Nobody cried out, nobody yelled in panic or gasped in horror, because nobody else saw it. It happened so fast and so silently my brain was unable to process it. I kept staring at the particular spot on the fence, trying to decide whether the image of Kenichi jumping from the 40-story building was part of reality or just a mirage, a trick of the light. I only snapped out of it at the sound of K’s breathing. Moved by a primal protective instinct I wrapped my arms around her and drew her against my chest.

Her body tensed up in my embrace, her surprised eyes lifted to mine. With all her might she burst out of my hug and pushed me away.

“What the hell are you doing?” she growled and ran toward the fence. I sprung after her, being on full alert as she leaned over the edge and looked into the abyss below. I couldn’t fathom what was going through her head and was thus relieved when she stepped away from the fence.

“This doesn’t make any sense. Any sense at all…” Her hushed, faltering voice was interrupted by the sound of a car horn from far below. As if awakened by it she rushed back inside and spoke with the bartender at the bar. Their conversation was one of fear on the bartender’s side and pressure and anger from K. The bartender’s answers were clearly not satisfactory and K stormed off toward the hallway.

I followed her close behind, her determined walk leaving no time to pause and re-think things through. The soft red carpet on the floor muted the sound of our steps, adding to the ominous silence that permeated the hallway. We passed Ela’s room, the toilets, and several other doors before we reached the last one. No oyabun’s men were seen and no chatter was heard. K knocked, then tried the handle, but the door was locked.

“Wait here,” she instructed and disappeared down the hallway. She returned a minute later with a set of keys and eagerly opened the door into a saloon.

The light switch turned on a crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. The saloon had the same vintage vibe as the main part of the club, with massive velvet arm-chairs spread around four coffee tables and a small, empty bar area with a counter and wall shelves made of mahogany wood. The room had no windows. Its walls were covered with oldish, interlocking flower patterns on the wallpaper. Two unpretentious oil paintings hung on each side of the room and a large round mirror with a richly carved golden frame claimed the position of the central piece of décor on the bar wall. The smell of cigars was coming from an ashtray on one of the tables. The two sake bottles and the cups were there too. I counted five cups and five chairs spread around that table.

“What did the bartender tell you?”

“Not much.” K’s face hardened. “They didn’t let her in the saloon. But she peeked through the ajar door while handing the tray over to one of the men in the room. She saw Kenichi sitting with older men.”

“The oyabun.”

K nodded and walked around the table, passing her hand over the armchairs. “She didn’t know anything about the oyabun arriving here. Kenichi was supposed to come at the beginning of her shift and educate her about her job. But he never showed up.”

“Is that unusual…that Kenichi would be here with the oyabun?”

“Well, yeah….unless it was about Tenko. They own the place, maybe he wanted to discuss something. He loved this club. He always said it was his second chance at a better life. It’s just…” Shaking her head, she grasped the back of the chair and leaned on it. Her eyes caught mine. “He wasn’t the type, you see….to do that.”

Averting my stare I pretended to look around the room, trying to come up with a proper response. Should I say something comforting… should I give her a pat on the shoulder? Nah, that’s just stupid. Definitely won’t hug her again…Sunny…I should call Sunny…but before she’d come here... Fuck…What the fuck should I do?

Sparkle on a chair at the next table caught my eye, distracting me away from my useless deliberations. I picked up a thin thread and lifted it towards the light. Its gold colour glittered prominently.

“K, look at this…”

She came closer, took the thread from my hand, and stared at it in silence. Then she pocketed it and tilted her head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

In the hallway, I paused in front of the silver elevator door opposite the entrance to the salon. “Does it go down to the garage?”

“It does, but I don’t have the clearance, only the oyabun can use it.”

K locked the door of the saloon and we headed back. She returned the keys to the bartender and, judging by a sudden loud cry and the horror on the bartender’s face, explained to her what happened with Kenichi. With tears running down her pale cheeks the young woman searched for her phone and with a shaky hand dialled a number.

“We need to leave...the police will be up here soon.”

“What?…But… we’re witnesses—“

“Never mind that. Nothing good’s going to come out of it if we stay…just unnecessary complications.”

“Fuck, K…. Wait!”

She zigzagged through the crowded dance floor and once again I had to chase after her, almost getting caught in-between the closing doors of the elevator.

With our backs pressed against the opposite wall, we stood as far as possible from each other. Her arms were folded over her chest and her thoughtful gaze was cast to the floor. During the silent descent, I stared at her, racking my brain to understand her mental state. I was shaken by what happen and I barely knew the guy, so it couldn’t have been an easy matter for her. Yet, I wasn’t able to interpret her emotion, if there was any at all. She could have been sad, raging, shocked, shattered or none of that. Nothing trickled through the thick wall she’d put up. Her actions reflected only an efficient practicality.

When we got to the car, I stopped, refusing to go in. “K!” I raised my voice in defiance. “I don’t think this is a good idea…I feel like a fugitive.”

She sighed, leaning her elbow on the roof of her car. “Suicides are more common in Japan than you think. And Kenichi had a past…the police will close the case quickly.”

“But you knew him, don’t you want to…know why he did it?”

“Will that change anything?”

“No, but what if …he was forced to it or something. The oyabun…. and that golden thread… I know you thought about that albino lady too. Something bad went down in that room.”

“You’re exaggerating and whatever it was, we won’t find it out by staying here…Trust me, dealing with the police will complicate things…for both of us, but mostly for you. Think of your future as a fighter. All this…it doesn’t concern you.”

But it concerns you, I wanted to say. She had a point, though. To test my luck with the police was not a good idea. Frustration built up. I didn’t know how to help, how to be there for her. She continued to elude me in every aspect.

Fuck it, why do I even care.

“Do you want me to drive?” it was all I offered at the end.

She chortled and clasped the car keys in her fist. “No way.”