We are back with the next chapter of Chronos. Only one more to go and this series will be done.
What I asked for in previous uploads still stands: Chapters will be uploaded here and here only. Once all chapters are up, I will upload to mangadex. Until then, please do not share this on any manga reader sites. If I do find it somewhere, then I will stop the regular uploads and wait at least 6 months to continue.
Enjoy,
H from RNS
Download HERE
Please donât reupload without permission and crediting us.
Youâre officially older than Yakumo again. Congrats on the annual tradition of staying slightly ahead of him in both age and emotional intelligence.
How are you holding up?
I hope workâs not draining you too much.
I imagine your students are probably either idolizing you or quietly testing your patienceâmaybe both. Either way, I know youâre handling it like you always do. Calm on the outside, lowkey spiraling internally, but still getting everything done. I hope the pay reflects the experience you bring to the table.
Happy June to everyone. We are back with the first chapter of the last volume.
Those of you who wish to read on mangadex and not download, the previous volume is now available on said site.
What I asked for in previous uploads still stands: Chapters will be uploaded here and here only. Once all chapters are up, I will upload to mangadex. Until then, please do not share this on any manga reader sites. If I do find it somewhere, then I will stop the regular uploads and wait at least 6 months to continue.
Please enjoy the chapter,
H from RNS
Download HERE
Please donât reupload without permission and crediting us.
'Shinrei tantei Yakumo' is featured in the August issue of Monthly Asuka with a 54-page chapter, including color pages. This is the final chapter. Thank you so, so much for supporting the manga version of Yakumo over these long seven years! It was a truly precious time and experience!
This was Oda Suzukaâs tweet back in 2016, when the manga reached its finale. Thought Iâd post it here in light of her new INITIAL FILE adaptation.
Itâs truly a miracle that in 2025ânine years laterâthis series is back. I donât even have the words to express how much this means. Itâs like something you never dared to hope for actually came true.
it's been publicly announced so congrats on the confirmed manga adaptation for Shinrei Tantei Yakumo INITIAL FILE..!!
I was watching them announce it live on the talkshow online stream and in the few hours that have elapsed since I've been convincing myself that I didn't hallucinate the whole announcement... đ
Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Short Stories - Harukaâs 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, Iâm uploading a revised and summarised version of the short story âHaruka's Valentine's Dayâ, which was uploaded in parts last year.
14 Feb 2021 â Kaminaga Manabu.
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Ozawa Haruka stopped in front of the Movie Research Circle clubroom â.
She could have just walked into the room and said âHeyâ 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 â.
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 wouldnât have had the same connotations as a declaration of love.Â
Or rather â.
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 âhonmei-choco[3]â â.
And now fear suddenly struck her. If Yakumo were to tell her, âHow troublesomeâ, she wouldnât 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?â 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 heâd reprimand her with words like âDonât get so enthusiastic about such an eventââŠ
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.
âWhat are you doing over there?â
As she was about to leave, a voice called out to her from behind.
âEek!â She was so surprised that she shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on â.
âDon't speak so suddenly and in such a loud voice.â
âS-sorry...â
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.
âIf you stay there, youâre going to block the passage.â
âOh, sorry.â
Haruka replied as she entered the room.
âSo, what did you come here for?â
Yakumo began as they stepped into the clubroom of the Movie Research Circle and sat across from each other.
âAh, well, since I've come this far, I thought I'd stop by for a moment...â
Haruka replied with a wry smile.
Yakumo did not seem to be convinced and gave her a look full of suspicion.
âIs that really all?â
âUh, yes.â
âKind of questionable. You mustâve picked up some trouble again.â
âNo-not really. Thereâs no trouble.â
â Heâs totally suspicious.
Now that it came to this, maybe it would have been better to say right away, âIt's Valentine's Day, so I came to give you some chocolate ââ
She was strangely self-conscious about this, but it didnât mean that there werenât 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 wasnât good for her to speak.
âYou're acting suspiciously. What on earth are you thinking?â
Yakumo continued to pry. He was indeed very perceptive. It had been a mistake attempting to partly deceive him in the first place.Â
âRe-really, it's nothing.â
âIf so, whatâs that paper bag you've been holding for a while like itâs so valuable?â
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.
âWhat should I do?
âAh.â
After a bit of frantic thinking, Haruka came up with a way to deal with the situation smoothly.
âActually, I talked to Makoto-san, and she and I decided to give Yakumo-kun some Valentine's chocolates since youâve been a lot of help.â
By naming Makoto, she casually pointed out that it was not honmei-choco as she placed the paper bag of chocolates on the table.
â 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 didnât think anything of him.
In the first place, it might not have been a good idea to borrow Makotoâs name, who wasnât here, without permission.
âValentine, huhâŠâ
Yakumo said listlessly as he took a wrapped chocolate out of the paper bag.
âTry one if you like.â
âDid you make these?â
âUm, together with Makoto-san...?â
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.Â
âHello.â
The one who appeared was, no joke, Makoto â
âMa-Makoto-san!â
Haruka stood up unintentionally.
What bad timing. No, Makoto did nothing wrong. In the first place, Haruka should have never said a half-lie.
âWhy are you that surprised?âÂ
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.
âOh, that's right. Today is Valentine's Day, so I'm giving Yakumo-kun some choâŠâ
âAaaah!â
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.
âN-never mind. D-donât worry about it...â
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.
âThank you for your time and effort in making the chocolate,â
Yakumo said when the situation calmed down.
â Itâs completely out.
Haruka could only hang her head.
âChocolate? Oh, I see â â Makoto whispered to herself, then clapped her hands loudly.
âThat's right. Haruka-chan and I decided to give Yakumo-kun some chocolate. Well, it was mostly Haruka-chan who made it, though.â
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.
â 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.
âDoes this work for you?â
Makoto said in a whisper while sitting next to Haruka.
âY-yes. Thank you so much.â
âIn any case, I went along with the story, but you should have told the truth.â
âYou-youâre right...â
Makoto was right.Â
Rather than let this happen again, I'll give chocolates to Yakumo honestly next year â Haruka secretly swore in her heart.
-
Translation Notes
The notes for this translation are all terms referencing the common types of chocolates given during Valentineâs 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.
Volume 11 - Worth of a Spirit
( prologue | file 01 )
file 02 - regret
-
1
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âTo think weâd end up finding a corpse...â Haruka muttered as she gazed at the warehouse, now standing out in the darkness illuminated by the red lights of police cars.
âRight,â 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 âDO NOT CROSSâ 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 shouldnât have.
âHow could there be a corpse in that box?â 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.
âI have no idea at all. But⊠I feel that something badâs about to happen.â
Makotoâs words echoed in her head.
Haruka didnât 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.
âUntil when are you planning to space out there?â asked Yakumo in an unenergetic tone as he walked closer.
The man didnât appear to be shaken. Such was the difference of someone who was experienced with various cases.
âIâm not spacing out. I just thought things are turning into a bigger problemâŠâ said Haruka.
âRight,â said Yakumo, staring at the box-shaped building swarmed by police presence.
âI think itâs better for us to leave the rest to the police now.â
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.
âHow carefree of you,â said Yakumo, throwing a mocking look at Haruka.
âIâm not really being carefree.â
âSeems carefree however I see it.â
âHow did it even come to that?â
As the case had developed into that of an abandonment of a corpse, they were no longer in any position to interfere.
âThe spiritual case isnât resolved yetââ said Makoto, answering Harukaâs question in place of Yakumo.
âAh!â Haruka blurted unknowingly. Couldnât be helped that Yakumo had mockingly labelled her carefree. Their original goal hadnât 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 hadnât met any progress, either.
Putting it another way, they still had two spiritual cases in their hands.
Since the sex of the found corpse hadnât been identified, there wasnât 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.
âYakumo-kun, did you see any ghosts back there?â
âIâm curious about that too,â added Makoto.
Upon the intense stares he received, Yakumo gazed at the sky as if deep in thought before shaking his head.
âNo. There wasnât any back there.â
âIs that soâŠâ
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.
âWell, Iâve known from the start that there were no ghosts in that place,â said Yakumo.
He didnât seem to be making things up.
âHow did you know?â
âAccording to Makoto-sanâs story, your client has been followed by a ghost since opening that box there, right?â reminded Yakumo, and Makotoâs 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.
âBut if thatâs the case, isnât it better to meet that woman first?â Haruka popped the question, and Yakumo smiled.
âThatâs one way to do it, but the warehouse in question just happens to be close to my place.â
âThatâs true.â
Shorter distance aside, perhaps Yakumo had wanted to investigate the scene before meeting the woman who had seen the ghost.
âWell, the nightâs getting late. While waiting for official autopsy results from the police, why donât we meet up with Makoto-sanâs client tomorrow to hear the story directly from her?â Yakumo suggested.
Makoto nodded. âAlright.â
Haruka agreed as well. Surely there would be things they could gather by hearing that womanâs story in detail.
âIn that case, letâs head back,â 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 oneâs hands and legs.
âIshii-san,â Haruka called, right as Ishii tripped over something.
Said man fellâ
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 couldnât see Harukaâs presence; he ran past her until he was in front of Makoto.
âMa-Makoto-san! A-a-are you alright? I heard you were there when the corpse was found, so I...â
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.
âCompared to me, you look worse. Your nose is bleeding,â said Makoto as she placed a handkerchief over Ishiiâs nose.
âNo, Iâm fine. Rather, Makoto-san...â
âHold on, donât move. The bloodâŠâ
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 Harukaâs stare, so the man suddenly withdrew his smile.
âWhat are you looking at?â Yakumo asked curtly.
âNothing,â replied Haruka before poking his side.
His startled figure, scrunched like a shrimp as he jumped away, looked somewhat adorable.
âYouâŠâ
âWhat are you two up to flirting like that?â A voice interrupted Yakumoâs sentence. It was Gotou.
