Yashakiden: The Demon Princess, Volume 3 Omnibus Edition

by Hideyuki Kikuchi

  “First of all, as the mayor of Shinjuku, I’d like to get all your names. You there with the cigar.”

  The living sculptures dressed in military fatigues exchanged glances and pursed their lips in unison. These guys were only on edge when they wanted to be. These six were brimming with the kind of attitude that could turn a gloomy warehouse into a dance club by just showing up.

  “Pardon our manners,” the cigar smoker said politely. “I’m Lieutenant Randall J. Matthews, Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces, Special Forces Operational Detachment F.”

  More than the man’s name, Kajiwara’s attention was drawn to the division he was attached to. He did his best to keep the petals of anxiety from unfolding in his gut like a poisonous orchid, but knew he wasn’t entirely carrying it off.

  With the JGSDF falling far short in its recruitment targets, the Ministry of Defense had established a special foreign legion open to citizens from other countries. As could be expected, the bulk of the applicants were mercenaries and ex-serviceman from other conflict areas around the globe.

  As they were already veterans, the Ministry of Defense didn’t have to waste resources training them. Armed with the latest weaponry and sparing no expense, the foreign legion of the JGSDF could take on whatever impossible black op task the SDF commanders handed them.

  The assassination of the subcommander of the international terrorist organizations, and search and destroy campaigns against the infiltrations of American organized crime families were par for the course. As large-scale conflicts grew into small wars, the ominous reputation of Special Forces Operational Detachment F – for “Foreigner” – spread like a cancer.

  “So, what are you doing here?” Kajiwara knew the answer even as he asked the question.

  “We’re asking for cooperation in eradicating the life form growing in this city—the vampires.”

  Lieutenant Matthews spoke with the kind of confidence that contained echoes of flag and country. In stark opposition to them was the municipal seal of Demon City.

  “How extraordinary. No mention of such things has reached my ears. And I can confidently state that no one is more sensitive to what is going on in this city than I. You must be mistaken. As there is no emergency that would require outside assistance, there is therefore no need to grant it.”

  “Exactly what I would expect from the mayor of Demon City,” said Lieutenant Matthews with honest appreciation. “As stubborn and resolute as they come.”

  “To be sure, there are the residents of the Toyama housing project, who feed on human blood and its substitutes. However, they are a mild-mannered and friendly bunch. They haven’t caused us a speck of trouble, as far as I know. Perhaps the information that reached your ears confused them with some other vampires.”

  Matthews narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Excuse my directness, but are you really Mr. Kajiwara?”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “According to our intel, Mr. Kajiwara is exactly the sort of person who would say the kinds of things you just did. Though I can’t believe that the real deal would be so ignorant.”

  “Ignorant?” Kajiwara’s eyes lit up.

  “Show him,” Matthews said.

  One of the two black men in the room stepped forward and took a four-inch tube from around his neck and pointed it at the wall. A three-foot square of light appeared to hover in front of the wall. After a few adjustments, it focused into a clear image. The tube was a digital projector.

  The video was taken in a dim underground room. A woman lying prone. The mayor felt a thump in his chest.

  “What do you think?” queried Lieutenant Matthews. He tapped the ash from his cigar into his left palm.

  “A pretty girl. Who is she?”

  “Her name is Miss Hiromi Oribe. Your previous secretary.”

  “That’s news to me,” the mayor said casually, the particularities of a certain recent directive rising to his thoughts. “Never heard that name before. You’re free to ask around. If somebody in the building has heard of this Miss Oribe and can identify her as my secretary, I’ll gladly yield to him the chair I’m sitting in.”

  “You must play a helluva hand of poker.” Lieutenant Matthews smiled, as did his colleagues, flashing their white teeth. Broad smiles, no brooding hints of darkness.

  Kajiwara looked at the screen with a disinterested, almost sleepy expression. It looked like it was shot down a manhole. Next to Hiromi, black water pooled on the floor.

