Plate 8: Candy

Plate 8:
Candy

 

Scene 1

 

MY OLDER BROTHER threw away everything that mattered to me. So I decided to throw away what I treasured the most too.

It was winter, four years ago.

The Azuma Bridge was bathed in the light of dusk as a ball plummeted over the guardrails and splashed into the river below. It swayed precariously with the river’s rhythm, a bobbing sphere protruding from the surface. A ten-year-old Toi leaned over the guardrail and watched from above.

“Why are you throwing that away?”

Toi froze for a moment, thinking that he was being scolded. But when he looked, he spotted a child about the same age as him down by the riverside, peering up at him.

“Do you hate soccer now?” the boy asked.

Toi replied, “No, but I have to throw it away to survive.” Not that explaining it would do him any good; the other boy wouldn’t understand. Toi didn’t particularly want him to, either.

The boy mumbled, as if speaking to himself, “I wonder if that was the case for me too… I don’t have ties to anyone.”

Toi was too young to understand what such cryptic language might mean. Still, he got the impression that the two of them were similar in that they’d both lost something. “No one realizes the bonds they have until they’re gone,” he told the boy. That was an understanding he’d come to ever since his parents’ death. “I have to protect the only family I have left now. So…I’ve got to ditch soccer.”

That was the strength of his determination, born from the promise he made himself after everything that happened the night of the shooting. No longer would he be selfish.

He crumpled something in his hand and whipped his arm through the air as hard as he could, sending it in an arc over the edge of the railing. The blue friendship bracelet landed snugly in the waiting hands of the boy below.

“I’m giving you this!” said Toi.

Giving it away, throwing it away—it didn’t matter, as long as he was rid of it. Although his own childhood wish didn’t seem likely to come true.

“If it breaks, it’s supposed to grant the wearer a wish!” he shouted again, striking the same dramatic pose that used to encourage him so much. He would leave that pose, his sentimentality, and everything else behind.

 

There’s no way he remembers…right?

After that, Toi and his brother left Asakusa, passed from one distant relative to the next. There was a period during that time when he couldn’t even go to elementary school. Still, no matter how much his surroundings changed, he always had a futon to sleep on and three meals a day. Behind the scenes, he had to wonder… How much had his brother had to prostrate himself? How far had he soiled his hands, just to ensure they both had food to eat? Thinking about it only strengthened Toi’s sense of urgency.

Toi had forgotten about those memories, at least until he returned to this city, got wrapped up with those two troublemakers, turned into a kappa, and finally saw the blue friendship bracelet he’d given Kazuki all those years ago with his own eyes.

A carefree voice drifted to his ears from above. “Guess this is our last look at this place.”

“Brother!”

Chikai stepped from the water bus stop, clad in his usual dark suit. “Yo. Sorry I had to make you come out here so early in the morning.” He sounded as indifferent as ever, which only fanned the flames of Toi’s anxiety.

“Is everything okay? What happened?”

“Dunno. But it looks like they probably sniffed out what happened four years ago.”

Toi stiffened at those words, a reflexive response to being reminded of what he’d done.

“Hm? Don’t tell me you think it’s your fault that this is happenin’?”

“Not exactly…”

“Tch. When are you finally gonna let me take care of everything?”

Never—Toi could say that much with certainty. His brother had said that knowing full well that Toi would never let himself need too much from Chikai. Toi knew best of all what would happen if he took his brother’s words at face value.

“You’re doin’ good.” Chikai wasted no time extending his large hand toward Toi, mussing the hair atop his sweaty forehead. Toi raised his eyes, determined to complain this time, but when he did, he was met with a piercing, earnest look from his brother. “But don’t forget. Just like you need me, I need you, too.”

Don’t take his words at face value, he reminded himself.

“Come with me, Toi.”

But it’s not like it’ll kill me to believe what he says, either.

“Brother…”

Everything he wanted up until now—everything he begged for—was being lined up right in front of his very eyes. He’d be a fool not to take it. He knew that, and yet…

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Chikai asked.

He didn’t want to ruin his brother’s mood. “…I’d like a little bit of time,” he said.

“Huh?”

Panicked, Toi added, “No, don’t get the wrong idea! I am going with you. My mind’s already made up about that. But there’s a couple of guys that need me right now and…” The right words simply wouldn’t come out. There was no way he could hope to persuade his brother like this.

Or so he thought.

“Bwahah! I haven’t seen you with that kinda look on your face in a long time.”

“Wha…?!” Toi was frantic, and yet his brother was laughing at him. He felt both embarrassed and annoyed, but it had been a long time since he’d seen his brother laugh like this.

