Page 21 (1/2)
VOLUME 5 – CONNECTED FEELINGS file 01:()
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Hijikata Makoto treaded fir Fallen branches narrowed the road,–
She wore a down coat and gloves, but her exposed ears hurt so ht co and turned around The shopping district and aparts looked like miniatures
She took a hand warainst her cheek and ear After she had warain
She would arrive at her destination soon
Makoto was going to a house where a o
Her boss had instructed her through email to take photos of the scene
If possible, she wanted to write the story She typed a reply eotten a response
Until half a year ago, she had been a police reporter However, that had been because her father was the chief of police rather than because of her own ability
To prove that, when her father resigned from the police, she was taken out of the journalis departathered ht not even be used and her boss assigned her tasks that were essentially odd jobs
She was going in a considerably different direction than the one she had aimed for However, that didn’t hter of the ex-chief of the police
While Makoto was being senti road
She saw a house with a brick wall and black iron gate
It was ined
She had walked because she’d thought there would be no place to park, but she could have just driven here
The building that imitated a Tudor Renaissance church had a pointed roof and showed its wooden pillars
It was in an area of heavy snowfall so it had been built to be strong against snow A building of this sort had double walls to keep in the heat, but each of those walls was thin It wasn’t strong and didn’t have good soundproofing
So they could hear the screaital cale and zooes she took on the screen
The house was built like a church The large premises encompassed it Coupled with the lone tree in its autuarden, it was just like a painting
Did a o – it an with a report froo, February tenth 12:07 AM A-ko-san reported to the police that she heard a scream from the next house
At the ti with their eldest son Katsuaki and his wife Katsuaki’s daughter Miyuki also lived there to enerations Kanji had made a name for himself as the director of the private middle school There had even been rumours he would step into the world of politics
The first to arrive at the scene was Detective Miyagawa, on his way back
He met with A-ko-san at the scene and received an explanation of the events
Miyagawa deterency and went to the Nanase premises to confirm the situation before reinforcement arrived
However, there was no response Since the front door was open, Miyagaent inside through the entrance
In the living room at the end of the corridor, he found the bodies of men and women who had been stabbed repeatedly –
They were Nanase Kanji and his wife and his son Katsuaki and his wife
Just as Miyagaas heading for the entrance to call for help, he spotted Miyuki, Katsuaki’s daughter He tried to secure her, but someone hit his head and he fainted
Reinforcements found him collapsed in the corridor and he was taken to the hospital Fortunately, it wasn’t life threatening
However, by the time reinforceht to have been kidnapped by the perpetrator
The investigation division was iation froawa had seen the perpetrator, so a speedy resolution had been expected, but because of his head injury, he had lost the ate and walked down a brick path to the entrance
The garden had probably had grass growing in it, but noas knee-high eeds
After that case, nobody would buy this house
Not only that – there was a rumour that you could hear screams when the time of the murder rolled around, and the first person to report the cri valuable had been stolen, the police earnestly continuing the investigation narrowed it down to possible suspects with grudges
There were many people who disliked Nanase Kanji, so the names of many suspects caerprints left at the scene matched one of the suspects, Takeda Shunsuke, who had been thirty at the tierprint, so it was clear that Takeda had been there after the cri voluntarily for questioning froation
He had no clear alibi, and they got testimony that said he had visited the victim’s house on the day of the incident
The police deterot an arrest warrant and went to the apartment where Takeda lived However, Takeda had already disappeared
A knife with the blood of the victim was found at his flat The police put Takeda on the nationanted list
However, the earnest investigation was futile Even now, there was no news of Miyuki, let alone any trace of Takeda
After reaching the entrance, Makoto took another photo with her camera
The fore and spotted with black
If it were raining and thundering, it would look like it had come out of a horror movie
Creak
There was the sound of metal on metal When she looked over, she saw that the front door was slightly open
But I was told that it’d be locked and I wouldn’t be able to go inside –
Makoto peeked inside through the gap between the door and the wall However, she couldn’t see well in the dark
She took out her handkerchief, wrapped it around the doorknob and slowly pulled the door open
The outside light lit up the stairs to the second floor and the dusty corridor
When Makoto squinted, she spotted footsteps going down the corridor
‘Is anyone here?’
Just as Makoto spoke up, there was the sound of so
’Ah!’
She leapt reflexively from surprise
– Soether and walked through the front door
She felt so at her feet She looked down to see a Handyca like this here –
She stooped to pick it up when soh to her core
Though she was terrified, Makoto slowly raised her head and looked forward
She saw so black at the end of the hall
What is that?
