Episode 1 - Mr. Kokkuri - Part 6

Don't forget to read the first part, or the previous post if you haven't!

In the last part, we witnessed an unusual car crash, with only a single talisman as its culprit. After that, we listened to a lecture by Junya's brother, and now, we'll meet the man himself. Let's begin, shall we?

"Why, I'm honored to meet your older brother, sir. I, Souichirou Kogure, am somewhat nervous!"

"You shouldn't get your hopes up too high, Mr. Kogure. My brother is quite the oddball."

??? - "Who's the oddball, Junya?"

"Brother!"

"Long time no see, Junya. What's up? Aren't you working today?"

"Yeah. I'm here for a case, kind of."

"...Is that so? Well, let's go to my office." We followed his prompt and began to move to his office.

"That reminds me, brother, we met with Ms. Hitomi today too."

"...Was she doing well?"

"Yeah. I used to think she was coldhearted, but she's very passionate about her work and gave me a lot of advice."

"...I see."

I was told that Ms. Hitomi and my brother were friends from college.

{Suimei Kirisaki} is a bachelor living by himself. Like Ms. Hitomi, he is 29 years old. [...That was sudden. But then, how is he Junya's brother-in-law?]

He spends most of his time in his professor's office, rarely returning to his apartment.

I was still in elementary school when my brother, who is seven years older than me, came to our house.

[Okay. So, what they meant by 'brother-in-law' is 'adopted brother'. Considering the literal meaning of the original term was 'brother by social obligation', that could be one of its translations.]

At the time, my older brother was in the third grade of middle school. His parents died unexpectedly, and he was taken in by my family.

My father told me that he and my brother's biological father were old acquaintances. He didn't tell me much about why, but he said he knew him from work.

He wasn't adopted after he came to our house, so he isn't actually my adopted brother. Legally, he is a stranger.

I just call him "brother" because he has been like a brother to me since I was a child. He also dotes on me as a younger brother.

He fundamentally doesn't trust other people, probably because he wandered around from one relative to another until he came to our house.

Ms. Hitomi and I are one of the few people Suimei Kirisaki opens his heart to.

The densely packed bookshelves. The desk overflowing with documents.

My brother's office truly is a scholarly room.

"It's very different from when I was here last year. It's still filled with stacks of books, but they're much more organized."

"Y-yeah... that's because of a student I started teaching this year. What can I say, they're a pain to deal with."

Why would he consider the student who cleans his office for him to be troublesome? My brother really is a weirdo.

"Well, make yourself comfortable." My brother pulled a cigarette out of the breast pocket of his worn shirt and began to puff tobacco with a sour expression on his face.

'If smoking is so unsavory for you, why don't you quit?' I always think that whenever I see my brother smoking.

"By the way, Junya. Who's that chunky guy?" My brother said without any reservations.

It seems that he finally noticed Mr. Kogure's presence, even though he had been with us since a while ago.

Pop. Said "chunky guy" introduced himself with a smile as best as he could, although you could see a vein in his forehead.

"I am Sergeant Souichirou Kogure of the Inui Police Department, and I am investigating the case together with my senior. Sir!"

My brother acknowledges this, and after exhaling some tobacco smoke, answers curtly, "I'm Kirisaki". Then, looking dull, he yawns once.

Pop pop. Mr. Kogure doesn't seem to deal well with this kind of person. I think my brother noticed this as well and is poking fun at him on purpose.

This man named Suimei Kirisaki is always looking for an object of interest. And today, it appears that poor Mr. Kogure became his victim.

I didn't know what would happen if I left things as they were any longer, so I decided to forcefully cut to the chase.

"Brother, I need you to look at this."

"...Is it Mr. Kokkuri?"

"Yep."

"What does this have to do with the case?"

"...We're still not sure."

I didn't miss the twinkle in my brother's eye. That was good. He seemed to be interested.

And to prove it, my brother began to talk eloquently about Mr. Kokkuri.

