Vol 3 Chapter 1: VOLUME 3 - THE LIGHT BEYOND THE DARKNESS Shinrei Tantei Yakumo

Vol 3 Chapter 1: VOLUME 3 - THE LIGHT BEYOND THE DARKNESS

Chapter 1

VOLUME 3 - THE LIGHT BEYOND THE DARKNESS

file 01: disappearance (TRANSLATION NOTES)

Hijikata Makoto stopped the taxi in front of a multi-tenant building to see a small illuminated sign that read <Snake> .

Makoto paid and quickly descended the stairs to the basement .

It was already almost an hour past the appointed time . Her work always dragged on at times like this . Irritated, Makoto pushed open the heavy wooden door and entered the bar .

There were four table seats and a counter that could seat five . Using indirect lighting with blue as its premise, jazz played throughout the bar .

Though the place wasnt large, it had a good atmosphere .

Makoto looked around and soon found Asami, whom she had arranged to meet . She was smoking a slim cigarette at the table by the entrance .

Sorry Im late

Makoto clapped Asami on the shoulder .

'Youre too late .

Asami pouted with her puffy lips .

It had been a while since they last met . Makoto felt that Asami had changed quite a lot . During university, Asami hadnt smoked, and she had had a stronger healthy impression . It might have been because of the makeup, but now it looked like there were shadows somewhere .

However, one thing that didnt change was her beauty .

'Im really sorry .

Makoto put her hands together as she asked for forgiveness .

'Its OK . Itd be a different matter if it was because of a man, but you had work, right?

'Yup . Well .

'It was your goal, right? Working at a newspaper agency .

Makoto somehow managed to smile back, but she couldnt actually smile honestly . Itd be difficult to say that even though she was employed at a news agency, it had been because her father was the chief of police rather than because of her own aptitude .

'Anyway, its really been a while . Whend we last see each other?

Makoto changed the topic .

'Hm university?

Now that Asami said it, Makoto felt that was right . After graduating, Asami had returned to her home in Nagano and they hadnt met directly like this since, though they had sent emails and New Years cards .

That would mean she hadnt seen Asami in three years .

'So the last time was at the graduation ceremony .

'I didnt go to the ceremony, so

Asamis expression went a bit stiff . Makoto tried tracing back in her memory .

That was right . If she remembered correctly, Asami had taken a one-month break around graduation because her health had worsened, and then graduation had come . Makoto had asked something she shouldnt have .

'Thats right . Sorry .

'Dont worry about it, Asami said nonchalantly . She put out the cigarette she had been smoking in the ashtray .

'So whend you come here?

'Last month . I transferred for work .

'So thats how it was . Then well be able to meet up for drinks again .

'I wont let you get away .

Asami just smiled . The old Asami would have laughed aloud . People could change a lot in three years .

'Anyway, sit down .

Asami urged Makoto to sit, but there were two men she didnt know in the opposite seats .

The first was in his early thirties and had a casual feel to him, wearing a beige jacket with jeans . The other was a young man in his early twenties with a hip-hop artists fashion sense . They were a somewhat unbalanced pair .

'Good evening .

The man in the jacket bowed his head politely . The young man in hip-hop fashion also nodded, following the older man .

Makoto sat next to Asami and touched her elbow to ask for an explanation .

'Ah, thats right .

Asami started introducing everyone .

The man in the jacket was called Shinichi . He worked at an event planning company . The other younger man was Yuuya . He was Shinichis pal and was in his third year of university . It seemed that he did part-time at Shinichis event planning company .

Makoto also greeted the two of them simply .

'We got to know each other while waiting for you, Makoto . You dont mind if the two of them join us, right?

'Not at all, Makoto replied, though she was puzzled .

During university, Asami hadnt been the type to drink with men she didnt know who called out to her at a bar .

Since she wasnt a naive middle school student, it probably wasnt anything to worry about .

'What would you like to order?

The long-haired bartender, who had been waiting for their conversation to halt, brought a menu and came to take their order, wearing a black apron .

The bartender was expressionless and calm .

Makoto looked at the menu, but in the end, she just ordered gin, like she always did .

At the time, Makoto couldnt even imagine what was going to happen afterwards

Gotou reclined on the car seat and tied his necktie while holding a cigarette in his mouth .

In the passenger seat, Ishii was carelessly chomping down a hamburger . Thanks to that, the car was filled with the smell of burger .

Gotou was going to complain, but he changed his mind . Conversing with Ishii was as tiring as conversing with Yakumo .

He heard a voice from the wireless earphone he had on .

Even though she was a woman, she had a voice that reverberated in the bottom of your belly . Her name was Shimamura Eriko .

From the perspective of Gotou, who had parked his car on the road in front of the park, she was directly diagonal from him . He could see her stooping in the forest behind the park .

In stature, size and attitude, she was heavyweight all around . She was completely visible .

'Who are you saying that to?

<You, obviously . >

Shimamura rebutted immediately .

Why was he surrounded by so many impudent people? Gotou clicked his tongue .

'Shut up! That has nothing to do with you! shouted Gotou, flaring up .

She talked on and on about unnecessary things . Why had his wife come up in conversation?

'I truly regret it .

Gotou had met with his wife Atsuko because Shimamura, who had been at the police academy at the same time as him, had introduced her .

His wifes best friend and his co-worker . Thanks to that, his private life had been made public in the police . Not just the police either . Even Yakumo knew about it through old man Hata .

'What did you say?

'What do you mean?

He could hear sniggers from other investigation team members from the earphone .

That Shimamura . She was just doing this to pass the time . Gotou bit his lip and hit Ishiis head in retaliation .

D-D-Detective Gotou, what are you doing?

The tomato fell from Ishiis burger .

'Shut up!

He glared at Ishii for responding .

Gotou could tell it would be hard going .

'Why do we have to be dragged into work outside of our jurisdiction? grumbled Gotou .

'But its true that we dont have any work . We might as well offer assistance at least, replied Ishii, with his stupid diligence .

'I know that .

Just as Ishii said, the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Room was named such because they responded to unsolved cases, but in reality, they just organised the backlog of documents .

On top of that, the other divisions thought they had a lot of free time on their hands, so they were often used as supplementary personnel for stakeouts and such .

Even now, they were staking out the park on the corner of this residential street because of a serial female assault case though it was just some perverted guy cutting womens skirts with scissors .

This is the same as being put out in the cold

Gotou muttered that in his heart and snorted .

On top of that, there was this stationing . If the perp ran, they hadnt surrounded the routes . Forget about his career why did he have to obey some brat who was younger than him? It really riled him up .

A nervous voice came in through his earphone .

Gotou looked in the direction indicated .

He was there! Directly in front of his gaze, there was a suspicious person with his back to the wall of the toilet facing the road . He kept glancing at the road .

<Gotou, Ishii wait in the car . >

'What do you mean, wait? If Shimamura goes around, the back will be wide open, Gotou retorted, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray . He opened the door and rushed out .

'Detective Gotou, the instructions were to wait here .

Still holding his burger, Ishii called out to Gotou to stop .

'Youre annoying . I know that .

'Then

'Do you know the word adaptability?

'Yes . It refers to the ability to change depending on the situation . Thats what was written in the Koujien[1] .

'This is that situation .

While Gotou said that, he headed towards the forest in the back of the park . It was a terrible mistake to move Shimamura . Did they really think the perp would just run for the road?

'Detective Gotou, this is bad .

Ishii hesitantly followed Gotou, like a puppy .

'Go back to the car if you think that .

'B-but

Honestly, this useless guy .

'Dont come over here!

A yell resounded .

Gotou looked toward the public toilet . The man from earlier was waving a pair of scissors about agitatedly as he screamed .

Investigation team members sidled up from both sides .

After the man looked to his left and right, he turned away from the road and fled towards the forest like a frightened rabbit .

'Wait! yelled one of the investigation members .

See?

'Ishii, lets go!

Gotou immediately ran after the man .

'Ouch!

Ishii tripped .

That idiot! Gotou ignored Ishii, who had fallen and had his hands on his thighs as he got back up, and chased the man .

'Wait! Ill kill you!

The man turned at Gotous yell .

D-dont come over! the man screamed, looking like he could cry at any moment .

He was a timid and chubby middle-aged man that any crowded train stank with . Honestly, what a miserable face . It made it seem like Gotou was attacking him .

'Damn it!

Gotou reached out to grab the scruff of his neck and drag him to the ground .

The man fell backwards and started coughing from the impact . Gotou climbed on top of him and raised his right fist .

Like he had lost all will to flee at that moment, the man pressed both hands against his face and started crying, repeating, 'Im sorry, Im sorry

Gotou muttered, 'Damn, and hit the ground with his fist in his anger .

If he was going to cry about it, he shouldnt have done it in the first place .

The first words of the novice officer in charge who arrived late at the scene were

'Why did you leave your station?

Honestly, everyone was just

It had been almost an hour since Makoto arrived at the bar .

Since it had been the first time shed seen Asami in a while and there were Shinichi and Yuuya, whom she had just met, it had been an awkward question-and-answer session at first, but now, the atmosphere was less reserved .

It was easy talking with the man named Shinichi . He was a good listener, or rather, she ended up telling him about a variety of things .

Instead of assertively enlivening the conversation, Yuuya would laugh as he listened and respond at the appropriate times . He might have been a serious young man despite his appearances .

'Just going to go to the ladies .

At a lull in the conversation, Asami took her bag and stood up .

'Makoto-san, are you seeing anyone?

After Asami left for the lavatory, Shinichi asked Makoto this question while looking directly at her eyes .

'Im not .

'Really? Shinichi said in disbelief .

'Really . Im being pushed around at work right now . Plus, I have no luck with men .

Makoto shrugged .

Though she didnt have a boyfriend, there was somebody she harboured feelings for . However, she didnt say that aloud .

He was a detective who was so serious it was idiotic . She had made up reasons to contact and approach him, but he hadnt noticed at all, though he hadnt rejected her .

In the meantime, she had lost her excuses, so lately she hadnt seen him .

'Is that so? If it were me, I wouldnt leave you alone, Makoto-san .

Shinichi smoothly said those words which could have been a pick-up line .

'You probably say that to every woman you meet .

'Of course not . Right, bartender?

After Makoto said that as a joke, Shinichi turned the conversation to the bartender, who had come to put down a glass .

The bartender gave a vague reply and escaped by walking away .

'Yuuya, you think Makoto-san is beautiful too, right?

Shinichi poked Yuuyas shoulder .

While Yuuya drank the whiskey in his glass, he just smiled frivolously and said nothing . He might have felt it was awkward, because he looked at his wristwatch and said, 'Asami-sans been a while .

Immediately after that

'Aaah!

Makoto heard Asami scream from the toilet in the back of the bar .

'Asami?

Makoto stood up right away and ran to the lavatory .

'What happened?

