were nice. Life-size swimming suit versions of all three main characters from the game. He was sure he could make a bundle off of a set of those.

Pulling his phone out, he sent off a quick text to his contact at Konami. Who knows, maybe he could use that to leverage Sakamoto.

After passing under the train tracks, Trash turned north towards his place. Even now, after most of the northside construction had been completed, the area by the tracks was spooky at night.

His phone started to buzz, and he noticed that he had just received two text messages.

The first was from “Decker,” his contact at Konami that he had just contacted. He worked with the marketing team, but also had an addiction to trading card games. In exchange for procuring some rare cards, Desk had managed to get Trash some pretty good promotional materials in the past.

DECKER [Manaka, 20,000, Rinko 15,000, Nene, 20,000, 1 Set 50,000.]

Holy shit!

TRASH [Seriously?]

DECKER [Serious. These are super hot! Not even sure I can get them. Other guys are already aiming.]

Trash thought about it. At that price, it would be hard to make a profit. On the other hand…

TRASH [Manaka is must get]

DECKER [25,000 guaranteed]

TRASH [Bastard!]

DECKER [Deal?]

TRASH [Deal.]

Well, what damage could one more bad decision cause?

DECKER [Will msg when confirmed. Cash or Cards.]

TRASH [Send your list]

DECKER [Yessir]

Ok, that was good. He was willing to take trade in trading cards. He should be able to reduce the cash expense.

With this, he was armed for another round with Sakamoto, if it came to that anyway.

Checking the next message, Trash stopped in mid-step.

PAZU [Sent word to Old Goat]

PAZU [Possible]

PAZU [Meet tomorrow, 11, Bring Hot Guy]

PAZU [Denmark Street Records]

Following that message was a Google Maps link to a record shop on Takeshita Street.

PAZU [What did Sakamoto say?]

PAZU [Can cancel if not needed.]

PAZU [What do you want to do?]

TRASH [I’ll go.]

He took a moment. Taking a deep breath, Trash felt the oxygen energize his brain. This was it. One last all-or-nothing gamble. Well, he really had nothing left to lose. He added one final message to Pazu before continuing his walk home.

TRASH [39–]

The roads on this side of the tracks were empty, and all the shops closed. Only a few dim streetlights illuminated the way. Above him, Trash could hear the sound of the train passing overhead. He had been listening to the trains so long that he could even tell the cars of the Yamanote Loop line apart from the Keihin-Toyoko Line by sound.

Trash enjoyed these quiet moments that he shared only with Akihabara itself. He couldn’t imagine leaving it, even for some other place in Tokyo. He may not know what it was that he wanted to do, but he knew where he wanted to be. This was the only place in the world he could call home.

End Part I: