Chapter 10
Everyone, especially Momoko Sugita’s loyal fans, finds it hard to believe the news about her death. They’re grieving over her death because it feels so sudden to them. Well, Momoko Sugita doesn’t even show any sign of health problems even back then. So, her death feels so unreal to them.
They even find it hard to believe that Momoko Sugita died because of the sudden cardiac arrest. According to her fans, they know how much she cares about her diet. She usually steers clear from something that can be harmful to her health. Even her manager also confirmed about it too. She even gives a snapshot of what Momoko Sugita always have for her meals as a way to remain accountable for her diet.
The autopsy report indicates that she did die because of the sudden cardiac arrest. But there’s no sign that she has symptoms that can trigger the sudden cardiac arrest in the first place. Well, people will only die because of the sudden cardiac arrest if they have a heart disease. In Momoko Sugita’s case, she never has one. Even her doctor also says that her heart was always healthy. He finds it hard to believe that she died because of the sudden cardiac arrest.
Of course, we know well enough what’s causing her death. She died because of the suicide program which was triggered by the microchip implant. So, the police don’t disclose the actual cause of her death to the public. Just like the last time, the microchip implant disappeared the moment she died. So, they can’t find any traces of microchip implant in her body.
Since we didn’t want the police to interrogate Mr. Nishikawa, we’ve decided to camouflage her death instead. We make it look like she was found dead outside of her apartment. We’re lucky that Hayato was fast enough to bring her dead body to her house so then the time of her death was still accurate. After her autopsy is complete, the agency held a private wake for her. The public wake for her will be organized a few days after the private wake.
Only people from the talent agency and her close friends are allowed to attend the private wake. Hayato disguises himself as one of the guests just to clarify if Shiori is also attending the wake. As expected, she’s not attending the private wake. We don’t think that Satoru Yuuya will allow her to attend the wake. Maybe her mind control effect is not working properly yet. Everyone in Muse Agency, including Shinya Fukuyama, is also present at that time.
Once the private wake is over, the public wake for Momoko Sugita’s fans is held a few days later. During the public wake, there are a lot of people who place a bouquet of flower on the street. They’re doing it to commemorate her death. They also express their condolence and grieve on social media and on their blog. Even Mr. Nishikawa also writes about her death in his blog despite him not a fan of Momoko Sugita.
As for Mr. Nishikawa, he still feels traumatized with what Momoko Sugita intended to do to him. We’re worried that he will tell everyone about the actual cause of her death. But he assures us that he will not write about it on his blog. It will only jeopardize his task with Public Security Bureau if he tells the truth about her death.
Besides, writing about her death will only put him as a suspect. He doesn’t look like he’s going to break his promise. So, we believe that he will keep his word for not exposing the truth about her death. Even after the incident, Mr. Sakakibara still needs to be his bodyguard. We think that their assassination attempt is not yet over. It becomes even more crucial after we’ve found out that he knows the spy from Public Security Bureau.
A few weeks after Momoko Sugita’s death, Ms. Shoko comes to see us as we’re about to close the coffee shop. Mr. Nishikawa is also here too. For today, he comes to our coffee shop earlier than usual. He stays here until we’re about to close the coffee shop. I guess this place makes him even feel safer after he finds out that we’re also from Public Security Bureau. Well, that’s a lie, of course. But let’s just leave it at that.
“You’re here too, Nishikawa,” Ms. Shoko says to him when she notices him inside the coffee shop. “What brings you here, Ms. Mayuzumi?” He asks her. “I have an important thing to discuss with them,” she replies, “And I also need to ask you a few things. I’m glad that you’re making friends with them. That should make things easier on my side too.”
Both Yuuto and I find it weird that Ms. Shoko doesn’t mind to have Mr. Nishikawa around. Maybe what she plans to discuss has something to do with him as well. It doesn’t matter to us, as long as she doesn’t expose our real identity. Well, I assume that she’s professional enough to do that.
Mr. Sakakibara comes to the coffee shop after that. Ms. Shoko begins the discussion once everyone is here. “I receive a distress call from my colleague who is infiltrating Muse Agency as one of their staffs. His name is Kei Ninomiya. It seems that Shinya Fukuyama now knows that he’s from Public Security Bureau. The guys from Awatori Group are pursuing him right now.”
Mr. Nishikawa looks panic when he hears that the person he is in contact with is on the run. “Ms. Mayuzumi, it’s not me who told them about Kei. I won’t do such thing even if they point a gun at me. I will never do something that will put him in jeopardy,” he says to her. Ms. Shoko just stares at him. She’s trying to decode whether Mr. Nishikawa is lying or not. Now, Mr. Nishikawa feels terrified when he sees that Ms. Shoko doesn’t say anything but stare at him.
