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VOLUME 7 – THE LOCATION OF THE SPIRIT file 03: release ()
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1
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‘Masato-kun, don’t be selfish’
Haruka pulled at Masato’s arm as she pleaded
However, he didn’t reply He just looked at his feet withoutto take Masato home, but once they reached the convenience store, he started being stubborn, saying, ’I won’t go back’
It wasn’t like Haruka didn’t understand how Masato felt He wanted to find Yumiko no s were beco dark Since they had been late the day before as well, Haruka couldn’t bring hie as hi His uncle and aunt o back’
Masato’s tone was forceful
He wouldn’t budge an inch until he found Yuh clearly
’Your uncle orry, right?’
’I don’t want to go back’
’Masato-kun’
’I’ to look for Yumiko-chan until I find her’
It looked like Masato felt that was his duty
Haruka looked at Masato’s face and placed a hand on his shoulder
’I can’t do anything, in the end’
Masato bit his lip
’That’s not true’
’It is I still haven’t found Yu was his fault It hurt to watch him
’Please believe in us’
’I don’t want to!’
Haruka had said that to console him, but Masato interrupted her with a shout
’Masato-kun’
’Sensei, you always save h I should be the one to search, this is just the same as last time’
Masato’s face was red as his eyes welled up with tears
Haruka was trying to determine what to do when Yaku happen?>
Yakuh Haruka’s troubles
Even though he acted like he didn’t have any interest in others, the truth was that he paid more attention than anybody else
’Masato-kun doesn’t want to go ho to search for Yumiko-chan’
<So you don’t knohat to do>
’Yeah’
Haruka felt like Yaku on the other side of the phone
<Hand the phone to Masato I’ve got a request>
’A request?’
<Just hand it over>
Haruka did as Yaku him that ’Yakumo-kun has a request’
’Hello…’
Masato answered the phone, sounding confused
Haruka didn’t knohat they were saying, but she could see Masato’s dispirited expression becoo back and look into it’
After saying that, Masato returned the phone to Haruka
Yakued Masato’s ic
’Hey, what did you say to Masato-kun?’ asked Haruka quietly, turning her back to Masato and stepping a little ways away
<I asked hi?’
<Yeah I asked hihters to find out where they’ve searched for Yumiko-chan>
Could it be –
’An excuse to o home?’
<I’m not you – I wouldn’t lie like that>
’But’
<I have an idea, though vague, about where she is>
’Eh?’
Her voice jue it is just a theory, but if that location has already been searched, that would >
’I see’
<Well, I can’t deny that it was also an excuse toabout the search, it didn’t have to be Masato That was probably theif you think Masato’s just a kid He has his own fir to hiht Masato had his own fir treated as a childto do?’
<Gotou-san is taking me back>
’Then I’ll drop Masato-kun off and co up
Yakumo said that he had an idea about where Yumiko was Perhaps they would find her soon
Haruka’s chest was filled with that hope
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2
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After exiting the clinic, Gotou drove Yakumo to Haruka’s hoano precinct was
He was going to get inforiven hi information from a precinct in a different jurisdiction
Gotou parked in the Nagano precinct parking lot with heavy feelings
The three-storey building with a flat roof seee Gotou hit his cheeks to clear his h the waiting area lined with sofas, put his elbows on the reception counter and called out to a uniformed officer nearby
’Sorry, but could you call the officer named Wakabayashi-san for me?’
’What is your business with him?’
The officer looked incredibly annoyed
’Gotou from the Metropolitan Police came – he’ll understand if you tell him that’
When Gotou said that with a hand wave, the officer cocked his head but still picked up the internal phone After a short exchange, he said, ’Please wait there’
Gotou sat on the bench by the wall and absent in the lobby
’You really came?’
After about five minutes, Wakabayashi showed up with an exasperated sestured with his chin to suggest they go out
Little gestures like this rery since he’d been gone for two days without leave – Gotou started worrying about that a little bit too late
’Do you have a car?’ asked Wakabayashi after they exited the front entrance
’Yes, I do’
’Then shall we go around the block?’ said Wakabayashi
Gotou was grateful for the suggestion Inside the car, he wouldn’t have to worry about anybody listening in and they would be able to talk in depth
’It’s this one’
Gotou walked with Wakabayashi towards the parking space where he’d parked his car
’I’m sorry about how Kurita acted earlier’
Wakabayashi bowed his head as he walked
This ined if he could offer an honest apology like this to a detective outside his jurisdiction
’Ah, that? I did so unnecessary too’
’That’s true’
Wakabayashi laughed heartily with shaking shoulders
He didn’t seeuy
Gotou sat in the driver’s seat and Wakabayashi sat in the passenger’s
’Do you arettes[1] from his pocket
That was some refined taste
’Go ahead’
’How about you?’
