Don't forget to read the first or previous part if you haven't!
In the last part, we discover a link connecting this kidnapping case with two other vandalism cases, which all pointed to Satoko Anzai, the neighbor to the Saitous. In all these cases, the culprit sent messages in one way or another, for the two other cases, they were through letters. And, in those letters, stamps were posted, which may have been glued with the culprit's saliva. So now, we'll attempt to obtain some of Anzai's saliva for comparison by literally digging through her trash. Let's begin, shall we?
If we can collect Satoko Anzai's saliva, we'll obtain the evidence we need. When we first met her, she was chewing gum all the time. It wasn't just one or two pieces.
If there's gum mixed in with the garbage she has taken out, we'll be able to collect her saliva.
However, the Fingerprints and Other Evidence Handling Regulations prohibit the compulsory collection of a suspect's fingerprints and the like.
In such cases, the investigators must collect evidence in secret.
Collecting fingerprints and saliva without the suspect's knowledge--- Concealed collection. This isn't a praiseworthy method, but it's tacitly approved in a manner of speaking.
[Birds are chirping]
Mr. Kogure and I parked our car in a spot where we could see Satoko Anzai's house, but where it was difficult for her to see us.
We've been staking out the area since before dawn, for a few hours--- Now, the sun has finally shown its face.
"Sir! Satoko Anzai has just appeared!" Following the sun, our suspect shows up too.
Satoko Anzai is dressed in tidy western clothing. Is she going somewhere?
She strode out the front door onto the main street. In her hand was a---
"She's holding a trash bag." Mr. Kogure said in a hushed voice.
Incidentally, Superintendent Innami doesn't know that we're on a stakeout. We only told Doumyouji about it.
Satoko Anzai walks toward the garbage collection area. She didn't seem to notice that we were watching her.
Her figure entered a blind spot. There must be a dump site in the area. I observe her movements while holding my breath.
I've waited for her to come back for a while. This short time feels like hours.
I hear a dog barking in the distance. I look at my wristwatch again and see that three minutes have already passed.
"Sir, isn't she taking out the trash a little too slowly for you?" Mr. Kogure urged irritably.
"So it seems..."
"Could it be that she may have noticed us?" Impatience turned to unease.
I decided to---
>Leave to survey the situation.
>Try waiting just a little longer.
It is a bit suspicious that taking the trash out is taking so long, maybe we should try to look for her.
>Leave to survey the situation.
Maybe, just maybe, she was aware of the stakeout and ran away.
No, that's still good. The fact that she escaped basically confirms our suspicions of her. That's the action a cornered kidnapper would take...
"Let's go, Mr. Kogure!" I rushed to open the door. However...
"S-sir..." Mr. Kogure tugged at my sleeve to stop me.
[Birds stop chirping]
When I turned around, I saw that Mr. Kogure had turned completely pale and couldn't stop shaking.
"W-what's the problem?"
"...Something's ...weird."
"Weird?" Mr. Kogure trembled as if sensing something terrifying...
"I-I don't know why, but... I'm feeling something really bad. Maybe we should wait and see for a little longer---"
For Mr. Kogure to be so frightened... Is something unusual going on?
I tell him---
>"If you're that unwilling, then I'll stop..."
⬢ >"In that case, that's even more reason for us to go!"
We're realists right now, so let's face our ghostly fears.
>"In that case, that's even more reason for us to go!"
"In that case, that's even more reason for us to go!" I scolded Mr. Kogure.
If something's happening over there, then we cannot afford to sit still here. Even if something is waiting for us...
"I'll be going in alone! You can stay here, Mr. Kogure!" I shook free from Mr. Kogure's arm and jumped out of the passenger's seat.
"S-sir...!!" Mr. Kogure's cry to stop me grew distant.
I ran straight to the corner where the garbage dump was located. The distance of only a few dozen meters felt much longer.
There's nothing in the dump site... Only a small pile of white trash bags that had been put out during the night...
No, something rod-like is coming from behind that white pile... It's white... What is that...?
...A hand? That's... a human hand...! Someone has collapsed!
"S-sir? ...Sir!" Before I knew it, Mr. Kogure was standing behind me.
"Is there something wrong, sir!?"
"Mr. Kogure... that..."
Mr. Kogure froze when he saw what I pointed at. "Hih...!"
I timidly approach. "It's... Satoko Anzai."
