They had finished their practice game between the grass-lot baseball teams the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens and the Tokyo Sukiyaki Westerns, and that night the Tonkotsu Nine met up at a restaurant in the city in celebration for the game.
"Today is my treat! Drink up whatever you like!" Their coach Genzo toasted with a beer mug in hand. "So cheers!"
"Cheers!"
There was the clanking of beer mugs and exuberant voices. The Tonkotsu Nine each gave praise to every person who made a good effort in their game that day while gulping down their drinks. Enokida, who was sitting across from the second baseman and shortstop Banba and Lin, was also drinking down his beer the same as everyone else.
There were three small bowls laid out on the long table. Banba selfishly wanted to have motsunabe, and so they ordered a nabe dish course for ten people.
"That was a splendid game." Jiro made a fond smile, sitting diagonally across from them. Next to him the elementary schooler he brought with him, Misaki, was drinking her orange juice.
"Nice pitching, Saitou-kun."
"Yeah, you had good pitches right from the beginning and carried through until the end."
"Thank you." Receiving praise from the coach Genzo and the catcher Shigematsu, the pitcher Saitou smiled timidly. "The ninth inning was pretty rough though."
The Ramens managed a sliding victory with 15 to 2. With Martinez's home run, Banba's RBI double, Lin's safe grounder to the infield, and Enokida's safety squeeze, their team had efficiently racked up points. Saitou had made nice pitching, with only two points taken in the ninth inning. Only in the last inning did they have a base-on-fours, but thanks to their second baseman and short stop they managed to get through safely with their double play.
And this time the Ramens also had a powerful stand-in.
"Still, that person was quite amazing. It was Heiwajima-san, right?" Yamato said that while recalling the game.
"Really. He made a huge effort, Shizu-chan did." Jiro also nodded absentmindedly.
"If I remember right, Banba brought him, right?" Shigematsu asked.
The third baseman Saeki could not make it because of a sudden job, so the Ramens searched for a stand-in. And then the person Banba brought was a young man named Shizuo Heiwajima.
"At first he wasn't on board, but I begged him sayin' 'we're short on people, so please,' and he came." Banba boasted.
"What a nice guy. He's scary when he's angry though." Martínez smiled bitterly.
And so the day of the practice game. With it being harsh for a novice baseball player to suddenly play on infield, the right fielder Jiro took up the third baseman position and Shizuo Heiwajima was left to defend the right field.
Number 8 Right Fielder, Shizuo Heiwajima.
"Anyway, I just have to send it flying for away, right?" he had said while gripping the bat, and all nine of the Tonkotsu except Banba felt uneasiness. Is this person alright……they thought.
However, that was also needless fear.
Shizuo Heiwajima had three strikes missing the low thrown ball at his first turn at bat, but since his second turn at bat he gradually managed to perceive the ball. His eyes are probably accustomed to it. On the seventh pitch, he managed to recover the fork ball well and carried it to center field. As the person himself had said, he seemed to have 'gotten the hang of it.'
Just as he said, on the third turn at the bat the batted ball broke through right and center field and made it to third base on nimble-feet. Continuing onto the fourth and fifth turn at bat, he hit two consecutive home runs out of the premises. The ball flew all the way to the parking lot and hit the front window of an unknown person's car and broke it.
Heiwajima's role as an outfielder does not stop with just offense. During defense, he would make the best of his characteristic throwing arm and saved close call points countless of times. It was almost as if he would tag out a fast runner with a laser beam like Ichiro, or he would ground out the opponent's hit to right field entirely. The pitcher Saitou earnestly bowed his head towards him. The good pitching with two losses on the ninth inning is largely due to the good fielding of the right fielder. There was also a scene with the outfielder Heiwajima as the runner who seemed to overtake the previous runner in an instant.
In any case, Shizuo Heiwajima was an all-rounded player for running, offense, and defense. It was a matter to discuss whether he would be able to aim for the professional world if he seriously made the effort to do so. He was still young, and he would be an immediate good player fresh from society. It was not a long-distant dream for him to be in the major league. However, it seemed the actual individual himself did not have much interest in baseball, but it was truly a waste.
"I wanted to drink with Shizuo-kun too." Banba said keenly.
The huge victory today could not be explained without the outstanding performance of the outfielder Shizuo Heiwajima. If this was a professional game of baseball, without a doubt he would be called to the winner's platform. Banba invited him to the wrap-up party saying, "let's drink together," but he was rejected coolly by him with, "no, I got work."
