In the last part, we learned about the results of the autopsy, especially the mysterious lack of blood in the corpses. All this before lunch. Now, the no-longer-hungry detectives will figure out their next steps. Let's begin.
Connection between Incident and Blood
Was there a third party when Kaori Itou committed suicide?
>Such a thing is impossible.
>The possibility cannot be denied.
There's no way so much blood could disappear without any external help.
>The possibility cannot be denied.
Then, was Kaori Itou's blood removed by human hands?
>Correct.
>We can't be sure yet.
There's no need to believe in the supernatural for now.
>Correct.
Was the blood of the first suicide victim, Narumi Hasebe, taken as well?
>It's quite possible.
>It's just not possible.
It obviously was.
>It's quite possible.
So how did the culprit know they were going to die?
>There's just no way.
>Precognition...?
Well... maybe they were murders? Or at least assisted suicide. But I guess there's no proof a third person was on the scene. Let's not deny it entirely, even if it means choosing the weird option.
>Precognition...?
That's ridiculous. Precognition? I'm surprised that my own brain could come up with such an answer.
If I were to give such an answer to Ms. Hitomi, I would either receive a sigh of dismay or a sermon.
Let's be more realistic. Yeah. How about showing Ms. Hitomi the evidence I have in hand?
What evidence would be appropriate to show her?
>The piece of paper found in the library. (Conclusion)
>The Ouija board. (Conclusion)
I want to know the meaning behind the talisman, so why not?
>The piece of paper found in the library. (Conclusion)
I took out the scrap of paper that I had tucked away in my breast pocket. The one I had found at Hanamine High School, that talisman.
"Um, could you look at this?" I handed over the piece of paper to Ms. Hitomi.
"What's wrong with it?" Contrary to my expectations, Hitomi's response was calm and collected.
'Is this the best you can come up with? I hoped you wouldn't disappoint me.' ...Her eyes clearly showed her disappointment.
"I think it would be better to show these kinds of dubious items to Kirisaki-kun, don't you think so? I'm not sure I can help you. It's outside my area of expertise."
"Kirisaki-kun" is the name of my brother-in-law. Suimei Kirisaki. He's a lecturer of folkloric studies at a university in Tokyo and has a strong interest in folklore and ghost stories. Come to think of it, I received a lecture about Mr. Kokkuri a long time ago. That's right. I should go ask my brother for his opinion.
[Cut to black.]
We left the family restaurant and decided to take Ms. Hitomi, who had come all the way to tell us the results of the autopsy, back to her workplace.
Sunday 2:55 PM
Kamone University Hospital
"Thanks for taking me here. I have another autopsy to do, so if you'd excuse me.
Also, give my regards to Kirisaki-kun."
We cannot imagine how difficult it must be for someone to work both as a medical examiner and as an assistant professor at a university.
In between her intense work schedule, Ms. Hitomi came to provide us with valuable information.
Both Mr. Kogure and I saluted her as she turned back to look at us.
"Um... You're a detective, right?"
I turned around when I was called, and there stood a girl in a school uniform. I didn't recognize her. She's someone I've never met before.
Mr. Kogure quietly whispered in my ear. (Sir. That uniform, it's from Hanamine High School.) He remembered it even though we saw it only once.
"I'm Kaori Itou's classmate, I'm called {Yuka Kamiyama}." Her well-projected voice spoke volumes about her character.
Eyebrows that gave a feeling of strength. Eyes flashing with confidence. Long, wavy hair.
It's safe to say she is quite the beauty. She exudes a bewitching quality that makes it hard to believe that she is a high school girl. She probably stands out a lot in the school.
When I asked her what she wanted, she honestly confessed that she had seen us at school the day before yesterday.
Certainly, if she didn't see us that day, she wouldn't have talked to us today.
But, why here...? It's as if she knew we were going to show up here. This made her presence suddenly intrigue me.
The girl, who identified herself as Yuka Kamiyama, thought for a moment and then asked as if she had made up her mind. "...Did Kaori really commit suicide?"
"...What do you mean?" I deliberately played dumb. Since she went to the trouble of asking, she must have a reason to believe that Kaori Itou's death was not a suicide.
