Chapter 18
The ride was both longer than Yagami expected and shorter than she wanted. The vehicle slowly came to a stop, the door opening and a melodious voice stating:
“We have arrived, Ms.Yagami. Please step out.”
She didn’t fight back, stepping out to find herself faced with a familiar elderly face.
“Maria!” she breathed out, before Maria raised a finger to her lips.
“Please remain silent, Ms.Yagami. Mr. Takamura is an impatient man and wishes to see you as soon as possible. Follow me.”
Ignoring Yagami’s pleads to speak, Maria began to cross the pale yellow gravel that formed a large circle, encompassed by fields of grass and trees. Plentiful cherry blossoms stood around them, already having lost most of their petals and standing rather empty. Yagami’s vision was then drawn to the large japanese-style mansion before them, a pair of servants in traditional clothing awaiting them. Only, their outfits more resembled Maria’s usual appearance, who now instead wore a chauffeur outfit.
They crossed the circle in no time, the servants bowing deeply:
“Welcome, Ms.Yagami. You will find Mr.Takamura without doubt.”
Momentarily confused, she felt herself get tugged by Maria into the building, respectfully switching their shoes beforehand. As they turned the first corner, nobody apparently around to hear them, Yagami burst out in as low a voice she could muster:
“Maria, just what is going on? Why are you here?”
The prismarine of Maria’s eyes glinted as she glanced back, a small smile on her face.
“Nothing more than I always do, providing my customers with the service they deserve. You should instead prepare yourself for a surprise, Ms.Yagami.”
“Me? They threatened to harm Anders if I didn’t comply!”
“Indeed. And they left poor Ms.Toyama all alone to try and figure out the details she hasn’t been made aware of yet. I will see to her once you are safely brought, do not worry.”
“I was basically kidnapped, Maria! What about this is in any way safe?”
“Believe me, Ms.Yagami. What you are doing here holds immense significance for those you have become involved with over the last few months. You have unwittingly become the key to loosening the bonds that have presided over this family for years. Now then, we have arrived.”
Maria turned towards the impressive door that stood before them, knocking thrice loudly before opening it with ease and pushing Yagami in.
“Mr. Takamura, I have brought Ms.Yagami for you.”
“You may leave.”
Maria gave a bow at the guttural tone, sealing the door and seemingly Yagami’s fate. She gazed out at the impressively large room, decorated to look like a japanese style garden. A small stream flowed through pipes into elegant canals that had been dug into the foundation, with patches of greenery along the edges that bloomed in various colors. A low table stood in the middle, the stream split so it formed an island amongst the forest green walls. Even the floor was decorated in green, Yagami wondering if it wasn’t synthetic grass when the voice talked again:
“You have come, it seems.”
Yagami focused her attention on the toad-faced man sitting by the table, a cup of tea in his hands as he observed her with a gaze absent from the anger he previously showed. Her hate for him rose as she watched him take a deep sip from the cup in apparent bliss.
“Not like I had much choice. You know kidnapping is illegal, right?”
“It was not kidnapping. I merely asked you to come with…’convincement’.”
“Yeah, you tell yourself that. Right after I’m done telling the police that you threatened to harm Anders.”
“He will not be harmed, I can assure you. I merely let my men speak their opinion on the matter.”
“Like I believe that! You already have enough shady stuff around you that I don’t need to hear this.”
“Yet you are here. Come, take a seat.”
He indicated to a pillow on the opposite side of the table, a vase of white lilies planted in the middle. Yagami was reluctant to even twitch in response until he added:
“I am aware that you have strong apprehension for me. Not surprising, given our first and only encounter. I can guarantee to you however that I now have no ill intent with you, merely to come to an agreement. This has all been done to have a mature conversation under six eyes.”
“Six?”
“Our third member will arrive soon. Please, your seat.”
The most disturbing factor since she had entered had been that Takamura’s voice had been calm, composed. There was no hint of irritation, no sign of anger. It was as if he was a different person inhabiting the same body. As such, Yagami slowly began to approach the table, hesitant but lenient to a degree with trusting him. She carefully stepped over the stream and lowered herself onto the comfortable pillow. Takamura snapped his fingers, letting a female servant come by with another steaming cup. As the aroma began to waft over to her, she blinked in surprise.