"Even so," while drinking his potato shochu Shigematsu asked. "Where did you find such talent, Banba?"
"In Ikebukuro."
"Ikebukuro?"
"Yeah. In Ikebukuro Shizuo-kun pulled out a street sign and made a full swing with the thing in his bartender outfit."
At Banba's words, everyone together raised their voice. "……ha?"
"Yeah, there's no way, right." Yamato laughed with a voice belittling him. "There's no way that's possible."
"It ain't a lie! Right, Lin-chan?"
Lin nodded with a serious expression having the matter brought up. "……He's being serious. Unbelievable as it seems."
"He made a wonderful swing. And then later he threw a vending machine barehanded."
"Yeah, no way, no way."
"Yeah, nope."
Enokida and Yamato waved their hands at the same time. There was no way there was a person like that. No matter how amazing a player like him was.
"It's true I tell you!" Without being believed, Banba frowned deeply. And then he asked for an approval from Martínez. "Right, Mar-san?"
"Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes too." Martínez nodded with a serious expression. "Alex Ochoa also has a surprisingly strong throwing arm."
"Who is that man……" Shigematsu muttered that to himself and turned towards their direction. "Enokida, don't you know about him?"
"Who knows." Unfortunately, Ikebukuro was outside his parameters. Enokida tilted his head in thought. "I don't know. Well, rather, I don't think that sort of logic defying human exists."
The other team, however, did not have fixed defensive positions established but instead had multiple players at different defense positions. The left fielder had defended first base before, and their battery mates had switched places another time as well. In this practice game one of their new members was their starting pitcher. Being nearly two meters tall, he had strength put into his straight balls he threw, and at the start of the match the Tonkotsu Nine were fed up with his pitches, unable to hit them.
"Actually about the game," Yamato sitting next to him suddenly remembered. "The other team's pitcher hit Enokida on purpose."
Today's batting record for Enokida was five turns at bat with one safe hit and four hits made by the pitcher.
"Yeah, that foreigner, right?" Shigematsu who was sitting across from him agreed with Yamato's statement. "He certainly wasn't bad at aiming, but he seemed intent on hitting Enokida."
"Well, it was deserved." Enokida smiled bitterly.
And then,
"By the way, Enokida-chan."
Jiro leaned forward to face him with keen interest.
"What's with that outfit?"
Enokida was in former clothes instead of his usual parka jacket and skinny jeans. He even had a bouquet with him. At Jiro's sudden question everyone turned their attention to Enokida.
"What's with the bouquet? Is it someone's birthday?"
"Is someone retiring?"
"No." Enokida shook his head. "I'm going to see someone after this."
"For you to be so dressed up…….Are you meeting with a girl? Is it a date?"
"No, it's not. I'm just going to congratulate her on her marriage."
At last the nabe dish started to boil. Jiro handed out plates for the main meal that was ready to be eaten.
"……What is this?" Banba took one bite and frowned at the taste. "This is awful……This ain't motsunabe."
"You were the one who asked for it!" Lin raised his voice as Banba complained next to him. The Tonkotsu Nine spent time enjoying themselves after that. While they ate their nabe dish they each talked about their expeditions in Tokyo.
"It's good once in a while to travel, ain't it?"
Genzo asked with a Japanese sake in one hand.
"Quite." Jiro nodded with a smile. "We were able to go sightseeing too, so it was fun."
"Where did you guys go?" Lin asked Jiro and Misaki.
"Shibuya and Shinjuku. We did a lot of shopping. Right, Misaki?"
"Yeah." Misaki nodded deeply. "We also got to have pancakes."
"Yes, we did. At that one exclusive restaurant in Tokyo."
"That's awesome." Lin got jealous of them upon hearing that.
"I want some too! Pancakes exclusive to just Tokyo! And not just ramen!"
Lin roughly put down his empty beer mug onto the table.
"Hey, listen to this!" He raised his voice and pointed a finger at the man next to him. "He's only ever gone on about having tonkotsu ramen since we got here, so we went to a restaurant in Ikebukuro, right?! And then when we had it he only gave complaints about it. 'The noodles should have been more thin and firm' or 'the soup wasn't dense enough.' And get this, in the end he ended up saying, 'tonkotsu is best in Hakata' anyway. And I told him that's why he shouldn't have had it!"
