Кэйго Хигасино - The Name of the Game is a Kidnapping

“What am I going to do?”

“You’ll put on an act.” I looked into her eyes. “It’s a big role. A very big role.”

The next day, Monday, I got out of bed following my routine. Although that didn’t mean I had slept well. I was excited thinking about finally reaching the big act, and just as I thought I was dozing off, I’d suddenly wake, over and over again. My head was a little heavy.

I washed my face, and while I was doing my regular exercises, Juri called out from the bed.

“You’re already awake?”

She seemed not to have slept well, either. Her eyes were red.

“Because I’ve got to go to work.”

“Work? On a big day like this?”

“Because it’s a big day. I can’t do anything that’s different from usual. On the chance they become suspicious later, it would be really bad if I took the day off.”

“Do you think you’d be suspected?”

“That...” In my pushup position, I shook my head side to side. “...should be unlikely.”

“In that case—”

“It’s okay,” I said. “Today is a Monday, no different from any other. So I’ll head out like usual, go to meetings, and craft business proposals. I don’t want to ruin that rhythm just for a game.”

I couldn’t tell whether she understood what I was saying, but Juri fell silent.

During breakfast, we made our last arrangements. I would go to work, but the plan would be executed after I came home. I didn’t plan to do overtime today.

Tedious tasks awaited me when I got to the office. I had to attend a promo planning session for the idol talent. The strategy was to double her up with a game character, but it was something every company was doing and there was nothing novel about it. They had requested my opinion and when I said exactly that, the place was instantly subdued. The guy who was nudging the meeting along asked if I had any ideas, then.

“How about we gather several similar-looking girls,” I threw out an idea that happened to pop into my head. “If you brought girls who were about the same build and had the same facial features and put makeup on them, they’ll look even more like each other. Line up ten of them with the same face, but only one of them is real. Well, which? You don’t enlighten them for a while. I think it’d become a hot subject.”

It’d probably become a hot subject, but it wouldn’t help sell the idol , someone opined. It’d follow the pattern of a stunt and that’d be it .

I didn’t object. The man was right. But his thinking was wrong in that idols were just a stunt. However, I stayed silent because my views on such a job being accepted or not didn’t matter.

When afternoon came, I secretly checked the internet. On the CPT Owners Club bulletin board, there was a new post from “Julie.” The site’s actual visitors were perhaps growing mistrustful of this new frequent poster.

Finally (Julie)

Hello. I heard back from my contact. They say this time they want to close the deal. They put in a whole bunch of conditions, even though I’ve been telling them that as long as I get my hands on the car I want, anything is all right. So anal. They made me wait so long that the number I want has changed!

Now it’s 4XXX and 7XXX.

Aaah, I want to hurry up and sign already.

I noted the numbers written there. It was probably Katsuragi’s wife’s cellphone number. With this I had collected almost all the components.

When I cut my internet connection, I saw Kozuka approaching from the front. I switched the screen to a proposal.

“What’s up?” Kozuka asked with a forced smile. It was his tell that he had bad news.

“I’m doing reasonably well. I’m getting fired up about my new project.” I’d be happy if he heard it as sarcasm. I said it with that intent. Kozuka scratched his head.

“It seems you’re not enthusiastic about the Yumi Kurihara promo.”

He must have heard from the staff at the meeting. I could imagine the details of the slander. “That’s not true. I’m trying my best to come up with ideas.”

“The idea to have ten similar-looking people isn’t bad, I agree.”

I smiled with just my mouth. He was flattering me out of pity, and that made me feel more miserable than angry. Since when had I become such a loser?

“You’re with me from three o’clock. I have a place I want you to visit with me.”

“Where would that be?”

“Nissei Automobile HQ.”

I stared back at Kozuka’s face. He was avoiding eye contact. “That’s strange, isn’t it? They pushed me out of the team, but they keep summoning me. What’s their deal?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. The attendance request list had your name on it, and that’s why I’m asking you.”

“On whose whim, I wonder? Can’t be Mr. Katsuragi’s.”

“Who knows. It seems Mr. Katsuragi will attend, too, so you can ask him.”

“Mr. Katsuragi? You’re kidding.”

“No, there’s no mistake — I assume. I just got the fax.”

Even so, I couldn’t help but think it was impossible. What was the man thinking? His daughter had been kidnapped, and with the ransom exchange looming, he had the nerve to casually attend a meeting? Or was he betting that it would take place earlier in the day than that anyway? Even so , I thought.

“What’ll you do? If you don’t want to, I won’t make you. There’s no problem with declining and saying that you have some other important business. They were the ones who pushed you off the team, after all.”

“No, I’ll come,” I said. “Seeing Mr. Katsuragi’s face wouldn’t be bad.”

I didn’t know how he took those words, but Kozuka grinned and smacked me on the back.

When it was past three in the afternoon, I headed towards the Nissei Automobile Tokyo headquarters with Kozuka and several of the new car campaign staff. Sugimoto was ignoring me. He must’ve been thinking, Why is this guy here?

Traffic was light, so we arrived earlier than planned. Sugimoto and the others started preparing in the meeting room, but I didn’t have anything to do. I left the room for a moment, bought instant coffee from the vending machine, and went to a smoking area that was lined with plants. Kozuka was there smoking a cigarette.

“Sugimoto and the others were saying that something’s the matter with Nissei,” he told me.

“Which means?”

“I guess you’d say it’s directionless. It’s losing focus, ever so subtly. It seems even the great Nissei is teetering thanks to the prolonged recession.”

I silently nodded, but I thought it might not be just the recession. What may have been teetering was Katsutoshi Katsuragi’s mental state.

When I was about to ask for specific examples, Kozuka trained his eyes behind me and his face stiffened. Just from that, I knew who was behind me. I turned around. Katsutoshi Katsuragi was standing there with one hand in his pocket.

“Sorry for bothering you at such a busy time.” Katsutoshi Katsuragi approached us. He looked sharp in a dark blue double-breasted suit. His smile was relaxed, too.

“No, it’s nothing at all.” Kozuka remained standing at attention.

“I had several things I wanted to check on a plan from you that came up the other day. That’s why I suddenly had you come.”

“Then today’s meeting is by your instruction?”

“Well, yes. I become restless when something catches my attention.” Katsuragi looked at his wristwatch. “It’s almost time. Shall we?”

“Excuse me, but I brought him, too.” Kozuka looked at me.

Katsuragi faced me so I lowered my head. But then he immediately took his eyes off me. “What about him?” he asked Kozuka.