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Psycho-pass Movie Novel Chapter 6 Complete

Note before reading: sentences in italics represent the character’s thoughts; sentences between square brackets are phone/radio conversations or the voice of dominators or other electronic devices.

“...so, the mission was a failure. And you say that the Japanese agent Tsunemori is missing?”

“Yes. She even acted as if she was helping the guerrillas. She completely overstepped her bounds.”

Standing in front of Chairman Hang’s desk in the office of his official residence in Shambala Float, Nicholas gave the report on the failed operation.

“Be that as it may, she was a foreign guest who was completely in your custody. It is a matter of responsibility,” Hang said coldly.

“But...!”

“I’m joking.”

A joke? He couldn’t really laugh. Nicholas was seething with anger, but he didn’t show it.

Hang continued.

“The Japanese government understands the current state of this country. They wouldn’t have sent her alone so easily if she was a person whose death was problematic for them.”

“...it’s a really unfortunate outcome.”

“If anything, Colonel, you should prepare yourself for even bigger trouble.”

“Hm?”

“It is possible that she was sent here precisely because she is the type of person who would not be expected to die in these conditions, I look forward to reading the next report.”

Though puzzled by the Chairman’s meaningful words, after a silent salute Nicholas left the office.

— What is the Chairman thinking?

Nicholas pondered as he walked down the corridor of the official residence. Lately, he had found himself understanding Hang’s thoughts less and less. Despite being a puppet of the Japanese government, the Chairman had insinuating manners and the number of actions that even the National Military Police couldn’t keep track of were increasing.

MYSTERIOUS CARGOS COMING REGULARLY FROM JAPAN[1]

(If I make any more mistakes...!)

Chairman Hang might even leave me out.

Nicholas Wong, the country’s most effective strategist. — However, knowing too much about the secrets of Shambala Float is a double-edged sword. When the Sibyl System is fully operational, I can’t rule out the possibility that I’ll be left out. Even Sem, that excellent soldier, had been discharged simply because of an injury he received during a military operation. This was the perfect pretext to do so, as he was inclined to doubt the government’s actions. Sem, who could not even receive medical treatment and was thrown away like rubbish, is now the leader of the anti-government guerrillas.

... I have the feeling that the government and the National Military Police have repeatedly made serious errors of judgement in recent years.

— What can I do? Even if I have to clean up for a puppet, it’s my own important job.

(What about using that man?)

He’s expensive, but I have no choice.

If all goes well, I may be able to sweep the guerrilla away on the way.

— The calm surface of the sea reflecting the subtropical sunlight and the subtle sound of the waves. A single islet floating in the Nansha Archipelago[2]. There, an inappropriately rustic pier had been built on a white sandy beach that seemed to glitter. A heavily armed high-speed boat was moored at the pier.

On a small hill several hundred metres inland, a colony of Livistonas[3] grew densely. A Provencal-style villa stood there, cutting through part of the palm trees. It looked like a holiday home in an aristocratic colony. A mercenary corps had built a large resort on this island. The countries around the world that hadn’t imported the Sibyl System had essentially fallen into ruin, but their piece of land was the only one that was different. A paradise for the mercenary aristocracy, protected by weapons half a century old — the latest “at the time”. All over the island, young men and women from the southern lands, taken by force, had been forced to work.

A man was relaxing on the open deck of the villa, in a spot reached by the shade of the trees. Sitting comfortably in an armchair, his long legs crossed, he was reading a French book, tasting it bit by bit.

“Peau noire, Masques blancs”

He was a muscular black man with an intellectual look. His right arm and left leg were prostheses made of a special alloy. As he read, he occasionally tasted bourbon whisky, holding it in his mouth.

His name was Desmond Rutaganda.

The king of this island. Rutaganda, the king of the mercenaries.

His portable terminal flashed as he received a call.

“...mm?”

He closed the book and started the voice call.

Through a hologram, the face of Nicholas Wong, a profitable customer, was cast from the portable terminal.

[I have an urgent job I’d like to ask you to do. You will be generously rewarded, of course.]

“That would be welcome. Everyone here has too much time on their hands.”

Rutaganda stood up. He took off his reading glasses and placed them on the table. From the open deck he could see the beach. A beautiful beach — however, looking closely at it, one could see the targets lined up for shooting practice. A few slaves who had behaved defiantly had been tied to wooden posts in the ground as a warning. After being tied down so that they couldn’t move, they were aimed at parts of the body that were unlikely to kill if hit, such as the abdomen and legs, and filled with bullets. The slaves, who had been shot for several hours or days, were in great pain. Illuminated and dried by the sun, they would have become shrivelled corpses exposed to the sea breeze.

[There are two Japanese among the guerrillas who have set up their headquarters near the ancient ruins. A man who joined this group and an inspector who came from Tokyo to arrest him. These two... I want you to take care of them.]

“The guerrilla is one thing, but an inspector too? An agent of the Japanese government, right?”

[She might stick her nose into our business in the future. She’s a hindrance.]

“Good grief! Ever since you got involved with the Sibyl, you’ve only been giving us annoying requests.”

[Thanks to the Sibyl, we got our hands on the paradise called Shambala. If you want, you can live a civilised life here. How long are you going to play savages on that little island?]

“At the level of individuals, violence is a cleansing force. It frees the native from his inferiority complex and from his despair and inaction; it makes him fearless and restores his self-respect.”[4]

[...what?]

“You don’t know Frantz Fanon?”

Rutaganda smiled.

Nicholas with a rather offended face, [We are investigating the exact whereabouts of the targets. As soon as we find them...]

“Don’t worry about it. Mercenaries have a unique intelligence network. Most information can be bought with money and valuables. Of course, I will have to charge you separately for the necessary expenses.”

[...]

“I will need landing permits for the military aircraft and IFF identification codes...”

As they moved, Kougami lent Tsunemori his shirt. Since Tsunemori was wearing the PSB fighting uniform, the logo had to be hidden. He couldn’t bring a person who openly identified herself as a government official into a base held by the organised resistance, and since they had gotten wet running from the Ganesha, the shirt could also warm her body.

Ancient temples, completely forgotten, located where the forest gave way to the countryside. The guerrilla base camp, the organisation of the resistance structure, had been built on the ruins of the once flourishing capital. Old people and children lived there, then soldiers.

Kougami stopped the military jeep at the entrance to the ruins. A few local men, old rifles at the ready, approached. One of them, who appeared to be the leader, spoke to him.

“Kougami, who is she?”

“It’s hard to explain... but she’s not an enemy. She’s a guest of mine, Sem.”

The man named Sem was dragging his leg slightly due to some kind of injury. There was also a scar on his head.

“…ah”

Tsunemori hadn’t been able to greet him immediately. She’d been overwhelmed by the strange atmosphere he was in. That didn’t mean that he was a frightening person. Despite the bloodshed he’d experienced, his honest gaze radiated a dignity that hadn’t lost its humanity.

“Did Kougami also show you the way? Then we are comrades.”

The smile and Sem’s outstretched hand finally allowed Tsunemori to greet him with a bow. Despite her confusion, she accepted the handshake.

“I am Sem. I am the leader here.”

“I am Tsunemori Akane. Nice to meet you.”

Tsunemori was still unsure how much she could trust the guerrilla.

The group of ancient ruins appeared tangled with ivy and invaded by wires, on the verge of being swallowed up by the forest. A harmonious sight of vegetation full of life force and gigantic stones burnt and discoloured by the sun. On the other hand, it seemed to be effective in deceiving the government forces. Because of the topography, even bombing didn’t seem to work. The ruins were located in the middle of small mountains with several caves that also served as shelters. In the largest of the old temples there was a great number of barracks and tents. Women and children lived there. The women’s duty wasn’t just to cook and wash, those who seemed to have quick reflexes had joined the men in picking up weapons. The men lived in the soldiers’ quarters nearest the forest. Most of the men worked hard at military training in the open air.

This was the rebel base where Kougami and Tsunemori walked side by side. At that moment, the inhabitants of the base made a gesture as if they were worshipping Kougami. — This is gratitude. Kougami Shinya had gained respect in that base. In the few years that Tsunemori had been fighting crime in Japan, he must have brought these rebels many small victories.

Tsunemori had become incredibly sad. She didn’t want to believe that Kougami’s decision had been right.

A structure that looked like something between a prefabricated house and a tent was Kougami’s place. The leaders of the rebel forces seemed to be gathered on the second floor of the perfect wooden structure. The two of them were alone in Kougami’s room. There was a strange tension. Kougami prepared Java tea for two and sat down in front of her, the table separating them.

“…Is Gino doing well?”

“After that he became an enforcer.”

“I see...”

A look of slight regret appeared on Kougami’s face.

“Is there a new inspector instead of Gino?”

“Yes. She’s not a bad person, but... she looks at latent criminals with too much hostility, and that causes problems in the investigation.”

“Looks pretty tough.”

“Not as tough as your situation, Kougami-san. What are you doing in a place like this?”

“At first, I was looking for a quiet place. I was tired, you see��, Kougami had a distant look on his face as he said this.

“But when I left the Sibyl System, I found that there weren’t any quiet places left. Everywhere in the world was a battlefield. I thought I had trained myself, but I realised how naive I had been. I learned to survive again.”

“But why did you join the guerrillas?”

“Soon after I came to this country, Han’s arbitrary policy and the use of drones to hunt down guerrillas began. It was too much...”

Tsunemori thought back to the battle of the National Military Police led by Nicholas and the battle of the drones to defend the borders.

“So, I decided to teach the resistance forces how to fight them back. The drones are all made in Japan. I know their weak points and the best ways to defeat them.

“What will change in such a way?”

“We may look like this now, but in the beginning, we saw the possibility of winning through perseverance...”

Lighting a cigarette, Kougami continued.

“He may call himself Chairman now, but Han is really just the leader of a military clan. He joined forces with Sibyl to gain an advantage over his rivals. He didn’t want the paradise of Shambala Float. He was only interested in the military drone units he would acquire on the pretext of defending it. That was all he had in mind,” Kougami puffed out a cloud of tobacco smoke with a melancholy look on his face.

“As a result, Han’s power overwhelmed the other military clans and his men became the strongest armed group, but that should have been the end of him. In a sense, the Sibyl System is the ultimate bureaucracy. It would be anathema to a dictator. Once he got to the point where he could rule, he would be completely controlled by the system and rendered powerless. It was only a matter of time before Han found out how terrifying Sibyl could be, and we thought that once he realised that, Shambala Float would kick him out before he could finish building it. That’s what we thought a year ago.”

“But... the outcome was different.”

“Yeah. Han has quietly handed over the real power to Sibyl, and a Japanese-style paradise has been created over the sea... And now armed drones are still running around mercilessly killing the opposition forces.”

“...”

“Maybe there is a back story between Han and Sibyl that goes beyond our imagination. I can’t give up until I find out what it is. Although it’s getting harder lately, you know.”

Despite this pessimism, Kougami’s expression was one of unwavering and strong fighting spirit.

“This... is your justice, Kougami-san. Is it? Without relying on the law, you continue to fight with your selfish stubbornness, involving a multitude of people.”　

“You’ve learned how to talk, uh?”

“You haven’t changed at all. Uh, I’m relieved.”

“...?”

At the serious tone of his voice, Tsunemori softened her expression. Kougami looked doubtful.

“Do you really have nothing to do with the terrorists who came to Japan?”

“Sure, there were some who said that we should take revenge on Japan, the place where Sibyl has its roots. Both Sem and I were against it, so they left that camp... They weren’t a bunch who could work out the way to cross the ocean on their own.”

Tsunemori showed Kougami the faces of Samurin and the others on the holo display of her portable terminal.

Kougami nodded, “No mistake. Samurin, Maa, Nook, Muse, Soban, Simu... It’s them. Are they all dead?”

“The man called Maa is the only one who survived.”

“They wasted their lives...”

Kougami said, looking sincerely sorry.

Tsunemori’s face darkened. She couldn’t tell Kougami how miserable Samurin’s end had been. She was eager to continue the conversation.

“...They even made arrangements to get advanced cracking equipment getting in touch with the receivers of the abandoned blocks. Isn’t that strange?”

“Sure. My guess is that there must have been someone who helped them.”

Both Kougami and Tsunemori fell silent, absorbed in their own thoughts, and after a while, “...somehow it looks like we’re both in a deeper quagmire than we thought.”

Kougami spoke.

“Stay here tonight. At daybreak, I’ll have someone take you to Shambala Float. If you behave yourself, you won’t be harmed.”

“Would it be useless to ask you to come with me voluntarily?”

“Please don’t tell Sem you’re a detective. If they find out you’re a government agent, even they won’t be able to keep their mouths shut.”

The large base of the Resistance forces used a group of ancient ruins. In the darkness of the night, a figure swam in the great river that surrounded it. Swimming at night makes it difficult to get a sense of distance, and amateurs are prone to drowning. However, “she” was far from such foolishness.

Desmond’s group of mercenaries, outlaw spies hired by Nicholas Wong.

Yulia Hanchikova, a member of the mercenary group, was swimming towards the Resistance base.

A woman from old Russia with short hair, her body surrounded by water. The well-trained, tall body was wrapped in a stealth suit, difficult to detect by any sensor. The face was also camouflaged with stealth paint.

The suit clung to her body, thin but highly resistant to bullets.

Rutaganda preferred to conduct military operations with a small number of elite soldiers.

Yulia, Weber, Babangida, Bun and the leader Rutaganda. A team of five in total.

“…”

Yulia was one step ahead as a reconnaissance officer. The woman was carrying a backpack full of sensors. Protruding from the backpack was an antenna made of conductive reinforced plastic. The antenna, which moved like a living creature detecting Yulia’s thoughts, looked like a scorpion’s tail with a stinger. Having confirmed that there were no guerrilla sentries, Yulia emerged from the river. She scattered almost insect-sized micro-drones over a radius of several kilometres. Yulia sent out terahertz waves from the micro-drones and the antenna.

A terahertz wave radar. Terahertz waves include light waves, radio waves and everything in between. By building an optical measuring system, it’s possible to get a highly transparent range. All of Desmond’s mercenaries had contact lenses and handheld terminals for military use. Contact lenses with an ultra-compact display and integrated microprocessor.

An advanced army would have countermeasures against micro-drones and terahertz-wave radars, but the guerrillas didn’t have the technology or the money. On the contrary, the technological power of Desmond’s mercenary group outstripped even Shambala Float’s government forces. Only a few mercenaries and private military companies currently possessed this level of technology. Both were backed by the Japanese government.

The results of the information gathered by the terahertz wave radar were displayed on the contact lens display. In the computer graphics-processed field of view, guerrilla soldiers and weapons in ancient ruins were framed in red. At the same time, accurate maps and the location of guerrilla watchtowers were uploaded.

Immediately, Rutaganda’s instructions arrived.

[Attack the nearest, Watchtower A. Immediately after that, Watchtower B as well.]

“Roger.”

At the entrance to the ancient ruins there were watchtowers made of steel frames that served as lookout posts. Two watchtowers, each with two guerrillas on sentry duty. The watchtowers were about 15 metres high. Yulia, who already knew the enemy’s position, wrapped the conductive reinforced plastic antenna around the steel frame and climbed the watchtower silently.

The watchtower was surrounded only by a low wall and was mainly used to watch out for drones and aeroplanes. Humans weren’t expected to sneak up on it, or so it seemed. The area of the watchtower was five metres square. Stealth kills were quite a challenge in such a space, but Yulia could do it. She climbed up to the watchtower and silently approached a soldiers.

She pulled out a knife and slit the throat of the defenceless guerrilla.

She then moved on to the next guerrilla soldier. She grabbed the rifle sling, pulled it down, covered the soldier’s mouth with one hand and stabbed him in the heart with the knife.

After returning the knife to its sheath, Yulia slinged a suppressed submachine gun on her back. Subsonic bullets are used to minimise the sound of gunfire (when conventional bullets are used, the initial velocity exceeds the speed of sound, resulting in a high-pitched gunshot accompanied by a shockwave). She pulled the trigger, aiming at Watchtower B from Watchtower A. Two more kills without making a sound.

“...Clear”

Yulia informed her comrades via the communication function of her portable terminal.

Desmond’s mercenaries exchanged information through a hologram that appeared from the portable terminals.

“Shall we go?”

The hologram could be typed on directly with the fingertips. Rutaganda moved his index finger and ticked a box on the troublesome watchtower that Yulia had silenced.

“The operation is on schedule.”

Rutaganda moved on foot, the Thai sniper Bun with a jetpack, the French Weber and the African Babangida with a reinforced exoskeleton.

Reinforced exoskeleton — the so-called powered suit. A two-legged, weaponised, armoured suit.

Total height 2.8 metres. One could say it looked like a steel troll. Omni-wheels on the legs and thrusters on the back allowed strong three-dimensional manoeuvrability on uneven ground and in urban areas. Armament consisted of a large-calibre autocannon mounted on the left arm, a multi-purpose guided missile on the shoulder and a rocket launcher.

The military power was sufficient to defeat the guerrillas.

The male tactical adviser known as D (Delta) and the female Japanese investigator known as J (Juliette).

It was evening at the rebels’ base camp — . The light in Kougami’s room faded into darkness.

Tsunemori used the bed and Kougami tried to sleep on a blanket on the floor.

Anyway, it was after they had fought their way through the battlefield. When he calmed down and thought about it, he felt exhausted.

The next morning, he had planned to discuss the further course of action with Sem.

Kougami Shinya and Tsunemori Akane. The strangely tense atmosphere between them couldn’t be erased. Only Tsunemori’s conscience was clear. No, she was too tired, so she was too sensitive, wasn’t she? Anyway, she couldn’t sleep, so she left Kougami’s room.

She looked out of the window of the covered corridor.

“Ah...”

There were probably only a few electrical generators. The guerrilla men lit real fires instead of lighting equipment. The same fires that men used a long time ago.

The night sky was amazingly beautiful.

The stars were crystal clear like gemstones. The guerrilla camp had few lights.

Speaking of the amount of light, such a bonfire was not even a tenth of a streetlamp used in Tokyo. With the ground so dark, the sky was easy to see.

“The sky is amazing,” Kougami had also stood up.

“The stars look like they might fall.”

“In Japan the ground is too bright.”

“And yet the convenience of electricity is useful, isn’t it?”

“Of course, that’s true. The scientific development itself is not bad. The problem is that science and technology are abused for the benefit of a minority.”

We met again after so long —

Kougami remained the same Kougami.

“So, in the end Gino has become an enforcer...?” Kougami murmured with a hint of regret.

“In the old days...popsan…Masaoka-san said ‘I don’t want to see Nobuchika fall and become an enforcer’. If I meet him again in the afterlife, I won’t be able to apologise.” “In such a case...”

“Kunizuka?”

“She’s the same as before... but her crime rate is tending to improve.”

“That’s good news... I suppose. Shion?”

“That person is always the same. She’s the real balancer of Division One.”

“...Kagari?”

“Nothing. He’s still missing.”

He’s not missing.

Kagari has been killed.

She knew that, but if she told him the truth, what would the Sibyl System do? Would it try to kill Kougami?

It had nothing to do with the escape abroad. Fighting the Sibyl System was one thing but knowing the truth about it...it was impossible...Sibyl couldn’t welcome that.

She couldn’t tell the truth... her chest felt so tight.

Still, she couldn’t allow Kougami to find out.

“…Is that so? And Professor Saiga?”

“He’s in seclusion, but he’s allowed to work as an important advisor.”

“So he’s alive, uh… ?”

Kougami smiled faintly.

“That’s a good thing.”

At these words, Akane was also lured into a smile.

...ah, that’s right.

Life is not bad.

“What do you think of me?”

Kougami asked.

“Are you angry with me?”

“If you had not killed Makishima...”

While thinking about the question, Tsunemori replied.

“Ginoza-san’s hue was getting worse. He might have become an enforcer just the same. Besides, even if Makishima had lived, you would have been eliminated, Kougami-san.”

... If that had been the case, I wouldn’t have really forgiven the Sibyl System.

“Therefore, there’s a good chance that your escape abroad... was the best decision. It’s annoying. I would have preferred you to stay more in Japan...”

“I think… I’m inexcusable.”

“The Kougami-san who stays with the guerrillas is so lively that it’s kind of annoying.” “Lively? Running here and there is nerve-wracking...”, Kougami frowned.

“And my mother is in Japan too...”

“Tomoyo-san, right?”

“Yes.”

“I visit her now and then. To take her mind off things, I guess.”

“Thank you.”

“No...”

While saying this, Kougami had such a gentle look on his face.

“Astute”, Akane thought as she looked at him.

“What do you think of her? In my memory she’s a very strong person.”

“Really, she’s very strong. She never showed a weak face in front of me.”

“I can’t be in Japan. Then there are things to do here. It’s beyond my control... Human life is like that.”

Night fell. The bugs piled up around the fire, making a musical hum.

“Kougami-san, isn’t life precious?”

“No, it isn’t.”

“...”

“It’s not a matter of when we’ll die, it’s a matter of how we’ll die.”

The moment Kougami said this, Tsunemori could no longer stand it and burst out laughing.

“Pfff”

Just like that, growing steadily and holding her sides, she had a hearty laugh.

“What’s that for!?”

She had laughed like that a long time ago. From the bottom of her heart.

“Because, Kougami-san...”

...because you said it the way I expected you to.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“How mean. Laughing out of the blue...”

Kougami, shrugging his shoulders, also laughed a little.

The moment Tsunemori's laughter stopped...

“You have grown for good.”

Kougami whispered heartily.

“Is that so?”

Just the sound of those words made Akane feel embarrassed.

“You have the face of a good owner. You also have the face of a skilled hunter.”

“And you really are a stray dog now.”

“A stray dog, what a terrible thing to say.”

“Sure we meet like human beings now.”

“Yes, finally.”

“Isn’t it ironic? Even though we have met like human beings, as usual, a case comes between us.”

“It suits us, doesn’t it?”

So…. it’s a case. The reason why Tsunemori Akane has come here[5].

“One of the terrorists who came to Japan had a rare paper book with him. Proust’s ‘In search of lost time’”

“I bet it was mine. When Samurin was here, he loved to read it. I thought I’d lost it, but he must have taken it with him.”

“Earlier, too, that man called Sem... he said you showed him the way. Are you sure you haven’t become their spiritual leader and not just a tactical advisor?”

She didn’t know if he was aware of it, but Kougami had flinched with a rather displeased expression.

“To be honest, I don’t like it, and it doesn’t suit me either. But unwillingly, it seems that the guys here have been influenced too much by my words and behaviour.”

“Even if you don’t mean to, Kougami-san, you have a force like gravity that draws people to you. Well, it’s like Makishima Shougo.”

“...Do I look like that man to you?”

“You were able to predict Makishima’s next moves better than anyone else. It wouldn’t be strange if you had similar talents and character traits.”

“...at least when I was in Japan, my words never misled anyone. So why now?”

“Because you’ve changed the way you live your life. From one side of the system to the other. No matter how you feel about it, the place you’re standing now is not much different from the one Makishima Shougo stood before.”

“Are you saying that from now on I’ll become like Makishima?”

“No. But there will always be people looking for Makishima’s talents in you. People who are angry and frustrated with society are looking for something, an attractive force that they can trust. They may try to put you on a pedestal like they did with Makishima.”

“That’s annoying.”

“But you have no ambition to try to control people’s hearts. That’s the biggest difference between you and Makishima Shougo.”

Kougami couldn’t help but laugh at Tsunemori’s misunderstanding when she compared him to Makishima.

“If that’s what you thought of that man, then I understand why he’s giving me so much trouble.”

“Huh?”

[1] MYSTERIOUS CARGOS COMING REGULARLY FROM JAPAN: I wrote it in capital letters because in the book, this sentence is written with dots over the kanjis to emphasise it.

At that moment, a heavy calibre rifle shot rang out.

NOTES TO TRANSLATION:

[2] Nansha Archipelago: the Nansha Islands, also known as Spratsy Islands, are are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.

[3] Livistona is a genus of palms, the botanical family Arecaceae, native to southeastern and eastern Asia, Australasia, and the Horn of Africa. They have leafs shaped like fans.

[4] Quote from Frantz Fanon, The wretched of the earth.

[5] The reason why Tsunemori Akane has come here: this sentence is expressed from Kougami’s POV.

translation by cleverwolfpoetry @ https://cleverwolfpoetry.tumblr.com/

#psycho pass translations #kougami shinya #chapter 6 #psycho pass movie novel #tsunemori akane

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cleverwolfpoetry · 4 months ago

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Always reblogging it ❤️❤️❤️

On Your Mark (1995) dir. Hayao Miyazaki

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cleverwolfpoetry · 4 months ago

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Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Short Stories - Haruka’s valentine's day

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Short Stories - Haruka's valentine's day

(JP-EN Translation by @cleverwolfpoetry - Editing by Zel)

( other short stories )

[Originally published in Kaminaga-sensei's official blog]

Today is Valentine's Day. So, I’m uploading a revised and summarised version of the short story ‘Haruka's Valentine's Day’, which was uploaded in parts last year.

14 Feb 2021 — Kaminaga Manabu.

Ozawa Haruka stopped in front of the Movie Research Circle clubroom —.

She could have just walked into the room and said ‘Hey’ as usual, but hesitation came upon her.

Not because she was bringing trouble. The paper bag Haruka was holding in her hand was the reason for her hesitation.

Today was Valentine's Day. How it came to be remained unclear, but there was said to be a mysterious custom to give chocolates to the man closest to your heart —.

Of course, there were also giri-choco[1] and tomo-choco[2], so giving chocolates had no great implications.

Since he had been helping her all this time, Haruka giving Yakumo chocolate wouldn’t have had the same connotations as a declaration of love.

Or rather —.

It would have been so if she were to give him some store-bought chocolate.

Last night, Haruka had somehow gotten over excited and made homemade chocolates for Yakumo all by herself.

Furthermore, she even gave the chocolates an original wrapping.

This stuff already screams ‘honmei-choco[3]’ —.

And now fear suddenly struck her. If Yakumo were to tell her, ‘How troublesome’, she wouldn’t be able to recover.

If things didn't work out, Yakumo probably wouldn't hesitate to ask, 'Why do I have to eat your homemade chocolate?’ or something along those lines.

No, there was a chance Yakumo might not even know that it was Valentine's Day.

That would still be a fine outcome, but it wasn't difficult to imagine that he’d reprimand her with words like ‘Don’t get so enthusiastic about such an event’…

In any case, nothing good would probably come of it.

It had been a lot of work, but maybe she should leave without handing it to him.

“What are you doing over there?”

As she was about to leave, a voice called out to her from behind.

“Eek!” She was so surprised that she shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on —.

“Don't speak so suddenly and in such a loud voice.”

“S-sorry...”

Just like that, Yakumo walked into the Movie Research Circle clubroom. While she was considering whether to just run away, Yakumo looked back at her with a dubious look on his face.

“If you stay there, you’re going to block the passage.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Haruka replied as she entered the room.

“So, what did you come here for?”

Yakumo began as they stepped into the clubroom of the Movie Research Circle and sat across from each other.

“Ah, well, since I've come this far, I thought I'd stop by for a moment...”

Haruka replied with a wry smile.

Yakumo did not seem to be convinced and gave her a look full of suspicion.

“Is that really all?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Kind of questionable. You must’ve picked up some trouble again.”

“No-not really. There’s no trouble.”

— He’s totally suspicious.

Now that it came to this, maybe it would have been better to say right away, ‘It's Valentine's Day, so I came to give you some chocolate —’

She was strangely self-conscious about this, but it didn’t mean that there weren’t people out there making homemade giri-choco and tomo-choco.

If she had simply given him the chocolate, that would have been the end of it. But by concealing the fact, she had evoked odd suspicions upon herself.

That being said, the timing wasn’t good for her to speak.

“You're acting suspiciously. What on earth are you thinking?”

Yakumo continued to pry. He was indeed very perceptive. It had been a mistake attempting to partly deceive him in the first place.

“Re-really, it's nothing.”

“If so, what’s that paper bag you've been holding for a while like it’s so valuable?”

Yakumo pointed to the paper bag containing the chocolates. As expected for his level of insight, though right now she hated that side of him.

—What should I do?

“Ah.”

After a bit of frantic thinking, Haruka came up with a way to deal with the situation smoothly.

“Actually, I talked to Makoto-san, and she and I decided to give Yakumo-kun some Valentine's chocolates since you’ve been a lot of help.”

By naming Makoto, she casually pointed out that it was not honmei-choco as she placed the paper bag of chocolates on the table.

— Perfect! But will this really be alright?

Such a question came to Haruka's mind.

Emphasising that it was just a giri-choco was the same as reminding Yakumo that she didn’t think anything of him.

In the first place, it might not have been a good idea to borrow Makoto’s name, who wasn’t here, without permission.

“Valentine, huh…”

Yakumo said listlessly as he took a wrapped chocolate out of the paper bag.

“Try one if you like.”

“Did you make these?”

“Um, together with Makoto-san...?’

Why did I decide to call it a collaborative work when I could have said I made it myself?

Before that, Makoto-san, I'm sorry that I took the liberty to use your name.

Yakumo opened the wrapper and was about to put his hand on the chocolate when there was the sound of a knock and the door opened.

“Hello.”

The one who appeared was, no joke, Makoto —

“Ma-Makoto-san!”

Haruka stood up unintentionally.

What bad timing. No, Makoto did nothing wrong. In the first place, Haruka should have never said a half-lie.

“Why are you that surprised?”

From Makoto's point of view, it made no sense, but for Haruka it was a matter of life or death.

At this rate, the lie would be exposed, and the story would become more complicated.

“Oh, that's right. Today is Valentine's Day, so I'm giving Yakumo-kun some cho…”

“Aaaah!”

Haruka let out an odd scream while flapping her hands, interrupting Makoto's words. Apparently, Makoto had brought Yakumo Valentine chocolates. If she had handed them over now, Haruka's lie would have been exposed.

