Innocent World: Chapter 14

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On a Wednesday at the end of September, as soon as he arrived at work, Yamamura was summoned by his supervisor. Ever since the incident with Nishida, his work performance had been in a slump, but yesterday he had finally managed to secure a contract. Compared to the previous month, his results weren’t great, but among the fifteen salespeople, he was still in the upper half. He wasn’t late, and his appearance was decent enough. He couldn’t find any reason why he would be called in just to get reprimanded.

When Yamamura stood in front of the desk, the supervisor, wearing a sour expression as though he’d just swallowed a bitter pill, began to speak.

"You, about half a month ago, you got an order from that old lady, 'Himeto Nobue,' didn’t you?"

"Yeah, she was a real talkative grandma. She’s seventy-five, so I really had to push to get the loan approved, but is it turning into a problem? Or is she complaining about something? She didn’t seem like the type to be a hassle."

The supervisor let out a heavy sigh, "If it was just her complaining, that would’ve been better. But it seems her son showed up, and apparently, he’s... connected with some not-so-nice people."

The supervisor ran a finger diagonally across his cheek. Yakuza... A chill ran down Yamamura’s spine. There were jokes among the other salespeople about how sometimes when they were doing their rounds, they’d come across a customer’s husband coming home, and he’d be covered in tattoos, making them bolt right out of there. But this wasn’t a laughing matter.

"We should cancel the contract immediately. Someone over seventy shouldn't even be able to take out a loan in the first place."

"Calm down," the supervisor said, holding Yamamura back with a hand gesture. "I handled the cancellation last night when the complaint came in. Told them we made a ten-year error in the age calculation. We’re giving them the water purifier as a gift, so we don’t have to go back there to uninstall it—it’s too risky."

"I-I’m sorry."

"Forcing through a loan isn’t that unusual, honestly. It’s just that you happened to stumble upon a case like this. It’s not your fault. But we can't have them thinking this is a company-wide thing, so I spun it like it was just one rogue salesperson pulling a scam. Now they’re demanding we bring in the guy who made the sale. They’re furious, even though they’re the ones who always play dirty."

The supervisor's brows knitted into a deep frown, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"As for the old lady herself, she can’t seem to remember your name. Might be starting to lose it, or maybe she’s protecting you because she knows how her son is. But the real problem is that Yakuza son of hers. He keeps insisting on knowing the name of the salesperson, so I gave him Nishida’s name and address. Nishida quit and moved away, so as long as he’s keeping his nose clean, there shouldn’t be any ‘real trouble.’ Just keep doing your job like normal, and keep this whole mess in mind."

A wave of relief washed over Yamamura, knowing that he wasn’t in any immediate danger. Still, it was clear that the supervisor had a lot of pent-up frustration toward Nishida, who had deceived many employees and then vanished without a trace. As Yamamura returned to his desk, Tsuboi sidled up to him and said, "Seems like it’s turning into quite a situation."

"Nishida really burned a bridge with the boss, huh?"

The supervisor's voice was loud enough that Tsuboi must have overheard the whole thing.

"Just between you and me," Tsuboi said, lowering his voice, "Nishida even got the boss to give him a three-month salary advance. Only the base salary, though. I mean, in a commission-based job like ours, getting an advance like that is unheard of. But you know how smooth he was with words, right? Flattering people, getting them all puffed up. He even managed to pull that off with the boss. Of course, the boss can’t admit that to anyone higher up, so he’s probably covering the advance out of his own pocket, and he’s pretty ticked off."

A scapegoat, hounded by the Yakuza... Nishida had it coming, Yamamura thought, and maybe even deserved worse. He headed out for his usual sales rounds.

In the afternoon, just as his sales pitch was reaching a critical point at a customer's home, his phone, set to silent mode, began to vibrate. A call from the office—this couldn't be good. The company almost never calls salespeople while they’re in the middle of a pitch, knowing that even a minor interruption can ruin the customer's buying mood. It must be urgent. Apologizing to the client, Yamamura stepped out to take the call.

"Yamamura, you’ve been found out."

Those were the first words out of his supervisor’s mouth.

