MW: Chapter 1- Arrest

“I wonder if you could tell me? Why were you following that woman’s trail, you know.”

A man in a suit sitting in front of him asked in a friendly tone. He was probably in his mid-thirties. He had a medium build, short hair, and a plain face. At first glance, he seemed to be a businessman who was hanging around in a District Office. But he is no ordinary businessman. He is a detective. He has a beaming expression on his face, but his eyes were not smiling.

“That is not true. I didn’t follow any woman’s trail. I just happened to be taking the same route at the same time. Is that a crime? What is the charge?”

Akihiko Noguchi replies with a sombre expression. He is dressed in a T-shirt and denim shorts. He has a well-defined face, and no one would object to calling him a handsome man. He is not tall, but his body is toned and lean. He has a calm demeanor and exudes confidence in himself.

“Do you really think that excuses will work? That street is far from where you live. It is not the kind of place you would drop by on your way home from work. It is not a glamorous town where young people go to have fun. And yet you were walking down that back alley. You walked with a steady gait through such an unpopular place.”

There is no doubt about that. The detective was right, Akihiko was walking down an alleyway.　

***　

That was about two hours ago.

Indeed, Akihiko was walking down an unpopular alleyway. A few meters ahead, a young woman was walking. She was dressed in a tank top and hot pants, which was way too revealing. Her makeup was heavy, but her face was not looking bad. Her body was supple, and she gave off the air of a…… woman who has been going to the gym two to three times a week.

Her confidence in her good looks and body was evident not only in her clothes but also in the way she walked. It was dark, and it was already past ten o’clock at night. Despite this, she was walking down a deserted alleyway without a hint of alarm. Her eyes were focused only on the phone in her hand. As per prior information. This woman is an idiot who can’t see what is going on around her. She will regret her stupidity in hell…　

At that moment, Akihiko felt a sense of discomfort. Something is wrong. It is too quiet. As soon as he realizes it, he immediately tries to change the direction he was going. But it was too late.

“Excuse me.”

Suddenly, a voice called out to him from behind. Akihiko, being startled, turned around. There was a man in a suit. Three of them. He was surprised that they got him.

“Could you come down to the station for a minute so we can talk to you?”　

One man said, showing his police identification card. Akihiko nodded his head with a sober expression.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

***　

Akihiko is now here after going through such a process. The detective in front of him continued to speak further.

“Moreover, I found a stun gun in your pants pocket. There were also handcuffs in the backpack you were carrying. I’d like to hear more about the purpose and reason for …… following a young woman’s trail with such dangerous items like a stun gun and handcuffs.”

He asked in a sarcastic tone.

Akihiko and the detective are sitting opposite each other in an interrogation room at the police station. There is an office desk between them, and both Akihiko and the detective are sitting on pipe chairs. The room is small, only about four tatami mats in size. Behind the detective is another young man in a suit. He is standing silently, staring at Akihiko. There was no doubt that this man was also a detective. Behind Akihiko, on the other hand, was a concrete wall. Naturally, there was no escape.

[T/N – 四畳ほ (4 Tatami mats)a rush-covered straw mat forming a traditional Japanese floor covering. Standard size of a Tatami mat is 3 feet by 6 feet.]

This situation is, in fact, cleverly calculated. They are confronted by two detectives in a small room with no escape. And he is all alone. The psychological pressure on the interrogation subject is tremendous. If you are not used to this, you will probably blabber about things you are not asked about.

“It’s a coincidence. The stun gun is for self-defense. These days, things are very dangerous. Also, you say you were following me, but it was just me and her simply walking down the same street. What were you police doing there?”　

Despite the situation, Akihiko repeated the same line. His facial expression remained unchanged from earlier. The detective chuckled. It was the exact opposite of the mocking friendly laugh. Is he trying to make me angry?

“What are you saying? I’m asking you. You say it’s the same road, but where were you going in the first place?”

“I don’t know.”　

