Page 18 (1/2)
VOLUME 4 - FEELINGS TO PROTECT
file 03: e, the vice-principal Konno informed them that Komai had passed away
However, Haruka just couldn’t believe it was real She had been talking to her just yesterday
The business-like manner in which Konno stated the facts made it feel even less real
Kohth floor of her apartment The front door had been closed and it seens of struggle and a note that read ‘I’m tired’ had been found, so it appeared to be an iether with Ko about her However, she had been happy about her upco Would soht have happened with her lover
Haruka was probably hung up because of what Masato had said
– You’ll die next
’Ozawa-san’
When Yokouchi tapped her on the shoulder, Haruka returned to reality
’Eh, ah, yes’
Haruka raised her head, flustered
’No questions, right?’
Yokouchi asked for agreement with an exasperated look on his face
’Er…’
She couldn’t think of a response because she didn’t understand the point of the question
’Honestly, please get a grip Everyone’s had a shock’
Yokouchi norentle, but he was unusually irritated today
’Please forgive me’
’The vice-principal will inform the students Other teachers will help out in shifts for class Please look after the children in the classroorip, OK?’
’Please forgive me I just can’t believe that Komai-sensei committed suicide…’
Haruka looked at her feet
She knew that she had to keep her head up at tiht on her head
’I think it’s possible though’
Yokouchi said just that
Haruka looked up at Yokouchi, surprised by his words
’What do you mean?’
’Ah, Ozawa-san, you wouldn’t know’
’What about?’
’I’ve heard that Komai-sensei had an affair’
’An affair?’
’I don’t know the details either, but there was this whole rumour about how she’d had an affair with the dad of one of the kids Maybe she was troubled because of that’
’An affair?’
Yokouchi nodded
Koe, had had an affair –
Troubled because of the affair, she committed suicide It sounded persuasive, but it felt like it just didn’t link to Komai
’Are you ready?’ said Konno
Yokouchi made his escape
’Yes Thank you very much’
Haruka bowed her head politely towards Konno
However, Konno didn’t even reply and just looked at her scornfully
She really couldn’t bring herself to like this person
Haruka buried her emotions in the pit of her stomach and left the room with Konno
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2
-
’Sorry to bother you’
Gotou said that as he opened the door to the university <Movie Research Circle>, which was Yaku place
’If you know you’re a bother, please leave immediately Honestly, please don’t makein his usual seat while running a hand through his hair
This tih sleep There were faint shadows underneath his eyes
’Stop whining I don’t have the tiotten enough sleep
He’d said that to get rid of the irritation he’d accumulated
’What a coincidence I also don’t have ti with you’
’What did you say?’
’The exit is over there’
Yakuue was in good health If Gotou talked to Yakumo any more, he’d just becoet the point quickly
’Oldyou too’
’Is that so…’
Yakuhed, as if he were so man in love
Yakumo was probably troubled too, for once
’So you have troubles like other people do too,’ teased Gotou, since it was a rare opportunity
’It makes me truly envious of you, Gotou-san, since you have no troubles’
’I have troubles too’
’About what to eat?’
This bastard –
’Of course not’
’Then, about your wife running away’
’My wife is at ho his head and put his hands on the table
He shouldn’t have said anything He felt exhausted now
The truth was, he didn’t knohere to start with this case It was suffocating
This case was really hateful
’What are you dawdling for?’ said Yaku, let’s hurry up and go Or can you notfun ofyou’
This brat –
Yakumo quickly evaded Gotou, who had leapt for him, and left the rooood punch
Ishii thought over the details of what had happened so far while sitting in the driver’s seat
It really was an unsolvable case
It should have been surprising for an escaped murderer to be found as a burnt corpse, but as the most complicated was the state of that corpse
Hata and Yakumo both said it, but was it spontaneous human combustion –
If it were, they probably wouldn’t be able to get even a clue as to how to solve the case with the investigation methods they’ve used until now They’d have to add experts to the investigation team
Ishii conjectured that the possibility of alien invasion regarding spontaneous huh
They definitely burnt hu weapons hu the est that to Gotou
Just as Ishii’s delusions were reaching a peak, the passenger door opened and Gotou caht they wouldn’t return for an hour, since that was the usual pattern, but they cained
’Start the car’
’Ah, yes sir’
Ishii started the car as told by Gotou
’Gotou-san, how is the investigation I requested?’ said Yaku out theHe looked unusually tired
’I’ve investigated a lot about Ushiji that brat’s dad’
While Gotou started explaining, he took a file out frolove compartment and threw it towards the backseat
Yakuan a suppleht years old After graduating froh school, she worked at a hostess at clubs and bars, but she stopped in her early twenties’
’The reason being?’
