As Takemichi and the supposed Naoto left the alley, Sanzu gave Hanma another look. The man just seemed to be experiencing yet another Wednesday, his gaze bored and distant.
"What a curious guy. That Takemichi." Was all Hanma said, putting his phone away and stepping away from the trash. "You seemed impressed."
"Please. I was just surprised at all the bullshit he managed to spew out." Yet again Hanma gave him a knowing look, but said nothing as they walked away, most likely to finally go see Kisaki.
Despite the coat, Sanzu felt cold and breathless, the feeling worsening with each second he had the black mask on. He had not even done anything. In fact, none of his plans had come to fruition, leaving him with a disenchanted feeling seeping into his stomach. Alongside that, the new information he had received left him with a massive headache, and the thought of once again encountering Kisaki turned his stomach upside down.
Sanzu had not planned this far ahead, he will admit.
Despite the trainwreck of a day, it ended on a fairly positive note. Kisaki ended up being too occupied to fully extract any sort of information out of Sanzu, leaving the eventual confrontation for another day.
Kisaki even ended up surprising him further, by emailing directly to Koko that Sanzu had been given a last minute task by him and that Sanzu was not to blame for the whole missing the meeting fiasco. Which Sanzu did not make even an effort on attending
Sanzu had no idea why Kisaki would defend him. If being honest he was too unnerved to ask. The rest of the Toman executives appeared also hesitant to go against a direct order from Kisaki, so Sanzu ended up walking scot free from retribution.
The whole situation vaguely reminded him of Bonten, in the almost comedic way everyone feared Mikey, despite his usual lack of reaction towards anything. He hated, however, comparing his king and high-mighty to a worm like Kisaki, a parasite that forced his way into another one's throne.
Twelve or more hours must have gone by. One thing for sure, is that Sanzu was definitely not sober anymore. Not after everything he had learned that set this present apart from his own.
Sanzu had been sent back to one of the Toman headquarters. Once he was alone, he asked for a private room and demanded to not be bothered. There, he filled an entire cork board with every bit and piece of information he could get his hands on. He connected each picture and clue with a red thread.
Kisaki was alive, and he seemed to know Takemichi. Hanma must have been involved as well somehow. Nevertheless, it was Takemichi's absence that struck Sanzu the most. He had always been known as a persistent idiot, so what changed?
All of this was giving Sanzu a headache. Which is why he had yet another empty bottle of Romanée-Conti wine on the floor. It felt as if he had not closed his eyes in ages, his body begging him to sleep. However, he felt close to some sort of truth. Sanzu stared at the board with a mad glint in his eyes, feeling deep inside his bones he was missing something.
As he readjusted the threads Sanzu realized the unintentional forming of a red spider web, at the eye of the storm the two biggest mysteries so far.
Kisaki and Takemichi.
And Sanzu formed no part in any of it.
Draken was dead. The stab-wound ended up killing him that third of august, twelve years ago.
Kazutora and Baji, dead as well (the latter one is no big shocker, but the circumstances around the whole ordeal disturbed Sanzu just a tad bit). Chifuyu left Toman not long after the events of Halloween.
The former second division vice-captain, Shiba Hakkai, seemed to be leading the 'Ex-Black Dragons' or some shit. Honestly Sanzu had no idea about that part.
Most importantly, however, there was no Takemichi.
Hell. No one even knew who he was, as he never ended up joining Toman.
Takemichii's partner that night, Tachibana Naoto, was not just some detective either. If Sanzu's sources were correct, his reasoning for investigating Toman were personal, given that his sister had been involved in an accident involving Toman, prematurely ending her life.
The sister was not just some nobody either, it was none other than Takemichi's past fiance (in the past present at least). Tachibana Hinata. That could be another reason for Takemichi's involvement as well.
Sanzu's mission had been to discover what set this present apart from his own. What had stopped Bonten from forming. With the knowledge gathered so far it had been obvious that Draken's early death must have been the catalyst that led to everything else changing.
What was truly bothering Sanzu however, was himself. He was thinking so clearly of everything, rationalizing the events that led to this future, as if he had the chance to change it.
He did not have any sort of idea on how he had even arrived here, what had happened.
Why was he even trying?
His last choice, regrettably, was Takemichi. That ominous motherufucker. His little "I'm gonna save dead people" speech stuck out too much for Sanzu to ignore it.
He had to track the black-haired man down, and make him spill any sort of information he might have. If the memories of the last twelve years would not return soon Sanzu would certainly be seen as terribly suspicious in the eyes of Toman, and perhaps even suspected to be a traitor or some spy.
Putting on yet another disguise (this time with properly expensive items), Sanzu quietly left the building. It was not hard to find Takemichi's private information, as there was not much to find in the first place.
Honestly, reading about Takemichi's life gave Sanzu a good laugh. He would rather die than live such a pathetic life.
It also made him ponder, given that he found it odd how a social butterfly like Takemichi could have just made himself so invisible. Sanzu remembered Takemichi as a weak yet invincible force. Someone unable to give up, or rather, someone that looked far ahead because he was terrified of what was left behind. Takemichi always seemed to contain a fountain of secrets, that instead of holding him back strengthened his resolve.
Whatever it was Sanzu intended on finding out. By going to Takemichi's workplace and forcing answers out of him.
