HA3 12.2 - Good Offer

  Time flew fast. Eight days already took place since the digging in Villa Tigera. Lots of thing happened in this time span. After writing every piece of information he knew in his report, Shorimachi then ended his part in parallel investigation.

  Goto respected Shorimachi’s decision and left him alone. The only problem he had to deal with was the NFP agents who worked with First Division. They didn’t believe Shorimachi’s snitch who gave them legit info had died. However, they could do nothing as Shorimachi faithfully stick to the report he submitted and didn’t budge to their pressure.

  Then, the forensic finished their investigation and Shorimachi could cremate her and then put her remains together with her parent’s in St. Marry final resting house.

  ‘Finally, they can stay together as family again,’ Shorimachi muttered as he fixed his gaze on Miko’s bright smile.

  Then, he turned his gaze to the three urns in the next slot. Each urn had a picture of sweet little girl, with bright smile in their face. They were the other little girls that were found together with Miko. People from First Division and forensic managed to identify them, but their parent refused to take them back. Even after Shorimachi kneeled in front of them, and begged them to take their daughter home, they refused.

  They said the little girls were not their daughters anymore. They belong to Toruma Mafia. They were afraid if they took them back, Toruma Mafia would use it as excuse to punish them. In the end, Shorimachi held the departure rite for the girls, cremated them, and put their remains in St. Mary final resting house, just next to his snitch and his family.

  Takayuki who stood next to Shorimachi suddenly let out a sigh. “Their family sold them, and it led them to tragic end, and after years of waiting to be found, these poor girls still can’t go home.”

  “Every child deserves a parent, but not every parent deserves a child,” Shorimachi said before closing the slot.

  “True. Parent who doesn’t have the resolve to raise a kid should never have one.”

  “I experience it firsthand by the way,” Shorimachi casually said.

  “Pardon, Senior?”

  For some reason, Shorimachi had an urge to tell Takayuki about his own childhood, and so he started the story.

  “Naoto, my younger brother, is a very cheerful kid. He would smile or laugh at even the smallest thing that made him happy. He was also not fussy about our living condition, even though it became very crappy after our father left us to have an affair with another woman. If there was a championship on how to become a cheerful kid under shitty circumstances, Naoto definitely would win the first place.”

  And just before his third birthday, Naoto took initiative learning how to fold his own clothes. After that, every time Shorimachi returned from school, he would found his clothes were already being not so neatly folded in his room. Shorimachi would then give Naoto a thump up and it gave him more confidence to help with other house chore.

  Naoto did all of that, his cheerful smile, his effort to fold the clothes, and helping with the house chore because he wanted to lighten their mother burden, and prevent her from leaving the two like their father. In the whole world, Shorimachi believed Naoto was the only three-year-old kid who had such mature disposition.

  On the other side, having a hardworking and cheerful little brother around, made Shorimachi thought that their live was not so bad. He was the only kid in his school who didn’t receive pocket money and wore worn out clothes, but every time he remembered Naoto’s cheerful smile, his embarrassment and bitterness was gone without a trace.

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  It’s just that, their mother had different view than them. One morning, she dropped Shorimachi and Naoto in front of St. Marry orphanage front’s gate, along with small backpack of their clothes, two pieces of 1000 Ren bill, and a letter that Shorimachi had to give to anyone who open the front gate. And just like that, Shorimachi and Naoto became a pair of orphan. He was eight, while Naoto was three at that time.

  “After that, Naoto became a timid kid. He kept asking me why our mother left us, and the only answer I could give him was that the woman who left us was not our mother. That’s why she didn’t want to raise us.” After a short pause Shorimachi added, “Naoto knew I was lying, but he didn’t want to argue or make a fuss, so he would just sob silently and I will hug him as tight as I could while holding my own sob.”

  “I see.” Takayuki let out a sigh before saying, “Every child deserves a parent, but not every parent deserves a child.”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s why I hate people who force couple to give birth without regard to their willingness or ability to raise a kid, like Felon Mush,” Takayuki genuinely said.

  After making a light snort Shorimachi said, “If I meet that bastard in the street, I will shoot him in the face.”

  “Me too, I will definitely shoot the bastard in the face if I have the chance.” After taking a deep breath Takayuki then asked, “Senior, do you miss your mother?”

  “Not even once, and I know her whereabouts actually,” Shorimachi casually said.

  “You know her whereabouts?”

  “After leaving us in orphanage, she married a rich widower with one kid from Aida, and gave birth to another kid.” After a short pause Shorimachi added, “She still lives happily in Aida with her family right now, and has several grandkids who adore her.”

  “I see.”

  “Well, let’s not talk about her.”

  “Okay.”

  After a moment of silence Shorimachi then continued the conversation, “And I’m sorry, for selfishly leave the parallel investigation with NFP. It’s a good opportunity for you to score good point in front of higher-ups honestly.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Takayuki casually said. “Agent Goto offer me a chance to continue the parallel investigation actually, but I have no interest in NFP’s work.”

  After lightly nodded his head Shorimachi said, “I see.”

  After giving the poor little girls who couldn’t return to their home another complicated glance, Shorimachi and Takayuki then left the final resting house.

  ---

  After Takayuki dropped him off in his lodging house, the first thing that Shorimachi did was enjoying a can of beer while looking at the bandage that fully wrapped around his right fist. He had destroyed it beyond recognition, and now he reaped what he sowed. His doctor said it would take a whole month before his right fist fully recovered.

  ‘Fuck!’ Shorimachi cursed as the throbbing in his right fist suddenly became unbearable.

  Then, he put down his beer in the table and took his second smartphone. Hide should have returned from his trip. Initially, he planned to meet him on his way to school at Monday, but he couldn’t wait anymore. Wasting no time, he dialed Hide’s number and a moment later he was connected.

  [Yeah?]

  “Are you back?”

  [I just enter the city vicinity.]

  “I see.” After taking a deep breath Shorimachi said, “Thank you for the tips. It helps us have better understanding on the crew you assist.”

  [What understanding you got, if I may know?]

  “They have no political goal. They also have no intention to stir a change in underworld. They won’t hesitate to use their best skill to clear an objective, but they will avoid public attention as much as they can.”

  [In my understanding, what they go after is simply money and gold. They also told me. After another job or two they will be gone.]

  “Can you set me up a meeting with them?”

  [If they know I talk about them with a police officer, they will kill me.]

  “I have a good offer for them. If their main objective is money and gold, they will gladly accept my offer.”

  [Even if they gladly accept your offer, they will still kill me.]

  “Can you find a way so they know my offer, but without putting your life in danger?”

  […]

  “You don’t have to come with the method right now. Take your time to think about it.”

  [Write your offer in detail and the number they can contact you. I will try to drop it in their place. After that, they contact you or not, is beyond me.]

  “Okay, and by the way I already destroyed your footage.”

  [Thanks.]

  “By any chance, do you bring me sweet souvenir?”

  Beeeeb!!!

  ‘What a rude kid,’ Shorimachi muttered before reaching out for his beer and gave it a sip.

  *****