***
Reiko decided to take them to a café across the street that Sumi said they went to a lot with their other friends.
The girls grouped together behind Eiichi and talked amongst themselves, while he kept watch of the surrounding people on the entrance path, checking every pair of eyes that might look their way, scanning as many outputs as he could, while trying to avoid the bubbly ones tailing right behind him. It seemed Reiko’s output was the one affecting him most, though the others mixed in helped balance things out. If it had just been him and Reiko, he wouldn’t be able to control the urge to look over his shoulder every few minutes.
Ryoko seemed to have changed into an entirely different person while talking with Noda and Sumi. She even laughed several times, which was a strange sound for Eiichi to hear. Though, the occasional transfer to wary suspicion and disgust told him she was burning holes in the back of his head with her stare.
It was good for him to be keeping his distance from Reiko, to save his head some pain, but he felt terrible for her. Her output switched between paranoia and fear of the people surrounding their group, to paranoia and fear of him, this strange person who claimed to know something about her problems.
What was more, since Ryoko was with them, making things exceedingly more difficult, making him exceedingly more anxious and annoyed, he also couldn’t smoke! Or else Ryoko would sound the alarms! Set off air raid sirens! Announce it on the intercom – ‘Eiichi Kozuka is a chain smoker and should be expelled!!! ...That is all.’
‘There’s likely something I’m overlooking here...’ he checked his shoulder to see the row of girls behind him. ‘A spaz, a hothead, a blabbermouth, and a...let’s just call her quiet for now. Still, each one attractive in her own way. I know most guys would kill to be in my situation, especially with Takahashi around, but taking the context into consideration, I just don’t know anymore...’
When they were nearly to the street, Ryoko was talking lively with Sumi, and Noda managed to break off from her pack and join him momentarily.
“So what’re we going to do? Just talk with Morita?” she murmured.
“That’s pretty much it. All we can do. I think even without having Takahashi with us, we would have to take this slow.”
Noda hissed at him, “What was your big idea bringing her with!? Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s great and everything, I don’t know why you don’t like each other so much, but we already have one person who might as well be an outsider, and she’s the only reason we’ve gotten this far.”
“Takahashi has had it out for me ever since last year.”
“What, you mean she’s in lo—”
“No, no! Not that! Why does everything float back to romance with you?”
“I’m a teenage girl, it’s only natural. It’s an everyday occurrence, and I keep an eye out for it just like I do everything else.”
“You are surprisingly comfortable with your position in life, aren’t you?”
With a giggle, Noda smiled at him.
Eiichi continued, while casting glances at the other students. “Ever since my reputation caught on, she decided it was her duty to zero in on me. I don’t know, I guess I just always confused her. There’s a reason why all the guys in school are afraid of her. She’s been known for taking down some of the meanest motherfuckers on campus with those judo skills of hers. She’s a hall monitor because she likes to go out looking for guys who look like me. She’s yet to catch me doing anything outside of skipping class.” He chuckled and Noda frowned at him. Eiichi let it pass and continued. “It bothers her a lot that she’s never caught me doing anything serious, so she made it a point to poke and prod at me until she could catch me doing anything that would prove her suspicions.”
“Hmm...I get it now.”
“Get what?”
“You’re not really a delinquent at all. You’re just a poser,” she hummed in low tones.
“If you wanna’ call me that, that’s your right. I never gave myself that title, you can thank the trustworthy student body of Aki Guro. And while we’re on the subject, you’re the one that wanted to play private investigators. It was your idea!”
“I know! I know! I’m regretting it now!”
“Let’s just try to get through this as cleanly as possible. Takahashi will make things difficult, but I can probably say a few things that will piss her off as a distraction...”
Eiichi’s ace in the hole was that the closer Ryoko got, the more information he absorbed, which made things difficult for her, and more enjoyable for him.
“Meanwhile, you manage Tamuro. Make sure she doesn’t say any more than is needed.”
He had already picked up that Noda and Sumi had made an agreement involving a little system of signals.
“Hey Kozuka!” Ryoko called from behind them. “I’ve got a great idea! How about you pick up the bill!”
She was really starting to push it with him.
“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me,” Noda smirked.
Eiichi droned, “You do realize I barely have a yen to spare.”
“Aw, c’mon,” Noda mushed her voice and patted his shoulder. “Even the school delinquent can stand to be a little chivalrous.”
She had obviously not forgotten about the night before.
They made it to the café. It was a small place, with broad window panes in the front. Reiko had picked this place so that there would be as many observers outside as possible. Though it made her intensely uneasy, given the possibility of being observed by people both outside and inside, she had decided to bear it. The risk of being seen by one was also the risk of being seen by many, which lowered the risk of anything bad happening.