“Okay, okay. I’ll wait for ya. But just one day.” By the time Chikai said those last words, all traces of laughter evaporated.

Scene 2

 

THERE WAS AN OLD Smart Ball arcade just a short walk from Asakusa’s Sixth Ward’s five-way intersection, in the direction of Hanayashiki. Enta was inside it, grumbling to himself. The arcade was run by his grandmother as a sort of hobby, but its retro look made it popular with residents and sightseers alike. Today, it was bustling with customers.

“Kazuki, that jerk! Why’s he gotta blame me for everything, huh?! Who’s more important anyway, me or Toi?!” Enta was sporting a yellow cap on his head and a lollipop stick protruding from his mouth—one of the prizes he won. He yanked roughly at the levers on the game tower.

It was only the third day of summer break, and his mood couldn’t have been worse. His misdeeds were revealed during the previous night’s secret leak, but he was loathe to remember what happened afterward. Suffice to say that he and Kazuki had had a huge fight, hence his current state of despair.

Each of the blue balls he released gradually sank down into the gutter. Enta was a run-of-the-mill player, but playing half-heartedly and randomly pounding the controls quickly drained all of the balls he had. He turned the levers, only to realize he lost, and then started cursing.

“What? Already? Ugh, see?! Nothing ever goes right!”

Suddenly, a man’s large hand appeared in front of him, a ball pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “If nothing’s going right, just throw it all away.” He dropped it into the slot on the machine. “Life is a make-it-or-break-it game.”

Ga-thunk.

“You can change out balls, but you only get one life, so…” He smoothly pulled the lever, sending the ball bouncing until it landed gracefully in the highest scoring hole. The prize tray filled up with an enormous number of balls.

“Incredible!”

“Right?” The man looked triumphant.

When Enta looked back at the stranger, he let out a small squeak of alarm.

“Hm? Somethin’ on my face?”

Beneath the visor of his hat, Enta could clearly see Toi’s older brother. His face was mostly unchanged from the way Enta had seen it in Toi’s memories, but the sinister aura around him had grown stronger.

“No, nothing! Oh yeah, as thanks, here…” Enta held out one of the lollipops he brought with him, hoping to distract Chikai from realizing Enta recognized him. He trembled, wondering if the man might get angry at him for being patronizing by offering such a thing.

“Oh, good. I just ran out actually. Looks like helpin’ people has its benefits.” To Enta’s surprise, Toi’s brother looked delighted at the gift. But then his fierce features took a frightening shift as he spotted the two silhouettes loitering outside. Chikai clicked his tongue, making Enta flinch in fear.

 

The two silhouettes belonged to the police officers Reo and Mabu.

“So this is the leader of the group of swindlers from Tama… This is balls. Why do we gotta find him?” Reo grumbled, glancing down at the file in his hands with disinterest.

“They told us about this at the emergency summons briefing. This is the suspect’s birthplace. There is a good chance he might pass through here,” Mabu replied, reaffirming the necessary details of the case.

“Uh-huh. And?”

“He’s the suspected culprit of that shooting four years ago. If we arrest him, it’s a guaranteed Kappa Zombie.”

“Hmph.” Reo scoffed. “For a defective puppet, you sure are desperate to earn their goodwill.”

This was the kind of disparagement Mabu came to expect from Reo. It was a daily occurrence. Reo could sense his partner’s pensive silence, but when he lifted his eyes, he saw a wooden box being held out toward him. Inside were three adorable otter-shaped ningyo-yaki.

“You think I’m going to listen to you if you give me stuff like this?” Reo scoffed. If so, this “Mabu” was certainly underestimating him. Despite that, Reo hated to let food go to waste. He decided to test one, snapping off a piece with his teeth.

“Urgh! It’s still raw.”

 

“I-It seems to be clear.” Enta and Chikai peered out from the rear of the Smart Ball Arcade.

The two looked conspicuous with their backs pressed to the wall, gliding sideways down the back alley with the noon sun glaring down from above. They stopped once they reached the main street, which was crowded with sightseers. They would draw too much suspicion, walking like that.

“Phew, thanks for that. You know this area pretty well?” Chikai asked. Judging by the way he walked up ahead, he was just as familiar with the roads.

“When I was young, I played around here a lot with Kazu—uh, my friend.”

“Everything seems to have changed. The city and the people.”

Enta finally managed to blurt, “So, um, did you do something? Something bad?”

“Is that what it looks like?”

“Uhh, well…”

Chikai burst into laughter. “Bwa ha ha, I figured as much.”

“Uh-huh…”

It was impossible to respond to the man seriously. Enta knew someone else like that—someone who lived with him, in fact.