Although Makoto had been interrupted, both she and Yakumo were at a loss for words over the sudden eccentric behaviour.

“N-never mind. D-don’t worry about it...”

She had run out of ideas. It was only a matter of time before Haruka's lies were uncovered. Not that she cared any longer.

“Thank you for your time and effort in making the chocolate,”

Yakumo said when the situation calmed down.

— It’s completely out.

Haruka could only hang her head.

“Chocolate? Oh, I see — ” Makoto whispered to herself, then clapped her hands loudly.

“That's right. Haruka-chan and I decided to give Yakumo-kun some chocolate. Well, it was mostly Haruka-chan who made it, though.”

Hearing Makoto's words, Haruka abruptly raised her head.

Somehow, Makoto had guessed most of what had happened so far. She smiled and winked at Haruka.

— You saved me, Makoto-san. Thank you so much.

Yakumo said something along the lines of 'Well, let's get on with it,' and started eating the chocolate.

“Does this work for you?”

Makoto said in a whisper while sitting next to Haruka.

“Y-yes. Thank you so much.”

“In any case, I went along with the story, but you should have told the truth.”

“You-you’re right...”

Makoto was right.

Rather than let this happen again, I'll give chocolates to Yakumo honestly next year — Haruka secretly swore in her heart.

Translation Notes

The notes for this translation are all terms referencing the common types of chocolates given during Valentine’s Day in Japan. This day is typically reserved for women to give chocolates to their male acquaintances, with the type of chocolate corresponding to the nature of the relationship the gifter wishes to express.

[1] Giri-choco (義理チョコ): obligation chocolate usually given to male colleagues, clients, etc. out of courtesy or obligation, implying no deeper feelings.

[2] Tomo-choco (友チョコ): chocolate given to friends, signifying platonic love. It is also more commonly exchanged between women.

[3] Honmei-choco (本命チョコ): chocolate given to a romantic partner or someone you have genuine romantic feelings for.

65 notes · View notes

cleverwolfpoetry · 5 months ago

Text

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo volume 11 - file 02

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Volume 11 - Worth of a Spirit ( prologue | file 01 )

file 02 - regret

1 -

“To think we’d end up finding a corpse...” Haruka muttered as she gazed at the warehouse, now standing out in the darkness illuminated by the red lights of police cars. “Right,” Standing next to her, Makoto nodded, her expression appearing deep in thought.

When they had entered, the atmosphere had been quiet with no signs of activity, but it had completely changed now. Yellow tapes stating ‘DO NOT CROSS’ were plastered around the warehouse, and police personnel walked about the place. Curious onlookers began to gather round, and some even seemed to be from the press.

It felt like she had set foot where she shouldn’t have. “How could there be a corpse in that box?” Mentioning that, the sight Haruka had seen back in the warehouse flashed into her mind.

The corpse they had just discovered had rotted and had been in the process of mummification. It seemed to have been abandoned for a fairly long time. The question now, just whose body was it? And how could it end up at such a place?

Not to mention the absence of a head from decapitation. Why would it have to be decapitated? Furthermore, where was the missing head?

The mystery grows deeper the further she wondered. “I have no idea at all. But… I feel that something bad’s about to happen.”

Makoto’s words echoed in her head. Haruka didn’t want to think about terrible things, yet she too could sense the anxiousness Makoto felt.

A baseless and ambiguous thought. Yet, Haruka felt something far unlike before was going to happen. “Until when are you planning to space out there?” asked Yakumo in an unenergetic tone as he walked closer.

The man didn’t appear to be shaken. Such was the difference of someone who was experienced with various cases. “I’m not spacing out. I just thought things are turning into a bigger problem…” said Haruka.

“Right,” said Yakumo, staring at the box-shaped building swarmed by police presence. “I think it’s better for us to leave the rest to the police now.”

Since a corpse had been discovered, the police would be treating this case as the abandonment of a corpse. In that case, that would be the end of their role. “How carefree of you,” said Yakumo, throwing a mocking look at Haruka.

“I’m not really being carefree.” “Seems carefree however I see it.”

“How did it even come to that?” As the case had developed into that of an abandonment of a corpse, they were no longer in any position to interfere.

“The spiritual case isn’t resolved yet—” said Makoto, answering Haruka’s question in place of Yakumo. “Ah!” Haruka blurted unknowingly. Couldn’t be helped that Yakumo had mockingly labelled her carefree. Their original goal hadn’t been to find a corpse.

Their purpose of coming here was to resolve the spiritual case Makoto had accepted from a woman. They had just happened to find a corpse in the process. That wasn't all. The matter concerning the ghost of a woman seen by Yakumo hadn’t met any progress, either.

Putting it another way, they still had two spiritual cases in their hands. Since the sex of the found corpse hadn’t been identified, there wasn’t much to say about it, but the body might have something to do with one of the two spiritual cases.

With that, there were still things they needed to do. At this point, Haruka began to wonder about one thing. “Yakumo-kun, did you see any ghosts back there?”

“I’m curious about that too,” added Makoto. Upon the intense stares he received, Yakumo gazed at the sky as if deep in thought before shaking his head.

“No. There wasn’t any back there.” “Is that so…”

Haruka thought if Yakumo had seen a ghost, they might be able to find a hint to solve the case from there, but she turned out to be mistaken. Makoto appeared slightly disappointed as well.

“Well, I’ve known from the start that there were no ghosts in that place,” said Yakumo. He didn’t seem to be making things up.

“How did you know?” “According to Makoto-san’s story, your client has been followed by a ghost since opening that box there, right?” reminded Yakumo, and Makoto’s face changed in realisation.

Haruka was the same. If the ghost had been following the woman who sought help, that meant the ghost had already left from that place.

“But if that’s the case, isn’t it better to meet that woman first?” Haruka popped the question, and Yakumo smiled. “That’s one way to do it, but the warehouse in question just happens to be close to my place.”

“That’s true.” Shorter distance aside, perhaps Yakumo had wanted to investigate the scene before meeting the woman who had seen the ghost.

“Well, the night’s getting late. While waiting for official autopsy results from the police, why don’t we meet up with Makoto-san’s client tomorrow to hear the story directly from her?” Yakumo suggested. Makoto nodded. “Alright.”

Haruka agreed as well. Surely there would be things they could gather by hearing that woman’s story in detail. “In that case, let’s head back,” said Yakumo, walking away.

Haruka was about to walk following him when she saw someone running over with incredible speed. She recognised that comical way of running whilst flailing one’s hands and legs.

“Ishii-san,” Haruka called, right as Ishii tripped over something. Said man fell—

Ishii seemed to have fallen with his face hitting against the ground. It appeared rather painful. Is he alright?

While thinking that, Ishii stood back up and continued running over in panic. It was almost like Ishii couldn’t see Haruka’s presence; he ran past her until he was in front of Makoto.

“Ma-Makoto-san! A-a-are you alright? I heard you were there when the corpse was found, so I...” Out of breath on top of panicking, he was incapable of continuing his sentence.

Regardless, the reason why Ishii was in such a panic was conveyed bright and clear. He must have been worried about Makoto.

“Compared to me, you look worse. Your nose is bleeding,” said Makoto as she placed a handkerchief over Ishii’s nose. “No, I’m fine. Rather, Makoto-san...”

“Hold on, don’t move. The blood…” Makoto had told Haruka earlier that she and Ishii had seen no progress, yet seeing their interaction at this moment, they were already painting the picture of an affectionate couple.

Makes me envious. Haruka thought as her sight was naturally drawn to Yakumo. Haruka assumed Yakumo would be wearing a sour look, yet to her surprise, he smiled warmly at the sight of Ishii and Makoto.

Though, he seemed to have noticed Haruka’s stare, so the man suddenly withdrew his smile. “What are you looking at?” Yakumo asked curtly.

“Nothing,” replied Haruka before poking his side. His startled figure, scrunched like a shrimp as he jumped away, looked somewhat adorable.

“You…” “What are you two up to flirting like that?” A voice interrupted Yakumo’s sentence. It was Gotou.

He was walking in their direction whilst using crutches. “Gotou-san. You’ve been discharged from the hospital?”

“Yeah. That was nothing but a scratch,” Gotou laughed in embarrassment. He had been unconscious and in critical condition. Nothing one could call a scratch at all. Even now, said ex-police detective was still wearing a cast.

Still, it was typical of Gotou to be acting tough like that. ”Gotou-san is here too? This is giving me a bad feeling,” Yakumo said, mixed with a sigh.

- 2

- The Movie Research Circle clubroom that was Yakumo’s hideout now became cramped.

In this room that was only four and a half tatami wide, starting from Gotou, then Ishii, Yakumo, Haruka, and Makoto, five people gathered there, so it was to be expected. Or perhaps he felt even more stuffy because of his crutch and cast.

Gotou’s decision to send Eishin and Miyagawa to handle matters elsewhere seemed to be the right one. “Good grief… to think this much trouble has accumulated…” Yakumo said in displeasure, propping his chin on one hand.

Normally Gotou would’ve thought of him as being narrow-hearted, but this time around, he could understand Yakumo’s response. After Gotou and Ishii had bumped into each other, upon questioning, Ishii had said he had seen a ghost at the abandoned house.

Gotou himself was in the middle of investigating a spiritual case requested by Eishin and he had just thought that they were struggling to resolve it on their own. Following a discussion, they had decided to consult Yakumo together and had made their way to Meisei University.

And yet— There had been a commotion upon their arrival at Meisei University. Inquiring about the situation from one of the officers acquainted with them, Gotou and Ishii had come to learn that a body had been discovered.

On top of that, after learning that the people who had discovered said body had happened to be Yakumo, Haruka, and Makoto, they had rushed to the scene. Having met with everyone, they had gathered in the Movie Research Circle clubroom to sort the situation, leading to the current predicament.

As it turned out, Yakumo’s discovery of the body had all started because of the spiritual case brought by Makoto. Not only that, Yakumo himself had seen a ghost in this room and had been looking into that matter as well.

Amidst that situation, Gotou and Ishii had come to consult spiritual cases of their own. Altogether, they had simultaneously gathered four spiritual cases in total. This seemed to be a new record.

It was understandable for Yakumo to be upset. Even so, while they have brought the cases themselves, considering how the cases have piled up from many people, Yakumo might as well be attracting trouble himself. Whichever it was—

“Everything has happened, so it can't be helped,” Gotou said firmly. Yakumo sighed deeply, making a blatant display out of it. “That’s just self-justification.”

“I know.” “If you’re still saying that even though you’re aware, you’re either an idiot or a bear incapable of comprehending language.”

“Who’s a bear?” “Don’t you know? In that case, I’ll tell you. The bear is you—Gotou-san.” said Yakumo, pointing at Gotou like a detective pointing to a culprit.

What an irritating bastard. Gotou had thought the previous case had straightened the slightly bent personality of the man before him, but he appeared to be gravely mistaken.

“Shut the blabbering already! Anyway, help us out!” pressed Gotou. Yakumo shook his head in disbelief.

“How many times do I have to say it for you to understand? When asking for someone’s help, what should you say?” said Yakumo, offering his ear in Gotou’s direction. Gotou was desperate to grab said man’s collar and send him flying, yet he was forced to hold himself back.

“I beg of you. Please lend us a hand.” Gotou bowed as he swallowed the feeling of humiliation. Yakumo clapped his hand lightly and said, “Good job.”

Gotou was infuriated by the man’s attitude, yet he felt something was missing. Normally after being scolded to no end by Yakumo, said man would still say, ‘I refuse’. For some reason, he was fairly amiable today. Perhaps Yakumo’s eccentric behaviour had been improved somewhat after all. Either way, he must take action while Yakumo was still willing to offer his assistance.

“Alright! Let’s get down to business!” Gotou shouted excitedly and was about to stand up, yet he had completely forgotten that his leg was still in a cast. As a result, he lost his balance and slid right off the chair.

Yakumo burst into laughter. Haruka and Makoto said in unison, “Are you alright?” yet it was obvious that they were holding back their giggles.

Ishii was the only one who extended his hand, asking him, “Are you hurt?” with a concerned look. At this point, Ishii’s behaviour only ended up irritating Gotou.

“I’m fine. Don’t say something so pathetic,” Gotou stood up whilst hitting Ishii’s head when the latter tried to help him stand. “Wh-why me…?” Ishii whined in surprise, but Gotou ignored him.

Now seated on his chair once more, Gotou said, “Anyway, let’s go!” Yakumo held his head and sighed as if displeased with something.

“It’s fine to be fired up and all, but where do we start? There’s only one of me.” “Well…”

A troublesome predicament. There were four spiritual cases in total that needed resolving.

It would be impossible to handle all of them at the same time. Even if they had to prioritise, how should they even order them? Gotou aside, the rest appeared to be at a loss as to where they should begin the conversation, sharing the same troubled look on their faces.

A long silence ensued before Yakumo sighed. “I have a suggestion so that we can solve the cases efficiently—” Yakumo briefly paused his sentence.

After waiting for everyone’s attention to turn to him, he continued, “Why don’t we help each other out using our individual expertise, regardless of whose case it is for? I’ll be the one sorting out the priority and splitting up the tasks.” I see.

All the cases were treated as everyone’s problem, with Yakumo as the one in charge. “Not a bad idea,” said Gotou.

“Of course. I don’t mind,” added Makoto right away. Ishii nodded as well. “I’ll cooperate too.”

“Alright then. In that case, let’s go with this approach.” Hearing Yakumo’s words, Gotou stroked his chest in relief.

“Anyway, the day’s getting overly late, and I’d like some time to sort my thoughts as well. Let’s call it a day and get things started tomorrow,” said Yakumo. Staring up onto the ceiling, Yakumo’s figure looked unusually exhausted.

- 3

- After leaving the Movie Research Circle clubroom that was Yakumo’s quarters, Ishii was sending Gotou and Makoto off with his car.

He had sent Gotou off first, and then Makoto next, solely because of location proximity and definitely not because he wanted some time alone with her. To whom was he making these excuses anyway?

Thinking that made him grow restless. “If the situation’s that serious, you could’ve discussed it with me…” said Ishii to deceive his feelings as he glanced at Makoto, sitting in the front passenger seat.

The same as ever, Makoto wore a gentle expression. Ishii had gone to Meisei University to consult a spiritual case to Yakumo. Yet at his arrival there, the news of a body being discovered had caught him by surprise.

Furthermore, upon learning that it had been found by Makoto and the others, his mind instantly blanked out. Anxiousness had then slowly crept at his heart.

Even though he hadn’t known the exact situation, his head had been filled by horrible thoughts, sending him into panic. Ishii was deeply relieved that nothing had happened.

“I never would have guessed we’d find a corpse. In the beginning, since it was a spiritual case, I simply thought it was Yakumo-kun’s expertise.” Makoto’s explanation made perfect sense.

Since it had begun as a spiritual case, it was logical that she'd discuss it with Yakumo. However—

For some reason, Ishii felt a little lonely. No, it was quite different from loneliness. An uncomfortable feeling piled within his heart. “I-is that so...”

“If I knew things would turn out like this, I suppose I should've relied on you from the start,” Makoto let out a childlike laugh. A laughter that sounded so sweet, it made Ishii smile as well. At the same time, he came to realise the true form of the uncomfortable feeling inside of him.

Ishii wanted to be relied on. He wanted him to be the first person Makoto could think of to discuss with in the face of trouble.

In the end, it was nothing but wishful thinking. Even if Makoto were to consult with him, Ishii unfortunately couldn’t do anything. Not because he couldn’t see ghosts the way Yakumo could, but because Ishii wasn’t a man worthy of being relied on.

Even if he were to be depended on, he was a cowardly man. In helping out, he wouldn’t be able to give sound advice and would merely get confused. Well aware of the fact, he felt dejected. “Sorry,” Ishii said without realising.

“Why are you apologising?” Makoto frowned in confusion.

“If only I was more dependable, I’d be able to help you out a little…” said Ishii, stopping his car at a red light. His heart withered at how pathetic he was.

“Why are you saying that?” Makoto stared intently at Ishii. Her eyes hinted at a profound sadness Ishii had never seen before.

“Because I feel like I’m pathetic,” said Ishii, facing forward as he couldn’t bear receiving Makoto’s stare. “You’re not pathetic.”

Makoto was a kind person. That was why she said those words of consolation. And yet, that only made Ishii feel even more pathetic. “I’m a sorry excuse of a man. Always failing, no self confidence, and easily swayed.”

“Is that so? To me, that seemed like gentleness.” “I’m not gentle. I’m just weak.”

“I think someone who can admit their weakness is actually a tough person.” “That’s not true. I...”

Ishii couldn’t follow up his sentence well. Ishii admired Gotou. He wanted to become tough like him. Someone who could jump into things at any moment without steering away from their principles. Such an ideal was Ishii’s goal.

And yet— His strength would refuse to come out in critical situations. Although his mind understood, his heart couldn’t keep up. As a result, he became an embarrassment of a human being, far from his ideals.

He hated himself for always running away. “Ishii-san, do you hate yourself?” asked Makoto.

Ishii didn’t have the courage to confirm what expression Makoto had while asking that question. Hence, he dropped his gaze and as he stared at his hands on the steering wheel, he replied meekly, “Yes. I hate myself.”

From the moment he was born, Ishii had never liked himself even once. He felt like he had always been living in denial of his own existence. He tried his best whilst thinking he’d change someday, but all of that effort seemed to be in vain.

Makoto placed her hand over Ishii’s, still grasping the steering wheel. Her hand was soft and warm. Startled, Ishii turned to Makoto in reflex.

Makoto smiled. Her eyes narrowed, and she gave a warm smile so tender and affectionate. “For me, I do like—”

Makoto’s words, spoken quietly, almost felt like they echoed within the car’s cramped interior. That word like just now—just what could it mean?

The more he thought about it, the beating of Ishii’s heart grew even harder. His breathing struggled and his mouth gasped in search of oxygen. “U-um...”

When Ishii firmed his resolve to ask, his car was being honked at loudly. Apparently the traffic light had turned green.

Ishii hurriedly stepped on the gas to start the car. For some reason, Makoto laughed out loud at the sight of him.

- 4

- “Somehow things had gotten serious,” Haruka spoke as she digested the fact.

Since it was getting late, the investigation would begin the next day, hence Gotou and the rest had gone home. Not just the matter Yakumo was faced with and the case Makoto had brought, Gotou and Ishii too had brought cases of their own.

A single case in itself would be tough, let alone four at the same time; it was obviously overwhelming. “Well, it’s always like this,” Yakumo said lazily as he supported his chin with one hand.

What he said was true, they always ended up getting tangled in troubles complicated and strange. Even so, Haruka felt that Yakumo’s expression appeared slightly different from usual. In this situation, Yakumo normally would’ve made a face like the world was about to end, but oddly enough, right now his expression looked somewhat content.

Come to think of it, Yakumo’s own case hadn’t been someone’s request, but something he had gotten involved out of his own volition. Looking back thus far, it was like the impossible happened. Indeed, the previous case seemed to have brought a drastic transformation on Yakumo’s psyche.

Yakumo had always had a side to him that hated himself. It was the reason he had often taken actions that would put his life in danger. Hence, it was by no means an ordinary feat for Yakumo to have accepted his own existence.

Not to mention the existence of the man with two red eyes, Yakumo’s father. Accepting himself meant accepting said man’s presence, too. Right now, Yakumo chose to walk forward.

If Yakumo had really changed, it might be good for Haruka to summon her courage and voice out what was within her heart. Thinking that far made her face heat up.

She tried not to think about it, but the events that had unfolded in the previous case would resurface in her mind from time to time. The events in which Haruka had spontaneously confessed her innermost feelings to Yakumo. A part of her wanted to savour their current relationship, yet on the other hand she felt like her time was running out as graduation drew closer.

No, it wasn’t merely because of graduation. In this life, no one could predict what might happen. For all she knew, she could get into an accident after this and lose her life as a result.

In fact, through various cases she had faced so far, Haruka had seen countless people who had abruptly lost their lives without having a chance to convey their feelings. Keep this up and her life might just be over without ever knowing how Yakumo felt.

Since it was just the two of them right now, perhaps she could ask for his answer in regards to back then. “What’s on your mind?” Yakumo’s sudden question brought Haruka back to her senses.

“Eh?” “It’s unusual for you to make a troubled expression. What are you thinking about?”

“O-obviously about the cases,” Haruka blurted in panic. Crap.

That should’ve been the appropriate timing to ask for Yakumo’s answer. She should’ve just replied in earnest that she was thinking about that time, yet why had she evaded the topic instead?

Surely it had been out of fear. Even though Haruka thought she’d regret not finding out Yakumo’s reply, she too feared that it would destroy their relationship.

Perhaps she should have confessed to Yakumo much earlier. Their distance had gotten far too close to tear apart now. Yakumo had become far too significant of a presence within Haruka.

So this was what it meant to have missed the timing— “What do you think?”

“About what?” “About what—the cases. Aren’t you thinking about it?”

Right. Haruka had said she was thinking about the cases, so it was natural for the conversation to flow in that direction.

That might be so, yet since her mind was mulling over something else in reality, there wasn’t anything she could say. Though upon hearing the stories of Gotou and the rest, there was one thing she became curious about.

“We still don’t know anything about them, but… could it be that these cases are related?” That was what bugged Haruka’s mind.

Each of the cases took place in different locations. Yet since they had all occurred at the same time, she couldn’t help but suspect they had some connection with one another. “For the time being, I don’t think there’s a connection between them. Still…” Yakumo crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling.

“What is it?” “There's something bothering me.”

“So what is it then?” His almost dramatic, roundabout way of speaking made Haruka curious about what was to follow.

Haruka fell silent, awaiting Yakumo’s subsequent words, yet in the end Yakumo shook his head without saying a word. Almost like he had forcefully gotten rid of his thoughts. “Let’s end this conversation.”

“Why?” “It’s best not to make unnecessary assumptions right now.”

Yakumo’s tone was as if he was giving himself a reminder. At this point, Yakumo wouldn’t voice out his thoughts however you urged him to.

“Well, let’s think about it after the investigation begins tomorrow,” Yakumo put a stop to the conversation. Though dissatisfied, as Yakumo had told, they would surely discover a number of things when the investigation began.

“In that case, I’ll be going home,” Haruka stretched out her body as she stood up. Even though she had merely intended to make a brief visit to Yakumo, she had gotten herself involved in cases yet again. Not that she was disappointed about it.

It might be inappropriate of her to put it this way, but she enjoyed investigating cases with Yakumo. Besides, perhaps this case might just be the last. “Is it alright?” said Yakumo as Haruka was about to leave the room.

“What is?” “I mean… it’s getting late...”

His words seemed uncertain, unlike the usual Yakumo. Not to mention he was turning his face away. What’s up with that?

“It’ll be fine,” Haruka replied. “Is that so,” Yakumo gave a short reply before closing his mouth.

He seemed like he had something to say, but they’ll be meeting again tomorrow after all. Haruka gave a parting greeting, “Then, I’ll see you—” before leaving the room. Her body trembled slightly from the cold wind. Closing the door to Yakumo’s room, she began to walk.

Haruka left the campus grounds and walked all the way to the bus stop. After checking the bus schedule, it turned out she needed to wait around twenty minutes before the next bus arrived. Like this, it might be faster to go home on foot.

As she slowly walked, the image of Yakumo’s face from earlier flashed into Haruka’s mind. Thinking back on it now, the man seemed to appear flustered.

Could it be that Yakumo had wanted to accompany Haruka home earlier? No way Yakumo-kun would do that, Haruka immediately denied.

Not once had Yakumo ever had the intention to accompany Haruka home. There was no way he would say something like that out of the blue. But—

Haruka could feel that Yakumo had changed since the last case. If the man had really wanted to accompany her home, Haruka would happily accept. Though it was the mere act of sending her home, it would surely become an unforgettable memory to her.

Furthermore, it would be her chance to ask about the feelings within Yakumo’s heart she had always wanted to know. Still, it’d be odd for her to go back now.

Besides, if it turned out that Haruka had misunderstood, she’d be showered with colourful mockery, “Are you sleeptalking?” and the like. As Haruka laughed bitterly inside, someone called out to her. “Um...”

She reflexively halted her steps and turned around. Someone stood right behind her. The person’s face wasn't clearly visible as it was dark, but they seemed to be someone Haruka didn’t recognise.

“Ozawa Haruka-san, right?” said the person, pronounced loud and clear. Haruka immediately went into a state of alert.

How did this person know her name? She couldn’t find an answer to that question.

Awful premonition immediately came over her. An emotion, similar to that of fear, crept up from her feet. “You’re wrong,” Haruka said firmly and immediately ran for it.

Galloping footsteps chased right behind her. Unfortunately for her, Haruka wasn’t particularly great at running. It was only a matter of time before the other party would catch up. Mid running, Haruka shoved a hand into her bag to find her phone.

She wanted to call and ask for help. By poor luck, right as she managed to take her phone out of her bag and was about to make a call, her arm was caught.

“Let go,” Haruka tried to shake off that hand, yet she couldn’t as her opponent’s strength was too great.

Her phone slid right off her hand. The eyes of her pursuer glinted amidst the darkness.

- 5

- Yakumo stared at the low ceiling and exhaled a long sigh—

His chest had been rumbling with unease since earlier. At this moment, his heart was mostly filled with an indescribable sense of anxiety. A vague anxiousness that something terrible was about to happen. As Haruka had been leaving, he had actually wanted to say, “Let me accompany you back.”

All because that woman’s—the fugitive murderer Nanase Miyuki’s—words from the previous case came to his mind. I’ll be taking away the person most important to you next.

Even without saying, it was clear who she had been referring to. There was no mistaking that Nanase Miyuki was after Haruka. The various spiritual cases that happened today—

Surely it had to be no coincidence that this many cases had occurred one after another. Perhaps this had been the work of an orchestrator. On top of that, there had been a reported sighting of a man who seemed to be Unkai in the basement. It was likely that this array of cases had been part of their plan.

He hadn't dared to put it into words when speaking to Haruka earlier, but Yakumo had been thinking of that possibility. He should’ve explained the situation and accompanied Haruka all the way to her place.

Yet somehow, when he had the intention to say it, a sense of embarrassment emerged. Yakumo was baffled by feelings he’d never experienced before. He couldn’t understand why he could be in such a wavering state.

No, that’s not it— The truth was he knew.

Although he thought he’d accepted his own existence, things couldn’t change as easily as flipping a switch. In the end, he’d only managed to utter something vague.

And now, he was enveloped by the feeling of anxiety. If he were this worried, he should’ve immediately chased after her earlier. That should’ve been the way to go, yet somehow his body hadn’t been able to move.

Ever since the last case, he’d become increasingly aware about Haruka’s presence. Surely it had to be because a part of him understood well what her existence meant to him.

In reality, he’d known the fact since way back. He merely hadn’t acknowledged it. To be more precise, it was something beyond his consideration since he’d been denying his own existence. Yakumo sighed a few times before he took his phone out of his pocket.

Even if he wasn’t going as far as chasing her, he could give Haruka a call to confirm that she’d arrived home safe. Though if he were to make such a call, just what sort of reaction Haruka would make?

The thought bothered him. He couldn’t help but grow restless over suddenly doing something he’d never done before.

Still, he’d be all the more restless if he had to wait until tomorrow in a situation such as this. While he wrestled over various thoughts in his mind, his phone rang all out of a sudden. On the screen displayed the word ‘restricted’.

“Yes,” Yakumo picked up the call despite his suspicion. Suppressed laughter could be heard from the other side of the call. The voice of a woman he recognised.

His body shivered and it was almost like all his blood had been drained out. <It’s been a while.>

Treading carefully to not make his wavering heart noticeable, Yakumo spoke the name of the woman on the opposite end of the call. “Nanase Miyuki...”

<Correct. You sure know well,> said Nanase Miyuki, her voice rang of mockery. That woman was always like this. A condescending, almost tyrannical, and arrogant way of talking.

“What business do you have?” asked Yakumo, trying to sound as calm as possible. Nanase Miyuki wasn’t one to call him for no reason. Well aware of the fact, his anxiety grew larger.

<My warning from back then—do you remember?> Nanase Miyuki’s delighted voice was like the equivalent of a death sentence for Yakumo.

He felt a sense of furiousness enough to drive him to madness, but Yakumo held it back with all his might. Losing his composure here would be like handing over victory to his opponent. “What did you do—to her?” asked Yakumo.

Nanase Miyuki laughed once more. She put an emphasis on the word I.

“Do you think you can deceive me?” <I’m not deceiving you. Really. I, didn’t do anything. If something happened to her, it’d be someone else’s doing.>

“What are you trying to say?” <Surely you understand. I’m merely acting out of kindness to let you know that she’s in danger—>

“DON’T JOKE WITH ME!” He’d begun yelling without even realising. The anger he’d been suppressing had far exceeded its limits and eventually exploded.

<I’m not joking. If you want to save her, you should hurry up and solve the mystery.> “Mystery?”

<That’s right. This is a game. Will you be able to solve the mystery and save her? Or will her life come to an end first—> “Why are you doing something like this…?”

“I have no intention to understand your feelings.”

<Just how long will you be able to keep up that tough facade? I’m curious, just what will you sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones—> said Miyuki who then hung up. “Damn it!” Yakumo cursed as he rushed out of his room.

Would he still make it if he were to run now? The thought crossed his mind. Nanase Miyuki wasn’t a woman who’d call to warn him out of goodwill. As she’d contacted Yakumo, it could only mean that it was already too late.

Yakumo understood the fact in his head, yet he couldn’t just sit still. Perhaps—

Yakumo ran whilst hanging onto the possibility. Exiting the campus grounds, he stopped as he cast his eyes all over his surroundings as he reached the bus stop. Yet there were no signs of Haruka.

Had she not taken the bus and walked home instead? Yakumo began running along one road that extended from the university.