"The yakuza we were talking about this morning called just now," the supervisor's voice crackled through the phone, tension underlying every word. "He said, 'Seems like that salesperson was a guy named Yamamura, wasn’t it?' Somehow, they found out. I really don’t want to believe that someone in our company snitched, but..."

Yamamura swallowed hard, the lump in his throat almost too thick to get down.

"The best I could do was say, 'Yes, there was a mistake in the paperwork, and Yamamura was indeed the salesperson.' Listen, there might be people watching around here too, so don’t come back to the office today. Park the company car in some lot nearby and then give me a call. I’ll send someone to pick it up. They sounded like they know your address. Don’t go back to your apartment—find somewhere else to stay, maybe a friend’s place or a hotel. Lay low until things cool down. If you’re lucky, you’ll only get roughed up or lose a finger. They were in a real rage, though... wouldn’t be worth it if you ended up dead."

"Yes, yes, I understand..." Yamamura muttered mechanically, his palms slick with sweat. His heart was pounding so violently, it felt like it might burst out of his chest. After hanging up the call, he apologized to the housewife he was speaking with, saying, "I’m terribly sorry, but something urgent has come up," and quickly gathered the documents he had spread out on the table. Leaving the bewildered woman behind, he dashed out of the house.

He left the company car in a parking lot two stations away from the office. He knew it’d be safer if it were closer, but he was too scared to get any nearer. There was no going back to his apartment. He couldn’t risk dragging anyone he knew into this mess, so the best choice seemed to be a hotel. After some thought, he checked into a twin room at a business hotel far from his apartment, near a restaurant where he used to work part-time.

The real problem was Hirokuni. How could he get him from the apartment to the hotel safely? From the supervisor's tone, it sounded like there might be people watching both the company and his place. Even if he wanted to call, he didn’t have a landline. To bring Hirokuni over, he’d have to go back to the apartment.

If Yamamura didn’t return, Hirokuni wouldn’t have anything to eat. He might wander off to the park and scavenge for scraps, but the thought of making him do that was unbearable. He remembered how Hirokuni used to be teased by kids and pelted with cans. Even though Hirokuni hadn’t seemed bothered, Yamamura never wanted to see him go through that again.

Above all, he couldn’t shake the fear that Hirokuni might be mistaken for him and beaten up—or worse, that he was suffering right at that very moment.

If Ochiai hadn’t collapsed, Hirokuni would probably be at the clinic around this time. If that were the case, bringing him over would have been easy. But there was no point dwelling on "what ifs" now.

Hirokuni wouldn’t open the door, even if someone knocked or called his name. While it was reassuring that he wouldn’t let just anyone in, Yamamura knew that if Hirokuni tried to step outside, he’d be caught. Would his limited Japanese be enough to make them leave him alone? But if they grabbed him before he could say anything...

The supervisor had given Yamamura a way out, a clear path to escape. Even knowing it was safest to stay hidden, he couldn’t help himself—he left the hotel. His suit stood out too much, so he bought a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, sunglasses, and a hat at a nearby store and changed his clothes completely.

Taking a taxi to his apartment, he got out about a hundred meters away and strolled down the street, pretending to be just a passerby. When he glanced at his building from the corner of his eye, he saw two men stationed there—one at the stairs and the other in front of his apartment. Yamamura’s throat tightened. One was in his forties, dressed in a suit, and the other looked to be in his twenties, wearing flashy clothes. From their demeanor, it was clear they weren’t ordinary civilians.

As Yamamura walked past, the two men stayed in place, scanning the surroundings warily. With the entrance so heavily guarded, there was no way to make contact with Hirokuni. He considered circling around to the side of the building where the window was and throwing a stone to get Hirokuni's attention... but if he made a noise and those men came around, he’d be finished.

The fact that there were men watching the place made it unlikely that Hirokuni had been mistaken for him and caught. But how could he get him out of there? Fighting wasn’t an option—he had no chance of winning. The only choice was to wait until Hirokuni came out on his own... Yamamura crouched down on the side of the road, out of sight of the two men. They were watching the walkway intently. Even if he wasn’t noticed at first, if he kept pacing back and forth, they’d definitely think something was up.