Lin, now drunk, opened up to all his frustrations towards Banba. Their private room was rather boisterous.
"Hey now, calm down, Lin-chan."
Banba comforted Lin as though it had nothing to do with him.
"Yamato, where did you go?"
Martinez asked him.
"Me?" Yamato replied while pecking at his food. "I went on crowded trains."
"Crowded trains?"
"Tokyo is a great place to hunt."
Yamato worked as a host in Nakasu, but his main occupation was as a pickpocket. In a crowded place like Tokyo, it was a great opportunity to make advancements in work.
"You were working even now?" Martinez smiled bitterly. "You're so stingy."
They passed this fun time and got closer to wrapping up their celebration party. After they finished placing their last order, Jiro looked around the group and asked everyone.
"What is everyone going to do after this?"
"I'd like to go drinking in Ni-Chome." Martinez replied. "Jiro, take me with you. You've been there before, right?"
"That's fine by me." Jiro grinned. "Misaki, would you like to go too?"
Misaki gave him a smile nod while her cheeks were stuffed with ice cream.
"Ehh, you ain't gonna have some ramen when you go back?" Banba pouted.
"You can have some by yourself."
Lin sighed.
Just when Enokida made a bitter smile, his cell phone in his pocket began to vibrate. It was a call from an unknown number. "Sorry, I have to take a call," he said and got up. He exited the private room and moved to a quiet hallway. Once he was away from the ruckus, Enokida pressed the accept call button. "……Hello?"
[Hey.]
It was a man's voice. He knew who it was immediately – it was that informant.
[Did I catch you in the middle of something?]
"It's no problem." He glanced over to the door to the room and stated, "I was just about to have motsunabe with everyone."
[…………nabe (hot pot), huh.]
"Is there something wrong with that?"
[No, I just thought it was past the season.]
"There's no off season for motsunabe in Fukuoka."
Enokida left the small talk at that and then brought up the main topic.
"So? How did it go?"
He incidentally obtained the informant of Shinjuku's contact information when he researched on the personal information of Rabito Westwood and Torakichi Nishino. Enokida then offered him a job. To make contact with Miyoko and to summon her somewhere. He wanted to meet up with her and just tell her: the word congratulations with the bouquet of flowers. And the words "thank you" he could not say back then.
[Who knew I would be tasked a job from a genius hacker like yourself. It is an honor.]
"You don't really mean that."
[Haha]
The informant gave a laugh before he gave a report on his results.
[Miyoko-san, was it? I have called her up to meet at a certain place as you requested, and you can do as you like from there. I will send you the address in an e-mail.]
"Got it."
After a beat of a moment, the other began to speak.
[ – May I ask you one thing?]
"What is it?"
[Why did you give me a request so out of the blue?]
When Enokida fell silent, the informant laughed.
[I was a bit curious, you see. With the abilities you have, there's no way you wouldn't have been able to look up Miyoko-san's contact information, right? No, not for something so cute as that. If you thought to try, you should've been able to know everything from her associates to her partnerships with men. I can't fathom why despite that you'd spend money and request another informant to do it.]
"There's not much of a big reason behind it."
[……Could it be, it was to test my skills?]
"There's that too, I guess."
Enokida replied back with vague words.
"Well, I happened to not be free on the occasion. I was busy on another case."
Besides, he continued.
"I don't want to inquire into that person over this and that. …..Though even if I were say that, you wouldn't understand."
As this man said there was nothing he could not have looked up on his own for certain. Looking up Miyoko's contact information and summoning her somewhere was simple enough.
However, if he looked into Miyoko's affairs, he would have ended up seeing some unnecessary information. There were things better left unknown in this world. There were too many things better off not knowing.
The piano teacher from when he was a middle school student. The beautiful, kind older woman. He did not want to shatter the unchanging image of Miyoko from those times due to unnecessary information. He wanted to keep the existence that served as his one solace from that time beautiful in his heart.
[Huh. I had thought you were more of a dry type, but you're surprisingly a romanticist.]
Enokida grimaced picturing the light smile on the other's face. "……You're annoying."
Just as he was about to drop the call the man suddenly raised his voice with a, "Ah, that's right," as though recalling something.
[I'll warn you of one thing.]
"Warn me?"