“Is this…?”
Takamura eyed her over the edge of his cup, contemplating something with a deep expression.
“Rosemary. Bit too effeminate for somebody like me, correct?”
Yagami blinked again as she recalled the words.
“Anders said that same line himself. How…?”
“Does he also drink this variety?”
“He mentioned he always drank it.”
“I see.” Takamura’s eyes became distant, before he shook his head in a likely effort to clear it.
“He truly hasn’t changed, the boy. I am both thankful and saddened to hear that. Thank you for telling me.”
He gave a shallow bow, Yagami at the end of her patience:
“Alright, give it up Takamura.”
He didn’t retort to her rude tone, letting her continue without interruption:
“You’ve got me here and you haven’t yelled at me or about anything so far. Everything I know about you has always been negative, regardless of what it was. I know you tried to have me framed for what you did with the attack on Kerzo and even went as far as targeting my own apartment for it. So why the sudden ‘nice guy’ attitude?”
Her demand received no immediate answer, Takamura slowly sipping at his tea while she continued to fume. Just as she was about to snap at him, the door she entered through burst open, accompanied by a voice louder than any she heard before:
“Takeshi! Is she here yet?”
Yagami spun around as the door closed itself through the sheer force applied, revealing a pillar of a man. His body stood far above Anders’ own height, his grayed hair still interspersed with bright blond strands that hung down his shoulders. He wore a beige vest over a white shirt, his shiny trousers lending him almost illuminating qualities. His bearded face split into a radiant expression of joy as he recognised Yagami.
“There she is! Come here, you wonderful human being!”
She could barely react as he crossed the room in a measly few steps, embracing her in a bear hug that threatened to break every single one of her ribs. She flailed in vain as he laughed:
“Oh, it’s such a pleasure to finally get to see you! I’ve heard so much about you as of late, I just had to meet you in person!”
“Air…” she squeezed out, him quickly releasing her with a familiar expression of concern.
“Oh, my apologies! I still get overly excited whenever I meet new people so I tend to go too far!”
He backed off and performed a needlessly respectful bow.
“Please forgive my rudeness!”
“N-no, it’s fine..” she stammered out, checking to make sure everything was still where it belonged, “You just… surprised me. Who are you, exactly?”
He pushed his hair aside as he sat up, beaming with every inch of his body.
“Of course, I should have done this sooner. I’m Erik, good to meet you!”
“Same…”
Yagami had no idea where to begin with the person before her, radiating happiness as if she was a long-lost daughter. The atmosphere became disrupted by Takamura’s cough.
“If you could hold you enthusiasm back for one minute, Erik, I think it’s time we explain some things to Ms.Yagami here. We have dragged her out under the impression of ‘kidnapping’, it turns out.”
“What?” Erik roared, Yagami cringing a bit, “I told you to invite her, not kidnap her! Just what good are those kids of yours?”
“They’re my men, not kids. Now be quiet so we can begin explaining.”
Erik looked ready to bite back until a glass of whisky was brought before him. He grabbed the comically small glass in his hand and sipped at it, a satisfied sigh escaping his throat.
“That hits the spot! You always know what brands to serve me, Takeshi.”
“That’s because you only drink one brand, you oversized moron. Now get to business.”
Completely out of the loop, Yagami could only sit there with a perplexed expression as the two men, one she hated and another she had no clue about, exchanged a serious look. Erik sighed as he put the glass down and faced Yagami with an earnest expression she swore she had seen before.
“Before we begin, might I ask if it is alright to speak to you without a title? I’m not originally from Japan and thus I like to mix traditions up.”
“You mean ‘break them apart completely’.”
“Quiet, Takeshi. Anyway, is that alright?”
Momentarily unsure what to make of him, she gave up.
“Alright. Then, can I call you by your family name as well?”
To her surprise, he gave a grin that again carried something nostalgic in it.
“Only if you can figure it out. I was told you were a bit dense by somebody, so I’m curious how long it takes you.”
Now feeling a little bit insulted, she let it show through her voice as she retorted:
“You’re not very respectful towards your guests, whoever you are. Not like you could hold a candle to Takamura there, but still.”
Takamura gave another cough.
“I will respectfully accept that impression of yours. Though I do wish to say that I had little choice in the matter.”