’I don’t know the details, but it see her hostess job, she didn’t do anything like work’
’And the person who kept her?’
Yaku to a wo like he’d been the one who’d seen it through, but Ishii was the person who’d actually investigated
After returning froone to question people who lived near the apartossip-loving housewives everywhere
They’d told him in detail about how she used to be a hostess, how a man that looked like a father would sometier – would go in and out too
When he thought about how the neighbours atching so closely, it was exceedingly frightening
’Then how about Oomori Masato’s father?’
’All I know is the place he used to work’
’Which is?’ urged Yakumo as he looked at the documents
’Oomori Hironori worked at a bike repair shop He was skilful, but the er caused some proble part-tiot his divorce?’
’Ah, that’s right’
’I see…’
Yaku
He’s realised so – that hat Ishii felt
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3
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Haruka went into the classroom for Class 5-4 with a hard expression and stood at the front next to Konno
The children shouldn’t have known about Komai’s death yet
However, it seeh the whole school, because the whole classroom was unsteady
Haruka turned her eyes to Masato, who sat by the
He had his chin in his hands and was looking out the , but his eyes were puffy like he had cried, and he appeared to be holding back his pain
That child knows so –
’Silence’
Konno raised his voice It was no different from the tone he’d used to reprimand teachers in the staff room The noisy classroo for Konno’s next words as they looked right at him
If it were her, hoould she explain Komai’s death to the children –
The death of somebody close to them They would experience that sometime in their life, but they couldn’t just throw that reality at children ere unprepared for it
While Haruka was thinking, Konno cleared his throat and opened his mouth
’Komai-sensei committed suicide’
’Eh?’
Haruka said that without thinking and looked at Konno He looked as arrogant as always –
Haruka couldn’t believe it How could he use the word ’suicide’ of all things?
The children were noisy again
There were so the of the word, were shaking and had started crying
’Sensei, what’s suicide?’
Eri, who sat in front of Masato, raised her hand and asked that question
’Suicideyourself…’
’Vice Principal Please stop it’
Haruka couldn’t stop herself – she grabbed Konno’s arms and interrupted him
’They’ll find out eventually What’s the point in hiding it?’
Konno glared at Haruka, as if he were looking at so that would ance Haruka glared back at Konno forcefully
’That isn’t the problem The problem is how you expressed it’
’You’re just a trainee teacher’
Konno brushed off Haruka’s hand
’You’re the vice principal – don’t you understand the children’s feelings?’
’Don’t talk like you do!’
Konno’s angry voice, inappropriate for a classroom, echoed
At that, Eri covered her face with her hands and started crying Maiko co seat
’What’s up with hi’
The children started criticising Konno
’Silence!’