She called out in the direction of the lavatory door . There was no response . Shinichi and Yuuya came by too because they were concerned .

'Hey, Asami . What happened?

Makoto asked again as she knocked on the door .

However, there was no response, as if nobody was inside .

Makoto put her ear against the door to try to listen for sounds from inside, but it was no use .

'Excuse me .

The bartender cut through as he said that .

The bartender quickly took a key from his pocket and opened the door, saying, 'Im opening the door .

The lights were off in the dim lavatory .

Asami sat on the tiled floor and was trembling as she hugged her own shoulders .

'Asami . You OK?

Makoto went inside the lavatory and walked up to Asami to shake her shoulders with both of her hands .

The colour drained from Asamis face, which just earlier had been flushed because of alcohol, leaving her extremely pale .

'Hey, what happened?

At Makotos question, Asami pointed at the mirror in front of her with a trembling finger .

All the people there turned their eyes to the dark mirror, their gazes led by that finger .

At the same time

Inside the mirror, a faint image of a woman appeared . Long black hair hung from her head, and the left half of her face was covered in blood .

That womans body shook like it had been jolted .

Her cracked purple lips slowly moved .

Die .

Her low growl made the air quiver .

Nobody there was able to keep their senses, and their screams echoed through the bar .

Haruka, whose lecture had finished, went towards the prefabricated two-storey building in the back of Building B .

There were ten rooms of about four and a half tatami on each floor . The university lent them out for student circle activities .

She was going to meet with Japans representative for contrariness, Saitou Yakumo .

She didnt really have any trouble for him . She was just going to meet him .

Haruka thought it was amazing progress . No, she couldnt call this progress . What she had been doing before had been strange . She had always been accompanied by trouble every time she went to visit Yakumo . It was the pattern for Yakumo to say something sarcastic to her and make her depressed every time they met .

But today is OK .

Haruka stood in front of the door at the end of the first floor . The door had a plate which read <Movie Research Circle> .

However, that was a downright lie . Yakumo had deceived the university to borrow this room and was using it as his secret hiding place .

'Hey, Haruka said, opening the door .

At the same time, a wave of hot air rushed out at her . She resisted the urge to cough and looked inside .

'You again?

As usual, his hair looked like he had just gotten out of bed, and his eyes were sleepy . Yakumo, reclining on the chair in the front, sounded annoyed as he said that .

He had unbuttoned down to the third button of his shirt and was fanning himself with a fan .

There were beads of sweat from his forehead to the nape of his neck .

'Im just going to say this, but this isnt a place for you to kill time .

'I dont have as much free time as you think, Yakumo-kun . Ive got reports to do and I have a part-time job too, and I often get invited out

She stopped speaking . He wouldnt listen . Yakumo stretched his neck as he let out a huge yawn, and then he scratched his neck . His actions were just like that of a cats .

Haruka went inside, took a bottle of tea from the refrigerator in the back of the room and drank it .

'When did you bring that in here? said Yakumo, looking dissatisfied .

'The last time I came . Theres chocolate too . Want some?

Haruka took out a box of almond chocolate from the refrigerator and showed it to Yakumo .

'This is my room . Dont just make it your own .

'This is the Movie Research Circle room .

'You arent a member .

She had thought that was where the conversation would go . Haruka made a victorious pose in her mind at one-upping Yakumo .

'Too bad for you, but Im a member of the Movie Research Circle too .

'What?

'Yesterday, I went to the student affairs office and wrote my name on the registration list .

Even Yakumo had nothing to say as he gaped .

How about that? Got you there, right?

'Why would you do something like

'OK, OK .

Haruka interrupted Yakumo and sat on the chair .

She felt like she had won .

'Still, how can you stay in such a hot room? Isnt there air conditioning?

Haruka took a handkerchief out of her bag and wiped her forehead . Even though she had just come in, it was already covered in sweat .

If she stayed her the whole day, she might get heatstroke .

'The fan is broken .

Yakumo pointed at the corner of the ceiling with his fan .

An electric fan covered with cobwebs was hanging there .

'You could just buy a new one .

'I dont have the money for that .

'How are you planning on getting through this summer? Its going to get hotter .

Copying Yakumo, Haruka took her notebook from her bag and used it as a fan .

'Cant you just go home if youre going to complain?

'What? I came all this way to visit you .

'I dont remember asking you to .

'Oh, is that so .

Haruka gritted her teeth and gave Yakumo a menacing look .

Then, there was the sound of a knock . For a moment, Haruka thought it might have been Detective Gotou, but if it had been him, he wouldnt have knocked he would have just suddenly said, 'Im coming in, and entered .

'Please come in . The door is unlocked .

Yakumo ran his fingers through his hair and called out in the direction of the door .

'Please excuse me .

A beautiful long-haired woman in a navy blue suit opened the door and came in .

'Who might you be and where are you from?

'Im a fourth-year student at this university . My name is Iida Mizuho .

She replied firmly to Yakumos question . She seemed too mature to be a university student .

Haruka gave her seat to Mizuho and unfolded a folding chair that was in the corner of the room . She sat down next to Yakumo .

'So what can I do for you?

'Er, I apologise for visiting in such a rude manner . I actually have something I would like to discuss and thought it might be bothersome, but

'Leave the introduction at that and get to the main question, Yakumo said curtly, interrupting Mizuho to make her get to the point .

Ah, it was the same the first time for me too . Haruka remembered the first time she had come to this room a few months ago .

'Ah, yes . The truth is, I have been troubled by a spiritual phenomenon

'A spiritual phenomenon?

Yakumo frowned as he raked through his hand with his fingers .

'Will you listen to my story?

'I dont mind if Im only listening to it .

At Yakumos prompting, Mizuhos expression suddenly brightened .

After that, Mizuho talked about a ghost of a woman that appeared at an apartment .

Why cant I die?

While the female ghost muttered that, she jumped off the apartment building . After a while, she stood back up and dragged her body into the apartment . And then

She jumped again .

The ghost of a woman who kept on committing suicide

Why did she want to die so much? There was no way Haruka would understand .

Mizuho appealed politely to Yakumo, saying that after seeing that womans ghost, it had been so terrifying that Mizuho couldnt sleep at night, and besought him to solve the case .

Since it was Yakumo, he would definitely say something cold like 'Its none of my business or 'Please try your best .

Ah, you poor thing . Haruka looked at Mizuho sympathetically .

However, what Yakumo said was completely different from what she had imagined .

'That must be worrying you . I understand . Let me accept your request .

Eh? Wait . What? You had a completely different attitude when I asked you . Haruka swallowed the words that she almost said aloud .

'Will you help me?

For a moment, Mizuho looked surprised, and then she relaxed, like she was exhausted .

Haruka was the one who wanted to be surprised .

'However, that does not mean it will be free .

'How much will it be?

Mizuho looked at Yakumo to sound him out .

'Would the regular price of twenty thousand yen plus expenses be acceptable?

Isnt that cheaper than it had been for me? What the heck is that

'Yes, thank you very much .

Mizuho bowed her head deeply .

Was it OK for her to trust such an irresponsible guy so easily? She should be a bit suspicious .

This guy was just a fake who took advantage of peoples weaknesses .

Since Mizuho couldnt hear Harukas thoughts, she wrote down the address of the apartment where she had seen the ghost as well as her contact information . Then, she bowed her head again and left the room .

'You accepted that pretty easily .

The moment the door closed, she rested her chin in her hands and said that . Since she had been holding back, her tone was a bit harsh .

'I want a new fan, Yakumo said with a yawn .

Well, it would be hard to get through the summer in the prefabricated building with new air conditioning, but

'The price is lower than the one you gave me .

'Theres a campaign right now .

'Is that a campaign that gives discounts to good-looking woman? After all, Im

'Whats gotten you into such a bad mood?

Really, its just as Yakumo said .

What am I saying? Even while Haruka was thinking that, she couldnt stop the next words from coming out of her mouth .

'Her breasts were big too .

'What do you want to boast about your small ones?

'Small!? Theyre still C-cups, you know .

'What sort of joke is that?

Yakumo raised an eyebrow .

'Its not a joke! Youve never even looked at them!

'I can tell well enough even if youre wearing clothes on top .

Did he not know the word delicacy!? Honestly, she was so angry!

Ignoring Harukas inner turmoil, Yakumo stretched out his arms behind him .

'What on earth are you doing!?

Chief Ideuchis yell stabbed at Ishiis ears .

His forehead with its receding hairline was bright red in agitation . He looked just like a boiled octopus .

Ishii had been prepared to be scolded after he was called to the meeting room, but Ideuchis indignation exceeded his expectations .

It was true that they hadnt obeyed orders, but because of that, they caught the criminal, so Ishii thought that Ideuchi could have at considered that a little .

'The officer in charge is a greenhorn .

Instead of being afraid of Ideuchis anger, Gotou flared up .

'Watch what you say .

'I just called him a greenhorn because hes a greenhorn .

'Know your place!

Ideuchi and Gotous conversation heated up .

This always happened . Gotou took an impolite attitude towards everyone . However, Ishii thought that Gotous attitude towards Ideuchi greatly differed from his attitude towards other people .

They didnt get on well .

'Havent you reflected on what you did!?

'I apologise for arresting the criminal! said Gotou in a voice dripping with sarcasm as he bowed his head and turned away . He was acting just like a rebellious child .

At many points, Ishii opened his mouth to mediate, but he was too flustered, overwhelmed by their intensity .

'What you should reflect on is how you didnt obey orders!

'You saying itd have been better if I listened to some greenhorns orders, just waited in the car and let the criminal get away?

Though Gotous objection was extreme, this time he was right . In a situation that required adaptability, grandstanding was sometimes necessary .

Putting aside whether he would be able to do that himself, even Ishii understood that much .

'I didnt say that .

'Then what are you saying?

'Im saying that if youre also a member of the police, dont glare at the people above you . This is also for your sake .

'The job of the police is to keep public order not to butter the boss up .

'In order for an organisation to work, sometimes that is necessary .

'Dont force your reasoning onto me!

Gotous angry voice was so loud the glass in the window shook .

Ideuchi lost his words and looked at Gotou like he was an alien .

It wasnt an exaggeration . Their ways of thinking were really that different, or so Ishii thought .

'Forget it . Get back to work .

After a silence, Ideuchi shook his head and said that, giving up .

'Wasting my time with something so pointless, Gotou muttered as he stood up .

'If you keep up that attitude, you wont get a promotion .

Ideuchi said one last thing to Gotou, who was exiting the room .

'I never wanted one in the first place, Gotou said, and then he left the room .

'Youre unlucky, Ideuchi said, casting a pitying look on Ishii .

Ishii didnt feel there was any reason to be pitied .

'I dont really

'If its what you want, you can consider getting a transfer, Ideuchi said, interrupting Ishiis objection .

'A transfer? Why would I?