"Mr. Kokkuri became popular in Japan in the early Meiji period, and was based on "table-turning", a form of psychic fortune-telling that arrived here at the time of our civilization's opening to the West."

"Table turning is a Western séance technique which even (Arthur) Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, once immersed himself into."

"The most popular theory of its origin at the moment is that it was spread by an American sailor who drifted ashore at the Shimoda Harbor in 1884, but, well, that's not really important."

"When table-turning was introduced to Japan, it was simplified from a large round table to a crude tray, then to a sheet of paper, and transformed into a quick and easy pastime for the masses."

"The philosopher Enryou Inoue, who was concerned about the people's easy belief in the bizarre, played an active role in the Mr. Kokkuri boom that took place during the Meiji era."

"He educated the public that Mr. Kokkuri was a physiological phenomenon caused by automatic muscular motion and had nothing to do with spiritual phenomena, and this helped to put an end to that commotion."

"The word "kokkuri" was thought to be related to the Great Deity Inari [The god of harvests who has foxes as its messengers] due to the phonetic use of the kanji for fox, dog and tanuki, however, the word truthfully had a very short history as it was created in the Meiji period, making it be regarded as unrelated to Inari."

"In China, there existed a similar form of divination based on muscle movement called "Furan" from the time of the Six Dynasties, but for some reason, this form of divination did not make its way to Japan."

"Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Angel, Mr. Cupid, Mr. Orikiri, Mr. Bunshin..." ["bunshin" here can mean "alter ego" or "part of the self"]

"There are many different names for it, but they all can be explained by automatic muscle movements due to {autosuggestion}. This is the prevailing theory."

Since he went out of his way to add that it's the prevailing theory, that must be my brother's opinion too.

"Is it possible for someone to die due to Mr. Kokkuri?" My brother looked at me with a slightly surprised face.

However, he soon muttered to himself, as if satisfied, "I see. You were assigned to the First Investigative Division, weren't you?"

My department mainly handles murder cases. My brother must have been reminded of this.

"...Listen, Junya, there are many things in this world that cannot be explained by science alone."

"As westernization progressed, Japanese people eliminated old traditions and customs and rode the wave of rapid economic growth, believing that science was absolute."

"But there are still invisible forces in the Japanese spirit that are far removed from science, such as curses, hauntings, and grudges, that remain as objects of fear."

"Even if Mr. Kokkuri's real nature is a kind of hypnosis brought about by self-suggestion, it can only happen because we fear and believe it."

"So it wouldn't surprise me if Mr. Kokkuri caused effects that science couldn't explain."

"Because the human mind itself cannot be explained by science..."

After hearing my brother's answer, I presented the two pieces of paper to him. Maybe he could give me some clues.

The first one we found in the library and borrowed.

The second was the piece of paper stuck to the driver's seat of the empty car that attacked Yuka Kamiyama.

Since there was no way I could secretly borrow it in that situation, this is just a copy of what I saw.

"This is a charm to ward off foxes." My brother mumbled as he fiddled with his chin with his right hand.

"The first is to prevent a fox or {fox possessed} from entering the room, and is placed on all sides of the room to serve as a ward."

"Fox possessed...?"

"Well, let's just say it's someone possessed by a fox spirit."

"A person possessed by a fox... you say?"

"Look at the writing on the talisman: Four dogs are surrounding a fox. This is meant to contain it."

"And the nine lines of the cage are meant to represent the nine-character charm used to ward off evil, thereby conquering the demonic..."

"What about the second one?"

Sorry brother, but if we don't get to the point and move on, we'll be stuck here until the next morning.

"...The second one seems to be a talisman to ward off fox possession. Where did you find it?" I explained about the mysterious accident that had occurred this morning.

"I see. Originally, you were meant to write it down with deep red on top of a plate, then fill it with water fetched early in the morning and drink it..."

"After that, you would pray with purifying words to scare away the fox, but to do it with the driver's seat is an ingenious method. Fascinating, truly fascinating."