Regret surfaced from the bottom of his heart, tormenting him. Why hadn’t he accompanied Haruka back? Yakumo continued to run as if escaping from that regret.

Moments passed before he reflexively halted his footsteps as he spotted a dropped phone on the side of the road. He recognised its phone strap.

There was no mistaking that it belonged to Haruka— Having confirmed it, Yakumo felt a sense of hopelessness like he’d been shoved down the depths of hell.

“Damn it...” he cursed in frustration when he felt the eyes of someone on him. As if drawn to its direction, Yakumo turned to find a man standing in the darkness.

The man wore a black suit and his long black hair was swept back. And—

His eyes shone bright red like burning flames. Said man was Yakumo’s biological father, Unkai.

A man who had lost his physical body and only his spirit remained in existence. And yet it only fueled his obsession to live and wander in search of a body he could use as a vessel for his spirit. As someone who was related to him by blood, Unkai had been relentlessly chasing after Yakumo, in hopes of making Yakumo a replacement for his body.

Still, Unkai should’ve understood himself. The body that had been lost would never come back, and he wouldn’t be able to live long by using someone else as a vessel.

Especially after what he’d gone through in the previous case, Unkai’s heart had undoubtedly begun to waver. Unkai’s presence before Yakumo’s eyes at this moment, partially blending into the surroundings, was proof of the fact. The pressure he once held was nowhere to be found.

The man seemed to be having difficulty maintaining his existence as a spirit in this world. “Where did you take her?” asked Yakumo.

Unkai narrowed his eyes slightly and the muscles around his mouth softened. He laughed?

It was different from the cold smile he’d displayed countless times before. Yakumo sensed there was another meaning behind that laugh. “Will you be able to stop her? That woman—” Unkai whispered.

A line he’d typically use as means of provocation, yet Yakumo didn’t feel any such intention this time. There was something else— “You...” Yakumo spoke before swallowing the rest of his words.

Unkai’s presence that had once been there now disappeared. Yakumo could only stand there, frozen still in bewilderment.

- 6

- “Ishii! What’s the meaning of this?”

The moment he stepped into his former office, the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Division, Gotou immediately made demands upon finding Ishii sitting on his desk. With a confused look, Ishii merely moved his mouth repeatedly with no words coming out of it.

“I’m asking you what’s the meaning of this! Speak up right now!” Gotou yelled, grabbing Ishii by the collar and shaking him. With his head bobbing back and forth, Ishii merely gave a vague reply, “Um, that...”

“I told you to say it, so say it!” yelled Gotou once more, but someone grabbed his arm. It was Miyagawa. “Calm down a little. Like this, even if he wanted to answer, he won’t be able to.” Being scolded by Miyagawa, Gotou was able to ease his nerves a little.

Certainly, he’d been overly panicked. Gotou released Ishii, and let himself fall on a nearby chair. Only now he came to feel the pain on his leg, though he didn’t have the time to worry about it.

“Is it true that Haruka-chan was abducted?” asked Gotou again whilst glaring at Ishii. When he’d received a call from Ishii, he honestly hadn’t believed it. He couldn’t understand why things had suddenly turned this way.

However— Nanase Miyuki’s words soon crossed his mind.

During the previous case, Nanase Miyuki had signalled that Haruka would be her next target. Gotou didn’t want to think about it, yet it would make sense for her to be the one behind Haruka’s abduction. Gotou, who had gone home and was about to crash out for the day, had immediately barged out of the house and took a taxi all the way here.

“According to what I heard from Yakumo-shi, it appears to be true,” Ishii said as he adjusted his crooked glasses and dishevelled white shirt. His voice was almost like a whisper, yet hearing it once more from Ishii’s mouth shook Gotou to his core, his brain felt like a trembling mess.

“Yakumo didn’t see the scene?” “Seems so. Apparently he received a call from Nanase Miyuki, and the conversation implied that Haruka had been abducted.”

“A call?” “Yes. Yakumo-shi immediately went to run after Haruka, but she was already nowhere to be found, and only her phone was left dropped on the roadside—”

Goodness. Uncontrollable rage emerged from within Gotou.

Yet no amount of yelling would solve any problem. He needed to get himself together and immediately prioritise finding Haruka as soon as possible. “The police are conducting a search, right?” said Gotou.

Ishii’s expression grew complicated. “Of course we are searching. But… there isn’t much of a lead...” Ishii’s voice quickly died, the end of his sentence wasn’t audible.

“What’s with you, getting all pessimistic? Whatever it takes, we have to find her,” Gotou grasped at Ishii’s collar yet again. Haruka’s life was on the line. Now wasn’t the time to sit still from the mere lack of any leads.

“I-I know. But...” “No such thing as buts! I said to find her!”

“She won’t get found by making a ruckus here,” Entering the room with the sound of the door opening was Yakumo.

“Where have you been at a time like this?” Gotou said harshly. With a sour look, Yakumo deeply sighed. “I’ve just explained the situation to the police officer in charge so that the search operation can begin.”

“I see,” Yakumo’s explanation made Gotou understand, yet at the same time, he felt it was strange for Yakumo to be so composed despite the whole situation. Pointing that out to Yakumo, the man’s eyes became sharp.

He shot a gaze that carried with them such intensity of emotions, one Gotou had never seen from him before. The pressure was so overwhelming it left Gotou at a loss for words. “You’re trying to say that I’m fine?” Yakumo muttered.

Gotou’s chest grew heavy. “Sorry.” He needed to apologise here.

There was no mistaking that Yakumo was the one whose heart was the most affected by this whole ordeal. Not Gotou nor Ishii. The fact that Yakumo could speak calmly like this had to come from his firm determination to find Haruka by any means necessary.

“Um… Is Haruka-chan safe?” asked Ishii, his voice almost fading away. Haruka’s safety was their utmost concern. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t find the answer to that question in this place.

In this situation, they were forced to assume the worst case scenario. “I think she’s probably safe,” said Yakumo.

His tone didn’t sound like he was uttering baseless, wishful thinking. Instead, he seemed certain of the fact. “How do you know?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo ran a hand over his dishevelled hair. “She—Nanase Miyuki said so.” “Said what?”

“She said that this is a game. Whether I’ll be able to solve the mystery first, or she’ll be the one who dies first—” Yakumo sounded fed up as he spoke, biting down on his lip. Gotou felt the same way. To think that woman would orchestrate a game that treated others’ lives like playthings; how blatantly sadistic.

“What game. That bastard of a woman.” “I feel the same. But now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to win that game,” emphasised Yakumo.

Yakumo seemed to have steeled his resolve. Or perhaps to be more accurate, they didn’t have any other choice. Still, one thing bothered him.

“Is Haruka-chan really fine? There’s no guarantee Nanase Miyuki will play fair.” Gotou didn’t want to think about it, yet it was possible that Haruka was already dead.

This was a game that would certainly be won by Nanase Miyuki. “I think it should be fine.”

“How can you be certain?” “It’s part of her personality. Despite everything, she adheres to her own rules. Besides that, her pride and desire to be the centre of attention are high.”

From Yakumo’s words, Gotou came to understand. The woman’s high sense of pride was all too familiar to them. Furthermore, one could say her sense of rivalry towards Yakumo far exceeded reasonable bounds.

Hence, it was likely for that Nanase Miyuki to want to win against Yakumo following the rules of a fair game, all for the sake of getting swept away by a feeling of superiority. “But, how do we plan on finding Haruka-chan?” Ishii sounded discouraged yet again.

“We have no choice but to search everywhere,” said Gotou as he stood up. While time consuming, it was the only remaining effective method, considering the lack of clues.

“Gotou-san’s an idiot as always,” said Yakumo whilst landing a ridiculing look. “What did you say?”

“It’d be impossible to find her by searching blindly all over the place.” “I guess so...”

“Also, it will be more efficient to entrust the police with the exhaustive search, who have the manpower to do so.” Yakumo was right. However—

“In that case, what do we do?” “Nanase Miyuki said her life would be lost if I didn’t solve the mystery.”

“What mystery?” “She never mentioned it explicitly. But for now, the spiritual cases happening around us are all we know of.”

I see. The spiritual phenomena which Yakumo, Gotou, Ishii, and Makoto had encountered hadn’t been mere coincidence, and instead had some connection to Haruka’s abduction.

Unlike Gotou who could only panic, apparently Yakumo had judged the situation whilst remaining cool-headed. That led him to conclude their next course of action. What a remarkable guy, Gotou was briefly impressed.

Though he was acting calmly, Yakumo’s face had a terrible complexion. His expression appeared stiff as well. He had to be holding onto his sanity for dear life out of a strong desire to rescue Haruka.

Just what might happen if Yakumo were to lose Haruka? Gotou shook his head to chase away the awful thought. Now wasn’t the time to think of unnecessary thoughts. The only thing needed doing now was to solve the mystery to find Haruka.

“Then, what should we do now?” asked Gotou. Yakumo’s brows furrowed slightly. “You’re planning to help out with that leg?”

It was typical of Yakumo to not be honest even though he wanted the assistance. “I told you this is just a scratch.”

“It might get worse, you know.” “For the sake of saving Haruka-chan, I don’t mind sacrificing a leg or two,” Gotou spoke as he patted his cast, and Yakumo exploded in laughter.

“Thank you,” said Yakumo, although his voice was closer to a whisper. For some time now, the man had grown to be more sincere. Either way, it was good. Now wasn’t the time to be stubborn. They have to find Haruka no matter what.

“I’d like to ask for Ishii-san’s assistance as well, is that alright?” Before Yakumo could finish his sentence, Ishii had already puffed out his chest, exclaiming, “Of course!”

- 7

- Leaving the police quarters together, Ishii and Miyagawa walked towards the hospital—

Their objective was to inquire about the autopsy results of the body that had been discovered at the university warehouse, per Yakumo’s instructions. Never would he have dreamed that things would take such a turn. He struggled to breathe and his chest felt like it was being crushed at the mere thought that something might happen to Haruka.

His attraction and feelings towards Haruka as a woman have reduced now. Still, Haruka remained an important person to him. He had lost count of how many times he’d been saved by Haruka’s presence.

If not for Haruka’s kindness, Ishii might have lost confidence a long time ago and would have withdrawn from the police force. Therefore, now was his turn to help. He needed to save Haruka no matter what.

Yakumo had said that solving the mystery behind the spiritual cases would be the key to saving Haruka, but to be honest, Ishii didn’t understand why that would be so. Be as it might, they undoubtedly had no other way to look for Haruka.

He had no choice but to proceed onwards following the path Yakumo had pointed. It was late into the night. The hospital front entrance had been closed, so they headed towards the side entrance. After showing their police badges to the security guard, they went inside.

Ishii wasn’t great with hospitals at nighttime. The combination of green emergency lights illuminating the dark further intensified the eeriness.

They descended the stairs down to the basement and walked to the end of the long corridor. Nodding to each other with Miyagawa, who stood next to him, Ishii knocked at the door. “It’s not locked,” The raspy voice of an old man called from within.

“Excuse us,” greeted Ishii as he opened the door hesitantly. “Oh. So it’s you two.”

Hata Hideyoshi, sitting on his chair as he wrote on some documents, slowly lifted his face. Said man was an ageing forensic doctor with bulging eyes. His appearance could be likened to that of a demon. Furthermore, he was a perverse man who unabashedly admitted to his work being a hobby.

“Sorry for coming over this late,” said Ishii, apologising. Hata let out an eerie chuckle. “Better than coming in the morning. I’m a night owl after all.”

“A disgusting fraud of a doctor, as usual,” Miyagawa added. “I wondered who it was, but it turned out to be an Umibozu[1]. I heard you got demoted?” Hata said mockingly, followed by another terrifying laugh.

“Shut up! What a demonic old man.” “On the topic of demons, umibozu is one, too.”

“What did you say?” “Miyagawa-san, please calm down,” Ishii hurriedly tried pacifying Miyagawa.

They wouldn’t win a verbal fight against Hata. Besides, Miyagawa shouldn’t have taken the words of an eccentric like Hata too seriously. Most importantly, it was an utterly unproductive discussion, with all the mention of demonic old man and umibozu.

Though clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction, Miyagawa decided that solving the case took priority and shut his mouth. As the situation grew calmer, Ishii brought up the main topic. “Actually, there is something we’d like to ask.”

“Aah. About the corpse that was discovered at the university, right?” said Hata, reading their minds. Ishii couldn’t hide his surprise. “How did you know we were going to ask that?”

“Nothing much really. From the timing, it had to be about that corpse. Furthermore, wasn’t the discovery made by that young man with a red eye?” It made sense to Ishii after that explanation.

Judging based on the circumstances, the answer would come forth naturally. It would speed up the conversation since Hata had understood that much. “So, how was the autopsy results?”

“How impatient. I couldn’t have known that easily. Besides, the corpse is fairly aged and rotting. The fact that it’s a male corpse is pretty much all I’ve found.” “I-I see...”

Certainly, that was true. Said corpse had only been discovered merely hours ago. One wouldn’t have to struggle so much if it could be identified in such a short period of time.

“I don’t know much yet, but there are a few things that caught my attention,” said Hata, scratching his nape. “R-really!?”

“Don’t yell.” “S-sorry.”

Hata exhaled in disbelief before continuing, “As I said earlier, the corpse has long since rotted, so I could no longer identify the cause of death.” As he listened to Hata’s explanation, Ishii felt something was amiss.

“Um… I heard that the head was decapitated. Was that not the cause of death?” “Don’t be hasty. It could have been decapitated after death.”

“R-right,” What Hata said was correct. Ishii seemed to have rushed into conclusions.

There may not be obvious external injuries to the body, but in place of its head was a stump. The head could’ve been fatally hit by blunt force before it had been decapitated. “The cause of death may be unknown, but the area of the neck where it was cut off was quite neat.”

“Neat?” “Yes. Human necks can’t easily be cut off. There are bones underneath. If an amateur forcefully tried to cut through, it would make for a sloppy cut. Yet this corpse’s neck was severed cleanly.”

“I see,” Miyagawa, who was frowning earlier, nodded as if he suspected something. “Did you get something?” Ishii asked with enthusiasm.

“You’ll understand if you think about it calmly. The corpse’s neck was thoroughly cut. What do you think that means?” Miyagawa’s explanation made Ishii come to a realisation. Had the head been sliced with the intent to kill, the wound would have been messy. In other words, it had been cut off after death.

That left them with the question of why someone had gone through the trouble of cutting off the head after the person had died. Even so, Ishii could more or less arrive at the answer.

“Was the head taken away to hide the corpse’s identity?” Though expressing it as a question, Ishii said it quite confidently. However, Hata immediately refuted his opinion.

“That way of thinking might work if this incident was from decades ago, but scientific investigation is much more developed now. One wouldn’t be able to obscure a victim’s identity just by removing the corpse’s head.” Hata’s explanation made Ishii realise yet again that he wasn’t thinking with enough composure.

Even with the head taken away, starting with DNA testing, there were various ways to identify a body. If the culprit truly intended for the corpse’s identity to be hidden, the corpse itself had to be destroyed. But if such were the case, Ishii became confused.

“Why would they only take the head away?” With a smile full of meaning, Hata responded to the question Ishii had muttered.

This response—could it be that Hata had already known the reason? “I myself don’t know why only the head was taken. Still—don’t you two have an idea, just which woman has been faithfully carrying around a human head?” Hata spoke as he stared at Ishii with his bulging eyes.

Ishii didn’t know which peculiar individual would be walking around with a human head in their possession. Besides, what would be the benefit of walking around carrying such an object—no, that wasn’t it. He was mistaken.

He knew of one person. A woman going around carrying a human head—

“Nanase Miyuki,” Ishii said the name in horror, to which Hata gave a satisfied nod. -

8 -

Gotou looked up at the grandiose house— Overgrown trees obscured the moonrays, until this building alone appeared to be swallowed by darkness.

“Does this place really have a connection to all this?” Gotou couldn’t help being doubtful.

Ishii and Miyagawa had come here from constant reports about ghost sightings seen within the vicinity of this house. Ishii too had stated that he’d seen a ghost here. Despite that, Gotou still felt this was a matter unrelated to Haruka’s abduction.

“We came here to confirm that,” Yakumo replied as he messed up his dishevelled locks. “Do we have time for that? While we’re in the middle of this, Haruka-chan—”

“I know that!” Yakumo exclaimed as he glared at Gotou with a sharp look. Witnessing those eyes, Gotou was once again met with the realisation that Yakumo had to be the most restless compared to anyone else.

“Right now it’s necessary to correctly tell apart what’s related and what’s not. If we were to decide that something’s unrelated right away without confirming it, we might be unable to see the truth.” Gotou could clearly tell that Yakumo was forcefully suppressing his emotions.

He was right. They would miss the truth if they were to make careless decisions. If that were to happen, Haruka would really be beyond saving.

Though pressed by time, circumstances left them no room for mistakes. “I’m sorry.” Gotou apologised sincerely.

Yakumo made a sour look. “Please don’t do things unbefitting of yourself.” “What do you mean?”

“Anyway, let’s go,” Ignoring Gotou’s demand for an answer, Yakumo stepped into the grounds of the house. His strides may be confident, yet his back seemed weak and vulnerable.

Yakumo might not put it into words, but the worst case scenario must have crossed his mind. With every reminder, he was surely tormented by despair. Nevertheless, he continued to motivate himself out of the desire to rescue Haruka. He must have gone through that over and over again.

Without a doubt, the burden within Yakumo’s heart was unimaginable. It’s alright. Surely, we’ll be able to save Haruka-chan. Gotou mumbled in his heart as he watched over Yakumo’s back. Those words weren’t directed at just Yakumo, but at himself as well.

He wouldn’t be able to press forward without believing so. Everything will be over if he were to lose all hope. Still using crutches, Gotou went after Yakumo.

Already standing before the front door of the house, Yakumo slowly turned the doorknob. With a push from Yakumo, the door finally opened, its rusty hinges rubbing against each other with a high-pitched squeak.

The interior of the house was dark. Pitch-black void as if blotted over with black ink gaped open before them. There was an eeriness to its appearance, almost bridging to another dimension. Yakumo turned on a penlight and entered the house relying on said source of light.

Gotou too stepped inside after him. The first room they went into seemed to be a living room.

A sofa and a table still remained. Though covered in dust, Gotou could tell that these items were rather expensive. “They said a woman used to live in this place?” asked Yakumo after he’d walked all the way until he was in front of the fireplace on the living room wall.

“Yeah.” That was the information Ishii had provided.

“It appears we might need to look into that again more closely,” said Yakumo as he picked up a picture frame set atop the fireplace. “What do you mean?”

“This—” Yakumo handed over said picture frame so Gotou could see it as well.

Framed within was a photograph of four people. Among them was an old woman that appeared to be the head of the household. Standing on either side of her was a middle-aged man and woman.

And there was one more person. A young girl of around middle school age stood with a bashful smile. One had no way to tell when this photo had been taken, but from the background behind them, it might have been taken at this living room.

This photo could’ve been shot when the family who had lived separately had come home for a New Year's visit. But as Yakumo had said, they might need to investigate the familial connections once more. Yakumo returned the picture frame to its original placement, stepping outside the living room before opening the door to the room across from it.

Unlike the previous room, the room they stepped into this time was a Japanese-style room about eight tatami in size. The room might have been unused when the owner had used to live here; not a single object was left inside.

Yakumo might’ve judged that nothing of note was there as he immediately exited and walked straight across the corridor. At the end of this corridor should be the room where Ishii had seen a ghost.

Gotou’s body naturally tensed up at the thought, and his palms began to sweat. He thought he had grown used to these things. Yet perhaps he felt terrible because he had sensed something unusual from the gloomy atmosphere of this house.

Unlike Gotou, Yakumo maintained a nonchalant look on his face and opened the door without hesitation. The room beyond the door was covered in carpet. At the centre of the room was a hospital bed, with medical equipment next to it.

There was also a wheelchair on the other side of the bed. Everything was covered in dust after having been abandoned for a long time.

Yakumo approached the side of the bed and stroked the rails of the bed, as if confirming something. Next, he moved on to the bookshelves on one side of the room walls. Rows of books were neatly arranged there.

Yakumo traced the spines of those books with his fingers, starting from the top. Gotou too began tracing the spines with his eyes. Not a novel or essay in sight, all were fairly difficult technical books.

Crouching, and having traced the spines until the lowermost row of books, Yakumo stood up, scratching his head in frustration. He likely hadn’t found anything of importance. Yakumo was about to head for the window next, when he halted his steps midway as if he found something.

“What is it?” Paying no attention to Gotou, Yakumo crawled on the floor and took out a single book from underneath the bed.

“What book is it?” asked Gotou. Yakumo stood back up and shook his head whilst flipping over the pages. “This isn’t a book.”

“Not a book?" “Yes. I believe this is some kind of schedule notebook.”

Gotou had thought it was an antique book since the cover was made of leather, but after seeing its pages, it indeed contained handwriting. If Gotou were to attempt using a schedule notebook, he’d certainly give up within three days. Yet the person who had used this notebook seemed rather diligent.

This person’s neat penmanship filled the pages of said book. “Does it have something to do with the case?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo’s face was that of extreme displeasure. “I don’t know. We have to read it to know for certain,” he said in an uninterested tone. His reaction couldn’t be helped. Gotou might have overly rushed into things.

Suddenly, Yakumo turned in the direction of the doorway. He seemed to have sensed something. Gotou turned to face the same direction.

Nothing came into Gotou’s field of vision, save for the dark corridors ahead. But Yakumo was different. Yakumo, in possession of his red left eye, should be able to see a different world that Gotou couldn’t. “You are…” muttered Yakumo.

So someone was at the doorway after all. Gotou grew curious, but he shouldn’t act rashly and let this opportunity become a waste. Holding his breath, Gotou watched over the situation.

“Why are you here? Just what are you...” Cutting off his sentence, Yakumo placed his hand on his head, exhaling a long sigh. After a pause, Gotou asked, “Was someone there just now?”

“Yes. She must be the one Ishii-san saw.” “Was the ghost a young girl?”

“Yes.” “Don’t tell me it was the girl from the photo earlier?” Gotou asked, following his thoughts.

Yakumo frowned and gave a faint nod. “It appears we really need to get Ishii-san to investigate this house one more time,” Yakumo narrowed his eyes as he stared in the direction of the doorway.

- 9

- Should the depths of love be measurable, it’ll surely amount to the price one is willing to pay in the name of that love—

Love can only be proven by what one can sacrifice for the sake of acquiring said subject of affection. Be it wealth, or one’s own life. Or perhaps something else entirely—

I’m prepared to offer up my life. And it doesn’t end there. I shall return the life I’ve lived thus far in its entirety, back into nothingness. If anyone were to criticise my actions, I’d like you to ask yourself.

What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones? Anyone who can still bring up societal norms, common sense, morality, and such ideals over this question, can’t be said to have genuine love.

Yakumo lifted his face from the leather-bound book and looked up the narrow ceiling— The lines written in this book were incredibly powerful. Not merely because it had been written with bold pen pressure and stiff letters. Something else seemed to play a part.

It was unclear what the writer of this passage had intended to do. Still, the strength of their emotions were far from normal. Just what is it?

What exactly did the writer sacrifice, and what was acquired in return? Besides, did this notebook have anything to do with the ongoing cases?

Yakumo felt something was amiss as the lines within this book implied within them too deep of a meaning. Yet, perhaps they bore no connection to the case. Nanase Miyuki might have intentionally left them behind as a red herring to throw off Yakumo.

He looked out the window. It was getting brighter out, and soon morning will arrive.

Time felt like it was marching awfully fast. It had to be because Yakumo himself had grown restless. Right now, at this second, she—just what state was Haruka in? The mere contemplation sent his chest into chaos.

Yakumo knew he had to maintain his composure, yet terrible visions kept invading his thoughts in droves, taking over his headspace. In fact, it was happening right now.

The sight of Haruka, lying whilst blood poured out her body, crossed into his mind. Even with desperate efforts to get rid of the image, he felt it grew further the more he tried to push it away.

Yakumo landed a fist against the table. The pain on his hand spread, yet the terrible visual wouldn’t leave his head.

If only I had accompanied her home back then. Since learning about Haruka’s abduction, he’d been blaming himself constantly.

Truth was, even if Yakumo had accompanied Haruka back, Haruka would still get abducted at some point. This case was unlike an accident lacking in intent. Haruka had already been targeted. Even if Yakumo had been with her at the time, that fact would merely change the time of abduction.

Still— Nevertheless, such arguments brought upon a sense of dissatisfaction.

Yakumo held his lowered head. Whatever happens, I have to save Haruka.

For that sake, he needed to regain his composure and solve the mystery. He understood just how important it was to be level-headed at this time. Despite that, his heart refused to calm down. Can the mystery truly be solved by doing all this?

Besides, solving the mystery like this may very well be meaningless. It’s entirely possible that Haruka had already passed, while Yakumo had been trying to fight back without knowing the fact. Then, Miyuki Nanase might be pleased to imagine Yakumo in such a state. It wouldn’t be strange for that woman to take pleasure in doing so.

Oh no. His mind was being drawn into negative thoughts again. Yakumo yanked at his dishevelled head of hair, then gave himself a slap to the cheek to pull himself together.

Let’s rethink everything from the beginning. Everything started when the ghost of a woman had come to visit Yakumo. Followed by the spiritual case brought by Makoto—

When they had gone to investigate the case, they had discovered a headless corpse that had been stored in a box. When he had contacted Ishii to seek confirmation, apparently Hata had thought that the corpse’s identity could be the man who had red eyes and was Yakumo’s father—Unkai.

They had to wait for the DNA test results, but the possibility was fairly significant. Still, if that were the case, why had the corpse been abandoned in an isolated place, not to mention had been put into a box?

Actually, had the corpse really been abandoned? The corpse had been inside an old casket made out of metal, not to mention plastered with countless talismans. There might be a meaning behind that.

The problems didn’t end there. The ghost Ishii had seen. Earlier, Yakumo had gone to the house in question, and there had in fact been a ghost of a girl there.

As she had disappeared immediately, Yakumo had no idea why the girl had been wandering, and why she had passed. He had requested Ishii to look into it, so he would surely know something once the investigation results came out.

Of course, the notebook found at the house couldn’t be ignored either. Considering the passage that was deep in meaning, this notebook should have some ties to the case. Not to mention the spiritual case Gotou and Eishin had been investigating about the ghost of a drenched girl—

At a glance the cases appear to be unrelated, but they have some sort of connection. That had to be the mystery Nanase Miyuki had meant. However—what if he was mistaken?

What if the cases were in fact completely separate? This might just be a trap laid by Nanase Miyuki to confuse Yakumo. If so, that meant he was wasting his time and everything might have been too late.

The image of Haruka in a tragic state flashed in Yakumo’s mind yet again. I have to do something!

His heart grew all the more restless the more he fixated on the thought. Calm down. This was like walking on a tightrope. No other path aside from going forward one step at a time, steadily and carefully. What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones?

A line written in that notebook crossed his thoughts. Just what was he about to sacrifice in exchange for Haruka?

- 10

- Ishii, who had been sleeping with his head on his desk, was awakened by the ringing of his phone—

He felt around for his glasses and picked up the call after putting them on. “Yes. Ishii Yuutarou here.”

<Sorry for contacting you so early. This is Yakumo.> Yakumo’s voice from the other side of the call instantly shot his consciousness awake from its prior half-asleep state.

Ishii turned to the clock next to his desk. It was nearly six o’clock. He seemed to have fallen asleep for about thirty minutes.

On the desk across from him was a snoring Miyagawa, sitting on the chair with his legs outstretched. Yakumo must be calling because he wanted the results of the investigation he had requested for last night.

“About that matter, right?” Ishii replied as he pulled a notebook lying nearby. “Yes.”

“Because of the timing, I couldn’t really ask around…” Yakumo had requested the investigation when it was already late into the night. Ishii had wanted to gather information by asking neighbourhood locals, but since it was late, he could only reexamine documents. Not a task that demanded him to travel about, yet the job had been draining regardless.

<That is fine. Did you find something?> “Yes. I was able to discover a few facts—” Ishii took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes before taking another look at his notebook.

“Regarding that house, as Yakumo-shi said, apparently she used to live with her family.”

Before he had gone to investigate that house for the first time with Miyagawa, he had gathered a bit of information and had learned that an old woman named Kawakami Harue had lived alone there, but that had been the most updated information. However, when he had taken a look at the police contact form[2] issued three years ago, Ishii had come to know that Harue had used to live with her family.

“The people who used to live there with her were her own son, Kawakami Kei-shi, and his wife, Ryoko-san. And lastly, her granddaughter Satomi-chan. Four people in total.” <Do you know where that family of hers is as of now?> asked Yakumo.

Even so, his tone sounded like he could already predict the answer. Prior to investigating, Ishii too had had a hunch himself, and it had turned out to be correct.

“Three years ago, the car that Ryoko-san and Satomi-chan rode got into an accident.” <An accident—>

“Yes. A truck driven by someone under the influence had run against traffic and hit their car head on.” <How cruel...>

Though he didn’t utter a word, Ishii felt the same way. Not only had the driver been driving whilst drunk, the truck had gone in the wrong direction; practically no different from a murder. The truck driver might have been prosecuted with the charge of careless driving causing death and was currently held in prison, but the lives that had been lost could never be brought back.

Ishii swallowed his anger before continuing, “Ryoko-san, who was in the driver seat, died on the scene. While Satomi-chan who rode in the front passenger seat was saved at first, but was eventually declared brain dead—” <Brain dead...>

Yakumo’s tone shifted. Perhaps he was reminded of his uncle, Isshin. Isshin too had been declared brain dead after being involved in a case.