  “Let’s fast forward,” said the black man. The image wavered.

  Hiromi’s eyes glowed red. She sat up vigorously, and then settled back down again. She looked at the camera. Sharp fangs protruded from her soft lips. Perhaps taking note of the cameraman, she smiled with an air of satisfaction.

  Kajiwara let out a long breath. He felt as if the stench of the grave had suddenly invaded his nostrils and cleared his throat reflexively.

  “That’s awfully rude of you.” Hiromi spoke through the projector’s speaker. “Taking pictures of girls while they’re asleep. Come here, you little fool. I’ll give you a good hard spanking.”

  The voice resounding in the mayor’s ears was the music of the night. If her parents were here, they would stop their ears and avert their eyes. She would never speak like that, they would insist. This was no child of theirs. But a wild beast—and then slowly, inexorably turn back to the thing that wore the exact same face as Hiromi.

  Her eyes glittered. Her fangs scraped against her teeth. “Here.” She beckoned with her hand. “Come here. I’ll show you the most wonderful dreams. Dreams nobody else has ever seen. No need to eat anything against your liking. No need to make the beast with two backs. You need only drink from the spring of life and live forever.”

  The image teetered and shook, the cameraman responding to the invitation.

  Kajiwara was aware that he was gripping the arms of the chair. He felt himself rising out of the chair, but resisted the impulse. And not only him. The soldiers in the room all had their hands clenched by their sides. Even after intense mental training, resisting the siren call of the vampiress took an enormous amount of intestinal fortitude.

  Hiromi’s face filled the screen. No matter the revulsion it aroused, there was no denying its beauty. This might well be the very manifestation of being released from every moral bond and fetter in this world.

  Her fangs and raw, red lips drew even closer, and then suddenly pulled back. That strange beauty vanished from her face, replaced by shock and pain. The cause was the two hands holding the wooden stake in her chest.

  A crucifix was thrust into the side of the image. It wasn’t necessary. And why the undead would succumb to such ancient, ordinary methods that everybody was familiar with—the man wielding the stake probably didn’t know himself.

  With movement devoid of conscious will and intention, Hiromi fell backward into the water. The splash rose high into the air.

  From the corner of the frame, the man bearing the crucifix approached the submerged Hiromi. He had an axe in his right hand. He placed the crucifix on her forehead and raised the axe with both arms. The movement was cold and mechanical, betraying not an ounce of feeling or sympathy toward the victim.

  The axe swung in a descending arc. Kajiwara averted his gaze.

  “That’s enough,” Matthews said sympathetically.

  “May I ask you something?” Kajiwara asked quietly, letting out a breath.

  “What’s that?”

  “How did you go about finding that unfortunate girl?”

  “For the last couple of days, we’ve enjoyed the services of two specialists from the SP Division at the Ministry of Defense.”

  “SP Division deals with espers and clairvoyants.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “This is the first I’ve heard of this particular incident, but has news of other victims like that young woman reached any other ears?”

  “What happens in Shinjuku doesn’t stay in Shinjuku—far from it. As an o
bject of curiosity and inquiry, it is constantly in the limelight. I’m sure you know the actual numbers, but the money spent by all the investigators passing themselves off as tourists makes up a significant part of Shinjuku’s economy. I’d hardly be surprised if everything simmering away in this pot boiled over one of these days. It’s not a possibility the outside world can turn a blind eye to. Those two SP personnel took a ride around Shinjuku and checked out the cribs of the victims. As a result, the decision was made to act now before they started multiplying and things really got out of hand.”

  “If you are indeed the first to arrive, I would hope you would be the last.”

  “There are almost a hundred more of us in reserve. But in order not to waste resources and lives, and with respect to your wishes just stated, we’re looking for your cooperation in resolving things as quickly as possible.”

  Kajiwara had closed his eyes and listened quietly to what Matthews had to say. When he was finished, he asked, “Lieutenant Matthews, who do you answer to?”

