by T L Brevis
The etched toward the door with extreme caution and once they had reached it, Kaito carefully slid the same key into the hole. It opened without a problem.
The very first thing they noticed after Kaito thrust the door open was a familiar man staring back at them with a frightened, but an expectant expression. They simply laid eyes on each other, seemingly sizing one another up for seconds on end, before the silence was broken by the ever so faint sound of sirens in the distance.
Kikumura immediately switched his facial expression from one of fear and expectancy to shock.
“Yo-You're not the police?!”
“Hiroshi, it seems the authorities had a change of plans, do make sure to follow my previous instructions,” Kaito said very assertively.
Hiroshi immediately began staring into Kaito’s eyes, following them with his own as Kaito’s body moved forward, dragging them along with it. Not wasting a second, a rich crimson engulfed Kaito’s dark eyes as he etched toward Kikumura and calmly began speaking.
“I will enlighten you as to who we are, look at me straight in the eyes like a man first though. That is the only way.”
Kikumura complied, while obviously being shaken up, but nevertheless wanting to know the truth.
As Hiroshi looked into Kaito’s eyes, his own gaze fixed on Kikumura, he began having second thoughts. Would he truly be able to kill like this, as easily as Kaito? No, those thoughts were childish. Kikumura was involved with Owari, he deserved every last bit of what was coming to him. Hiroshi could not afford to have mercy for him, or anyone else like him.
“We are part of a group that aids and abets criminals like yourself for a small price that those close to you have already paid us and we are here to carry out that dut-” Kaito drew that sentence out to exactly five seconds as he used his ability, no more no less, stopping mid-sentence, all while Hiroshi was watching his eyes intently.
After the five seconds had elapsed, the man shifted from a shocked and curious expression to a blank stare that Hiroshi had seen minutes prior.
Kikumura quickly made his way over to the small, sole window in the tiny room, opened it and crawled out of it, barely fitting through, then took a seat on the ledge. He looked back at Kaito over his shoulder and almost immediately turned his head back. He then stood from his seated position and fell forwards from the ledge, descending into the ongoing traffic below.
Hiroshi had been looking at Kaito's eyes the entire time and got every single ability Kaito said he would. It took him a moment to register it, but he got the same feeling as when he unlocked the previous ones. He was in awe by his new powers but did not have time to truly consider them as Kaito was already dragging him by the arm down the steps of the apartment building.
The two fled the building right before the police arrived, and sprinted as quickly as they possibly could for a few minutes. They reached a silent street and Kaito finally released his grip on Hiroshi's arm to allow the boy to catch his breath at long last.
“I assume you received all of the abilities, as you should have?” asked Kaito, already knowing the answer.
“Yes, but I'm confused as to how I got the killing ability, you only used the control ability on him, didn't you?”
“No, I used both.”
“But how?”
“It was simple really, I used the control ability to instruct Kikumura to leap from the ledge of his window, but directly before he did, I instructed him to look back into my eyes, and that was when I used the killing ability on him. Although there was not enough time for it to fully complete its one-minute-long process, you were able to see it being activated, which was enough for you to learn it, as unlike the ability to divulge information, the actual process of this ability occurs separately from the body since poison is injected. Therefore, just observing the ability being activated is enough.”
“Oh, I see,” said Hiroshi, disappointed in himself for not being able to catch on.
“Well, no need to be discouraged, you did not even know beforehand if using two abilities in quick succession was even possible. But of course, now that you have seen it, and have the abilities yourself, you do, which is all that really matters. Well, not as though you will need that information anytime soon, but still.”
“The police will probably not suspect a thing either, they will most likely chalk it up to him taking the easy way out when he heard the sirens approaching. Everything went according to plan,” Kaito added.
Hiroshi was over the moon when the weight of the situation hit him. He at long last had full control over his eyes, and he would ensure Owari would crumble for making the mistake of allowing it. He clenched his fists and his nails dug into his palms almost to the point of bleeding as he grit his teeth as hard as possible.
“I’ll kill them for you, every last one, mom and dad,” he thought, tears welling in his eyes.
Chapter 3
“Alright Hiroshi, now that you have unlocked all the powers of the Noromi, we are going to do missions together, similar to the one involving Kikumura. Most of these missions will be on those hired, or involved with Owari. However, you are not to use your abilities yet. Only observe how I use them for now, and in the future, I might allow you to take on missions alone,”
Of course Hiroshi understood why this had to be done, but that did not make him think any more fondly of the idea, but of course, he did not really have a say in the matter, so he decided to go along with it and swallow his desires.
“Now that you have your powers, there is no real rush to take risks like that anymore. In fact, you getting your powers was the only reason we had to take such a large risk like that in the first place.
