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VOLUME 3 - THE LIGHT BEYOND THE DARKNESS file 01: disappearance ()
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1
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Hijikata Makoto stopped the taxi in front of a n that read <Snake>
Makoto paid and quickly descended the stairs to the basement
It was already aled on at times like this Irritated, Makoto pushed open the heavy wooden door and entered the bar
There were four table seats and a counter that could seat five Using indirect lighting with blue as its preh the place wasn’t large, it had a good atmosphere
Makoto looked around and soon found Asaarette at the table by the entrance
‘Sorry I’m late…’
Makoto clapped Asami on the shoulder
’You’re too late’
Asami pouted with her puffy lips
It had been a while since they lastuniversity, Asaer healthy iht have been because of the makeup, but now it looked like there were shadows soe was her beauty
’I’ether as she asked for forgiveness
’It’s OK It’d be a different ht?’
’Yup Well’
’It was your goal, right? Working at a newspaper agency’
Makoto soed to smile back, but she couldn’t actually sh she was eency, it had been because her father was the chief of police rather than because of her own aptitude
’Anyway, it’s really been a while When’d we last see each other?’
Makoto changed the topic
’Hm – university?’
Now that Asa, Asaano and they hadn’t h they had sent emails and New Year’s cards
That would mean she hadn’t seen Asaraduation cereo to the ceremony, so…’
Asa back in her ht If she reraduation because her health had worsened, and then graduation had co she shouldn’t have
’That’s right Sorry’
’Don’t worry about it,’ Asaarette she had been s in the ashtray
’So when’d you come here?’
’Last month I transferred for work’
’So that’s hoas Then we’ll be able to et away’
Asahed aloud People could change a lot in three years
’Anyway, sit down’
Asaed Makoto to sit, but there were two men she didn’t know in the opposite seats
The first was in his early thirties and had a casual feel to hi man in his early twenties with a hip-hop artist’s fashion sense They were a so’
Thethe older man
Makoto sat next to Asami and touched her elbow to ask for an explanation
’Ah, that’s right’
Asa everyone
The man in the jacket was called Shinichi He worked at an event planning coer man was Yuuya He was Shinichi’s pal and was in his third year of university It see coreeted the two of the for you, Makoto You don’t ht?’
’Not at all,’ Makoto replied, though she was puzzled
During university, Asami hadn’t been the type to drink with men she didn’t knoho called out to her at a bar
Since she wasn’t a naiveto worry about
’What would you like to order?’
The long-haired bartender, who had been waiting for their conversation to halt, brought aa black apron
The bartender was expressionless and calm
Makoto looked at the in, like she always did
At the ti to happen afterwards –
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2
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Gotou reclined on the car seat and tied his necktie while holding a cigarette in hisdown a haer Thanks to that, the car was filled with the sed hiswith Yaku on you to focus>
He heard a voice froh she was a woman, she had a voice that reverberated in the bottom of your belly Her name was Shimamura Eriko
From the perspective of Gotou, who had parked his car on the road in front of the park, she was directly diagonal fro in the forest behind the park
In stature, size and attitude, she was heavyweight all around She was co that to?’
<You, obviously>
Shimamura rebutted immediately
Why was he surrounded by so ue
<I’ue I really need you to focus, since you’ve always beena few screws You’re the sa to do with you!’ shouted Gotou, flaring up
She talked on and on about unnecessary things Why had his wife co to do with me Who do you think introduced her to you?>
’I truly regret it’
Gotou had met with his wife Atsuko because Shimamura, who had been at the police academy at the same time as him, had introduced her
His wife’s best friend and his co-worker Thanks to that, his private life had been made public in the police Not just the police either Even Yaku? I’rets it>
’What did you say?’
<I’ I shouldn’t have introduced her to you>
’What do youto me – it’s troublesome After this case is finished, coers froation team me this to pass the time Gotou bit his lip and hit Ishii’s head in retaliation
’D-D-Detective Gotou, what are you doing?’
