Book 7. Chapter 2 |
file 02: witch (TRANSLATION NOTES)
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1
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After parking the car, Ishii took deep breaths .
He was near the Tamo River at one corner of the residential street, in front of the <Kinoshita Surgery: Maternity and Gynaecology Department > .
A flat-roofed three-storey building with white walls – it stood uncannily in the darkness .
The first time Ishii came here was about half a year ago, during his first case with Gotou . During that case, the owner of this hospital was arrested, so it was now empty .
All the windows were covered by curtains, and weeds grew at the entrance . The sign with the name of the hospital was written in dirty undistinguishable letters .
Ishii thought Nanase Miyuki was hiding in this building .
‘Why do you think she’s here?’ asked Miyagawa .
'There are materials she could use here to treat herself without being spotted . Those are the requirements . ’
'But there are other abandoned hospitals . ’
Just as Miyagawa said, there were other abandoned hospitals too, if those were the only requirements . However, if they became too old, the materials couldn’t be used for treatment . Furthermore –
'The man with two red eyes was involved in the case with Doctor Kinoshita . Though she didn’t appear in the foreground, Nanase Miyuki was probably involved as well… so she must know about this place . ’
That was why Ishii thought that Nanase Miyuki would use <Kinoshita Surgery: Maternity and Gynaecology Department> as her hideout .
'Why do you think she’d choose a place she knows?’
'I used geographic profiling . ’
'Profiling, eh? How complicated . ’
Miyagawa smiled wryly .
'That isn’t the case . Profiling is just thinking from the standpoint of the criminal . ’
'Though people look as if they are behaving erratically, they unconsciously limit their actions . ’
'Limit?’
Miyagawa cocked his head .
'Yes . Concealment means hiding yourself . People unconsciously choose some place they think is safer . ’
'So places you don’t know are unsafe . ’
'There are exceptions, but this is not an escape but concealment . Furthermore, she is injured . There is a high risk to hiding in a place you don’t know . ’
'Well, instead of thinking about it, we’ll find out if we go in . ’
As Miyagawa said that, he got off the car .
Ishii took the torch and got off the car .
– Nanase Miyuki might be here .
Now, fear welled within him and his feet froze . However, he had suggested this himself . He couldn’t run now .
'Let’s go . ’
Unlike Ishii, Miyagawa spoke as lightly as if they were heading out for a stroll and walked briskly . Ishii gulped and started walking as well .
They stood in front of the glass entrance .
'All right . ’
Then, Miyagawa smashed the glass, put his hand in and unlocked the door .
That was the person who taught Gotou for you . His methods were forceful .
'Don’t dawdle . ’
'Y-yes sir . ’
Ishii went into the building, hiding behind Miyagawa’s back .
Ishii lit the torch . Though they were small, there was a reception and waiting room and a cavernous corridor beyond them .
– I’m really frightened .
Ishii wanted to cling to something, so he stuck to Miyagawa’s back .
'That’s creepy . Back off . ’
Miyagawa pushed Ishii away .
'I-I apologise . ’
'I’ll look at the examination room . You check the delivery room,’ said Miyagawa, sounding exasperated . Then he opened the door and went into the examination room .
– I’m going alone?
Ishii wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and gripped the torch tightly . He felt like his heart would leap out of his throat .
The delivery room was at the end of the corridor .
Ishii walked a step at a time .
'It’s OK . It’s OK . ’
Ishii said that to himself as he pushed open the door to the delivery room .
Then, the smell of disinfectant assaulted his nose . Without thinking, he covered his nose and mouth with his hand .
On the dusty metal cart, there were medicine and medical tools, and there was a bed in the middle of the room .
Ishii immediately noticed something was strange .
There were bandages at his feet . He turned the torch towards them and realised they were bloody .
'It’s still fresh…’
When Ishii spoke up, he saw something move in the corner of his eye .
'Eh?’
It was too late when he noticed .
Something leapt out of the darkness and attacked Ishii .
Ishii couldn’t even scream .
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2
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'Hello!’ said Haruka, opening the door to the soba restaurant .
They dropped by after seeing Masato off .
It was thirty minutes by car from Nagano city . It was a soba restaurant for tourists, the middle of five at the bottom of Togakushi mountain .
It had a long history – a wooden shop with a thatch roof . White walls that stood out even from the road . It had a wide parking lot . Besides the table for eight inside the shop, there were two tatami rooms . There was also an inn, though it was simple and at a bit of a distance .
To be frank, it was Haruka’s home .
'Sorry, we’re already closed…’
Haruka’s mother, Keiko, came out of the kitchen in an apron .
'I’m back . ’
'Oh, it’s you, Haruka,’ replied Keiko, sounding a bit disappointed .
'Couldn’t you be a bit more surprised?’
Haruka pouted, but Keiko didn’t care . She didn’t respond to anything . That was her personality .
'My body wouldn’t be able to bear it if I was surprised by everything you did . ’
'It’s not like I do anything that surprising . ’
'Really now . Didn’t you come home crying about how “Yakumo-kun disappeared” the other time?’
– She couldn’t say anything to that .
'I wasn’t crying . ’
'Oh really,’ said Keiko mischievously .
Haruka wanted to retort, but she couldn’t just keep talking like this .
'Hey, friends came with me, but could I ask them in?’
Haruka didn’t wait for Keiko’s answer . She opened the sliding door and showed Yakumo and Gotou in .
'Sorry to bother . ’
Gotou passed through the curtain first .
'Oh my, you’re Nao-chan’s…’
Keiko clapped her hands together before Haruka could introduce him .
Haruka had thought they hadn’t met before, but now that she thought about it, they’d met at Isshin’s funeral .
'Oh, is this your home, Haruka-chan?’ said Gotou, looking at Keiko .
'I didn’t say?’
'Didn’t hear anything about it . ’
'If you’re going in, please hurry up . You’re in the way,’ interrupted Yakumo, sounding displeased .
'You’re so fussy,’ complained Gotou, but he stepped inside the shop to let Yakumo in .
'Oh, Yakumo-kun too!’
Though Keiko didn’t have much of a response to her daughter’s return home, when she saw Yakumo, she was so pleased it looked like she’d leap up .
'Hello . ’
Yakumo greeted her with his usual expression .
'What is it? Why are you all here?’
Keiko was as excited as if she had met old friends ago .
'A lot happened . ’
'Oh, did you decide when to have your marriage?’
'Whose?’
'What? Don’t play dumb . ’
Haruka refused to be dragged along by Keiko’s excitement .
'Anyway, I’m starved . ’
Gotou interrupted the parent-child banter .
'We came all this way because you said you’d let us eat something . ’
Yakumo made a follow-up comment .
It seemed like neither of them knew the word restraint .
'Sorry . This was so sudden . The part-time worker’s already gone home, so it’ll just be whatever we have on hand . ’
'I don’t mind . ’
'No problem here . ’
After Yakumo and Gotou replied, Keiko urged them to sit – 'Would the tatami room be all right?’ – and they went to the tatami room .
