Don't forget to read the first or previous part if you haven't!
In the last part, we went to our new suspect's apartment, finding something completely unexpected. Despite the... pink atmosphere, we found two clues: a diary and one of Yuusuke's textbooks. We finally have a set culprit! The diary, however, shows an obsessive and potentially vengeful woman, whose desire to protect Yuusuke could lead to his harm if not taken care of properly. But, in fact, there was one last clue, a talisman. And in it, the mysterious hornless 'oni' Kanji was written. Now, we'll follow that talisman's trail and investigate the shrine that made it. Let's begin, shall we?
---On the way, while in Mr. Kogure's car, I kept pondering.
The fax sent to Yukari Saitou's house. In there was written a horn-less oni Kanji. There's for certain some kind of great significance to it.
What did Kyouko Yukimura want to tell Yukari Saitou by sending that message...?
[The text stops for a small while]
It took about two hours of driving, relying on the address given by Doumyouji. Finally, we arrived at the location in question.
A moss-covered torii gate, which seems to have a certain history in itself, welcomes us. The torii gate seems to be of a Shinto shrine.
"Sir, by any chance, could Yukimura and Yuusuke-kun be in here...?"
"I wonder. She must have known that this place would be discovered immediately if that talisman was found. Besides, there must be a certain amount of people coming and going."
"I don't think this is the type of place to hide together with a hostage." Said Ms. Yuuka.
Mr. Kogure was annoyed, muttering in whispers, "Civilians shouldn't interject."
"Yeah, Ms. Yuuka's right, this certainly doesn't seem to be the place where someone would hide..."
I once again surveyed our surroundings. There were many banners in the worship of Kishimojin fluttering in the wind.
[The banners are specifically 'noboris', they are long, narrow banners attached to poles on one side and a horizontal rod along the top. Additionally, 'Kishimojin' is the name of the Buddhist goddess of childbirth and children, her worship began in India before spreading to Japan, her original Indian name is "Hariti".]
"...This is just a guess, but I wonder if the "oni" talisman might contain some kind of message?"
"Yukimura went to the trouble of faxing a cryptic talisman to convey it. There must be something in this shrine that points to Yukimura's message... her motive."
"I see. Then, we need to know the meaning of the talisman first. Let's go inside and talk to the Shinto priest without delay."
After passing through a narrow approach surrounded by all kinds of trees, I saw an old shrine illuminated by the sunlight filtered through the trees.
The chilly air envelops us in a kind of "tranquility" that is unique to temples and shrines.
"Hey, Junya-kun. Look at this." Ms. Yuuka ran up the flight of stone stairs, pointing at the inside of the shrine.
There stood a statue of a woman with a kind smile. On the statue's pedestal, a name was firmly engraved.
{Kishimojin}
"Kishibojin... This is Kishibojin?" Mr. Kogure clutches himself seeming somewhat cold.
"It's 'mo'. The correct way to read it is 'Kishimojin', not 'Kishibojin'." Ms. Yuuka looks at the Kishimojin statue with interest as she corrects Mr. Kogure's reading.
"Huh, Kishimojin's oni Kanji is missing its horn, isn't it?" Ms. Yuuka holds up her camera to the statue.
"What are you doing!?" Suddenly, a voice called out from behind us.
"Hyaah!?" Mr. Kogure jumped up with a high-pitched shriek unfitting his physique.
I turn around and see an elderly man looking at me at the bottom of the stone steps. His short-cropped hair is streaked with gray. The wrinkles notched on his face convey his experience in life.
It was a little relieving to see his pleasant, mild-mannered expression. It seems that he wasn't angry, so I inquired with him.
"Um... Are you in charge of this shrine?"
"Nah, I'm not." He shook his head.
The older man came up the stone stairs while answering curtly.
"Then, do you know where the Shinto priest is?"
"I don't." By the time he gave this short reply, he already was standing in front of us.
"The priest isn't in here? Do you mean that he's absent?"
"No. I'm saying that there's no priest here."
