Episode 1 - Mr. Kokkuri - Part 9

 Don't forget to read the first part, or the previous post if you haven't!

In the last part, Junya started doubting his ability to solve the case after 4 days of nothing really being done. Thankfully, unexpected help will come, in a very surprising way. Let's begin, shall we?

???day ??:??

Home Apartment

[Phone ringing]

I hear a mobile phone ringing. Who is it? People are trying to sleep away their grief, you know.

"Hello?" I answered the phone with my head still half-asleep.

"You must be Lieutenant Kazami." It was a man's voice. I searched my memory, but I'd never heard this voice before.

"What you have before you is a very delicate case."

"It's not something the First Investigative Section can handle. That's why we turned our attention to you and Detective Kogure."

"You two are the ones closest to the core of this case..."

"Unfortunately, you are still caught in the shackles of common sense and cannot take the first step forward. Am I wrong?"

Am I still dreaming? How does this man know about the case?

"You can't handle this case on your own. So I've decided to bring in some help."

"Just who are you?" I asked, barely able to think straight.

"Me, you ask? Let's just say I'm from a 'certain organization' that's been paying attention to you."

[Disconnected call sound]

"...Huh? Hello?" He hung up. What was that all about?

[Image begins blinking before turning black]

I tried to think, but before I knew it, sleep took me back to the dream world...

Tuesday 7:55 AM

Home Apartment

The rising sun irritated my eyelids. I ended up waking 15 minutes before my alarm clock.

Somehow, I didn't feel like I had slept at all. I checked my cell phone on my bedside table.

When I looked at the incoming call history, there was one at exactly 3:00 AM. The caller was listed as "Not Available".

That late-night phone call wasn't a dream after all.

A 'not available' call means it came from overseas. I don't think that person could make a prank call from overseas, though...

And so, I entered the fifth day of the investigation with an uncertain feeling.

After finishing the deskwork in the morning, I met up with Mr. Kogure to investigate the school once more.

Tuesday 2:55 PM

Hanamine Private High School

When I arrived at Hanamine High, Mr. Kogure was waiting for me with a complicated look on his face.

He was accompanied by the folklorist Suimei Kirisaki and the coroner Hitomi Shikibu.

 "Sir, what's going on?"

 "Don't tell me, Junya-kun, you didn't ask us, too?"

 "Eh? What do you mean?"

 "For cooperation. Someone asked us to help with your investigation. Our expert opinions were necessary or something."

 "I was told your investigation was at a standstill, so I came here without suspecting anything... It seems that was somebody's idea of a prank call."

I stopped him as he was about to leave with a disappointed sigh.

 "Hold on, brother! Can I formally ask you to help with the investigation? The truth is, we really are stuck. Hitomi-san, please help us too."

 "Sir, are you sure?"

 "We can't afford to be complacent at this point. Let's make up some excuse to the principal and do some cheating."

Although I thought this was an unbecoming proposal for a police officer to make, I still asked my brother for assistance as a last hope.

"Hello. I've been expecting you, Detective." Shintaro Nagamine, the principal of Hanamine Private High School, accepted us with a completely different attitude than he had yesterday.

"Um, Principal, sir. The truth is..."

"Yes, I heard. These are the people who'll help with the investigation, correct?"

"Eh?"

I was just about to make an excuse for my accompanying brother, but apparently, the principal was already aware of it.

"You already knew?"

"Yes, of course. Civilian experts would be accompanying you, and he asked me to give you his regards."

"Give me his regards... Who told you that?"

"Yesterday, after you left, there was another detective."

"He was a young detective who looked a little frivolous. He showed me his police ID and a recent warrant, so there's no doubt about it."

Who in the world is he? There should be no detective in the First Investigative Division willing to help us.

Mr. Kogure seemed to feel the same way, only shaking his head when his eyes met mine. "Do you know the detective's name?"

"That would be... I can't seem to recall it. I'm quite sure I heard it though... My apologies."

"There's just one thing that bothered me about him."

"What would that be?"

"The warrant that the detective was carrying..."

"It was dated four days ago."

Four days ago was the day Kaori Itou's body was found. So that detective must have anticipated that we would be stuck in our investigation four days earlier and thoughtfully obtained a warrant for us.

