I have kidnapped again.
It's Misaki Akutsu.
If you report it to the police, I will kill Misaki.
I will call at 9 p.m.
Please have Mr. Akutsu get the money ready.
Wait a second! What the heck is this? What?
Do you hold a grudge against me?
I am very grateful to you.
We can pull off the perfect kidnapping.
We're family, after all.
SEVEN YEARS EARLIER
You can do it, Misaki!
You can do it!
Yes! Just one more! Go for it!
-Whoa! Yes! -Yay!
Misaki?
This ligament injury occurred because she's long been favoring
a small stress fracture she got before.
Unfortunately, she won't be able to continue competing seriously anymore.
Here. A lucky charm.
What's the matter?
Let her be. Let Tomoka take care of it.
Misaki! Oh, Misaki! Thank goodness!
I got so worried since you weren't answering your phone.
Thank goodness!
The second servings are ready.
Wow!
-Hey, Tomoka. Let's get some. -It's ready.
-Okay. -They're ready.
What? Where's Haruto?
They're ready, but...
-You done already? -He's working.
Sorry.
Thank you.
Really? Misaki started bouldering again?
Yes. Since her arm's gotten better, she wants to try again.
Really?
Tomoka, Misaki's going to start bouldering again.
Really? You are? You're going to compete?
Well, I'm not sure how far I can go, but I'm going to try.
That's so awesome!
Let's do it together.
I don't think it's that cool.
Do it!
Thank you so much for today. This was really refreshing.
I really had a good time too. That roast beef was incredible!
Thanks, as always.
It's nothing compared to all the help you gave me
back when I was practically raising her by myself.
He should be more helpful with your second, right?
I wouldn't be so sure. I might need your help again.
No problem. Anytime.
See you later!
See you tomorrow.
I'm going for a jog.
I might be going out too. Do you have your house key?
Sure do.
See you later.
Bye.
I have kidnapped again.
It's Misaki Akutsu.
We're home!
Hush! He might be in an online meeting.
I'm going to the bathroom.
This time, don't tell anyone except Mr. and Mrs. Akutsu about the kidnapping.
What the heck is this? What?
Do you hold a grudge against me?
I am very grateful to you.
We can pull off the perfect kidnapping.
We're family, after all.
What are you doing?
You're home?
What's that?
Work documents. I need them tomorrow, so I was putting them in the car.
That's money.
I saw it.
What's going on?
What? Mom?
Oh, come on. Why not?
Oh, Dad.
Hi. Welcome home.
Look at all the stuff we bought.
Hey. Isn't that a bit too much?
-No, it's not. -Don't you have homework? Go do it.
What? I want to try these on.
You can do that later.
Fine.
Remember your promise to always consult with me?
The kidnapper told me not to tell anyone except the Akutsus.
I'll handle it somehow.
Forget you ever saw this, Michiru.
You'll be the go-between again?
I don't have a choice.
Will you tell Mr. Akutsu about the money?
If I did that, he wouldn't trust me at all.
But, if you stay silent and keep it, you'll be treated like an accomplice.
Don't you think you should talk with the police?
I'm scared as heck too.
But saving Misaki comes first, right?
It's from Eri.
She wants to know if Misaki contacted Tomoka.
She must be looking for her.
I'll go to the Akutsus.
Haruto.
Be careful.
You too, Michiru.
Take care of Tomoka.
NEX AKUTSU
Mr. Narusawa.
Sorry, I was on another call.
What's the matter?
Oh, where's Eri?
She can't contact Misaki, so she's out looking for her.
I rushed home to help.
She went to the police station.
She's worried after what happened with Tomoka.
Mr. Narusawa?
SHICHIRIGAHAMA POLICE STATION
She was wearing a pink hoodie and black shorts...
Eri!
Oh, Mr. Narusawa.
Misaki is at our place now.
Oh, dear me! Is that right?
Oh, I'm so sorry. Sorry for causing you all this trouble.
Let's go.
Thank you.
