Shinrei Tantei Yakumo volume 11 - file 03 (second half)

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Volume 11 - Worth of a Spirit

( first | previous )

file 03 - a price to pay

( first half )

13

As Ishii parked his car at the front gates of Meisei University, Yakumo ran straight over to them.

“Please show me the documents you found,” Yakumo quickly said as he got into the back passenger seat.

“Here,” said Gotou who sat in the front passenger seat, handing over everything to Yakumo.

Yakumo scanned over the document with a serious look.

“I see. Just like Ishii-san said, this location is certainly suspicious,” he said as he took out one piece of map.

It was a map of the neighbouring prefecture.

There was a large dam, and nearby was an abandoned building that had used to be a clinic.

The requirement for a location that was connected with water as mentioned by Yakumo was fulfilled by the presence of a dam. Then, the former clinic was also a perfect location to conduct experimentation.

“I think it’s about forty minutes away from here,” Ishii had gone ahead and entered the address into the car navigation.

If they speed up, they might be able to reach even faster.

“Let’s head there,” Yakumo said in a firm voice.

Likewise, Ishii’s heart pounded at the thought that they could finally rescue Haruka.

“We can ask the help of the K prefecture police so they will arrive there earlier,” said Gotou as the car began running.

“If it takes forty minutes, we should be able to reach first,” Yakumo replied.

True enough. Asking the help of the prefecture police department was no easy task. If there were no sufficient reason to, they wouldn’t take action.

Furthermore, they’d be outright denied if they were to request the help of ground investigation personnel like Ishii.

First off, they had to get the higher ups in their own jurisdiction to act.

To achieve this, they had to show sufficient grounds to convince their superiors, but in their current circumstance, they’re lacking in that department.

Gotou thought the same and responded, “Right.”

“Um—may I ask one thing?” Ishii glanced at Yakumo through the rear-view mirror.

“What is it?”

“Why did Nanase Miyuki give a hint?”

Ishii couldn’t help but be bothered about the fact.

She may have wanted to enjoy her match against Yakumo, but if that were the case, why didn’t she just let herself get an absolute win without giving any hints?

“She said it would be boring if the game gets one-sided.”

“Oh,” He understood the feeling.

When it came to role-playing games, there were two kinds of players: those who enter the boss fight and get an absolute win after levelling up to the max, and those who enjoyed going into the fight with the bare minimum stats without knowing for certain if they could win.

Being a coward, Ishii was the former, but it wasn’t like he didn’t understand the latter.

If the difference in power was too great, losing may be impossible, but it could make the gameplay feel pointless.

“Honestly, I can’t believe her words entirely. But in reality, we couldn’t ignore this with the amount of information we have now.”

“Right…”

The information they have right now was way too weak. Without the hint, they wouldn’t even know where to start checking.

“Besides, since she purposely gave out a hint, that means—”

Gotou’s phone rang, interrupting Yakumo’s sentence.

“Who is it?” answered Gotou after picking up the call in displeasure.

“What? Is that true?!”

Gotou, who had been leaning against the backrest, suddenly shot up straight.

Ishii didn’t know who he was conversing with, and neither could he hear the conversation, yet he could clearly sense that something dire had happened.

Just what on earth is going on?

“I don’t think it’s possible. We’re on our way to rescue Haruka-chan—I know. First, contact the police and submit a missing persons report. We’ll meet up later,” Gotou quickly said before ending the call.

“Was that Eishin-san?” asked Yakumo from the back passenger seat whilst leaning forward slightly.

“Yeah.”

“Did something happen?”

“Apparently that Sana kid went missing,” Gotou spoke whilst expressing his annoyance.

If he weren’t mistaken, Sana was the girl who had been disturbed by spiritual phenomena ever since she had seen a ghost near a river. Hadn’t Yakumo and Gotou paid her a visit and concluded that it had been a mistake and not a genuine spiritual phenomenon?

“How could that be…” Yakumo mumbled, a deep frown appearing on his forehead.

“Beats me. Supposedly she went to school today after feeling relieved that the ghost can’t hurt her. Yet she still didn’t come home by nighttime. Her parents already tried searching but couldn’t find her, and they eventually contacted Eishin.”

Yakumo lowered his head and brought his index finger in between his forehead. He was likely in the middle of considering a number of possibilities as to why things had turned out this way.

“No use thinking about it now,” Gotou couldn’t bear watching him.

Yakumo lifted his face. He didn’t say a word, yet his eyes hinted at how he couldn’t just ignore this fact.

“We don’t know if it’s a case yet, nor do we know if it has anything to do with ghosts.”

“Well, that’s true…”

“I’ve told them to report it to the police. We’ll gather there later. Right now let’s focus on how we can rescue Haruka-chan.”

Rather than towards Yakumo, Gotou’s words seemed to be directed at himself.

A girl had disappeared amidst everything that was happening.

Knowing Gotou, it was impossible for him to ignore. Still, if they were to turn back now, Haruka would be the one in danger.

The situation left them needing to pick one.

One could say that Gotou was suppressing his emotions to come to a theoretical conclusion.

“Right. Let’s just think of Haruka-chan for now,” Ishii said in agreement.

Yakumo made a complicated expression, before giving up and responding, “Alright.”

The atmosphere inside the car grew heavy, and no one made a sound. Noises from the car engine became audible.

Though focused on driving, Ishii felt a weight within his chest.

If the girl’s disappearance had to do with ghosts, would that mean Yakumo had been mistaken?

No, there was no way Yakumo would be wrong.

Ishii tried to deny it, yet it was true that Yakumo seemed to be concluding more hastily than usual.

Surely it was out of the desire to quickly save Haruka, but would that benefit them, or put them at a disadvantage—even if he tried, Ishii couldn’t arrive at the answer.

14

“It’s probably around here—” Ishii said as he parked the car on the side of the road.

Gotou got out of the car and scanned his surroundings. Even so, there was no sign of the building he was looking for.

“Is it really here?” asked Gotou.

Ishii stepped out of the car with a troubled look. “Yes. I followed the navigation, so it shouldn’t be wrong…”

When Ishii had set up the car navigation, Gotou had also been next to him. He shouldn’t have entered the wrong address.

Besides, they had gone past a dam earlier.

Even compared to the map he had memorised, there was no mistaking that it should be around here.

“We have no choice but to search,” Yakumo stepped out while holding the map.

“You’re right.”

No point in debating. Either way, they needed to search around the area.

However—

“There’s nothing here.”

Being near the dam and situated in the middle of the mountains, forget shops, even residential homes could hardly be seen.

It being the middle of the night also made their surroundings incredibly dark with no streetlights.

Gotou would never have guessed a place this empty existed just forty minutes away by car.

Still, there shouldn’t be a place more appropriate than this to conduct research and experimentation without getting discovered.

A secluded, yet beneficial location.

While Gotou was lost in thought, Yakumo walked as he gazed upon his surroundings, map in hand.

Gotou went after him.

He thought Ishii would come along too, yet he merely stood in front of the car.

What is he doing?

Gotou observed him, finding that Ishii was talking about something with his phone against his ear. He seemed to have received a call from someone.

Waiting for him would be troublesome. Gotou eventually walked following Yakumo.

Yet they hadn’t gone ten meters before Yakumo halted his steps. He stared at the empty plot of land next to the road.

“What’s wrong?” Gotou asked, and Yakumo turned around.

Seeing his expression, Gotou froze instantly. Yakumo was frowning, gritting his teeth in frustration.

“You…”

“This is the clinic,” Yakumo pointed at the plot of land before them.

“W-what?”

Gotou turned towards it again. There was no clinic. Only an empty land covered in weeds.

“The building had been demolished, only leaving the plot of land behind,” said Yakumo bitterly.

“Wait. That can’t be the case. There were photos of it in Kawakami’s document.”

Gotou had seen the building photos included there. Impossible for the building to have vanished and become empty land.

Gotou emphasised the fact, and Yakumo shook his head listlessly. “This document was made three years ago.”

Being told that was as if all the blood was being drained from his body, leaving him lightheaded.

So after three years had passed, the clinic had been demolished into an empty land—

That was more than likely.

And yet they had ended up coming all the way here without confirming the fact. They had been rash. It would’ve been better if Gotou was the one who hadn’t realised, but Yakumo had similarly forgotten to check.

He was in such a hurry to rescue Haruka that he had made a mistake—

Nanase Miyuki might have given them a hint as she had known things would turn out this way.

Gotou glanced at his wristwatch.

Almost half past one in the morning. They had wasted more time than he had thought after picking up Yakumo among other things.

In the silence, Yakumo’s phone rang.

“Yes,” answered Yakumo.

From that response, the call seemed to be from Makoto. She might have gotten some new information.

Yakumo’s face became increasingly pale during the entire conversation.

“Understood…” Yakumo replied with a voice that nearly faded out before ending the call.

What happened?

He should’ve asked, yet his voice wouldn’t come out.

Gotou himself was scared to face the hopeless reality waiting for him on the other side.

“We were gravely mistaken.”

Those weak words came out of Yakumo’s mouth.

He looked like he had given up completely, standing in the depths of despair.

