by Matt Lincoln
I stepped off at Harajuku Station along with half of the other people in the car, and I realized that Gardner hadn’t been exaggerating about the area’s popularity. I followed the crowd down toward a narrow street lined with colorful signs. The crowd here was even denser and consisted mostly of young women, just as Gardner had described. I looked around and was overwhelmed by the plethora of clothing, accessories, and toys I saw displayed in every window of every floor.
I was beginning to get frustrated when my eye caught something bright pink. I turned my head toward the second-story window of a tall blue building. Sitting on a little wooden rocking chair was an enormous pink unicorn that I knew I recognized from somewhere. I walked toward the building as I tried to remember why the unicorn seemed so familiar. Then it hit me. It was from that series that Amber had made us watch at Harry’s house the day before I left.
I couldn’t remember the exact name of the series, but I knew that the toy in the window was the same one that the main character sometimes rode into battle. It had the same little markings on its head. I looked around as I tried to figure out how I was supposed to get to the second floor. I was about to go through the front door on the main floor when I noticed a sign taped to the side of the building. On it was an arrow, along with a large number two. I assumed that meant that the way to the second floor was around the corner, so I ducked into the alley. At the end of the building was a thin, rickety metal staircase that did, in fact, lead up to the second floor.
As I stepped through the door to the shop on the second floor, I almost became disoriented. Shades of pink, purple, and baby blue covered every inch of the store, and I could hardly move between the narrow aisles without knocking something over. I moved toward the window where the toy was on display. The tag attached to its ear had an image that I recognized from the show, as well as a price tag.
“Twelve thousand yen…” I mumbled to myself as I mentally calculated how much that would be in dollars. It was well over one hundred, which seemed like a lot for a stuffed animal. I knew Amber would love it, though. She’d been going crazy over this show for months, and the doll was almost as big as she was. I wasn’t sure how to lift it out of the chair without knocking the rest of the display over, so I carefully made my way over to the cashier’s desk to ask for help.
The cashier smiled and said something to me in Japanese, and I gestured awkwardly toward the window while trying to pantomime with my hands that I wanted the big toy there. The woman just stared at me in confusion. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and typed the words ‘big pink unicorn’ into the translation app on it before handing it to the cashier. She nodded in understanding before stepping out from around the desk and walking over to the window. She returned a few moments later, carrying the toy, and rang me up. The unicorn was big enough that it stuck halfway out of the bag that she put it in. She bowed after handing me the bag, and, unsure what I should do, I bowed back. I left the store feeling a little embarrassed about the entire exchange, but I was sure that seeing the look on Amber’s face when I gave her the unicorn would be worth it.
As I left the store, I wondered if I should explore a little more. Now that I was out, it probably wouldn’t hurt to stay out a little longer. Junior had gotten on to me during our last mission about not taking the opportunity to explore a new country. Harry and Eliza had scolded me as well and said that the next time I traveled somewhere, I should take at least a little time to soak in some local culture.
I fell into step with the flow of the crowd. Now that I wasn’t actively searching for anything in particular, I didn’t feel quite as overwhelmed. Along with the stores, I could see small cafes and restaurants lined along both sides of the street. As I made my way to the end of the narrow passage where the crowd was beginning to thin, one, in particular, caught my eye. A sign on the wall advertised a sushi restaurant in English, with an arrow pointing down a hidden flight of stairs. I remembered what Hajime had said about the brothel being impossible to see from the street unless you knew what you were looking for, and I wondered how many other stores and restaurants I had missed because their entrances weren’t readily visible.
I descended the dark stairway. At the bottom was a set of sliding glass doors. Through them, I could see customers sitting in long rows as plates of food moved past them on a conveyor belt. Everyone was just plucking dishes off of the conveyor belt at random, and I watched with curiosity for a moment before pushing the door open.
The hostess asked me something in Japanese. I wasn’t sure, but I assumed she was asking me how many were in my party. Before I could answer, she seemed to notice my blank expression.
“English?” She asked.
I nodded in response.
“How many?” She continued.
“Just one,” I answered, and she nodded before leading me to a seat toward the back of the restaurant. I took the seat she indicated.
“You can use this to order,” she explained slowly as she pointed at a digital screen in front of my seat. “Or you can just take a dish from here.” She gestured toward the food that was slowly drifting past on the belt. “Once you finish, please drop your plates into this slot and bring the receipt up to the front register.” She gave a short bow before moving back toward the front of the restaurant.
It seemed easy enough, and it relieved me to see that the screen had an English option. It made sense, now that I thought about it. The sign out front had been in English, which meant that this restaurant catered to English-speaking tourists, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that the hostess spoke English as well.
I didn’t feel confident enough to just pull plates off the conveyor belt, considering the fact that I didn’t know what most of the offerings even were, so I decided to stick to the ordering screen for now. There were dozens of selections to choose from, and I added a few to my order before hitting the submit button. I looked around, but I didn’t see any serving staff, so I wondered how my food would get to me. If it came via the conveyor belt, wasn’t there a chance that someone else would take it before it got to me?
