Don't forget to read the first or previous part if you haven't!
In the last part, we discovered that the corpse of the victim suddenly went missing, only for us to find it hanging from a tree deep in the woods. Along the way, we also learned that Suimei's dad worked for the Archival Office, or had a connection to it, at least. After the discovery of the body, however, Atsuko wished to reveal a fact that she had been hiding throughout the entire case, and now we'll hear her out. Let's begin, shall we?
The sun had already completely set. We sat down on a bench a short distance away from the scene. Atsuko has remained silent since a while ago.
Her low spirits over these few days made me think that something must have happened, but... Outside of the shock from Miku's death, what could it be?
Speaking of that, on the day Miku died... We went to the scene of the crime, but we couldn't contact Atsuko beforehand.
In that void of one hour... Did something happen there?
I was tempted to ask her about it, but if that would bring back unpleasant memories for her, it would be better not to do so.
I should try thinking about that here...
Atsuko's One-Hour Void
That blank hour, what did it coincide with...?
>The discovery of Miku's body.
>The return trip from Miku's funeral.
The return trip was before.
>The discovery of Miku's body.
When Miku's body was found, we were called to the park. However, we were unable to contact Atsuko at that time...
That must mean...
>Atsuko had gone somewhere?
>Atsuko was already asleep?
She was already there when we went to the park.
>Atsuko had gone somewhere?
Did Atsuko leave her house to go somewhere? In that case, where to...?
>A place where she could make a round trip in one hour?
>Somewhere she could go late at night?
Both lead to similar conclusions, but the first sounds smarter, lol.
>A place where she could make a round trip in one hour?
Places she could go to and fro within one hour... With Atsuko's house as the center, the school... the train station... the riverbank... the park...
......The park!?
Perhaps...
>Atsuko returned to pick up something she forgot?
>Atsuko came to make a call to Satoru-kun?
It's very unlikely she lost something since she was never described as holding anything in the first place.
>Atsuko came to make a call to Satoru-kun?
Did Atsuko come to the park to make a call to Satoru-kun?
Atsuko... Satoru-kun...
"Um, Kirisaki-kun..."
"......"
"The truth is... On that day, when Miku died... I called Satoru-kun..."
"I think... it was before Miku went to call him again... Since I didn't come across her in the park..."
"And then?"
"......" After a moment of silence, Atsuko slowly opened her mouth.
"I... didn't hear anything, too..."
Atsuko's complexion paled. "You didn't hear anything...?"
"Well... not exactly..."
"What do you mean?"
"My memory... of that time isn't great, but..."
"......"
"I found myself alone in the phone booth..."
"Did I ask a question to Satoru-kun? Did I get an answer...? I don't know... That's why... I think he didn't say anything..."
"That's..." I was about to say something before stopping myself. Atsuko probably wouldn't accept some temporary consolation.
I---
>Re-examine the phone booth.
>Investigate the prints.
>Search every nook and cranny of the park.
We should go all out.
>Search every nook and cranny of the park.
"Alright! Let's search every nook and cranny of this park!"
"But... there's no... time."
"Is that so?"
"Yes... I don't... have the time..."
The words pierced deep into my heart. I was afraid to look her in the eye, I turned the conversation in a different direction. ...Maybe something fun would work.
"That's right! How about I tell you an interesting urban legend for a change?"
"...Okay..."
"Um... One day, a car with four young guys in it was driving down a mountain pass..."
"The road was a series of sharp curves, and if they weren't careful, they could have gotten in an accident."
"Then, all of a sudden, a bloody woman jumped out in front of the car."
"Startled, the driver braked hard, but the car went right by the woman and stopped..."
"He got out and to his surprise, the woman wasn't there. The car had stopped just at the edge of the cliff... If he had braked a little later... they would have ended up at the bottom of the ravine."
"So the driver thought. That woman just now was the ghost of someone who died here, and she was trying to save us..."
"So, everyone placed their palms together and prayed, thank you very much, but..."
"......"
"What do you think?"
"......"
"A-Atsuko?"
"......"
"What's wrong? Atsuko?"
"...I wish you were dead...heh."
Atsuko showed an impish smile. I... was really scared...
She apparently was a step ahead of me. I was supposed to scare Atsuko... But, on the contrary, she scared me... How shameful...
"Kirisaki-kun..."
"Hm?"
"Shouldn't we.... try to come up with some other course of action?"
"...T-that's right... Let's do that."
I take a look at the prints of the emergency contact list I put in my pocket.
The copy with the unfamiliar names written next to the students' names...
Miku's name was together with {Touko}. {Kazuko} was written next to Atsuko's name... Only these two names... seemed different from the others.
....What the hell do these names mean?
Suddenly, a bright light appeared right in front of my eyes, so I instinctually cast them down. The light's source looked to be a flashlight, but... In that same direction, Sakurai stood there, laying bare his anger.
"What are you doing, you two!?"
"T-teacher... Um... We're kind of having an important conversation..."
"An indecent relationship with a girl, huh? You moron!"
"E-excuse me, but..."
"Indecent relationships aren't allowed, you hear!"
"T-that's not what..."
"Hmph, you morons!!"
"T-teacher... Why did you come here?"
"I'm doing my rounds. We'll take turns patrolling during summer break. To make sure an impure lot like you two don't come out!!"
"Impure... That's not true!"
"That's enough, Kirisaki, go back home!!"
"......"
"Good, because the next time I see you here..."
"You know what'll happen, right? Is that what you were going to say?"
"Kh, you're a really cocky brat, aren't you!"
"I'm sorry, I was raised this way..."
"......"
Sakurai left without saying anything. For now... We've escaped trouble...
[Quick flash of the eyes]
......Eh?
I feel that gaze from the vacant house directly opposite us...
Directly across from the park is a house that is now vacant. There... I saw a light flare up dimly. "T-that's..."
"........." Atsuko saw the light and trembled for some reason.
...Sakurai? No, it'd be impossible for him to go over there so quickly.
First, no matter how deplorable Sakurai might be, he wouldn't break into an empty house.
Straining my eyes, I stare at the light... Beyond it, a boy's figure can be seen.
That boy is intently gazing at us. Atsuko seems to be afraid of that gaze.
"I'm going to check that apartment..."
"Wait, Kirisaki-kun...! I'll... go, too..."
"Are you really okay with this, Atsuko?"
"...Yes... I'm fine... I think..."
[Fade to black]
The tenement house directly across from the park is filled with an insidious atmosphere. Atsuko's clutching the sleeve of my shirt, perhaps greatly frightened.
We slowly climb the stairs... until we finally reach the apartment. I look inside through a small glass window on the door.
However, the light and the boy seen at the window earlier do not seem to be indoors.
Maybe he was in another apartment. With that thought in mind, we headed for the neighboring door.
The neighboring apartment was left unlocked. Quite careless, even if nobody lives here.
Don't enter other people's rooms without permission. Naturally, this applies even to vacant houses. It's an obvious rule, but... Let's turn a blind eye for now.
The room on the other side of the opened door was dimly lit and had no signs of human presence.
The smell of tatami mats that haven't been replaced in years lingers strangely in my nose. The boy I saw at the window doesn't seem to be here either.
The closet... Maybe I should try opening it?
No, let's stop here. I'm getting a kind of bad feeling about this.
...Looking back, that was when it happened.
[Screen flashes white]
"Uwaaaahh!!" I backed away from the suddenness of the event. Then... I bumped into something right behind me.
"Hih" Slowly I turned around and there my dad was. He grabbed me firmly with both hands.
"Are you okay? Suimei..." Behind my dad, an unfamiliar woman's form stood... Who is she?
They approached the bathroom door and slowly opened it.
My dad and the unknown woman... The two of them scoped out every corner of the restroom. Inside was...
That boy. He ran away with the light source to a corner of the bathroom.