“How about you then start making sense? First you act all composed and mature, then this guy shows up hugging me without regard! What the hell is the point of all this?”
She let her emotions run a bit too wild there, but Yagami had genuinely had enough. Her exhaustion with understanding the situation and trying to remain friendly drained the last of her reserves. Rin’s confession this morning had not helped. Erk showed genuine remorse at his actions, giving another bow.
“I’m sorry, I should have been more considerate. You have after all been dragged into rather serious matters concerning our two families.”
“Huh?”
Erik took his glass and downed the rest of the whisky, a move whose familiarity finally broke the veil before her eyes.
“Wait, you’re Anders’ father, aren’t you?”
The sandy-haired giant beamed again.
“Takeshi, I win. Pay up”
Takamura sighed as he handed Erik a giant rice cracker hidden under the table. It took Yagami a second to recognise it as the same kind Hajime was eating every lunch these days.
“I still don’t see why I have to follow your inane bets. Though you have surprised me with how quick you caught on, Ms.Yagami.”
“Get to the point.”
“Very well. As you can probably deduce, the reason we have asked…”
“Forced.”
“...forced you here is because of Anders himself. He handed in his letter of resignation this morning, correct?”
“How do you know that? Fuba…”
“Has been informing me of his activities for a number of years now. Anders isn’t in the know, but he likely suspected her activities for a while. She told me she would call you and explain what happened. Erik thought it the perfect chance to get to meet you under us three alone.”
“And it worked!” Erik added with a cheer, his smile unyielding as he brushed off the remains of the rice cracker from his beard, “I had been wondering for the longest time who this mystery lady was that my son had gotten roped in with as of recent. He’s been writing to me about you for a while now, can you believe it?”
Deriving some form of immense pleasure from this, Erik chuckled to himself while Takamura deflated slightly and continued:
“Regardless, you are now our honored guest. I ask that you listen closely, as having such a meeting again is nigh impossible under current circumstances.”
If he was willing to divulge more on that matter, he didn’t get the chance to show it. Erik slammed the table with his hand, making her scramble so her cup didn’t spill.
“That’s right, we have things to discuss! First off, Yagami, what’s your impression of my son?
“Impression?” she asked hesitantly, Erik deriving something from it and laughing.
“I’m not carrying out a bridal inspection, relax.”
She blushed, trying to get a word in edgewise but failing under his sheer presence.
“Judging by that response however, it’s clear you still don’t have a grasp on him.”
“How did you…?”
“Yagami, he’s my son. I know him better than anybody else. And I know when he’s been keeping secrets from others.”
She kept quiet this time, aware that she was dealing with someone who was far above her in terms of understanding.
“Be that as it may, Yagami, I need to thank you again.”
“For what?”
“For giving him a chance so quickly. I had my doubts when he ran me through the plan to have him fired just so he would become available. There were a lot of ‘ifs’ in that.”
“Wha…?”
It was as if a bomb had dropped on her head. Yagami’s mind froze still as she tried and failed to process what had just been said. Erik didn’t pay it any mind however, continuing without remorse:
“I said it was a crazy idea! Having an unknown group carry out a cyber attack and him remaining unwilling to act on it while at the conference. It would ruin his reputation in the company. But despite my protests, Anders demanded he do it the way he wanted. I had to give up in the end. Imagine that!”
“Yes, indeed. I am still shocked he convinced you after all these years.”
“See, Takeshi? I told you he was getting better!”
“I know. Would you continue so this poor woman’s head does not explode?”
His inclusion of a hint of snideness in his voice woke Yagami from her stupor, exploding with a furious tone:
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? He...Anders rigged the cyber attack from the beginning to have himself fired? Just what sort of nonsense is that?”
“It’s not nonsense, Yagami.” Erik answered nonchalantly, “He wanted out from the job for a while now and knew he couldn’t get released before a replacement could be found. So he resorted to somewhat ‘drastic’ measures.”
“That’s bullshit!” Yagami yelled while slamming her own hands on the table, “Who in their right mind lets themselves get arrested and sent to trial just to be free of a job? Why the hell would he even want to do that?”
“Simple. He wanted to join your company.”