After they ordered, Reiko picked a table very close to the front. Eiichi noticed this wasn’t something she normally did, but there were too many strangers in the group, and she didn’t want to take any chances. She was comfortable with sitting across from Eiichi as long as her best friend and the overly protective class rep were seated on her side. Noda found a seat next to him and set her camera on the table.
“Okay,” Eiichi eased in, “let’s start simple. How about you tell me how long this has been going on.”
This confused her, because she had trouble thinking back that far, as to how long ago the person had really begun stalking her, compared to when she had first started getting the letters. It had started out with a series of sensations that had built themselves into a paranoid complex, like Eiichi was witnessing now. She was certain it had been going on longer than she thought, and when it had finally become evident, it had kicked her suspicions into high alert. He picked all of this up not from anything Reiko had said, but merely from her contemplation of his inquiry.
Reiko kept her hands out of sight and in her lap, avoiding eye contact with him again and facing the table. She was wondering if this had been a good idea after all.
“It was halfway through my first year...August, I think...”
“But you didn’t know for sure.”
“No...”
“How long was it before you told anyone?”
“I didn’t tell my parents until January...”
“Because you thought it was all in your head.”
Reiko nodded.
Ryoko suddenly jumped in with her snarky input. “Aren’t you supposed to be explaining to her what this is all about?”
“Takahashi, let them talk,” Noda vouched for him.
“I can tell her some of the basic behaviors about who is stalking her, but I can’t have a full understanding of what’s going on until I hear from her what exactly has been happening. There are a variety of methods and behaviors in which a crime like this is committed, and it helps to know who we’re up against.”
This was truly the case for him. While Eiichi was able to discern the severity of the situation, his reading abilities only allowed him to know so much. Just like any normal person, he needed to make an inquiry to get the full picture, only, his abilities
gave him the skills to coax information out in a more effective manner, and to paint a clearer picture. The presentation of any form of stimuli caused a series of cognitive and chemical reactions in the mind and body. If he wanted, Eiichi could randomly speak a single word, preferably a noun, and pick up exactly what one’s own thoughts were toward that stimuli. It could be done by presenting the real stimuli as well, as a sight, sound, smell, taste or touch.
Takahashi’s output threw its skeptical spite at him, but she said no more. Her output flaring up at him, coupled with Reiko’s despairing output, was making it difficult for him to keep things settled within himself. Fighting against the negativity was causing his brain to retaliate with painful tremors, but talking was helping.
However, he had to be very careful with his statements and questions. He couldn’t show that he knew more than was humanly possible for him, and run the risk of being nailed as the perpetrator.
“Is this someone that you know?” This was obvious for him, but he should still ask it.
“...I don’t know. I don’t think so, I don’t know very many boys.”
“Well, we can’t be sure if the stalker is male or female.”
He felt a shiver running up Reiko’s spine.
“Oh come on, that’s ridiculous, of course it’s a male!” Ryoko blurted.
“You seem to have a pretty close-minded idea of the possibilities in a situation like this, Takahashi. A stalker doesn’t have to have sexual motivations, but even that is very possible between female stalkers and female victims. I wonder if you’re aware of some of the clingy types that greet you at school every day, and their own fixations on the physical.”
Her cheeks turned bright pink. Already, she was holding back the urge to grab the napkin dispenser and throw it at him. “Don’t talk to me like that, Kozuka! You’re sick, you know that!?”
It was likely she would start distancing herself from certain fans in the near future.
“I’m only discussing psychological facts.”
This set off a prick of uncertainty in Reiko’s output.
Eiichi continued, “It seems there are a lot of things the ‘in-crowd’ is unaware of. It would be best for you to stop playing backseat driver here, and listen.”
“Please, Takahashi. Eiichi means well, he’s only saying what he believes to be true.” Noda was not crazy about having to play mediator here.
After staring daggers at him for a few more seconds, Ryoko unclenched her fists. “Fine, go on. You’re still an idiot.”
Noda and Sumi exchanged uncomfortable smiles, and Eiichi noticed Reiko had become overwhelmed with more caution and distrust.
“Morita?”
Reiko tried to make eye contact, but faltered back to her old mental state.
“What are your thoughts on what I said?” he asked.
“I...I don’t believe in psychology...I understand it’s a pseudo-science, with very little concrete understanding of true human behavior. Actually...I don’t know very much about it...”
“And what are your thoughts on human behavior?”
“I don’t think it’s something that can be studied in full. The study would be too invasive, and requires complete truth from people.”
She was very perceptive. For a few moments there, her caution shrank. They were getting to something that she enjoyed.
Eiichi smiled. “And what field do you prefer?”
Reiko was reluctant to answer, and Sumi inserted herself into the conversation.
