Page 57 of Pandion

“Who are you?” he asked as if Harumine was the unexpected stranger in this situation.

“That’s what I was going to ask you.”

“Stay out of this. It doesn’t concern you.” The man entered the apartment.

Harumine considered heeding the advice. It wasn’t any of his business, however…Hey, sorry to wake you. There’s a man over here. He broke into Takazaki’s apartment.

A moment later a bleary-eyed Kagesawa appeared from the bedroom.

“What did he look like?”

“I don’t know, regular. Dark, messy hair. About my size.”

“So essentially like you but with darker hair?”

“I guess.” Harumine didn’t appreciate the comparison. The man had looked muchshadierthan him.

“That describes half of the local male population.” Kagesawa headed out into the corridor.

Are you implying I look exactly like everyone else?Harumine followed him.

No, I think your hair is a lighter shade.Kagesawa knocked on the door. The lock was now clearly broken, but it still didn’t seem right to barge in unannounced.

“Excuse me.” He let himself in without waiting, though.

The police had yet to show up, even though they’d been notified hours ago. A frightening number of people had to have been busy last night to keep their hands full elsewhere.

Takazaki lay on the floor where they’d left him. The stranger was sitting on his haunches next to the body. He turned to look at Kagesawa.

“Oh dear,” he said and turned back. “Why are you up this early in the morning?”

Harumine turned to Kagesawa, who now looked like he might bust a vein.He knows you? You know him?

“Yajima.”

The one who disappeared?

“It’s been a while.” Yajima moved aside Takazaki’s hair to determine the same thing they had not that many hours ago.

“What are you doing here?” Kagesawa asked and took a few steps closer.

“Lost the link to this one, so I decided to come and check. Didn’t think it would be this bad.” Yajima sighed. He didn’t seem shocked by Takazaki’s fate, but he did show some respect handling the body. He adjusted the head back to a less grotesque position and lowered a handkerchief over Takazaki’s face. Then he stood up and turned back to Kagesawa.

“How have you been? Well, I trust? This must be your new link?” He spoke as if there hadn’t been anything unusual about how they’d parted ways.

Kagesawa tightened his fist to prepare for throwing a punch but restrained himself and shook it open instead.

“Why did you leave?”

“You have DEFD.” Yajima’s response was immediate, like he’d never meant to keep it a secret, like it was public knowledge.

“You knew about that?” Kagesawa frowned.

“How stupid do you think I am? I confronted your parents, and they fessed up. I left to protect you. You didn’t sleep, you were consumed by the work. That thing was unstable and developing like crazy, and you didn’t even notice. You seem to be doing better now. I’m glad.”

“My parents?” Kagesawa latched onto this with surprising ferocity. “They know?”

“Sheesh, they’re your parents. Your DEFD is obvious to anyone with half a brain. Of course they fucking know. They’re the ones who fudged your school application and bribed the examiner.” Yajima sighed. “But I guess the EA’s corruption scandals don’t matter anymore. I used to think that was the thing I’d use to bring them down, but it looks like it was the seemingly random piece of information you passed on to Takazaki here.”

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