Erik’s answer had been as precise as it had been lethal to her understanding. She wobbled as she sat back down, stammering out:
“Wh-what the hell are you saying?”
“My son has many crazy ideas, Yagami. When he was little he constantly made pranks and plans that required significant concentration and effort on his side. Yet he always kept going through with them, to the chagrin of many others. He never had ill intents with it though. Anders just...felt like he had to do something with that overactive imagination of his.”
“And that sort of reasoning brings him to incriminate himself?”
“That was not part of the original plan. Even if Takeshi got involved to fulfill his role as the obvious villain.”
“You’re his father, how can you be so lax over this?”
“Whoa, relax.” he defended himself while raising his hands, “I didn’t abandon him. I had faith in the beginning that he would be able to sort it out. What none of us expected was that the part where our plans got leaked.”
“Leaked?”
“Yep. Turns out, there are a couple of bad apples in Takeshi’s branch that weren’t too happy about your recent success.”
“Wait, ‘my’ success?”
“You’re part of Eagle Jump, right? Fairies Story 3 sold like crazy in the local market, outclassing Takeshi’s own game. He runs a number of branches oriented around the production of security programs, but he has one dedicated to game production as well.”
“Not like I could care though.” Takamura added, “Those guys decided on their own to have their main product be games. I only funded them because they said they could make a profit.”
“Which they didn’t, thanks to you guys. So when they caught wind of us deliberately making a virus to temporarily delete the data in Anders’ branch, they grabbed a copy of it and tried to plant it amongst your company by disguising themselves as technicians the day we attacked ourselves. Sneaky assholes, but clever. It didn’t help that poor old Seijirou had to pass away at the same time, distracting us from the imminent problem. That idiot, dying of exhaustion despite all our warnings to him.”
Whirlpools spun in Yagami’s mind. She had no idea where to begin anymore with all this information. Futaba’s reveal to her, the Sakura Festival, Anders’ promise to keep her safe, they became a faded mixture of events and emotions she could barely grasp at. A hand shot forward and grabbed her shoulder, granting her stability before she keeled over. She looked up to see a deeply concerned Erik.
“Take a moment for yourself. You seem like you could need it. I understand this is too much to easily accept.”
“You…” Yagami began, before sensing a pounding headache and wincing, “...can say that again.”
She lowered herself onto the table, her now empty cup standing forlorn as she stared into the distance. She gave a sigh that echoed in the deepest recesses of her body.
“Why is there always so much drama with that guy?” she complained out loud, Erik chuckling in response.
“I should apologise for my son’s irresponsible behavior. He never learned to keep that under control. When I heard how he drafted poor Futaba into his department, I wondered if he even knew what he was doing. But Anders always had a grasp on things, regardless of how bad they looked. It was a trait that drew people to him, whether they liked it or not.”
“Then again, nobody is infallible. Had it not been for Ms.Yagami’s suggestion of the thumb drives, we would have found ourselves with a serious problem.”
“No question there, Takeshi. You might have grasped my son as being the hero that saved your company, Yagami, but in fact you were it.”
“Me?” she barely managed to give as an answer while slumped on the table.
“None of us had thought of the chance that somebody would use the chaos we ourselves caused to their advantage. Had you not informed Anders about it, we would never have sent Futaba to check on your workplace. Once the trial had been concluded, we were also able to determine who was responsible. I will not speak their names, but they have already been apprehended by the police. However, they had an evident bone to pick with you.”
“Again, me? What the hell am I doing that’s making people so interested in me? I just draw characters, for God’s sake!”
“You should know, given your reputation. Point is, their intention was not to harm Eagle Jump directly, but rather you. They didn’t say it, but it was clear they were angered at your sudden rise in popularity again through your latest game and the partnership with Kerzo. They wanted to make an example of you, so they targeted you not only in the company, but privately as well.”
“The thumb drive Fuba found in my apartment…”
“Also their doing. Anders then had a difficult choice to face. He could either let the people responsible free, as even with the drives he didn’t know who to blame for at the time. At best, he could drag Takeshi here into becoming an accomplice. Or…”
“Or he could take the blame on himself, thereby fulfilling the plan he already had.”
Erik gave an appreciative smile.