The three of them sat at a long table .
Haruka hadn’t thought she’d be here at home with Yakumo and Gotou . It was strange .
'Anyway, I’ll get a beer,’ said Gotou the moment he sat down, without looking at the menu .
'You can’t drive if you drink, right?’ interrupted Yakumo .
'We can just sleep in the car . ’
'I refuse . ’
'A sleeping bag and a car seat aren’t that different, right?’
'How about this?’ interrupted Keiko . She had a hand at her waist with a triumphant expression . Haruka had a somewhat bad feelings .
'You can just stay here,’ said Keiko, eyes sparkling .
'Eh?’
Ignoring Haruka’s surprise, Gotou slapped his knee . 'That’d be great . ’
'We don’t have many hands since it’s the off season, so we won’t be able to do much for you . ’
'Anywhere’s fine as long as I can sleep . Yakumo, let’s stay here tonight . ’
Gotou hit Yakumo’s shoulder to ask for his agreement .
For just a moment, Haruka’s eyes met Yakumo’s . Even though it wasn’t like they would be sleeping together, Haruka’s face suddenly grew hot and she looked down at the tatami without thinking .
'If it isn’t any trouble,’ said Yakumo, running a hand through his hair .
'OK! It’s decided then . ’
After saying that, Keiko took a bottle of beer out of the fridge and placed it on the table along with glasses for all of them .
Gotou opened the bottle immediately and started pouring beer into each glass .
For some reason, Yakumo was looking at the amber-coloured liquid filling his glass unpleasantly .
Perhaps –
'Yakumo-kun, you can’t drink?’
He glared at her .
With Keiko, Gotou called out and they clinked their glasses for form’s sake .
Yakumo stuck took one sip, like he was lapping it out of the glass, and then he stuck out his tongue again, scowling . It looked like he really couldn’t drink .
– That’s a bit cute .
When Keiko asked for their orders, Gotou just said, 'We’ll leave it to you . ’
'Leave it to me then,’ said Keiko . She finished drinking her glass of beer and then went into the kitchen .
Haruka couldn’t hear clearly, but there was talking in the kitchen . Keiko was probably talking with Haruka’s father, Kazuhiro .
'This your parents’ shop, Haruka-chan?’ asked Gotou, pouring himself a second glass of beer .
'Yes . Though there are also a number of part-time workers . ’
'Is your dad the cook?’
'My father’s fairly famous . He’s even been in some gourmet magazines . ’
'Oh? We should greet him . Since we’ll be staying for a night . ’
'I’ll introduce you afterwards . ’
When Haruka finished speaking, there was a loud cracking sound of something breaking in the kitchen .
– What?
Haruka turned around to see Kazuhiro fly out of the kitchen with a red face .
He had a small frame with his hair trimmed short, but his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes were low on his face, so he looked a bit unreliable . He was normally gentle – Haruka couldn’t remember him ever being angry .
Now, Kazuhiro’s cheeks were twitching and he was gritting his teeth as he glared .
’D-Dad, I’m home . ’
Haruka called out to him, but Kazuhiro didn’t appear to hear . He alternated his glare between Yakumo and Gotou .
'Which one’s Yakumo?’ asked Kazuhiro in a low voice .
Haruka looked at the kitchen and saw Keiko peering out from inside as she stifled her laughter .
'He’s Yakumo . ’
Ignoring Haruka, who was troubled for a response, Yakumo pointed at Gotou with a disinterested expression .
'You?’
'Hah?’
Kazuhiro approached Gotou .
Gotou cocked his head in confusion .
'Somebody like you . ’
'Hah?’
'What’s good about this unattractive middle-aged man?’
Kazuhiro looked at Haruka .
There appeared to be a crazy misunderstanding .
'That’s not it . Yakumo’s that one . ’
Gotou seemed to realise what had happened and pointed at Yakumo .
'What?’
With the speed of a beast hunting prey, Kazuhiro looked to Yakumo, but Yakumo just looked with disinterest at the soba refining process written on the back of the menu .
'He treats Haruka-chan like a slave . If you don’t do something soon, it’ll be a problem,’ Gotou continued with a large grin as he fanned the fire .
'A-a slave?’
Kazuhiro’s eyes went so wide they looked like they would fall out .
Kazuhiro was serious, but because of that, he didn’t understand jokes . He believed everything he was told .
'All right, all right . Calm down a bit, dear . ’
Keiko, perhaps satisfied by the teasing she’d done, took Kazuhiro’s arm and pulled him back into the kitchen .
– This is the worst .
Haruka lay on the table, exhausted .
'Why is your father picking a fight with me?’ complained Yakumo, his chin in his hands .
'Because you’re toying with his unmarried daughter . ’
Gotou’s shoulders were shaking in laughter .
'What are you talking about?’
'Don’t act like you don’t understand . ’
'I don’t . ’
Even Yakumo was angry now .
There was no point continuing this conversation .
'Hey . What are we going to do next?’
Haruka sat up straight and changed the topic .
'Ah, that’s right . Let’s clean this up fast,’ agreed Gotou, placing his glass on the table .
'I’m also curious about where that girl has disappeared to . ’
Yakumo had looked tired, but his gaze suddenly became serious .
'Is that girl OK?’
'Yes, probably . ’
Yakumo replied to Gotou’s question .
'How do you know?’
'Earlier, we discussed being spirited away . ’
'Yeah . ’
'This is my theory, but I think that such incidents are caused by ghosts . ’
'What do you mean?’
Gotou’s face twisted in confusion .
'Tengu and demons only exist in humans’ imaginations . Things that do not exist cannot make somebody disappear . ’
'Right,’ replied Gotou with a belch .
'However, people really do disappear without any notice – in that sense, people are spirited away . Then why do they disappear?’
'They were in some sort of accident . ’
Haruka said the first thing that came to mind . Then, Yakumo glared at her .
'I’m not talking about accidents right now . ’
’S-sorry . ’
You don’t have to say it that way – Yakumo was unusually displeased, perhaps because of what just happened earlier .
'So why do they disappear?’
Gotou went back on topic .
'Probably…’
As Yakumo said that, Kazuhiro brought bowls for the three of them on a wooden tray .
Kazuhiro wasn’t good with words so he rarely left the kitchen, leaving the customers to Keiko . So what was happening now –
Kazuhiro placed the bowls in front of them silently .
He didn’t forget to glare at Yakumo when he left .
'What’s this?’
Gotou stuck his chopsticks into the bowl .
'You don’t know? It’s sobagaki[1] . ’
'Sobagaki?’
Gotou cocked his head .
Though it was famous in Nagano as local cuisine, it wasn’t common in Tokyo restaurants – perhaps there were many people he didn’t know about it .