Yakumo must have painfully understood what brain death was like. Following a brief pause, Yakumo asked, <How is Satomi-chan now?>

“She’s already passed,” Ishii spoke as pain emerged in his chest. Brain death would render the patient unable to breathe on their own, and whilst uncomfortable to say, their hearts were merely able to continue beating through borrowing the assistance of various medical equipment.

Forget eating, they couldn’t speak, hear, or see either. The brain as their body’s centre of control stopped working, so they couldn’t so much as think. Having learned all this information, Ishii came to understand the identity of the ghost he had seen.

Likely, the ghost had been the granddaughter, Satomi. Though her life had been saved from the accident, she had become brain dead afterwards, and had left this world from the incurable state.

Satomi might have yet to understand that she was already dead. For that reason, she wandered around the house she had been raised in; such had to be the case. At the time, she must have not called out to Ishii with the intention of scaring him.

Ishii felt guilty for having screamed and running away. Still, there wouldn’t be anything he could do even if he had stayed back there.

“About that...” Ishii grew hesitant. Normally, the police wouldn’t have known of the aftermath, yet unexpectedly a record had been left behind.

<Did something happen?> “Yes. Actually, three months following the accident, he disappeared.”

<Disappeared?> “Yes, as Harue-san submitted a missing person’s report to the police.”

One couldn't help but say how puzzling the situation was. <Did the police conduct a search?>

“No, about that… according to information from Harue-san, Satomi’s father had left her a message that he will be going away for a while, no need to worry about him.” “Is that so...” muttered Yakumo, seemingly having predicted the gist of that explanation.

The message Kei had left for Harue could be interpreted as his farewell to a relative. In other words, he had disappeared out of his own will. So long as a criminal case wasn’t involved, police wouldn’t conduct a large-scale search over a missing persons case such as this.

Often, there were cases where someone who grew tired of their present life would disappear to escape. Those people often end up becoming homeless. All the more those plagued by hopelessness such as Kei. The police must have had that idea, so the case had ended by merely filing him as a missing person.

In regular circumstances, showing police documents to a civilian university student would’ve been inappropriate.

However, it was too late for that now. They had received countless assistance from Yakumo to resolve cases.

Furthermore, this time Haruka’s life was on the line. “Of course.”

<Thank you.> Considering this was Yakumo, it was unusual for him to immediately express genuine gratitude.

After all, Ishii didn’t feel like he needed to thank him as Yakumo wasn’t the only one who wanted to rescue Haruka. Haruka’s existence was important to Ishii as well. He wished to save her whatever sacrifice it may take.

Ishii was about to end the call when Yakumo called out to stop him. <Actually, I have one more request...>

“What is it? I’ll do anything as long as I’m able to.” After jotting down instructions from Yakumo into his notebook, Ishii finally ended the call.

<So much ruckus this early,> The voice that spoke was Miyagawa. Although he’d been snoring loudly across from Ishii earlier, Ishii’s phone call seemed to have awakened him.

“S-sorry.” “Well, whatever. What are we looking into next?” said Miyagawa, his figure looking dependable as he stood up.

- 11

- Makoto opened the door to the Movie Research Circle with force.

The owner of this room, Yakumo, was sitting in his usual chair. His eyes were a little red from exhaustion and lack of sleep, but he didn’t appear shaken. It made Makoto’s state of panic feel almost laughable.

No, that wasn’t it. Perhaps right now Yakumo was merely pretending to be calm, when in reality unimaginable turmoil stirred within him.

“Is it true that Haruka-chan was abducted?” asked Makoto to start, after exchanging basic greetings. “Yes. Unfortunately,” replied Yakumo.

Strength left Makoto’s body and dizziness came over her. “I see...” she mumbled before sitting on a chair in front of Yakumo.

She didn’t want to believe it. She wanted someone to tell her it had merely been a lie. Yet she was hit by the realisation that it was all a baseless wish. “Why Haruka-chan…” she said unbearably.

Truth was, her initial impression towards Haruka hadn’t been all too great. She had seemed like a well-natured university student you’d find anywhere, putting up a facade for herself. Thinking about it now, the feeling might have come from Makoto’s jealousy over Haruka’s naivety.

Like an unreasonable hate towards the class honour student, it had to be the manifestation of jealousy towards someone who possessed something they didn’t. Yet after getting to know Haruka, Makoto’s view of her began changing.

Haruka hadn’t been pretending to be a goody two shoes, nor had she been acting innocent. She hadn’t been trying to flatter people either. It had simply been part of her nature.

Something that was brought upon naturally, like a spring water source free from impurities. It was thanks to that existence of hers, that Yakumo’s heart, having constantly hated himself, could be saved.

There was no reason for Haruka to go through something like this. “Simple enough reason. That woman wanted me to experience despair,” Yakumo explained. In his red left eye appeared to reside a powerful light.

“Such a thing…” Makoto bit down hard on her lip. The woman Yakumo had referred to was Nanase Miyuki. Come to think of it, in the previous case she had indeed signalled that Haruka would be her next target.

Nanase Miyuki was the sort of person who could trample over others’ hearts without breaking a sweat. Rather, her sadistic tendencies would in fact make her enjoy doing so. It was likely that she had abducted Haruka, the most important person to Yakumo, for the sake of cornering him.

If only they had paid closer attention to her words, they wouldn’t have left Haruka by herself. Still, regret wouldn’t change the reality they were facing.

Furthermore, the regret Yakumo experienced must be far greater than Makoto’s. The last person who had been with Haruka last night was Yakumo. He had to be blaming himself for leaving Haruka alone. “Whatever happens, we have to find her before it's too late,” said Yakumo, gritting his teeth.

Yakumo must be capable of maintaining his composure thanks to his strong resolve to save Haruka. Yakumo was able to motivate himself, overcoming all the depressing feelings and regret in order to face forward.

However— What would happen to Yakumo if he were to actually lose Haruka?

It wasn’t enough to describe them like lovers. Their existence was like soulmates, bonded together on a deeper level. To Yakumo, losing Haruka must be equivalent to having half of his body ripped away from him.

Should that happen, would Yakumo be able to retain his sanity? Perhaps that was precisely Nanase Miyuki’s objective.

If that was the case, perhaps Haruka was already—no. She shouldn’t think about that now. “Is there something I can help with?” said Makoto.

Yakumo responded with a small nod. “Actually, I’ve called you as there’s something I needed your help for, Makoto-san.” “Just say the word. I’ll do anything that I can.”

At any rate, they needed to make a move now. “Thank you. Firstly, can I meet with the woman who claimed to have experienced a spiritual phenomenon at the warehouse?”

“Hold on,” Makoto interrupted. “Shouldn’t locating Haruka-chan be our priority?” The spiritual case did concern her, but now wasn’t the time to look into that matter.

“That woman told me she would die if I fail to solve the mystery. By that, I think she meant for me to resolve the spiritual cases before my eyes.” “But why such a thing...”

“She said this is a game.” I see.

It was entirely plausible for Nanase Miyuki to pull something like this. She must have gone through the trouble of setting up this game out of her incredible sense of rivalry towards Yakumo. “Alright. I’ll quickly contact them and arrange a meeting,” Makoto nodded.

If so, they had to solve this case as soon as possible. “Also, I’d like you to look into whether there had been similar phenomena at that location.”

“Leave it to me.” Gathering rumours may not be easy, but by utilising social media well, she should be able to gain some information.

“Thank you,” Yakumo bowed his head deeply. He shouldn’t need to thank her. Even if Yakumo hadn’t asked for help, Makoto would still put her own efforts to find out Haruka’s location.

Yakumo wasn’t the only one who treasured Haruka. “Just like you, Haruka-chan’s important to us as well. Doing all this is a given.”

Yakumo was surprised by Makoto’s words, but eventually smiled bashfully. The door suddenly opened with a bam and Gotou entered the room. “Oh. It’s the newspaper lady,” he said as he took notice of Makoto.

“We just met yesterday, didn’t we?” “You’re helping out too?”

“Of course. I want to save Haruka-chan, whatever it takes.” “Thank you.” Gotou bowed his head deeply.

From his conduct, Gotou also seemed to be doing what he could in the search for Haruka. Even though his injuries hadn’t fully healed, he was surely unable to stand around doing nothing. The same as Makoto, Gotou was desperately putting his efforts not solely because of Yakumo’s request for help.

He wanted to save Haruka and help Yakumo out of his own volition. “Oi, Yakumo. The preparations are done. Let’s hurry up and go,” Gotou, signalling at Yakumo with his hand.

The two seemed to be heading somewhere to investigate. “I’ll contact you once I’ve made an arrangement,” Makoto stood up before leaving the room.

Yakumo followed outside and bowed down as he said, “I’ll leave it to you,” before walking away with Gotou. It’s alright. We’ll find her for sure, Makoto said in her heart as she sent the two off.

Though baseless, she wouldn’t be able to press forward without believing so. -

12 -

Gotou went into the driver seat of the car parked in front of the campus gates. Upon opening the door to the front passenger seat, Yakumo made a doubtful expression. “Gotou-san, what happened to your cast?” he asked.

Yakumo, who was incredibly perceptive in normal circumstances, had only realised that Gotou wasn’t wearing his cast—he must be more exhausted than he appeared. “It was getting in the way, so I took it off,” Gotou said so blatantly.

He had forcefully taken it off the night before. He wouldn’t be able to run wearing a cast and a crutch; let alone drive.

He had thought his wife Atsuko would stop him, but after explaining the situation, she had helped him remove it instead. Likewise, Atsuko must be deeply worried about Haruka. Of course, the same could be said for Nao. Haruka’s existence was already like family to them.

“Will you be able to drive in such a state?” Yakumo threw an unconvinced look. “Because it’s fine, I managed to come all the way here, didn’t I? Cut the small talk and hop on quick,”

It would be a lie to say that it didn’t hurt. Nevertheless, right now they had no time to lose in the slightest. If they always had to call a taxi to get around, they would be wasting their time. As he had worded out the previous night, Gotou didn’t mind sacrificing a leg or two for the sake of saving Haruka.

Yakumo let out a sigh of disbelief before getting into the front passenger seat. With the closing of the door, Gotou then started the car.

“So, any new information?” he asked Yakumo as he manipulated the steering wheel. “Thanks to Ishii-san, I gained plenty of information about the house we went to last night.”

“Which are?” Gotou demanded the continuation, and Yakumo shared the information he had gotten from Ishii in detail. Gotou’s feelings grew unbearable. Having lost his wife in a traffic accident, and his daughter having been declared brain dead, Kei had to be suffering greatly.

As if without warning, the man had suddenly been pushed into hell’s abyss. At the thought of the same thing happening to Atsuko and Nao, Gotou’s chest felt like it was being crushed and his breathing grew laboured.

And yet, Kei, who had actually gone through it, had to be suffering pain a hundredfold worse. “So the father’s—Kei’s—status became unknown afterwards, huh?” Gotou asked, and Yakumo gave a nodding affirmation.

“Could that man who's in hiding be the perpetrator behind our case?” A thought with no basis. Gotou was merely voicing the question that suddenly came to mind.

“I can’t refute that possibility,” Yakumo responded with a serious expression. “Really?!” Although it was his own line of thinking, he exclaimed in surprise as Yakumo gave his approval over it.

“It’s nothing more than a possibility…” He might be vague and would go about in circles, but unlike Gotou, Yakumo had a basis for every statement, even when expressing possibilities.

“What possibility were you referring to?” “The notebook we found back there.”

“Notebook... ” Indeed, Yakumo had taken out a notebook from under the bed back in that place.

“What was written in it?” “Mostly it was an activity schedule. Related to his work, or what time he was meeting someone; fairly normal entries. But—”

“What?” “The writing stopped after his wife and daughter went into an accident—”

Gotou understood what the man had felt. Working, or doing anything at all for that matter, had to be impossible after the man’s family had had an accident.

But that shouldn’t be everything that was inside said notebook. Something had to be written there that led Yakumo to consider the possibility of Kei being the perpetrator. “And then?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo crossed his arms and closed his eyes shut. As if deep in thought, he stopped moving for a moment. Before long, the man slowly opened his eyes.

“Something strange was written on the last page.” “What is it?”

“Some sort of declaration of resolve.” “What even is that?”

“What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones?” “Ha?” Gotou tilted his head in confusion.

“That was one of the lines written in there.” “What’s that even mean?”

“Probably in a literal sense. I think the phrase ‘loved ones’ here refers to his wife and daughter.” “Then, what’s the sacrifice about?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo shook his head. “I have no clue either.” “No clue...”

Something that was beyond Yakumo’s understanding was all the more puzzling for Gotou. Just why would he leave behind a sentence like that? And why had that man called Kei hidden his whereabouts?

He might not understand, but Gotou sensed a deep darkness extending ahead of that fact. “If it were Gotou-san...” Yakumo glanced slightly at Gotou.

“Ah?” “If it were Gotou-san, what would you sacrifice for your loved ones?”

At the sudden question, Gotou was incapable of giving an immediate reply. To be honest, he had no way of knowing before encountering said predicament.

In the previous case, Gotou had jumped into a road to shield Nao who had been about to get hit by a car. Yet at the time he had lost his reason and hadn’t thought of whether he was going to sacrifice his own life or the like.

Thinking about it calmly, he unexpectedly didn’t arrive at the answer. “I think this Kei person had prepared himself to throw away everything for the people he loved. Hence the reason why he had left that passage behind,” said Yakumo with a sullen voice.

His eyes weren’t present; as if they were drifting off somewhere in the distance. Yakumo seemed like he might go off somewhere beyond reach, should things be left as they were. “What exactly are you trying to say?” Gotou asked, and Yakumo raised his index finger between his forehead and said, “Do you not understand?”

“I’m asking because I don’t.” “The man called Kei has already lost the people he loved. Yet he still wanted to sacrifice something, even though there’s nothing for him to obtain...” said Yakumo.

His voice was like sharp edges poking at Gotou’s heart. Though faint, Gotou slowly came to see what Yakumo had in mind. Along with the reason why he refused to put it into words—

“Either way, Kei-san disappeared three months after the accident.” “Disappeared?” Gotou raised his voice unknowingly.

“Yes. But according to the statement made by Harue-san, who reported his disappearance, the police isn’t treating it as a case as Kei-san seemed to have gone into hiding on his own will.” Even if he racked his brains for a reason, Gotou was completely clueless as to why Kei would go into hiding. Still, he couldn’t help but sense a whirl of emotions behind it.

What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones? The question itself ended up feeling like some sort of curse.

- 13

- “He truly was a wonderful doctor—” The nurse sitting before him said so in earnest.

She was Satou, a woman in her mid forties, and her appearance as well as the tone in which she carried herself gave her a friendly impression. Yakumo had asked a favour of two things.

The first was to find out about the Kawakami family’s reputation by asking around the neighbourhood. While the other was to gather information on Kawakami Kei at his workplace. Following a discussion with Miyagawa, they had decided to split ways in the absence of time. Miyagawa would gain information around the Kawakami family residence, while Ishii would pay a visit to the hospital where Kawakami had used to work.

Kawakami had used to practise internal medicine. Ishii promptly contacted his former workplace and met with a nurse named Satou, an acquaintance of Kawakami as well as the one who had been in charge of Kawakami’s daughter who had undergone brain death.

Thinking how he was back in this hospital despite only having visited last night, Ishii was left with a peculiar sense of fate. Eeriness overtook him the night before, yet as it was now morning still, along with the fact that he was now at the cafe next to the hospital entrance, made him feel like he was in a completely different location.

“I see,” Ishii muttered as he jotted things down. “There are two kinds of doctors.”

“Is that so?” “Yes. Doctors who examine patients since it is their duty, and doctors who do so out of the desire to serve and help people.”

“And Doctor Kawakami was the latter?” asked Ishii, and Satou replied, “Obviously,” as he had expected. “Honestly, it was tough for us to work under someone like Doctor Kawakami, as the more enthusiastic he got, our workload would pile up even more.”

“What do you mean by that?” “As he would always go out of his way to do things that weren't required to be done, we would get caught in the middle of it as well.”

“Ah.” That might be true.

Not just for doctors, in any line of profession, the mindset of treating customers as kings would inevitably increase the amount of tasks to complete. “The young nurses would often complain as a result. Not for me though, I liked it. Every hospital needs someone like Doctor Kawakami.”

“That’s true,” Ishii responded as he demanded the continuation. “If only that accident didn’t happen… not only did he lose his wife, his daughter was even left in such a state. It was simply too much.”

Ishii could sense that this was no surface-level feelings, but one that genuinely came from the bottom of her heart. “Was he extremely depressed over the fact?”

“Obviously… Doctor Kawakami was a friendly person who would greet everyone, even nurses like us. But ever since the accident, he became less talkative and worn out.” With no wife or children of his own, Ishii could only picture the agony of losing both at the same time.

His heart cried out at the mere thought. Kawakami, to whom it had actually happened, must have suffered beyond imagination. “I felt bad watching him and have always wanted to call out to him first, but honestly, I didn’t know what to say...” Satou sighed, shaking her head.

That was to be expected. Put in the same position, Ishii himself wouldn’t know what to say towards someone in the depths of despair. “After the accident, were there any unusual changes about him?” asked Ishii.

Satou’s expression grew troubled. “Some time after the accident, he kept staying beside his daughter. He seemed to be calling out for his unconscious daughter to come back. But...” Satou halted her words.

She seemed to hesitate in saying what came next. “What is it?” Ishii urged, and after steeling her resolve and nodding, Satou opened her mouth once more. “After his daughter was declared brain dead, his visits became less frequent.”

“Why so?” Ishii leaned over. Thinking about it, to disappear when his daughter had been declared brain dead felt unnatural.

“Though from a different specialty, he was a doctor himself. So he understood well what brain death meant,” So that was it.

Once declared brain dead, chances of recovery were close to zero. That wasn’t all. Since their brain functions were stopped, patients would be unable to sense the presence of those who came to visit.

Being a doctor, Kawakami understood way more than the average person that there was nothing else that could be done. And yet—

Shouldn’t a parent still wish to see the face of their child? Ishii felt something off about the fact.

“I heard Doctor Kawakami disappeared the day before his daughter passed...” Upon investigation, one day after Kawakami had left a message for his mother and disappeared, his daughter’s condition had taken a worse turn, drawing her last breath.

Ishii couldn’t help but think something was behind that timing. “Apparently so. Perhaps he sensed that his daughter couldn’t hang on any longer—”

“Was his daughter’s condition weakening?” “Yes. She was getting worse. The doctor in charge of her even said it was only a matter of days...”

“......” “The doctor in charge seemed to have delivered the news to Doctor Kawakami himself. But a slight commotion happened at the time.”

“A commotion?” “That’s right. Doctor Kawakami claimed that his daughter had spoken. Thus, he requested them to reexamine whether she was actually brain dead. It was the first time I’ve seen Doctor Kawakami that way. Though his mind understood, his heart seemed to have yet to accept how things are…”

“Is that so,” Ishii said out of sympathy, yet the thoughts in his mind travelled elsewhere. The timing felt unnatural. Even so, Ishii didn’t understand what made him feel that way.

“Did anything else catch your attention?” Ishii later inquired, and Satou’s eyes wandered as if tracing her memories. It wasn’t long before her expression changed, signalling that she had recalled something.

“Is there something?” Ishii asked again. “I’m not sure if I should say this...” Satou spoke hesitantly.

“What is it?” “Actually… after the accident, a woman often came to visit Doctor Kawakami.”

“A woman?” “Yes. A young, beautiful woman in her twenties.”

“Any other defining features?” “Right… I wonder. I’ve never spoken to her, so this is merely my intuition, but she seemed quite tough.”

That woman might have something to do with Kawakami’s disappearance. Depending on the circumstances, they could try making a sketch of her face. “Do you know what her relationship was with Doctor Kawakami?”

“As for that, I don’t know. She wasn’t a patient, nor someone from the pharmaceutical companies...” “Sounds curious.”

Could that woman be Kawakami’s mistress? Though baseless, the idea emerged in his mind anyway. “I’m sure the relationship wasn’t anything like what you have in mind, Mr. Detective,” Satou spoke as if she had read Ishii’s mind.

“Eh?” “Doctor Kawakami loved his family dearly. He wasn’t the type to have an affair behind the scenes.”

“Right...” Satou emphasised the fact quite strongly, leaving Ishii no choice but to respond in affirmation. However, his heart disagreed.

That didn’t mean there were no people capable of building a harmonious family whilst having an affair on the side. The woman who had been having an affair with Kawakami might have just made an appearance after the accident.

“Did Doctor Kawakami ever mention anything about that woman?” Ishii asked. Satou’s face frowned into a difficult expression. “The doctor said before that the woman came to consult him about her relative.”

All the more suspicious. At a time when his wife had just passed and his daughter had been in a brain dead state, he shouldn’t have had the time to discuss other people’s matters.

“Um… do you know of anyone else close to Doctor Kawakami in this hospital?” “As for that, perhaps that strange man in the basement.”

“Pardon?” Ishii couldn’t help but turn bewildered at the mention of something that sounded like the title of a B rated horror film.

“My apologies. I suppose you wouldn’t understand if I said it that way,” Satou corrected herself and said the name of the person in question. -

14 -

After leaving Yakumo’s room, Makoto returned to her desk at the newspaper company. There may not be much time, but it was easier to conduct an investigation from her office.

Firstly, she would use the company social media account to announce a request for information regarding the spiritual phenomena that occurred at the warehouse in front of Meisei University’s archival facility. The number of viewers wouldn’t be comparable to using a personal account. There would surely be lots of shares, so information should quickly accumulate. Next, she composed a message of similar content, sending them out to some of her fellow journalist acquaintances.

Whilst anticipating the success of this information gathering, she contacted Maki, who had come to consult a spiritual phenomenon previously. <Hello?>

Maki picked up the call with a frightened voice. Thankfully the call directly went through. “Actually, I’d like to confirm a few things about the spiritual phenomenon you experienced at the warehouse. For the sake of resolving this case, may I ask for your cooperation?”

<You believed me?> asked Maki. Makoto was no stranger to gathering information on spiritual phenomena, and what was most troubling for people who experienced such incidents was the fact that no one was willing to believe them.

“Of course.” <Thank you—>

Maki’s voice quivered. Rather than from fear, it seemed to be out of delight. “Since it’s hard to convey through a phone call, I’d like for us to meet in person once again and talk about it, would that be possible? I have an acquaintance who’s an expert on spiritual phenomena. I want him to come along as well.”

<Well, that is...> Maki’s tone hinted at a sense of vigilance.

As it turned out, the mention of an expert on spiritual phenomena hadn’t been the correct wording. Maki might be assuming she would be demanded to pay a hefty reward. “Rest assured. He’s still young, but he’s been assisting the police in solving various cases so far. He won’t ask you for payment in return, so there’s no need to worry,” Makoto said so firmly, and Maki then replied, <Alright.>

“Then, without further ado, do you have some free time today?”

“Understood. After confirming with the other party, I’ll reach out to you again.” Makoto ended the conversation and called Yakumo this time.

<Yes. Saitou speaking.> It sounded like he was still on a car ride, as a faint hum of the engine could be heard.

“This is Makoto. I’ve contacted the woman who experienced the spiritual phenomenon. She’s fine with meeting anytime, so we can regroup once you’re finished on your end.” <Thank you. Once we’ve wrapped things up, I’ll contact you.>

“Got it.” Following the end of her call with Yakumo, Makoto returned to face her laptop.

She was looking up spiritual phenomena at Meisei University on the internet. A few results seemed to match. Information pertaining to the corpse that had been found at the university warehouse last night had spread that rumours surrounding the fact were now abundant. From testimonies stating they had seen a ghost onsite, followed by a variety of other claims: that satanic rituals were once performed there; or that the place had really been the base of a religious cult; or how spirits from wartime wandered in the area.

At this rate, the number of people writing out of jest would increase and she would struggle to find reputable information. How troublesome, Makoto thought, right as she received a private message from an unknown sender on social media.

Since Makoto’s request for information had been shared at random, people would likely send in messages as a joke. Keeping her expectations low, she opened the message. Written there was the following:

<I’m a Meisei University graduate. During my time as a student there, I’ve been to that warehouse for a test of courage. Nothing in particular happened then, but a few days later, my friend who went along the test of courage with me disappeared. That friend’s whereabouts remained unknown to this day—>

Makoto held her breath upon reading it.

It was her own instincts talking, yet she felt that this message was genuine and decided on replying straight away. There were many things she wanted to ask. However, exchanging messages like this would be time consuming.

‘Can we speak directly? Phone call is fine too’ she typed, including her contact number in the message before sending it. It wasn’t long until there was an incoming call from an unknown number to her phone. Probably the sender of that message earlier.

“Yes. This is Hijikata.” <Hello? I was the one who sent a message just now. My name is Nagaoka Momoka.>

So it was the person who had sent that message after all. “Thank you for calling. I will call you back.”

<It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,> Momoka said so firmly. “Is that so… then I’ll get straight to the point, there are a few things I’d like to ask. When did you go to that location?”

<About three years ago.> “You didn’t see any ghosts or the like at the time?”

<That’s right. But...> “What is it?”

While she hadn’t experienced any spiritual phenomena there, the subsequent turn of events of being followed by a ghost was similar to Maki’s.

“Did she say that she had seen the ghost?” <She did. Apparently the ghost stood outside the window, staring at her.>

“Was she able to tell the gender of the ghost?” <She said it was a male ghost… I didn’t really believe her at the time. I thought she was just mistaken, but...>

Momoka’s tone grew frail in an instant. “Tomoko-san disappeared afterwards...”

<Yes. It was really out of nowhere. She didn’t show up on campus, and her phone was out of reach...> “Have the police been notified?”

<They have. I’ve even submitted a missing persons report, but there was no development afterwards, and time went on...> “And Tomoko-san’s whereabouts are still unknown until now?”

<Yeah. Her parents have passed away and she entered university with a scholarship program. Even though she was such an earnest person...> What followed in exchange of words were sounds of sobbing.

Whether Tomoko’s disappearance had anything to do with ghosts remained vague, yet at the very least, Momoko seemed to be living her life whilst concealing her regret all the while. Even after thanking her and cutting off the call, Makoto was left with a sense of unease.

Perhaps she needed to verify the truth of the matter. Makoto then contacted Ishii. <Yes. This is Ishii Yuutarou,> Ishii promptly answered with a crystal clear voice.

Despite the direness of the situation, hearing Ishii’s voice instantly softened her once hardened heart. “It’s Makoto.”

<M-Makoto-san! Actually, something terrible came up!> Ishii spoke in a panic. “I know. I’ve heard it from Yakumo-kun. Apparently Haruka disappeared, right?”

<You knew?> “Yes. Things really took a worse turn...”

<Right.> Ishii’s voice rapidly sank.

Makoto had long since known that Ishii had feelings for Haruka. Anyone would be able to tell how much Ishii brightened in front of Haruka. He’d been holding back as of late, probably admitting defeat after seeing how there was no place for him to get in between Yakumo and Haruka.

Surely Ishii was also among those working tirelessly for the sake of rescuing Haruka. “Truth is, I wanted to ask you to investigate something in relation to that.”

<What is it?> “Regarding a woman named Ikuta Tomoko-san.”

<Who is that exactly?> It was understandable for Ishii to question the fact.

After a brief explanation of the situation from Makoto, Ishii promised to look into the matter after his return to the police headquarters following the information gathering he currently was in. “Sorry for the trouble. I’ll leave it to you.”

<Of course. Whatever it takes, we have to find Haruka-chan—> “Yes.”

After hanging up, a small question emerged in Makoto’s mind. If Makoto were to disappear, just how desperate would Ishii go in search of her?

Makoto sighed without realising, having had enough of just how narrow-hearted she could be to question that at a time like this. -

15 -

Gotou parked his car in front of the house they were headed to. Stepping out of the car, the figure of a man he recognised came into view, standing before the entrance. It was Eishin.

“You’re finally here. I got tired of waiting,” Eishin said so openly. It might have been a trait of his to not be satisfied without complaining.

“Shut up,” Gotou clicked his tongue when he arrived in front of Eishin. At the sight of Yakumo following behind Gotou, Eishin’s expression stiffened.

“Things certainly have gotten worse,” he said in a friendly tone unlike how he’d spoken to Gotou moments before. Eishin wasn’t closely acquainted with Haruka, but he was well aware of how much her existence meant to Yakumo.

He had to be thoroughly considering what sort of impact this case might bring. “Right. Anyway, can you quickly take me to the girl who experienced a spiritual phenomenon?” Yakumo said in haste.

“I know. I’ve informed them in advance. Let’s go.” Led by Eishin, they headed inside the house, and ascended the stairs next to the entrance towards the room situated on the second floor.

Though he had managed his way on flat surfaces, Gotou’s leg stung as he climbed the stairs. Regardless, there was no time to complain. As Eishin knocked on the door, a voice could be heard from within, “Come in.”

Everyone nodded to one another, and Eishin slowly opened the door. The state of the room was no different from yesterday, with every crevice covered up that it remained in darkness despite the day not being past noon yet.

Standing in one corner of the room, Sana appeared all the more lethargic compared to the day before. It wasn’t surprising, considering she had trouble sleeping out of fear from ghosts.

“I’ll cut to the chase, could you talk about the spiritual phenomenon you experienced one more time?” Yakumo brought up the subject matter after some basic greetings. Yakumo’s red left eye took Sana a little by surprise, but she soon got rid of the impression and opened her mouth. She spoke of how she had seen a drenched ghost on the Tama riverbank, and the way the ghost had drawn nearer to her house day after day.

Her voice was shaky, and she struggled to find her words from time to time. Gotou felt pity at the mere sight of it. “I see… you mentioned that the ghost gets closer and closer every day. Is that the case even now?” Yakumo asked whilst casting his gaze across the room.

Gotou and the rest couldn’t see a thing. But such wasn’t the case for Yakumo. Reflected in that red left eye of his was a world unlike this one. “Yes.”

