Chapter 3

VOLUME 2 - THAT WHICH CONNECTS SOULS

file 03: resurrection (TRANSLATION NOTES)

1

Oi! Old man! What the hell is this?

Gotou yelled as he opened the door to Hatas room .

'Youre noisy . Cant you be a little quieter?

Hata scowled in annoyance . To hell with his annoyance .

Gotou sat on the folding chair .

'How could I be quiet about this!? Theres another corpse what the hell is happening?

'Theres nothing to it . Id like to ask myself, Hata replied in a casual tone .

Even the demonic old man who was doing things at his own pace couldnt hide his irritation .

'Whos the vic?

'Hashimoto Rumi-chan . Fourteen years old . After she drowned, her corpse was disposed of in a dumpsite .

'Is it the same? Gotou asked to check .

When a big incident like this occurred, there were sometimes copycat crimes . In order to prevent them, the police wouldnt share all the details of the crime until it was solved .

By doing so, cases could be classed .

'The murder method and situation with the corpse are the same as with the second victim, Miho-chan . On top of that, there are lacerations on the right ankle . Those were also found on the other two victims .

On the girl they saved, they had seen the same thing the laceration on the right ankle had probably been caused by something like chains .

Hata flipped through the documents on his desk and spoke, almost to himself .

'She didnt go home yesterday . Her parents didnt worry about it since they thought it was just her doing her usual thing . There hadnt been any request when the corpse was found . It was reported in the news that the murderer had died . That might have put them at ease .

Damn, this was a terrible police error .

But that would mean

'Old man, you think Andou wasnt the perp?

'I dont think thats it . There is a mountain of things we wouldnt be able to explain if Andou werent the perpetrator . Though the investigation is still taking place, we found Andous fingerprints at the ex-water gate and the first victim Ayaka-chans bag and hair . No matter how I think about it, Andou is the murderer .

'Then whys there a third corpse?

'I dont know . Its my job to analyse . Its your job to investigate .

The perverted old man really had a mouth on him .

In any case, it seemed like hed have to ask for Yakumos appearance again .

'Sorry to bother you .

Gotou stood up and moved to leave but Hata called out to him .

'Do you remember seeing this man?

While he said that, he handed a photo to Gotou .

In the photo was a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses . There was a faint smile on his pale face .

Gotou felt the blood in his body go cold .

This face . As if I could forget it . This man . Hes

'Oi, old man . Wheres this photo from?

'From the location where the corpse was found . He was there when the second victim Miho-chan was found too . And this time he was looking at me from a distance too .

He was at the place the corpse was found . Did that mean he was connected to the case somehow?

Thatd make this a serious affair . The overview of the fake murder case for insurance money a month ago came up in Gotous head .

'Once could have been overlooked, but twice . And that faint smile . No matter how you look at it, thats not the face of a curious onlooker . I took a few photos .

'Old man . Im borrowing this photo .

'Borrowing? Does that mean youve got a hint as to who he is?

Gotou ignored Hatas question and left the room .

While walking with long strides, he looked at the photo again . It wasnt just a hint .

I didnt think wed meet up again like this

2

The next day, Haruka accompanied Yakumo to visit Kinoshitas hospital .

They had two objectives . One was thanking Kinoshita again for saving her . The other was to ask about the spirit of the girl who had appeared at the river .

Since there was the fuss with the exorcism yesterday, they were still in the middle of their conversation .

The reason why Ayaka-chan was still in the river even though the perpetrator had died .

They wanted to find out the meaning behind that .

Even though they had visited without notifying him beforehand, Kinoshita said, 'Thank you for coming, and he invited Haruka and Yakumo into the examination room .

'Excuse us for coming by so suddenly . I wanted to thank you for the other day . Im really very grateful .

The first thing Haruka did upon entering the examination room was bow her head and express her gratitude .

'Dont worry about it . I just did my job, said Kinoshita with a smile, and he urged Haruka and Yakumo to sit .

They took him up on his offer and sat down next to each other on the round chairs .

'I came today to ask you a few things, Yakumo said, going right to the point .

'Thats right Yakumo-kun is a detective . Youve grown up splendidly .

Kinoshita nodded with a smile .

Eh? Yakumo was a detective? Since when?

He had definitely come up with a lie on the spot again .

'I have to apologise for that .

'Hm?

Kinoshita looked dubious .

'I am not a detective . When I came the other day, Gotou-san had just come up with an appropriate lie .

'Is that so?

'I am just a student .

Even after finding out that Yakumo had deceived him about who he was, Kinoshita didnt look particularly angry .

'Then this isnt about my daughter .

'Though this isnt an investigation, I would still like to ask about your daughter .

Kinoshita gave Yakumo an evaluating look .

He would talk about his murdered daughter if the listening party was the police . It wasnt something he would talk about freely with somebody he didnt know at all .

'Wasnt the case solved? I was contacted about that .

'Yes, the perpetrator has been confirmed .

'Then what do you want to know?

Yakumo took a deep breath before speaking . It was unusual discretion for him .

'Kinoshita-san . What are you trying to do for your daughter?

Kinoshita stared at Yakumo with his mouth half opened . He looked like he didnt understand what Yakumo was talking about .

'Did you promise your dead daughter something?

'I did make a promise .

For a moment, Kinoshita looked surprised, but his expression soon returned to normal and he answered Yakumos question .

'But why do you know that?

Yakumo took the black contact lens out of his left eye .

He turned his red left eye towards Kinoshita .

'You know about my eye .

'Yes, of course .

Eh? Of course? Doctor Kinoshita knew about Yakumos eye from before?

Haruka felt like something had been left out of the conversation .

'This eye of mine isnt just red .

'Meaning

'As a doctor, you might not believe this, but my eye can see the spirits of the dead .

Kinoshita didnt confirm or deny Yakumos words .

He just looked at Yakumos eye silently .

'Yesterday, I met your daughter at the river where her corpse was found .

The moment Kinoshita heard those words, his eyes opened wide and he gripped Yakumos shoulders tightly .

'Really? Is that true? Then my daughter Ayaka is really there!

His face was red with excitement, like his calm demeanour from before had been a lie .

He wont deny it? He completely accepted Yakumos ability to see the spirits of the dead .

Even though hes a doctor

Why?

'Though this is very unstable so I shouldnt talk about it between people, if its just a bit

Yakumo responded like he had been pressured into it by Kinoshita .

'So Ayaka did Ayaka say anything!?

Kinoshita was so agitated he started shaking Yakumos shoulders .

'Please calm down, Yakumo said, taking Kinoshitas hands off his shoulders .

Kinoshita might have realised he was more agitated than necessary, because he hung his head and muttered, 'Forgive me, staring at his hands .

'Your daughter said stop already

Kinoshita looked up in response to those words .

'What does Ayaka-chan want to stop? Dont you know the answer to that?

After Yakumo spoke, Kinoshita shook his head back and forth .

His shoulders were trembling a little . It felt like hed collapse if Haruka touched him . He felt like Harukas mother had when Harukas older sister had died .

That was how it seemed to Haruka

'You said this to me before . Your mother had tried to kill you

Haruka had heard that before this .

Kinoshita even knew about that?

'At that time, you asked me what excuse your mother could make .

Yakumo nodded silently .

'To say the truth, I feel the same way . I cant possibly understand the feelings of a parent who would try to kill their own child . I dont understand but I can understand the feeling of a parent who has lost their child as well as anyone else .

Kinoshita stopped speaking then and bit his lip .

It looked like he was trying to bear the pain .

'To be honest, I was a failure as both a parent and a husband before . It was my dream to have my own hospital . I was stubborn and lost myself in that dream . I didnt consider my family even once . On the contrary, I was even adverse to it . Then, my wife collapsed . It was cancer .

'Cancer? Yakumo repeated .

'Though I was a doctor, I didnt notice anything strange about her condition . When I noticed, the metastasis had already started I was too late .

Kinoshitas voice was filled with sadness, like he was letting out something that he had kept in for years .

'Its a truly shameful story . I couldnt save my wife But I promised my wife something just before she died . I promised her that I would definitely protect Ayaka How about that? I couldnt protect her

Kinoshitas tightly gripped fists were shaking with an anger he couldnt hold in .

That anger wasnt at the murderer but at himself .

'Why didnt I take her to and from school? Why didnt I call the police sooner? If I had looked after her properly, Ayaka might not have died

No . that wasnt true . It wasnt the doctors fault .

Haruka wanted to yell those things out, but she just couldnt put the words in her mouth .

I know that even if I say anything, it wouldnt be any consolation .

He resents himself for not being able to save someone he loves

Haruka had experienced it too . She felt responsible for her sisters death and blamed herself for thirteen years and did so even now . When she herself was like that, she couldnt tell Kinoshita not to blame himself .

'Thats why I promised Ayaka I told her to wait, since I would definitely save her

'Then, you started researching how to resurrect the dead .

Resurrect the dead? What was Yakumo saying? There was no way that was possible . Plus, Kinoshita-san was a doctor . He should have known that better than anyone .

'How do you know that? Kinoshita asked with a gasp .

'The books in this room . The Definition of Soul and Body . The Cycle of Death and Reincarnation . All of the titles are related to the resurrection of the dead .

Kinoshita didnt respond .

He just looked at Yakumo with tears in his eyes .

'No matter how much you research, you, as a doctor, should know best that it is impossible, Yakumo said slowly .

That was right . No matter how you struggled, no matter how much you suffered, the dead wouldnt come back . Yakumo could see the spirits of the dead . However, even if he could see them, that was different from them being alive .

'Yakumo-kun . Could I ask you one thing?

Yakumo nodded at Kinoshitas words .

'The connection between the body and the soul What do you think it is?

'I dont know .

An immediate answer . Kinoshita looked puzzled at how quick the reply was .

'All my eye can do is see, so I dont know the answer to something that difficult . If I knew, I would be able to fix this eye .

'I see

'However, I do recognise that a soul is a cluster of a persons emotions .

'A persons emotions?

Kinoshita slowly thought over Yakumos words .

'I apologise for taking so much of your time .

After Yakumo said that, he stood up by himself and headed towards the door .

Haruka hurriedly followed him .

'Could you let me ask one last thing?

Kinoshita called out to Yakumo . Yakumo didnt turn around .

'What is it?

'Earlier, we were talking about your mother, but dont you want to know who your father is?

Yakumos father

Before, he had said his father didnt exist as long as he didnt remember him .

However, that was just a question of Yakumos own feelings, and he couldnt have been born without his father .

'Im not interested, Yakumo said lightly, like he didnt care, and he left the room .

3

Ishii was idling in the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Room with nothing in particular to do .

He hadnt seen Detective Gotou since morning .

He had tried calling his mobile multiple times, but the phone just rang with no response .

An unauthorised absence? No, Detective Gotou wouldnt

He might have used an enormous amount of spiritual energy to solve this case . No, that had to be it . There was no might about it .