He was walking in their direction whilst using crutches.
âGotou-san. Youâve been discharged from the hospital?â
âYeah. That was nothing but a scratch,â 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.
âGotou-san is here too? This is giving me a bad feeling,â Yakumo said, mixed with a sigh.
-
2
-
The Movie Research Circle clubroom that was Yakumoâs 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.
Gotouâs decision to send Eishin and Miyagawa to handle matters elsewhere seemed to be the right one.
âGood grief⊠to think this much trouble has accumulatedâŠâ Yakumo said in displeasure, propping his chin on one hand.
Normally Gotou wouldâve thought of him as being narrow-hearted, but this time around, he could understand Yakumoâs 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 yetâ
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, Yakumoâs 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 wasâ
âEverything has happened, so it can't be helped,â Gotou said firmly.
Yakumo sighed deeply, making a blatant display out of it. âThatâs just self-justification.â
âI know.â
âIf youâre still saying that even though youâre aware, youâre either an idiot or a bear incapable of comprehending language.â
âWhoâs a bear?â
âDonât you know? In that case, Iâll tell you. The bear is youâGotou-san.â 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.
âShut the blabbering already! Anyway, help us out!â pressed Gotou.
Yakumo shook his head in disbelief.
âHow many times do I have to say it for you to understand? When asking for someoneâs help, what should you say?â said Yakumo, offering his ear in Gotouâs direction.
Gotou was desperate to grab said manâs collar and send him flying, yet he was forced to hold himself back.
âI beg of you. Please lend us a hand.â Gotou bowed as he swallowed the feeling of humiliation.
Yakumo clapped his hand lightly and said, âGood job.â
Gotou was infuriated by the manâs attitude, yet he felt something was missing. Normally after being scolded to no end by Yakumo, said man would still say, âI refuseâ. For some reason, he was fairly amiable today.
Perhaps Yakumoâs eccentric behaviour had been improved somewhat after all. Either way, he must take action while Yakumo was still willing to offer his assistance.
âAlright! Letâs get down to business!â 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, âAre you alright?â yet it was obvious that they were holding back their giggles.
Ishii was the only one who extended his hand, asking him, âAre you hurt?â with a concerned look.
At this point, Ishiiâs behaviour only ended up irritating Gotou.
âIâm fine. Donât say something so pathetic,â Gotou stood up whilst hitting Ishiiâs head when the latter tried to help him stand.
âWh-why meâŠ?â Ishii whined in surprise, but Gotou ignored him.
Now seated on his chair once more, Gotou said, âAnyway, letâs go!â
Yakumo held his head and sighed as if displeased with something.
âItâs fine to be fired up and all, but where do we start? Thereâs only one of me.â
âWellâŠâ
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. âI have a suggestion so that we can solve the cases efficientlyââ
Yakumo briefly paused his sentence.
After waiting for everyoneâs attention to turn to him, he continued, âWhy donât we help each other out using our individual expertise, regardless of whose case it is for? Iâll be the one sorting out the priority and splitting up the tasks.â
I see.
All the cases were treated as everyoneâs problem, with Yakumo as the one in charge.
âNot a bad idea,â said Gotou.
âOf course. I donât mind,â added Makoto right away.
Ishii nodded as well. âIâll cooperate too.â
âAlright then. In that case, letâs go with this approach.â
Hearing Yakumoâs words, Gotou stroked his chest in relief.
âAnyway, the dayâs getting overly late, and Iâd like some time to sort my thoughts as well. Letâs call it a day and get things started tomorrow,â said Yakumo.
Staring up onto the ceiling, Yakumoâs figure looked unusually exhausted.
-
3
-
After leaving the Movie Research Circle clubroom that was Yakumoâs 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.
âIf the situationâs that serious, you couldâve discussed it with meâŠâ 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 hadnât known the exact situation, his head had been filled by horrible thoughts, sending him into panic.
Ishii was deeply relieved that nothing had happened.
âI never would have guessed weâd find a corpse. In the beginning, since it was a spiritual case, I simply thought it was Yakumo-kunâs expertise.â
Makotoâs explanation made perfect sense.
Since it had begun as a spiritual case, it was logical that she'd discuss it with Yakumo.
Howeverâ
For some reason, Ishii felt a little lonely. No, it was quite different from loneliness. An uncomfortable feeling piled within his heart.
âI-is that so...â
âIf I knew things would turn out like this, I suppose I should've relied on you from the start,â 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 couldnât do anything.
Not because he couldnât see ghosts the way Yakumo could, but because Ishii wasnât a man worthy of being relied on.
Even if he were to be depended on, he was a cowardly man. In helping out, he wouldnât be able to give sound advice and would merely get confused. Well aware of the fact, he felt dejected.
âSorry,â Ishii said without realising.
âWhy are you apologising?â
Makoto frowned in confusion.
âIf only I was more dependable, Iâd be able to help you out a littleâŠâ said Ishii, stopping his car at a red light.
His heart withered at how pathetic he was.
âWhy are you saying that?â Makoto stared intently at Ishii.
Her eyes hinted at a profound sadness Ishii had never seen before.
âBecause I feel like Iâm pathetic,â said Ishii, facing forward as he couldnât bear receiving Makotoâs stare.
âYouâre not pathetic.â
Makoto was a kind person. That was why she said those words of consolation. And yet, that only made Ishii feel even more pathetic.
âIâm a sorry excuse of a man. Always failing, no self confidence, and easily swayed.â
âIs that so? To me, that seemed like gentleness.â
âIâm not gentle. Iâm just weak.â
âI think someone who can admit their weakness is actually a tough person.â
âThatâs not true. I...â
Ishii couldnât 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 Ishiiâs goal.
And yetâ
His strength would refuse to come out in critical situations. Although his mind understood, his heart couldnât keep up. As a result, he became an embarrassment of a human being, far from his ideals.
He hated himself for always running away.
âIshii-san, do you hate yourself?â asked Makoto.
Ishii didnât 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, âYes. I hate myself.â
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 heâd change someday, but all of that effort seemed to be in vain.
Makoto placed her hand over Ishiiâs, 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.
âFor me, I do likeââ
Makotoâs words, spoken quietly, almost felt like they echoed within the carâs cramped interior.
That word like just nowâjust what could it mean?
The more he thought about it, the beating of Ishiiâs heart grew even harder. His breathing struggled and his mouth gasped in search of oxygen.
âU-um...â
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
-
âSomehow things had gotten serious,â 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.
âWell, itâs always like this,â 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 Yakumoâs expression appeared slightly different from usual.
In this situation, Yakumo normally wouldâve 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, Yakumoâs own case hadnât been someoneâs 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 Yakumoâs 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, Yakumoâs father. Accepting himself meant accepting said manâs 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 wasnât 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.
âWhatâs on your mind?â Yakumoâs sudden question brought Haruka back to her senses.
âEh?â
âItâs unusual for you to make a troubled expression. What are you thinking about?â
âO-obviously about the cases,â Haruka blurted in panic.
Crap.
That shouldâve been the appropriate timing to ask for Yakumoâs answer.
She shouldâve 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 sheâd regret not finding out Yakumoâs 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 timingâ
âWhat do you think?â
âAbout what?â
âAbout whatâthe cases. Arenât you thinking about it?â
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 wasnât anything she could say.
Though upon hearing the stories of Gotou and the rest, there was one thing she became curious about.
âWe still donât know anything about them, but⊠could it be that these cases are related?â
That was what bugged Harukaâs mind.
Each of the cases took place in different locations. Yet since they had all occurred at the same time, she couldnât help but suspect they had some connection with one another.
âFor the time being, I donât think thereâs a connection between them. StillâŠâ Yakumo crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling.
âWhat is it?â
âThere's something bothering me.â
âSo what is it then?â
His almost dramatic, roundabout way of speaking made Haruka curious about what was to follow.
Haruka fell silent, awaiting Yakumoâs subsequent words, yet in the end Yakumo shook his head without saying a word. Almost like he had forcefully gotten rid of his thoughts.
âLetâs end this conversation.â
âWhy?â
âItâs best not to make unnecessary assumptions right now.â
Yakumoâs tone was as if he was giving himself a reminder.
At this point, Yakumo wouldnât voice out his thoughts however you urged him to.
âWell, letâs think about it after the investigation begins tomorrow,â 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.
âIn that case, Iâll be going home,â 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.
âIs it alright?â said Yakumo as Haruka was about to leave the room.
His words seemed uncertain, unlike the usual Yakumo. Not to mention he was turning his face away.
Whatâs up with that?
âItâll be fine,â Haruka replied.
âIs that so,â Yakumo gave a short reply before closing his mouth.
He seemed like he had something to say, but theyâll be meeting again tomorrow after all. Haruka gave a parting greeting, âThen, Iâll see youââ before leaving the room.
Her body trembled slightly from the cold wind. Closing the door to Yakumoâs 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 Yakumoâs face from earlier flashed into Harukaâs 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.
Butâ
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 Yakumoâs heart she had always wanted to know.
Still, itâd be odd for her to go back now.
Besides, if it turned out that Haruka had misunderstood, sheâd be showered with colourful mockery, âAre you sleeptalking?â and the like.
As Haruka laughed bitterly inside, someone called out to her. âUm...â
She reflexively halted her steps and turned around.
Someone stood right behind her. The personâs face wasn't clearly visible as it was dark, but they seemed to be someone Haruka didnât recognise.
âOzawa Haruka-san, right?â said the person, pronounced loud and clear.
Haruka immediately went into a state of alert.
How did this person know her name?
She couldnât find an answer to that question.
Awful premonition immediately came over her. An emotion, similar to that of fear, crept up from her feet.
âYouâre wrong,â Haruka said firmly and immediately ran for it.
