Shinrei Tantei Yakumo – ANOTHER FILES - LightNovelsOnl.com
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ANOTHER FILES – THE COFFIN OF PRAYER
file 02: that which the spring reflects (TRANSLATION NOTES)
1
Makoto was surprised when she was contacted –
Though it was late at night, she dressed herself immediately and ran out of her flat.
When she reached the church which was the scene of the crime, it was filled with police and reporters.
She wanted to confirm the situation, but there was a yellow ‘No Trespa.s.sing’ tape and guards on the watch, so she couldn’t get closer.
Makoto was feeling bewildered when she saw a face she knew on the other side of the tape.
'Is.h.i.+-san!’
After she waved, Is.h.i.+ noticed her as well and went up to her.
Perhaps it was because it was the middle of the night, but Is.h.i.+ looked unusually gloomy.
'What happened?’ Makoto asked quickly, which made Is.h.i.+’s eyes dart about.
He probably didn’t want to let the other investigation members see him giving information to a newspaper reporter.
‘Let’s go elsewhere.’
Makoto and Is.h.i.+ went a little away from the site.
The church looked eerie, illuminated by the outdoor lights. Perhaps the fact that somebody had died here made Makoto feel that way though.
'What on earth happened?’ Makoto asked once more.
'Kirino-san, the pastor at that church, went into the waiting room in the back to exorcise the spirit from Tozuka-san. After waiting a while, there were noises that sounded like a fight.’
'Noises?’
'Yes. Detective Gotou tried to open the door to see what was happening, but it was locked.’
Is.h.i.+ bit his lip and shook his head slightly.
'Then what happened?’
'We heard a scream that sounded like Kirino-san from inside – ’
'A scream?’
'Yes. He yelled, “Stop!” Detective Gotou and I broke the door and went in, but he was already…’
Kriino had probably already stopped breathing.
'Why did that…’
'I don’t know. However, from looking at the situation, the person who killed him is probably – ’
Though Is.h.i.+ didn’t say it aloud, from thinking about the situation, Makoto could reach the conclusion herself as to who killed Kirino.
However, that didn’t mean she didn’t have questions.
'There is the possibility that somebody broke in from outside.’
'We thought about that too. However, the waiting room was a small room of six tatami inside, and there was only the one door from behind the podium. There were windows, but since it was stained gla.s.s, it wouldn’t open.’
'It looked like a few were broken though…’
Earlier, when Makoto looked from outside, there had been some windows with broken stained gla.s.s. Though she didn’t know if it was the room that Kirino had been performing the exorcism in, she couldn’t abandon the possibility.’
'It is true that the room had a broken stained gla.s.s window.’
'Then…’
'However, all the pieces fell outside. I think that it wasn’t broken from an outside trespa.s.ser but during the fight.’
'I see…’
So it was a locked room, even if that hadn’t been the intention. That meant that Takatos.h.i.+, who had been in the room with Kirino, was the killer – thinking that would be natural.
'What did Tozuka-san say?’
When Makoto asked that, Is.h.i.+ frowned.
'He said… that he doesn’t remember anything?’
'Doesn’t remember anything?’
'Yes.’
Is.h.i.+ nodded.
Without a clear response, the police would probably be more suspicious. No, perhaps the investigation already thought that Takatos.h.i.+ was the perpetrator.
But something was off – the reason Makoto thought that was probably motive. The situation pointed completely at Takatos.h.i.+ as the culprit, but at this point, Makoto didn’t know any reason for him to kill Kirino.
The investigation might find an unexpected connection and make that clear afterwards, but Makoto still felt it was unnatural.
'Is.h.i.+-san, what do you think?’
When Makoto asked that, Is.h.i.+ let out a quiet grown.
'It… reminds me of that case.’
'That case?’
'Tozuka-san was concerned about a spiritual phenomenon. A ghost was whispering to him that he would be killed, and he was in a very unstable psychological state.’
'So it seems.’
Makoto hadn’t met Takatos.h.i.+ directly, but Is.h.i.+ had explained to her that he had been very troubled psychologically.
'If what Tozuka-san experienced was real, there is another theory.’
'What is it?’
'The person that the spirit possessing Tozuka-san wanted to kill might have been Kirnio-san.’
Is.h.i.+ looked up at Makoto.
He had a sharp glint in his eyes, which was unusual for him.
'In short, Tozuka-san was used by the ghost to kill Kirino-san – ’
When Makoto said that aloud, she realized what case Is.h.i.+ had been talking about.
There had been a case like that in the past.
A number of misunderstandings had occurred – a sad case. Is.h.i.+ had been involved in that case not as a police officer, but personally.
'That is a possibility.’
Is.h.i.+’s theory would explain the lack of motive for murder and made sense.
But that brought up a new question.
– Who on earth is the spirit possessing Tozuka?
'I wish Yak.u.mo-s.h.i.+ could have met with Tozuka-san before the incident occurred…’ said Is.h.i.+ with regret.
Makoto felt the same way.
If Yak.u.mo had met Takatos.h.i.+, this case might not have happened.
However, it was too late to regret that now. The problem was what to do next.
While Makoto was thinking, she suddenly noticed something.
'Where is Gotou-san?’
She had heard that Gotou had been partnered with Kirino-san, the victim, in the past.
Gotou always empathised with cases more than he needed too. This case must have hit Gotou hard.
'It’s terrible. He hit Tozuka-san… It might be a problem during the trial…’
Since Gotou was so quick to action, it wasn’t unexpected.
'So where is he now?’
'That’s… I haven’t seen him since earlier… I don’t know where he went…’
Is.h.i.+ furrowed his brows in concern and shook his head.
Right now, Gotou was on a complete rampage. Hopefully he wouldn’t let his emotions get ahead of him and do anything unwise –
2
Gotou found himself in front of the door –
He wasn’t sure why he had come here.
While handcuffing Takatos.h.i.+ and asking him about the situation, he was contacted with the information that Kirino, who had been carried to the hospital, was confirmed dead.
He had known that. Kirino hadn’t been breathing and had had no pulse at the scene.
But somewhere in his heart, he had had the futile hope that Kirino was OK.
That hope had been cruelly crushed.
His mind had been blank. He left the scene to Is.h.i.+. At first, he had planned on going ot the hospital, but he had stopped partway.
Seeing Kirino’s corpse now wouldn’t change anything.
a.s.saulted by a feeling of powerlessness and emptiness, his head felt dizzy.
