殺人者
SATSUJINSHA
by 江島ひとみ

Chapter One
Prominence

Like every district in Tokyo, roads and sidewalks would be congested every morning in downtown Akihabara. Amidst tall buildings and skyscrapers, the huge clock looming above one of its main street intersections would tick at half-past seven. Everyday the wide screen below it would feature the daily news, and this morning, the image of a female newscaster reporting.

"Discovered dead in his car last night is Takeda Satoshi, one of the six major stockholders of the multimillion enterprise, Matsui Freight. The scene of the crime was believed to have occurred at the Matsui Tower in Shinjuku at 10:30 in the evening..."

A young, brown-haired girl in a high school uniform looked up from the crowded intersection below.

"Authorities confirm Mr. Takeda's death as the fourth assassination since the murder of three other chief businessmen in Tokyo since last month..."

"Akemi, do you mind? We're crossing the street," Her red-haired companion whispered to her. "We're blocking the way."

"Oh, sorry," The girl named Akemi blinked, quickly continuing on her way. By the time they arrived at the other side of the street, one of the girls paused in front of a magazine stand along the way.

"Ooh, the latest issue of Layla is out," The red-haired girl named Akane said, picking up a magazine from the rack. "Hey, special edition! Wait a minute, I'm going to buy this..."

After purchasing, they continued on their way as the girl began scanning the pages. Pausing at the sidewalk as they waited for the stoplight down another crossing, Akemi had only shifted her gaze to a billboard ad when her two other friends began reading behind Akane's back in piqued interest.

"I knew Kurokawa Tomoki would make it to the list," Akane nodded in agreement. "He has a new movie coming up, right? He was so hot in the trailer! Did you guys see it already?"

"No, really?" Her black-haired companion said with raised eyebrows as she returned her gaze to the magazine in the girl's hands. "He only ranked number nine though..."

"What's that?" Akemi creased her forehead, glancing at the publication as the stoplight changed and the crowd began to disperse with them.

"Layla magazine's got a special this month," Her other ebony-haired friend answered. "On this year’s most eligible bachelors in the country."

"Oh," Akemi blinked rather disinterestedly. "I see."

"Who got number one?" The black-haired girl named Yukari said, trying to overlook the rest of the page as they continued walking.

"... Ryuuzaki Takeshi?" Akane said aloud, creasing her forehead. "Who's this guy? He sounds familiar."

"Wow, he looks really hot," Yukari's eyes slightly widened at the picture. "Hey, isn't he the guy that's being linked with that actress Matsumoto Mika...?"

"Yeah, and I know he's like also the son of this really rich man," The ebony-haired girl named Tsubame murmured, putting a finger to her chin in thought.

"Oh yeah, the Ryuuzakis!" Yukari eagerly nodded. "They were named one of the richest families in the country, weren't they?"

Akemi shortly glanced at her watch and frowned. "Guys, I think we should hurry up. We'll be late soon."

"What's first subject today?" Akane listlessly asked, flipping to the next page of her magazine.

"Chemistry," Yukari answered. "Did you do your assignment?"

"What?" Akane stared at them, snapping the publication shut. "There's an assignment?? What the hell?"

"Oh, let me guess," Yukari idly blinked at her. "You didn't know."

"Oh crap!" Akane lividly looked at the watches on their wrists. "What time is it??"

"You've got fifteen minutes," Akemi drawled. Without another word, the red-haired girl suddenly made a run for it, the outline of their school already forming past the long lane of blooming, cherry blossom trees before them. The rest of the girls simply laughed at Akane's fast disappearing figure as they proceeded on their way to class.

xoxoxo

"I can't believe it! I just failed another test!"

Groaning as she closed the door to her locker with a loud shut, Akane dejectedly leaned to the wall and crossed her arms with a pout.

"Today must be your lucky day," Yukari shook her head. "And you just had to copy the wrong assignment too."

