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Is it Difficult to Use Stealth in Modern Japan? – Part 07

“Lavia.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Hikaru and Lavia followed the chief editor.

From an outsider’s perspective, it might look odd—a boy with silver accessories and a girl in jirai-kei fashion style trailing behind the newspaper company’s chief editor. Still, no one paid attention to them, thanks to Stealth.

The chief editor went to the political affairs section located a floor above, then called to a chief editor of similar age. He had a broad shoulder and wore gold-rimmed glasses.

“Do you have a moment?”

“I do.”

They headed to the smoking area, a small, glass-walled, and windowless room. No other employees were present. A stand table with a smoke exhaust system in the center was sucking the air with a light hum.

“Ugh… It smells weird,” Lavia said.

“Air seems to be circulating, but the smell won’t disappear.”

The men lit their cigarettes, then spoke in hushed tones.

“About that matter… Did you tell him?”

“I did. But he chewed me out. Said it was baseless gossip. Talk about making a bad impression.”

“So he denied it.”

“What’s going on? Maybe Sasakura’s intel was bogus. Mr. Tokigawa was very upset.”

Not only was Ayano’s story suppressed by her boss, but it had also reached Tokigawa through the political affairs’ chief editor.

“Would he really be that upset if it was bogus intel?”

“Probably. I told him that there’s an actual video, but he said there’s no way such a thing exists. Did you really see it?”

“Yes, well… I did,” the society section’s chief said hesitantly.

“Where’s the file, then?”

“Sasakura disappeared without submitting it.”

“Disappeared… You didn’t press her for the material?”

“Well, um… She said she wouldn’t submit it without a promise of publishing the article. I couldn’t possibly say yes.”

“So, what was in that video?”

“It was Mr. Tokigawa having a meal with the president of Marumigawa Estate. Sasakura claimed it was taken secretly, but it was too clear.”

The portly man who dined with Tokigawa was apparently the president of a company called Marumigawa Estate. Judging from the company name, Hikaru speculated it might be a real estate agency.

“It was probably deepfake.”

“Deepfake?”

“These days, you can make pretty realistic videos using AI. She probably didn’t submit the file because she knew that if we examined it thoroughly, we’d figure out it was fake.”

“Hmm…”

“In any case, without the video, there’s nothing to talk about. I have to go.”

“O-Okay.”

The society section’s chief editor rubbed the cigarette on the ashtray, took a deep breath, and left.

“…”

“Phew.”

Lavia took a deep breath as soon as they exited the smoking room. She had only taken minimal breaths while inside.

“Are you okay?” Hikaru asked.

“Y-Yeah. That smell was awful.”

While explaining the situation to Lavia, who knew very little about this world, Hikaru organized his thoughts.

“Tokigawa received information that he was filmed, but he’s probably the type to keep playing dumb until he can’t talk his way out of it anymore.”

He was more cunning than Hikaru had thought.

“The problem is Sasakura. Considering her confidence when she told me about her plan and her personality…”

“What is it?”

“I think she’s operating solo. If the chief isn’t taking action, she might think she doesn’t have an ally at Nitto Shimbun. In that case, she has no choice but to do things on her own.”

“What can she do alone? Is she investigating this Tokigawa person?”

“No. Since Tokigawa has been informed about the video, he’ll stay put. In this case, she’ll go to a place where there’s activity.” Hikaru paused. “I think Sasakura is currently in Y Prefecture.”

Hikaru’s suspicion was confirmed by an item left in Ayano’s room—a map of Y Prefecture, covered in markings that prominently clustered around the town of Fujinota.

As to what happened after seeing that…

“I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t be. The big city was interesting, but I also wanted to see the Japanese countryside.”

“You’re such a nice girl.”

“Hehe. Did you just realize that now?”

The following day, Hikaru and Lavia found themselves in Fujinota, Y Prefecture.

“Are you sure about this, though? You just saw your parents briefly.”

Earlier that morning, Hikaru paid a quick visit to his parents. While they were excited to spend time together, Hikaru, burdened with the unresolved issue involving Ayano, chose to bid them farewell swiftly. His father had also decided to work again, so he wanted to avoid inconveniencing his parents. Although his parents appeared crestfallen, Hikaru couldn’t help but think they were more disappointed in not being able to spend time with Lavia than him.

“What’s wrong, Hikaru?”

“Just thinking about how you captivate people across worlds.”

“Wh-What are you talking about?!”

“Nothing, really. Anyway, it’s cold here.”

A brisk wind swept through the town covered in a thin layer of snow. The forecast predicted clear days, with the possibility of sudden snowfall anytime.

The quiet town offered a view of the ridgeline of a nearby mountain. Lavia marveled at a sight she would have never seen in Tokyo.

“Hikaru, what kind of monsters live in that mountain?”

“There are no monsters there.”

“I see. So that’s why there are buildings right next to the mountain. Wait… there’s a tower on the mountainside?!”

“That’s a transmission tower. It’s not a dwelling.”

In the other world, mountains teemed with monsters and bandits, discouraging people from living nearby. Only under specific cases—availability of high-quality timber, easy access to water, proximity to mines—would people establish settlements after clearing the land.

“There’s not a lot of people here.”

A few taxis were parked in front of the Fujinota train station, but there were no people in sight, and the only sound came from the beeping of the pedestrian crossing. Perhaps off-season tourist destinations or even just plain provincial towns were like this.

“Is it surprising? I’m more surprised at the number of buildings.”

“Well, there are plenty.”

Though the shops in front of the station had been shuttered, there were still banks open, mobile phone carrier stores, and even izakayas, though currently closed. People would likely be out at some other time of the day. It just so happened that no one was around at this hour.

“Where should we go first?”

“Hmm… Somewhere Sasakura might visit.”

Their purpose in Fujinota was to search for Ayano. While they were uncertain if Tokigawa had made any moves, Hikaru felt a hunch that she might be in danger.

If he could ignore Ayano and let her reap what she sowed, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in the first place. It might be too late at this point, but he wanted to convince Ayano to withdraw from the case, hoping it would ease his conscience. Lavia’s eagerness to visit Fujinota played a significant role in this decision. She genuinely wanted to see a Japanese provincial town.

If they couldn’t find Ayano, there was the option of relaxing in a nearby hot spring before heading back.

“Let’s start with Marumigawa Estate.”

The portly man who dined with Tokigawa was indeed the president of Marumikawa Estate, as per Nitto Shimbun’s chief editor’s statement. An online search revealed his photo. The company had headquarters in the prefectural capital and a branch in Fujinota.

Past the station’s shopping street, opposite a small park, stood the single-story building of Marumigawa Estate’s Fujinota Branch.

“Is it closed?”

Despite being a weekday, the establishment’s lights were off. There was only darkness on the other side of the real estate ads pasted on the front glass. Hikaru’s Life Detection picked up no signs of human activity.

There was no point in using Mana Detection as no one in Japan possessed magical power. Since arriving, Hikaru relied solely on Life Detection.

“No notice of a temporary closure,” Hikaru said. “Kinda strange.”

“Do you want to sneak inside?”

“Huh? N-No need. I think we’re done here.”

“’Kay.”

Unlike when they were gathering information in Nitto Shimbun, there was no urgency here. Hikaru didn’t want to trespass without conclusive proof, and sneaking in meant destroying the lock.

“There’s another place she would go.”

Hikaru and Lavia gazed toward the distant mountaintop. She could be at Doyama’s place, the old guardian of the mountain.