Unable to get closer, yet unwilling to leave, Yamamura clutched his head in frustration. A sudden thought crossed his mind—what if Hirokuni had gone to the park? Ever since Ochiai had been hospitalized, Yamamura had no idea what Hirokuni did during the day. He always seemed to be at home when Yamamura returned, so he’d assumed Hirokuni stayed inside all day. But maybe, just maybe, he wandered around outside sometimes. With no money to his name, the only place Hirokuni could really go was the park.

With a feeling akin to praying, Yamamura ran to the park. It was past 3:30p.m, and he passed a group of elementary school kids on their way home from school. There were a few children playing in the park as well, clustered around the sandbox and the playground equipment. Among them, a few kids stood near a tree, looking up with curious expressions. Some were even pointing. Squinting, Yamamura looked closely and spotted a figure high up in the branches, partially hidden by the leaves. There was no mistaking it.

Just as he was about to call out, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind. Startled, he turned around in a panic.

"Isn’t that Yamamura-san?"

There stood Nishida, the man who had swindled a significant amount of money from everyone and disappeared, now smiling widely as if nothing had happened.

"What are you doing in a place like this? You look different from usual, so I didn’t recognize you at first."

Although relieved it wasn't the yakuza, Yamamura was shocked at Nishida's nonchalant attitude. How could he talk so casually after betraying everyone so badly?

"I should be asking you that. What are you doing here?" Yamamura's tone grew harsh without him even realizing it.

"Ah, me? Just handling some personal business," Nishida replied lightly.

Seeing his face again for the first time in a month, Yamamura noticed that Nishida had cut his hair short and now looked surprisingly well-groomed. His clothes were more refined, almost polished. The thought that Nishida might be flaunting the money he’d swindled from him made Yamamura’s blood boil.

"How dare you show your face to me after that scam you pulled. Give me back my money!" Yamamura snapped at Nishida.

"Hey, hey, no need to make that scary face. I’ve got my reasons, you know. I couldn’t explain things properly before because I was in a rush, but now that everything’s settled down, I’d like to tell you what happened back then. And yes, I’ve arranged to pay everyone back."

"You’re... going to return it?" Yamamura's anger began to waver slightly. Nishida answered casually, "Yeah, I’ll pay it back."

"Actually, I was just on my way to your place, Yamamura-san. I figured the other guys would just yell at me to ‘give back the money,’ but I thought you’d actually listen to what I have to say. Plus, I wanted to ask for your advice about something."

"My place... isn’t a good idea right now," Yamamura said, hesitating. He couldn’t exactly tell Nishida that he was being chased by the yakuza.

"How about we go to a café then? It’s going to be a long story, so somewhere to sit would be nice."

Yamamura knew he wasn’t in a position to be listening to anyone’s problems, but he couldn’t completely turn Nishida away either. He wanted to know why Nishida had betrayed him, and more importantly, he wanted to get back the two million yen he had entrusted to him.

"Alright... Just give me a second," Yamamura said as he walked over to the tree where the children were gathered. Hirokuni was perched high in the branches, staring down at him like a hawk.

"Hiro! Get down here, right now!" Yamamura shouted. Like a monkey, Hirokuni swiftly climbed down the tree, earning a scattered applause from the watching kids.

"Put your shoes on. Follow me," Yamamura ordered.

"Go home?" Hirokuni asked.

"We’re not going home. Just do as I say," Yamamura replied, grabbing Hirokuni’s wrist and leading him back to Nishida, who was now talking on his cellphone. As they got closer, Nishida snapped his phone shut.

"Sorry about that, had to take care of something real quick. I was thinking of heading somewhere else, but since it’s a weird time, how about we just sit on one of these benches and talk?"

Irritated by Nishida's casual attitude, Yamamura sat down on a bench near the pond. He instructed Hirokuni not to wander far, and Hirokuni lay down on the restricted lawn behind the bench, completely disregarding the sign.

After a quick glance at his watch, Nishida began to speak.

"The thing about the startup—it was a real offer, you know. But in the end, I got scammed myself," Nishida said, sounding almost amused.

"You brought it up with Tsuboi and Akitsu too, didn’t you?" Yamamura shot back.

"Well, with those two, it’s their own fault. The only business I was involved with was the insurance company you and I talked about, Yamamura-san. Tsuboi-san and Akitsu-san were a different matter entirely. They were itching to leave the company, so I introduced them to an acquaintance of mine who needed manpower. Turns out that guy was a con artist, but you can’t pin that on me, right?"