I shrugged and decided to just wait and see what would happen. After a few minutes, my stomach growled, and I started to eye the food on the conveyor belt. I saw something that I recognized from the time Eliza had made sushi for Harry and me, and I pulled it off the conveyor belt before it could slip away. It was a simple dish, just a piece of shrimp over a bit of rice. Sashimi, I thought it was called. I unwrapped the chopstick packet placed beside my screen and fumbled them for a second before lifting the piece of sushi to my mouth.
I froze as I bit into it and realized for the first time that the shrimp was raw. There was also a punch of spiciness that I hadn’t expected from a bit of rice and shrimp. As I swallowed it, though, I thought that it wasn’t that bad. I did wonder how much of what I’d ordered would arrive raw, though.
I spent the next ten minutes tentatively trying random dishes I picked off the conveyor belt. Some were surprisingly really good, while others made my skin crawl, particularly one that consisted of some kind of raw fish over rice. It was incredibly slimy and salty. I wasn’t sure what I’d just eaten, but I knew I never wanted to try it again.
I was just finishing a piece of cooked salmon when I heard a strange hissing noise. I looked up and noticed for the first time a second conveyor belt about a foot above my head. It wasn’t moving, and there was nothing on it, so I hadn’t paid it any attention before. It suddenly sprang to life, though, and a second later, a plate came zooming across the conveyor belt at a frightening speed before suddenly coming to a stop directly in front of me. I reached above my head and plucked it off of the belt, and sure enough, it was the food I’d ordered before. Despite having just hurtled across the length of the restaurant, everything seemed artfully set in place, and I dug in.
An hour later, I walked out of the restaurant. Half of the food I’d ordered had been completely raw, but I’d still eaten it. I didn’t want to be wasteful, and I had never been one t
o back out of something in fear. Most of it had actually been pretty good. I smiled as I thought about what Eliza would say when she found out I’d eaten raw fish. She’d always complained about how picky I was and how difficult it was to cook for me.
After that, I made my way back to the hotel. I felt a little awkward lugging a giant pink unicorn with me onto the subway, but I ignored the curious stares thrown my way. There were still a few hours left before eight, but I didn’t want to push my luck any more than I already had. We needed to be lying low, and I wasn’t currently doing a great job of that.
I stopped to get some dinner for Gardner and Junior on my way back. I remembered how Gardner had asked us to bring her something to eat a few days ago on our first day in Shinjuku. In the end, we’d both been attacked, and I hadn’t been able to fulfill that request. Ever since then, she’d been almost completely confined to the hotel room. Even though it was for her own safety, I felt bad that she hadn’t been able to explore like she’d wanted to. Some meat skewers wouldn’t make up for it, but I hoped it would at least cheer her up a little. I also felt a little guilty about having gone out to eat without them, considering we’d all been subsisting on cup noodles and vending machine snacks for the past few days.
The interior of the hotel was pleasantly warm as I stepped through the doors, and I could feel the tension easing out of my shoulders as I moved toward the elevator. Honestly, walking around on my own had been pretty risky considering the circumstances, and even though I’d spent a few hours shopping and getting something to eat, I hadn’t been able to shake the paranoid feeling that I was being watched.
The door was locked when I got up to the room, which wasn’t surprising. I knocked, and a second later, Gardner opened the door.
“Did you find something good?” She inquired immediately as I stepped into the room.
“Yeah, I did,” I nodded. “Thanks for the tip. I got this, too,”
“Ooh, is that takoyaki?” Gardner asked as I handed her the box. “I didn’t think I’d get a chance to try it. Thank you, Charlie.”
“I don’t know what it is,” I answered honestly. “A street vendor was selling them a few blocks from the hotel. It smelled good, so I thought you might like it.”
“Aw, you’re so sweet, Charlie,” Gardner cooed in a way that reminded me of Eliza. “And yeah, it’s a pretty common street food here in Japan. When Nelson told me to stay in the hotel, I thought I’d lost my chance. I thought about exploring more while I was about buying all of my equipment, but I got too scared and came right back.”
“That was probably a good decision,” I replied. “It doesn’t seem like the group currently knows our location, but we’d better be cautious, anyway. With any luck, the mission tonight will be a success, and we won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“I hope so,” Gardner sighed as she took the food over to her bed. “I was really hoping I’d be able to explore a little before we head back home.”
“Where’s Junior?” I asked as I realized he wasn’t in the small hotel room.
“He stepped outside to make a phone call,” Gardner responded as she dug into the food. “What did you get, by the way?” She nodded toward the bag I was still clutching.
“This pink unicorn thing,” I replied, holding the bag out to her. “Amber’s really into this princess show, and the unicorn is the main character’s sidekick, I think.”
“Aw, it’s so cute,” Gardner said as she took the bag from me to examine the unicorn. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”
“I hope so,” I shrugged as I took the bag back and dropped it onto the floor at the end of my bed. “Listen, do you think you could give it to her? You know, in case something happens tonight?”