As a police and as a person, he had been completely useless. He hadn’t been able to do anything even though a murder was occurring just one door away.
– You lose yourself in emotion.
He felt like he heard Kirino’s voice in his ear.
Kirino had always said that when he was partnered with Gotou.
Gotou didn’t deny it. It was true that he had often lost his cool. But still, Gotou had things he couldn’t protect.
As a police officer – no, as a person – he had beliefs he wanted to persist with, but those feelings were always cruelly crushed.
It had been the same then –
An unpleasant memory flashed through his mind.
Gotou and Kirino had been on a case together. A robbery a.s.sault. There had been eyewitness testimony, and they had had a suspect for the perp.
They had gone to the suspect for an interrogation. All they needed was proof and a confession.
It should’ve been an easy case –
But that expectation was wrong. It left a deep scar on Gotou’s heart. It had probably been the same for Kirino.
'I – ’
While thinking that and wandering, he had ended up here.
Gotou turned the doork.n.o.b, and the door opened. It wasn’t locked.
The room was dark.
There was a silhouette sitting in the seat.
Saitou Yak.u.mo –
He wasn’t wearing his black contact lens. In the dim lighting, his red left eye seemed to let off a suspicious glow.
'I thought you would come,’ Yak.u.mo said quietly as he looked at Gotou.
That challenging gaze made Gotou feel uncomfortable.
'Why’d you think I would come?’ asked Gotou.
Yak.u.mo’s eyes narrowed.
'I heard form Makoto-san that Kirino-san was killed.’
'I see…’
Just that information was enough to make Yak.u.mo expect that Gotou would come. That was his good intuition for you. Maybe it was because he knew Gotou’s personality well.
'What do you plan to do next?’
'I’m… going to quit the force.’
That thought had kept flitting through his mind as he walked here.
He didn’t have the qualifications. Even though he’d talked big, he hadn’t been able to do anything. He was a powerless, pathetic man.’
'Boring,’ said Yak.u.mo, his distaste clear.
'What?’
Gotou glared at Yak.u.mo angrily, but Yak.u.mo wasn’t shaken. He returned the gaze scornfully.
'Hiding in your sh.e.l.l like a child will solve nothing.’
'You brat…’
'It seems you regret it.’
'You’re the one to blame in the first place!’ yelled Gotou.
Saying that wouldn’t solve anything. He hadn’t come here to say that in the first place.
Led by the unknown emotion welling up from deep within him, Gotou couldn’t stop his mouth.
'Perhaps that’s true,’ Yak.u.mo readily agreed.
Yak.u.mo, who was normally so arrogant.
That att.i.tude, which was so unlike him, made Gotou’s emotions even rougher.
'What?’
'If I had met Takatos.h.i.+-san – if I had answered the call from Gotou-san – the case might not have happened,’ said Yak.u.mo clearly.
There was no trace of doubt in his eyes.
'What do you want to say?’
'You thought that too, Gotou-san – that’s why you came here, correct? To blame me.’
'Stop s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around!’
Gotou kicked the table forcefully.
There was a thunderous noise as the table flipped onto its side. Still, Yak.u.mo was not shaken. He looked at Gotou.
'I’m not s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around. I’m speaking seriously.’
'That’s s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around!’
Gotou grabbed Yak.u.mo by the collar.
Still, Yak.u.mo was not disturbed. He just looked straight at Gotou. It was like he was looking at a mirror.
'Why is that?’
'Saying that now won’t bring Kirino back from the dead!’
Gotou’s angry yell echoed through the small room.
'No, it won’t.’
'Then…’
'Why are you stuck here even though you know that, Gotou-san?’
Yak.u.mo’s words shook Gotou violently.
That sharp and forceful gaze saw right through Gotou and made him lose his words for a moment.
'What do you mean?’
'I mean exactly what I said. I have regrets as well, but speaking them now will not bring back the time that has been lost.’
'I’m saying I know that!’
'But you’re stuck here blaming yourself, aren’t you!?’[1]
Yak.u.mo’s voice, close to a scream, splintered something deep in Gotou’s heart.
He lost all the power in his body. Before he noticed, he had let go of Yak.u.mo and was sitting there on the floor.
'I…’
Gotou held his head in his hands.
He didn’t know what to do any more. What was he angry at? What was he thinking? Why was he here?
'Muscle idiots should just run around, right?’
Yak.u.mo stood in front of Yak.u.mo.
He looked unusually large.
'What?’
'Gotou-san, you said this. That everyone should use their own abilities – ’
Now that Yak.u.mo mentioned it, Gotou felt like he had said something like that.
That was back when Yak.u.mo was still in middle school. At the time, Yak.u.mo had hated his red left eye, which could see the spirits of the dead, and saw the whole world with a twisted perspective.
Gotou had said that to Yak.u.mo then, unable to contain himself.
What Gotou had wanted to say was that his red left eye was just an ability, like being smart or being good at sports.
He had wanted to tell him that there was nothing to worry about.
– Like Yak.u.mo-s.h.i.+.
Suddenly, what Is.h.i.+ had said flashed through Gotou’s mind.
Now that Gotou thought about it again, the past Yak.u.mo and Kirino had had similar eyes.
That was why Gotou hadn’t been able to leave Yak.u.mo alone when they met again –
'Gotou-san, you always empathise too much with each case,’ said Yak.u.mo coldly.
Kirino had always said the same thing to Gotou.
'I know that.’
'Even though you can’t do anything, you arrogantly want to. It hurts me to watch.’
'You… Once I let you say what you want…’
'But there are people whom you’ve saved because of that, Gotou-san. Though it may only be a small number…’
Yak.u.mo smiled cynically.
's.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around…’
'I’m not s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around. Is your role to be stuck here and keep blaming yourself without doing anything, Gotou-san?’
Gotou had never thought that some brat in university would teach him about his true self.
'Don’t be stupid. That’s not like me at all!’
As Gotou said that, he stood up.
He had felt like he was walking on top of a cloud up until earlier, but it was different now. He was standing firmly on his own feet.
Just as Yak.u.mo said, he couldn’t hide in his own sh.e.l.l now.
He would run with these feet until the case was over. He would do what he could. That was all.
'This is sudden, but there is something I would like you to investigate.’