The person who collapsed was Satoko Anzai. I looked down and went to help her sit back up.
A lukewarm, slimy sensation touched the palm of my hand. This is...
"Blood..."
Satoko Anzai's face was painted red and bloody. The bleeding appeared to be from the head...
The blood that flowed from just around her hairline ran down her face and soaked my hand.
"Ugh..." I could see Mr. Kogure turn his face away from over my back.
I put my hand over Satoko Anzai's mouth in a panic to check her breathing...
"Gh..." A groan left her mouth.
"It's okay! She's alive, Mr. Kogure!" I turned around and called out to Mr. Kogure.
"S-sir..."
"What is it, Mr. Kogure?"
Mr. Kogure looked down at me and Satoko Anzai with a very pale face. His knees were shaking.
"B-because... look... her eyes... Satoko Anzai's eyes are..." Mr. Kogure's finger slowly pointed at her.
I hurriedly returned my gaze to Satoko Anzai. However, she was still unconscious. Of course, there was no way she could have opened her eyes.
"What's wrong with her eyes?"
"Just now... I'm certain... I'm certain they glowed bright red...!"
Bright red eyes!? That would match the characteristics of the oni woman Ryou Kobayashi-kun testified of, wouldn't it?
However, now is not the time to dwell on it. Satoko Anzai may have serious, life-threatening injuries. Let's put aside for the moment the bright red eyes that Mr. Kogure saw.
I should---
>Take care of Satoko Anzai
⬢ >Go search for a suspicious person
The culprit might still be nearby, we need to find them!
>Go search for a suspicious person
"I'm going to see if there's anyone suspicious nearby! Mr. Kogure, call an ambulance! Contact Doumyouji and ask him about preserving this site!"
"W-wait! Sir!" Mr. Kogure was saying something, but I ran before I could hear the rest.
But after running around in all directions, all that came from it was boatloads of sweat...
"If the person who approached was an adult, they would be chopped to pieces by the oni on the spot."
"The oni had such great jumping ability that she would run away with the child in her arms, leaping along the rooftops."
Suddenly, the information I had heard from Ms. Yuuka came back to my mind. The culprit who suddenly vanished under my nose... Could they be an oni woman with the same characteristics as rumored?
Under the current circumstances, I could neither deny nor confirm. As I stood there pondering, the sirens of an ambulance whispered mockingly in my ears.
The fact that Satoko Anzai was attacked cast a huge shadow over Mr. Kogure's and my mind.
This series of threatening letters led to a door finally opening, only for it to be closed again.
At that time, Mr. Kogure contacted Doumyouji at once. According to Mr. Kogure, Doumyouji took care of everything, including arranging a hospital in his confused stead.
Satoko Anzai was rushed to the hospital and is currently undergoing treatment. Her injuries not being life-threatening was a small mercy.
But still, who in the world did it...? At that time, not a single person, let alone a suspicious figure, existed in the vicinity.
We considered the possibility that Anzai had injured her own head.... but that fresh wound was quite deep, even if it wasn't life-threatening.
There's no way someone would give that kind of injury to themselves...
"She had, in the end, no gum in hand..." Mr. Kogure spoke in a chagrined tone.
Indeed--- Before Satoko Anzai was taken by an ambulance, we searched the inside of the trash bag she took with her.
But, unfortunately, we couldn't find any gum or similar foodstuff.
I suddenly remembered the problem I had been putting off since then.
"Now that you mention it, Mr. Kogure, at that time, you said that Satoko Anzai's eyes were bright red, didn't you?"
"Y-yeah... Please forget about that. That surely was a misperception."
"Eh? But..."
"I-I was confused at that time, and... well, I'm ashamed to admit that I was a little upset too..."
And even in the unlikely event that Satoko Anzai had opened her eyes in that condition, they might have looked red because of blood flowing to her eyes. I had just recently heard that the oni's eyes were bright red, so I guess I just subconsciously saw them that way..."
Certainly, if I were asked whether I was calm at the time, I would say that I was not, even my memory is nothing but fragments.
I hate to put it this way, but with the cowardly Mr. Kogure, that probability seems to be even higher.
The red eyes Mr. Kogure saw were just his imagination, and Anzai, who was our only suspect, is now the victim in this case. In short, we're back to square one.