The woman who's been accompanying my father since a while ago chanted some kind of incantation.
I honestly don't remember what happened from that point on... I don't know... did I witness something so out of the ordinary that my memory just slipped away...?
But when I came to, the boy was gone and my dad was coming out of the room.
"Suimei, you... said that you called Satoru-kun, right?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Have you... forgotten what I said or something?"
"That's..."
I looked at Atsuko. She was also listening to the conversation and hanging her head. Dad began to talk about why "Satoru-kun" was dangerous.
"Taboo names?"
"Power of language..."
"Long ago, we Japanese believed in the power of words, called kotodama. It's thought that all hexes originated from the use of language..."
"To say a thing's name was, namely... equivalent to placing it under your control..."
"So... What are true names?"
"Taboo names are, well..." The woman who was with my dad wedged her way into the conversation. "The true names of things."
"True names...?"
"That's right, according to the principle of kotodama, if someone knew your true name, you'd be in big trouble. Got it?"
"And that's why people used to have two names, their true name and the name others used when calling them."
"Is that... true...?" I inquired with my dad.
"Yes, in some regions, the custom still exists... Like in here..."
"Here?"
"Yes, Suimei. Of course, you have a taboo name, too."
"I... see..."
After hearing what they said, I suddenly came up with an idea.
What if this print has taboo names written on it? Someone who's been collecting taboo names... Doesn't that match?
...Which means... Atsuko's taboo name has become known. As proved by this print.
I'm afraid I'm right. "Ah! Atsuko...!"
"You can't!"
Atsuko abruptly collapsed on the ground.
"...Suimei, I'll carry Atsuko outside."
"O-okay."
We headed back to the park with the unconscious Atsuko in our arms.
Dad lowered Atsuko, who he had carried on his shoulder, onto a bench. However, there were no signs of Atsuko regaining consciousness.
"Suimei, about Miku's body..."
"........."
"It seems that... it moved to the woods on its own two feet..."
"Huh?"
"Among your footprints, we also found marks left by the shoes Miku-chan was wearing."
"...N-no way..."
"Uh...Ugh..." Atsuko's voice reached my ears just as I was informed of a startling fact.
"A-Atsuko!! Are you okay!?"
"........."
"Atsuko! Atsuko!!"
"...Ah...Kirisaki-kun..."
"Atsuko... Are you alright?"
"I-I, remembered... Satoru-kun knows... my... true name..."
"Atsuko-chan, that's..."
"Ah, mister... he knows... my true name..."
"........."
Dad... didn't say anything. Someone has to say something... Feeling like that, I began to speak to Atsuko.
"But... that phone number was a prank..."
"...No...that's wrong...because, I...talked with...Satoru-kun..."
"Eh?"
"I talked... with Satoru-kun..."
I took out the paper with those names written on it. The name I thought was Atsuko's taboo name was certainly written there.
I get it. That "Don't look at Satoru-kun..." flyer was, potentially, trying to rouse people so he could collect their taboo names.
And we completely fell for it... And then this print... I've been feeling this strange sensation every time I look at it...
It should have been the first time I saw it, but it was I was looking at a scene I saw somewhere before... Like déjà vu...
This is, Satoru-kun's phone number...?
...That's right! This phone number... I thought Satoru-kun's phone number was familiar, but this is...
Who is the Owner of the Phone Number?
Satoru-kun's phone number... Where did I see it?
>In the middle of the woods.
>In the phone booth's flyer.
It was in the phone booth.
>In the phone booth's flyer.
The phone booth flyer...
And that phone number looked familiar. Where was it...?
The emergency contact list... That's right! Let me look through it again. That number is...
>The same as Sakurai's phone number, isn't it?
>The same as Ms. Kyouko's phone number, isn't it?
...We don't, well, can't know. I'll go with the above.
>The same as Sakurai's phone number, isn't it?
Sakurai's phone number isn't mentioned in this contact list. He's in charge of a different class, so it makes sense. In that case...
Ms. Kyouko's phone number... Yeah! That answering machine. I heard a scream at the end.