I don't want him to be too amused, but no one can stop him once he gets like this. Like a child who has been given a wonderful toy, he is fascinated by the talisman with sparkling eyes.

Anyway, I found out that the two talismans were related to "fox possession". That was all I needed to know.

"Thanks, brother." With his eyes glued to the talisman, my brother waved me off.

"Mr. Kokkuri and fox possession, huh..."

"D-don't tell me, sir... Do you seriously believe that Mr. Kokkuri is haunted or cursed?"

Mr. Kogure's voice was trembling. I can understand that feeling. What is this unexplainable sense of uneasiness?

The serial suicides. The blood removed by somebody unknown.

Mr. Kokkuri. Fox possession.

If we don't get the information straightened out once and for all at this point, it is going to get more and more confusing. Besides, we still have to decide on the future direction of our investigation.

The question is, what do we believe in? Will we rely on reliable science and common sense, or will we fearfully pursue this inexplicable reality?

You could say this is a fork in the road of destiny. This decision will greatly change the path we will take in the future---

Future Direction of the Investigation

To begin with, is this case really a suicide?

                                           >Considering everything, the likelihood is high.

       >It may not be suicide.

Let's end here. This was hell to translate in a small amount of time, however, it was very interesting as well. I'll spoil something real quick: I'll first go towards the "realist" route, after all, we don't want the crazy to run out too fast, do we? Also, if you're wondering why this was released one day early, it's because I might not have the time to post tomorrow.

Either way, see you next time!

168 - Furan

【扶鸞、furan】

[Lit. "Assistance from Luán", Luán being a mythical Chinese bird. The Chinese reading is "fú luán"]

A type of fortune-telling using Chinese séance techniques, read as "furan" or "fukei". A tray filled with sand called a "saban" [It could potentially be a board made of sand, the wording's pretty vague] has a T- or Y-shaped willow branch called a "pointing brush" placed on top of it, and the characters and symbols spelled out on the board are used to obtain messages from the gods and spirits. As a casual form of divination for the masses, it became very popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and many secret societies were founded as a result.

Although "Furan" is similar to the Japanese "Mr. Kokkuri" and the overseas "Ouija board", it has a long history and can be traced back to the belief in the deity Shiko [Lit. Purple mother-in-law. Take this with a grain of salt as the characters most likely have different meanings in China], which originated around the 7th century.

The deity Shiko is a Chinese restroom goddess, a brilliant woman murdered by her husband's first wife due to jealousy who then became revered as a god, and the origin behind the famous school ghost story featuring a figure clad in a purple kimono appearing in the school toilets.

The belief in Furan, especially its ability to grant wishes and give appropriate advice for the recovery of the sick, is still alive and well in China and Taiwan, although not to the same extent as during the Qing and Ming dynasties.

133 - Table-turning

【テーブルターニング、teeburu-taaningu】

A Western séance technique also known as table-tilting or even table-tipping.

Several people sit around a table, place both hands on top of it, then evoke the spirits, and even though no one moves the table, it shifts and tilts, making various sounds as its legs hit the floor. The number of times the table moves and makes noise is used to communicate with the spirits.

Victor Hugo, the great French writer famous for "Les Misérables", was also a great fan of this table-turning, and he left behind an extensive record of the two years he spent communicating with the spirits in his villa.

Hugo communicated with Caesar, Napoleon, and even abstract concepts such as "The World Spirit" and "The City", which he discussed with the future of humanity and the earth.

Faraday, the English chemist, and physicist, famous for discovering the law of electrolysis, also physically tested table-turning. First, Faraday had the subjects perform table-turning in a normal manner. The table mysteriously began to move as expected.

However, he then had the table-turning performed while having placed a piece of paper between the table and the hands. The table did not move, but the paper between the table and the hands moved. This proved that the table did not move by the power of the spirits.

In the next experiment, the table was marked so that the subjects could visually recognize that it was moving, but when they were able to see the markers, the table did not move at all.

In other words, he demonstrated that by visually eliminating the factors that cause the hand to move unconsciously, the table ceases to move. His experiments established that table-turning is caused by unconscious, automatic muscular motions.