"Sigh~..." I felt the Archival Office's atmosphere grow heavier as we continuously sighed.
Our investigation has essentially run aground...
Staying in the basement at a time like this will only depress us. Let's go outside to shake off the heavy air.
[Door creaks, bright flash before the screen goes back to normal]
The outside world is bright and sunny, lightening the burden in our hearts a little.
[Ring, ring]
Just as I was about to finish this change of pace and discuss the case with Mr. Kogure again, I received a call on my cell phone.
"Yes, hello?"
"It's Yuuka! Please come to the usual coffee shop, quick!" She announced only that before disconnecting one-sidedly.
Did Ms. Yuuka have any new information? We went to her with high hopes.
Driving fast in Mr. Kogure's personal car, we rushed to the cafe where Ms. Yuuka was waiting.
"Ms. Yuuka, thanks for waiting. Did you get any results?"
"Yeah, kinda. How about you?" Mr. Kogure and I looked at each other and nodded.
"What's with that depressing attitude!? Tell me what happened!" ...I told Ms. Yuuka as it is.
There's a connection between the Saitous' neighbor, Satoko Anzai, and Ms. Sagami and Mrs. Kounoike through the gardening club.
We tried obtaining Anzai's saliva to compare it with the saliva in the stamp.
Anzai was attacked by someone and is currently in the hospital. And now we have our hands tied...
While I was explaining, Mr. Kogure looked down silently. That really expresses how we are feeling right now.
Yuuka remained silent for a while, looking me straight in the eye, then suddenly stood up and took a deep breath.
"Get a grip! KAZAMI!!" Ms. Yuuka's voice echoed through the store. All the waiters and other customers looked at each other to see what was going on.
[Entire restaurant gets silent]
"Honestly! What an embarrassing thing for an adult man to do! If you lose a clue, you just search for it again!! And whining just because you're a little stuck... You should be ashamed!"
I felt like I was struck by lightning. ...But Ms. Yuuka's right.
We can look for clues. We can start all over again.
Mr. Kogure seemed to be thinking the same thing and looked me in the eye before greatly nodding his head.
"Ms. Yuuka, can you tell us the information you've got!?" She broadly smiled and gave a thumbs-up.
"Well, let's get right down to it. First, I want you to take a look at this..."
Yuuka took out a book from her bag. "Here. Look at this page."
"This is... a Han'nya?" On the page she opened, a terrifying expression was shown. It was a photograph of a mask.
In the picture was a mask in the shape one might imagine when hearing the word "Han'nya".
"Yes, Han'nya. The thing that appears in Noh plays and Kabuki performances. Do either of you know what Han'nya stands for?" Mr. Kogure and I both tilted our heads at the same time.
"The Han'nya is, well, an oni... That is, a human woman transformed into an oni."
"A woman who has become an oni while living through hatred--- that's the Han'nya." [They give the entry after the explanation weirdly enough]
"A-an oni while living...?" Mr. Kogure gasps and asks back.
"Yeah. A human, while still alive, became an oni."
"The cause of the hatred could be jealousy or a desire for revenge against the man who betrayed you, but... You've both heard of the Hour of the Ox Pilgrimage ritual, right?"
"That thing where you thump a five-sun nail into a straw doll...?" Mr. Kogure's complexion turns pale as he speaks.
"Yep. You wear an upside-down gotoku on your head and a white costume. And on top of the gotoku, you place some candles, and put on bright red lipstick and tooth-blackening dye. A round mirror is hung around your neck, and you wear single-legged tall clogs." As Ms. Yuuka explained, she opened a different page from the previous one and showed it to me. There was a picture of a woman doing the Hour of the Ox Pilgrimage.
"It was during the Edo period that the ritual took the form I just described, but just imagine for a moment."
"In the pitch-black dead of night, with no streetlights like we have today... A single woman's silhouette stands out in candlelight..."
"Who is it, at such a time...? So you thought, but upon closer inspection, you realize she's too tall for a woman."
"Gradually, as you raise your gaze, several sharp objects emerge from its head..."
"This is essentially a ritual to become an oni. You can also tell it from the name, can't you? It's performed at the hour of the Ox, the time of the oni."
"So, the strange costume used to perform this ritual is modeled after an oni."
"This is just my theory, but maybe the candlelight also represents the burning eyes of the oni."