A scream of "Don't look". That voice was a woman's voice. That was Ms. Kyouko's voice...?
Previously, when Ms. Kyouko was accidentally hit by Sakurai, she reacted weirdly to his gaze...
What does that mean...?
>Ms. Kyouko is afraid of gazes? (Conclusion)
>Ms. Kyouko likes being looked at. (Conclusion)
The top one is the closest to being right, but why would a teacher be afraid of being looked at?
>Ms. Kyouko is afraid of gazes? (Conclusion)
Could those words have been a cry for help from Ms. Kyouko? Perhaps her heart was gnawed at by repeated prank calls... I get a feeling like that.
"I see!"
"What, Suimei?"
"Satoru-kun's number is... Ms. Kyouko's house phone number!"
"What? Is that true?"
"It's true! Look... Here..."
Dad looked hard at the print before whispering something to the woman who was with him.
"We've been completely duped... All the numbers we've been investigating so far... They're all false..."
"Right... But we identified the owner this time."
"Yeah, that's true."
"Suimei. We've got work to do. We have to leave... Alright?"
"O-okay. I'll leave it to you, Dad..." I nodded my reply, and they exited to somewhere with quick steps.
"Atsuko... How are you...?"
"I'm... okay... Hey, Kirisaki-kun..."
"What?"
"...Can we go to the park?" What did you just say, Atsuko?
"Now? That's impossible, you need to rest..."
"No... We have to go right now..."
I went to the park, like Atsuko asked me to. There were no people around. I entered the phone booth, looking to confirm something.
As expected, the phone number written here is the same as Ms. Kyouko's house phone number...
And in there, I felt that gaze again... I couldn't help but turn around.
[Knock knock knock]
"Uwah!?" Turning back, I found Atsuko standing there. She looked at me with an uneasy expression.
"...A...tsuko...?" She was grumbling and mumbling something. What going on with her...?
"Is something wrong? Are you okay?"
"S-Satoru-kun... I'm sorry..."
"H-hey... Are you alright, Atsuko?" As she trembled, Atsuko kept repeating those same words.
"...Could it be..." The worst possible case came to mind, but I swung my head from side to side to shake it off.
Right then...
[The bloodshot eyes appear on-screen, and we get flashbacks to every time they were felt.]
Again... that gaze... the glare that coils around me... it's... coming from the bushes... again...?
Who is the Owner of the Gaze?
The owner of that glare... Who could they be? I need to think over everything that's happened so far...
Because the park is a place where an indeterminate number of people congregate, it would be better if I thought about the gaze I felt in the more restricted locations.
At that time... During Miku's funeral, when we lined up to light incense, I felt that gaze...
Who was in that place...?
>There were so many people that I don't know.
>Just the three of us and our teachers.
Let's concentrate on who we can identify.
>Just the three of us and our teachers.
The only familiar faces outside the three of us were... our teachers. Lined up behind us were...
>Sakurai and Ms. Kyouko.
>The principal and vice principal. (Conclusion)
Who?
>Sakurai and Ms. Kyouko.
Sakurai and Ms. Kyouko... Certainly, those two were behind us in the line. The owner of the gaze that comes to mind is...
>Ms. Kyouko. (Conclusion)
>Sakurai. (Conclusion)
Well, her phone number was connected to Satoru-kun, so...
>Ms. Kyouko.
Ms. Kyouko... That possibility is undeniable.
By flipping my reasoning upside down, I'll find the truth... Thinking that, it's not impossible for Ms. Kyouko to be that gaze's owner.
In order to cure her fear of being watched, she turned to watching others... That's not unthinkable.
But even if that were true... I'd like to confirm something first. Yes, that being...
"SAKURAI!"
I shouted as loud as I could. My voice fruitlessly echoed throughout the area. It wasn't Sakurai...?
Ah, speaking of... Taino said something, if I remember correctly, it was... Why would the phone number's owner prepare such a message...?
