“He was my twin. It’s like a part of me died.”
“I’m sorry, but I did not kill Kaiyo.” My hands shook with fury. I couldn’t believe she was laying this at my feet.
“I know.” Her body finally sagged as tears slid down her cheeks. “I just… miss him. And I’m angry he’s gone. He shouldn’t be. He should be alive, starting his own restaurant, just like you.”
“So you take it out on me? The Sakamotos killed him. And they tried their hardest to kill me too.”
As furious as I was, I understood why Keiko had done what she’d done. Grief had driven her. She hadn’t lost a brother; she’d lost a twin. That kind of bond could be broken only by death.
“Is that why you sent the message? About me taking from you?” I snapped. “You wanted me to suffer?” I swept a hand at the empty dining room. “Look around. Do you see anyone eating my sushi? My business is hanging by a thread. Did that bring your brother back? Did it take away the pain? Do you feel better?”
“No. I don’t.” Her voice shook. “I know ‘sorry’ sounds cheap, but I see it now. Hurting you was wrong.”
“I wish you’d figured that out like four months ago.”
She sat there, eyes raw, unable to offer a single word to repair what she’d done. I should’ve called the police the moment I got her inside. She’d single-handedly destroyed my business. The harassment was inexcusable. And yet I just sat there, watching her cry.
It hit me. Kaiyo had been bullied more than anyone in the apprenticeship. Almost everyone picked on him, except me. I’d thought he was genuinely nice, a good sport about the teasing over his uniform riding up over his belly, his belt always coming undone. He never defended himself, just laughed it off. Maybe he’d been hurting all along.
“Did you know Kaiyo was teased a lot in the program? There were others who picked on him because of his weight.”
“Did you join in on the fun?”
“No. That’s not me. He was a good person, the opposite of you, which is strange. I thought twins were supposed to be alike in every way.”
“I’m ashamed of how I treated you. If Kaiyo were alive today, he’d be angry with me. He was nice to everyone. Always a good friend.”
“I was sad about what happened. I really liked him.”
Keiko paused, her eyes softening as she met mine. “He liked you too.”
My bullshit meter kicked in. “Huh? How would you know that? We weren’t allowed contact with the outside world once the competition started.”
She looked away.
“Did you talk to Kaiyo while he was there?”
She nodded. “He smuggled in a small cell phone. There’s no way we could’ve gone six weeks without talking.”
“How often did you two talk?”
“Every day. All day. Texts only. He gave me a play-by-play of everything that was happening.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not. That’s how we were. We told each other everything. He said if he didn’t win, you would. He thought you were genuine. Deserving.”
“He did?” For a moment, I forgot about the sword in my hand. Hearing that Kaiyo believed in me caught me off guard. Back then, I’d felt so alone, like no one was on my side.
“I thought because of that… maybe you had something to do with his death,” Keiko said. “Like you conspired against him.”
“I didn’t. I swear it.” I hesitated. “Wait, you knew what was happening to us in there?”
She nodded. “I knew people were getting hurt. I told him to leave, begged him. I even threatened to go to the police, but he made me promise not to. He wanted so badly to win, to be the chosen apprentice. And then one day… the texts stopped. Every message I sent went unread. I knew he was gone. I didn’t dare tell my father or mother.”
“Why did you stay quiet?”
“I don’t know. I think I was in denial. I wanted to believe his phone had just been confiscated… that after six weeks, I’d get my brother back.” Her voice cracked. “We got him back, all right. In a body bag.”
