The ambulance sped along with its siren blaring, quickly delivering Ito Tamanosuke to a suitable hospital.
A few hours earlier, however, that same hospital had received another patient.
No matter how hot the weather was, river water was still icy cold.
Amuro Tooru had soaked in the river for so long, then worked nonstop through two sleepless nights to make up for the time wasted in the water. After all that, he suddenly realized he had a slight fever.
Although some medicine and a night's sleep at home would have solved the problem, before collapsing into bed, Amuro realized that this illness had come at just the right time: if he remembered correctly, Councilman Takada, whom he had been keeping an eye on lately, happened to be staying in a VIP ward at a hospital.
Councilman Takada looked like a bumbling fool, and his private life was somewhat debauched, but he was highly capable at work. Unfortunately, his ideals and accomplishments had hit the Organization's sore spot. The more capable he was, the closer he came to the Grim Reaper.
Based on the clues he had gathered through various channels, Amuro suspected that the Organization would make a move against Councilman Takada during the election.
"An outright assassination would easily arouse outside suspicion. It might work once or twice when necessary, but if they chose direct assassination every time, it would be too easy to expose the Organization's existence. Compared with that, a death from something like a 'medical accident' would surely suit the Organization better."
Amuro pondered with his overheated brain. *I might as well use this illness as an excuse to stay in a ward near his. Even if I can't save him directly from the Organization, I can still catch traces of the assassin and use that