[Extra] Sezaki Kawakami's Investigation

(Sezaki Kawakami's perspective)

Because of the influence of children's tokusatsu shows, I'd dreamed of becoming a hero of justice since I was little.

It wasn't until I grew up that I realized the world wasn't so black and white. This world was a delicate shade of gray—mixed and contradictory.

That childhood dream gradually shifted. He wanted to stop tragedies from happening. This world had too much killing; even back then, the entire island nation had fallen into that kind of madness.

"So that's why we lost the war..."

Smoke curled in the air. Sezaki Kawakami, dressed in ordinary casual clothes, sat leisurely on a park bench outside a hospital.

It was his break time after work. Though he'd love to just go home and sleep, for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about this case.

"Sezaki, take this file and shred it."

"Got it, Chief."

It looked like an ordinary document, but Sezaki flipped through it before shredding.

[Infant Care Center Report Case]

[XX Women's Hospital Infant Disappearance Case]

Reports related to these two cases. An incident of this nature—why would it be...

Sezaki Kawakami could only think of one possibility: this case was being buried. Those old bastards up top must have applied pressure! Otherwise, there was no reason to hide such a heinous case.

He began investigating that infant care center.

The center's investors couldn't be traced. A caregiver had reported that the facility was illegally selling infants.

By the time Sezaki tracked down that caregiver's address, she had already been missing for three days. [Son Seina], 23 years old, a young and beautiful woman.

To avoid tipping anyone off, he posed as Son Seina's relative and gathered information from the neighbors.

The most common clue he got was: [In the past few days, men in suits or suspicious-looking individuals have been showing up outside Son Seina's door from time to time.]

With those kinds of people hanging around the apartment building, the residents would naturally be on edge—that's why they remembered so clearly.

"Yakuza..."

If this involved the yakuza, it would be trouble. The difficulty of the investigation would skyrocket.

In that case, he'd have to resort to some special methods.

Midnight.

Sezaki Kawakami picked the lock on Son Seina's door.

What greeted him was a mess. Clothes, appliances, daily necessities scattered all over the floor.

Someone had already beaten him to it. Damn it.

He turned on a small flashlight and began a careful search.

In a hidden compartment behind a toppled cabinet, he found a notebook—seemed like a diary of some sort.

Sezaki Kawakami started flipping through it.

[Today, I finally found a job! It was so hard! It's taking care of kids—go for it, Seina!]

[So tired... Even though I had training, taking care of kids is such a hassle. One is already a headache, let alone a whole group. Suddenly I feel like my mom is amazing... I wonder how she's doing back in the countryside... I miss her so much.]

The rest was just complaints about her superiors. Sezaki Kawakami skimmed through quickly until he reached the main content...

[A van came today. The manager told me not to think too much, just do my job. Don't ask about what I don't need to know.]

[Five kids. They had physical exams at the facility, and after only a week of care, their parents picked them up. But I've never seen the kids' parents—how strange... Oh, and I saw that van again this morning.]

[...]

[...]

[Those kids weren't picked up by their parents at all! They were sent somewhere else! That night, I overheard the manager on the phone! Those kids were abandoned infants whose parents didn't want them. Did I end up at some illegal facility? I'm so scared... What's going to happen to those kids? I have to call the police. Yes.]

[I lost my job. They must have found out about my report. Lately, I can't sleep well—knocking on my door in the middle of the night, feeling like I'm being followed when I go out. Someone, please save me...]

[I can't take it anymore. I'm so scared. Why did this happen to me? Did I do something wrong? My teacher always said good people get good things in return. I have to go to the police...]

The diary ended there. Damn it. She'd been missing for three days now—things were probably not looking good.

"Bastards."

Sezaki Kawakami clenched his fists. Those scumbags wouldn't even spare a fragile young woman.

He needed to keep an eye on that manager, [Kuku O]...

After staking out for a few days, he learned Kuku O's off-duty schedule and route. He used some violent methods to extract information.

[1. This facility made deals with mothers who didn't want their children.] [2. The children were gathered and sent to one location.] [3. Even Kuku O didn't know where that was.] [4. It was said to be backed by various corporate conglomerates, political powers, and the yakuza.] [5. Kuku O had no idea Son Seina was missing. He knew nothing about her whereabouts.]

And just like that, the trail went cold.

The only new lead so far was the [transaction].

And now there was even the inexplicable existence of some behind-the-scenes force, as if all that was missing was an evil monster organization.

Where had those children been taken...? It was as if they had vanished into thin air, spirited away by the gods.

Sezaki Kawakami pressed down his cap and left the alley.

He spotted the car of the obstetrics department head, who was in charge of the hospital, pulling out of the underground parking lot. Kawakami sat astride his motorcycle.

During this period, Kawakami had been searching for traces of [Son Seina] while simultaneously investigating the forces behind her.

Kawakami had even gone all the way to her hometown, but unfortunately, there wasn't a single clue. This shitty world couldn't even spare a single girl's life.

At an intersection, he forced the man's vehicle to a stop.

The man got out of the car, furious, and immediately began hurling abuse.

"You stupid broke bastard, do you have a death wish?! You think you're in a movie? Dressed up like that, do you really think you're a Kamen Rider? A broke piece of shit like you only deserves to ride a motorcycle."

The man reeked of alcohol. Was he driving drunk? Kawakami frowned. He pulled a baton from the back of his car...

After a bout of spiritual correction.

"Stop hitting me! I was wrong!"

Crack—one of his fingers was snapped.

"AAAAH!"

"Tell me, where did you take the abandoned children?"

"GAAAH! How do you know about that?!"

Crack—

"Talk!"

"I get it... I get it... I'll talk! The kids were taken to Saitama. I don't know the exact location."

"Then why did you do it?!"

"Because there's money in it... Every time I successfully signed off on a newborn, I got a payout."

"How long have you been running this business?"

"Three... three years!"

"You scumbag."

Crack—

Screams, sobs, agony. Kawakami coldly looked down at the man, steeped in sin from head to toe.