Chapter 3.2 : Blackmail.

                                    

                                          
The morning was rather sunny, the surroundings peaceful as Toru silently followed Dazai who walked towards the designated place where Kawabata would be, a café located in the neighborhood where the police station could be found. According to sources, he was a regular there where he often went for lunch. Toru walked with her hands in her pockets, calmly looking around. It had been an eternity since she had walked on a street surrounded either by warehouses or slums. The place was rather pleasant, quite quiet, with paved streets and flowers that only emphasized the gentleness of the surroundings. Even though she would have preferred to avoid the exposure to the strong sun, Toru acknowledged that going out wasn't such a bad idea, especially since the mission probably wouldn't be too difficult.
She was looking across the street when she heard Dazai address her. She turned her head to face him and noticed that he had stopped, causing her to stop as well.
"You're very talkative, aren't you?"
He joked sarcastically. This tone he sometimes used was quite surprising for Toru, who had heard from Dazai's subordinates that he was a merciless captain and quite tough... yet when he addressed her in this way, he seemed completely sincere.
Toru shrugged before smiling faintly, returning his sarcasm.
"Always."
Dazai smiled amusedly, crossing his arms.
"You're quite interesting, I must say."
Toru raised an eyebrow, dubious. What could he have in mind? She hadn't mentioned the case of the rigged bomb that he ultimately rendered completely harmless, despite the fact that Toru had intended to stay there... She had no real intention of serving the mafia after the Kenzaburo incident, but he had prevented her from doing so.
"You flatter me. Don't tell me you stopped just to say that?"
Dazai shook his head before pointing to a nearby building, the first floor of which was occupied by the café.
"Especially to tell you that we've arrived."
"Ah..."
She looked towards the building, her head slightly tilted.
"Shall we go in?"
He nodded as he turned to walk towards the café and opened the door, holding it for her to enter, which she did without a word.
Kawabata was there, at the counter, as the informants had indicated. He was a rather tall man and it was obvious that he was enjoying his meal... perhaps even a little too much but still within reason. Toru and Dazai easily noticed that he had probably gained weight recently because of his gray suit. It seemed to have been tailored for him and yet was starting to become slightly too tight around the waist. He was sitting across from the café owner, eating his meal, his gray hat placed beside him while the owner congratulated him for undertaking to put an end to the mafia's activities and crime in the city. Toru found it quite ironic that he had been stupid enough to undertake such a thing when the mafia was still the only thing preventing a good number of organizations from emerging. Never would the police in this city have been able to stop Dusk like the mafia had done a few days earlier.
When the café owner finished talking to him and walked away, they took the opportunity to sit on either side of Kawabata at the counter. Dazai rested his elbow on it before resting his cheek on his hand, smiling at him while Toru simply watched them, her expression neutral.
Only a few seconds passed before Kawabata spoke. His voice was quite deep in reality, with a slightly strict tone.
"Is the mafia so short of personnel that they only send kids?"
He asked without even stopping his lunch. He just glanced to his left, where Dazai had sat down, while taking a bite of his mashed potatoes.
Dazai didn't lose the smile he wore, amused.
"You could say that."
He spun his stool around before leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms.
"I heard that you've only just arrived in town with your little wife. Having a husband who works in the police must be constraining for her. She must only see you rarely since you were promoted to commissioner... you should try to come home more often, especially if you plan on having children. Her name is Tomiko, isn't it?"
Not only was Dazai intentionally provoking him, but he was also making it clear that despite all his efforts to protect his loved ones and keep them out of his affairs, Kawabata had not been able to prevent the mafia from gathering information.