When I called, it was an answering machine, but when Atsuko called, someone answered...
This means that the owner of the phone number, Ms. Kyouko, must have heard Atsuko's voice.
And, naturally, Miku's voice, too... What if Ms. Kyouko had been taking the calls all along to find out who did that prank...
Alright. Let's organize the case one last time.
[Inference Logic time, but, like always, I'll try a different way of showing the answers. How will it be this time? Pretty simple, I'll skip answering the individual questions and just show the final result, and also some interesting options.]
[These are mostly reasonable assumptions, but the relationship between Kyouko and Sakurai is interesting because you can correctly choose both 'affair' and 'accomplices'. Also, switching 'prank call' to 'murder' works as well. One last thing: I mistranslated Miku's last name on the previous part, but I've already fixed it now, sorry about that.]
[All correct]
Having established my theory, I approached the bushes to confirm its authenticity.
What the hell could be awaiting me there...?
[The eyes appear for a few seconds on a pitch-black screen before disappearing.]
"Uwaaah!!?" I was taken aback by the sudden appearance of two eyeballs. And from there, emerged...
Ms. Kyouko, wielding a piece of wood! "T-teacher...!?"
"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
Her words were no longer that of a person.
She quickly ran up to Atsuko and hit her over the head with the wood plank.
"Atsuko!!!!" This time... she came to face me.
In my fading consciousness, I saw him. The figure of my dad rushing over to me...
"I'm sorry... Suimei..." I heard his voice in the distance.
Then, Dad restrained Ms. Kyouko, but... before he could, she cut off her own eyes with a knife she was carrying...
Finally, I completely lost consciousness...
Ever since then, Atsuko hasn't regained consciousness.
Ms. Kyouko confessed to Miku's murder. It seems that the wounds in both of her eyes couldn't be treated, and her eyesight was never restored.
With this, she probably achieved complete peace of mind... When I thought of this, I felt a little lonely. Why could we only reach this resolution...?
"Yo! Kirisaki! You look healthy, don't you?"
I turned around to find Taino standing there. Taino... Come to think of it, I remember that I got separated from this guy after what happened in the park.
"What's the matter? That expression on your face... It doesn't suit you."
"Come on, don't be so harsh with me. I brought you another urban legend today."
"...An urban legend...huh."
"A friend of my friend apparently saw something... He saw a girl walking alone..."
"...A girl...?" Is it so unusual for a girl to be walking? What is Taino going to tell me?
"Yeah, he said she went into the woods by herself... you know... those woods."
Those woods... Miku...
"The girl's family had some problems at home, and her parents didn't get along. And then she got involved in a case..."
"W-wait... Taino, stop!"
"Come on, you can save your boorish rants for later."
"O-okay... Sorry."
"And, well, she ended up losing her life."
"And after that?"
Taino continued with a distant look in his eyes. "However, that girl didn't die. Truth is, she still lived."
"!?"
"So... the girl woke up in her coffin and went outside alone. But... there was no one around..."
"And then, she headed for the woods. Why do you think she did that?"
"...I don't know."
"Because that was her place of memories."
"Place of memories?"
"Before her family was driven apart, they used to go there for picnics. Back then, it wasn't a dense forest, just those big trees were there."
"For some reason, the girl headed there. Her place of memories... She didn't know anything else. It seems it was there where her true final breath was taken."
"Taino... Could it be, that..."
Taino held up his right hand and interrupted me. "Like I said, I told you not to be so boorish, didn't I? Was Suimei Kirisaki such a boorish man?"
"......"
"And her body... was found by her best friend. Do you think this was a coincidence?"
"That... is very hard to say."
"We often use the word 'destiny', don't we? Destiny refers to the rebirth in this life of the karmic ties and bonds that existed in a previous life. The destiny centered around that deceased girl... seems to have completely remanifested in this world..."
"Is... that so..."
"How's that? This is a good story to tell Atsuko, isn't it?"
"I wonder..."
"Hey, Atsuko-chan!"