Right now, Detective Gotou might have been suffering in a way that Ishii could not possibly understand . He couldnt just idle like this . Ishii knew where he lived . He would go check on him .

Just as Ishii stood up, he heard a knock .

After he said, 'Please come in, the door opened .

Standing there was a young woman wearing a classy grey trouser suit with her long hair tied in the back .

Theres no way Id forget her . Shes

'Eek .

Ishii was so shocked he jumped onto the desk .

This was the woman who had been possessed by a ghost . Hijikata Makoto .

It was unexpected that she had already gotten better to the point that she could walk by herself in such a short time .

She was pale and her cheeks were a bit hollow, but that matched her almond eyes and slender frame .

Looking at her like this, she could be called a beauty, but Ishiis frightful impression of her was too strong .

'I wanted to express my gratitude to you for saving me .

Makoto bowed in a calm and delicate movement .

'A-ah, no, y-you dont have to thank us

Ishii had consciously tried to speak in a way that his voice wouldnt shake, but it was no use .

'Excuse me, but why are you on the desk?

'Eh? Ah, no, this I was going to clean

Because youre terrifying he couldnt say that .

Ishii hurriedly jumped off the desk . He lost his balance and almost fell .

'It seems like that has only made it messier .

Makoto covered her mouth as she laughed .

It was only natural, since he had jumped up in his shoes .

'Thats true .

Ishii forced himself to laugh .

'Ishii-san .

'You know my name?

'I was conscious at the time, though it was only in bits and pieces

Ishii understood . So that was how it was .

That odd point caught his interest .

'I did something awful to you, Ishii-san, Makoto said quietly, sounding ashamed as she hung her head .

Perhaps she was talking about when he had brought Makoto out . That had been awful . She had bit and chewed on him . He really had gone through a lot .

'No, thats not There was nothing you could have done .

'You still have the injuries . Are you OK?

Makoto reached out with a pale, slender finger towards Ishiis bruised left eye .

At that moment, Ishiis nightmare came up in his mind . Inflamed eyes . Bared teeth . A low growl

'Gyaah!

Ishii yelped and jumped onto the desk again in response .

At the same time, the door opened and Gotou came in .

'What are you doing? Are you a monkey?

'Ah, no, I have a good reason

Ishii got off the desk dejectedly .

'Its not the time for that! Were going!

Was he going to do something even in this situation?

If he used any more spiritual energy, he would die . Ishii had to stop him .

'Even if you tell me to go, Detective Gotou, your spiritual energy

Just as he said that, Gotous iron hammer of a fist fell on the crown of Ishiis head .

If this were a manga, stars would have been circling above his head .

'What spiritual energy, you fool!? You read too much manga! Ill give you a good wallop the next time you say something so idiotic!

Hadnt he already walloped him?

Gotou grabbed the scruff of Ishiis neck and dragged him out into the corridor .

'E-er . Detective Gotou . I came to thank you for the other day .

Ishii heard Makoto from behind them .

'Shut up! Im busy now! Leave it for later!

Detective Gotou waved his hand like he was chasing away a fly .

Still, Detective Gotou is in such a rush . What on earth happened

4

'Hey does Doctor Kinoshita know you from before?

While they walked on the road by the river, Haruka asked this question to Yakumo, who was walking a little in front of her .

The way Kinoshita had spoken had certainly made it sound that way .

'I completely forgot . Or rather, I have no memory of it, Yakumo said, facing forward .

He spoke so vaguely that Haruka didnt understand .

'What do you mean?

She quickened her pace to walk beside Yakumo .

'Doctor Kinoshita was the doctor in charge at my birth .

'Really?

While she was surprised, she also understood . In that case, she could accept that he had forgotten .

'Well, thats all there is to it, so were practically strangers .

Yakumo yawned .

Haruka still had one more thing to ask

'So what was that?

Yakumos feet halted at Harukas question, as if time had stopped .

'Whats wrong?

Yakumo ran a hand through his hair with a troubled expression and lowered brows as he started talking .

'That girls spirit is bound to that river because of Doctor Kinoshitas strong emotions .

'Emotions?

'Yes . He irresponsibly promised that he would definitely save his dead daughter . That keeps her in that river .

'How can we release her?

Yakumo didnt reply and just gazed idly at the river .

Haruka did the same, turning her eyes to the moving surface of the river .

On the other shore, young men and women were having a barbecue . White herons were resting their wings in the sandbank .

How did Yakumo feel?

Haruka stole a glance at his profile .

The pencil-straight bridge of his nose, his tightly closed lips . Was there anything reflected in his narrowed almond eyes?

'Doctor Kinoshita will have to give up for the girl to be released .

Finally, Yakumo spoke .

'Give up?

'Yes . As long as he doesnt acknowledge that his daughter will not be coming back, she will stay in that place .

'How can we make that happen?

'I dont know that much . In any case, it wont work if he is still reading books about reviving the dead and reincarnation .

Haruka grasped the gist of what Yakumo was saying .

When she had been in the river, Ayaka-chan had said this . 'Stop already

Those words had been for her father, Doctor Kinoshita .

'I wonder if things will work out .

'If things were going to work out, they already would have . This is a problem of a persons heart . Its not something we can fix by talking . Doctor Kinoshita has to acknowledge it himself .

It was just as Yakumo said .

Outsiders like them wouldnt change anything by explaining to a father who had lost his daughter that she wouldnt be coming back .

'Well, all we can do is see how things go, Yakumo concluded .

Haruka caught herself before she said, 'Thats right . That was dangerous . So many things had happened that she had almost forgotten the cause of all this trouble .

'Then what about the haunting Mayuko-chan is still worried about?

'Shes mistaken .

Yakumo twisted his neck, making it crack as he spoke .

'Mistaken?

'You saw it too, right? The spirit of the girl in the river .

Haruka nodded .

'Which means the girls soul is still in the river . Shes not with your friend . Which means shes mistaken .

'But she had sleep paralysis and saw a ghost of a girl . She said she heard voices

Yakumo scratched at the back of his neck, looking annoyed .

'Human beings have active imaginations . She had the terrifying experience of seeing a ghost of a girl in a river . That actually happened . Then she thought that she had been possessed by that ghost . However, that was a delusion .

Haruka understand what Yakumo had said so far .

'After that, she lived her life suspicious of everything, thinking that there was a ghost near her . The result was that she thought something in a dark room that she couldnt make out was a girl . Small noises she couldnt discern became peoples voices .

'But that sort of thing

'Happens . Didnt you experience it yourself before?

'Me?

Did she do something like that? She couldnt remember at all .

'Honestly . Its because you dont learn that you always drag me into your trouble .

He always said too much .

'Its because you always remember unnecessary things that people hate you, Yakumo-kun .

Yakumo snorted at Harukas cynicism .

'Im talking about the spirit photography I showed you before . After I said that there was a persons face in the grooves of the tree, you saw a face, right? Its the same for the girl . Shes living with the preconception that there may be a ghost .

Oh . So thats how it was .

Finally, Haruka understood too . If there was a preconception, all thoughts would end up connecting to it .

I understand that . But

'What should I do?

Yakumo raised an eyebrow, like he was saying, How would I know?

'You might not like it, but the best method would be to tell her that everythings fine because the ghost has been exorcised .

'Thats a lie, right?

Haruka flared up .

'Then tell her the truth . Say, Everything you saw was an illusion . Youre psychologically ill, so I recommend that you go to a hospital for counselling .

'I will then .

No matter how she thought about it, that was obviously the better method .

'However, if she doesnt accept that explanation, shell bring her story to another spirit medium . If theyre an unsavoury one, theyll take her money .

To be honest, she wasnt confident Mayuko would understand if she told her the truth .

'If you cant say it, then telling her not to worry because the ghost has been exorcised will take away her fear . Its your choice .

Haruka grabbed onto Yakumos shirt as he tried to walk away .

Yakumos cheek twitched in irritation like that of a cat whose sleep was disturbed .

'What?

'Yakumo-kun . Please .

Haruka looked up at Yakumo as she pleaded with him .

'Stop that its disturbing .

Disturbing? How rude .

But she didnt say that aloud . Shed lose everything if he got angry at her here .

'Yakumo-kun . Please . Go explain .

She pleaded with him again .

'I get it, so please dont look at me with such disgusting eyes .

He said it again!

5

As Ishii drove, he looked at Gotou reclining in the passenger seat .

He had his arms crossed, and underneath his furrowed brows, there was a sharp glint in his eye like a hounds .

Just as Ishii had been wondering why he hadnt seen Gotou since morning, he had suddenly returned to take Ishii out, saying, 'Were going! and now they were headed towards the university by car .

'Detective Gotou, what on earth happened?

Ishii couldnt stand it he asked a question .

'Thats why youre useless!

Gotou suddenly yelled at him angrily .

'But, um, since I havent heard anything, its natural for me not to know, or thats what I

'Cant you do anything without being told!? If youre a detective, perk up your ears and listen! That reporter womans got a much leveller head on her shoulders!

'I-I apologise

Ishii apologised though he didnt know why, pressured into it by Gotous shouting .

The conversation stopped there, and then the only thing that could be heard in the car was the sound of the wind .

'This isnt public yet, but another one was found .

Breaking the awful silence, Gotou spoke, as if to himself, while holding a cigarette in his mouth .

'Another one?

Ishii didnt understand what Gotou was saying .

He asked his question while fixing the position of his glasses .

'Another girls corpse .

'Eh?

Ishiis voice cracked at the unexpected news .

'The third victim . She was found at a dumpsite this morning .

A girls corpse? Third victim? Dumpsite?

'You must be lying . I mean, Andou was the perpetrator, and that Andou is already dead, so the case is

Ishii replied quickly, like he was turning over the words he couldnt understand in his mind .

A new corpse shouldnt have been found if the perpetrator is dead

'Its too late to be surprised! Thats why Im in a rush!

Gotous spittle flew through the car .

Oh . So thats why

Its as Detective Gotou says . Theres no time for careless worrying . Im a failure as a detective for not noticing anything even in such a terrible situation .

But, with all that said, why are we going to meet the young man called Yakumo?

I couldnt understand that at all

6

Once Haruka returned to her room, she lay on her bed, overwhelmed by exhaustion .

Was that really OK

Haruka was assaulted by a sense of self-loathing . Even though it had been because she couldnt think of any other methods, she had ended up deceiving Mayuko .

After their talk, Haruka had gone together with Yakumo to Mayukos flat .

The moment Yakumo entered the room, he had said, 'Its strong . I feel an extremely strong spiritual energy . Haruka had wanted to yell 'Liar! but shed swallowed her words .

In the end, Yakumo had said, 'I will exorcise the spirit now . I would appreciate it if you would leave for an hour because of the danger, and that was the end of it .

Mayuko had asked, 'Hey, Ive seen that person at the university before . Is he really an exorcist?

