January 30th, 2023 – Noon
A small restaurant in Tokyo
Again I resort to the most used key on my laptop: the backspace.
This is not good. It’s all I can think while several drafts appear on my screen and are immediately deleted. That damn essay on the Japanese people’s view on Kira’s return was a bad idea. Who wants to know the opinion of an old lady, randomly interviewed on the streets? The public demands facts. They want to know who is being killed, what is the police doing about it and, most of all, who is Kira?
I finally give up and close the computer, returning my attention to the coffee right in front of me. A cigarette would help too, but I can’t smoke in here. Screw the essay, I’m going right to the point: the police. I finish my coffee while the waitress brings back my credit card. Another meal on the company. I better start working for real before the boss starts the angry phone calls.
A quick look at the map tells me which train I must take to the police central station. Perfect, just one stop from here. There, I hope to find concrete information. The train arrives just as expected from a Japanese train: punctual and crowded. I squeeze myself between those damn Japanese midgets and find a reasonably comfortable place to stand still, and the process takes all the time until the next station. Only there I realize that I took the right train, but in the wrong direction. Goddamn confusing Japanese city!
I arrive at the police central station half hour later, and I feel some tension in the air. I actually have no hope to get an interview with the chief of police; why would he spare time to a gaijin if he denied information even to the local press? I do have a plan, however.
You’d be surprised with what people talk about around you when they think you don’t understand what they’re saying. As I expected, there are no local journalists in the station at the moment, so the cops are quite comfortable talking around while they come and go of lunch time. I fake a terrible English while speaking with the two cops on duty at the reception, asking for a meeting with the chief and pretending I don’t understand their answers. Luckily, only one of them speaks English, as bad as my acting.
While they struggle to communicate with me, my attention is caught by a conversation taking place next to the entrance. Three officers speak about Kira, and someone says something about an investigation team being assembled. One of them comments on a rumor that a guy named Matsuda was being appointed to lead the case.
“What?! Matsuda?! He’s too dumb to lead the case! I don’t even know how did he at least manage to become a cop!” one of them complains.
The discussion heats up, but the three calm down when a beautiful officer joins the talk with news as hot as her body.
“Did you hear? It seems the chief is trying to bring back Aizawa from his retirement to help in the case!”
“Finally, some good news!” the angry one comments, and all around him seem to agree with the idea. Whoever is this retired officer, he sure is respected around here.
The two cops in front of me finally give up on their attempt of speaking in English, and one of them escorts me to the door out, politely saying in Japanese that the chief will not give any interviews. Pretending I didn’t catch a word, I thank him anyway and get out.
Matsuda and Aizawa. It seems reasonable to assume that they are former members of the first Kira investigation team. For what other reason would the chief of police want them on the case? Anyway, it’s clear that the police is not standing still. Finally, I have facts. I find a table at the closest coffee shop, turn on the laptop and start typing:
“JAPANESE POLICE FORCE PREPARES TO FACE THE NEW KIRA”
“Chief of Police resorts to veteran officers to investigate the case”
Now that is first page news!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Finally, Marco is on the move! And already collecting hot information! Seems like he’ll be working alone for a while… Unless someone stumbles on him in that coffee shop, LOL.