'Investigate? The perp is…’
'The ident.i.ty of the perpetrator is not the problem. I wasn’t investigating a murder case in the first place – ’
After saying that, Yak.u.mo smirked meaningfully.
3
Haruka was in the Movie Research circle room early in the morning –
She was sitting next to Yak.u.mo instead of in her usual seat. Opposite them, Kento sat with a solemn expression.
Yak.u.mo explained what had happened so far in a flat tone to Kento.
Haruka was shocked.
Of course, she had known about Sachiko and the call to Makoto, so there were no changes there.
However – it was the first she’d heard about the pastor Kirino being killed.
On top of that, the suspect arrested was Tozuka Takatos.h.i.+, one of the people who had experienced the spiritual phenomenon with Kento.
'Why did this…’ lamented Kento after hearing Yak.u.mo’s explanation.
Haruka’s impression of Kento was a guy with a bright smile, but even he was pale now, looking despondent.
'I won’t know the details without looking into it further,’ said Yak.u.mo, chin in his hand.
'Did Takatos.h.i.+ really kill someone?’
Kento furrowed his brows.
It felt like he still hadn’t accepted the fact.
'The police believe so.’
'Maybe Takatos.h.i.+ was possessed by an evil spirit… and then killed someone?’
Actually, Haruka was thinking the same thing as Kento.
The story didn’t give a reason for Takatos.h.i.+ to kill Kirino.
'I cannot deny the possibility.’
'Would Takatos.h.i.+ be not guilty in that situation?’
Kento’s voice echoed with urgency.
'It would probably be difficult. The police do not acknowledge the existence of the spirits of the dead,’ Yak.u.mo said clearly.
'But ghosts really exist,’ persisted Kento.
'The problem isn’t whether they actually exist or not. The police’s rule is that they don’t exist. They investigate following that.’
After being told that, Kento’s shoulders slumped and he hung his head, like he had nothing to reply with.
Haruka couldn’t stop her sympathy after seeing such an obvious loss of heart, but she didn’t know what to say.
'Could I ask one thing?’
Yak.u.mo spoke after a silence.
'Yes.’
Kento lifted his head.
'You didn’t mention the spiritual phenomena occurring to Takatos.h.i.+-san the last time you came, correct?’
Yak.u.mo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
'I didn’t…’ replied Kento in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
'Why didn’t you talk about it then?’
'I was concerned about Takatos.h.i.+, but I was more concerned about Sachiko – ’
Haruka could understand why Kento would put Takatos.h.i.+ off for later after seeing Sachiko.
She had been so strange.
'If I had listened to Takatos.h.i.+ properly…'said Kento hoa.r.s.ely.
His face was a bit red. He was probably anguished with regret and anger towards himself.
'Blaming yourself now will change nothing. Furthermore – ’
Yak.u.mo stopped partway through.
'There’s the possibility that Takatos.h.i.+ killed him – you want to say that, right?’ Kento said, reading into what Yak.u.mo hadn’t said. His tone was hard, filled with hostility.
'I’m just talking of possibilities. Furthermore, the investigation should be left to the police. The more important problem – the original one – is the spirit possessing Sachiko-san,’ said Yak.u.mo clearly.
Kento smiled wryly. He seemed to have accepted Yak.u.mo’s words. 'That’s right…’
'Let us backstep a bit. How did Takatos.h.i.+-san talk about the spiritual phenomena>’
Yak.u.mo’s gaze became sharper.
Normally, Yak.u.mo had sleepy eyes, but when he faced a case, his face changed completely.
'After what happened at the spring, Takatos.h.i.+ said he could hear someone’s voice.’
'Voice?’
'Yes. A woman’s voice saying she’d kill him.’
'The spirit possessing Sachiko-san is also female, right?’
Haruka looked at Yak.u.mo for agreement.
'What do you want to say?’
Yak.u.mo’s displeasure was clear in his reply.
'Maybe it’s the same woman…’
The moment Haruka said that, she knew she had screwed up.
There was no way it could be the same woman, now that she thought about it. If they were, it would meant that the spirit possessing Sachiko had had to choose the time to whisper that she’d kill Takatos.h.i.+.
That would be too unnatural.
'That is also very possible.’
Yak.u.mo said something completely different from what Haruka had imagined.
'It is?’
It made Haruka want to ask.
'I’ve said that ghosts are cl.u.s.ters of people’s emotions.’
'Yes.’
'Human emotions are not always one way. Even if they ahve love, they can also have hatred.’
Haruka understood that.
There was the saying. Excessive tenderness switches to hundredfold hatred.
'So the spirit can split?’
'It’s nothing so exaggerated. If a spirit has strong emotions, something like residual thoughts are born. As a result, there are living ghosts.’
Haruka had heard of living ghosts before.
The strong emotions of living human beings showed up as spiritual phenomena.
'In short, Takatos.h.i.+ and Sachiko-chan could be possessed by the same woman?’ said Kento, clearly shocked.
'Of course I can’t deny the possibility that there were two spirits there.’
Somehow, things felt very complicated.
If Yak.u.mo had met Takatos.h.i.+, perhaps the story wouldn’t have become so convoluted. That was probably why he had asked why Kento didn’t explain about Takatos.h.i.+ from the beginning.
That said, n.o.body was to blame. Probably neither Yak.u.mo nor Kento had imagined this would happen.
'Er… What will you do next…’
Kento looked at Yak.u.mo searchingly after a silence.
'I will leave Takatos.h.i.+-san to the police and investigate Sachiko-san:s case,’ said Yak.u.mo, running a hand through his hair.
'Thank you very much.’
After bowing his head deeply, Kento stood up.
'One last thing – ’ said Yak.u.mo, calling out to Kento who was about to leave the room.
'What is it?’
Kento turned around.
'Why did you come to consult me?’
They had received the answer to that question when Kento came yesterday. Why was Yak.u.mo asking again?
Haruka thought about it, but she couldn’t ask.
'What do you mean?’
Kento looked dubious.
'You didn’t come here to have me exorcise the spirit possessing Sachiko-san – is what I want to say.’
Kento froze at Yak.u.mo’s words.
'Are you suspicious of me?’
Kento looked at Yak.u.mo grimly.
'If you are talking about the murder of the pastor – then the answer is no. However, from another perspective, the answer is yes.’
'I don’t know what you’re saying.’
'Then let’s change the question. You saw a ghost at Kagami Spring, correct?’
