Chapter 5 Extraneous Branches
Around 7 a.m., President Sakai sent a message from the kidnappers to Date:
The transaction took place at Narita Airport at 12:00 noon.
The exact location will be provided once we arrive at the airport.
You are only allowed to drive here alone; no one else is permitted. Otherwise, you will be responsible for the consequences!
Takagi muttered to herself, "Was it arranged at the airport to make it easier to run away? But this is just the down payment."
Ida fell into deep thought and said, "Perhaps it was a group crime, with some people leaving first and others staying behind. Maybe the so-called installment payment is just a ruse, and judging from the kidnappers' cautious approach, they might suspect the police know about it..."
"Huh? Wouldn't that put Yuuki in a lot of danger?"
“Indeed, the kidnappers probably never intended for the child to return alive.” Date frowned. “Regardless, we should first request support from the airport to strengthen ground security. We should also request assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Investigation Support and Analysis Center to locate and analyze the live video sent by the kidnappers, if there really is one…”
"Is it possible that the kidnappers will go back on their word?" Takagi asked in surprise.
"If they're only planning one heist, that's highly likely. They have hostages; they won't listen to reason."
To avoid arousing further suspicion from the kidnappers, the detectives from the First Investigation Division all wore plainclothes and traveled to Narita Airport via different routes.
Following the police's instructions, President Sakai installed a mobile phone monitor, and all real-time calls and video recordings will be broadcast live.
However, just as the police were making detailed plans for the operation, an unexpected incident occurred.
A rough, shrill male voice came from Sakai's side: "Hey! Didn't I tell you to come alone? What's with that car following us?"
Sakai answered tremblingly, "I really came alone. I don't know about the cars behind me. This... this is the road to the airport. Everyone is going towards the airport, right?"
"Hmph! Although it doesn't look like a police car, the person following you is too suspicious. Let's go somewhere else!"
"Huh? Change... change the location?"
"What, you have a problem with that?"
"No, no, no, as long as I can see my son, you can decide what to do! But where should we go?"
"I won't tell you the location yet. Just follow my directions. Turn left at the next intersection and keep going straight. I'll remind you when you reach the next turn."
Sakai asked cautiously, "Are you following me?"
"Mr. Sakai, don't try anything funny. Your every move is under my surveillance. Do as I say, understand?"
"Date-senpai, what's wrong?" Takagi asked with concern when he noticed the other's pale face. "Should we request support from the Ministry of Transportation to set up checkpoints at various intersections?"
“Checking him will only make the kidnappers more suspicious. He has a hostage, who might be in the car. We can't act rashly. Locate Sakai's current position and request the Ministry of Transportation to check suspicious vehicles in the vicinity, but don't make contact.” Date sighed softly. “However, it's also possible that the kidnappers aren't with Sakai, but are operating remotely like we are. That would make things even more complicated…”
"But in order to get the gold bars, the kidnappers will eventually show up, right?"
"Yes, this is our only chance."
Following the kidnappers' instructions, Sakai took a circuitous route, even going in circles, before finally arriving at her destination.
It's a kindergarten?!
"Senior Date, he wouldn't be planning to kidnap another one, would he?"
"It's hard to say right now, but... that's certainly a possibility. Let's notify the principal first and tell the children not to come out."
But it was too late, because the kindergarten had just let out.
Ida slammed his hand on the steering wheel and ordered, "All members, assemble at the kindergarten and guard all the intersections. Don't let him get away!"
Sakai arrived at the kindergarten gate as instructed by the kidnappers and placed the black briefcase full of gold bars on a bench under a large tree outside the gate.
"Can I see my son now?" Sakai asked anxiously, standing under the tree.
"Wait a minute, I need to inspect the goods."
"Where are you? I can't see you." Sakai looked around and saw parents picking up their children all around her.
A man's sinister laughter came from the other end of the phone: "Hahaha, almost there, almost there!"
"Wow, look! It's Kamen Rider! And Godzilla and Transformers too!"
Several giant dolls suddenly appeared by the roadside.
The kindergarten children, who had just finished school, suddenly became excited and rushed over to see what was happening.
"Mr. Sakai, let me show you your son."
Sakai hurriedly opened her phone and saw her son's face on the screen!
The boy in the live stream looked pale and nervous, with nothing but a white wall behind him.
"Dad, this is Yuuki. It's 5:03:12 PM Tokyo time on December 13th."
Date quickly said, "Yuki isn't in the kidnappers' car, locate him quickly!"
The boy continued during the live stream: "I'm sorry, Dad, I lied to you. Last Friday, I didn't go to a classmate's house to play games; I went to an internet cafe to play games."
The puppets walked towards Sakai step by step, but Sakai, engrossed in watching his son's live stream recording, was completely unaware and had no interest in looking after the suitcase full of gold bars.
"Uncle, your suitcase is overturned!" A little girl tugged at Sakai's clothes.
"Huh?" Sakai looked at the little girl with a blank expression.
"Uncle's box is crooked!" The little girl shouted at the top of her lungs, as it was noisy around her.
"Senior Date, those children..."
Before Takagi could finish speaking, Date jumped out of the car and ran away.
Takagi hurriedly followed.
However, the road was crowded, and everyone was jostling to watch the puppets fight, so saying "Excuse me! Please let me pass" seemed to have no effect.