Ishii raised his eyebrows and pushed up his silver-framed glasses .

'Your future shouldnt be shut down for being Gotous subordinate .

Ishii couldnt understand Ideuchis words . He had never felt bitter about working as Gotous subordinate .

'I dont mind working where I am, Ishii responded firmly . Then, he said, 'Please excuse me, stood up, bowed and ran after Gotou .

He fell

* * *

After leaving the meeting room, Gotou kicked the wall .

Im really pissed off .

What at? Ideuchi? No, that wasnt all .

He was angry at himself .

He hadnt been like this when he had first entered the force .

It might have been childish, but he had been filled with a sense of justice and duty . He had been drunk on fantasies that wouldnt lose even to Ishiis . He had believed without doubt that he would be able to save a lot of people .

However, that dream crumbled after just a few years .

No, that wasnt it . He had just been naive in the first place . It was impossible to solve every case like some cool anime hero .

If every person who committed a crime was a detestable villain, this would be so easy

The real world neither rewarded good nor punished evil .

People had different perspectives and ways of thinking . Cases werent just matters of vics and perps they had effects on all the people around them .

Every day, people surrendered themselves to anger, resentment, sadness, jealousy every possible negative emotion .

Senior detectives had often said this to him . 'Dont worry so much . If you dont just accept that thats how it is, youre the one wholl suffer . Gotou thought it was just as they said .

However, Gotou couldnt do that .

He felt the same as the people involved in the crime and he called out in anger and sadness . Like that, he dug his nails into an unchangeable society .

Revolting against the large organisation that was the police who knew they were in way over their head, and he gradually became isolated .

Even so, he couldnt leave the force .

Promotions were just showing off . The investigation team could get worked up about them if they liked, but they couldnt involve the perps and the vics .

With out-and-out careerism, no matter how he tried to cooperate with officers who were trying work their way up, he knew what would happen . A power game .

There wasnt any meaning in aiming for the top in an appearance-only organisation that had lost sight of its duty .

Finally, these past years police scandals continued one after another and the number of suicides in-house was through the roof .

An organisation like this should just go belly up . Gotou truly thought that .

Why am I still in this organisation if I think that

He didnt know . That was why he was angry .

'Damn it!

Even while she was working, Makoto couldnt get what happened at the bar the night before out of her mind .

The long-haired woman reflected in the lavatory mirror

If she were the only one who had seen it, she could have put it away as an optical illusion, but the five people there had seen exactly the same thing .

Even if she denied it, the fearful experience that happened a few months ago came back to her .

At the time, a dead mans soul possessed Makoto and ate away at her mind . She couldnt forget the fear she had felt then even if she tried .

If that had been a ghost, it could have been somebody who died at that bar in the past .

In order to know even just a little about that spiritual phenomenon, Makoto accessed the company database when there was a spare moment at work and tried searching for women who had died nearby, but the answer was no .

Pulled along by the spiritual phenomenon with cause unknown, she lacked concentration for her work and made a series of basic mistakes .

She had just been targeted by her boss too, who had ended it with the usual line . 'And youre supposed to be the police chiefs daughter .

No matter where she went, her fathers title was waved about .

When she was in university, the boy she liked stopped contacting her once he learnt about her fathers occupation, and her friends had become reserved too .

'You look a bit pale . Why dont you head home for today? said Kazue, the clerk sitting beside Makoto .

Though it wasnt as if she was feeling unwell, she would definitely be laughed at if she explained the reason .

Then, her mobile phone rang . It was from Asami .

'Ill be fine if I rest a bit, Makoto replied with a smile . She took her mobile and headed towards the lavatory .

After she entered, Asami had hung up, but when Makoto called back, Asami picked up on the first ring .

'Hello, its Makoto .

There was no response even when she started speaking .

She just heard rough breathing from the mobile .

'Hello, Asami? Can you hear me?

< Im scared . >

Asamis shaking voice came through .

Shes scared

'Whats wrong? Did something happen?

Asami spoke quickly .

'Calm down . What happened?

Makoto consciously spoke calmly, to try to alleviate Asamis agitation even if just a little .

Asami sounded like she was crying .

'Someone What do you mean?

Makoto couldnt immediately understand what Asami was saying .

'Feel?

Makoto suddenly turned pale .

There was nothing definite . It could all be Asamis misunderstanding . However, Makoto didnt think that .

Makoto had experienced the horror of a dead persons spirit first-hand . On top of that, there was the thing from last night .

'Hey, Asami . Are you home right now?

Asami sounded like she was at her wits end . There was no way Makoto could leave her alone .

'I get it . Ill finish work as quickly as I can and come over .

<OK . >

'Dont go back to your room 'til then, OK? Stay somewhere else .

After Makoto said that, she hung up .

Theres someone who thinks Im looking under the weather, so Ill watch my timing and leave as soon as possible .

Haruka followed Yakumo and went up the stairs to the apartment courtyard .

It was a fifteen-minute walk from the station . The apartment had been forcibly built, cutting away at the high ground . The steep steps were what remained .

Because of the dizzying sunlight, going up the steps was rather tiring .

'Hey, walk a bit more slowly .

Haruka wiped the sweat off her forehead and complained to Yakumo .

'Are you a turtle?

'The rabbit loses to the turtle in the end .

'No matter how I try, I cant think that youll catch up to me .

'Thats why I asked you to walk a bit more slowly .

'Why are you following me anyway? I dont remember telling you to come with me .

Yakumo didnt slow his pace or turn around .

It was true that Yakumo hadnt asked her to come, but Haruka couldnt remember him saying not to either . Haruka had interpreted that the way she wanted to and followed .

When she climbed to the top of the stairs, there was a park right in front of her .

A lawn spread out, surrounded by benches . A few toddlers were running around while letting out shrieks of delight . Behind the park, five seven-storey apartments were lined up diagonally .

Yakumo stood at the entrance of the first apartment and looked up at the roof .

It was an unusually serious gaze .

Haruka stood beside Yakumo and looked up at the roof as well .

All she could see was a brilliant blue sky and cumulonimbi rising up into the sky like columns of smoke . However, it was different for Yakumo .

He had a red left eye that could see the spirits of the dead . He loathed his unique ability and usually hid that eye with a black contact lens .

That ability had caused much of Yakumos contrary personality .

His own mother tried to kill him and the people around him found his eye altogether uncomfortable, so he ended up closing off his heart .

That eye filled with so many sad memories was lonely but warm .

'Hey, can you see anything?

Yakumo didnt reply .

Well, she hadnt been expecting a reply in the first place .

'There is a woman with long hair .

Suddenly, she heard a voice .

It hadnt been Yakumos . As proof, Yakumo also looked surprised . Haruka turned around to where the voice had come from and saw one man standing there .

He wore a black suit and white shirt inappropriate for this season . He had no tie and he had long flowing hair .

He had firm shoulders and dark skin like a surfer . His finely chiselled features were unlike that of a Japanese persons .

Though their appearances were different, he had the same atmosphere as Yakumo . Haruka felt that even if she didnt know the reason .

'And you are?

Yakumo narrowed his eyes, like he was evaluating the man .

'Sorry for interrupting all of a sudden . My name is Kamiyama . Im an exorcist .

Kamiyama made a smile and proffered Yakumo a business card .

This person is an exorcist .

He had a very different impression from what Haruka thought exorcists looked like .

Exorcism was Yakumos most hated type of industry .

Yakumo, who could actually see the spirits of the dead, defined them as clusters of peoples emotions . That was why he thought it was an uncivilised method to him, exorcising spirits with the power of chanting was idiotic and the same as giving someone a beating .

'You think Im suspicious . Well, thats not unexpected .

Kamiyama smiled bitterly at Yakumo who didnt move to take the business card .

He had a low voice and a soothing way of speaking .

'I cant do anything if you doubt me, but I can see them . The spirits of the dead .

'Eh?

Haruka spoke in surprise without thinking .

Kamiyama just said that he could see the spirits of the dead . If that was true, that would mean he had the same ability as Yakumo .

But anybody could say that . On the contrary, if there were exorcists who couldnt see the spirits of the dead, they wouldnt be able to make money even in a bogus business .

How did Yakumo see it? Haruka turned to look at him .

His expression hadnt changed he was just looking at Kamiyama silently .

'She killed herself said Kamiyama, looking up at the apartment .

Yakumo neither affirmed nor denied it . Kamiyama continued without delay .

'A woman in her early twenties . She jumped from there at the limit of her despair .

Kamiyama pointed at one of the corners of the apartments roof .

Yakumos mouth moved slowly . Haruka didnt know what he was saying .

'She has a violent hatred . A strong hatred that cant even be healed by death A deep darkness .

Kamiyama closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before turning his gaze to Yakumo again .

'You can see them too, cant you? The same things as me .

Yakumos eyes turned sharp, but his lips were still pressed thinly together .

Is this exorcist telling the truth?

Haruka restrained the impulse to ask .

'Dont you think sometimes that being able to see is a cruelty?

Though Yakumo didnt reply to Kamiyamas question, he narrowed his eyes, looking displeased .

However, to Haruka, those eyes looked like they were saying something, and Kamiyama continued talking like he had taken Yakumos silence as a response .

'You learn about things you dont need to know about . The spirits of the dead are peoples passions unbound by morals . Looking at them directly is too painful . My heart breaks every time I see them .

Yakumos gaze met Kamiyamas, and a wave of tension spread .

Haruka forgot to breathe as she stared at the two of them .

After a silence, Kamiyama smiled bitterly and said, 'Sorry for suddenly bringing up such an odd topic .

Haruka was finally able to let out the breath she had been holding .

'No, not at all .

Yakumo ran his fingers through his hair .

'I feel like Ill meet you again .

Kamiyama left those parting words and walked at an easy pace away from the apartment .

Haruka realised why she felt like Kamiyama and Yakumo had a similar atmosphere when she saw his retreating back . His back felt like it was burdened with a heavy, sorrowful shadow .

When they could no longer see Kamiyama, Yakumos eyes returned to their usual sleepy look and he let out a big yawn .

'Hey, Yakumo-kun . About what that man said

For a moment, Yakumos expression changed at Harukas question .

Though she didnt know what emotions he had hidden away, it was a complicated expression she had never seen before .

'Putting aside whether he is a real exorcist or not, there is a spirit of a dead woman here, as he said .

Does that mean that exorcist is the real thing

Come to think of it, Yakumo had said this before . 'My ability to see the spirits of the dead is just part of my disposition . If that was the case, it wouldnt be strange if other people had the same disposition .

'Yakumo-kun

Yakumo ignored Haruka and started to make a call on his mobile .

When Ishii returned from the meeting room to the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Room, Gotou was snoring loudly as he reclined on the chair .

It looked like his quarrel with Ideuchi earlier hadnt really struck home .

I was silly for worrying .

Ishii let out a huge sigh .

