Don't forget to read the first or previous part if you haven't!
In the last part, we focused on Anzai as our prime suspect, learning about her past and interactions with those around her. She suffered a great many, losing her relatives one after the other, with one exception, her sister Kyouko Yukimura, the other route's culprit. Additionally, those around her only pitied her, thinking themselves as superior because of it. Using this information, we moved to meet the kidnapped's mother to confront her for similar reasons as in the first route: she willingly lied to the police about her son's whereabouts. Now, let's begin, shall we?
Yukari Saitou was in a bad mood. Was it frustration at the inability of the police to bring her son back?
Naturally, there were investigators inside the house, but thanks to Doumyouji's arrangement, we were able to see Ms. Yukari without any problems.
According to Doumyouji, most of the prominent investigators were sent out to search for Anzai.
"Um... So? How can I help you, officers?"
"There's something we wanted to ask you. You know what "pomegranate seeds" means, don't you?"
Ms. Yukari raised her eyebrows and asked back. "...What are you talking about? I told you I don't know."
"Then, you know about Granada Maternity Clinic, right?"
"---!!?" A look of clear astonishment and agitation came over her face. That was her answer.
Ms. Yukari's faint voice reached my ears. "W-why...? ...Why...that...?"
"You know, don't you? That "pomegranate seeds" refers to Granada Maternity Clinic, don't you!?"
"Why... can't I ever be freed...? Finally, after all these pains... I thought it had ended, and yet..."
"Ms. Yukari, you're..." Her words were as if she had intended to abandon Yuusuke-kun from the beginning.
"...That's right. I... planned on leaving Yuusuke to die..."
It was a devastating confession. It was hard to believe that these were the words of a mother. Mr. Kogure, who had seen an ideal mother figure in Yukari Saitou, and the others around us fell into absentmindedness.
Doumyouji alone followed these proceedings with amusement.
"Mr. Detective, do you plan to save Yuusuke...?"
"...Naturally." I asserted curtly.
"...Why?"
"Why? Why is a reason needed to try to save a kidnapped child? The child has done nothing wrong, hasn't it?"
"...The child has done nothing wrong...? Yet, that boy..." Yukari Saitou was about to say something, then stopped herself.
"...Alright then, Mr. Detective. I'll take you to "pomegranate seeds"."
The air in the car was very oppressive. Yukari Saitou joined us in Mr. Kogure's personal car and we were on our way to "pomegranate seeds".
The car has gone past the residential area and is already on a winding path that could best be described as a mountain road. There are almost no streetlights; the only light illuminating the road is from the headlights.
If there were stars out, it might have been at least a little brighter, but because of the cloud cover, neither the moon nor the stars could be seen.
The car drove further into the mountains, past a sign for a temple or something.
It was surprisingly quiet in the mountains. Not a sound of insects or howling beasts could be heard. There doesn't seem to have any wind tonight, not even the sound of trees rustling.
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.
"...I wonder why?" Yukari Saitou murmured to herself without moving her gaze.
"I don't need Yuusuke. I should have thought so, but..."
"I... just wanted a happy home. I just wanted the kind of warm, gentle home I'd always dreamed of... That's all I wanted, and yet..."
Ms. Yukari gave a small sigh and continued. "I obtained it when Yuusuke was born... or so I thought. But, in reality, it was the opposite..."
"Because of his birth, I got into debt, and to pay it off, I worked without a break... By the time I noticed, my marriage was on the rocks..."
"I was happy while Yuusuke was still a baby. I didn't have the time to think with work and raising a child..."
"But when my husband left and Yuusuke started kindergarten, and I was no longer busy with him, I suddenly realized that... I had nothing, no happiness, no family, no nothing..."
"No... You have Yuusuke-kun, don't you? How can you say you have nothing..." I cut off my words there.
No, it's more accurate to say that I had to cut it short.
Ms. Yukari had a painfully sorrowful expression on her face. There was a hint of intense sadness and regret.
"Yes... I had Yuusuke... But, that was unbearable for me..."
"My unhappiness was all that boy's fault. Thinking that... I hit him..."
"Still, when I looked at that boy who earnestly yearned for me as his mother, I could see the ugliness of my heart even more clearly. I was so ashamed of myself... So I hit him again..."
---Shame. I remembered the story Ms. Yuuka told me about the oni woman of "Kurozuka".