Gotou couldn’t bring himself to ask the meaning behind those words, nor could he cheer him on. Whatever he would say, it didn’t seem like he’d be able to take it back.

“T-this is bad,” Ishii ran towards them with a panicked look.

He must’ve also acquired new information from the call just now.

“What is it?” asked Gotou, placing hope onto the information Ishii had obtained.

“Hata-san called me just now. Regarding the headless corpse discovered in that basement…”

“It wasn’t Unkai, was it,”

Yakumo spoke over him.

“H-how did you—” Ishii asked with widened eyes.

Gotou sensed a terrible premonition. He didn’t want to hear Yakumo’s next sentence if he could help it—he even had such thoughts.

“That woman named Maki-san called, claiming she saw a ghost. Makoto-san went to the scene and saw the same ghost.”

“Makoto-san did…” Ishii said with a concerned expression.

“Yes. According to Makoto-san, the ghost who appeared in Maki-san’s room was Doctor Kawakami Kei—”

“Eh?” Ishii withdrew his body backwards.

“Based on that, the headless body found in the basement probably belonged to Doctor Kawakami Kei,” said Yakumo calmly.

Having understood his words, Gotou’s heart was in turmoil.

This had to be the grave mistake Yakumo had meant—

They had been moving with the belief that Kawakami had been behind Haruka’s abduction. Yet since Kawakami had emerged as a ghost, it could only mean he was already dead.

It was impossible for him to have abducted Haruka.

In other words—there was another culprit.

Gotou looked at his watch again.

Almost two o’clock.

Would they be able to pinpoint a new suspect and Haruka’s location within four and a half hours?

“This is my fault… I took the wrong move… I…”

Yakumo fell down to his knees.

His heart was definitely crushed. But in this situation, Gotou couldn’t blame Yakumo.

Even so, he couldn’t come up with words to lift up his spirits.

Gotou could only watch Yakumo’s figure from above.

“That’s not it!” Ishii yelled, breaking the silence.

This might be the first time that weakling Ishii has yelled like this.

“……”

Yakumo lifted his head slightly.

“Let’s change our way of thinking. We know now that Kawakami Kei wasn’t involved in Haruka’s abduction. This should have counted as an investigation result.”

A statement that was out of character for Ishii.

He himself must’ve known that for a fact. Tears flowed from Ishii’s eyes as he spoke.

He wanted to save Haruka—that determination made him work on toughening himself and putting up resistance.

“Right,” Gotou responded in agreement.

Ishii had put in all this effort. Now wasn’t the time to be broken-spirited.

“But… if we start now…”

“Get up!” Gotou interrupted Yakumo’s words.

“……”

“I said get up!” Gotou yanked Yakumo’s shirt collar and forced him to stand.

His wounds from the accident stung, yet the pain immediately vanished from his anger.

“There’s no time to sob around! Now’s not the time to decide whether we can make it! The outcome should be decided once we do it all the way to the end!” Gotou yelled as he glared at Yakumo.

Yakumo’s once vacant eyes slowly gained back its light.

“Right. It’s too early to give up—” Yakumo brushed aside Gotou’s hand and walked towards the car.

Good enough.

His heart probably hadn’t been fully sorted. In haste, he had jumped into the wrong conclusion. Helplessness surely struck him and his confidence must have been destroyed.

Even his back felt pitiful to watch.

However—

They have to push forward nonetheless. Everything would be over if they were to stop. They had no option other than to fight until the end whilst holding onto the slightest possibility.

Gotou and Ishii nodded to each other, before walking to chase after Yakumo.

15

Seated on the back passenger seat, Yakumo gazed out the window.

The ever-changing nighttime scenery seen through the glass left him uneasy.

Though they had decided to give their all to save Haruka, he had no idea on what they should do now.

If it had been a small mistake, they could just easily correct it.

However, things weren’t so simple this time around. The direction of their goal had been wrong in the first place.

Failure to consider all possible scenarios before taking action may cause one to see the truth incorrectly—

A line that Yakumo often spoke, almost like a belief.

And yet—

In his impatience to rescue Haruka, he had eliminated a few things and decided on a suspect without concrete evidence.

Which led to this outcome—

If something were to happen to Haruka, he would be at fault for making a mistake.

No good.

Yakumo forcefully pulled back his train of thought that was heading into negativity.

Now wasn’t the time to be pointing fingers.

By the time they return, it would have been three o’clock. Only three and a half hours remained. In that timeframe, he needed to save Haruka no matter what.

There’s not enough time.

If only he could factor in every possibility based on all the theory they had gathered… if he were to do that, he would obviously go over the time limit.

Damn it! He cursed inside.

The lapse in his initial decision had caused this irreparable situation.

Nanase Miyuki had mocked Yakumo that his investigation had set off in the wrong direction. Yakumo had taken it as provocation, yet that hadn’t actually been the case.

They had in fact been heading in the wrong direction, like she had said.

In other words, Nanase Miyuki’s words back then hadn’t been intended to deceive him. What if she had truly given out information purely to enjoy the game as she had mentioned herself?

He recalled the hints Nanase Miyuki had given.

First was a repeat. And the other one water—

What meaning could be behind these two words?

He had thought that water had to do with the document Kawakami had left behind, hence they had headed to the clinic near the dam, yet they had been mistaken. So water had meant something else. Besides, what on earth had she meant by a repeat?

Amidst turning the gears in his head, Yakumo had a bout of revelation.

Among the incidents he had ruled out as unrelated, there should be one that was related to water.

“Gotou-san,” called Yakumo.

Gotou turned around. “What is it?”

“Earlier you mentioned that Sana-san went missing?”

“Yeah.”

“And she still hasn’t been found until now?”

“I don’t know. Let me check,” said Gotou, taking out his phone.

“Please do. Also, there’s one more thing I’d like you to confirm.”

“What is it?”

“Please check if there’s anyone among Sana’s cohort that died unnaturally or went missing. If possible, please ask Makoto-san to look into it as well.”

Gotou made a look that implied he didn’t understand why they were looking into those, but he didn’t ask Yakumo about it and started making calls.

He should know well that they were pressed for time.

Yakumo placed his index finger between his forehead and went back into thinking.

Nanase Miyuki hadn’t made use of Kawakami’s case as a distraction simply to deceive Yakumo.

She had been trying to show something to Yakumo amidst his investigation.

What exactly could that be?

What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones?

The sentence Kawakami had left behind crossed his mind.

It might have been a line he had left behind as a self-justification over the taboo experiment he had conducted to resurrect his beloved wife and daughter.

He had viewed killing people as his form of sacrifice.

Someone had done a comparable thing in the past. Kinoshita. Similarly, he had been tortured by sadness and suffering over the loss of his beloved daughter, and had come up with a plan to bring back his daughter by taking away the life of another.

They had defined bodies as a container, hence attempting to halt the bodily function of a living person while simultaneously trying to transfer the spirit of a deceased person into it.

They hadn’t been the only ones. Unkai and Nanase Miyuki had been trying to achieve the same.

That was the reason they were after Yakumo.

“They said that they haven’t found her,” said Gotou.

His voice pulled Yakumo back into reality.

“Is that so…”

“Also, apparently now they are investigating the girl’s surroundings. That newspaper lady also said she’d look into it right away.”

“That’d be a great help.” Yakumo swept his hair back and sighed.

There was a possibility the situation might turn around depending on the results of the investigation into the people around Sana. They might still be able to make it.

Albeit small, he could see a ray of hope.

“What’re you thinking?” Gotou asked in a formal manner.

Yakumo was about to open his mouth to explain when Gotou’s phone rang.

“Who is it? What, if it isn’t Miyagawa-san. Eh? Ishii’s driving right now…” Gotou answered while looking back ahead.

Yakumo pressed on the inner corners of his eyes.

His exhaustion had piled up. Yet now wasn’t the time to rest. There was no time. Whatever it took, he needed to save Haruka.

If Haruka were to die—

He didn’t want to think about it, but the possibility crossed his mind all of a sudden.

What would happen to him? He couldn’t even imagine. That was how far Haruka’s existence had been ingrained into his life.

Her presence had become a norm. So was their ability to meet without prior arrangements.

He had thought she would continue to be by his side. For that reason, he had let the ordinary days pass without responding to her feelings.

However—

Those were far from ordinary.

Even though the time they had spent together were precious memories close to a miracle, he hadn’t realised the fact.

“Yakumo,” Gotou called, putting a stop to his thoughts.

“What was it?”

“It was from Miyagawa-san. They managed to restore the data from the SD card found in the basement.”

“Ah, about that…”

“We’ve known that Kawakami’s case is unrelated. I think we should just ignore it…”

“No. Let’s confirm its contents.” Yakumo said firmly.

Time was of essence, yet he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. If he didn’t consider every possibility, something irreversible might actually happen this time around.

Furthermore, that box in the basement must have been prepared by Nanase Miyuki. She had made it attract attention by pasting an excessive amount of talismans onto it. Hence the possibility that she had also deliberately left the SD card behind.

“I get it,” Gotou responded, perhaps thinking the same.

Would this decision benefit them or disadvantage them—his feelings grew heavy just thinking about it.