“Rei-chan wants to be a scientist! She’s a total smarty-pants!”
“Oh! What do you want to do with that?” Noda asked.
Reiko scrunched her shoulders and muttered something that no one picked up.
“Speak up Morita, it’s okay,” Ryoko urged, aware she was letting her tender side show in front of her sworn enemy.
Reiko’s lips murmured under the glare of her specs, “...Anatomy...”
“Ah...” Ryoko leaned back with a sigh. “I wish I could talk with you about that, but that stuff is too boring. No offense.”
“Do you mean anatomy, like, cadavers and stuff?” Noda asked.
“No, no!” Reiko shook her head violently. “I don’t know if I could do that...I just like how the body works...”
This was playing out nicely. Having a group of chatty girls around was proving useful. Reiko was beginning to come out of her shell.
Ryoko smoothed her bangs. “I still think that’s really cool. You have something your heart is set on.”
Eiichi glanced at the others and back to Reiko. Now he was going to start sounding like the bad guy, much to Ryoko’s amusement.
“Still, whether you believe in psychology or not, it has a place in your current situation. I agree with you, but I believe it to be more of a study than a soft-science. Between science and psychology, psychology seems to be the only one asking the hard questions right now, and it’s the hard questions that can help lead us to our criminal.”
Reiko tensed up.
“And who are you, Sigmund Freud?” Ryoko snapped.
“Please, I dabble a little, but at least I know that, just like the hard sciences, it’s a part of our everyday life.”
‘You have no idea, Takahashi...’
“I have spoken with a therapist...” Reiko murmured. “Before I knew what was happening. Nothing they told me helped.”
Eiichi peered at her. “You said it was before you knew you were being stalked?”
Reiko hesitated before nodding to the table top.
“First of all, the person you spoke with only dealt with generic cases, like anxiety, depression, anger, and relationship issues. They were not trained to deal with criminal psychology. Whether you believe it or not, psychology has a wide variety of applications. I’m not saying anything they told you would have been of use in your scenario, just that neither of you knew about your real scenario. Your suspicions and experiences were the cause of your anxieties, not the therapist or the study.”
A pause fell over the group. The waitress returned with their drinks, and after a bow and ‘thank you for your patronage’, she left.
They were getting off track again. “Anyway, if you’re comfortable with telling me, I need to know about the other things that have been happening. There’s every possibility that we can put together a framework of who this person is, which could narrow our search down a little more. As you already know, we were there for your incident at the shoe lockers. What you saw and what your reaction was made it clear that this has been happening for a considerable amount of time. If you had simply been none the wiser, your reaction wouldn’t have been as intense, though I’m sure you would have still been equally as disturbed.”
Ryoko interrupted, “What’s this about her shoe locker?”
‘Oh, for the love of—!’
“Noda, Sumi, would you please explain for Takahashi, while I speak with Morita?”
The two pulled her attention aside with hushed words. Now that Takahashi was distracted, he could continue uninterrupted for a while.
Eiichi leaned in a little. “I know that it was something you had not experienced yet, which tells me things are escalating. There are factors that come into play that make it more possible for someone in the right position to have access to your privacy so easily. What else has been happening since the time you became aware of this person’s presence?”
Reiko tried to ignore the neighboring conversation about her, and concentrate on his words, realizing he was asking her to recall information while her mind was attempting to focus on so many other elements within her current surroundings.
“It could be anything at all, phone calls, letters, has a stranger or an acquaintance said anything to you in passing you would consider odd?”
He knew those would hit home.
A few stills floated into his mind’s eye again of the letters. Reiko didn’t touch her drink, and seemed to be playing with her fingers under the table.
“Um...I’ve
been receiving a lot of strange phone calls...”
“Does the caller say anything?”
“No...it’s always silent. I haven’t answered them for a long time, so they started sending me text messages instead.”
“With the phone calls and texting, has anything really bizarre happened?”
Reiko fidgeted, and then brought out her smartphone. “This is a brand new phone. My father took my old one, ever since...”
She stopped, and Eiichi picked up a faint image of a shattered glass pane.
“Did something happen, Morita?”
Reiko glanced at him and then the other girls. She lowered her voice, “Yes...over the spring break...our house was broken into...”
“Did they take anything of value?”
She shook her head. “Just my hair brush...”
Eiichi placed his knuckles against his cheek, “Okay...what about your new phone? What happened there?”
“My father took my old one because he didn’t want it to bother me anymore. He also wanted to use it in case...the person called again. But it didn’t work. I had this new phone for a couple weeks before they started sending me texts again.”
“And that terrified you even more.”
“I never gave my number to anyone except my friends.”