The tale of a woman who, upon seeing her true nature, is transformed into an oni out of shame...
Did this mother feel the same way, ending up harboring an oni in her heart?
"I was honestly relieved when I found out he had been kidnapped. I thought that I would be free of everything. My new life was about to begin..."
"But you know, after Yuusuke was kidnapped, I was sitting alone in an empty room, and I thought... Oh, what am I living for...?"
"I kept thinking about it... And then I heard his voice. Mommy, Mommy, he said..."
"I was, well, afraid Yuusuke would call me that. The sound of that boy's adoring voice was heavy for me..."
"Mr. Detective... That boy... Yuusuke is..."
Ms. Yukari was about to say something, but no words came out of her mouth.
A while later, the car 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 slowly nodded. We stopped the car and decided to walk from here on.
Once the sound of the car engine ceased, the quietness of the surroundings felt almost noisy.
Perhaps it was the stillness of this place, but I even began to feel as if someone was watching me.
Ms. Yukari gets out of the car early and walks on and on. Considering the killer's words, "Pomegranate seeds... come alone", keeping a little distance from her would be better.
Mr. Kogure and I got out of the car so as not to make a sound and followed her, taking care to stay as low as possible.
"Junya-kun, Junya-kun!"
"Wha!!? Ms. Yuuka! Why are you here!?"
"Didn't I say I was going to investigate Granada Maternity Clinic? I tracked down the location and came here."
"That's not what I'm asking!" Unintentionally, I yelled at her. My voice echoed in the silence.
At the sound of my voice, Ms. Yuuka and even Mr. Kogure jumped.
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!" Contrary to my expectations, my hushed words 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... Got it?"
"Mr. Kogure too, please stay here."
"Wha!? Sir...!" Mr. Kogure tried to argue with me, but I stopped him with my hand.
"I'm sorry, but you're too conspicuous. Please leave Ms. Yukari to me."
"B-but, sir...!"
"And we can't leave Ms. Yuuka, a civilian, alone, can we? Mr. Kogure, please protect her."
Mr. Kogure nodded quietly. Then, he added anxiously.
"Sir... please be careful. I can't help but have a bad feeling about this myself..."
"Alright. If something happens... please help me." Leaving those words behind, I turned back to Ms. Yukari.
Ms. Yuuka's small voice reached my back. "We'll be waiting for you", she said. I responded by raising my right hand with my back to her.
"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."
This is... "pomegranate seeds", huh?
The building was quite large. It was much larger than I had dimly imagined.
It's probably a little smaller than an average elementary school building. It seems to have a great many windows facing the parking lot, but not a single light shines through.
There were no voices. It appears to be in complete ruin.
"...Look."
I looked in the direction Ms. Yukari pointed at while paying careful attention to my surroundings.
"Granada Maternity Clinic."
It's definitely here. There's no doubt about it. The sign with the hospital's name on it had a symbol pictured on it.
It was undoubtedly a "pomegranate".
"Yuusuke was born here." It's as we expected.
But then, why...? I felt something entangled in her words.
She sounded like it was someone else's problem. Wracking my head, I thought and came to an idea.
She didn't say, "I gave birth to Yusuke here". I don't mean to be a stickler for words, but I can't help but be curious.
However, after saying only that, Ms. Yukari went through the entrance and proceeded to the interior of the building.
Now is not the time to get caught up in the details. I followed her lead, paying attention to my surroundings.
Our footsteps reverberated in the darkness. No matter how careful we are, we cannot completely muffle our footsteps in this silence.
It was horribly eerie inside the hospital, closed off in the dark. We walked through with a flashlight, cutting through the darkness and anxiety.
The atmosphere is heavy. There is a faint smell of disinfectant mixed with the stink of mold and dust.
According to the data Doumyouji gave me, Kyouko Yukimura, Satoko Anzai's adopted sister, was the deputy director of the hospital. It's highly possible that Anzai knew about this hospital.
I had a chilly feeling that Anzai, with her growing negative emotions, was waiting for us somewhere in this hospital.
"Why did Satoko Anzai purposely choose this place...?"
As I mumbled something to myself, Ms. Yukari stopped and turned around with a sudden force. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Satoko Anzai... you say?"
"Y...yes..."
"Oni..." [Said without the horns, somehow] Unexpected words escaped her mouth.
"She was the person who sent that fax, wasn't she?"
