Chapter 7

Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in hell. - Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian

* * * *

Michio Ishigawa was staring.

He groaned out loud and looked at the calendar on the wall to check if it’s April’s Fool Day that day, as he wasn’t sure that he had just heard right. Either that or his sister is playing a prank on him.

Michio definitely wasn’t expecting this when he had first woken up that morning.

His elder brother was gone from the house even before he had woken up at eight in the morning, like what Michiru Ishigawa had done every single time that he had an investigation on hand. Following that, his sister had entered the kitchen where he was having his breakfast of some toast and a cup of coffee, only to have Miki telling him what she needs his help with, which had the immediate effect of causing him to snort nearly half of his coffee up his nose.

“Whaaaat??!!”

Miki nearly winced at her brother’s loud and enraged yell.

“We need to get Yuri out of Singapore before the week is up, niisan, and you know it,” said Miki seriously, and Michio stared at his sister like she had just grown two new heads.

Miki sighed. “You know how the law in Singapore works, seeing as how we’ve often pored over Michiru-niisan’s books when he was still in the Police Academy! And you know that they’re this close to chucking Yuri in either a mental institute or the girls’ home for kami knows how long!” Miki placed the thumb and forefinger of her right hand so close together that they’re almost touching. “I won’t let them lock her up when Yuri’s done nothing wrong! She’s like a sister to me!”

Michio sighed and scratched his head. “If Yuri is caught, you do realise that we might be in big trouble, don’t you?” he asked seriously. “You’re taking a very big risk here. If Yuri is ever caught trying to escape, all those that have helped in her escape will be punished severely. And Michiru will be in big trouble as well, since he’s the one who is supposed to be keeping an eye on her during the investigation.”

“I know,” said Miki seriously. She looked at Michio. “Please, niisan! I know that you have a way to make fake passports. You can do illegal things whilst still being legal in the eyes of the law. Please! Help Yuri this once.” She was practically on her knees before Michio by this point in time, and Michio can see the pure desperation on his sister’s face.

“I’ve never begged you for anything in my life, niisan! Just this once… I’ll never ever ask you for anything again. Help Yuri!”

Michio sighed and scratched the back of his head. Yuri is like a younger sister to him as well, as Michio, Michiru and Miki grew up with Yuri together, especially since their father and Yuri’s mother were good friends.

And he didn’t want to see Yuri get punished for something that she didn’t do.

“Fine,” said Michio with a sigh, looking at his sister. “But if you are ever caught, or if Yuri is ever caught…” He looked solemnly at his sister. “You don’t know me.”

Just outside the kitchen, Yuri Kirisawa was leaning with her back against the wall, having heard every single word of their conversation, and she didn’t know what to think. She didn’t think that Miki was really serious about helping her get out of Singapore. She had merely assumed that Miki was saying that last night to make her feel better.

Yuri sighed. Now that Michio is involved as well, she had better not get herself caught trying to leave the country, or many people will be in deep trouble.

* * * *

Miki looked left and right to ensure that no one was around before she picked up the receiver of the public payphone under the block of flats several blocks away from her own house. Slotting a phone card into the card slot of the phone, Miki then dialled the number that Yuri had given her.

Three rings later, the call was picked up, and a voice whose owner sounded like he had just rolled out of bed answered in Japanese.

“Hello?”

Miki gulped a little at the sound of that voice.

She had never met Yuri’s uncle, but she had seen the photographs taken whenever Kenji Kirisawa had dropped by for his yearly visits every New Year’s Day. And even then, Miki had thought that Kenji Kirisawa looked rather solemn and serious-looking.

Miki had rehearsed the phone conversation that she’s going to be having with Kenji Kirisawa countless times, especially since she doesn’t think that the man is going to be very pleased to find out that his one and only niece is wrongly accused of murder, with said murder victim being his younger sister.

“H-Hello. Is this Kenji Kirisawa-san[1]?” Miki asked nervously in Japanese.

She could nearly see the man on the other end of the line frowning as there was a slight pause before he spoke again. “Who is this?”

“I-I’m Ishigawa,” said Miki. “Miki Ishigawa. I’m Yuri’s friend.”

“Yuri?” Kenji Kirisawa sounded almost bewildered. “Is she okay?”

“Yuri…is fine, physically, that is,” said Miki hesitantly. “Kirisawa-san. Something has happened.”

There was a slight pause before Kenji spoke again, and his voice sounded sharp. “Please explain, Ishigawa-kun[2].”

Miki sighed before lapsing into a watered-down version of everything that has happened. From Hitomi Kirisawa’s murder, to the police arresting Yuri, to the fact that she is now the major suspect in the murder case, and that she is currently placed under house arrest, and also the fact that Alice Kwok is the real murderer.

There was a very long silence after Miki had finished explaining everything to Kenji Kirisawa, that for a moment, Miki assumed that Kenji Kirisawa had just gone into shock. And when he spoke again, Miki froze, as his voice was cold…very cold.

“…I see. And I take it that Yuri needs something, otherwise, she would never get you to call me.”

Miki sighed before nodding, despite knowing that Kenji can’t see it. “My brother and myself…we’re going to find a way to get Yuri to Japan,” she said. “We have to get Yuri out of Singapore before the week is up. I know that my eldest brother might be in some serious trouble if Yuri actually managed to escape, but it can’t be helped in this case.”

“Thank you, Ishigawa-kun,” said Kenji with a sigh. “Yuri is lucky to have a friend like you. As for that woman and her daughter…” Miki shivered as Kenji’s voice turned extremely cold. “Those two will pay! They will learn to fear the name of the Black Dragon!”

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[1] -san: It is a polite form of address

[2] -kun: A form of suffix used to address someone whom one is not very familiar with. In Japan, first name address are reserved for extremely close friends or family members. One would address another, using a suffic like ‘-kun’.