With a cigarette in his mouth, Wakabayashi held the case out towards Gotou
Gotou wanted to s when he took in Nao
’I stopped’
’Worried about your health?’
’No, it’s for h he was the one who said it, he couldn’t help but feel ehter?’
’That surprising?’
’You don’t look ht Gotou was still a bachelor He didn’t understand the reason well himself, but it seemed like he didn’t smell like family
’I’m often told that,’ replied Gotou
Wakabayashi sic smell of tobacco made him feel itchy, but Gotou started the car
’Do you knoho the body is?’
After driving for a while, Gotou spoke to Wakabayashi again
’I can’t tell you… is what I want to say, but it’s going to be in the newspapers to on blood type too All we know is it’s a woman’
’Is that all…’
Gotou felt disappointed about the lack of information, but it had just been a short time The corpse was a skeleton – it wouldn’t be easy to discern anything
’And we don’t have certain investigation results yet, but that corpse is at least thirty years old’
’It must have been buried for a while’
’Not definitely’
’Eh?’
’It could have been buried there recently’
’AH’
Gotou certainly couldn’t deny that possibility
’Are you really a detective?’
’Thinking isn’tpoint’
’See about it, it was an awful thing for Wakabayashi to say, but ry Perhaps because of Wakabayashi’s atmosphere
He turned left at the intersection and left the town area’
’Do you kno she died?’
’There was a sign of a depression of the skull Probably hit with so blunt in the head’
’Rather awful’
’Really Ganging up to beat a frail wo a person should do’
Wakabayashi said that with anger
It really wasn’t so a person should do – Gotou looked out thegrihts, there weren’t ?’
Gotou asked another question after a pause
’That’s tough too… No leads at all’
Wakabayashi blew out smoke and scratched the back of his neck
Gotou could feel his irritation at the investigation that wasn’t going the way he thought it would
’Has it been two days since she’s gonearound her house, but we can’t even find any evidence’
’Do you not know the reason either?’
’We don’t She’s too young for a disappearance It would be easy to think somebody kidnapped her, but there was no ranso – was probably how Wakabayashi felt
’Do you think she was spirited away?’ said Wakabayashi while pressing the cigarette into the ashtray
’Spirited away?’
’Like when tengu or demons take children away’
Co aside whether she was spirited away or not, we think that she disappeared because of a ghost’
That wasn’t what Gotou thought It was a second-hand opinion frohed at, but for soht believe hihost That ghost is leading her to wander while ignoring what she wants to do’
Wakabayashi didn’t agree or deny what Gotou said He just looked out thesilently
The silence continued
Finally, Wakabayashi spoke, like he was holding soirl that disappeared isadded up with that one sentence
Wakabayashi was listening to crazy stories about ghosts seriously and cooperating with Gotou from outside his jurisdiction because he was in a situation where he had to take any port in a storm
Wakabayashi suddenly seemed much older
’Is that so…’
’You two think that the kid’s disappearance and the discovery of the corpse are related soh it’s just our instinct’
’Tell ’
Wakabayashi crossed his arhost that’s possessing the girl is probably the corpse found under the tree’
’I see’
’Who is that? Why is she possessing the girl? If we understand the reason, we can find the girl That’s e think’
Though Gotou declared these things, this was all knowledge from Yakumo
Wakabayashi’s eyes looked distant
’Why did this happen?’
The flickering streetlights illuminated Wakabayashi’s face
His eyes looked like they could be s
For a while, neither of theine sounded excessively loud
’This is the curse of the witch,’ said Wakabayashi quietly with his eyes closed
Gotou didn’t understand what his words meant –
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– I wonder what sort of woht about the woman whom she knew only the name of
Curse? That was ridiculous She was suspected and oppressed She lost the person who supported her How did she feel?
Was she angry at the people who cornered her? Or –
Haruka’s chest prickled with pain as she iined it
When she returned ho in
’Yaku door, Yaku that looked difficult
He didn’t lift his head
’What are you reading?’
She peered in from beside Yakue There was a pile of siether on it, but at points, some of them were blurred
’I found this at the Kinasa Clinic’
Yakurim expression
’The clinic – as in the place where theinteresting’
Yakuh the box on the table and pulled out a photo
It looked like it was taken at a high elevation, with the Togakushi round stood a -haired wohtly doards
It was black-and-white with the colours warped at places, so it was hard to deter clearly But –
’Could this woman be…’
’Correct She’s Rin-san,’ said Yakumo
’She…’
Haruka took the photo in her hand and looked at it again
She really couldn’t see the face clearly, but from her appearance, she didn’t look like a witch at all She looked as dignified as her naest[2]
’The person beside her is the clinic doctor His na in the photo
’Were they married?’
’I don’t know But…’
’What?’