I mean, what the hell? This feels just like being bewitched by a fox.

"{Precognition}, huh..." My brother mumbled in a tone that made it hard to tell whether he was serious or joking. Hitomi sighed in resignation beside him.

We were left with a big question, but we couldn't stand still. With the principal present, we set out to investigate the school.

Now, where should we start?

         >The library where Kaori Itou committed suicide

       >The Fox Mound where Misa Sakita's spirit rests

We're on the realist route, and no matter what any suspicious organization says, we'll continue being rational.

         >The library where Kaori Itou committed suicide

First of all, I decided to investigate the library where Kaori Itou had committed suicide.

 "Junya. Why don't we split up? It would be inefficient for all of us to move around together. I'm going to check another place." [Literally a Scooby Doo episode]

 "A different place...?"

 "Don't worry, I can handle it. I'll show you my research skills as a folklorist. Kogure-kun, come with me as my assistant."

After saying this, Brother started to walk away. Unable to leave a civilian alone, Mr. Kogure reluctantly followed him.

The principal looked at my brother's back and me for a while, but eventually chose him. In other words, I was to examine the library only with Ms. Hitomi.

"Junya-kun. Hasn't this place already been thoroughly investigated by both the Inui and the Metropolitan Police Department?"

"Yes, but they might have missed something."

"You're very passionate, or is it that you don't trust others?"

"I-it's nothing like that. I just wanted to make sure..."

Ms. Hitomi looked at me with amusement as I made excuses. I realized that I had been teased, and my face flushed red.

When I think about it, this situation is virtually the first time I've ever been alone with Ms. Hitomi. It's somewhat uncomfortable to become aware of it.

In no way is it because I don't like her. Although this isn't a 'passionate' place to be, I am alone with a beautiful woman. A normal man couldn't possibly resist being nervous.

"Junya-kun."

"Y-yes!?"

"Could you get on your hands and knees for a second?" [What]

What did you just say, Ms. Hitomi?

Nervously, I---

                                                >Obey her order, "Certainly, my Queen!" [WHAT]

  ⬢ >Firmly oppose her, "No!"

After everything that has happened, I will not let Junya be pathetic any longer!

  ⬢ >Firmly oppose her, "No!"

"No!" I protested, although flustered.

I am indebted to Ms. Hitomi, but I have no reason to kneel to her out of the blue.

"...Junya-kun. Are you sure you aren't mistaken?" When the beautiful woman brought her face close to mine, I felt pressured.

"M-mistaken...?" That was all I could say.

"That's enough. Stay still."

When I thought Ms. Hitomi's face had disappeared from my vision, my sight went white.

It was a momentary leap. The graceful way she moved her body resembled that of a ballet dancer.

The scenery went blank, not because I fainted, but because Ms. Hitomi's clothes covered my vision.

"I wanted to take this," Hitomi said, holding a book in her hand.

"......What's that?"

"It's the school roster."

Ms. Hitomi just wanted to get a roster from a high place on the bookshelf. She wanted to use me as a platform for that purpose.

If she had explained it to me, I would have been happy to help, but I'll apologize for what I said anyway.

...Wait. I guess she was able to get the roster without me needing to get on my knees to make a platform, just by jumping.

I couldn't gauge Ms. Hitomi's true intentions, but I didn't have the courage to ask her under the current circumstances.

"Junya-kun. If we check this roster, we might find some new facts, don't you think?"

She's right. Let's just focus on the investigation here.

I turned the pages to look for clues in the book handed to me by Ms. Hitomi.

[Sounds of flipping pages]

When I stopped my hand, realizing the folly of turning pages in the dark without a purpose, I was struck by words I couldn't ignore.

"Misa Sakita", her name was in the first year class two years ago.

Misa Sakita, who died in a car accident two years ago, played Mr. Kokkuri on campus. She cannot be ignored.

If a causal link to this incident can be found, the next victim may be prevented.

"Oh my. Is Kaori Itou that Ms. Itou?"

Ms. Hitomi pointed to a place where she saw Kaori Itou's name. That's not all. There were also the names of Narumi Hasebe and Yuka Kamiyama.

"My goodness... They were all classmates..."

