The basement of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had been transformed into a war room. The air was thick with the hum of servers and the smell of stale cigarette smoke. Twenty officers sat hunched over monitors, their faces bathed in the blue glow of data streams.
Kenji Sano stood at the front of the room, staring at the whiteboard. The three photos—Suzuki (Pit), Kurosawa (Raincoat), Takeda (Boiling)—stared back at him.
"We are looking for the enabler." Kenji said, his voice cutting through the clatter of keyboards. "Suzuki provided the cash. Kurosawa provided the muscle. Takeda provided the political cover. But someone had to bury the complaints. Someone had to look at the evidence and intimidation in Chiba and say, 'This is legal.'"
"I've got the court records from the Chiba district." Officer Sato called out from the cyber desk. "During the eviction phase, twelve separate lawsuits were filed by the farmers against Kuro-Sawa Development. They cited harassment, property damage, and illegal rezoning."
"And?" Manjiro asked, leaning over her shoulder.
"Dismissed!!" Sato said. "Every single one. Dismissed with prejudice, meaning they couldn't be refiled. The ruling stated that the farmers were 'essential infrastructure progress'."
"Who was the presiding judge?" Kenji asked.
Sato typed furiously. A document appeared on the main screen. It was a court ruling, stamped with the official seal of the Tokyo High Court.
At the bottom was a signature, elegant and sharp.
Judge Masao Tanaka.
"Tanaka." Hideo groaned from the corner.
"You have got to be kidding me. He's on the shortlist for the Supreme Court. He's the most respected jurist in the city. He's untouchable."
"He's a liar." Kenji said, walking closer to the screen. "Look at the date of the dismissal. It was two days after Takeda received his 'consulting fee.' Tanaka looked at the truth and buried it to protect the project."
Kenji turned to the board. He picked up the marker and wrote FALSEHOOD next to the empty slot.
"The sin isn't just lying." Kenji murmured.
"It's perverting the course of justice. It's using the law to shield the guilty."
"If he's the target..." Manjiro said, "what's the punishment?"
Kenji closed his eyes. The Kujigata Osadamegaki scrolled through his mind.
"For those who bring shame upon the community... for those whose lies harm the public good..." Kenji opened his eyes. "The punishment is Nokogiri-biki."
"English, Sano.." Hideo asked.
"The Saw." Kenji said grimly. "In the Edo period, criminals who committed heinous acts of deception were buried in the ground, up to their necks. A wooden saw was placed next to their head. Passersby were invited to take a cut to saw at the victim's neck as an act of community justice."
The room went silent.
"He's going to bury a High Court Judge?" Manjiro whispered. "Alive?"
"He's going to shame him." Kenji checked his watch. "He wants to show the world that the man who sits in judgment is just a criminal waiting for the blade. Where is Tanaka now?"
"His schedule says he's at a gala dinner," Officer Sato replied. "The Ginza Legal Association annual fundraiser. It's at the Imperial Hotel."
"Secure him." Hideo ordered. "Sano, Tenken, take a team. Do not let him leave that hotel without a police escort. Go!"
20:15 PM.
The Imperial Hotel, Ginza.
The ballroom was a sea of black tuxedos and evening gowns. The clinking of crystal glasses and the murmur of polite conversation filled the air. It was the center of Tokyo's elite society a world far removed from the boiling tubs and burning fields.
Kenji and Manjiro moved through the crowd, earpieces in, eyes scanning the room. They felt out of place in their wrapped suits and trench coats, carrying the scent of rain and exhaustion.
"I see him." Manjiro whispered. "Table 4. Near the stage."
Judge Masao Tanaka was holding court. He was an older man with silver hair and a face that radiated authority. He was laughing at a joke, holding a glass of champagne. He looked safe. He looked powerful.
Kenji moved in. "Judge Tanaka?"
Tanaka turned, his smile fading slightly as he took in Kenji's appearance. "I don't believe we've been introduced."
"Detective Sano, Metropolitan Police." Kenji flashed his badge. "We need to speak with you. Immediately. It concerns your safety."
Tanaka scoffed, glancing at the guests around him. "This is a private function, Detective. If this is about a parking ticket, surely it can wait."
"It's about Ryosuke Takeda." Kenji said softly. "And Hiroshi Kurosawa."
The color drained from Tanaka's face. The glass in his hand trembled, spilling a drop of champagne onto his cuff.
"I... I don't know what you mean."
"We know you signed the dismissal orders," Kenji stepped closer, his voice low and urgent. "And he knows. The Shogun knows."
Tanaka looked around the room, suddenly terrified. The tuxedo-clad waiters, the smiling guests they all seemed to morph into threats.
"You need to come with us, Judge. We have a protective detail waiting outside."
"Yes!" Tanaka stammered, setting his glass down. "Yes, of course. Let me just... let me get my coat. It's in the cloakroom."
