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Is it Difficult to Use Stealth in Modern Japan? – Part 06

Lavia and Hikaru strolled around the Japanese city together. With Stealth on, there was no need to worry about others’ gaze.

Even in the chilly Tokyo weather, many people were out walking. Most of them were in suits, likely because it was a weekday. Lavia was surprised to learn that their jobs were equivalent to civil servants, stewards, and clerks in her world. She couldn’t believe they had so many work to do.

On the other hand, she was also impressed. She understood how such massive skyscrapers could be constructed—with the combined effort of numerous people. She was also amazed at how they could be erected in just a few years.

Despite the comprehensive scale, abstract nature, and complexity of the concept, Lavia easily understood it, perhaps because of her love for books. Hikaru was genuinely impressed at how smart she was. She was also able to grasp the Japanese film they watched at the theater.

“That was fun!”

After the movie, they went to a café for tea. They had to deactivate Stealth when buying drinks, which resulted in Lavia garnering surprised double-takes from people. Hikaru couldn’t help but feel proud to have such a pretty girlfriend. Once they sat down and used Stealth again, people stopped looking at them.

The movie they watched was recommended by Sara—a romantic film. The visuals were stunning, the interactions and misunderstandings between the man and woman were frustrating, the plot was stressful, but the ending was a happy and satisfying one.

“What did you like about it?” Hikaru asked. I almost tore my hair off.

“Hmm… It made me realize that there are people who can love someone so much. In my world, marriage is not something you can do easily.”

“I see.”

Hikaru was surprised by her unexpected perspective. What she said made perfect sense. He realized that pure love could only be pursued here because Japan was peaceful.

“I found it surprising that Sara recommended that movie,” Hikaru said.

“Is that so? I think Sara is the most sentimental among the Four Eastern Stars.”

“Wh-What?”

Hikaru had always seen her as a nonchalant, free spirit.

Lavia chuckled. “You still have a lot to learn when it comes to understanding women.”

“Well, if we’re talking about those women specifically, then I guess.”

Selyse, always neat, but unreadable. Serika, more fiery than emotional. Sophie, pure and devoted to her faith. Looking at it that way, it made sense that Sara was the sentimental one.

Actually, I’m not sure.

Even after much contemplation, Hikaru couldn’t quite associate “Sara” with “sentimental”.

“So, where do we go next?” Lavia asked.

Just as Hikaru was about to respond, he heard a conversation from a nearby table.

“Are you heading back to Y Prefecture for the holidays?”

“No, I’m staying here this year.”

The mention of Y Prefecture caught his attention.

“Hikaru?”

“Oh, sorry. Where should we go next?”

Lavia sighed. “You’re worried about that journalist, aren’t you?”

“Uh…”

Hikaru had shared everything with Lavia about his interaction with Ayano Sasakura. Lavia, though not yet fully acquainted with Japan’s social system, perceived Ayano’s actions as reckless.

“Nitto Shimbun, was it?”

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried, but it’s not like I’m extremely concerned about her either.”

“It’s okay. I’m also interested in the journalists of this world.”

“What?”

“I’m happy that you’re making time for me, but I also know you’re not someone who can just ignore a potential major problem.”

Though they hadn’t been together that long, Lavia seemed to understand Hikaru well. She was no longer the sheltered young lady she was when they first met.

She stood up and smiled—a smile that belonged to the daughter of a noble.

“How about sneaking into that newspaper company?”

She had grown into quite the bold girl.

The Nitto Shimbun headquarters was located in the company’s own building not far from the Imperial Palace. Resembling a standard office building, it would go unnoticed were it not for the company’s emblem on the façade—a green circle and the character “都“.

Guards stationed at the entrance suggested security levels tighter than that of a typical office building. However, the numerous guards and the gate requiring an IC card were useless against Hikaru and Lavia. Using Stealth, they could effortlessly infiltrate by blending in with other people.

While their figures might be captured by surveillance cameras, as long as they didn’t cause any disturbance, there wouldn’t be a reason to scrutinize the recorded data.

“This should be the floor where Sasakura works, the society section.”

Hikaru imagined journalists to be wearing worn-out suits, scuffed shoes, and carrying around a well-used notebook, but it turned out modern-day journalists were more stylish.

Though more casual than typical office workers, they still wore proper suits or jackets and used tablets, laptops, smartphones, and digital voice recorders when gathering materials.

