Don't forget to read the first or previous part if you haven't!
In the last part, we unveiled the dark secret hidden within the Saitou house, quite literally as well. A hidden room where no light can reach once locked. Its entrance is located in the living room, just behind a movable bookcase. We were able to get a confession from Yukari, she 'educated' Yuusuke by locking him in that room for days. Despite this clear show of child abuse, we still decided that she might not have staged the kidnapping. There was no evidence, after all. Now without a suspect, we take a look back at the oni's characteristics and use previously ignored aspects to search for another possibility. That possibility's name is Kyouko Yukimura, and now, we'll be going to her home to confirm our suspicions. Let's begin, shall we?
Yukimura's apartment was in a quiet residential area. I wonder if this is another way to avoid contact with people as much as possible...
"Sir... that apartment over there, with the pitch-black curtains..." Mr. Kogure says in a nervous whisper.
Certainly, the other apartments don't have their curtains closed during the day. However, the window we were looking at has them closed.
---Is no one there? ---Or, is someone sleeping inside?
We carefully, with stealthy steps, made our way to Kyoko Yukimura's apartment.
When we arrived at the front of the room, we waited and confirmed the inside. ---No sounds came from within. It was as still as death.
"What are we going to do, sir?" I hesitated. I had to make the best decision to rescue Yuusuke-kun.
After much hesitation---
>I decided to ring the doorbell
>I decided to discuss with Doumyouji
⬢ >I decided to force our way in
Let's not break the law and announce our presence first.
>I decided to ring the doorbell
I decided to ring the doorbell. If I could just get Yukimura to come out...
"..."
"......"
"......?"
But there was no answer at all. I put my ear to the door, but there was not a sound. Is no one there?
"Sir, she doesn't like to be in contact with people. I think she'll stay away even if you ring the doorbell." It's exactly as he says.
Thinking about it, it's hard to believe that Yukimura would show up just because the doorbell rang.
I was forced to change my strategy. I asked the landlord on the first floor to lend me a key to search the apartment.
Legally speaking, this isn't an acceptable act, but since a considerable amount of time has already passed, the safety of the hostage was my main concern.
I took a deep breath and inserted the borrowed key into the keyhole.
Bating my breath, I step foot into the pitch-black apartment.
There was no sound. No signs of people. But, I wasn't careless.
Mr. Kogure and I signaled each other with our eyes, took off our shoes, and walked carefully so as not to make any footsteps.
Yukimura's room seemed to be a one-room apartment, with only one frosted glass door visible in the back of the kitchen. The other doors were probably for the toilet and the bathroom.
We stopped in front of a door and nodded to each other, sticking to the walls on either side.
Is Yukimura in there? Is Yuusuke-kun in there? Questions and doubts dizzyingly spin round and round in my head.
Resolved, I opened the door lightly.
When I fearfully peeked inside, I saw a slight light shining through a gap in the curtains, illuminating the room.
I looked around the room cautiously, but no one is there. Neither Yukimura nor Yuusuke-kun seemed to be inside.
I groped for the switch in the room and turned on the lights.
"Ugh...!?" Mr. Kogure groaned. A groan accompanied by fear as if he had seen something terrible...
The room, reflected in the dazzling lighting, was filled with a strange atmosphere.
It looked like a little girl's room.
Floral wallpaper. Pink curtains.
A decorative lace cloth was hung to cover a computer monitor and television set in the corner of the room.
We entered picturing a room where the kidnapper holed herself up, but we didn't expect to find something like this.
It shouldn't be scary, but the gap between the two sent chills down my spine.
While I was looking for clues about Yuusuke-kun, I noticed something.
Something was missing from here that every woman's room should have.
That being---
>A mirror
>Makeup
Since using makeup also needs a mirror, I'll cut the middleman.
>A mirror
"I see. There's no mirror in this room. Not a single one..."
"A mirror?" Mr. Kogure asked curiously in return to my monologue.
"Yeah. In a woman's room, there should be mirrors of various sizes. But in this room, there isn't a single mirror, not even a small hand mirror."
Mr. Kogure searches all over the room to make sure. "It's as you said, sir. Why, even the washbasin's mirror has been removed."