“I cannot afford to drain my lifespan whenever I please, obviously, so we shall lay low for a while, then we will go after another criminal. We do not have to be too extreme yet. Removing one of Owari’s criminals from the world at a time is good enough.”
∞
“So, Kaito actually got to the boy. Very interesting,” said Mugen Ito.
“Indeed. Soon, he will get his abilities unlocked, maybe he has even already done so,” said Toyo Takahashi.
The two of them along with three others were seated around a black circular table in a dark room with its walls painted completely black. They were all dressed in seemingly pricey black suits, the type the wealthy would sport during important events. There was one singular door as the sole entrance and exit to this room, and not much else.
“Knowing Kaito, he would wish to get it done as soon as possible, perhaps he would even shorten his lifespan for it like the impatient, brash fool he is,” said Mugen Ito.
“Also, many of our lower hirees seem to be dying in quite rapid succession, a stark contrast to only our mid-range hirees being killed every so often before. It seems Kaito might be setting his sights lower and training the boy in that way. How amusing, he always does try to play the ‘good guy’ in so many ways, this time, not wanting to use our training methods, and opting for the ‘more humane’ option. How juvenile?” added Mugen Ito.
“Well, in any case, I think we should only make a move when they do. Knowing Kaito’s arrogance, he is bound to fumble along the way, all we would have to do is pick up on it. Agreed on, everyone?” said Naoto Watanabe.
All of the other individuals nodded simultaneously.
“Alright then, seeing as that was the final topic of discussion for this week, that concludes this Owari meeting, I will be looking forward to seeing you gentlemen next week. Do prepare your individual reports by then as per usual. Dismissed,” said Mugen Ito.
∞
“Hiroshi, follow my lead,” said Kaito.
“Got it.”
The two were in another state yet again, tracking down a serial killer hired by Owari going by the name of Tamai Isei. Tamai Isei had unkempt dark brown hair, much like Hiroshi’s, and equally dark brown eyes. Kaito made Hiroshi look at Tamai Isei's photograph for two hours to discover his addre
ss this time, for him to get “experience”.
Hiroshi, of course, did not believe that for a second, as there was no evidence to prove that experience with the Noromi would make a difference, but he simply accepted and went along with it. Saving Kaito a bit of extra time and effort was the least he could do in return to him after all.
“Two blocks until we reach Tamai Isei's house, Hiroshi. It is not an apartment building like Kikumura's was. It was a privately owned, one-story house, which does have its benefits such as not having to worry about security cameras. Being remote, with no neighbors around, was an added benefit. However, it does have its drawbacks, such as not being able to fabricate a suicide as easily. I have planned this out though, so no need to worry.”
“Let me guess, you chose not to tell me your plan because you want to test me on whether I would figure it out?”
Kaito let out a small smile, and Hiroshi had his answer. His test had already begun it seemed.
“I see, well I suppose this plan of yours is going to be quite complex,” Hiroshi said with a sigh. He did not particularly enjoy being toyed with in this way, but he supposed he could view this little exercise like a game of some sort.
The two had about a minute of silence between them, and by then they had reached the house. It was very generic. An average ranch style house with milky colored walls and a red brick roof, with the only thing off about it being that one of the two front windows was smashed. The surrounding houses had a similar theme, so it did not stand out due to anything besides said window.
The two proceeded with caution to the house on instinct and soon were at the base of the pathway leading up to it.
Hiroshi spotted a small brown box on Tamai Isei's doorstep. He was curious and surprised, but Kaito seemed to pay no mind to it. Hiroshi immediately realized this was part of Kaito's plan, but needed more information to deduce what exactly his full strategy was.
“He will return in roughly five minutes. Until then, we will wait outside, or more specifically, you go and hide behind that shrubbery and watch. It is quite an essential piece of my plan, so if you would.”
Hiroshi obeyed him without question and quickly hid behind a few thick bushes Tamai Isei had in his front yard and waited patiently. He watched both Kaito and the sidewalk, which he could observe simultaneously thanks to the convenient field of view he had been granted by the bushes.
As Kaito had said, after about five minutes of waiting, Hiroshi caught a glimpse of a man walking down the sidewalk leading to where Kaito stood.
Hiroshi observed his appearance. He was a middle-aged man with very little hair on his head, with his beard more than making up for it. His eyes, beard, and what little hair he had left on his head were all black. He wore a generic pairing of a T-shirt and shorts. All in all, he was the spitting image of the man Hiroshi had painstakingly observed for two hours previously.
Hiroshi darted his eyes back to Kaito, and barely even a second after doing so, Kaito walked calmly over to the man who had stopped in his tracks shortly after Kaito had begun making his way towards him.
“Hello sir, my name is Officer Koshikawa Koan from the local police force,” Kaito said in a very formal tone.
“Here is my badge,” Kaito said while pulling out a very realistic looking police officer's badge.