“Precisely. I had no wish to see my son land in prison for what could be decades, but Anders again refused to hear it. He stubbornly let himself take the brunt of the blame. He might be an idiot, but he’s an admirable one, I’ll give him that.”
“You’re talking about your own son going to prison! Stop sounding so damn pleased! Just what’s wrong with this family?”
She was surprised to see neither man take offense at her words, exchanging a knowing look with each other. Takamura was the first to speak up, his voice as maddeningly calm as before:
“It is regrettable that so much had to happen to him. We offered to help him receive bail, but with the evidence against him and under police observation, we had little leeway. Had that miracle in the courtroom not occurred where they reexamined the thumb drive data, we would have lost Anders likely for a lifetime.”
A memory of Maria promising her help echoed behind Yagami’s eyes, before she shook her head and spoke with all the conviction as she had left:
“So all this, everything that ended up happening, was resolved by a fluke?”
To her disbelief, both men nodded.
“Pretty much.” Erik answered, “I would have tried with all my connections to get him out as soon as possible, but planted evidence would only make the overall crime worse. I am eternally grateful that he was able to come out of that disaster unharmed.”
“He lost all chance of returning to society as a normal person! What’s there to be happy about? What if I had decided not to help out with getting him hired?”
“You helping out was not part of Anders’ plan.”
“What?”
Takamura gave a chuckle, the first she had ever heard from him. It didn’t suit him at all.
“Anders was insistent he would appeal to your boss himself after being fired. He wanted to learn how to draw to his heart's content, tired of the life he led in the company. For the first time in four years, Anders showed signs of wanting to do something for himself, not others.”
“And for that, Yagami,” Erik continued in his stead, beaming with pride, “we only have you to thank. Had you two never met, I’m sure Anders would never have thought of breaking free of the bonds which held him to Kerzo. Futaba had to play the role of grief-struck employee, but she was as happy as us to see Anders leave the company.”
“That...that doesn’t make sense.”
“Why not? Is it wrong to wish my own son that he makes his own decision for his future?”
“But didn’t he already do that when he entered the industry? He told me himself that he went into business because of you.”
“That is true. However, something happened which meant he no longer remained at the company for his sake, but for somebody else’s.”
Before he could continue, Takamura raised his voice, an edge clearly audible in it:
“Erik, enough.”
Once more, the two of them exchanged looks before Erik relented.
“You’re right, we promised after all. Sorry Yagami, but my lips are sealed from this point onwards.”
“Wait, why now all of a sudden?”
Erik gave an apologetic smile.
“Call it an obligation of sorts. A person we owe a lot to told us long ago that ‘it falls to the person themselves to tell the full story’. We’re simply honoring her words.”
Yagami wondered to herself why those words sounded familiar, before it clicked in her mind.
“Those words...you wouldn’t happen to be talking about Maria, would you?”
Now it was the men’s turn to look astonished.
“You know her?” Takamura asked.
“More like she knows me. I’ve been going to the Masked Glass for over a month now. I got to know Anders there.”
Whatever she had expected as a response, it didn’t happen. Instead, a complicated expression drew over the two of them, neither saying anything until a phone call interrupted the mood. Takamura pulled the phone out from his pocket and answered in a professional tone:
“What is it?”
A garbled voice echoed from the phone, Takamura’s face forming a frown at first before relaxing again.
“I see. Keep an eye on his movements and report if he should act rashly. That will be all.”
He hung up the phone, glancing at Erik.
“Erik, he’s where you guessed he would be.”
“I told you, Takeshi! That kid’s as predictable as always.”
“Wait, you know where Anders is?”
Erik produced another beaming smile.
“Yep! It’s high time you went to see him.”
“Wait, what? Why should I go? I mean I was going to look anyway but…”
“Yagami.”
She shut up as Erik’s expression turned serious for a change.
“You need to go see him. Both to have your questions answered and to clarify what you two have going between you. We won’t be coming with, Anders would likely flip should he see us.”
He clapped his hands, loud enough to confuse it with a faraway strike of lightning. The massive doors opened to reveal a woman whose complexion Yagami could have sworn to see somewhere before. The endless familiarity was beginning to wear down on her.
“You called, Mr. Tansuke?”
“Please take Yagami to the car. You know where to drive, I believe?”