“Hey, four-eyes,” Chikai called teasingly. “How old are you?”

“Uh, I’m fourteen.”

“You sure are short for bein’ fourteen.”

“Oh, lay off!” Enta fumed.

Amused, Chikai just put more distance between the two of them. “Ha ha, my bad. I just have a brother the same age as you, that’s all.”

“…I know.”

“Not very cute, either. Tries to act all mature, maybe ’cause I’ve neglected him for so long.”

Enta could imagine Toi trying to act tough in front of his brother, standing tall with his chest puffed out.

“I’m gonna take him with me and blow this city. Can’t let the cops catch me now.”

“Um…” Enta’s lips moved before he could consider what he was saying. “If you’d like, I can help you out…!”

“Hm?” Chikai blinked back at him.

 

“Enough! Just grow up already. If you apologize first, it’ll be easier for Jinnai to say he’s sorry, too.”

“No! Why do I have to apologize to Enta?!”

He really is stubborn, thought Toi. Not that I didn’t already know that.

The two were in the Kappa Plaza, where Toi was making a concerted effort to persuade Kazuki. It was working about as well as he predicted, and he sighed in frustration.

“Doesn’t it piss you off too, Toi? If he hadn’t sabotaged us, we’d have already granted your wish by now!”

“Well, I mean…uhh…”

Kazuki slammed a fist against the ground, making it clear that his anger was genuine. “Enta, you jerk, I totally misjudged you! I can’t believe you lied to us and betrayed us like that!”

Although he did think the other boy was a pain, somewhere deep inside, Toi felt relieved. Kazuki was (correctly) directing his anger at Enta. If he’d still been as oblivious and detached as before, he might have asked if it were some kind of joke (as with the kiss), and the two would’ve never even fought. The fact that they were clashing like this was proof that they were growing. Granted, if the secret leaking never occurred, then none of this would have ever happened.

“He’s got his reasons,” said Toi. “Listen to what he has to say.”

“What ‘reasons’?”

“Uh, it’s not really my place to say.” Toi wasn’t so unprincipled that he’d divulge someone’s romantic feelings. But even the best of intentions could backfire.

“What the heck? Are you guys keeping secrets from me? Why are you taking his side anyway?!”

“All I’m trying to say is—” Toi started to explain.

“Enough! I’ll find the plates myself!” Kazuki slung those words at him, and then dashed out of the plaza.

Don’t just snap at me and take off before our conversation’s over! It was just like Kazuki to do that, too. Toi was exasperated. “I’m no good at this kinda thing.”

Regardless, if there was something he could do, no matter how impossible, he wanted to try.

The weight of his backpack suddenly felt heavier.

 

Toi tried visiting Enta’s house, but no one was home. Now that he stopped to think about it, he realized there was a pattern to the way they’d met up so far. Kazuki would always drag Toi into trouble, and Enta would always chase after the two of them.

As he passed before the Kaminarimon, a familiar face appeared on the Jumbotron. “Time for our next piece of news, dish! ✩ A warrant has been issued for the leader of the despicable group of conmen, SHIKOTAMA. Police believe the suspect, twenty-five-year-old Kuji Chikai, may be hiding out in Asakusa. They will therefore be conducting an emergency deployment of officers around the area. Arrest him, arrest him! ✩”

A picture (taken god-knew-when) of Chikai’s disinterested face peered back at Toi through the screen.

“Tch. We’re out of time…” Toi took off running.

Behind him, an eerie voice could be heard shrieking in laughter. “Kwaaaah!”

Scene 3

 

FOR THE FIRST TIME in Jinnai Enta’s life, he was participating in something criminal. Granted, he had no way of knowing that helping a criminal escape was legally classified as “aiding and abetting.”

The wanted man and his accomplice were currently in Asakusa’s Sixth Ward, at a hundred-yen store. A bizarre, airy song was playing on repeat inside the store, where variety goods and candy were stacked high on the shelves.

“Hey, kid, you want some candy?” Chikai asked. “Potato chips or chocolate, you can get whatever.”

“No, this is what we need!”

“The heck is that?” Chikai said. But, with a shrug, he went ahead and tossed the plastic package Enta shoved at him into their shopping basket.

 

“It’s a kappa!”

“A kappa mask!”

Enta stood in the middle of Asakusa’s Sixth Ward’s five-way intersection. A heartwarming scene was playing out before him.

“Okay, which of you kappa want a cucumber? Raise your hand!”

“Me! Me!” The children surged in like a wave. The man at their center was the same person whose picture and name were all over the news right now, though he was currently wearing a kappa mask. It was a pretty good idea to disguise him and take him somewhere safe.

But why, of all things, did I pick a kappa costume?