Even if it was his acquaintance, didn’t Nishida still bear some responsibility for introducing them to a scammer? The story seemed to make sense on the surface, but something about it still felt off, like he wasn’t being entirely truthful. Yamamura found himself unable to take Nishida’s words at face value.

"I heard you took an advance on your salary from the supervisor too," Yamamura said, his eyes narrowing.

Nishida shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, my dad back home was in bad shape, and the surgery was pretty expensive. Plus, I had debts because of that startup. I was broke, so I asked the supervisor if he could help me out, and he agreed to lend me a bit. Of course, I plan to pay it all back."

There was a brief silence before Yamamura finally spoke up again. "Is that really true?"

"It’s true. Don’t you trust me?" Nishida said with a smile. That smile, it didn’t fit. It was wrong somehow. How could he be smiling so casually after causing so much trouble for everyone?

"You’re the one who made yourself untrustworthy," Yamamura said, his tone hardening.

Nishida glanced at his watch again, as if he had been doing it on purpose. Just when Yamamura thought it was strange how focused he was on the time, Nishida mumbled under his breath, "Yeah, I think it’s about time."

"You know, I might be a piece of work, but you’re even worse, Yamamura-san," Nishida said, his tone turning cold. "You threw me under the bus the moment things got rough with that deal you made."

Yamamura’s eyes went wide with shock. How did Nishida know about that? He had left the company and vanished right after running off with the money. No one in the office had been able to contact him.

"Ah, finally," Nishida said, watching two men approaching from a distance. "It sure took them a while to get here from your place."

A chill spread through Yamamura’s entire body. The two men walking toward them were the same ones who had been stationed outside his apartment—the man in the suit and the younger guy in black pants. Yamamura’s body trembled, and just as he tried to bolt, Nishida grabbed his wrist with a tight grip.

"I wouldn’t make a scene if I were you. Those guys can be pretty unforgiving," Nishida said with a smirk, narrowing his eyes.

"You were in on this the whole time!" Yamamura shouted, the realization crashing over him.

"Hey, don’t make it sound so bad. I've been involved with this side of things longer than I ever was with door-to-door sales. When I heard you were on the run, I came to help out, and while I was hanging around, I just happened to find that kid up in the tree. I figured if we waited around here, you might show up. And look, I was right."

The two men flanked Yamamura, each taking hold of one of his arms.

"Our car’s waiting just outside the park," one of them said. "If you cooperate, we won’t rough you up."

Yamamura was escorted away, his legs shaking so badly that he could barely take a step. He was terrified that he might be killed, or even if he wasn’t, that something far worse was waiting for him. His mind raced with the thought of the pain he was about to endure, the potential for a brutal beating that could leave him broken.

"Don’t follow us," Nishida barked suddenly.

Yamamura looked back to see Hirokuni trailing behind, ignoring the command to go home.

"Hiro, go home!" Yamamura yelled.

But Hirokuni stubbornly refused to listen, trailing after them as if he didn’t hear a word Yamamura was saying. The young man in black pants, seemingly irritated, turned around and raised his right hand as if to strike Hirokuni.

"Don’t touch him!" Yamamura shouted.

The man’s fist stopped mid-air, but then he swung down hard, hitting Yamamura square in the forehead. A sharp, splitting pain shot through his skull, and Yamamura groaned, his eyes squeezing shut.

"Hey, hey, take it easy on him," Nishida said lazily to the younger man. "We need to deliver him to Ms. Himeto in decent condition, or it won’t be any fun for her to play with him."

Hirokuni was watching with a sullen expression on his face.

"Hiro, go to Ochiai’s house. Run there. Right now!" Yamamura shouted.

For a moment, Hirokuni hesitated, but then he suddenly dashed off, running faster than Yamamura had ever seen him. The young man in black pants let out a startled "Hey!"

"Isn’t that bad?" the man said, panicking. "What if he calls the cops or something...?"

Nishida just laughed, a dry, hollow sound echoing in the park.