"...Given the circumstances, most likely."
"Oni... She must have known me very well." Ms. Yukari's face looked desolate as she said this, with a self-mocking smile on her lips.
"She knew that I was doing terrible things... that I was beating Yuusuke."
"At that time, I probably had almost become an oni. If I had kept going like that, I really would have turned into one. In body and soul, like the real thing..."
"Maybe she sent that fax to mock me for being like that..."
"Mr. Detective, do you know why she did that...?"
"That would be..." Because of negative emotions, but...
"I think I understand somehow. When Ms. Anzai told me about her past, I thought she was a 'pitiable person'."
"But it was out of a sense of superiority on my part. At least, I had something that she didn't have at that time. I felt in some manner that I was better off than her."
"However, I didn't understand her until I began to lose everything. After losing my parents and divorcing my husband, I realized that people around me pitied me."
"It's painful no matter how much people feel sorry for you. I felt so ashamed of myself that I was being pitied..."
"Some of them may have been sincerely sympathetic, but my heart had become so obstinate that I could no longer accept even that."
"Eventually, I could trust no one and fell into such intense self-loathing and self-denial that I could only comfort myself by attacking others..."
"I did the same thing to Yuusuke... So I understand how Ms. Anzai feels..."
I couldn't say anything. I felt as if I had been reminded of how ingrained her negative feelings were by this hidden side of Ms. Yukari's life.
The tension was so great it became difficult to breathe, but we continued down the dark corridor. We weren't even sure what floor we were on.
The hallway, which wasn't very long, felt so lengthy that it seemed like an endless corridor.
Ms. Yukari stopped and pointed ahead. A dim orange light was leaking from a room at the end of the corridor.
Someone's, there...
I stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. Ms. Yukari was a little shaken, but her expression of determination remained unchanged.
I wonder if it's because she was able to open up by revealing her true feelings, or perhaps this is the strength of a mother. With a little reassurance, I slowly opened the door.
"---!!" Atop a hospital bed placed right in the middle of the room... we could see a small silhouette.
---It was a boy. A boy stretched out on the bed.
"Yuusuke!!"
"Yuusuke-kun!!"
However, he didn't show any reaction when we raised our voices.
For a moment, a sinister thought crossed my mind, but it seems that he was just sleeping.
The fact that he didn't wake up to our voices suggests that he may have been drugged.
"That's good... It looks like he's safe..." I felt deeply relieved. But Ms. Yukari, standing to my side, showed no reaction.
"Ms. Yukari...?"
Even after I turned towards her, she kept her eyes fixed on the figure of her child. She didn't move at all. She just called her son's name in a muffled voice.
"Yuusuke... Yuusuke..."
Ms. Yukari was hesitant. She regretted what she had done as a mother. She was worried that she might hurt Yuusuke-kun again.
"Ms. Yukari..." I gently put my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes, and I gently nodded.
She began to stagger toward the bed. Step by step. Her steps faltered.
The distance between mother and child was gradually shrinking. This meant that Ms. Yukari was gradually being freed from the shackles of her negative emotions.
How much time did it take? Eight years have passed since Yuusuke-kun was born. Now she has finally shortened the distance to that of a true parent and child.
Ms. Yukari slowly extended her trembling hand toward Yuusuke-kun. Once her fingertips touched his soft cheek, she hugged her child as if something she had been suppressing erupted.
"Yuusuke! Yuusuke!"
She pressed her tear-stained cheeks on his and kept calling her son's name over and over.
This was the moment when Yukari Saitou became a mother...
"Ms. Yukari..." I waited for her to relax before calling to her.
"Let's get out of here quickly. We need to bring Yuusuke to safety fast." Ms. Yukari nodded her head repeatedly and picked him up in her arms.
As I took a step toward the exit--- I felt a chill on my back.
Together with the discomfort of feeling goosebumps on every pore of my body, my instincts announced danger.
Something's here. I have to get Ms. Yukari and Yuusuke-kun away from this place.
"Ms. Yukari." I said to her without moving my body or eyes.
"......" However, there was no response from her, who was supposed to be behind me.
I slowly looked back. There... Ms. Yukari was cowering...
But... was I hallucinating...? A black, sludgy haze appeared to be swirling around her.
"Uhhh..." She put Yuusuke-kun on the floor to keep him away from danger.
"Ms. Yukari!! What's going on...!?"