[If you go to Ikebukuro you should be careful around a man wearing a bartender uniform. He is an outrageous man.]
……Ikebukuro? Bartender uniform?
– I heard that from somewhere before.
Thinking of the possibility he mentioned it.
"Is that person perhaps Shizuo-kun?"
[What's this, you already know about Shizu-chan. Then this makes it fast. If you see him, it would be in your best interest to stay away from him.]
"Eh, we already played baseball together though."
[…..Ha? Baseball? ………..ha?]
With the other giving a rare unintelligent voice Enokida shook his head saying "ah, no, it's nothing."
"This Shizuo-kun, he pulls out street signs and throws vending machines?"
[He does.]
The informant replied immediately. From his tone of voice he was able to read out that this was true. Then that meant what Banba and everyone talked about was not a lie. Although he thought it was just a reckless remark it was surprising that such a man existed in this world. It was a shock.
At any rate, they had finished their business with this. The informant departed with a "well then, I will await being of use to you again," in a joking manner, and then the other dropped the call.
Will I use him again? As he snorted at this there was a short vibration from his computer terminal. Looking at the screen an e-mail arrived from an unknown address. It was probably from the informant. Naturally he was fast at his work. In the text of the e-mail the meet up time and address was listed.
– Miyoko-sensei is waiting at this place?
Unlike himself, he became anxious.
What face will Miyoko make when she sees me now? She would most likely be quite shocked. No wait, would she remember me in the first place?
While feeling a tinge of anxiety Enokida returned to the private room. They were loud as usual. Banba was fairly drunk, and he was just in the middle of complaining about the mentai chazuke they ordered.
"This ain't mentaiko! There ain't no flavor of the raw ingredients! The walleye pollack is pathetic, I could cry!"
"Then why did you order it, idiot!"
Once Enokida grabbed his luggage and bouquet, he slid past the tipsy Tonkotsu Nine members and quietly left the room. He put the bouquet under his shoulder and fixed his necktie.
"I'm gonna complain to the staff!"
"Stop, you idiot! That'd be embarrassing!"
Enokida left the restaurant while listening to Banba and Lin's lively voices.
Illustrations were provided by Soutenkyuu on Tumblr.
They had finished their practice game between the grass-lot baseball teams the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens and the Tokyo Sukiyaki Westerns, and that night the Tonkotsu Nine met up at a restaurant in the city in celebration for the game.
"Today is my treat! Drink up whatever you like!" Their coach Genzo toasted with a beer mug in hand. "So cheers!"
"Cheers!"
There was the clanking of beer mugs and exuberant voices. The Tonkotsu Nine each gave praise to every person who made a good effort in their game that day while gulping down their drinks. Enokida, who was sitting across from the second baseman and shortstop Banba and Lin, was also drinking down his beer the same as everyone else.
There were three small bowls laid out on the long table. Banba selfishly wanted to have motsunabe, and so they ordered a nabe dish course for ten people.
"That was a splendid game." Jiro made a fond smile, sitting diagonally across from them. Next to him the elementary schooler he brought with him, Misaki, was drinking her orange juice.
"Nice pitching, Saitou-kun."
"Yeah, you had good pitches right from the beginning and carried through until the end."
"Thank you." Receiving praise from the coach Genzo and the catcher Shigematsu, the pitcher Saitou smiled timidly. "The ninth inning was pretty rough though."
The Ramens managed a sliding victory with 15 to 2. With Martinez's home run, Banba's RBI double, Lin's safe grounder to the infield, and Enokida's safety squeeze, their team had efficiently racked up points. Saitou had made nice pitching, with only two points taken in the ninth inning. Only in the last inning did they have a base-on-fours, but thanks to their second baseman and short stop they managed to get through safely with their double play.
And this time the Ramens also had a powerful stand-in.
"Still, that person was quite amazing. It was Heiwajima-san, right?" Yamato said that while recalling the game.
"Really. He made a huge effort, Shizu-chan did." Jiro also nodded absentmindedly.
"If I remember right, Banba brought him, right?" Shigematsu asked.
The third baseman Saeki could not make it because of a sudden job, so the Ramens searched for a stand-in. And then the person Banba brought was a young man named Shizuo Heiwajima.
"At first he wasn't on board, but I begged him sayin' 'we're short on people, so please,' and he came." Banba boasted.