86 - Autosuggestion

【自己暗示、jiko-anji】

It refers to the phenomenon of an event or matter changing the way something ought to be by appealing to one's unconscious mind. That is to say, by "assuming" the progression of events, one affects the outcome. Image training in sports, for example, is an attempt to achieve positive results through autosuggestion.

In the first place, self-suggestion can be considered a form of mind control in which one repeatedly addresses the subconscious mind and misleads the brain, thereby manipulating the body itself, its behavior, and its abilities, all of which are controlled by the brain.

By making people believe that ordinary water is "lacquer" [A type of liquid or powder used to create a hard finish on objects] through suggestion, the affected person's hands get a rash when immersed in the water. Conversely, it has been reported that when people were told that lacquer was just water and then dipped their hands in it, they did not develop a rash.

Although it's known that suggestion does indeed affect the human body, the mechanisms underlying the brain and body are not yet fully understood, and it's currently unknown why this phenomenon occurs.

The idea that "beliefs" can affect the body has existed since ancient times, such as the saying, "sickness begins in the mind". When a child is injured, they may try to relieve the pain by rubbing the affected area with words such as "pain, pain, fly away", which can be considered a kind of autosuggestion.

75 - Conan Doyle

【コナン・ドイル、konan doiru】

English novelist who created the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, born in 1859 in Edinburgh, England, to a family of Irish descent.

After studying medicine at university and opening his own practice, he wrote novels in his spare time and published his first work, "A Study in Scarlet," in 1887, to little popular acclaim. However, his popularity exploded with the publication of "The Sign of the Four" in 1890.

After that, he continued to publish his works tirelessly. Although Holmes's popularity remained unshakable, Doyle himself was not pleased with Holmes's fame. He continued to be active outside of fiction, serving as a physician in the South African War and being knighted in 1902.

But in his later years, he lost his beloved son in World War I. Doyle gradually became interested in a certain subject. Psychic phenomena.

Through communication with the spirit world, he heard the voice of his deceased son, and since then he believed in psychic phenomena and the afterlife, eventually joining the British Association for Psychic Research. However, he became dissatisfied with the association's efforts to expose and elucidate psychic phenomena, leading to his resignation from the organization.

In 1920, Doyle received a photograph. It was a picture of a girl accompanied by fairies. After conducting various investigations, Doyle concluded that the photo was true, and as soon as it was published, there was a huge public outcry.

Later, in 1966, the woman who took the photo herself confessed that it was a hoax, proving that the photo was a fake, but this was already 36 years after Doyle's death.

63 - Ward

【結界、kekkai】

Wards were originally intended to separate the chaotic external world, or the natural world, which was outside the control of humans, from the orderly, pure internal world.

It is said that the practice of marking the boundary between the inside and outside of a temple and separating them is said to have originated in Buddhism. In other words, by separating the inside from the outside of the temple, the intention was to prohibit the intrusion of those who were not permitted to enter and to protect the order of the monks.

This was eventually passed on to esoteric Buddhism, where boundaries were established to protect against the presence of evil beings and curses.

In esoteric Buddhist practice, a ward is set up using sorcery to prevent the intrusion of foreign enemies, and the sign is often a talisman, a statue, or some other mystical instrument used to indicate the location of the boundary. However, the most familiar and common way of marking the result is the "shimenawa", or "consecrated rope".

The shimenawa is a sacred boundary that delimits the space between the outside and a sanctuary, making it impenetrable.

54 - Nine-character Charm

【九字、ku-ji】

This is a secret mantra of self-defense in Onmyoudou and Esoteric Buddhism. While using the index and middle fingers as a sword and cutting the air with the two fingers, one must chant the nine characters of

臨 (Rin)

兵 (Pyou)

闘 (Tou)

者 (Sha)

皆 (Kai)

陣 (Jin)

列 (Retsu)

在 (Zai)

前 (Zen)

[My dictionary says their collective meaning is "may the presiders over warriors be my vanguard", please consider it to be the more accurate translation than the following one]

This charm has its roots in Taoism, and can be found in the fourth-century Chinese book "Houbokuji", which states, "Present soldiers, warriors, one and all, join the battle formation, standing before me".