"He can’t even speak proper Japanese, so don’t worry about him. Still, the longer we linger, the more likely people will notice, so let's wrap this up quickly," Nishida said with a dismissive wave.

Yamamura was being dragged along, their pace relentless. He decided to fake a stumble, bending his right knee to make it look like he was about to collapse.

"What the hell are you doing? Stand up!" the younger man barked impatiently.

"I... feel sick..." Yamamura muttered, feigning nausea.

"Oh, already scared? What a weakling," the man in the suit sneered, just as his phone began to ring. Releasing his grip on Yamamura, he said to the younger man, "Let him puke before you put him in the car. It'll be a hassle if he messes it up," then walked off to answer the call.

Now only the younger man was holding him. Yamamura pretended to retch loudly, making gagging noises, then suddenly kicked the man’s right leg out from under him. Caught off guard, the man lost his balance and tumbled to the ground.

The moment his hands were free, Yamamura bolted. He sprinted in the opposite direction of where Hirokuni had run, aiming for Ochiai's house. If he could just get away, he might actually escape without taking a beating.

"Hey! Stop right there!" The shout behind him was filled with rage. If they caught him now, it wouldn't just be a few bruises. Yamamura ran with every ounce of strength he had. Thankfully, he knew this area well—the crowded spots, the narrow alleyways, and where each street led.

He chose the busiest paths, darting through the shopping district. When he looked back, only the younger man was still chasing him. Ochiai’s clinic was close, but if he ran in there now, he’d be found for sure.

The gap between them was less than twenty meters. Yamamura turned a corner and dove into a fast-food restaurant, racing straight through to the back exit. After sprinting for a few more blocks, he glanced over his shoulder—no sign of the younger man. He ducked into a nearby supermarket and locked himself in a stall in the men’s restroom.

His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest. Sweat drenched his entire body. He felt like he’d managed to shake them off. No way that guy would search every restroom in every nearby shop to find him.

He decided to stay hidden for a while, to wait until they gave up and left. Once it was safe, he’d head to Ochiai’s place, and then take a taxi to the hotel. He was using an alias at the hotel, and no one knew where he was staying. They wouldn’t catch him.

Yamamura slumped down, leaning against the stall wall. He was terrified—so scared he almost wanted to cry. Even now, his hands and legs wouldn’t stop shaking.

He had never imagined Nishida was connected to the yakuza. There had been no hint, no sign of it at all. The supervisor had tried to cover for him by telling the yakuza that it was Nishida who had sold the water purifier, but if Nishida was already in with them, that lie was bound to fall apart quickly.

But how had they figured out it was him who made the sale? There were fifteen salespeople. No one could know or care who handled which order unless it was a particularly memorable customer... and then it hit him. He had told Nishida. He’d mentioned the deal with the seventy-five-year-old lady, and Nishida had laughed, saying, "Wow, that’s cold-blooded."

Yamamura stayed hidden in that restroom for exactly three hours, leaving only when the supermarket was about to close at 7:50 PM. He nervously scanned his surroundings, then stepped out into the night. The darkness felt safer somehow, as if it could shield him.

Taking a wide route around the supermarket, he headed toward Ochiai’s clinic—not to the front, but to the quieter back entrance. Ochiai’s house was dark and silent, the windows unlit. The streetlights barely illuminated the garden through the hedge.

A dark shape was huddled by the sliding door—Hirokuni, sitting on the concrete, looking like a shadow.

"Hiro..." Yamamura started to call out as he moved towards him, but then a rustling sound came from the bushes, and the younger man from before burst out, blocking his path. Yamamura turned to flee, but the man in the suit appeared behind him. He was trapped.

"Found you," Nishida's voice rang out from the dimly lit yard, a twisted smile on his face. "Yamamura-san, you sure are a fast runner. Chasing you all over got me really frustrated."

Yamamura tried to force his way past the man in the suit, but was grabbed and thrown to the ground. Fists pummeled his face, one blow after another.

Looking down at Yamamura, blood trickling from his nose, Nishida let out a sigh. "If you’d just come quietly from the start, you might’ve only lost an arm or two. Now, though... Ms. Himeto’s son is furious. Oh, didn’t I mention? That’s the son of that old lady you tricked. He’s a scary guy when he’s mad, so you’d better brace yourself."

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