"Manjiro, go with him." Kenji ordered.
"I'm fine!!" Tanaka snapped, a flash of his old arrogance returning. "The cloakroom is right there in the lobby. I don't need a babysitter to fetch my coat. Wait here. I will be one minute."
Tanaka turned and walked toward the double doors leading to the lobby.
Kenji watched him go. Something felt wrong. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. It was too easy.
"Manjiro." Kenji said. "Don't let him out of your sight."
Manjiro nodded and followed, keeping a discrete distance.
Kenji scanned the ballroom. He looked at the waiters. The musicians. Was the ghost here? Was he watching?
Ten seconds passed. Twenty.
"Kenji!!" Manjiro's voice crackled in his earpiece. "He's not in the cloakroom."
"What?"
"I'm at the counter. The attendant says Tanaka just grabbed his coat and ran out the side exit. He's bolting."
"He's running... 'That bastard' " Kenji cursed, sprinting toward the lobby. "He's trying to hide on his own, just like Takeda! Move!"
20:25 PM. The Alleyway.
Judge Tanaka stumbled out into the cool night air. The side exit of the Imperial Hotel opened into a narrow service alley lined with dumpsters. It was dark, the noise of the city muffled by the brick walls.
He took his phone, his fingers shaking so badly he dropped it.
"Damn it." he hissed, bending down to pick it up.
He needed to call his driver. He needed to get to his summer house in Karuizawa. He would be safe there. The police couldn't protect him. Takeda had police protection, and he was boiled in a hotel room.
Tanaka grabbed his phone and stood up.
A shadow detached itself from the wall.
Tanaka froze.
Standing five feet away, blocking the exit to the street, was a figure. He was dressed in a dark heavy raincoat and tactical pants. But it was the face that made Tanaka's bladder release.
The figure wore a mask. A red lacquer mask with a long, phallic nose and an angry, demonic scowl.
Tengu. The mountain demon.
"Masao Tanaka." the figure spoke. The voice was deep, distorted by a modulator. It wasn't human. It was just a vibration in the air.
"I... I have money." Tanaka whispered, backing away until he hit the brick wall. "I can give you anything. Takeda paid you? I can pay double."
The figure stepped forward. He moved with a terrifying fluidity, like oil flowing over water. In his right hand, he held something long and wrapped in cloth. In his left hand, he held a shovel.
"You speak." the figure said. "But you say nothing."
"I was following the law!" Tanaka screamed.
"You are the weed." the figure said, raising the shovel. "I am the gardener."
Tanaka turned to run back into the hotel, but the figure was faster. The shovel swung in a blur of motion.
CRACK.
The metal spade hit Tanaka on the side of the head. The Judge collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
The figure stood over him for a moment. He didn't gloat. He didn't laugh. He simply reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe. He jabbed it into Tanaka's neck. The Judge groaned once, then went limp.
The figure hoisted the unconscious Judge onto his shoulder with ease, as if the man weighed nothing. He moved to a maintenance van parked at the mouth of the alley. He opened the back doors, dumped the body inside, and tossed the shovel in after it.
As he closed the doors, the side exit of the hotel burst open.
"Police! Stop!"
Kenji Sano sprinted into the alley, weapon raised.
The figure in the Tengu mask turned. For a split second, Kenji and the killer locked eyes across the twenty feet of darkness. The red mask seemed to glow in the faint streetlight.
There was no recognition. No hesitation. The killer simply stared, a black void behind the red mask.
Then he jumped into the driver's seat.
"Kenji!" Manjiro burst out behind him.
The van's tires screeched. Kenji fired two shots at the tires, but his aim was thrown off as the van turned violently, clipping a dumpster and roaring out onto the main street.
"Target is mobile!" Kenji shouted into his radio. "White maintenance van! Heading west on Hibiya-dori! Pursuit in progress!"
Kenji and Manjiro sprinted for their sedan parked at the front entrance.
"He has the Judge." Kenji yelled as they threw themselves into the car. "He took him right from under our noses."
"Where is he taking him?" Manjiro slammed the siren on. "The river? The bay?"
Kenji thought about the punishment.
Nokogiri-biki. The Sawing.
"No." Kenji said, accelerating into traffic, his eyes hard. "You don't saw a man in private. You do it in public. He needs a stage. He needs soil."
"A park?" Manjiro guessed.
"Hibiya Park is two blocks away," Kenji realized. "It's central. It has soft ground. And it's right across from the High Court."
"He's going to bury him in front of his own courthouse." Manjiro whispered.
Kenji gripped the wheel. He felt a sick sense of admiration mixed with the horror. This wasn't just a killer. This was a predator who had anticipated every move.
"Hang on!!" Kenji growled. "We're not letting him plant this seed."
Chapter 9 Ends - Seed?