“It’s Monday, Mr.Tansuke. There’s only one place he would be at.”
“Indeed.” Erik murmured while Yagami gave a confused look. She caught Takamura standing up from the table, dusting his suit off with lazy movements.
“In any case, Ms.Yagami, it has been a pleasure to finally speak with you personally. I understand if you continue to have apprehension around me, but I hope you will come to see my actions are done with good intentions, however misguided they are. Erik, let’s go. Mother wants to see you.”
Erik nodded and stood up himself, Yagami following suit due to peer pressure.
“How is she, Takeshi?”
“As ancient and as spirited as ever. I’m astonished she still tries to handle some of the business matters.”
“Hah! That lady never changes. She reminds me of my own grandmother, bless her soul.”
Yagami felt herself nearly abandoned as the two men crossed the room to the opposite end and walked through a sliding door, leaving her alone with the driver. Said person gave a bow as she asked:
“We are in a bit of a rush if we wish to meet with Anders on time. Are you ready to come with?”
“O-oh, right.”
Still somewhat dazed from all the decisions being made around her, Yagami trundled behind the driver as they crossed the massive house. Their walk was silent, not a word being exchanged while Yagami tried to get her bearings. She understood by now that there was a lot more involved with Anders than she could ever have credited him for. Not only that, his father had revealed Anders to be far more unpredictable than she ever thought possible. The fact that he had deliberately planned an actual attack merely to give himself a reason to leave his position was absurd to the point where she didn’t want to believe it. Yet, as they reached another limousine and she entered it, she understood that with Anders, anything was possible. It didn’t help when the driver began to drive off and asked:
“Tell me, Ms.Yagami, do you feel overwhelmed with all this happening?”
“That is the ‘mildest’ form for describing how I feel about this whole situation. I just wanted to go find Anders, yet it feels like he’s been playing me for a fool this whole time.”
“You misunderstand, Ms.Yagami. Anders is somebody almost without equal when it comes to kindness. His intentions when concerning others are always noble, as he sees it as irresponsible to leave a person alone with their misfortune. Many people in Kerzo owe him a lot for giving them a second chance. I am no different. Do you remember me by chance?”
Momentarily clueless, she eyed the driver’s expression intently before a connection popped up.
“I remember. You were at the office with all those folders that I asked for directions. Why are you here?”
“Call me Mizore. I’ve been keeping tabs on Anders as well on Mr. Takamura’s behalf. I owe Anders a lot after all.”
“You’re another one of the endless ‘grateful’ ones Anders has on his list?”
Yagami’s tone had been sour, yet it was only because she felt like there was barely anything left she could grasp onto when it came to him. Thankfully, Mizore took no offense, glancing back while smiling.
“You should know that nobody who Anders ever helped asked for it. He simply walks up to you like it’s his personal problem and gives you the means to sort out everything you have that’s wrong in your life. I was told by my family in Sendai that I was to be married off because my father lost his barely-profitable job to a drunk brawl. Told me just as I finished my training to become an accountant.”
Yagami gave her a stunned look. She hadn't heard of arranged marriages in a long time.
“I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
“Simple, I ran away. My parents never considered my opinion on the matter, having selected somebody purely for their wealth. So I ran to my boyfriend’s place here in the city and tried to make a living as a waitress to earn some funds. Didn’t work out so well, the first customer I ever served ended up getting a steaming plate of beef stew all over him.”
Yagami gave a wince, her imagination playing against her this time by visualizing the scene vividly.
“Ouch.”
“At that point, I thought my life was over. I had no home to return to, no family to support me and worst of all, an hour before the disaster my boyfriend broke up with me. So I started crying right there in the restaurant. That was a spectacle for anyone to see, I’m sure.”
The way she passed the information so casually bewildered Yagami.
“You make it sound like no big deal.”
“Consequence of growing up. You can make any situation the worst it ever could be or you fight through it. That’s what Anders told me while wiping my tears with his only clean sleeve.”
Yagami could feel her eyes bulge out a bit.
“That was him?”
“Yeah, and I had no idea what he was doing, consoling me while the stew burned him. But he ignored his predicament solely to check on my well-being. He paid triple for the mess I caused and took me out to a small cafe nearby. He didn’t speak much, just letting me eat and drink on his expense until I thought I was gonna burst. When I couldn’t keep quiet anymore, he merely asked me if I was feeling better. That’s when I just... opened up to him about everything. It didn’t take long, but for me it was the most arduous talk I ever had.”