'Yes.’
'Didn’t you recognise that ghost from somewhere? That’s why you came. More than the spirit possessing Sachiko-san, you wanted to know the true ident.i.ty of the ghost. Am I wrong?’
Yak.u.mo looked straight at Kento.
Haruka held her breath in the sentence.
'You’re mistaken. That’s not how it is,’ Kento replied with a smile.
'Then that’s fine.’
Haruka had thought Yak.u.mo would trick Kento into replying, but he backed off unexpectedly readily. Kento looked unsettled, but he left the room.
'Hey, was that true?’ asked Haruka once the door closed.
'He said it wasn’t, right?’
'But…’
Yak.u.mo ignored Haruka and stood up, taking the coat on the hanger.
'Are you going somewhere?’
'Yeah. That’s right. I have a little request.’
After saying that, Yak.u.mo smirked.
Though Haruka was happy that Yak.u.mo was relying on her, she had a terribly bad feeling.
4
Makoto stared at the computer monitor –
She had searched through all the rumours regarding Kagami Spring on the internet.
Kirino’s murder last night wasn’t a regular murder. It was related to what happened at Kagami Spring somehow – that was what Makoto thought.
She didn’t have any concrete proof. Though it was just her gut instinct, she still couldn’t clear that thought from her head.
She was able to find a number of rumours regarding Kagmi Spring on a site that gathered information about spiritual phenomena.
There was something that seemed off to her though.
Normally, there were reasons for places to be spiritual spots, such as a large fire or battle in the past, or a place that was common for murders or suicides.
However, no sites had information of that sort about Kagami Spring.
Perhaps it had something to do with it, but Makoto thought there was something odd about how the rumours were only from the past few years.
Furthermore, she couldn’t find any articles on the curse Takatos.h.i.+ had talked about.
It was true that a spiritual phenomenon had occurred there. Something definitely happened. As Makoto continued to search, she came across a site.
The site claimed to have a video of a wandering ghost.
Makoto put in her earphones and clicked the video to lpay it.
It looked like the video was taken with a home video camera. It was in night mode, which made the whole screen green.
There were three men, probably university age, chatting as they went through the forest towards the spring.
Since an amateur was filming, the video shook terribly, and it made Makoto feel dizzy just from watching.
She skipped ahead slightly and started playing against once they reached the spring.
The man standing by the spring had a smile that didn’t match the location.
Another man threw a branch that had been on the ground towards the spring, but then he lost his balance and fell. The man with the camera stifled his laughter, which made the camera shake. Maybe they had just uploaded a joke video. Makoto gave up and was just about to close the sight when suddenly, the tension changed in the video.
The man on the screen spoke.
Another man answered.
The man holding the camera replied while laughing.
The first man stopped moving as he spoke. The other man stopped moving too. The man holding the camera held his breath. A long silence – Makoto strained her ears too. She suddenly heard a voice. Though it was faint, it was a woman’s voice. However, Makoto couldn’t hear what she was saying. The men screamed, drowning out the voice, and they started running. The video cut off suddenly. Makoto played the part where she heard the voice once more. Though there was background noise, she could definitely hear it – She strained her ears to listen once more. Rather than a voice, it sounded like a song. – Could it be? Makoto had just thought that when she received a call on her mobile. She was a bit surprised when she saw the screen. Though it was a call from somebody she didn’t usually get calls from, being contacted by him perhaps meant that something had happened. 'h.e.l.lo, Hijikata speaking.’
Yak.u.mo replied politely from the other end of the phone. There was a bit of background noise. Perhaps he was outside. 'No, I was just thinking that I wanted your opinion on something too.’
Makoto explained what she had noticed while researching Kagami Spring and the video she had seen on the internet.
'How are things on your end, Yak.u.mo-kun?’
'Loko into?’
Yak.u.mo spoke in a calm tone. If it goes well – is what Yak.u.mo said, but since it was Yak.u.mo, it probably wasn’t just some gut feeling. 'Understood. What should I look into?’
'The police are investigating that, aren’t they?’ Takatos.h.i.+ was a suspect in a murder. The police were definitely thoroughly investigating his relations.h.i.+ps. Makoto felt like there was nothing for them to do.
'So you think that past has something to do with Kagami Spring.’
'Understood. I’ll contact you once I’ve looked into it.’
'a.s.sistant?’
The call ended without an answer to the question. That said, Makoto had a pretty good idea who the a.s.sistant was. It was probably her. Just as Makoto had a bit of a break, the phone on her desk rang. She had a strange feeling. Makoto immediately picked up the phone. 'h.e.l.lo, this is the culture department of Hokutou Newspaper.’
This voice – no doubt about it, it was the man from last night. 'We haven’t found it yet, but we are working on it,’ Makoto said politely. She wanted to get as much information from him as she could.
The man’s voice was shaking. What on earth was he thinking – 'I know. But in order to prove that, first I’d like your name.’
'Why not?’