Ms. Shoko sighs after that. “I already know that you’re not the one who told them. Ninomiya himself admitted that he fell into their trap. Since they already know that he’s the intruder, I guess their focus will be on him from now onward.” Mr. Nishikawa looks relieved after Ms. Shoko tells him that. “Does that mean they’re already letting Mr. Nishikawa off the hook now?” Mr. Sakakibara asks her.
Ms. Shoko pauses for a moment. “Well, I can’t say that they’re no longer targeting him. But there is a possibility that they will still be after him. Maybe they’re using him to threaten Ninomiya just to force him to show himself. Whatever it is, I already assign my squad to ensure his safety. He had done a lot of things for us despite the danger. So, this is the least we can do for him.”
Ms. Shoko then calls her colleague to escort Mr. Nishikawa home. I guess the top secret discussion will begin as soon as Mr. Nishikawa leaves. Mr. Nishikawa leaves after her colleague is here to pick him up. Ms. Shoko seems relieved after seeing Mr. Nishikawa leaving the coffee shop safely. “What is his relationship with Kei Ninomiya? It looks to me that they knew each other for so long,” I ask Ms. Shoko.
“He’s Ninomiya’s friend from the high school. Initially, Ninomiya only asked him to tell him more about Shinya Fukuyama. But when he found out that Ninomiya would infiltrate Muse Agency, he was willing to help him. Of course, he was willing to do it in exchange for the information about Sayaka Minami’s death. We’re okay with this because he volunteered to do it. And Ninomiya trusted him too,” Ms. Shoko answers.
I’m in awe when I find out how much Mr. Ninomiya trusts him. Somehow, their deep trust in each other reminds me about how Shiori and I trust each other. Ms. Shoko then transfers the file containing information related to Kei Ninomiya. Everyone remains silent as we begin to have a look at the file.
Yuuto and I realize that Mr. Ninomiya is actually Mr. Ayatsuji, Shiori’s manager. I’ve never thought that he’s the one who is an undercover for Public Security Bureau. Dad only laughs when he sees the file instead. “I never thought that our junior is the spy from Public Security Bureau. He’s doing a good job even after transferring there.”
Yuuto and I are surprised to find out that dad knows Mr. Ninomiya. “So, you already know who he is?” I ask dad. He nods at me. “Well, he used to work in PSIA Special Activities Division before. At that time, I wasn’t yet the head of special activities division. Even before this, he used to be Public Security Bureau detailee. But now, he works directly with them.”
Dad then turns to Ms. Shoko. “So, are we going to help him or what?” Dad asks her. “No, we’re going to save his girlfriend instead,” Ms. Shoko answers. Everyone is in disbelief when Ms. Shoko tells us to save his girlfriend ins
tead. We thought that Ms. Shoko is joking about this, but she seems serious when she tells us that. “Okay, I know that seems absurd. But there’s a reason why he wants us to save his girlfriend,” Ms. Shoko says to us. She then transfers the file about Mr. Ninomiya’s girlfriend to us.
After the transfer is complete, we take a look at the file. “So, his girlfriend is an idol from Muse Agency, and her name is Nanase Mikitani. He must be bold to have someone like her as his girlfriend,” Mr. Sakakibara says to her. Ms. Shoko nods at him. “Yup, and it seems like she has something in common with Sayuri too. It’s just that, it happens to her with a stroke of luck.”
I find it hard to believe when Ms. Shoko says that Ms. Mikitani has something in common with mom. “What do you mean she has something in common? Do you mean she’s able to get rid of the microchip implant by pretending to commit suicide?” Dad asks her. Ms. Shoko nods. “True. But in her case, it still disappeared despite her failed attempt to commit suicide. Maybe she is lucky. She’s currently being treated in a hospital in Shinanomachi.”
Mr. Sakakibara seems skeptical about this. “How can you be so sure that she no longer had the microchip implant? Maybe the traces are still there,” he asks Ms. Shoko. “About that, you don’t have to worry,” Ms. Shoko replies, “Nishikawa was the one who found out about that. He was sneaking inside the hospital just to confirm about Ms. Mikitani’s condition.”
Well, that seems credible considering that the information comes from Mr. Nishikawa. On top of that, it’s easier for him to find out more about Ms. Mikitani because of the nature of his job. I then begin to take a look at the file Ms. Shoko gave to us just now. Based on the report, it seems like they’re successful with programming Ms. Mikitani as a perfect sex slave. Besides her, they also did the same thing to the late Sayaka Minami.