'Buckwheat flour is kneaded into a mochi-like state . It’s delicious . ’
Its appearance and colour was similar to a rock, but its fluffy texture and the way the aroma of buckwheat spread through your mouth was amazing .
'Oh! This goes well with the beer . ’
As Gotou ate, he expressed his pleasure .
'Right?’
It made Haruka happy to hear her home cooking praised .
Come to think of it, Haruka hadn’t eaten sobagaki at home much recently either . After murmuring 'Let’s eat’ in her heart, she picked up her chopsticks . Kazuhiro’s sobagaki was softer than the other stores’ . That feeling filled her mouth .
– This taste . It’s Dad’s .
'Is this really sobagaki? It just looks like a rock to me,’ said Yakumo, ruining the atmosphere .
– Honestly . This contrary guy .
'If you’re going to say that, you don’t have to eat . ’
'Look . ’
Yakumo showed the inside of his bowl .
There was a plop as a rock rolled in his bowl .
Haruka couldn’t believe it . Yakumo’s bowl had a real rock in it .
'Hey! Dad!’
Haruka let out an angry yell .
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3
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'Ack . ’
Ishii fell backwards .
The black shadow that came flying at him was human . The person sat on top of Ishii and swung something .
A sharp pain ran through his left shoulder .
'Aah!’
It appeared he had been stabbed by something .
He looked to see a surgical scalpel . It had stabbed the top of his shoulder . Blood was coming out, dyeing his shirt .
'Ishii-san, it’s been a while . ’
He heard a voice in his ear .
Though it had a bewitching echo to it, there was something incredibly dark eddying in it . It was a voice he could never forget .
– Nanase Miyuki .
'You can scream if it hurts . ’
Nanase Miyuki brought herself close to Ishii’s face .
The left half of her was covered in burns . There was no trace of her graceful self .
Miyuki twisted the scalpel in Ishii’s shoulder, gouging the wound . A pain incomparable to the one earlier ran through his shoulder .
'Ack…’
Ishii bore with the pain .
If I scream now, it’ll be her win – that was how he felt .
'Why not call for help? Chief Miyagawa might come . ’
'Eh?’
She knew that Miyagawa was here .
For her to be so composed – a bad feeling spread within Ishii .
'From that world . ’
Miyuki’s eyes had a cold light .
’T-that’s…’
Miyagawa was killed – Ishii couldn’t accept what Miyuki said .
'Even though I thought you were just useless, you sniffed this place out . You’re unexpectedly troublesome . ’
'I…’
'Would you die already?’
Miyuki smirked .
The terror in Ishii suddenly grew . She wasn’t joking . If she said she would kill him, she really would .
Miyuki pulled the scalpel out of Ishii’s shoulder .
Then, an electrifying pain ran through it, and he twisted his face without thinking .
'Farewell,’ said Miyuki, raising the bloody scalpel .
– No . No . No . I don’t want to die yet!
Within Ishii, stronger than fear, a tenacity for life took root . Compelled by that feeling, Ishii suddenly grabbed Miyuki’s left arm .
'Aah!’
Then, Miyuki screamed and let go of Ishii .
Ishii stood up reflexively .
Miyuki held her left arm as she knelt on the floor and glared at Ishii . Then, Ishii remembered what Higashino had said .
She broke her arm in the accident –
Ishii’s action of the moment had luckily hit her weak point . However, though he had saved his life, that was only temporary . He would be killed unless he got out of this situation .
While pressing the injury in his left shoulder, he confronted Miyuki .
– What do I do?
He tried to work his brain, but his fear was getting in the way . A cold sweat ran down his back and his knees were shaking .
While he couldn’t think of anything, Miyuki slowly got up . Her right hand held the scalpel . He would be killedl ike this .
He tried to run, but his legs wouldn’t move .
– Move, move, move .
He hit his knees, but it was no good . Miyuki slowly walked towards him and raised the scalpel .
– It’s too late .
The moment he thought that, the door opened and Miyagawa ran in .
'Ishii!’
'Chief Miyagawa…’
Miyagawa was bleeding from his forehead . Miyuki had probably hit him .
There was the sound of something cracking .
Ishii looked to see that Miyuki had broken the glass in the window and was about to climb out .
– I have to follow her .
Ishii thought that for a moment before his knees buckled underneath him . His nervousness had fled him .
'You kept your life then . ’
Ishii looked over to see Miyagawa had sat down as well .
It was just as Miyagawa said . It was a good thing she fled –
Ishii heaved a sigh of relief .
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4
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After eating, Gotou went to the separate two-storey building .
He went in through the entrance to see a counter . He got a key there and was taken to the room at the very back of the first floor .
It was a Japanese room of ten tatami in size with a table, fridge and television .
Haruka’s family mainly worked at the soba shop but it had a Japanese inn as well . It seemed that there were quite a number of soba shops with inns for tourists in the Togakushi area .
That was why Keiko could easily tell two men who suddenly came by to stay .
A yukata[2] was prepared for him . Though there was no hot spring, there was a cypress bath, so Gotou submerged himself in it . When he came back, two futon had been laid out .
– Good preparation .
When Gotou opened the fridge, there was a row of beer cans . This was good preparation too .
With no reservation, Gotou opened a can of bear and took a gulp .
It really was different drinking right out of the bath . The cold beer flowed through his warmed body, spreading to every part of him .
After taking a breath, he took out his mobile phone . Ishii had called an incredible number of times, but it was probably nothing, so he ignored Ishii and called home .
<Hello . >
Atsuko picked up at the first ring .
'IT’s me . ’
<Will you be late tonight?>
Atsuko, who didn’t know the situation, sounded relaxed through the phone .
'I don’t think I’ll be back . ’
<Staying overnight?>
'I’m in Nagano now . ’
<Nagano? .
Even Atsuko sounded surprised .
Gotou quickly explained what had happened up until now . When Atsuko said <I see>, it sounded disappointed to Gotou, but it was probably just his imagination .
'So how’s Nao?’ said Gotou, changing the subject . Atsuko’s mood changed in an instant .
<She’s already asleep . She loves the teddy bear she got for her birthday present . She even brought it to the bath . It was quite the problem . ’
Yakumo and Haruka had bought it for Nao’s birthday .
'She likes it that much?’
<She says it looks like you . >
Gotou snorted without thinking .
Come to think of it, when Nao drew a picture of Gotou bear, it looked just like a bear .
He’d asked, 'Am I a bear?’ Then they laughed together .
<Will you be back by tomorrow?>
'I don’t know . It might be a bit tough . ’
They didn’t know anything about this case yet . It didn’t seem like there would be a sudden breakthrough . After coming this far, Gotou planned on sticking with them the whole way .
<Be careful . >
Gotou felt hot at Atsuko’s words .
Am I blushing – no . Just the alcohol .
'Good evening . ’
Just as Gotou hung up, the door to the room opened, and Haruka showed up in room wear .