The tolared at Ishii for responding
Gotou could tell it would be hard going
’Why do we have to be dragged into work outside of our jurisdiction?’ grumbled Gotou
’But it’s true that we don’t have any work We ht as well offer assistance at least,’ replied Ishii, with his stupid diligence
’I know that’
Just as Ishii said, the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Room was named such because they responded to unsolved cases, but in reality, they just organised the backlog of docuht they had a lot of free time on their hands, so they were often used as supplementary personnel for stakeouts and such
Even now, they were staking out the park on the corner of this residential street because of a serial feuy cutting wo put out in the cold –
Gotou muttered that in his heart and snorted
On top of that, there was this stationing If the perp ran, they hadn’t surrounded the routes Forget about his career – why did he have to obey soer than him? It really riled him up
<Soht is about 160 cm Green jumper, black knitted hat… It h his earphone
<He’s by the public toilet>
Gotou looked in the direction indicated
He was there! Directly in front of his gaze, there was a suspicious person with his back to the wall of the toilet facing the road He kept glancing at the road
<Shier>
<Gotou, Ishii – wait in the car>
’What do you oes around, the back will be wide open,’ Gotou retorted, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray He opened the door and rushed out
’Detective Gotou, the instructions were to wait here’
Still holding his burger, Ishii called out to Gotou to stop
’You’re annoying I know that’
’Then…’
’Do you know the word "adaptability"?’
’Yes It refers to the ability to change depending on the situation That’s ritten in the Koujien[1]’
’This is that situation’
While Gotou said that, he headed towards the forest in the back of the park It was a terrible mistake to move Shimamura Did they really think the perp would just run for the road?
’Detective Gotou, this is bad’
Ishii hesitantly followed Gotou, like a puppy
’Go back to the car if you think that’
’B-but…’
Honestly, this useless guy
’Don’t come over here!’
A yell resounded
Gotou looked toward the public toilet The itatedly as he screaation team members sidled up froht, he turned away frohtened rabbit
’Wait!’ yelled one of the investigation o!’
Gotou immediately ran after the nored Ishii, who had fallen and had his hands on his thighs as he got back up, and chased the man
’Wait! I’ll kill you!’
The man turned at Gotou’s yell
’D-don’t co like he could cry at any ed man that any crowded train stank with Honestly, what ahirab the scruff of his neck and drag hi froht fist
Like he had lost all will to flee at that ainst his face and started crying, repeating, ’I’m sorry, I’round with his fist in his anger
If he was going to cry about it, he shouldn’t have done it in the first place
The first words of the novice officer in charge who arrived late at the scene were –
’Why did you leave your station?’
Honestly, everyone was just –
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It had been almost an hour since Makoto arrived at the bar
Since it had been the first time she’d seen Asami in a while and there were Shinichi and Yuuya, whom she had just met, it had been an aard question-and-answer session at first, but now, the at with the ood listener, or rather, she ended up telling his
Instead of assertively enlivening the conversation, Yuuya would laugh as he listened and respond at the appropriate ti o to the ladies’’
At a lull in the conversation, Asa and stood up
’Makoto-san, are you seeing anyone?’
After Asami left for the lavatory, Shinichi asked Makoto this question while looking directly at her eyes
’I’m not’
’Really?’ Shinichi said in disbelief
’Really I’ht now Plus, I have no luck with h she didn’t have a boyfriend, there was sos for However, she didn’t say that aloud
He was a detective as so serious it was idiotic She had made up reasons to contact and approach hih he hadn’t rejected her
In the meantime, she had lost her excuses, so lately she hadn’t seen him
’Is that so? If it were me, I wouldn’t leave you alone, Makoto-san’
Shinichi smoothly said those words which could have been a pick-up line
’You probably say that to every woht, bartender?
After Makoto said that as a joke, Shinichi turned the conversation to the bartender, who had coue reply and escaped by walking away
’Yuuya, you think Makoto-san is beautiful too, right?’
Shinichi poked Yuuya’s shoulder
While Yuuya drank the whiskey in his glass, he just sht have felt it ard, because he looked at his atch and said, ’Asami-san’s been a while’
Immediately after that –
’Aaah!’
Makoto heard Asami scream from the toilet in the back of the bar
’Asaht away and ran to the lavatory
’What happened?’
She called out in the direction of the lavatory door There was no response Shinichi and Yuuya came by too because they were concerned
’Hey, Asaain as she knocked on the door
However, there was no response, as if nobody was inside
Makoto put her ear against the door to try to listen for sounds from inside, but it was no use
’Excuse h as he said that
The bartender quickly took a key fro the door’
The lights were off in the di as she hugged her own shoulders
’Asami You OK?’
Makoto went inside the lavatory and walked up to Asami to shake her shoulders with both of her hands
The colour drained from Asami’s face, which just earlier had been flushed because of alcohol, leaving her extremely pale
’Hey, what happened?’