Atsuko didn't answer Taino's question. Or, to be more accurate... she couldn't answer.
Because... She still hasn't regained consciousness...
Taino probably sensed it and didn't act stubbornly. Taino... He may be a surprisingly nice guy.
At the very moment I thought that, "...Uh...Uhn..."
"A-Atsuko...!!"
"...Ugh...Uhh..."
"Atsuko! Atsuko!! Are you okay?"
Perhaps my wish was granted, Atsuko woke up. I was... really happy.
However, my words didn't seem to reach her. My questions were left hanging in the air...
Something's wrong... Atsuko was mumbling something.
"Don't worry... this time... I absolutely won't be killed... I'll live in peace and quiet... Alright, Satoru-kun?"
"Eh...?"
"...N-no way, this..." All we could do... was stare at the scene unfolding before us.
After the incident---
Without telling us where she was going, Atsuko moved houses.
I haven't heard from her since.
That case...
It left a strong impression on me about the existence of the occult.
Since then, I've changed my scientific mindset and explored the possibilities of the occult.
But that's not just because of Atsuko's matter.
This file...
This also helped me to think that way.
Yes, two months after the incident, my parents passed away.
It happened so suddenly...
And the truth... is in this file.
Someday... when I solve the mystery of this file...
I will have achieved my goal.
While thinking of such things...
I light this year's...
last "Shien" cigarette.
Comprehensive Evaluation: S Class
Kirisaki Chapter - Satoru-kun - End
[Normally, I'd end it here, but the bad endings aren't that long, so I'll put them here, too.]
I---
⬢ >Ask about my father's work.
>Ask about the current case.
>Go to sleep since I'm so confused...
Giving up here will cause the first bad ending.
>Go to sleep since I'm so confused...
"Dad... I'm going to bed."
"Is that so... Okay. Sleep well."
"Good night." I headed to my room.
I crawled into bed and slowly shut my eyes. However, I couldn't fall asleep easily. Something was bothering me... Something...
[Brief flash of the eyes]
"Eh?" It was then that I felt that gaze on me again.
This was my room. And yet...
I wondered where they were staring at me from... I looked all around, but obviously, there was nobody there. "Ah..."
Looking at the direction of the window, the curtain, which should have been shut, was slightly ajar. "From there...?"
I slowly approach the window.
But what the hell? I'm upstairs, and it's the middle of the night... How creepy... From that gap... Someone was watching me...
Someone was......glaring at me...
I gathered my courage and opened the curtains at once. That's when it happened. "Uwaaahh!!!!"
Two eyeballs, glowing in the dark night... suddenly pop out from below. The eyes, wide open, don't seem to be human... and I...
I faint... I can see everything become dark as my consciousness leaves my physical body...
I'm... engulfed by darkness...
By the time I woke up, I was in the hospital. My parents' worried faces were by my side.
...How long had I been out? It was already dusk outside.
"Suimei!!!"
"...Dad..."
"Thank goodness... I was so worried..."
"...Yeah...I'm sorry..."
Hm?
I was stunned when I saw the clock on my bedside table. I looked at it again and again, hoping it was a mistake... But nothing had changed.
It's already been... three days since I lost consciousness... "...I slept for 3 days...?"
"Yes... That's right..."
I've been asleep for three days... That's right! Come to think of it... What happened to Miku's case? Did anything change while I was sleeping?
"Dad, how's Miku's case?"
"......"
"W-what's wrong?"
"The worst possible conclusion happened..."
"Eh?"
"The worst possible conclusion... Dad feels... so pathetic..." Once Dad said so, he slumped down.
"Worst possible...?"
"It means exactly as it sounds... The "Satoru-kun" case has been solved. The culprit has been arrested. But..."
Dad's eyes catch sight of the bed next to mine.
"Ah" Atsuko was laying there...
"W-what is this?"
"Atsuko-chan... got caught up in the middle of it..."
"N-no..."
"Dad... couldn't prevent it... and this was the result..."
"W-what happened to Atsuko?"