Gotou and Ishii were the only ones posted at the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Room, which used to be a storehouse . Since nobody would see them, nobody would blame them if they took naps .

That said, Ishii didnt know what to think about dozing right in the open at noon, but he didnt have the courage to wake Gotou up .

In this situation, all Ishii could do was devote himself to whittling time away .

What he had been doing lately was reading the dossiers for unsolved cases that occurred in the past and reasoning out who the perpetrators were on his own .

Since he couldnt report them to anybody, it was only self-satisfaction, but it was fairly interesting, since it felt like he had become a famous detective such as Sherlock Holmes .

Then, a mobile phone started ringing .

Gotou got up and answered the phone without even checking who it was, still half-asleep .

'Whos this?

Did Detective Gotou talk like that to everyone? Ishii thought that he should act a bit more polite since he was an adult .

However, there was no way he could have said that aloud .

'Eh? When did I become your gofer?

The person Detective Gotou was talking to on the phone had to have plenty of guts to try to use him as a gofer .

Perhaps

'You want me to lend That really is all you can be counted on for I got it .

While Gotou complained, he started taking notes for some reason .

'Shut up . I dont need your concern .

Gotou left a sharp parting remark and hung up .

'What was it? Ishii asked, leaning forward in curiosity .

'Work, said Gotou, and he handed a memo with an address written on it to Ishii .

'What is this?

'Theres an apartment at the address here look up whether there are incidents in the past near there where somebody died .

'Where somebody died?

'Murder, accident, suicide . Anythings fine as long as theyre dead .

It was an awfully vague instruction .

'Is that all?

'If somebody did die, look into them more so you know their personal history .

'What case is this for?

'Its not a case, Gotou said bluntly .

It isnt a case?

'It isnt?

'Its a request from that brat .

By that brat, perhaps he meant

'From Saitou Yakumo-shi?

'Yeah . Theres a ghost at that apartment .

So it was that demon-like man .

The terrible experience from a few months ago came back to Ishiis heart, and a chill ran from the crown of his head to his toes .

He didnt want to feel that way again .

'I unconditionally disagree to this .

'Stop whinging and go look into it .

Gotous fist fell down on Ishiis head .

* * *

'So, did you find out anything? Haruka asked Yakumo, who had ended his phone call .

Yakumo looked at Haruka like she was making a fool of him .

'You havent progressed at all, as usual .

'What?

'All I know now is that there is a womans ghost at this apartment . There wouldnt be a conclusion to this so suddenly .

'Didnt that exorcist earlier say it was a suicide?

'You believe him?

Yakumos expression turned stiff .

Haruka, who couldnt see the spirits of the dead, had no way of judging whether Kamiyamas words were true or not .

'I dont know .

'I dont know either .

'Then

'Thats why we cant let ourselves be caught by any preconceptions before we know whether what he said was true or not .

Yakumos lips went into a thin line after he spoke .

There was the sound of a mosquito buzzing far away in the silence . The light reflected from the asphalt was scorching and felt like it could burn skin .

Yakumos argument was sound . But

'What are you going to do now?

'Go back . After that, I wait for the results of the investigation .

After Yakumo said that, he started walking away briskly .

Haruka hurriedly followed after him .

As she thought, Yakumo was a bit strange after meeting that exorcist earlier .

She wouldnt be able to say specifically what it was if asked, but she couldnt feel strong determination from his eyes .

Hes perplexed .

Just after they descended the stairs in front of the apartment, Yakumo suddenly stopped .

'When do you think a person would take their own life? asked Yakumo, turning around .

His eyes were narrowed . Is it because of the sunlight or

Haruka had no answer for such an abrupt question . Despite that, she racked her mind to find one .

'Maybe to run away

Haruka said the words that came to her .

'To run .

'I think that everyone has their own reasons, but maybe they were using death to try to escape, or rather, be released from pain or sadness that they couldnt bear .

Unusual for Yakumo, he listened to Harukas words patiently .

Haruka thought that his eyes looked they carried a strange sorrow, but it was probably just a misunderstanding .

'Dying wont bring release .

That was all Yakumo said . Haruka thought he was right .

If the dead had souls, those emotions would still remain in this world even if they died .

If they chose death as a way to escape, it was a big mistake . Whether they chose to live or die, people couldnt run from their own heart .

Still, the number of people who chose to take their own lives was endless . It was a sad truth .

A humid wind blew .

'Lets run . Its going to rain .

Yakumo suddenly broke into a run . Haruka hurriedly started running too . Immediately after she did, rain started pouring down loudly .

When Makoto finished work, she hurriedly headed towards the place where she had arranged to meet with Asami .

Though it was a family restaurant about a five-minute walk from the station, she ended up going by taxi because of the rain that was coming down in buckets .

After Makoto entered the restaurant, she found Asami at a seat by the window .

She was looking around like she couldnt calm down and was afraid of something .

'Sorry, I wanted to come earlier, said Makoto, sitting in the seat opposite Asami . The moment Asami looked at Makotos face, she shook her head vehemently .

Asami covered her face with her hands and mumbled, 'I was really scared I cant go home anymore

Makoto understood Asamis fear well .

Though her situation had been different, she had been possessed by a ghost a few months ago . A soul that wasnt hers had eaten away at her .

She would probably never forget the terror she felt then .

'Its OK, its OK .

Makoto moved to the seat beside Asami and hugged her shoulders tightly, which made Asami burst into tears .

Makoto stroked Asamis head and patiently waited for her to stop crying .

After a while, Asami calmed down a bit and started talking in spurts about what had been happening around her .

'I always felt somebodys presence .

'Presence?

'Mm Id hear footsteps behind me when I sat on the sofa, and when I took a shower, somebody would touch my hair

Makoto took Asamis hand as she listened to her story .

'But I told myself I was just misunderstanding things . When I slept, I felt like I heard somebodys voice and looked out the window

After saying this much, Asami lost her breath .

Makoto could feel Asamis nervousness and fear . She didnt want to hear any more . While thinking that, she urged Asami to continue, asking, 'Then?

'She was there .

'Who was?

'That woman . The one who had been at the toilet in the bar last night

After Asami said that, she closed her eyes tightly .

Makoto also remembered the blood-covered woman who had been reflected in the lavatory mirror and felt a chill down her spine .

'I live on the ninth floor of my apartment, but that woman was standing outside my window, smiling

Asami held her chest as her erratic breathing shook her shoulders .

'Its OK . Calm down and take deep breaths .

Makoto rubbed Asamis back and took calm, deep breaths as an example .

After a while, Asami regained her composure and lifted her face to begin talking again .

'I was so scared I consulted an exorcist .

'An exorcist?

'Yeah .

'Are they someone you can trust?

Normal people couldnt see ghosts . Consequently, itd be considerably difficult to judge whether that exorcist was the real thing or a fake .

While there were people who were saved, it was also true that it was a breeding ground for fraud .

'Since its just a name Ive heard from a friend Makoto, I want you to meet him with me .

'When you say you want me to meet him with you, do you mean youre meeting him now?

Asami nodded, her gaze holding Makoto .

'Excuse me . Would you be Inoue Asami-san

While Makoto was hesitating on her decision, somebody suddenly called out to them .

When she looked over, there was a man in a black suit standing by their table . He had chiselled features, his long hair was swept back, and he looked composed .

Asami replied, 'That would be me .

'My name is Kamiyama . I received your phone call .

The man gave his name and bowed his head .

This man is the exorcist Asami made her request to

In front of Kamiyama, Asami talked about the spiritual phenomena she experienced again, but Asamis agitation was more pronounced than it has been earlier, and there were many parts that were incoherent .

In the end, Makoto had to give an additional explanation including the event that occurred at the bar last night .

After Makoto finished talking, a smile appeared on Kamiyamas face, and he said, 'I see . I have understood most of the story .

Asami ducked her head and her gaze wandered anxiously . She couldnt make calm decisions right now . Makoto would have to judge whether this exorcist was the real thing or not that was how Makoto felt .

'Deducing from this story, I believe this may be a wandering spirit .

'A wandering spirit? Makoto asked .

She had heard the term before, but she didnt know what it actually meant .

'There are a variety of types of spirits with different characteristics . Many have been recognised by exorcists, but they have been split into residual spirits and wandering spirits .

'Residual spirits and wandering spirits

She had heard of both of them, but she didnt know what the difference was .

'Yes . Residual spirits, as suggested by the name, are spirits that are bound after death to a specific place or thing .

'Bound?

'Yes . It might be easy to understand if I said they were captured by emotions . Hatred, sadness, anger they are kept in this world by these negative emotions .

'Lingering emotions

'Thats right . They are often the ones who committed suicide or were killed . It is said that residual ghosts can escape that binding by possessing a living person .

Did that mean last time Makoto had been possessed by a residual spirit

'The other type, the wandering spirit, is also exactly what it sounds like . They are spirits that cannot rest in peace, so they wander . There are many cases where they do not know they are dead or want somebody to know they are there .

Kamiyamas explanation was logical and easy to understand, as if Makoto were listening to a class at school .

Moreover, he didnt say anything to surprise them as a joke or fan their anxiety .

'Theyre wandering

'Yes . Its likely that the wandering spirit just happened to be in the bar when the two of you saw it . Then, when Asami-san didnt notice, she brought that wandering spirit home with her .

'Will I be OK?

Asami drew near Kamiyama and gripped his arm tightly .

Kamiyama wasnt perturbed by it and said kindly, 'Please calm down . Wandering spirits simply wander, so they will not inflict harm .

'Is that true?

'Yes . If you are still uneasy, I can go to your room now, Asami-san, and exorcise the spirit .

'Please do .

Asami replied immediately to Kamiyamas suggestion .

Then, she grasped Makotos hand tightly and said, 'Makoto, you come too .

Makoto responded with a nod, since there was no way she could have refused .

Why do I have to do this

Ishii unhappily searched through past data on a laptop .

He had never heard of police investigating at the request of a civilian, let alone a university student .

Saitou Yakumo to Ishii, he was an unfamiliar puzzle of a living thing .

With Yakumos aloof attitude, there was nothing Ishii could get a hold of . He didnt know how to connect to him . On top of that, there was that red left eye .

His body trembled just from remembering it .

The greatest puzzle for Ishii was why Haruka was together with that demon-like man .

Ishii didnt know what to think of Yakumo who would order the police around like it was completely natural, but it perplexed Ishii even more that Gotou accepted Yakumos request so easily .

That Gotou was reclining on a chair behind him and whistling while plucking out nostril hairs . Furthermore, he was scattering the nostril hairs he plucked onto the floor, which was

While Ishii was mulling over his thoughts, the data he had been looking for showed up on his monitor .

'Detective Gotou, Ive found it .

Gotou responded to Ishiis voice and peeked at the monitor from behind him .

'April, five years ago a womans corpse was found in this apartments courtyard .