16

Having returned to her office, Makoto sat down in her chair while sighing.

Heavy fatigue invaded her.

She had finally gone back after soothing Maki who had been terrified by the ghost and arranged for her to stay at a nearby hotel.

Without Yakumo making a move, there was nothing else she could do.

The ghost she had seen in Maki’s room had undoubtedly been Kawakami Kei.

Meaning, Kawakami who had been nailed as a culprit by Yakumo and the others had already passed.

In other words, Yakumo had read the case incorrectly.

They had lost a lot of time because of this.

When speaking with Yakumo over the phone earlier, his disappointment had been clearly conveyed.

Yakumo had a strong sense of responsibility. He must be blaming himself harshly.

His lapse in judgement had caused the situation to turn dire—

Even though Yakumo had made an error, no one was bound to blame him. Everyone, Makoto included, was aware of how much effort Yakumo was putting.

Still, telling him that wouldn’t give him comfort.

Besides, Yakumo wasn’t the only one who had made a mistake. Likewise, Makoto had also been in the wrong from being in such a hurry.

The situation might have turned out differently if she had asked Maki to describe the ghosts’ features.

No, there’s no use in thinking about that now. She needed to look into what Gotou had requested.

She was to look into whether someone had passed away around that girl named Sana, who claimed to have seen a female ghost on the riverside.

Makoto had never met Sana in person, but she had heard the necessary information from Gotou.

She was sixteen years of age. A first year in high school. Must be a clever girl. She was attending a prestigious high school. Before that, she had gone to a local middle school.

That was when Makoto unknowingly held her breath.

Her brain shook as if hit with a blunt object.

It felt like she had heard the name of that middle school. That wasn’t all. Having seen a female ghost on the riverside—that fact didn’t seem like a coincidence.

Nevertheless, she had no idea how exactly those were related.

Save the thoughts for later. First, she needed to look it up.

Makoto entered the name of Sana’s middle school into the computer to search. But with that alone, only the school’s official website would turn up in the results and she wouldn’t be able to get the information she needed.

She then added one more keyword: case.

The first result that appeared was the article of a cold-blooded murder.

For Makoto, that case was also one she couldn’t possibly forget. So that was how it was—she had attended the same school as the victim of that case.

Though Gotou was the one who had asked Makoto to look into the people surrounding Sana, Yakumo must have been the one who had instructed him.

For a moment, they had been at the end of despair. Yet one could say that this was a significant discovery.

They might still be able to save Haruka.

17

Ishii parked his car at the police station parking lot. He jumped out of the car and headed to the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Division with Yakumo and Gotou.

The moment he opened the door and entered the room, Miyagawa grumbled. “What a commotion,”

Normally Ishii would have apologised, but right now he didn’t even have the time for that.

“Um. The SD card…” When Ishii brought it up, Miyagawa responded by staring at the laptop placed on top of the desk.

As it turned out, he had prepared it for them in advance.

“There’s a folder on the desktop. That is the data inside the card,” explained Miyagawa.

Ishii then sat in front of the laptop, moved the cursor, and double-clicked on the folder.

Yakumo and Gotou watched the screen with Ishii in between. He had thought there would be some sort of word or excel document inside, but what appeared in the window were video files. He double-clicked on one file and the video began playing.

The recording angle remained stationary as it had been shot with a tripod of some sort.

The shooting location took place in the problematic basement.

A man entered the frame. Ishii recognised that face.

Kawakami Kei.

The man had smiled happily in the photo displayed at his house, yet the Kawakami on the screen looked awfully worn out.

He must have not slept for days as he had dark circles and bloodshot eyes. The color of his face was so terrible, you could mistake him for a corpse.

The Kawakami inside the screen began to speak.

<What I’m about to do now is an unspeakable act. Perhaps I shouldn’t be leaving behind a record like this, but…>

Kawakami let his sentence go unfinished, lowering his head in silence.

After a long silence, Kawakami continued talking.

<Among my patients, there was a man who suffered from pancreatic cancer and didn’t have much time left. The cancer has metastasized to the entire body and was already beyond saving. He had around three months left at most—> said Kawakami, who then took a deep breath.

<That patient had said something strange to me. He said, if humans possess spirits, then death of the body does not equal the death of the person. Even if someone’s body has died, if their spirit is still alive, then they can move to another person’s body. It’s not uncommon for people to think that way in the face of death. They can suppress their fear of death by believing in the afterlife. However—>

Kawakami cast his gaze across the air.

<The man seemed to genuinely think that it is possible to do. Some time later, I lost my wife in a traffic accident, and my daughter was declared brain dead—>

Kawakami covered his face with both hands.

He appeared to be trying his hardest to suppress the feelings of grief and loss that suddenly emerged. Merely watching him pained Ishii.

After taking a few breaths to calm himself, Kawakami lowered his hands and looked back into the camera. His eyes were clearly different from before.

<I lost everything in that absurd accident. At that time, that former patient of mine got in touch with me. He said, my daughter’s spirit is still alive—>

Kawakami bit his bottom lip.

The suffering and internal conflict Kawakami was experiencing after losing those dear to him came across clearly.

Another long silence ensued.

The entire time, Kawakami was staring forward intently. As time passed, his weakly flickering eyes stopped and he regained his strength.

Moments later, Kawakami smiled faintly.

<From here on, I’m going to perform an experiment. The transferring of a deceased person’s spirit to another person’s body. Above anyone else, I am aware of how unethical this is. Despite that, I can’t think of any other way. I’m going to sacrifice everything for the sake of those I love. I’ll even willingly become a murderer—> he said firmly, before the screen went to black.

“This…” Ishii had meant to express the impression and speculation that came to mind, but Yakumo stopped him.

He turned to find the next video starting to play.

Just like before, Kawakami entered the frame. This recording seemed to take place on a different day as he wore different clothes.

He appeared far more worn than before. As if he had gone through days of calamity.

<I ended up doing something crazy…>

Kawakami’s voice trembled.

<The experiment failed. I’ve taken away the future and life of a woman…> Kawakami spoke with hands holding his head.

The woman Kawakami had referred to here had to be Ikuta Tomoko.

<It was impossible from the start. There was no way someone’s spirit could be transferred to a different body. I should’ve known that for a fact, yet why did I get persuaded by that man…?>

When Kawakami lifted his face, tears could be seen flowing from his eyes.

Guilt over his actions made him appear to be at the brink of destruction.

<It was a failure, yet that man still forced me to continue the experiment. He said that failure was inevitable in research. But I’m certain that wasn’t the case. The human body isn’t a mere container for the spirit. The body and the spirit are interlinked. Once they are separated, a person loses their life. Even if one can see them, that spirit is no longer of this world.>

Kawakami turned his head to gaze at the ceiling, muttering something before looking forward again.

<I have to stop that man. Even if I refused him, that man surely won’t stop this unspeakable experiment. He will search for my replacement and repeat the same thing. The only way to redeem my sin would be to stop him–>

The screen went black again.

“Oi! What’s the meaning of this?” Gotou yelled, unable to bear it.

Ishii felt the same way.

“Exactly as you saw,” Yakumo muttered with a serious expression.

“What?”

“Doctor Kawakami was provoked by my father—Unkai—and Nanase Miyuki. He tried to resurrect his brain dead daughter by transferring her spirit to a different body…”

“Wait a minute. In that case, that patient who didn’t have much lifespan left is…”

“That’s right. That man was Unkai—”

Gotou asked, and Yakumo answered.

Gotou made a look of disbelief, yet Ishii could understand somewhat.

Unkai hadn’t just died suddenly. He had been able to predict how much time he had left because of the illness he had suffered. That was the reason he had searched for a way to extend his life in the time he had remaining.

Instead of accepting death, he wanted to fight against it to no end.

After discovering the wartime document in that basement, the man with red eyes had seen potential in the method to replace spirits written there.

He then searched for someone who could assist in carrying out that plan.

Kawakami, who had lost his wife, and his daughter in a brain dead state, had been a suitable candidate.

A woman’s laughter suddenly broke the silence.

It was coming from the laptop.

The once black screen now displayed the image of that basement again.

Then—

Nanase Miyuki entered the frame with a smile.

<Yakumo-kun. You’re there, right? If you’re watching this, that means my plans are going smoothly.>

“This bastard of a woman!” Gotou yelled, clinging onto the screen.

“Don’t do anything pointless. This is a pre-recorded video,” Yakumo told him off.

He was right. There was no point in grumbling towards a video that had been shot ahead of time.

<I wanted you to know, just what happened to that person—> Nanase Miyuki spoke whilst forming a smile.

Even Ishii felt infuriated watching her acting like she had already won.

<That Kawakami whose experiment failed, of all things, actually killed that person. Stabbed him with a knife—>

Nanase Miyuki’s face contorted from anger.

Yet in the next second, her face immediately transformed into a cold smile.

<That was why I killed Kawakami. Obviously, not without having him suffer slowly from pain. I think you’ve known by now that the corpse in that box was Kawakami’s. By cutting off his head, you thought that body belonged to that person, didn’t you?> said Nanase Miyuki before bursting into laughter.