"I know, this day is jinxed," Akane sighed as the four of them continued on their way down the corridor during lunchbreak. "Hey Tsubame, stop reading that and make me feel better."

"Oh," Tsubame blinked, looking up from the magazine in her hands. "Sorry."

Akemi shifted her gaze to the window as Akane continued complaining. The sun was high in the sky and she could hear the ongoing baseball practice below. It was a Tuesday tomorrow, and she would have to attend one too. With an inward sigh, she had only continued walking with her friends when a small group of girls approached them from the other end of the hallway.

"Hey Yanagisawa, is that yours?" One of the girls curiously approached Tsubame. "Is that a new issue?"

"It's mine," Akane spoke up with a smile. "They've got a special edition this month, so I bought it. Just today, actually."

"Cool," The other girls giggled, looking at the publication in Tsubame's hands. "Can we see it for a while?"

"Sure," Tsubame offered, handing them the magazine. It was still on the page featuring the most eligible men in the country.

"Oh my God! Kurokawa Tomoki!" One of the girls squealed. "You know, I voted for him here since I knew the polls could determine the final list."

"Who got number one?"

"Ryuuzaki Takeshi? Hey, wasn't he the ex of that model Ami...?"

"Too bad for her. He looks really cute..."

"Doesn't he?" Yukari grinned. "He's a new discovery for me, this Ryuuzaki guy."

"Yeah, you're right. He's really good-looking..."

"A new eye candy!"

As the rest of the girls continued giggling, the brown-haired lass inwardly sighed and disinterestedly looked outside the window again.

Today was going to be another long day.

xoxoxo

Later that afternoon during PE class, Akemi could hear her own breathing as she began to pick up on her feet. She could spot the coveted soccer ball from the distance as she collided with her teammates and opponents alike, the ball only drawing nearer when a careless kick sent it closer to her favor. With a determined narrow of her mahogany eyes, she raised her leg and kicked with all the strength and accuracy she could muster, missing the goalkeeper's net at the other side by only a few inches as it landed on the neighboring baseball field.

"Darn," Akemi muttered, scratching her head.

"Time out!" The teacher bellowed as she ushered the students to assemble before her with a shrill whistle. "Morisato! Get that ball!"

"Hai!" The brown-haired lass winced, quickly sprinting to the bordering baseball field. Still rather breathless, she had only begun approaching the ball when a light-haired lad in a baseball uniform suddenly appeared and picked it up.

"Uh, excuse me!" Akemi called out, coming up to the man who was now retreating with the ball in his hand. The young man turned around and looked at her.

"Oi, Akemi," The lad raised his eyebrows in faint surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm supposed to get that ball back," Akemi blinked, pointing at the soccer ball in his hand. "Can I have it now?"

A small smile crept to the man's lips.

"No way," he smirked, facing her completely and raising his hand from her reach. "This is mine now."

"Give it back, Makoto," Akemi narrowed her eyes. "That's not yours."

"I bet you kicked this ball, didn't you?" The man named Makoto grinned, raising his hand higher when Akemi tried jumping for the ball in his grasp. "You sloppy girl."

"Shut up!" she groaned, gritting her teeth. "Give it back! I'm in a hurry!"

"I don't care," he laughed. "Die trying."

"Damn it, Makoto!" The lass put her hands to her hips in irritation. "Sensei will get mad at me!"

"Hey, what's going on in here?" A tall, dark-haired man walked into the scene, emerging behind the two from the other side of the field.

"Hey, Ryuuichi," Makoto grinned wider. "I was just dealing with my stupid girlfriend here."

"I am not stupid!" Akemi exclaimed. "And I am not your girlfriend!"

"Sure," The dark-haired lad named Ryuuichi drawled, smirking as he noticed the ball in Makoto's hand. "Give it back to her, ass."

He effortlessly reached for the ball in Makoto's grasp and gave it back to the girl.

"Here you go," Ryuuichi smiled, ochre eyes dancing with curiosity at her. "Just be more careful next time, okay?"