"She called Satoru-kun. By herself... And... that happened."
"That happened... What do you mean?"
"She went to sleep..." After saying this, my father left the hospital room with a depressed look on his face.
Atsuko really is just sleeping. So she's... not dead, right? That's good, but... What actually happened?
"Ah... T-Taino..." Taino was quiet as he silently entered the room.
"Hi, Kirisaki......"
"You..."
"Nothing can be done... After what happened..."
"Taino..."
"Let's be quiet for now, Kirisaki."
"Y-yeah..."
Because... Atsuko still hasn't regained consciousness...
Taino probably sensed it and didn't act stubbornly. Taino... He may be a surprisingly nice guy.
At the very moment I thought that, "...Uh...Uhn..."
"A-Atsuko...!!"
"...Ugh...Uhh..."
"Atsuko! Atsuko!! Are you okay?"
Perhaps my wish was granted, Atsuko woke up. I was... really happy.
However, my words didn't seem to reach her. My questions were left hanging in the air...
Something's wrong... Atsuko was mumbling something.
"Don't worry... this time... I absolutely won't be killed... I'll live in peace and quiet... Alright, Satoru-kun?"
"Eh..."
"...N-no way, this..." All we could do... was stare at the scene unfolding before us.
[The ending sequence is the same]
Comprehensive Evaluation: D Class
Kirisaki Chapter - Satoru-kun - End
[Now, for the second and last bad ending for this case.]
I---
>Ask Taino, "What's... this?"
⬢ >Rip apart the prints, "These papers are meaningless."
>Say, "Other than this, can you tell me any new info?"
Once again, giving up yields a bad ending.
>Rip apart the prints, "These papers are meaningless."
"These things... are meaningless!" I ripped apart the prints I got from Taino.
"What did you do!?"
Taino hurriedly gathered the scraps of paper.
These things are meaningless. Unneeded information invites only confusion...
Right then, I felt that gaze again... In a corner of the park... from the direction of a grove...
Is it luring me? This movement could be interpreted in that manner.
I stepped foot right away into the grove called the woods, trying to follow the source of the gaze.
"Hey, Kirisaki!! It's dangerous going in alone!! Hey!!" I can hear Taino's and Atsuko's voice far behind me. It seems the two are following me, too...
Inside the gradually darkening grove, I was unable to confirm their presence. "I know! You guys shouldn't follow me."
"......" There was no reply... Did my voice not reach them?
And the area is getting even darker. The thickly growing trees must be blocking out the sunlight. I can understand now when they say that 'one inch ahead is darkness'... [A Japanese proverb, an equivalent would be 'the future is a closed book']
After walking alone for a while, I came to a slightly wider area. Where is this place? I had heard that the woods were surprisingly large...
"Hm?" The red sunset shone through the trees, turning the whole area scarlet.
In a single tree... completely spread with scarlet...
And there appears to be something hanging on it. What in the world is that? It's covered in shadow from here...
As soon as I stepped out to check it out, I felt as if my body had been released from the shackles of gravity all at once. It was as if I was gently floating...
[Quick flash of white, everything goes black]
No, that's wrong. I was falling. This was evident in the instantaneous change of my line of sight ahead.
And I fell to the bottom of a deep hole. Apparently, I hit my back hard when I fell. When I tried to move my body, I felt a dull pain.
The area is pitch black... But perhaps because my eyes are gradually becoming accustomed, I can make out the outline, albeit dimly. The diameter of the hole is not even 1 meter...
And the circular walls seem to be stacked up bricks. Is this... an old well? A disused well left as it is?
"HEEEYY!! ATSUKO!!!!" I tentatively yell at the top of my lungs, but of course there's no response. No one showed their face at the entrance of the well.
Apparently, I really did fall in here alone. What am I supposed to do?
Can I... no longer get out?
While keeping my soon-to-be-panicking head cool, I looked for a way to get out of here.
Looking up overhead, I see the reddish sun overlapping the rim of the well.