-Thank you for coming here. -It's all right.
What did you rush off for?
I have something important to tell you two.
You think we shouldn't tell the police, right?
To make certain you get Misaki back,
I think it's best to pay the ransom without contacting the police.
They're calling at 9 p.m., right?
I'll get together as much money as I can by then.
KANAKO TATEWAKI THE ONLINE MEETING STARTED AT 7 P.M.
Sorry, it's from the office.
I'm going to step out for a bit.
Oh, the kidnapper said to carry on with life like normal
to prevent anyone from noticing.
Bye.
You're late, President Narusawa.
Sorry about that. Okay, let's start.
What did you think of the new Dungeon Table items?
Well...
PROPOSAL FOR NEW DUNGEON TABLE ITEMS
I think they're fine. I think people will want those.
What?
Well, this is a first.
You don't have any complaints? Are you sure you're taking this seriously?
Hey, now listen.
When I think something is good, I'll say it's good.
Nice work, development team.
Thank you!
Congratulations.
Well, then that's it for the item meeting. Good night, everyone.
Good night.
Oh, can you stay for a minute, President Narusawa?
Oh, got it.
What is it?
Well, I've already told Michiru about the recipe meeting.
The police detective Mr. Katsuragi came to the office.
What did he want?
He said he wanted to know what you have been doing lately.
What's with that?
I told him you're the same as always.
I didn't tell him about your recent absence due to your affair.
I told you, that's not what happened.
Anyway, let me know if you hear anything about the kidnapping. I'm counting on you.
YOU HAVE LEFT THE MEETING
Ms. Suzuma.
Can we talk?
Sure.
Excuse me.
Did you get the money?
I asked all the bank branch managers who I'm on good terms with.
I was able to get together 200 million.
Okay. Let's see what the kidnapper asks for.
Okay.
UNKNOWN CALLER
Hello?
Akira and Eri Akutsu are with you, right?
I'm Akutsu.
I'm his wife, Eri.
You didn't call the police, right?
Of course not.
Don't tell anyone about this.
I promise! What do I have to do to get Misaki back?
Pay a ransom of one billion yen.
One billion?
Bring it to the west parking lot of Kamakura Daiichi Cemetery in 30 minutes.
We can't get 800 million in 30 minutes.
All I've got is 200 million right now.
100 million is enough for today.
You will pay 100 million a day for ten days.
Ten days?
You'll keep Misaki locked up for ten days?
Yes.
Please! I'll get the money together fast. Please return Misaki now!
I'll decide how it's done.
Where's Misaki? Let us hear Misaki's voice!
You have 29 minutes.
Anyway, for now, we need to hurry. Let's get going.
There it is.
We've brought the money.
Place the money in the back of the dark blue mini-wagon.
I put it in.
When you're done, leave immediately.
If you tail the car, I will kill Misaki.
Starting tomorrow, Mr. Narusawa will bring the money alone.
Me alone?
I will call and tell you the location every morning at 10 a.m.
Don't you think we should tell the police?
Eri...
The kidnapper believes that the police aren't involved.
If you want to get Misaki back safely, we should go about this alone.
But Misaki will be held for ten--
If we contact the police, who knows what'll happen to Misaki.
We have no choice but to continue like this.
Okay. Understand?
Good evening.
I heard you went to my office too.
If you keep poking around about Tomoka's kidnapping,
I'll get my lawyer to file an official complaint.
This isn't about Tomoka's kidnapping.
Isn't there something else that's been bothering you?
What are you talking about?
If you're involved in some trouble, you should ask the police for help.
The police exist to help the citizens.
Mr. Narusawa.
Kidnapping isn't a game.
I know that better than anyone.
Welcome home.
Miwa and Todo are here.
Did you tell them?
Of course not. They suddenly dropped by because Miwa has something to tell us
about Yuzuki's kidnapping.
Why now?
Anyway, make sure they don't find out about Misaki.
So...
What happened?
Well...
They're demanding one billion yen.
One billion?