"Hey thanks, Matsuzawa," Akemi smiled, holding the ball in her hands. "Sorry about that."

"No problem! So does that mean you can go out with me now?" The taller man immediately offered with a big, hopeful smile. "I'm free this Saturday."

"Ass!" Makoto immediately slapped Ryuuichi at the back of the head, sending him wincing in pain. "I knew it!"

"What the hell?!" The man angrily spat out. "I was just asking!"

"Ah, about that..." Akemi uneasily smiled as the two began loudly bickering at each other. "Um, I don't think I can. I hope you don't mind..."

"No problem…!" Ryuuichi managed a quick smile, who was now engaged in a headlock fight with Makoto.

"Oh, and by the way," The girl turned around again, glancing at Makoto before heading back. "You haven't returned my manga in three weeks. Just thought I'd remind you."

"Oh, right," Makoto blinked, pausing from his struggle with the other man and sheepishly grinning. "I'll come over later."

"Okay," she shrugged, turning on her heel.

"Man, how can you crash her place just like that?" Ryuuichi muttered, briefly letting go of Makoto as the girl left. "Borrowing her manga and all..."

“Oi!” The lad nearly fell to the ground had he not caught the other man’s shirt. "Well, just happened to know her seventeen years before you."

Makoto grinned, patting the man on the back as he turned on his back to leave.

xoxoxo

"Oi, Yukari. Do you still plan to return that to me?"

Taking a sip of the chocolate shake in her hands, Akemi had only been watching the scenery outside her window that afternoon when she averted her gaze to an annoyed Akane, who was seated across her from the table. They were currently at the local coffee shop downtown, a place they often dropped by after school.

"I'll be done in a minute," Yukari muttered, halfway through sipping on the straw of her milkshake. The magazine was open on the table before them.

"Seriously, you guys have been at that all day," Akemi lightly sighed in her seat. "What is up with that anyway?"

"This special they've got on the bachelors is really something," Yukari fervently said, Tsubame nodding eagerly beside her. "You should read this too! But later when I'm done."

"And that's my magazine, if you haven't forgotten," Akane scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Give that to me already. I haven't even finished reading it yet."

"Hey, this guy's really got it going for him," Yukari murmured, completely ignoring the girl as she remained reading the magazine in front of her. "27 years old, Marketing AVP of one of the biggest shipping companies in the country..."

"I know, he's quite something, isn't he?" Tsubame nodded again, taking a small sip of her latté. "Pretty accomplished and all at such a young age."

"And look at all these other companies his family owns," Yukari stared at the article. "No wonder he ranked number one in the list."

"Please, I don't even know who that guy is," Akane snapped in annoyance as the waiter finally came and served her ordered slice of crepe. "Nobody beats my Kurokawa Tomoki."

"Hey, I didn't even know anything about this Ryuuzaki guy until today," Yukari raised her eyebrows. "I just thought he was some rich dude who hooked up with a lot of famous girls. I didn't even know he looked this good!"

"Really good," Tsubame giggled.

"Give me that," Akane spat out, immediately snatching the magazine from Yukari, who loudly protested in response. Akemi then saw a glimpse of the man from an informally taken photograph that dominated the page. His hair was a sandy blonde, but he possessed the most striking pair of amethyst eyes she had ever seen. He had a well-defined jaw and high cheekbones, his lean frame embraced by the designer suit he was wearing.

Akemi thoughtfully pouted. No wonder this guy seemed to be nothing but the talk of whoever got to see it.

"I still think Kurokawa Tomoki is hotter," Akane haughtily muttered, yet her gaze lingered on the picture of the blonde man.

"Whatever you guys say," Akemi jadedly sighed, sipping on her milkshake again as she returned her idle gaze to the window.

xoxoxo

Flipping on the pages of her textbook as she scanned her notes, Akemi had only begun tapping her pen on her notebook in the living room of their home later that evening when she looked up as her older sister sat on the long couch beside her.