'Wait a second. You’re the person who was at Kagami Spring yesterday, right?’ After Makoto asked that, there was a long silence, and then the call ended. 5 Is.h.i.+ had just stopped the car when he saw Yak.u.mo leaning against the school gate. It looked like he was talking on the phone. After a while, Yak.u.mo noticed Is.h.i.+ was there, hung up and slowly walked over to him. He let out a yawn while running his hand through his messy hair. Even though such a serious incident had occurred, Yak.u.mo didn’t seem disturbed, nervous or anxious. Was he hiding it well in his heart or did he really not feel anything – Is.h.i.+ still didn’t know. 'You’re late,’ Yak.u.mo complained to Gotou in the pa.s.senger seat as he got into the back. 'Shut up. We’re busy too,’ reb.u.t.ted Gotou without a pause. 'I apologise for bothering you when you are so busy. Please continue the hard work – I’ll leave the rest to you.’ After saying that calmly, Yak.u.mo put his hand on the car door and made a move to leave. 'Where are you going?’ Gotou said hurriedly. 'I’m obviously returning.’ 'Why?’ 'You’re busy, aren’t you?’ 'You little – !’ Gotou looked like he would hit Yak.u.mo in his anger. 'P-please calm down!’ interrupted Is.h.i.+ frankly. If he left the situation like this, Gotou would probably actually hit Yak.u.mo, and Yak.u.mo would probably leave without any mercy. 'Let’s keep things peaceful, please.’ Is.h.i.+ put his hands together, as if in prayer. If Yak.u.mo left now, the investigation wouldn’t go anywhere. Maybe Is.h.i.+’s prayer went through, as Yak.u.mo let out a sigh and sat in the backseat again. Gotou also calmed down, though he still looked anger. – Thank goodness. With a sigh of relief, Is.h.i.+ started the car. 'So – how is the questioning going with Takatos.h.i.+-san?’ asked Yak.u.mo after the car had been going for a while. 'Tozuka-san keeps saying he doesn’t know what happened, so the conversation isn’t going anywhere,’ replied Is.h.i.+ with a sigh. 'He was at the scene though.’ 'Yes,’ replied Is.h.i.+, looking at Yak.u.mo’s face through the rear-view mirror. As usual, he had a lazy-looking expression on his face and Is.h.i.+ had no idea what he was thinking. This was how Yak.u.mo always was. 'It is clear that he met Kirino-san, the victim, immediately before the incident. And yet he’s denying it?’ 'That guy keeps saying he can’t remember,’ said Gotou, looking like he had eaten something bitter. 'Can’t remember?’ 'He remembers up 'til he got inside and the exorcism started, but he says that Kirino was on the floor before he realised it.’ 'That’s strange.’ Yak.u.mo put his index finger to his brow. 'What is?’ asked Gotou. 'The two of you heard the sound of fighting, didn’t you?’ said Yak.u.mo as a reminder. Gotou nodded. Is.h.i.+ remembered too. At the time, there had been loud noises and yelling. That was why they had forced their way in. 'And yet Takatos.h.i.+-san denies it by saying he can’t remember.’ 'The guy’s lying,’ replied Gotou, kicking the glove compartment. Though Is.h.i.+ did understand how Gotou felt, he felt like Gotou was letting his emotions overrule his mind because of what happened to Kirino. 'It didn’t look like he was lying to me.’ That was what Is.h.i.+ felt immediately. 'Don’t just talk on feeling.’ Gotou immediately hit Is.h.i.+’s head. Is.h.i.+ swerved and almost ran into a telephone pole. He hadn’t been just talking on feeling. Though Takatos.h.i.+’s testimony had been vague in many parts, they had been consistent. It made Is.h.i.+ think that Takatos.h.i.+ really couldn’t remember. It felt like Gotou was the one talking on feeling, but naturally, Is.h.i.+ couldn’t say that. 'Gotou-san, what is your evidence for thinking that Takatos.h.i.+-san is lying?’ said Yak.u.mo in his usual calm tone. 'That room was a locked room. If he didn’t kill Kirino, who did?’ said Gotou, turning around from the pa.s.senger seat. Is.h.i.+ couldn’t deny that it had been a locked room. There was only one door to the waiting room, and it was behind the podium. The broken stained gla.s.s shards had all been outside the building. That meant that there hadn’t been intruders who came in from there. However, Is.h.i.+ was caught on another point. 'Tozuka-san may be the one who killed him. However…’ 'What?’ Gotou glared at Is.h.i.+. Is.h.i.+ felt like he’d be hit if he spoke more, but keeping quiet wouldn’t start anything. Is.h.i.+ opened his mouth, determined. 'What if the ghost possessing Tozuka-san committed the murder?’ Is.h.i.+ revealed his theory. If that was the case, it would explain why Takatos.h.i.+ couldn’t remember what had happened right before the murder. 'What?’ Gotou looked openly displeased. 'Don’t be stupid. The ghost possessing Tozuka was trying to kill Tozuka.’ 'Please recall the words carefully. The ghost only said, “I’ll kill you.” It didn’t specify who “you” was.’ It was like a light bulb had come on in Gotou’s head. He had probably accepted it as a possibility. 'Yak.u.mo. What do you think?’ asked Gotou, leaning towards the backseat. 'I can’t deny the possibility, but that would mean that the spirit possessing Takatos.h.i.+-san had wanted to kill Kirino-san.’ When Gotou heard Yak.u.mo’s explanation, his expression clouded over. Though Yak.u.mo hadn’t said anything aloud, Gotou had probably heard the hidden meaning in those words. 'You saying that the ghost hated Kirino? To the point that it’d want to kill him – ’ 'What do you think, Gotou-san?’ said Yak.u.mo casually, even though he had to know Gotou felt. Is.h.i.+ was worried that Gotou might yell in anger again, but Gotou was unexpectedly calm. 'It isn’t unthinkable,’ said Gotou with a stiff expression. 'Does that mean Kirino-san was a person who was easy to dislike?’ asked Is.h.i.+, which made Gotou’s fist come his way. 'He was an ex-cop. It’s pretty much his job to be hated.’ Is.h.i.+ understood now. Just as Gotou said, working as a police officer made people hate you. If they solved the case, the perpetrators hated them, but if they couldn’t solve the case, the relatives of the victim became angry with them for not being able to do anything. That was their job. When, where, who – even if those questions remained, the possibility that Kirino was hated enough to be killed was high. 'It feels like the number of suspects just increased by a lot…’ said Is.h.i.+, feeling disappointed. He glanced at Yak.u.mo in the backseat. Though Yak.u.mo had been the one who brought up the topic, he was looking out the window vacantly, like he wasn’t interested at all. He had pale and well-defined features, but his face was blank. Is.h.i.+ had no idea what he was thinking. But still, Is.h.i.+ felt like Yak.u.mo might have already seen through the whole case. 6 Gotou was in a dark room – There was a large window in front of him. To be more accurate, it was a one-way mirror. Though he could see through to the other side, the opposite side couldn’t see him. Naturally, the interrogation room was on the other side of the one-way mirror. Takatos.h.i.