"Don't come near!!" I was about to run up to her, but her shout rejected me.
"U-ugh..." She cowered and groaned, holding her face with both hands.
What the hell is happening? Is something about to take place...?
<<Sir... please be careful. I can't help but have a bad feeling about this myself...>>
Mr. Kogure's warning came to mind. His sixth sense certainly seems genuine.
"Don't... look..." Ms. Yukari held her head, rattling and shaking violently, lowering it with such force that her face contorted.
It's as if something is about to burst from inside her...
Then, from the gap between her pale fingers---
Red---
Bright red eyes, as if in flames---
Those are the oni's---
"Ms. Yukari!!"
"NOOOOOO!!"
I rushed to her in a panic. However, Ms. Yukari violently shook her face from side to side, as if rejecting me.
And then, unexpectedly, a red glow came from her head...
"Fufufufufu..." Suddenly, a voice was heard from the side. It was a muffled laughter that seemed to echo from the depths of the earth.
Standing there was... Satoko Anzai.
I was taken aback by her appearance. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were in tatters, as if she had escaped from a fire.
And her eyes were glowing red with a blazing madness.
"You're the same as me..."
Satoko Anzai spoke, her gaze fixed on the cowering Yukari. Her voice was low, so low, as if squeezed out of the darkness.
"You, too, are a pitiable woman. Even if you get your child back, you will do the same thing again. It's the same when you pretend to love him like that."
"You cannot love that boy... EVEN WHEN YOU WANT TO! AM I WRONG!?"
Anzai tried to force her dark feelings onto Ms. Yukari. I repeatedly tried to move my body to stop her, but against my will, not a single finger would budge.
"N-no... I... really..." Ms. Yukari desperately tried to resist.
"You know I'm right. In reality, you're suffering right now. That is proof. No matter how much you try to love him with your head... you can't, right?"
"Are you telling me that you aren't a pitiable woman? No, you must understand. I'll say it one more time: You are a pitiable woman!"
"I... I..." Ms. Yukari hung her head as if drained of energy, yet continues to resist as best she can in a hushed voice.
"I'm not asking for anything unreasonable... Come be with me. I can understand how you feel. Come with me..."
"There's nothing to be afraid of. You just have to yield yourself as you are..."
Anzai's words contained a bewitching charm. Even my consciousness began to fade.
The black shadows swirling around Ms. Yukari grew darker. It was as if Anzai's negative emotions were seeping into Ms. Yukari's mind through her words.
"Look" ...I musn't.
"Come" ...I musn't!
"With me" ...I musn't lend an ear to those words.
"NOOOOOOO!!"
The moment something was about to burst inside Ms. Yukari---
"Mommy... mommy..." A feeble voice resounded faintly.
"Y-Yuusuke...!?" Ms. Yukari, who had been slumped over, looked up slightly.
I, unintentionally, almost screamed. Her facial expression... had become like an oni.
"Yuusuke..."
Elongated canines... Rugged, swelling skin... Two protrusions in her forehead...
However, tears were welling up from those blood-red eyes...
Yuusuke-kun is quietly sleeping beside her. It seems that the voice I heard earlier was him sleep-talking.
His voice was small and weak. But it was enough to bring Ms. Yukari back.
Ms. Yukari's expression gradually began to regain its original form as she gazed at Yuusuke-kun.
"Why...?" Satoko Anzai, who was watching the situation, let out a voice like a groan.
"...I thought...you would understand..." Anzai exerted her body with an imposing stance.
"Why!? WHYYYY!!"
That last scream was no longer of a human. But the roar of an oni--- A shockwave similar to a thrust surged forward.
Satoko Anzai's face---
Underwent a transfiguration---
The flesh of her cheeks squirmed mysteriously---
Meat splitting apart is heard---
The fangs of a ferocious beast---
Crimson eyes tinged with madness---
Cracks run down her forehead as she bleeds dusky black blood---
And, horns grow from there---
Oni--- That was, without a doubt, an oni.
The oni's large eyes scan the environs. Just a glance from those eyes is sharp enough to freeze you in place.
Her crimson eyes look at the crouching Ms. Yukari, and Yuusuke-kun, who is lying on the ground beside her. Then, she approaches them with slow steps.
They're in danger---! Despite that thought, my body doesn't work as I want it to.
The spell of fear gripped my entire body, and I couldn't move an inch.