"You should do that in your room," The young woman said, turning on the television. "Has my show started yet?"

"Nope," Akemi pouted as her sister momentarily changed the channel to the evening news. When the woman returned to the kitchens, the brown-haired lass brought her gaze back to her notes, deciding to proceed with question number five of her homework.

"As for business news, the merging of Fukuda Cargo and Ryuuzaki Navigation was officially announced in a press conference in Shinjuku today..."

"We're very glad that the merging was successfully able to take place," A clear, male voice sent Akemi looking up from her assignment. To her mild surprise, it was the recognizable face of Ryuuzaki Takeshi, the country’s supposed most eligible bachelor on her screen, with cameras furiously flashing before him. "We're looking forward to our future endeavors with Fukuda Cargo, and we are thankful to finally have them with us..."

Her sister returned from the kitchens, a bowl of potato chips in her hand as she placed it on the table beside Akemi's books.

"Call me when my show starts," The woman said. "I'll just finish with the dishes."

"Okay," The brown-haired lass murmured, absentmindedly grabbing a chip as she continued looking at the blonde man that remained on her screen.

xoxoxo

Looking at her schedule pasted at the back of her locker door, Akemi took out her History book the following Tuesday morning. Balancing her Trigonometry book on her other arm, she had only closed her locker when three guys approached her down the hallway.

"Hey Morisato," One of them began with a smile. "Need any help with that?"

"Hey Nagano," She smiled at the three of them. "It's okay. I can carry them."

"You sure? That one looks pretty heavy."

"Yeah, you aren't having a hard time?"

"I'm fine, guys," Akemi laughed, slowly making their way past them. "I have arms too, you know."

The three men merely grinned at her and waved. The girl shook her head and smiled in return as she proceeded down the corridor on her way to class.

"Ohayou, Morisato," Her classmates greeted her by the time she had arrived at her room and made it to her desk.

"Morning, guys," she smiled as she placed her books under her compartment.

"Ohayou, Akemi," An auburn-haired lass made her way over to her desk. "Did you study for Chemistry?"

“Hey, Michie,” Akemi smiled, blinking at the question. “Eh? Chemistry? What for?”

“The other class says Sensei pulled a surprise quiz on them yesterday,” Michie pouted. “I didn’t study at all.”

“Me neither,” Akemi creased her forehead. “I didn’t know.”

“It won’t be a problem for Akemi-san, will it?” A young man with sapphire blue eyes approached them with a smile.

“Hey, Deki,” The auburn-haired lass turned to face him. “You’re right. I forgot.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Akemi laughed.

The man named Hideki merely shrugged and smiled wider.

The first period teacher finally arrived, the students rising from their seats as Michie daintily skipped off her desk and made her way back to her chair. Akemi merely shook her head once more, smiling as Hideki calmly settled on the table beside her.

xoxoxo

"Tell him I can't go. I have a meeting today."

Tilting his chair as he looked at the window of his wide office, a young, blonde-haired man in a business suit held his cellphone closer to his ear as he crossed his legs in his seat.

"Yes, I know, but I'm busy," he said, looking at his wristwatch. "I have a conference in half an hour."

The man stood up and walked to the clear glass window as he placed a hand inside his pocket. He kept his gaze to the city thirty-eight floors below him as he listened to the caller on the other line.

"Alright, I understand," The man sighed. "Thank you."

Ending the call, he had only started toying around with the mobile in his hand and observing the late afternoon traffic below him when he heard a knock on his door.

"Ryuuzaki-sama, the meeting is about to begin," His secretary said, stepping inside the room. "Katsuragi-sama is now expecting you."

"Has the client arrived?"

"Yes, sir, everyone has arrived."

"Does Hiroshi really need me there?" He creased his eyebrows, a faintly weary look on his young face. "I don't think my presence will be necessary."

"But Ryuuzaki-sama," The woman hesitated. "Katsuragi-sama has personally asked for you to be there..."