While she was thinking, that object fell sideways and changed direction
It’s a person A woman – she was very weak and her face was pale
Her eyes htly
’He… lp… me…’
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2
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After orchestra circle practice ended, Haruka quickly put her beloved flute away in its case and left the music room
She refused a friend’s invitation to lunch and headed on foot to the prefabricated two-storey building in the back of Building B
Each floor of the building was lined with ten small rooms which were lent out for circle activity use by the university
The room she was headed for was at the very back of the first floor
There was a plate on the door which read <Movie Research Circle>, but that was just a cover – no circle activities were held
Here stayed the eccentrichere
Normally, he hid it with a colour contact lens, but Yakumo’s left eye was red and had the unique ability to see the spirits of the dead
Haruka had first o –
She had become acquainted with him when he helped her with her friend Miki, who had been possessed by a ghost
Every tis like ’Do you have nothing better to do?’ and ’Are you an idiot?’ , but to Haruka, being together with Yaku television with her family
Perhaps it was because she didn’t have to pretend with hi wildly and her palms were sweaty Why was she nervous to meet hi: ’We’re putting on a performance soon, so come if you have the ti like ’I refuse’ and that’d be the end of it
She was nervous because she had strange hopes But if she knew she was going to get rejected, as she asking – she didn’t know herself
The only reason she felt strange noas because she had been thinking about bringing up that topic
And ould happen if he came to the performance anyway? It didn’t matter anymore Haruka forced the contradiction within her to the pit of her stomach and forcefully opened the door
Yakumo’s here –
He sat in his usual chair and had sleepy eyes and h he was inside a roo
He could just buy a heater That hat Haruka thought, but she didn’t say it aloud He’d definitely say ’Then you buy one’ if she did
’H-hey’
Haruka greeted hiht voice and sat in the opposite chair
Yakumo raised his left eyebrow in response He looked displeased, like a cat that had had its nap disturbed
’Yes, yes, I have a lot of ti
How about that? Was he stumped? Haruka could tell what Yakumo wanted to say easily now that she’d known him for a year
Yakumo scratched his head, put his chin in his hands and looked the other way, see irritated that his line was stolen fro
’So what trouble do you have forit sound like I’m a troublegeratedly
’Do you kno ht trouble to me?’
’That’s… I’ve asked you for help a number of times, but…’
’Five times in a year Do you understand? Even Michael Jackson doesn’t make as much fuss as you do If you’re not a troublemaker, who is?’
Yaku to say this, but I didn’t bring trouble this time,’ said Haruka sharply
’If it isn’t trouble, what are you hiding?’
He really was sharp
’I-I’ to a question with a question is against the rules’
’You’re saying that? That’s your special ability, Yakumo-kun’
Yakumo’s cheek twitched and he had an unpleasant expression on his face
’I said this before, but when you coht voice, it’s usually trouble You force yourself to act cheerful because you’ve got a guilty conscience’
What did he uilty conscience?
It really riled her up
’I don’t have a guilty conscience’
’Then what did you co up and I just thought I’d ask you to co tone
’Perforri the mystery of the century
’Mine’
’Yours?’
’Didn’t I mention this before? I’m in the orchestra circle’
’I know that But I don’t understand…’
Yaku
’What don’t you understand?’
’The reason I would go to your perfor about the motive behind a murder
’Obviously it’s because we’re friends’
Yakumo’s eyes ide at Haruka’s words, like he was surprised
’Friends? Who?’
’Me and you, Yaku…?’
When he said it like that, she felt a bit anxious
What on earth did Yakumo think of her anyway? Did he really think of her just as a troubleht him a lot of trouble up until now But she’d done a lot of other things too She’d helped out with investigations before, and –
Haruka sighed She didn’t care anylared up at Yakuht ere friends all this ti that, but it just ca to coht about that’
Yakumo covered his eyes and scratched at his cheek, like he felt aard
Come to think of it, Yakumo had said before that there were only two types of people in this world: those ere afraid of him and those who used him
He’d been treated badly because of his unique ability ever since he was young Because of that trauma, he’d built a wall in his heart to separate him from other people
The decisive event concerned his , his mother tried to kill him A detective, Gotou, had happened to pass by the scene and saved hih Yakumo’s life had been saved, his heart had been fatally wounded
In one year, Haruka had thought she’d gotten a bit closer to Yakuht that way
’It’s fine I’’
Haruka put a smile on her face and stood up
’When is it?’
Yakuer
’Eh?’
’Didn’t you hear me? I asked what date the performance is on’
Haruka’s expression became less stiff
’Next Saturday’
Haruka leant forward in her excitement
’Where?’