Galloping footsteps chased right behind her.
Unfortunately for her, Haruka wasnât 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.
âLet go,â
Haruka tried to shake off that hand, yet she couldnât as her opponentâs 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 sighâ
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, âLet me accompany you back.â
All because that womanâsâthe fugitive murderer Nanase Miyukiâsâwords from the previous case came to his mind.
Iâll 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 todayâ
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 shouldâve 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 heâd never experienced before. He couldnât understand why he could be in such a wavering state.
No, thatâs not itâ
The truth was he knew.
Although he thought heâd accepted his own existence, things couldnât change as easily as flipping a switch.
In the end, heâd only managed to utter something vague.
And now, he was enveloped by the feeling of anxiety. If he were this worried, he shouldâve immediately chased after her earlier.
That shouldâve been the way to go, yet somehow his body hadnât been able to move.
Ever since the last case, heâd become increasingly aware about Harukaâs presence.
Surely it had to be because a part of him understood well what her existence meant to him.
In reality, heâd known the fact since way back. He merely hadnât acknowledged it. To be more precise, it was something beyond his consideration since heâd been denying his own existence.
Yakumo sighed a few times before he took his phone out of his pocket.
Even if he wasnât going as far as chasing her, he could give Haruka a call to confirm that sheâd 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 couldnât help but grow restless over suddenly doing something heâd never done before.
Still, heâd 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 ârestrictedâ.
âYes,â 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.
<Itâs 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.Â
âNanase Miyuki...â
<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.
âWhat business do you have?â asked Yakumo, trying to sound as calm as possible.
Nanase Miyuki wasnât one to call him for no reason. Well aware of the fact, his anxiety grew larger.
<My warning from back thenâdo you remember?>
Nanase Miyukiâs 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.
âWhat did you doâto her?â asked Yakumo.
Nanase Miyuki laughed once more. <I didnât do anything, though.>
She put an emphasis on the word I.
âDo you think you can deceive me?â
<Iâm not deceiving you. Really. I, didnât do anything. If something happened to her, itâd be someone elseâs doing.>
âWhat are you trying to say?â
<Surely you understand. Iâm merely acting out of kindness to let you know that sheâs in dangerâ>
âDONâT JOKE WITH ME!â
Heâd begun yelling without even realising. The anger heâd been suppressing had far exceeded its limits and eventually exploded.Â
<Iâm not joking. If you want to save her, you should hurry up and solve the mystery.>
âMystery?â
<Thatâs right. This is a game. Will you be able to solve the mystery and save her? Or will her life come to an end firstâ>
âWhy are you doing something like thisâŠ?â
<I want you to know as well. The pain, sadness, and despair of losing someone important to you⊠Once you do, youâll be able to understand my feelings.>
âI have no intention to understand your feelings.â
<Just how long will you be able to keep up that tough facade? Iâm curious, just what will you sacrifice for the sake of your loved onesâ> said Miyuki who then hung up.
âDamn it!â 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 wasnât a woman whoâd call to warn him out of goodwill. As sheâd contacted Yakumo, it could only mean that it was already too late.
Yakumo understood the fact in his head, yet he couldnât just sit still.
Perhapsâ
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 hadnât 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 Harukaâ
Having confirmed it, Yakumo felt a sense of hopelessness like heâd been shoved down the depths of hell.
âDamn it...â 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.
Andâ
His eyes shone bright red like burning flames.
Said man was Yakumoâs 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 shouldâve understood himself.
The body that had been lost would never come back, and he wouldnât be able to live long by using someone else as a vessel.
Especially after what heâd gone through in the previous case, Unkaiâs heart had undoubtedly begun to waver.
Unkaiâs presence before Yakumoâs 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.
âWhere did you take her?â asked Yakumo.
Unkai narrowed his eyes slightly and the muscles around his mouth softened.
He laughed?
It was different from the cold smile heâd displayed countless times before. Yakumo sensed there was another meaning behind that laugh.
âWill you be able to stop her? That womanââ Unkai whispered.
A line heâd typically use as means of provocation, yet Yakumo didnât feel any such intention this time. There was something elseâ
âYou...â Yakumo spoke before swallowing the rest of his words.
Unkaiâs presence that had once been there now disappeared.Â
Yakumo could only stand there, frozen still in bewilderment.
-
6
-
âIshii! Whatâs the meaning of this?â
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.
âIâm asking you whatâs the meaning of this! Speak up right now!â Gotou yelled, grabbing Ishii by the collar and shaking him.
With his head bobbing back and forth, Ishii merely gave a vague reply, âUm, that...â
âI told you to say it, so say it!â yelled Gotou once more, but someone grabbed his arm. It was Miyagawa.
âCalm down a little. Like this, even if he wanted to answer, he wonât be able to.â Being scolded by Miyagawa, Gotou was able to ease his nerves a little.
Certainly, heâd 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 didnât have the time to worry about it.
âIs it true that Haruka-chan was abducted?â asked Gotou again whilst glaring at Ishii.
When heâd received a call from Ishii, he honestly hadnât believed it. He couldnât understand why things had suddenly turned this way.
Howeverâ
Nanase Miyukiâs words soon crossed his mind.
During the previous case, Nanase Miyuki had signalled that Haruka would be her next target. Gotou didnât want to think about it, yet it would make sense for her to be the one behind Harukaâs 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.
âAccording to what I heard from Yakumo-shi, it appears to be true,â 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 Ishiiâs mouth shook Gotou to his core, his brain felt like a trembling mess.
âYakumo didnât see the scene?â
âSeems so. Apparently he received a call from Nanase Miyuki, and the conversation implied that Haruka had been abducted.â
âA call?â
âYes. 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 roadsideââ
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.
âThe police are conducting a search, right?â said Gotou.
Ishiiâs expression grew complicated. âOf course we are searching. But⊠there isnât much of a lead...â
Ishiiâs voice quickly died, the end of his sentence wasnât audible.
âWhatâs with you, getting all pessimistic? Whatever it takes, we have to find her,â Gotou grasped at Ishiiâs collar yet again.
Harukaâs life was on the line. Now wasnât the time to sit still from the mere lack of any leads.
âI-I know. But...â
âNo such thing as buts! I said to find her!â
âShe wonât get found by making a ruckus here,â
Entering the room with the sound of the door opening was Yakumo.Â
âWhere have you been at a time like this?â Gotou said harshly.
With a sour look, Yakumo deeply sighed. âIâve just explained the situation to the police officer in charge so that the search operation can begin.â
âI see,â Yakumoâs 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 manâs 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.
âYouâre trying to say that Iâm fine?â Yakumo muttered.
Gotouâs chest grew heavy. âSorry.â
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.
âUm⊠Is Haruka-chan safe?â asked Ishii, his voice almost fading away.
Harukaâs safety was their utmost concern. Unfortunately, they wouldnât find the answer to that question in this place.
In this situation, they were forced to assume the worst case scenario.
âI think sheâs probably safe,â said Yakumo.
His tone didnât sound like he was uttering baseless, wishful thinking. Instead, he seemed certain of the fact.
âHow do you know?â asked Gotou.
Yakumo ran a hand over his dishevelled hair. âSheâNanase Miyuki said so.â
âSaid what?â
âShe said that this is a game. Whether Iâll be able to solve the mystery first, or sheâll be the one who dies firstââ 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 othersâ lives like playthings; how blatantly sadistic.
âWhat game. That bastard of a woman.â
âI feel the same. But now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to win that game,â emphasised Yakumo.
Yakumo seemed to have steeled his resolve. Or perhaps to be more accurate, they didnât have any other choice.
Still, one thing bothered him.
âIs Haruka-chan really fine? Thereâs no guarantee Nanase Miyuki will play fair.â
Gotou didnât 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.
âI think it should be fine.â
âHow can you be certain?â
âItâs 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.â
From Yakumoâs words, Gotou came to understand.
The womanâs 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.
âBut, how do we plan on finding Haruka-chan?â Ishii sounded discouraged yet again.
âWe have no choice but to search everywhere,â said Gotou as he stood up.
While time consuming, it was the only remaining effective method, considering the lack of clues.
âGotou-sanâs an idiot as always,â said Yakumo whilst landing a ridiculing look.
âWhat did you say?â
âItâd be impossible to find her by searching blindly all over the place.â
âI guess so...â
âAlso, it will be more efficient to entrust the police with the exhaustive search, who have the manpower to do so.â
Yakumo was right. Howeverâ
âIn that case, what do we do?â
âNanase Miyuki said her life would be lost if I didnât solve the mystery.â
âWhat mystery?â
âShe never mentioned it explicitly. But for now, the spiritual cases happening around us are all we know of.â
I see.
The spiritual phenomena which Yakumo, Gotou, Ishii, and Makoto had encountered hadnât been mere coincidence, and instead had some connection to Harukaâs 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, Yakumoâs 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 wasnât the time to think of unnecessary thoughts. The only thing needed doing now was to solve the mystery to find Haruka.
âThen, what should we do now?â asked Gotou.
Yakumoâs brows furrowed slightly. âYouâre planning to help out with that leg?â
It was typical of Yakumo to not be honest even though he wanted the assistance.
âI told you this is just a scratch.â
âIt might get worse, you know.â
âFor the sake of saving Haruka-chan, I donât mind sacrificing a leg or two,â Gotou spoke as he patted his cast, and Yakumo exploded in laughter.
âThank you,â 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 wasnât the time to be stubborn. They have to find Haruka no matter what.
âIâd like to ask for Ishii-sanâs assistance as well, is that alright?â
Before Yakumo could finish his sentence, Ishii had already puffed out his chest, exclaiming, âOf course!â
-
7
-
Leaving the police quarters together, Ishii and Miyagawa walked towards the hospitalâ
Their objective was to inquire about the autopsy results of the body that had been discovered at the university warehouse, per Yakumoâs 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 heâd been saved by Harukaâs presence.