"The play "Kanawa", which is about a woman who becomes an oni through the Hour of the Ox Pilgrimage, features a Han'nya." "So, while I was looking at the Han'nya mask used in the Kanawa, an idea flashed into my mind."
"The victim's mother, Ms. Saitou, was it? The 'oni' character that was sent to her home, I think I know what it means."
"Really!?" In contrast to our startled reaction, Yuuka smiled with a relaxed expression on her face.
"You see, if we inquire into the origin of Kanji, we find that they're hieroglyphic characters, right? The character for oni itself represents the image of an oni."
"With that in mind, what do you think the "," at the top of the oni Kanji means?"
"........." As Mr. Kogure and I were racking our brains over this, Ms. Yuuka grew impatient and told us the answer.
"It's a horn! Doesn't it look like an oni's horn?"
"A horn...? Now that you mention it, I can't say I don't see it..."
"Right? Actually, the mask in "Kanawa" doesn't have horns. That's when it hit me. I wondered if that was what the character for "oni" without a horn meant."
"So let's say, for example..."
"If you saw someone on the side of the road right now who looked just like this mask from Kanawa with glistening eyes, what would you think?"
"Well, I guess... I'd probably think they were an oni." I replied reluctantly. After what I had just heard, I had no choice but to answer that way.
"Then, Ms. Yuuka, do you think that the person who sent the fax to Ms. Saito's house was a woman who turned into a Hannya-like oni while living because of her hatred?"
When I asked her so, Ms. Yuuka raised her eyebrows, looking a little unsure.
"Nope, I don't think even I'm that out of touch with reality. But, you know, 'no matter how strange something may be, you can't deny it until proven otherwise'."
Saying that, she stuck out her tongue and laughed, "But that's just me parroting Professor Kirisaki".
However, for someone's hatred to change them to such an extent, is such a thing even possible...?
A woman who turned into an oni while alive through their grudge... hmm.
After all, Ms. Yuuka didn't elaborate further about the culprit's grudge. Perhaps she hasn't been able to sort that out yet.
Even though she's a believer in the occult, she seems to know that she can't prove the existence of onis just by speculation alone.
However, Ms. Yuuka's findings were not limited to speculation about the modified oni Kanji.
"Actually, this is only at the guesswork stage, but do you remember the characteristics of the oni woman from the rumors?" Mr. Kogure counted on his fingers, perplexed by the sudden question.
"If I remember correctly... "Runs away when seen by people", "Short hair", "Afraid of cigarette smoke"... is that it?"
"That's right. Above all the others, I told you that being "afraid of cigarette smoke" was abrupt and unnatural, didn't I?"
"I've always wondered the reason why. Why was she afraid of cigarettes...?" Even though she was still in the making, I'm quite impressed with her researcher's enthusiasm."
"That's when I hit on a possibility. Maybe the oni woman has a trauma related to smoke or fire."
"Trauma?" Is it even possible for an unreal being like an oni to be traumatized?
"Trauma, simply put, is an emotional injury caused by an inordinate amount of stress."
"When we come in contact with something related to the source of the stress that originated it, it reminds us of that time and brings on corporal irregularities."
"It's hard to resist, no matter how strong your will is, and I'm sure it's the same for an oni."
"And you think smoke and flames are a part of her trauma, right?"
"Exactly!" Ms. Yuuka pointed at me with a smile.
"For example, maybe she was involved in a fire as a child, or burned in an accident, or maybe she has an unforgettable past with tobacco itself..."
Speaking of cigarettes, when I first met Satoko Anzai, she seemed to be quite the militant nonsmoker.
Maybe she just hates cigarettes, but I'll keep that in mind.
"Sir, talking about that..." Mr. Kogure cuts in as if remembering something.
"Didn't Yuusuke-kun's mother, Yukari Saitou, say that her parents lost their home in Iriya two years ago in a fire?"
Now that he mentions it, she may or may not have said that.
However, if Yukari Saitou was involved in the fire as Mr. Kogure remembers, there may be some causal connection to this kidnapping.
There may be some merit to investigating that.
"Mr. Kogure, let's return to the Archival Office and investigate that incident."
"Yessir!" Mr. Kogure's face lighted up under the overhanging lights.
We, now with our morale regained, thanked Ms. Yuuka and headed for the Archival Office.
And... Just when I arrived at the MPD, someone called out to me.
