At dawn, Hotaru, Ishiro and Kenji were standing in the Yoyogi park, not far from the entrance to the Meiji Jingu’s grounds. The two youngest members of the group, Yuto and Koji, had been sent on a supply run to the nearest Family Mart. They had loaded on coffee cans and snacks and were now making their way back. It would be several hours before the start of the wedding ceremony, but their not being invited made attending the event a less than straightforward affair.

  Still, they had come up with a plan to do so, and a backup plan, just in case. They were all dressed up as if they had been best men. This was after all the closest they would ever be to marrying the object of their obsessions, and they would—respectfully—do their utmost to live out that fantasy one last time before she became officially a married woman, out of reach of even their wildest dreams.

  Around 7 a.m., they headed toward the temple but found the way blocked already. A police squad manning a barrier in front of the torii gate!

  This did not bode well.

  No one had said anything about a police barrier to get on the temple grounds, nor had anyone thought it possible: while the temple itself was off-limits during the ceremony, it was inside a public park and the grounds themselves should be open to the public. They considered heading to a different entrance, but they had been seen and had no choice but to approach the officers manning the barrier. It was a long shot but what else could they do? All their preparations and equipment were already inside the grounds.

  “Are you here for the wedding?” a policeman asked, sizing up the group.

  “Yes, we are,” Hotaru answered truthfully.

  The policeman bowed and sighed: “I’m truly sorry to inform you that the wedding has been canceled.”

  Shock and consternation were painted all over their faces, along with a tinge of relief. Was Kaori remaining single?

  Without a pause, the policeman continued: “Mashiro Kaori was kidnapped last night.”

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  “What do you mean, kidnapped? This can’t be happening!”

  “We don’t have all the details yet, but for now, all we know is that it happened around 2 a.m. at the Chinzanso hotel. There was a fight, and Kaori-san was taken away.”

  “Do we know who is responsible?”

  “No, not yet, but if you want to know more, there will be a press conference at the hotel at 10 a.m., where all the guests will be addressed by the chief of police.”

  Hotaru was trembling with fury, but he bowed and walked away. They followed him in silence. As soon as they were out of sight from the gate, Hotaru stepped out of the road and walked into the small forest, in the direction of the traditional tea house on the temple grounds. Hotaru didn’t pause. He forced the small wooden gate and climbed onto the low terrace of the tea house. He knelt on the wooden floor of the room, soon rejoined by his friends.

  “What are we doing here?” Ishiro said, voicing the question in everyone’s mind.

  “We have now committed a crime for which we can be arrested and jailed.” He paused to let his words sink in. “They have taken our Kaori. We are going to make a keppan, a blood oath, to rescue her. We are no longer bound by the laws of society!” He stood up.

  “I shall not rest until she is found, rescued, and her enemies brought to justice. This I so swear!”

  Taking the small knife from his key chain, he placed the point against his finger. He took a deep breath. The tiny blade slashed across the tip of his index finger. Blood sputtered and he groaned in pain. He stamped his bloody finger behind the scroll of the tokonoma alcove, and handed the knife to Kenji, who promptly repeated the oath and made the cut.

  Ishiro was next. His eyes were hard and resolute, a stark contrast from his usual happy-go-lucky attitude. He no longer looked like a pampered rich kid. He took the oath and slashed at his own finger with no hesitation. “Hang on Kaori, we are coming!” he whispered to himself.

  They completed the keppan and bowed toward the scroll.

  “Let’s go to Chinzanso and see what we can learn.” Hotaru said.

  On the way, they stopped again at the Family Mart to purchase band-aids. An infection would do them no good.