I’d use a bank transfer then. Of course, for that I would need an account with a fictitious name, but preparing one wasn’t hard. The internet is full of vendors dealing with those kinds of accounts. However, the problem was how to withdraw the money. I couldn’t go to a teller, so I’d have to use an ATM. The amount I could withdraw in one day would be limited, so it would take days to extract three hundred million yen even if I made multiple accounts. The police would naturally request cooperation from banks and monitor the designated account. After using my card over a dozen times, I might get caught in the net they set. Leaving evidence on the security cameras was another worry.
It was around when I had thought up to that point. Near the register, a phone rang. A young waiter wearing a uniform picked up.
He looked surprised for some reason and went outside still holding the cordless receiver. After some time, he came back and quickly disappeared behind the counter.
Eventually, a fat man who looked to be the store’s manager came out with the waiter from earlier and ran outside together. When they returned, they both looked bewildered.
After consulting with each other about something, they approached the customers’ tables separately. They were talking to each group of guests. In time, the young waiter came to me, too.
“Excuse me,” he opened his mouth timidly.
“What is it?”
“Did you come here by car today?”
“I did, actually.”
“What kind of car was it?”
“Well, it’s an MR-S.”
“Em-ar…” It seemed he didn’t know.
“It’s a navy sports car. It has a convertible hood.”
The waiter’s expression changed. “Um…with the Shinagawa number?”
“That’s it.” I had a bad feeling. I was on the edge of my seat. “Did something happen?”
“Well, it got sprayed…”
Before the waiter could finish, I ran outside.
Beholding my car, I was appalled. One of the headlights had fallen prey to red spray paint. I clucked my tongue.
“What idiot did this?”
While I stood staring at the headlight, which looked like a bloodshot eyeball, the waiter ran up to me holding something. “Um, for the time being, I brought this.”
It was benzene and a towel. I didn’t even feel like thanking him, but taking them, I put the benzene on the towel and tried to wipe the light. It seemed not much time had passed since it had been sprayed, and the part on the glass came off easily. However, I couldn’t bring myself to scrub the painted coat. Fortunately, the damage on the body was minimal.
“Um, well.” At some point the fat man who seemed to be the manager had come to stand behind me. “The restaurant is unable to take responsibility for any damages incurred in our parking lot.”
“I know. I don’t intend to ask for reimbursement or anything.” I handed the towel and benzene to the waiter. “Thank you very much.”
“Would you like to contact the police?” the waiter asked.
“No, I don’t feel like making a fuss.” Police presence was the last thing I wanted. “It’s okay. Please go back inside.” I couldn’t help looking around, but there was no way the culprit would be nearby.
“Nothing like this has happened before,” the fat man said by way of an excuse. I gave no reply.
I came back into the restaurant, but I didn’t feel like taking my time drinking coffee, so I paid my bill and went outside. I got into the car to wait for Juri, but seeing the paint mark, I felt irritated. It was still the same new MR-S, but my affection for it was already diminished.
After about ten minutes, Juri came back. She was about to go into the restaurant, so I honked the horn once to get her attention.
When I told her about the spray paint after she got in, she looked surprised. She bothered to get back out to check on the damage.
“How terrible. I wonder if it was a motorcycle gang,” she said after sitting next to me again.
“A gang these days wouldn’t do something so silly. It’s most likely the work of local grade school or middle school kids.”
“Maybe.”
“By the way, how did it go with you? Did you pull it off?”
“Perfectly.” Juri made an okay sign with her fingers. “The key’s hiding place hadn’t changed, so getting inside was easy. And erasing the recording on the answering machine went well, too.”
“And you weren’t seen by anyone?”
“Do you think I’d make a mistake like that?”
“Who knows. Until just now, you’d forgotten the answering machine itself. I’d think that’s a pretty big mistake.”
“I remembered it and cleaned up after myself.”
“After coming all the way to Yokosuka.” I turned on the car engine.
After getting out of the parking lot, instead of immediately heading back, I went in the opposite direction.
“Where are you going?”
“Just stay quiet and leave it to me.”
I’d come to Yokosuka in the past. Relying on those memories, I turned the steering wheel. Remembering a good portion of routes I’d taken before was something I bragged about.
I left the well-traveled highway and drove on a narrow road heading to the mountains. The houses thinned and the forest loomed closer. Finally, I saw a building illuminated by a green light diagonally in front of me. There was a parking lot sign. I slowed down.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Her tone was sharp.
“Just be quiet.”
“I can’t stay quiet. You never told me I’d have to go into a place like that.”
I ignored Juri and parked the car on the side of the road. I put on the handbrake and cut the engine.
“Well, let’s go then.”
“Where?”
“Where do you think? Into that stylish building.”
But Juri didn’t even take off her seatbelt. She sat stiffly, facing forward, and her expression was like stone.
“You’re being weird,” I said, guffawing. “You’ve been staying with me at my place all this time. You’re fine with that, but you have reservations about going into a love hotel with me?”
“But this place…”
“It’s meant for a specific purpose?”
Juri didn’t answer. I laughed again.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. We have a lot of work to do. We need a private room.”
“What work?”
“As part of our game, I mean. You thought we came all the way here just to erase a message on an answering machine?”
Relief and comprehension softened her expression. Even so, she drew her chin in distrustfully. “Then why aren’t you putting the car in the parking lot?”
“Hotels like this have security cameras in the parking space that can even make out plate numbers. Considering what we’re about to do, we can’t leave a record of my car.”
“Hmm.” With an ambiguous nod, she looked at me. “You know these places well.”
“I’ve done consulting for hotels like this in the past.”
The two of us walked side by side and entered the hotel, mindful of the cameras. The room we secured had a brusque monotone interior. The first thing I did was to open the window. I’d come to the mountains, but the sea looked surprisingly close by. Occasionally, I could hear a ship whistling.
“What are you going to do here?”
“You’ll understand soon. For now, could you wait over on that stylish sofa?”
But Juri didn’t sit on the sofa; she took a seat on the sheeted bed. With great interest, she looked around the room, possibly because it was her first time at such a place or because it was so different from similar rooms she’d been in—I couldn’t say.
I sat on the sofa and took out my notebook. With a ballpoint pen, I started writing.