What does that mean? I have absolutely no idea what this old man is talking about.
"Excuse me, but what brings you here?" The elderly man asked, peering into our faces.
"Oh, I beg your pardon." Mr. Kogure and I took out our police identification notebooks. The old man looked a little surprised.
"Gentlemen from the police, yes? Why come all the way over here?"
"Well, we're just doing a little investigating..."
"What do you want to know? I'll cooperate as long as I can answer. I'm the {chief Buddhist priest} here." [Oops, forgot another screenshot]
The wrinkles on the elderly man's face crumpled into a grin. "Buddhist priest...? You mean, this is a temple?"
"Indeed, "Oninakidera Temple" it's called. When people hear the name "Kishimojin", they tend to think of a shrine. It may be because the character for god is attached to her name despite her being a guardian of Buddhism."
I too had assumed it was a shrine.
Mr. Kogure, looking unconvinced, asked the priest a question. "Then, what's with the torii gate at the entrance? Isn't it strange for a temple to have a torii gate?"
"Tutelary god?" Mr. Kogure raised his voice strangely high.
"Yup. A tutelary god has a shrine built near temple grounds to protect it."
"You're talking about 'Shinto-Buddhist syncretism', right?" Ms. Yuuka's mouth spun unfamiliar words.
"That's right. That's also called the 'Shinto-Buddhist mixture'. Such things happened long ago. But, conversely, there were also temples called 'Jinguuji' attached to shrines."
"Have you ever heard of the word 'gongen'? It refers to the manifestation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the form of Shinto gods to save people. There are also Buddhas who protect the gods, called 'Gohoujin'." [They originally protected only Buddhism, but after the syncretism, I guess they also began to guard Shintoist deities?]
"Hmm. It must be quite a chore for a god to protect and be protected, isn't it?" Mr. Kogure was impressed in a weird way.
"Of course, after the Meiji era's "Shinto-Buddhist Separation", Jinguuji temples and tutelary god shrines were abolished, with one of them unifying with the other."
"So, while it's technically on temple grounds, it's a completely different thing. This is a fully-fledged Buddhist temple, and I'm the chief Buddhist priest. Do you understand?"
The priest looked at me again as he said this. "What is it you want to ask me, young man?"
"Oh, yes. I heard that this temple here is making a talisman with the character for 'oni'... without a horn on its head."
"Yes, we indeed are making those. Is there a problem with that?"
I explained the situation as best I could. When the priest realized that a kidnapping was involved, he straightened his posture.
"I see... Abduction is quite the wicked act." The chief priest let out a mournful sigh.
"Please tell us, what's the meaning behind that oni Kanji?"
The priest pondered my question for a while, and, before long, began speaking gravely.
"To explain that, I have to tell you about Kishimojin. Do you have the time?"
We nodded silently. After confirming this, the priest slowly began to talk about Kishimojin in a hushed voice.
"Kishimojin is known in Japan as the goddess of children and child-rearing, but she was originally an Indian deity in Brahmanistic mythology called Hariti."
"Hariti had as many as 500 children with other gods. That is the reason she's called the goddess of children."
"500 people, that's amazing, isn't it? If it were me, I wouldn't even be able to remember their faces." The chief priest smiled at Ms. Yuuka's comment.
"But Kishimojin was very fond of her children and loved all 500 of them very much."
"Huh, she must be a pretty nice goddess." I frankly stated my thoughts.
"But that's not so. Kishimojin used to kidnap and eat human children to feed her 500 children."
"H-human children!?" He must have imagined a horrifying scene. Mr. Kogure covered his mouth and furrowed his brow.
"For the sake of her own children, she considered human children insignificant. But when their children were eaten, the human beings were in mourning. After suffering and anguish, they turned to the Buddha, Shakyamuni."
"The Buddha had a plan, he hid the youngest child, whom Kishimojin loved very much. Kishimojin searched madly for the child. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find him."
"Saddened, grieving, and suffering, Kishimojin finally asked the Buddha for help. Then, the Buddha said:"
"It must be very painful to lose a child, isn't it? Even for you, with 500 children, it's quite sad."