The sword gesture used while reciting the nine characters is called the "sword mudra" [Mudra is the name given to symbolic Buddhist hand gestures], which is believed to slice through the air, driving out evil. In addition to cutting with the sword mudra, each of the nine characters has a corresponding mudra, and by forming each mudra subsequently with both hands, sacred vibrations are generated and evil is purged.

Although the nine-character charm is one of the basic techniques of Shingon esoteric Buddhism, the actual performance of the nine-character charm requires a well-trained mind and imagination, it is not something that can be easily performed by an amateur.

The ninja, who are said to have had their roots in Shingon esoteric Buddhism and Onmyouji, are said to have practiced this nine-character charm as well, but it's believed to have been mainly for the purpose of mental concentration.

52 - Automatic Muscular Motion

【筋自動運動、kin-jidou-undou】

Also known as involuntary muscle movement. It is an instinctual movement of the human muscles, in which the muscles contract and move the body, albeit only slightly, and without the person being aware of it.

It is said that these phenomena occur due to muscular torsion, especially in a tense state. Mr. Kokkuri and dowsing are believed to be caused by such unconscious muscle movements.

However, other theories suggest that it is because the brain senses some pervading supernatural abnormality or alteration in the area, and this subconsciously moves the muscles.

42 - Fox Possession

【狐憑き、kitsune-tsuki】

In the past, the phenomenon of a person suddenly emitting strange noises as if possessed by some beast, or walking around in their arms and legs like an animal, was called "fox possession", and was thought to be caused by a fox spirit possessing the person.

Today, with the development of science and medicine, these phenomena have been shown to be caused by mental illness, head trauma, or addiction to alcohol or drugs. However, in the past, it was thought to be a sickness that could not be cured by a doctor, caused by possession by a fox.

In recent years, only such pathological phenomena are considered to be fox possession. Indeed, if one only looks at this aspect, fox possession may seem very evil, but it greatly influenced ancient beliefs.

Since ancient times, there have been "tsukimono", or "possessors", in Japan. [Lit. Things that possess] "Tsukimono" were animal spirits employed by people, and it was believed that by using these "tsukimono", they could curse others or draw in the wealth of other people's households. Those cursed and possessed by "tsukimono" showed animalistic behavior.

Although it may not seem plausible today, this idea may have functioned as a way of explaining otherwise inconceivable things such as regional wealth disparities or unknown illnesses. In other words, if a person contracted an unidentified disease, it was because they were "possessed", and if a family suddenly began to prosper, it was because they owned a "tsukimono", thereby explaining the situation.

When someone was possessed by something or made ill, and could not be cured by a doctor, the curse or misfortune would be exorcised through blessing and prayer by a specialized Onmyouji [Monks/sorcerers who mastered the manipulation of yin and yang] or other such practitioners.

The phenomenon of fox possession is a relatively new idea that began in modern times. Traditionally, foxes were thought of as messengers of the gods who heralded the harvest of rice crops, and while they were revered, they were also believed to be beasts that could bewitch people.

In the Edo period, the fox was revered as a guardian deity of fertility and prosperity, but was also associated with the true nature of various yokai, and was considered to have both a "holy" and "evil" face. These trends of fox deities and fox apparitions, combined with traditional prayers and sorcery, led to the belief that "foxes possess people".

In this process, a distorted perception was left behind, isolating only the disastrous aspect of "disease of unknown cause" = "possessed by a fox" = "spiritual disease". However, it is an undeniable fact that many legends of "bringing wealth" remain from the past, and such a way of thinking can be said to have fulfilled an admirable social function.

To understand these phenomena correctly, it is necessary to realize that there existed a system unique to the early modern period that cannot be rationally explained by modern science and medicine.

