Chapter 41: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

“According to reliable intelligence from my informant, Ichiro Takeda is scheduled to meet someone tonight at Maple Leaf Restaurant in Setagaya. Gentlemen, this is our best chance to capture the source of all this chaos in one fell swoop!”

At the emergency meeting of the investigation headquarters convened by Rito Sato, he spoke in a grave and solemn tone.

The meeting room erupted in a flurry of excitement.

“We’ve finally found this guy, haven’t we?”
“Who is he meeting with?”
“This case can finally come to an end!”

Everyone’s faces were alight with excitement, chattering all at once. After all, days of fruitless surveillance on Ichiro Takeda had yielded nothing, and now, a sudden breakthrough—who wouldn’t be elated?

Well, Hideyuki Aoyama was not moved.

He watched the scene with cold detachment, taking in every expression and reaction in the room. If his guess was right, the person Ichiro Takeda was meeting tonight at Maple Leaf Restaurant was Rito Sato himself.

And now, by making this announcement, Sato hoped to use the police to eliminate Takeda openly and without suspicion. He had enough loyal subordinates in the First Investigative Division that Takeda could be conveniently shot during the arrest.

Once Takeda was dead, there would be no one left to implicate Sato in the Choshin Bank robbery, and he could even claim merit for the capture.

Cunning, truly cunning. Utterly vile!

Aoyama thought such a man deserved nothing less than death.

“Quiet! Please, everyone be quiet!” Takehiko Asai stood and raised his hand. When order was restored, he turned to Sato and asked, “Superintendent Sato, this information is certainly inspiring, but are you sure your informant’s source is reliable?”

At his words, the previously excited officers sobered. Indeed—how was it that, despite all their efforts and resources, they had found nothing, yet Sato’s informant had such precise intelligence? Could it be a false lead? Or perhaps part of Takeda’s own plan?

“For the safety of my informant, I cannot reveal his identity, but I can assure you he is trustworthy,” Sato replied with steady composure. He then added, with grave sincerity, “It is only natural that you doubt him, but I ask that you trust me—a seasoned officer with many years of experience.”

With that, he bowed deeply.

The members of the investigation headquarters, seated around the table, quickly rose to return his bow.

“Please, continue, Superintendent Sato,” Takehiko Asai replied, bowing in return before resuming his seat. The other officers followed suit.

Sato cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over the room, pausing briefly on Aoyama before he continued, “The reason my informant could acquire such precise information is because he is the intermediary for tonight’s meeting. Takeda wants to purchase a batch of firearms through him. I instructed him to give Takeda my contact information, and Takeda has already reached out to me. Therefore, tonight, I will pose as an arms dealer and meet Takeda at Maple Leaf Restaurant.”

Everyone was visibly alarmed.

“Superintendent Sato…” Asai began, intending to dissuade him from such risk.

But Sato raised a hand to silence him and declared with righteous determination, “My informant is my responsibility. Though I trust him, one can never be too careful—there may be danger. That is why I must go myself. No one should try to dissuade me!”

“Furthermore, Takeda is extremely cautious and cunning. There can be no mistakes tonight, or we may never get another chance. For safety, I will carry only a tracking device—no surveillance equipment.”

Sato’s willingness to risk his life earned the admiration of all present, and it made his informant’s credibility seem all the more convincing. And since success would mean major credit for Sato, no one wished to appear as if they were vying for the glory by trying to take his place.

Aoyama had to admit: Sato was clever. Had he not known the truth, perhaps he too would have been deceived. By inventing an informant, Sato made himself a hero risking his life, and gave himself a legitimate reason to meet Takeda face-to-face—enough to keep Takeda calm and avoid arousing suspicion among his fellow officers.

And refusing surveillance was likely because he feared the command center might overhear his conversation with Takeda. After all, while he could control his own words, he could not control what Takeda might blurt out.

“Superintendent Sato, you truly have a lion’s heart!” Takehiko Asai praised, reclaiming control of the meeting. “There are five hours until nightfall. I suggest we send someone to the restaurant to assess the layout before finalizing the arrest plan for tonight.”

“Superintendent, please assign me this task,” Hideyuki Aoyama volunteered, standing up. He had no intention of letting Sato’s plan succeed.

Asai nodded, then glanced at Sato, “What do you think, Superintendent Sato?”

“Detective Aoyama is exceptionally astute. I am sure he will handle the task well,” Sato replied. Unaware that Aoyama already suspected his involvement in the robbery, he saw no harm in assigning the task to him.