Haruka had lied without thinking about it . 'Its fine . That person is from a well-known family of exorcists .

What a ridiculous monkey show

Right after Mayuko left the room, Yakumo said, 'Wake me up in an hour, and he went to sleep, using a cushion as a pillow . Oi .

When Mayuko returned in an hour, Yakumo pressed his hands together in prayer and innocently said, 'It was an extremely strong spirit, but somehow I was able to remove it . That ghost will not appear in front of you again . Haruka couldnt interrupt to say he had only been sleeping .

Mayuko started sobbing in her happiness, like she had been released from her fear .

Harukas feelings of guilt grew .

On top of that, Yakumo had received money from Mayuko .

She couldnt believe it . It was true that Mayuko was the one who had offered to pay as thanks, but would you normally accept it? Usually people would just wave it off, saying something like 'I wouldnt have been able to live with myself if I didnt help .

This was outright fraud . And Haruka had been an accomplice .

Honestly . She felt angrier the more she thought about it .

After Haruka woke up, her mobile started ringing . It was from her mother .

<You havent called lately are you doing well?>

Her mother spoke in an unbelieving tone from the start of the phone call .

Harukas anger dissipated . That was her mother for you . Just hearing the voice made her feel safer .

'Yup . Im OK .

<Did something happen? Your voice sounds strange . >

Her mother had seen through her .

Her anger at Yakumo had lessened . Her voice probably sounded strange because the conversation with Doctor Kinoshita still bothered her .

'Mum, were you sad when my sister died?

Haruka didnt know why shed asked that, but it had come out of her mouth . It had to be because she had heard Kinoshita and Yakumo talking .

<Of course I was . Why are you asking that all of a sudden?>

It was natural for her mother to be suspicious .

'Im currently studying criminal psychology at school, and there was a lecture on the psychology of the parents of victims which caught my interest

Haruka said the first lie that came to mind .

Her mother replied, <I see,> but it seemed like she didnt know whether to believe Haruka .

'If my sister hadnt died in an accident but had been killed, how would you feel?

<What do you mean?>

'For example, would you hate the murderer?

<That I would>

Her mother replied to her question earnestly .

'Would you want to kill that murderer?

What on earth am I asking my mother? Would you kill him? Would you not

What am I planning to do if my mother says she would want to kill the murderer? Im at fault for my sisters death .

When she finds out the truth, will my mother hate me? Will she want to kill me

For a while, the silence continued .

'Hm, if killing the murderer would bring back my dead child, I might .

My mothers voice was warm, but also cruel .

'Bring back?

'Yes . I dont think a parents feelings will change whether its a murder, accident or illness . You dont think that their death cant be helped just because its an illness . Though its the same for a murder

That might be true

'In any case, we want them to live . Thats all . Thats why I would kill as many murderers as I needed to if doing so would bring back my child .

If it would bring back her child

Doctor Kinoshita had said the same thing . His promise with his daughter wasnt to take revenge against the murderer but to save her .

If Kinoshita could go back to the past, he would probably kill Andou without thinking .

Haruka couldnt arrange her thoughts properly in her head, but that was probably how it was .

Then, a doubt came up in Harukas mind .

A doubt that cant come up, but a doubt that has come up so many times before . If I were the one who died instead of my sister

<Haruka . What are you thinking about?>

Even through the phone, her mother could probably feel the change in her mood .

Her mother sounded concerned .

But I cant say this to my mother . The truth about my sisters death will be my cross to bear forever

<Whats wrong?>

Her mothers voice felt far away .

If she knew I was at fault for my sisters death, how distressed would my mother be

<Haruka . Are you blaming yourself again?>

Haruka suddenly couldnt breathe when she heard her mothers unforeseen words, just as she had when she had been drowning in the water .

<You think youre responsible for your sisters death, right?>

Why does my mother know that? Ive never mentioned this to her once, and I havent let her see me behaving like I do either .

And yet

'Mum You knew

That was all she could say .

<Of course I do . How long do you think Ive been your mother?>

'Twenty years

<So you know . Its not your fault that your sister died . You were just playing around and you threw the ball a little far . Its not like you tried to kill your sister . That was an accident . >

Haruka knew that much .

I never told anybody . I thought I had hid it in my heart all this time

Her nose felt prickly, and the corners of her eyes felt warm .

<Haruka . You are you . Youre not your sister . A parent doesnt care about whether their children can study or play sports or things like that . They just want their children to live and be happy . Do you understand what Im saying?>

Haruka silently nodded .

The warmth in her mothers words filled her entire body .

Something that had frozen over was slowly melting

When she was younger, she had always been unhappy about her older twin sister, who was better than her at everything .

Haruka had thought that her mother hated her, since she was worse at everything studying, sports, music

After her sister died, she had been frantic in trying to be like her . She had been scared that somebody would say 'You should have died if she didnt .

'Mum, how did you know

'I even know who your first love was . Ken-chan, right? He got married some time ago .

That was right . Ken-chan . He had dark skin and was a shorty . He had been nimble and playful .

Her mother really knew everything .

'Oh

<You have someone you like now, right?>

Harukas heart skipped a beat at her mothers sudden words .

'Why do you think that?

<When you came back home, you were grinning about something you remembered . >

'I did that?

<You did . What sort of person is he?>

She wasnt really aware of it herself, but it was probably him .

'Hes incredibly contrary . Hes selfish and not nice at all .

<My, that sounds interesting . Tell me more . >

Her mother laughed, sounding like she was enjoying herself .

'OK . Next time I come home .

Haruka hung up .

At the same time, tears started coming out like a dam had been broken, and she cried aloud . Haruka didnt know whether it was from pain, sadness or happiness .

Her body trembled, and her chest was so hot it felt like it would burn .

In that wave of emotion that made it hard for her to breathe, Haruka realised that the cross she had been carrying up until now had been an illusion

7

How long did Detective Gotou plan on staying here?

While Ishii had that doubt, he couldnt say it aloud, so he just looked at Gotou, sitting on a folding chair with his legs crossed .

It had already been almost thirty minutes since theyd come to the young man called Yakumos secret hideaway at the university .

Ishii couldnt understand at all why Gotou was so fixated on him .

'Damn that bastard . Whered he run off to? Its a serious matter, Gotou yelled, revealing his anger .

At the same time, the door opened and Yakumo came in .

'Finally back?

Yakumo looked obviously displeased at Gotou, who had spoken .

'This is illegal trespassing . Ishii-san, please arrest this man now .

Yakumo pointed at Gotou .

Arrest? In that case, Ishii was committing the same crime .

'Unfortunately, I dont have the time to banter with you .

'What a coincidence . I was just thinking that I dont have the time to play with you either .

'Thats not what I meant . She was found .

'Your wife?

'Stop screwing around! A girls corpse! The third victim was found!

Gotous voice which he couldnt hold in burst out .

At that moment, Yakumos expression stiffened . Even Ishii understood that it wasnt because Gotous outcry had surprised him .

'Please let me hear the details .

Yakumo sat on his own chair and crossed his arms as he urged Gotou .

'The victims name is Hashimoto Rumi-chan . Shes fourteen, same as the other victims . Like with the second victim, Miho-chan, she was thrown into a dumpsite after she drowned . She was found this morning . She probably died last night .

Gotou summed it up all in one go .

Yakumo didnt open his mouth . He furrowed his brow and looked down .

Silence

'Does that mean Andou wasnt the murderer?

Ishii spoke up .

Yakumo and Gotou both glared at him at the same time . Being glared at by these two was truly terrifying .

'Andou is definitely the murderer, Yakumo said indifferently .

'I checked with old man Hata this morning . Andous fingerprints and Ayaka-chans hair were found at the building .

So there was evidence

'Detective Gotou . T-t-this is just a possibility . Could that evidence have been faked?

'Who would do that and for what purpose? Yakumo immediately rebutted .

After hearing Yakumos words, Gotou put a photo on the table .

'How about this? This guy did it to hide his murder .

Yakumos eyes went wide when he took the photo into his hands .

His teeth were clenched together so tightly it seemed like they might break with a crack .

There was a tall man wearing sunglasses in the photo .

The bridge of his nose was straight, and he looked like he was smiling . On top of that, the mans face looked vaguely like Yakumos .

'Gotou-san . Where did you get this photo? asked Yakumo, looking at Gotou sharply .

Gotous expression was equally stiff .

'Seems like he was in the crowd of onlookers when the corpse was found . For both the second victim Miho-chan and this times Rumi-chan . Old man Hata thought he was suspicious so he took the photo .

'If this man is connected to this case, this wont end easily .

'I know . Thirteen years ago and that fake murder case a month ago this is going to be difficult .

Thirteen years ago? A month ago? What were these two talking about?

They were talking like they knew this man from before .

'Gotou-san . Do you still have the corpse of the third victim?

'You going?

'Yes, lets go .

Gotou and Yakumo stood up at the same time .

Right then, Yakumos mobile started ringing .

Yakumo curtly answered the phone . 'What trouble do you have for me this time?

8

Haruka didnt know why that had come up in her mind herself .

The soul of the girl, still in the river, with the same name as her sister .

Yakumo had said this . That girl was bound to the river by her fathers strong emotions . Haruka wanted to save her if she could .

Before she noticed, she had pressed the call button on her phone .

<What trouble do you have for me this time?>

Once the call connected, she heard a curt voice .

'Its not trouble . I just wanted to ask you something .

'Thats revolting .

Revolting

'Honestly . I just want to ask about Doctor Kinoshita .

<That was already solved, wasnt it?>

'Thats true, but that girl will be stuck in the river like this .

<Thats right . >

'Cant anything be done?

<No . >

It felt like he had planned on giving up from the start, or he might have thought it wasnt their problem .

'But the girl seems pitiful .

<How meddlesome can you be? I said it was a problem of Doctor Kinoshitas heart . >

'I know, but I was thinking of trying to get Doctor Kinoshita to understand once more .

<Give up . Nothings going to change just because you said something . >

Yakumos opinion makes sense .

Its not something I can solve on my own . But

'Cant you come with me?

For a while, Yakumo didnt say anything .

Doctor Kinoshita said this . His daughter died because of him

Haruka wouldnt say she had felt the same way, but she had lived her life up until now carrying similar feelings . 'Your daughters death wasnt your fault . She wanted him to understand that, at least .

<How would you feel if you were in the position of the parent?>

Yakumos tone changed slightly .

Other people might not have noticed if they heard it, but I can tell

Haruka recalled something Isshin had said before . 'That boy is really kind, but hes bad at showing his emotions .

'What do you mean?

<Would you give up on your daughter if somebody explained the situation to you?>

Thats

'I think thatd be impossible .

<Then you understand . Doctor Kinoshita has to solve this problem on his own . >

Haruka understood what Yakumo was saying .