The driver paused as she inspected the road ahead, her eyes in the rear-view mirror somewhat distant.
“He let me continue until the end, before inquiring about my plans for the future. I told him I had no chance in hell of making it anywhere, not with me having nowhere to stay or enough money to survive for a week. My boyfriend had unceremoniously dumped everything I had brought with me out of his apartment, meaning I likely wouldn’t see half of it again before I got there. I was half-ready to head home, even if it meant I had to be together with somebody I didn’t want to be with. I was about to ask him for money to grab the next train when he asked for my parent’s phone number.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah, I know. Who just goes and asks that? But I obliged him anyway. He took the number and texted somebody to come see him. Barely fifteen minutes later, Futaba comes by. She hadn’t been Assistant Manager for longer than a year, but she already looked the part. She sat down and introduced herself, before taking the number and calling my parents. I could only sit in disbelief while Futaba began to speak with my father, inquiring about my education and any qualifications I had. When my father lied to try and pass me off as a ‘poor, hopeless daughter who ran away because she didn’t know better’, Anders looked ready to raise a storm. He instructed Futaba what to say, explaining that I had received a job with Kerzo and could pursue a career as an accountant for the company. Both me and my father had no words, Anders pushing further and having Futaba declare that ‘anybody who doesn’t consider their children’s wishes can forget acting as a parent’. He ended the call by clarifying that a monthly installment would be sent in addition to my wage to ensure my family could remain afloat until my father could find another job. Should he not be able to, Anders offered to have him hired at another marketing firm close to their house.”
“You’re making something up here. Even if this is Anders we’re talking about here, that’s going too far for a girl who dropped food on him.”
“You’re very blunt.” Mizore commented with a giggle, “But I’m not. I’ve been in the company now for a few years myself and there are a number of people like me. People who had been dealt a bad hand at life and didn’t know how to get out of it. Anders helped make the branch double in size during his time as Manager, not just because of charity. Everyone he helped, he did by offering them a chance at a job. Sometimes it was tasks they weren’t good at, sometimes they failed horribly. But Anders kept giving them a chance to prove themselves, if not in the first task then in the second and so forth. The phrase ‘Just because they missed the target, it doesn’t mean they lost their chance to try again.’ was something he used to say often.”
“Certainly sounds like him.” Yagami felt her spirits lifted a bit, unsure why that was. Mizore gave a sound of acknowledgement as they entered the urban sprawl of the inner city.
“For that reason, nearly every person in the branch is ready to assist Anders with everything he needs done, without him needing to ask. When that disaster with the cyber attack happened and Anders got arrested, none of us at the office knew what to do. Such a good man, who already suffered so much, forced to live the rest of his days behind bars intended for his polar opposites.”
The car came to a complete halt, Yagami jerking forwards a bit as Mizore pressed hard on the brakes. She stepped out and opened the door, her expression a mixture of sorrow and contemplation.
“We’ve arrived, Ms.Yagami. You’ll find Anders ahead. Regardless of what you may have learned of him, please remember to keep an open mind. Both for yourself and him.”
Yagami didn’t answer as she stepped out and found herself in an area she had never visited before, yet knew well enough from context where they were.
“This is…”
She wanted to continue, yet was interrupted by the sound of the car’s engine starting. Watching in light surprise as Mizore drove off without a farewell, the vehicle soon vanished past the first turn. Aware that she had little choice, she took a deep breath and put her hands in her jacket pockets. A crumpling sound startled her slightly, pulling out a folded piece of paper from one of her pockets. Her confusion soon got laid to rest as she recognised the paper as being Anders’ letter of resignation, along with directions. She dedicated a few seconds to how she got to having it, before accepting the bizarre circumstances she was in.
“Probably Maria.” she muttered as she pulled her coat tighter around herself, taking the first few steps towards the small dirt roads that lined themselves before her in frighteningly angular patterns. The sun shone, the sky was azure. Yet no light could lift the spirits that lined the path she walked, tombstones stretching as far as the eye could see in the massive square that was Tama Cemetery.