And they took 100 million today.
We put it in that mini-wagon again.
And from now on they want 100 million a day.
I'll be delivering it alone.
You alone? Why?
I knew it! They're trying to make you an accomplice.
I don't get it, but what choice do I have?
Dad, you're home?
Yes. I'm home.
Did you ask about that thing?
Tomoka wants to go to Yokohama in a group of three girls and three boys.
What? With boys?
They're friends from elementary school. That's why we bought clothes.
Mom said it's okay if you say it's okay.
I guess it's safer to be in a big group.
I'll be home before curfew.
Todo and Miwa are here.
Hey, come on.
-Oh, we dropped in. -Yes.
Tomoka, you're way too good.
-Come join us, Haruto. -So what do you wanna do next?
Oh, sure.
Tomoka, it's your bedtime.
What?
Don't be like that.
What about you two?
We're having a little reunion.
Not fair!
Adults are never fair.
Hurry up and go to bed. I'm the one who has to wake you up.
But...
Then,
just one more game!
Yes, just one more.
Fine.
Yes! Play with us, Dad. Mom's no good.
Here.
Oh, okay. Let's do this.
Right!
I'll play anything.
Okay.
-What are we playing? -I'll win this time.
Okay.
Are you okay?
Why don't you lie down?
Are you sure we can trust Mr. Narusawa?
What?
At the cemetery parking lot,
he spotted that mini-wagon before the phone even rang.
Don't you think it's odd?
He must have known he would put it in that mini-wagon.
I thought the same thing, but...
Tomorrow, he'll be taking the money alone.
He's not even part of our family. Don't you think it's odd?
Eri, do you really think Mr. Narusawa would kidnap Misaki?
But Mr. Narusawa has never been all that friendly with Misaki, right?
Whenever we went on family trips together, only Michiru ever joined us.
Are you really sure you want to do what he tells us?
If we don't do something for Misaki, she could...
-Welcome. -Thanks.
Any news?
I am in so much trouble.
Division Chief Yoshino and Mr. Kusakabe
have told me not to feed any info to you at all.
Did you check out the connection between Misaki Akutsu and Koharu Todo?
Welcome.
Just a self-serve drink.
All right.
The top brass have ordered us to stay away from the Akutsus.
You think it's really that important?
Misaki Akutsu is the key behind all these kidnappings.
A detective's hunch?
I can't have you sticking your nose into this, Mr. Katsuragi.
You know, you've been taken off this case.
Sorry.
Officer Umeki merely did the right thing by reporting to his superior.
You'll be charged with abuse of power if you glare like that.
Anyway, we'll be leaving.
You were sent to reception at Kawasaki-nishi, right?
Best of luck there, Mr. Katsuragi.
Come on.
Mr. Kusakabe.
You're in need of a big catch, aren't you?
Your old classmate, Okubo, is now chief at Hiratsuka Station, right?
I like working the streets.
Why don't you use me? You can take all the credit.
You want to make a deal?
Do you have some kind of lead?
Will you use me?
It depends on the lead.
Then forget it.
Whoa! Hold on!
I told you it depends on the lead. Sit down.
On the morning of April 13, I ate with Todo.
He was carrying binoculars and a truncheon.
He was prepped for action.
Then I tailed Todo by myself.
He met up with Haruto Narusawa.
Todo was clearly making sure that Narusawa wasn't being followed.
That does seem suspicious. Where'd they go next?
With Todo around, I could never tail them in the car.
However, when I called Narusawa's company, the person at reception
confirmed with me that Haruto Narusawa hadn't come to work that day.
Then, that night,
I staked out Aoi Miwa's home that he runs his law firm out of.
But Miwa never came home.
You've sure got stamina.
When I looked into it more,
I found out that Miwa had suddenly started living
with his ex-wife and daughter.
I asked his ex-wife's employer.
Starting from April 13, the day Todo and Haruto Narusawa met up,
she suddenly took three days off to care for her daughter who had a fever.