But she still wanted to save that girl . Those strong feelings hadnt been changed .

The girl with the same name as her dead sister .

I probably want to do something to save her and be pardoned . I want to be released from the burden of having killed my sister .

I know thats just my own selfishness . But

'I want to do something .

<Fine . If you want to go, just go . But I cant help you right now . If youre going, youre going on your own . >

It sounded like Yakumo had given up .

'OK .

Haruka nodded .

Now that she thought about it, it would feel like running away if she borrowed Yakumos strength now .

<If you meet Doctor Kinoshita, tell him my message . >

'Your message?

<Please let your daughter go . Your emotions are trapping your daughter in that dark river . What the dead want is for the living to be happy

What the dead want is for the living to be happy

Those words pierced deep into her heart .

'Thank you

Haruka said that and hung up .

9

Kinoshita gasped, like his suffering was forcing its way out .

I failed again

Why? What was wrong?

I promised my daughter . I promised I would definitely save her . And yet

'Damn it!

Kinoshita said those words like he had vomited them, and he stabbed a pen into his desk .

The plastic pen broke with a loud snap, but his anger still did not abate .

He stood up, picked up the chair he had been sitting on with two hands and threw it towards the wall .

The chair hit the cabinet and created a large dent before falling to the floor .

Blood flow invigorated him, and his temperature went up .

'Agh!

He punched the wall with his fists .

The impact went along his arm, but he didnt feel any pain .

Lost in his anger, Kinoshita punched the wall again . He punched it again, again and again .

Not just with his fists he also hit the wall with his head .

A crack split down his parched heart, and it started crumbling .

Emotions that werent appeased

The police had said the incident was over .

It was true that it had been determined who Ayaka-chans killer was, and that killer had already died .

So what?

I already know that .

It isnt over yet for me . Its not a matter of who the murderer is . Nothing will be over under Ayaka comes back .

That which connects the soul and the body . Thats the key .

Success isnt impossible if I can find the answer to that question .

But I dont have the time to wait for that .

Im breaking

Kinoshita felt it .

His phone started ringing . He had a call .

10

Hata was making preparations while waiting when Gotou brought Yakumo to the autopsy room .

The girls corpse was on the autopsy table .

This very young girl

Gotous anger started building up again .

He looked at Yakumo standing beside him .

His face was white and proper like porcelain . At first glance, he left a composed and cold impression, but that didnt look at Yakumos true nature .

If you brought trouble to him, he would complain a lot, but he couldve just ignored it if he hated it so much .

However, he would talk on and on, but in the end, he would stick his neck in instead of letting it go . That was the type of person he was .

'Old man, sorry about this .

'Dont worry about it . I wouldnt be able to sleep like this either .

Hata let out an uncanny laugh .

Gotou walked with Yakumo to the side of the autopsy table .

The girl lying on the autopsy table was covered up to her shoulders with a white sheet . There werent any noticeable injuries, but the lips on her swollen face, characteristic of drowning, had turned purple .

It didnt match up . That was how Gotou felt .

This girls life and death were so different from each other .

Until the moment came, she might not have even thought that she would die .

She woke up in the morning, brushed her teeth, ate breakfast, went to school, talked with friends, thought about the person she liked, and now, shes here

'Eeeeeek .

An inappropriate shriek echoed through the tiled autopsy room .

Id forgotten . Ishiis here too . Making such a disgusting scream . Whats he so afraid of? Maybe

'Is this the first time youve seen a corpse?

'A-ah, yes, Ishii replied, his teeth chattering .

Honestly this fool . It made Gotou worry about the future . For now, Gotou just hit him .

Yakumo gazed upon the girls face .

His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were serious . He was looking . Looking at something they couldnt see .

'You see something?

Yakumo shook his head .

'It was no good . I thought that if the girls spirit was still here, I might be able to grasp something, but

Yakumo bit his lip .

Things wouldnt be that simple .

But if he couldnt see anything, what would they do?

'There arent any external injuries? asked Yakumo, a hand on his chin .

Hata took the sheet off of the girls ankles . The toenails were painted pink . The ankle showed signs that suggested it had been bound .

'Theres this laceration . Thats all .

'Hata-san, the girl drowned, correct?

'Theres a lot of water in her lungs .

'Do you know where she drowned?

'Probably a river somewhere .

'A river?

'After examining the water in her lungs, we found the eggs of freshwater fish mixed in it .

'I see . A river, eh

Yakumo put a finger to his brow .

Unfortunately, all Gotou could do was wait . Yakumo was in charge of thinking . He was in charge of taking action .

Gotou suddenly looked over at Ishii . In that case, would he be in charge of playing the fool? Gotou didnt need somebody in charge of that .

'Somethings odd, right? Hata said, turning his neck round and round . It seemed like his neck would turn a full rotation from the momentum .

'Since I was drawn into this case from a completely different direction this time, I knew almost nothing about the chain of incidents, but the third victims cause of death is different, isnt it?

'The first victim, Ayaka-chan, was strangled . The second victim, Miho-chan, and the third victim, Rumi-chan, drowned .

Hata answered Yakumos doubts .

'Gotou-san, theres something I would like to ask .

'What?

'Let us forget about whether Andou is the perpetrator or not for now . This girl was killed yesterday, correct?

'Yeah . What about it?

'Where was she killed?

'The old water gate, right?

What was Yakumo saying now?

'Thats impossible .

Yakumo had asked the question himself, but he denied the answer immediately .

'Why?

'Please think about it . The police should be investigating the old water gate currently . Would the crime have been committed in front of the police?

'Oh, now that you say that .

Thats right

Silence filled the room .

Suddenly, Hata brought his hands together, like he had remembered something .

'About that old water gate . The first victim, Ayaka-chan, and the girl who was in danger of losing her life, Keiko-chan their DNA was found at the site, but

'The second and third victims werent found, correct?

Yakumo continued Hatas words .

'Right .

Hata crossed his arms and nodded .

'As I thought, thats how it was

Yakumo looked down and spat those words out unpleasantly .

Gotou didnt understand at all about what was 'how it was .

'Oi, Yakumo . What are you talking about?

'That would mean there is another perpetrator .

Yakumo lifted his head and spoke like what he said was obvious .

'Another perpetrator!? An accomplice?

'Not an accomplice .

'You were the one who said it .

Gotou drew closer to Yakumo .

'What I said was that there is another perpetrator .

'Stop acting so important and just say it already!

Gotou grabbed Yakumo by the collar and glared at him .

'What a violent attitude . Maybe I will just stop talking .

Damn, this contrary little

'Ah, I sincerely apologise . Please explain this to me .

Gotou let go of Yakumo and bowed his head .

'I dont feel your sincerity, but Ill forgive you . We, as well as the investigation department, have made a huge mistake .

'A mistake?

'Yes . A mistake . First, the investigation departments title needs to be changed .

'What?

Who cared about the investigation departments name?

Really, what an irritating guy .

'I said this before, but the case this time has two different cases, and there are two perpetrators with different goals .

'Eh? Really now .

Ishii spoke before Gotou, sounding like he was playing dumb .

'There really isnt anything to be surprised about . If we take away our preconceptions and use the process of elimination, that is the only possible answer . No matter how difficult a truth it is to believe .

Yakumos eyes narrowed, and he stared at the autopsy wall almost as if someone was there .

'Explain it so even I can understand .

In his irritation, Gotou put a cigarette in his mouth, but Hata immediately complained 'This is a no-smoking area so he couldnt light it up .

'First, the one who killed Ayaka-chan and abducted Keiko-chan was Andou . There is no doubt about it . Evidence has been found . However, the second victim, Miho-chan . The third victim, Rumi-chan, could not have been killed by Andou .

'Why not?

'As you know, Andou had already died when Rumi-chan was killed .

'Then how about Miho-chan?

'You would understand if you think about the purpose of the murder . Though this is just my reasoning, I explained about Andous psychological state before .

Gotou nodded . Yakumo had said that Andou had a fear towards death that could even be called a disorder because he had seen his mothers suicide . When the girl said that he should die, those words lit the fear in his heart .

'If my reasoning is correct, it was important for Andou to kill the victim himself .

'I see . Miho-chan and Rumi-chan died from drowning . They werent killed by the murderer, Hata said with crossed arms, sounding like he agreed .

'No, wait a second . Cant you kill someone by drowning them?

Gotou interrupted the conversation .

'How so?

'Well, you push them from the back like this

After Yakumo spoke, Gotou took Ishii, who had been beside him, and pushed the back of his neck forward to show an example . Ishii flailed about, surprised by the suddenness .

'Werent you listening to what we were saying early? Hata said, snorting .

'Shut up, perverted old man .

'Perverted was unnecessary . I explained this before, but the girls who were drowned only had lacerations on their ankles .

'What about it?

'If someone pushed their necks down like youre doing now, there would be signs of pressure applied there .

'Ah .

Gotou understood what Hata said and took his hand off of Ishii . Thats right . Thats certainly true . Then that would mean

'Then how were they killed?

Gotou tried cocking his head, but no valuable thoughts came to him .

'From the state of the corpses, weights were probably attached to the girls ankles so they would sink into the river, said Yakumo, pointing at the ankles .

'Thats

At this point, Gotou could get the gist of it .

Chains or ropes had been tied to the girls feet . On the ends of those, there had been weights, and they had been thrown into the river . Then they wouldnt have been able to float to the top of the river, so they drowned .

If that was the method, it would mean that Andou wouldnt have killed them himself .

In short, there were two murder methods from the start .

There were also two perpetrators .

Since it was a unique situation where girls of the same age were abducted in the same area and their corpses were found without any requests, the police had ended up investigating it as a serial abduction murder case .

From the start, if looking at there being two perpetrators with separate cases, the third victim found after Andous death still wasnt anything odd .

But

'Then whats the second perps motive?

'I dont know .

Yakumo replied immediately to Gotous question .

Well, that made sense . It wasnt something that theyd understand just from talking about it . Since there were two cases, the investigation would have to start again .

A heavy silence filled the room .

With this strange situation in front of them, they wouldnt open their mouths quickly .

'But this murder method

Hata spoke with his mouth turned down at the corners .

'What about it?

Hata smiled bitterly at Gotous question . It seemed like he didnt plan on saying it aloud .

He ran a hand down his white hair before starting to speak reluctantly .

'I just thought that this killing method is similar to some sort of ritual for a sacrifice .

'A sacrifice?

Honestly . Of all things, this perverted old man

'Ah, I thought that too .

Ishii spoke up while raising his hand .

He had bright eyes, like a primary school student whod solved a question on a test . What was up with that face

'A sacrifice

This time, Yakumo was the one to murmur .

'Oi, oi . cut it out .

Gotou couldnt hold it in any longer and spoke up .

'Please throw away your preconceptions, said Yakumo, his eyes narrowed like he thought Gotou was being a fool .

'I dont have any preconceptions, but what youre saying is just some occult stuff .