The extensive pile of documents on the desks might set it apart from a typical office, but that was the extent of the distinction. Despite the visible busyness and clutter, there were no indications of individuals being away from home for days or the lingering smell of cigarette smoke.

However, the building itself was old.

“Off I go!”

Avoiding a collision with a journalist heading out for coverage, Hikaru and Lavia arrived at the society section area.

Primarily handling incidents and accidents, the section dealt with issues in society, hence the name.

Since the suspicion surrounding Tokigawa was a political matter, it fell within the purview of journalists in the political affairs section.

Ayano might not have made such a distinction, or perhaps any scoop was good enough for her, and as long as she could showcase her importance, it didn’t matter.

Upon entering the society section area, a large whiteboard with the names of journalists and their daily schedules came into view, such as Scheduled to return to the office at ●● o’clock and Whole day coverage: Arson in N City, N Prefecture.

“Hikaru, over there.”

Lavia pointed to the name Sasakura, but next to it was a blank space. There were no other journalists with a blank space next to their name; those with day-offs were marked as such.

“Why is it blank?” Hikaru wondered.

“What’s going on?”

“I have no idea.”

Considering Ayano’s behavior the last time Hikaru saw her in the park, she should have immediately submitted the data to the company so it could be turned into an article.

One would normally assume that the absence of an article stemmed from insufficient evidence, and she was working to gather additional proof. In that case, the space next to her name shouldn’t be blank.

“Where did Sasakura go?”

A voice behind Hikaru startled him. Despite having Stealth on, being this close posed a risk of being noticed, so they quickly moved away.

There stood a middle-aged man in somewhat casual attire, scowling at the whiteboard.

“Oh, Chief. Are you still worried about her?” said a young male journalist passing by. “Sasakura resigned, didn’t she?”

The middle-aged man in the knit sweater—the society section’s chief editor—turned to look in his direction.

“That girl isn’t the type to quit so easily.”

His nickname, Chief, came from his role as the chief editor of the department. He was responsible for checking article content, directing journalists’ coverage, and managing the team—essentially the boss of this section.

“I thought so too, but maybe she reached her limit?” the journalist said. “I remember she got hospitalized, and she was in a coma or something due to an accident. When was that again?”

“About two months ago.”

You don’t even know when she was hospitalized? The chief thought. She’s your coworker and from the same generation.

“Ah, was it? I had a friend who worked hard, suddenly went silent, and turns out, they were on leave due to depression.”

“Sasakura is different. Aren’t you batchmates? You haven’t heard anything from her?”

“You told me to contact her yesterday, so I shot her a message on LINE, but no reply. She hasn’t even read it.”

“Hmm…”

“Sasakura wasn’t really working that much, anyway. You’re probably overthinking this, Chief. That reminds me, you had a private discussion with Sasakura, didn’t you? I thought it was one of those one-on-one meetings, but was it some serious topic or something?”

Doesn’t care about someone on a sick leave, but aware of happenings in the company. The chief sighed inwardly. Typical Japanese working adult.

“No, it wasn’t. If Sasakura contacts you, let me know.”

“Sure.”

The chief left, and so did the young journalist, looking puzzled.

“Hikaru, what was that conversation about?”

Hikaru and Lavia were hiding behind the shelves.

“Sasakura probably told that guy about Tokigawa. And he likely refused to publish the article.”

“Refused?”

“The article is not on the paper. If, for instance, it’s not out yet because they still need to do some additional investigation, it’s weird that Sasakura and the chief editor aren’t keeping in touch. Judging by the situation earlier, the chief knew about the info that Sasakura brought in. It’s safe to assume that their discussion didn’t end well.”

“I see. So where is Sasakura now?”

“Hmm… that’s a good question.”

“It’s weird that she just disappeared. Should we wait for a bit? The only lead we have for now is the chief editor.”

Spending time here would reduce Lavia’s time to enjoy this world. No thanks to Serika’s doggedness, their stay here was limited.

“Are you sure?” Hikaru asked.

“Of course. I didn’t expect a newspaper company to be this big, so I’m intrigued.”

“Thanks.”

Hikaru pondered how they would handle the situation if Ayano really had quit, as the young journalist mentioned.

“Hey, I’ll be out for a moment.” The chief rose and addressed a nearby journalist. “I’ll be back in 30 minutes.”

“Where are you going?”

“To political affairs.”

Things started moving faster than Hikaru had expected.