"Mr. Kogure, please look at that. A cloth is covering the computer monitor. Could it be that it's because she didn't want her image reflected in it?"
"Hmm. So she dislikes mirrors to the extent of being so thorough...?"
"I think so. And, that fits with the oni woman's trait of 'running away when she sees other people'."
"Sir, do you think that Yukimura is the oni?" Mr. Kogure's pale face looked around restlessly.
"We can't declare that yet. However, it's a safe bet to say she's a likely suspect."
I approached the computer, trying to get more information. "Do you want to see it, too?"
"Yeah. For Kyouko Yukimura, a computer would have been a necessity. She very likely purchased her daily necessities by mail over the Internet to live without leaving her home."
"Maybe we can find out a little bit about her life by examining this." I turned on the computer. The booting-up noises resounded in the quiet apartment, then the monitor screen lighted up.
I connected to the Internet and checked what kind of websites Kyouko Yukimura had visited in the past. As expected, most of them were mail-order sites.
This computer will be confiscated when the investigation team arrives. We must gather information while it's still in our grasp.
I selected the item "Recently Used Files" and checked the data recently used by Kyouko Yukimura.
(DIARY)
My heart reacted violently.
It's a diary. Kyouko Yukimura wrote a diary on her computer.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and selected the oldest entry.
X Month 8th Day
My therapist told me to keep a journal.
So that I can look at myself objectively.
Will it make this unbearable feeling of wanting to die to go away?
Will it make me feel less like I don't want to see anyone?
I don't think it will.
I can't trust anyone.
I hate myself so much.
I'm sure that looking at it objectively will only make me feel that way again.
I feel nauseous.
X Month 9th Day
I have nothing to write. It's only the second day and I have nothing to write about.
No wonder, since I stay at home all day.
Just living life.
Actually, no.
Just not dying.
X Month 10th Day
The black curtains are hung so I can't see the outside world.
I used my voice.
A cry that no one heard.
A cry that no one hears is as if it never existed.
It's as if I never existed as well.
It had been a long time since I used my voice.
For a while, the contents remained similarly depressive, but in the following month, a change was seen.
That entry began like so--- "I came across a boy."
I read through the diary as if I was drawn into it.
X Month 17th Day
I came across a boy.
How many years has it been since I've talked to a person face to face?
I've only spoken to my counselor on the phone.
It's been what, two years?
I talked to him for a while. It was fun.
I haven't had this much fun in a long time.
Oh, where do I start?
I'm extremely excited.
I'll write starting from the encounter. In order not to forget.
We met by the riverside.
I wanted to die, so I left home. I was going to kill myself by drowning.
I was once burned by a raging fire.
That's why I wanted to die enveloped in great amounts of water.
I'm not scared of dying.
It's nothing compared to the horror of the human ego.
It had been a long time since I was outside in the daytime.
I wandered to the river as if something was guiding me.
The river water was cold and pleasant. It felt like it washed everything away.
When I walked to the middle of the river, I suddenly felt a hand grab me.
'It's dangerous, what are you doing?', said the child who grabbed me.
I want to die. So I said.
But that boy pulled me toward the shore with great force. I tried to shake his hand off, saying it was none of his business.
However, he said it was.
He didn't want anyone to die in his favorite place.
I was dragged to shore by his unexpectedly strong force.
Truthfully, I should have been burned to death, so dying here would have been the same.
When I said this, the boy was a little startled and rolled up his shirt to show me his back.
There were burn marks on his back that made me want to turn away.
"It's the same for me." So he spoke.
Tears welled up.
I didn't know why. The boy was flustered, but he wiped my tears with a handkerchief.
My heart ached. It was as if my heart was being squeezed so tight that it hurt.
It was then that I finally realized that I wasn't afraid of the boy.
It seems that he came to the riverside whenever he has a hard time.
I asked him what had happened, but he didn't tell me.
Instead, he told me that this riverbank was the place of the memories of his father.
I was glad that I didn't die.
Today, I was about to defile his place of memories with my death.
When I had failed to kill myself in the past, I had always felt that I had failed to die, that I hadn't been allowed to die.
But today, I was truly glad that I didn't die.