'What you blurted out is a preconception . Even if you dont believe in the occult, Gotou-san, there are people in this world who do . In the case of these people, saying that what you dont believe in doesnt exist is heading down the wrong direction, just as the investigation did this time .

Gotou clicked his teeth and stopped objecting .

He wouldnt win even if he argued with Yakumo . He would just get knocked about by Yakumos hair-splitting .

'If this is some sort of ritual

Yakumo looked down and furrowed his brow as he said something .

Hata and Ishii were roused up in a creepy conversation about peoples heads and goat blood or something like that .

Even though the others were the ones being strange, Gotou felt like he had been left out .

Why did he have to feel so ashamed? He felt more and more irritated .

'Perhaps this is

Yakumo suddenly raised his head like he had thought of something . After a moment, his face turned pale and he ran out of the autopsy room .

'Oi, Yakumo . Whats wrong?

Gotou chased after Yakumo into the corridor .

That guy . He didnt even turn around . Yakumo had definitely thought of something . But what was it? And why was he in such a rush?

Yakumo took his mobile out of his pocket and started making a call .

However, whoever he was calling didnt answer . He made a 'tsk sound and stuck the mobile back in his pocket .

'What happened?

Gotou grabbed hold of Yakumos shoulders as he tried to walk away and stopped him by force .

Yakumos eyes were bloodshot, and it looked like he might jump at any moment .

'Do you think you know who the perp is?

Yakumo was just taking deep breaths, like he was trying to hold back his agitation, and he didnt answer .

'Whats wrong?

Gotou shook Yakumos shoulders .

'Just now, a terrible thought came to me . I would like to prove it wrong if I can, Yakumo said, his voice strained .

Gotou didnt know what terrible thought Yakumo was talking about .

Yakumo probably wouldnt tell him even if he asked, but now that hed come here, all he could do was go with him to the end .

'Then how do we check whether your thought is correct?

For a moment, Yakumos eyes went wide in surprise .

His distrust towards other people was too strong .

That was why he always looked like this when other people tried to do anything for him . Gotou didnt hate it when Yakumo looked like that .

'Are you holding back? Its not like you .

'Its not like you to worry about others, Gotou-san .

Honestly, this guy was always like this . Not cute at all .

'Just tell me already .

'First, I need to ask somebody something .

No trouble at all .

'Ishii, the car!

Gotou shouted, but there was no response . That idiot .

'Oi! Ishii! roared Gotou angrily .

'Y-yessir!

The door to the autopsy room opened, and Ishii came out, looking surprised .

Honestly for a detective, he was a really careless guy .

'What are you doing!? Were going! Run!

Ishii replied energetically with a 'Yessir! and started running down the corridor .

He tripped

11

Haruka went to visit Doctor Kinoshita again .

Like before, Kinoshita invited Haruka into the examination room without even the slightest bit of unpleasantness and offered her coffee .

However, Haruka didnt know how to talk to him, let alone confront him . While she was thinking, Kinoshita started speaking .

'Youve come at a good time . I was just planning on looking for you myself .

'For me?

'Yes . There is something I would like to request of you .

'A request for me?

What could it be? There isnt much I can do even if Im asked .

And still, Im bad at saying no

'Yes, but let me leave that matter for later . Please go ahead first .

'Ah, yes . Er

Harukas words got caught in her throat when it was important .

However, she had to tell him this: You are not responsible for your daughters death . As long as you dont give up, your daughter will continuing wandering in the same place .

'Doctor Kinoshita . I understand your feelings, even if thats only slightly .

There was no use keeping quiet . She started speaking, saying the thoughts she had organised as they came up to her .

'My feelings, you say?

Kinoshita furrowed his eyebrows, looking troubled .

'When I was young, I lost my older sister to a traffic accident . My sister had tried to catch a ball Id thrown and was then hit by a car .

Haruka met Kinoshitas eyes .

However, he looked back at her silently without speaking .

'Ive always thought that my sisters death was my fault . If I hadnt thrown the ball then Im the same as you, Doctor . I blamed myself, regretted it and was always suffering .

'Is that so?

'Naturally, I think that the pain youre feeling is many times greater than mine . I know that I dont have the right to say this, but Ayaka-chans death wasnt your fault, Doctor .

Haruka took a pause there to calm down .

'It must have been very difficult for you .

Kinoshitas voice was kind, like he was trying to console her .

'I apologise for suddenly talking about something like this .

Haruka bowed her head . It sort of felt like she had just forced her opinion on him .

She remembered what Yakumo had said .

Doctor Kinoshitas emotions are binding her to the river

Wasnt that the same for me? I thought I was responsible for my sisters death and was always blaming myself, so wasnt I tying my sisters soul down?

I feel like I sort of understood why I had gotten so involved with this case .

It was the same with me . Ayaka-chan, who had died in pain, and my sister, Ayaka . Doctor Kinoshita, blaming himself for his daughters death, and me, blaming myself for my sisters death

'You are a kind person .

Kinoshita smiled gently .

'That isnt true .

I wasnt being humble .

I was just running away from the burden I carried on my back

'As you say, I do blame myself . You might be able to understand that . However, there is a definite difference between us .

Kinoshita appeared full of confidence .

'A difference?

'Yes . You have already given up . However, I have not .

'What have you not given up on?

Something felt slightly off .

She couldnt explain it clearly, but that was what she felt .

'I will bring my daughter Ayaka back to life .

'Eh?

Did he really believe he could bring someone dead back to life?

Doctor Kinoshita was a doctor, one way or another .

Bringing someone dead back to life was physically impossible .

Gooseflesh rose on Harukas skin .

'After I lost my daughter and was in despair, a man came to me . That man took me to the river and showed my daughters soul to me there .

Kinoshitas face was blank, like he was wearing a Noh mask[1] .

What is he saying

'My daughter was suffering . She was suffering greatly . Since her physical body had died, the pain her soul felt was even greater .

Kinoshitas eyes were bloodshot, like he had been possessed by something .

'Thats

'Do you understand? Ayaka has been suffering even after she died . I have only been watching . I cant do anything

As if he was fighting his rising anger, Kinoshita scratched his fingernails against the desk .

An unpleasant noise that made your hair stand on end

'I have been frantically trying to find a way to save my daughter . That man showed me several books . I found out while I was researching them . There are many people in this world who have died and came back to life .

'But

Haruka started speaking, but she didnt say any more words .

She wasnt Yakumo . She didnt have the knowledge to refute the statement directly .

It might have been because she had been thinking too much .

Her head hurt like something was pressing against it .

'Humans have souls . I reached the conclusion that it is something like the aggregation of those humans thoughts or feelings . In short, even if the body is dead, the soul still lives

Haruka had heard that way of thinking before .

Yakumo had said the same thing .

Her vision was cloudy, like a fog had covered it .

She blinked, but the blurred world did not return

'The body and the soul are originally different things . If you think that way, the death of the body isnt a major problem . To use the computer as an analogy, the body is the hardware while the soul is the software . If the body, as the hardware, is broken, the soul, as software, can just be put into new hardware .

Haruka understood the theory .

But that was all it was .

In the first place, it was wrong to replace the human body and soul with a computers hardware and software .

Haruka had seen many times with her own eyes what happened to souls that took over bodies that werent their own .

Miki . And that woman .

That couldnt be called living .

That was

It was no use . Her thoughts were growing duller .

'What are you trying to say? Haruka asked Kinoshita .

Her voice sounded far away, and she could hear it trembling terribly .

She noticed that her thoughts about Doctor Kinoshita were changing . The depths of his heart were much, much darker and deeper than she had imagined .

'You and Yakumo both say that my daughter will not return again, but that is incorrect . My daughters soul is still alive .

Yes, it is alive .

And youre the one keeping her alive with your strong emotions . Thats why I have to stop this .

What is this

'Doctor Kinoshita Ayaka-chan your

Her mouth wouldnt move properly .

Her eyelids were so heavy she couldnt open them .

Her mobile was ringing in her bag .

Who is it? I have to pick up .

The floor is shaking .

It hurts Why is this

Haruka fell into a deep sleep

12

'Were coming in!

Gotou opened the door to Kinoshita Hospital and yelled .

However, just like last time, there was nobody at the reception or in the corridor .

'Doctor Kinoshita probably isnt here, Yakumo said, a step behind Gotou .

'How do you know?

'The garage is empty .

'I see . Why dont you become a detective?

Gotou said that to Yakumo, but Yakumo didnt hear him at all .

He was rapidly looking around him .

He was like a cat on the lookout for people . The guy probably felt something .

'Oi . Yakumo .

Yakumo ignored Gotous call and suddenly started running . He rushed into the examination room they had met Kinoshita in before at full speed .

Gotou didnt know what was happening, but it seemed like Yakumos hurry had transferred to him as well . He ran to the examination room like he had been dragged along .

'Detective Gotou, what is it? said Ishii, in charge of playing the fool . He had come late and sounded carefree .

Didnt he feel the tension?

Gotou sighed and looked around the examination room .

Kinoshita wasnt there .

However, there were signs that somebody had been there just a little while ago . The lights were on . There were two coffee cups on Doctor Kinoshitas desk .

Yakumo went through the documents on Doctor Kinoshitas desk chaotically and he opened the drawer on one side to look for something .

What was he looking for? Gotou, who didnt understand what Yakumo was thinking, could only watch him .

'Er, Detective Gotou . This is clearly unlawful trespassing . We have to stop him .

Ishii spoke up from behind Gotou . That guy was really

'Shut up! Ill take responsibility .

He cant possibly think that

A thought suddenly came to Gotou .

'Damn it!

Maybe Yakumo had found something, because he shouted as he slammed his hand against the desk .

Gotou walked up beside Yakumo .

There were two sets of clinical records on the desk .

(Matsumoto Miho: incompatible Blood type mismatch thought to be the cause . Disposed . )

(Hashimoto Rumi: incompatible Cause unknown . Disposed . )

'W-what? This is

Gotous voice came out unconsciously .

The clinical records for the second and third serial abduction murder victims .

This was a maternity and gynaecology department . It wouldnt have been strange if the two of them had been born here .

But what did disposal mean?

'Oi . Yakumo .

Yakumo didnt have any response to Gotous words, and this time he pulled open the accordion curtain that separated the examination room and the consultation room .

There was a bed for pregnant women . Until a little while ago, the room had been used for consultations, but it didnt look that way now .

What was going on?

Books were scattered about the room . The Mystery of the Body, The World of the Soul,The Reincarnating Soul . It wasnt at the level of ten or twenty books . There was one more digit .

Copies of newspapers that were probably foreign were also scattered on the floor .

The wall was even worse .

Photos were pasted up to the point that the wall couldnt be seen .

At first glance, it could look like a piece of art, but it wasnt anything so pleasant .

The photos were all of peoples corpses .