“What about the phone calls, were they unavailable numbers?”
“No...they were all legitimate. I didn’t know any of them, and the police told me not to answer if the number was unfamiliar.”
“I think I have an idea of why that is...Are you aware of the cell phone thief?”
It had been some weeks since he and Noda had caught wind of the cell phone thief. It had not been going on for long, from what he could tell, and he wondered if it had started up sometime before the rumors, when Reiko had her old phone, and then came back with a fury, after her father took possession of it. At a school with such a large student body, cell phone thefts were a regular occurrence, but the large quantity and random variety of the thefts had been what had sparked all the rumors.
Reiko’s face lit up for once. “Do you think the cell phone thief could be my stalker!?”
“We don’t want to jump to conclusions, but it’s something worth looking into.”
This was still good, and Reiko talking to him was fanning away some of those negative vapors.
“They could very well be stealing cell phones because they want to make themselves less traceable. It’s the type of extreme behavior that could be expected from someone of this persona, but it still leaves a trail.”
He sensed a cold rush over her.
Reiko picked up her coffee, and Eiichi could see her hand trembling, making ripples in the liquid. She took a very long sip, looking like she might chug the whole thing.
“I know you’re getting anxious, but I need more. Is there anything else that’s been happening?”
“Yes, there’s a lot...” she was on the verge of being able to make eye contact without fleeing. “It all started with a letter I received in January. That was when I knew...I knew he was real.”
“Being terrified of a letter. I’m sure that had to be a very strong and unexpected fear.”
“I couldn’t understand it. Why? Why would someone come after me? I never hurt anyone. I’m not that attractive. I’ve never even been asked out by anyone.”
He wasn’t about to run the risk of reassuring her, this wasn’t really the time, but Reiko was wrong. Maybe it was his own opinion, but there was a charm to her. Her self-image had been the reason she covered herself up so much. She liked dark colors, and probably wore bulky clothing with those stockings of hers. Not that these things weren’t contributive to her character, but she always used them like camouflage, with high hopes that the more she covered up, the farther she would sink into the background. Classic avoidant behavior that he wasn’t so unfamiliar with in himself.
Something else he kept to himself, to save her feelings, was exactly that wish of hers to only be part of the background. Reiko did not have a strong presence like the other three. She was quiet and introverted. These were not bad qualities, but they made her an easy target. It didn’t matter that she had wanted to go unnoticed and live calmly, she had been noticed by someone, someone who took a keen pleasure in watching her suffer, no matter how small and defenseless she was.
“The person we’re looking for has a control complex. You may think they desire you specifically. They may even think that. The truth is, if it wasn’t you, it would be someone else. If you took extreme measures and moved out of Saitama, or even out of Japan, they wouldn’t be able to follow you.”
Reiko seized up at the terrible thought of leaving her home.
“Of course, that’s not what I’m implying here, I’m just making an example. If you left, they would mimic the behavior of a mourning lover, as if you had died, because unless they wanted to go through the extra trouble of following you, they would eventually move on to the next victim. It would be someone not too different from you. Someone who thinks they’re not beautiful, who doesn’t want any trouble, and will try to keep peace in their life, even if it costs them their own wellbeing and freedoms.”
This seemed a bit forward to her, but she settled on his certainty that he had an understanding of the person pursuing her.
“They hunt for their targets, they feed on their fear and confusion. Their goal is to make someone into their own private toy, and to play with them until they break. They obsess over this one thing that they’ve found, and believe it is theirs to be possessed and do with as they please. We’re likely looking for someone who’s weak-minded, but they’re knowledgeable enough to hide in plain sight. They likely don’t have very much confidence, which is why they have chosen to target you and only you.”
However, there was something about this that wasn’t adding up. Stalkers of this variety did typically have a lower level of mental functioning. It’s possible they could be intelligent enough to go to extreme measures to cover their tracks, but coming up with the idea of stealing cell phones so effectively to remain untraced was a bit too desperate and contrived for that level of thinking. It was possible, but unlikely.
Met with the harsh reality of his deduction, Reiko sat frozen with wide eyes staring across the table.
The conversation between the other three had died down minutes ago and they were all watching.
Eiichi drank from his black coffee and the cup made an audible tap as he set it down.
“You said they sent you letters, right?”
“Yes...” Reiko didn’t break her gaze.
“How did they refer to themselves?”
“It was hard to say...I think it was feminine...‘watashi’...”
“It’s still unclear,” Noda remarked.
“How many have you received?”
Reiko didn’t want to answer this, so she forced it out.
“A lot...” she shivered.
Eiichi tapped a finger on the table top, and leaned in on his elbow. “Have you held on to any of them?”
Eiichi P.I., Vol. 1 Page 32
