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Two Choices – Part 02

The society section at Nitto Shimbun was in chaos.

The coverage of the new otherworlder had set both it and the political affairs section into a frenzy, igniting internal competition to secure information the fastest.

“Damn it! We still haven’t gotten in touch with Sasakura?!” shouted the society section’s chief editor.

A reporter who had joined the company alongside Ayano scratched his head. “I’m not getting any reply. Did she really head to Fujinota?”

“She did.”

“How do you know?”

“…”

He couldn’t provide an answer. He hadn’t disclosed to anyone in the society section that Ayano shared a secret meeting video of Tokigawa with him. He assumed that Ayano went to Fujinota, fueled by a misguided sense of righteousness.

And then, news of a new otherworlder broke, and that they showed up in Fujinota. Additionally, news of extensive police mobilization at night prompted the Y Prefecture branch of the Nitto Shimbun to send its entire team for coverage.

“Keep trying to contact Sasakura. There’s a good chance she has some information.”

“Okay.”

After issuing the order, the chief editor headed to the political affairs section. As soon as he met the gaze of the section’s chief editor, he promptly stood up, and the two headed to the smoking area.

“Do you have any intel?” asked the chief editor of the society section. “The Prime Minister is heading to Fujinota, right?”

“Well, about that, it seems they’re planning to announce a large-scale project in Fujinota earlier than anticipated. I got this confirmation from another source.”

“What? So, does that mean that video was real?”

“It would seem so. I’m trying to contact Mr. Tokigawa, but he’s not answering. His office said he’s no longer in Tokyo.”

“What’s that about?”

“I don’t know. Something about him pissing off the minister.”

“M-Maybe they learned that the video had been leaked?”

“That might be the case. Anyway, what about that video? Are we going to make a story out of it? If we can get the video, we can write an article. I wish my department had a reporter who brings in such scoops.”

“We haven’t been able to contact Sasakura.”

“What did you say?”

“Maybe she got mad that I assumed it was a fake video right from the start. She hasn’t shown up at the office.”

“What?! We can’t miss this.”

“I’m aware of that, but…”

The door to the smoking area swung open.

“What are you two doing here?!”

It was the executive from Nitto Shimbun, their former superior with a demon-like face.

“W-We were just exchanging information.”

“You idiots! Have you seen this?!”

He thrust his phone at the two.

“Ah…”

“Ah…”

It was an English news site, and the screen displayed a meeting between Tokigawa and the president of Marumigawa Estate. It was precisely the video Ayano had brought in.

“Secretary of a Sitting Japanese Diet Member Uses Confidential Information to Acquire Land.”

The headline was sensational. It was clear that the video was being utilized by overseas news media.

“How did others—and the foreign media at that—get this Tokigawa story and not us?! Move now! If you can’t turn this around, you two will start over as rookie reporters!”

Yelled at by the demon, the middle-aged pair rushed out in a panic.

Later that evening, a man appeared at the Fujinota Police Station.

His beard was neatly shaved, and despite the slight wrinkles on his pressed suit, it was the best he had. It at least offered a decent impression to anyone meeting him for the first time.

The area around the police station buzzed with media, including television cameras. Amid the chaos, he managed to locate a familiar police officer and was ushered in through the back door.

“What? You came to turn yourself in?” The detective inside the station expressed bewilderment.

For formality’s sake, the man was directed to an interrogation room. It was a cramped space with only a desk and chairs, lacking windows, where the two faced each other.

The senior detective rolled up the sleeves of his worn-out, button-up shirt and stroked his budding stubble.

“What’s this about? You’re the guy we questioned yesterday. From the Future something-something company.”

“Fujinota Future Society.”

“Right, that one. You’re Mr. Kijima, their representative. Why are you turning yourself in?”

The man, the head of the Fujinota Future Society, began explaining his actions.

How, facing financial difficulties, he accepted Marumigawa Estate’s proposal. How he brought in thugs to the Doyama residence to buy his land, aware that it was highly illegal. How they ended up getting beaten up, sought police assistance, and claimed to be victims of a violent act.

In essence, he confessed to being involved in wrongdoing.

“I see.”

“But I did this on my own. My colleagues in the society know nothing about it. It was all me.”

“Oh, so what you’re saying is that you barged into the Doyama residence and threatened him or something?”

“Well, yes. But I knew it was land sharking.”

“The land sharking part would be attempted, I guess. Can’t charge you with a crime for that. Worst you’ll get is group extortion.”

“I see.”

It felt somewhat like a let-down.

“Why did you suddenly decide to confess to the crime? If you kept quiet, you could have been the talk of the town, a celebrity involved in yesterday’s incident.”

“Well, that’s…” The man hesitated, but in the end, he decided to just say it. “The lighting equipment used in yesterday’s stream was from my parents. So, I went to return it and talked to my dad.”

“What, did he tell you to come back home?”

“Well, something like that.”

“But you were aware of the wrongs you did in your hometown. So, you came here to take responsibility.”

“…”

Once it was spelled out so clearly, Kijima felt embarrassed and shrank even further.

“You know, we’re incredibly busy right now. There was an explosion at the waste disposal facility, and now we have new otherworlders. Just a while ago, the Prime Minister arrived, and there’s a massive mobilization for security. Amid all this, you’re turning yourself in for an extortion case.”

“I-I’m sorry.” The man curled up even more.

He had steeled himself before coming here, but the way he was being talked to made him increasingly feel that his actions were underwhelming.

“So, what are your plans? Take over your parents’ electrical appliance store?”

“No. I thought I would use the Fujinota Future Society to listen to my dad and others, find more things I can do. There are still places with analog receipts, so maybe I can help in those areas.”

“Oh. Very realistic and grounded for a company named Future Society.”

“Please stop.” His face burned with embarrassment.

Having left with aspirations for Tokyo only to return to Fujinota with shattered dreams, he found himself in the same position, just sitting around and rotting away. Unable to forget the ambitious times, he ended up giving his group the pretentious name Fujinota Future Society.

“Well, as long as you know where you stand, that’s fine. You’re still young, and the world is your oyster.”

“B-But I have to atone for my crimes.”

“Just go home already.”

“What?”

“Like I said, you did nothing wrong.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Did you even listen to what I said? It might be a small thing, but the fact remains that I engaged in extortion. Oh, are you trying to brush it under the rug because you’re busy?”

“Don’t get too cocky now, you brat!” The detective slammed the table, and the man recoiled. “Tsk. Doing something like this during an interrogation can get us sued later. The police have to think about a lot of things, understand?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“You’re not guilty. That’s settled.”

“But…”

“No buts. There’s no victim anyway.”

“What?”

“That’s what Mr. Doyama said. We also know that this is a weird case. So, we asked Mr. Doyama some questions, including your extortion. We were considering building up a case against you and see if anything came to light.”

“…”

The man swallowed hard. There might have been a future where, even if he did nothing, the police would have barged in and arrested him.

“But Mr. Doyama said you did nothing wrong. It’s not like he knows everything; he just said not to pressure the local youngsters too much.”

“Oh.”

Doyama had already forgiven him.

“You better be thankful.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

He couldn’t comprehend the fact for a second, but the next moment, Kijima bowed. Deeply. Lowering his head wasn’t new to him—he had done it when he got the job from Marumigawa Estate. However, he had never bowed with such sincerity before.

Kijima bowed not to the detective but to Doyama, who wasn’t present. It felt as if the old man knew what he was going to do.

When he raised his head, the detective was already gone. As he left the police station through the back door, the sun was setting. The day was coming to an end. And after half a day, tomorrow would arrive.

“From tomorrow on…”

He vowed to lead a different life.