She had probably just got out of the bath . Her hair was a bit damp .
'Hey . ’
'Oh? Where’s Yakumo-kun?’ asked Haruka, looking around the room .
'Still in the bath . ’
'It’s been a while, hasn’t it?’
'He’s always used the school showers . He’s probably relaxing in the tub . ’
'I see…’
'He’ll probably be back soon though?’
'Then I’ll wait . ’
Haruka sat on the tatami .
'Your dad was pretty angry,’ said Gotou, handing Haruka a can of beer .
'Honestly . That was just too much . ’
Haruka pouted, seeming displeased .
It seemed like she was rather unhappy about her father’s trying to make Yakumo eat a rock . It wasn’t like Gotou didn’t understand how Haruka felt . But –
'I understand how your dad feels . ’
No matter the situation, his daughter, who lived far away, had suddenly brought back a man . There was no way he wouldn’t be angry .
'I didn’t think I’d hear that from you, Gotou-san . ’
'I wouldn’t have understood before . But…’
'Is it Nao-chan?’
'Even I’ve started to feel like a parent . ’
Though it had only been a short time, Nao’s presence had brought a drastic change to the Gotou couple . He felt like this was what it meant to become a parent .
'Would you be angry if Nao-chan brought back a boyfriend?’
'I’d smack him down!’ yelled Gotou, becoming serious without intending to .
'You wouldn’t accept him?’
'Impossible . ’
'How intolerant . ’
'I don’t care . I feel bad for your dad too, Haruka-chan . Since it’s Yakumo of all people . ’
'What dissatisfies you about me?’
With bad timing, Yakumo opened the door and came in .
Since Yakumo had pale skin, his cheeks were flushed more than usual after coming out of the bath . His hair was also straight, unlike its usual bedhead .
'Nothing . ’
'Please think about me, since I have to use the same bath and sleep in the same room as you of all people, Gotou-san . ’
In his yukata, Yakumo casually dried off his hair with a towel and sat cross-legged on the futon .
'If you don’t want to be with me, why not sleep with Haruka-chan?’ said Gotou, knowing Yakumo would be angry .
Just as expected, Yakumo sent Gotou an incredible glare .
Meanwhile, Haruka went red to her eyes and dropped her gaze to the tatami .
'We aren’t in a situation where you can tell jokes that aren’t funny,’ said Yakumo, looking annoyed as he put the towel he used to dry his hair around his neck .
'All right, all right . So what are we going to do?’
Gotou finished drinking his beer, crushed the empty can and left it on the table .
'Continuing where I left off earlier, but I think that the spiriting away incident is related to the ghost Masato saw . ’
When Yakumo said that, Haruka recalled the spirit photo Masato had shown them .
The black shadow by the rock that was a shrine –
'So a ghost made the person disappear?’
'Gotou-san, you’re an idiot,’ said Yakumo, exasperated .
'That’s what you said, right?’
'I didn’t say anything like that . I just said that a ghost was involved . ’
'How is it involved?’ interrupted Haruka .
'Possession . ’
Yakumo’s eyes narrowed .
'Possession – so a ghost took over her body?’ asked Gotou to check .
'Correct . It is likely that a ghost possessed that girl and led her to leave home with her own feet and disappear . ’
'Like hypnotism?’
'Similar . I think that most cases of spiriting away happen like this . ’
Gotou felt like he understood .
He’d seen people possessed by ghosts before . They did things they wouldn’t normally do and even lost consciousness temporarily .
Looking at it like this, it was just like being spirited away .
If the girl called Yumiko was currently in this situation, her illogical actions made sense .
But then Haruka had a question .
'Hey . Is Yumiko-chan all right?’
'I can’t say anything at this stage . Furthermore, I am also concerned about her weakening body . ’
Yakumo’s shoulders fell, as if he was exhausted, and he looked up at the ceiling .
'What do you mean?’
'Exactly what I said . She’s been possessed by a ghost and walking around without drinking or eating . ’
'Three or four days,’ Gotou continued .
Since she disappeared yesterday, today would be the second . They couldn’t relax .
'Hey . Let’s go look for her . ’
Haruka leant forward unconsciously .
'The local police and firefighters will search . Furthermore, if we move around in the forest at night, we’ll be the ones who disappear . ’
Even though Yakumo said that disinterestedly, his expression was hard .
It was just as Yakumo said .
Even if they did the same thing as the police and firefighters were doing, they wouldn’t be much help . They would just have to find Yumiko using the methods only they could use . But –
'What should we do?’
'First, we find out what the ghost Masato saw was – we need to make that clear,’ said Yakumo quietly .
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5
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'Ouch!’
Ishii cried out without thinking .
Though the emergency officers treated his wound, the disinfectant stung more than he thought it would .
But feeling pain was a part of living .
The moment Nanase Miyuki attacked him, the reason Ishii could move his body, frozen from fear, was because of his tenacity for life .
Ishii looked up in pain at the <Kinoshita Surgery: Maternity and Gynaecology Department> building .
It was surrounded by police cars and lit up by outdoor lights . Detectives and forensic officers were running amok .
The quietness from earlier had disappeared .
'You all right?’
Miyagawa walked towards him with a gauze bandage wrapped around his head .
'Yes, somehow… Thank you very much . It would have become a situation if you had not been there, Chief Miyagawa . ’
Ishii bowed his head .
Even though Miyagawa had been injured then, he ran into the room to save Ishii . Otherwise, Ishii might have died .
'That doesn’t warrant thanks . ’
'If only Detective Gotou were here now…’
Ishii hadn’t meant to say it, but it slipped out of his mouth .
For Ishii, Gotou was a pillar . Having him there made it possible for Ishii to advance .
'Still can’t contact him?’
Miyagawa sent him a sharp glaze .
'I can’t . I’ve called him a number of times, but…’
Ishii had just called him earlier, but the phone just kept ringing and Gotou didn’t answer . He was worried that something had happened to him .
However, it looked like Miyagawa had a different impression .
'Just forget about that idiot . ’
'B-but…’
'Ishii . You rely too much on Gotou . ’
'That is…’
It was absolutely right . I have to act on my own – is what he thought, but when it came to the crunch, he froze .
'You’re doing great even without Gotou . ’
'I have no confidence…’
Ishii had just dropped his gaze to his feet when a forensics officer ran over with a dreadful expression .
'Chief Miyagawa . ’
'What’s wrong?’
'There’s something I would like you to look at…’
'Got it . Ishii, let’s go . ’
'Ah, yes sir . ’
Called by Miyagawa, Ishii followed the forensics officer through the <Kinoshita Surgery: Maternity and Gynaecology Department> entrance .
For a moment, Ishii prepared himself, but he didn’t feel frightened because the lights were on and it was full of detectives .
They went down the corridor to the delivery room where Miyuki had attacked him .
Unlike earlier, the whole room was lit up .