It's not an easy sight to behold, but I can't afford to dwell on it for too long.
[Background slowly darkens]
The red sun gradually disappeared from the rim of the well, like the waning of the moon.
Then, the area was completely covered in darkness. I couldn't even see out of the corner of my eye anymore.
Even though it's summer, it's cold here. I didn't realize how cold it gets underground.
I crouched down, thinking I should wait for daybreak.
Maybe tomorrow morning, something will change. I must save my strength until then...
Fortunately, Atsuko and Taino both know that I went into this forest. If I don't return by morning, the police or my parents will search this place.
At any rate, I had to stay alive until then. I stayed still and waited for the time to pass.
How much time has passed since I started doing this? I look up overhead, and this time the round moon is about to meet the rim of the well.
"Today is the full moon, wasn't it...? Making it the 15th day in the lunar calendar..." When I am in this kind of situation for a long time, I tend to think about unimportant things.
And more time passed... I think, but I have no idea what really happened. I should have at least brought my watch.
[Background slowly darkens]
The area is getting darker and darker again. It seems the moon is going away, too...
And the well was shrouded in complete darkness. "......"
It was... right then... that I felt it.
An impossible gaze.
It couldn't be in such a narrow place, glaring at other people... "......"
I looked up overhead, but couldn't see anyone's shadow there. No wonder. Because the gaze...
Was right behind me, piercing through the cold bricks...
I couldn't move, with my back pinned against the wall. I couldn't find the courage to check behind me at all.
What if I looked back and saw only eyeballs? What if I saw a face peeking out at me through the wall?
Just thinking about it makes me feel as if my body temperature has dropped even further.
Should I try moving to the other side? No, wait... what would I gain from doing that?
I never thought the dark could be so scary. I never thought I would be so anxious about being alone.
What should I do... Do I gather my courage and check behind me? Or do I just hang on...?
As I was thinking about this, the next moment I saw something extraordinary.
Eyeballs appear... from the old well's wall...
It came from behind me, through the wall...
They circled around me before stopping right in front of me. "Ah"
The presence that had been behind me all along... was real.
And I slowly passed out...as a different darkness covered my surroundings...
Whether the eyeballs were real or hallucinations from exhaustion... I had no way of knowing...
[Text fades away]
"...Suimei! Suimei!" The sky... it's getting brighter and brighter. And then... this voice... someone's calling me...
Suimei... only Dad... calls me like that...
[The rest is a repeat of the other bad ending.]
And so, we have completed the fifth episode. However, there are many questions left, but that was kind of the point, otherwise Suimei wouldn't still be following this case. But I think we can make some theories on what happened. I'll write out mine here.
Before anything, I think we need to determine who or what Satoru-kun even is. I believe Satoru-kun is the floating eyeballs and the boy with the light source. Then, who is Ms. Kyouko? She's likely a previous victim of Satoru-kun's who became possessed by a different entity, like what happened to Atsuko. What that entity is, we can't know. Maybe it's not an entity at all, but just their personalities after bein changed by whatever magic Satoru-kun uses, since it might affect their very souls.
Now, you must be wondering, "wasn't Ms. Kyouko revealed to be the owner of the gaze?" True, however, that wouldn't explain the events of the bad endings. The eyeballs are clearly supernatural in nature. But, otehr than that, I can't give any more answers. Why is Satoru-kun doing this? What happened to Atsuko, was she possessed or did talking to Satoru-kun slowly change her? What's Sakurai's involvement, if he's involved at all?
Actually, I do think I can guess the answer for the first question, though. Satoru-kun's rumor says he can give any information you wish, so what if that's still true? Not only that, but what if he goes further and 'helps' them fix their situation, too? It'd explain how someone who might be afraid of being looked at, like Ms. Kyouko became a teacher.
But, well, this is based on assumptions and Suimei's beliefs, which aren't the most logical, as he was a child with not much information at his disposal. However, that won't be the same for the next episode.
Hitomi Chapter - Reiko Kashima
See you then!