Chapter 157 - Name and Reality 80 {108 Alone} (256–257 Motohashi's Crime Note 6)
"No, I think it's just that from Motohashi-san's perspective, he just thought we were 'interesting guys' somehow."
Takeshita, with a certain amount of conviction, took the two's words quite seriously in his heart, but he replied that way with a touch of humility.
However, as a matter of fact, it shouldn't be possible that all the detectives of the Osaka Prefectural Police had a negligent attitude toward the investigation of the murder cases Motohashi was involved in. In fact, that could be stated definitively based on the feeling Takeshita and Nishida had when they directly dealt with the investigation team pursuing Motohashi seven years ago.
However, as Motohashi had feared, if there were even just a few detectives or officers who were "connected," it was also true that it wouldn't be strange for the whole to become untrustworthy from Motohashi's perspective. Moreover, regarding that point, Hiramatsu, the Section 1 Head of the Osaka Prefectural Police whom they had dealt with at the time, had mentioned it himself, though he was vague about it.
In that sense, expectations for the untainted Takeshita and his team, who had come from the "northern edge," newly arose in Motohashi's heart. Furthermore, precisely because they felt something was off about Motohashi's actions and words and pursued him strongly, there was a high possibility that Motohashi had conversely sensed a kind of "reliability" there. However, on the other hand, he also felt that this wasn't the only reason he had entrusted the later investigation to Nishida and Takeshita.
"No, no, that's definitely it."
Kuboyama shook his head two or three times at Takeshita's statement, then nodded as if to affirm his own opinion and sipped his kimosui again. At this time, Takeshita hesitated for a moment whether to tell the two what he was currently sensing about Motohashi's series of actions and the reasons for them, but he chose to remain silent. He reconsidered that he should tell them various things as a final summary after he had grasped the entire contents of the tapes and the note. In addition, since he hadn't completely finished reading everything yet, his thoughts weren't fully organized in his head.
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Takeshita left part of his unagi-juu and, without wasting time, again checked the contents of the note that served as a diary written about the other subsequent incidents, and verified it by listening to the conversations on the tapes.
Needless to say, he had the two check the contents of the diary each time. In the series of incidents, as before, requests went from Takigawa to Motohashi, and the hand-off of down payments and success rewards was carried out at the antique shop.
In the 1989 murder of President Hisatomi Taketo, which occurred inside the office of Tozo Service, a limited liability company in Tokyo, it was discovered that the request to Takigawa apparently originated from an employee of Hisatomi's company. The woman that employee was dating at the time was a daughter born between his remarried mother and her previous husband, and that previous husband was a man named Kametani, who was a subordinate of the Aoi-ikka at the time and currently holds the position of Headquarters Chief. Regarding his current status, Kuboyama, who apparently still receives that kind of information from the underworld despite being cut off from the Aoi, told him. It seems the Hisatomi murder was a request utilizing that connection.
The 1990 murder in Minoo, Osaka, was a request from a man named Sato, who was the Managing Director of Keihan Kogyo Bank at the time. Speaking of Keihan Kogyo Bank, it was a bank that, when they had a conflict with the Aoi-ikka, rather colluded with them through Hakozaki to operate in the shadows of bubble-era land sharking; Takeshita had heard various things about it from Yoshise, who was the Section Chief of Investigation Division 4 of the Osaka Prefectural Police in 1995.
It appeared he had murdered the couple, Sasaki Takao, a company employee, and Fumie, using that connection. However, as for what Sato's motive was, Takigawa didn't speak of it at all on the phone, Motohashi showed no sign of asking, and naturally, there was no mention of that point in the note. That said, since he was killing unrelated people upon request, the client's motive was essentially meaningless—this was understandable even from a third-party perspective.
And from the final incident, where he murdered an old man in Kobe, something different from before began to be clearly readable in Motohashi's attitude and state of mind. No, to be precise, a certain amount of conflict had always been felt, but it should perhaps be said that it became blatant starting from this murder.
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Feb 25, 1991
Had a phone call from Oyaji for the first time in a while. As expected, it seems to be about another killing. This time, it's a case where Aoi itself is involved.
To be honest, every time I think about how I'm going to end up continuing to kill people I have no grudge against, I've recently become rapidly fed up with it. Even if it's too late to say it's too late for this emotion to clearly come out now... Lately, I often wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares.
Since I obviously can't say my complaints directly to Oyaji, I tried to refuse the request somehow, but well, he's Oyaji with his originally strong pushiness, and in the end, I was pushed through. Seeing as he even brought up my return to the group, it seems he's going to keep me around using that as bait... I really have to think of a way to put an end to this.