If not for Harukaâs 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 didnât 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 wasnât 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. âItâs not locked,â The raspy voice of an old man called from within.
âExcuse us,â greeted Ishii as he opened the door hesitantly.
âOh. So itâs you two.â
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.
âSorry for coming over this late,â said Ishii, apologising.
Hata let out an eerie chuckle. âBetter than coming in the morning. Iâm a night owl after all.â
âA disgusting fraud of a doctor, as usual,â Miyagawa added.
âI wondered who it was, but it turned out to be an Umibozu[1]. I heard you got demoted?â Hata said mockingly, followed by another terrifying laugh.
âShut up! What a demonic old man.â
âOn the topic of demons, umibozu is one, too.â
âWhat did you say?â
âMiyagawa-san, please calm down,â Ishii hurriedly tried pacifying Miyagawa.
They wouldnât win a verbal fight against Hata. Besides, Miyagawa shouldnât 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. âActually, there is something weâd like to ask.â
âAah. About the corpse that was discovered at the university, right?â said Hata, reading their minds.
Ishii couldnât hide his surprise. âHow did you know we were going to ask that?â
âNothing much really. From the timing, it had to be about that corpse. Furthermore, wasnât the discovery made by that young man with a red eye?â
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.
âSo, how was the autopsy results?â
âHow impatient. I couldnât have known that easily. Besides, the corpse is fairly aged and rotting. The fact that itâs a male corpse is pretty much all Iâve found.â
âI-I see...â
Certainly, that was true.
Said corpse had only been discovered merely hours ago. One wouldnât have to struggle so much if it could be identified in such a short period of time.
âI donât know much yet, but there are a few things that caught my attention,â said Hata, scratching his nape.
âR-really!?â
âDonât yell.â
âS-sorry.â
Hata exhaled in disbelief before continuing, âAs I said earlier, the corpse has long since rotted, so I could no longer identify the cause of death.â
As he listened to Hataâs explanation, Ishii felt something was amiss.
âUm⊠I heard that the head was decapitated. Was that not the cause of death?â
âDonât be hasty. It could have been decapitated after death.â
âR-right,â
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 couldâve been fatally hit by blunt force before it had been decapitated.
âThe cause of death may be unknown, but the area of the neck where it was cut off was quite neat.â
âNeat?â
âYes. Human necks canât 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 corpseâs neck was severed cleanly.â
âI see,â Miyagawa, who was frowning earlier, nodded as if he suspected something.
âDid you get something?â Ishii asked with enthusiasm.
âYouâll understand if you think about it calmly. The corpseâs neck was thoroughly cut. What do you think that means?â Miyagawaâs 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.
âWas the head taken away to hide the corpseâs identity?â
Though expressing it as a question, Ishii said it quite confidently. However, Hata immediately refuted his opinion.
âThat way of thinking might work if this incident was from decades ago, but scientific investigation is much more developed now. One wouldnât be able to obscure a victimâs identity just by removing the corpseâs head.â
Hataâs explanation made Ishii realise yet again that he wasnât 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 corpseâs identity to be hidden, the corpse itself had to be destroyed.
But if such were the case, Ishii became confused.
âWhy would they only take the head away?â
With a smile full of meaning, Hata responded to the question Ishii had muttered.
This responseâcould it be that Hata had already known the reason?
âI myself donât know why only the head was taken. Stillâdonât you two have an idea, just which woman has been faithfully carrying around a human head?â Hata spoke as he stared at Ishii with his bulging eyes.
Ishii didnât 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 objectâno, that wasnât it.
He was mistaken.
He knew of one person.
A woman going around carrying a human headâ
âNanase Miyuki,â Ishii said the name in horror, to which Hata gave a satisfied nod.
-
8
-
Gotou looked up at the grandiose houseâ
Overgrown trees obscured the moonrays, until this building alone appeared to be swallowed by darkness.
âDoes this place really have a connection to all this?â
Gotou couldnât 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 heâd seen a ghost here.
Despite that, Gotou still felt this was a matter unrelated to Harukaâs abduction.
âWe came here to confirm that,â Yakumo replied as he messed up his dishevelled locks.
âDo we have time for that? While weâre in the middle of this, Haruka-chanââ
âI know that!â 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.
âRight now itâs necessary to correctly tell apart whatâs related and whatâs not. If we were to decide that somethingâs unrelated right away without confirming it, we might be unable to see the truth.â
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.
âIâm sorry.â Gotou apologised sincerely.
Yakumo made a sour look. âPlease donât do things unbefitting of yourself.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âAnyway, letâs go,â Ignoring Gotouâs 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 Yakumoâs heart was unimaginable.
Itâs alright. Surely, weâll be able to save Haruka-chan. Gotou mumbled in his heart as he watched over Yakumoâs back. Those words werenât directed at just Yakumo, but at himself as well.
He wouldnât 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.
âThey said a woman used to live in this place?â asked Yakumo after heâd walked all the way until he was in front of the fireplace on the living room wall.
âYeah.â
That was the information Ishii had provided.
âIt appears we might need to look into that again more closely,â said Yakumo as he picked up a picture frame set atop the fireplace.
âWhat do you mean?â
âThisââ
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 couldâve 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 mightâve 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.
Gotouâs 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 hadnât found anything of importance.
Yakumo was about to head for the window next, when he halted his steps midway as if he found something.
âWhat is it?â
Paying no attention to Gotou, Yakumo crawled on the floor and took out a single book from underneath the bed.
âWhat book is it?â asked Gotou.
Yakumo stood back up and shook his head whilst flipping over the pages. âThis isnât a book.â
âNot a book?"
âYes. I believe this is some kind of schedule notebook.â
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, heâd certainly give up within three days. Yet the person who had used this notebook seemed rather diligent.
This personâs neat penmanship filled the pages of said book.
âDoes it have something to do with the case?â asked Gotou.
Yakumoâs face was that of extreme displeasure. âI donât know. We have to read it to know for certain,â he said in an uninterested tone.
His reaction couldnât 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 Gotouâs 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 couldnât.
âYou areâŠâ muttered Yakumo.
So someone was at the doorway after all. Gotou grew curious, but he shouldnât act rashly and let this opportunity become a waste.
Holding his breath, Gotou watched over the situation.
âWhy are you here? Just what are you...â Cutting off his sentence, Yakumo placed his hand on his head, exhaling a long sigh.
After a pause, Gotou asked, âWas someone there just now?â
âYes. She must be the one Ishii-san saw.â
âWas the ghost a young girl?â
âYes.â
âDonât tell me it was the girl from the photo earlier?â Gotou asked, following his thoughts.
Yakumo frowned and gave a faint nod.
âIt appears we really need to get Ishii-san to investigate this house one more time,â Yakumo narrowed his eyes as he stared in the direction of the doorway.
-
9
-
Should the depths of love be measurable, itâll surely amount to the price one is willing to pay in the name of that loveâ
Love can only be proven by what one can sacrifice for the sake of acquiring said subject of affection.
Be it wealth, or oneâs own life. Or perhaps something else entirelyâ
Iâm prepared to offer up my life. And it doesnât end there. I shall return the life Iâve lived thus far in its entirety, back into nothingness.
If anyone were to criticise my actions, Iâd 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, canât be said to have genuine love.
Yakumo lifted his face from the leather-bound book and looked up the narrow ceilingâ
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, sheâjust 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 wouldnât leave his head.
If only I had accompanied her home back then.
Since learning about Harukaâs abduction, heâd 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.
Stillâ
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. Itâs 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 wouldnât 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.
Letâs 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 Makotoâ
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 corpseâs identity could be the man who had red eyes and was Yakumoâs fatherâUnkai.
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 didnât 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 couldnât 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 girlâ
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.
Howeverâwhat 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 Yakumoâs 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 phoneâ
He felt around for his glasses and picked up the call after putting them on.
âYes. Ishii Yuutarou here.â
<Sorry for contacting you so early. This is Yakumo.>
Yakumoâs 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 oâclock. 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.
âAbout that matter, right?â Ishii replied as he pulled a notebook lying nearby.
âYes.â
âBecause of the timing, I couldnât really ask aroundâŠâ
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?>
âYes. I was able to discover a few factsââ Ishii took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes before taking another look at his notebook.
âRegarding that house, as Yakumo-shi said, apparently she used to live with her family.â
<I see.>
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.
âThe 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.â
<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.
âThree years ago, the car that Ryoko-san and Satomi-chan rode got into an accident.â
<An accidentâ>
âYes. A truck driven by someone under the influence had run against traffic and hit their car head on.â
<How cruel...>
Though he didnât 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, âRyoko-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 deadââ
<Brain dead...>
Yakumoâs 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?>
âSheâs already passed,â 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 couldnât speak, hear, or see either. The brain as their bodyâs centre of control stopped working, so they couldnât 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 wouldnât be anything he could do even if he had stayed back there.
<I see⊠do you know what became of Satomi-chanâs father now?>
âAbout that...â Ishii grew hesitant.
Normally, the police wouldnât have known of the aftermath, yet unexpectedly a record had been left behind.
<Did something happen?>
âYes. Actually, three months following the accident, he disappeared.â
<Disappeared?>
âYes, as Harue-san submitted a missing personâs report to the police.â
One couldn't help but say how puzzling the situation was.
<Did the police conduct a search?>
âNo, about that⊠according to information from Harue-san, Satomiâs father had left her a message that he will be going away for a while, no need to worry about him.â
âIs that so...â 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 wasnât involved, police wouldnât 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.
<I understand. Sorry for the trouble, but can I take a look at the detailed documents?>
In regular circumstances, showing police documents to a civilian university student wouldâve been inappropriate.
However, it was too late for that now.
They had received countless assistance from Yakumo to resolve cases.