+ was slumped over on a chair. He looked much thinner than he had when they first met. There were bruises all over his face. They were from when Gotou had hit him. Miyagawa and Is.h.i.+ sat opposite Takatos.h.i.+ as they questioned him. 'How is it?’ Gotou looked at Yak.u.mo, who was standing next to him. He had his index on his brow and looked serious as he stared through the one-way mirror. Gotou was having Yak.u.mo check whether Takatos.h.i.+ was possessed by a ghost or not. He had wanted to let Yak.u.mo meet Takatos.h.i.+ directly. Since it was Yak.u.mo, he might have been able to find some new information. However, Gotou just hadn’t been able to get permission. Yak.u.mo had met suspects in secret before countless times. Miyagawa had silently accepted it to solve cases, but this time, they had a tough opponent. Takatos.h.i.+ was the grandson of a retired cop. If they weren’t careful, they would cause a big problem. It was even worse since Gotou had already raised a hand towards him. 'He isn’t possessed by a spirit of the dead now.’ Yak.u.mo shook his head and then turned around to lean against the one-way mirror. Gotou didn’t feel disappointed. Yak.u.mo’s not seeing anything was another piece of info. In short – 'Tozuka was lying then.’ When Gotou declared that, Yak.u.mo snorted aloud. 'You’re a helpless idiot, as usual.’ 'What did you say?’ 'Not being possessed by a spirit right now does not make everything Takatos.h.i.+-san said a lie.’ 'What are you talking about?’ 'Have you forgotten? Gotou-san, you thought that it was a prank at first.’ Now that Yak.u.mo mentioned it, that was right. There was the possibility that somebody was acting out these spiritual phenomena. If that was true, that would mean Takatos.h.i.+ wasn’t lying. However, that was just in regards to the spiritual phenomena. 'In any case, the possibility Is.h.i.+ mentioned about Takatos.h.i.+ killing somebody while possessed won’t fly any more.’ Though Gotou said that with confidence, Yak.u.mo just shook his head and sighed in exasperation. 'This is why you’re an idiot.’ 'Why? You said that Tozuka wasn’t possessed, right?’ Gotou retorted, but Yak.u.mo looked as calm as always. 'I did say that he wasn’t possessed now – ’ 'Ah.’ – So that’s what he meant. Gotou finally understood and clapped his hands together. 'So you’re saying it’s possible the ghost left Tozuka’s body after killing Kirino.’ 'Yes.’ Though Yak.u.mo said that with confidence, Gotou just couldn’t accept it. 'Isn’t that too convenient?’ 'What do you mean? That’s how spirits wandering the world are.’ 'What are you talking about?’ asked Gotou, which made Yak.u.mo run a hand through his hair like he thought explaining would be troublesome. Even if Yak.u.mo acted that way, Gotou didn’t understand what he didn’t understand. He glared at Yak.u.mo for an explanation, which made Yak.u.mo finally open his mouth. 'What if the spirit possessing Takatos.h.i.+-san had a grudge against Kirino-san and wanted to kill him?’ Gotou was finally able to understand after listening to Yak.u.mo’s explanation. 'Killing Kirino got them their goal – ’ After Gotou said those words like they were strangled out of him, Yak.u.mo nodded. Come to think of it, that had always been the case. Spirits that wandered had unfinished business. Yak.u.mo found those feelings and helped them finish their business properly, while sometimes he made the spirits’ feelings change and solved cases that way. If Takatos.h.i.+ had really been possessed by a ghost that hated Kirino and wanted to kill him, now that that business was finished, there would be no reason to wander any longer. That would mean it was too late – 'Gotou-san.’ Yak.u.mo called out to him. Gotou looked over, but Yak.u.mo had his hands in his pockets and was looking down, even though he was the one who had called out. 'What?’ 'It’s fine if it’s just what you know. Please tell me Kirino-san’s history.’ For a moment, Gotou hesitated, but nothing would change by hiding it now. 'Kirino graduated from the religion department of a university and joined the force. He worked at a station for some years and then got sent to Criminal Affairs.’ 'When did he partner with you, Gotou-san?’ 'About eight years ago – ’ 'A bit before you met me again.’ 'Yeah.’ A case ended his partners.h.i.+p with Kirino and made Gotou partner with Miyagawa again. Then, he had met Yak.u.mo, who had been a middle school student. 'When did he quit the force?’ Yak.u.mo glanced at Gotou 'I hear it was right after we stopped being partners,’ said Gotou, though hesitant. Gotou had found out when Kirino quit at this morning’s investigation briefing. 'What is the reason Kirino-san quit the police?’ 'Some personal business. Even the boss back then doesn’t know.’ 'Do you not know either, Gotou-san?’ Yak.u.mo’s gaze was sharp. Yak.u.mo was probably suggesting that it had something to do with the end of their partners.h.i.+p, since Kirino had quit immediately afterwards. 'I don’t know.’ To be honest, Gotou had an idea of why Kirino had quit, but he hadn’t heard it from Kirino’s mouth or anything. He didn’t really know. 'Is that true?’ Yak.u.mo put his chin in his hands. He was clearly suspicious. Gotou thought about explaining the case, but in the end, he just shook his head and said, 'I don’t know.’ It’s got nothing to do with this – maybe he was telling himself that. 'I understand. How about after he quit the police?’ Yak.u.mo backed off unusually easily and asked another question. 'Seems he had some training and became a pastor at that church.’ It probably hadn’t been that hard for him to change jobs to become a pastor since he had come out of a religion department. 'Did he keep in contact with people related to the police after he quit?’ 'Seems n.o.body kept in contact. Everyone was shocked that Kirino was a pastor.’ 'I see – what sort of person was he like while he was on the force?’ Yak.u.mo narrowed his eyes. Come to think of it, Is.h.i.+ had asked the same question last night. Gotou started to speak, even though he found it annoying. 'The complete opposite of me.’ 'How were you different?’ 'He sees things logically, like you. He’s never moved by his emotions. Just checks the facts – that type of guy.’ 'That’s also a way of thinking.’ Gotou knew that. No, he should say that he had come to understand that recently. 'I’m not saying that one’s right or wrong – he just had his own way of thinking. But at the time, I couldn’t understand that. Obviously it was the same for him too though.’ 'I see…’ 'Kirino didn’t try to listen to suspects talk – he just went forward with the truth. He didn’t care how people were during questionings either – just gathered the facts.’ 'You must not have been able to forgive him then.’ 'Yeah.’ Gotou didn’t deny it. It was the truth. Humans were emotional creatures. Criminals had their excuses, and victims were sometimes partly to blame. Ignoring that wouldn’t really solve cases – Gotou had believed that, never doubting it. 'So we always argued. Well, it was just me yelling at him.’ Even as Gotou said it, he started smiling without thinking. Now that he thought back on it, it was similar to his relations.h.i.+p with Yak.u.mo now. 'With just this information, I don’t understand why he quit the police force and became a pastor – ’ It was the same for Gotou. What on earth happened to Kirino – Gotou wanted to ask him, but that wish wouldn’t be granted. 7 Haruka stood in front of the gates to a city middle school – Since there were cla.s.ses right now, the grounds were quiet. It was strange how coming here made her feel nostalgic, even though this wasn’t her old school. 'Sorry I’m late.’ Haruka turned towards the voice and saw Makoto coming towards her. Makoto’s grey pantsuit and tied-up hair matched her slender frame well. 'Ah, no, I just came here myself.’ 'Then let’s get going.’ Makoto went through the gate. 'Er… Is it all right for us just to go in?’ asked Haruka as she went after Makoto. 'I’ve called in advance, so it’s fine. I’m going to talk to his old home room teacher,’ Makoto said quickly as she walked briskly. That was a woman who could do things for you. Haruka was impressed by Makoto’s preparations. But – 'What did you tell them?’ It would have been difficult to say they were investigating a spiritual phenomenon. And if they weren’t careful, the story might not match up. 'Exactly what we’re here for,’ Makoto said frankly. 'What do you mean by exactly?’ 'I told them that we want to investigate Tozuka-san’s case.’ 'Wouldn’t the school not like that?’ 'Of course they wouldn’t like that if we went through the proper channels, but this is my old school.’ 'Oh!’ Haruka was surprised, but she understood. Makoto was walking forward without any hesitation because this was her old school, which she knew well. Haruka followed Makoto through the front entrance and switched into slippers. They went down the first floor corridor. At the front of the staff office, Makoto said, 'Wait for me a bit here,’ and went inside. After a while, Makoto came out alone. 'The reception room’s on the second floor. Let’s go.’ 'Ah, yes.’ As if being pulled forward by Makoto, who was acting swiftly, Haruka went p the stairs into a room with a doorplate that read 'Reception Room’. It was a Spartan room that only had sofas in it. Haruka sat down with Makoto. 'I never would have thought that this was your old school, Makoto-san.’ 'Why not?’ 'You have the image of somebody who came out of some private all-girls school.’ 'That wouldn’t go well with me,’ Makoto said immediately. 'Really?’ 'I was really gloomy back in middle school. I practically never talked to my cla.s.smates.’ 'You don’t look it.’ 'It’s true. When I went to the reunion, practically n.o.body remembered me.’ Haruka couldn’t imagine it at all from how Makoto was now. Then, the door opened and a woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties came into the room. She was plump and had a friendly image to her. Haruka and Makoto stood up and bowed deeply together. 'I sincerely apologise for coming at such a busy time. My name is Hijikata Makoto, and I come from Hokutou Newspaper. This is my a.s.sistant, Ozawa.’ Makoto held out her business card and introduced Haruka as well. The female teacher took the business card and said in a quiet voice, 'My name is Namioka.’ Namioka sat down opposite them and said, looking down, 'Sorry… there aren’t many things to say…’ It was clear that she was on guard. Her old student, Takatos.h.i.+, was suspect in a murder case. Haruka could understand those feelings painfully. 'I know. Please relax – I won’t write anything improper about my old school,’ Makoto said gently as she smiled. 'What do you want to ask?’ As Namioka said that, her expression and tone were still hard. 'I heard that Tozuka Takatos.h.i.+-san was rather rough while he was in school.’ Namioka looked surprised. 'You’ve heard about that?’ 'Yes, I talked to other people before coming here.’ When Makoto said that, Namioka seemed to relax. Perhaps she felt better knowing that other people had talked as well. 'Well, it’s true that there were problems with his behavior.’ 'What sort of things exactly?’ 'Hm… Dyeing his hair, smoking at school – there were even rumours of extortion.’ Namioka looked very displeased, but it sounded a bit like she was talking about something that had happened to somebody else. – What would I do if my student were the subject of rumours like that? Haruka suddenly thought about that. Namioka had probably wanted to escape the problem, but had she done nothing? 'Did you ever ask him about it?’ said Haruka, knowing that she was doing something she shouldn’t. 'I didn’t.’ 'Why not?’ 'A teacher’s job is to teach studying, but reprimands are family problems. And if the teacher isn’t careful, the parents will come in. Tozuka-kun’s grandfather was in the police, so it would have been troublesome if anything happened,’ Namioka said flatly. Though Haruka just couldn’t accept that, she didn’t say anything else. It would just take the conversation off track. 'Were there students that he was friendly with?’ asked Makoto after a moment. 'Hm… Kuriyama-kun and Nomoto-kun were friendly with him, I think.’ 'Could you show us a photoof him at the time?’ 'Would the graduation alb.u.m be OK?’ 'Yes.’ 'Please wait a moment.’ Namioka stood up and left the room. 'Haruka-chan, you were in education, right?’ commented Makoto after the door closed. 'I am.’ ‘Don’t become a teacher like that.’ It was like Makoto had read Haruka’s mind. Though Haruka felt happy, at the same time, she felt heavy pressure. She might not end up become the person she wanted to be. Namioka must have wanted to be an ideal teacher when she started. Would Haruka be able to be the teacher she wanted – Namioka came back with the graduation alb.u.m before Haruka found an answer. 'You can’t take it out.’ 'I understand.’ Makoto replied with a smile and opened the alb.u.m. Haruka looked from beside her. She found Takatos.h.i.+’s name in the cla.s.s photos. Just as Namioka had said, his hair was dyed blond. He seemed to be glaring. There was a picture of Kento too. Though Takatos.h.i.+ seemed to have calmed down since then, Kento didn’t seem to have changed at all. 'Just as Yak.u.mo-kun thought.’ Makoto spoke quietly as she pointed at a photo. At first, Haruka didn’t understand who it was. She remembered once she saw the large injury on the right side of the face. The young man they’d seen at Kagami Spring. The man who had probably called Makoto – 'Do you remember him?’ Makoto asked Namioka while pointing at the photo. Namioka leant forward and then said, 'Ah,’ sounding disappointed. 'Orita-kun, eh…’ 'what sort of student was he?’ Namioka thought for a while. 