At Makoto’s question, Asaer
All the people there turned their eyes to the dark er
At the sae of a wo from her head, and the left half of her face was covered in blood
That woman’s body shook like it had been jolted
Her cracked purple lips slowly rowl made the air quiver
Nobody there was able to keep their senses, and their screah the bar
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4
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Haruka, whose lecture had finished, went towards the prefabricated two-storey building in the back of Building B
There were ten rooms of about four and a half tatami on each floor The university lent the to meet with Japan’s representative for contrariness, Saitou Yakumo
She didn’t really have any trouble for hiht it was aress What she had been doing before had been strange She had always been accompanied by trouble every time she went to visit Yaku sarcastic to her and make her depressed every time they met
– But today is OK
Haruka stood in front of the door at the end of the first floor The door had a plate which read <Movie Research Circle>
However, that was a downright lie Yakumo had deceived the university to borrow this roo place
’Hey,’ Haruka said, opening the door
At the same tie to cough and looked inside
’You again?’
As usual, his hair looked like he had just gotten out of bed, and his eyes were sleepy Yaku on the chair in the front, sounded annoyed as he said that
He had unbuttoned down to the third button of his shirt and was fanning himself with a fan
There were beads of sweat fro to say this, but this isn’t a place for you to kill time’
’I don’t have as ot reports to do and I have a part-tiet invited out…’
She stopped speaking He wouldn’t listen Yakue yawn, and then he scratched his neck His actions were just like that of a cat’s
Haruka went inside, took a bottle of tea froerator in the back of the roo that in here?’ said Yaku dissatisfied
’The last time I came There’s chocolate too Want some?’
Haruka took out a box of alerator and showed it to Yakumo
’This is my room Don’t just make it your own’
’This is the Movie Research Circle rooht that here the conversation would go HarukaYakumo
’Too bad for you, but I’m a member of the Movie Research Circle too’
’What?’
’Yesterday, I went to the student affairs office and wroteto say as he gaped
– How about that? Got you there, right?
’Why would you do so like…’
’OK, OK’
Haruka interrupted Yakumo and sat on the chair
She felt like she had won
’Still, how can you stay in such a hot roo?’
Haruka took a handkerchief out of her bag and wiped her forehead Even though she had just come in, it was already covered in sweat
If she stayed her the whole day, she et heatstroke
’The fan is broken’
Yaku with his fan
An electric fan covered with cobas hanging there
’You could just buy a new one’
’I don’t have the h this su Yaku and used it as a fan
’Can’t you just go ho to complain?’
’What? I ca you to’
’Oh, is that so’
Haruka gritted her teeth and gave Yaku look
Then, there was the sound of a knock For a ht have been Detective Gotou, but if it had been him, he wouldn’t have knocked – he would have just suddenly said, ’I’ in,’ and entered
’Please coh his hair and called out in the direction of the door
’Please excuse -haired woman in a navy blue suit opened the door and caht you be and where are you from?’
’I’m a fourth-year student at this university My name is Iida Mizuho’
She replied firmly to Yakumo’s question She seeave her seat to Mizuho and unfolded a folding chair that was in the corner of the room She sat down next to Yakuise for visiting in such a rudeI would like to discuss and thought it ht be bothersoet to theMizuho to et to the point
Ah, it was the same the first time for me too Haruka remembered the first tio
’Ah, yes The truth is, I have been troubled by a spiritual phenomenon –’
’A spiritual phenoh his hand with his fingers
’Will you listen toto it’
At Yakuhtened
After that, Mizuho talked about a ghost of a woman that appeared at an aparthostAfter a while, she stood back up and dragged her body into the aparthost of a wo suicide –
Why did she want to die so much? There was no way Haruka would understand
Mizuho appealed politely to Yakuhost, it had been so terrifying that Mizuho couldn’t sleep at night, and besought him to solve the case
Since it was Yaku cold like ’It’s none of my business’ or ’Please try your best’
Ah, you poor thing Haruka looked at Mizuho sympathetically
However, what Yakuined
’Thatyou I understand Let me accept your request’
Eh? Wait What? You had a completely different attitude when I asked you Haruka sed the words that she almost said aloud
’Will you help me?’
For a moment, Mizuho looked surprised, and then she relaxed, like she was exhausted
Haruka was the one anted to be surprised
’However, that does not mean it will be free’
’How much will it be?’
Mizuho looked at Yakuular price of twenty thousand yen plus expenses be acceptable?