"What a nice guy. He's scary when he's angry though." Martínez smiled bitterly.
And so the day of the practice game. With it being harsh for a novice baseball player to suddenly play on infield, the right fielder Jiro took up the third baseman position and Shizuo Heiwajima was left to defend the right field.
Number 8 Right Fielder, Shizuo Heiwajima.
"Anyway, I just have to send it flying for away, right?" he had said while gripping the bat, and all nine of the Tonkotsu except Banba felt uneasiness. Is this person alright……they thought.
However, that was also needless fear.
Shizuo Heiwajima had three strikes missing the low thrown ball at his first turn at bat, but since his second turn at bat he gradually managed to perceive the ball. His eyes are probably accustomed to it. On the seventh pitch, he managed to recover the fork ball well and carried it to center field. As the person himself had said, he seemed to have 'gotten the hang of it.'
Just as he said, on the third turn at the bat the batted ball broke through right and center field and made it to third base on nimble-feet. Continuing onto the fourth and fifth turn at bat, he hit two consecutive home runs out of the premises. The ball flew all the way to the parking lot and hit the front window of an unknown person's car and broke it.
Heiwajima's role as an outfielder does not stop with just offense. During defense, he would make the best of his characteristic throwing arm and saved close call points countless of times. It was almost as if he would tag out a fast runner with a laser beam like Ichiro, or he would ground out the opponent's hit to right field entirely. The pitcher Saitou earnestly bowed his head towards him. The good pitching with two losses on the ninth inning is largely due to the good fielding of the right fielder. There was also a scene with the outfielder Heiwajima as the runner who seemed to overtake the previous runner in an instant.
In any case, Shizuo Heiwajima was an all-rounded player for running, offense, and defense. It was a matter to discuss whether he would be able to aim for the professional world if he seriously made the effort to do so. He was still young, and he would be an immediate good player fresh from society. It was not a long-distant dream for him to be in the major league. However, it seemed the actual individual himself did not have much interest in baseball, but it was truly a waste.
"I wanted to drink with Shizuo-kun too." Banba said keenly.
The huge victory today could not be explained without the outstanding performance of the outfielder Shizuo Heiwajima. If this was a professional game of baseball, without a doubt he would be called to the winner's platform. Banba invited him to the wrap-up party saying, "let's drink together," but he was rejected coolly by him with, "no, I got work."
"Even so," while drinking his potato shochu Shigematsu asked. "Where did you find such talent, Banba?"
"In Ikebukuro."
"Ikebukuro?"
"Yeah. In Ikebukuro Shizuo-kun pulled out a street sign and made a full swing with the thing in his bartender outfit."
At Banba's words, everyone together raised their voice. "……ha?"
"Yeah, there's no way, right." Yamato laughed with a voice belittling him. "There's no way that's possible."
"It ain't a lie! Right, Lin-chan?"
Lin nodded with a serious expression having the matter brought up. "……He's being serious. Unbelievable as it seems."
"He made a wonderful swing. And then later he threw a vending machine barehanded."
"Yeah, no way, no way."
"Yeah, nope."
Enokida and Yamato waved their hands at the same time. There was no way there was a person like that. No matter how amazing a player like him was.
"It's true I tell you!" Without being believed, Banba frowned deeply. And then he asked for an approval from Martínez. "Right, Mar-san?"
"Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes too." Martínez nodded with a serious expression. "Alex Ochoa also has a surprisingly strong throwing arm."
"Who is that man……" Shigematsu muttered that to himself and turned towards their direction. "Enokida, don't you know about him?"
"Who knows." Unfortunately, Ikebukuro was outside his parameters. Enokida tilted his head in thought. "I don't know. Well, rather, I don't think that sort of logic defying human exists."
The other team, however, did not have fixed defensive positions established but instead had multiple players at different defense positions. The left fielder had defended first base before, and their battery mates had switched places another time as well. In this practice game one of their new members was their starting pitcher. Being nearly two meters tall, he had strength put into his straight balls he threw, and at the start of the match the Tonkotsu Nine were fed up with his pitches, unable to hit them.
"Actually about the game," Yamato sitting next to him suddenly remembered. "The other team's pitcher hit Enokida on purpose."
Today's batting record for Enokida was five turns at bat with one safe hit and four hits made by the pitcher.