Medicine and medical tools were scattered across the floor which was splattered with blood . It was probably from the mess earlier .
'Please look at this . ’
The forensics officer stood in front of the cold storage in the corner of the room . It was probably for medicine that needed to be refrigerated .
'May I open it?’
The officer looked at Miyagawa and Ishii .
Ishii felt strangely nervous because of the way the officer was acting . Ishii took a deep breath to calm himself down .
Miyagawa sent the officer a signal with his eyes and the officer opened the cold storage door .
'Eek!’
Ishii jumped back with a scream without thinking .
He couldn’t believe what he’d seen . It wasn’t possible –
'The hell is that?’
Even Miyagawa was surprised, looking inside the cold storage with a bitter expression .
Ishii wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked inside the cold storage again .
He groaned quietly . There was no mistaking what he was looking at .
In the cold storage, there was a glass cylinder . Inside it was a human head –
-
6
-
The next morning, Haruka waited for Yakumo and Gotou in front of the car in the parking lot .
They had decided to change their investigation direction after eating breakfast .
However, even though their appointment time was past, neither Gotou nor Yakumo had showed up . Haruka was just thinking about going to their room to pick them up when Yakumo walked towards her with an incredibly sleepy expression .
His hair was such a mess that she wanted to ask how he had slept .
'You’re late,’ complained Haruka as she waited for Yakumo to arrive .
However, Yakumo didn’t look like he felt guilty .
'It isn’t my fault . Gotou-san’s snoring was so loud I couldn’t sleep . ’
'That’s quite a mouth you’ve got . The way you sleep is even worse,’ interrupted Gotou, coming after Yakumo .
'It makes sense for me to turn about in my sleep when your snoring is so loud . ’
'You just keep going on, brat . ’
'Anyway, what are we going to do?’ interrupted Haruka .
It would have been fine to let them continue if they were on holiday, but they had to search for Yumiko, who had gone missing .
'We talked last night about how a ghost might be possessing the girl who’s gone missing,’ said Yakumo, running a hand through his hair .
'Yeah . ’
'First, we need to determine what that ghost is and why its goal in wandering . ’
'What do you mean by goal?’
When Haruka asked that, Yakumo let out an exasperated sigh .
'I’ve said this before, haven’t I? Ghosts were originally human . ’
'Right . ’
That was Yakumo’s theory .
Ghosts weren’t some new form of creature or demon . They were like a cluster of the emotions of people who died – that was why there was feeling there .
'It shouldn’t be wandering recklessly – there should be a goal in its actions . If we make that clear, we should be able to find it . ’
'I see . ’ agreed Gotou .
Haruka understood that much, but the problem was –
'How do we make that clear?’
'I’m going to explain that now . ’
Yakumo glared at him .
Haruka felt like he was displeased with her for getting ahead of him, so she said, 'Sorry,’ looking at the floor .
'We will split up from here on . First, you and Masato will look into whether any murders and disappearances have occurred in the Togakushi and Kinasa region . ’
Then they could probably determine who the ghost possession Yumiko was .
'OK . But…’
She didn’t mind investigating, but she didn’t know how .
'Just get Makoto-san to introduce you to some local newspaper reporter . ’
'Ah, right,’ said Haruka .
A newspaper reporter probably knew that sort of information . Makoto, a newspaper reporter in Tokyo, could introduce them to a local one . But –
'Wouldn’t it be quicker for Gotou-san to go to the local police?’
'Don’t be stupid,’ Gotou replied immediately .
'Stupid…’
'I’m in the Metropolitan Police Department . IF I sniff around in the Nagano jurisdiction, there’ll be a lot of fuss . ’
'Really?’
'Police are serious about their own turf . ’
Gotou shook his head, like he thought it annoying .
'It sounds rather troublesome . ’
“Well, that’s how it is . So what are we going to do?’ Gotou asked Yakumo disgruntledly .
'Gotou-san and I will go there once more . ’
As Yakumo said that, his eyes looked somewhat sad .
-
7
-
'Hey, tell me if you understand something . ’
As Gotou drove, he looked at Yakumo in the passenger seat .
Though he looked like he was just gazing out the window, Yakumo’s heads must have been filled with circling thoughts .
'What are you talking about?’ replied Yakumo was a yawn .
No matter how he tried to look expressionless, Gotou could tell, since he’d known him for so long . Yakumo was hiding something .
'Don’t play the fool . We’re going there again 'cause you have some hunch, right?’
When Gotou said that, Yakumo laughed self-derisively .
'That’s rather sharp for you, Gotou-san . ’
'You said one thing too much . ’
'That’s Kinasa . ’
'I know the name of the place,’ replied Gotou peevishly .
A number of years ago, it had combined with three other villages to join Nagano city, but before that, it had been called Kinasa . It was a small village in the north of Nagano prefecture by the source of the Susobana River .
'That isn’t it . There’s a special place here . ’
'Special?’
'Momijigari[3] . ’
'Momijigari? Sounds like a school trip . ’
'As usual, you have a pathetic imagination . ’
'Shut up . Don’t circle the subject and just get to the point . ’
Gotou’s irritation was obvious .
Yakumo glanced at Gotou and then started explaining with incredible reluctance .
'There once was a couple who couldn’t have children, so they made an offering to the demon king and received a baby girl . Her name was Kureha . It is said that she had unusual spiritual power ever since she was born . ’
'Oh?’
Though the conversation had taken an unexpected turn, it was perfect for killing some time before they got there, so Gotou urged Yakumo to continue .
'After time passed, Kureha grew to be a beautiful woman, so her name was changed to Momiji and she went to Kyoto . There, she caught the eye of an influential person at the time named Minamoto no Tsunemoto and she gained his favour . ’
'Sounds like smooth sailing . ’
'It wasn’t . After a while, an unknown sickness spread through the imperial court . ’
'Sickness?’
'Yes . A priest was called from Mount Hiei[4] to determine the cause of the sickness . He said that the cause of the sickness was Momiji’s curse, so she was chased out of Kyoto . ’
'Was it really Momiji’s curse?’
When Gotou asked that, Yakumo sent him a hateful glance .
'I don’t know . Anyway, after being chased out of Kyoto, she reached a settlement called Minase and she lived quietly there for a while . ’
For a while – which meant there was more to this story .
'Then what happened?’
'One day, she suddenly changed and led a group to attack villages .
'Like mountain bandits?’
'Well, something like that . People started to call her a witch, or a demon woman . ’
'Demon…’
'Yes . This story travelled to Kyoto, and Minamoto no Tsukemoto despatched Taira no Koremichi to subdue the witch . However, he couldn’t do anything against her witchcraft . One day, an old priest appeared in Koremichi’s dream and gave him a demon-killing sword . He sliced off Momiji’s head with that sword and killed her . ’
'Sliced off her head, eh…’
'Ever since then, the area was called the place the demon left – Kinasa . ’
Gotou understood Yakumo’s summary . But –
'You saying that witch was the ghost Masato saw?’