There are enough suspicious aspects to her death. For example, the blood that may have been taken away by a third person.
But, there is currently no evidence to answer the questions of who, why, and how.
I'd love to hear her rationale if she has any suspicions about Kaori Itou's death.
"You don't think it was suicide?"
"......"
"Why do you believe that?"
"......"
Her continued silence is frustrating. "Do you know anything at all?" My words became prickly.
That was a bad idea, and before I had time to stop her, she turned away and started running.
"Watch out!" Mr. Kogure's voice sounded out.
[Screen blinks white, and a car crash is heard.]
A white Sedan plowed into the hospital's main entrance, billowing smoke.
Onlookers gathered around to see from wherever they were hiding.
I ran over to Yuka Kamiyama, who was lying face down on the asphalt with a terrible complexion and large beads of sweat on her forehead.
She wasn't hit by the car. Thanks to Mr. Kogure pushing her out of the way, she was able to avoid the danger.
She appears to be uninjured, but at any rate, she needs to be tended to. Fortunately, we are on hospital grounds.
I'm more worried about the driver of the car. At that speed, I doubt they got away scot-free.
However, the person who should've been there was nowhere to be found.
That's absurd. This is a flat stretch of road, not a slope or anything. There is no way they could go that fast with no one stepping on the gas pedal.
They did not run away, nor were they thrown out of the car. To begin with, the engine of this car was not running.
[The talisman shows a square made of dog Kanji, with the words for fox, lion, tiger, and wolf beneath it.]
"Nn...?" Something's stuck to the driver's seat.
All that was left in the driver's seat was a strange piece of paper---
Sunday 4:19 PM
Sumino University
Sumino University, where the folklorist Suimei Kirisaki works, has its school building in a downtown area where a person can experience the feeling of the good old days.
Although it was founded in the early Showa period and has a respectable history, it seems to be called a third-rate university by test-takers and adults who worry about their credentials.
Before I came here, I tried calling my brother's cell phone, but it went to voicemail. When I called the university, a girl who seemed to be his assistant told me that he was in the middle of a lecture.
Today is Sunday, but it seems that the university is holding a special lecture for workers.
As for Yuka Kamiyama's concerning matter... She ended up regaining consciousness soon after and got off without a single injury.
Her mother came to pick her up and took her back home.
What was Yuka Kamiyama trying to tell us at that time? We will have to speak with her someday soon.
"Folklore--- That is, customs, beliefs, rituals, sermons, proverbs, and other pieces of knowledge that have been passed down and inherited by people for generations..." "Many things seem strange to us modern people when we come to think about them again."
"But they are all the product of the wisdom of our ancestors, which is to say, the history of humankind."
"There is always some kind of meaning behind them. We must change this perception that folklore is a relic of the past."
"They still take shape and are closely connected to our lives. Yes... a particularly familiar one would be 'urban legends'."
"For example, do you know this story? This is a story I heard from a friend of a friend..."
"There once was a mother who married young and bore a child. She married at 17 and also had her child at 17. A so-called 'yanmama' [Japanese slang for young mother]."
"At first, she was enjoying her newlywed life, but soon she was too busy taking care of her child to go out with her friends her own age."
"The woman, who didn't have much free time, began to blame her child for taking away her freedom..."
"Then, on a fateful day, she slipped and dropped her less-than-one-year-old child to the ground."
"The police ruled it an accidental death, but needless to say, she intentionally dropped the baby."
"A few years after the incident, she divorced her now ex-husband and enjoyed her freedom, and married again to a young businessman she had met."
"A few years after she remarried, she gave birth to a child. This time she took good care of them and lived a happy life."
"The baby was growing so fast that they were getting a little too heavy for her to carry."
"The baby in her arms would open their mouth and speak something like this."
"Now, what is this rumor trying to tell us? Is it a lesson? A warning?"
"Or maybe it's ridiculous gossip that no one would believe. However, I believe the significance of folklore lies in the search for the hidden meanings and truths that lay within..."
We decided to wait for my brother to finish his lecture and exit the school building.
Let's end here. After a lecture, it's always good to take a break I say. In the next part, we'll finally meet Junya's 'brother' and learn a bit more about Mr. Kokkuri and the talisman.
See you then!