“Speaking of, since when have you put up these cardboards over your windows?” “Since about four days ago. I’m too scared...” Sana replied, teary eyed.

“You saw the ghost a week ago, is that right?” asked Yakumo to confirm. Sana nodded with a thin voice, “Yes.”

“You said you saw the ghost come closer through the window, which window was it?” “That one.”

Sana pointed at the largest window in her room. “Can I take a look at it?” Yakumo asked, and although Sana nodded, fear made her cover her face with both hands and face away from the window.

Yakumo opened the curtains and pulled apart the tapes and cardboard that had been obscuring the window. Light from outside filled the room, turning it bright.

“Which road did you see the ghost on?” Yakumo asked as he remained fixated on the view outside the window. “The one right in front of my house.”

“Did you see it during a specific time? Such as throughout the day or nighttime...” Sana shook her head at Yakumo’s question. “Day or night, she was always standing on that road whenever I looked out of this room.”

“Were you looking out from where I’m at right now?” Sana set aside the hands that had been covering her face, and after confirming Yakumo’s position, she nodded over and over.

“Yes...” “I see...” Yakumo replied as he opened the window.

Outside breeze blew in. Gotou took a deep breath. The once gloomy atmosphere took a turn and he became slightly relieved. On the other hand, the girl shrank. After all, she must be scared.

After glancing in Sana’s direction, Yakumo exhaled a heavy sigh and leaned his body over to look down the window. What is he looking at?

Following Yakumo, Gotou poked his head out the window and peered downwards. Over there was—

A girl walking along the road directly in front of the house. Aligning with Sana’s testimony, the girl was wearing a uniform. “Not her,” Yakumo said to ease Gotou, who was in shock.

Gotou turned to find Yakumo covering his left eye using his palm. The girl seemed to be visible still just with his right eye, so she must be a living human being. Yakumo sighed and faced Sana's direction again.

“Please be rest assured. The ghost outside won’t be able to enter this room,” Yakumo gently pacified her. “Eh?”

Sana stared at Yakumo. “That ghost was just lonely.”

“R-really?” “Yeah. So there’s no need for you to worry. If you’re still uneasy, you can pour some salt on all four corners of the room. That way, she won’t be able to get in.”

“......” Sana’s expression was overcome with relief and she fell down to her knees listlessly.

Her fear seemed to have disappeared without a trace. “Then, I’ll excuse myself,” Yakumo bowed and walked towards Eishin, whispering something to him before exiting the room.

Though unsatisfied with the way things were, Gotou chased after Yakumo. “What you told that girl, was that true?” he asked once they went in the car.

“It was a lie,” Yakumo said nonchalantly. “What?”

“We wouldn’t have to struggle if ghosts could be sent away by pouring some salt.” “You… in that case, the ghost might just appear in that room, then?”

“There were no ghosts in that room. Of course, same goes for the road in front of that house—” He had probably said something random to close the case since he couldn’t see any ghosts around.

However— “Maybe it just wasn’t there earlier?”

Yakumo himself had often spoken of how ghosts didn’t always stay in the same location. “Please think about it carefully. She was terrified because the ghost got closer to her house day after day.”

“Yeah.” “How could she have known that?”

“How… well, because she witnessed it from her window.” “She had covered all the windows in her room with cardboard. She shouldn’t have been able to look outside.”

“Ah.” Gotou only just understood.

Thinking back, Yakumo had confirmed when the windows had been taped over with cardboard, and the girl had replied that it had been from four days prior. In other words, she hadn’t been able to look out the window since then, making it impossible for her to have seen the ghost.

“Furthermore, if she merely stood in front of the window, she wouldn’t be able to see the road right in front of her house.” Indeed, that was true.

Without poking one’s head out the window and looking down, the road in front wouldn’t be visible. “So she made up the fact that she saw a ghost?”

“No. I think she might have actually seen one at the riverbank. Though, out of immense fear, she began hallucinating that the ghost was getting closer every day. Well, it’s something like a mental disturbance.” I see.

If they had told the frightened Sana that she was merely hallucinating, she wouldn’t believe them. Thus, Yakumo had consoled her by saying that the ghost wouldn’t come after her anymore and instructed her to handle it by sprinkling salt.

He must have conveyed the fact to Eishin before leaving the room earlier— Having understood things, Gotou’s thoughts were led in a different direction.

“So we came here for nothing…?” It was crushing for them to be wasting time while Haruka’s whereabouts were currently unknown like this.

“At the very least we can eliminate it as an unrelated case. Next, we shall regroup with Makoto-san.” “Right,”

No use in regretting now. As Yakumo had said, they could treat it as having eliminated the case out of the way. Without any further thoughts, Gotou started the car.

- 16

- “So you came again—” Hata sounded fed up at the sight of Ishii’s face visiting him.

Such a reaction couldn’t be helped. He had only been last visited by the aforementioned police detective in the dead hours of the night before. Frankly, Ishii had feared that Hata might have already gone home, so he was glad that they were able to meet like this.

“M-my apologies,” Ishii entered Hata’s office whilst wording his apology. “Too bad, but if this is about the autopsy result, as I mentioned last night, I still don’t know myself,” Hata reminded.

Of course, Ishii was aware of the fact. Even he knew the situation wouldn’t change in a matter of hours. “Actually, I’m here for a separate matter...”

“A separate matter? Well, whatever. Don’t just stand there, why don’t you take a seat?” Ishii bowed repeatedly and sat on the nearest chair.

“You’re not with that Takobozu[3] today?” Hata asked whilst turning his head to look around. The takobozu he had referred to was Miyagawa, of course. Even though Hata had dubbed him umibozu the night before. Ishii was briefly confused by the inconsistent nicknaming.

“Yes. He’s currently gathering information elsewhere.” “So, what is this separate matter you wanted to ask?” Hata asked as he sipped his tea.

“Y-yes. I’d like to ask you about someone...” “Who?”

“Do you know of a Kawakami Kei?” When Ishii spoke of the name, Hata’s bulging eyes flickered. He looked astonished at the sudden mention of it.

Even so, Ishii himself had been surprised upon hearing Hata’s name come up as the name of the strange man in the basement who had been close acquaintances with Kawakami, according to Satou. “Why are you suddenly asking about Kawakami-kun?”

It was no surprise for Hata to question the fact. Ishii then explained how the spiritual phenomenon at Kawakami’s residence might be connected to a string of cases, including the corpse discovery by Yakumo and the others.

“I see—” Hata nodded after hearing the story to finish, lost in feelings. “Kawakami-kun was a truly diligent man...” Hata narrowed his eyes as if reminiscing the past.

“Were the two of you close?” “Since I’m like this, there was lots of prejudice from other doctors. They’d mock me behind my back, calling me a demon and such.”

Whatever it was that Hata found amusing, he giggled an eerie sounding laughter. Ishii felt it was natural for others to not be fond of Hata when he behaved like this, but he didn’t put it into words.

“Kawakami-kun was the only one who didn’t act that way.” “I see...”

“He might be diligent, but Kawakami-kun himself was a peculiar man.” “Peculiar how?”

“When you become a doctor, you’ll bear witness to human mortality until you get sick of it. Even my job is to handle death itself. Anyway, in such an environment, you eventually get used to death.” “It’s possible to get used to such a thing?” Ishii expressed his doubt. He felt like death was an exceptional occurrence no matter what.

“It’s possible. You guys too have seen more deaths than those working in other fields, do you not? And you get used to them before you know it,” “Oh...”

Thinking back, Ishii had screamed and made a fuss when he had seen a corpse for the first time. Yet he could endure it now. He had built up a resistance. In other words, he might have gotten used to it.

“Being used to it is terrifying. Left the way it is, we could just become indifferent to death.” “Right,”

“But Kawakami-kun was different. He often came over to my place whenever his patient passed away.” “Why so?”

“Who knows. It’s just that I often had discussions on the topic of death with Kawakami-kun.” “On the topic of death?”

They hadn’t been taking enjoyment in discussions about movies or music, but had instead discussed death as a conversation subject, something Ishii didn’t view as appropriate. Ishii stated the fact, and Hata shook his head in disbelief.

“What’s not appropriate about it? Humans, no matter who they are, will die eventually. Yet no human can explain what death would actually be like.” “Aren’t doctors capable of explaining that?”

“When it comes to the death of the flesh, sure. But humans have spirits. Even if there’s no way to prove its existence, spirits indeed exist. Since you guys are with Yakumo-kun a lot, you should know that.” “I suppose so—”

Like Hata said, death of the flesh was simple enough. Add spirits into the equation, though, and he was entirely clueless. If the spirit continued to exist despite the physical body ceasing its function, then what was death exactly? He hadn’t been thinking about it too deeply thus far, but being asked like this made him realise the complexity of the subject matter.

If there ever was someone capable of proving it, it must be people like Yakumo who could see ghosts. No, perhaps, Yakumo already knew the answer to it.

Come to think of it, Hata had been curious about the structure of Yakumo’s red left eye since way back. That curiosity might have stemmed from his extraordinary interest towards death. “Our conversation got sidetracked,” Hata mocked himself, scratching at his cheek.

Indeed, their conversation had gone off course into the views surrounding death for quite some time. “Could you tell me what Kawakami-sensei was like in the days leading to his disappearance?” Ishii returned to the main topic at hand.

It was what he had wanted to ask Hata the most. Perhaps the answer could serve as a clue to the reason behind Kawakami’s disappearance and his whereabouts. “You’ve heard about Kawakami-kun’s wife and daughter, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” “Since that incident, Kawakami-kun’s condition indeed became strange.”

“Strange in what way exactly?” “He began thinking about death more seriously. Especially pertaining to his daughter’s condition.”

“If I’m not mistaken, his daughter was declared brain dead...” “That’s right. Humans in a brain dead state can’t move or speak out of their own will. Without relying on medical equipment, they can’t even so much as breathe.”

“Right.” Ishii understood the fact as such had been the case for Isshin as well.

“But medically, they’re still alive. Even so, can we truly consider a human who can no longer move or even think for themselves as being ‘alive’?” “Well...”

“If spirits do exist, then where are the spirits of people who are brain dead?” “......”

“Because of his daughter’s condition, Kawakami began mulling over such matters more than before.” “And then he disappeared…”

“Pretty much. Though there’s one thing I can’t wrap my mind on,” Hata looked sharply at Ishii. “What is it?”

“One day after Kawakami-kun disappeared off somewhere, his daughter drew her final breath—” “Right.”

“Which meant when Kawakami-kun disappeared, he left behind his daughter in a brain dead state. However I thought about it, this feels off to me.” Hata’s words felt heavy.

The odd feeling that had been bothering Ishii since hearing Satou’s story earlier now led him to a certain deduction. Perhaps Kawakami hadn’t hidden himself and left his daughter in her brain dead condition. Instead, he had punished himself by disappearing as he had been the one who ended his daughter’s life.

The time difference might just be from killing his daughter by administering medication. However, Ishii couldn’t utter that analysis out loud.

- 17

- Right as Makoto arrived at Maki’s apartment building, a car slid to a stop.

Exiting the car were Yakumo and Gotou. How’s the investigation going?

Makoto swallowed the question she wanted to ask. The two looked visibly more distressed compared to when they had met this morning. Even without asking, Makoto could tell that the investigation didn’t go the way they had hoped.

“Let’s hurry up and go,” Gotou wanted to get inside straight away, but Makoto prevented him. “Actually, one testimony caught my attention when I was looking into spiritual phenomena at that location,” Makoto prefaced, followed by a brief explanation of a similar case in the past and how the woman who had claimed to be followed by a ghost after the fact had been reported missing.

“Did something like that really happen?” said Gotou while feeling uncertain. There was no helping his reaction. Makoto herself held a similar doubt.

The reason being the theory Yakumo had mentioned many times. Ghosts were clusters of emotions of those who had passed, bearing no physical influence of their own. Following that theory, it’d be impossible for someone to be dragged away by a ghost as seen in horror movies.

And yet— “The ghost may not be able to do something directly, but if we were to assume that the figure mistaken to be a ghost was actually a human, something like that might just happen.”

That was Makoto’s line of thought. Tomoko, who disappeared, had seen something at the location of the spiritual phenomenon, and someone who had somehow felt the situation was less than ideal had her kidnapped—an entirely plausible scenario.

After all, they had discovered a corpse packed into a box at that warehouse. And now, Maki was experiencing something similar to Tomoko. There might have been something they weren’t supposed to find out at that location.

Haruka might have been kidnapped for the very same reason. “A very intriguing story,” Yakumo placed a hand over his angular chin.

“I thought it needed some supporting evidence, so I asked Ishii-san to confirm whether there had really been a missing persons report filed to the police.” Makoto added. “As expected of Makoto-san. You’re helping me by acting so quickly,” Yakumo nodded.

“But does that old case really have something to do with all this? If it turned out like just now...” “To know that for certain, let us go,” Yakumo interrupted Gotou’s expression of doubt.

Makoto agreed with Yakumo’s perspective. There were various things that concerned them, but firstly they needed to meet with the related parties. “Got it. Let’s go.”

Makoto led them through the apartment building entrance and pressed the buttons for Maki’s apartment number. “Come in,” A voice could then be heard, and the automatic door lock opened.

They went past the automatic door into the elevator, and ascended to the fourth floor where Maki’s apartment unit was located. Upon reaching the door to the apartment unit, Makoto pressed on the intercom.

The door instantly opened, and Maki came out. Makoto briefly introduced Yakumo and Gotou. Since she had mentioned she was coming with experts on spiritual phenomena, Maki readily accepted them.

“Over here—” They were ushered into the apartment.

The unit consisted of a kitchen and a bedroom typical of a one person apartment. The room was filled with feminine looking items carefully placed and arranged. Maki’s personality was well-conveyed through her room.

Yakumo stepped inside and immediately looked around with a sharp glint in his eyes. Makoto tensed at the sight of him. If Maki had in fact been followed by a ghost as she had claimed, Yakumo’s red left eye should be able to see it.

It was of no exaggeration to say that the credibility of Maki’s testimony was currently being measured. “About the spiritual phenomenon you experienced, what was it like exactly?” Yakumo asked without changing his expression.

At the suddenness of it, Maki was left agape, not realising that the question had been directed at her. “I heard you’re being followed by a ghost. Did you see its figure? Or perhaps you didn’t, yet you sense its presence?” Yakumo asked again, now staring at Maki.

“Erm… I did see the ghost. But it had a black, shadow-like appearance...” Maki spoke with a stiff expression. She might have been frightened by Yakumo’s red left eye.

It was perhaps inevitable, as the ghost she had seen at the warehouse also had two red eyes. Understandably, she might have drawn a connection between it and Yakumo’s red left eye. “On what occasions did you see that ghost?”

“On the streets when I’m heading home from class, or when I looked out the window, he was standing across the road below...” Hearing Maki’s explanation, Yakumo slowly walked towards the window.

“Have you ever seen the ghost here indoors?” asked Yakumo. Maki’s gaze drifted as if deep in thought. “No. I don’t think I’ve seen it inside before.”

“In that case, I’d like to confirm what happened at the warehouse.” “Yes.”

“You and your friends opened the box there, didn’t you?” Maki replied to Yakumo’s question with a nod. “We did open it.”

“And you didn’t see the contents at the time?” “Yeah, since it was dark. Besides, that man suddenly appeared in the darkness...” Maki said with a trembling voice, turning her face away from Yakumo.

Indeed, the sight of red eyes was seared into her mind as something terrifying. “Please tell me in detail about the man you saw there.”

Perhaps in an attempt to soothe Maki, Yakumo spoke in an incredibly gentle tone. “Okay.”

“I heard the eyes of the man who appeared before you were red just like my left eye, are you certain of it?” Maki took one look at Yakumo and turned away before giving an affirmative reply. “Yes.”

“Is the shadow following you the same as the man at the warehouse?” “I think so...”

“Alright. One more thing.” “Yes.”

“Your other friends who went to the warehouse with you saw the man with red eyes too, right?” “That’s right.”

“Is no one else being followed by a ghost?” “I think I’m the only one,” Maki replied faintly.

She was gradually doubting what she had really seen. Such was the impression Makoto had. It was an inevitable outcome, though. At times, memories would fade even more the more it got questioned.

“Your information has been helpful. Thank you,” Yakumo then turned away from Maki. “Um, so, what should I do…?” Maki said in a pleading voice.

“Makoto-san, Gotou-san, one moment?” Yakumo called out looking at them, leaving the room shortly after. Makoto and Gotou exchanged glances and followed Yakumo out of Maki’s apartment.

With the door now closed and their eyes meeting in the halls outside, Yakumo spoke in a low voice, “No ghost is following her, and there was nothing of the sort inside her room either.” “So she was just mistaken?” asked Makoto, who had somewhat guessed it from Yakumo’s reaction back in the room.

“I can’t say that either. Since it’s just a matter of nothing’s there right now.” Certainly, that was true.

It would be too risky to write everything off as a false alarm solely from the fact that the ghost wasn’t present at this point in time. Ghosts didn’t always stick around the same spot. “Still, something’s bothering me a bit,” Yakumo placed his index finger between his forehead.

“What is?” “Suppose she was telling the truth, why was she the only one affected by it when there were others on the scene? Well, it could just be a matter of compatible wavelengths—”

“Right,” “And one more thing. I’m curious whether the person she saw at the warehouse and the shadow following her were indeed the same.”

“You’re saying they’re different?” Gotou interjected. “Just a hunch, but I think that we need to factor in that possibility,” said Yakumo, putting a stop to the discussion.

In other words, nothing seemed certain to them for now. Makoto was aware they shouldn’t panic, yet uneasiness spread throughout her chest. “What should we do after this?” asked Makoto.

Yakumo’s face turned bitter. “Right. Makoto-san, please inform her to observe the situation a little longer. Tell her to reach out immediately if any ghosts appear later on—” “Got it.”

“Then, can I ask one more thing from you?” “Sure.”

“I’d like you to gather a little more information on the past spiritual phenomena at that warehouse.” “Leave it to me,” Makoto responded, yet she felt that instruction from Yakumo was irrelevant.

Perhaps in the face of panic, Yakumo was looking in the wrong direction— -

18 -

After leaving the hospital where Hata worked, Ishii headed directly back to the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Division room. He planned to look into Makoto’s request.

With a search through the database, Ishii was immediately met with matching results. Three years ago, there had in fact been a missing persons report with the name of Ikuta Tomoko filed to the police. With no further delay, he requested for the documents.

In her fourth year as a student in Meisei University, a friend of hers had submitted the report. Some investigation had been performed. According to it, Tomoko had suddenly disappeared with no warning whatsoever.

There had been no signs of struggle nor damage at the campus dorm where she had lived alone, and the furniture had been left as it is. Since insufficient evidence had been found and there hadn’t been any witnesses, the case had become forgotten with time.

In reality, this happened often. Ishii promptly contacted Makoto on his phone.

<Hello?> “This is Ishii Yuutarou.”

Makoto replied, stifling out a laugh. This sort of banter had seemed to become a routine between them.

“About the matter you requested...” <You’ve found something?>

Makoto’s tone raised in an instant. “Yes.” Ishii then shared the result of his investigation with Makoto.

Finished listening to Ishii’s explanation, Makoto mumbled, <So it was true after all—> “Does the missing person case from three years ago have something to do with the current case?” asked Ishii.

Makoto gave a pause as if thinking. “I suppose so...”

<Anyway, I’ll let Yakumo-kun know about this fact.> “Ah, about that, let me contact him. There are other things I need to report to him as well.”

<Alright. Please do.> After ending his conversation with Makoto, Ishii was about to make a call to Yakumo right as Miyagawa returned.

He must have been running all over the place. The exhaustion on his face was apparent. Ishii would like to let his superior catch a break, yet he was interested in what information Miyagawa had managed to obtain. “Um...” Ishii began.

“I know,” Miyagawa replied as he crashed on his seat. “I’ve asked a bunch of neighbours around that house and apparently ever since the accident, the family hardly interacted with their neighbours.” “Is that so...”

Instead of cutting off contact deliberately, the more probable reason would be the lack of free time as they had to scramble around following the accident. “After her son’s disappearance, Harue lived by herself there, but she quickly fell ill and became constantly bedridden.”

The hospital bed in the room where Ishii had seen a ghost materialised in his mind. Most likely, Harue had drawn her final breath on that bed.

Thinking about it, Harue had lost so much in so little time. Her daughter in law. Granddaughter. And finally, her son— Ishii’s chest grew tighter, imagining the time she had spent in that lonely hospital bed after a string of constant loss.

“Well, the point is, I didn’t manage to find out anything useful,” Miyagawa laughed mockingly at himself. No, that wasn’t the case. Hearing that information just now, Ishii came up with a way to investigate the Kawakami family.

The hospital bed had belonged to Harue. In that case, there should be a caretaker or someone who would be going in and out of that house prior to her passing. They might be able to learn something from there.

“Weren’t you going to call someone just now?” Miyagawa brought Ishii to his senses, phone still in hand as he had intended to call Yakumo earlier. “Ah yes, excuse me for a bit,” Ishii took his phone out to the hallway and called Yakumo.

<How are things?> Yakumo quickly spoke as soon as he picked up the call. He was acting composed, but the restlessness in his heart slipped through at times.

Ishii himself was actually panicking too. Haruka’s safety was in his mind the entire time. “I managed to learn a number of interesting things—”

Setting aside his awful thoughts, Ishii went straight into telling everything he had heard from the nurse Satou and Hata, as well as what information Miyagawa had gathered. Yakumo showed interest in Hata’s story in particular, inquiring about it in more detail in terms of nuances and such.

The conversation back then had remained fresh in Ishii’s mind, and he tried to describe it as accurately as possible. At the end of it, Ishii hurriedly called out to Yakumo who was about to hang up.

He nearly forgot to share something important. Ishii then told him about the investigation Makoto had requested, that a missing person report for a woman named Ikuta Tomoko had in fact been filed to the police three years ago.

<Is that true?> Yakumo’s response to that information was clearly unlike the rest. He seemed to think that this fact was rather crucial.

“Yes.” <Can I have a look at the documents?>

“Yes. I’ll bring it over.” <Please do. Ah, before that, if there are any photos of that woman, I’d like to have it sent over by email or something.>

“Understood.” Ishii should be able to handle something that simple.

<Little by little, I feel like I’m starting to see the outline of this case,> Yakumo mumbled. “Eh? Really?” Ishii sounded much louder than he had imagined that he took himself by surprise.

Even so, there was no chance he wouldn’t be surprised over this. <Yes. I don’t have any proof yet, but we might be able to find her.>

“Thank goodness,” Ishii stroked his chest in relief. Since those words came from Yakumo, who had resolved many cases until now, he should be able to believe it.

<But we shouldn’t let our guard down. Considering how that woman operates—> Yakumo’s words seemingly echoed in layers within Ishii’s ear canal.

He was right. They shouldn’t lower their guard. There was no mistaking that Nanase Miyuki was somehow involved in this array of cases. Ishii hardly thought that woman would let her tail get caught so easily, either.

The woman’s cold, sadistic smile made its way into Ishii’s thoughts. -

19 -

Gotou turned to see a concrete building in view. The structure itself, with its flat concrete roof illuminated by bluish white moonlight, gave the impression of a box.

The corpse inside a box had been discovered in this location. Right afterwards, Haruka had been abducted. They weren’t mistaken in thinking that the place bore a connection to Haruka’s case. Hence, they decided to investigate the site once again.

Gotou took a glance at Yakumo next to him. His face was as expressionless as ever, but deep inside he must be going through a level of anxiousness he had never experienced before.

To Yakumo, Haruka wasn’t merely a woman he had feelings for. Yakumo had constantly denied his own existence and walked amongst the dark. Towards someone like that, Haruka had been the one to shine a light over and reach out to save him. It was thanks to Haruka that Yakumo could finally accept his own existence.

Should he lose that light, Yakumo would certainly fall into darkness to the point of no return. And that was precisely Nanase Miyuki’s objective.

I definitely won’t let that happen. That strong resolve was born within Gotou. ”Please stop staring at me like that. It’s gross,” cursed Yakumo.

He might be acting normally, but the absence of composure in his words was obvious. Despite that, Gotou didn’t point it out. Yakumo was well aware of the fact, more than anyone else.

“Shut up. Anyway, let’s go.” Gotou began walking in vigour, but Yakumo called to stop him. “Wait a moment.”

He turned around to find Yakumo looking at his phone screen. Peering over, he saw a photo of a woman displayed there. Someone he didn’t recognise.

“Who’s that?” “I asked Ishii-san to send it over.”

“Aah.” Hearing that, it all made sense to Gotou. He had overheard Yakumo’s conversation with Ishii moments ago. It must be the woman who had disappeared after visiting this warehouse three years ago.

“That woman is connected to this case?” “Yes. I’m certain after seeing the photo,” Yakumo said so firmly.

“What’s the connection?” “She’s the one—”

Yakumo’s red left eye had a sharp glint to it. “Of what?”

“The female ghost who came to my place.” “What!?”

Gotou finally understood. They were investigating a total of four spiritual cases this time. One of them being the female ghost who had appeared in Yakumo’s place.

To think that the identity of that ghost was the woman who had disappeared three years ago— It felt as if a piece of the scattered puzzle had finally found its way to its rightful placement.

“In any case, that means we really gotta check inside this warehouse one more time,” Gotou stared at the building right in front of him. Perhaps with the acquisition of new information, the building seemed to emanate an aura far more terrifying than before.

“Anyway, let’s hurry and go,” Gotou was about to make a move, but before he had the chance to, Yakumo stopped him once again. Not with words this time, but by catching his arm. Yakumo was no Ishii, so it couldn’t be that the man got cold feet at the last minute.

“What’s wrong?” Gotou asked, but Yakumo gave no reply. Still, he was staring straight into the building—no, that wasn’t it. Yakumo was looking even further away.

Towards the densely populated little forest just ahead of the building. “You…” Yakumo mumbled as he began walking. He passed the side of the building, cutting through weeds as he stepped forward.

Where is he going? Gotou chased after Yakumo whilst questioning the fact.

The density of the trees obscured the moonlight that the further in, the darker it became. Roughly thirty metres away from the building, Yakumo halted his steps and crouched to inspect something on the ground.

Is something there? Now caught up to Yakumo, Gotou peeked over from behind his back.

Over there— —was a box.

It appeared to be a gigantic cooler box, old and brownish in colour. Since when was this box placed here? Normally, no one would have gone this far in, so the box must have been sitting here for a long time.

“This was dug up only recently,” Yakumo said as if he had read Gotou’s mind. “How’d you know?”

“Take a look at this,” Yakumo traced the surface of the box with his finger. The dirt covering the box’s surface came off following the trail of Yakumo’s finger. After which, the original colour of the box was revealed to be white underneath.

I see. The box had a brownish appearance from all the dirt stuck to it. In other words, as Yakumo had stated, the box hadn’t always been placed here, but had been dug out recently by someone.

Still, something didn’t make sense to him. “What is this box exactly?” Gotou questioned, and Yakumo exhaled a long sigh, briefly turning his gaze at the sky.

Winds blew, shifting the tree branches back and forth. After giving a brief pause, Yakumo looked at Gotou. The darkness lurking within his eyes was indescribable.

“We’ll know once we open it,” Yakumo said calmly, and slowly opened the box. Its contents were hardly visible in the dark. Gotou switched on the flashlight he brought and shone it over the inside of the box.

Within laid a woman with long hair, curled into a foetal position. Her body had long since rotted. She must have been deceased for quite some time. “What on earth is this...”

“Ikuta Tomoko-san who disappeared three years ago,” said Yakumo, who then closed his eyes quietly. -

Translation Notes [1] Umibozu (海坊主) is a bald, humanoid sea-spirit creature from Japanese folklore.

[2] Police contact form (巡回連絡カード) is a form one fills out with contact information for the police to use in the event of emergencies.

[3] Takobozu (たこ坊主) is a word for someone with a bald or shaved head, perhaps like calling someone ‘baldy’, but I left it untranslated as to not lose reference to the prior Umibozu nickname.

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cleverwolfpoetry · 5 months ago

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Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Another Files - Prophecy of Silence

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Another Files - Prophecy of Silence

The final day on the month of July— A black body of water surrounded by trees. Underneath the red triangle, sins of the past shall be shed to light. Without repentance, three souls will fall into hell.

“Beautiful—”

Misuzu muttered in awe watching the moon’s reflection on the water surface.

The shining white circle floated across the dark surface of the water. It would be wonderful if she could scoop that moon with her hands and take it home with her.

Plink—

Waves rippled across the surface alongside the sound of something hitting the water, causing the rounded moon to become distorted and ruined. As it turned out, the man standing next to her, Takashi, had thrown a pebble.

“You’re much more beautiful than that sort of moon,” he said whilst turning his head.

Gross.

Misuzu’s hairs stood on end.

Her heart had been captivated by the beauty of that moon, yet now she lost all interest, after something she thought of as beautiful was ridiculed as ‘that sort of moon’. Furthermore, she wasn’t keen on being addressed so familiarly[1] just because they were in the same circle.

Misuzu had purposely sneaked out alone from the party held at the dining hall to enjoy a stroll in the cold night breeze. Why did Takashi have to follow her?

Thinking about it only annoyed her more.

Takashi seemed to be anticipating Misuzu’s response. Even so, the woman had no intention to open her mouth.

That was probably meant to be a pick-up line, but if there existed a woman who would be moved by such disgusting words, Misuzu would like to meet her.

She finally decided to play deaf and turned her heels, intending to make her way back to the inn with the red triangular roof.

Before she had the chance to take a step, Takashi had already reached for her wrist to stop her.

“You know my feelings, right?” said Takashi.

This man must’ve watched too many dramas. That pretentious way of speaking really irritated her.

“I don’t know. Let go,”

Misuzu shook off Takashi’s hand and walked towards the inn.

Takashi seemed to have gotten the hint that Misuzu harboured no such feelings and didn’t go after her, to her relief.