Furthermore, this time Harukaâs life was on the line.
âOf course.â
<Thank you.>
Considering this was Yakumo, it was unusual for him to immediately express genuine gratitude.
After all, Ishii didnât feel like he needed to thank him as Yakumo wasnât the only one who wanted to rescue Haruka.
Harukaâs 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...>
âWhat is it? Iâll do anything as long as Iâm able to.â
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 heâd been snoring loudly across from Ishii earlier, Ishiiâs phone call seemed to have awakened him.
âS-sorry.â
âWell, whatever. What are we looking into next?â 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 didnât appear shaken.
It made Makotoâs state of panic feel almost laughable.
No, that wasnât it.
Perhaps right now Yakumo was merely pretending to be calm, when in reality unimaginable turmoil stirred within him.
âIs it true that Haruka-chan was abducted?â asked Makoto to start, after exchanging basic greetings.
âYes. Unfortunately,â replied Yakumo.
Strength left Makotoâs body and dizziness came over her.
âI see...â she mumbled before sitting on a chair in front of Yakumo.Â
She didnât 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.
âWhy Haruka-chanâŠâ she said unbearably.
Truth was, her initial impression towards Haruka hadnât been all too great. She had seemed like a well-natured university student youâd find anywhere, putting up a facade for herself.
Thinking about it now, the feeling might have come from Makotoâs jealousy over Harukaâs naivety.
Like an unreasonable hate towards the class honour student, it had to be the manifestation of jealousy towards someone who possessed something they didnât.
Yet after getting to know Haruka, Makotoâs view of her began changing.
Haruka hadnât been pretending to be a goody two shoes, nor had she been acting innocent. She hadnât 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 Yakumoâs heart, having constantly hated himself, could be saved.
There was no reason for Haruka to go through something like this.
âSimple enough reason. That woman wanted me to experience despair,â Yakumo explained. In his red left eye appeared to reside a powerful light.
âSuch a thingâŠâ 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 othersâ 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 wouldnât have left Haruka by herself.
Still, regret wouldnât change the reality they were facing.
Furthermore, the regret Yakumo experienced must be far greater than Makotoâs. The last person who had been with Haruka last night was Yakumo. He had to be blaming himself for leaving Haruka alone.
âWhatever happens, we have to find her before it's too late,â 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.
Howeverâ
What would happen to Yakumo if he were to actually lose Haruka?
It wasnât 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?Â
Perhaps that was precisely Nanase Miyukiâs objective.
If that was the case, perhaps Haruka was alreadyâno. She shouldnât think about that now.
âIs there something I can help with?â said Makoto.
Yakumo responded with a small nod. âActually, Iâve called you as thereâs something I needed your help for, Makoto-san.â
âJust say the word. Iâll do anything that I can.â
At any rate, they needed to make a move now.
âThank you. Firstly, can I meet with the woman who claimed to have experienced a spiritual phenomenon at the warehouse?â
âHold on,â Makoto interrupted. âShouldnât locating Haruka-chan be our priority?â
The spiritual case did concern her, but now wasnât the time to look into that matter.
âThat 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.â
âBut why such a thing...â
âShe said this is a game.â
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.
âAlright. Iâll quickly contact them and arrange a meeting,â Makoto nodded.
If so, they had to solve this case as soon as possible.
âAlso, Iâd like you to look into whether there had been similar phenomena at that location.â
âLeave it to me.â
Gathering rumours may not be easy, but by utilising social media well, she should be able to gain some information.
âThank you,â Yakumo bowed his head deeply.
He shouldnât need to thank her. Even if Yakumo hadnât asked for help, Makoto would still put her own efforts to find out Harukaâs location.
Yakumo wasnât the only one who treasured Haruka.
âJust like you, Haruka-chanâs important to us as well. Doing all this is a given.â
Yakumo was surprised by Makotoâs words, but eventually smiled bashfully.
The door suddenly opened with a bam and Gotou entered the room. âOh. Itâs the newspaper lady,â he said as he took notice of Makoto.
âWe just met yesterday, didnât we?â
âYouâre helping out too?â
âOf course. I want to save Haruka-chan, whatever it takes.â
âThank you.â 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 hadnât 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 Yakumoâs request for help.
He wanted to save Haruka and help Yakumo out of his own volition.
âOi, Yakumo. The preparations are done. Letâs hurry up and go,â Gotou, signalling at Yakumo with his hand.
The two seemed to be heading somewhere to investigate.
âIâll contact you once Iâve made an arrangement,â Makoto stood up before leaving the room.
Yakumo followed outside and bowed down as he said, âIâll leave it to you,â before walking away with Gotou.
Itâs alright. Weâll find her for sure, Makoto said in her heart as she sent the two off.
Though baseless, she wouldnât 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. âGotou-san, what happened to your cast?â he asked.
Yakumo, who was incredibly perceptive in normal circumstances, had only realised that Gotou wasnât wearing his castâhe must be more exhausted than he appeared.
âIt was getting in the way, so I took it off,â Gotou said so blatantly.
He had forcefully taken it off the night before.
He wouldnât 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.
Harukaâs existence was already like family to them.
âWill you be able to drive in such a state?â Yakumo threw an unconvinced look.
âBecause itâs fine, I managed to come all the way here, didnât I? Cut the small talk and hop on quick,â
It would be a lie to say that it didnât 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.Â
As he had worded out the previous night, Gotou didnât 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.
âSo, any new information?â he asked Yakumo as he manipulated the steering wheel.
âThanks to Ishii-san, I gained plenty of information about the house we went to last night.â
âWhich are?â Gotou demanded the continuation, and Yakumo shared the information he had gotten from Ishii in detail.
Gotouâs 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 hellâs abyss.
At the thought of the same thing happening to Atsuko and Nao, Gotouâs 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.
âSo the fatherâsâKeiâsâstatus became unknown afterwards, huh?â Gotou asked, and Yakumo gave a nodding affirmation.
âCould that man who's in hiding be the perpetrator behind our case?â
A thought with no basis. Gotou was merely voicing the question that suddenly came to mind.
âI canât refute that possibility,â Yakumo responded with a serious expression.
âReally?!â Although it was his own line of thinking, he exclaimed in surprise as Yakumo gave his approval over it.
âItâs nothing more than a possibilityâŠâ
He might be vague and would go about in circles, but unlike Gotou, Yakumo had a basis for every statement, even when expressing possibilities.
âWhat possibility were you referring to?â
âThe notebook we found back there.â
âNotebook... â
Indeed, Yakumo had taken out a notebook from under the bed back in that place.
âWhat was written in it?â
âMostly it was an activity schedule. Related to his work, or what time he was meeting someone; fairly normal entries. Butââ
âWhat?â
âThe writing stopped after his wife and daughter went into an accidentââ
Gotou understood what the man had felt.
Working, or doing anything at all for that matter, had to be impossible after the manâs family had had an accident.
But that shouldnât 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.
âAnd then?â 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.
âSomething strange was written on the last page.â
âWhat is it?â
âSome sort of declaration of resolve.â
âWhat even is that?â
âWhat are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones?â
âHa?â Gotou tilted his head in confusion.
âThat was one of the lines written in there.â
âWhatâs that even mean?â
âProbably in a literal sense. I think the phrase âloved onesâ here refers to his wife and daughter.â
âThen, whatâs the sacrifice about?â asked Gotou.
Yakumo shook his head. âI have no clue either.â
âNo clue...â
Something that was beyond Yakumoâs 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.
âIf it were Gotou-san...â Yakumo glanced slightly at Gotou.
âAh?â
âIf it were Gotou-san, what would you sacrifice for your loved ones?â
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 hadnât thought of whether he was going to sacrifice his own life or the like.
Thinking about it calmly, he unexpectedly didnât arrive at the answer.
âI 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,â said Yakumo with a sullen voice.
His eyes werenât 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.
âWhat exactly are you trying to say?â Gotou asked, and Yakumo raised his index finger between his forehead and said, âDo you not understand?â
âIâm asking because I donât.â
âThe man called Kei has already lost the people he loved. Yet he still wanted to sacrifice something, even though thereâs nothing for him to obtain...â said Yakumo.
His voice was like sharp edges poking at Gotouâs heart.
Though faint, Gotou slowly came to see what Yakumo had in mind. Along with the reason why he refused to put it into wordsâ
âEither way, Kei-san disappeared three months after the accident.â
âDisappeared?â Gotou raised his voice unknowingly.
âYes. But according to the statement made by Harue-san, who reported his disappearance, the police isnât treating it as a case as Kei-san seemed to have gone into hiding on his own will.â
Even if he racked his brains for a reason, Gotou was completely clueless as to why Kei would go into hiding. Still, he couldnât 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
-
âHe truly was a wonderful doctorââ 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 familyâs 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 Kawakamiâs 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.
âI see,â Ishii muttered as he jotted things down.
âThere are two kinds of doctors.â
âIs that so?â
âYes. Doctors who examine patients since it is their duty, and doctors who do so out of the desire to serve and help people.â
âAnd Doctor Kawakami was the latter?â asked Ishii, and Satou replied, âObviously,â as he had expected.
âHonestly, 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.â
âWhat do you mean by that?â
âAs 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.â
âAh.â
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.
âThe young nurses would often complain as a result. Not for me though, I liked it. Every hospital needs someone like Doctor Kawakami.â
âThatâs true,â Ishii responded as he demanded the continuation.
âIf only that accident didnât happen⊠not only did he lose his wife, his daughter was even left in such a state. It was simply too much.â
Ishii could sense that this was no surface-level feelings, but one that genuinely came from the bottom of her heart.
âWas he extremely depressed over the fact?â
âObviously⊠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.â
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.
âI felt bad watching him and have always wanted to call out to him first, but honestly, I didnât know what to say...â Satou sighed, shaking her head.