“Inspector Asai,” Takehiko called out.

Aya Asai quickly stood up. “Yes, sir!”

“Take Detective Aoyama and Detective Nakamura to Maple Leaf Restaurant. Familiarize yourselves with the layout inside and out. Be quick,” Takehiko ordered.

“Yes, sir!” Aya replied, then left with Aoyama and Shinichi Nakamura.

Takehiko Asai then announced, “We’ll take a short recess. Rest up until they return.”

Once outside, Aya Asai walked alongside Aoyama, puzzled. “Why did you volunteer for that task?” she asked.

Aoyama did not answer. Instead, he picked up his mobile and called Tomoharu Takahashi, commanding, “Find somewhere private to talk.”

“Yes, sir!” In the meeting room, Tomoharu glanced at Sato, then hurried out with his phone, ducking into the stairwell. “Go ahead.”

“Just now, you didn’t look surprised by Sato’s announcement. It seems he tipped off you and his other confidants in advance. Did he hint that Takeda should be shot during the arrest?” Aoyama asked in a casual tone as he walked.

“How…how did you know?” Tomoharu was shocked. Could there be a traitor in Sato’s own inner circle? Unable to figure it out, he answered honestly, “He did say that. He said Takeda was extremely dangerous, and for our safety, we should shoot to kill without warning.”

“Good. That’s all I needed,” Aoyama replied, hanging up with a cold chuckle. Just as he had suspected.

Aya Asai turned wide-eyed to him, incredulous. “You have a spy in Sato’s inner circle?”

How many secrets did this man have? A demoted chief inspector with an informant close to a superintendent!

“There’s much about me you have yet to learn, Inspector,” Aoyama replied with a touch of arrogance, then turned to Nakamura. “Prepare thirty voice recorders. Make sure each works. We’ll regroup at Maple Leaf Restaurant.”

“Yes, sir!” Nakamura, though unsure of the purpose, never questioned orders.

Once in the car, Aya could no longer contain her curiosity. “What are you up to? I’m your superior—you should at least keep me informed.”

Her seatbelt ran diagonally across her chest, pressing her shirt tight.

“You’re quite capable, Inspector,” Aoyama said, closing the door and looking at her intently.

She was confused by the sudden compliment. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“So, help me out a bit,” he replied, unbuckling his belt with one hand and starting the engine with the other. “You help me, and I’ll tell you everything as we go.”

Aya was stunned for a moment before she understood, her face flushing red, confusion and curiosity giving way to embarrassment and anger.

“You…you…” She was so furious her chest heaved, and she turned away, grinding out, “Dream on! I’d rather jump out of this car and die than agree to your request!”

But twenty minutes later, as the car sped along, Aya tossed a crumpled tissue out the window, brushed her hair from her face, her cheeks still flushed, and huffed, “Now, will you tell me?”

Don’t ask why she changed her mind—sometimes, it’s just impossible to resist in the moment.

“I suspect the Choshin Bank robbery was masterminded by Rito Sato in collusion with Ichiro Takeda…” Aoyama’s words, as always, were persuasive.

At his first sentence, Aya was stunned.

…

By the time they arrived, Aya was still somewhat dazed by the shocking revelation. The head of the Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division—one of the masterminds behind a deadly bank robbery? Such a plot, she’d only read about in fiction. Yet here it was, unfolding before her eyes.

“What are you waiting for? Out of the car,” Aoyama said, pulling out the keys.

Aya snapped out of her reverie, her face livid with anger. “Rito Sato deserves death!”

Aoyama agreed, though not for the same reason. For him, it wasn’t about the money or the lives lost, but because Sato had tried to frame him.

Because they’d spent time talking on the way, Nakamura had arrived ahead of them.

“Chief, the recorders—all tested and working,” Nakamura said, hurrying over with a package.

“Good work,” Aoyama praised, patting his shoulder as he entered the restaurant and instructed, “Find out how many private rooms there are. Hide a recorder in each one—two in the largest, three if we have extras.”

They didn’t know which room Sato and Takeda would use, so every room had to be wired. As long as they captured the conversation, Sato would be caught in his own trap.

In Japan, “secret recordings” are admissible as evidence, as long as they’re not coerced or induced.

With the recordings, and Sato’s unexplained loan repayments, a little investigation would be enough to convict him for his role in the Choshin Bank robbery.

He could look forward to spending the rest of his days behind bars.

Tonight, Sato planned to hunt Ichiro Takeda.

Little did he know, he himself was already someone else’s prey.

Thus, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.