12 - Enryou Inoue

【井上円了、inoue enryou】

A Buddhist philosopher, he is also known as a denialist of superstitions, yokai, and other mysterious phenomena. Born in 1858 at Jikoji Temple in Niigata Prefecture, he entered the Department of Philosophy in the Faculty of Letters of the University of Tokyo at the age of 18.

Based on the idea that philosophy is the foundation of all thought and, by extension, the foundation of nations and civilizations, he has written numerous books on philosophy, as well as books advocating for the restoration of Buddhism.

Furthermore, he believed that in order to achieve true modernization, it was necessary to rid people of superstition, and as part of this effort, he proposed the study of yokai. By studying yokai and scientifically identifying their causes, he sought to thoroughly deny their existence.

Despite this attitude, however, he also acknowledges the existence of "Shinkai" [Lit. "true yokai", made by replacing the first character in yokai, 妖 "spirit, strange, ominous", with the kanji 真 "truth, reality, genuine"], mysteries that cannot be deciphered by science.

He was the first dean of the Tetsugakukan [Lit. House of Philosophy], the predecessor of Toyo University, and also contributed greatly to the development of philosophy by tirelessly giving lectures in various universities as an awareness campaign until he left this world in 1919, in Dalian, China, due to cerebral apoplexy.

11 - Great Deity Inari

【稲荷大明神、inari-daimyoujin】

[Daimyoujin is an honorific used for deities of great spiritual power. The kanji used in Inari's name are "rice plant" and "responsibility".]

Great Deity Inari, also called "Oinari-san" [I didn't translate the honorific this time because of the "o" before the name. This "o" shows respect towards the following noun, so it can also be used on objects. Example: Osushi], is one of Japan's most familiar and popular deities. Although today Inari is considered to be the god of Inari foxes, the name is thought to have originated from the word "inari", meaning "rice growing", having been an agricultural deity who was prayed to for a bountiful harvest of rice.

In the old days, when the rice harvest came, foxes living in the mountains descended to human villages to feed their young and scavenge for food. In other words, foxes were thought to be beasts that came down from the mountains as messengers of the mountain gods to announce the coming of the rice harvest.

Inari is also called "Osaki," which is believed to come from the word "osaki" [The "o" here is the same as the one pointed out before], which means "ahead", as the foxes would appear ahead of the harvest to announce it as messengers of the god.

It is said that the Great Deity Inari originated from Inari Shrine, as the patron deity of the Hata clan in Fushimi, Kyoto, but gradually became more widely spread among the people as it became associated with Shingon esoteric Buddhism.

In the Edo period (1603-1867), Inari became the object of worship for city dwellers and a fashionable deity, as it was believed that Inari could ward off misfortune and bring good fortune. As a popular Edo comical haiku goes, "In the town, there are churls, Inari, and dog dung" [I'm sorry, but there's no way I can make this fit the format of a haiku]. In other words, within a city, there were as many shrines to Inari as there were crude people or dog feces.

Some of the most prominent features of Inari shrines are the statues of foxes and the red torii gate. The fox statues are said to have their origin in the many offerings of fox statues to the shrine as prayers and gratitude.

The red torii [Lit. "where birds are/sit"] gate, the other symbol, is said to have originated from the word "tooriiru" which means "to pass through", as in "may my prayers pass through (to the gods)", having its origin be a play on words.

Episode 1 - Mr. Kokkuri - Part 5

Don't forget to read the first part, or the previous post if you haven't!

In the last part, we learned about the results of the autopsy, especially the mysterious lack of blood in the corpses. All this before lunch. Now, the no-longer-hungry detectives will figure out their next steps. Let's begin.

Connection between Incident and Blood

Was there a third party when Kaori Itou committed suicide?

       >Such a thing is impossible.

         >The possibility cannot be denied.

There's no way so much blood could disappear without any external help.

         >The possibility cannot be denied.

Then, was Kaori Itou's blood removed by human hands?

        >Correct.

                   >We can't be sure yet.