That was to be expected. Put in the same position, Ishii himself wouldnât know what to say towards someone in the depths of despair.
âAfter the accident, were there any unusual changes about him?â asked Ishii.
Satouâs expression grew troubled. âSome time after the accident, he kept staying beside his daughter. He seemed to be calling out for his unconscious daughter to come back. But...â
Satou halted her words.
She seemed to hesitate in saying what came next.
âWhat is it?â Ishii urged, and after steeling her resolve and nodding, Satou opened her mouth once more. âAfter his daughter was declared brain dead, his visits became less frequent.â
âWhy so?â Ishii leaned over.
Thinking about it, to disappear when his daughter had been declared brain dead felt unnatural.
âThough from a different specialty, he was a doctor himself. So he understood well what brain death meant,â
So that was it.
Once declared brain dead, chances of recovery were close to zero.
That wasnât 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 yetâ
Shouldnât a parent still wish to see the face of their child?
Ishii felt something off about the fact.
âI heard Doctor Kawakami disappeared the day before his daughter passed...â
Upon investigation, one day after Kawakami had left a message for his mother and disappeared, his daughterâs condition had taken a worse turn, drawing her last breath.
Ishii couldnât help but think something was behind that timing.
âApparently so. Perhaps he sensed that his daughter couldnât hang on any longerââ
âWas his daughterâs condition weakening?â
âYes. She was getting worse. The doctor in charge of her even said it was only a matter of days...â
â......â
âThe doctor in charge seemed to have delivered the news to Doctor Kawakami himself. But a slight commotion happened at the time.â
âA commotion?â
âThatâs 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 Iâve seen Doctor Kawakami that way. Though his mind understood, his heart seemed to have yet to accept how things areâŠâ
âIs that so,â Ishii said out of sympathy, yet the thoughts in his mind travelled elsewhere.
The timing felt unnatural. Even so, Ishii didnât understand what made him feel that way.
âDid anything else catch your attention?â Ishii later inquired, and Satouâs eyes wandered as if tracing her memories.
It wasnât long before her expression changed, signalling that she had recalled something.
âIs there something?â Ishii asked again.
âIâm not sure if I should say this...â Satou spoke hesitantly.
âWhat is it?â
âActually⊠after the accident, a woman often came to visit Doctor Kawakami.â
âA woman?â
âYes. A young, beautiful woman in her twenties.â
âAny other defining features?â
âRight⊠I wonder. Iâve never spoken to her, so this is merely my intuition, but she seemed quite tough.â
That woman might have something to do with Kawakamiâs disappearance. Depending on the circumstances, they could try making a sketch of her face.
âDo you know what her relationship was with Doctor Kawakami?â
âAs for that, I donât know. She wasnât a patient, nor someone from the pharmaceutical companies...â
âSounds curious.â
Could that woman be Kawakamiâs mistress? Though baseless, the idea emerged in his mind anyway.
âIâm sure the relationship wasnât anything like what you have in mind, Mr. Detective,â Satou spoke as if she had read Ishiiâs mind.
âEh?â
âDoctor Kawakami loved his family dearly. He wasnât the type to have an affair behind the scenes.â
âRight...â
Satou emphasised the fact quite strongly, leaving Ishii no choice but to respond in affirmation. However, his heart disagreed.
That didnât 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.
âDid Doctor Kawakami ever mention anything about that woman?â Ishii asked.
Satouâs face frowned into a difficult expression. âThe doctor said before that the woman came to consult him about her relative.â
All the more suspicious.
At a time when his wife had just passed and his daughter had been in a brain dead state, he shouldnât have had the time to discuss other peopleâs matters.
âUm⊠do you know of anyone else close to Doctor Kawakami in this hospital?â
âAs for that, perhaps that strange man in the basement.â
âPardon?â
Ishii couldnât help but turn bewildered at the mention of something that sounded like the title of a B rated horror film.
âMy apologies. I suppose you wouldnât understand if I said it that way,â Satou corrected herself and said the name of the person in question.
-
14
-
After leaving Yakumoâs 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 Universityâs archival facility. The number of viewers wouldnât 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.
âActually, Iâd 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?â
<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.
âOf course.â
<Thank youâ>
Makiâs voice quivered. Rather than from fear, it seemed to be out of delight.
âSince itâs hard to convey through a phone call, Iâd like for us to meet in person once again and talk about it, would that be possible? I have an acquaintance whoâs an expert on spiritual phenomena. I want him to come along as well.â
<Well, that is...>
Makiâs tone hinted at a sense of vigilance.
As it turned out, the mention of an expert on spiritual phenomena hadnât been the correct wording. Maki might be assuming she would be demanded to pay a hefty reward.
âRest assured. Heâs still young, but heâs been assisting the police in solving various cases so far. He wonât ask you for payment in return, so thereâs no need to worry,â Makoto said so firmly, and Maki then replied, <Alright.>
âThen, without further ado, do you have some free time today?â
<I donât have any plans to go out, so any timing works for me.>
âUnderstood. After confirming with the other party, Iâll reach out to you again.â
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.
âThis is Makoto. Iâve contacted the woman who experienced the spiritual phenomenon. Sheâs fine with meeting anytime, so we can regroup once youâre finished on your end.â
<Thank you. Once weâve wrapped things up, Iâll contact you.>
âGot it.â
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 Makotoâs 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:Â
<Iâm a Meisei University graduate. During my time as a student there, Iâve 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 friendâs whereabouts remained unknown to this dayâ>
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.
âCan we speak directly? Phone call is fine tooâ she typed, including her contact number in the message before sending it.
It wasnât long until there was an incoming call from an unknown number to her phone. Probably the sender of that message earlier.
âYes. This is Hijikata.â
<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.
âThank you for calling. I will call you back.â
<Itâs fine. Donât worry about it,> Momoka said so firmly.
âIs that so⊠then Iâll get straight to the point, there are a few things Iâd like to ask. When did you go to that location?â
<About three years ago.>
âYou didnât see any ghosts or the like at the time?â
<Thatâs right. But...>
âWhat is it?â
<I didnât see anything back then, but afterwards, a female friend of mine who went with me, Ikuta Tomoko, claimed that she felt like she was being followed by a ghost.>
While she hadnât experienced any spiritual phenomena there, the subsequent turn of events of being followed by a ghost was similar to Makiâs.
âDid she say that she had seen the ghost?â
<She did. Apparently the ghost stood outside the window, staring at her.>
âWas she able to tell the gender of the ghost?â
<She said it was a male ghost⊠I didnât really believe her at the time. I thought she was just mistaken, but...>
Momokaâs tone grew frail in an instant.
âTomoko-san disappeared afterwards...â
<Yes. It was really out of nowhere. She didnât show up on campus, and her phone was out of reach...>
âHave the police been notified?â
<They have. Iâve even submitted a missing persons report, but there was no development afterwards, and time went on...>
âAnd Tomoko-sanâs whereabouts are still unknown until now?â
<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 Tomokoâs 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 Ishiiâs voice instantly softened her once hardened heart.
âItâs Makoto.â
<M-Makoto-san! Actually, something terrible came up!> Ishii spoke in a panic.
âI know. Iâve heard it from Yakumo-kun. Apparently Haruka disappeared, right?â
<You knew?>
âYes. Things really took a worse turn...â
<Right.>
Ishiiâs 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.
Heâd 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.
âTruth is, I wanted to ask you to investigate something in relation to that.â
<What is it?>
âRegarding a woman named Ikuta Tomoko-san.â
<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.
âSorry for the trouble. Iâll leave it to you.â
<Of course. Whatever it takes, we have to find Haruka-chanâ>
âYes.â
After hanging up, a small question emerged in Makotoâs 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.
âYouâre finally here. I got tired of waiting,â Eishin said so openly.
It might have been a trait of his to not be satisfied without complaining.
âShut up,â Gotou clicked his tongue when he arrived in front of Eishin.
At the sight of Yakumo following behind Gotou, Eishinâs expression stiffened.
âThings certainly have gotten worse,â he said in a friendly tone unlike how heâd spoken to Gotou moments before.
Eishin wasnât 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.
âRight. Anyway, can you quickly take me to the girl who experienced a spiritual phenomenon?â Yakumo said in haste.
âI know. Iâve informed them in advance. Letâs go.â
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, Gotouâs 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, âCome in.â
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 wasnât surprising, considering she had trouble sleeping out of fear from ghosts.
âIâll cut to the chase, could you talk about the spiritual phenomenon you experienced one more time?â Yakumo brought up the subject matter after some basic greetings.
Yakumoâs 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.
âI see⊠you mentioned that the ghost gets closer and closer every day. Is that the case even now?â Yakumo asked whilst casting his gaze across the room.
Gotou and the rest couldnât see a thing. But such wasnât the case for Yakumo. Reflected in that red left eye of his was a world unlike this one.
âYes.â
âSpeaking of, since when have you put up these cardboards over your windows?â
âSince about four days ago. Iâm too scared...â Sana replied, teary eyed.
âYou saw the ghost a week ago, is that right?â asked Yakumo to confirm.
Sana nodded with a thin voice, âYes.â
âYou said you saw the ghost come closer through the window, which window was it?â
âThat one.â
Sana pointed at the largest window in her room.
âCan I take a look at it?â 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.
âWhich road did you see the ghost on?â Yakumo asked as he remained fixated on the view outside the window.
âThe one right in front of my house.â
âDid you see it during a specific time? Such as throughout the day or nighttime...â
Sana shook her head at Yakumoâs question. âDay or night, she was always standing on that road whenever I looked out of this room.â
âWere you looking out from where Iâm at right now?â
Sana set aside the hands that had been covering her face, and after confirming Yakumoâs position, she nodded over and over.