“What?” Gardner practically shouted as she sat straight up. “What are you saying?”
“Calm down,” I replied. “Look, I’m not planning on dying today, but we both know what this kind of work entails. We’re going up against a group that’s willing to kill its own members to keep its secrets. I just mean, in case something goes seriously wrong, I want to make sure Amber gets her toy.”
Gardner stared at me for a long, quiet moment.
“No,” she responded with a shrug as she resumed eating.
“No?” I asked incredulously.
“Charlie, if you die, I’m going to throw it away,” Gardner shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ll toss it right out the window and leave it there. So if you want to be sure that Amber gets it, you better make sure you come back alive so you can give it to her yourself.”
I stared at her in disbelief for a minute before I understood her meaning.
“Got it,” I chuckled lowly. “I guess I have no choice then.” Despite the grave nature of the conversation, I somehow felt more at ease now.
32
Charlie
“You look like a cop,” Gardner stated flatly as I showed her and Junior my planned outfit for the night.
“What does that even mean?” I asked as I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing the same leather jacket I always did, but I’d swapped my button-down and slacks for a t-shirt and a black pair of jeans.
“I don’t know,” Gardner replied with a shrug. “Maybe it’s just your vibe? I’m just so used to seeing you wearing that jacket at work that you don’t actually look any different to me.”
“You do give off that kind of energy,” Junior agreed. “I don’t think it would matter what you wore. You always look really serious and a little angry.”
“Thanks,” I responded sarcastically. I didn’t have any other clothes with me, so it wasn’t like I could change into something else.
“Well, it’ll probably be okay,” Gardner asserted. “I somehow doubt the brothel’s target clientele is ordinary tourists anyway, so maybe it won’t even matter.”
“That’s a good point,” Junior agreed. “When you put it that way, Charlie’s clothes might not be fancy enough. The brothel’s clearly being marketed toward really wealthy people, so it might look out of place to show up in just a t-shirt and jeans.”
“Stop,” I deadpanned. “There’s no point in worrying about that now. Hajime said to just wear plain clothes. She knows Kabukicho better than we do, so I assume it’ll be fine as long as I just follow her instructions.”
“Right, sorry,” Gardner chuckled. “Anyway, how do you feel about your part of the mission, Junior?”
“Fine,” he shrugged. “Chances are high that Saito won’t even be there. Most likely, we’ll just be raiding the apartment to see what evidence we can find. It should be a pretty easy task. Not that I’m complaining, since my side is only just starting to feel better.”
Unlike me, Junior was still in his regular work clothes since there was no need for him to be undercover for his part of the mission.
“That’s good,” Gardner nodded. “How’s your injury, Charlie?”
“It’s healing up pretty nicely,” I replied. “I just changed the bandages about an hour ago. The redness had gone down, and it’s definitely less swollen.”
“Okay,” Gardner nodded as she opened her laptop. “I’ll be here waiting by my phone in case you guys need anything. As soon as you finish with your mission, call me, and I’ll send a report to Wallace.”
There was a knock on the door then, and all three of us froze until Hajime announced that it was her. I’d be glad when we could stop looking over our shoulders.
“Are you ready to begin, agents?” She asked once we’d opened the door.
“Ready,” I replied.
Junior and I bade our goodbyes to Gardner and then headed down to the lobby of the hotel. When we got down there, Hajime approached a man and immediately began introductions.
“Agent Chapman, this is officer Yoshi Takeushi,” she said, gesturing to the man in front of us. “He’ll be joining you in searching Saito’s apartment. Agent Hills and I will head to Kabukicho, where we’ll be meeting the other NCB officer who will be accompanying him into the brothel.”
/> “Nice to meet you both,” Takeushi smiled as he stepped forward to shake our hands. He was a short man but solid. He had wide shoulders, and even through his heavy uniform, I could tell he was muscular. He looked more like a bodybuilder than a cop. His appearance might have been intimidating if not for the goofy smile spread across his baby face.
“I’m looking forward to working with you,” I answered. Obviously, I had only just met him, but he gave off a friendly aura, and I really was glad to be paired with him.
“Do either of you have any questions?” Hajime asked as she looked between Charlie and me.
“No,” Junior and I replied almost in unison.
“Good,” Hajime smiled. “Then let’s begin.”
We headed out of the hotel and to the train station. It was now past the evening rush hour, so the trains were fairly empty.
“They stop running at around eleven,” Hajime informed me as we settled in for the train ride. “After the mission, we’ll have to take a taxi back to the hotel.”
Kabukicho was a five-minute walk from Shinjuku Station, so we got off the train and left the station via the East Exit. I noted as we got closer to our destination that the crowd seemed to become denser and denser.
Kabukicho at night was mesmerizing. It was all dazzling lights and bright colors. Even the archway that led into the main street was illuminated in neon red lights. It reminded me a little of the Las Vegas Strip, in more ways than one. Like Las Vegas, I only needed to look a little closer to realize that all the glitz and glamour was just a thin veneer pasted over the seedy underbelly of the city.