Shivers went down his spine just from standing there .

On the table in the middle of the room, chart paper was rolled out . Words such as body, soul and transplant were written in a graph with circles and symbols in an unrivalled scrawl .

What the hell had that doctor been doing here?

'Gotou-san, lets hurry .

For a moment, Yakumo looked like he had also been stunned by the sight, but he spoke with a voice full of tension .

'Where are we hurrying to?

'Doctor Kinoshita is the other perpetrator for this case .

'W-w-what?

Why would Kinoshita need to kill anyone? Kinoshita was the father of the victim .

Gotou was just about to ask Yakumo that when a mobile phone started ringing

13

Kinoshita was driving .

Evening approached . Unlucky for him, it was rush hour .

Normally, operations went on late at night .

It was because he needed to take great care to avoid being noticed .

Other people probably wouldnt understand him . His past self wouldnt have understood him either .

Those ahead of their time were the targets of persecution, no matter what time they were from .

Leonardo da Vinci was a good example . In order to draw people in more detail, he autopsied bodies because he thought it was necessary to understand the construction of the body better .

He avoided being seen and dug up graves, so he was treated as a lunatic .

However, he built the foundation for art or possibly medicine, and that had continued to present day .

Will I be treated as a lunatic?

But the day that my actions will be considered great will come .

For now, it is safest for me to wait until night .

But I cant wait any longer

He had no more time .

That man had told him . His daughters soul would disappear

His daughter might disappear while he waited .

And yet, and yet .

He was caught in a traffic jam on a bridge and couldnt move .

He was irritated .

There was always a traffic jam on this bridge .

Even though I can see it right in front of me

He had to hurry .

Kinoshita took the handle forcefully and started his car in the middle of the cars .

The other cars started honking .

Some people stuck their heads out of their windows to jeer .

He couldnt stop for something like that though .

Kinoshitas car quickly went past the congested bridge .

He forced his way onto the road by the embankment .

It was right by it .

He reached the management office for the water gate .

When he got off the car, Uchiyama from the management office walked towards him .

It looked like he was just about to leave . He was wearing outside clothes jeans and a white fleece jacket . Ayaka had bought him that fleece jacket .

'Hey, Kinoshita . What are you doing here at this time of night?

Perfect timing . He could ask Uchiyama to help .

He had taken his time before, but he had to hurry today .

'Id like your help .

Kinoshita opened the car trunk .

'Kinoshita . This is

Uchiyamas eyes were wide in shock .

'Help me carry this .

'What are you thinking? What are you trying to do?

Uchiyama sounded scared .

Why is he scared

'I understand the pain you feel from losing Ayaka, but even so This woman has nothing to do with it .

What is this man saying? Has he misunderstood something?

Saying he understands the pain I feel from losing Ayaka

If he understood, why was he trying to stop him? Even though he was a friend, a man who had no children couldnt understand .

'Kinoshita . I wont say anything bad . Let this girl go and head home .

Let her go

'I cant do that .

'Kinoshita, listen to what Im saying . If you wont, Ill call the police .

Call the police

Why? Is Uchiyama saying hell get in my way? Didnt he lend me the water gate key when I told him I wanted to meet my daughter?

Didnt he say Ayaka was like a daughter to him?

Even though I thought he was my friend

Will you get in my way?

If youre going to get in my way

Kinoshita took the block he had used as a weight from the trunk and smacked it against Uchiyamas head .

Uchiyama collapsed to the ground .

Kinoshita wiped the blood that had spurted out from Uchiyama off his cheek with his palm and started his work again .

14

Yakumo answered the ringing mobile

Harukas number was displayed on the screen .

'Are you OK?

He asked that the moment he picked up .

At the same time, he heard a quiet laugh . It was a mans voice

&Its the first time weve talked like this . >

The voice was emotionless, almost as if it had been machine-generated .

This is his voice

It wasnt his reason . He knew it instinctively .

'So it was you, as I expected . I didnt think that Doctor Kinoshita would have thought of such a method himself

A phone call with this timing .

He had to be watching them from somewhere . Yakumo looked at his surroundings, but he couldnt feel anybodys presence, let alone see anyone .

<So you have arrived at the truth . It seems that you also made great efforts during the last case as well . Im happy to hear it . >

'Making you happy doesnt make me happy .

<Is that something you should be saying to your father?>

'I have never thought of you as my father . The case is already over . Obediently show yourself .

<Do you really think that?>

Yakumo had a bad feeling .

I know what hes implying . Hes answering her phone, which means

<It seemed like you were about to reach the truth, so I laid a little trap . >

Yakumo clenched his teeth .

'What trap?

<I said this to Doctor Kinoshita yesterday . 'I found a body compatible with your daughters . Her name I wonder if its fine that I said it was Ozawa Haruka-san . >

'You bastard .

Even though he had expected it, when he was told directly like this, it felt like his chest had been stabbed with a stake .

<When people lose something important to them, their true nature comes out . Like Doctor Kinoshita . I wonder what sort of reaction youll show me? I look forward to seeing which kind of person you are . >

He hung up the moment he finished talking .

He was the only one Yakumo wouldnt forgive only him!

But it wasnt the time to be chasing after him . Currently, they were in the worst-possible scenario that Yakumo had predicted .

Being even a second late would bring about a situation that could not be undone .

'Gotou-san . Please drive .

While Yakumo said that, he ran out of the examination room at full speed .

15

My body feels heavy

It felt like her body was made of lead .

Her thoughts felt slow .

Where am I?

I was talking with Doctor Kinoshita up until a little while ago

In the middle of that, my head started feeling heavy

When she tried to think, there was a pain behind her eyes which felt like something was gripping her head .

It was only faintly, but she knew that there was someone in front of her .

Who

Their lips moved to say something .

However, she couldnt hear anything .

The person in front of her gradually became clear

A tall, oval-faced man .

Its Doctor Kinoshita

16

Urged by Gotou, Ishii turned on the police siren and drove the car at a furious speed .

'Why did Kinoshita need to kill the girls?

Sitting in the passenger seat, Gotou asked this question to Yakumo, sitting in the back .

Ishii wanted to know too . Yakumo had said that Kinoshita was the culprit, but Ishii didnt know why .

Theres no reason for Doctor Kinoshita to kill anyone . Hes related to the victim . He should understand the pain of losing someone better than anyone . To make someone else feel that pain

'In order to bring his daughter back from the dead, Yakumo said, raking a hand through his messy hair in his irritation .

'Back from the dead?

Gotou spoke in a strange voice, but Ishii could see where Yakumo was getting at just from the one sentence .

He had seen a horror movie before . It was about a scientist who was searching for a way to resurrect the dead . There was a whole mountain of stories like that .

Is Doctor Kinoshita trying to do that? But with what method

He was a doctor, one way or another . He probably wouldnt be chanting spells .

As if he were answering Ishiis doubts, Yakumo started his explanation .

'After finding out that his daughters soul was wandering at the water gate, Doctor Kinoshita searched for a method to save that soul . Everything scattered about that room was about spiritual phenomena in particular, books about bringing souls of the dead back to life .

Ishii remembered the strange scene at Doctor Kinoshitas consultation room .

It had exceeded the level of just gathering materials as a hobby . It was like he had been possessed by something .

'Was he really thinking about that?

'It isnt particularly unusual rather, he thought that way because he is a doctor .

Yakumos tone of voice wasnt cool like it always was .

Ishii could hear the agitation and irritation at points of his speech .

Ishii, who had thought that Yakumo might not have had emotions, was perplexed by this unexpected side of his .

'Because hes a doctor?

Gotou cocked his head, like he didnt understand .

'Yes . Do you know of the Japanese Psychic Science Association[2]?

'What is that tongue twister of a name?

Gotou frowned .

'It is a foundation that researches spiritual phenomena . Its members are by no means suspicious mediums . It is a gathering of psychiatry and psychology professors with doctorates .

Ishii knew about that too .

While watching television, he would see scientists denying the existence of spiritual phenomena, but it wasnt actually true .

There were scientists who seriously researched spiritual phenomena .

'Science cannot yet explain the existence of the human soul . However, just because it has not been explained does not mean it is impossible . Formerly, science didnt explain that the earth revolved around the sun, but even at that time, the earth revolved .

'Ah, forget it . Stop the complicated explanation here .

Gotou waved a hand to interrupt .

'In short, what I want to say is that simply being a doctor does not mean that he would deny the existence of the soul . Hata-san is a good example . Even though he is a coroner, he believes that the soul exists .

'But even if Kinoshita believes that theres a soul, that wouldnt lead to him trying to bring his daughter back .

Gotou clearly looked like he had indigestion, but the conversation continued .

'Please listen to this hypothesis . There is the idea of reincarnation .

'Ah, I know about that . After dying, the soul leaves the body and is born again in a different body that thing, right?

Gotous gaze was wandering as he spoke, like he was trying to pull in his memories .

'Though that isnt exactly it, its about right . With reincarnation, the body and the soul are separate things . The body is only the souls vessel . Though this is only one interpretation, in that way of thinking, the soul still lives on even if the body dies .

'Well, thats right .

'To put it another way, for those who believe in the existence of ghosts, their theory would fail if the body and soul werent separate .

It was just as Yakumo said .

As somebody who believed in ghosts, Ishii felt that himself . If the death of the body meant the death of the soul, the very existence of ghosts would be denied .

They had to be separate .

'Doctor Kinoshita thought that if the body died, as long as the soul was alive, that soul could just be transplanted to a different body .

'Thats ridiculous .

Gotou cocked his head like he couldnt believe Yakumos explanation .

'It doesnt matter if it is ridiculous or not . Doctor Kinoshita had reason to believe it . He had almost definitely seen his daughters soul . As well, in the newspaper clippings in that room, there were stories of people who had been resurrected in the past .

'Did that really happen

Gotou looked incredulous .

There was one thing Ishii couldnt understand, separate from the case .

Why is Detective Gotou so sceptical about spiritual phenomena? Isnt he the psychic detective

'Yes . Though it isnt well known in Japan, it is considered rather major overseas . There is something called responsive xenoglossy which is famous .

'What the hell is that?

Gotou frowned like he had seen something filthy .

'Detective Gotou, do you really not know?

Ishii couldnt help but speak .

'So you do?

'There are some people who can speak languages they shouldnt know under hypnotism . It is said that memories from before birth are in the deep psyche . In India, there was a report of a girl who had all those memories from the past .

Though Ishii said something naturally knew, Gotou looked surprised and said, 'Why do you know that?

'It is as Ishii-san says . If this story is true, it would have to mean that the soul was born in a different body .

Yakumo finished there .

'So I dont have to agree, but youre telling me to understand muttered Gotou, a cigarette in his mouth .

'But did Kinoshita use black magic or something?

Ishii wanted to know that as well . What method was he trying to use

'No, the method he used wasnt anything magical . He wouldnt jump that far . There is a more realistic and extremely primitive method .

