“We really need to get out of this car,” said Ma?l. “It’s amazing and all, but as soon as the sun rises, we will be the single most conspicuous thing in Tokyo.”

  “You’re right, but not yet. We have to get supplies and money. I can’t go around wearing your judogi!”

  “Well, I don’t mind. It looks good on you.”

  She looked at him. He was joking, thankfully, but the problem was serious: where could she go in that state?

  Ma?l added: “Relax. I have a solution. We can drop by a Don Quijote store. I know a location that opens 24/7 and they sell everything. It won’t be anything fancy, but at least I can get you what you need. They have cameras, but no one knows me, it should be safe.

  “How do you feel about a Princess Mononoke costume?”

  She chuckled and asked:

  “How do you know the place?”

  “Oh, I just landed, but this isn’t my first time in Japan. It’s right in front of the Kodokan—the Judo club near the Tokyo Dome. I’ve been here many times before, you know.”

  “And you still don’t speak Japanese?”

  He was about to defend himself when he realized it was payback for his Princess Mononoke joke. Fair play.

  She continued:

  “We’ll need money first. Let’s go to the nearest ATM, then we can go to Don Quijote. As long as the two aren’t too close to each other, it should be hard to make the connection.”

  She opened the glove compartment and withdrew a slim metal wallet which had been stuck inside. She took a black credit card out and gave him the PIN.

  Ma?l flipped the card between his fingers, then handed it back to her.

  “The people after you, can they access the footage of the ATM’s camera?”

  Kaori eyes widened in realization. Could Oroshi track her bank transactions?

  “I don’t know. Maybe?”

  “In that case, you need to be the one withdrawing the money. If your card is used, they will already know you were there. No point letting them see me too.”

  He was right. Oroshi couldn’t know who he was and as long as he remained a mystery, he could act on her behalf and no one could connect the dots.

  Ma?l drove to the nearest ATM. It wasn’t far, and Kaori walked out briskly to it, the white judogi jacket plainly visible under the street lights. There was no helping it. A few minutes later, Kaori stepped back in and handed Ma?l a large stack of bank notes.

  Protecting a stunningly gorgeous Mata Hari was a fantasy he wanted to believe in and he had solid evidence for it too. Yet in the back of his mind, he still expected someone to jump out of nowhere screaming “hidden camera, sucker!”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Now, there were several million yen before him and she handed them over casually, like it was pocket change. He stared at the large wad of cash. The stack of bills in his hand somehow made the situation far more real and dramatic than even the gunshots.

  Time to earn his keep. He drove off, at a reasonable pace this time. The Don Quijote was next to the Kodokan, which wasn’t that far from where they had been, but it was a calculated risk. There was a parking garage right off the main street. It was well hidden, no one would see the car. From there, he’d need but a few minutes to get what they needed, or at least he hoped so.

  As he drove, Kaori was telling him about all the things he had to buy. He doubted there would be anything left in the store by the time he was done, but at least, the things she wanted were sensible: clothes, food, supplies. He knew they would have to ditch most of it along with the car in just a few hours but it didn’t matter, the cost was insignificant for her, and grabbing stuff off the shelves didn’t take long

  “Buy anything else you want. Who knows when we’ll get another chance to resupply.”

  While Ma?l was shopping, Kaori finally had time to think about the situation. This was so frustrating. Just yesterday, anything she wanted was a phone call away. A jet. A hotel. A new wardrobe. She barely had to ask and it was hers.

  Now? She didn’t even have a toothbrush; she was a fugitive, running from men who would kill her if she gave them a chance. She had to hide. She couldn’t stay in Tokyo; she’d be caught for sure. Too many people would recognize her on sight. Should she try and hide in the countryside? She wouldn’t even make it there. Ma?l was right about the car, they maybe had a few more hours till dawn, but that was it. It was far too recognizable, they would be caught within a day, two at most. Taxis reported location data in real time, it would be so easy to track them, especially if they took a long ride in the middle of the night. Trains? Yeah, right, she chuckled.

  Her best option was to leave the country. Going to an airport was risky but as long as they made it onto a plane, they would have a chance. People seldom recognized her outside of Japan. Could she make it through airport security? Wait… she didn’t have her passport! She couldn’t stay in the country, and she couldn’t leave it.

  When Ma?l returned, she was still struggling with that problem: what should she do next? Ma?l was carrying two large backpacks. He dropped them on the pavement and opened the passenger door. He knelt at Kaori’s feet, and Kaori was about to object when she realized his intentions:

  He pulled a first aid kit from the bag. Carefully lifting her leg, he applied a pomade to her swollen ankle, softly massaging the area. He was surprisingly gentle. The feeling was icy cold and she immediately felt relief.

  “We’d better take care of it now, or it will swell up and you won’t be able to walk tomorrow;” he explained as he wrapped the ankle tightly with a roll of gauze.

  This was clearly not the first time he applied first-aid. Kaori shot him a questioning look, but he shook his head, answering the unspoken question with a single word: “Judo.” Twisted ankles were common enough on the mat.

  He opened the backpack and pulled a pair of brown pants, a belt, a shirt, some Hello Kitty socks and a pair of sneakers.

  “I hope this fits,” he said handing it over to her and closing the door. He turned around and surveyed the surroundings.

  Kaori looked at the clothes. She had never worn anything but tailored clothes, even as a child. So this is what “normal” people bought? It didn’t look too bad. In fact, the shirt was kind of cute. Ma?l had good taste. It had blue and white stripes, and the logo of a small sailing ship embroidered on the… That’s it!

  Sailing, of course! She felt stupid. Japan was an island, and there are only two ways out of an island: by plane or by boat.

  She couldn’t take the plane, so she had to take a boat, and…. She knew where to get one: her friend Aiko had a catamaran docked at Enoshima Yacht Harbor, south of Tokyo. She used to go sailing with Aiko in the weekends, but that had come to an end when Aiko’s mother died of cancer two years ago. Aiko had been devastated and stopped sailing altogether ever since.

  Kaori still had access to that ship! If they could make it to Enoshima, they could just sail off.

  Good luck finding her then! She finished dressing up and hailed Ma?l who was pacing outside the garage. She finally had a plan, and a pleasant one too!