He replied with a blank expression. Akihiko is not stupid enough to accept this level of provocation.

“What? You don’t know? Do you really think that excuse will work?”

“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I had a mental illness when I was in junior high school. Even now, I am receiving counseling once a month. Because of this I sometimes act strangely, you know. Do you discriminate against people who suffer from mental illness? Then I will sue you.”　

At the word “discrimination,” the detective’s face changes. But it was only for a moment. Soon it returned to its original expression.

“I don’t mean to discriminate against you, of course. So you’re saying that following a woman around is part of your mental illness?”

He asked in a calm tone.

“I wasn’t following her,” he said. “We just happened to be walking along the same path. I, you know, I often find that my thoughts and feelings are not well organized, and only my body is moving. I often found myself eating ramen at a strange restaurant. The most surprising time was when I was going through boarding procedures at Narita Airport. I regained consciousness halfway through the process, so I immediately canceled the flight and went home.”

Akihiko, too, replied in a calm tone.

“I see. That’s tough. Well, I wonder how the prosecutor will judge that excuse. Try it tomorrow.”

Akihiko’s expression changed slightly with these words.

“What do you mean?”

“You will be transferred to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office tomorrow, where you will be interrogated by the prosecutor. Well, it’s not as big as an interrogation.”

“What are the charges?”

“As I said before, it was a misdemeanor violation for having a stun gun without a valid reason. It is not enough to say that it is for self-defense. The prosecutor will decide whether to detain you or not. If they decide to detain you, you’ll be in jail for a while.”

“I see.”

“So……, from here on out, it was just a chat. It’s not an interrogation. There’s been an unusual increase in the number of young women going missing over the last few years.”

As he said this, the detective brought his face close to his. Akihiko meets his gaze head on.

“I didn’t know that. It’s a dangerous world, isn’t it?”

“One of these missing women happened to be caught on a security camera walking down a street at night. The camera also showed a young man who was following the woman’s trail. That, you know, strangely enough, looks just like you. I wonder what this all means.”

“I kidnapped her, is that what you’re trying to say? Before that, it has nothing to do with this case. Are you going to interrogate me about another case?” Akihiko said, and the detective shook his head in an exaggerated manner.

“Hey, hey, hey, that’s a misunderstanding. I never said that. First of all, this is just a chat. This is not an interrogation. I told you that before.”

“Yes, I know. It’s illegal to make another arrest. I will tell you nothing more. Please contact my lawyer, Dr. Hamada, right now. There must have been a business card in my wallet.”

“Yes, it’s illegal to make a separate arrest. You know it well.” With a smiling face, the detective said.　

The next moment, his face changed completely.

“You know, you shouldn’t underestimate the police. We know exactly what you did. Do you think you can scare us by mentioning the name of your lawyer? We’ve investigated many, many crooks from all over the world. You’d better be prepared for that.” He said with a terrible look on his face. But immediately afterwards, he smiled again.

“We’re going to be friends for a very long time. So, let me give you my name. My name is Osamu Himura. Nice to meet you.”

Eventually, Akihiko was returned to the detention center. This room was similar to the interrogation room. It was a small cell, not even four tatami mats in size. The walls were white, and the windows had iron bars. The floor was covered with carpet tiles. The door was covered with iron bars and wire mesh. Akihiko lay down in such a place.

The next day, the prosecutor would decide to detain him. In that case, he will be interrogated by detectives here for 20 days. They will try everything to get him to confess. Akihiko, however, had a chance to win. After all, there was no physical evidence. Moreover, he was under suspicion of being arrested on a different case. All he had to do was to endure 20 days of interrogation.

In addition, there was one more favorable factor. Although it is not yet clear, the police may have made a major mistake. If he can prove this mistake, victory is assured. Still, solitary confinement is really boring. There is nothing to do.

As he lay on his back and was staring at the ceiling, for some reason he was reminded of his childhood days.

Raw Provider: Geranium

Translator: Geranium

Editor: Dazzel.D