Categories > Anime/Manga > Yami no Matsuei > Black Pawn
Duel Challenge
0 ReviewsYasuo pays Seita to send Anna a message declaring war in three days. A nice short chap for all.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Duel Challenge:
May 23rd, 1976. Jennifer Day was all over the news now. American secretary for IBM found murdered in Golden Dragon Hotel parking lot. At first, the police didn’t get the murder. Robbery was ruled out for she still had her purse and wallet. Everything still in both. Day-san didn’t have a criminal record. Crime of passion, maybe? She was having an affair with her boss. They had been seeing each other for years. Of course, both were married to other people. Jealous spouse came to Japan and killed Jennifer? Not possible. Her husband was at a bar and his wife was at a book club meeting. Both in New York. That left the boss. He had the opportunity. But yet, he loved Jennifer and wanted to secretly marry her. He wanted to feel young again and she wanted an escape. Things were going great in the relationship. The police had no other suspects. Until they saw the scars on Day-san’s wrists.
On the day the body was discovered, Yasuo sat across the street at the local café, marveling the police’s futile efforts to solve Day-san’s murder.
June 16th, 2009. Yasuo sat in the same café across the street where Day-san’s murder took place. Many things had changed. First, the café had Wi-Fi now. The hotel was closed for renovation. Despite that, some stings remained the same. That parking lot for instance. Even without the crime scene tape, it looked the same. A sense of nostalgia came over the old man. His first kill. He had to impress Haruka that night. She always saw him as a failure. Maybe, that night would be different. It was… for a short time. He could never keep that woman happy. Maybe today would be better. Yasuo had a juicy plan for Anna this time. His niece escaped death once; he was going to see to it that didn’t happen again.
Yasuo wrote a message on a piece of paper and folded it up. Now to find a messenger. The oldest son looked up and saw Seita walking by from summer school. The old man smirked at him. “/Perfect!/” he thought. Yasuo took his coffee stirrer and chucked it at the boy as he passed by. Seita paused and looked up. Yasuo pretended to be reading when he looked up at the boy.
“Need something?” Seita blinked at him once.
“Did you throw that at me?” Yasuo looked at the coffee stirrer for a moment and then at Seita.
“My apologizes.”
“Why?”
“Where are you going?”
“Who’s asking?”
“I’m just curious.” Seita raised an eyebrow at him.
“Why? Who are you, a stalker or something?” Yasuo chuckled at him.
“No, no. Just a nosey old man.” Seita didn’t seem to buy it. He could tell this old man was up to something.
“Okay, what do you want, buddy?” Yasuo grinned in his mind. Now, he had the boy interested. Time to reel him in.
“How would you like to make little money?” Seita’s ears perked up some.
“Right now?”
“Now.”
“How much are we talking?”
“1,000 yen.” Seita wanted to know more now. Sounds too tasty…
“Doing what?” Yasuo pulled his wallet and drew out a 1,000 yen bill. He handed it with the note to the boy.
“Just make a small delivery to Kimoto Manor.” Seita looked at him shocked.
“That’s where I live. Well, sort of. Long story…” Yasuo smiled at him.
“Really now?” Seita nodded.
“Yeah…” Yasuo put down his book.
“Good for you. Now get going. Go on, shoo!” Seita looked at him, oddly.
“Okay…” The boy walked all the way home. Yasuo snickered to himself as the boy raced out of view. Now, the gears were turning. Slowly, but surely.
Seita made it all way back to Kimoto Manor. He pushed open the door.
“I’m home!” he called in the living room. No answer at first. The boy looked around for a bit.
“Anybody here?” No answer still. Curious, Seita walked down the hall. He peeked into Anna’s room.
“Hello?” he asked. Everyone looked up at him.
“Oh,” Anna said. “Sorry Seita, we were a bit preoccupied.” She looked and noticed the paper in his hand.
“What do you have there, Seita?”
“Huh?” He looked down in his right hand.
“Oh, some guy had me give it to you, I guess.” Anna and Tsuzuki looked on in suspicion.
“Did he say who he was?” Tsuzuki asked, thinking Kato might be involved again. The boy shrugged at him.
“How should I know? The guy just gave me the note and 1,000 yen and told me to deliver the note. Here, take it.” Anna did so and opened it up. Tsuzuki read the message with her:
I am coming for you in three days. You will not cheat death this time. I won’t be so merciful this time, you little lamb. So, pray for a quicker death. I’ll rather enjoy hearing you scream just like Yumiko did.