The process is the same as how Satoru Yuuya programmed Momoko Sugita to become a skilled assassin. But in their case, the microchip implant will trigger beta brainwave instead. This brainwave is known for sexual programming. Once activated, the program will get rid of their moral conviction. And at the same time, it will increase their sexual desire.
As for the rest of the idols, they’re still in the process of programming them as a sex slave. I remember that Momoko Sugita did say that every idol in Muse Agency possessed a microchip implant. It’s just that she didn’t say that the others were programmed to be a sex slave. I guess threatening them to have sex with the guests in the private party may not be enough. In the end, they have to resort to the microchip implant to turn them into a sex slave.
“If that’s the case, we have to save her before they inject the new microchip onto her again. When they’re planning to do that?” Yuuto asks her. “They plan to do it tomorrow,” Ms. Shoko replies. “Then, we have to save her by tonight,” dad says to her. Ms. Shoko nods at him. “You’re right. But the problem is, we don’t know which room she’s in. According to Nishikawa, they keep on changing her room. So, none of us know about her current location.”
Dad chuckles when he hears this. “Don’t worry about that, Shoko,” he says to her, “We know what to do. Locating her room isn’t as hard as it seems.” Ms. Shoko smiles at dad. She seems relieved that she can rely on dad to find Ms. Mikitani’s room. “I guess locating her room should be easy for you then. I bet that your past missions are far more challenging than this,” she says to him. Ms. Shoko leaves the coffee shop after the meeting is over.
Once Ms. Shoko leaves, dad begins to brief us about the rescue operation. “Touka, you’ll be entering the hospital as a visitor. Since they tend to change her room, then it’s useless for us to ask the receptionist. Besides, they’re not going to tell you anything because Ms. Mikitani is a popular idol. They may think that you’re here to stalk her. Use whatever method to locate her room and rescue her. Yuuto will be outside to back you up.”
He then continues with the briefing. “Once you’ve secured her, leave the hospital through the back door and head to the car park. Azuma will be there, waiting for you. He will bring Ms. Mikitani here. There will always be people who try to get into our way. Just get rid of them and regroup with Yuuto and Hayato after that. You can go home once everything is over.”
After the briefing ends, Yuuto and I leave the house. The hospital isn’t that far from where we live, but I still need to take a train to go there. I’m glad that the train isn’t that crowded at night. Maybe it’s because some of them may not take a train ride right now to go home. They probably stay a bit late in the office. Or maybe they’re going somewhere with their colleagues and will go back after that. Whatever the reason is, I’m grateful that the train is not crowded.
Once I reach Shinanomachi Station, I only need to walk a little bit to reach the hospital. I’m glad to know that the hospital is just a walking distance from the train station. It only takes a few minutes for me to walk there. As I reach the hospital compound, Yuuto contacts me. “Sis, I’m already in the nearby area which is not far from the hospital. I notice that there are a few people who are waiting at the back door. They’re most likely the guys from Awatori Group.”
For some reason, I feel sick when I hear the name Awatori Group being said repeatedly over and over again. That name is driving me crazy. “Thanks for letting me know. I’m going to enter the hospital now,” I say to Yuuto. After I’m cutting off my communication with him, I then contact Ms. Chiyo. I need to clarify with her if these guys also have a microchip implant like the last time. She confirms to me a few minutes later, saying that none of them have a microchip implant.
After my communication with Ms. Chiyo is over, I then head inside. Once I’m inside, I notice that there are a lot of people who are still here in the hospital. I think they must be here to visit someone because it’s currently a visiting hour for the nighttime. I feel awkward since I don’t bring anything to visit Ms. Mikitani in the hospital. I guess it’s not necessary, considering that I’m going to toss it away once I’ve found Ms. Mikitani.
Since we don’t know Ms. Mikitani’s room location, I begin to have a look at the room list at the receptionist desk. As I’m going through the list, I realize that there’s only one room that doesn’t have any name. And that room is in the regular ward. Maybe it’s true that the room is empty. But it can also be that someone whose identity will not be disclosed to the general public is staying there. Perhaps Ms. Mikitani is in that room.
“Miss, is there anything I can do to help you?” One of the nurses in the receptionist desk asks me. I can always ask her about Ms. Mikitani’s room, but I’m pretty sure that she will deny that she’s staying here. “Oh, I was wondering where Mr. Toma is staying. But now I know where his room is. Thanks for the offer, but I already found his room.”