I had never felt this way before.
The time I spent with him passed by in a flash.
As he was getting ready to go home, I called out to him fearfully, as if I were a girl who had fallen in love for the first time.
"Can I... see you again?"
My voice trembled. Afraid that he might have noticed that, I desperately tried to keep my calm.
I was scared of being rejected.
I was terrified that this miraculous encounter would end just today.
That's why I really didn't want to hear something like that.
If he said, "I'll never come back", I wouldn't be able to regain the will to live.
But...
"I'll come back tomorrow!"
My heart trembled.
As I stared at the shadow of that boy growing smaller and smaller, I prayed that tomorrow would come soon.
Perhaps, I thought, this is what it means to be "alive".
It's not the state of "not dead" that I have been in up until now.
It's the state of being alive.
The feeling of yearning for tomorrow---
"SIR!"
Mr. Kogure's voice snapped me out of my reverie. I turned around in a panic to see Mr. Kogure holding something up with his white-gloved hand.
"P-please look at this!"
"---Ah!" It was a textbook. And the name written on it was---
"Second year, class 2, Yuusuke Saitou"
"I found a school bag in the room over there, and in it, this! I'm sure of it! The culprit is Kyouko Yukimura!"
I called Doumyouji and arranged to have the apartment searched.
Soon the room will be packed with HQ and forensic investigators.
Conversely, as the room will be in the hands of the investigation team, we can no longer investigate it.
So, while knowing it was a crime, I decided to take out a copy of Kyouko Yukimura's diary.
"S-sir... that's..." The deeply sincere Mr. Kogure wavered for a moment about whether he should stop me or not.
"I'll take responsibility." After copying the diary data, we quickly left Kyouko Yukimura's house.
After leaving Yukimura's house, we decided to return to the Archival Office. The sun was beginning to set, but we couldn't let up on our investigation.
And I'm curious about Kyouko Yukimura's diary. I have to read the rest of it soon...
I immediately started up my computer and read the diary that I had copied.
I tried to report the investigation to the Inspector, but she was sleeping peacefully on the couch, so I left it at that.
"Mr. Kogure. By reading this diary, we'll learn more about Kyouko Yukimura's character and perhaps even find a clue to solving the case."
Mr. Kogure nodded his head with a meek expression. After taking a deep breath, I began to read the rest of the diary.
X Month 18th Day
The promised time was in the afternoon, but I couldn't wait. In the morning, as soon as I woke up, I went to the riverside.
What if he didn't show up?
He wouldn't break his promise. For some reason, I felt that way and kept waiting.
And then he came.
When he saw me, he smiled and waved his hand.
That alone brought tears to my eyes.
He asked me, "Where does it hurt again?", I couldn't stop crying more and more because of his kindness.
He laughed and said, "You're a crybaby, aren't you?".
Talking with him, time passed quickly.
I didn't have anything to talk about, so all I could do was listen to what he had to say.
He talked a lot about himself, his friends, the games he liked to play, and so on.
But I had nothing to speak about with him.
I hated myself.
He might have thought I was boring.
What should I do if that's the case?
I'm scared...
X Month 19th Day
I studied as hard as I could on the Internet about the things that boy liked. It had been a long time since I stayed up all night.
I crammed my head full of unknown things that I had never come into contact with before.
It was just like when I used to cram all night before a test when I was a student. When I went to the riverside at the appointed time, still sleep-deprived, he was already there and smiled at me, saying, "We meet again, haven't we?"
I tried to talk for dear life.
I talked about what he liked and his favorite things. He was very happy.
But my heart ached because I felt like I was cheating him.
Now, he's the only thing that makes my life worth living.
For him, I would do anything...
X Month 20th Day
Not only was it raining, but today was also a Saturday.
I was anxious and worried, wondering if he was at our usual spot at the riverside, so I was restless from the morning.
I couldn't stand it any longer and went to the riverside around noon, and there he was, standing alone with an umbrella.
I invited him to my house because I didn't want him to get wet and catch a cold.
His clothes were wet, so I tried to dry him off, but he vehemently refused.
I was confused and didn't know what to do. I apologized desperately. The boy forgave me, saying it was okay.