Yasuo
Everyone looked up in silence. It was official: the battle in this tainted war was about to begin. Cue up the weapons of war.
May 23rd, 1976. Jennifer Day was all over the news now. American secretary for IBM found murdered in Golden Dragon Hotel parking lot. At first, the police didn’t get the murder. Robbery was ruled out for she still had her purse and wallet. Everything still in both. Day-san didn’t have a criminal record. Crime of passion, maybe? She was having an affair with her boss. They had been seeing each other for years. Of course, both were married to other people. Jealous spouse came to Japan and killed Jennifer? Not possible. Her husband was at a bar and his wife was at a book club meeting. Both in New York. That left the boss. He had the opportunity. But yet, he loved Jennifer and wanted to secretly marry her. He wanted to feel young again and she wanted an escape. Things were going great in the relationship. The police had no other suspects. Until they saw the scars on Day-san’s wrists.
On the day the body was discovered, Yasuo sat across the street at the local café, marveling the police’s futile efforts to solve Day-san’s murder.
June 16th, 2009. Yasuo sat in the same café across the street where Day-san’s murder took place. Many things had changed. First, the café had Wi-Fi now. The hotel was closed for renovation. Despite that, some stings remained the same. That parking lot for instance. Even without the crime scene tape, it looked the same. A sense of nostalgia came over the old man. His first kill. He had to impress Haruka that night. She always saw him as a failure. Maybe, that night would be different. It was… for a short time. He could never keep that woman happy. Maybe today would be better. Yasuo had a juicy plan for Anna this time. His niece escaped death once; he was going to see to it that didn’t happen again.
Yasuo wrote a message on a piece of paper and folded it up. Now to find a messenger. The oldest son looked up and saw Seita walking by from summer school. The old man smirked at him. “/Perfect!/” he thought. Yasuo took his coffee stirrer and chucked it at the boy as he passed by. Seita paused and looked up. Yasuo pretended to be reading when he looked up at the boy.
“Need something?” Seita blinked at him once.
“Did you throw that at me?” Yasuo looked at the coffee stirrer for a moment and then at Seita.
“My apologizes.”
“Why?”
“Where are you going?”
“Who’s asking?”
“I’m just curious.” Seita raised an eyebrow at him.
“Why? Who are you, a stalker or something?” Yasuo chuckled at him.
“No, no. Just a nosey old man.” Seita didn’t seem to buy it. He could tell this old man was up to something.
“Okay, what do you want, buddy?” Yasuo grinned in his mind. Now, he had the boy interested. Time to reel him in.
“How would you like to make little money?” Seita’s ears perked up some.
“Right now?”
“Now.”
“How much are we talking?”
“1,000 yen.” Seita wanted to know more now. Sounds too tasty…
“Doing what?” Yasuo pulled his wallet and drew out a 1,000 yen bill. He handed it with the note to the boy.
“Just make a small delivery to Kimoto Manor.” Seita looked at him shocked.
“That’s where I live. Well, sort of. Long story…” Yasuo smiled at him.
“Really now?” Seita nodded.
“Yeah…” Yasuo put down his book.
“Good for you. Now get going. Go on, shoo!” Seita looked at him, oddly.
“Okay…” The boy walked all the way home. Yasuo snickered to himself as the boy raced out of view. Now, the gears were turning. Slowly, but surely.
Seita made it all way back to Kimoto Manor. He pushed open the door.
“I’m home!” he called in the living room. No answer at first. The boy looked around for a bit.
“Anybody here?” No answer still. Curious, Seita walked down the hall. He peeked into Anna’s room.
“Hello?” he asked. Everyone looked up at him.
“Oh,” Anna said. “Sorry Seita, we were a bit preoccupied.” She looked and noticed the paper in his hand.
“What do you have there, Seita?”
“Huh?” He looked down in his right hand.
“Oh, some guy had me give it to you, I guess.” Anna and Tsuzuki looked on in suspicion.
“Did he say who he was?” Tsuzuki asked, thinking Kato might be involved again. The boy shrugged at him.
“How should I know? The guy just gave me the note and 1,000 yen and told me to deliver the note. Here, take it.” Anna did so and opened it up. Tsuzuki read the message with her:
I am coming for you in three days. You will not cheat death this time. I won’t be so merciful this time, you little lamb. So, pray for a quicker death. I’ll rather enjoy hearing you scream just like Yumiko did.
Yasuo
Everyone looked up in silence. It was official: the battle in this tainted war was about to begin. Cue up the weapons of war.
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