âYes...â
âI see...â 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 Sanaâs 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 wasâ
A girl walking along the road directly in front of the house. Aligning with Sanaâs testimony, the girl was wearing a uniform.
âNot her,â 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.
âPlease be rest assured. The ghost outside wonât be able to enter this room,â Yakumo gently pacified her.
âEh?â
Sana stared at Yakumo.
âThat ghost was just lonely.â
âR-really?â
âYeah. So thereâs no need for you to worry. If youâre still uneasy, you can pour some salt on all four corners of the room. That way, she wonât be able to get in.â
â......â
Sanaâs expression was overcome with relief and she fell down to her knees listlessly.
Her fear seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
âThen, Iâll excuse myself,â 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.
âWhat you told that girl, was that true?â he asked once they went in the car.
âIt was a lie,â Yakumo said nonchalantly.
âWhat?â
âWe wouldnât have to struggle if ghosts could be sent away by pouring some salt.â
âYou⊠in that case, the ghost might just appear in that room, then?â
âThere were no ghosts in that room. Of course, same goes for the road in front of that houseââ
He had probably said something random to close the case since he couldnât see any ghosts around.
Howeverâ
âMaybe it just wasnât there earlier?â
Yakumo himself had often spoken of how ghosts didnât always stay in the same location.
âPlease think about it carefully. She was terrified because the ghost got closer to her house day after day.â
âYeah.â
âHow could she have known that?â
âHow⊠well, because she witnessed it from her window.â
âShe had covered all the windows in her room with cardboard. She shouldnât have been able to look outside.â
âAh.â
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 hadnât been able to look out the window since then, making it impossible for her to have seen the ghost.
âFurthermore, if she merely stood in front of the window, she wouldnât be able to see the road right in front of her house.â
Indeed, that was true.
Without poking oneâs head out the window and looking down, the road in front wouldnât be visible.
âSo she made up the fact that she saw a ghost?â
âNo. 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, itâs something like a mental disturbance.â
I see.
If they had told the frightened Sana that she was merely hallucinating, she wouldnât believe them.
Thus, Yakumo had consoled her by saying that the ghost wouldnât 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 earlierâ
Having understood things, Gotouâs thoughts were led in a different direction.
âSo we came here for nothingâŠ?â
It was crushing for them to be wasting time while Harukaâs whereabouts were currently unknown like this.
âAt the very least we can eliminate it as an unrelated case. Next, we shall regroup with Makoto-san.â
âRight,â
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
-
âSo you came againââ Hata sounded fed up at the sight of Ishiiâs face visiting him.
Such a reaction couldnât 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.
âM-my apologies,â Ishii entered Hataâs office whilst wording his apology.
âToo bad, but if this is about the autopsy result, as I mentioned last night, I still donât know myself,â Hata reminded.
Of course, Ishii was aware of the fact. Even he knew the situation wouldnât change in a matter of hours.
âActually, Iâm here for a separate matter...â
âA separate matter? Well, whatever. Donât just stand there, why donât you take a seat?â
Ishii bowed repeatedly and sat on the nearest chair.
âYouâre not with that Takobozu[3] today?â 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.
âYes. Heâs currently gathering information elsewhere.â
âSo, what is this separate matter you wanted to ask?â Hata asked as he sipped his tea.
âY-yes. Iâd like to ask you about someone...â
âWho?â
âDo you know of a Kawakami Kei?â
When Ishii spoke of the name, Hataâs bulging eyes flickered. He looked astonished at the sudden mention of it.
Even so, Ishii himself had been surprised upon hearing Hataâs name come up as the name of the strange man in the basement who had been close acquaintances with Kawakami, according to Satou.
âWhy are you suddenly asking about Kawakami-kun?â
It was no surprise for Hata to question the fact.
Ishii then explained how the spiritual phenomenon at Kawakamiâs residence might be connected to a string of cases, including the corpse discovery by Yakumo and the others.
âI seeââ Hata nodded after hearing the story to finish, lost in feelings. âKawakami-kun was a truly diligent man...â
Hata narrowed his eyes as if reminiscing the past.
âWere the two of you close?â
âSince Iâm like this, there was lots of prejudice from other doctors. Theyâd mock me behind my back, calling me a demon and such.â
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 didnât put it into words.
âKawakami-kun was the only one who didnât act that way.â
âI see...â
âHe might be diligent, but Kawakami-kun himself was a peculiar man.â
âPeculiar how?â
âWhen you become a doctor, youâll 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.â
âItâs possible to get used to such a thing?â Ishii expressed his doubt. He felt like death was an exceptional occurrence no matter what.
âItâs 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,â
âOh...â
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.
âBeing used to it is terrifying. Left the way it is, we could just become indifferent to death.â
âRight,â
âBut Kawakami-kun was different. He often came over to my place whenever his patient passed away.â
âWhy so?â
âWho knows. Itâs just that I often had discussions on the topic of death with Kawakami-kun.â
âOn the topic of death?â
They hadnât been taking enjoyment in discussions about movies or music, but had instead discussed death as a conversation subject, something Ishii didnât view as appropriate.
Ishii stated the fact, and Hata shook his head in disbelief.
âWhatâs not appropriate about it? Humans, no matter who they are, will die eventually. Yet no human can explain what death would actually be like.â
âArenât doctors capable of explaining that?â
âWhen it comes to the death of the flesh, sure. But humans have spirits. Even if thereâs no way to prove its existence, spirits indeed exist. Since you guys are with Yakumo-kun a lot, you should know that.â
âI suppose soââ
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 hadnât 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 Yakumoâs red left eye since way back. That curiosity might have stemmed from his extraordinary interest towards death.
âOur conversation got sidetracked,â Hata mocked himself, scratching at his cheek.
Indeed, their conversation had gone off course into the views surrounding death for quite some time.
âCould you tell me what Kawakami-sensei was like in the days leading to his disappearance?â Ishii returned to the main topic at hand.Â
It was what he had wanted to ask Hata the most. Perhaps the answer could serve as a clue to the reason behind Kawakamiâs disappearance and his whereabouts.
âYouâve heard about Kawakami-kunâs wife and daughter, havenât you?â
âYes.â
âSince that incident, Kawakami-kunâs condition indeed became strange.â
âStrange in what way exactly?â
âHe began thinking about death more seriously. Especially pertaining to his daughterâs condition.â
âIf Iâm not mistaken, his daughter was declared brain dead...â
âThatâs right. Humans in a brain dead state canât move or speak out of their own will. Without relying on medical equipment, they canât even so much as breathe.â
âRight.â
Ishii understood the fact as such had been the case for Isshin as well.
âBut medically, theyâre still alive. Even so, can we truly consider a human who can no longer move or even think for themselves as being âaliveâ?â
âWell...â
âIf spirits do exist, then where are the spirits of people who are brain dead?â
â......â
âBecause of his daughterâs condition, Kawakami began mulling over such matters more than before.â
âAnd then he disappearedâŠâ
âPretty much. Though thereâs one thing I canât wrap my mind on,â Hata looked sharply at Ishii.
âWhat is it?â
âOne day after Kawakami-kun disappeared off somewhere, his daughter drew her final breathââ
âRight.â
âWhich 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.â
Hataâs words felt heavy.
The odd feeling that had been bothering Ishii since hearing Satouâs story earlier now led him to a certain deduction.
Perhaps Kawakami hadnât 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 daughterâs life.
The time difference might just be from killing his daughter by administering medication.
However, Ishii couldnât utter that analysis out loud.
-
17
-
Right as Makoto arrived at Makiâs apartment building, a car slid to a stop.
Exiting the car were Yakumo and Gotou.
Howâs 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 didnât go the way they had hoped.
âLetâs hurry up and go,â Gotou wanted to get inside straight away, but Makoto prevented him.
âActually, one testimony caught my attention when I was looking into spiritual phenomena at that location,â 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.
âDid something like that really happen?â 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, itâd be impossible for someone to be dragged away by a ghost as seen in horror movies.
And yetâ
âThe 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.â
That was Makotoâs 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 kidnappedâan 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 werenât supposed to find out at that location.
Haruka might have been kidnapped for the very same reason.
âA very intriguing story,â Yakumo placed a hand over his angular chin.
âI 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.â Makoto added.
âAs expected of Makoto-san. Youâre helping me by acting so quickly,â Yakumo nodded.
âBut does that old case really have something to do with all this? If it turned out like just now...â
âTo know that for certain, let us go,â Yakumo interrupted Gotouâs expression of doubt.
Makoto agreed with Yakumoâs perspective. There were various things that concerned them, but firstly they needed to meet with the related parties.
âGot it. Letâs go.â
Makoto led them through the apartment building entrance and pressed the buttons for Makiâs apartment number.
âCome in,â 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 Makiâs 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.
âOver hereââ
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.
Makiâs 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, Yakumoâs red left eye should be able to see it.
It was of no exaggeration to say that the credibility of Makiâs testimony was currently being measured.
âAbout the spiritual phenomenon you experienced, what was it like exactly?â 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.
âI heard youâre being followed by a ghost. Did you see its figure? Or perhaps you didnât, yet you sense its presence?â Yakumo asked again, now staring at Maki.
âErm⊠I did see the ghost. But it had a black, shadow-like appearance...â Maki spoke with a stiff expression.
She might have been frightened by Yakumoâs 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 Yakumoâs red left eye.
âOn what occasions did you see that ghost?â
âOn the streets when Iâm heading home from class, or when I looked out the window, he was standing across the road below...â
Hearing Makiâs explanation, Yakumo slowly walked towards the window.
âHave you ever seen the ghost here indoors?â asked Yakumo.