She also kept her daughter Yuzuki out of school for a week.
Today, I went to Harukana.
According to the vice-president, Kanako Tatewaki,
Haruto Narusawa was at the office as usual on April 13.
That's not what reception said, is it? They're hiding something.
I think Haruto Narusawa, Todo, and Miwa were together during that time.
Then afterward, Miwa started living with his ex-wife and daughter.
What do you think this means?
Miwa's daughter was kidnapped and the police weren't informed.
What?
They dealt with the kidnapper without the police.
Then Miwa's daughter, Yuzuki, was returned to them.
That does make some sense, but isn't it a bit of a stretch?
That's why I just went and tricked Haruto Narusawa.
I said, "If you're involved in trouble, ask the police for help."
Who said you could go and do that? Darn it!
And?
Bingo.
Haruto Narusawa is hiding something from the police.
And it's not just Yuzuki Miwa.
He might be involved in even more kidnappings.
You mean, there are a bunch of kidnappings happening without us knowing?
Hush!
The kidnapper was probably trying to make this kind of situation from the start.
Risk-free perfect kidnappings since the police aren't involved.
Can you get reserve officers to handle reception at Kawasaki-nishi
so I can be free to check this out?
I'll give you all the credit.
First, find out what you can about Yuzuki Miwa's kidnapping.
Umeki, you watch him.
An unprecedented perfect kidnapping...
Let's crack this case.
So what's this about the kidnapping?
Yuzu remembers the kidnapper.
She saw their face?
No, their smell.
Their smell?
Remember how Yuzu's asthma pushed the handover up?
At that time, the kidnapper came to where she was.
I am coming into the room.
Turn your back to the door and keep your eyes closed.
Make sure you don't look.
She caught a faint but nice smell.
A nice smell?
Like perfume or shampoo.
In any case, she thought it was a woman.
A woman?
What about you, Todo? Have you found out anything new?
No.
There wasn't any evidence at the scene that might lead to the kidnapper.
I checked the mini-wagon's plates, but of course, it was stolen.
Did you notice anything when you followed the kidnapper, Michiru?
Oh, sorry. I was behind them the whole time.
The windows were tinted too.
But at the golf course parking lot, I saw someone get in from afar.
They didn't look very big.
Now that you mention it, they could have been a woman.
It's possible a woman took the job of being the bagman.
That's good! You drink stuff like this every day?
Miwa.
How's Yuzuki?
She's doing all right.
I think it's because she wasn't held captive for long.
I see.
Oh, so...
Are you still living with Satsuki?
We get along when Yuzu's around.
But the second it's just us two alone, she gives me the total cold shoulder.
Let's hurry up and catch the kidnapper and get Koharu back.
Yes.
You know, about that...
We're not supposed to talk about it,
but if we want the kidnapper caught, shouldn't we tell the police?
-No, we can't do that. -How come?
I mean, remember how the kidnapper said
they'd hurt our families if we told the police?
Maybe so, but if we told the police, wouldn't they protect us?
And you were the go-between,
so if we hide it from the police, they might just get the wrong idea.
Actually, you know how I communicated with the kidnapper as a go-between, right?
Yes.
And I paid the ransom without telling the police.
-Yes. -So by law, is that considered a crime?
Well, you could be charged
with aiding a kidnapping or helping a criminal escape.
But you were forced to be the go-between.
As long as you didn't profit from it, it's not a problem.
Profit?
But if the police investigate it properly, they'll see that I'm innocent, right?
It's probably the opposite.
The opposite?
If the so-called hero, Haruto Narusawa, were actually the kidnapper,
it would be the perfect chance for the police to restore its reputation.
They'd take a pretty skewed view of things.
Really?
And,
if I were arrested?
Kidnapping for profit is a serious crime.
If you're guilty, you'll definitely go to prison.
Oh, this is delicious.
Wow! It's huge!
It looks so good!
There. Go ahead.
Okay. They're ready.
Michiru, thank you.
Tomoka, you're drinking too much.
