"Is it just necessary to keep an eye on Tokyo Tower and the area around Teitan High School?
"Good."
"No problem. The bombs are planted."
"Clear."
Vodka hung up the phone and looked at his big brother Gin beside him:
"Brother, what on earth does Cointreau want to do?"
"Don't worry about him."
Gin was not a very curious person, and he would rather see with his own eyes and think with his brain.
It's a pity Vodka doesn't have much brains other than driving and computer skills.
The two of them were currently staying in a building near Teitan High School, leisurely watching the images on the screen.
——Cointreau had sent them a text message in the middle of the night yesterday, asking them to plant bombs in certain places and also to keep an eye on any suspicious vehicles heading from Tokyo Tower to Teitan High School at noon.
To be fair, there was no reason for Gin and Vodka to help Hayashi Yoshiki every time.
It was just that Gin was too optimistic about Cointreau.
The shootout incident in Osaka had already proved Cointreau's value, so naturally Gin would not refuse such a small request.
Gin assigned some peripheral members to handle the bomb planting, and the rest was simple for Vodka.
With so many surveillance cameras around both locations, all it took was a tracking program and a few lines of code.
"The police have been searching Minami-Itō Station since last night and seem to have found a lot of fake bombs to fool them."
Looking at the informants' reports on his phone, Gin sneered coldly.
A police operation of this scale couldn't go unnoticed.
Because of Cointreau's message, Gin had also gotten his hands on the fax circulating inside the MPD. He glanced at the cryptic code, and immediately thought of Tokyo Tower.
"The blood-stained base... the red Tokyo Tower."
"I see."
"You figured out the answer long ago? What are you trying to do?"
The current time: 11:03 a.m.
If Tokyo Tower was really where the bomb was hidden, that meant Cointreau had known all along… yet he didn't tell the police directly.
That contradicted the personality he showed the world.
And the fact that he asked Gin and Vodka to help with this...
Could the bomber be connected to Cointreau?
Gin still remembered the bomb that Teiji Moriya planted on the Loop Line a few months ago.
That incident skyrocketed Cointreau's reputation. This... could be another stage play of his own making.
BOOM!
Through the surveillance feed, Gin and Vodka saw a fireball burst from the observation deck of Tokyo Tower. Smoke followed.
At that moment, a white Mercedes-Benz rushed to the base of the tower.
"What's going on?! That sound—"
"Tokyo Tower! There was an explosion on the observation deck!!"
"What!?"
"Mr. Amuro, please inform the police—the bomber hid the bomb at Tokyo Tower!"
A panicked voice on the phone shouted at Amuro Toru.
He had just been calling Hayashi Yoshiki to report when he was hit with the news—the bomber who killed his two classmates had returned.
Amuro Toru could never forget that tragedy.
And now, Hayashi Yoshiki had gone to Tokyo Tower?
No—this is a trap!!
He tried to call him, but the line was busy. In a rush, he turned on the TV.
A live broadcast came on: Tokyo Tower, billowing smoke.
A female reporter stood in front of the camera, reporting:
"Originally, we came here to film a segment on mascot Toto, but unexpectedly—an explosion has occurred. The elevator has stopped working..."
"Oh no! A little girl is trapped inside the elevator!"
As chaos erupted on screen, a young man was seen running into the tower.
Amuro Toru saw it clearly—Hayashi Yoshiki.
Without another thought, he ran from the office, calling Kazami on the way, got into his car and floored the accelerator.
Meanwhile, inside Tokyo Tower, Hayashi Yoshiki was already checking the elevator trapped mid-air.
The child was scared, huddled up inside.
"Come here," he said gently, "It's okay. I'm here."
"...Big Brother."
She looked at his face—so calm, so warm—and slowly nodded.
Clutching her teddy bear, she crawled into his arms.
Hayashi Yoshiki handed her to the panicked mother beside him.
11:19 a.m.
Ignoring the calls from Amuro, he entered the elevator.
A man's personality leaves an impression in others' minds—and the longer it's reinforced, the more unquestionable it becomes.
Hayashi Yoshiki, balanced between red and black, knew this.
As long as he didn't get caught, nothing he did now would seem suspicious.
He only needed to maintain his golden image.
So—he stepped into the mouth of danger without hesitation.