But then I saw them.
I saw his legs under his pants.
From my small peek, I saw many blue bruises on his skin.
I asked him, "What's wrong?", but he only gave me a sad look and didn't answer me.
We played a video game.
He told me he usually couldn't play the game much, but he was a quick learner and soon became very good at it.
I was so bad at it that I was no match for him at all.
Sorry.
Playing games with me was no fun at all, wasn't it?
But he would laugh at me and tell me how bad I was at it, before earnestly teaching me how to play.
He always took care of me.
Even though he could have been more selfish.
Or maybe it's selfish of me to think so.
Tomorrow is Sunday. Apparently, he can't come. Just hearing that made me very depressed.
He said he would come back on Monday, but it'll be hard not to see him for a day. Very, very hard.
I can't imagine my life without him.
I don't know why I've become so dependent on him...
X Month 21st Day
Today is Sunday. He's not coming.
He always has some reason not to be able to go out on Sundays.
Why is that? Is it more important than me?
But I'm too scared to ask him that.
If I did, I would only become a nasty woman to him...
X Month 24th Day
The boy told me a little about his burns.
They were all over his back and were painful to look at.
But for some reason, he was proud.
When I asked him, "Isn't it painful?", he shook his head.
"This burn is a sign of love."
He smiled happily.
X Month 28th Day
Today is Sunday and that boy came to see me.
In the evening, when the sun was about to set, he came to my house to play.
Although he wasn't supposed to be able to come.
I was so happy that I cried again.
He stayed with me until late at night.
I cooked dinner for him and treated him.
It had been years since I had cooked for someone.
I was excited to cook because I wanted to see that boy's smiling face.
He was happy, but I put a little too much effort into it.
I think I made too much.
Not so long ago, every time the night came, I would feel so lonely that I would start to cry, and it would be so hard that I wanted to die.
But today, he was there. I wasn't lonely. I walked the streets at night with him. I was happy...
X Month 29th Day
He didn't come. Despite promising yesterday.
What's wrong? Did something happen?
I was so worried. I thought about going to the riverbank, but then I realized that if I left this house and didn't find him there...
I've been waiting in my room all day...
Oh, why won't you come...?
X Month 30th Day
He didn't come today too.
Anxiety and despair kept me up last night.
I want to hear his voice...
X Month 31st Day
Why? Have you become tired of me already?
In the end, was I just too dull?
Sixty-eight hours have passed since he stopped coming.
I haven't slept a wink in that time.
I can't imagine life without him.
To think that loneliness could be so painful.
I can't stand the thought of spending time alone anymore.
Why won't you come? Did something happen...?
Living has become painful yet again...
X Month 1st Day
That boy didn't come today as well.
Why...?
X Month 2nd Day
He came! He returned to my place again!
But he was so skinny.
He had lost a lot of weight in the last four days.
As soon as he saw me, he said, "Sorry".
I persistently tried to persuade him to tell me what had happened.
But he wouldn't say a word to me.
It must be his parent, surely.
His parent must be restraining him.
Poor kid's hands were covered in scratches. Bright red stuff stuck between his fingernails.
No amount of washing could remove it.
I can't believe she starved him so much...
I can't believe she treated him this badly...
Unforgivable...!
Something must be done about this...!
X Month 3rd Day
I took a walk with him. How many times have we done this?
Holding each other's hands, we walked into the city at night.
It felt like a miracle for someone like me, who normally can't even go outside, to have a walk like this.
He said, "Let's go for a walk at noon, too."
He was worried about my skin, saying, "What white skin."
I was so happy to hear that, I cried.
X Month 4th Day
I hadn't seen the sun for a long time.
That boy came all the way here around noon and took a walk with me.
Holding hands with me, who was scared of strangers and trembling, he seemed unconcerned.
On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy talking with me as usual. I felt the grace of the sun on that riverbank and the cool breeze on my cheeks...
I had never felt so refreshed in my life.
That boy makes me human again.
I wasn't very talkative today, was I? Sorry.
I just wanted to cry as I walked through the sunlit streets. I've been trying to hold back the tears. I'll be called a crybaby again.
But I was so happy.