’No, never mind’
Yakumo smiled self-derisively and took back the words he had started to say
When he responded like that, Haruka becaain, but Yakuo?’
Yakuh his hair
’Ah, well A lot of things are still vague, but…’
She’d only given a su and reported the details of the inforathered to Yakumo
Yakumo looked disinterested with his chin in his hand, but when she mentioned that Rin’s son had red eyes and a horn on his head, his expression changed completely
’Is that true?’
’I don’t know There was a rumour like that…’
’I see’
Yakumo said that quietly and crossed his arave the file she had received from Yoshii to Yakumo It was a file of copies of articles about the e h it with a difficult expression
Finally, he murmured, ’I see,’ and shut the file loudly
’Did you figure so out?’
’I have no positive proof, but I see the outline of the case’
’Hey, what do youI need to confir out his mobile
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4
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Ishii received a call fro I want you to look into
After receiving Yakumo’s instructions, Ishii went to the hospital immediately
He was there to h the entrance, took the stairs to the baseh the dim and damp corridor to push open the door to the autopsy roorin appeared on Hata’s wrinkled face
Because they were in the autopsy roo his face usually looked
’E-excuse me… It’s Ishii Yuutarou’
’Oh, it’s you, Ishii-kun? Haven’t found Gotou yet?’
’No, I knohere he is, but… More i I would like you to confirm…’
Ishii wiped the sweat froot to play with that soon’
Hata pointed at the stainless steel bed in the middle of the room
The head was on top of it
Its skin ollen so Ishii couldn’t tell how old it was or what its face used to look like Only those open eyes kept looking at Ishii blankly
And those eyes were dyed deep red –
’Actually, that is what I would like you to confirm’
Even while Ishii prepared to run away, he looked at the head
’Oh? What do you want to know about this guy?’
Hata stooped over and looked at the head, s happily
He really was appropriate for his job as a coroner Ishii felt like he would faint at any moment
’Ah, er Actually, Yakumo-shi had a request…’
Ishii cleared his head and continued speaking
’From Yakumo-kun?’
’Yes’
’What is it?’
’Ah, yes About that… He wanted to confirm whether there were any injuries on that head’
’Injuries… That man died from a head injury… Is that what Yakumo-kun thinks?’
’I don’t know…’
Ishii wasn’t certain
That was all he had heard from Yakumo on the phone Ishii didn’t have any idea why he wanted to confir into that even without being told’
’Is that so? Then please contact me once you have the results’
Ishii wanted to leave this place as soon as he could
’Ishii-kun’
’Yes?’
’Could you help ether
’Eh? Me?’
– Again?
’It won’t take any ti, Hata took latex gloves out of his doctor’s gown and threw theent…’
’Could you hold this for a second?’ said Hata, ignoring Ishii
– Hold this?
’Hurry it up!’
’Ah, yes, er…’
’You just have to hold it’
Hata’s eyes goggled at him like a fish’s A shiver ran down Ishii’s spine
It was the first time Ishii had seen Hata look like that If Ishii refused, he ht be eaten froloves he was given
’J-just for a bit’
’You just have to press down the head’
’Ugh…’
When Ishii approached, the smell of formalin prickled at his nose
Ishii held down the head with shaking hands
The skin ollen so it was squishier than he iined
– I really can’t do this
Ishii ju forith both hands
Then, the head fell of the stainless steel bed and rolled to Ishii’s feet
The deep red eyes stared at Ishii
’Eek!’
He was already at his limit As Ishii shrieked, he fainted
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5
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’I’ door, Yaku opposite each other The at about a breakup
’What’s with this awfulextremely annoyed
’You’re much more awful, Gotou-san’
’What’s that supposed to mean?’
’Obviously, I mean exactly what I said’
Yakuets on my nerves – Gotou sed his irritation and sat cross-legged on the tatah Yakumo asked the question himself, he let out a disinterested yawn
– What kind of attitude is that?
Though Gotou was angry, he explained in as ot out of Wakabayashi He wanted to keep it short, but he didn’t knohat Yakumo would pick up on
’I see…’
When Gotou finished explaining, Yakuh
’How about you?’
Gotou wanted to know the inforathered The story was so scattered that parts of it were confusing
Like he thought explaining would be a pain, Yaku to Haruka: ’I’ll leave it to you’
Though Haruka complained, she explained in detail about what she’d heard from the journalist narandmother
She spoke particularly emotionally about the woman nao It seemed that she empathised with her situation
’So what do you know?’