"How much more painful must the loss of a child be to a person who has only a few children? There is no difference between god and man in their love for their children."
"Shakyamuni returned the child to Kishimojin. After that, she was taught by him, reformed, and became a god who protects children, thusly being worshipped at shrines."
"This is the legend of Kishimojin." Once the priest finished the tale, he let out a great breath.
I looked again at the statue of Kishimojin enshrined inside the temple.
Indeed, I think she has a compassionate expression of love for all children.
"Kishimojin was originally an evil goddess, but through the power of the Buddha and his teachings, she was converted and reborn as a good goddess."
"The story was particularly moving to the Japanese people, and it spread widely among the populace, eventually becoming an object of worship."
"In Nichiren Buddhism, Kishimojin is regarded as a guardian of the teachings. And as a guardian of the teachings, Kishimojin is often depicted holding a pomegranate in her right hand and a baby in her left."
A jolt of shock shot through my body as if an electric current had been sent through my veins. "Pomegranate!?"
<<Pomegranate seeds... come alone>>
That's right. That threatening phone call... I think I'm beginning to see the true nature of the case little by little.
I continued with a question. "What kind of meaning does the pomegranate have?"
"Pomegranates taste like human flesh."
"Eeh!?" Mr. Kogure took three large steps back.
"Hahaha. Well, that's what the Buddha said. When she was admonished by the Buddha and converted, Kishimojin was given a pomegranate fruit."
"If you ever feel the urge to eat people again, eat a pomegranate instead, which tastes like human flesh, and remember the pain you felt when you lost your children, so he said."
Ms. Yuuka looked a little pale and her shoulders were shaking. She may be good with the occult, but not so much with such graphic stories.
"Um... Does it really taste like human flesh?" Mr. Yuuka asked fearfully. The chief priest cocked his head with a laugh.
"Well now, does it? I've never eaten human flesh." As he said that, the priest laughed heartily.
"Then, what does the character for "oni" mean... and why was the first stroke removed?" I returned to my original question.
"Oh, so that's what you wanted to ask. The kishimojin who was devouring human children was literally an oni."
"However, Kishimojin, who received the teachings of the Buddha, is no longer an oni, but a deity who loves children. To express this, we took off the stroke at the head of the oni Kanji, which stands for a horn."
"Right! I knew that stroke represented a horn! See, Junya-kun! I was right!" Ms. Yuuka was overjoyed that her guess was right on the mark.
As we listened to the priest's story, the general framework of the case formed vaguely.
Once I finished listening to everything, I had a feeling of certainty growing inside me.
The reason why Kyouko Yukimura sent a fax to Yukari Saitou. The message implied in that oni Kanji. And the motive for Yuusuke-kun's abduction...
The pieces that had been scattered around in my head were about to come together.
The Kidnapping's Motive
The culprit is, without a doubt, Kyouko Yukimura. But, what could be the motive behind the kidnapping...?
Let's recall the threatening phone calls she made. What was Kyouko Yukimura's demand...?
>Ransom
>To come alone to pomegranate seeds
This is a simple memory test.
>To come alone to pomegranate seeds
Kyouko Yukimura tried to call Yukari Saitou...
What was her intention? What's the key to solving it?
>The fax with the oni character
>Yukimura's diary
Both show a part of her motivation, but we'll go with the newest info.
>The fax with the oni character
The character on the fax was a hornless 'oni'. It represents Kishimojin.
What kind of being is Kishimojin?
>A dangerous oni who harms children
>A protector of children
Second memory test.
>A protector of children
Kishimojin, originally a child-eating oni, mended her ways and became a protector. Is that what the fax means...?
I should try remembering Yukimura's journal.
In that diary, she wrote about her thoughts about Yuusuke-kun and her hatred for "that woman".
Is "that woman" Yukari Saitou, as one would expect?
>I think so.
>I don't think so.
There's no one else who fits the actions of 'that woman'.