The situation was so far removed from reality that even my thoughts couldn't keep up. I tried to call out to them to run away, but all I could get out was a pathetic sound that never materialized into a voice.
The thing that was Satoko Anzai... It gave me a quick glance with bloodshot eyes and raised its arm as if brushing off dust.
"Gah!!" With a swing of its arm, I was swatted away without any way to defend myself.
The sensation of being lifted into the air lasted only a moment. The next moment, my back was slammed into the wall with tremendous force.
My eyes see only white. Intense pain hit my entire body. The shock is too much, and I choke for breath.
A lamp cracks loudly and sprays flames.
The oni that had sent me flying wasn't even looking at me, it's wide-open eyes were already staring straight at Ms. Yukari.
---YOU WILL KILL THAT BOY.
The oni commanded in a monotone like being pinned by metal. It was an eerie voice that made my whole body bristle.
---YOU MUST KILL HIM!
The oni once again hurled cruel orders at Ms. Yukari.
It repeats over and over again, "kill your own child with your own hands". Is Anzai going to try to turn her into an oni until the end...?
Ms. Yukari trembles as she holds Yuusuke-kun in her arms.
Meanwhile, the flames that spread across the floor extended their tongues, little by little.
---KILL!
---KILL!
---KILL!
---KILL!
---KILL!
---KILL!
"...Stop!!"
For the first time, Ms. Yukari rejected the words repeated like an incantation.
As if trying to shake off the voice of the oni crawling around in her brain, she continued to shake her head frantically.
She's fighting, within herself. Between her own negative emotions and those of a mother who loves her child.
"I..."
"I... Yuusuke..."
"...I love my son!" In the next moment, Ms. Yukari clearly declared her feelings!
Hesitation no longer was seen in her eyes. There resided a strong will and a mother's determination.
AaaAAAAaaaaAAaAAAHHHHH! [Entire screen shakes]
The oni's roar shook the entire building.
---WHY?
---WHY?
---KILLING THAT BOY
---WILL MAKE YOU THE SAME AS ME
---THE SAME, AND YETTT!!
The oni, as it growled intensely, jumped on Ms. Yukari. It aimed to snatch away Yuusuke-kun from her arms and kill him.
Ms. Yukari, to protect Yuusuke-kun, stood before the oni, blocking its way. "Ms. Anzai... please. Stop this already..."
Her words were not meant as a plea for forgiveness. But an expression of grief towards Anzai, who has piled up sin after sin after transforming into an oni.
It was due not to pity, but to the negative emotions she could empathize with, having almost turned into an oni herself...
---The oni’s advance stopped.
This is... crying? The oni’s crying...?
"Ms. Yukari!!" I reflexively jumped out. Selflessly, I thought only of letting them escape.
I clung to the oni’s arms with my whole body’s strength. "Ms. Yukari! Run, now!"
I felt a firm, iron-like texture in my arms that didn’t seem to be human skin.
The intensity of the flames grew, engulfing one side of the room. Heat and smoke filled the remaining space.
The oni tried to shake me off by slamming me against the wall over and over again. "Guh!" [Scream flashes white and a "bam" sounds out]
Overwhelming pain pierced my body. But there’s no way I’m going to release it.
[The screen now has the effect of two overlapping images that change opacity proportionally]
Until that mother and child ran to safety, I didn’t plan to let go, so I desperately clung to it.
It slammed my body against the walls even more. Nevertheless, I didn’t let go.
"---!?"
Within my field of vision, which spun round and round, I could see Ms. Yukari gunning for the exit while hugging Yuusuke-kun tightly.
That’s... good. Once outside, Mr. Kogure will be waiting for them. They should be able to make their escape by riding his car. [The screen grows darker with each line]
All my strength rapidly fades. The momentum of its swing makes me tumble through the air and everything feels as if in slow-motion.
The floor and the ceiling interlace in my visual field. I hear the sound of breaking through something. And the sound of something being destroyed.
I won't let it end like this... At least, I'll reach the truth of this case...
I piece together my thoughts within my fading consciousness...
[Inference Logic time!]