"Ah, sir! You came at just the right time. I was about to call you now."
"Did something happen, Mr. Doumyouji?"
"No, I just thought you should know about Satoko Anzai's situation."
"The wound doesn't seem to be that deep. But according to the doctor, there will be scars."
"Is that so...?" Thinking about her future makes my heart ache.
It's a relief, at least, that the wound wasn't as bad as we had expected.
"And, sir, the doctor said that the opening of the wound looks strange."
"Well, he said he can't tell for sure, but... 'I've never seen a wound like that before', he said."
"...Mr. Doumyouji. We can't meet with Satoko Anzai, right?"
"Yeah, you got that right. They're interviewing her right now, and it's not going smoothly because of her wounds. And she doesn't seem to remember much of anything."
"But it's not like we're not allowed to visit her, so we can see her if we just call it an inquiry... Ah!!"
Doumyouji ducked his head as if he had noticed something and hastily hid in the shadows nearby.
When we turned around, we saw Superintendent Innami standing there. Superintendent Innami recognized us and came straight toward us.
He scornfully scowled and then yelled at us.
"I told you to stay out of this! I heard that you were there to collect evidence! Without my permission! You're acting arbitrarily on your judgment!"
"The police is an organization! If you don't want to fit into the system, then you should resign now!"
"But didn't this lead to the early discovery of the new victim!?!" Mr. Kogure, flushed with rage, draws closer to Superintendent Innami.
However, there was clear anger in the Superintendent's eyes as he looked back at Mr. Kogure.
"That's just a conclusion based on the results!! This time it may have led to the early discovery of a victim, but what do you think would have happened if it hadn't!?"
"It seems to me that you lot are willing to ignore the victims' safety just to take credit! Aren'tcha!?" Superintendent Innami's words are righteous. Righteous, but...
I---
⬢ >Retort Superintendent Innami
>Don't say anything back
We're not gonna let this slide!
>Retort Superintendent Innami
"No! We simply wanted to save Yuusuke-kun as soon as possible! We weren't thinking about credit at all!" I object.
"Hmph! Why should I care? You can say whatever you want!" Superintendent Innami gave me an even more contemptuous look.
"I'm being honest... We're..." You're wrong. I wanted to say so, but I stopped myself with great effort.
"Then why didn't you tell me that other houses were receiving threatening letters!?"
"T-that's..."
"What's wrong? Can't say anything? Then you can't blame us if we think you were trying to take all the credit! Am I wrong?"
"Your actions are putting the victim's life in danger, you hear!?"
Superintendent Innami makes a fair argument. My series of actions are out of line, at least as a police officer.
Kidnapping cases are very delicate. Yuusuke-kun's life may be in jeopardy because of my selfish actions.
It's true that I got ahead of myself in my haste to solve the case.
"I... apologize." I bow down to Superintendent Innami.
Mr. Kogure, with a disapproving look on his face, followed my lead.
Everything was for the sake of solving the case. Everything was for the sake of safely retrieving Yuusuke-kun.
With this in mind, I handed Superintendent Innami the two threatening letters, "Curse you" and "Kill".
Upon receiving the letters, he snorted, "Hmph", with an indignant expression on his face.
"I tried to compare the saliva of the perpetrator on the stamp with Satoko Anzai's saliva..." I supplemented the threatening letters I handed over to him.
Superintendent Innami scrutinized the stamps on the envelope and spoke.
"I'll take care of the comparison." Then, he put them away in his pocket.
"Superintendent Innami. I realize that this is impertinent, but I ask for you to allow us to cooperate with your investigation." I bowed my head once again.
Yuusuke-kun's whereabouts, the criminal who sent the threatening letter, and Satoko Anzai's injuries... There are many things to investigate, albeit still shrouded in darkness.
It would be too inefficient for both sides to continue to conduct their own investigations.
Moreover, several days have already passed since the incident occurred. If this continues, Yuusuke-kun's life may really be in jeopardy.
Superintendent Innami, however, had a different view.
"No chance."
"Why!?" Mr. Kogure flared up.
"Why? Why!?" You, how long have you been a detective!?"
"Huh...? That's, what do you..."
"What kind of detective would ask, 'Why'!? I'm in charge of this case! Who the hell do you think you are!?"
"Gh...!" Mr. Kogure's face flushed red as he kept silent.