When Haruka finished explaining, Gotou asked Yakumo that question
’Before I explain, I want you to confirm what Masato has found out about the search for Yumiko-chan,’ Yaku out her mobile phone to contact Masato She spread out aup
’Hoas it?’ asked Yakumo
’The search is froakushi plateau It see on the reservoir and river’
’I see’
Gotou nodded at Haruka’s explanation
It appeared they had expanded the search area from where she disappeared Probably to determine if she had become lost or if there was an accident
’Hey, do you knohere Yu Yakuer to his brow and sat there, but he finally lifted his head like he had thought of solint in his red left eye
’Probably…’
Yakuulped as they waited for Yakumo to continue
’She’s probably around here’
After a lengthy pause for effect, Yakuone to with Yakumo today and the cedar tree in Arakurayama
’Why do you think she’s here?’ asked Gotou
There was a twenty-kilometre distance between Asakahere Yumiko lived, and Arakurayama And it was a steep o there
’Gotou-san, from what you said earlier, the corpse found at the cedar tree is froo – correct?’
’Yeah’
’That corpse is probably Rin-san, persecuted as a witch forty-five years ago’
’That’s… Then, Rin-san…’
Haruka’s voice was filled with sorrow
’She’s already dead She was killed,’ Yakumo said indifferently
’That’s awful…’
After her surprise, Haruka lowered her eyelashes sadly
However, Gotou wasn’t surprised After hearing what Haruka said, it linked up
Haruka must have felt the same way She probably just didn’t want to believe it
’Rin-san’s ghost possessed Yu?
’What for?’
’I have Ishii looking into that forup in the conversation now? Gotou didn’t understand
’That doesn’t have anything to do with it, right?’
’It does’
’How’s it related?’
’You’ll find out soon enough,’ said Yaku on airs
Gotou clicked his tongue
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6
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After discussing with Yaku lot alone
The jet black e atht sky was filled with stars There were many more stars than she could see in tTokyo
The air also felt tense
’We’ll be up early tomorrow You should sleep’
She heard a voice fro around It was Yakumo
’I wonder if Yu up at the sky
’If you doubt that, you won’t be able to do anything any h he always acted collected, he was just pressing down his feelings – he was anxious hiht’
Haruka looked at Yakuht, his red left eye seelitter
’Do you think Rin-san is resentful?’
As Yakumo said that, he looked up at the sky
She was persecuted as a witch She lost the person who supported her In the end, she died herself too It was such a sad life It would be natural for her to hate the world
But –
’I feel like Rin-san doesn’t hate anyone’
It was just a wish, but Haruka felt like in the ghost photo, Rin didn’t have any resentet angry – ’Don’t make a decision with speculation’ – but he nodded, like he was agreeing
’In my theory, Rin-san isn’t resentful – that is the premise’
’Then if she is resentful?’
’We won’t find Yumiko-chan’
Yakuh Yaku clear evidence, this tiht not have been able to do anything else
Nor the person, listen to them and solve the case, but this time, Yumiko, who had been possessed, had disappeared They hadn’t met her even once
Furthermore, the search area ide, included dark forests, and they couldn’t guarantee the time
Even if it was just a wish, all they could do noas believe in it and act
’This is why you grew up’
Yakurew up here This is my hometown’
’When I came last ti while showing his white teeth
He was probably talking about the time he was abducted and confined Yakumo had come here then too, but there hadn’t been the time to look up at the starry sky like this
’It’s a nice place, right?’
Haruka kneould co like ’It isn’t or ’It’s the countryside’ But what Yakumo replied was completely different from what she expected
’This is my hometown too’
– Eh?
Yakumo-kun shouldn’t have been born here Then why?
’Hey, Yakumo-kun What do you…’
’You’ll understand to that, Yakumo narrowed his eyes
His red left eye looked a little bit wet –
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7
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Gotou rubbed his sleepy eyes as he drove on the winding er seat had even messier bedhead as usual as he vacantly looked out theIn the back seat, Haruka and Masato sat next to each other, looking anxious
’Hey, Yakumo Who killed that Rin woman?’
From what he’d heard yesterday, Rin was killed by so that out would lead the the case
’You don’t know?’ said Yaku out the
The way he said that made Gotou think Yakumo already knew the answer
’I don’t know’
’Please think about it calaze to Gotou
’I’ about it!’
’Please don’t speak so loudly’
Yakuers in his ears
’Just tell h this is just a theory, there were people ere prejudiced against Rin-san, yes?’
’The landowner’s son and the local officer?’
’Yes’
Yaku a demon were Takafumi, the second son of the landowner fae officer
’So they didn’t just chase her out – they killed her?’
’That is very likely’
’They can’t have really thought she was a witch, right?’
’They really thought she was a demon’
Gotou’s eyes ide at Yakuht?’
’No As is clear froathered yesterday, Rin-san wasn’t treated as a witch just by those two but by the whole village, and she was persecuted for it’
’Why would that happen?’ Haruka interrupted, like she couldn’t hold herself back
’That’s the sort of place this is’
Yaku annoyed