’The school hall’
’If by some chance I am so bored I could die then and happen for soo’
What a roundabout way of saying it He really wasn’t honest at all But Haruka was happy
That contrary Yakureed to her invitation
’Got it Co a ticket next tiotten closer to Yakurin off your face now’
Yaku dirty
This person really – wasn’t honest
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3
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He was really riled up
Gotou leant back in the passenger seat of the car He lit his cigarette and threw the lighter at the dashboard
In the driver’s seat, Ishii adjusted the position of his silver-fraaze towards Gotou
’What’re you looking at?’
Gotou’s words were close to a threat Ishii hurriedly looked away
’Ah, no, nothing in…’
Ishii was flustered, as he alas
’Say it clearly!’
’Ah, yes sir Er, you appear to be rather angry…’
Gotou’s anger flared up again at Ishii’s words
The Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Rooned to was under the jurisdiction of the police His as ation of unsolved cases, as per the name
However, the instructions this tiation of a suspicious character near a building that was being demolished
This was supposed to be the work of uniforawa had directly given these instructions, he had to be ht they had a lot of free time or didn’t like the considerate’
Ishii was as optimistic as usual
’Considerate?’
’Yes Recently, we’ve just been organising docuo out’
’How’s that being considerate?’
’Ah, no… that’s…’
Ishii’s shoulders went up, like a turtle hiding in his shell
’What? Just say it already’
Gotou grabbed Ishii’s neck
’No, er, Chief Miyagawa said that recently you… were… er…’
Ishii’s , but Gotou didn’t hear the iuy wasn’t reliable at all
’Say it clearly!’
Gotou’s fist paid Ishii’s head a visit
Aaack –
Ishii let out a scream like a cat that had had its tail stepped on Maybe Gotou would grab hiawa said that he’d send you out for so? Don’tme for a walk’
’No, but…’
’What?’
’Chief Miyagawa said that ever since you were hospitalised, Detective Gotou, er… you’ve gotten fat…’
– Fat
Gotou looked at his own belly
There wasn’t too one up two belt holes His shirt buttons wouldn’t close His slacks were snug
He pinched his belly It was as soft as touching a marshmallow It felt kind of nice
’What do you think?’
Gotou looked towards Ishii for his opinion
’What do I think about what?’
Ishii repeated the question, acting confused
When the bastard actually knows already –
’Did I, er… get fat?’ said Gotou with a cough
’Honestly?’
’Honestly’
’You won’t hit ave hiaze, but he reluctantly opened his ht to you than there was before’
He said it politely, but the e
Gotou reflexively raised a fist towards Ishii Ishii’s shoulders stiffened as he let out a strange shriek
’Y-you promised that you wouldn’t hit ht!?’
Gotou glared at Ishii and used his raised hand to scratch his head
’Aarette into his portable ashtray, he repeated his question
’No, it isn’t anything to worry about Don’t bears eat large a in the winter? In order to survive the winter, they need a lot of fat…’
Gotou couldn’t hold back any more Who cared about a stupid promise?
Gotou hit Ishii’s head with his fist
’What do you h the car Gotou grabbed Ishii’s collar and shook hierous’
’Shut up! You keep going on and on…’
Before Gotou finished speaking, Ishii stepped on the brakes Gotou tried to brace himself in his unnatural stance, but he fell forward and hit his head against the dashboard
’Don’t step on the brakes all of a sudden!’
He gave Ishii’s thin chest a horizontal chop
’E-er, Detective Gotou, we’ve arrived,’ said Ishii, looking pained as he gripped his chest
Gotou looked – they had arrived, just as Ishii said
Around the premises, there were plates that had construction dates and contact inforot off the car
It’s cold –
The cold felt like it went right to his heart
While breathing out white puffs of air, Gotou went to the galvanised sheet iron door and opened it, entering the pre
Including the premises, it was probably about three hundred tsubo[1] The inside demolition as done, but the outer as completely untouched
In the corner of the premises, the derown pre’s front entrance The door had already been taken off
He avoided the cords that hung down like ivy and went through the entrance
The revealed concrete was cracked and the floor was covered in dust The ceiling boards showed through as well
Crack
He’d stepped on solass
Thanks to that, memories that had been buried deep in Gotou’s ain
I’ve coht when it was raining buckets
Gotou had been a uniformed detective at a police station when so to be killed Then, he’d headed for this building
I’d had a bad feeling –
When he went inside the building with a torch, he spotted a woling a kid
He stopped her, though she resisted violently, and finally he was able to get the woet away from the kid However, before he’d noticed, the woman had disappeared
He found this out later, but the woman had tried to kill her own kid
The words the woman had said then were still fresh in his ears
– This child will kill! If I don’t kill him now, he’ll kill, just like hiht a baby would become a killer in the future
All he kneas that the kid frouy was still living with the burden of that event
’What is it?’
