3 bar menu

Is it Difficult to Use Stealth in Modern Japan? – Part 04

As the sleek black luxury car glided to a stop, a broad-shouldered elderly gentleman alighted. His finely-tailored, dark gray suit bore a golden badge, an exclusive insignia worn only by parliamentarians elected through democratic processes in this nation.

This individual wasn’t your run-of-the-mill parliamentarian either; he carried the heavy responsibility of serving as the Minister of Finance in the present cabinet.

Despite being in the heart of Tokyo, it was quiet here, with traditional Japanese restaurants lining the street. Verifying that no journalists were tailing him, the minister turned back to his car.

“Tokigawa, you can call it a day.”

“Understood.”

The response came from a man in his fifties occupying the passenger seat. He was wearing a long coat over a suit that covered his lean frame. He adjusted his glasses gravely, and the driver closed the backseat door.

Feeling chilly, the minister entered a restaurant.

“Mr. Tokigawa, are you heading home?” the driver asked.

“No. Please take me to the Akasagi restaurant.”

“Understood. Do you still have work to do?”

“Well, yes. I have to do the job that the minister doesn’t.”

“Ah. I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Tokigawa merely grinned.

The vehicle carrying Tokigawa didn’t travel far. Resembling the previous establishment in appearance, this restaurant stood alone atop a hill, nestled between two apartment buildings.

Upon the car’s departure, Tokigawa surveyed the surroundings. People passed by, mostly company employees working in the area.

As he entered the restaurant, a staff, without even verifying his identity, assisted the man in removing his coat and guided him to a second-floor tatami room. The gesture indicated that he was a frequent visitor.

“They’re expecting you, sir.”

“Ah, I see.”

Tokigawa adjusted his collar and tie before entering. Another individual followed closely behind, but he didn’t notice.

Inside, a somewhat portly man occupied a seat. The moment Tokigawa entered, the man hastily rose.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“I-I haven’t waited at all. I understand how busy you are, sir.”

“You can drop the ‘sir’. I’m just a humble secretary.”

“Oh, please don’t say that. I hear you’re running in the next House of Representatives election? We’re looking forward to it.”

Rubbing his hands together, the man, at least a decade Tokigawa’s senior, continued to treat him with utmost respect.

“Well then, sir. Shall we start with a drink?”

“No, thank you. I don’t drink.”

“Ah, right. Hehe, how about a meal, then.”

After making a call via an internal telephone, a multi-course feast was promptly delivered. Despite the attentive service, the staff failed to notice the other person in the room.

Hmm. Works superbly.

That person was Hikaru, armed with an active digital voice recorder and video camera. He was concerned about proximity and lighting, but Stealth turned out to be fully effective even in Japan. Though just to be safe, he positioned himself quietly in a corner of the room.

“So, regarding that project… There’s actually a bit of a problem,” the man began after making sure the employees were gone.

Ayano had told Hikaru about these two.

“Apparently, the Minister of Finance’s secretary, Tokigawa, frequents this restaurant. My journalist instinct senses something fishy. Go look into it!”

Setting aside the credibility of Ayano’s instinct, there was no sign of journalists around Tokigawa. It seemed like her instincts were off, but there was a reason for that.

“The minister is quite concerned about the project in Y Prefecture,” Tokigawa said. “Only a handful of people are privy to it until the official announcement. I poked around Nitto Shimbun, but there’s no sign of anyone catching wind of it. If you’re going to make a move, now is the time.”

“I expected nothing less from Nitto’s top dog, the Socially Conscious Star.”

“Former top dog.”

Until a few years ago, Tokigawa was a journalist at Nitto Shimbun, consistently publishing exposés. His moniker was the Socially Conscious Star. When he became a parliamentary secretary and aimed for a parliamentary seat, Nitto Shimbun pledged full support.

In return, Tokigawa would feed them information about the parliament for them to publish articles at the right moments. Hikaru was almost certain that was collusion. Sharing the same sentiment, Ayano, too, had raised concerns with the editors, but the newspaper asserted that what they did posed no issues, emphasizing its role in alerting society and guiding it in a positive direction.

To protect Tokigawa, Nitto Shimbun informed him about the movements of journalists from other papers, and Tokigawa reciprocated by passing information to Nitto Shimbun as he saw fit.