  The big Caucasian stared off into space for a moment. “The SDF Chief of Staff.”

  “Incorrect. The prime minister appoints the Chief of Staff. And the prime minister is chosen by the ruling coalition. The ruling coalition is put into power by the vote of the electorate. Thus it follows that you ultimately answer to the will of the people.”

  “But of course.” Matthews nodded with an amused expression. The men behind him smiled as well. But any air of honest joviality had vanished from the room. “And your point is?”

  “My point is that your true superior officer isn’t your captain or even the SDF Chief of Staff, but the general public. Would it be that great of an exaggeration to say that the nation’s hundred million citizens have authorized you to exterminate the residents of this city?”

  Lieutenant Matthews made no attempt to counter this absurd logical syllogism, despite the grave manner in which it was delivered. At length, an atmosphere appropriate to the duly-elected occupant of this office and his uninvited guests pervaded the room.

  “Well, enough with the sophistry,” Kajiwara said in a soothing voice. “However, no matter what decisions your superiors decide to hand down, the law of the land gives me the authority to refuse them. Namely, according to Tokyo City Ordinance 98, Article 3, The mayor of Shinjuku Ward shall wield the same jurisdictional authority as every other ward mayor, and all decisions made to that end are entrusted to his discretion.”

  The lieutenant said impatiently, “You left out the qualifying amendment. Ordinance 98, Article 3a: However, if and when it is determined that the peace and common welfare outside Shinjuku Ward has been affected by conditions inside Shinjuku Ward, then the rights granted in Article 3 are hereby revoked, and the authority of the Tokyo City mayor shall take precedence.”

  “Huh. I see you’ve done your homework.” Kajiwara folded his arms across his chest. “But now that it’s come to this, let’s lay all our cards on the table. You failed to mention Article 4, which states that, The judging and sentencing of all crimes and like conduct committed in Shinjuku shall be entrusted to Shinjuku, and not to the judicial authority of the city or neighboring wards.”

  “That is—” the lieutenant started to say, a slight smile on his face.

  “Let me finish. It goes on to state that should the article in question be revoked in the future, it shall nevertheless come into force as originally drafted when and if the stipulated conditions arise. When push comes to shove, this city does not condone the outside world meddling in its internal affairs. So it would follow that we would feel no overwhelming obligation to kowtow to the directives of your superiors.”

  “And if we insist?” Lieutenant Matthews pressed quietly.

  “You do get right to the point.” Kajiwara leaned way back in his chair. “For the time being, we can recognize the validity of each other’s position. I have still to ascertain the nature of this cooperation you speak of.”

  Matthews smiled. “Flexibility is an essential characteristic for a leader. That one trait can help to avoid a lot of needless deaths. Children won’t be mourning the loss of their parents.”

  “And?”

  “You are already aware of our goals. Speed is of the essence and time is short. They own half of the day already. From sunset to sunrise, while they mingle among the living, detecting them is impossible. For the next week, we would advise the mayor to issue a dusk to dawn curfew. That will give us a period in which we can carry out our mission.”

  “We are not dealing with fools. They’d know exactly what you intended with a curfew like that. What do you do if they stay sealed in their caskets?”

  To this obvious question, Matthews replied, “People don’t need to go out to eat, but they do. All the authoritative accounts make clear that vampires are driven by an unimaginable hunger. They may live forever, but not without quenching such desires. They must go out.”

  “How many of their resting places have your espers detected?”

  “Nine. But that is hardly all of them. They are on the patrol again today.”

  “As I mentioned previously, supposing—just supposing—that things are as you say they are in this city, there could be well over a hundred of these cribs. Do you really think you can take them all out in a week? They will have also constructed defenses around their sleeping quarters. And probably seek out new safe houses on a rotating basis.”

  “I agree completely.” Matthews took a deep drag from the cigar.

  “Not to mention that you don’t fully understand their powers. If people don’t go out, they could force their way in. Wrangle invitations when and where they have to. You could simply end up exposing the citizenry to more danger.”

