Chapter 37:

Unbeknownst To The Psyche

X = Y


Meanwhile, at the Tatashi Industrial building, Detective Yasuhide Ogi and Officer Akashi exited his unmarked police car. The building itself, to the outside, was seemingly constructed with a plethora of windows, semblable to a skyscraper. Three other units were around Yasuhide, making three police cars and seven officers who accompanied Yasuhide to the building.

"This is the place. If Yasaburo is in there, and he acts out of character, intimidate him by pointing your gun at him, but do not shoot." Yasuhide instructed them.

They entered the building, and the employees present at the reception grew worried, anticipating an arrest. The interior was completely white, like pure light shining into the eye, it was blinding initially, but Yasuhide's eyes adjusted. The intimidation emitting from the police force and a detective entering the building was daunting at most. Yasuhide approached the female receptionist, who was confused by the police force overlooking her.

"Hello. I'm Detective Yasuhide Ogi. I'm looking for a person called Yasaburo Toyoda. Is he in today?" Yasuhide questioned her.

"Yasaburo? Yeah, he checked in today." the receptionist responded, looking through the database on her computer.

"What floor is he on?" Yasuhide questioned.

"The fourth floor of this building. You go down the corridor and up the stairs, or you can take the elevator." the receptionist explained.

"Thank you. What room? Where on the floor?" Yasuhide inquired.

"He has his office room. There's a plaque on the door, in the middle of the floor. But he may be in meetings with Assistant Manager Eisaku Tonegawa, or other people who want to talk to him. He is a personal assistant to Mr Tonegawa after all." the receptionist added, informing the police force.

"Thank you. Also, please do not tell anyone we are here. That would be appreciated." Yasuhide responded, turning around to address the officers. "Two of you, stay here. Make sure no one suspicious enters. I'll give you a signal if he comes through here just in case. Use your walkie talkies to communicate with the others upstairs. Let's go." Yasuhide commanded them.

Five police officers and Yasuhide Ogi went up to the fourth floor using the elevator, preparing to arrest Yasaburo. They exited the elevator, reading the plaques on the door, and finding a golden plaque with Yasaburo Toyoda's name on it. Signalling to the other officers, Yasuhide opened the door slowly, but the office was vacant.

"He's not here. Did he know we were coming after him?" Yasuhide thought.

"Let's check the other rooms." said Officer Akashi.

"Yeah, let's go." Yasuhide responded.

They continue to walk down the corridor, now halfway down it, keenly looking for Yasaburo. Taking a photo out of his pocket, the person on it was Yasaburo, and Yasuhide was looking through the office windows, seeing if they resembled that picture. Everything looked the same, like the doors, being positioned regularly, made them indiscernible, and everything was white and bland. A man at the end of the corridor exited a door, locking the room with a key. He looked to his left, and his eyes lit up. Instantly, Yasuhide realised who he was, and his pupils expanded widely. The police pondered why he was staring that way, and immediately after, he began sprinting towards the man.

"That's him! Hurry it up! Yasaburo Toyoda! Stop!" Yasuhide exclaimed hastily.

Yasaburo began running away, his face engulfed in terror, slipping out a pair of plastic gloves, wearing them.

"They've come for me! Kanda! Takuyame! It was all for nothing! Takuyame, did you even hide his body properly! Naruki and Osugitachi have done me in...Eternal Ruler...your providence...I shall go out, hiding your identity!" Yasaburo contemplated, smiling eerily, whilst running away.

"Follow on, men! He's exiting the stairs using the other staircase! Run after him!" Akashi exclaimed, running after Yasuhide.

All the officers began running towards Yasuhide, and a chase ensued. Yasaburo ran down the long, winding, spiral staircase down it, and its diameter, from one part to the other lower part, was too wide to jump and would result in death.

"Stop! Where can you hide or run, when you have an arrest warrant on you?!" Yasuhide exclaimed.

"Arrest warrant? That doesn't matter to me!" Yasaburo thought.

"He's not falling for the bait!" Yasuhide thought agitatedly.

In a rush, his heart pounding, his body like an inferno, the blood pumping around like the waters of hell, boiling perennially. Reaching the bottom of the staircase, on the other side of the building from the other officers, he took out a black box, leaving it on the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase, instead of exiting the building through the emergency exit door, he had taken Kanda through, he began running deeper into the building frantically. Suddenly he stopped, turning around, and bringing a small box with a button. Yasaburo, staring in demise, realised Yasuhide was past the staircase, but the other five officers were above the black box.