<But, that person isn’t coming back even after killing Kawakami. Even after taking revenge, the loss and despair I felt couldn’t disappear—I suffered a lot, but then I realised. That person’s spirit is still alive. If it’s for the person I love, I’m capable of throwing everything away.>

Watching Nanase Miyuki speak with a tranced expression seemingly enabled Ishii to see the darkness she possessed.

At the same time, he was speechless as it turned out that what had made Nanase Miyuki commit crimes thus far had been a strong sense of love.

As if he was being shown that love that was too powerful could transform into madness.

<You see, Yakumo-kun. I want you to feel the same despair as I do. To have a taste of suffering enough to make you regret ever being born. That way, you’ll be able to understand my feelings a little.>

“What bullshit…” Yakumo cursed in disgust whilst glaring at the Nanase Miyuki inside the screen.

<I’ll tell you something interesting. Hatred is interconnected. A life was taken away unfairly, and because of it, hatred is born. But in the process of clearing away that hatred, a new hatred will be born once again. Until this point, you know what’s going to happen, right? You don’t have time. With a single injection, the person you hold dear is never coming back—>

Nanase Miyuki let out a laugh so high pitched it hurts the ears.

<I’ve thrown everything away. But what about you, Yakumo-kun? What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones? I’ll be looking forward to it—>

Those final set of words ended the video.

“Yakumo,” Gotou called. Yakumo got startled and lifted his face.

The expression he wore was like that of a demon.

As if anger and hatred had swirled together into a pitch-black vortex of emotions.

Ishii felt a sense of danger.

Getting carried by emotions like this, Yakumo was handing over what Nanase Miyuki wanted. Ishii was about to open his mouth when there was a sound of a phone ringing.

It was Gotou’s.

“Who is it? …What? Alright. I’ll tell Yakumo right away.”

Without ending the call, Gotou turned towards Yakumo. “It’s from that newspaper lady. Someone from the same cohort as that missing Sana was involved in a case two years ago and passed away.”

“Doctor Kinoshita’s case, was it?” Yakumo spoke as if he had known the answer.

“H-how did you know…?”

“The answer comes naturally if we were to follow the flow of everything thus far,” said Yakumo in confidence, bringing Ishii to a surprise.

“Then…”

“Yes. Most likely, the culprit is the father of one of the girls whose life was taken by Doctor Kinoshita,” said Yakumo.

I see—Ishii finally understood as well.

During that case, Kinoshita had taken the lives of two girls. He had done so in order to resurrect his daughter.

One of the fathers who had suffered the resulting loss, for the sake of reviving his own daughter, had searched for a different body to be the receptacle to put her spirit into.

Hence why Nanase Miyuki had emphasised on how hatred was something that was interconnected.

“The ghost of a girl that appeared before Sana-san probably was one of the victims from back then. She knew her father was planning something sinister and was trying to stop him. Therefore she showed up in front of someone from her cohort—”

Yakumo’s line of thinking made sense.

It explained why the girl had said, ‘I never wanted that’ to Sana. This time, they definitely weren’t mistaken. Even so—

“The question is, where is Haruka-chan?” said Gotou with a depressed look.

“More or less, I think I know where,” said Yakumo as he gazed somewhere far.

18

Matsumoto Kazuki took the syringe lying on the bedside table.

That woman had passed him this syringe.

He didn’t know the details, but supposedly inside this syringe was a drug that would put a stop to the heart for about five to ten minutes when injected into the bloodstream.

After that, he would use the AED—Automated External Defibrillator—onto the girl whose heart was stopped to bring her back.

During this step, he would insert the spirit of his daughter—Miho—into the girl’s body, and after regaining consciousness, this body would become Miho’s.

He couldn’t believe it at first.

Yet his mind wavered after seeing the head of a man encased in a box, carried around by that woman.

He was certain the head had opened its eyes.

Of course, it could have been a trick, but the words of the mysterious woman had convinced him and he hadn’t been able to firmly reject her.

Besides, apparently the doctor named Kinoshita who had killed Miho had been attempting the same thing.

If her life had been snatched away in such a manner, he felt that calling her back through the same method would be the best option.

Certainly, that wasn’t all.

He had been shown various documents by that woman.

One that documented the research that had been conducted by the former Japanese ground forces during the war, as well as Kinoshita’s research document. On top of that, there was also the document that had been left behind by a doctor named Kawakami.

Kazuki had close to zero medical knowledge. Yet since this research had been carried on by people with medical knowledge, starting from Kinoshita, he should have a chance of succeeding.

Kazuki took another look at the girl sleeping on the bed.

She must have parents too. Kazuki was all too familiar with what kind of suffering a parent would feel when their daughter passed away.

The feeling of loss Kazuki had felt when Miho passed away had been immeasurable, but that hadn’t been the only suffering he had felt.

Members of the public had badmouthed Miho behind the scenes, saying that her involvement in that case had been her own fault.

She was the one who stayed out until late—

It’s because she looked like an easy target—

Those words had mercilessly torn at Kazuki and his wife, Chihiro.

If it had been posted over the internet, they could simply choose not to read them.

However, the change in attitude among those he had thought were close to him—neighbours, colleagues, relatives, friends—had nevertheless been apparent to them.

Her parents didn’t handle the case well when it happened—

Some even criticised them that way.

Despite the incident being an unavoidable case, they had gotten mocked as if they were the ones who hadn’t been careful.

To Kazuki and his wife who had been grieving, such treatment had been difficult to accept.

In the end, Kazuki couldn’t bear staying at his workplace and had resigned.

He didn’t understand. They should have been the victim’s family, so why had they experienced something like this?

His daughter may not return, but at least he had wanted to grieve her death and live on quietly alongside memories of her. Why did they have to harass him?

That cruel, unreasonable treatment had built up the anger within Kazuki’s chest.

Despite that, the target to let out his anger was now behind bars.

He was being protected by the law.

Even though he would have been more relieved if he could kill the culprit with his own hands, he didn’t even have the means to do that. Way too unfair.

Not long after, Chihiro, unable to bear it anymore, had become mentally ill.

And then—

She had hung herself.

Her life had been saved, but it had left her with brain damage that she could no longer recognise Kazuki.

Everything of his had been taken.

Unfairly, and cruelly—

He hadn’t wished for much. He merely had wanted to live a peaceful and modest life, yet such a life could never return to him.

That was when he had met that woman.

The woman spoke of how Miho’s spirit had remained wandering about this world. And that there was a way to save her—

The future his daughter Miho should have walked, needed to be lived on no matter what.

That was for Miho’s sake, and also for his wife Chihiro’s sake. If Miho came back to life, surely Chihiro would be able to regain her sanity too.

Most importantly, Kazuki himself would be able to escape this nightmarish life. The day in which the three of them could laugh together would come once again.

Even though that would bring life to new hatred, he didn’t care.

That woman had said, What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones?

Kazuki might get arrested as a murderer over this. But he couldn’t care less if he would be able to see his daughter.

If his wife could regain her sanity, what remained of his life was something cheap.

Kazuki firmed his resolution, wrapped a tourniquet onto the sleeping girl’s arm, then directed the syringe upwards and pushed it to get rid of any remaining air inside.

Now, the only thing left was to stick the needle into the girl’s blood vessel.

19

“Hurry,” urged Gotou from the front passenger seat towards Ishii.

The usual Ishii would have replied weakly, but the Ishii right now was different. As he continued to look ahead, he responded, “Understood.”

“So, why Kinoshita’s hospital?” asked Gotou while turning his head slightly.

Yakumo had said that Haruka was being confined at Kinoshita’s hospital. They had made a move believing that, but they have yet to hear the basis for it.

“I connected the hints hidden within Nanase Miyuki’s video message.”

“Hints?”

Gotou couldn’t recall there being such a thing.

“Yes. That woman mentioned, suffering enough to make you regret ever being born—”

“I see. You were born at Kinoshita’s hospital.”

Indeed, Yakumo had been born at Doctor Kinoshita’s hospital. Furthermore, Kinoshita had been the doctor assisting his birth.

“Then, with a single injection, the person you hold dear is never coming back—”

“Make sense. Those words hinted at the location of confinement being in a hospital, right?”

“Basically.” Yakumo gave a firm nod.

Still, the look on his face remained sullen.

He must be scared. If he made a mistake yet again, this time Haruka’s life would really be no more.

It’s alright.

Gotou wanted to say that, but something held him from doing so.

“Did Nanase Miyuki use those words without realising? Or was it deliberate?”

“I think it was deliberate,” Yakumo replied straight away.

“Wait a minute. In that case, she might be setting you up!”

Had she deliberately chosen those words, that meant she had led him on.

Haruka might just not be at Kinoshita’s hospital.

“I agree. I think Nanase Miyuki is definitely waiting for us at the hospital.”𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“She’s baiting us there to kill us with her own hands?”

“Most likely.”

Definitely plausible, considering Nanase Miyuki’s antics thus far. She was a woman of deep resentment. It made sense that she would have the intention of killing Yakumo with her own hands.

But while that woman was waiting to strike, they didn’t have the time to make plans for a countermeasure. They were left with no choice but to barge in as carefully as can be.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at Kinoshita’s hospital.