Ishii read the information displayed on the monitor .

'A murder?

Gotou rubbed at the stubble on his chin .

'Er The final report states that it was a suicide .

'Thats certain?

Gotou held a cigarette in his mouth and lit it as he spoke .

'Though no note was found, it was judged to be a suicide from circumstantial evidence .

'Circumstantial evidence?

Gotou frowned and spat out his cigarette .

'Yes . Half a year before she committed suicide, she was the victim of an assault .

'Assault?

Gotous voice cracked . He was openly discomfited .

Ishii was of the same mental state . Rape was one of the most repugnant crimes . It was not as if the perpetrator had a grudge . They had no distinct reason for why they had to do it .

It was a base and filthy crime that one-sidedly hurt women for their own lust .

'A victim report was submitted to the police .

A suicide from psychological shock

Though Ishii didnt know what sort of person she was, considering her feelings, she could definitely have been thinking about committing suicide . He had heard of women in the same situation who had actually killed themselves .

'Do you know her name?

'Er Sawaguchi Rika . She had been twenty- two at the time .

The moment Ishii said that name, Gotous expression stiffened .

'I cant believe it was this case

Gotou spoke in a quiet voice that was almost inaudible .

'Excuse me, Detective Gotou

'Print out that info for me, Gotou said quickly, interrupting Ishii .

Ishii immediately printed out the documents for the case and handed them to Gotou .

'Excuse me, Detective Gotou

Do you know this woman?

Ishii wanted to continue with that, but Gotou left the room before he could finish speaking .

Ishii felt something serious from that murmur .

'Sorry to disturb you .

Gotou opened the door to Yakumos secret hiding place .

A wave of hot air assaulted Gotous face . How could anybody stand to stay in this sauna of a room? Yakumo was sitting in the chair in front of him, with sleepy eyes as usual .

'If you know youre disturbing me, please head home, Yakumo said, not even looking at him .

What a remark .

'Youre the one who called me .

'I just said that there was something I wanted you to look into .

'And I brought the documents you asked for .

Gotou sat in the chair opposite Yakumo and threw an envelope with the documents in it at Yakumo .

'I appreciate your efforts .

Yakumo finally looked up . He took the documents out of the envelope and lined them up on the table .

'So there really was a woman who committed suicide at that apartment Yakumo said while looking over the documents .

'Yeah, Gotou replied curtly, and he looked down at his feet while putting a cigarette into his mouth .

'Gotou-san

'I know . I wont light up .

Gotou interrupted Yakumo before he said it .

'Youre in a bad temper, Yakumo said with a sigh . Gotou searched for words to deny it but he didnt find any .

Im so angry I cant do anything about it . My stomach is queasy like Ive got a hangover .

This anger is at myself

'Her death was partly my fault, Gotou said, though it was the opposite of his intention .

'Did you commit adultery?

'Thats not it .

And he had blurted it out in front of the most troublesome guy ever too .

'What happened?

Yakumo looked at Gotou with serious eyes perhaps he understood the severity of the situation .

Gotou couldnt keep his mouth shut after he had come so far . He hit his own cheek with his palm to change his mood .

'She was the victim of an assault half a year before her suicide . She was a fourth-year university student and was going to graduate soon .

What sort of future did Sawaguchi Rika picture for herself

She might have already decided on her occupation by that time . She probably had a boyfriend whom she talked about her future with .

It became harder to breathe the more Gotou thought about it .

'And then?

'She was abducted on the way home from her part-time job and assaulted . She probably resisted furiously . There are several signs that she was hit in the face . After the assault, she was thrown out at the park . It was awful .

Though Yakumo was feigning a blank expression, Gotou could tell that he was gritting his back teeth .

Gotou felt the same way . Any man who had truly loved a woman even once would never commit such an idiotic crime .

He would never be able to forgive the same thing happening to the woman he cherished .

'Then what did she do? Yakumo pressed, running his fingers through his hair .

'What did she do?

'Rape is a crime that requires a formal complaint from the victim to prosecute, yes?

He really was sharp . It was just as Yakumo said . Rape required a formal complaint to prosecute . Unless there were multiple perpetrators, the police wouldnt move unless the victim pressed charges .

That could sometimes be troublesome .

Almost all of the victims ended up keeping their mouths shut in order to seal away their abhorrent memories . They wanted to forget the experience as quickly as they could and return to everyday life . That wasnt bad . It was even natural to think that way .

However, that made it so that many rapes were left unreported . Naturally, the perpetrators foresaw that .

'We were about to give up when she agreed to cooperate with the investigation .

'Were you the one in charge then, Gotou-san?

'To be more accurate, my partner then a female detective called Shimamura was the one who corresponded with her .

Usually, female investigators would be in charge of rape cases .

Well, it was to be expected . It meant that Gotou hadnt actually directly talked to Sawaguchi Rika .

He had just seen her face in the documents .

Gotou couldnt forget Rikas face in the photo even now .

A blue bruise had surrounded her left eye . There had been a laceration on her cheek which made it look like she had been dragged, and blood had oozed from the corners of her lips .

It was a photo you would unconsciously avert your eyes from . However, Rika wasnt frightened or terrified in the photo . She was simply looking forward with strong intent .

Her will hadnt been broken .

He would drag the criminal out no matter what he had to do . Gotou had vowed that then

'She cooperated with the investigation then .

'Yeah .

'Why would a person like that commit suicide

Yakumo was extremely doubtful .

There was a huge difference between pressing charges and not pressing charges afterwards .

The victims of assault were severely wounded emotionally, so they would lose their memories of the incident, re-experience the incident through flashbacks, suffer insomnia a variety of stressful barriers .

There were also some people who excessively blamed themselves and felt that they brought the incident upon themselves .

Assault caused women incredible psychological damage .

In the middle of that, she faced the case on her own with a strong heart and tried to overcome it despite her injuries .

Thats certain . But

'Do you know the phrase second rape?

'Yes . It refers to a psychological rape that occurs due to police interviews and slander from thoughtless people .

This guy really was different from somebody like Ishii the conversation went quickly .

'Thats right . For her, it was the police investigation .

'That is the worst .

'Youre right . Youre not a virgin you brought it on yourself, didnt you? What colour was your underwear? It could be seen, couldnt it? How was your first sexual encounter? It wasnt how the victim should have been corresponded with at all .

Gotou hit the desk with his fist in his anger, which had built up .

There was a limit even to insensibility . They had completely ignored the victims emotions . It was like slashing at the victims weakened heart .

This could be called the crime of the police .

'You werent the one who asked such vulgar questions, Gotou-san .

'Of course not!

'That would mean you were left out of the initial stages of the investigation .

Gotou couldnt answer Yakumos query and clenched his fists tightly .

His chest hurt like he had been stabbed with a needle .

'The day right after her case, a murdered corpse was found at a flat .

'And you were sent over there?

Ideuchi had been his boss then too .

Gotou, who couldnt understand, had naturally opposed it . However, Ideuchi didnt comply with him . At the time, Ideuchi had said, 'If you dont want to be put out to dry, obediently listen to what I have to say . Investigation is teamwork .

It was a natural decision from the polices standpoint . They didnt have enough members to do all the investigations equally . They had no choice but to prioritise investigations .

Now it was too late to regret it .

'Me and the female detective Shimamura were left out and two newbies were sent in

'And then she committed suicide .

Yakumo said just that, and suddenly Gotous heart was throbbing .

Thats right . She killed herself

Why did I give up then? She might have died even if I had been in charge, but I might still have been able to treat her better .

No, that was wrong . Inside my heart, she wouldnt have died . Thats what I thought

No matter how many words he lined up grandly, the truth was that he didnt understand the victims emotions .

The weight of regret clung to Gotou, and though he carried it now, it wouldnt leave .

Now that he thought about it, that had been the start of the antagonism between Gotou and Ideuchi .

After that case, Gotou wouldnt obey instructions and would cut him off whenever he could, all the while enforcing his will for an investigation that he trusted .

If he could return to that time, he would probably take charge of her investigation even if he had to punch Ideuchi to do it .

However, that was just a story of possibilities . The past couldnt be changed .

'Gotou-san, it is too late to regret it now . Let us at least save her spirit .

This guy, putting on airs .

But its just as Yakumo says . A life thats been lost wont come back, so at least

'You dont have to tell me, Gotou said with a snort .

'In order to do that, we must find the reason her spirit is wandering .

'OK .

'Was the perpetrator arrested?

'Yeah, but after she killed herself . Ironically, her parents used her suicide to tell the press how awful the polices response had been . They said their daughter had been killed by the police The press found that laughable and made a fuss . With all that excitement, a full-blown investigation got started .

As Gotou said that, it left a terrible aftertaste in his mouth that was hard to bear .

'That investigation bore fruit then .

'No, thats not it . Though there was info on the criminal, it was a complete coincidence that he was caught . Oori Kazushi . He had been twenty-five at the time . A regular company employee . When he was inspected to see if he had been drinking, he had been a bit strange, and when his car was investigated, there was a picture that was believed to have been taken at the time of the assault .

'If the perpetrator has been found, there is another reason for her wandering then .

'For example?

'Maybe she has something she wants to tell her parents What happened to her parents?

Here, Gotou felt a heavy weight on his shoulders again .

'Maybe because of all the anxiety shed felt, her mother died of heart failure right after the criminal was arrested . Her father moved out of their flat and is renting now .

'Is that so?

Yakumo put a finger to his brow and looked like he was thinking about something, but looked up at the ceiling in exhaustion, like his thoughts hadnt come together .

'Well, though it may be troublesome, it seems like the only thing to do is to reconsider the situation of the case .

After a silence, Yakumo said just this .

'Yeah .

Just as Yakumo said, it didnt seem like there was any other method .

Asamis apartment was by a large street .

It was nine storeys tall and in the shape of a left-facing square bracket . It had undressed concrete walls and a red line on the border of the floor .

It was one of those designer apartments that were so popular now .

Led by Asami, Makoto and Kamiyama took the elevator up to the ninth and highest floor and went along the outdoor corridor with Asami showing them the way .

It seemed the apartment only had an elevator on one end, so they had to walk down the long outdoor corridor .

After turning two corners, there was Asamis room at the very end .

Though Asami had been fine until she opened the door, she refused to go inside and turned away from the room while shaking .

Makoto felt afraid too, but because Asami was in such a state, she was able to bear it .

'Please forgive my intrusion, said Kamiyama . He turned on the light and entered the room .

'Wait here, Makoto told Asami, and then she followed Kamiyama into the room .

Since they had just met again yesterday, this was the first time she had gone to Asamis room .

Makoto took off her pumps in the entrance that only had enough room for one person to stand and went down the hall that also functions as the kitchen . The door at the end of the hall was an eight-tatami room .

Asami had said she had just moved in, and it looked like it the room didnt feel lived in at all .