'Primitive?

Gotou tilted his head at Yakumos words .

Ishii felt the same as Gotou . Even if Yakumo said primitive, Ishii couldnt think of the method .

'Excuse me, Ishii-san . Could you drive a little more quickly?

Yakumo ignored Gotous question and spoke while leaning forward .

Even if he asked him to speed up, he was already speeding quite a bit . Plus, they might get caught in the traffic jam on the bridge up ahead like this .

'Oi, Yakumo . Answer my question .

Gotou returned to the conversation .

'Gotou-san, you saw as well, did you not? There was a large piece of chart paper in that room .

'Yeah, that thing with some sort of diagram on it .

'Yes . That is the method Doctor Kinoshita used .

'Is it a sacrifice?

Ishii recalled how the room looked and said the thought that came to him .

'Correct . The method is similar to the live sacrifices conducted in the past . He knows that his daughters soul is at the bottom of the river . He wants to bring his daughter back from the dead . He will make the soul he wants to resurrect possess a body

'Like Andou?

'Yes .

'How stupid

Gotou kicked the dashboard in his anger .

'On top of that, this time, Doctor Kinoshita chose her for his daughters body

Yakumo bit his lip and tightened his hands into fists as he said that .

'Wha you cant mean Haruka-chan!? shouted Gotou, turning to face the backseat .

'I do .

'But why her? Shes the wrong age

'That man is connected to this case . He knows were here, so he thought of a little test and told Doctor Kinoshita that her body might be compatible with his daughters soul .

'Why would he do that?

'Like I said, its a test . He wants to know what sort of response Ill show him after she dies .

At the same time as he finished speaking, Yakumo punched the seat .

'Just for that

'Yes . For that man, my existence is just something to experiment with . What will my child become? He probably wanted to see that .

'So that man was involved from the start?

'Thats likely .

'Then hes an accomplice to murder! Gotou shouted .

'Do you have any proof?

After a while, Yakumo started speaking again .

'It is the same as last time . He didnt say anything about killing himself . If we are talking about things he actually did, all he did was show Doctor Kinoshita his daughters soul and give a one-sided lecture on a theory about the soul and the body . The rest was just Doctor Kinoshitas rampage that came about because of his feelings for his daughter

'Damn it!

Gotou kicked the dashboard again .

Ishii was completely lost as to what Gotou and Yakumo were saying .

Who was the man they were talking about? However, he understood that Haruka-chan was in danger .

This is a serious affair . We have to hurry and save her

I dont want to never see her smile again . But

In opposition to his impatient feelings, Ishii slammed the brakes at the foot of the bridge .

'Why are you stopping!? Hurry up! Weve got the siren on! yelled Gotou as he hit the dashboard .

'I know, but

There was a traffic jam . Even if they went to the sides, the opposite lane had another line of cars .

It wasnt that he didnt want to force his way through, but they would just take more time if they caused an accident .

'You idiot! Make a U-turn! Turn around!

'Its no good .

The decision was too late .

The road behind them was blocked off as well . They couldnt move around . Even though they could see the water gate they were aiming for

'Damn it!

Gotou threw the cigarette he had been holding in his mouth at the windshield .

Like that had been a signal, the back door opened and Yakumo leapt out . Like that, he started running .

'Thatll be faster, Gotou muttered, and he ran, following Yakumo .

They went and left me behind

17

I could see the river .

In the night, the river was pitch-black .

Was this the rivers surface? No .

This was probably the top of the water gates control tower .

The river was about ten metres below .

Though she had regained consciousness, her body still wouldnt move like she wanted it to .

She tried to stand up, but it was no use .

It was like her body and mind were cut off from each other

'The drug is doing its work . You wont be able to move yet .

Doctor Kinoshita peered at her from the ground as he said that . His words seemed very slow to her

Why did you do this

Her tongue wouldnt turn properly .

It was almost like it wasnt her own voice .

'Isnt it obvious that Im doing this for my daughter said Kinoshita with a smile .

I dont understand .

What on earth is this person trying to do for his daughter?

Why did he need to abduct me and bring me here

Could this be what Ayaka-chan wanted to stop

'She doesnt want this Ayaka chan

'Shut up! Ayaka didnt want to die!

This person had already become someone else .

Haruka suddenly remembered her mothers words . If it would bring back their child, a parent would happily become a murderer

I wonder if Im going to be killed

Haruka imagined her death, like it didnt concern her at all .

* * *

In the dark, the water gate came into view .

Gotou was running at full speed on the road by the embankment .

He saw the iron bridge that connected the management office and the tower in the middle of the river that controlled the opening and closing of the water gate .

Just a little bit more .

Still, Yakumo was really fast .

Gotou had started running to try to catch up to Yakumo, but rather than catching up, Yakumos back was just getting farther away .

Before he noticed, Yakumo had already entered the premises of the water gate management office .

Even though he doesnt look like he exercises normally

Gotou gasped for air .

Even though Gotou used to be able to run faster, he was already getting old . The moment he thought that, his feet got tangled and he fell forward .

He tried to get up immediately afterwards, but his knees buckled and wouldnt move the way he wanted them to .

'Damn it!

This wasnt a joke . He had a backbone .

Gotou pushed against his thighs with his fists and forced himself up .

He took a deep breath and started running again before he let it out .

'Please . Be safe, Gotou murmured .

That contrary Yakumo had changed so much . If anything happened to Haruka-chan, he would revert to how he was before .

Gotou wouldnt let that happen .

Why did you save me?

Words that Yakumo had said to him before came up in the back of his mind .

He might have wanted to die, but I saved him . I didnt leave him alone .

Thats why Im going to make sure Yakumo walks a proper path .

Thats my responsibility, since I saved him from being killed by his mother

Gotou urged his feet to run faster .

* * *

Ishii had forcibly pulled his car to the side and stopped it on the bridge .

Honks came from behind him .

It wasnt acceptable to stop a car in the middle of a traffic jam like this .

However, a persons life was at stake . On top of that, it was Haruka-chans

He didnt have the time to look for a parking spot .

Ill save her . No matter what, Ill save Haruka-chan .

He muttered that countless times to himself in his mind .

Ishii ran through the gaps between cars and turned left once he crossed the bridge to enter the road by the embankment .

Even he thought it was a reckless choice .

But no matter how many times Im called a fool or an idiot, I know what should take priority, and I also know that there are some times when a man has to act like a man .

She wont die from something like this .

If something happened to make her die, I I would

It was no good . He couldnt think about awful things like that .

Run, Ishii Yuutarou .

Do your best, Ishii Yuutarou .

Ishii encouraged himself and just sprinted determinedly

* * *

An iron shackle was clamped to Harukas right ankle .

A chain went through that iron shackle . On one end of that chain, there was a concrete block, and on the other end, there was a hook on an iron railing about as tall as her waist .

Haruka didnt understand what Doctor Kinoshita was trying to do .

Like he had finished his preparations, Kinoshita grabbed Harukas arm and tried to force her to stand up, but it didnt go well and both of them fell to the iron floor .

Clang!

It made a piercing noise .

She didnt feel much pain, which might have been because her senses were dulled .

'Damn it .

Kinoshita cursed and tried to force Haruka to stand up again .

This time, he wasnt pulling her up but pushing her up .

Somehow, Kinoshita managed to make Haruka stand up, and he picked her up and sat her on the iron railing .

Now, Haruka understood what Kinoshita was trying to do .

Though Kinoshita was holding her up now, if he let go, Haruka would fall headlong into the river . The concrete block was probably a weight to sink Harukas body .

Im going to be killed . That realisation filled Harukas head .

Mum, Im sorry . It looks like Im going to die too

Even though I finally found out your true feelings

Even though there are so many things I want to talk about and do still

Yakumo will probably be angry . Hell say something like 'Its because you just went and did what you wanted .

I want to meet him once more

Then I want to talk to him properly .

Even though I want to meet Yakumo without any trouble, its always like this

She hated it . She didnt want to die .

She didnt want to die without telling anybody anything .

She was going to live . She was going to live no matter what .

Haruka focussed her concentration on her numb hands and gripped the iron railing . She wouldnt let go . She would live and meet Yakumo once more .

She heard somebodys voice yelling . A voice she had heard before .

The hand Kinoshita had been holding her up with let go .

The wind was strong . Her body, jolted by the wind, was swaying .

She definitely wouldnt let go .

But then, Kinoshita heartlessly pushed against Harukas body with both of his hands .

No matter how strong her thoughts were, they were powerless in the face of reality . Harukas hands let go of the railing and she fell headlong towards the river ten metres below .

While she was falling, she saw Yakumo running towards her .

But that has to be an illusion

The next moment, her body hit the water .

* * *

After Gotou entered the premises of the water gate management office, he saw Yakumo standing still . His shoulders moved with his breathing .

'Oi, Yakumo! What are you doing!? If you dont hurry

Gotous words got caught in his throat .

He saw the figure at Yakumos feet . It couldnt be . Were they already too late?

'It cant be

'Youre wrong .

Wrong? Is that right

Gotou peered at the figure collapsed at Yakumos feet .

There was a middle-aged man . Blood was flowing from his head, and his white fleece jacket was dyed red .

Thats bad

'Hes alive . Hes just lost consciousness, said Yakumo, addressing Gotous concerns .

Almost as if he were proving those words, the man let out a groan .

If he was alive, Gotou was sorry, but he was just going to leave him for now .

Clang!

There was the sound of something hitting something else .

There was somebody on the control tower across the iron bridge that stretched out from the management office .

Thats where she is!

Just as Gotou thought that, Yakumo had already started running .

Gotou ran after him .

The iron bridges entrance was open, though it should have been locked .

They ran down the road which was wide enough for one .

Gotou saw someone near the control towers iron railing beyond Yakumos back .

That was it!

'Wait!

Gotou yelled, but it was too late .

The person he saw fell towards the river

Damn . Where? Where did she fall?

While Gotou was thinking, Yakumo used the iron railing as a springboard and dived into the river with no hesitation .

'You idiot!

Gotou stopped in his tracks and leaned over the railing as he yelled, but it was too late .

Yakumo landed cleanly in the water, headfirst, and started swimming . Yakumo was probably only in such a rush because the one who had fallen was Haruka-chan . All that remained was

'Kinoshitaaa!

Gotou yelled as he charged towards Kinoshita in the control tower like a raging bull .

Kinoshitas face was stiff with shock .

It appeared that he hadnt expected them to show up .

Gotou lowered his centre of gravity and tackled Kinoshita, aiming at his solar plexus .

'Uaargh!

Kinoshita turned a somersault and hit the railing as he fell .

'You idiot!

Gotou hit Kinoshitas face forcefully .

It sounded like bamboo breaking . He might have broken his nose . Suddenly, Kinoshitas mouth was bloody .

Somehow, hitting Kinoshita hurt Gotou .