Since Kinoshita’s arrest, the hospital had been abandoned. There was no better place than this to confine a person.

“Gotou-san,” a voice called out when Gotou was getting out of the car, about to rush out.

It was Makoto.

She had also heard over the phone of how Haruka was likely confined at Kinoshita’s hospital. She must’ve made her way here after finding herself unable to sit still.

“Why is Makoto-san here too? It’s dangerous,” Ishii got out of the driver’s seat wearing a panicked expression, running towards the woman.

“I know. But I should be able to help even if just a little.”

“But…”

While Ishii and Makoto conversed, Yakumo stepped out of the back passenger seat and headed straight for the hospital entrance.

“Ishii! Let’s go!” called Gotou who then went after Yakumo.

Now wasn’t the time to debate.

Yakumo briefly stopped in front of the hospital entrance. His expression stiffened as if it had frozen over.

Gotou placed a hand on Yakumo’s shoulder and nodded in understanding.

Yakumo then opened the door.

The interior was pitch black. Gotou illuminated it with the flashlight he had brought.

“So someone went inside after all,” Yakumo said in a low voice as he gazed beneath his feet.

The floor was covered in dust, but they could make out the markings of footsteps there.

Yakumo’s analysis seemed to be on target this time around.

They were about to step inside when Ishii shouted, “Please wait!” as he ran approaching. Makoto followed right after.

“Dumbass. Don’t yell,” Gotou landed a hit on Ishii’s head.

Yelling loudly would get them discovered for sneaking in.

“It’s fine, there’s no need to fuss around it. We’ve probably been noticed since earlier—”

Frustrating as it may, Yakumo was right.

If Nanase Miyuki had been intentionally leading them here, she should have known that they’ve entered the hospital.

“Anyway, let’s go,” Following the footprints, Yakumo walked along the corridor.

Gotou went right after him as he lit the way.

Ishii and Makoto followed as well.

The hospital interior was taken over by silence. Gotou couldn’t help but doubt whether Haruka was really in here.

Mere moments later, Yakumo stopped in front of the delivery room.

With no words exchanged, his eyes gave a signal to Gotou.

Gotou responded with a nod.

Having calculated the timing, Gotou kicked the door open.

As soon as he came barging inside, something crashed onto him.

Out of surprise, he dropped the flashlight he was carrying onto the floor.

Still, he managed to avoid falling himself.

He took a step back and adjusted his eyes, making out a person’s figure. He couldn’t see the face well from the darkness, but he could tell that it was a man. The man seemed to have tackled him earlier, attempting to make him fall.

“Uwaa!” yelled the man as he came rushing once more.

An amateur charging ahead recklessly. Gotou may be injured and not in prime condition, but he wasn’t so weak that he could be brought down with ease.

Gotou received his tackle head-on, switching their positions, and held the man on the ground.

“Let me go! Don’t get in my way!”

The man struggled and trashed around.

Gotou wanted to restrain him, but now a civilian, he had no handcuffs in his possession.

“Ishii! Handcuffs!” yelled Gotou. Ishii quickly came over and handed him the handcuffs.

Gotou took them, twisted the man’s hand to the back and handcuffed him.

“Let me go!” the man trashed even more violently.

“Shut up!”

Gotou grabbed the man’s head and pushed it onto the ground.

A blunt thud could be heard.

The man stopped moving afterwards. Not because he had given up, but due to losing consciousness.

20

Ishii stroked his chest in relief.

He thought his heart was going to stop when the man suddenly came charging.

As expected of Gotou. In a split second, he managed to subdue that man.

“Who the hell is this?” asked Gotou as he stood up.

“Matsumoto Kazuki. Father of Matsumoto Miho-chan, who was killed by Doctor Kinoshita,” Yakumo replied.

Yakumo’s explanation made everything click.

The devastating case of Kinoshita’s actions had been carved deeply into Ishii’s mind.

The case victim’s father must have been provoked by Nanase Miyuki, and was now attempting the same thing as Kinoshita in hopes of bringing his daughter back to life.

A negative chain reaction—it wasn’t something that could be summed up even by such a term.

A horrible aftertaste was left behind in his chest.

“You…” Yakumo suddenly muttered whilst looking towards the wall.

Ishii turned in the same direction, yet he couldn’t see anything apart from the wall swallowed in darkness.

But Yakumo was different. That red left eye of his must be looking at something else.

“Is that so… I understand.” Yakumo gave a small nod.

“What’s up?” asked Gotou, leaning over his body.

“Matsumoto Miho-chan was there just now. Thank you—she said.” Yakumo spoke with a solemn expression.

The ghost Sana had seen at the riverbank must have been Miho. She hadn’t been wandering because of hatred or resentment, but out of her desire to prevent her father from causing the same tragedy as Kinoshita.

Surely her words of gratitude were because they had managed to stop her father.

“Come on. To the next room,” Yakumo said firmly as he left the delivery room.

He must be referring to the kidnapped Haruka and Sana being in the next room over.

Ishii, Gotou, and Makoto nodded to each other before following Yakumo.

They travelled along the corridor and now stood in front of the examination room, situated right next to the delivery room.

Yakumo stared at the door and exhaled. At the sight of it, eeriness spread within Ishii.

If Haruka and Sana were really behind this door, it could only mean that that woman—Nanase Miyuki—was awaiting them there as well.

Even so, if they were to stop here out of fear, they wouldn’t be able to save Haruka.

Gotou was fully prepared for battle; his stance readying to charge like a raging bull. Yakumo took one look at everyone as if seeking confirmation.

Ishii responded to him with a firm nod.

Yakumo reached for the doorknob and opened it.

Everyone barged in all at once.

Huh?

Ishii thought they would get ambushed like before, yet was met with nothing. Having prepared himself, he ended up feeling disappointed.

Using the flashlight, he illuminated the surrounding area.

There was nothing but shelves along the wall, and a laptop placed on the work desk. No, that was wrong. There was a portion of the room partitioned with curtains.

Behind it was probably—

While Ishii was lost in thought, Gotou pulled the curtains open.

Behind the curtain was a foldable bed and a young female was lying there.

“Haruka-chan!” Ishii blurted out as he ran closer, shining his flashlight over her face.

“Eh?”

He had thought the person lying on the bed was Haruka.

Instead, it was a girl wearing a high school uniform.

“It’s Nakamoto Sana,” said Gotou.

So that was how it was. Ishii didn’t recognise her, but this girl was Sana, who apparently had seen a ghost.

As he digested the fact, Makoto came over, promptly examining her pulse and breathing.

She proved to be more capable compared to Ishii.

“Everything’s fine. Looks like she’s merely being made unconscious.” Makoto stroked her chest in relief.

Thank goodness.

They seemed to have made it in time. No, that wasn’t it. Nakamoto Sana may be safe and sound, but Haruka was nowhere in this room.

And neither was Nanase Miyuki—

“Where’s Haruka-chan?” said Gotou in irritation.

Yakumo stood in place, his expression stunned.

Why was he making such a face? That was as if he had made a mistake—

“Let’s go check out other rooms,” Ishii spoke loudly as if refuting the thoughts that emerged in his head.

“You’re right,” Makoto agreed straight away.

“Yeah,” Gotou replied as well.

The three were about to leave the room when a muffled laugh could be heard from somewhere.

Their entire movement stopped.

They had heard that same manner of laughing earlier. This characteristic, twisted laugh unmistakably belong to Nanase Miyuki—

“Just where exactly…”

Casting his gaze all over the surroundings, Ishii eventually discovered its source.

From the laptop placed on the desk.

Unbeknownst to everyone, the laptop had been turned on, flashing Nanase Miyuki’s face on its display.

21

“Bastard!” Gotou yelled at Nanase Miyuki through the laptop screen.

<Don’t yell. It’s noisy, you know,> Nanase Miyuki complained as she brought her hands onto her ears.

Unlike before, this footage seemed to be connected in real time, like a video call.

Nanase Miyuki’s face was up close to the camera, it prevented them from discerning her location.

Still, from the slightly visible scenery behind her, she appeared to be outdoors. Furthermore, based on the sound of water flowing, she might be near a river.

<So you really went there after all. You’re so easy to read, Yakumo-kun—> Nanase Miyuki said mockingly.

Yakumo gritted his teeth. He must be furious. It couldn’t be helped, considering he had fallen completely into Nanase Miyuki’s trickery.

“What are you planning?” Yakumo shoved Gotou away and stood in front of the monitor.

<What do you think?>

“I’m asking because I don’t know.”

<No need to be in such a hurry. Even if you don’t want to, you’ll find out eventually—>

“Where are you hiding her?”

Slamming on the desk, Yakumo glared towards Nanase Miyuki within the screen.

<Ooh, how scary. So you too can make that kind of face. Gives me the chills,> Nanase Miyuki spoke with her body trembling, before her lips warped into laughter.

She could get excited even at a time like this.

From the bottom of his heart, Gotou detested the madness born out of the sadism and abnormality that was Nanase Miyuki.

“How you’re feeling doesn’t matter to me. I’m asking you where she is.”

