Suribachi's vagabond (english vers)

Chapter 4, Part 2: "From the Reverse Side"

Toru sat in one of the chairs in Yuki's office. She watched the reflection of daylight emanating from the window through its thin gray curtains on her tea, a slight smile on her lips. Yuki finally sat down across from her, on the chair opposite. She seemed particularly excited about this meeting... probably more interested in the information she could gather than anything else. She poured herself a cup of tea as well before picking it up by the handle after putting down the small white teapot she had had for four years. She leaned back in her chair before addressing Toru.

"Well... Now that we're alone, can you tell me what brings you here?"

Toru took a sip of her tea before responding, her gaze fixed on the small porcelain cup in her hand.
"I think you already know quite well what brings me here..."

Yuki let out a small smirk before responding.
"I have a few ideas, indeed. You don’t intend to stop me from publishing this article on Kawabata's murder, do you? You know... I plan to publish this article to put an end to the rumors of corruption that started circulating about him. You are well placed to know that I do not only reveal scandals... I prove the innocence of those whose names are being sullied to cover up the real corruption."

Toru continued to look at the reflection on the brown surface of the tea, her gaze empty but thoughtful.
"No... I owe you enough as it is. If you don’t want to withdraw this article and plan to publish it anyway, I have no reason to force you. I’m not really here to stop you, to be honest. I just want to try to take advantage of the situation as it is right now."

Toru sighed before leaning back in her chair comfortably, her gaze shifting from her cup to Yuki’s.

Yuki’s eyes widened for a moment at the mention of the debt Toru had towards her... She said nothing for a long second before smiling in amusement.
"You feel indebted because I exonerated you? Toru... know that I did that purely for my own interest."

Toru raised an eyebrow.
"What are you getting at?"

Yuki simply smiled.
"I knew perfectly well that you could not have been behind Mishima’s death... Indeed, all testimonies agreed that you were seen dragging his weakened body near the port, without any intervention from others. They wanted to make you the perfect suspect... but... it seemed obvious to me that you had no reason to go after him."

Yuki’s smile suddenly became much more unsettling as she continued to speak.
"And to be honest... I was still trying to find out who he really was. Knowing exactly who could be after him would have been a great service to me. By the way, imagine my surprise when the answer to my questions came to me only recently. Tell me... have you heard of the Noriko Project?"

Toru listened carefully to what Yuki had to say. She thought again about that case, all orchestrated to make her accused of this murder... that guy she saw at the office that day... who could he have been? She probably wouldn’t get the answer anytime soon. On the other hand, she couldn’t help but feel a certain unease about how Yuki was still so, literally, obsessed with Mishima... Seriously... couldn’t she just let him rest in peace?

However, her expression quickly shifted from slight unease to surprise when Yuki mentioned that famous project... How could she be hearing about this case twice when she had never heard of it before?
"Well... no... not really."

Yuki smiled before speaking again.
"Imagine my surprise when an informant from the mafia told me that the former commissioner, Kawabata’s predecessor, was corrupted by money. I couldn’t really hide my surprise at this revelation. It was given to me far too easily. So, I allowed myself to doubt this information, asking for clear and viable sources. However... I was made a completely different offer. I would be given information I wanted if I agreed to make this case public."