"Yeah, that foreigner, right?" Shigematsu who was sitting across from him agreed with Yamato's statement. "He certainly wasn't bad at aiming, but he seemed intent on hitting Enokida."
"Well, it was deserved." Enokida smiled bitterly.
And then,
"By the way, Enokida-chan."
Jiro leaned forward to face him with keen interest.
"What's with that outfit?"
Enokida was in former clothes instead of his usual parka jacket and skinny jeans. He even had a bouquet with him. At Jiro's sudden question everyone turned their attention to Enokida.
"What's with the bouquet? Is it someone's birthday?"
"Is someone retiring?"
"No." Enokida shook his head. "I'm going to see someone after this."
"For you to be so dressed up…….Are you meeting with a girl? Is it a date?"
"No, it's not. I'm just going to congratulate her on her marriage."
At last the nabe dish started to boil. Jiro handed out plates for the main meal that was ready to be eaten.
"……What is this?" Banba took one bite and frowned at the taste. "This is awful……This ain't motsunabe."
"You were the one who asked for it!" Lin raised his voice as Banba complained next to him. The Tonkotsu Nine spent time enjoying themselves after that. While they ate their nabe dish they each talked about their expeditions in Tokyo.
"It's good once in a while to travel, ain't it?"
Genzo asked with a Japanese sake in one hand.
"Quite." Jiro nodded with a smile. "We were able to go sightseeing too, so it was fun."
"Where did you guys go?" Lin asked Jiro and Misaki.
"Shibuya and Shinjuku. We did a lot of shopping. Right, Misaki?"
"Yeah." Misaki nodded deeply. "We also got to have pancakes."
"Yes, we did. At that one exclusive restaurant in Tokyo."
"That's awesome." Lin got jealous of them upon hearing that.
"I want some too! Pancakes exclusive to just Tokyo! And not just ramen!"
Lin roughly put down his empty beer mug onto the table.
"Hey, listen to this!" He raised his voice and pointed a finger at the man next to him. "He's only ever gone on about having tonkotsu ramen since we got here, so we went to a restaurant in Ikebukuro, right?! And then when we had it he only gave complaints about it. 'The noodles should have been more thin and firm' or 'the soup wasn't dense enough.' And get this, in the end he ended up saying, 'tonkotsu is best in Hakata' anyway. And I told him that's why he shouldn't have had it!"
Lin, now drunk, opened up to all his frustrations towards Banba. Their private room was rather boisterous.
"Hey now, calm down, Lin-chan."
Banba comforted Lin as though it had nothing to do with him.
"Yamato, where did you go?"
Martinez asked him.
"Me?" Yamato replied while pecking at his food. "I went on crowded trains."
"Crowded trains?"
"Tokyo is a great place to hunt."
Yamato worked as a host in Nakasu, but his main occupation was as a pickpocket. In a crowded place like Tokyo, it was a great opportunity to make advancements in work.
"You were working even now?" Martinez smiled bitterly. "You're so stingy."
They passed this fun time and got closer to wrapping up their celebration party. After they finished placing their last order, Jiro looked around the group and asked everyone.
"What is everyone going to do after this?"
"I'd like to go drinking in Ni-Chome." Martinez replied. "Jiro, take me with you. You've been there before, right?"
"That's fine by me." Jiro grinned. "Misaki, would you like to go too?"
Misaki gave him a smile nod while her cheeks were stuffed with ice cream.
"Ehh, you ain't gonna have some ramen when you go back?" Banba pouted.
"You can have some by yourself."
Lin sighed.
Just when Enokida made a bitter smile, his cell phone in his pocket began to vibrate. It was a call from an unknown number. "Sorry, I have to take a call," he said and got up. He exited the private room and moved to a quiet hallway. Once he was away from the ruckus, Enokida pressed the accept call button. "……Hello?"
[Hey.]
It was a man's voice. He knew who it was immediately – it was that informant.
[Did I catch you in the middle of something?]
"It's no problem." He glanced over to the door to the room and stated, "I was just about to have motsunabe with everyone."
[…………nabe (hot pot), huh.]
"Is there something wrong with that?"
[No, I just thought it was past the season.]
"There's no off season for motsunabe in Fukuoka."
Enokida left the small talk at that and then brought up the main topic.
"So? How did it go?"