Yasuhide, apprehending what was in his hand, screamed to the top of his lungs.

"NO!" he exclaimed, turning around, Yasaburo pressing the button.

An explosion occurred, shaking the entire building, creating tremors. Amidst the smoke, rubble, and blood, the five officers, caught by the blast, were not seen by Yasuhide. Yasaburo used the confusion and turmoil advantageously and began running away again, dropping the detonator button box.

"I'm sorry! I can't let him get away!" Yasuhide thought, mourning his comrade's deaths.

Yasaburo ran out using the other side entrances of the building, on the opposite side of the car park. Running out, he turned around, waiting outside the building a couple of metres away from it. He pulled out a gun, pointing it at the door, as Yasuhide looked out the glass door, quickly taking cover behind the wall.

"He has a gun! I need to stop him from running!" Yasuhide pondered.

Pulling out his gun, Yasuhide stood behind the glass doors. Yasaburo began shooting, shattering the door into pieces, slowly backing off. The other employees there were screaming and running away from the fright of sudden gunshots, cowering for their lives.

Aiming down his sight, revealing himself to Yasaburo, Yasuhide locked the gun at his location, holding his finger against the trigger, caressing it even. Simultaneously, both pulled the trigger, and a bullet flew towards both. However, covertly, two bullets were shot from beside Yasuhide, piercing the bicep, travelling through the arm into the tricep of Yasaburo's arm. The other pierced through his liver area, the bullet lodged inside that cavity. The bullet Yasuhide shot missed Yasaburo, and the bullet he counter-fired penetrated Yasuhide's leg. Faltering, Yasaburo fell over, dropping his gun in the arm that was dangling, and Yasuhide kneeled on his right leg that was injured, glaring at the wound, jolting in discomfort.

Looking to his left, Yasuhide was astounded that an officer survived the blast, with tears in his clothes, soot on his face, and wounds everywhere. He lowered his gun, relaxing his indignant, rage-driven face.

"Officer Akashi Tanake. Reporting for duty, detective. That idiot deserved it...the others are dead...I was behind them, and it got them all, and the stairs..." Officer Akashi Tanake said, looking forward bravely, with a single tear streaking down his cheek.

Helping him up, Akashi supported Yasuhide, bleeding through his leg, limping outside the building and walking towards Yasaburo's body.

"You're a good shot...I would have died..." Yasuhide stated, grateful to his saviour.

"They were off. I was aiming for his elbow joint and further to his side. I went too far in. My older brother is a better shot than me." Officer Akashi responded dejectedly.

Grabbing his phone from his pocket, Yasuhide called the ambulance and police force. The other two officers that stood guard at the main entrance came running around the building, bearing witness to the end of the altercation. Kneeling near Yasaburo's body, Yasuhiro took off his blazer and pressed it against the wound. The other two officers took the initiative, running to the back of their car, opening the boot, and bringing a first aid kit. Yasaburo was unconscious, on the brink of death. They ran to his body, cutting his clothes open, applying pressure, and soaking up the blood.

"We need him alive. He knows the mastermind that killed those officers and suspects. He knows where he is." Yasuhide added.

"Who was the detective that took the case for the van that blew up?" Akashi asked.

"No one has. But with this injury, it looks like I'm off duty. The closest department is the Akugawa branch. You have to pass it to get to the city outskirts, where the prisons, abandoned factories, and detainment facilities are. Close to those, you have the judicial halls." Yasuhide said.

"We'll take everything from here, detective. Make sure you're safe." the other police officer suggested.

On his way to Private Investigator Takuyame Kyomifu's house, Kei's phone began ringing as he parked in front of the house. He picked up the phone, walking towards the Superintendent, who exited his car.

"Kei! We have Yasaburo Toyoda. He was a few holes in him, but I think he'll live. All that's left is Osugitachi Ehamame, and we'll find this Eien Shihaisha." Yasuhide responded.

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Kei responded whilst the siren of an ambulance was blaring through the phone. "Is that for Yasaburo?" Kei added, whilst the Superintendent stood there, staring and standing beside him, next to his car.