>I think so.
So that means...
If we believe the contents of the diary, the motive for the kidnapping is---
>To take Yuusuke-kun away from Yukari and make him her own son.
>To save Yuusuke-kun from Yukari's cruel treatment.
>To annoy Yukari.
Between the top two options, I think the second choice fits her better.
>To save Yuusuke-kun from Yukari's cruel treatment.
Indeed. She's likely trying to rescue Yuusuke-kun.
However, if that were all, she wouldn't have made a threatening phone call to Yukari Saitou. She would just need to take Yuusuke-kun and run away.
Kyouko Yukimura has a message she wants to convey to Yukari Saitou.
And it's implied by the---
>Words "come to pomegranate seeds".
>Character for "oni", indicating the god Kishimojin.
Both seem right, but the lower option is more direct.
>Character for "oni", indicating the god Kishimojin.
Kishimojin, once an oni that ate children, is now their protector.
In other words, what Kyouko Yukimura wants to say to Yukari Saitou so she can save Yuusuke-kun is...?
>I will protect Yuusuke-kun as if Kishimojin (Conclusion)
>Reform, like Kishimojin, and love Yuusuke-kun (Conclusion)
I'd say the bottom option, why else give her location by calling the person she wants to protect Yuusuke from?
>Reform, like Kishimojin, and love Yuusuke-kun
I can think of nothing else--- Kyouko Yukimura committed this crime only for the sake of Yuusuke-kun's happiness.
And she wanted to say this. ---"Love your son."
Ms. Yuuka and I decided to go our separate ways after we had finished gathering information at the Oninakidera Temple.
She had something else she wanted to look into... I hope she won't be too reckless.
"Ah, there you are! I was looking for you, sir." Doumyouji greeted us as we returned to the police station with new information.
"What's going on?"
"The Saitou house received a call." Mr. Kogure leaned forward at his words.
"From Yukimura!?"
"No--- From Yuusuke himself." Doumyouji grinned.
"Eh!?" We raised our voices simultaneously.
"Just an hour ago. Just a few words. <<Mommy, help me... I want to be with you, Mommy.>> That was everything."
Thank goodness. At least, we were able to confirm that Yuusuke-kun was safe. This is good news.
"Sir, could Yuusuke-kun have made that phone call on his own, behind the culprit's back?" Mr. Kogure's opinion was interrupted by Doumyouji.
"It seems that's what the investigation headquarters is thinking. Superintendent Innami is planning to put out a nationwide APB on Kyouko Yukimura."
"An APB...?" I was confused.
If Kyouko Yukimura desires to call out to Yukari Saitou and get her to reform, then... It would strike a nerve with her to launch an open investigation.
Kyouko Yukimura might run away with Yuusuke. No, it would be fine if she just ran away, but in the worst case...
Doumyouji looked at my face and seemed to sense something.
"What will you do? Are you going to Superintendent Innami?" He looked into my face as if amused.
"Mr. Doumyouji, please show me the way... to meet Superintendent Innami." Now that it's come to this, I have no other choice.
Superintendent Innami, several investigators, and Yukari Saitou were in the Saitou house's living room.
"---That's why I said we're going to go ahead with the open investigation. The press arrangement will be lifted tomorrow morning. Tell them the press conference will be at 10 p.m.!"
Superintendent Innami was irritated, sending out instructions to his subordinates one after another.
"Superintendent Innami", I call out, and he glared at me in even further annoyance.
"What do you lot want!?" Didn't I tell you not to show your face to me again!?"
"You should abandon the open investigation."
"How asinine! You want to be demoted that badly?"
"Superintendent Innami, please listen to me. Ms. Yukari, please do the same."
At my words, Yukari raised her eyebrows in confusion.
Superintendent Innami tries to block me off by raising his voice. "You're not worth listening to!"
"No, please listen to me! The culprit's motive is so that Ms. Yukari---"
"---Mr. Yukari, they want you to love Yuusuke-kun."
Superintendent Innami snorted. "What stupidity..."