Sakai was momentarily at a loss and waved his hand to signal her not to worry about it.
But the little girl seemed really keen to right the box, and she called out her friends' names to help: "Mitsuhiko! Genta! Come help!"
"Wow, what a heavy box! Could it be filled with gold?"
"Good children, don't touch this, just leave it here..." Sakai was on the verge of tears, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and her eyes were glued to her phone because she was worried about her son.
However, the three children were so enthusiastic that they insisted on carrying the heavy box: "Teacher should be a helpful child! Let's help the uncle carry it home! Oh no, it's about to fall!"
Suddenly, a boy appeared.
With lightning speed, he put the suitcase back in its original position, bent down, and said to the children, "If you don't go and cheer him on, Kamen Rider is about to lose!"
Upon hearing this, the children immediately forgot about the box and turned their attention to Kamen Rider.
"Thank you, child!" Sakai said gratefully.
"You're welcome!" The boy smiled confidently, turned around, and left.
Not far away, Ida, squeezed in the crowd, frowned slightly upon seeing this scene:
The boy had clearly glanced in their direction just now. Moreover, the aura he exuded was definitely not that of someone his age.
"Date-senpai, who is that child?" Takagi asked curiously.
Ida shook her head and said, "I don't know, I've never seen it before."
Godzilla and Kamen Rider, locked in fierce combat, arrived at the base of the large tree.
The crowd surged and swelled with the puppets, creating a bustling and noisy atmosphere.
Ida exclaimed inwardly: Oh no!
Looking at the bench again, sure enough, the suitcase was gone.
"The other side has succeeded. Keep a close watch on them!"
The live stream was coming to an end: "Dad doesn't need to worry about me, they brought me a schoolbag. I finish my homework on time every day, and I haven't fallen behind in my studies."
Ida was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this:
After going to such lengths, disguising yourself as a cleaner to steal the child's schoolbag from the hotel, was it all for this?
This kidnapper really has some nerve!
The live stream was then cut off.
The man's voice came through Sakai's phone: "President Sakai, pay the next installment of the ransom next Monday!"
Sakai glanced at Date and Takagi not far away, and seeing that they gestured for him to leave, he returned to his car dejectedly and left.
The puppet battle ended with Godzilla defeating Kamen Rider and the Transformers.
The children who were fans of Kamen Rider and Transformers were unhappy about this, and some even burst into tears.
The crying only made the detectives more agitated.
Just as the mascots were about to leave, they took off their costumes but couldn't find the suitcase.
Ida caught up with him and asked, "Is this a special activity at kindergarten today?"
One of them replied, "No, we used to work at the nearby amusement park. But someone just gave us some money and asked us to perform here."
"What kind of person is he? What does he look like? What clothes does he wear?" Ida asked eagerly.
The group thought back carefully: "Hmm... a man of medium build, looking to be in his fifties or sixties, wearing a brown overcoat, right? He also seemed a bit balding..."
Ida frowned and showed them a photograph: "Is this the person?"
"Yes, yes, yes! That's him!"
Takagi was completely dumbfounded: "Date-senpai, isn't that Sakai? Sakai has been here all along..."
Date chewed on a toothpick, making a clicking sound: "It seems the culprit is impersonating Sakai."
At this time, the various assisting departments also sent out the latest news.
"After comparing with previous videos and audio recordings, it was confirmed that the live stream recording was not fake, and the person on the screen was indeed Yuki Sakai. However, it seems that the other party used IP obfuscation technology, making it impossible to locate him."
"The GPS installed on the suitcase suddenly stopped working, and no pedestrians suspected of being the criminal were found at any intersection."
"The Ministry of Transport is checking passing vehicles and has not found any items resembling black briefcases or gold bars."
"After checking the vehicles around Sakai, we did not find any car that resembled the perpetrator. However, we confirmed that the car that followed Sakai to the airport was a yellow Volkswagen Beetle. The driver was an elderly man, and there was a teenager in the car."
Date perked up: "Send me the photo of that boy!"
Takagi leaned closer for a look and said, "Isn't that the child from earlier?"
Ida then asked, "Where is that car now?"
"Uh...it seems like we've gone back the way we came?"
"Go back the way we came?"
"Yes, we are currently en route to the airport."
Takagi asked, "Date-senpai, should we go after them?"
Ida shook her head: "No need, let's go check out the kindergarten."
"Huh? Why?"
"We can't find any trace of the criminal anywhere. It's possible that he sprouted wings and flew away, or it's possible that he never left at all."
"Hidden in the kindergarten?"
"Is this the only place around here where I can hide?"
At this moment, there was hardly anyone left in the kindergarten except for a few staff members.
Date and Takagi explained their purpose to the headmaster, who agreed to retrieve the surveillance footage.
However, they found no clues whatsoever.
"Senior Date, could it be that they've already transported the gold bars away in batches?"
"That box was out of my sight for only a dozen seconds. How could they have disassembled and moved a box full of gold bars in broad daylight?"
"Uh, this..."
At that moment, Inspector Megure brought news: "The Traffic Department has expanded the search area, but... we found nothing."
Date sighed deeply and said helplessly, "Let's go, Takagi, back to the police station!"
"Eh? Date-senpai, is it over already?"
"Yes, it's over."
Mission failed.
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