Enta never imagined Keppi’s bad influence would manifest here. Fortunately, it was summer break. There were numerous children’s events underway in the Sixth Ward. There were other adults passing out pickled cucumbers on sticks to people. The moment Chikai spotted them, he immediately joined the crowd and blended in. His expression was impossible to read behind the mask, but his hands were gentle as he handed out cucumber treats and patted the tops of children’s heads. Even when one of the more mischievous of the bunch slammed a kick into the back of his knees, Chikai just laughed it off. “Ouch, that hurts. I’ll run you through, you brat!”

“Is he even serious about running away?” Enta wondered aloud. He chewed on a pickled cucumber as he watched, somehow uncomfortable with the thought of trying to stop Chikai.

 

The sign read “Entry today is limited to brothers and sisters! ✩ Strengthen your bonds in our bee ninja bonanza! Brothers and sisters only!”

Enta and Chikai decided to take advantage of another event to stay hidden, this time at Hanayashiki. Understandably, they turned down the option to dress as bee ninja. The staff was much less insistent this time, thanks to Chikai’s intimidating presence.

“Been a long time since I’ve been to Hanayashiki,” said Chikai.

“I’m just glad the staff believed us when we said we were brothers.” Under his breath, Enta murmured, “Even though we don’t look anything alike…” while licking at his ice cream cone.

Chikai seemed to be in a generous mood, treating Enta to something at every opportunity. It didn’t seem financially sound, given that the man’s latest job fell through (according to Toi), but Enta couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He was smart enough to know not to ask, so he just gratefully accepted Chikai’s charity.

The man in question was currently sipping on a Hanayashiki limited-run Marijuana Drink. A ridiculous name for any product. “The last time I was here, my brother kept calling after me, chasing me. He sure has changed a lot without my even realizing it.”

They were seated on a bench in the rooftop garden, overlooking Bee Tower with its candy houses floating in the air. There was a four-person family in one, with two parents and two boys.

“He’s hesitating right now over whether he should choose his buddies or me. He’s never really gotten along with anyone before.”

“B-buddies…?” Enta was a little taken aback. It was the first time he ever heard anyone else objectively discuss the three of them.

Chikai continued, “Well, it’s my own fault. I’m the one who made him abandon what was most important to him…”

 

Evening light illuminated the Azuma Bridge as a brown paper bag flew over the edge of the rail and into the river below. Plunk! There was a loud splash as it broke the surface of the water, but soon it sank out of view.

“Now it’s over,” said Chikai. “Forget about the gun. Got it?”

The gun they received from Yuri Kamome—the one Toi had used to kill him—was at the bottom of the river.

“…Got it. You go on ahead, Brother,” Toi mumbled in a hollow voice.

“’Kay.”

With the evidence destroyed, there was no reason for them to linger. Chikai hummed to himself as he walked away, but moments later, he heard another quiet splash. He turned around to see that his little brother had dumped the soccer ball he’d been carrying into the river.

“You sacrificed everything for me,” Toi said. “So I’m also going to throw away what matters most to me!”

That was Chikai’s first glimpse at the strength of his younger brother’s resolve.

 

Chikai still had a folder on his smartphone with old pictures of Toi. He pulled up one of his little brother striking a pose, back when he was part of the neighborhood soccer team. Back then, Toi didn’t have an edge to his voice like he did now.

He showed the photo to Enta. “He used to talk about how he wanted to be a soccer player in the future, but he abandoned the game entirely.”

“Wait… No… It can’t be… This friendship bracelet…” Enta casually glanced at the photo, only to freeze when he noticed the blue friendship bracelet tied around Toi’s right ankle. There was a pitiful, wet plop as his ice cream splattered across the ground.

“Hm? Ah, yeah, I guess he gave it away. Kid, you dropped your cone.”

“Who?! Who did he give it to?!” Enta dropped all pretense and demanded answers.

Chikai just stared back blankly. “I don’t have a clue. I bet he just wanted someone to remember him—remember how much he loved soccer.” He slipped his phone into his breast pocket and glanced up at the sky. “That kid’s pretty serious at heart. Too serious. He’ll do anything for me without batting an eyelash, even if it’s dangerous or underhanded. Not like I ever asked him to, though.”

“I’ve done the same. I’ve done whatever I could for Kazuki, but…!”

“Hm?”

Enta kept his eyes lowered as he stood up, hands clenched at his sides. “It doesn’t matter how much you devote yourself to someone. If they never even think about your feelings, it’s all pointless.” His hand grasped at the wire fencing in front of him, trembling.

“You’re the one who gets to decide whether you want to devote yourself to someone or something. Wouldn’t it be easier for you to just quit?”