The target is an old man who was a former company executive in Kobe, and the fact that he doesn't have much longer to live made me feel a bit easier, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm killing him.
Apparently, while that old man makes it look like he's retired, in reality, a business partner of the company he's still deeply involved with and a business partner of a company Aoi is involved with are clashing. The confrontational structure isn't out in the open, but they want to get rid of him because if the old man is gone, that company will likely pull out. Well, no matter who the opponent is, since I've continued to do evil, I probably won't have a decent death in the end...
Feb 28, 1991
For now, I received the 1 million down payment by the usual method and started scouting the target's situation. There seems to be an old hag of a housekeeper, so I need to avoid involving her.
Mar 12, 1991
The target's lifestyle pattern is quite hard to read. I've been observing for two weeks, but usually he's playing golf or drinking, living a life of leisure; rather than a settled retiree, he's always going out, and he's hard to pin down.
Unless I take a considerable amount of time until execution, there's a risk of failure. Fortunately, the road in front of his house has little pedestrian or car traffic, and it's hard to see from the house across the street due to the hedge. There should be almost no such obstacles. Although a housekeeper is coming, he basically lives alone, so that part helps too.
Mar 19, 1991
Got a call from Oyaji pressuring me on when I'm going to do it, but I explain the situation and brush him off. It becomes a bit of a grim situation, but in the end, Oyaji gives in. It's only natural. I'm the one doing the killing. I have to assert my own pace.
Mar 25, 1991
I still can't fully read the pattern, but does he often return home relatively early on Friday nights? The housekeeper also didn't come three out of four Fridays, and she apparently has Sundays off too.
Does that mean if it's a weekday, there's a high possibility she won't come on Friday? On Sundays, the old man himself wanders around or doesn't, and his return time is often unclear, making it harder to read than Fridays. If I'm to aim, it's Friday night. That said, I don't have conviction yet.
Apr 1, 1991
April Fool's Day. It would have been nice if everything up to now was a lie, but this is reality. I've thought about various things, but I've concluded that this time should be the last.
For the record, I can say I've sufficiently settled the score for the damage I caused the group with everything I've done so far. That said, if I refuse properly, it will probably affect the treatment of the subordinates I left in the group, and that's a problem.
Needless to say, even if I don't mention the thing with Oyaji, turning myself in is obviously almost the same as betrayal. There are the guys I left in the group to consider, but I can't bear that infamy myself either. How to make this the last one is something to think about.
Apr 6, 1991
The housekeeper came on the previous Friday, so it's still not clear. However, considering she also came on the Friday at the beginning of last month, even if it's a Friday, she might only be coming at the beginning of the month.
Apr 15, 1991
Oyaji called again to pressure me, so I explain the situation. He tells me to do something about it by at least the end of this month. As expected, she didn't come last Friday, so if I'm going to do it, it will be either the 19th or the 26th.
In any case, after this, the conclusion I've reached is that the best way to settle the score for now is to get caught by the police on purpose and, while denying what I did, be firmly prosecuted. I probably won't escape the death penalty, but I have to settle the score for what I've done...
Even Oyaji, if it's a form where I fail and get caught and keep denying it, it won't be betrayal, and he'll have no choice but to give up.
Still, to think I'd meet the end of my life in this way... Just when the post of Boss was right in front of me, I was too impatient for a big deal. They say a beggar in a hurry gets a small handout... That price has resulted in me greatly betraying not only myself but also Kimio (Kuroda) and the others.
Apr 19, 1991
Parked the car far away and checked from a convenience store 100m away; there was no sign of the housekeeper coming, so I wait for the old man's return. About an hour after he returned, I drove the car up to the front of the house, pretended to be a deliveryman to make him open the door, and immediately pumped two rounds into him.
Succeeded in escaping from the scene immediately. I probably wasn't seen either. Returned home just like that and reported the success to Oyaji myself. Told him it would be on the news soon. Oyaji thanked me and said he'd prepare the reward as usual, but I won't be receiving it this time.
Apr 20, 1991
Purchased a funerary urn to put the tapes recording the conversations so far and this note in. I'll put this whole thing in Hinako's grave tomorrow. It's a shame, but it will probably be my last visit to the grave... That said, if I think of it as seeds I sowed myself, it can't be helped.
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While having the two read the relevant parts of the note that served as a diary in order, Takeshita pondered the change in Motohashi's state of mind.