There's no need to believe in the supernatural for now.

       >Correct.

Was the blood of the first suicide victim, Narumi Hasebe, taken as well?

       >It's quite possible.

           >It's just not possible.

It obviously was.

       >It's quite possible.

So how did the culprit know they were going to die?

                  >There's just no way.

   >Precognition...?

Well... maybe they were murders? Or at least assisted suicide. But I guess there's no proof a third person was on the scene. Let's not deny it entirely, even if it means choosing the weird option.

   >Precognition...?

That's ridiculous. Precognition? I'm surprised that my own brain could come up with such an answer.

If I were to give such an answer to Ms. Hitomi, I would either receive a sigh of dismay or a sermon.

Let's be more realistic. Yeah. How about showing Ms. Hitomi the evidence I have in hand?

What evidence would be appropriate to show her?

                                              >The piece of paper found in the library. (Conclusion)

    >The Ouija board. (Conclusion)

I want to know the meaning behind the talisman, so why not?

                                              >The piece of paper found in the library. (Conclusion)

I took out the scrap of paper that I had tucked away in my breast pocket. The one I had found at Hanamine High School, that talisman.

"Um, could you look at this?" I handed over the piece of paper to Ms. Hitomi.

"What's wrong with it?" Contrary to my expectations, Hitomi's response was calm and collected.

'Is this the best you can come up with? I hoped you wouldn't disappoint me.' ...Her eyes clearly showed her disappointment.

"I think it would be better to show these kinds of dubious items to Kirisaki-kun, don't you think so? I'm not sure I can help you. It's outside my area of expertise."

"Kirisaki-kun" is the name of my brother-in-law. Suimei Kirisaki. He's a lecturer of folkloric studies at a university in Tokyo and has a strong interest in folklore and ghost stories.

Come to think of it, I received a lecture about Mr. Kokkuri a long time ago. That's right. I should go ask my brother for his opinion.

[Cut to black.]

We left the family restaurant and decided to take Ms. Hitomi, who had come all the way to tell us the results of the autopsy, back to her workplace.

Sunday 2:55 PM

Kamone University Hospital

"Thanks for taking me here. I have another autopsy to do, so if you'd excuse me.

Also, give my regards to Kirisaki-kun."

We cannot imagine how difficult it must be for someone to work both as a medical examiner and as an assistant professor at a university.

In between her intense work schedule, Ms. Hitomi came to provide us with valuable information.

Both Mr. Kogure and I saluted her as she turned back to look at us.

"Um... You're a detective, right?"

I turned around when I was called, and there stood a girl in a school uniform. I didn't recognize her. She's someone I've never met before.

Mr. Kogure quietly whispered in my ear. (Sir. That uniform, it's from Hanamine High School.) He remembered it even though we saw it only once.

"I'm Kaori Itou's classmate, I'm called {Yuka Kamiyama}." Her well-projected voice spoke volumes about her character.

Eyebrows that gave a feeling of strength. Eyes flashing with confidence. Long, wavy hair.

It's safe to say she is quite the beauty. She exudes a bewitching quality that makes it hard to believe that she is a high school girl. She probably stands out a lot in the school.

When I asked her what she wanted, she honestly confessed that she had seen us at school the day before yesterday.

Certainly, if she didn't see us that day, she wouldn't have talked to us today.

But, why here...? It's as if she knew we were going to show up here. This made her presence suddenly intrigue me.

The girl, who identified herself as Yuka Kamiyama, thought for a moment and then asked as if she had made up her mind. "...Did Kaori really commit suicide?"

"...What do you mean?" I deliberately played dumb. Since she went to the trouble of asking, she must have a reason to believe that Kaori Itou's death was not a suicide.

There are enough suspicious aspects to her death. For example, the blood that may have been taken away by a third person.

But, there is currently no evidence to answer the questions of who, why, and how.

I'd love to hear her rationale if she has any suspicions about Kaori Itou's death.

"You don't think it was suicide?"

"......"