'Of course not . ’
Yakumo looked at Gotou coldly .
'Hah? That’s what you were talking about, right?’
'What was I talking about?’
'The story about the witch . ’
'Who said that it was related? In the first place, this Momiji legend is over a thousand years old . ’
It was true that Yakumo hadn’t said it was related . He had just suddenly talked about it .
'Then why did you talk about it?’
'To kill time . ’
– This brat!
Gotou thought about yelling, but he decided against it . Even that would just be killing time for Yakumo .
Gotou didn’t know what Yakumo was hiding, but there was no point talking now .
He’d understand soon enough –
-
8
-
Ishii entered the <Unsolved Cases Special Investigation Room> .
He had undergone treatment at the hospital, so he arrived a bit late, but Gotou still wasn’t there .
As he sighed and sat down, a jolt of pain ran through his left shoulder .
It was where he had been stabbed the night before . Though the injury hadn’t been that deep, it had required four stitches .
He didn’t like the situation with Nanase Miyuki, but he was more concerned about Gotou . Ishii decided to try calling him once more . Just as he took out his mobile phone, the door opened .
Makoto came into the room .
'Ishii-san!’
Makoto rushed towards him .
'Eh, ah, Makoto-san…’
'Are you all right?’
'Yes, my shoulder is just slightly injured . ’
'I’m so glad . ’
Ishii smiled wryly while pressing a hand against his wound . Makoto sighed in relief .
It seemed she had been worried for him .
'I was surprised . When I heard that you were injured, Ishii-san…’
'Is that so?’
'She escaped then . ’
Makoto’s expression suddenly turned serious .
Even she, a newspaper reporter, had heard about Nanase Miyuki’s escape .
'She did . ’
There was no point hiding it now . Ishii nodded .
'Is that why Detective Gotou is in Nagano?’ Makoto said quietly, bringing her face close to Ishii’s .
'Eh?’
– Gotou? Nagano?
Though Makoto was calm, Ishii didn’t understand what she was talking about .
'What did you say just now?’
'I asked whether Detective Gotou is in Nagano for the Nanase Miyuki case . ’
'W-w-what are you talking about now? Detective Gotou in Nagano…’
Ishii was so agitated he stood up, knocking his forehead into Makoto’s .
Makoto cowered, holding her forehead .
'I-I’m sorry!’
Ishii hurriedly apologised . Makoto smiled back as she rubbed her forehead .
'I’m fine . More importantly, you didn’t know?’
'I didn’t . Actually, I’ve been troubled since I haven’t been able to contact Detective Gotou since yesterday . ’
'Really? Actually, Haruka-chan called me this morning . ’
'Haruka-chan?’
Ishii was even more confused .
'Yes . She wanted me to introduce her to a reporter in Nagano prefecture for a case no matter what . I don’t know the details, but it seems Detective Gotou and Yakumo-kun are there with her too…’
'I see . ’
Ishii finally understood .
Yakumo and Haruka had probably brought some trouble to Gotou, so he’d gone to Nagano .
As long as he was fine, it was OK .
'Anyway, about the Nanase Miyuki matter…’
Interrupting Makoto as she tried to get back on topic, the door opened forcefully and Miyagawa ran in with a red face .
He still had a bandage around his head .
'Gotou’s still out?’ said Miyagawa, looking around the room .
Though Ishii stood up, he didn’t know what to say next .
He knew where Gotou was from what Makoto said just now, but it was an absence from work without permission . He wouldn’t be let off the hook easily if he told Miyagawa that .
'That idiot…’
Miyagawa seemed to sense the situation even without Ishii saying anything, as he said that while clicking his tongue .
Ishii just stood there in fear .
'Ishii, we’re going, even if it’s just you . ’
'Ah, yes sir . ’
'Goodbye then,’ Ishii said to Makoto with a bow . Then, he left the room with Miyagawa .
'What happened?’ he asked as they walked .
'There’s something I want you to see . ’
'W-what is it?’
'You’ll know when you see it . ’
Miyagawa’s careless words felt unlucky to Ishii .
-
9
-
'Couldn’t sleep?’ said Haruka to Masato, sitting beside her .
Just like yesterday, they were sitting at a table in the coffee shop inside Nagano Station .
'I’m fine . ’
Though he said that, Masato’s eyes were puffy and his face was pale too .
– This child is still blaming himself .
It was obvious to Haruka . IT was the same with the last case . He blamed himself more than necessary and shut up inside himself .
'It’s not your fault, Masato-kun . ’
Masato shook his head .
'It is my fault . Because I ran away . Tomoya-kun said that too…’
Masato’s neck stiffened along with his body .
The boy called Tomoya had been with Masato when Yumiko disappeared .
Though Haruka hadn’t met him to talk, she felt like Tomoya’s words had a different meaning .
The boy called Tomoya was probably blaming himself too, but he couldn’t accept that so he turned his anger towards Masato .
So –
'It’s fine,’ said Haruka, hugging Masato’s shoulders .
'Er… Ozawa-san, correct?’
A tall man greeted her . He looked to be in his thirties . He wore a casual outfit of red-framed glasses and a jacket with jeans . Though he had a beard around his mouth, it was trimmed neatly .
'Yoshii-san, yes?’
When Haruka said the name she’d heard from Haruka, he replied with an incredibly happy expression, 'Yes . ’
'I’m sorry to have you come all this way . ’
Haruka stood up and bowed her head . Masato did the same .
'It’s a request from Hijikata . I don’t mind at all . ’
Yoshii waved his hand, sat down opposite them and ordered a coffee .
'Did you know Makoto-san from before?’ asked Haruka .
'Actually, she was a year under me in university . ’
'Really?’
'Since she was pretty quiet, I didn’t know if she’d do OK in a newspaper agency, but it seems like she’s just fine . ’
After saying that, Yoshii laughed aloud .
It appeared he was somebody who said things straight out . Though Haruka had been a bit on guard, she felt more at ease now .
'Well, to get to the point, you want to hear about incidents around Kinasa and Togakushi, right?’
After a pause, Yoshii brought up the topic at hand as he sipped his coffee .
'Yes . ’
'Ignoring crimes like theft, there was just one incident…’
Yoshii took a folder out of his bag and spread it open on the table . It was a copy of a newspaper article .
The title on the front was <Brutally murdered corpses found at Sunahachiyama!> .
Sunahachiyama was the mountain separating Kinasa and Togakushi, and it was where the witch that came up in the Momijigari legend was said to be . It was known for having a cavern of demons .
The date on the newspaper was more than twenty years ago –
The words brutally murdered stood out, piercing Haruka’s heart .
After taking a deep breath, Haruka continued to read past the title .
<Brutally murdered corpses of two men were found at a cottage . The two had gone missing two days ago . The local firefighters had been searching for them –>
Perhaps the brutally murdered corpses were the ghosts possessing Yumiko . That was what Haruka thought, but two men had been killed .