Ishii called out to hio’
Cutting off the thread to the past, Gotou went deeper into the building
When he reached the pillar at the very back of the building, Gotou spotted so He crouched and picked it up
A puff of white dust came up
’Is that a… blanket?’
Ishii peered from behind Gotou
’Yeah’
’Was somebody here?’
’Looks that way’
Besides the blanket, empty cans were strewn about
Had construction workers left it behind, or was so here?
Gotou put the blanket on the floor and stood up
Thu
Gotou instinctively looked to the building’s entrance
A th coat with jeans and had a heavy-looking Boston bag on his shoulders
Was this the guy as living here?
’We’re fros ant to ask you’
Gotou held up his police ID and approached the htly wide face with thick eyebrows Sharp eyes that looked straight forwards
I’ve seen this face before Where was it –
’Ah! Aah!’
Ishii shouted in Gotou’s ear, interrupting his thoughts
’You’re so loud!’
Gotou smacked the back of Ishii’s head
’B-but’
Ishii was still agitated
’But what?’
’Isn’t that Takeda Shunsuke?’ Ishii said quickly
’Takeda Shunsuke? The soccer player?’
’That’s incorrect And you’reup the players’ nao, he was the suspect for the brutal murder at the house on top of the hill – Takeda Shunsuke!’
Ishii stamped his feet in irritation as he shouted
The ht about that case He hadn’t been directly related since he’d still been working at a police station then, but he’d seen that face on the wanted list a number of times
It did look like him
’Oi You Takeda Shunsuke?’
When Gotou asked that, the ht after Takeda
Damn it! Why hadn’t he noticed earlier!? Ishii had had to tell him – he’d never been more ashamed in his life!
Gotou ran off the premises and turned at the first corner when his side started hurting
It was hard to breathe His body felt heavy
Ishii passed Gotou as he was trying to stand up
Damn! Why did he have to be passed by the fool Ishii!? He could still run!
Gotou tried to up his pace, but his feet were as heavy as if they were in water Finally, he sank to the floor
He had only run two hundred metres, so as he like this? What had happened to his body?
Gotou forced hih he was staggering
After passing the second intersection, he saw Ishii’s back
Ishii was frantically looking around a dead-end road
’Ishii? Where’s the guy?’
– Haa, haa, haa
Gotou put both hands on his knees and was panting like a dog as he asked
’That’s… I saw him turn into this street, but – ’
Ishii was restless as he answered
’Did you lose him?’
’Rather than lose him… er… he disappeared’
’Disappeared!?’
’Yes’
In his anger, Gotou grabbed Ishii’s collar
’There’s no way somebody could disappear! I’ll beat you up if you ise,’ said Ishii, his face twitching
Gotou thought about giving Ishii a punch, but his body was at its liround
Sas co down his forehead like somebody had splashed hih I definitely would’ve been able to catch him before
’Damn it!’
Gotou howled towards the sun
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4
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When Makoto went into the hospital room, the woman on the bed slowly opened her eyes
It was the woman who had fainted at the scene of the o
After Makoto found her, she immediately called for an ambulance to take her to the hospital
She was very weak, but there were no obvious injuries and she was clearly conscious She could be let out of hospital after two or three days of treatment Now, she had an IV drip with nutrients
’Are you all right?’
When Makoto spoke to her, the woman tried to sit up
’Please don’t strain yourself’
Makoto urged the woman to lie down and sat on the round chair by the bed
’You saved me Thank you very much,’ said the wo by,’ said Makoto as she shook her head She looked at the woht nose and alh her makeup had come off, she was still very attractive
’My name is Murakami Yuki’
’I’m Hijikata Makoto’
’Why were you at that place?’
The woency I was gathering o’
’So that’s why you were there…’
Yuki nodded in understanding
Fro had happened there in the past
’Murakami-san, ere you there?’
Yuki’s expression stiffened at Makoto’s question It seemed like she didn’t want to say
Makoto couldn’t force somebody to speak when they’d just met, so she looked for another conversation topic
’I work as a television reporter,’ said Yuki, breaking the silence
’Is that so?’
Makoto followed up, though she was confused
’Though it’s just a local cable channel…’
’Were you there to gatherar?’
’There is a ru after the mystery of the spiritual phenomena, I went there with a director and an exorcist’