"Why do you believe that?"

"......"

Her continued silence is frustrating. "Do you know anything at all?" My words became prickly.

That was a bad idea, and before I had time to stop her, she turned away and started running.

"Watch out!" Mr. Kogure's voice sounded out.

[Screen blinks white, and a car crash is heard.]

A white Sedan plowed into the hospital's main entrance, billowing smoke.

Onlookers gathered around to see from wherever they were hiding.

I ran over to Yuka Kamiyama, who was lying face down on the asphalt with a terrible complexion and large beads of sweat on her forehead.

She wasn't hit by the car. Thanks to Mr. Kogure pushing her out of the way, she was able to avoid the danger.

She appears to be uninjured, but at any rate, she needs to be tended to. Fortunately, we are on hospital grounds.

I'm more worried about the driver of the car. At that speed, I doubt they got away scot-free.

However, the person who should've been there was nowhere to be found.

That's absurd. This is a flat stretch of road, not a slope or anything. There is no way they could go that fast with no one stepping on the gas pedal.

They did not run away, nor were they thrown out of the car. To begin with, the engine of this car was not running.

[The talisman shows a square made of dog Kanji, with the words for fox, lion, tiger, and wolf beneath it.]

"Nn...?" Something's stuck to the driver's seat.

All that was left in the driver's seat was a strange piece of paper---

Sunday 4:19 PM

Sumino University

Sumino University, where the folklorist Suimei Kirisaki works, has its school building in a downtown area where a person can experience the feeling of the good old days.

Although it was founded in the early Showa period and has a respectable history, it seems to be called a third-rate university by test-takers and adults who worry about their credentials.

Before I came here, I tried calling my brother's cell phone, but it went to voicemail. When I called the university, a girl who seemed to be his assistant told me that he was in the middle of a lecture.

Today is Sunday, but it seems that the university is holding a special lecture for workers.

As for Yuka Kamiyama's concerning matter... She ended up regaining consciousness soon after and got off without a single injury.

Her mother came to pick her up and took her back home.

What was Yuka Kamiyama trying to tell us at that time? We will have to speak with her someday soon.

"Folklore--- That is, customs, beliefs, rituals, sermons, proverbs, and other pieces of knowledge that have been passed down and inherited by people for generations..."

"Many things seem strange to us modern people when we come to think about them again."

"But they are all the product of the wisdom of our ancestors, which is to say, the history of humankind."

"There is always some kind of meaning behind them. We must change this perception that folklore is a relic of the past."

"They still take shape and are closely connected to our lives. Yes... a particularly familiar one would be 'urban legends'."

"For example, do you know this story? This is a story I heard from a friend of a friend..."

"There once was a mother who married young and bore a child. She married at 17 and also had her child at 17. A so-called 'yanmama' [Japanese slang for young mother]."

"At first, she was enjoying her newlywed life, but soon she was too busy taking care of her child to go out with her friends her own age."

"The woman, who didn't have much free time, began to blame her child for taking away her freedom..."

"Then, on a fateful day, she slipped and dropped her less-than-one-year-old child to the ground."

"The police ruled it an accidental death, but needless to say, she intentionally dropped the baby."

"A few years after the incident, she divorced her now ex-husband and enjoyed her freedom, and married again to a young businessman she had met."

"A few years after she remarried, she gave birth to a child. This time she took good care of them and lived a happy life."

"The baby was growing so fast that they were getting a little too heavy for her to carry."

"The baby in her arms would open their mouth and speak something like this."

"Don't drop me this time..."

"Now, what is this rumor trying to tell us? Is it a lesson? A warning?"

"Or maybe it's ridiculous gossip that no one would believe. However, I believe the significance of folklore lies in the search for the hidden meanings and truths that lay within..."

We decided to wait for my brother to finish his lecture and exit the school building.

Let's end here. After a lecture, it's always good to take a break I say. In the next part, we'll finally meet Junya's 'brother' and learn a bit more about Mr. Kokkuri and the talisman.

See you then!