"Police History or something, you said? I'll never allow you lot from some dubious department I don't know to be a part of my investigation!!"
"Superintendent Innami!" Superintendent Innami turns his back on us and tries to leave, but we follow him.
"Don't ever show me your face again. If you hinder me again, there will be a price to pay!" With these words, Superintendent Innami quickly left.
"...So we're going to be kept out of the loop after all?" Mr. Kogure gritted his teeth.
"Hahaha. You don't need to worry about that guy." I heard a voice from behind me and turned to see Doumyouji standing there, still grinning.
"Sorry, sir. If he found out I'm doing things behind his back, it'd be harder for me to move in the future..." He scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't worry... It couldn't be helped. Besides, Superintendent Innami isn't wrong."
"Ah, no no!" Said Doumyouji, shaking his head in denial with a joking attitude.
"That old guy, he talks a big game, yeah. But in the end, he just wants to take all the credit."
"S-so he's like that after all!? Grrr...!!" Mr. Kogure stamped his foot on the ground.
I felt miserable, too.
But this is not the time to be bickering over credit, organizational roles, and the like.
Above all, we have to think about the kidnapped Yuusuke-kun, and yet, such a person had to be the commanding officer...
"So? What are you going to do now, sir?" Doumyouji smiled affably, having no regard for how Mr. Kogure and I were feeling.
"For the time being, I'm concerned about Satoko Anzai's injuries. You can do something about it, right, Mr. Doumyouji?"
Even if she doesn't remember anything, she's one of the few people who had contact with the killer. I would like to talk to her directly.
"Okay. Well, I'll figure something out. Superintendent Innami probably won't be heading to the hospital. If it's just the subordinate detectives, we can fake ourselves inside."
Saying that, Doumyouji winked at me.
"That guy just sits on his chair, leaving the troublesome work to his subordinates." Doumyouji snickered at his boss.
"That bastard! He's a disgrace to all detectives!" The sports-minded and hot-blooded Mr. Kogure is now completely hostile to Superintendent Innami.
He may be higher in rank, but he cannot be forgiven as a human being.
"I'll try to arrange it by tomorrow. You can count on me, sir." Doumyouji assured me by tapping his chest.
We were a little off to a bad start when we clashed with Superintendent Innami, but we got our bearings and decided to investigate the fire that had broken out at Yukari Saitou's parents' house two years earlier.
Returning to the Archival Office, we went through past police files and found a record of a fire that looked like the one in question.
The fire occurred two years ago in January. "Iriya Residence Burned Down, Two Dead"
The newspaper article that accompanied the document had only a very small headline.
"At around 10:00 p.m. on the 14th, a fire broke out in the residence of Mr. Takaomi Saitou (54), an office worker, in Iriya, X District, XX Taitou Ward, Tokyo. The two-story wooden house was destroyed by fire."
"Burnt bodies were found in the charred ruins near the bedroom on the first floor, and police investigators determined that they were Ms. Takaomi and his wife, Mrs. Haruko (52)."
"Yuusuke-kun (6), who was in the building at the time, was miraculously rescued by his mother, Ms. Yukari, and is safe."
That's all the article said. It didn't describe the cause of the fire.
Even though this is a life-altering event for the people involved, this is the extent of the coverage in the national newspapers.
The fact that the article ends there suggests that the police determined that the fire was accidental, not arson.
From reading the articles and documents, I don't see anything suspicious.
Ms. Yukari herself, Yuusuke-kun, and his deceased parents. No other names were given.
I was hoping that if a third party had intervened here, we might be able to find a causal link to this case...
"I am so proud of the mother, Yukari Saitou. She risked her life to save her son from the fire! This is a {mother's love}!"
Mr. Kogure was thrilled to read the article about the rescue. He seems to have a weakness for this kind of dramatic story.
In the end, we didn't receive the information that we hoped for whatsoever.
I don't think it's necessarily wrong to connect the "fear of cigarette smoke", which is the oni woman's weakness, with the past of the people involved in the kidnapping case.
But there's still a lot of hidden information that needs to be unraveled to solve this kidnapping case...
The following morning---
"Ah, sir." As usual, a light tone of voice stopped Mr. Kogure and me as we were about to go out to investigate.
"You guys appeared at just the right time. I have news about Satoko Anzai..."
"Were you able to arrange a visit?"
