Freesia 71

Freesia, Chapter 71 (Monthly Ikki, October 2008)


<1>
Chapter 71: Personal Information


<2>
=Pick it up Squad D, your lines are slacking!
=Any squads that don't make the time run an extra lap!

=Don't leave anyone behind!
=Remember, a squad is always united in body and spirit!


<3>
=Run like your life depends on it!
=How's Tanaka-kun doing?
[banner]Asia League Freedom Alliance Hosted//Joint Military Drills

=How's he doing?
=He's pretty much dying.

=But he really tries, doesn't he...?
[x2]GURGLE
[bubble]Wanna quit?
=He shows up at the drills every single weekend...

=Ever since that shooting...
=Looks like he's been forcing himself to keep going...


<4>
WHIZZ
BRIP
GRUCK

[x5]BANG

GRICK


<5>
=Deliberation on the vengeance enforcement of Mr. Keita Tanaka will begin next week.
=Being an unusual inquiry into a case where all original charges have been dropped, the issue has attracted a plethora of public attention.

=The Omaru Agency, the handlers for this case, held a press conference earlier,
=Stating that they have already secured a witness, and are confident in the event of a showdown in the courtroom.
[screen]Mr. Keita Tanaka, possible vengeance enforcement code target?

=I heard the Omaru Agency's just a cover,
=It's that Katsumi Agency that's actually handling everything.

=Well, that agency is under a restraining order...
=But they've got serious backing from one of the pro-enforcement politicians.


<6>
=Seems like they just wanna get this enforcement on no matter what, but tradition-wise it's totally unheard of,
=And the public won't allow it.//People've started to sympathize after the YO-KO-chan shooting incident.

=But ya know—They got people in the justice bureau too. Aren't they gonna try and push it through!?
=We'll just ignore whatever the hell they try and tell us.

=We got our guys on it already.

[bubble]SWUSH

=Got that, Tanaka-kun?//Don't tell the media anything important.

=Hey, Tanaka-kun.
=Are you listening?


<7>
=Huh?
=What?

=Anyways, are these all the death threats we got this week?

=...Huh? Well, yeah.
=Why?

=...Weird...
=You're not hiding anything from me, are you...?

=There were a lot more of 'em last week.


<8>
=Look, Tanaka-kun. Haven't you been too hard on yourself lately?
=You don't need to go to the weekend drills and shooting sessions.

=Troop morale rises if a representative shows up.
=And it puts on a good show for the media.

GATHUCK

=Besides,
=It's not like I'm bothering my brothers or anything...

=Bobby, c'mere a sec.
=We gotta talk.

BATHUMP


<9>
=Huh? What was that?

=I've figured out who's been sending these letters.

=Well yeah, this letter comes every week and it's probably being sent by the same person, but...
=How're you so sure?

=A classmate from high school. I looked him up in the school register and his name was Aizawa.
=You know, the one who got bullied a lot and stopped coming to school...


<10>
=But why'd he wait till now to start writing these?

=The letters started coming in the week we brought the letter of protest to the Katsumi Agency.
=Oh? Really?

=We met him that time.//Remember? The guy we sat with at the cafe.

=I knew something was fishy about him,
=It was Aizawa!
=And that was no chance meeting. He deliberately made contact with me to get his revenge.


<11>
=W-Wait a second, that guy with the glasses is in the Katsumi Agency, right?
=So Aizawa's working for an enforcement agency?

=It's possible he became an agent to get back at me.

=That... Sounds a bit far-fetched.

TUG

=So move your ass and find out what the hell's going on!
=Don't get pissy with me when you don't even know shit!

=I'm not gonna fucking lay back and take it anymore—I'm making the first move!


<12>
=You're my bodyguard, and there's a suspicious guy lurking around!
=So do your fucking job! Nab him or kill him!

=...A-

=Alright.
=I'll check it out...

=Here's the 6 o'clock news.


<13>
=In the Ward 6 shopping district, a man went on a stabbing spree, killing two and placing three in critical condition.
=The man claims his friends taunted him for failing the military service physical exams, and wanted to prove his own combat ability...

=On the front lines, a week-long cease fire agreement has been signed, during which our comrades announced their intention of withdrawing from Wards A, D, and E.
=However, the enemy spokesman continues to raise the possibility of a second wave of homeland bombings...

=Today, activists from the Tanaka faction began a street petition for the amendment of the vengeance enforcement code, and have already gathered 20,000 signatures.
=Stay tuned, we're bringing you Mi~ta's fortune-telling after a word from our sponsors!


<14>
=It's dark outside again...
=And all we did today was sort out files...

=So?


<15>
=You're certain that guy is Tanaka-kun's classmate, Aizawa?
=Yes, we have confirmation. Aizawa works as a city official in his hometown. We've contacted him directly.
=Alright.

=So Tanaka-kun was wrong after all. The cafe thing was just a coincidence.//He's just gotten way too paranoid lately.

=Problem is, the Katsumi Agency's personal data security is too tight, and I can't get any background info on him.
=Tanaka-kun's not gonna be happy unless I find out more...

[bubble]ZZT

=Guess I'll just have to tail him,//Search his place first.


<16>
=Can't get any closer than this...//He looks defenseless, but he's got his radar on full blast.
=Are all proxies like that? Or is he just special?


<17>
=He's probably the special one.//I knew he wasn't normal the first time I laid eyes on him,
=I've never had this kinda feeling before.

=I know it'd be better just to leave him alone.
=But getting curious like this is just part of the job.


<18>
=There's a lotta cops in this area...
=Wonder why.

=Oh yeah—Proxy from that Katsumi Agency killin' one of the cops...
=Name was Mizoguchi...

=So he always walks by the spot where that whole thing happened.
=Just coincidence?

[bubble]SWUP

=Ah.


<19>
=Damn it.

=Shoot.
=I lost him.


<20>
=Weird, he just disappeared... Guess he got rid of me...

=Now that I think about it, Mizoguchi ran into a back alley too.
=Was that also a coincidence?

=Maybe Mizoguchi went into the alley tailing that guy, like I am right now...

=If this isn't a coincidence,
=Then,


<21>
=It's a trap.


<22>
BANG
GRUCK


<23>
WHACK

=HICK.

=TIIIME!


<24>
[x3]TIIIME—

=What?
=You told me time out, so I'm waiting.


<25>
CLACK

=I-I'm sorry! I had no intention of harming you!
=I just shot the gun on instinct!
=Please forgive me!

=Oh... So that's what it was.

THUD

=I've been trying to distance myself from others lately,
=So I wasn't feeling your vibe very clearly...

=Terribly sorry.
=I was about to dispose of you.


<26>
=Di...
=Dispose...?

=Really,
=Quite troublesome...