'Well, in one word, he was a liar.’ 'A liar?’ 'There were a number of behaviour problems. Forgot his homework, was late often. It was tough warning him every time.’ Haruka felt there was a contradiction in Namioka’s words. Even tohugh she had said that reprimands were for the household with Takatos.h.i.+, she gave Orita warnings. That meant she changed her att.i.tude depending on the person. Haruka had a number of things she wanted to say, but she managed to keep them in. 'But why do you say he was a liar?’ asked Makoto. 'Ah, that’s right. When I asked him why he was late, he’d say things like he was attacked by a dog or he fell in a river – just whatever he wanted.’ 'Is that so…’ Makoto sounded disappointed. 'Come to think of it, he called me once saying he found a corpse.’ 'A corpse?’ said Haruka and Makoto at the same time. 'Yes, he said he found a corpse and wanted me to come look. Said he knew the person who did it.’ 'What happened?’ 'I called the police and they went there, but there was no corpse. The police complained to me – it was awful,’ said Namioka, sounding fed up. In contrast to that, Haruka felt excited. Makoto’s eyes were wide open too. 'Did he say that he found a corpse at Kagami Spring? The spring on the hill to the west of the city,’ asked Makoto with a serious gaze. 'You might be right, come to think of it.’ Though Namioka’s response was vague, Haruka was sure of it. Makoto nodded, seeming to think the same thing. They had asked for the main story, but Haruka had another thing she wanted to know. 'Excuse me, but how was Utsugi-kun?’ she asked. 'Kento-kun? He was a serious student. He underwent a lot.’ 'Is that so?’ Kento still seemed like a serious young man now. 'Kento-kun used to be in a care facility.’ 'Eh?’ Haruka’s eyes went wide at the unexpected response. 'His parents died young and he didn’t have any relatives to take him in, so he and his older sister were in a facility.’ 'Is that so…’ Kento’s refres.h.i.+ng smile flashed through Haruka’s mind. Haruka couldn’t feel even the smallest bit of sadness from living through painful experiences there. It made Haruka think that he was probably a strong person. 'A lot of people turned a cold shoulder towards him because of that. Some even said some distasteful things. It must have been hard, but he never really showed it.’ His parentless home environment was like Yak.u.mo’s. 'One last thing – ’ After the conversation about Kento had ended, Makoto brought up another topic. ‘What is it?’ 'Namioka-san, what do you think about this incident?’ Namioka froze upon hearing Makoto’s question. 'All I’ll say is… that, well, Tozuka-kun was that kind of child…’ Though it was a vague response, Haruka could understand exactly what Namioka meant. Namioka had probably been surprised by the case, but it wasn’t that she couldn’t believe it. 8 Is.h.i.+ held his breath in the eerily dim corridor of the hospital bas.e.m.e.nt. – I don’t like this place. He had come here many times in the past, but he still wasn’t used to it. He always felt like he would never be able to return if he went down this corridor. 'What are you standing there for?’ Gotou pushed Is.h.i.+’s back. Yak.u.mo was beside him too. 'I-I apologise.’ Is.h.i.+ reluctantly walked forward. He went down the straight corridor to the door to the room at the very back. After a deep breath, he knocked on the door. 'It’s open.’ Is.h.i.+ heard a hoa.r.s.e voice from within. When Is.h.i.+ opened the door, he saw Hata Hideyos.h.i.+ sipping tea in his seat. He was wrinkled all over and had bulging eyes. His appearance and atmosphere were frightening, just like a demon’s. He was a strange person who thought of his work as a coroner as his hobby. 'My, my, Is.h.i.+-kun, have you finally run out of patience with the bear?’ After saying that in a cool voice, Hata let out a creepy giggle. 'Who are you calling a bear?’ Gotou said threateningly as he came into the room. 'What, you’re alive? A useless bear like you should hurry up and be dissected by me.’ Hata’s neck shook as he laugh. Hata was frightening because you couldn’t tell whether he meant things like that seriously or as a joke. 'Shut up, you demonic old man.’ Hata didn’t care about Gotou’s threat at all. He just kept giggling. 'It has been a long time since we last met.’ Yak.u.mo, who came into the room last, bowed his head politely. 'Oh, Yak.u.mo-kun. Won’t you let me research that left eye already?’ Hata said something frightening again. Yak.u.mo didn’t seem to take it seriously, as he just said lightly, 'If there’s a chance – ’ 'So what are you all here for today?’ said Hata, playing the fool as he sipped his tea. 'What are you all here for? Obviously to hear the results of the autopsy for yesterday’s case.’ Hata shook his head when he saw Gotou’s agitated demeanour. 'You really are just a noisy good-for-nothing.’ 'Shut up and hand it over already!’ 'Bears really know no manners. Here.’ Hata took a file from his drawer and threw it towards Is.h.i.+. Because of how sudden it was and his lack of athletic ability, Is.h.i.+ wasn’t able to catch the file, which fell to the floor. 'What are you doing?’ Gotou hit Is.h.i.+’s head. 'I-I apologise.’ Is.h.i.+ hurriedly tried to gather the files spread out on the floor, but then the photo of Kirino’s corpse caught his eye and made him freeze. The raw memories from then came back to him fresh in his mind. Is.h.i.+ broke out into a cold sweat. It was hard to breathe. 'Are you all right?’ Yak.u.mo was the one who came to ask him that. 'I’m fine,’ replied Is.h.i.+, which made Yak.u.mo smile slightly before picking up Kirino’s photo. He looked at the photo grimly, like he had noticed something. 'What are you s.p.a.cing out for?’ reprimanded Gotou. Is.h.i.+ hurriedly picked up the rest of the files. 'What was the cause of death?’ asked Yak.u.mo, staring at the photo. 'Blood loss. The left artery in his neck was cut clean through. Don’t know if he could’ve been saved even if he was taken to a hospital immediately…’ said Hata with a serious gaze. Though there were problems with the way he spoke, Hata was an excellent coroner. 'Any other external injuries?’ asked Yak.u.mo, still looking at the photo. 'Nothing. The corpse is beautiful,’ Hata said firmly. 'Is the weapon definitely the knife that was at the scene?’ 'From the shape of the wound, there’s probably no doubt about it.’ Hata nodded a number of times like he was convincing himself. Is.h.i.+ looked at the doc.u.ments he picked up and found a doc.u.ment saying the same thing. 'How about fingerprints on the knife?’ Yak.u.mo looked towards Gotou. Is.h.i.+ thought that Gotou would reply immediately, but Gotou looked troubled and then turned to Is.h.i.+. It seemed that Gotou didn’t know the situation. Gotou was at a loss after letting his emotions get ahead of him. Is.h.i.+ nodded and began the explanation. 'There were two sets of fingerprints on the knife. One was Kirino-san&rsqu