There was no compassion in Chikai’s words; he was a stranger and had no emotional investment in this situation. Besides, Enta knew that quitting wouldn’t make anything easier for him.

Suddenly, he spotted two people down below. “Those are…”

 

Reo and Mabu were patrolling the interior of the Hanayashiki park.

“The sign said ‘siblings only.’ You can’t tell me the two of us look even remotely like siblings trying to bond,” grumbled Reo.

“They probably only let us in because we’re policemen.” Mabu’s entirely-too-stiff-and-proper answer spoiled any humor Reo found in their situation.

“Thanks for the brilliant analysis, Sherlock.” Reo looked bored as he bit into his ningyo-yaki.

 

Chikai slipped over Hanayashiki’s blue wall, landing squarely in the alley behind the park. “Hup…!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… Gaaah!” Enta had good reflexes but terrible luck. He tripped over his own feet and slammed his face into the pavement.

“Might be about time to leave,” Chikai remarked as they walked along.

Enta agreed. “Yes, please hurry, get your brother and get out of here!”

“Kwaaaaah!” An eerie battle cry sounded behind them.

“Huh?” The two looked back to find a man with a shaved head, save for the fine designs chiseled into the remaining bristles. The man sported glasses, a mustache and beard, and a tailored black suit. His entire getup screamed “thug.”

“Chikaaaai!”

“Wh-who the heck is that?!” demanded Enta. It was obvious that he and Chikai knew each other, though you could tell by the tension in the air that they weren’t friends.

Chikai stared at the man, then mumbled, “Yasu this time?” And then, “Ah, shit…”

“I’m here to avenge my bro!” The man whipped out a dagger from his pocket, drew it from its sheath, and began charging toward them. “Kwaaaaah!”

“Huh? What?! What the?!”

What do we do, what do we do?! Enta’s brain was spinning. This is like straight out of one of Grandma’s yakuza films!

He felt something slam into him from behind. For a moment, he almost wondered if Keppi was at it again, but realized it was Chikai’s foot. “Geh!” Enta went stumbling toward the bald guy, arms splayed out and chest flung forward, until the blade was just a few centimeters away. He let out a strangled cry and yanked himself back.

Yasu, as Chikai called him, sneered. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Retreat, retreat, retreat, retreat…!” Chikai left the two behind and was dashing down the street.

“What?! Seriously? H-hold on!”

“Hey, kid. You in league with Chikai?!” Yasu snatched Enta up by the collar and pressed his face uncomfortably close.

“N-no!” Enta was bending the truth a little, but it wasn’t entirely a lie.

“Don’t play games with me! I know today’s the brother-andsister-only event here! What’ve you got to say for yourself, huh?!”

Enta shrank back from the dagger as it slowly drew closer. Then suddenly…

“Stop, or we’ll call the police!”

It was a line heard frequently in television dramas and movies.

I’m saved! Enta thought as he whipped his head to look back at the very same officers he’d seen just moments ago in Hanayashiki.

“We are the police,” pointed out the uniformed man in glasses.

“Yeah, but the scene’s not complete without that line, right?” remarked the blond beside him. The former—Mabu—appeared to be struggling to understand why someone wearing a law enforcement uniform would need to call for the police.

“He’s just a kid,” said Mabu. “What are you doing to him?”

Reo added, “Also, weapons like that are against the law, you know?”

Yasu didn’t seem intimidated by their appearance at all. “Kwaaaaah! The reason I’ve kept going this long is so I can finish off Chikai!”

Yasuda Yasu was an underling of Yuri Kamome, who was murdered four years ago. He was the one to restore order to the YURIKAMOME gang after it lost its boss. He was a sentimental man as well, and lived with the promise of vengeance in his heart for four years.

“No, no, no, no, no…!” Enta managed to wriggle free of Yasu’s grasp and scramble desperately to some nearby trees for cover. Once he was out of harm’s way, he peered out to watch how the scene unfolded.

 

“Chikai… Do you mean the wanted man, Kuji Chikai?” Mabu asked, not expecting to find information on their target here of all places.

“Like I’d hand him over to the cops! He’s gotta pay for what he did to my bro!” Yasu was too agitated to listen.

“How sentimental,” Reo remarked mockingly.

“Seems like Kuji got away.” Mabu said. The two lost interest.

“Quit flappin’ your mouths! Kwaaaah!” Unable to tamp down his rage, Yasu charged the two officers. His attack was easily foiled when Reo stuck out his foot to trip the lumbering thug, pitching him forward. When he regained his balance and glanced back, the two were staring coldly down at him.

“Don’t get in our way.”