I have no idea who is Mr. Toma, though. It’s better for me to pretend that I want to visit him. Besides, Mr. Toma’s room isn’t that far from Ms. Mikitani’s room. I always assume that they have to put her farther than everyone else just to isolate her. But I guess I’m wrong about that. Anyway, I should be there soon. I’m pretty sure that the empty room on the list is where they keep Ms. Mikitani.
The nurse smiles at me as I take my leave. She seems glad that I’ve already found the room. She even gives me a direction to Mr. Toma’s room. I thank her for providing me with the direction to Mr. Toma’s room. Just use the direction to Mr. Toma’s room and I should reach Ms. Mikitani’s room anytime soon.
As soon as I’m on the second floor, I begin to search for the empty room. The hallway which leads to Ms. Mikitani’s room is dim, unlike the area where Mr. Toma is staying. The area is bustling with nurses going in and out of the area. But as for Ms. Mikitani’s room, no one is even entering the room. It’s either no one knows that she’s here. Or maybe only authorized personnel are allowed to enter her room.
After making sure that no one is around, I quickly enter the room. The room is dark, with only a dim light from the outside as the only source of light in this room. It must be tough for her to be forced to
stay in a room this dark. Ms. Mikitani is asleep when I enter the room. I’m glad that my assumption is paying off. Ms. Mikitani is indeed in this empty room.
Ms. Mikitani wakes up when she notices that I’m here. She looks terrified when she sees me, though. “What are you doing here? Are you going to kill me now, just like what you did to Sayaka?” She stutters as she speaks. Does the effect of suicide makes her stuttered as she speaks? I can tell how scared she is when she sees a stranger in this room. I believe that there are so many strangers who must have come here and do horrible things to her.
Her appearance right now is nothing close to how I see her in the profile photo. She looks so unkempt. I’m pretty sure that no one will ever recognize her with such an unkempt look. “No, I’m not here to kill you. I’m here because of Mr. Ayatsuji’s request. My name is Touka Kimizuki,” I say to her. I have to use the name Ayatsuji because she may not know Mr. Ninomiya’s real identity.
She doesn’t look convinced at all even when I tell her that I’m here because of Mr. Ninomiya’s request. It looks like it’s going to take a while to convince her to come with me. “No, I don’t believe you!” She yells at me while tucking the blanket tightly to her side. Her voice sounds coarse as she replies back to me. She’s trembling in fear as she looks at me.
I then try to convince her again that I really am here to save her. “I’m sorry if this is sudden to you. But I promise I won’t do anything bad to you. I mean it when I say that I want to save you.” She purses her lips, trying to let my words sink into her mind. I guess she’s trying to convince herself to trust me. “Where do you want to take me?” She’s still tucking the blanket tightly to herself as she asks me.
“There’s a small coffee shop in Ichigaya. My dad owns a coffee shop there. Well, he’s not really a coffee shop owner. Rather, he’s a police doing an undercover job there. Mr. Ayatsuji knows him, so he requested him to save you.” She looks rather convinced when I tell her that dad is a police officer. I don’t think mentioning about dad being a PSIA officer will be enough to convince her.
“But why you’re here instead? You certainly don’t look like someone from the police force,” she says to me. Well, she does have a valid point there. Telling her that I’m a PSIA agent will only makes her to back away from me. “The police want me to do this. I’ve been helping police with many cases like this. So, I come here under the police’s order. It’s easier for someone like me to come instead of the police.”
She seems reluctant to come with me, even after I tell her everything. I admit that everything I say is a lie, but I can’t just tell her that PSIA is the one who is in charge of this mission. And it’s a top secret mission. Even if I can tell her that, it may sound like something you’ve seen in a CIA movie. It’s true that PSIA is one of the pillars which support the defense. But it can be hard to convince someone about this if it sounds non-existent to them.
“I think you have a point here. It’s easier for someone like you to sneak inside and save me. Besides, no one will suspect that a high schooler like you will agree to do something like this,” she says to me. I feel relieved that she trusts what I say. “Can you stand up?” I ask her. She nods, signaling me that she’s fine. She quickly gets up and starts changing. It’s great that they don’t confiscate her clothes.
After she’s done, we quickly leave the room once I’m already making sure that no one notices us. As we head to the staircase, we pass the doctors’ room. It’s weird to see that the room is wide open. Do the doctors leave the room wide open when they have an emergency? I signal Ms. Mikitani to stay there for a moment while I examine the room. I hope that no one is in the doctors’ room right now.