<Hey, Yakumo-kun. You’ve gravely misunderstood.>

“Misunderstood?”

<Yes. Misunderstood. You’ve already lost the game. Know what that means?>

“Gh…”

Yakumo curled his fists tight.

<But don’t worry. She’s still alive, you know.>

“And the proof?”

<You really are impatient,> Nanase Miyuki stepped away from the camera.

What seemed like a concrete road came into view. They could also see a river. Gotou had seen this scenery before.

And some distance behind, they were able to make out Haruka’s figure.

She was sitting with legs folded to the side and her head lowered. Both of her hands were tied to the back with rope. Her legs were also tied in a similar fashion.

“Damn it!”

Yakumo slammed his fists on the desk and turned his back towards the screen.

Gotou thought Yakumo had turned away without realising, unable to watch the sight of Haruka tied up, but he was mistaken.

Yakumo muttered in a low voice towards Ishii who stood far back, “Water gate.”

So it was true. That explained the familiarity of the scene. It was the water gate where Kinoshita had committed his crimes.

The repeat that Nanase Miyuki had hinted on must have been referring to this.

Receiving Yakumo’s message, Ishii gave a firm nod and quietly left the room. Makoto followed after him as well.

At this point, Gotou naturally understood Yakumo’s intentions.

While Ishii and Makoto head for the water gate, Yakumo would buy time here by continuing his conversation with Nanase Miyuki.

“Let her go.”

Yakumo turned to face the screen again and said firmly.

<You really don’t understand, do you? You’re in no position to order me around. I could simply push this woman down this very second.>

Nanase Miyuki entered back into the frame.

“……”

Though frustrating, Nanase Miyuki’s words were spot on.

In this situation, she didn’t have a single reason to go along with their demands.

<If you really wish to save her, you should be acting appropriately, no?>

“I’m begging you. Please, save her…” Forcing his voice out as he spoke, Yakumo’s face was smeared with humiliation.

Still, it was insignificant compared to the suffering he would experience over losing Haruka.

<That’s a good look on you,> Nanase Miyuki laughed gleefully.

“Hurry up and save her…”

<And if I said no—what would you do then?>

“……”

In the end, Yakumo couldn’t even give a reply. He could only fixate his gaze on the screen as sweat covered his forehead. Even tears seem to pool slightly over his eyes.

<Saving her is fine by me, but with one condition—>

The mention of the word condition by Nanase Miyuki made the anxiety within Gotou begin to swell alarmingly.

The condition she was about to offer must be far from ordinary.

“And the condition is?” Yakumo asked with a diminishing voice.

<Open the topmost drawer of the desk.>

As instructed, Yakumo opened the topmost drawer.

Inside was a giant knife, its blade roughly fifteen centimeters long.

<Kill the girl who’s asleep on the bed with that knife. That is the condition—>

The shock left Gotou at a loss for words.

22

Ishii quietly left the examination room to avoid being noticed by Nanase Miyuki on the other side of the screen.

Yakumo only spoke the words ‘water gate’, yet he immediately understood its meaning.

Those words implied that Haruka was being held at the water gate, and that he wanted Ishii to come save her.

Truth to be told, the words carried with them a heavy burden.

He was to head alone to the water gate where Nanase Miyuki would be and rescue Haruka. One wrong move and not only would Haruka’s life be lost, Ishii’s safety would be on the line too.

However—

Given the current situation, if Yakumo or Gotou were to go instead, Nanase Miyuki would find out and they wouldn’t be able to save Haruka.

No one else to go but him.

“Ishii-san.”

A voice could be heard from behind as he left Kinoshita’s hospital.

It was Makoto.

“Makoto-san! What is it?”

“I’m going too.”

“You can’t!” Ishii denied in an instant.

Nanase Miyuki was keeping watch at the water gate. He couldn’t possibly take Makoto along to such a dangerous place.

It might have been fine if Yakumo or Gotou was also present, but by himself, Ishii had no confidence he would be able to protect Makoto.

“Two people compared to one would give a much better chance of saving Haruka-chan,” Makoto said firmly.

That might be so. With more people on board, it would increase their success rate.

“But…”

“There’s no time to be hesitant.”

Without hearing Ishii’s reply, Makoto ran straight towards the car.

“No, but…”

“Lend me the car keys,” Makoto stretched out her hand.

“I can’t do that.”

“This is an emergency.”

“All the more so because of that.”

“Ishii-san. I’ll drive. Meanwhile, please contact the police department and ask them to deploy personnel to the water gate as soon as possible.”

I see.

Ishii couldn’t help being impressed.

Amidst the urgent situation, unlike Ishii who could only panic, Makoto remained composed and devised the best possible way forward.

One could say it was the most efficient path for the time being.

“Understood.”

Once Ishii handed over the keys, Makoto immediately went into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

After Ishii had gone into the front passenger seat, Makoto drove away so fast that the tires made a screeching noise.

Ishi knew Makoto was a woman who could make decisions levelheaded, but she turned out to be just as capable even at a time of emergency. A truly dependable person.

Surely if she were to marry, her husband would end up being under her control.

Ishii hurriedly shoved away his unnecessary thoughts. There was a job he needed to do.

He took out his phone and contacted Miyagawa.

<What is it?> Miyagawa picked up in an instant as if anticipating him.

“Nanase Miyuki wasn’t in Kinoshita’s hospital. We have confirmation that she’s at the water gate holding a hostage.”

<W-What?!>

“Please send officers there at once.”

<Even if you suddenly asked, I don’t know whether they will move…>

A pessimistic way of speaking for Miyagawa, but it couldn’t be helped. The police wouldn’t budge over a vague piece of information.

Even so, they couldn’t simply sit back and watch.

“Haruka-chan’s life is at stake! Please, this is an emergency!” Ishii spoke with a voice so loud he surprised himself.

Perhaps taken aback by Ishii’s urging, Miyagawa responded, <Alright. I’ll do what I can.>

Next, Ishii contacted 119. No one may be injured yet, but there were bound to be some casualties later on. Ishii gave the address of the water gate and made up a story of someone drowning in the river.

Whether he would receive a penalty or be reprimanded later on, he would readily accept. Such matters were trivial if it meant they could save Haruka.

“Impressive, Ishii-san,” Makoto praised, her hands on the steering wheel.

“Eh?”

“Guys who can take firm actions under pressure are cool.”

Ishii’s face instantly heated over Makoto’s compliment. He didn’t have to check to know it had reddened.

He was by no means impressive. Just desperately trying his best.

Besides, if he had been by himself, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. It was thanks to Makoto’s support that they could take action promptly.

“Anyway, let’s hurry,” Ishii diverted the topic. He switched on the red emergency lights, opened the window and placed it on the roof of the car.

An unmarked police car being driven by a civilian, blaring the sirens on top of that. It would spell trouble if they were discovered, but best not think about it for now.

“Right,” Makoto replied, pressing on the gas pedal to pick up speed.

Come to think of it, during Kinoshita’s case, Ishii was also driving a car towards the water gate just like this in order to save Haruka.

Just like Nanase Miyuki had said, this really was a repeat.

As that came to thought, a terrible premonition crossed his mind, but he quickly got rid of it.

They would save her for sure—

23

“What do you mean?” asked Yakumo as he stared intently at the knife in the drawer.

<Surely you know what I mean. All you need to do is kill the sleeping girl over there. Once you do, I shall save this woman.>

Nanase Miyuki approached Haruka and kicked her legs.

Haruka, who had been out of consciousness, slowly lifted her face. Even from the other side of the screen, her exhaustion was apparent.

Still, being able to see Haruka’s face one more time gave Yakumo’s heart a sense of relief.

Haruka seemed unable to see Yakumo; looking around at her surroundings in confusion.

<Now. Kill her at once. That is the condition to save this woman—>

Nanase Miyuki’s face came close to the camera again.

Her cold, merciless eyes gazed towards Yakumo.

This woman didn’t say such words to intimidate. She was dead serious. That fact was conveyed painfully clear.

It was only now that Yakumo came to realise this was what Nanase Miyuki had been after.

What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your loved ones?

The line Kawakami had left behind in his notebook crossed Yakumo’s mind.

Nanase Miyuki had orchestrated for Yakumo to become a murderer in exchange for Haruka’s life.

To kill someone wasn’t as simple as becoming a murderer. Carrying out the act meant discarding everything he had cultivated thus far—ethics, morality, and all the more so his beliefs.

Of course, that wasn’t all.

Nanase Miyuki was trying to drag Yakumo into the chain of tragedies born out of Kinoshita and Kawakami’s actions.

Most importantly, he couldn’t possibly take the life of an innocent girl with a future ahead of her.

<Hesitating, are we? That’s understandable. Your sense of justice is too strong after all. But if you don’t do it, the person you hold dear is going to die—>

Nanase Miyuki’s smile was cold, like ice.

It wasn’t a mere threat. If Yakumo didn’t accept her demand, the woman would kill Haruka with no mercy.

Yakumo gripped the handle of the knife in the drawer.

“Stop it!” Gotou shouted, grasping his arm.

Yakumo stared intently into Gotou’s eyes, giving him a signal.

“This is the only way. There’s no other way to save her.”