"No, please think about it. The killer had only one request: "Come to pomegranate" and that was it. The fax with the character for "oni" on it was not a threat."
"That character signifies Kishimojin, the guardian goddess of children. She's the protector of children and also symbolic of the conversion of an evil god into a good god."
Yukari Saitou wouldn't make eye contact with me. She has been staring at her knees since a while ago.
"Ms. Yukari." I appeal to her.
"The culprit is waiting for you." Kyouko Yukimura was aware of what Yukari Saitou had done to Yusuke. We know this from her diary.
For Kyouko Yukimura, Yuusuke-kun is an irreplaceable person who saved her life, and she would never think of harming him.
She would rather save her precious Yuusuke, just as she herself was saved.
"That's nothing more than your conjecture..." Superintendent Innami let out a stifled voice and glared at me. His eyes were clearly laced with hatred.
But I continued without minding him.
"I believe the culprit wants you to be like Kishimojin. They hope you will reform your ways like Kishimojin."
"I don't know what 'pomegranate seeds' means, but if she wants you to change your mind, she can't ask you to come to a place you don't know."
"Ms. Yukari. You know, don't you? What pomegranate seeds means..."
Yukari Saitou took one look at me. "........."
"Or, Mr. Yukari, are you pretending not to know the meaning of "pomegranate seeds" so that you can abandon Yuusuke-kun!?"
"Be quiet!" Ms. Yukari stood up vigorously.
Everyone stopped moving. The living room, which had been abuzz with the voices of the investigators, becomes silent. All eyes are on her.
She squared her shoulders, grinding her teeth, and wrung out a voice like a growl.
"I have no love for Yuusuke. ...When he was kidnapped, I felt only refreshed." I was speechless at Ms. Yukari's bloodcurdling behavior.
"Why... Why do you reject Yuusuke-kun so much?" In response to my question, Ms. Yukari hesitated to speak.
"T-that's..." After a moment's hesitation, she shook her head violently.
"B-because he's that man's child! Because he's the child of a man who ran away with another woman!" By "that man", I assume she means her ex-husband.
"My happy household crumbled because of that man... I..."
"That can't be true!" Mr. Kogure shouted his insistence.
"Two years ago, you still loved Yuusuke-kun! Isn't that why you risked your life to save him from that fire?"
"Please! Please, somehow! Please remember how you felt then!" Mr. Kogure's cry had a tragic echo.
"I-I..." A hint of doubt appeared on Ms. Yukari's face.
Deep anguish. Confusion. Regret. This was the first time I had seen such an expression on Ms. Yukari's face since the incident occurred.
I knew she loved Yuusuke-kun somewhere in her heart. I took the chance and continued the conversation to press an answer out of her.
"Ms. Yukari, you must know it. Please tell us. So we can rescue Yuusuke-kun."
"Where is 'pomegranate seeds'? Yuusuke-kun is waiting for you there. And the culprit, Kyouko Yukimura, is too..."
"---!!" It happened suddenly. Ms. Yukari, who had been trembling, abruptly looked up.
Her eyes widened, her lips pursed, and she looked at me with a shocked expression on her face.
The color of her face turns pale as she looks at us. Everyone stares with bated breath. A painful tension runs through me.
"...What...what did you just say?" I was puzzled, but Yukari came up to me, grabbed me by the shoulders, and shook me violently.
"Just now... what did you say!?"
"...Where is 'pomegranate seeds'..."
"No! After that! The culprit's name!"
Overwhelmed by Yukari's vigor, I answer, "Kyouko Yukimura?"
Yukari's hands are now clasping my shoulders so tightly that it hurts. It was so strong that I was under the illusion that her nails were digging into my flesh.
"Haah, haah..." Yukari's breathing becomes ragged.
This reaction... As expected, Ms. Yukari really did know about Kyouko Yukimura.
"O-oy..." Superintendent Innami was looking around aimlessly, aghast. Everyone was bewildered by the sudden change in Ms. Yukari's attitude.
