***
The policeman at the koban in Hachijo was finishing off some paperwork. There had been a break-in at one of the new apartments near the shotengai this morning and he had attended the scene. His phone buzzed and interrupted his train of thought.
"Hai Moshi Moshi," he answered.
Although there was no one else present at the koban, he snapped to attention and listened obediently. He hadn't said a word as the call ended.
"Hai wakarimashita," (Yes, I understand) he said as he hung up the phone.
He clicked on his two-way radio that was fastened to a cross-belt on his left-hand side, as he exited his little box under the subway and mounted his bicycle. He headed off and up the shotengai in the direction of Jon's house to do a quick drive-by to check and see if there was anyone at home, before reporting back to the detective that had called. As he rode past, he could see through an open window and noticed a man—matching Jon's description—and a woman, walking about the kitchen. He continued on so as not to attract their attention, then turned right in order to do a loop back to the koban.
As he entered the shotengai from the side street, he almost ran into a short, tough-looking man wearing fluffy bunny slippers. The man wore irezumi that stretched over most of his visible skin and was not afraid to yell at the policeman for being so inattentive. He grabbed the front of the young policeman's bicycle, nearly forcing him to fly forward over the handlebars. The bicycle and the rider came to an abrupt halt.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" he said to the young policeman in Japanese.
"Deferring to the much older gang member and trying hard to not show how intimidated he was, the policeman replied.
"Oh, just routine police business. Excuse me while I continue on, sir."
"Bullshit, you little bastard," continued the man.
"He shook the bicycle."
"I wonder what I might do tonight," mused the man in a playful, yet sinister voice. The young policeman looked confused.
"Maybe a date? What is her name? She is so cute. Ah, that's it, Mae Chan…yes I will call on Mae Chan."
The policeman froze. He had been at the koban long enough for the local Yakuza to find out the names of his family members and didn't want this slime anywhere near his sister. He weighed the odds and came to the conclusion that he would rather protect his sister's privacy, in preference to a foreigner implicated in a drug-dealing operation.
"What would it matter anyway? It’s was just some foreign guy," he thought.
"Ok… OK,” he said. “I am just checking to see if that foreigner is at home. A detective had his name given to him by another foreign guy they are holding in jail. That's all–just checking."
"Ah, you are the clever one—but your sister is still very cute. Ja Ogenki de." (Have a nice day)
He let go of the handle-bars and the young policeman continued on back to the koban to make his report. The man took out his keitai, immediately making a call.
Memoirs of a Vending Machine Page 7