Gotou gave a small nod, conveying that he understood everything.

“Dumbass. You’re going to end up a murderer! Think again!”

“Then what else is there to be done?!” Yakumo yelled, pushing Gotou away.

Of course, none of it was serious. They were buying time by prolonging the dispute. In the meantime, Ishii would get to the water gate and the situation would change.

Gotou understood the fact and went along with Yakumo’s act.

But Nanase Miyuki laughed as if mocking their exchange.

<Enough of this foolish performance,> she said flat out.

“Performance?”

<No need to play dumb. You guys were buying time, no? In the meantime, Ishii-san is coming here—am I wrong?>

Yakumo couldn’t utter a single word.

Nanase Miyuki might have noticed from the start that Ishii and Makoto had left.

<I don’t have all the free time to watch this boring nonsense. Hence, let’s set the time limit.>

“……”

<I can see the road clearly from here. How about until Ishii-san’s car comes into view?>

Yakumo felt like he had been shoved down into the abyss.

He had exhausted all options—

At this point, he couldn’t win no matter how hard he fought.

To save Haruka, there was no other way but to kill the girl sleeping on the bed.

He understood well that doing so meant throwing everything away and letting himself fall into darkness.

Even so—

Compared to losing Haruka, he still felt it was the preferable option.

I see.

Kinoshita and Kawakami had reached the very same line of thought.

They hadn’t cared about themselves. They had dirtied their hands willingly for the sake of the people they loved.

Well aware that this was an unforgivable act, if doing so could save their loved ones, they hadn’t minded throwing everything away.

Just like Yakumo himself right now—

<Well then, what will you do? She’s asleep and unmoving, so killing her would be easy—>

Nanase Miyuki’s words gave Yakumo’s back a push.

His heart was shaking. At the same time, he walked towards the bed.

“Bastard! What the hell are you planning to do?!” Gotou yelled and stood in Yakumo’s way, grabbing him by his collar.

“I…”

“Get yourself together! You’ve always been bringing criminals to justice! Whatever it is, there’s never an appropriate reason to take someone else’s life!”

Gotou was right.

Yakumo had always said so whenever he had been involved in a case.

But he could only have said those words as he hadn’t fully understood the suffering of a person driven to commit crimes.

And now he understood perfectly. He was cornered, left with no other paths to take than to do it.

“You’re saying I should just sit back and watch her be killed?” asked Yakumo, and Gotou’s fist landed on his cheek.

The powerful blow made Yakumo stumble backwards and fell sitting down, until the knife slid out of his hand. The inside of his mouth seemed to have gotten injured as he could taste the blood.

Gotou’s eyes staring at him from above was unlike the pair that have been looking at him all this time.

Yakumo had seen those eyes before.

That’s right—

Those were the eyes of Gotou as he had watched him nearly killed by his own mother.

“Who said we’re going to sit back and watch her be killed? We’re going to save Haruka-chan. But I can’t let you kill a person. Believe in me,” said Gotou before he ran out of the examination room.

It was apparent that they were heading for the water gate. Gotou must also be going there to save Haruka—but he wouldn’t make it.

Thinking about it whichever way, Haruka would be killed before Gotou arrived.

<What a futile thing to do,> Nanase Miyuki scoffed.

“……”

<You know you wouldn’t make it even if you run here with all your might, don’t you? What will you do? Will you let her be killed? Or will you kill that girl?>

Yakumo stared at the knife that fell near his foot.

The dull light reflected by the knife appeared like it was Yakumo’s singular source of hope.

“Your plan is flawless. There is no other way for me to fight back,” Yakumo muttered.

<You’ve just realised it now?>

Nanase Miyuki laughed.

Right. That was exactly right. Yakumo had only just realised it.

He was already defeated when everything had come to this. To save Haruka, there was no other path than to take the life of this innocent girl.

Yakumo reached for the knife and stood up slowly.

How odd. Despite the fact that he was about to stray from the path of humanity, his heart was calm. His desire to save Haruka seemed to have rid him completely from feelings of guilt.

Yakumo held firmly onto the knife and walked towards the girl.

<Yakumo-kun! Stop!>

That scream—

Haruka’s screams had reached Yakumo’s ears.

24

I’m not going to let Yakumo kill a person no matter what.

With that determination, Gotou sprinted.

Nanase Miyuki may be the lowest of the low, yet her mind was incredibly sharp. No matter what choice they took, she would still win the current match.

If Yakumo were to kill that girl, not just from society, but as a human, he would fall into the depths of darkness with no point of return.

If he chose not to and ended up losing Haruka, the outcome would be all the same.

Yakumo would be tormented by feelings of losing someone important to him.

And that wouldn’t be all. Such an outcome would still be the result of his choosing. He would continue to blame himself as to why he didn’t simply choose to kill back then—

Yakumo would truly fall into darkness beyond saving.

They had unknowingly stepped into a perfectly laid trap.

However—

Gotou couldn’t give up here.

Gotou didn’t want Haruka to die, either. Of course, Ishii and Makoto were the same. Despite that, they had to somehow circumvent a situation that would force Yakumo to kill a person.

All this time, Yakumo had always held out in the darkness of the abyss.

He had tasted so much hatred and sadness to the brink of one’s limits. Battered by it all, he still continued forward in search of hope.

Gotou had witnessed it for himself.

To that Yakumo, Haruka was his only hope.

It was thanks to her existence that Yakumo could finally accept himself.

Yakumo’s childhood face when he had nearly been killed by his mother flashed into Gotou’s mind.

Listless eyes staring into nothingness as they were filled with despair. Even now, Gotou remembered the profound sadness that had emerged within him at the sight of those eyes.

He wouldn’t let Yakumo experience that for a second time.

Having exited Kinoshita’s hospital, Gotou took out his phone as he ran and called Ishii.

<Hello. Ishii Yuutarou speaking,> Ishii picked up immediately.

“Idiot! Turn off the sirens!”

Gotou shivered upon hearing the blaring siren sounds from the other side of the call.

Turning the sirens on would be like signalling to Nanase Miyuki that they were fast approaching.

<Eh? Why?> Ishii asked back, unaware of the situation.

“Nanase Miyuki said she will kill Haruka-chan as soon as she spots you guys coming!” Gotou yelled on the top of his lungs.

Ishii finally understood and turned off the siren.

<So we were discovered?>

“No. She knew from the start.”

<No way…> Ishii said in shock.

Gotou felt the same as Ishii, but they couldn’t stop here.

“The two of you, get out of the car.”

<Get out?>

“That’s right. Run towards the water gate and get closer without being noticed!”

It was the only way they had.

The day was yet to reach dawn. They would get detected if they came closer by car, but if they were to run there, they would have a decent chance of doing so unnoticed.

<U-understood.>

“I’m heading there as well,” Gotou cut off the call and picked up his running speed.

His injuries hadn’t fully recovered. Incredible pain shot through his body with each step, but he didn’t have time to worry about such things.

For the sake of saving Haruka, I don’t mind sacrificing a leg or two—that determination of his was no lie.

Right now, he could only believe and continue running.

25

“Yakumo-kun! Stop!” Haruka screamed with all her might.

She had just woken up at first, so she couldn’t grasp what was happening.

However, she was able to figure out the situation based on Nanase Miyuki’s words and voices of Yakumo and others coming from the tablet device the woman was holding.

Haruka must have been abducted for this reason.

She had the chills not just from Nanase Miyuki’s unusual scheme, but more importantly because of her terrifying idea.

How could she come up with something so cruel?

She was toying with the lives and feelings of others, no word other than inhuman would be fitting to describe it.

For certain, Nanase Miyuki wasn’t merely threatening to kill Haruka. If Yakumo didn’t kill the girl, Nanase Miyuki would kill Haruka with no hesitation.

Yakumo understood the fact as well.

To be honest, Haruka was scared of dying. It would be a lie to say that she was doing fine. Even so, despite that, she didn’t want Yakumo to kill a person.

She also didn’t want the life of an unrelated person to be lost because of her. And that wasn’t all.

All because of his red left eye, Yakumo had gone through a harsh, painful childhood. Not only had he nearly been killed by his own mother, he had also suffered and grieved over losing people important to him.

He had gotten involved in many cases, saving countless people whilst getting hurt as he faced the darkness of their hearts head on.

His resistance had continued on for far too long.

And at last, he could finally come to terms with himself.

After a long road of hardship, Yakumo had finally found his own path, yet he had to suffer all over again?

Haruka couldn’t bear to witness such a thing.

She didn’t want Yakumo to lose sight of his identity.

That was why—

“Stop it,” Haruka begged again.

Something hot welled in her eyes. Yet she tried her hardest not to let her tears fall.

If she were to cry then and there, Yakumo might just end up killing someone. That was how it felt.

“My. You’re tougher than I imagined. Aren’t you afraid of dying? Or perhaps you’re an idiot who believes you’ll be saved?”

Nanase Miyuki walked closer.

Still, Haruka paid little attention to her. Instead, she observed Yakumo’s figure displayed in the tablet held in her hand.

We finally meet again.

Though it was via a screen, Haruka felt a sense of joy rising from the bottom of her heart.