“Not an ideal place to do this, but whatever.” Reo slipped his gun out of its holster.

“I’m not gonna fall for your empty threats, kwaaah!” Yasu, who missed his opportunity to pull back, readied his weapon and leaped forward.

“Now, let us open a door. Is it desire, or love?” The sign on the gun changed from Extraction to Attack.

“Kwaaaaaah!”

BANG!

A single bullet blasted through the top of Yasu’s head.

“Kuu…waah…” Smoke rose from his forehead as he flopped back onto the ground, motionless.

“Oh, no, no, no no…” Enta, who watched from the shadows of the trees as the whole thing played out, trembled as he ran from the scene.

 

“What should we do about this?” Reo asked.

“He’ll make a good Kappa Zombie,” replied Mabu. “We can’t let him go to waste.”

“I figured you’d say that! Then you carry him back,” Reo retorted childishly. There was something disquieting about how casually they talked while staring at the corpse before them.

“Was that the sound of a gunshot just now?!”

“Someone’s collapsed on the ground!” Two men—actual police officers who’d been on patrol—rushed over.

“Well, heck,” mumbled Reo. “We’ve been found out.”

The two men examined the body, turning pale as they asked, “Are you two the ones who shot him?!”

“One shot right through the head… No one’s going to buy that this was self-defense!”

“Hey! We’re talking to you! Answer us.”

Reo grinned at them.

Suddenly, one of the two officers blurted out, “The one who shot him was Kuji Chikai.”

“What? What are you on about all of a sudden?” demanded his partner.

“This man’s had a grudge against Kuji since the incident that happened four years ago.”

“Yeah, exactly,” agreed Reo. “Kuji’s the obvious culprit here.”

The one man regarded his partner—and the unfamiliar young men in uniform in front of him—skeptically. “What proof do you have of—”

Mabu flicked a small pin at him. It had the symbol of a heart on it, and it landed squarely on the officer’s chest, where it seemed to gleam in the light.

“Let’s clarify,” said Mabu. “Who murdered this man?”

The older officer answered after a short pause, “It was Kuji Chikai. I’m absolutely certain.”

Reo cackled. “Now, while you’re at it, why don’t you carry this body for us?”

 

At the Kaminari 5656 Kaikan’s Tokiwa Hall, darkness hung like a curtain with only a bright spotlight to illuminate the stage.

“I’ve been observing these men for the past couple of days. I’m certain they are the ones holding Dark Keppi-sama captive.”

Images in a slideshow depicted two beautiful men working at the Asakusa Otter Police Box. There were photos of them eating yakisoba, drinking tea with Enta’s grandmother, searching for lost cats, and finally, shooting a yakuza.

“I never dreamed the two of them were still alive, ribbit…” Keppi watched each slide with disbelief.

Sara, who was seated beside him, suddenly stood. She spoke like a host on a TV shopping channel, showing off a new product. “And this is our Super-Secret Anti-Otter Weapon, dish. ✩”

The spotlight onstage illuminated the item in question.

“What does it do?”

“With the press of a single switch, we can freeze our enemies into a block of ice and capture them alive, dish! ✩”

This was one of the Kappa Kingdom’s most convenient devices. It was nearly identical to a machine made to keep beer nice and cold during the summer.

“Very well. First, we should confirm their location, ribbit.” Grateful for his betrothed’s talent, Keppi began fiddling with the display screen of the weapon.

“You can’t fight on an empty stomach! ✩” Sara took a break to have some of Kappa Ken’s cucumber ramen delivered. One of the options was a bowl with an entire cucumber on top. She began adding extra pepper to it to accent the flavor. “Pepper, pepper—ack!”

Almost predictably, the lid to the shaker fell off, dumping the spice all over. The resulting puff of smoke tickled at her nose, and Sara sneezed so hard that her foot went swinging through the air, slamming right into her beloved prince.

The door to the Super-Secret Anti-Otter Weapon swung open and poor Keppi went tumbling inside.

“Eek! My prince?!”

Gwoooooom!

The machine rumbled, and the prince was jostled around inside. A few moments later, the lid opened and sent him flying back out in a cloud of chilly mist.

Crackle… crackle…

The crown prince of the Kappa Kingdom stood there in his full ice statue glory.

“W-we’re in big trouble, dish! Ah, wait, it’s time for my live show to air, dish! ✩ I can’t be late! ✩” Sara was a conscientious professional, and so she temporarily abandoned her prince to go on air for Asakusa Sara TV.

Scene 4

 

CHIKAI AND ENTA stood on a terrace near the Sumida River. The sun was beginning to set behind them.

