บท 234: Shirakawa-go (2)

After about two hours of inspecting the bakery-restaurant setup, Yasushi's group gathered in the staff lounge, located close to the kitchen area. Nino and Kuroti were waiting nearby, casting intent looks in their direction.

Yinhaie, who had been meticulously taking notes throughout the inspection, placed her tablet on the table, displaying a detailed list of the numerous issues she had observed within the establishment. The points ranged from structural flaws in the building to hygiene issues, each listed with precision and clarity.

"To begin with," she said, gesturing at the list, "the fact that there's only one person managing operations here means that upkeep has taken a hit. Many areas are, quite frankly, in need of attention. Dirt has accumulated in multiple spots, and while some are less concerning, others are almost unacceptable. Equipment hasn't been cleaned thoroughly either, leaving behind residue, and other areas haven't been maintained to safe standards, creating potential hazards."

Yasushi and the others chimed in as Yinhaie spoke, highlighting specific concerns they had noticed during their walk-through.

As they continued to discuss the building's condition and address each of their findings, Kuroti, Nino's son and the current owner, stood by the doorway. His face tightened in frustration as he listened to the ongoing critiques leveled at his establishment, each comment adding to his visible irritation.

Kuroti's patience snapped, and he slammed his fist against the doorway, the loud sound cutting through the room and drawing everyone's eyes to him.

"So what?!" he yelled, his frustration plain as day. "Try running this place alone and see how you'd handle it!" He threw the words out with an edge, then turned on his heel and stormed off, leaving the door to crash shut behind him.

Jingliu looked over to Nino, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "Is he always this defensive with legitimate feedback? We weren't attacking him personally, just pointing out what we saw."

"Some people just react that way," Yasushi replied, his tone calm yet understanding. "He may have poured every bit of himself into this place, only to feel that outsiders like us are tearing it apart. I was like that once, too, until I figured out how to separate myself from my work. Maybe he just needs time to find that balance."

Nino took a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes, even as a kid, he struggled with taking criticism. It didn't seem to matter if it was fair or not. He'd get annoyed, sometimes even angry," the old man said, letting out a tired sigh as he recalled his son's unchanging nature.

"It got worse as he got older, though he managed to keep it hidden well enough," Nino said, sighing as he went on. "But like I mentioned earlier, something in him seems to have changed. Now he's just taking it out on everyone around him."

He stared down at the ground, his expression showing the strain this situation had brought him. Though they felt a pang of sympathy for Nino, the group knew they had a purpose to fulfill and couldn't let this stop them. Yinhaie stepped out briefly to prepare some tea for him, offering a small gesture of comfort before they resumed their conversation about how to improve the establishment.

Fortunately, they had been given a designated bank account to handle the funds allocated for the project — around 150 million dollars provided by Shiva to cover all necessary upgrades.

They planned to use the budget carefully, ensuring each dollar went directly into enhancing the place. However, they had decided not to mention this amount to Kuroti for now, given that trust between them was lacking entirely.

+-+

Two hours passed, and Nino left with Yunxue helping him as they walked back. Kuroti hadn't returned, and it seemed unlikely he would, so Nino handed over a set of spare keys, allowing them to lock up the store and proceed with the remodeling.

They started at the back of the building, facing the neglected trash left by Kuroti. Piles of garbage hadn't been touched in who knows how long. Yasushi and Xinyi donned hazmat suits, diving into the mess, while Layena, Jingliu, and Catherine waited outside, ready to transfer the bags to industrial-sized trashcans they had brought for the cleanup.

"Is it weird that I kind of like doing this?" Xinyi asked, shoveling another pile of trash into a bag and then dropping it outside with a dull thud.

"Yes," Yasushi replied, laughing a little. He hadn't expected such a comment from her, but having her there made the job easier to handle.

Gradually, they worked their way through every corner of the shop's back area, hauling out piles of trash from neglected spots and murky crevices. But the job wasn't close to finished. The place looked grimy, covered in mold, and infested with insects and rodents.

Clearing it completely would take far more time and effort than they had anticipated. Yasushi and Xinyi finally climbed out of the cramped space, meeting the rest of their group waiting nearby.

"We're going to need some serious equipment to get this place thoroughly cleaned up," Xinyi commented, making a sweeping motion to emphasize the state of the area around them.

"We're aware," Jingliu replied. "But first, go wash up and change into clean clothes. We'll need to wait for better equipment anyway, so let's check out the rooftop and see what kind of work that will need."

With that, Yasushi and Xinyi took off to freshen up, then rejoined the others. When they returned, they found the rest of the group had already headed up, so they made their way to the rooftop. The sight that awaited them was nearly as bad as the back area — covered in grime, cluttered, and just as neglected, as if it had seen no attention for a long time.

"I'll be honest. This place is trash," Yasushi remarked, taking in the scene around him.

Broken chairs and tables lay scattered about, with umbrellas tossed around, once meant to provide shade but now useless. Vines and bushes had grown wildly across the area, creating a tangled mess. A small tree had even sprouted in a corner, complete with a wasp nest nestled within its branches.

"We're going to need to get rid of those too," he said, narrowing his eyes at the nest.

"Wait, why?" Xinyi asked, looking puzzled.

"In some cases, certain types of wasps can help with pollination, a bit like bees. But generally, they're just pests," Yasushi explained. "They're not going to do anything useful for this place, especially not for a restaurant. But we'll have to hold off on that until we get the right gear to deal with them."

Xinyi nodded and looked back at the nest. "So…should we steer clear of that spot for now? Is it even possible to clean this place up while they're buzzing around?" She glanced around the area, clearly considering the challenge.