(Verification 1)
Satoko Anzai’s true identity is...? >Oni
>Human
(Verification 2)
Why did Satoko Anzai commit this crime...? >Shame
>Mother's Love >Negative Emotions
[I'll only show the new blanks, the rest have the same options and answers]
>Younger Sister (Kyouko Yukimura is Anzai's younger sister)
OR
>Fire (Yukimura and Anzai both had a bad experience with fire)
>Debt >Threatening Letter
>Negative Emotions (Ms. Yukari held negative emotions)
>Oni >Shame
>Neighbors (Ms. Yukari and Anzai are neighbors)
OR
>Negative Emotions (Both Ms. Yukari and Anzai held negative emotions)
>Younger Sister
>Mother and Child (Ms. Yukari and Yuusuke-kun have a familial relationship)
>Kidnapping
(Verification 1)
Satoko Anzai’s true identity is... that of an oni.
It’ll still take some time for me to be able to accept everything wholeheartedly. But...
...That wasn’t a human.
(Verification 2)
Why did Satoko Anzai commit this crime...?
The cause probably was the shame she was burdened with.
Her heart was filled with shame as she continued to receive the pity and sympathy of those around her, which came from their sense of superiority.
She was so miserable and ashamed of the circumstances that made her be pitied that she at last lost her human heart...
No, rather than losing it, it might be more accurate to say it was stolen by her environment...
That would mean Satoko Anzai too is a victim...
[All correct]
Once I came to, I was in a hospital. Immediately after awakening, I couldn’t believe I had survived.
My injuries were miraculous too, I only ended up with some minor burns throughout my whole body and a broken right leg. Under these circumstances, you could say I’m extremely fortunate.
"All things considered, that really startled me, you know~" Ms. Yuuka smiled as she sat in a chair and stuffed her cheeks with a banana from a sympathy fruit basket.
"After Mr. Kogure gave you a piggyback ride from the hospital, I saw you were smoldering. It reminded me of a comedy sketch from long ago and I almost burst out laughing."
"This isn’t a laughing matter, jeez."
Incidentally, as she purported to be on an inquiry, she brought a potted flower.
The potted flower was a "rooted" plant, did she not know those are shunned for inquiries? Or was it on purpose?
"Hey? At any rate, what in the world happened inside that building?"
"That’s why you came to talk to me, isn’t it? Even so, I don’t remember very well."
"Reeeally?"
"Really, come on."
...What I said was naturally a lie. Even if I tried to forget it, I don’t think I could.
I felt as if I had seen a nightmare, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. If possible, I wish it had been a dream.
I had been vividly shown the dark side of humanity, incurring spiritual damage much, much greater than the harm done to my body.
Could even Ms. Yuuka, if she were to become a slave to her negative emotions, turn into an oni...?
"Hmph... By the way, Junya-kun, you’re not just an average detective, are you?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Because, if you really, really try to think about it, it’s strange. The common detective wouldn’t have searched for an oni as eagerly as you did, would they?"
"That’s..."
"Say no more. I’ve already seen through you." Ms. Yuuka spoke proudly.
"Junya-kun... You’re a detective from the special police that only takes top secret orders to solve occult cases, aren’t you!?"
...To have such an idea at a time like this, I’m envious.
"Seeing your silence, I gather that I hit the mark! Don’t worry! From here on, I’ll go all-out in my support!"
Ms. Yuuka smiled broadly as she said so. I felt my heart sink even deeper.
"Now that I know, we need to get you discharged quickly! From here, more wondrous cases await us!" Ms. Yuuka had a faraway look in her eyes as she pointed to the ceiling.
It’s no use. Her eyes have become just like those of a maiden in love... I doubt she’ll listen to any more of what I have to say...
"Come to think of it, I wanted to ask about something from the time Yuusuke-kun was carried out of the hospital..." Ms. Yuuka spoke as if reminiscing.
"He’d often ask "Where’s big sis?" while in the car. Was there anyone other than the culprit inside the hospital?"
Big sis...? I think he called Satoko Anzai "auntie".
Then, does that mean there was another person who kidnapped Yuusuke-kun? Or is this nothing more than him being confused due to the terror of the kidnapping?
Ms. Yuuka pounded on my back with a snap. "Well, Yuusuke-kun has been returned home safely, so let’s ignore these trivial details."
"Y-yeah, hahaha..." I’m injured, in case you’ve forgotten.
"Well then, I’ll come mess around again when I have free time!" Ms. Yuuka ran off energetically, leaving behind a voice so cheery it didn’t feel like I was inside a hospital.