He was different from the usual culprit . What he had done was the worst, but he loved his daughter from the bottom of his heart .

He lost the one he loved to a murder . The one who caused those circumstances was a madman like Andou .

He could also be a victim .

But still, he could never be forgiven .

I know that . I know that, but

Gotou turned his anger with no outlet towards the railing and kicked it as hard as he could . He would think later . He had to do something about Yakumo and Haruka-chan in the river first .

Gotou leant over the railing and called out .

'Oi! You two OK?

* * *

Exposed to the cold water, Harukas senses suddenly awoke .

Her heart felt like it was being crushed . Her skin stung with pain .

She tried to float up, but her body wouldnt move the way she wanted it to .

Dragged down by the weight on her right ankle, her body was going deeper and deeper into the water

Into the pitch-black water

I want to live .

With that frantic thought, Haruka thrust her hands upwards, but her fingertips couldnt feel open air .

It might already be too late .

The moment she thought that, she lost her strength .

Im just going to sink in this dark water

The moment she accepted that, somebody grabbed her wrist .

Then, she was pulled out forcefully .

It was slow, but her body started floating up .

Who? Who is it

Finally, her head came out of the water .

She choked on the air rushing into her lungs all at once .

'Youre alive .

That voice is Yakumos

Yakumo was trying to carry her body with only his right arm .

It was impossible . If he continued like this, it wouldnt just be Haruka Yakumo would die as well .

'Oi! You two! Are you OK?

A familiar loud voice reached her eyes .

She saw somebody peering down at them from the top of the control tower .

It was dark so she couldnt see his face clearly, but it was probably Gotou-san .

'Gotou-san! Please pull up the chain!

After Yakumo yelled, he wrapped the chain around his left arm and tightly gripped it .

'Got it . Wait .

Gotou took the hook off of the railing .

'OK hold on tight, Yakumo said .

She wanted to, but there was no strength in her arm .

'OK? Im going to pull it up!

Gotou started pulling up the chain .

At the same time, Yakumo went up the iron ladder step by step . The chains were digging into Yakumos arm .

'Sorry

Even though he was always complaining, he didnt mind throwing away his life .

For someone like me

'Youre noisy . Be quiet and hold on .

As expected, he had a complaint .

'You OK?

Gotou leant over to shout .

When she looked up, she saw a figure standing behind Gotou .

'Gotou-san behind you!

Harukas voice didnt reach Gotou .

Kinoshita struck Gotous head with an iron pipe .

'Agh!

Gotou fell and disappeared from her vision .

Then, the chain fell from his hand .

Haruka and Yakumo both fell

But they didnt sink into the water .

Yakumo, with the chain still wrapped around his arm, held on to the ladder, and his face was just barely above the water .

'Yakumo-kun, forget about me let go of my hand Haruka pleaded .

'Youre annoying .

That was Yakumos reply .

Why?

If he let go, at least youll be saved .

Im begging you please let go . If you dont, Ill

She couldnt say any more .

She was at the limits of her strength .

Despite Harukas wish, the hand that Yakumo had been using to grip onto the ladder let go

* * *

Ishii finally reached the parking lot for the water gate management office .

He didnt see Gotou or Yakumo anyway . Where on earth did they disappear to?

Before he arrived, he had twice heard the sound of something loud falling into the water .

It couldnt be

He looked around restlessly .

Suddenly, a man with blood covering his head appeared in front of Ishiis eyes .

'Ack!

Ishii let out a shriek in surprise mixed with fear .

The man sat down there while holding his head .

'Are you OK?

Ishii knelt down and looked at the mans face .

'Im fine, but somebody has to save the girl over there

The man pointed at the control tower that was connected to the bridge while bearing with the pain .

So that was where Haruka-chan was .

'I will come back later .

After Ishii said that, he ran towards the control tower .

'Uaargh!

Just as he had started crossing the bridge, he heard a shout . He saw two people .

One was lying still against the railing .

The other leant over the railing and yelled, 'Are you OK?

That voice . Its Detective Gotou . Then the person collapsed there is Doctor Kinoshita

Gotou took the chain that had been hooked to the railing and started pulling it up . Then there was a large movement behind him .

'Detective Gotou! Behind you!

The call had been a step too late .

Kinoshita hit Gotous head with the iron pipe .

Gotou fell forward and let go of the chain .

'Ooooh!

Do your best, Ishii Yuutarou! Youre a man! While Ishii let out a yell, he charged into Kinoshita, who was holding the pipe .

Kinoshitas pipe turned towards Ishii .

He was just about to be hit when he avoided it by rolling to the side .

'Ishii, the chain . Yakumo and Haruka-chan are on the other end .

Gotou spoke up . His ear was covered in blood, and he was collapsed on the ground .

Haruka-chan! Ishii instinctively grabbed the chain, wrapped it around his arm and pulled at it with all his strength .

The next moment, a sharp pain rain through his shoulders . Next, it was his back . Then, his side . His arm . Kinoshita was striking his entire body with the pipe .

'Dont get in my way! Dont get in my way! Dont get in my way!

Kinoshita is yelling . As if I could let go . I definitely wont let go .

Haruka-chan is on the other end . If I let go, Haruka-chan will

Ishii gritted his teeth and bore the pain .

Kinoshita raised the pipe, aiming for Ishiis head .

Aah, he was going to die! But he wouldnt let go . Ishii shut his eyes to await the impact .

'Dont get too carried away, you idiot!

Gotous voice . The sound of something hitting bone . Then, the pipe fell together with Kinoshita to the floor .

'You can let go . Ill pull .

Gotou took over holding the chain for Ishii .

Ishii suddenly lost all his strength and collapsed right there .

'Youve got some guts for a guy in charge of playing the fool, Gotou muttered .

'Im sorry I couldnt be of help

'No, you did good .

He was struck with awe . Detective Gotou had praised him . Life was worth living

'Thank you very mu

Ah, but he might die

Like that, he lost consciousness .

18

Gotous ear was covered in blood . He was sitting on the railing .

Blood was dripping from Kinoshitas nose, dyeing his face red, and he just sat in a stupor .

Ishii was collapsed on the ground, face-down and unmoving .

In the water, Yakumo and Haruka, were in a strange situation where they could see everything clearly .

'Why are you getting in my way

Kinoshita spoke with a hoarse voice .

'Get in your way? Thats not it . Your experiment will not succeed no matter how many times you try . I came to tell you that .

Yakumo stood in front of Kinoshita .

'Thats not true . I will definitely bring my daughter back from the dead .

'By transplanting your daughters soul into another body?

'Yes .

'I will also acknowledge the existence of the soul . There are also cases where those souls will possess other people . In order to resurrect your daughter, you decided to abduct girls and drown them in the water, waiting for your daughter to possess them, but this method will definitely not bring your daughter back from the dead .

'Thats a lie!

Kinoshita yelled with a shaking voice . It was probably impossible for him to just agree and say, 'Yes, thats true .

Yakumo started his explanation calmly .

'There are two reasons . The first is that souls and bodies cannot be easily replaced . You should understand this as a doctor . It is the same with organ transplants, is it not? The more complex the construction, the fewer the compatible donors there are due to organ rejection . I acknowledge that a soul is like a cluster of a persons thoughts and emotions . Accordingly, the organ of the body which governs that is the most complex one in the human body the brain . There isnt anybody who can be a compatible donor .

'I wont give up until a body that is compatible appears .

Kinoshita looked up at Yakumo to glare .

'How many billions of people do you plan to kill?

Yakumo stood face-to-face with Kinoshita and met his eyes .

His red left eye with the contact lens out looked like it was aflame .

'There is one more reason . Even if transplanting souls were possible, this method wont work .

'This method?

Kinoshitas blood-smeared lips frowned .

'Please think about it calmly . Using this method kills the previous body .

That was right . It was just as Yakumo said . Even if it was possible to transplant souls, the body it was transplanted to had drowned .

'I

Kinoshita started speaking, but in the end, he didnt finish .

'You have lost the ability to make decisions calmly . What you have done is simply murder .

Kinoshitas eyes opened wide .

The muscles in his face were twitching . Kinoshita had realised . What he had done was meaningless

'I sympathise with your circumstances . However, by no means will you be forgiven . You know how it feels to lose a child . You have increased the number of people who are burdened with the same suffering and sadness that you are . You ended the lives of children who had futures like your daughter did .

People were so foolish

Haruka found it harder to breathe . Kinoshitas actions were based on the deep love he had for his child . That love had been so deep that he thought lightly of others lives .

To the onlooker, it just seemed mad, but

'Why did you go so far? You should have had many chances to stop .

Yakumo looked like he was holding back his anger .

What on earth was that anger directed towards?

'Yakumo-kun . This isnt a reason Not everyone is a strong as you . Even if they know it in their head, their emotions wont yield said Kinoshita slowly, gazing at Yakumo .

For a while, Yakumo looked back at him, like he was a mirror reflecting Kinoshitas gaze, but he finally stood up .

'Ignoring whether I am a strong person or not, saying that someones emotions wont yield even if they know something in their head? Do you think you can use that as an excuse? If you can be forgiven like that, shall I also forgive Andou, who killed your daughter because of emotions that couldnt be controlled by reason?

Dumbfounded, Kinoshita just stared up at Yakumo .

Those eyes were flickering wildly .

It was just as Yakumo said . Doctor Kinoshita had probably been so sad that he had forgotten that people besides him also had emotions . And then that arrogance drove him mad

Kinoshita finally cocked his head silently .

His shoulders were shaking . Not just his shoulders . His whole body was shaking like electricity was running through it .

He had probably realised now . The weight of the crimes he committed

'Ayaka Dad couldnt save you Sorry

Kinoshita spoke with a constricted voice .

His words stopped together with his shaking . Something fell from Doctor Kinoshitas shoulders .

This person couldnt say that one thing and continued to blame and corner himself . It was too late now already

Yakumo put a finger to his brow .

'Doctor Kinoshita . Your daughter has come .

Kinoshita looked up at Yakumos words .

His eyes went wide .

Crying loudly, Kinoshita thrust his two arms forwards .

That doglike howl was full of sadness that was so deep there was no end to it .

Haruka could also see Ayaka-chan standing there .

She had a ponytail and she smiled with dimples on her cheeks . It was a very gentle smile .

Like it was announcing the conclusion of the case, there was the sound of a distant ambulances siren .

Doctor Kinoshitas crime wouldnt be forgiven, but his daughter Ayaka-chan alone might forgive him .

If she told Yakumo this, hed probably get angry and say she was too naive, but Haruka still wanted to think this .

Even if its just a little, I want to find redemption .

Since people are sentimental and selfish creatures

NOTES:

[1] Noh is a traditional form of Japanese musical drama which has very characteristic masks for different roles . HERE is an example of the masks in use .

[2] It really exists -THIS is its homepage .