Yasushi stepped forward, stopping a short distance in. "This section might be a good place to start — and to finish. If we stay over here, we should be far enough away to avoid stirring them up. But if even one wasp decides to fly out, we're looking at a strong chance of getting stung. So, we're left with two options: take the risk and start, or hold off until we can get rid of them properly," he said, turning his attention to the group.

Right on cue, a wasp darted past him, then circled back as if targeting him. The others immediately bolted back to the building. Yasushi ducked just in time, narrowly dodging the wasp's dive.

As soon as he regained his footing, he ran after the others, throwing the door shut behind him just as the wasp crashed into the glass with a loud thud.

"Well, that's just perfect timing," Jingliu muttered, eyeing the wasp that buzzed persistently on the other side of the glass.

"Right," Yasushi replied with a sigh. "Looks like extermination is our first step, then." He turned toward Yinhaie. "Can you handle setting that up? Either getting the right equipment or hiring someone — whatever works."

Yinhaie considered the options before Xinyi chimed in, "It'll probably be cheaper if we tackle it ourselves. Why not do some research and take care of it on our own? While waiting for supplies, we can focus on other parts of the place."

"True. We'll have to order other equipment too, so it's mostly a matter of tidying up what we can until the specialized stuff gets here," Yasushi said, mulling over their timeline. He gave a nod. "Alright, we'll go with that plan."

He raised a finger thoughtfully. "While we wait for everything to come in, let's get to know the town. See if we can dig up anything useful on Kuroti, too. He's a major hurdle in our way, and understanding the situation from every angle might give us a way to work through this."

"Got it. Should this be handled quietly?" Yunxue asked, giving Yasushi a questioning look.

"Yes. It'll be more complicated if he realizes we're digging into his past. Make sure to do this after you've built some trust with the locals. Jumping straight into questions about his story would be too obvious," Yasushi replied. "Anyway, that should be our main focus for now since today's tasks are pretty much wrapped up." He paused, then added, "Let's meet up at that restaurant Nino mentioned earlier. We'll go over whatever we find there."

With the plan set, they wrapped up their conversation and pitched in to finish tidying the place. Once everything was squared away, each of them set off to gather whatever information they could, energized by the idea of uncovering something useful.

Judging by how welcoming the locals had been, they felt optimistic about getting people to open up, expecting that friendly conversations might yield a few leads.

+-+

Hours later, night had settled in fully, and the town was draped in a colder chill than they'd anticipated, though it wasn't as biting as the icy winds of Ginsukimura.

Gathered in the corner of a local restaurant near the bakery-restaurant shop, they found themselves attracting glances — not the suspicious kind, but the welcoming looks and nods of acknowledgment, as the townspeople now saw them as familiar faces after their day of making connections and gathering bits of information.

Their food arrived soon after, and as they began to eat, they naturally fell into discussion about the day's findings. Yinhaie spoke up first, taking the lead. "I'll start," she began, leaning forward slightly. "I had Yunxue and Layena with me to cover more ground. At first glance, it didn't seem like we came across much. But when we put our pieces together, it starts to form the outline of something… an idea, maybe."

She paused, looking between them, letting them take in the information.

"From what we found, it seems like it started when he was around his early 20s. From what Yunxue and Layena gathered, he came into contact with either someone or a group of people, then from there, things spiraled. We're not entirely sure if he was threatened or blackmailed by them, or what, but it had something to do with them," she explained.

"To add to this, from what I found, those people didn't belong to this town, they came here like tourists would. But like Yinhaie said, something happened and that left him more or less like this. But it apparently got worse over time since he was looking at his phone constantly," added Yunxue with Layena nodded along.

"Now, it's a clear case that they're still in contact, and are most likely torturing him through his phone via emails or messaging app. I asked around a bit more and it seemed like, or just speculation from the towns people but one of those people occasionally comes back and speaks with him too," added Layena.

"When was the last time they came around?" Jingliu asked.

"From what we gathered, about a month ago," Yinhaie answered. "Which means they might be back soon, so we need to stay alert. I'll keep an eye out myself, and as soon as I notice anything, I'll bring it back to the group. I trust each of you has your own tasks covered." She looked around at the rest of them, inviting further updates.

Most of what followed was straightforward, small bits and pieces about Kuroti's past or the routines of the area. Then Catherine's words grabbed their attention.

"Apparently, he has this habit of sneaking off somewhere alone at night," Catherine said. "Maybe one of us should follow him. If it connects to what we're dealing with, it could make things clearer." She glanced around, clearly gauging their reactions, waiting to see who might take on that task.

"I'll handle it. I'll keep watch tonight," Yasushi offered, stepping forward.

"I'll join you," another voice chimed in. They turned to see Nandini approaching with a warm smile.

"Nandini! You made it," Yunxue exclaimed, standing up quickly and wrapping her in an embrace that took everyone by surprise.

Nandini laughed, returning Yunxue's hug. "Yes, I'm finally here. Apologies for the delay; I got caught up dealing with something important. But since I'm here now, I'll accompany Yasushi tonight, and we can take turns on watch until we figure out what he's up to. Does that work for everyone?"

They all agreed, falling back into conversation, exchanging details from their investigation and sharing updates from the past few days. They relaxed over the local dishes, talking well into the evening before each eventually set off to prepare for what the night might reveal.

+-+

"Looks like it's our lucky break," Yasushi muttered as he stood by the window of the house they had taken up for the summer break.

"Seems that way. We should keep our distance, but stay close enough to track him," Nandini responded, her eyes fixed on the same scene.

The clock was creeping toward midnight, and silence blanketed the town. Nearly everyone had long settled in for the night, leaving the soft glow of moonlight to illuminate the streets and houses. Yasushi gave a quick nod, and together they moved carefully out of the house, their footsteps as quiet as they could manage, trailing after Kuroti.

They couldn't help but wonder why he was moving around like this and what it might reveal.