Konno raised his voice again as he hit the teacher’s desk
It didn’t matter that this person was the vice principal Haruka couldn’t let hier
’Would you please leave the classrooht at histo chase the vice principal out of the classroom, she wasn’t nervous or afraid at all, to the point she even surprised herself
Konno’s breathing was ragged, having gone too far to back down
’This conversation is finished, Vice Principal Please leave’
Haruka didn’t take even one step back and said that firlared at each other for a while, but perhaps Konno decided Haruka wouldn’t back down, because he left the classrooue
The problem is what comes next –
Haruka went back to the front of the classroohed as she looked at the children’s faces
’Everyone, listen to what Sensei has to say’
To tell the truth, she didn’t knohat she should say in this situation, but she couldn’t leave it as it was
The children’s hearts weren’t mature yet The injuries their hearts received noouldn’t heal through their whole life
Haruka had experienced that herself
– You can do it
Next to her, Haruka felt like she heard Komai whisper
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4
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After Gotou went into Hata’s room, he sat on the only round chair in the room, as he had done last time
Yakumo and Ishii stood by the wall and Hata sipped his tea at his desk This was also the same as last time
’Now, the wait is over’
Hata rubbed his wrinkled hands together He was just like a fly that gathered around excre off and talk’
Gotou crossed his arle
’As usual, the idiot is hasty’
’What did you say!?’
Gotou leant towards Hata, but he didn’t seem to care
Yakumo and the old man – he really couldn’t compete with them
’Well, anyway, take a look at this’
Hata laid out for photos on the desk, as if he was going to start playing cards Everyone looked at them
The photos on the desk were all of burnt corpses
’Eek’
Ishii jolted and let out a shriek
’Shut up’
Gotou hit Ishii’s head and looked at the photos once more
They were different from the photos of the scene they were at before, but the state of the corpses was very si had turned into ash
One photo caught Gotou’s attention
Though the body had turned into ash, the feet, with the shoes on, were left behind This was incredibly like Tobe’s corpse
’Are these photos of that spontaneous human what’s it you mentioned before?’
’Spontaneous human combustion At least remember that’
Hata shook his head ot on his nerves
’So does that co to do with this case?’
’Yes, that’s exactly it’
At Gotou’s question, Hata s his yellow teeth This old man really was creepy
But wait a minute If that was the case, it would contradict hat they’d said earlier
’Old man, the last time I came, didn’t you say that spontaneous huht Spontaneous human combustion hasn’t been explained’
Hata looked co on airs for?
’Then isn’t that a contradiction?’
Gotou stood up and stared down at Hata
’Gotou-san, please calm down,’ said Yakumo
Normally, Yakumo should’ve noticed a contradiction like this first, but –
’I ae’
’It isn’t strange Hata-san hasn’t said that this case involves spontaneous huh his hair like he thought Gotou was troublesome
’What?’
’Gotou-san, you asked whether spontaneous hu to do with this case, so Hata-san just said that it does’
’That’s the saht?’
’It isn’t I said this before as well, but spontaneous human combustion has three main characteristics Do you remember?’
’Yeah’
Gotou nodded
The fire started in a place with no sign of fire The fire didn’t spread to the surroundings The whole body including the bones was burnt –
He knew that
’The first characteristic of fire suddenly starting in a place with no sign of fire has not yet been explained, though there are baseless theories such as plasht?’
’However, if we take away that first characteristic, we can explain it’
’Ah, so that’s what it is!’
Ishii seemed to have understood Yaku his hands together
However, Gotou didn’t understand Perhaps Yakuht Gotou looked pitiful as he held his head in his hands, because he supplemented his explanation
’In short, it isn’t clear how the fire suddenly starts, but if we think ofthe bones without the fire spreading to its surroundings, it is possible under certain conditions’
’Is that how it is?’
Finally, Gotou understood as well
Nobody had seen the fire start with this case So, they could put that aside for now and think about how the bones had burnt
But they needed a terees to burn a body including the bones Is that possible –
’Hata-san, I leave the rest to you’
Yakumo handed the explanation over to Hata, crossed his arainst the wall
Hata nodded and began the explanation
’I should have reotten worse with age Also, burnt corpses aren’t my forte I like them raw’
’Shut up! You perverted old man!’