“Oh my, what can I help you with, officer?” asked Isei, sounding quite confused.
This man was quite skilled if he could hide his obvious nervousness, or better yet, was not even nervous in the first place in that highly dangerous situation.
“I will ask you a few questions,” Kaito told Isei in a stern tone.
“Of course officer, what are your questions?” Tamai Isei replied.
“Alright, well, first of all, sir, I would like to ask you if you happen to have had any previous encounters with this local, or any neighboring police stations? If so, please state them, along with your experiences with them. We are trying to survey local civilians to see if they can provide us with feedb-,” said Kaito, cutting himself off before finishing.
Hiroshi knew why his question was so drawn out. He was buying time while keeping eye contact to control this man. Hiroshi wondered where Kaito would be going with this, but with the lack of current information, for the time being, he had no choice but to just observe how Kaito's plan would unfold.
After Kaito cut himself off, Tamai Isei immediately switched from a worried and confused expression to a blank one, identical to how the security guard and Kikumura’s facial expressions were.
Tamai Isei immediately bent down and grabbed the brown box he had been delivered earlier and unlocked his front door, stepping inside with it, closing the door behind him. Hiroshi and Kaito left the premises after this.
Tamai Isei opened the box, then took out a few small white pills from them. He quickly walked over to his kitchen, poured himself a very tall glass of Vodka from his kitchen cupboard, then used it to take every single pill in the box.
Tamai Isei then immediately lay down on the floor after finishing the process, and with the same blank expression, stayed there, motionless.
Kaito explained to Hiroshi exactly what Tamai Isei had done when they were about a block and a half away from his home and Hiroshi was beginning to piece together what had just occurred. He assumed that Kaito had hacked into some sort of day planner Tamai Isei had to find out when he would be out of his house and when he would return. He also assumed that those pills were some sort of dangerous drug which would kill Tamai Isei if he overdosed on them with alcohol. However, that still did not explain how those pills were on his doorstep to begin with, or how Kaito would ever have the time to ship those pills to him if he were the reason for their arrival. Also, would Kaito have taken such a risk as to send Tamai Isei deadly pills that the police could just as easily assume a murderer used, instead of them being for suicide?
“So, did you figure it out?” Kaito asked.
Hiroshi told him his theory on what Kaito had done, as well as the reason he was still confused. Kaito looked slightly disappointed, but not shocked after hearing Hiroshi’s theory.
“Ah, I suppose I was expecting a little too much out of you by thinking you could figure everything out. That was most likely my fault though since most people who are triple your age would never be able to figure it out either. Nevertheless, I will tell you what I did to lead us to the conclusion we achieved a few minutes ago.
“It all began when I told you to look at Tamai Isei’s face to find his address. I did not actually make you do it because I wanted you to have ‘experience’ or because I was lazy, but to set you off the trail.
“I actually found Tamai Isei’s information out myself. I only made you do it hours ago as a decoy. I found his address, along with what medicine he is usually required to take. As luck would have it, apparently mixing this medicine with alcohol in high doses is fatal, although it is the same for most other similar medicines as well.
“I was also able to hack his email address, and when I did, I found his doctor's number and his day planner, that section being what you did get correct.
“I called up his doctor, pretending to be Tamai Isei with a sore throat, a symptom of the sickness Tamai Isei would get if he lacked his medicine. “I informed him that I had all of my medicine stolen in a break-in, and to send me more.
“The doctor asked for proof, and I sent him an email with a picture of a police statement attached. The doctor did not think twice and readily sent over a month's supply of medicine. I asked for it to be delivered at a time where I knew Isei would be out, according to his day planner,” Kaito smiled ever so slightly.
“After the medicine arrived, you and I turned up about five minutes before Tamai Isei was scheduled to be back, and well, you know what took place afterward. He ‘committed suicide’ by overdosing on prescribed medication,” Kaito finished.
Hiroshi paused for a moment to consider what Kaito had told him, then smiled. He had found a
flaw in Kaito’s plan, it would seem.
“Kaito, what if the police approach the doctor, and they discover that faked police report you made? Would it not launch into a full-scale investigation?” Hiroshi asked.
“Who said anything about it being faked?”
Hiroshi was visibly taken aback by this.
“Hiroshi, do you honestly believe I would be that careless? Before I had even met you, I used my control ability to force a break-in to occur at Tamai Isei’s home. Did you not notice the broken window? That was a real police statement. I simply retrieved a copy from their databases.
Hiroshi was certainly taken aback at the fact that Kaito had tricked him, and the absurd amount of time he had put into just one mission, but it certainly did serve to lure him away from the truth. Hiroshi was not angry at Kaito. He was upset at himself for overlooking a part of the Noromi’s ability, however minute it was, because he had still gotten the very same information and could not even get close to deducing the extent of Kaito’s method.