Makiâs gaze drifted as if deep in thought. âNo. I donât think Iâve seen it inside before.â
âIn that case, Iâd like to confirm what happened at the warehouse.â
âYes.â
âYou and your friends opened the box there, didnât you?â
Maki replied to Yakumoâs question with a nod. âWe did open it.â
âAnd you didnât see the contents at the time?â
âYeah, since it was dark. Besides, that man suddenly appeared in the darkness...â 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.Â
âPlease tell me in detail about the man you saw there.â
Perhaps in an attempt to soothe Maki, Yakumo spoke in an incredibly gentle tone.
âOkay.â
âI heard the eyes of the man who appeared before you were red just like my left eye, are you certain of it?â
Maki took one look at Yakumo and turned away before giving an affirmative reply. âYes.â
âIs the shadow following you the same as the man at the warehouse?â
âI think so...â
âAlright. One more thing.â
âYes.â
âYour other friends who went to the warehouse with you saw the man with red eyes too, right?â
âThatâs right.â
âIs no one else being followed by a ghost?â
âI think Iâm the only one,â 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.
âYour information has been helpful. Thank you,â Yakumo then turned away from Maki.
âUm, so, what should I doâŠ?â Maki said in a pleading voice.
âMakoto-san, Gotou-san, one moment?â Yakumo called out looking at them, leaving the room shortly after.
Makoto and Gotou exchanged glances and followed Yakumo out of Makiâs apartment.
With the door now closed and their eyes meeting in the halls outside, Yakumo spoke in a low voice, âNo ghost is following her, and there was nothing of the sort inside her room either.â
âSo she was just mistaken?â asked Makoto, who had somewhat guessed it from Yakumoâs reaction back in the room.
âI canât say that either. Since itâs just a matter of nothingâs there right now.â
Certainly, that was true.
It would be too risky to write everything off as a false alarm solely from the fact that the ghost wasnât present at this point in time. Ghosts didnât always stick around the same spot.
âStill, somethingâs bothering me a bit,â Yakumo placed his index finger between his forehead.
âWhat is?â
âSuppose 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 wavelengthsââ
âRight,â
âAnd one more thing. Iâm curious whether the person she saw at the warehouse and the shadow following her were indeed the same.â
âYouâre saying theyâre different?â Gotou interjected.
âJust a hunch, but I think that we need to factor in that possibility,â said Yakumo, putting a stop to the discussion.
In other words, nothing seemed certain to them for now. Makoto was aware they shouldnât panic, yet uneasiness spread throughout her chest.
âWhat should we do after this?â asked Makoto.
Yakumoâs face turned bitter. âRight. Makoto-san, please inform her to observe the situation a little longer. Tell her to reach out immediately if any ghosts appear later onââ
âGot it.â
âThen, can I ask one more thing from you?â
âSure.â
âIâd like you to gather a little more information on the past spiritual phenomena at that warehouse.â
âLeave it to me,â Makoto responded, yet she felt that instruction from Yakumo was irrelevant.
Perhaps in the face of panic, Yakumo was looking in the wrong directionâ
-
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 Makotoâs 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 hadnât been any witnesses, the case had become forgotten with time.
In reality, this happened often.
Ishii promptly contacted Makoto on his phone.
<Hello?>
âThis is Ishii Yuutarou.â
<I know,> Makoto replied, stifling out a laugh.
This sort of banter had seemed to become a routine between them.
âAbout the matter you requested...â
<Youâve found something?>
Makotoâs tone raised in an instant.
âYes.â Ishii then shared the result of his investigation with Makoto.
Finished listening to Ishiiâs explanation, Makoto mumbled, <So it was true after allâ>
âDoes the missing person case from three years ago have something to do with the current case?â asked Ishii.
Makoto gave a pause as if thinking. <I donât know for sure. But that case felt similar to the case from a woman name Maki-san who came to consult me this time around.>
âI suppose so...â
<Anyway, Iâll let Yakumo-kun know about this fact.>
âAh, about that, let me contact him. There are other things I need to report to him as well.â
<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.
âUm...â Ishii began.
âI know,â Miyagawa replied as he crashed on his seat. âIâve asked a bunch of neighbours around that house and apparently ever since the accident, the family hardly interacted with their neighbours.â
âIs that so...â
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.
âAfter her sonâs disappearance, Harue lived by herself there, but she quickly fell ill and became constantly bedridden.â
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 sonâ
Ishiiâs chest grew tighter, imagining the time she had spent in that lonely hospital bed after a string of constant loss.
âWell, the point is, I didnât manage to find out anything useful,â Miyagawa laughed mockingly at himself.
No, that wasnât 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.
âWerenât you going to call someone just now?â Miyagawa brought Ishii to his senses, phone still in hand as he had intended to call Yakumo earlier.
âAh yes, excuse me for a bit,â 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. Harukaâs safety was in his mind the entire time.
âI managed to learn a number of interesting thingsââ
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 Hataâs story in particular, inquiring about it in more detail in terms of nuances and such.
The conversation back then had remained fresh in Ishiiâs 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?> Yakumoâs response to that information was clearly unlike the rest.
He seemed to think that this fact was rather crucial.
âYes.â
<Can I have a look at the documents?>
âYes. Iâll bring it over.â
<Please do. Ah, before that, if there are any photos of that woman, Iâd like to have it sent over by email or something.>
âUnderstood.â
Ishii should be able to handle something that simple.
<Little by little, I feel like Iâm starting to see the outline of this case,> Yakumo mumbled.
âEh? Really?â Ishii sounded much louder than he had imagined that he took himself by surprise.
Even so, there was no chance he wouldnât be surprised over this.
<Yes. I donât have any proof yet, but we might be able to find her.>
âThank goodness,â 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 shouldnât let our guard down. Considering how that woman operatesâ>
Yakumoâs words seemingly echoed in layers within Ishiiâs ear canal.
He was right. They shouldnât 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 womanâs cold, sadistic smile made its way into Ishiiâs 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 werenât mistaken in thinking that the place bore a connection to Harukaâs 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 wasnât 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 Miyukiâs objective.
I definitely wonât let that happen. That strong resolve was born within Gotou.
âPlease stop staring at me like that. Itâs gross,â cursed Yakumo.
He might be acting normally, but the absence of composure in his words was obvious. Despite that, Gotou didnât point it out.
Yakumo was well aware of the fact, more than anyone else.
âShut up. Anyway, letâs go.â
Gotou began walking in vigour, but Yakumo called to stop him. âWait a moment.â
He turned around to find Yakumo looking at his phone screen.
Peering over, he saw a photo of a woman displayed there. Someone he didnât recognise.
âWhoâs that?â
âI asked Ishii-san to send it over.â
âAah.â Hearing that, it all made sense to Gotou.
He had overheard Yakumoâs conversation with Ishii moments ago. It must be the woman who had disappeared after visiting this warehouse three years ago.
âThat woman is connected to this case?â
âYes. Iâm certain after seeing the photo,â Yakumo said so firmly.
âWhatâs the connection?â
âSheâs the oneââ
Yakumoâs red left eye had a sharp glint to it.
âOf what?â
âThe female ghost who came to my place.â
âWhat!?â
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 Yakumoâs place.
To think that the identity of that ghost was the woman who had disappeared three years agoâ
It felt as if a piece of the scattered puzzle had finally found its way to its rightful placement.
âIn any case, that means we really gotta check inside this warehouse one more time,â 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.
âAnyway, letâs hurry and go,â 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 couldnât be that the man got cold feet at the last minute.
âWhatâs wrong?â Gotou asked, but Yakumo gave no reply.
Still, he was staring straight into the buildingâno, that wasnât it. Yakumo was looking even further away.Â
Towards the densely populated little forest just ahead of the building.
âYouâŠâ 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 thereâ
âwas 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.
âThis was dug up only recently,â Yakumo said as if he had read Gotouâs mind.
âHowâd you know?â
âTake a look at this,â Yakumo traced the surface of the box with his finger.
The dirt covering the boxâs surface came off following the trail of Yakumoâs 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 hadnât always been placed here, but had been dug out recently by someone.
Still, something didnât make sense to him.
âWhat is this box exactly?â 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.
âWeâll know once we open it,â 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.
âWhat on earth is this...â
âIkuta Tomoko-san who disappeared three years ago,â said Yakumo, who then closed his eyes quietly.
-
Translation Notes
[1] Umibozu (æ”·ćäž») is a bald, humanoid sea-spirit creature from Japanese folklore.
[2] Police contact form (ć·ĄćéŁç”Ąă«ăŒă) is a form one fills out with contact information for the police to use in the event of emergencies.
[3] Takobozu (ăăćäž») is a word for someone with a bald or shaved head, perhaps like calling someone âbaldyâ, but I left it untranslated as to not lose reference to the prior Umibozu nickname.
So you're telling me: we're getting both the second volume of Shin Yakumo and the fourth volume of the complete version in spring, the fifth volume of the complete version from around summer to fall, a third volume of INITIAL FILE + the sixth volume of the complete version in winter, and a new adaptation??!!!
That's 5 illustration covers, more of my OTP, more of my favorite found family, and more of our chaotic socially awkward duo. Not to mention an adaptation by none other than the GOAT herself!!!!!!
My scan of the bonus paper from the September 2009 issue of Monthly Asuka Magazine that I got my hands on recently, in which the second chapter of Oda Suzuka's Shinrei Tantei Yakumo manga adaptation was published (edited to black and white + original blue color print).
Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Chapter 2 Published!
Monthly Asuka September Issue
"Thank you for purchasing!
Please enjoy the shocking (?!) second chapter as well!"
July 2009 ăŒ Oda Suzuka.
In light of the massive recent announcement confirming the manga adaptation of Shinrei Tantei Yakumo - Initial File that's also going to be serialised by Oda Suzuka starting spring next year, I find it hard to believe just how much time has passed since, and I feel incredibly lucky to be here to witness this series turn several new chapters over in its lifetime throughout the recent years. I hope you guys are as excited as I am to see what the future has to offer for it still!