“Pretty incredible that you survived that, kid.” Chikai laughed as he leaned back against the embankment wall.

“You’re a real jerk! I thought I was a goner!” Personally, Enta would have preferred to never see the man again, but Chikai reappeared in front of him once Enta fled from the cops and Yusa’s corpse. He hadn’t offered a single word in apology, either. The guy sure had some nerve.

“In this world, it’s only the bad people who survive. Gullible people like you should be more careful,” Chikai advised.

“You think you’re one to be giving me advice?!”

“Well, since you did survive, figured I might as well. Now, hurry up and make up with those friends of yours.”

“What? It’s not like I’m really…”

Chikai cut him off. “If you don’t, you’ll end up like me, you know?”

“Q-quit messing around,” Enta huffed, dropping all polite pretense.

Brrrrring, came the sound of an unfamiliar ringtone.

“Oh, looks like I better go. Here, eat these with your friends.” Chikai dug through his shirt pocket and chucked something at Enta.

“Huh?” Something slapped against the top of Enta’s hat and fell into his open hands. He looked down to see two lollipops, one strawberry flavored and the other apple.

“Yeah, Masa? I’m going to get on a boat and head there now.” After a short pause, “Yeah, of course Toi’s coming along too.” Chikai was already walking off.

Enta watched him leave, and then turned his gaze to the candy in his hands.

There’s not enough here for the three of us… Though it’s a little late to worry about that now, he scolded himself.

Suddenly his phone rang. A quick glance at the screen revealed that the caller was the very person he’d just been thinking of. He immediately accepted the call, only for a voice from the other end to come blasting through. “Jinnai? About things with Yasaka…”

“Why didn’t you say anything to me?!” Enta had things he wanted to ask Toi, too.

“Huh?”

“You’re the one who gave Kazuki that friendship bracelet!”

The moment he said that, there was a gulping sound on the other end. “He remembered?!”

“What? No, I don’t think he’s realized,” said Enta.

“Oh… I figured as much.”

“Why haven’t you told Kazuki? If you’re walking on eggshells because of me, knock it off.” In fact, if that was the reason, Enta would have to sock him in the face.

“He doesn’t remember anyway, and telling him after all this time just seems pointless. You two can go on without me and focus on being the Golden Duo.” Toi’s voice sounded just like it had before. Like he had given up on everything.

“Are you really okay with that?” Not so long ago, Toi had been the one to ask Enta that same question.

“I’m going to live for my brother. Anyway, later.” Toi abruptly ended the call.

Enta’s fingers squeezed around the two suckers in his hands. “He absolutely sucks at lying.”

 

“Not here either…” Kazuki mumbled as he peered under a vehicle. He had been wandering aimlessly this entire time, trying to search for Enta and the Wishing Plates. Finding either seemed like a hopeless endeavor.

As usual, the high-rise parking lot was devoid of people. Kazuki stood up and peered at the Lexus beside him. “Oh, this is where we first met, isn’t it…?”

Kazuki was dressed in his Azuma Sara outfit, prowling about in search of the lucky selfie item, when he happened across Toi trying to break into a car. This was also where he started chasing after Nyantaro, and where they had met to hatch their plan to kidnap Azuma Sara.

While he was lost in a reverie, his phone began to vibrate. An unregistered number popped up on the display.

“Hello?” On the other end, he could hear what sounded like a river. “Toi?”

The person on the other end sucked in a breath. “I don’t need those plates anymore. I’m leaving the city.”

“What are you talking about? Are you mad because of our conversation earlier?” Maybe he had gone a little overboard then. Was that why Toi was saying he was going to leave now? “What’s wrong? Say something!”

In the distance, he could hear the shrill sound of a boat whistle.

“Just wait! I’ll work something out! You don’t have to just leave, Toi!”

After a pause, Toi responded, “No one realizes the bonds they have until they’re gone.”

Kazuki was confused. “Huh? What? What are you talking about?”

“I have to protect the only family I have left now.”

“Toi? Tooooi!”

There was an empty, robotic beeping on the other end, signifying that the call ended.

Kazuki had a distinct feeling that there was something he’d forgotten, though he had no idea what it could be.

“Toi…”

 

Toi boarded the red and blue water bus. He found his brother at the edge of the second deck and took a seat next to him. When he dumped his backpack onto the seat beside him, his body suddenly felt lighter. The less baggage, the better.

“Have I forced you to abandon something important again?” Chikai’s palm reached for Toi’s head.

Would it be all right to accept his brother’s show of affection, just this once, Toi wondered?

“…Nah. They weren’t that important to me.”

Soon enough, the water bus took off, and they passed under the familiar red bridge.