It seemed like it wasn’t that simple .
Yoshii started explaining as he flipped through a notebook .
'It happened around Togakushi and Kinasa . It was a pretty big incident . ’
'Are there no other cases?’
'There aren’t . They’re small villages,’ said Yoshii, lighting a cigarette .
'What happened with this case?’ asked Haruka, curious .
'The article after that is in the file too . ’
'Thank you very much . ’
'The culprit for the incident wasn’t actually caught,’ said Yoshii, blowing out cigarette smoke towards the ceiling .
'Eh? Really?’
'Yeah . The statute of limitations is already up . And…’
Here, Yoshii paused and leaned forward before speaking in a lower tone .
'It’s clear that this wasn’t some casual crime like robbery . ’
'Why is that?’
'The corpses were stabbed all over with a knife . ’
'Stabbed all over…’
Haruka gulped unconsciously .
'Plus, there were scrapes and bruises too . The police said there might have been torture . ’
– Torture .
Haruka murmured that in her heart .
She felt her shoulders grow heavy .
'Why would they do that?’
'Who knows? The culprit wasn’t caught . ’
'That’s right…’
Haruka looked to her side and saw that Masato was very pale .
It had been more awful than she had imagined it would be . She shouldn’t keep Masato here .
'Masato-kun, want to wait outside?’
'I’m fine . ’
Masato shook his head .
Though he was afraid, he probably wanted to find Yumiko more . Haruka decided to continue talking . ’
'What sort of people were the victims?’
'A local officer of the village and the landowner’s son . Both of them were men . ’
'Why would that happen?’
'Though I investigated around…’
Yoshii smiled, like he’d been waiting, and put his cigarette out in the ashtray .
'What is it?’
'This is just a rumour, but at the time, people wondered if it was a curse . ’
'There’s no such thing as a curse . ’
Masato was the one who said that . He leant forward, looking at Yoshii challengingly .
The word <curse> has a special meaning to Masato . In an incident he was involved in before, the word <curse> had thrown Masato about, making him suffer .
'That’s right . There’s no such thing as a curse,’ said Haruka, agreeing with Masato .
For a moment, Yoshii leant back, seeming surprised, but then he fixed the collar of his jacket and continued .
'Well, putting aside whether there are curses or not – there’s a reason why there was a fuss about that . ’
'Reason?’
'Do you know about Momijigari?’
'The legend of the witch?’
'Right . ’
Yoshii nodded, seeming satisfied .
Anybody from the region would know the Momijigari legend . It was known even in Noh theatre and performed every year .
'My dad used to be a reporter too and I heard from him, but forty-five years ago, there was some turmoil with the witch in Kinasa . ’
'Eh, but wasn’t that more than a thousand years ago…’
'Well, it’d be more correct to say it was similar . ’
'Similar?’
'One day, a young man was brought into the clinic in Kinasa . He’d been healthy the day before, but after he died right after he was brought in .
'Huh…’
Haruka nodded .
At this point, nothing connected the story to Momijigari .
'That clinic had been reputable before, but after that, it was said that this was the curse of the lady there . She was called a witch and people wanted to chase her out of the village . ’
'Then what happened?’
'I don’t know . ’
'Eh?’
Haruka had thought Yoshii knew the circumstances from the way he was talking about it, so she felt let down .
'That clinic isn’t around anymore . ’
'Is that so?’
'The person who egged the villagers on to chase the witch out was the victim of this case . ’
Yoshii tapped the file on the table .
A jolt went through Haruka’s spine . The same thing seemed to happen to Masato . His eyes were wide open .
– That’s why it was called a curse .
If what Yoshii said was true, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be a rumour like that .
'If you want to find out about the case in more detail, I’ll introduce you to somebody who knows about it . ’
'I would appreciate it,’ said Haruka, leaning forward .
-
10
-
'Ahh . ’
After getting off the car, Gotou put his hands at his waist, looked up at the sky and stretched .
Normally, he just drove through shopping and residential districts . He wasn’t used to driving winding mountain roads . It was more exhausting than he’d thought it would be .
'It’s unbecoming, so please don’t make strange noises . ’
Yakumo got off the car with a yawn .
– This brat .
'You drive back then . You have a licence, right?’
'I refuse . ’
'Why?’
'I’ve decided not to drive ever since the incident with the tunnel . ’
– Ah, that .
Strangely, Gotou understood .
Ignoring Gotou, Yakumo headed towards the lone cedar tree, walking through the white skunk cabbage .
'Honestly . ’
Even as Gotou grumbled, he followed Yakumo’s back .
'Why’s such a huge cedar tree here anyway?’ asked Gotou, looking up at the cedar tree once more .
In a marshy area of white skunk cabbage, there was just one cedar tree and the rock at its roots . It was elegant but also unnatural .
'I talked about the story of Momijigari earlier,’ said Yakumo .
'Yeah . ’
'I said this was a shrine last night too . ’
'Right . ’
A shrine was like an altar . Where something was enshrined .
'This is probably where the head of the witch in the story about Momijigari was buried . ’
'What?’
Though Gotou was surprised, at the same time, he understood . So that was why this was a shrine .
Gotou didn’t know whether the legend of Momijigari was true or not, but the people at the time might’ve put a large stone here and grew a cedar tree to keep her here .
There was no way for Gotou to know the truth now though .
'Gotou-san, if you have the time to space out, please help . ’
Yakumo had his hand at his waist and looked incredibly resentful .
'Help with what?’
'To move this . ’
Yakumo pointed at the statue by the rock .
Moving his body was Gotou’s strength . After taking off his jacket and placing it on the rock, he rolled up his sleeves and moved the stone statue as Yakumo directed .
It took some effort since it was heavier than expected, but Gotou managed somehow .
'Next, please dig here . ’
Yakumo pointed at the place where the statue had been .
'Why?’
'You’ll find out if you dig . ’
'You the Hanasaka Jiisan[5]?’
'If you have the time to tell boring jokes, please just do it already . ’
'Right, right . ’
– As usual, the guy never stops talking .
While expressing his dissatisfaction in his heart, Gotou took a nearby tree branch and started digging .
Since the ground was wet, the earth was soft and easy to dig . Gotou wiped his sweat with his shirt and silently continued his work .
Suddenly, he noticed that he couldn’t see Yakumo anymore .
When Gotou stood up and looked around, he spotted Yakumo talking on his phone a little ways away .
Gotou thought about complaining, but he decided against it . It was probably news from Haruka .
After breathing out, Gotou started digging the earth again .
'Are you done?’
After a while, Yakumo came back .
'You help too . ’
'I don’t want to . My hands will get dirty . ’
– This brat!
Gotou swallowed his rising anger .
'How’s the situation with Haruka?’
