Chapter 15:

The soul of a yakuza ( 2/2 )

Chaos' Game


     Kazuya's heart skipped a beat. This mechanic voice, deprived of compassion… just said the most grievous words ever created. His face became ghastly, his hands flickering.

“…...Kiseki….. he's?….”

     He was unable to speak properly. However, the android frowned before replying in her monotone intonation.

“The patient's name isn't Kiseki. It is Egao Kuraitani.”

     Confused, the man frowned.

“I… I never heard that name before.”

     The android remained silent for a second.

“You're not relatives? Hence, it's not your son who died. So, I said it to the wrong person.” she corrected without any guiltiness.

     Processing that information, she simply receded. As she saw no one else she muttered as for herself.

“I see. Nobody came for that one.”

     Kazuya stared at her with disbelief. Did she actually make such a mistake?

     Completely unsaddled, he didn't notice another android doctor leaving the operating rooms and walking straight to him. This way, his voice made the businessman jump.

“Kazuya Idonosoko?”

“Yes” he replied, on guard.

“Kiseki Idonosoko is out of danger, the operation went well. His organs are intact, though since he lost a considerable amount of blood he'll need to recover.”

     At last indulging himself to stand at ease, Kiseki's father could breathe a sigh of relief.

***

Since Kiseki had awoken, he didn't pronounce a single word. Looking into the void in front of his hospital bed, he scarcely reacted to his father presence.

“I'm relieved to see you conscious, though I am puzzled. Doctor said your organs were unharmed, but I wonder if they didn't sectioned your tongue.”

     No reaction as well.

     A few minutes passed, then Kiseki's mouth miraculously unsealed. Though he still admired the pale wall.

“How did you find me?”

“Well, as I got no answers for my calls, I decided to come to Asperia by myself. Then I merely questioned people at the police station.”

“I see.”

     The inspector coming back to mute, the man to his side hesitated for a while, half-opening his mouth. That wasn't the best moment, albeit he couldn't postpone this conversation eternally.

“Kiseki. I must reveal you something about my past. Something I've never told you before.”

“I don't feel concerned with it right now.”

“You should. It is related to all that happened to you lately.”

     Together with his words, he drew out of his coat his wallet, in which he kept the photography he received a few days ago. Leaning forwards from his seat, he extended it to his son whom took a glance. The picture captured his attention and after a while he widened his eyes, grasping the photo to inspect it. He recognized Kazuya and Reisig.

“Explain yourself. Why is a dangerous criminal on the same picture as you? How are you related?”

To these questions Kazuya sighed.

“This photography was taken twenty four years ago. Over time, I spent a lot of time with Reisig and Shiro, the other fellow on the picture. The latter was my best friend. We used to be spending our whole time together, especially as we were neighbours. Streets were our playground, we were terrible scoundrels!” he laughed briefly as a coy smile momently appeared on his face. “In high school, we got acquainted with Reisig, as he was a keeper. We took him as our target in no time, playing him regularly tricks. Shiro and I became close to him, sharing the same desire of liberty, of reigning in the streets. This was … our dream.”

     The more he said the more shocked seemed to be the inspector. Nonetheless, he didn't interrupt him.

“Reisig took us under his wing, and all together we spent years as larrikins, asking for trouble, fighting local gangs. We were partners in crime. And one day, a few months after the picture you hold was taken, a gang of yakuzas* noticed us and approached to propose enrolling us. That offer represented the achievement of our dreams. Shiro and Reisig were thrilled at this idea, and so did I. But this was at that time that an unexpected event turned everything upside down.”

     Standing up, he made a few steps towards the window, drawing a curtain to watch outside. Kiseki's glance followed him, frowning.

“What did happen?” he asked.

“I met you.” the answer was straightforward, without detour. “Overnight, I learnt that I had a two-years-old child. As your mother had an accident and died prematurely, social services found me while I never heard about you. They asked me if I could assume your care. I admit the first thing I thought of was refusing since I was never informed of your birth by your mother. However, I accepted an encounter and after seeing you I changed my mind. Yet, to take good care of you I couldn't continue my dubious life, basically as I would be alone with you. So… I had to refuse the offer Shiro, Reisig and I dreamt of. They were both extremely deceived. Especially Shiro. My decision drove him mad and he perceived it as a betrayal. This led to countless quarrels until we parted our paths, at the end. Reisig and Shiro joined the yakuzas while I competely reordered my life.”

“And you try to tell me that this Reisig wants to avenge on me for that?”

     Though he never expected to learn such a thing from his father, the policeman tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

“Rather for a dramatic accident that occurred a year and half later. When Shiro got killed.”

“How did that occur?” Kiseki questioned.

“On the occasion of a conflict between two gangs. You guess it, one of them was Shiro's. He and Reisig directed squads for the final assault, alas on the evening it was planned the police got involved. And Shiro was accidentally killed by one of them.”

“…”

     A tough story difficult to swallow out of a sudden. Insomuch as inspector Idonosoko always thought that his father was a virtuous man who accomplished a faultless clear.

“If I stayed with them…”

“Shiro would still be alive?”

     Kazuya didn't reply directly to Kiseki, as a silent approval.

“And you think Reisig took also you for responsible of this?”

“This is most likely. Me, and thus you.”

     Whilst they were discussing, a knock knock on the door redirected their glances on the entering person. A police officer, particularly ill-at-ease, held his cap between his fingers.

“Hello, inspector Idonosoko. I am here to inform you that the police commissioner relieved you of your functions. You are suspected of plotting with the Players against the police orders.” he announced before adding, lowering his voice. “Such indecency. How could you even dare to cheat the mayor…”

     Kiseki turned an almost impassive face to the policeman, though his eyes conveyed a feeling of pure horror. As if he believed it was not but a nightmare he would awake from.

“Wait a minute officer. This must be a terrible misunderstanding. He was almost killed by these-” Kazuya pledged before being interrupted.

“I'm sorry sir. But proofs can hardly be discussed.” the policeman argued back.

     Taking a few steps towards him, he displayed photos posted on a public website. Kazuya widened his eyes in disbelief when he beheld his son together with Ling Zhen, in… a quite embarrassing context.

“Not to mention that he lured his colleagues into a trap of the Players. They probably decided to betray him afterwards.”

________________

*yakuza: a member of a Japanese criminal organization

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