The room was filled with a faint tension. Every investigator present, even Superintendent Innami, held his breath and watched the situation unfold.
Yukari was trying desperately to regain her rough breathing. She held her chest, closed her eyes, and tried to calm down.
"Hah, hah... D-detective." Ms. Yukari called out as she faced me.
"I'll go to...'pomegranate seeds'..."
At Ms. Yukari's words, Superintendent Innami leaned forward. "If that's the case, we'll escort..."
"No... I-I'll go alone."
"That's dangerous! The police will guard you. If anything happens to you, we're the ones who'll be responsible. Don't worry, we won't do anything that'll make the killer aware of us."
Still, Ms. Yukari stubbornly refused. "She said she wanted me to come alone."
For once, I agreed with Superintendent Innami's opinion. If my theory is correct, in this case, it's Ms. Yukari who's more at risk than Yuusuke-kun.
"Ms. Yukari. It's dangerous to go alone. At least have one or two guards with you." I bowed my head and pleaded with her.
Ms. Yukari was indecisive for a moment before looking at me. "...I understand. Then, I'll bring only you."
There was no way Superintendent Innami would approve of this.
"Wait! I won't allow you to act as you please!" But this was no time for a turf war. I rushed to Superintendent Innami and whispered in his ear.
"You should still go as backup without her realizing. It's all right. I won't steal a march on you guys."
Superintendent Innami seemed to immediately understand the meaning of my last statement. He glared at me as if he wanted to complain, but in the end, he relented.
I also asked Mr. Kogure to work with Superintendent Innami as backup.
In addition, I've attached a transmitter and a radio to my body just in case. Now I'll be in full coordination with them.
[Fade to black]
Finally, we were ready to leave. Ms. Yukari got into the driver's seat and I sat in the back seat where I could hide.
Just before starting the engine, I asked Ms. Yukari's back. "...What's your relationship with Kyouko Yukimura?"
Ms. Yukari did not answer immediately and silently started the engine. [Engine noises] The sound of the engine echoed through the quiet residential area.
"She..." Ms. Yukari murmured, staring straight ahead.
"She... deserves to be Yuusuke's mother more than I do."
As I gazed out the window of the car Ms. Yukari was driving, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the signs along the way.
The reason was that Ms. Yukari's destination was very close to the place I had visited mere hours ago.
The Oninakidera Temple in Kanagawa, which worships Kishimojin. The place we were aiming for was not more than a few kilometers from there.
It was to be expected, come to think of it. Since Kyouko Yukimura's room contained the temple's bill, she had to have visited there at least once in the past.
The car drove up further down the winding forest road from the temple.
It was surprisingly quiet in the mountains. Not a sound from insects or howling beasts could be heard. There was no wind tonight, not even the sound of the trees rustling.
There's no light at all. No city lights could reach this undeveloped land.
It's as if the world had stopped. A space isolated from the concept of time. The sheer serenity of the place made me feel vaguely uneasy.
Unable to resist, I looked back behind me. There was nothing but darkness there, too. I wondered if Mr. Kogure, Superintendent Innami, and the others were following me properly.
Relying only on the headlights of her car, Ms. Yukari drove silently from start to finish. She showed no signs of getting lost.
The narrow mountain road was surprisingly well-paved. The car rarely shook.
Why is the road so well maintained in such a remote mountainous area, where not a single house exists?
Despite my doubts, the car eventually came to a dead end. It was a small open space.
No, this is a parking lot. There were parking spaces separated by white lines. But not a single other car was parked here.
"Where is here...?" Ms. Yukari didn't answer me and instead parked her car carelessly in the center of the lot.
Ms. Yukari got out of the car without saying a word. What should I do...?
If this is 'pomegranate seeds', Kyouko Yukimura may already be watching from somewhere. If I move needlessly, I'd only provoke her.
However, ignoring my hesitation, Ms. Yukari kept walking steadily. As I was, there was no future in following her.
I opened the door as quietly as possible and got out of the car in a lowered position.
"Junya-kun, Junya-kun."