And yet—

The Yakumo behind the screen seemed awfully frail.

As if he might shatter into pieces any minute now.

Please. Don’t make that kind of face, Haruka muttered in her heart.

She wanted him to wear his usual sour look, listlessly saying the words, ‘It’s you—’

That way, it felt like they could return to their days of normalcy.

<Just wait. I’ll save you now—> Yakumo said firmly into the camera.

He seemed to have made up his mind. Haruka could see his grip tightening around the knife.

It pained her heart to see Yakumo’s eyes clouded with darkness.

No. I don’t want that.

“Yakumo-kun, listen to me!” Haruka screamed in desperation.

Yakumo’s movement stopped and he turned to the camera once again.

“You see, when we met for the first time, I really didn’t like you. I thought of you as grouchy and cynical, with a twisted personality to boot.”

<What are you saying?> Yakumo interrupted in confusion.

Honestly, even Haruka herself was confused. Not even she understood exactly why she had begun talking about these things.

Yet despite it all, she wanted him to listen.

“When I saw your red left eye, I genuinely thought it was beautiful. Perhaps I’ve been drawn to you ever since—”

<Haruka.>

Yakumo called my name.

She felt like she was floating from joy.

“Many things have happened since then. The more I got to know you, the more drawn I was to you. I’ve never said it properly and perhaps you have even realised by now, that I like you—”

The truth was that a word as simple as ‘like’ didn’t do it justice.

She couldn’t picture her life ahead without Yakumo’s existence. Such was the extent of her feelings towards Yakumo.

One may consider her feelings exceedingly heavy—

Nevertheless, she wanted to convey the intensity of her feelings for him. Because this time might be the last—

“Are you done playing drama?” Nanase Miyuki placed the tablet on the ground before landing a kick on Haruka.

She fell over, yet her hair was yanked in an instant, the movement forcing her to stand.

“What now, Yakumo-kun? Will you save this woman? Or will you refuse to kill the sleeping girl? Hurry up and decide.”

Yakumo didn’t answer.

He must be hesitating. But that was good. There was no need for him to follow the words of such a woman and take the life of someone else.

“Even in death, I’ll be with you—”

Those words came out of Haruka’s mouth.

Yakumo could see ghosts. So even if she were to die herself, he would surely find her. And then they would be able to converse again.

That was why—

Interrupting Haruka’s thoughts, siren sounds that seemed to have belonged to an ambulance could be heard.

Nanase Miyuki let out a sigh.

“Time’s up—”

After saying that, Nanase Miyuki immediately pushed Haruka hard.

Haruka’s body went past the waist-high fence and tumbled down—

“Haruka!”

As her body descended midair, she felt like she heard Yakumo screaming out her name.

What came next was the pain of violent impact before her body sunk into the water.

In the last second, she tried to hold her breath in an attempt to save herself, but to no avail.

She couldn’t hold it any longer and her mouth opened.

Murky water came rushing in.

As her consciousness drifted away, she felt like she saw the sight of her older sister Ayaka, who had passed away during their childhood—

No, it wasn’t just Ayaka.

Her mother, Keiko, and her father, Kazuhiro. The friends from her hometown. Her fellow university circle members. Her classmates from the same seminar. Isshin and Nao. Gotou and Ishii. Makoto and Eishin—

The faces of everyone she had met so far appeared and vanished like air bubbles.

And the final face that appeared in Haruka’s mind was that of Yakumo—

With the usual unchanging sour look on his face, he stared intently into Haruka.

Yakumo-kun, I…

26

Per Gotou’s instructions, Ishii had gotten out of his car and ran.

Makoto followed right behind him as well.

Apparently Nanase Miyuki would kill Haruka if she were to spot anyone approaching. He was being especially careful.

Thankfully, their surroundings were still dark. As Gotou had said, they might be able to get closer by running without getting noticed.

Ishii continued on running whilst holding on to that slight hope.

Even so, the sight from back then appeared in his mind. In the end, Ishii was running along the riverside just like back during Kinoshita’s case. The only difference being that Yakumo and Gotou had been running ahead of him at that time, while Ishii now took the lead.

Haruka would die if he didn’t make it in time.

I’m not letting that happen no matter what.

He couldn’t tell how long he had been running. The water gate finally came into view. It was still some distance away, but hope grew ever more so that they would be able to make it.

That was when he heard the sirens of an ambulance from afar.

Probably the one Ishii had called for.

A question popped into Ishii’s head at this point.

It was said that Nanase Miyuki would kill Haruka if she saw anyone approach. Would an ambulance count as well?

What if she wasn’t just referring to Ishii and the rest, but any other third parties as well?

All his blood seemingly drained from the thought.

He should have cancelled the ambulance. That wasn’t all. He had asked Miyagawa to send police personnel as well.

“Ah!” Makoto, who was running behind him, shouted.

At the same time, Ishii saw something fall from the water gate.

That—

Seemed to be a person. No, there was no mistaking it. Nanase Miyuki had pushed Haruka down from the water gates.

During Kinoshita’s case, Yakumo had immediately jumped to rescue her.

But right now, Yakumo wasn’t there.

The falling figure that seemed to be Haruka hit the water surface and created a big splash on impact, and subsequently never reappeared onto the surface.

“Haruka-chan!” Ishii yelled as he picked up speed.

There was still some distance remaining. Perhaps around two hundred meters, but he felt as if he was running long-distance.

As soon as he arrived near the water gate, Ishii ran down the embankment and jumped into the river.

He was by no means a good swimmer. He was more or less terrible at moving his body. But he didn’t have time to worry about such things.

Nor was he troubled by the ice-cold waters.

He desperately moved his limbs until he reached the area where Haruka had fallen.

Ishii cast his gaze along his surroundings, but Haruka was nowhere to be seen.

As it was still dark prior to dawn, visibility was poor and he couldn’t see into the water.

Ishii threw his glasses away, dived into the water, and searched around in despair. Still, he didn’t see Haruka.

He took his face out of the water to catch his breath.

In this situation, they were racing against time. Chances of survival would decrease the longer they took to find her.

Ishii dived into the water again and looked around.

No use. I can’t find her.

He must not give up. Ishii dived in for a third time.

He did so over and over. Yet the result remained the same, he couldn’t find Haruka at all.

Along with the passage of time, the panic within himself grew increasingly.

Besides, even if he had jumped immediately like this, forget diving equipment, in a situation without so much as a flashlight, could he really be able to find Haruka?

As his spirit was about to break, he saw someone swimming at incredible speed towards him.

It was Gotou—

“Where’s Haruka-chan?” asked Gotou.

“I think she’s somewhere around here, but…”

Without listening to Ishii until the end, Gotou dived into the water.

Gotou was now here as well. They had to save Haruka no matter what.

Ishii steeled himself and dived once more.

A shadow was swaying amidst the murky waters. It was a girl around seven years of age. He couldn’t see her face well, but the girl gave an impression that resembled Haruka.

As she was standing still underwater like this, that probably meant that she was no living person, but a ghost.

She seemingly gave a signal to Ishii using her hand.

Ishii followed and swam across the waters. Then—

Found her.

He caught sight of Haruka’s sinking figure.

With all his strength, Ishii tried to swim deeper whilst reaching out to lift her, but before he could get to her, he ran out of breath.

He swam back up and onto the water surface.

“How was it?” asked Gotou, who also took his face out of the water.

“Right below here!” Ishii said, and Gotou took a deep breath before diving. Ishii followed after.

Together with Gotou, the two of them managed to get ahold of Haruka and pulled her up to the surface.

They then swam towards the riverside.

“Haruka-chan! Hang in there!” Ishii called out repeatedly as he swam, but Haruka was limp and unresponsive.

An awful sensation spread within him.

With great struggle they dragged Haruka’s body towards the riverbank.

Makoto, who had been waiting for them, immediately ran towards Haruka and examined her breathing.

“She’s not breathing,” said Makoto, who started on artificial respiration right away.

“Please! Haruka-chan! You can’t die!” Makoto yelled in despair as she carried out artificial respiration.

Yet Haruka’s face remained pale and unmoving—

In his drenched state, Ishii could only stand by and watch.

Could it be that Haruka was already—he tried to get rid of the worst case scenario that crossed his mind, but he couldn’t no matter how much he tried.

Moments later, ambulance personnel came approaching.

Makoto briefly explained the situation to the paramedics and handed Haruka over to them to be carried into the ambulance.

The back door of the ambulance closed with a thud, and with that the vehicle carrying Haruka sped away whilst blaring the sound of its siren—

There was nothing else that Ishii and the rest could do.

All that was left was to believe in a miracle.

Bombarded by feelings of helplessness, Ishii couldn’t even remain standing. Exhausted, Gotou too fell sitting down where he stood.

Meanwhile, Makoto watched the ambulance drive away while she put her hands together as if in prayer.

Then—

Long before he even realised it, Yakumo had already been standing there.

His face was white as a sheet, with lifeless eyes that could have him mistaken for a dead person.

Dawn arrived and the sky was tinted with rays of the sun.

Yet all of them bore no hope for tomorrow, frozen in place as they lose sight of any direction.

(To be continued)