[Fade to black]
Following Ms. Yuuka, Mr. Kogure made his entrance. "That little lady also came to visit you, huh? I brushed past her a while ago."
"Wow~, to think that girl had such a side to her. As for the expression she made when she saw your injured self, sir..."
"She was reminded of a comedy sketch from long ago and had to restrain her laughter?" I said, disgruntled.
"Huh? That girl told you about that, sir?"
"That girl’s honest too, geez."
"What do you mean?"
"...No, it’s nothing, sir."
[Fade to black]
After that, Mr. Kogure reported on the happenings following the case’s conclusion.
"...That is to say, the Saitous were basically uninjured. Yuusuke-kun is so cheerful you wouldn’t think he had been kidnapped."
"Yukari Saitou is voluntarily seeking counseling to improve her mother-child relationship. It's all right. From the looks of it, I'm sure she'll be happy."
Hearing Mr. Kogure's report, I felt a little weight lifted off my shoulders. They had overcome so much hardship. That mother and son will be fine now. Surely...
"Also, Ms. Sagami's family dog... Lucky, I think... was found and escorted back from Kanagawa Prefecture."
"Is that so?"
"Perhaps Satoko Anzai took it with her when she sent the threatening letter in Kanagawa... and released it there."
"Is that so? ...But, I'm glad. That it was found."
"Yessir..."
Mr. Kogure stopped talking once we reached this point. For a while, he was silent, but eventually, he muttered.
"It's just, well..."
"The "Oni" character that was faxed, they did a handwriting analysis on it together with the "curse you" and "kill" letters. The results were... well... they're from different people..."
"...W-what...?" I didn't believe my ears. That means... the kidnapper wasn't Satoko Anzai?
Does the "big sis" Yuusuke-kun talked about exist after all?
"Sir... About Satoko Anzai... Nothing resembling remains were found in the burned ruins of the hospital..."
Superintendent Innami and his team are doing their utmost to investigate the scene, but they have yet to see any results. There are even doubts as to whether Anzai was really there.
"It seems that only a single thing has been found. Satoko Anzai's cherished bracelet... it was found among the burnt ruins."
In the end, Satoko Anzai disappeared, leaving only her bracelet and nothing else.
I felt as if I wanted to erase everything, including the existence of oni. It was all an illusion. I wanted to believe that.
"Also, sir, there's one more weird thing." Mr. Kogure lowers his voice and brings his face close to mine.
"It's about Doumyouji... I tried asking Superintendent Innami while we were chasing the transmitter. That's when..."
Right then, Mr. Kogure's body shivered faintly.
"He said, I don't know anyone like that. I asked the other detectives, but they also said there's no detective named Doumyouji in the First Investigative Division..."
I gulped. Then, who in the world was that man...?
If he's not involved with the police, then he shouldn't have known about us and couldn't have leaked the intelligence from the investigation headquarters.
Doumyouji... For what sake did he appear before us and cooperate with our investigation?
[Fade to black]
Mr. Kogure returned to the Archival Office, and I quietly reflected on this bizarre incident in the silence of my hospital room.
Disappearing in a blaze of crimson flame...
Was Satoko Anzai really an oni...? Or...
The negative emotions within human beings... They exist in everyone. Satoko Anzai wasn't special in that factor.
Onis are born when accumulated negative emotions explode.
The actions of a thoughtless person can turn a grieving human into an oni.
I have gained an irrational fear of human beings...
This was my first case in the Police History Archival Office.
Comprehensive Evaluation: S Class
Episode 2 - Oni - End
We're done with this episode now, but not all questions have been answered. We know that Yukimura probably became an oni, thus surviving the fire, which Anzai may have been involved in too. However, that rant still confuses me. Maybe the 'Yukimura' she spoke of was the director, but still... There's one more thing I've noticed however, I think the thread that connects all these cases are the fact that they were affected by something that happened 2 years ago.
Misa Sakita died in an accident 2 years ago, the two fires occurred 2 years ago, and while I was unable to find an exact date for the ritual Erisa Hattori participated in, it was in an yearly program, so it could've also been 2 years ago. Something spiritually significant happened then that increased the occurrance of supernatural events, and maybe also brought a few people to madness.
Either way, we can only move to the next episode, called...
"Final Episode: Nameless Station"
We have only one more episode to complete to get our long-awaited answers! Or so it seems, but I have some doubts...
Anyway, I'll see you next time!
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