"All I'll do there is sit anyway. It won't make a difference," The man sighed. "I'm going out today. Tell him I'm not coming."

"But Ryuuzaki-sama..."

"It'll be fine, Aya," he calmly said, placing his cellphone on his desk. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him later."

His secretary could only stare at him in despair when he waved a hand to dismiss her and disappeared to an adjoining room of his office.

xoxoxo

Staring at the draining water at his feet as he put a hand on the marble wall, Takeshi closed his eyes at the fast drops of water running down his body. He combed his hands over his hair, silently indulging further in the relaxing heat before turning off the glass faucet and stepping out of the shower.

Wearing nothing more than the towel around his waist, the blonde-haired man reentered the room. Handsomely decorated in maroon, Bradbury walls and ashen-colored wool carpets, it would've been hardly called a room in its size and furnishings. From across the bed he stared at his reflection from the mirror of his ebony cabinet before his gaze fell on the picture frame on his bedside table. It was the photograph of a beautiful woman with long, blonde hair and sea-blue eyes, the mere sight of it bringing a gentle smile to his lips.

Standing up, Takeshi wordlessly threw his towel over the bed and prepared to change.

xoxoxo

Tapping his fingers patiently on the steering wheel of his Corvette, Takeshi pushed back the dark glasses obscuring his eyes. He merely observed the long line of pedestrians that crossed the street before him as he waited for the traffic light above him to change.

It didn’t take long before the signals changed as Takeshi proceeded the car on its way. He was headed to a place he didn't exactly know, but as long as he could get away, anywhere would do. The city, with its tall buildings, cars, and crowds, only reminded him of long, dreary meetings and his bothersome seniors at work.

Finding himself breaking away from the busy, urban scenery several minutes later, Takeshi tiredly sighed to himself as flowering, cherry blossom trees showered petals past his window and to the sakura-covered road ahead.

xoxoxo

"Strike one!"

The catcher returned the missed ball back to the pitcher as the batter prepared herself once more for the next hit. With a raised leg and an outstretched arm, the pitcher gave one fast throw, and the batter failed to hit the ball again.

"Strike two!"

Akemi could only purse her lips as she looked at the padded glove in her hand. It was baseball practice later that afternoon and she was assigned as an outfielder today. Her position was often the batter, and she was thankful she’d hardly break a sweat today. With the current batter a newbie to the team and all, she could just stand here doing nothing for the next half-hour...

There was a loud crack and the next thing she knew, the girl beside her was suddenly shouting, "Akemi-san! The ball!"

"Huh?" The brown-haired lass blinked in surprise. "What?"

Trailing her gaze to the sky where the ball was now flying in the air, Akemi immediately broke into a run as she kept her eyes on the rapidly descending ball. Akemi outstretched her arm up with all her might and attempted to catch it, until her face ungraciously hit the field screen and sent her groaning in pain.

"Out!" The coach shouted, the other team cheering as the grinning batter sprinted on her way to a home run. "Morisato! Get that ball back!"

"Hai...!" Akemi winced in pain as she hastily dragged her way out of the field and to the main campus.

xoxoxo

Takeshi was only about to continue on his way when his cellphone began to ring. Fumbling for the bag placed on the passenger seat beside him, he creased his eyebrows when he couldn't grope for the mobile device. He temporarily averted his gaze from the road in front of him to look for his cellphone, silently wondering where in the world he had placed it.

Gasping, Akemi tiredly groaned to herself and placed her hands to her knees when she saw the baseball lying in the middle of the road. Traveling past the entrance gates of the school and to the open road ahead… That batter wasn't angry, was she?

Upon catching her breath, Akemi heaved herself up with a halfhearted sigh, sprinting to the middle of the road to retrieve the ball.

Takeshi let out a low scowl when he finally found his cellphone, only to discover it was one of his seniors calling him again. With a shake of his head, he reluctantly answered the call, returning his gaze to the road in front of him. He had only placed his phone to his ear when he realized a girl was now only inches away from his car.

to be continued