"About that..." Doumyouji's tone was strangely inarticulate.
"Satoko Anzai was discharged from the hospital first thing this morning..."
"Eh!?" Even though she wasn't in a life-threatening condition, could she really be discharged from the hospital so easily?
"Well, I was surprised, too. Apparently, all the tests were completed yesterday, and it seems that there was no problem."
"Of course, I told her to stay in the hospital for a while, but she wouldn't listen to me..."
"Sir. The fact that she could be discharged from the hospital so quickly means that her injuries were not as serious as we had thought, right?" Mr. Kogure spoke my doubts in my place.
It's not like we took a good, hard look at her injuries at that time.
No, it would be more correct to say that we were so flurried that we don't remember much.
However, since I'm not a doctor, I had no way to answer Mr. Kogure's question.
Although I'm obviously concerned about her wounds, I'm also more concerned about the "Curse you" and "Kill" threats sent to both Sagami and Kounoike's homes.
So far, Satoko Anzai's the only one who has ties to either the Saitou family at the center of the kidnapping case or to both families that received the threatening letters.
I inquire with Doumyouji. "Mr. Doumyouji, about the stamp's saliva... Did Superintendent Innami investigate it?"
"Yeah. But, the thing is..." Doumyouji lowered his voice.
"They were going to get a sample of her blood from the hospital where she was admitted. That way, they can get a more accurate DNA test than with a piece of gum."
"But since there was no warrant... Hell, even Superintendent Innami didn't expect her to be discharged from the hospital so soon."
"Now, they're in hot haste to make arrangements." Doumyouji imprudently laughed, 'kukuku'.
Well, let's leave the saliva on the stamps to them. We should probably look into the question of who attacked her first.
"...Mr. Doumyouji. Is she at her home now?"
"I'm sure of it. Shall we go?" Doumyouji's face was grinning at me as if he had anticipated what I was thinking.
"Don't worry, sir. In case you are wondering, the jurisdictions are watching you, but everything's alright. I've already taken steps in advance..."
After giving my thanks to Doumyouji, we decided to head to Satoko Anzai's house.
Once we arrived at the Anzai household, we rang the bell and were greeted by a rough voice saying, "Garden!".
"Oh...? You're the detectives from the other day, aren't you?"
Upon seeing Satoko Anzai, Mr. Kogure and I unintentionally gasped.
We were by no means surprised by the state of her wounds. It's the other way around.
Her head was not bandaged or covered with gauze, and she looked perfectly normal.
No, the wound may have been properly dressed, but she may not have liked the bandage, so it was removed.
"What? Are you staring at me?" Satoko Anzai frowned suspiciously.
"Ah, no, pardon us..." Mr. Kogure was too surprised to speak.
No wonder. We saw the scene of her injury.
"Um... How're your wounds?"
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Why am I the only one who has to go through this?"
Satoko Anzai brushed her hair lightly. However, no matter how many times I strained my eyes, I couldn't see a scar because it was blocked by her hair.
"Catch the culprits quickly!" Anzai shouted. Her voice was hoarse, but she didn't seem to notice that we were paying attention to her injury.
"Uh... Could you please tell us what happened when you were attacked?"
"I've already said that so many times! I'm so sick and tired of you people!"
"B-but, just one more time for caution's sake..."
"I don't remember anything! It's the police's job to find that out! I'm the victim! You should be more considerate!"
Anzai asserted, halfway screaming in anger. Perhaps she's become mentally unstable after the incident. That wouldn't be a stretch...
"Why, of all things! It's not right!" Her voice grows raspier. Her hand is fidgeting with her bracelet.
The bright red color of the jewelry was like the color of the blood from that time.
"Why!? I lost my husband and children, I'm drowning in debt, and I'm scared of the shadow of the collectors every single day! And on top of that, I have to go through all this, it's not right!"
"Why? Why only me? What did I do!? I don't want to be rich, just very normal... normal...! That's all...!!"
"That's all I wanted! Why should I be the only one to have everything taken away from me...!?!" Satoko Anzai looked me straight in the eye.
For a moment, her eyes seemed to glint as if they were filled with something unknowable. A chill ran down my back.
What is... this strange feeling? It's uncomfortable in some way... with a mixture of uneasiness and unpleasantness that makes my stomach churn...
I couldn't interrupt her words. Mr. Kogure's mouth was gaping open in shock at this turn of events.