In the next second however, a scream could be heard.

It stopped Misuzu on her tracks.

“H-h-help me—”

Her ears caught Takashi’s terrified voice.

Misuzu sighed in response.

Takashi must’ve wanted to make her turn around by faking being in danger. How pathetic.

“Whatever.”

“Uwaah! S-stop! Don’t come closer!”

“Shut up!”

“Stooop!”

“Cut it out already,” Misuzu turned around in anger.

Eh?

Takashi, who had been standing on the edge of the lake, was nowhere to be seen. Was he hiding behind the trees? Even so, there weren’t any trees large enough to conceal a human body around here.

Just where did he go?

Despite looking all over her surroundings in search of Takashi, she still couldn’t find the man. Not only was his figure out of sight, his presence had seemingly vanished.

Surely Takashi was merely hiding to attract her attention, nothing to be concerned about. Misuzu convinced herself with the fact, and was about to continue walking.

And yet—

Her wrist was caught by someone and she immediately froze on the spot.

A hand much smaller than Takashi’s, with a temperature too cold for the human body.

I shouldn’t look.

She understood the fact, yet somehow, her body went against her will. Her face turned as if pulled by something.

Over there—

Stood a small child. Drenched from head to toe, water dripping all over.

With a ghastly pale face and lips that had turned blue, the child’s mouth curled into a thin smile.

“Hey. Let’s play,”

The child pulled on Misuzu’s arm.

“Nooo!”

Letting out her scream, Misuzu’s consciousness came to a halt—

Translation Notes

[1] Takashi was using the second-person pronoun 「お前」 (omae) to address Misuzu in his previous line. Generally in Japanese conversations, people will refer to the person they’re directly speaking with in third person (such as by name and/or honorifics) instead of second-person pronouns that would sound more direct and potentially come across as rude, especially if you aren’t familiar with the person. お前 is also a masculine pronoun, so it’s more commonly used to address men instead of women. As an offhand comparison, Yakumo uses the second-person pronoun 「君」 (kimi) when speaking to Haruka. For more information, here is one article discussing the nuances of second person pronouns in Japanese.

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cleverwolfpoetry · 6 months ago

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Studio Ghibli Museum Happy New Year 2025 illustration by Hayao Miyazaki (year of the snake).

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cleverwolfpoetry · 6 months ago

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Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Short Stories - the tree of promise

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Short Stories - the tree of promise

(JP-EN Translation by @cleverwolfpoetry - Editing by Zel)

( other short stories )

“Hey–”

Ozawa Haruka opened the door to the Movie Research Circle clubroom.

The room was dimly lit and quiet.

“Yakumo-kun, are you here?”

When she called out to him, she heard something squirm like a worm in the corner of the room.

If she had been clueless about it, she would have screamed, but Haruka knew the true nature of the object.

“How long are you going to continue sleeping?” said Haruka, and Yakumo, who was wrapped up in a sleeping bag, woke up, scratching his tousled bedhead.

“You again ...”

Yakumo grimaced in annoyance and let out a big yawn.

“What's with that tone? It sounded as if I’m annoying you by coming here.”

“Not as if. You are annoying me.”

What an irritating way to talk. However, there'd be no end to it if Haruka were to get upset over this much.

“I thought I should thank you — for the other day.”

“Thank me? For what?”

“For helping me with Mai that time.”

“Ah, that ...”

Yakumo stood up and stretched, then rubbed his left eye sleepily. He wasn't wearing his contacts at the moment, as he'd just woken up.

That bright, beautiful red pupil — as fascinating as ever to watch.

“Hey, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Something I want to eat?”

“I'll treat you to something as thanks.”

“Did you think you could get away with that much?”

Yakumo sighed in annoyance.

“I did...”

“That's optimistic of you.”

“W-well… I don't have that much money.”

“If you don't have money, use your body.”

— Wh-what does that mean?

Haruka couldn’t ask, and only got flustered instead.

“Are you having a fever?”

“Pardon?”

“Your face is red.”

“No, this is… um..”

Looking at the confused Haruka, Yakumo shook his head slightly and then looked at his watch.

“It’s already this late? — Anyway, let's go.”

“Go — Where to?”

“In place of your thanks, come help out too.”

“Help out with what?”

“My uncle asked me to do something for him. Anyway, let's go.”

Yakumo said so one-sidedly and quickly left the room.

Acting however he pleased, as always.

It was in Haruka’s sad nature to immediately follow after Yakumo, despite her dissatisfaction — .

***

“This place…”

Haruka said involuntarily as she looked up at the towering cedar tree.

“Yeah.”

Yakumo replied, yawning.

The place Yakumo took Haruka to was the shrine where Mai's incident had happened — in front of the tree of deceit, to be precise.

Nobody knew how the stories came to be, but legend has it that if you lie before this tree, you would be cursed.

The tree had a strange aura to it that would make one feel uneasy just by looking.

“What are we doing here?”

“I'm going to put a curse on this tree.”

After murmuring this, Yakumo tenderly brushed his palm against the trunk of the tree.

“By putting a curse on it — what do you mean?”

“Exactly as said.”

“Come on, explain properly.”

“Go and hide behind the tree. When I give you the signal, just say what’s written on this paper.”

Yakumo said so and held out a piece of paper to her.

Thanks.

The written note contained a single word.

“What is this?”

“Don't overthink it. All you have to do is say the word.”

She had no idea what was running through Yakumo’s mind.

“All I have to do is say it ... and the signal is?”

“It's almost time. Hide.”

She was interrupted unceremoniously.

Haruka hid behind the tree of deceit with a feeling of dissatisfaction.

As she gazed towards them, the sky was dyed in red.

— What a beautiful sunset.

While thinking so, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Yakumo’s voice could be heard. Someone seemed to have arrived.

— Who could it be?

Haruka strained her ears and held her breath, pushing her urging curiosity to the depths of her heart.

“So — how did it go?”

The voice she heard in reply was that of a girl.

“Just like you said, you are cursed.”

What? At Yakumo's words, Haruka could hardly keep herself from blurting out loud.

“I see ... as I thought, because I lied ... I was cursed by this tree, wasn't I?”

The girl's voice trembled. It seemed more out of grief than fear.

“That isn’t it.”

Yakumo said, loud and clear.

“But ...”

“The one who cursed you is yourself.”

“I — myself?”

“Yeah. You know what this tree is called, don’t you?”

“The tree of deceit —"

The girl whispered back.

“That is wrong. The tree of deceit is an afterthought, a name given to it out of malice. In reality, it has another name.”

Yakumo said quietly.

“Another name?”

“Yes. The true name of this tree is the tree of promise.”

— The tree of promise.

Haruka repeated in her mind.

It clearly had a different meaning from the tree of deceit, where you would be cursed if you lie.

“If you make a promise in front of this tree, it will always come true — that was the original legend.”

Right as Yakumo finished speaking, the branches of the tree swayed in the wind, making a rustling sound.

“But I told a lie and I was cursed ...”

The girl said in a hoarse voice after a moment of silence.

“It is a curse you have cast by yourself.”

“By myself —?”

“Yes. You blame yourself for not keeping your promise with your younger sister. These thoughts are tying down your heart.”

“But it is my fault that my sister ...”

The voice of the girl, which seemed to be struggling to get out of her lips, was wet with tears.

Haruka felt a stabbing pain in her chest.

She didn’t know the details of the situation, but the girl’s sister was probably already dead. Furthermore, the girl believed that her death had been caused by the girl’s failure to keep the promise she had made to her sister in front of the tree of deceit.

— The same as me.

Haruka had also lost her twin sister in an accident. She had gone to retrieve a ball thrown by Haruka and had been hit by a car.

From that moment until she had met Yakumo, she had lived her life blaming herself. She thought it was a pitiful way of living, one that kept her heart bound with chains.

No one would wish for such a life, but Haruka painfully understood the sort of mental state that led one into thinking that they were left with no other option.

“Your sister doesn't think that way.”

“Such words of consolation ...”

“It isn't consolation. Now, here comes your sister.”

“Eh?”

“There, don't you hear? Your sister's voice —”

Yakumo made a point to speak particularly loudly.

As soon as she understood that this was the signal, Haruka became aware of Yakumo's intentions.

“Thanks —”

Haruka said after taking a deep breath.

Riddled with emotions, it was a terribly vague way of delivering the line.

— Is this really going to work?

There was a long silence.

The sound of the wind rushed past, shaking the trees.

“Rui ...”

The girl finally murmured between sobs.

Only the girl's sobbing voice echoed over the shrine grounds.

Haruka leaned her back against the tree and narrowed her eyes, admiring the sky. For if she hadn't, tears would surely have streamed down her face.

“Now you know. Your sister doesn't hold a grudge against you. Besides — the promise you made to her is not over yet, is it?”

Yakumo addressed her after a while.

“Yes.”

The girl answered clearly, sniffling.

“As I said before, the real name of this tree is the tree of promise. Don't forget it.”

Yakumo said, and once again the girl replied, “Yes.”

Then, she walked away from the shrine, thanking him repeatedly.

“We're done.”

Yakumo said in a calm tone.

“Geez, in that case, you owe me a proper explanation now.”

Haruka complained while stepping out from behind the tree.

“Why are you crying too?”

She thought she'd been able to hold back, but apparently the moment she let go, her tears began to spill.

“N… nothing, I'm not crying.”

She hurriedly turned away from Yakumo and wiped her tears.

“Well, then. Let's go.”

Yakumo said bluntly before walking away at speed.

— Ugh. He’s so self-centered.

Despite her discontent, Haruka followed Yakumo's back.

“Though, I didn't know that this tree could have a different name ...”

Haruka spoke as they approached the stone steps, and Yakumo suddenly stopped.

“That was a lie.”

“Eh?”

“A curse, to be precise.”

“What do you mean?”

Haruka asked, and Yakumo turned around and looked straight at the towering cedar tree.

“This tree has accumulated a lot of negative emotions because of the name it has been given — the tree of deceit.”

“Yup.”

The incident that started with Mai was no different.

“That is why I put a new curse on it. That tree is the tree of promise ー I said.”

“I see ...”

Haruka's face naturally became at ease.

A tree of promise that collected people's wishes was definitely better than a tree of deceit that collected negative emotions.

The very sort of idea one could expect coming from Yakumo.

Haruka put her hands together and made a wish to the cedar tree wrapped with a sacred straw rope.

— May this tree become the tree of promise.

“Hurry up. Or I'm leaving you here.”

When she looked back, Yakumo had already descended halfway through the stone steps.

— Not even a room for the slightest aftertaste.

“Wait up,”

Haruka immediately tried to follow, yet suddenly halted and looked at that cedar tree one more time.

It might just be her imagination, but that tree, standing in the evening dusk, gave an inexplicable feel of tenderness — .

Footnotes

This story was originally published as a leaflet included with the 2013 Shinrei Tantei Yakumo - Tree of Deceit stage play DVD. It didn't occur to me until I nearly finished editing that since I have a copy of that DVD, I do own the original leaflet as well. So I thought I'd include a picture of what it looks like.

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cleverwolfpoetry · 8 months ago

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Shinrei Tantei Yakumo volume 11 - file 01

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Volume 11 - Worth of a Spirit ( prologue )

file 01 - box

1 -

Along the sidewalk that stretched next to the river, a group of students could be seen riding their bikes, gliding as they cheerfully conversed with one another. Cynically watching the sight of those students some distance ahead of him, a man stood on the sloped riverbank.

Why did it become like this? If only such a thing had never happened, that girl could’ve been part of that group of students.

Yet fate had other plans, and her bright future had been cruelly snatched away. It wasn't just the girl. The man had lost a lot, too. His future had vanished in an instant.

Still, regret wouldn’t bring back time that had passed. He was forced to lead a life he never wanted for himself. The man stared at the water gates visible in the distance. Exhaling a long sigh, he slowly began to walk.

“Hey. You over there—” A voice could be heard out of nowhere.

At first, the man hadn’t realised that those words had been directed at him. Hence, he continued to walk without stopping or turning around. “Why are you walking away?” said the voice again.

Hearing it the second time, the man eventually realised that the voice had been talking to him. It was the voice of a woman.

The man turned around to find a woman standing there. She was probably in her late twenties. Her hair was long, her body tall and slim, just like a model.

Even so, the man didn’t think of her as beautiful. The aura enveloping said woman felt heavy, perhaps even terrifying.

Besides, looking at her closely, the woman’s left wrist ended in a stump and she was wearing a prosthetic hand. “You’re referring to me?” the man asked back.

“Yes. You—” The woman smiled, flashing her white teeth. The woman was speaking familiarly, yet the man didn’t recognise her. He didn’t understand why this woman reached out to him.

“Um...” “There’s no need to be afraid,” the woman extended her hand and pinched the man’s arm with her fingers.

The man pulled his arm away in reflex. The woman thought the man’s panicked reaction was amusing, laughing in delight. The man suddenly felt embarrassed in response.

“I’ve come to help you,” said the woman. Gusts of wind swayed her long hair. Something smelled sweet. He had no idea whether the smell had originated from this model-like woman's body or it had been carried by the wind from elsewhere.

“Help me? What do you mean?” said the man cautiously. However he thought about it, it was strange for an unfamiliar woman to talk to him like this. This might be the new modus operandi of a sect or some kind of shady organisation.

He knew he should’ve quickly walked away without responding, yet his legs refused to move. Most likely, he was starting to take interest in this woman.

“Right now, you’re trapped in a box,” said the woman. “A box—”

What was this woman talking about? At this point in time, he was moving about freely. He wasn’t inside any box.

“Yes. I’m not talking about physically.” “Then, what are you talking about?”

“About—here.” The woman lightly pressed on the man’s chest with her finger.

Even though she wasn’t using much strength, the man lost his footing and staggered backwards. The place where the woman had touched felt hot. Heat that was accompanied by pain—

“I’ll show it just for you,” said the woman happily as she placed the bag she had been carrying on the ground and swiftly took something out of it. It was a wooden box the size of a cremation urn—

Perhaps made out of kiri wood. The box looked expensive. Just what could be inside of it?

“Would you like to know the contents?” the woman asked as if she could read his mind. At the sight of the woman’s alluring face, the man began to feel rather than as if, his mind was genuinely being read by the woman.

“I’ll show it to you just for a bit,” said the woman, touching the front side of the box. Apparently, the front part of the box was slidable.

After pausing as if to watch his reaction, the woman slowly shifted the front side of the box. The box’s contents became exposed.

However, the man didn’t know what it was at first. Not because it was dark or something.

What laid within the box was beyond his imagination, it took some time before he could comprehend it. Inside the box—

Was a bottle. A large, cylindrical bottle, typically used for brewing homemade plum wine.

Inside, the bottle was filled with liquid. Had that been all, he wouldn’t need to be surprised.

Even so— Within the liquid was a floating human head.

The skin was swollen and while one could recognize that it was a human’s, it was no longer in a state to distinguish whether it was a man or a woman. Long, black hair that belonged to the face inside the bottle swayed inside the liquid.

Is that a real human head? The man immediately got rid of the question inside his mind.

No. That would be impossible. No one would put a human head into a bottle and then carry it everywhere with a box. It was probably just a meticulously crafted doll head. No doubt about it, someone must’ve intended to scare him by doing an excessive prank such as this.

The voice inside his head tried to convince him that way. Despite that, his heart refused to accept it. Not his sense of reason, but his gut feeling telling him that head wasn’t fake. “He is my beloved person—” said the woman with a tranced expression.

Beloved person? In other words, after the person she loved had passed away, this woman couldn’t forget about him and carried his head everywhere she went?

Was this akin to the Abe Sada case, who had murdered her lover and had brought his manhood everywhere with her? “Wrong,” said the woman, shaking her head.

“Eh?” “He isn’t dead yet,” she said.

Again. This woman could read his mind yet again. “Not dead yet?”

“That’s right. He’s still alive—” Reacting to the woman’s words, the eyelids of the head inside the bottle began to move.

The pair of wide open eyes were stained as red as blazing flame— -

2 -

Saitou Yakumo felt the gaze as he read a book in the Movie Research Circle clubroom. A gaze that felt too powerful to be mere imagination.

He sighed deeply while slipping a bookmark into the paperback book he was in the middle of reading. Placing the book on the table, he lifted his face. A woman had been standing at the doorway of his room for an unknown amount of time.

She was frail with a small stature. With her head lowered, her face wasn’t visible, but she appeared to be around the same age as him. There hadn’t been anyone earlier where the woman was now standing. The door was also closed the entire time. Even if he had been engrossed in reading, it would be impossible for anyone to have entered without him noticing at all.

“What brings you here?“ Yakumo tried to ask, but she gave no reply.

The woman simply stood there without moving an inch. Yakumo then tried covering his left eye with his left palm.

Along with it, the woman’s figure disappeared. As if she’d never been there in the first place— With a small sigh, Yakumo put away his left hand and the woman’s figure returned to his field of vision.

So it’s true, he mumbled inside. Yakumo’s left eye had been red from birth.

Not just red in colour, it also allowed him to see beings that an average person couldn’t see. Spirits of the dead—in other words, ghosts. The fact that she was only visible to his left eye meant the woman before his eyes was no living human, but a ghost.

All because of his red eye, Yakumo had endured countless suffering thus far. Humans would feel reassured if they were the same as their fellow peers. They felt safe when obscured within a group.

Yakumo didn’t intend to criticise that fact. For the kind of people who chose to form society based on groups, such a thing was inevitable.

However— Such a decision had another side to it. Without mercy, they would reject those who were different from them.

Yakumo’s red left eye had been a target of that rejection. “Disgusting.”

“What’s with that eye?” “Don’t come any closer, you monster.”

He had no idea just how many hurtful words he had been subjected to because of his red left eye. Having received such a treatment countless times, Yakumo realised he couldn’t be with other people.

Ostracised from the group and forced into solitude, Yakumo had chosen to build a wall around his heart, shutting himself inside as means of self-defence. As he became a middle school student, he had used a black contact lens to conceal his red left eye such that his outward appearance wouldn’t be feared.

Yet, doing so hadn’t put his heart at ease. He had merely been hiding it. The fact that his left eye was different from others had remained unchanged. Besides, the thought that his secret might get exposed kept him anxious.

He couldn’t blend well with others despite already concealing his red left eye. Because he knew that people would ostracise him as an abnormality once they discovered the truth.

In the end, Yakumo stayed away from getting too involved with others and chose to be alone. Of course, his differing appearance hadn’t been the only reason he had suffered.

Being able to see deceased spirits that others couldn’t on the daily in itself was a form of suffering. The world of the living and the realm of the dead—constantly being able to see both caused the barrier between the two to blur, until he himself saw his own existence as something dangerous.

Spirits lingered after their death because they had unusual attachments left in this world, often negative emotions such as anger, hatred, jealousy, or envy. While Yakumo could see them, he couldn’t do anything despite being blatantly exposed to such unpleasant emotions.

It wasn’t something he could handle all by himself. Living while pretending not to see and not to hear was hard enough of a struggle.

Hence, it hadn’t taken long before Yakumo considered his red left eye to be a curse. That eye had made him feel like he was being tied down. During middle school, he had even tried to gouge his own left eye out with a cutter, unable to bear it anymore.

And yet in that state, countless people had saved him. The parents who had raised him, as well as his uncle, Isshin, continued to watch over Yakumo in whatever situation there may be. Without that man’s kindness, Yakumo might have ended his own life ages ago.

Nao, his little sister from another mother who would always greet him with a smile. That sincerity of Nao’s had saved him more than just once or twice. The detective who had rescued Yakumo when he had nearly been killed by his own mother, Gotou, was also among those who had helped him. He had been involving Yakumo in various spiritual cases over and over to help Yakumo in facing spirits of the dead. While his methods could get warped and clumsy, he had always shared Yakumo’s pain.

And— The person who had described the red left eye he hated so much as beautiful, Haruka—

When he had heard that word directed at his red eye, for the first time in his life, Yakumo had felt accepted, that he was allowed to live. That singular word had completely changed his worldview.

Haruka had also been the one who had told Yakumo that his red left eye and its ability to see spirits of the dead hadn’t been a curse, but a light to save others instead. The list goes on. Akemi, his teacher who had passed. Detective Ishii, newspaper journalist Makoto—he had received countless help that it would be impossible to address each and every one.

Yakumo had intended to be solitary, but reality was otherwise. He simply hadn’t noticed all the people concerned for him because of the wall surrounding his heart. He had realised the fact thanks to the drastic transformation of his world caused by Haruka’s influence.

Through all the help he had received, Yakumo had learned to make use of that unique ability of his. Now, he could lead his life without needing to hide his red left eye.

That was why— “Why did you come here?” asked Yakumo to the woman.

Why did the woman before his eyes wander this earth? If he knew that reason, he might be able to save her soul. Will that really save her?

A question emerged in Yakumo’s mind. So far, spirits of the dead would disappear once their ties had been severed. And yet, Yakumo himself had no idea where they disappeared to.

Just where did they all go? What was death like, really?

What would actually become of spirits, or that so-called consciousness? Yakumo could only see the spirits that lingered about this world. He couldn’t so much as imagine what the world beyond that would be like.

Perhaps for those spirits, a wandering existence might just be a happier one. Yakumo shook his head several times to get rid of that thinking.

Save the unnecessary thoughts for later. For now, he should listen to what the figure before him had to say. Yakumo took another look at the woman.

Her head remained lowered, obscuring her face and expression. Was the emotion she harboured that of anger, hatred, or jealousy—he couldn’t identify it well, but he could feel just how powerful that emotion was.

“Help…” said the woman as she lifted her gaze slightly. “Help?”

“Please. Help me…” “What do you mean by helping you?” asked Yakumo.

The woman’s lips showed a slight movement. She wanted to express something, yet her body had disappeared before that. He grew frustrated.

This always happens. Spirits of the dead weren’t present as an object the way living humans do. Their existence was unstable and would become unmaintainable over the slightest change, just like a reflection on a water surface.

But was the instability of their existence really to blame? Perhaps it could be the fact that only Yakumo’s left eye was red. If only both his eyes were red, he might be able to see their existence more clearly.

Having thought that far, the face of a certain man came to his mind. The face of Yakumo’s father, Unkai. Both of his eyes were red and could see spirits of the dead just like Yakumo.

Even so, Unkai hadn’t used that ability to help them. He had taken advantage of others’ weakness, manipulating them, and had led them to destruction. Unkai had passed away, yet he was obsessed with living and had lingered in this world as a spirit, all the while aiming for Yakumo.

He intended to use Yakumo as a replacement for his body that was no longer in his possession. Unkai had defined bodies as a box that could be filled in with a soul. That was how he had come up with such a twisted idea.

Yakumo sighed deeply. He had no idea who that woman was and what she had tried to say. Nevertheless, having known her existence, Yakumo couldn’t ignore her.

He would never have imagined that he would be having thoughts like this. To think that nosy trait of Haruka’s might have rubbed on him—

It made Yakumo smile unknowingly. -

3 -

Gotou Kazutoshi went through the temple gates with a crutch. After passing the main temple, the man continued walking until he arrived in front of the entrance to the living quarters.

He hadn’t been back for three weeks. Hence, as soon as he was home, he felt just how much he had missed it. Gotou had been involved in a case and had been hit by a car. He had been unconscious and had to undergo treatment in the hospital for a while. After he had gotten permission from the doctor in charge, he could finally go home today.

The cast on his leg had yet to be taken off and he was still bandaged all over. Despite that, based on how he could go home by himself like this, he had more or less healed. Even the doctor had been surprised by his recovery.

“I’m back,” said Gotou as he opened the entrance door. That instant, his daughter Nao ran in full speed, jumping to embrace the man. Gotou nearly fell over.

His wounds stung a little, but that pain immediately disappeared. Whilst stroking Nao’s head, he became immersed in the reality that he had come home safely. During the case that had occurred three weeks ago, Gotou had gotten hit by a car after chasing Nao who had then disappeared whilst being possessed.

He had imagined the worst would happen. Therefore, the fact that they could touch each other like this was an incredibly joyous occasion. Nao wasn’t Gotou’s biological daughter. He had adopted her.

It would be a lie to say he hadn’t had any concerns when adopting Nao. Thoughts of whether he could love Nao who had no blood relation to him had come to his mind more than just once or twice. However, that recent incident had made him understand. Whatever blood ran through her veins, to Gotou, Nao was his daughter.

“Oh, you really came home by yourself?” his wife Atsuko said in disbelief. Atsuko had offered to pick up Gotou upon his discharge from the hospital, but that offer had been rejected outright.

The man had felt embarrassed at the idea of a grown man such as him needing to be picked up. Besides, he had wanted to confirm how much he had recovered. “Yeah.”

“Are you really fine now?” “I managed to come home all by myself, didn’t I? Don’t worry, I’m good now.”

“Good grief,” said Atsuko yet again with a smile, still partly in doubt. “There, Nao. If you don’t let go of Dad, he can’t get inside, you know,” she said, pulling Nao’s hand. Nao’s hearing was impaired. Yet despite not being able to hear Atsuko’s words, she seemed to have read the situation and let go of Gotou.

Gotou took his shoes off and smiled as he entered the house. Earlier, Atsuko had referred to him as ‘Dad’. The word which he had just experienced for the first time tingled in his ears.

He never would have guessed the day he would be addressed as such would ever arrive, but he was overjoyed. Gotou entered the sitting room in a good mood, but that feeling was destroyed instantly.

“Looks like you got discharged from the hospital safely,” said the man sipping tea in the sitting room—Eishin. Eishin was a monk and an old man pushing his eighties. Despite this, his sturdy physique didn’t reflect his age and he was in such good health, it was irritating.

A monk of significant position who handled matters in this area, yet to Gotou, the old man was merely a pest. “Why are you here?” asked Gotou in displeasure.

Even though Gotou had been in a good mood just now, Eishin had to make it all disappear. “I have some business with you.” Eishin smiled in satisfaction.

“I have no business with the likes of you,” Gotou denied firmly as he sat on an empty spot. “Don’t be mean like that. How narrowhearted of you.”

“Shut up! Nothing good ever comes out of being involved with you.” The case that had led to Gotou being hit by a car had also come from Eishin.

Without Eishin, the case would’ve happened regardless, but that wasn’t the issue. Not just the last case alone, misfortune had always befell Gotou while being with Eishin. “Go away soon,” Gotou said as he swayed his hand.

Yet Eishin didn’t move. Gotou had known by now that Eishin was thick-skinned. “You sure you want to act like that towards me?” Eishin threatened with a smile rich in meaning.

Gotou felt a horrible premonition. “What do you mean?” he asked in return.

Eishin’s smile grew wider. “Just under whose permission are you living here?” Always the sharp-mouthed grandpa.

Being told that, Gotou couldn’t deny anything. Gotou’s family currently lived in the temple’s living quarters. A place that normally forbade those who weren’t monks, like Gotou and his family, from residing there.

Gotou, Atsuko, and Nao could live peacefully like this thanks to Eishin’s influence. Gotou had only recently left the police force and switched jobs to become a private detective, so his income wasn’t stable. Furthermore, he had no savings, so getting kicked out from there meant the entire family would be out in the streets. “Damn monk,” Gotou could only say so bitterly. While completely reluctant, he didn’t seem to have a choice but to listen to what business Eishin had with him.

Atsuko took the initiative of bringing Nao out of the sitting room. “So, what business do you have?” said Gotou, glaring at Eishin.

Honestly, without asking he more or less had an idea on Eishin's purpose of visit. “Oh, so you’re willing to listen at last?” Eishin clasped his hands together as if he’d just remembered.

What an obvious display. “Actually, one of the families supporting the temple asked for help. Apparently, their daughter is being disturbed by a spiritual phenomena.”

I knew it. As Gotou had suspected, it appeared that Eishin wanted Gotou to resolve a spiritual phenomena.

After quitting the police force, Gotou had been working as a private detective specialising in spiritual phenomena. Maybe he should listen to Eishin’s story with enthusiasm as it practically meant he was getting a job, nevertheless, he couldn’t feel happy about it.

If an incident were to occur like before, he might actually lose his life this time. “I refuse!” Gotou said harshly.

“You should decide after listening,” “Once I’ve listened to it, I won’t be able to ignore it,” stressed Gotou.

“Right,” Eishin put his hands together. “In that case, I should jump straight into telling it.” “I’m saying…” interrupted Gotou, yet his conversation partner ignored him and began speaking. As it turned out, he had unknowingly said something he shouldn't have.

At this point, he was forced to give in. “She’s called Nakamoto-san. She has a daughter in high school named Sana-san. It seems that Sana-san had seen a ghost.”

“The ghost appeared at home?” “No. She said she had seen it on her way home from school.”

“On her way home?” “That’s right. On the sidewalk alongside Tama River, near the water gates.”

“Ah. Over there...” Gotou knew that water gate.

He’d been there previously due to a case. It was impossible for him to forget that place as he had experienced something troubling there. “Apparently she saw a girl standing there.”

“Was it really a ghost?” Gotou spontaneously displayed his doubts. That kid wasn’t Yakumo. If she had merely seen a girl standing, she shouldn’t have been able to tell whether that had been a ghost or not.

“I had the same thought. That was why I asked about it in more detail.” “Then, how was it?”

“In a season like this, the girl she had seen had been drenched from head to toe, even though it hadn’t been raining—” Certainly, that would be strange.

It didn’t seem plausible for someone to jump into a river in the middle of winter such as now. Even if it was summertime, a girl standing around while drenched would still be odd. However—

“Maybe she had seen her after the girl had just got out of the river after falling in by accident?” “Said daughter who had claimed to see a ghost had thought so too at first. Hence, she had asked the girl, ‘are you alright?’ Something along those lines,”

“And then she had disappeared?” asked Gotou. Eishin shook his head. “She hadn’t disappeared.”

“So, what then?” “After asking her that question, the drenched girl had spoken in a trembling voice.”