Gotou rejected Hata’s introduction, which was extremely indiscreet
However, Hata didn’t reflect on it – rather, he laughed in his creepy voice with shaking shoulders
’Yakuave a hint when he said adipocere’
’Addie what? Who’s that?’
Couy before
’Honestly Do I have to start the explanation from there?’
Hata’s face was sullen, like he had eaten so sour
’I can explain adipocere,’ interrupted Ishii –
’Ishii-kun, thank you’
At Hata’s words, Ishii walked to the centre of the rooetically
’Adipocere comes from adipose, as in body fat, and cera, the Latin word for wax, like in candles[1]’
Which makes adipocere –
’Body fat candles?’
’That isn’t it After a person dies, if they are left under specific temperature conditions, such as a hot and humid location, the fat deconesiu like soap’
’Soap?’
It didn’t really fit in Gotou’s mind
’Yes In that state, the huure and can be kept in that shape without decaying’
Wasn’t this completely occult?
’Oi, old man!’
Gotou spoke up in disbelief
’It’s true It’s not sorcery or witchcraft – it’s been proven in the medical field and is completely accepted,’ said Hata as he sipped his tea
Is that so – he hadn’t known
No, that rong Though it e ones for knowing so like this
Well, in any case he understood adipocere noever, he still didn’t understand
’What does that have to do with burning bones?’
’In order to burn a body including the bones, there are twothe body at above six thousand degrees, as er
’And the other?’
’Burning the body at a low te time Well, it would be about ten hours’
Ten hours –
’If there was a fire for that long there, it would’ve definitely spread to the school’
Hata let out a creepy giggle at Gotou’s objection
’You know about candles, right?’
’Of course I do’
’Wax wraps around the string that ht the wick, the wax melts as the wick slowly burns’
Even Gotou understood that But –
’People aren’t candles’
’Gotou-san, you should study a bit h his hair
’What did you say?’
’Just that your knowledge is inadequate, Gotou-san The human body is built incredibly similar to a candle’
’What do you mean?’
’You can think of the fat underneath the skin of the human body as wax and the clothes a person wears as the wick,’ said Yakumo, as if it were obvious
So the as on the outside? It was the opposite of a norht fire, that heat would burn human body fat and it would burn out like a candle
’But would it be that easy?’
’If thinking about it noro that well, no h it was different in the past, the clothes that are supposed to make up the wick are now made of materials that are difficult to burn,’ said Hata as he scratched his chin
’Then it won’t work, right?’
’Noe return to the topic of adipocere’
Yakuer to his brow
’Adipocere…’
’The fat in that corpse had probably saponified into adipocere’
’Ah!’
Gotou unconsciously raised his voice at Yakumo’s explanation
I see The fat in the body deco adipocere, seeped into the clothes and made them easy to burn
But –
’Why didn’t the fire spread?’
Even if the fire started fros to burn
’It was a low-temperature fire,’ replied Hataa term Gotou didn’t understand –
’Explain’
’You know that fire needs oxygen to burn, right?’
Hata was treating him too much like an idiot Even an elementary school student would know that
’Of course’
’When there is a low concentration of oxygen, the force of the fire weakens and won’t spread to its surroundings’
Hata looked up at Gotou’s expression
Gotou replied with a nod
’However, that doesn’t uished Even if there is no flame, it continues to burn slowly That’s a low-temperature fire’
Gotou recalled the pump room as he listened to the explanation
A room surrounded by concrete underneath the pool The humidity and temperature for the fat in a human body to saponify into adipocere On top of that, the concentration of oxygen needed for a low-teht about that burnt corpse
Wait That would mean –
’Doesn’t that mean Tobe was already dead before he was burnt?’
’That’s right’
Gotou was surprised, but Hata spoke like it was obvious
’So as the cause of death?’
’I don’t know The corpse is in that state, after all,’ said Hata readily Well, it probably was difficult to decide the cause of death from that state
’Then what caused the fire?’
’Have you forgotten? I’ator That’s your job, right?’