He's working.
I'm leaving early to get the rest of the money together.
I'll call the school and tell them she's taking the day off.
Eri?
Are you all right?
Yes.
I'll get a suitcase.
Did you sleep?
Yes, a little.
How about you?
Were you able to sleep?
I know it's rough for you now.
I'm sorry for making you worry.
I thought things over.
You know, we should tell the police.
Just you and the kidnapper doing the handoff
is just too dangerous for you.
I'm worried about Misaki...
but what if something happened to you?
You're right.
I hope Misaki's all right.
She hasn't read any of my texts to her on Line.
Eri said she's in bed because of a bad fever.
She took her phone away because she was always looking at it.
Really? That sounds like hell. And I borrowed her tablet too.
Maybe I'll go give it back.
Why don't you wait until she's better? See you.
Fine. Later!
UNKNOWN CALLER
Hello?
Mr. Akutsu is there, right?
Yes, I am. It's just me, my wife, and Mr. Narusawa.
In one hour, Mr. Narusawa will come alone with 100 million yen
to Parking Lot 3 of Hiratsuka Chuo Athletic Park.
Just a minute!
I have the remaining 900 million.
I'll give you all of it now. Hurry up and give Misaki back!
You will pay 100 million a day.
My wife has a heart ailment.
She'll never survive this stress for ten days!
I decide how things are done.
Doesn't dragging it out just increase the risk for you?
You have 59 minutes.
Anyway, I'll get going.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
Michiru.
Haruto told me.
I'm sorry.
What's wrong?
This morning,
I told Haruto to call the police
because it's too dangerous if he gets any more involved.
Did he call?
I'm worried about Misaki...
but what if something happened to you?
You're right.
I'm so scared. I can't stand it either.
I wish I could leave it all to the police,
so I can relax.
For Tomoka and for our unborn baby,
I should stop doing this right this second.
I realize that.
But when we were going through this, so many people helped us.
I can't turn my back on them.
To me, that just doesn't seem right.
Haruto.
I want to save Misaki.
I know it looks like he's only interested in work
and doesn't care at all about his daughter.
But he's actually very kind.
Eri, do you remember
when we first met?
At that time, the first person who showed concern for Misaki
was Haruto.
Tomoka.
What are you doing?
What? Hold on a second.
There's one.
Here.
Give this to that girl sitting over there. Tell her it's a charm to cheer her up.
-Okay! -Good.
Okay? So don't you worry.
HIRATSUKA CHUO PARK PARKING LOT 3
I'm here. Where are you?
Bring it to the dark blue mini-wagon in Parking Lot One within three minutes.
HIRATSUKA CHUO PARK PARKING LOT 1 THIS WAY
I swear that he will rescue Misaki.
Let's trust Mr. Narusawa.
Hello?
It was the same this time.
I had to put it in a mini-wagon. It went off without a hitch.
Thank you.
I'm on my way back.
Wait!
What's wrong?
I didn't trust you, Mr. Narusawa.
I thought Mr. Narusawa was working with someone
and they had kidnapped Misaki together.
I thought you were trying to take our money.
I'm sorry...
It's okay.
Forget about it. Let's try and get Misaki back safe--
I planted a GPS tracker!
I planted a GPS tracker inside the suitcase.
Why did you do that?
I thought Mr. Narusawa was lying, so I was going to expose him.
If the kidnapper finds out, they might kill Misaki!
If Mr. Narusawa was the kidnapper, I was sure he wouldn't kill Misaki.
I was so worried about what would happen to Misaki
if she were locked up for ten days.
Mr. Akutsu...
Can you send me the tracking info for the GPS tracker?
Sure.
What are you planning on doing?
I'll follow that GPS and find the kidnapper.
After I make sure Misaki's safe, I'll contact the police.
I'll go with you.
No!
I want you to protect Michiru and Tomoka.
Okay.
Thank you!
Please... Please save Misaki!
I swear I'll save her.
Why?
Translated by Brian Athey