He incidentally obtained the informant of Shinjuku's contact information when he researched on the personal information of Rabito Westwood and Torakichi Nishino. Enokida then offered him a job. To make contact with Miyoko and to summon her somewhere. He wanted to meet up with her and just tell her: the word congratulations with the bouquet of flowers. And the words "thank you" he could not say back then.
[Who knew I would be tasked a job from a genius hacker like yourself. It is an honor.]
"You don't really mean that."
[Haha]
The informant gave a laugh before he gave a report on his results.
[Miyoko-san, was it? I have called her up to meet at a certain place as you requested, and you can do as you like from there. I will send you the address in an e-mail.]
"Got it."
After a beat of a moment, the other began to speak.
[ – May I ask you one thing?]
"What is it?"
[Why did you give me a request so out of the blue?]
When Enokida fell silent, the informant laughed.
[I was a bit curious, you see. With the abilities you have, there's no way you wouldn't have been able to look up Miyoko-san's contact information, right? No, not for something so cute as that. If you thought to try, you should've been able to know everything from her associates to her partnerships with men. I can't fathom why despite that you'd spend money and request another informant to do it.]
"There's not much of a big reason behind it."
[……Could it be, it was to test my skills?]
"There's that too, I guess."
Enokida replied back with vague words.
"Well, I happened to not be free on the occasion. I was busy on another case."
Besides, he continued.
"I don't want to inquire into that person over this and that. …..Though even if I were say that, you wouldn't understand."
As this man said there was nothing he could not have looked up on his own for certain. Looking up Miyoko's contact information and summoning her somewhere was simple enough.
However, if he looked into Miyoko's affairs, he would have ended up seeing some unnecessary information. There were things better left unknown in this world. There were too many things better off not knowing.
The piano teacher from when he was a middle school student. The beautiful, kind older woman. He did not want to shatter the unchanging image of Miyoko from those times due to unnecessary information. He wanted to keep the existence that served as his one solace from that time beautiful in his heart.
[Huh. I had thought you were more of a dry type, but you're surprisingly a romanticist.]
Enokida grimaced picturing the light smile on the other's face. "……You're annoying."
Just as he was about to drop the call the man suddenly raised his voice with a, "Ah, that's right," as though recalling something.
[I'll warn you of one thing.]
"Warn me?"
[If you go to Ikebukuro you should be careful around a man wearing a bartender uniform. He is an outrageous man.]
……Ikebukuro? Bartender uniform?
– I heard that from somewhere before.
Thinking of the possibility he mentioned it.
"Is that person perhaps Shizuo-kun?"
[What's this, you already know about Shizu-chan. Then this makes it fast. If you see him, it would be in your best interest to stay away from him.]
"Eh, we already played baseball together though."
[…..Ha? Baseball? ………..ha?]
With the other giving a rare unintelligent voice Enokida shook his head saying "ah, no, it's nothing."
"This Shizuo-kun, he pulls out street signs and throws vending machines?"
[He does.]
The informant replied immediately. From his tone of voice he was able to read out that this was true. Then that meant what Banba and everyone talked about was not a lie. Although he thought it was just a reckless remark it was surprising that such a man existed in this world. It was a shock.
At any rate, they had finished their business with this. The informant departed with a "well then, I will await being of use to you again," in a joking manner, and then the other dropped the call.
Will I use him again? As he snorted at this there was a short vibration from his computer terminal. Looking at the screen an e-mail arrived from an unknown address. It was probably from the informant. Naturally he was fast at his work. In the text of the e-mail the meet up time and address was listed.
– Miyoko-sensei is waiting at this place?
Unlike himself, he became anxious.
What face will Miyoko make when she sees me now? She would most likely be quite shocked. No wait, would she remember me in the first place?
While feeling a tinge of anxiety Enokida returned to the private room. They were loud as usual. Banba was fairly drunk, and he was just in the middle of complaining about the mentai chazuke they ordered.
"This ain't mentaiko! There ain't no flavor of the raw ingredients! The walleye pollack is pathetic, I could cry!"
"Then why did you order it, idiot!"
Once Enokida grabbed his luggage and bouquet, he slid past the tipsy Tonkotsu Nine members and quietly left the room. He put the bouquet under his shoulder and fixed his necktie.
"I'm gonna complain to the staff!"
"Stop, you idiot! That'd be embarrassing!"
Enokida left the restaurant while listening to Banba and Lin's lively voices.
Illustrations were provided by Soutenkyuu on Tumblr.