As I take a peek at the room, I notice that there are two people inside. But they’re already dead. Ms. Mikitani, who follows behind me, looks surprised when she sees what’s happening in the room. She seems like she’s about to scream, but I manage to cover her mouth and tells her to keep quiet. “Do you know them?” I whisper to her. She’s in tears when she nods her head. “They’re the doctors who want to inject a microchip within me,” she whispers.
Judging by the way they were killed, it must be Hayato who killed them. I think dad’s order for him is to kill the doctors who are in charge of treating Ms. Mikitani. I guess Hayato is the only person who can kill people in a brutal way with just a tactical pen. Ms. Mikitani seems terrified with the scene she’s witnessing right now. So, I instruct her to close her eyes. It’s better for her not to look at it long enough. I don’t want this scene to give her a nightmare.
Ms. Mikitani and I then take the staircase to escape from the hospital. As we’re heading down, Ms. Mikitani stops for a moment. She’s placing her hand on the chest. Maybe her chest feels painful. “Are you alright?” I ask her. She smiles at me as she replies back to me. “No, I’m fine. My chest hurts a bit if it involves physical activities.” I can tell that she’s trying to suppress her pain. But she knows that she won’t be able to escape if she takes a break right now.
I hope that the pain doesn’t hinder her from escaping this place. If this continues, she will never make it outside of the building alive. “Do you want me to carry you? I admit that what we’re doing right now is intense to you. I’m worried that your body won’t hold much longer,” I say to her. She just shakes her head, insisting me to carry on. She is drenched in sweat as she’s trying to endure the pain.
It must be difficult for her to keep up with a physical activity like this. Maybe her condition is still weak. At this moment, I wish that she can remain alive until we leave this place. We’re this close to save her. “Don’t worry about me. No matter how hard it is, I must leave this place alive. I won’t let your effort go to waste. Besides, I want to see Kei once again,” she says to me.
I’m glad that she’s willing to continue even though her physical condition seems to limit her movement. She sure is strong for an idol. And I admire her for her spirit. “Ms. Mikitani, we’re almost there. Please hang on,” I say to her. A smile carves on her face. She seems relieved that we’re finally reaching the ground floor.
As soon as we open the door, the guys from Awatori Group are already waiting for us at the back entrance. Ms. Mikitani becomes terrified as soon as she sees them. “I assume that you must be the one who killed the doctors,” the man says to us. This guy reminds me of Ryu Mikado. I guess everyone in Awatori Group looks more or less the same as him. “Do you think you can leave just like that while bringing that woman with you?” Another man says to us.
I signal Ms. Mikitani to stand back so then I can fight these guys. “Are you sure you can fight them?” I only nod my head. “Yup, but please don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” The way I say to her sounds like what a superhero will say, but I don’t have any choice other than to say those words. I don’t feel like fighting them, but I don’t think I can escape if I don’t defeat them.
The man who talks to me first begins to attack me. But I manage to dodge his attack. As soon as I manage to avoid his attack, another man comes to me from behind. Just as I’m about to avoid his attack, a bullet passes through me and hit the man. Yuuto is here to back me up. “Damn, we have a sniper here,” says the first man. “You’d better not look elsewhere, mister,” I say to him as I draw my gun and shoot his head.
Ms. Mikitani looks surprised when she sees that I have a gun. “Who in the world are you?” She asks me. “Don’t worry so much about who I am. What matters the most is we have to keep you safe.” I don’t elaborate much to her about my real identity. Damn, now I sound like a superhero. There are only three men left. Before any of them can attack me, Yuuto shoots the rest when they’re off-guard. I have to thank Yuuto for his quick shot.
The fight ends up faster than usual thanks to Yuuto. Ms. Mikitani runs behind me as we’re heading to Mr. Sakakibara’s location. As we’re about to run to his location, a car suddenly pulls over not far from where we are. That’s when Mr. Sakakibara comes out from the car. “Good job, Touka,?
?? he praises me. I look at Ms. Mikitani. “Please follow him. He will bring you to the place I’ve told you just now. I’ll be right back.”
I leave after I tell her that. My final goal is to regroup with Yuuto and Hayato, so then we can head home together. Mr. Sakakibara then escorts Ms. Mikitani into the car. They leave the place immediately after Ms. Mikitani is inside the car. I feel happy that we have accomplished our mission without much problem.
Both Yuuto and Hayato regroup with me after the mission is over. We head straight home after that. For the first time ever, we manage to save one of the victims before anything happens to them. And that is the biggest accomplishment we have since the beginning of this mission.