While Kamiyama mumbled something or other, he looked around the room slowly, at the veranda, the modular bathroom and the closet .

It looked more like the exorcist was inspecting the rooms facilities than looking at spirits .

'So its just as I thought .

After he was done looking around, Kamiyama crossed his arms like he had understood something .

'Did you find something out?

'Yes . There is no issue .

Kamiyama gave a short reply to Makotos question and briskly returned to the entrance .

'Asami-san, its fine for you to come in as well .

When Kamiyama called out to her, Asami turned around, looking surprised .

'Is it really OK?

Makoto spoke for the doubts Asami was feeling .

'I said this before as well, but the spirit that had been Asami-sans room is probably a wandering spirit .

'Is it OK because its a wandering spirit?

Makoto drew closer to Kamiyama .

'It did not have any hatred for Asami-san personally . Asami-san experienced the spiritual phenomena, so its goal has been accomplished . Thats all .

'Is that true?

Asamis gaze clung to Kamiyama .

Kamiyama was completely unperturbed, and he calmly repeated, 'Its fine . Asami, perhaps in her relief, sat down with a thump in the corridor like she had collapsed .

Somehow, Makoto felt like she had been deceived .

It might have been a let-down since she had been more terrified than necessary .

However, it was also true that a great uneasiness was spreading in the back of Makotos mind, though it was obscure .

Is this really the end

After Haruka took a shower and returned to her room, her mobile phone started ringing .

This was rare . No, it might have been the first time . The person calling was Yakumo .

If she answered right away, itd be like she had been waiting for a call . Haruka took her time drying her hair and then called Yakumo .

'Sorry, I was taking a shower . What is it?

Yakumo skipped exchanging greetings and started with the topic at hand .

Gotou-san had probably given him the results of the investigation . Now that she thought about it, Yakumo wouldnt call her without a reason .

Well, it was nice that he was giving her an explanation about the case without her having to ask him for one .

'Did you find something out?

'Really?

That would mean what the exorcist called Kamiyama said was true .

However, Haruka didnt dare to say that aloud .

'Tentatively?

Yakumos tone felt a bit negligent for some reason .

<Accordingly, Id like to hear your opinion as a woman . >

'If youre fine with me .

It made Haruka happy to hear Yakumo say <as a woman> .

However, she didnt say that aloud or let it show in her attitude . Yakumo, being contrary, would definitely say something sarcastic to ruin it . <Only biologically> or something like that .

Haruka felt a discomfort in her abdomen .

For a woman, that word had a very cold and heavy sound . Every woman had probably thought about it once .

If it had been me

'Is that why she killed herself?

'Well, thats how its become formally . But something doesnt fit .

'Doesnt fit?

Haruka didnt understand what didnt fit for Yakumo .

If she thought about how she would feel if she had been the one who was assaulted, she understood very well the feelings of a woman who would want to die, and the number of people who actually did commit suicide wasnt small either .

Though the physical injuries would heal, the injuries of the heart from the assault would stay with them until they died .

Yakumo said that to respond to Harukas doubts .

She could see what Yakumo meant .

Cooperating with the police investigation meant that she wanted to officially announce what happened herself . That meant she had a lot of courage . She had to have been very strong mentally .

For a person like that to commit suicide

Haruka also understood why something didnt fit for Yakumo .

Haruka knew about that too .

She had heard a bit about it in her criminal psychology lecture . The mental contempt that was called second rape .

Why did victims have to remember terrible memories and have salt rubbed in their wounds?

'Thats unforgiveable, Haruka said without thinking, her anger rising .

Yakumos words sounded terribly funny to Haruka .

Though the gears in Yakumos head always turned quickly, he would think about human emotions like chemical reactions, perhaps because he had shut off his heart .

Human emotions didnt adhere to fixed laws .

'I dont think there was one clear reason though .

'They wouldnt lead to suicide if you think about everything separately, but I think I can understand well enough if you put everything together .

Since Yakumo was listening silently for once, Haruka continued her explanation .

'For example, if you listen to the story of why a couple broke up, there usually isnt a specific reason it might have been the trigger, but in the end, its because a variety of things piled up .

When Yakumo said it, it sounded like an abstruse mathematical formula .

'Well, something like that . I think people reach their limits all at once .

'But there might be some factor that we dont know about .

Haruka didnt want to think about it, but there was a possibility that the woman got pregnant from the rape .

A man probably couldnt understand how much pain a woman would suffer psychologically if that was the case .

Really? Did that mean Yakumo thought it was possible it wasnt suicide?

It couldnt be a murder disguised as a suicide, could it? That exorcists words came back to Haruka in her head . 'She has a violent hatred . If it had been a murder, Haruka could understand what that exorcist had said .

Yakumo might have been thinking about the same thing .

Haruka couldnt believe her ears .

That Yakumo said <Thank you> to her .

She endured the feeling of wanting to jump up and down and said, extremely naturally, 'No problem .

'A request?

It didnt feel bad having Yakumo ask her for something, but why did she have an unbelievably bad feeling?

Gotou arrived at the door to the police quarters and drew back his hand, which had been about to press the intercom button .

Just as Yakumo said, the only way to save her spirit was to re-examine the case .

He knew it would be finished up in a hurry if he talked to Shimamura Eriko, who had first been in charge of the case .

The reason Gotou was hesitating was that his wife, Atsuko, might have been behind this door .

She had left home this time because Gotou had forgotten their wedding anniversary .

He hadnt forgotten . He had actually remembered it clearly . However, that didnt mean he could do something like buy flowers and bring them home . It wasnt in Gotous character .

It might have been fine if he just apologised honestly, but a man wasnt that sort of creature . Even though he had a number of excuses, in the end, it might have just been embarrassing .

Though he didnt remember when he had first met his wife Atsuko, he could still remember clearly the clothes she had been wearing and her hairstyle .

When hed first met her, he had thought, 'Im going to marry this woman .

What was he getting so worked up about? There was no reason for him to be restrained around his own wife .

Gotou shook his head to clear his mind and pressed the intercom button .

'Yes?

The door opened immediately, and a large woman appeared . She was Shimamura Eriko .

She had a candid personality like her appearance . Atsuko had said that Gotou and Eriko were like siblings .

Gotou raised his hand and said, 'Hi .

'Unfortunately, Atsukos returned home . Some make-up is arriving by mail order .

Gotou heaved a sigh in relief .

His wife wasnt here, and she had returned home . He was relieved about both those things .

'Oh .

'Honestly, you two should really let it up . You shouldnt be fighting so much at this age, Eriko grumbled .

This woman really went on . Thats why her husband ran off . Well, Gotou wasnt in a situation where he could say anything about anyone else .

'More importantly, I want to talk to you about work .

'What? Are you thinking about switching jobs?

'Im serious .

Eriko opened the door wide and urged him inside, perhaps because she had seen how earnest his gaze had been .

They went through a living room with bottles of alcohol and sweets wrappers scattered about .

They were really spread out . Even a man living alone wouldnt have made such a mess .

'Why dont you clean up a bit?

'Im just going to say this, but this is all your wifes work . I do at least clean up .

Gotou had planned on saying something sarcastic, but he received a harsh comeback .

It made his head hurt when he thought about two women getting excited over speaking ill of their husbands .

Eriko threw the magazines on the sofa to the floor and made space for herself to sit .

'So, what did you want to talk about?

'Do you remember that case?

While Gotou answered Shimamuras question with a question, he sat cross-legged on the cushion on the floor .

'Which case? You never explain enough . Thats why Atsuko

'Sawaguchi Rika .

When Gotou said the name, Erikos face turned stiff .

As he thought, Shimamura hadnt forgotten either . Cases with bad aftertastes stayed in your heart .

'Why are you talking about that now?

Erikos suspicions were natural . That case was already over .

The victim committed suicide . The criminal was arrested . That had been the end of it .

Ill have to talk about Yakumo to explain the whole story, but will she believe me

Although Gotou broached the topic, he was at a loss for an answer .

'Could this be related to that young man youre acquainted with who can see ghosts?

Eriko brought up the subject while looking at him with searching eyes .

This was unexpected .

'Oi, why do you know about Yakumo?

'I heard from Hata-san .

Hata was the perverted old man who asserted that his job as a coroner was his hobby .

They had worked together on a number of cases and he knew about Yakumo . Though his skill was excellent, he had loose lips on top of being weird .

'That old man, spouting off about

'Hey, is it true?

Eriko leaned forward in immense curiosity .

'Is what true?

'That the young man can see ghosts .

He couldnt deny it after coming this far .

'Its true . You dont need to force yourself to believe it, but me and Yakumo are unfortunately inseparable . Hes cooperated on a number of cases with his ability to see ghosts .

Gotou lit a cigarette .

Eriko looked displeased, but she placed an empty can in front of Gotou .

'I believe you . When you do this sort of work, you experience this sort of thing even if you dont want to, said Eriko jokingly .

'The explanation will go quickly then .

'So you think theres still another side to that case?

'I dont know, but according to Yakumo, that girls spirit is still wandering

'Wandering?

'Yeah . I want to know the reason too . Its already been five years since then, so why is she still wandering?

After Erikos gaze wandered like she was thinking about something, she gulped down the can of beer in her hand .

'That case had been full of things I didnt understand from the very beginning . It was unnatural .

'Unnatural?

'Wasnt it? Why did we get left out of the investigation?

Eriko was clearly agitated .

'We were put to another investigation .

'But it was just a lack of common sense to put two detectives new to assault cases in charge and two men on top of that .

'Thats true .

'Plus, in the files, it said there was no note left behind, but one of the investigation members who went to the scene said theyd seen a note . Everyone felt uncomfortable since that disappeared .

'Really

This was the first time Gotou had heard that .

'Theres more . After she killed herself, her parents called the police killers, right? The criminal was caught right after that, when there hadnt been a proper investigation up until then . The timing is too good!

Eriko forcefully slammed her fist on the table .

Her breathing was erratic . It felt like she had vented all the resentment she had kept until now .

In the vertically structured police, you had to obey the instructions from above even if you couldnt understand them at all .

On top of that, cases just kept on coming . Even if you didnt understand, you had to shelve those feelings away . Resentment piled up even if you didnt want it to .

Gotou himself had experienced many hardships

In any case, Erikos words just now made Gotous suspicions swell tremendously .

'Hey, Ive got a request I want to make for old times sake .

'You asking me to re-examine the assault case?

'Yeah . Ill look into the background of the case . Look into the detectives in charge at the time indirectly for me .

Eriko bit her thick lips . Was she hesitating?

'Do you not want to?

'Of course Im going to do it .

Eriko answered Gotous question with a puffed chest . Though the woman had no charm, she was reliable .

Yuuya lay sprawled on the sofa, absentmindedly listening to music .

He wasnt doing anything or thinking about anything he just really liked this feeling of rocking like he was on water .