"What's wrong with that? It's not fair! Everyone else seems to be living happily ever after, but I'm the only one who gets to suffer...!!"
Satoko Anzai's voice becomes louder and more hysterical as she becomes more agitated.
Her eyes are distorted and filled with madness as if possessed by malevolence.
"What's the difference? What's the difference between me and the others? Tell me why I'm the only one who's going through this! Huh!? Answer me!"
Neither Mr. Kogure nor I could answer Satoko Anzai's question.
We could only remain silent, waiting for her to calm down.
"Why...why...why...why..."
Eventually, Satoko Anzai, perhaps having exhausted all of her emotions, began to just mumble and repeat the same words over and over again.
With a look of sympathy on his face, Mr. Kogure fearfully took a piece of gum out of his pocket and offered it to Anzai.
She took it and silently popped it into her mouth. After chewing gum for a while, Satoko Anzai finally calmed down and eventually spoke again.
"...My bad. I got kind of got worked up all by myself." It seems that she has regained her composure.
But I don't know when it will explode again... I'm stumped. How am I supposed to broach the subject...?
Given her state of mind earlier, I can't ask questions that would suddenly turn her into a suspect...
I inquire into---
>The condition of her wound
>Her bracelet
They weirdly pointed out that she messed with a previously-undescribed bracelet, so I think there may be some importance to it.
>Her bracelet
"Um, Ms. Anzai..." I decided to start with a light topic.
"That {bracelet}... You were also wearing it the other day, it's very lovely."
"Oh my, isn't it?" Satoko Anzai's face beamed with joy. It must be something she cherishes very much.
"That jewel... What is it called?"
"This? It's a garnet. Isn't it beautiful? But it's not really a luxury item. It was given to me by someone important to me. It's my treasure." "A person important to you? Who's that?" Mr. Kogure asks after her, and Anzai looks at him suspiciously.
"It doesn't matter who they are. Why're you asking me that?"
"N-no... That's, well..." Mr. Kogure was at a loss for a reply.
"What are you guys here for, anyway?"
"Ah, well, t-that's because..."
It's no surprise that Mr. Kogure was at a loss for words. 'You're one of our suspects'... That's not something you should ever say.
But Anzai seemed to sense something in our nuanced expressions.
"Fufu... I see... So that's what it is..." She began to laugh quietly as the edges of her lips twisted faintly.
Unlike the previous episode, the repressed emotions were conversely eerie.
"You think I kidnapped Yuusuke-kun... Fufu." Anzai continues with her self-deprecative laugh.
"No... Well, maybe I should call it for caution's sake, how do I put it..." Mr. Kogure's words got stuck deeper and deeper.
"Fufufufu... Before you suspect me, well... Isn't there someone else you should suspect even more...?"
"Someone we should suspect...?" Those are words that can't be allowed to pass freely.
She didn't seem to be upset or lying. Her words were tinged with something substantial.
"Fufufu, I see... The police don't know, hm? However, I do know..." Satoko Anzai said so to me with a smile showing on her face.
"That mother there, she's relieved that her son's gone..."
Satoko Anzai uttered an unforeseen comment, took one look at us, and went inside the house.
In the end, we weren't able to ask about the "curse you" and "kill" threats, or the fax with the "oni" character on it... Nor about the circumstances surrounding Satoko Anzai's attack.
From the looks of it, I don't think we got a single straight answer when we asked...
However, Anzai's words brought about a new problem. "That mother there, she's relieved that her son's gone---"
The mother, that is to say, Yukari Saitou. The son is the kidnapped Yuusuke-kun...
If Satoko Anzai was telling the truth... Then the Saitou family, which appeared to be happy on the surface, had a surprisingly dark side to them.
Yukari risked her life to rescue her son in a fire two years ago. For her to think so negatively about her son... Is that even possible?
Let's end here, we've been found out, and found out even more. The threads of this case get more and more confusing, but we can't stop here. From here, we'll finally choose our route and the primary suspect of our investigation. This case's pretty linear, even for this game, but it's pretty interesting, I just wish the exposition was given a little better. But, I'm enjoying this nonetheless. Also, despite the completion of my other blog, I think I'll continue the current upload schedule. Uni will begin shortly, and I honestly just prefer these longer posts, what do you guys feel though?
Either way, see you next time!