"Wha!!?" Ms. Yuuka was standing before my eyes.
"Ms. Yuuka! Why are you here!?"
"Naturally, I came to catch the oni."
"I was actually canvassing the area after we parted ways at the temple. Then I found the remains of a hospital that had burned down here, and the hospital's symbol was..."
"That's not what I'm asking!" Unintentionally, I yelled at her. My voice echoed in the silence.
Was this okay? Kyouko Yukimura didn't notice, right?
Ms. Yukari, who was walking ahead of me, stopped and looked in my direction, perplexed.
Ms. Yuuka was staring at me with a surprised face. I walked up to her and said as quietly as I could.
"What are you thinking!? A person's life is at stake in this case!"
"...But..."
"No buts!"
My hushed words, contrary to my expectations, had a great effect, as Ms. Yuuka nodded despondently.
She probably didn't expect me to be so angry.
She performed beyond our expectations so far. It's safe to say that we couldn't have come this far without Ms. Yuuka's advice.
This time, however, the risk was too great, even if she probably was here out of a desire to help us and maybe out of her own interest as a researcher.
But maybe I was a little too angry. Ms. Yuuka bit her lip and kept looking at my feet.
"If something were to happen, what would you do? You never know what kind of danger you might end up in." I tried to be as gentle as possible in my tone of voice.
Ms. Yuuka raised her head and said slowly. "...I'm sorry."
"But, I wanted to help in solving the case... That's why..."
What...? She's being meek, it's so different from usual... No... Now is not the time.
I snapped out of my thoughts and told her. "...At any rate, I cannot afford to take you along. Instead..."
"Instead?"
"Stay here. Backup should be here soon, but if anything happens before then..."
"At that point, you must think about your own safety first. Run away to a place where you are out of danger, and then contact Mr. Kogure and the others. Okay, Ms. Yuuka?"
Ms. Yuuka, without saying anything, shook her head vertically.
Once I confirmed that she understood, I reluctantly snapped out of any lingering thoughts and hurried after Ms. Yukari.
From behind me, I felt Ms. Yuuka say in a low voice, "be careful"...
"Your girlfriend...?" Ms. Yukari, who had been waiting for me to persuade Yuuka, said something outrageous right out of the gate.
"N-no!" I hurriedly denied it, but she only replied by letting out a giggle.
Then, guided by Ms. Yukari, we continued walking in silence for a while.
"It's here."
How could there be a building this deep in the mountains? Was the forest road paved for this building?
The building was quite large. Perhaps slightly smaller than the average elementary school.
Several windows were facing the parking lot, but not a single light was on. There were no voices. It appears to be in complete ruin.
Why was this building called "pomegranate seeds"? The answer soon became clear.
"...Look."
I looked in the direction Ms. Yukari pointed at while paying careful attention to my surroundings.
{Granada Maternity} Clinic. I gasped when I saw the sign she indicated.
It wasn't the name of the hospital. It was the symbol to the left of the name that caught my attention.
It was a pomegranate fruit.
"Granada refers to a type of pomegranate." Ms. Yukari explained in addition.
The mystery of the "pomegranate seeds" in the threatening phone call has finally been solved. The Granada Maternity Clinic was the "pomegranate". And Ms. Yukari knew about this place.
Why didn't she come here from the beginning? Was it because she was practicing her own words, "I don't love Yuusuke"?
"Yuusuke was, well, born here."
I found Ms. Yukari's words strange. She didn't say, "I gave birth to Yuusuke here".
As if seeing through my doubt, she murmured.
"At that time when you questioned me, I already said it, didn't I? I don't love Yuusuke..."
I silently waited for her to speak.
Finally, the mother called Yukari Saitou is about to open the door to her heart, which had been closed for so long. She's about to speak her true feelings, which she had been keeping deep in her heart.
"Yuusuke was born in this hospital. Through a {surrogate mother}..."
"...Eh?" I was at a loss to decide how to respond to this sudden confession.