It was just as Hata said Gotou was lost for words
’Well, if there’s nothing there to start the fire, soh
Gotou looked at Yakumo with a snarl, but Yakuuy Doesn’t he understand the importance of what he said –
’If what you say is true, this is a murder’
’Gotou-san, are you really a detective?’
Yakulance
’Yeah, unfortunately’
After Gotou spat that out, Yakumo shook his head, like he didn’t knohat to do with Gotou
’I said that soht have lit the fire I said this earlier as well, but that corpse was dead before it burned Lighting it on fire would only be the mutilation of the corpse Until we know the cause for death, we cannot deterht
There was nothing wrong hat Yaku, but that sort of irritated Gotou
Gotou couldn’t think of anything to reply so he just clicked his tongue
’By the way, Hata-san I actually have soed the topic, ignoring Gotou, as sulking
’If it’s a request from you, Yakumo-kun, there’s no way I could refuse’
Hata let out a deh
Yakumo took a white capsule from his pocket and handed it to Hata
Hata looked at it under a fluorescent la that was pilfered from a certain person I want to ask you to analyse its composition, but…’
Pilfered? Wasn’t that a crime?
How did he have the nerve to be so shameless in front of the police?
’Normally, that would be out of my expertise, but I’ll ask an acquaintance’
Hata put the capsule in an envelope on the desk
’So what are we going to do now?’
Yaku his are?’
’Yes, you did Isn’t it the detective’s job to decide what to do next?’
Yaku fun of hih he’d instructed him to do this and that so many times before He just ran ahen the situation was bad
’Er… Detective Gotou Could I suggest asking for Sasaki-sensei’s opinion?’
Ishii interrupted while raising his hand like an elementary school student
It appeared Ishii was enthusiastic about profiling, but Gotou was different He just couldn’t bring himself to like that woman
’Well, it doesn’t ation you choose, but please ate what I asked of you,’ said Yakumo, like it was none of his business He rubbed at his eyes while he yawned
’Then you help with the investigation too!’
’I would rather not’
An immediate answer
It felt like he was lost at sea However, this always happened
’Why not? It’s not like you have anything to do,’ said Gotou, still holding on
’I a that, Yakumo left the roohosts visiting a grave? That’s hysterical –
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5
-
Koil was held at a funeral hall near the elementary school
A nu with Haruka None of the children came That was the decision of the Board of Education
It appeared the suspicion that it was a suicide had had a great influence
After passing the reception, Haruka sat on a chair in the lobby and thought about what had happened
’Oh, I ondering who it was – is that you, Haruka-chan?’
An enrobed monk waved as he approached
Why would a ht it dubious, but that was only for a moment When she saw the monk’s face, she immediately understood
A calm face that made one think of the Maitreya On top of that, the red contact lens in his left eye
It was Saitou Isshin, the chief priest at a Buddhist temple and Yakumo’s uncle and honorary parent
’It’s been a while’
Haruka took a formal bow
’Was the person who passed away somebody you knew?’
Isshin had probably noticed from Haruka’s expression, because he asked that with a stiff expression
’Yes I’ at an elementary school, and she took care of me’
’I see I’ether and bowed his head
’But seeing you made me feel a bit better, Isshin-san’
’It flatters me to hear you say that’
Isshin’s narrow eyes became even narrohen he smiled
It wasn’t flattery – it was how she truly felt Seeing Isshin’s gentle face made her feel just a bit more at ease
She hurriedly held back the tears that had welled up the e her h, when she noticed so at her and raised her head
Over by the crowd of people at the reception, there was a boy staring their way
That’s –
’Masato-kun’
Haruka started walking towards Masato
Why was Masato here –
Iti to express soh to touch, Masato noticed Haruka, took in a breath and backed up
’Wait, Masato-kun’
Masato turned around and ran off
Should I chase him –
Isshin stood next to Haruka as she was lost for a decision
’Is that child someone you know?’
’Yes He’s one of the children from my class…’