'It seems there was a murder case twenty years ago . ’
'Then the person in that photo…’
'The truth isn’t as simple as you are, Gotou-san . ’
– This guy just keeps on going .
'What do you mean?’
'The people killed were a local officer and the landowner’s son . Both were men . ’
The person in the photo was a woman . It didn’t match up . Even though Gotou knew the situation now, Yakumo could have put it more nicely .
'Honestly…’
Gotou let out a breath and returned to digging the earth .
After digging about eighty centimetres, he hit something hard .
He put down the branch and brushed away the dirt to find something round and pale . Gotou realised what it was immediately .
There was no doubt about it . It was a skull .
'I dug up something unbelievable . ’
Gotou stood up and wiped the sweat off his forehead .
'Gotou-san, please hurry up and call the police . ’
'I’m…’
A police officer too, Gotou was about to say, but he stopped .
This was Nagano prefecture . This wasn’t Gotou’s jurisdiction . He’d need to contact the local police .
– Honestly . What a pain .
-
11
-
Miyagawa led Ishii to the general hospital where Hata was .
After entering the room in the basement, Hata welcomed them with a creepy demonic giggle .
The room was desolate, with just a desk and cabinets lining the room .
Hata, the coroner, was a strange man whose interests lined up with his work .
Ishii even thought that Hata himself would be arrested if he took just one step out of line .
'So, Hata-san . Is what you said true?’
Miyagawa brought up the topic at hand .
'It’d be better to see for yourself . ’
Hata got up and left the room .
Miyagawa went right after him . Since Ishii didn’t understand the situation, he didn’t have any idea about what these two were doing .
Though he was confused, Ishii followed the two of them out of the room .
He thought that they would be going far, but it seemed he was wrong . Hata opened the door to the room beside his and went inside with Miyagawa .
Ishii entered the room as well . It was an autopsy room –
'Ugh…’
Ishii scrunched up his nose at the strange medical smell .
There was a stainless steel bed in the middle of the room with carts covered with various tools scattered around it .
The wall at the very back had doors that probably led to cold storage, and Hata opened one of them .
After putting on latex gloves, Hata took something out of the cold storage and casually placed it on top of the stainless steel bed .
'Aaah!’
Ishii leapt up with a scream .
Hata had placed a human head in a cylindrical container on top of the stainless steel bed –
'Don’t make a fuss . You’ve seen it before, right?’ rebuked Miyagawa . Hata was smiling like he thought the scene incredibly amusing .
This head was probably the one that was found last night at Kinoshita Surgery . Ishii had seen it before, but that didn’t mean he could be calm .
The head was suspended in liquid in the container . It was probably formalin .
Ishii swallowed his scream and looked away from the head .
If he looked at it any longer, it would appear in his dreams .
'Ishii-kun . Get the mask and goggles from that shelf for me,’ instructed Hata .
'Ah, yes . ’
Ishii did as he was told and took the mask and goggles from the shelf, handing them to Hata .
'There’s formalin in the container . You should wear these too,’ said Hata as he put his mask on .
Formalin was antiseptic . It was popular, used in school science classrooms to preserve frogs .
However, it was on the other hand highly toxic . It would burn the mucous membrane of the eyes and mouth .
Ishii and Miyagawa put on goggles and masks as told .
'Ishii-kun, press this a bit for me . ’
Hata waited for them to finish before tapping the container .
'Eh?’
– I have to touch this container?
Ishii shivered just thinking about it .
'Hurry up and do it!’
'Ah, yes, er…’
'Just hold it for a bit . ’
'Just a bit . ’
Ishii was forced into pressing the container with both hands .
Hata used something like pliers to take out the metal stopper and remove the container’s lid .
That moment, an indescribably strong smell came through Ishii’s mask .
He coughed a number of times .
Hata coolly took the head out of the container .
'Agh…’
He was already at his limit . Ishii leapt away from the bed .
'This head is a man’s . ’
Hata ignored Ishii and started speaking .
'I can tell from looking,’ Miyagawa replied disgruntledly .
'It’s been kept in formalin . The flesh is pretty swollen . It’ll take quite some time to determine the time of death . ’
'And?’ urged Miyagawa .
'And the problem is just as I said on the phone . The eyes of this head . ’
'Ishii, look . ’
It seemed like Miyagawa knew Ishii hadn’t been looking, because he grabbed Ishii’s neck .
'Er, but…’
'To hell with your buts!’
'Y-yes sir . ’
Ishii couldn’t do anything when faced with Miyagawa’s yell, so he looked at the head .
The colour of the skin looked strangely pale . The long black hair seemed alive . It looked like the head could start talking at any moment, which gave Ishii a shiver .
– It looks like somebody .
Ishii felt so uncomfortable he might throw up as he had that impression .
'These eyes…’
As Hata said that, he pointed at the head’s eyes and wrenched them open .
There was a splintering sound .
'Aaahhh!’
Ishii was already at his limit –
Under the slowly opened eyelids were two eyes that glowed red like a blazing flame .
-
12
-
Haruka and Masato rode the bumpy municipal bus .
Besides Haruka and Masato, the only rider was a middle-aged woman napping in the seat in the very front .
Yoshii introduced them to somebody named Ookura who worked at the Kinasa Museum near Arakurayama Shrine and was supposed to know details about the event .
Haruka was able to contact Ookura immediately by phone .
She thought that Ookura might keep a distance if she mentioned the murder case right away, so she asked to talk as somebody researching the history of Masato’s school .
If that’s the case – was the answer she received immediately . Haruka felt bad about tricking Ookura, but there was nothing she could have done .
'Hey, Masato-kun . ’
Haruka called out to Masato, who was looking down silently .
Instead of speaking, he lifted his head slightly .
His expression was as blank as if he were wearing a Noh mask . He had been like this the first time Haruka met him too .
– He’s holding everything in again .
'You can’t take on everything by yourself . We’ll definitely find her . ’
'I ran away…’
Masato bit his lower lip and sniffled .
'There was no helping it . I would’ve run away too . ’
'But I promised big brother Yakumo that I wouldn’t run away any more . But I still…’
– I see .
So Masato had made a promise to Yakumo during the last case, saying he wouldn’t run away any more . He was blaming himself for breaking that promise .
Masato might have run away when he met Yumiko on that night right, but he had done that to protect himself – he wasn’t running away from the problems in front of him .
'Aren’t you facing the problem properly now?’
'I…’
'Right?’
'Yumiko-chan and Tomoya-kun were nice to me . ’
Masato began to speak in a hollow voice .
'Mmhm . ’
'When I transferred schools, Tomoya-kun was the first to talk to me . ’
'Really?’
'And he even suddenly asked whether I watched the anime that was on the night before . ’
When Haruka listened to Masato’s story, she found herself growing to like the boy called Tomoya even though she hadn’t met him yet .
He didn’t interrogate Masato when he transferred schools – instead, he connected to him like they had always been together .
'What d