“What did she say?” “I never wanted that—she said.”

“Never wanted that? Never wanted what?” “I don’t know either. There was still more to the story, though,”

“More?” Eishin didn’t continue his story immediately.

He added a pause to pique Gotou’s curiosity before opening his mouth. “The events at the time had ended there. But ever since that night, she said the drenched girl had been constantly standing outside her window.” “That’s—”

Scary. The image of a drenched girl came into Gotou’s mind.

“Furthermore, the distance grew lesser over time.�� “Is that really the case?”

“At first, she had only seen the figure of a human. After three days, she had come to realise that the figure belonged to that girl,” “......”

“She claimed that the drenched girl had now arrived all the way in front of her home.” “Left the way it is, she might eventually enter her room, is that it?” asked Gotou. Eishin nodded firmly.

A ghost that drew closer with each passing day—simply imagining it was terrifying enough. It made Gotou understand why the family had hoped for a monk’s assistance. Even so—

“What will happen if the ghost enters her room?” asked Gotou. Eishin tilted his head. “I have no idea either.”

In horror movies, she might get dragged into purgatory once the ghost entered her room, but those were merely works of fiction. Following the theory that Yakumo had frequently mentioned, ghosts were clusters of human emotions with no physical influence whatsoever.

Put another way, even if the ghost got inside the room, nothing would happen. Still—

Ignoring her would be too pitiful. The girl must be restless out of fear for the ghost that was closing in day by day. It wouldn’t harm her physically, yet her mental state might be burdened.

“Well, that’s how the story goes. So, why don’t we go over there and hear her out directly at least?” said Eishin, grinning wide. “Fine by me, but will we be able to handle it?”

That was the primary concern. “If the case turns out to be tough, we can just rely on Yakumo as always,” Eishin said with no filter.

Gotou disliked the old man’s trait of constantly throwing the responsibility to someone else. Yet he had no way to deny it, as Gotou had begun work as a private detective specialising in spiritual phenomena with the same idea in mind. “Geez. How carefree,” Gotou grumbled as he sighed.

- 4

- Ishii Yuutarou looked up at the house before him, swallowing his saliva until his throat made an audible sound.

A Western-style building two stories high, with brick walls and ornamental decor on its window frames and doors, the house had to be elegant back in the day. There was a reason to say ‘back in the day’.

According to the information, this house had been empty for about two years. With the windows dirty, its interior wasn’t visible, while the front door and rain gutters had rusted into discoloration. Half-dried vines crept up along its walls. Weeds grew lush in the garden to knee-length height. The olive tree next to the house had grown so uncontrollably that its branches covered the entire house.

The house emanated an aura that those who enter would find themselves cursed. Rustle, rustle—

“Eek—!” The abrupt noise going into his ears made Ishii shriek as he jumped. Then came the caws of a crow.

It had been nothing but the sound of a crow flying away from the garden of that house. “So jumpy,” said his superior next to him, Miyagawa Hideya, poking his head lightly.

While small in stature, Miyagawa had a bald head and a sharp gaze. Witnessing his figure dressed in formalwear, he appeared more like a member of the yakuza instead of the police. This place might not be scary for Miyagawa, but it was different for Ishii.

He had a keen interest in books and everything related to the occult: ghosts, monsters, UFOs, UMAs, legends and the like. There had even been times when he became engrossed in such literature during his pastime. Despite that, he merely enjoyed them as reading materials and nothing more.

Having to experience them first-hand was a completely different story. Ever since he had gotten involved with his former superior Gotou, and the university student who could see ghosts, Yakumo, he had witnessed many spiritual cases and thought he had built up a resistance over it by now, but such wasn’t the case after all.

Scary things would remain scary regardless. “B-b-but… if there’s really a ghost…”

“There’s no way,” said Miyagawa, poking Ishii’s head yet again. Why Miyagawa could be so convinced, Ishii didn’t understand in the slightest.

It had all begun three hours ago— A call had connected to the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Division, where Ishii and Miyagawa were part of.

They had received consecutive reports of a ghost appearing in the vicinity of a luxury home, so they came onsite to check. Their division was impressive in name alone, as their main workload was to sort the paperwork of old cases, abandoned after they had been left unsolved. Instances where their work had been ridiculed and looked down upon hadn’t been unusual.

As a result, troublesome matters such as this were often handed to them. “Anyway, let’s go check,” said Miyagawa, pushing the metal gates to the house open without minding Ishii’s feelings.

The squeaking noise of rusted metal rubbing against each other sounded unpleasant. Ishii wanted to just wait outside, but doing that would be considered neglect of one’s work. Scraping out all the courage from the depths of his heart, Ishii then walked following Miyagawa.

Weeds brushed against his legs. Upon closer observation, the walls were cracked all over, looking like they might collapse any minute now.

So the saying that houses would turn decrepit in the absence of an inhabitant was really true. However, abandoned buildings such as this weren’t uncommon. In recent times, many houses have become desolate and unmaintained because of inheritance problems or from families choosing to only live with their nuclear family members.

The house Ishii and Miyagawa were about to enter was among those abandoned houses. With a little investigation, they had found out that the woman who had owned the house had passed away about two years ago, and her next-of-kin hadn’t come forward afterwards, so the house had been left as it was.

Strange. Ishii sensed something off.

The old woman used to live here alone. If a ghost were to appear, it should’ve been the ghost of that old woman. Yet the testimonies of witnesses who had seen the ghost had claimed that the ghost had been of a middle school girl.

Thinking in that direction, most likely they had mistaken what they had seen. Ishii convinced himself with said thought to gain his courage. “Let’s go in,” Miyagawa mumbled before reaching for the doorknob of the front door.

He turned the doorknob, pulled it, and the door opened with the creaking sound of something being dragged. The entryway was spacious and across from it extended a long corridor.

It was dark even though it was daytime. Whether the place had been built like this or the overgrown tree branches were in the way of sunlight— Whichever it was, Ishii felt as if time flowed differently inside this house.

“What an eerie place,” Miyagawa grumbled as he went in with his shoes still on. Ishii was briefly on the fence about taking off his shoes, but upon seeing all the dust accumulating on the floor, he immediately went after Miyagawa.

Miyagawa went along the corridor and opened a door to his right. It seemed to be the living room; its floor covered in carpet, along with a sofa, a table, as well as a fireplace.

They must’ve looked luxurious in the past, yet they were all dusty and worn down now. “There’s no one here,” Miyagawa set his eyes across the entire room.

“You’re right. Let’s head back.” “What are you even saying?”

Miyagawa poked his head for the third time. “B-but…”

“No buts. There are still a lot of other rooms. Let’s split up and check them all.” It had been Miyagawa’s strength to maintain his enthusiasm over work despite all the complaints. Unlike Ishii who wanted them to just go home right now.

“I’ll check the second floor. You check the other rooms on the first floor,” ordered Miyagawa before directly ascending the stairs without waiting for Ishii’s reply. Ishii knew it would be more efficient to split up, yet he was afraid of going around the first floor by himself. Still, he doubted he would get away with a mere poke in the head if he continued to stay still at a place like this.

It’s fine! There’s nothing! Reassuring himself that way, he opened the door to the room across the living room.

It was a Japanese-style room with an area of around eight tatami. He would never have imagined there would be a tatami room in a Western-style building such as this. Compared to the living room from earlier, there was nothing here. “Nothing’s here,” said Ishii, closing the door without going inside.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, he walked through the corridor and stood before the door at the end of the hall. He only needed to check this room, afterwards all that was left would be the toilet and bathroom. Ishii slowly pushed the door until it opened.

The creaking noise whenever he opened a door creeped him out every time. The room to which he had pushed the door open was a room ten tatami large. The floor was covered in red carpet, and placed in the middle of the room was a bed that looked like ones used to care for the ill.

Next to it was a wheelchair and a few tools that appeared to be medical equipment, though he had no idea of their exact purpose. The owner of this house had been an old woman. Perhaps she had lived out her final days whilst being looked after in this room.

As he thought that— A strange sound was caught by his ears.

Fu fu fu. He didn’t know what sound it was at first.

Fu fu fu fu. The sound could be heard again.

By this point, Ishii realised what the sound was. It was—

The sound of laughter. He had thought there was a group of people chattering outside at first, but that wasn’t the case. The sound just now had clearly originated from inside the room.

So the stories of a ghost girl appearing around here had been true after all. “Hey—”

In contrast to the laughter from before, this voice sounded crystal clear. I mustn’t look.

That was the command instructed by his brain, yet against the wishes of his thoughts, his body turned in the direction where the voice had come from. “Eek!”

Ishii froze in place. There should’ve been no one just now. Yet he didn’t know how long a girl had been sitting on the bed, staring into Ishii as she swung her legs back and forth.

She was smiling innocently and casually, but Ishii found it extremely terrifying. “Hey, tell me where?” asked the girl with a smile.

Ishii fell sitting down from all the shock. The next second, the girl hopped down from the bed and walked towards Ishii.

I need to run, he thought, yet his body couldn’t move an inch. “Gyaaa!”

Ishii screamed with all his strength. -

5 -

Ozawa Haruka stood in front of the last door on the first floor of the two-storey prefabricated building behind building B. This building was lent out by the university to be used as clubrooms for student circles and organisational activities.

A plate with the words <Movie Research Circle> hung at the door before Haruka. In reality, such a circle didn’t exist.

The owner of this room—a university student named Saitou Yakumo—had filled out some paperwork, tricking the university so that he could turn this room into his place of residence. “Hey—” greeted Haruka as she opened the door.”

“It’s you,” said Yakumo who was sitting on a chair lazily. His face may be good looking, yet his messed up hair and heavily drooping eyelids like someone fresh out of bed made him appear sloppy.

His appearance, paying no heed to the season with the white shirt and jeans, further supported that impression. “You’re so cold even though I came all the way to visit,” grumbled Haruka who then sat on the folding chair in front of Yakumo.

Though Haruka commented on his attitude being cold, there was a vast improvement compared to before. Previously, the words ‘it’s you’ used to be preceded by an unpleasantly said ‘oh’. Yakumo wouldn’t even look at Haruka’s face.

When they had just met, the man had been acting like an unsociable, eccentric character, but he slowly began to change over time. He no longer hid his red left eye with a black contact lens as he had before, and his words towards Haruka had become slightly more amicable.

Especially since the events of the last case, said tendency felt more prominent than ever. On the topic of that case, Haruka had unknowingly said something that resembled a confession towards Yakumo.

After saying such a thing, Yakumo should’ve taken notice of Haruka’s feelings. However, he had yet to give any reply in response.

At some point, Yakumo had seemed to want to express it, though his words had remained vague in the end. Haruka herself didn’t want to forcefully demand an answer.

She was comfortable with the distance they had now: more than friends yet less than lovers. Honestly, though, she was scared of hearing Yakumo's true feelings. If Yakumo were to say he wanted them to remain as friends or that he only saw her like a little sister—Haruka wouldn’t have the confidence to get back on her feet.

“I don’t recall ever asking you to come,” said Yakumo, interrupting Haruka’s daydream. “I don’t recall being asked either,” Haruka puffed out her chest.

Back then she could only quietly endure Yakumo’s insults, but recently she was able to talk back. Perhaps that meant the one who had changed wasn’t Yakumo, but Haruka herself. “You’ve got nothing to do?” asked Yakumo as he held back a yawn.

“Yup. Nothing.” said Haruka straightforwardly. “That’s not something to brag about,” said Yakumo in disbelief, but Haruka felt she had the right to be proud.

She had passed the qualification test to become a teacher and had landed a job that would start in the upcoming April. She had also gained enough academic credits to graduate. Only thing left to be done was to finish her undergraduate thesis. Despite her involvement in various cases, she had proven to carry out her tasks diligently.

When Haruka expressed that with enthusiasm, Yakumo let out a long sigh. “That doesn’t mean you have to come here. You can go on a graduation trip or do part-time work, there are various things you can do.”

Yakumo’s words had a point. Her university days wouldn’t remain for much longer. Spending time with friends was also important. However, to Haruka, the time she spent with Yakumo was just as irreplaceable.

After graduation, she wouldn’t be able to carefreely visit Yakumo like this anymore. While she hadn’t heard of Yakumo’s plans after graduation, whatever it may be, the fact remained that the distance between them would grow wider. This room may be barren with nothing but a table, some chairs, a fridge and a sleeping bag, yet Haruka’s most unforgettable memories throughout her campus life was of this room, where she had met Yakumo for the first time.

If only she hadn’t met Yakumo back then—surely Haruka’s university days would’ve been completely different. And not just her university days. Her life itself would have changed.

Her encounter with Yakumo had led to her involvement in all sorts of cases. Her life had been put in danger more than just once or twice. Yet the truth remained that she had gained a lot from it.

Haruka had also gotten to know people she would never have met, had she led the average university life. Throughout those meetings, she had learned many things and had created memories too many to count.

That was why, as much as possible, Haruka wished to spend what few university days she had left in this room. “Don’t worry, I’ve already got plans to go on a graduation trip. I’ve also been studying in preparation for my job.”

“Good to hear that you have a lot of plans. My bad although you came all the way, but I have things to do as well,” Yakumo held back a yawn as he slowly stood up before putting on the coat that had been hanging over the backrest of the chair. “You’re going somewhere?” said Haruka, to which Yakumo frowned in response.

He appeared to debate whether to talk about it. “I want to investigate something for a bit,” said Yakumo, scratching the tip of his nose.

“Investigate something?” “A spiritual phenomenon.”

Courtesy of Yakumo’s unique ability, he had often received requests in regards to spiritual cases. Haruka too had met Yakumo because she had wanted to ask him to solve a spiritual case.

Ever since then, Haruka had often brought him spiritual cases, earning the label of troublemaker from Yakumo, but lately the number of cases she brought had dropped significantly. “Did Gotou-san ask for your help?”

Aside from Haruka, the person who had often brought spiritual cases to Yakumo was undoubtedly Gotou. “No.”

“Then, was it Ishii-san, or Makoto-san?” “That’s not it either,” Yakumo shook his head.

“So, a new person’s request?” Rumours that Yakumo was an expert in spiritual cases had spread widely enough within and outside the campus.

Someone must have heard about it and had come to seek his assistance. “It’s not a request.”

“Eh?” Yakumo, investigating a spiritual case without being asked? What’s the meaning of this?

Unable to comprehend it, Haruka tilted her head, causing Yakumo to let out a bitter laugh. After going silent for some time, Yakumo scratched his nape and began talking. “Last night, a ghost showed up in my room—”

“The ghost came here?” “That’s right.”

“Who was it?” “The face wasn’t clearly visible. Only thing I know is that it was a female ghost. Just that...”

“What?” “To me, she looked like she was suffering greatly.”

“Suffering...” “Yeah. I don’t know the specifics, but she seemed to be harbouring a deep sorrow—that was how it felt.” Yakumo narrowed his eyes, staring somewhere far.

Maybe he was picturing the image of the ghost that had appeared the night before. “And so you want to do something for her,”

“Well, I might have caught some of your nosiness…” Yakumo turned his face away and ruffled his bedhead hair. Watching the sight of the man before her, the corners of Haruka’s eyes grew hot and without realising, her tears nearly fell.

Is that so— Yakumo could understand the feelings of the ghost he had happened to see and had taken it upon himself to help without being requested by anyone.

All this time Yakumo had always hated his red left eye. He had even deemed his red eye as a curse. That was why he had remained passive over spiritual cases and had refused to be involved. Only after much convincing from the people around him would he reluctantly take action.

Despite so— Now Yakumo was willing to look into a spiritual case without anyone asking him to.

This was a first. During the previous case, Yakumo had called the man with two red eyes, his biological father and subject of hatred this entire time—Unkai—using the word ‘father’.

Perhaps Yakumo might have been able to accept his existence in a positive light ever since. He might have started to believe that his left red eye wasn’t a curse, but rather a power that could bring salvation. Hence, he was willing to face the ghost out of his own volition.

“I’m going too.” Haruka said so without so much as thinking.

- 6

- “Please help…” asked the woman sitting in front of her with a ghastly pale face.

Her hair was unkempt, her eyes bloodshot, and her skin was noticeably dry. She appeared to be exhausted. This woman had reached out to Hijikata Makoto yesterday.

To be more precise, she had sent a message through the enquiry form on the website of the newspaper company Makoto was working for. It contained a request for help over being followed by a ghost.

Normally, a newspaper company wouldn’t have acted upon receiving such a message. They wouldn’t respond or would merely advise the sender to make a police report. Yet for some reason, this case had landed on Makoto’s lap.

The reasoning was obvious. In the office, Makoto had been labelled as an occult lover.

Unfortunately, Makoto hadn’t acquired that label out of love for the occult. She had merely ended up being involved in such cases ever since she had encountered a university student who could see spirits of the dead—Saitou Yakumo.

Because of that, her image at the workplace had become odd, and the person who had seen the message had passed it to Makoto half jokingly. She could’ve just refused, but Makoto had chosen to meet up with the message sender.

It would be easy to dismiss being followed by a ghost as a ridiculous, laughable thing, yet based on her experience so far, such a story could end up becoming an unexpected case. That was the reason she had contacted the message sender and had requested her to come down to her workplace meeting room.

“Could you explain what happened in detail?” asked Makoto, and the woman nodded. Even so, she didn’t speak immediately. Perhaps this woman was still somewhat panicked. At times like this, urging her wouldn’t be a good idea.

Makoto waited until the woman had calmed back down. Some time passed before the woman spoke in a dwindling voice, “I found something strange...”

“Something strange?” “At our university there’s an archival facility that is about to be renovated, so some of the documents stored there are to be relocated to an old warehouse across the road from it,” the woman said in rapid fire out of fear.

But at the sudden mention of ‘our university’ and ‘archival facility’, Makoto couldn’t follow the story at all. She hadn’t even learned the name of this person speaking to her. She might have made a mistake in asking her to talk in detail straight away.

“Wait a minute. I suppose I got the order wrong. First of all, could you introduce yourself?” said Makoto to restart. “Sorry. My name is Yasui Maki. I’m a student at Meisei University majoring in medicine.”

Her voice had grown calmer than before. Meisei University, where Makoto’s acquaintances—Yakumo and Haruka—studied was a university notorious for its difficulty. All the more when it came to its faculty of medicine.

“Majoring in medicine? How impressive,” “Not at all,”

“The archival facility you mentioned, was it the one at the western gate of Meisei University?” Makoto asked, and Maki nodded. Makoto had never set foot at Meisei University’s archival facility, though she knew of the location.

The place had been used as a laboratory by the Japanese ground forces during the war, and according to rumours, weapons and the raw materials used to create them had been discovered there. Among them were objects deemed problematic from the perspective of both humanitarian and international law. Truly a dark relic of the past. Despite that, Meisei University maintained part of the building as an anti-war message for citizens of the future, transforming it into an archival facility.

Aside from the structure that had been made into an archival building, there was another building that had used to be a lab and now became a warehouse. Having been built in the beginning of the Showa era, the building had aged quite a bit. Renovations of the archival facility might have also been planned because the building had weathered from its age.

“So, you were helping to relocate documents from the archival facility to the warehouse for temporary storage, right?” asked Makoto. Maki then gave a nod. It wasn’t uncommon to enlist the help of their own university students to reduce labour costs.

“There were quite a number of items and the work continued until late into the night… That was when someone found a door in the warehouse.” “A door?”

“Yes. Not your typical vertical door on the wall. It was on the floor. Like a basement...” “And then you guys opened that door?” asked Makoto.

Maki’s expression turned worse. “Yes. I was against it, but Shinozaki-kun was insistent…” “Only the two of you went inside?”

Maki shook her head before saying, “No. I think there were six people in total.” “And then?”

“After opening the door, there was a ladder leading down to the basement, and everyone descended there. Down the ladder was a large room.” “What’s the interior like?”

“There were a few shelves on the wall, and aside from documents, there were rows of medicine bottles.” “Like a doctor's examination room?”

“Slightly different from that. There was an old operating table too. It felt like an operating theatre or an autopsy room...” Could it have been one of the facilities used by the Japanese ground forces?

Makoto had that thought initially, but she set the idea aside immediately. If the strange object the woman had mentioned in the beginning had been there since wartime, it had to have been at least eighty years of age. For it to remain there untouched felt unnatural. “I see.”

“Then, there was where we found something peculiar.” “Something peculiar?”

“A box—” said Maki in a trembling voice. “A box?”

Makoto tilted her head in confusion. “Yes. There was a box. It was made out of metal and was rusted here and there, shaped like a coffin.”

“......” “That wasn’t all. The box was covered in lots of talismans.”

A box plastered with many talismans— “Certainly, that would be odd.”

“Furthermore, there were letters carved onto the lid,” said Maki, leaning her body forward. “What sort of letters?”

“Take a look.” Maki took out her phone from inside her bag, and after operating it for some time she handed the phone so that Makoto could see.

The phone screen displayed a single photo. It must’ve been taken using a flash in a dark room. The box Maki had mentioned was captured there with a bluish white light shining over it.

Makoto could also see the countless talismans pasted against the box. Yet the crucial detail that was the engraved letters couldn’t be seen clearly. Maki, seemingly having read Makoto’s mind, operated her phone to zoom into a particular section of the photo.

Indeed, some letters had been carved there.

This box shouldn’t be opened.

The letters had to have been carved using a sharp object. The box was fairly old and the carved area also appeared to have rusted. “Maki-san, did you see the inside of this box?”

Maki grimaced. “I didn’t see what was inside, but…” she said, covering her face with both hands. Just what had she gone through?

The time spent waiting for her answer felt unusually long to Makoto. -

7 -

“So, where do we start?” Haruka asked Yakumo, who was leaving the Movie Research Circle clubroom. Though they intended to investigate the spiritual phenomenon together, Haruka wouldn’t be able to make a move without knowing exactly what she needed to do.

“That’s the troublesome part,” said Yakumo, scratching his head in annoyance. “Troublesome?”

“As I said earlier, I saw the ghost, but her face was unclear. I could predict her age, but that was all.” “So, you wanted to look into the ghost’s identity, but you don’t have enough clues to do so,” said Haruka, and Yakumo laughed.

“What’s so funny?” “You can finally use your head a little,“ said Yakumo as he placed a hand on top of Haruka’s head.

His words just now were implying as if Haruka had never used her head all this time. Though annoyed, Haruka set aside her desire to retaliate. After all, that had indeed been the case from time to time.

There was a part of her that didn’t try to think for herself, always relying on Yakumo to find the answer. However, they’ve investigated many cases together, so she could more or less read Yakumo’s mind.

“So, what are we going to do?” asked Haruka, returning from her thoughts. The main problem was how they were going to find out the ghost’s identity despite not knowing her face—

“Firstly, we can request Ishii-san to show us a list of people who were murdered, got into an accident, or went missing, and then search within that list.” They’ve used that method countless times until now.

Ghosts were spirits who wander from some form of lingering attachment to this world. They often weren’t people who had died naturally from illness or age, but had experienced unnatural deaths related to cases and the like. Murder victims, accidents, and missing persons cases were a good category to begin the search.

“The thing is...” “What is it?”

“I’ve tried calling Ishii-san’s phone, but there was no answer.” Yakumo’s voice sounded disappointed.

Haruka understood how he felt, but it couldn’t be helped. Ishii was a police officer on duty. He didn’t have the sort of free time university students do. “He’ll call back eventually.”

“Right,” said Yakumo with a shrug. Ishii was a meticulous person. As long as nothing was in the way, he wouldn’t simply let their call go unanswered. They just had to wait until Ishii had the time to call them back.

Haruka then felt something was off. “Even if Ishii-san showed us that list, wouldn’t it still be difficult to identify who the person is?”

Yakumo hadn’t seen the ghost’s face clearly. The number of murder victims may not be a lot, but when combined with accident victims and missing persons, it would surely add up to a high number of people.

Over eighty thousand people went missing every year. With simple calculation, there would be eight hundred thousand missing people over the span of ten years. Even if they narrowed them based on gender and age range, it would still amount to a lot. Furthermore, even if they scanned through the list, comparing it to the ghost that had appeared in front of Yakumo felt like it would be difficult.

“As for that, I have a way to narrow down the list, so no need to worry,” said Yakumo with a smile. “How do you plan on doing that?”

“The ghost showed up in my room. What do you think that means?” asked Yakumo. Normally Haruka would have immediately asked, ‘what do you mean?’ without thinking it through, but this time was different.

Even she knew what Yakumo was trying to say. “This is within the campus grounds. It would be unnatural for a ghost that has nothing to do with this university to come to your room.”

Yakumo nodded in satisfaction. “I thought so too. Even if she just happened to come to my room, it feels unlikely for her to be wandering around the campus for no reason.” “So that means the ghost is someone with a connection with this university,”

“Precisely,” Yakumo snapped his fingers. If they were to narrow the list down to that of students, instructors, and staff at Meisei University, then the total number should become fairly limited.

Identifying the ghost Yakumo had seen would no longer be an impossible task. “So we can only wait for Ishii-san to call back for the time being…”

“I don’t want to just sit around and wait,” said Yakumo firmly. “Do you have some other method?”

“Yeah.” “What are you planning to do?”

“Don’t you know?” “I don’t, so I asked.”

“Simple enough. We’ll just ask.” “Ask? As in we go around and ask people who that woman is?”

“Not like that. Before coming to my place, it’s possible she was already wandering within the campus grounds.” At that point, Haruka finally understood what Yakumo was trying to say.

“So there could be other people who have seen that ghost—is that it?” “Basically,” Yakumo said, full of confidence, yet it felt overly reckless to Haruka.

“Don’t tell me you plan to go around and ask the next person you see?” “That’s just how information gathering works,” said Yakumo, as if implying ‘what are you talking about?’— to Haruka.

Gathering information by means of asking around may be effective for larger organisations such as the police, but it felt impossible to gather witness accounts with the two of them alone. Meisei University was a large-scale institution. The total number of students combined could easily reach thirty thousand people. Even the campus grounds were vast in size; there were many buildings Haruka had never been into.

Unfortunately, this method could hardly be considered efficient. Yakumo has a bright mind and he was an expert at making analysis based on what little information was gathered, yet on the contrary, his way of gathering information was often inefficient.

Previously, while investigating a certain spiritual case, he had also retrieved a list of students’ names, and at the time he too had intended to look through them manually one by one. Even though it would’ve been faster to search through the database, he hadn’t thought that far.

“There’s no need to go around and ask, I think it’ll be faster to gather information through social media,” Haruka suggested. Yakumo made a clearly displeased look. “It’s the same as going around and asking, right.”

“It’s completely different. We could ask people to spread it and gather information efficiently.” “Spread… what are you saying?”

Yakumo frowned. What a rigid-minded person, not grasping how convenient the internet could be despite being a youngster himself.

Haruka felt as if she’d discovered Yakumo’s weakness and unknowingly burst into laughter. She sensed a glare aimed at her—

Yet Haruka wasn’t scared at all. Rather, she felt it was adorable. Even so, as Yakumo might get cranky from being continuously made fun of, Haruka eventually cleared her throat and held back her laugh.

“Anyway, let’s try spreading through Twitter that we’re appealing for information. If anyone knows of such a story, we’ll meet them and ask about it, how does that sound?” said Haruka. Yakumo sighed a little as he went back to sit on his chair. While he didn’t give a reply, he seemed to agree with Haruka’s suggestion.

Haruka typed ‘please share’, stating that she was looking for anyone who had seen a female ghost around Meisei University grounds and made a post on Twitter. Aside from that, she also sent the same message in her club and seminar LINE groups. This way, a decent number of people on campus should see it.

“What a boring era,” mumbled Yakumo. -

8 -

Gotou and Eishin visited the residence of Nakamoto Sana, who had claimed to experience a spiritual phenomenon. The house was located within one row of similarly designed ready-to-move houses at a newly built residential area near the Tama River.

From the outside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The roads within the residential area were neatly paved and the buildings were designed without fences between them, giving it a sense of openness.

It made Gotou doubt whether a ghost had truly appeared in such a place. Well, standing around here wouldn’t solve anything. They first needed to meet the girl who had seen said ghost.

Eishin sounded the intercom and the mother who had sought their assistance soon greeted them. As usual, Eishin introduced Gotou with the strange name ‘Kumakichi’. Gotou wanted to protest, but held himself back as arguing here would only be a waste of time.

The mother spoke, “My apologies for consulting about something strange despite your busy schedule,” as she bowed over and over. They were being ushered up the staircase, and walked all the way until they reached in front of her daughter Sana’s room on the second floor.

“Just this far is alright. Leave the rest to me and Kumakichi—” said Eishin. The mother appeared a little puzzled, though she simply said, “I’ll be in your care,” before excusing herself and went down the stairs.

“Well then. It’s time to show off your ability, Kumakichi,” Eishin said with a mocking laugh. “Kumakichi this, Kumakichi that, so noisy. My name isn’t Kumakichi. Besides, I can’t see ghosts like Yakumo, so there’s nothing I can do.”

“Is that something to brag about?” Eishin snorted, laughing. It certainly wasn’t something to brag about. Besides, for what reason would he come here if there was nothing he could do—

Still, he couldn’t go home just like that. Even if he had to seek Yakumo’s assistance, he needed to confirm what had actually happened.

Gotou changed his mood and knocked on the door. No answer.

Is no one inside? No, the mother had brought them here, so surely she wasn’t out at the moment.

As the door wasn’t locked, Gotou turned the doorknob and opened it. That instant—

“Hyaa!” A scream could be heard.

Covered in a futon from head to toe, someone was curled up in one corner of the room. She must be Sana.

Gotou intended to enter the room, but immediately halted his legs upon seeing the odd state of the room. Even though it was daytime, the room was dark.

The curtains hanging over the window were completely shut. That wasn’t all. The windows were covered with tape and cardboard. No wonder it was dark.