"A surrogate mother. I'm certain that's what Ms. Yukari said. But, if I remember correctly, that's a problem from a legal standpoint in Japan.
"This hospital offers surrogacy services in secret. Of course, it's illegal, so we had to pay a lot of money."
Ms. Yukari began to tell her story bit by bit. Her face was filled with sorrow.
"I was physically incapable of bearing children, but I really wanted to have one in order to have the happy family I had always dreamed of."
"So I unreasonably insisted to my husband to visit this hospital..."
"The debt from that time haunted us to the end. We went through the trouble of having a child, but my husband kept working without taking a break to pay off the debt."
"We were supposed to have a happy home, but instead our marriage just went downhill. We didn't even see each other for days on end..."
"It was that debt that caused my husband to shut down his store. If it weren't for my parents' insurance money, we would still be in debt."
"I didn't hold a grudge against Yuusuke for that. I had my hands full raising that boy."
"Soon after, he stopped coming home and took up with another woman. The rift between the two of us had become definite."
"The debt put a strain on the family budget, and we couldn't afford any luxuries, so I worked while raising our child. I was just desperate. I was so busy every day that I couldn't think about anything..."
"But when Yuusuke started kindergarten, I suddenly thought, "Is this the kind of happiness I've been looking for?"..."
"At first it was just a minor quandary. But when my husband shut down the restaurant, the divorce settlement started, and of course, I was falling apart, I couldn't think of anything but the bad side of things."
"What am I doing? I can find no happiness anywhere." Ms. Yukari smiled in resignation.
"And then the death of my parents put the final damper on things. Yuusuke was all I had left."
"But as he entered elementary school and grew up little by little, I became more and more anxious..."
"Will he really look like me, or will he look like his surrogate mother?"
"But that's not all. What will he say in the future if he finds out the secret of his birth?"
"All I could think about was that kind of insecurity. Because he's not my real child..."
That's wrong...! I was unable to say so.
No matter how many such words are uttered by a third party, they are nothing more than irresponsible encouragement.
"After all, there was nothing around me. Nothing at all... Once I realized that, I couldn't help but hate Yuusuke for being so innocent."
"I thought if he's not my child, why is he here?"
"When I hit that boy, it didn't hurt my heart that much. It made me sad, so I hit him further."
"Once I came to my senses, it already was steadily escalating. I couldn't stop myself. But still, it didn't hurt my heart that much."
Ms. Yukari looked up from her slumped face and looked me in the eye. "I wonder why...?"
"...Then why are you crying?" A single tear trickled down her cheek.
"Eh...? I'm...?" Ms. Yukari's voice was trembling. Only now did she realize that she was crying.
"Your heart is definitely aching. You still are Yuusuke-kun's mother."
"Yuusuke-kun is waiting for you because he believes in you, so you should also believe in him and go help him."
I felt I finally understood Ms. Yukari's feelings. She was scared.
Misfortunes happened one after another, and she lost many things.
The happiness she once dreamed of had crumbled... If she were to lose Yuusuke-kun, the only one left, her heart would no longer be able to bear it.
So she started lying to herself.
She tried to pretend to herself that she didn't love Yuusuke-kun. ...Because that way, even if he disappears in the future, her heart won't be hurt.
Indeed... Ironically, she was hoping not to lose Yuusuke-kun, but... on the contrary, she was inducing his loss.
I held out a handkerchief to Ms. Yukari. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken so offhandedly..."
"...No. Thank you. I've... made my mind." The smile on her face was filled with the kindness of a mother.
[Fade to black]
Let's end it here. This seems a bit sudden, but after this dialogue, we enter the hospital, which is a pretty long section in itself. Anyway, this may be my favorite part of the game, it's a rollercoaster of emotions that range from enjoyable (calling out Yukari), to surprising (the hospital's connections to all parties involved), among many others. It makes the pretty long set-up worth it to me.
But, in any case, the next post might potentially be shorter than normal. I'll be having some complications with Uni, but that'll likely be temporary as I get accustomed to my new schedule.
Anyway, see you next time!
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