Episode 0 - Chain Mail - Part 11 - Alt. Route

 Don't forget to read the last part if you missed it!

In the previous post, I promised to release the next part earlier, and here it is! Sadly, it will be even shorter than the past 2 posts, but its importance remains the same. Let's begin, shall we?

"S-sir! Someone's coming!"

"Over here! Hurry and hide!"

[Screen is pitch black.]

Apparently, we went unnoticed. The three of us held our breaths within a narrow shadow.

[Sound of stuff being shuffled around.]

I hear some noise. What on earth are they doing? I can't see anything from here.

[A plop is heard.]

What was that sound? It sounds like something heavy has been dropped on the floor... But it's not inorganic, it seems rawer.

They seemed to be preparing for something for a while, but soon enough, a well-defined female voice came through.

She spoke a foreign language from somewhere. I just know it wasn't English. The woman continuously chanted spell-like words in an inflected voice.

This might be our chance. Now that the woman's mind is focused on other things, I might be able to confirm our situation.

I gave a signal to Mr. Kogure, and watched the woman's actions from the shadows.

There stood an unbelievable sight. She looked lovingly at the carelessly chopped lump of meat in her hand, kissing and licking it.

A reality that makes you not believe your eyes even when in front of you. If hell exists, it must not be very different from this.

Is this the true identity of the killer...? Are they and the nationally popular singer Miyuki Kawahara really {the same person}?

"T-that's Miyuki-chan...? Ri-ri-ridiculous...!"

Mr. Kogure was about to foam from the mouth and have a stroke.

I'm jealous of the Inspector, who's probably watching TV while eating some snacks, so jealous.

But we are police officers. Now that we have identified the suspect, it's time to catch them red-handed.

WHO!?

Damn it! She noticed us!

Since this happened, we have no choice. "Mr. Kogure! Secure the suspect!"

---No reply. "Huh? Mr. Kogure?" Mr. Kogure was lying at my feet with his eyes completely white.

"Kihiiiii...!" At the same time as a strange ear-splitting voice resounded, a tremendous amount of pressure was applied to my neck.

"Guh, gfhhh..." My faint breathing and voice leak out from my tightened neck.

Even when I tried to shake off her arm, it wouldn't budge. It's hard to believe this strength is coming from a woman.

I went on a deadly rampage. I slammed my fist on her face and kicked her in the stomach.

Even if my opponent was a woman, I showed no hesitation. I will be killed if this continues. So I followed my defensive instincts.

However, my resistance was futile, and as my consciousness slowly faded, I realized my whole body was losing strength...

(I'm... dying...?)

"......"

"...Kazami."

"Wake up, KAZAMI!"

"I-inspector...?"

"Didja finally wake up?"

"Inspector... Why are you here?"

"It's nothing, I just happened to pass by on the way home from buying betting tickets and found you guys lying down here."

"So, did you save us?"

"Save? I didn't do anything that absurd. When I came here, everyone was out cold."

"Everyone... Ah! How's Mr. Kogure!? And the culprit!?"

"Yes, sir! I am safe and sound! I'm sorry, sir. At the critical moment, I..."

"Both of us are safe, so let's just say it's okay. Besides, the culprit is...?"

"Yessir... That is..."

 "We made an emergency arrest. The guys from the First Investigative Division just took her away."

"I heard the general story from Kogure. That Miyuki Kawahara was the culprit, huh? The people from the media will be jumping up and down."

"After searching around this building for a bit, we found... We found human body parts all over the place. I can't believe she collected so many."

Nao Hayashi's testimony was correct. Without it, we wouldn't have been able to stop Miyuki Kawahara's murder spree.

Perhaps the one who saved me at that time was her. "Inspector... Where's Nao Hayashi...?"

 "Sir... That's the problem, by the time the Inspector arrived, Nao Hayashi had already disappeared."

 "No way... Why?"

 "I don't know, but I think she didn't want to be out in public. It probably would have affected her work."

Is that so? She does work as a make-up artist in the entertainment industry.

If this incident became public and she was known for making the accusation, the number of jobs given to her would decrease sharply regardless of whether she was right or wrong.

But alas, the police will press her for an interrogation. And she will definitely be put on the witness stand.

 "I wish I could do something to protect her livelihood... Right, Inspector? ...Huh? Inspector?"

The Inspector, who had been out of the conversation circle, was looking at an old portrait with interest.

Beautiful... But, there is something morbid about that beauty.

I feel like there is a bottomless madness in the depth of the eyes staring back at me.

 "I get it now... So you did that kind of trick, huh..."

 "Um... Inspector?"

 "In Medieval Europe... There was a woman who killed more than 300 young girls to perpetuate her beauty and life."

"The story goes that the woman cut up the bodies of those girls and took a bath in their blood."

 "That woman's name is {Elizabeth Báthory}. A female vampire infamous in history."

 "Speaking of which, Nao Hayashi said the same thing... The culprit's purpose is blood..."

So Miyuki Kawahara committed these horrifying serial killings because she wanted to perpetuate her beauty?

A hard-to-believe story to be sure, but undeniable.

The facts I saw through this case are too heavy for me...

Either way, while I feel like passing out right now, I need to sort out the whole incident before that...

And we're done for now. I didn't have the time to complete translating the Inference Logic segment, but still, I think the reveal is all this post needs. However, the next post will compensate for this one's shortness by going up to the end. So, what do you guys think of this reveal? Did you figure it out beforehand? I would like to know!

Anyway, see you next time!