Gotou felt around the wall, pressing the switch there to turn the lights on. “No! Don’t turn on the lights!” Sana screamed, covered in futon and trembling.

This level of fear was unusual. “Sana-san, right? You can be rest assured. We came to get rid of the ghost,” Eishin gave a friendly greeting as he crouched in front of Sana.

Responding to Eishin’s voice, Sana finally popped her face out of the futon as she trembled. Her complexion was pale and her eyes were bloodshot.

She seemed to have trouble sleeping out of fear. Witnessing the state the girl was in, it made sense that her mother had gone to consult a monk such as Eishin. “I’m a monk named Eishin. The man standing there is a spirit medium named Kumakichi,” Eishin said, pointing at Gotou.

Kumakichi again! Gotou really wanted to protest, but it felt inappropriate to bicker in front of Sana who was so terrified she ended up in that state, so he nodded in silence.

“In order to get rid of the ghost, we’d like to hear the story in detail, is that alright?” asked Eishin, and Sana gave a small nod. Eishin threw a look at Gotou for him to take over.

“There are a few things I’d like to ask,” Gotou began, attempting to imitate Eishin with the use of a gentle tone. “Y-yes,” Sana answered despite looking terrified still.

“When you said the ghost kept coming closer, what was it like exactly?” “She could be seen from that window. At first I only saw a figure that looked like her in the distance. The following day she was already at a distance that made her clearly visible...The next day, she was even closer than before...” Sana explained as she pointed at the bedroom window. The window was facing out to the road in front of the house.

Gotou approached said window, about to open the curtains when Sana let out a high-pitched scream, “Don’t! She might get inside if you open them…” she said with a voice close to tears. Sana seemed to believe that the ghost would enter the home at some point. Terrified at the thought, she remained guarded and shut herself in her room.

“You don’t go outside?” “How could I go out? If I go out, then that ghost will…”

The words that trailed after were vague. Gotou had often been consulted over spiritual cases such as this. Yet, to be honest, most of his clients had merely been mistaken. Fear had taken control of them to the extent that mere everyday things would seem terrifying.

Though, based on the reaction of the girl in front of him, Gotou felt Sana might have really seen a ghost. “When you saw that ghost, did she say anything?” Gotou landed another question, further fueling Sana’s fear.

“......” “Eh?”

Gotou couldn’t grasp her whisper-like voice. “I never wanted that! That’s what she told me!” Sana yelled.

“Do you know the meaning of those words?” Gotou tried asking again, but Sana merely shook her head. Nevermind that, she even covered her face with both hands and started crying, so they could no longer continue the conversation.

Even if they continued to stay here, there wasn’t much more information they could gain. They seemed to have no choice but to involve Yakumo. Gotou discussed the fact with Eishin and decided to retreat home.

Upon leaving the Nakamoto residence, Gotou and Eishin walked, heading to the location where Sana had seen the ghost. On their way there, Gotou stopped and panted.

Although they didn’t walk too far, his forehead was covered in sweat. Walking with a cast and crutch consumed more stamina than he had imagined. It might have been better for him to refuse.

Gotou stared at the distance, watching the surface of the calmly flowing stream of Tama River. On the opposite side of the river, a few white herons were resting their wings.

Gotou was suddenly reminded of the case from way back. It had been the first case he had handled with Ishii when he had still been working in the police force. I wonder how Ishii’s doing now?

He didn’t spend long sinking in his feelings. They had only met each other several days ago. Gotou didn’t need to be missing his ex-subordinate. And yet, why did he feel this way?

Perhaps what Gotou was missing wasn’t Ishii, but the days he had spent as a police officer. When he had caused a scandal, Gotou had been partly carried away by emotions and resigned.

He never regretted the fact. But— At the time he had been so fired up, rushing into things without giving them much thought.

“What’s wrong? Tired already?” said Eishin who walked beside him in a mocking tone. What an irritating bastard of a monk.

“Shut up. Whose fault do you think that I’m like this?” Gotou clicked his tongue and continued walking. “Proper adults don’t throw responsibilities to other people.”

Eishin’s way of speaking annoyed Gotou, but despite saying that, Eishin seemed to be adjusting his pace to match Gotou who was using a crutch. Even despite that, Gotou had no intention to thank him.

As they approached a large Western-style house that seemed old and abandoned, a scream reached their ears. The unusual scream made Gotou stand on guard.

Eishin stopped as well, looking around to find the source of that scream. What was that just now?

Soon after Gotou thought that, the entrance to the large house nearby opened with a bam and someone burst out from within. “Uwaaa!”

Said person screamed whilst running fast at Gotou’s direction. Gotou wanted to dodge, but he couldn’t react the way he wanted as he was still in a cast. Before he knew it, he was being jumped right from the front and crashed on the spot.

“Ow...” Incredible pain spread through his hips.

Not only that, all the injuries he had sustained from being hit by a car felt painful at the same time. Who is it even?

Gotou pushed, shoving away the person who had crushed him from above. Seeing the face of the person rolling to their back, Gotou’s eyes widened instantly.

“Ishii!” “D-Detective Gotou!”

“Why are you here?” His question overlapped with Ishii, wording out the same exact question.

- 9

- A man sat among the grass near the embankment and gazed to the other side of he river—

He could see two men walking there. What they were talking about couldn’t reach his ears, not even their faces could be seen very well.

And yet— He knew they were different from him.

How did it become like this? That question emerged from the depths of his mind.

Said question had appeared over and over all this time. Searching for an answer wouldn’t change the current state he was in, nor could what he had lost return to him.

Nothing would change no matter how much he tried. That fact tortured him endlessly.

Why was he the only one who had to suffer like this? He hadn’t done anything.

That’s right. He hadn’t done anything. That day, suddenly the person he treasured had been cruelly snatched away. Even though he hadn’t done a single crime, his life force was simply extinguished for no reason.

He was angered and saddened by the fact. However—

That had merely been the start. Society was merciless towards the weak. They would relentlessly stomp on those weaker than them as if taking out their day-to-day frustration.

They could casually ridicule those who were suffering, ruining them without pity. Even screams of pain wouldn’t make them stop their actions.

To them, it didn’t matter who. Anyone would do, so long as they were weak. The man had been out of luck, having to face such a thing. If their positions were reversed, he might also do the same.

He shuddered at the thought. Shouldn't those who picked at the aching heart of another without noticing no longer be called humans?

They didn’t realise that fact; this was what made the man’s heart grow heavier. And that wasn’t the only tragedy.

The man tried closing his eyes, covering his ears, distancing himself from those evil deeds carried out unknowingly as he could protect his heart that way. Even so—

That wasn’t the case for some. There were those who would face such malicious actions upfront, blaming themselves, experiencing regret, reminiscing days that would never come back.

And then— As if inevitable, their hearts were destroyed.

Even worse, that destruction didn’t stop at their own hearts. Gradually, it would influence those around them, eventually affecting the man’s life, further escalating over time.

That had taken away his job, his close friends, and the future he was meant to have. Even though he hadn’t done anything, everything was taken away from him as if they were evil people.

The man tightly clenched his fists. Hands that were covered in dust, rough, and bony. Before everything had happened, his hands hadn’t been like this.

Back then his hands hadn’t been dirty in the slightest, and his fingers could even be considered slender. The life of earning an income from doing day labour was now reflecting on his hands. Not even his tears would come out anymore.

Lowering his head as he growled, he took notice of someone standing behind him. Even without turning around, he had an idea on who it was.

That woman. “I can change your fate—” said the woman.

Those words slid right into his ears, sounding incredibly sweet. However, as opposed to what he felt in his ears, the man’s heart ached. The pain gradually spread, like a long needle slowly being pierced in.

He knew. He should’ve stood up, quickly ran away from this woman, forgotten everything, and let himself live this nonsensical life. Despite that—

“Is that really real?” asked the man, still staring at his fists. “Yes. Really. I’m not lying. You might be able to help the person you love.”

“That’s impossible at this point.” The man shook his head. The face of his loved ones flashed inside his mind.

Even though they should’ve had many happier memories, at times like this, what always came to mind was what he saw of them for the final time. “Is it truly impossible?”

“Eh?” He knew that it was impossible, yet he grew surprised at the woman’s tone, asking back full of confidence.

The man eventually turned around to face the woman speaking to him. The woman formed a thin smile on her red lips.

“You saw it, didn’t you? What’s inside the box—” Indeed, he had seen it.

The human head inside the box— And the state it had been in. Even though it should’ve been dead physically, the head had opened its eyes.

As if it had been alive still. Could that have been a trick? Or—he tried thinking about it, though he couldn’t find an answer in the end.

“You can still make it. You can still take back your future.” Those red lips shifted like they breathed a life of their own.

- 10

- “Ah, what about this one?” said Haruka as she showed her phone to Yakumo.

The screen displayed one of the spiritual phenomena that had been gathered through her appeal in social media. It claimed that at Building B wandered the ghost of a male university student who had committed suicide by jumping a few years back.

“Well, it’s possible,” said Yakumo upon reading. For some reason, there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“Something wrong?” asked Haruka. “About what?” Yakumo asked in response with drowsy eyes.

“You don’t seem too enthusiastic.” “A little, I guess.”

“Why?” “Social media may be efficient for gathering information, but I can’t help doubting their credibility.”

“Is that so?” “People could simply type a few lines and send it out. It’s easy for them to lie.”

Yakumo’s words had some truth to it. When it came to information from the internet, including social media, locating the sources could be difficult, thus decreasing their credibility. But— “Even if we asked directly, we could still get lied to.”

“We could easily tell whether they were lying or not through their expression and movement.” “Well, that’s true,”

It was impossible for someone like Haruka, but someone as sharp as Yakumo should be able to see past a lie with ease. “Well, at least I know that this information is fake,” said Yakumo firmly.

“Why do you think it’s fake?” “The location.”

“Location?” “That’s right. The information stated that the ghost appeared at Building B, right?”

“Yes.” The Movie Research Circle that was Yakumo’s room was located behind Building B. Based on the location, Haruka had instead thought it was likely about the ghost Yakumo had seen.

“Furthermore, it said it was of a student who jumped to his death a few years ago.” “Right,”

Reaching that explanation, Haruka finally understood. If the ghost had been haunting around Building B since a few years back, Yakumo would’ve taken notice a long time ago.

“Besides, the gender was different,” said Yakumo, holding back a yawn. “Ah, you’re right.”

Reading it carefully, the information had stated it to be a male student, while the ghost Yakumo had seen was female. As Yakumo had said, there seemed to be issues with its credibility.

She began to think it would be better for them to ask around directly, when a knock could be heard from the door. When Yakumo spoke, “It’s not locked,” the door opened and a woman appeared.

“Makoto-san!” Haruka exclaimed upon seeing her face. She had gotten to know Makoto, a newspaper journalist, from a previous case. Ever since then, they had been involved in a number of cases together.

The woman might have an intelligent and graceful appearance, yet she also held strong beliefs and conviction as well as being especially proactive in taking action. “Good day. I see Haruka-chan is here too,” said Makoto with a smile.

“Yes.” “So, how are things with Yakumo-kun after that?” Makoto whispered in Haruka’s ears.

It was so sudden, Haruka was at a loss for words. “Ah, no, that...” Seeing Haruka panic, Makoto laughed. “Still more than friends but less than lovers?”

Being told that made Haruka deeply embarrassed and her face turned red. “Makoto-san too, how are things going with Ishii-san on your end?” responded Haruka, dejected. She could vaguely sense that Makoto had feelings for Ishii. On top of that, their relationship seemed to have gotten closer as of late.

“We’re in the same boat, are we,” Makoto shrugged. “You guys aren’t dating yet?”

“Well, we both have a lot going on.” “Busy, huh,”

“That’s why we both have to keep going so we won’t miss the timing.” “Yes...” replied Haruka, laughing bitterly.

Honestly, Haruka felt she had already missed the timing. Leaving things as they were, it felt like her relationship with Yakumo would remain unclear and reach its end. And yet, she didn’t dare to breach this subject.

Keeping this up, she would end up graduating from university, parting ways with Yakumo without anything happening, and regretting it all. “So, what’s the matter today?” Yakumo asked, mixed with a sigh.

He might have gotten fed up watching two women chatting in whispers so his gaze turned cold. “Ah, right. Truth is, there’s something I want to discuss,” Makoto opened the conversation in a formal tone after adjusting her posture.

Reading the situation, the thing Makoto wanted to discuss had to be related to a spiritual phenomenon. “Here,” said Haruka, offering her seat to Makoto and then moving to the chair next to Yakumo.

After waiting for Makoto to sit down, Yakumo asked, “So, what do you want to discuss?” From his expression, Yakumo also seemed to have suspected that this had to do with a spiritual phenomenon.

“Actually, there was a woman who asked for my help, saying that she was being followed by a ghost.” As she began telling her story, Makoto’s face turned more serious than usual.

“The ghost didn’t appear out of nowhere, right? Was there anything that caused it?” asked Yakumo. Makoto nodded firmly. “This woman was doing the work of relocating items from an archival facility to a warehouse, and chanced upon a door in that warehouse.”

“A door?” “Yes. The door wasn’t on the wall, but placed on the floor leading to the basement.”

“Then?” “She went down into the basement with the people that were with her, and discovered a room that looked like an operating theatre.”

An underground operating theatre. The mere idea of it made Haruka uncomfortable. “Almost like in a horror movie,” said Yakumo with a thin smile.

“Right. And then apparently, they found a strange object there.” “What object?”

“A box—” “A box—” Yakumo mumbled as he frowned.

Haruka was the same. Even when called a box, they could come in various shapes and sizes. There were donation boxes, boxes for offering, makeup cases too were boxes, even shoe racks could be considered boxes. It was difficult to imagine what this box could be like.

“It’ll be better for you guys to see it for yourself,” said Makoto, reading their minds. She took out a tablet device from her bag, placing it on the table. A photo was displayed on the screen.

It had been taken in darkness using a flash, and as Makoto had stated, captured in the photo was a box. Something was strange about the box—

Like a coffin, the size was large enough for a human to fit in, yet it wasn’t made out of wood, but metal. The box was fairly old; its surface appeared rusty. Strangest thing of all was how the box had a lot of talismans pasted over it.

The owner seemed to have been afraid of the box’s contents and had sealed it in a hurry. “This is…” Haruka turned towards Yakumo.

Yakumo made a troubled face for some time before sighing. “These talismans are for sealing.”

“Sealing?” “Yes. These are talismans used to seal demons in the teachings of Onmyodo and the like.”

“I see,” Haruka replied as she shivered. It would’ve been better if it had merely been one or two talismans, but what exactly was being sealed inside that it had to have that many talismans pasted onto it?

“Don’t tell me that woman and her friends opened this box?” Yakumo threw a probing look at Makoto. “Yes,” Makoto replied.

“What was inside the box?” Makoto didn’t answer Yakumo’s question immediately.

She drifted her gaze here and there as if searching for something, before looking at them with eyes that had lost their hope. “She didn’t see what was inside.” she shook her head.

“Is that so...” Yakumo mumbled as he stared at the photo of the box. “Apparently someone else opened it—” said Makoto, cutting off her sentence and giving it a pause.

The woman merely went silent for a second or two, yet to Haruka it felt much longer. Moments later, Makoto continued her story. “Once the box was opened, a man appeared in the room.”

“That isn’t just one of their friends?” “No. She said she didn’t recognise the man at all. Besides—”

Makoto cut her sentence in the middle yet again. She seemed to be debating whether she should tell the rest of the story or not.

“What is it?” asked Yakumo, demanding the continuation. Makoto firmly nodded as if hardening her resolve before opening her mouth. “Apparently the eyes of the man that appeared were both red...”

Haruka’s back shivered. Only one person came to mind when talking about a man with two red eyes. Yakumo’s father, Unkai.

He had passed away, yet not only had he continued to wander this earth as a ghost, he was also aiming for Yakumo. He was obsessed with living and wanted to use Yakumo’s body as a replacement for his own, which he had lost.

To think he intended to sacrifice his own flesh and blood so he could stay alive; Haruka felt nauseous just thinking about it. Makoto might have been hesitant to proceed with her story as she had thought the man with two red eyes had an involvement in this case.

“I see—” mumbled Yakumo. Neither his expression nor voice appeared to be shaken. Not because he was hiding the wavering of his heart, he was merely accepting the fact the way it was.

“I’d like to confirm the truth of this woman’s story, but I have a bad feeling… so I thought, could you go there with me?” Makoto dropped her gaze to her feet, feeling apologetic about it. She must be feeling guilty as it was possible that this case might force Yakumo to face his father once again, the man with red eyes.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t resolve a spiritual case alone. On the other hand, Makoto couldn’t abandon someone in trouble either. She must have been conflicted about the fact.

“I understand. We can’t ignore this case, especially when there’s a possibility that man might be involved,” answered Yakumo. Tension left Makoto’s expression in an instant.

“Thank you very much,” Makoto bowed deeply. “So, where is the location?”

“The warehouse across the road from the archival facility of Meisei University.” At Makoto’s answer, Yakumo’s facial muscles quivered.

- 11

- The sun was beginning to set—

This archival facility that had used to be a laboratory didn’t have the appearance of a building that had existed before the war began, thanks to renovation work that had taken place a few times. Even now, renovation was underway, so the building was surrounded by a protective mesh sheet and no human figure could be spotted there.

In contrast, the warehouse located on the other side of the road had an unusual appearance. Walls of the flat concrete-roofed building were cracking here and there, its surroundings were covered in weeds, and overgrown trees lined up as if trying to hide its existence.

The windows were also cracked in multiple places, while the metal door at the front had changed into a reddish brown colour from rust. This warehouse had also used to be a research facility before the war, just like the archival facility, but it must have never been renovated.

“It sure feels terrifying,” mumbled Haruka, standing next to Makoto. Makoto agreed completely.

To clarify the truth of Maki’s testimony, she had come here along with Yakumo and Haruka. Until they have gone inside, she shouldn’t make any prior assumptions, but try as she might, she couldn’t rid herself of the terrible premonition she felt.

Even this building itself gave the impression of a large box. It led Makoto into thinking that this building cast by the reddish sunset was like a box sealing away something awful.

She might have felt that way due to the building’s history. “Haruka-chan, have you been to this place before?” asked Makoto as she stared intently at said building.

Haruka shook her head left and right. “No.” Meisei University itself was massive. The campus grounds too were large in its area, and this place was nearly a kilometre away from the prefabricated building where Yakumo lived. It couldn’t be helped that she had never gone here.

Even if she had, the state of this building was obscured by trees. Haruka would surely miss it if she hadn’t paid closer attention. “Are you guys aware of what the archival facility and warehouse used to be for?” Makoto asked another question as she looked interchangeably between the two buildings.

“Yes. I’ve never been here before, but… if I recall correctly, this place used to be a lab for the army, right? How horrifying, even though it was in the middle of the war…” said Haruka, her voice instantly turning glum. Her response was understandable, considering her knowledge of what had transpired here.

From what she had heard, during the war, Japanese ground forces had been developing and researching weapons of war in this place. Biological weapons as well as poisonous gases hadn’t been an exception. One theory stated that they had also performed human experimentation. A brutal act not permissible by both international laws and humanitarian perspective.

“You’re right,” Makoto replied in agreement. On the other hand, the research findings of the time had also contributed to the subsequent development of science and medicine that followed.

Despite so, the fact that their actions were unforgivable remained unchanged— “Yakumo-kun, have you been here before?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo shook his head. “I knew the existence of this place. But considering its origins, this place is rather dangerous for me,” he said, scratching on his dishevelled hair. Hearing the man’s words made Haruka exclaim, “Ah!”

She must’ve thought of the reason why Yakumo wasn’t keen on getting near this place. Makoto was the same.

Without a doubt, many lives must have been lost from the research that had been conducted here. To Yakumo who could see ghosts, casually strolling at such a place was a dangerous thing to do. The ghosts from back then might be wandering about still.

Thinking up to that far, Makoto suddenly felt concerned. Yakumo might be seeing a lot of ghosts at this point in time. “Are you alright?” asked Makoto.

Yakumo laughed bitterly. “Yes. For now—” “Is it alright for you to go in?” asked Haruka, also looking at Yakumo with worry.

“Over seventy years have passed. I don’t think any of them would still be wandering until now.” Hearing Yakumo’s answer made Makoto come up with a question.

“Ghosts will eventually disappear over the years following their death?” If they were to disappear as time passed like melting ice, that would mean all spiritual phenomena would resolve over time.

“I wonder. Honestly, I don’t know that far. Just that, if we were to assume that ghosts are clusters of emotions of the dead, that emotion might change with time.” “So it’s unlikely for them to endlessly hold grudges—is that what you mean?”

“Maybe. But it may not always be the case.” “Since there are people who would keep holding grudges no matter how much time has passed?”

“Yes. In the end it depends on the person. Besides that, the environment can play a factor too.” “Environment?” Makoto tilted her head.

“One’s emotions could never change if they’re continuously left alone at a place with nothing around.” “Right,”

“But this is within campus grounds. Should there be any ghosts wandering after they lost their lives in this research facility, they should realise that the times have changed and the person they hate has also passed.” “So they would give up and accept their own death?”

“Perhaps—I suppose,” said Yakumo with a laugh, as if ridiculing himself. “Could I ask one more thing?”

“What is it?” “Normally we’re unable to sense the presence of ghosts, but as for them—can ghosts sense the presence of living humans?”

Makoto didn’t know why exactly she only became curious about that fact now. No, that wasn’t it. She’d been wanting to know, but hadn't gotten the chance to ask about it before.

She might have avoided the question unknowingly as well. “I think they took notice of our existence. Only thing is, I don’t know how they view us from their end.”

“So we won’t know until we die, huh—” Yakumo may be able to see ghosts, but in the end he was merely a living human being. He had no way to find out what happened after death.

“Thinking about it makes me scared,” said Haruka with a confused look on her face. Makoto understood the emotion Haruka felt.

Instinctually, they felt afraid as it was a realm that no humans or living beings were allowed to enter. “Right,” Makoto replied in agreement.

“Well, what happens after death is better confirmed once we’re dead,” Yakumo joked, turning Haruka’s expression into a serious one. “Stop it. Don’t you dare go and confirm it even if unintentionally,” said Haruka, pouting.

Yakumo then patted Haruka’s head in silence. What a beautiful display, almost like Makoto was watching a youth film. Though, she got rid of the thought right away.

In movies, conversations such as this one were often followed by someone’s death— “Enough talking here. Let’s get inside,” said Yakumo, taking out a key from his pocket and inserting it to the keyhole on the door.

The archival building was closed for renovations, while the warehouse was constantly locked as well, so Yakumo had paid a visit to the educational affairs office and had made up a story of how he’d forgotten his belongings while sorting through the archives yesterday and had borrowed the key. Yakumo then turned the doorknob and opened the door to the warehouse.

- 12

- Haruka entered said building whilst hiding behind Yakumo—.

The interior was spacious; only pillars were present and there were no walls dividing the space into rooms. Boxes were piled messily next to a wall, and parts that seemed to come from old machinery—whatever it might be for—were also scattered about.

Rather than being stored neatly, it gave the impression of piling up unused objects sloppily. Glancing at it like this, she wouldn’t have known that a basement existed.

“Around which area did they find the door?” asked Yakumo. Makoto pointed further into the space. “Apparently it was next to the innermost pillar.”

“Let’s check it out.” Without hesitation nor fear, Yakumo began walking in the direction Makoto had pointed.

Haruka and Makoto walked alongside each other, following after him. Upon arriving in front of the aforementioned pillar, Yakumo crouched to confirm something.

It didn’t took long for him to mumble, “So this is it—” With closer inspection, one could see a square panel made out of metal installed on the floor. Yakumo slipped his fingers into the gaps of the panel and slowly lifted it upwards.

Following the squeaking sound of metal rubbing against each other, a dark, square shaped hole revealed itself underneath the panel. Yakumo took out the penlight tucked in his pocket, shining it upon the hole.

They had no idea what awaited them at the bottom of the hole, but they were able to see a metal ladder attached leading down to it. This door seemed to be connected to the basement.

Normally, people never would have noticed that there was a hole leading to the basement in a place like this. “Looks like we have to get in to check it out,” muttered Yakumo.

Haruka’s body suddenly tensed up, and her hands began to sweat. Indescribable fear crept up at the thought of them getting in there. “You can stay here if you like,” said Yakumo, who sensed Haruka’s feelings.

It was a bad habit of Haruka’s to double down upon receiving such a treatment. “I’m going too,” she said, making Yakumo let out a bitter laugh.

It might have been obvious how she was forcing herself. Even so, having said that, Haruka couldn’t back down anymore.

Nor did Yakumo say anything afterwards. Biting the penlight on his mouth, he slid his body down the hole before descending the ladder. Makoto was next to step down the ladder. After waiting for Makoto to descend, Haruka held onto said ladder.

The metal ladder was cold and rough, probably from rust. She meant to descend carefully while ensuring her footing didn’t miss, but on the final step of the ladder, her foot placement was off.

Haruka lost her balance and nearly fell, luckily Yakumo managed to support her. “T-thanks,” said Haruka, hurriedly distancing herself from Yakumo afterwards.

Her body had merely been touched, yet her temperature shot up immediately and her face flushed. She desperately tried not to let it show. After adjusting her breathing and calming down her feelings, Haruka took a look around the basement space.

Merely relying on Yakumo’s penlight as the light source, one could say she could hardly see anything at all. She couldn’t even gauge how big this basement space was.

Only thing clear was that the air there was cold. There seemed to be a leak somewhere, as the dripping sound of water echoed. Haruka felt as if they were inside a limestone cave.

“I never would’ve thought a place like this existed...” Haruka mumbled, but her voice reverberated across the room. “Right,” Makoto agreed.

Although Makoto was nearby, Haruka could only vaguely see Makoto’s silhouette because of the darkness. A clack sound like a switch being pressed could be heard, and the lights then turned on.

Hung at the centre of the room ceiling was a small lightbulb emanating an orange light. It was by no means bright, yet sufficient to see the room in its entirety. “The lights are working,” said Haruka.

Standing next to the wall, Yakumo nodded. “Seems so. As the power’s running, it means someone might have used it recently,” he said, patting the side of the switchbox installed on the wall. Now that she could see, Haruka then gazed across the entire room.

Unlike the exterior, both the floor and walls were made out of bricks. There was a bookshelf at one corner of the wall, with books and documents alike shoved messily there. On another corner were steel shelves with rows of what appeared to be medicine bottles in them.

Then, what stood out the most was an old table seemingly made out of stainless steel, placed at the centre of the room. No, that wasn’t it. She had seen it before at the hospital where Hata worked. It was an autopsy table.

Why would an autopsy table be in a place like this? While she was in the middle of thinking, Yakumo slowly walked towards the shelf containing books.

Haruka exchanged glances with Makoto before following suit. Yakumo, standing in front of the bookshelf, traced the spine of the documents with his finger, before taking out one document and flipping through it.

Something might have caught the man’s attention as in the next second he stopped his hand partway, his brows furrowed slightly. Just what could be written there?

As Haruka had such a thought, Yakumo brought said archive and moved in front of the autopsy table. “I see...” Yakumo mumbled after staring at the surface of the autopsy table for some time.

“Did you find something?” asked Haruka. Yakumo made a complicated expression. “I think they probably conducted human experimentation here.”

“Eh?” Haruka doubted her ears.

She knew that this warehouse had been a research facility used to research and develop various weaponry under the leadership of the military. However, she refused to accept that said research had included human experimentation. If that had truly been the case, their actions would be unforgivable.

Conducting experiments using human bodies would be far too inhumane. “It was written in this document.”

“How cruel...” Haruka’s voice trembled without realising.

“I thought so too. But our reason for coming here isn’t to discuss that.” Yakumo tossed the document onto the autopsy table, turning to the further parts of the room.

Haruka followed him and turned her head as well. A black shadow was there.

For some reason, she felt that section appeared especially darker than everywhere else. That wasn’t all.

Amidst that darkness laid a box. “That’s…”

“Yes. Seems like that’s the box,” Makoto nodded towards Haruka. Thinking how a spiritual phenomena might happen once the box was opened, the object felt terrifying to Haruka.

As opposed to Haruka, who shrank completely, Yakumo walked towards the box with no hesitation. “So this is the box in question—” said Yakumo, lightly touching the lid.

Haruka was honestly very frightened, but she couldn’t stay frozen in place. She slowly approached the box Yakumo was touching as well. Just like in the photograph, the surface of the box was pasted with numerous talismans.

Someone must have been terrified by its contents, and had hurriedly closed it off and covered it in talismans. The thought of it made the box appear all the more terrifying. Yakumo felt around the lid with his finger as if checking something.

“You’re going to open it?” said Haruka spontaneously. Yakumo stopped the movement of his hand for a moment, letting out a small sigh.

“We won’t find out anything just by looking at the exterior.” Yakumo’s words had a point.

Besides, they had come here in the first place to open the box and confirm its contents. “I wonder what could be inside the box?”

Makoto’s sentence may be a question, but to Haruka, she sounded as if she was expecting something. “We’ll know once we open it—” Yakumo spoke before slowly lifting the lid of the box.

Haruka felt as if something stifling was rising like smoke through the small gap of the slightly opened lid. What is that?

Haruka’s thoughts were interrupted by an odd smell that intruded her nose. Reflexively, she covered her nose and mouth as a smell that made her choke, like that of rotten meat, wafted in front of her nose.

Makoto turned her face away as well, unable to handle it. Meanwhile, only Yakumo who, despite grimacing, continued exerting his strength to lift the box lid until it was open.

Haruka hesitantly turned to look. The contents weren’t visible as it was dark.

Yakumo seemed to feel the same way. He switched on his penlight, shining the contents of the box. Haruka couldn’t make out what object the illuminated form belonged to at first.

However— Gradually, she came to understand what object it was.

It was— A human corpse.

Laid within the box was a human corpse that was missing its head—

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