Though his home was nearby, he almost never returned since hed met Shinichi . He was completely freeloading at Shinichis flat .

He didnt get along with his father . Especially after his mother had died theyd run into each other more often at home, which made it worse .

It wasnt like they had big fights . Yuuya didnt know what to talk about . It was probably the same for the other party .

That was why his father hadnt made even one complaint about his not returning home .

Since living alone in a 2LDK is wearisome .

Shinichi took Yuuya in quickly too, and loved him like a younger brother .

A light wind blew . He looked over and saw the curtains moving . Had the window been open? Yuuya raised his head and looked at the window that connected to the veranda .

Rattle . Something passed behind him .

Eh, but Shinichi-san wasnt supposed to be home yet . Yuuya sat up .

This time, he felt like something had passed by outside the window . What could it be? Yuuya stood up, slowly approached the window and drew open the curtains .

Suddenly, the lights in the room went out .

In the semi-darkness, a pallid light reflected in the window .

In that light, there was a figure of a person standing

'Aagh!

Yuuya fell down backwards while screaming .

There was a woman outside the window .

A woman whose face was dyed bright red with blood .

The woman who had been reflected in the mirror in the lavatory at the bar last night .

Yuuya crawled towards the entrance to leave the room .

When he reached the entrance, the door suddenly opened and Shinichi came in .

'Help . The woman the woman, Yuuya begged, clinging to Shinichis feet .

'What are you so excited about?

Shinichi shook Yuuyas shoulders, but Yuuya couldnt give a proper answer to Shinichis question in his upset state .

You die too!

Suddenly, a voice came down upon them .

Shinichi and Yuuya went stiff for a moment . After they both looked at each other, they screamed and rushed out of the room .

* * *

The bartender at Bar <Snake> was cleaning up after the bar had closed for the night with a cigarette in his mouth .

He didnt have the surplus to hire workers . The bar was barely scraping by financially .

It hadnt been like this a few years ago . He got as much money as he wanted if he asked his parents for it . Even without doing work, he enjoyed a life of leisure with dignity .

Now, he had to stock, serve customers and even clean the shop himself .

He knew that lamenting wouldnt bring back his past life .

It was just that hed had some extraordinary income lately .

He hadnt thought that something inherited from the past could be changed into a product . Putting it out all at once would make things difficult later . Hed look for the right time to make a bit of money .

Clank . There was the sound of something falling .

'What is it?

The bartender walked out from the counter and looked around the bar . The mop that had been leaning against the wall had fallen . Looked like he had forgotten to put it away .

The bartender picked up the mop and opened the locker by the lavatory

His breath got caught in his throat in his surprise so he couldnt even breathe .

There was a woman in the locker .

Her face was covered in blood and long hair hung over her face .

Die!

Thats what the woman said .

'Aaahh!

The bartender hurriedly shut the locker door and jumped back .

His eyes must have deceived him . He said that to himself .

The fuss last night had just gotten on his nerves . Itd be clear if he just opened the locker door again .

Die .

Just when he had put his hand on the lockers door handle, he heard a voice from behind him .

A cold sweat ran down his body .

He cautiously turned around .

The same blood-covered woman he saw earlier was there

'Aaaaahh!

On the floor, the bartender went down on his hands and knees . Then, he rushed out of the bar .

Ishii left the police quarters and headed for the parking lot in the back .

He had waited until the date changed at midnight, but Detective Gotou hadnt come back .

Hed tried calling his mobile a few times but he hadnt gotten a message back, so there was nothing for him to do but go home .

But recently, hed been wondering if things were really OK like this . Other investigation team members would work to the point that they didnt even have time to sleep

That said, he didnt like intense cases like the serial abduction case they had last time . Thrilling and exciting cases .

Just as Ishii opened the car door on the drivers side, somebody suddenly appeared in front of him .

'Excuse me, Ishii-san .

'Eek .

Ishii shrieked without thinking .

'Ah, sorry . Its me . Makoto .

Makoto walked in front of Ishii and bowed her head .

'A-ah, Makoto-san . What are you doing here at this time of night?

Though Ishii spoke as calmly as he could, his heart was still beating furiously .

Plus, Ishii was traumatised by what Makoto in her possessed state had done to him last case .

Of course, he knew it wasnt her fault, but he still felt scared .

'Actually, there is something I would like to consult you about, Ishii-san, so I decided on my own to wait for you .

'Until this time of night?

'Sorry - I must be troubling you .

Makoto cast down her almond eyes .

'Ah, no, thats not it . I just thought that if you called me, I wouldnt have made you wait so long, Ishii hurriedly explained, overcome by a strange feeling of guilt .

'I thought it would be rude to interrupt your work . That is, its a personal matter .

'A personal matter is it?

'Yes . It wont take that much time .

Makoto bowed her head again .

'Ah, if youre fine with me, please tell me . Since its already this late, Ill drive you home as well .

Makoto was the daughter of the chief of the police . He couldnt turn her request down flat . Plus, it would be a problem if he let her go home alone at this time and anything happened .

'Sorry for this .

'Please dont worry about it .

After waiting for Makoto to get in the passengers seat, Ishii started the car .

'So what did you want to talk about? Ishii asked, his hands on the wheel .

'The truth is that there is something I would like to ask your opinion about, Ishii-san .

'My opinion?

'Yes .

After Makoto nodded, she started talking about the spiritual phenomena at the bar and the exorcist she met this evening .

Without thinking, Ishii was lost in what Makoto was saying . He really did like this sort of thing .

However, actually experiencing it was a different matter . He had fully realised that last case . He enjoyed this because he was listening as an outsider .

'What do you think, Ishii-san?

After she finished talking, Makoto asked for his opinion in the end .

'What exactly do you mean?

'I cant explain this clearly, but I have a very bad feeling for some reason .

A breath escaped Makotos glossy lips .

She hung her head . The nape of her neck was pale and captivating, reflected in Ishiis eyes almost like a different creature entirely .

'However, that exorcist said that there was no need to worry any more since it was a wandering spirit .

'Yes, but

Ishii understood well what Makoto was trying to say . It wasnt something that could easily be agreed to with 'Yes, I see after being told 'Its fine now .

'Well, since an expert said it, I think that its fine .

'Is it really fine?

Makoto looked at Ishii worriedly and grasped Ishiis hand .

Her hand was cold . In the back of Ishiis mind, that terror came back to him .

'Eek .

Ishii shrieked instinctively and slammed the brakes .

For a moment, Ishiis head went blank . Cold sweat dripped down his forehead .

'Is something the matter?

Makoto looked at Ishii in surprise .

'Ah, no, er, a cat suddenly

Ishii hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead and fixed the position of his glasses with the tip of his finger .

'A cat? Was there one there?

'Ah, no, thats . Ahaha .

While Ishii was lost for a reply, a mobile phone started ringing .

Makoto took her mobile from her bag and picked up after saying, 'Please excuse me for a bit .

'Asami? Whats wrong?

Asami Was it the woman from the story earlier who experienced the spiritual phenomena?

'Hey, calm down .

Makoto sounded cornered .

'Leave that room as soon as you can eh, you cant leave

Ishii had a very bad feeling .

'Got it . Ill go right away .

Makoto hung up just as she finished speaking .

'Ishii-san, excuse me . Thank you for today .

Ishii stopped Makoto as she was about to open the door .

Its not as if there was any official report, but it seems like something serious is happening . I am a policeman, so I cant let this pass .

Detective Gotou had said this . Adaptability

'Please tell me the location .

For a moment, Makoto looked perplexed, but she bowed her head right after and said, 'Please .

Ishii, who stopped his car in front of the apartment temporarily to let Makoto off, went to visitor parking to park his car and followed her immediately .

Makoto was saying something to the interphone in front of the apartments entrance .

Though she normally seemed like a calm woman, she was considerably agitated now and her voice sounded hysterical .

Then, a man in a black suit came in .

The moment Makoto saw him, she let out an 'Ah! . The man also nodded like they knew each other .

'Makoto-san, yes? Did you also come to see Asami-san? he said to Makoto, his breath also feeble .

'Yes .

While Makoto was answering, the auto-lock glass front door opened .

'I was also called by Asami-san .

The man wiped the thin layer of sweat from his brow and went through the entrance .

Both Ishii and Makoto followed .

The man pressed the button for the only elevator and looked at Ishii after breathing deeply . His gaze was piercing .

Even though Ishii hadnt done anything wrong, he felt ill at ease .

'Ishii-san, this person is the exorcist I mentioned earlier

Inferring the mood, Makoto introduced the man to Ishii . So this man was the exorcist

'My name is Kamiyama .

Following Makotos words, Kamiyama bowed his head politely .

'My name is Ishii . Im a detective .

Ishii bowed his head like Kamiyama .

'Police?

Kamiyama spoke like he hadnt heard correctly . Why is the police here he looked like he wanted to ask that .

Just as Makoto opened her mouth to explain, a mobile phone started ringing .

'Asami!

Makoto answered right away .

You OK? Im just about to get on the elevator

At that point, the elevator arrived .

Makoto, Ishii and finally Kamiyama got in, and he pushed the button for the ninth floor .

With the sound of the winch, the elevator started going up .

Hello? Hello?

<Aaaah!>

A womans scream came through Makotos phones speaker .

Right after that, the call ended .

Makoto gripped her mobile and looked up at the ceiling anxiously .

'I apologise . This is my responsibility .

Kamiyama looked up at the ceiling as he said that . Who was he saying it to? He bit his lower lip and looked like he was enduring the pain .

In this box full of tension, it felt like somehow only Ishii had been left behind .

When the elevator door opened, Kamiyama flew out first . Then, Makoto followed . Ishii didnt understand what was happening but he ran after the two of them .

It was a narrow passage that could only let one person through at a time .

They went through the outside corridor straight in front of the elevator they got off of and turned right after three rooms . They turned right again after three more rooms .

Makoto suddenly stopped .

Ishii almost ran into her back but stopped himself just on the verge of it .

They were in front of the room at the very end of the corridor .

'Asami-san . Are you all right? said Kamiyama while pressing the intercom button and rattling the doorknob .

'Asami, you OK?

Makoto couldnt bear it and butted in from the side .

Kamiyama lost his balance and stumbled, dropping to his knees .

However, Makoto didnt seem to notice she turned the doorknob and hammered on the door . Ishii just watched, not knowing what to do .

'Asami, youre here, right? Talk to me! Makoto shouted . However, there was no response .

'Asami-san! Are you all right? Asami-san! Asami-san!

After standing up, Kamiyama switched places with Makoto and knocked on the door while yelling .

Makoto took out her mobile and made a call .

'Quiet, Makoto commanded .

Though it was faint, there was the sound of a phone ringing from inside the flat .

Now Ishii understood . Makoto was calling Asamis mobile . It was certain that she was inside the room .

'Ishii-san, could you borrow the key? Makoto suggested .

