The Ferris wheel ground to a halt after the explosion, and gondola No. 72, already at the very top, began to sway from side to side.
Half-crouched inside the cabin, Jinpei steadied the half-disassembled bomb with one hand. Noticing the mercury switch had been activated, he gave a wry smile.
"Well, this just got complicated… talk about bad luck."
The pleasant ringtone of his phone rang from his pocket. He pulled it out and answered, and before he could even raise it to his ear, he heard Miwako's anxious voice.
"Hello? Matsuda, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine. But that jolt just now triggered a pretty dangerous switch," Jinpei replied, knowing that Miwako, who handled criminal cases, wouldn't be familiar with bomb mechanics.
"A mercury switch. There's a little ball inside that rolls with even slight vibrations. If it touches that contact, I'm done for."
Even in this situation, he kept his tone light to reassure her, chuckling softly. "So if you don't want to see me turned into spaghetti meat sauce, don't move the Ferris wheel until I've finished disarming it."
"But…" Miwako glanced at her watch and frowned. "There are only five minutes left until the explosion."
Holding the phone, Jinpei stared at the bomb's internal structure, confidence in his voice. "For something this simple, I only need three minutes to—"
—to dismantle it easily.
But as he saw the red scrolling text appear on the electronic display, the words caught in his throat. He hadn't expected the culprit to test him like this.
"A courageous officer, I must commend your bravery."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'll give you a hint about another, bigger firework. You'll see my message three seconds before this one explodes. Best of luck."
After reading everything on the screen, Jinpei let out a soft laugh. "So it's displayed on an LCD screen. If I disarm the bomb and cut the power to the screen, I won't be able to see his hint."
"That bastard planned this from the start, trap a police officer in this gondola just to make sure we'd read this message."
Realizing what that meant, Miwako quickly scanned her surroundings, her expression turning serious.
"Then that explosion earlier, he only set it off after seeing you board the gondola. Which means the culprit is nearby, right?!"
"Heh, picking him out of a crowd this big won't be easy. I've got a rough idea where the other bomb is but the guy deliberately didn't specify which exact place."
"What do you mean?"
"The helmet of a Knight of the Round Table has a cross mark and a cross represents a hospital. But there are plenty of hospitals in Tokyo." Jinpei pulled out a cigarette, then noticed the "No Smoking" sign beside him.
Smirking slightly, he added, "I'll contact you once I figure out which one it is."
'Sorry, Kenji… looks like I won't be able to avenge you.'
'Let me finish this last cigarette. I underestimated him. Using something like this to threaten me… even though I hate the police more than anyone, even though I never wanted to be a hero.'
'Guess becoming Superintendent General is out of reach now.'
'Damn… why do I suddenly feel like crying?'
"Contact me later? Matsuda, what do you mean? He said you'd only get the hint three seconds before the explosion!"
Miwako had already realized what Jinpei intended to do and tried to stop him from sacrificing himself but suddenly, someone snatched the phone from her hand.
'Who is this guy? How did he get this close without me noticing?!'
Ritsu grabbed Miwako by the wrist and pulled her into the shadows. When she tried to shout, he raised her own hand and covered her mouth with it, his voice cold as he threatened,
"If you don't want him to die, stay quiet."
"?!"
Holding the phone, he looked toward the Ferris wheel and asked in a low voice, "Are three seconds enough for you to disarm it?"
"Three seconds, can you do it?"
Jinpei had been about to hang up with the excuse that his phone battery was dying, but when he heard that familiar voice, he froze. The cigarette in his mouth nearly fell.
'Ritsu… why is he—'
"Three seconds. Is it enough?"
Snapping back to his senses, Jinpei's lips curled into a faint smile. Knowing the culprit was likely eavesdropping through the bomb, he tapped lightly on his phone, silently conveying a message.
[Of course it's enough. I'm a bomb disposal genius.]
"Then trust me. Disarm it in the final three seconds. As for the other one, I already know where it is. No time to explain."
Stunned by the intensity in his eyes, Miwako could only listen in confusion. This man, whose face she hadn't even seen, already knew the location of the second bomb?
How? Who is he?
Ritsu shoved the phone back into her hands, then hurriedly vaulted over the railing on the other side. Blending into the crowd, he headed for the parking lot. He needed to reach the second bomb as fast as possible.
Lowering her voice, Miwako asked, "Matsuda, that man—"
"Ah, looks like my battery's dead!" Jinpei cut her off immediately, letting out a lazy yawn. "I'll call you three seconds before it blows. Later!"
"Matsuda, you—!"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The line went dead.
Miwako wasn't a fool, she understood he was putting on a show for the hidden culprit watching from the shopping plaza. All she could do now was play along, shouting anxiously toward the Ferris wheel.
"Matsuda! Matsuda!!"
'He can probably hear that from inside the gondola… her voice is seriously loud.'
'Still, her acting's pretty good. That culprit's probably smiling in satisfaction right now.'
Jinpei had already prepared himself for death, but now he finally understood what it meant to survive a disaster. All he could do was play his part and trust him.
'Ritsu, I'm trusting you. So don't screw this up or I won't forgive you.'
Megure, who was directing officers to put out fires, noticed there was only one minute left. He immediately waved his arm, ordering all personnel to begin evacuating the onlookers around the Ferris wheel.
"One minute remaining! Everyone, evacuate the area immediately!!!"
"Matsuda!!"
Unaware that Miwako's desperate attempt to rush toward the Ferris wheel was part of the act, Megure grabbed her shoulders and shouted, "Miwako, don't! It's too late!"
"But—"
Megure shook his head. He didn't want to give such an order, but all they could do now was evacuate every visitor nearby to safety.
No superintendent wanted to see one of their subordinates die.
And more than anyone, he wanted to find the culprit hiding in the crowd and make him pay with a lifetime behind bars.