However, so far, Tokigawa had been involved only in clean activities, and the only person in Nitto Shimbun who found him suspicious was Ayano. That’s why journalists from other papers hadn’t made a move.

If this makes her happy…

Ultimately, the goal was to satisfy Ayano, so Hikaru infiltrated the restaurant. He would feel awful if she killed herself in front of him. As long as he could avoid that, then he was good.

They talked about trivial things for a while. Finally, when all the dishes were served, Tokigawa’s demeanor suddenly changed.

Hmm?

He stared at the portly man with an almost piercing gaze. His eyes seemed glazed.

“About the project we were discussing earlier,” Tokigawa said. “Your company’s progress seems excessively slow, don’t you think?”

“Uh, yes, that’s exactly right.” The portly man wiped his forehead with a hand towel.

“How much land we can secure in Fujinota significantly affects our profit. Do you understand that?”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

Fujinota? It was an unfamiliar name, but Hikaru remembered it was a town in Y Prefecture. Moreover, the term “profit” immediately brought it into fishy territory.

“This DX project is sponsored by the Prime Minister. It will definitely be implemented, and after the next House of Representatives election next year, a new DX Minister will be appointed, and this project will advance rapidly.”

“Yes, I am well aware of that.”

From the conversation, there appeared to be a trial project to digitize the entire town of Fujinota, with a considerable investment of tax money. All town procedures would be managed with just one smartphone, automated taxis could be hailed at any time, payments would be conducted using electronic money, eliminating the need for cash, and more.

There were also plans to attract satellite offices of IT companies, and if you owned land, the government would undoubtedly buy it at a high price. So, if you purchased land now at a low price, you could make a substantial profit later.

“Well, sir, I don’t mean to doubt you, but is Fujinota really a candidate? It’s a laid-back town in the countryside.”

“It’s one of the candidate locations. But the Prime Minister has already decided on Fujinota, so it will undoubtedly be chosen.”

“Undoubtedly! I see, that’s great. So you will use this opportunity to earn funds for your run for the House of Representatives election,” the portly man said with a grin.

I see… Tokigawa, who has penetrated the cabinet, intends to use classified information to make money. Does the Minister of Finance know about this? I bet he’s the one pulling the strings. Money will also flow to the Minister of Finance.

Socially Conscious Star, my ass. You’re just a dirty man.

Tokigawa nervously furrowed his brow. “You don’t need to concern yourself with me. What’s the issue with the land acquisition?”

“Uh, well, you see. There’s this major landowner in Fujinota, an old man named Doyama, and he’s a stubborn one.”

“Spare me the details. Why does he refuse to sell his land? I know your company. You must have employed various methods already. Money, women, even pressuring his family.”

Tokigawa seemed to highly value the portly man’s capabilities.

I’ll ask about this guy later.

Wiping his forehead, the portly man said, “According to Doyama, they’ve been protecting the mountain for generations. That’s why he can’t sell the land.”

“Protecting the mountain? Mountain worship in an era where everything is moving towards digitization? Surely, he’s joking. Perhaps he’s only using that as an excuse, and he has an entirely different reason for not selling the land.”

Even Tokigawa couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“Apparently, he is dead serious. To protect the mountain, you need influence in the local area, and for that, you should also own land in the plains. Dealing with an eccentric old man is hard. He has a son and daughter-in-law, but I haven’t seen them at all lately. He lives alone in a mansion, hiring servants.”

“Hmm… Other companies haven’t caught wind of this development, have they?”

“No, they haven’t.”

“We don’t want information leaking from your company.”

“We’re used to such concerns.”

Hikaru had recorded their entire conversation. The men finished their meal about ten minutes later. Tokigawa reiterated to the portly man the importance of proceeding with the land acquisition carefully and promptly.

In contrast to the two leaving the room, Hikaru leaped out of the window. The central city, now deep into the night, was illuminated by high-rise buildings, still shining like a city that never sleeps.

Protect the mountain.

Hikaru didn’t really care much about a politician’s secretary plotting something dubious, but he was curious about the old man.

While Tokigawa and the portly man seemed to consider protecting mountains a meaningless and futile pursuit, Hikaru, who had traveled between worlds and encountered numerous mysteries, felt a certain credibility in the old man’s narrative.