  “We’ve considered that as well. When it comes to destroying vampires, I think that the old school methods are best here too. I’m talking decoys.”

  Kajiwara sat there quietly. The reason Matthews had shown up here was finally becoming clear. He didn’t have high hopes for success, but he wasn’t eager to get into a debate about it.

  “And these decoys—I suppose you will be providing them?”

  “No. There are only six of us. Even if we spread out, one crib per man, we’d need an equal number of decoys. That’s where you come in.”

  “Feel free to bring them in from outside.”

  “In this city, you’re the decider. Everything rests on the shoulders of the ward mayor. You made quite the stand on that issue just a few minutes ago. That we work for the outside world is pretty much branded on our chests. This falls right into your lap.”

  “Huh,” Kajiwara responded with an intrigued look in his eyes. He folded his arms. “Do you have a prototypical victim in mind?”

  “Young and attractive, of either sex.”

  “How many?”

  “Three per night. We’ll work in teams of two.”

  “Can you guarantee the safety of the decoy’s body and soul?”

  “If that’s what it will take to clinch the deal.”

  “Then make it so.”

  “I understand.”

  Though neither of them believed that this was a done deal.

  “Well, then, tomorrow at this same time?” A long, silent moment, as six pairs of eyes looked back at him. The mayor of Demon City smiled. “What?”

  “Exactly what kind of hand do you think you’re playing, Mayor?” The question sucked any lingering hints of congeniality out of the room. “We came here in good faith. And you have yet to take anything we’ve said seriously. If you’d like to see how we usually deal with uncooperative partners, we’d be happy to demonstrate.”

  “Aside from whether sending three lambs to the slaughter on a daily basis qualifies as an act of good faith, I believe my answer was precisely to the point,” Kajiwara answered without even the twitch of an eyebrow. His chair was his throne. And he was the mayor of Demon City.

  “I don’t know what your superiors are thinking, but Demon City is home to living human beings. Living in
whatever manner they see fit. I’d be the last one to deny that we might have a few oddballs among us. But as long as they are residing here, they are residents of this city. Let me hasten to say that I’m not drawing lines in the sand here. There are plenty of individuals in this city without papers, valid ID cards or passports. Perhaps even more of them than us. Those who recognize the right of people like them—no, let’s call them living beings—to be here are no other than their fellow burghers. I rather take pride in that.”

  The mayor settled back in his chair and tented his fingers on his chest.

  “Not only me, but a predecessor who was arrested many moons ago due to the misappropriation of public funds. And the mayor three administrations back who was entrapped with wine, women and song by an opposition faction. They all share this same sentiment. Nobody comes to this city with hopes for a rosy future blossoming in his chest. And nobody leaves suffused with newly-found happiness. Without exception, all who choose to live here are accorded the rights due them as citizens of this ward. As long as they choose to live here, we will do what we can to protect them. The philanderer tells that to the embezzler. The embezzler tells that to the tax cheat. The tax cheat got himself half blown to bits by a vengeful electorate and told me that on his deathbed. Look, no matter how noble your cause, no matter how much power you flaunt, as long as it’s coming from the outside world it goes into the circular file. This is Demon City Shinjuku. What may make sense elsewhere won’t pass muster here. You get where I’m coming from, I hope? Think it over and get back to me. And don’t give me that same old line about how everybody out there’s so concerned about the vamps getting out of control.”

  This man, who based on mere appearance looked no more menacing than a weekend rent-a-cop, cast off a powerful aura that left the six soldiers speechless. The powerful qi ruled the mood of the room until, unexpectedly, another force rose up like a bubble in a pool of water.

  The mayor noted that Lieutenant Matthews had his finger pointed at his temple. “I’d assumed that showing due consideration would be the best way to a conciliatory resolution. But it seems we have underestimated the people of Demon City. From now on, we’ll be doing things our way. And when Demon City turns into a real hell, that’ll be on you.”