This was an emergency situation . He could probably borrow a key if he went to the management office and showed his ID .

'Understood .

Ishii nodded and ran .

What on earth was happening? Though Ishii didnt like experiencing things like this first-hand, but things didnt look good for him .

Ishii took the elevator back to the first floor and went to the management office to say he was a policeman . He explained the situation and borrowed the master key .

Ishii returned with the key and, urged by Makotos and Kamiyamas gazes, put the key into the doorknob without even time to breathe .

A cold sweat was slowly coming down his forehead .

I cant open this door .

He heard someones voice . It was his cowardly other self . However, he couldnt run away now .

'Im opening the door, Ishii declared, and he turned the key .

The key turned with a click . Opening the door now .

But Im scared . Im really scared

What on earth was behind this door? While Ishii was thinking, Makoto pushed in from the side and opened the door forcefully .

Though Ishii didnt shriek, he did jump back from the door .

'Asami!

Makoto ran into the room .

Kamiyama followed her . There was no way Ishii could stay outside .

He slowly passed through the door and looked around the room from the entrance . The lights were on . There were no signs of a struggle .

There was no sign in the room of a woman who could be Asami .

It was completely empty .

'Ah!

Makoto raised her voice .

This wasnt the time to be frightened . After taking off his shoes, Ishii entered the room and went up to Makoto .

Makoto was pointing at a point on the floor . On top of the carpet by the bed .

A mobile phone red with blood had fallen there . It wasnt dry yet . Wet blood

Ishii couldnt make a sound in his shock .

'Asami! Asami!

Makotos voice rose nearly to a shriek . There was no response .

Ishii couldnt understand at all .

Right before they came here, Makoto had been talking to Asami on her mobile .

The call had cut off partway through on the elevator, but they hadnt even taken a minute to reach the room .

After they arrived at the room, Ishii left to get the key, but Makoto and Kamiyama had been in front of the room .

Naturally, nobody sneaked into the room, and nobody had left .

'Asami disappeared Makoto said, collapsing to her knees .

Thats ridiculous

Ishii fervently looked around the room in order to deny his unbelievable thoughts .

The key to the room was on the table .

The window that led to the veranda was also locked from the inside . There was no space for somebody to hide not in the modular bath, the closet or above the ceiling .

Ishiis hopes were crushed .

This situation is

A woman disappeared from a locked room

Ridiculous . Impossible .

'If I had noticed earlier

Kamiyama bit his lips and he looked remorseful . Noticed? What was he talking about? Kamiyama continued talking like he was addressing Ishiis doubts .

'It hadnt been a wandering spirit that was following Asami-san . It was a residual spirit with a strong and deep hatred

Kamiyamas words echoed in Ishiis eyes .

So that means this is the work of a ghost

Gotou parked his car in front of the entrance of the apartment Ishii had mentioned to him .

It was a private one-room apartment and was strangely shaped like a left-facing square bracket, as if it had been forcibly built on the narrow plot of land .

He called management to have them open the auto-lock and took the elevator .

'Damn, calling me at this time, grumbled Gotou towards the ceiling,

However, inside his heart, he was worried . Ishiis scared voice over the phone hadnt been normal .

No matter how many times he yelled at him to calm down, Ishii kept on crying that somebody had disappeared and that some vengeful ghost had done something .

After going up to the ninth floor, Gotou went down the long outdoor corridor and pressed the button for the intercom outside the room that Ishii had mentioned .

'Hey . You got dragged into this too?

Makoto just nodded seriously at Gotous words .

Why did everyone look like theyd just gotten home from a funeral? Though Gotou was dissatisfied, he passed through the entrance to the room .

Ishii was sitting, hugging his knees .

'Oi, what happened? Give me a proper explanation .

Gotou gave Ishiis head a light push .

Normally Ishii would miserably say 'What are you doing?, but he slowly looked up at Gotou and gaped at him without saying anything .

Theyd get nowhere like this .

'I dont care who somebody, explain .

After Gotou said that loudly, somebody appeared at the window connected to the veranda . He was a man in his late thirties with long, flowing hair and wearing a black suit .

'Let me explain .

The man spoke calmly but clearly .

'Fine by me, but who are you?

There was an embarrassed smile on the mans face, like he felt he had been careless . He held out his business card .

Exorcist, Kamiyama Eiji

That was what it said on the business card . A detective, a newspaper reporter and an exorcist . What a combination .

'Im Detective

'Detective Gotou, yes? interrupted Kamiyama .

'Why do you know my name?

'I asked Ishii-san earlier .

The guy felt suspicious somehow . There were many things Gotou wanted to say, but he had to confirm the situation first .

'What happened?

Gotou urged Kamiyama to continue .

'Today, Inoue Asami, the owner of this room, consulted me about spiritual phenomena that occurred in her room .

'Spiritual phenomena?

'Yes . Asami-san and Makoto-san were friends at university, so the three of us met once in the evening, and then I came to investigate the spiritual phenomena in this room .

Unlike Ishii, Kamiyama gave an indifferent and competent explanation .

Gotou looked at Makoto, who was standing in a corner of the room . She nodded silently to affirm Kamiyamas explanation .

'Then?

It felt like itd be a long explanation . Gotou sat down cross-legged, lit a cigarette and urged Kamiyama to say more .

'At the time, I couldnt confirm the existence of the spirit and left temporarily . However, about one hour before, Asami-san contacted me . She said that spiritual phenomena had occurred again and that she wanted me to save her . I hurriedly came here and met with Makoto-san and Ishii-san at the entrance .

'Ishii, why were you here too?

Gotou glared at Ishii .

He knew why Makoto and Kamiyama, the exorcist, were here, but Ishii had no reason to be .

Ishiis shoulders shuddered as he tried to say something but no words came out .

'Um, I went to consult Ishii-san about the spiritual phenomena, Makoto interrupted .

He decided not to boorishly ask why she would go to consult Ishii .

'And?

'When I went to consult Ishii-san, Asami called me asking for help

After saying that much, Makotos words trailed off .

'So where was the owner of the room whod asked for help?

S-she disappeared Ishii said, looking like he was going to cry .

'Reply seriously!

Gotou hit Ishiis head .

'No, what Ishii-san said is the truth, Kamiyama said with a puffed chest, like he was proud .

This exorcist was pretty shameless even though he was talking to police .

'Even idiots should think carefully before speaking .

'No, its true, Makoto insisted .

Everyone was saying

'Theres no way a person would disappear .

'Why can you assert that?

Kamiyama looked down at Gotou with narrowed eyes .

Gotou didnt like being looked down on . He stood up and glared back .

'Tell me in detail what you mean .

After glaring at Kamiyama for a while, Gotou turned the conversation to Makoto .

With Ishii like that, she looked like the one who would explain the best .

'After Asami called me, I came with Ishii-san to the apartment . When we arrived at the entrance, we met Kamiyama-san .

'What time was that?

'I think it was about twelve thirty . We pressed for the intercom and Asami opened the auto-lock entrance for us .

'So the woman called Asami was in her room then .

'Yes . While waiting for the elevator, Asami called me on my mobile phone . She screamed and hung up when we were riding the elevator up .

'Then?

'When we reached the room, the door was locked . I asked Ishii-san to borrow the room key the management office . When we unlocked the door and went inside, Asami wasnt there

After Makoto said that, she handed something wrapped in a handkerchief to Gotou .

'What is this?

'That was left in the room .

Gotou took it and opened the handkerchief .

It was a flip phone . There was a dark red stain on it . It was a bloodstain .

When he looked at it carefully, there was a bloody fingerprint as well .

Is what theyre saying true

Gotou looked at everyones faces slowly . He really had suspicions that this was a tasteless prank and that one of them might burst out laughing .

However, everyone there looked uniformly serious .

'How about the key to the room? Couldnt she just have gone out?

'That is

Makoto looked to the table .

There was a key there with some small stuffed animal a cat or a dog attached to it on a strap .

It was a key for a pin-tumbler lock . The notches of the key were in a complex elliptical shape that would be difficult to reproduce .

'She didnt leave through the window?

'No, the window was also locked from the inside .

Makoto rejected Gotous idea .

'On top of that, even if she did go to the veranda through the window, this is the ninth floor . It is not a height she could have jumped from . I checked earlier, but it also is not connected to the neighbouring veranda, Kamiyama explained in a much more detective-like manner than Ishii .

Then there had to be another possibility . It was absolutely impossible for someone to disappear .

'Couldnt somebody have taken that woman out of the room while you were riding the elevator?

'It was at most thirty seconds from when we lost contact with Asami-san to when we arrived in front of this room . Detective Gotou, I think you should understand better than us that that wouldnt be enough time for someone to take somebody who was resisting out of the room and leave without our discovering them, Kamiyama replied disinterestedly .

The man himself probably didnt mean it that way, but that just sounded sarcastic to Gotou .

'I know that . Im just going through all the possibilities . Speaking of possibilities, youre the most suspicious . Most exorcists are frauds, right?

'That is true .

Gotou had been unprepared for Kamiyamas unexpected answer .

'Y-you

'Just as you say, Detective Gotou, there really are many exorcists who are frauds . In particular, those who are affiliated with religions are suspicious .

'Why?

Gotou felt it was the other way around .

'Since in Buddhism and Christianity, it is not believed that the spirits of the dead wander .

Going off and denying himself .

'Then what about you?

'I am not affiliated with any religion . However, as an exorcist, I may be a fraud in a sense .

'What?

'My method of exorcism is very different from that of other exorcists .

'Shouldnt everyone be the same?

'No . I dont know if you will believe me, but I do not exorcise spirits through using charms or chanting spells .

'Then how do you exorcise them?

'I have the ability to see spirits . I speak to them and remove their reason for staying where they are . To put it simply, I persuade them .

'W-what

Gotou lost his words .

He had heard what Kamiyama said many times before . His theory was exactly the same as Yakumos .

At that moment, the lights suddenly went out and the room was blanketed in darkness .

'Eek .

Ishiis shriek went through the room .

What? What happened

Something suddenly leapt into Gotous vision in his confusion .

A woman with long hair

The left half of her face was covered in blood .

In the dim light, only that woman appeared faintly luminescent .

Die .

Her cracked voice reverberated .

'You

After Gotou said that, the lights went on again .

He closed his eyes for a moment because it was bright, and when he opened his eyes again, the woman was gone .

Where? Where did she go?

She had been standing near the window that went to the veranda . Gotou opened the window and rushed out to the veranda .

However, there was no sign that anybody had been there .

'There is no point following her . She has no body, Kamiyama said expressionlessly . He did not seem puzzled at all .

Did someone really disappear from a grudge, just as Kamiyama said?

NOTES:

[1] The Koujien (, meaning wide garden of words) is a Japanese dictionary which is considered to be the authority on Japanese definitions the Japanese equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary .

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