"Yes and no!" Yasuhide exclaimed with a hint of joy covered in deceit. "I got my leg shot, and now I can't walk, but now I know what it feels like to not walk. The jokes are too much now. I need to stop. Anyway, the criminals we've arrested that were supposed to get sent to the facility today, and the police escort, all died in an explosion. There were no witnesses, but I think we know who did it. Sorry I have to go. Bye." Yasuhide exclaimed with a positive remark, ending the call.

"What happened?" the Superintendent asked.

"We have to check his house, quickly!" Kei exclaimed fearfully, now apprehensive by what Yasuhide told him.

They both approached the door, and Kei knocked. The wind rattled the windows, and the atmosphere was unnerving against their debilitated minds, feeling betrayed and their loyalty besmirched.

"Hello! Is anyone in there? We're checking in to see if you're okay!" the Superintendent exclaimed. "No one's opening the door..."

The tension increased, and the suspense ate away at Kei's heart, expecting the worst. His thoughts became disorderly, his mind became blunt, and the resentment he felt gradually rancourous.

"Damn! I think the keys were in his pockets. He told me not to search them, and then the other officers came back. I didn't know he was that Private Investigator because I've never met him." Kei exclaimed regretfully.

"I had a meeting with him a couple of days ago, asking him how the case on the gangsters and your parent's case was going. I didn't know he was deleting evidence because he was working with them." the Superintendent said.

"I can't believe I didn't notice either, but I'm still a detective in training, technically. I don't have as much authority as Detective Ryotaro Nabeshima." Kei added.

"You're still going to unversity, right?" the Superintendent added.

"Yeah...well, it's kind of like that. It's a vocational course, but it's three years with the Rukugaki University in this town. I go there to learn practical skills and apply them in the field. It's technically my holidays now, but I decided to work to find the culprits from five years ago..." Kei explained.

Alerted by another police car parking up, they glanced at it as the male and female police officer, along with Takuyame, appeared. They brought him out, keeping an eye on him. The keys were in the male police officers hands, and they walked toward the Superintendent.

"What are you two doing back here with him?" Kei asked.

"The Superintendent sent a dispatch call for a locksmith to the house. He had the keys in his pocket." the male officer responded.

"When did you do that? Why didn't we break the door down?" Kei asked.

"I called for one just in case something like this happened. No one opened the door when we knocked. We'd have to pay for damages if we broked the door. I became the Superintendent for a reason, Kei. Have faith." the Superintendent spoke kindly, reassuring Kei, smiling at him.

"Wait! NO! The last time I checked on my family was before I left this morning!" Takuyame exclaimed. "Open the door, quickly! My son! My wife!"

The officer with the key opened the door, and nothing but disgust, horror and grief exuded from the doors of the house, swiftly sweeping away everyone. The body of a woman and young boy, about five, lay there in a fetal position, deceased.

"NO!" Takuyame exclaimed dolefully, tears profusely pouring out his eyes like watering cans.

He fell to his knees, slamming the ground, scarping it with this fingers, digging his hands deeper into the stone floor. Grievously mourning, Takuyame's humanity was devastated, and what made him human slowly began perishing, whilst he was crying heartfully.

"We're...too late...When did you take Kanda's body and through it out the river." Kei, with bright passion in his eyes and his fists clenched, said.

Turning around, he went up to the grovelling investigator, holding him up by his collar.

"Tell me...now...When did Yasaburo give you Kanda's body?" Kei said, glaring, beaming abhorrently, disdainfully.

"I know you're angry, Kei, but please think this through. That's not how you should handle a situation. Yes, you can mourn, but being violent will only cause the cycle to repeat." the Superintendent tried convincing Kei.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for that too. I guarantee that he's also the same person that gave away information the entire Japanese police force had gathered over the past five years! My friends...and the killing of the criminals that happened today!" Kei shouted in his face, letting go, dropping him to the floor.

"What? When did that happen?" the female police officer asked.

"It should appear on the reports that come into the police department." Kei replied, beginning to walk away towards his car.

"I know I'm acting like a spoilt child, Superintendent. Please take care of this for me. I'm going back to Toshi City to finish the investigation there." Kei added.

"I understand. It's your case, to begin with, so go ahead. I'll see to it that this is ends in our town." the Superintendent replied considerately.

"Thank you, Superintendent." Kei responded, driving off to Toshi City.