Chapter three, 2017, shards: 8

With a grin Christina slowly walked through the festival streets. Very slowly. For once the goons from Vogue had no problems following her, and adding her own body guard to the duo she became exceedingly visible, which was exactly what she wanted.

Today was Sunday, and the cultural festival was open to the public, which included people from the media who were after any kind of scoop involving her stardom in the world of modelling. She planned to give them far more than they could dream of, and for this the presence of her obscenely visible body guards were vital.

A small part of her felt sorry for dragging Ko-chan and Yukio into her dirty game, but the addition of another two guards, armed with handguns to boot, ought to guarantee a devastating blow to Kareyoshi's career.

Maybe he wasn't directly responsible for what happened to the girls, but he was involved in a way that placed the blame firmly on his shoulders. He was, Christina decided for herself, easily one of the most disgusting persons she had ever met in both her lives. And that was a big deal, because that meant he was even worse than she had been herself in her early forties.

A transition and restart. More like redemption. Memories of her old life were far from rosy. 'Shards, I lived shards of a real life.' A smile spread on her face, probably tinged with more than a little sadness if she had to guess, but she didn't care. Her real feelings lined up perfectly with her plans for once.

This year she had no problems strolling around. This was nothing like the insane circus from a year ago. This year there was none of the mad chaos she remembered, but also gone were the grins and surprised shouts of glee when yet another small disaster was averted.

Polite students served Japanese food to polite customers. Silence and subdued words filled the air, and wherever she looked the student body of Himekaizen filled stalls and exhibitions while trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. Maybe there was culture, but festival had nothing to do with what she passed through.

Not that it mattered. She wouldn't have been out here if she'd done as told and participated in the cultural festival. None of the students who weren't pure blood Japanese were allowed to come in contact with guests.

Back in Sweden Kareyoshi would long since have been removed from office and facing a trial, but this wasn't Sweden, and for that reason Christina was adamant he'd end up facing that trial anyway. On the surface the laws were similar. If Kareyoshi's ham-handed rules surfaced and brought disgrace to the school there was a possibility the application of those laws saw the light of surface as well.

And then there was that other bomb.

Christina pushed her way through, or rather her body guards did.

Thomas wanted to talk with her, and so did Jennifer. The main reason for that talk was between Thomas and Jennifer, and there was absolutely nothing Christina had to offer. Jennifer might look strong and unconcerned, but it had to be a show.

Christina sighed and followed her body guards through angry outbursts. Then she saw Yukio and Kyoko with their armed protection. From then on any show of irritation from other guests simply vanished.

"Why aren't you working with the festival?" Christina asked loud enough for anyone to hear.

"I don't dare," Yukio answered according to a rehearsed script. "This time Principal Kareyoshi sent eight boys to rape the girls."

Which was an absurd accusation, and absurd was good. Kareyoshi lacked the brains to escalate his dirt when it proved insufficient, so someone else was involved this time. But Kareyoshi also lacked the brains to cover up his tracks, so if he got flushed out Christina was certain he'd drag his associates into the open as well.

Around them people listened and gasped, and five body guards protecting three high school students made anything they said seem plausible. So Christina vented one horrible accusation after another for anyone within listening distance, and those always included members of the press.

Another four to meet. Three ahead of them and one following a bit behind her. Kareyoshi wouldn't recognise a scripted event if you shoved it into his face, but Christina wasn't so certain about those who supported him, so she hid her ace up her sleeve.

Just inside the main entrance Thomas and Jennifer stood waiting despite being ordered to stay out of sight, and Kareyoshi had swallowed that bait beautifully.

Just as Christina entered she heard him yell something about insubordination, and she grinned when he refused to disappoint her. In her wake a few journalists managed to make it indoors just as Kareyoshi roared something incoherent about why unclean blood should be invisible when decent people were around.

"So it's not enough to have them raped. You need them invisible as well?" she asked with a voice she knew would cut through pandemonium.

Kareyoshi turned and faced her. "She's unclean. No one needed to rape her. She just flaunted her foreign ways just like that Korean."

A shadow behind her told Christina the fourth person to join the meeting had just arrived. "Are you telling me that all Koreans and other foreign women are sluts who'd sleep with anyone anywhere and anytime?"

Kareyoshi stared at her. Then he growled. "A foreign whore like you wouldn't understand, but yes, that's exactly what I mean."

The shadow grew closer, and then the darkness turned into a tall man in his fifties. Christina backed away to make room for him.

"Dad?"

'I'm sorry for using you like this.' Christina stared at Jennifer's expression of fear and hope.

"Did you just say that my daughter and a Korean girl egged eight boys on to have sex with them?"

"Another foreigner. What are you doing at my school?"

The man met Kareyoshi's stare. "My daughter attends this school. She was raped here. As a father I believe it is my business."

"Who would care about what another foreigner believes."

"In my case, quite a few I believe."

The two men stared at each other, and Christina waited for Kareyoshi's final blunder.

"And why would anyone listen to you?" he said and walked right into the trap.

The man grinned. An entirely predatory grin and nothing at all like Ulf's wolfish one that still made Christina's heart lurch. "Why? I wonder. Maybe because you just turned this into an international incident."

"What? Who are you?"

"My name is Nathan Cooper. I'm the US ambassador to South Korea."