Isn’t that cheaper than it had been for me? What the heck is that –
’Yes, thank you very much’
Mizuho bowed her head deeply
Was it OK for her to trust such an irresponsible guy so easily? She should be a bit suspicious
This guy was just a fake who took advantage of people’s weaknesses
Since Mizuho couldn’t hear Haruka’s thoughts, she wrote down the address of the aparthost as well as her contact inforain and left the room
’You accepted that pretty easily’
The moment the door closed, she rested her chin in her hands and said that Since she had been holding back, her tone was a bit harsh
’I want a new fan,’ Yakuh the su, but –
’The price is lower than the one you gave ht now’
’Is that a ca wootten you into such a bad ? Even while Haruka was thinking that, she couldn’t stop the next words fro too’
’What – do you want to boast about your small ones?’
’Small!? … They’re still C-cups, you know’
’What sort of joke is that?’
Yakumo raised an eyebrow
’It’s not a joke! You’ve never even looked at the clothes on top’
Did he not know the word delicacy!? Honestly, she was so angry!
Ignoring Haruka’s inner turmoil, Yakumo stretched out his ar!?’
Chief Ideuchi’s yell stabbed at Ishii’s ears
His forehead with its receding hairline was bright red in agitation He looked just like a boiled octopus
Ishii had been prepared to be scolded after he was called to the nation exceeded his expectations
It was true that they hadn’t obeyed orders, but because of that, they caught the criht that Ideuchi could have at considered that a little
’The officer in charge is a greenhorn’
Instead of being afraid of Ideuchi’s anger, Gotou flared up
’Watch what you say’
’I just called hireenhorn’
’Know your place!’
Ideuchi and Gotou’s conversation heated up
This always happened Gotou took an iht that Gotou’s attitude towards Ideuchi greatly differed froet on well
’Haven’t you reflected on what you did!?’
’I apologise for arresting the cri with sarcas just like a rebellious child
At many points, Ishii opened his mouth to mediate, but he was too flustered, overwhelmed by their intensity
’What you should reflect on is how you didn’t obey orders!’
’You saying it’d have been better if I listened to soreenhorn’s orders, just waited in the car and let the crih Gotou’s objection was extreht In a situation that required adaptability, grandstanding was so aside whether he would be able to do that himself, even Ishii understood that much
’I didn’t say that’
’Then what are you saying?’
’I’lare at the people above you This is also for your sake’
’The job of the police is to keep public order – not to butter the boss up’
’In order for an organisation to work, so onto lass in theshook
Ideuchi lost his words and looked at Gotou like he was an alien
It wasn’t an exaggeration Their ways of thinking were really that different, or so Ishii thought
’Forget it Get back to work’
After a silence, Ideuchi shook his head and said that, giving up
’Wastingso pointless,’ Gotou muttered as he stood up
’If you keep up that attitude, you won’t get a pro to Gotou, as exiting the room
’I never wanted one in the first place,’ Gotou said, and then he left the roo look on Ishii
Ishii didn’t feel there was any reason to be pitied
’I don’t really…’
’If it’s what you want, you can consider getting a transfer,’ Ideuchi said, interrupting Ishii’s objection
’A transfer? Why would I?’
Ishii raised his eyebrows and pushed up his silver-fralasses
’Your future shouldn’t be shut down for being Gotou’s subordinate’
Ishii couldn’t understand Ideuchi’s words He had never felt bitter about working as Gotou’s subordinate
’I don’twhere I am,’ Ishii responded firmly Then, he said, ’Please excuse me,’ stood up, bowed and ran after Gotou
He fell –
After leaving theroom, Gotou kicked the wall
– I’m really pissed off
What at? Ideuchi? No, that wasn’t all
He was angry at himself
He hadn’t been like this when he had first entered the force
It ht have been childish, but he had been filled with a sense of justice and duty He had been drunk on fantasies that wouldn’t lose even to Ishii’s He had believed without doubt that he would be able to save a lot of people
However, that dream crumbled after just a few years
No, that wasn’t it He had just been naive in the first place It was impossible to solve every case like some cool anime hero
If every person who committed a crime was a detestable villain, this would be so easy –
The real world neither rewarded good nor punished evil
People had different perspectives and ways of thinking Cases weren’t just matters of vics and perps – they had effects on all the people around theer, resentative emotion
Senior detectives had often said this to him ’Don’t worry so much If you don’t just accept that that’s how it is, you’re the one who’ll suffer’ Gotou thought it was just as they said
However, Gotou couldn’t do that
He felt the same as the people involved in the cri his nails into an unchangeable society