As I packed a small bag for this next trip, I pondered what little I actually knew. It wasn’t Juri who had hit me – all she had had to do was leave me there and I’d have been little further trouble. Someone wanted me to think it was Saionji, and had gone to a lot of trouble to follow me to Kagoshima, so I would think it was him. But Saionji had left the past behind – he wasn’t the one who had done it. That left three choices and I was pretty sure I knew who, of those three, had the most to lose. I thought hard about this quest of mine. I knew now that I wasn’t even *trying* to find Tenjou Utena at Ohtori. She wasn’t there – hadn’t ever really been, in fact. Her presence had been a cipher, a catalyst. And at the center of it all had been my client, the beguiling Himemiya Anshi. I whistled tunelessly, as I admitted to myself exactly why I was going to Ohtori Academy. Juri had her wish – she was able to assist me. I had called her the night before and asked to borrow that helicopter of hers. Hoou was out of the way and it would be difficult to get there on short notice otherwise. She sounded pleased to be able to help. Now, as I sat in the back of a cab heading towards the airport where my novel form of transportation waited, I thanked her silently. This wasn’t going to be fun, but one way or another I had to go. My ride to Houou was fascinating. I had never been in a helicopter before (except for my unconscious flight a few days earlier) and thought it rather exhilarating. I like speed, heights, things that get my blood flowing and my heart racing. The pilot was a guy about my own age, who was happy to tell me all about flying helicopters. It made the time pass. When he set down on the helipad, we agreed that he could have the rest of the day off, but that he should be ready to lift off any time after 20:00. I didn’t know how long my visit would take, but I wanted to sleep in my own bed tonight. I was expected at the Academy. A minor official met me, gave me the tour and answered general questions. He apologized and told me that the Chairman would be busy for another half hour, but would see me then. We walked amiably around the campus, while I watched the students going about student-like activities. Everything seemed perfectly normal, nothing out of the ordinary. I found it nearly impossible to believe that these fantastic and strange duels had occurred in this posh, pleasant school. At last, the Chairman himself came to meet us. His smile was sincere – a politician’s smile. I searched his face for signs of Anshi. His skin was a lighter shade than hers, and where her hair was lush and dark, his was pale, lit from within. There was little resemblance between them. For some reason, I was relieved about that. He gave me a polite greeting and let the minor official go about his duties. He escorted me up the hill towards his office. As we reached the summit of the hill, I began to feel something, a prickling down my spine and I knew that this was what I had come for. The Tower was visible everywhere in town, much less on campus. I had seen it from the moment the ‘copter flew in sight of Houou, but now, as we approached it, it was as if a curtain was drawn from in front of my face. I could *see* the Tower – it looked exactly the same as it had, but now I could also feel the power emanating from it. It gave me the creeps. I hesitated at the door, but the Chairman invited me inside and I followed. The Chairman himself was not what I expected. He was a slight man, standing just slightly too close, letting a hand touch you lightly, leaning down to talk to you…it was if he was letting you into his confidence. An attractive man, he was obviously used to using his looks to get his way. His whole manner was geared towards seduction. I wondered how many of the teachers he had slept with…or students. I began to dislike him instantly. I don’t care to be manipulated and he was clearly a master manipulator. As he spoke to me of the accomplishments of Ohtori students, I wondered if you kept peeling away his layers, would you find anything underneath or just more layers. We took an elevator to the top of the Tower, and entered a vast room, surrounded by palladium windows. From there you could see the whole of the campus, and on clear days, most of Hoou, as well. I strode carefully around the room, trying to find just what I had come here for. The Chairman continued to talk and I continued to let him. Halfway around the room, I found it. "What’s that?" I asked, pointing out to a small, but dark and thick, growth of forest behind the main area of the campus. He smiled and came up behind me. A hand was laid gently on my shoulder as he leaned his head next to mine to point. I tried not to flinch. "Oh, that?" His voice was a soft purr in my ear. I could see where it would have sent chills along the spine of a younger, or more naïve person. Male or female, this man made you want him. He set my teeth on edge. "That is a remnant of the old growth forest that once covered this area of Japan." I nodded. The hand on my shoulder moved to my back and I stepped away. The Chairman hesitated, then stood to his full height. "We leave it there to contribute, in our small way, to the conservation of the environment." I turned to face him partially, keeping the forest in my sight. "What is that structure inside of the forest?" I kept my voice casual, but his reaction was not casual at all. A fist clenched by his side and the color drained out of his face. No longer teasing or seductive, his eyes grew cold and hard. "Just a memorial." His voice was clipped. "To past students." "Not," I let my eyes drift back to the window, "the place where some of the students fight duels?" There was silence. I turned to face the Chairman and in his eyes I read the answer. I had found what I was looking for. I could go home to Anshi.
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