Scene 5

 

“THERE YOU ARE! Kazuki!”

The Kappa Plaza was bathed in evening light as a breathless Enta came dashing into it. He carried a box in his arms with the label Kapazon on its side.

“If we don’t hurry up, he’s going to leave! You know, he actually—” Wants to stay with us. At least, that was what he tried to say, until the taste of blood washed over his tongue. “Guh!” His yellow hat tumbled to the ground. Silver Wishing Plates spilled out from the fallen box.

It took Enta some time to process the fact that Kazuki had punched him. Enta stared up at him from where he’d fallen, a hand pressed against his numb cheek.

“This is your fault, Enta!” Kazuki was crying. For Toi. “It’s your fault that Toi left! If we had those plates, he could have stayed! I feel sorry for Toi!”

The punch was probably to blame for why his thoughts were so chaotic. Still, Enta was angry enough for the both of them—for himself and for the boy that wasn’t here. “What… Toi this, Toi that, that’s all you talk about, but you’re the one who forgot

something important. You’re the one who’s cruel! Get your head out of the clouds and think for once!” Enta leaped to his feet and grabbed Kazuki by the shirt. This was probably the first time he ever touched Kazuki in anger.

“Why would I listen to what you have to say?” Kazuki scoffed. “You’re the one who betrayed us.”

Ah… You reap what you sow. To think that the seeds he’d sown would so quickly blossom into a poisonous flower…

“Enta, you and I…we’re through.”

It was like a bullet through the heart.

No, surely this pain was worse than any bullet.

 

“Y-you know, I… I…!” Kazuki clenched his hand into a fist, but it had nowhere to go. He shook Enta off as he crumpled to the ground. Then he started toward the box with the plates.

Suddenly, two shadows appeared in front of them.

“We foooound you!”

Kazuki lifted his head to see two police officers—one with blond hair and dark skin, another with black hair and glasses. “Officers…?”

Enta whipped his head back and stiffened. The nightmare from that afternoon replayed in his head.

“That’s them…the Wishing Plates!” Reo only had eyes for the dishes spilling out of the cardboard box.

“Huh, why do…” Kazuki started to ask. He was the only one who didn’t understand the situation they were in.

“Why do we know about the plates? You don’t need to know. Now, let us open a door…” Reo pointed the barrel of his gun at Kazuki. The sign on it read Attack. “Is it desire, or love?”

“Kazuki!”

BANG!

The impact sent them both hurtling to the ground. By the time Kazuki opened his eyes, there was something warm pressed over him. He shifted his gaze to Enta’s face. The other boy was out cold. There was something warm and moist on his palm.

“Enta…?”

He jumped in front of Kazuki, and now his right side was soaked with blood. Kazuki cradled Enta in his arms. The red in front of him was the same shade that painted the evening sky. It was just like that memory he couldn’t forget, one that now came rushing back to him.

 

“You want to save your partner’s life?” Reo had a vicious look on his face as he peered down at the two, the four plates now safely in his hands. “Well, too bad! The plates that might have granted your wish belong to us now.”

“Enough of this. Let’s go,” said Mabu.

“Tch. This is the best part, why do you have to ruin it?” Reo bitterly stepped back, though he seemed to have a lot more he wanted to say.

“Call for help. Maybe he can still be saved.” Mabu left with those words, and soon the two officers disappeared.

 

“Ah… Ka…zuki…” Enta drifted back into consciousness.

“Enta, are you okay?! Why…why did you…”

We were fighting barely a second ago, Kazuki thought. I just told him that we were through.

Nestled in Kazuki’s arms, Enta just gave a weak, troubled laugh. “Heh heh…it’s hopeless. I couldn’t even…say I hate you…as a joke…”

Enta was glad he hadn’t said it. Because if this really is our last conversation, I’d hate myself for saying it…

 

The top deck of the water bus was accessible to passengers. This was where Toi found himself, gazing at Skytree as it jutted up through the night’s sky, gradually growing smaller and smaller in the distance. This was the first time he’d ever seen Asakusa like this—and it was because he was leaving.

As Toi learned and experienced new things, he knew that the sharpness of his memories of Asakusa would fade. Like that red bridge, that soccer ball, and even how it felt when he and his friends turned into kappa and held hands. Eventually, he would forget the flavor of Sobakyuu’s soba, too. Those memories would be replaced by new ones.

And through it all, he would have his brother. They didn’t have to be apart anymore.

His phone, now on silent, vibrated inside his pocket. Dim light illuminated Toi’s face amidst the darkness. The display on his phone read Kazuki. He was glad he didn’t say the boy’s name. The moment he did, it would become a weight—baggage—that he couldn’t simply throw away.