Until then, because he was carrying various things such as his debt of gratitude from his youth to the Boss, the settlement for the failure of the shabu (T/N: methamphetamine) deal that was also the cause of his expulsion, and the subordinates he left in the group, he had been staining his hands with serial murder out of a sense of duty without having blatant emotions. But as expected, with the passage of time, his original conscience likely came to the surface all at once, overriding that yakuza logic.
However, if that were the case, it was far too late, and since he stained his hands with one last murder immediately after that, it was by no means something that could be forgiven. However, as the price for that, Motohashi had already prepared himself to shoulder everything himself and atone with his death; there was no mistake about that.
Also, the reason why he had limited it to "by any chance" in the letter addressed to Kuboyama that was in the grave was not only because he originally had no intention of using these to expose the truth of the incidents unless something extreme happened, but also because the main purpose of the "burial" of these pieces of evidence was something else—Takeshita had speculated this even before reading this part. And having read it now, that speculation had turned into conviction.
On the other hand, although Kuboyama did not show it in his attitude itself, regardless of his expression, after he finished looking at the note, Kuroda seemed quite furious, letting out sounds that were neither sighs nor groans as he read the text. And when he finished reading,
"That guy is really an idiot! Or rather, a fool!"
He blurted out in a voice that echoed through the office, looking resentful.
It was likely because he felt pure indignation that his old friend took so long to seriously regret his worst misdeeds and, even after that too-late regret, murdered one more person. Takeshita recalled how Kuroda had kicked the ground in anger when he read the letter addressed to Kuboyama in front of Hinako's grave. Precisely because he knew the old Motohashi, his irritation increased all the more; that was well understood.
Kuboyama had been silent until then, but hearing this statement,
"Kuroda-han... I understand your feelings, but as I said earlier, the world of the gokudou (T/N: yakuza) doesn't move on individual morals or common sense... That kind of desensitization is a separate issue from Aniki's individual responsibility."
He spoke as if to soothe him.
"But you actually almost killed your target and stopped at the last minute, right? Isn't that the huge difference between that dead Yukio and you being here now? I think you're the one who has the right to say clearly that such a thing is no excuse, don't you?"
Kuroda likely countered that yakuza logic is no excuse, based on the premise that Kuboyama had acted as a hitman but stopped at attempted murder rather than murder in the end. Hearing that, Kuboyama likely couldn't talk back; he hesitated for a moment to reply. However,
"That's... because Aniki was superior as a yakuza..."
He tried to answer with great effort, but before he could finish,
"That kind of thing isn't even slightly admirable!"
Kuroda cut off that sophistry and rejected it flatly.
Motohashi and Kuroda had a relationship where, even after Motohashi became a yakuza, they—to put it nicely—kept up their old friendship, or—to put it poorly—continued a lingering, rotten bond. As for the reason for that from Motohashi's side, Takeshita had thought until now that it might have been because he felt a certain kind of debt of gratitude for the fact that Kuroda and his other friends had warmly watched over Motohashi's past hardships.
At the same time, Takeshita had begun to feel through Kuroda's words and actions so far that Motohashi might have secretly been enamored with Kuroda as a person for his kind yet single-minded personality.
But he himself had crossed the final line of the path of humanity in an attempt to repay his debt of gratitude to Takigawa, who had discovered and favored him, and to repay the debt from the failure of the shabu deal. On the other hand, he was also the type who tried to take responsibility for the final settlement himself.
That kind of strangely dutiful nature was manifested in a good way in his long-standing friendship with Kuroda, which he tried to maintain by even completely changing his behavior as a yakuza only when they met; he had that kind of feeling too.
Even so, the reason Motohashi felt like revealing the truth of the contract killings in this way must have been because, despite Motohashi having made up his mind to shoulder everything alone and go to his death, Takigawa himself had tried to conveniently make him shoulder even the murder of Sada Minoru, which he had instructed "not to let be discovered." And Takeshita was convinced that what they were directly seeing and hearing now was the "revenge" that had come to fruition after Motohashi perceived that as a grave betrayal of his own "loyalty" or "devotion."
Furthermore, while on the surface he pretended to go along with the intentions of Takigawa and the others "at that time," the fact that everything was supposed to be fine once he died, only for it all to be spilled right before the statute of limitations expired, could certainly be called one of the highest-grade methods of revenge. And Kuboyama and Kuroda surely knew nothing of these things. They must be perceiving it as revenge for the fact that he instructed the series of incidents as a whole and made Motohashi kill people.
"Well, let's listen to the conversation without arguing."
Takeshita took the note from Kuroda, placed it on the table, and said that as if to mediate, then pressed the play button.