I would do anything for you. I would sacrifice everything for your happiness. You are everything to me...
X Month 5th Day
I can't believe it
His parents
Why didn't I hear of this before
That name
I'll never forget it
My
My
That woman...
I'm not alone anymore
That woman doesn't deserve him
That boy is mine
Wounded
Blood
He's mine
Forever together ForeverForeverForeverForeverForeverForeverForeverForeverForeverForeverForForForForForForForForForForFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
The diary ended there. I breathed heavily when I finished reading it.
"Sir, the boy mentioned in Yukimura's diary is probably Yuusuke-kun, right?"
"Yeah, from its contents... Probably."
Yukimura's emotions, revealed in the diary, are far removed from an oni's grudges. ---Rather, they give the impression of a young girl who has fallen in love for the first time.
Unless she planned a forced double suicide in her confusion, it's safe to say that Yuusuke-kun's safety is guaranteed. This gave me a little peace of mind.
Mr. Kogure continues. "And, the woman mentioned in the diary must be Yukari Saitou then, correct?"
"Probably..."
"That means... that Yukimura knows about Yukari Saitou... because of what she did."
That's right. So what about the other way around? Could Yukari Saitou also know about Yukimura?
Thinking that this was the key to the case, Mr. Kogure and I set out for the Saitous' house.
However, when we reached the fifth basement hallway, we were stopped by a familiar face.
"Whoa, sir, where are you going?"
"What are you doing here, Mr. Doumyouji? We're kind of in a hurry right now..."
"The Archival Office really is on the fifth basement floor, huh~? Then, I wonder if that rumor is also true." Doumyouji blurted out as if he didn't hear what I was saying.
"Mr. Doumyouji. I'm going to see Ms. Saitou and ask her if she knows anything about Kyouko Yukimura. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until later."
"That's pretty cold, isn't it? But, I don't think you should go there right now."
"Why!?" Mr. Kogure leaned forward, trying to be threatening.
Doumyouji, however, is grinning unabashedly. "At today's investigative meeting, they decided to send quite a few investigators to the Saitou household."
"Why now...?"
"It's very typical of Superintendent Innami, you know? But, given the matter of that hidden room, it involves the surveillance of Yukari Saitou, just in case."
"Besides, if they don't solve the case, they can use the large number of investigators as an excuse to say they did everything they could."
"Wh-what!?" Mr. Kogure flew into a rage, throwing spit everywhere.
"No way... I can't believe they're moving on now to making excuses for their failure..."
"That's how Superintendent Innami is. For him, his priority is to protect his position and save his own skin. Honestly, I can't stand him at all."
Doumyouji took the words from my mouth. For such a person to be in the police force, furthermore, in the upper echelons, is unforgivable.
"Sir. I understand how you feel, but please restrain yourself for now. I'll give you a chance to talk to Yukari Saitou. Until then, please---"
Surely, the fact we read Yukimura's diary should be top secret. We cannot afford to tell Superintendent Innami about that.
If we carelessly let them find out we've read the diary, we'll be punished. If that happens, we'll be completely cut off from the investigation.
That was the one thing I wanted to avoid.
After repeated persuasion by Doumyouji, we reluctantly decided to postpone our visit to the Saitou house.
[Phone rings]
The following day---
I was greeted in the morning by my cell phone's ringtone.
"Yes, hello?"
"Sir! It's Doumyouji! We've found something good in Yukimura's apartment!"
The call was from Doumyouji. He seemed excited about something.
"Something good? What did you find?"
"A talisman. Written on it was that same 'oni' character. With this, we've now established our culprit!" Doumyouji continued further.
"And also, on the back of the talisman is the place where it was issued. You might be interested in that, aren't you, sir?"
Naturally. This is the perfect information to track down Kyouko Yukimura, after all.
"Where is this place?"
I wrote down the address Doumyouji gave in my notebook and immediately set out to investigate.
After the call ended, I immediately contacted Mr. Kogure.
Afterward... Not knowing what to do... I also contacted Ms. Yuuka, just in case.
Ms. Yuuka's knowledge might be necessary, again, regarding onis.
I hurriedly finished my preparations and ran out of my house.
See you next time!
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