(Letter from Tsuzuki Naoko)
Father, if you're reading this letter, it means I am no longer in this world... is a lame way to start a letter, but I'll stay true to myself and forge ahead without looking back.
I have a senior from college I trust who I will ask to post this letter if anything happens to me. I've told her that it's just a letter of thanks to you, Dad, so I'm sure she won't break her promise not to look inside.
Where do I even start with this? I suppose I'll do like you taught me and be as straightforward as possible.
Right now, my life is in danger.
Normally, I'd have a hard time convincing you to believe that, but seeing as how I'll already be dead by the time you read this, I'm sure you'll accept it without question.
The reason someone is trying to kill me is tragically simple: I tried to expose a crime, and I failed.
At first they were desperate to convince me to stay quiet, but once I started taking action, they grew eerily silent. I can only assume that means my time has come.
But if I'm the only one to die, that's fine.
I'll keep acting as though nothing has happened, leaving you and everyone else in my life out of it. It's the only way to make sure you aren't hurt as well.
They'll assume I'm just a stupid, oblivious woman who doesn't even realize I'm in danger. As long as they think I haven't spoken to anyone, you'll all be safe.
I'm a lucky woman, in some ways. I got a job in television, which has been my dream since I was a child.
But bullying, workplace harassment, and sexual harassment are so common here that I don't even remember what “harassment” is. The longer I stay here, the more I feel my sense of what's normal being eroded away.
Whether it's good luck or bad, I caught the eyes of two people who allowed me to sit in the eye of the hurricane as soon as I was hired: Producer Kikyo of JTV and Director Unno of J. Production.
Regardless of what I wanted, those around me were always harassed and abused by the two of them. The culture at JTV is such that no one can touch Producer Kikyo, even though he's already driven several people to suicide.
That was the mad world I found myself in.
There was no way I could stand such a situation, and I thought about quitting many times. But I was afraid I'd never be able to get a job as rewarding as TV production, and above all, I was afraid that something even worse would happen to me if I left.
I did everything I could to reduce the damage Kikyo and Unno inflicted on the world. It was nothing more than complacency on my part, but I supported those they'd hurt and tried to prevent others from bearing the brunt of their anger... I was desperate.
But everything changed one month ago, on an overseas business trip.
We attended a film festival in Southeast Asia. You remember, don't you, Dad? I called you from there.
Koga, the president of Koga Production and a friend of Kikyo's, was there too. Then, on one of their days off, Kikyo and Koga went to hire some prostitutes, and... It's horrible. They assaulted a woman and took her life.
Unno and I, who were staying at the same hotel, saw them dumping the body. The body's face was smashed as though she'd been hit with something over and over again, and there were still fresh handprints on her neck from being strangled.
We heard that Koga was the one who'd strangled her. He said he'd lost his temper again and grabbed her by the neck, and he was terrified that they'd be able to find his fingerprints in the handprints.
I immediately went to call the police, but Unno was completely under their control. He even tied me to the bed, saying he was going to help them dispose of the body and that he had to make sure I wouldn't go acting on my own.
From what the three of them said, they'd drugged two women they'd met abroad with sleeping pills. I don't need to wonder why. The drug they used took effect at different times depending on the person, and one of them had realized something was wrong when her partner fell asleep. She screamed for help and lashed out, apparently managing to hit Unno in the head before she collapsed.
But resisting just set them off. Koga flew into a frenzy and strangled her horribly.
I was tied there for the next six hours.
I was so afraid I'd be killed I couldn't stop shaking, and even now, every time I go to sleep, in my dreams I return to that room. The most terrifying thing was how normal the three of them treated the act of disposing of a body.
When they eventually returned, they demanded I keep silent. I was so afraid I agreed with them, and we returned to Japan.
Every day since, Unno came to my apartment.
Unno did everything he could think of to make me keep his secret: threats, bribery, promising me a promotion... I kept agreeing to remain silent, but he clearly didn't trust me.
One day, Unno offered me some marijuana, telling me it would make me feel better.
He told me he was a drug addict and that he had no choice but to help Kikyo and Koga because they knew. He told me that they were threatening him, and we were in the same boat.
But that's a lie. There is no way I could believe he was being threatened, not when I saw the gleeful look on his face... as he told me how easily they could make my death look like a suicide or a car accident.
I pretended to obey him and prepared to press charges.
The Japanese police wouldn't be able to investigate a case that happened overseas, and I doubted they'd believe me to begin with, so I decided to go to the media. I told a newspaper reporter I'd met on the job about the situation and prepared to meet with him in secret.
But that was a mistake.
The reporter who'd been so kind to me was one of Kikyo's supporters. From the beginning, our meeting was a trap, a way to find out if I'd ever press charges.
Unno wasn't angry with me when he found out. He spoke calmly and directly.
“...You idiot. There's nothing you can do. Don't you know we have friends in high places in every newspaper and publishing house in the country?”
His smile was the same as when he'd told me how he could make my death look like an accident.
I realized then that there was nothing I could do. I was going to die. There was nothing left but to make sure no one else came with me.
I have one more request for you, Dad. After you finish reading this letter, please burn it without showing it to Mom.
I'm not writing this to accuse those three of their crimes. I've already learned that's impossible. ...No matter who it is, the result will be the same.
To be honest, I wasn't sure I should even write this letter.
If I send this, you'll be forced to carry a tremendous burden. It might be better if I die quietly, without sharing my story with anyone.
But... I wanted my father to understand everything. I don't want to die and leave the ones who raised me behind. I want you to know the truth.
I've spent my life doing what I believed was right. I've never regretted that, and if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.
But I do regret that I won't have a chance to apologize to Yuki. I told him we'd go see a movie together. Guess I won't be able to make it.
Dad, I'm sorry I wasn't a very good daughter. Please take care of Mom.
Naoko, December 5th, 2018
(T. Newspaper Evening Edition, December 15, 2018)
FIRE DESTROYS PRIVATE RESIDENCE, TWO BODIES FOUND IN BURNT RUINS
KOTO WARD, TOKYO–Early in the morning of the 15th, a fire broke out in the residence of Tsuzuki Ryuzo (56) in Koto Ward, Tokyo, completely destroying the two story wooden home. The fire was extinguished after approximately five hours, but two bodies of unknown sex were recovered in the burnt ruins. According to F. Police Department, Mr. Tsuzuki's wife, Atsuko (50), was hospitalized at the time of the fire and was not home, and did not have contact with Ryuzo, who was living alone. The police believe it is likely that one of the bodies belongs to Ryuzo, and are hurrying to confirm his identity and determine the cause of the fire.
(T. Newspaper Morning Edition, December 17, 2018)
TWO BODIES FOUND IN HOUSE FIRE
KOTO WARD, TOKYO–The F. Police Department announced on the 16th that the bodies found following the fire which destroyed the home of Tsuzuki Ryuzo (56) in Koto Ward, Tokyo on the 15th have been identified as Ryuzo and his daughter Naoko (25).
Autopsy confirmed Ryuzo's cause of death as carbon monoxide poisoning, and his body was found in a second floor bedroom. Naoko's cause of death was not related to the fire, as her body had been laid to rest in preparation for the wake originally scheduled to be held on the 15th. Police are moving swiftly to confirm the cause of the fire, keeping the possibility of arson in mind.