Dum, dum, DUM! We've found the connection between everything, but we gotta stop here. Next part, we'll reunite to talk about the clues both groups found, and then formulate our next step. Also, before I leave, I'll just say that shorter posts like these may become more common in the future, however, that doesn't mean longer posts won't happen at all, just that there'll be a bigger gap between them.

Anyway, see you next time!

Episode 1 - Mr. Kokkuri - Part 8

  Don't forget to read the first part, or the previous post if you haven't!

Last part, we chose the path of realism and returned to the school to investigate more. Following a conversation with the principal, he showed us the above-pictured Fox Mound, and now he'll explain its history.

"Ms. Misa Sakita passed away two years ago in a {traffic accident}. She was hit by a car on her way home."

"According to eyewitness reports, Ms. Sakita ran into the roadway as if she couldn't see what was ahead."

"The police were not sure whether it was a suicide or an accident, but in the end, the funeral was held despite the ambiguity, and a few days later, no one dared mention the incident."

"But just as I was beginning to forget about the incident, I heard a strange rumor."

The principal looked around and kept his voice down, even though we were the only ones there. And then, the next words that came out of his mouth were...

"Mr. Kokkuri's curse"

 "A CURSE!?" Mr. Kogure overreacts. He's really sensitive. I never get tired of watching him.

Perhaps energized by Mr. Kogure's reaction, the principal's tone of voice became more enthusiastic. He's like a grandfather who is pleased to tell his grandchildren a ghost story.

"Yes... A rumor began to spread among the students that 'Misa Sakita died due to Mr. Kokkuri's curse'."

"Before her death, Ms. Sakita used to play "Mr. Kokkuri" with some of the other students at the school."

"Rumors spread throughout the school. After all was said and done, some students claimed to have seen Ms. Sakita's ghost, and some even stopped going to school for fear of being cursed by Mr. Kokkuri."

"In order to resolve the situation, we designated the mound as a memorial to Misa Sakita's spirit, and invited a well-known monk to perform a purification rite."

"After that, the gossip died down, and fortunately, it didn't spread outside the community."

"And to prevent similar tragedies, I have added a 'Mr. Kokkuri Prohibition' clause to the school rules."

When the principal finished speaking, he clammed up with a mysterious look on his face. "I see... So that's the Fox Mound."

"What a pitiful story. The student who died was innocent, and yet they only talk about ghosts and curses... It's absolutely outrageous!"

Mr. Kogure blew his nose, and there were a few tears in his eyes.

Mr. Kogure is right that the dead student was innocent. However, when bad things happen, humans tend to make connections with unrealistic events, and either become convinced or fearful of them.

I was injured because a black cat crossed in front of me. I failed to get into the school of my choice because there was a number 4 on my exam entry number. The examples are endless.

I think it's all a manifestation of the weakness of the human heart. Misa Sakita was a victim of this.

To satisfy the students, her spirit had to be confined to such a small, dingy mound.

I joined my hands together in mourning for the soul of Misa Sakita.

Apparently, the relationship between this school and Mr. Kokkuri is deeply rooted.

Although its relevance to the case is unknown, it would not hurt to gather more information.

Something was bothering me, so I mentioned---

                  >The fact that the students are still playing Mr. Kokkuri even now.

             ⬢ >The possibility that the accident 2 years ago wasn't an accident.

        >The identity of the student playing Mr. Kokkuri with Misa Sakita.

That middle option seems pretty interesting.

             ⬢ >The possibility that the accident 2 years ago wasn't an accident.

"What if the accident 2 years ago wasn't an accident..."

"Eh!?" Mr. Kogure and the principal stared at me at the same time.

"I'm only speaking hypothetically, but if the accident two years ago involved some kind of artificiality, that could well be the motive for the current incident."

"W-wait a minute, Detective! Are you saying that this case is not a suicide?" The principal asks with a flurried face.

"No, we are investigating this as a suicide case, but we have an obligation to consider all possibilities before resolving the case."

Although I told him that, I don't think it was just a suicide. But there was no need to make a big fuss by telling him, so I kept quiet.

"Principal, sir. Do you know of any students who were close to the late Ms. Misa Sakita?"

"Oh, that would be Nozawa-kun from earlier. He's a {childhood friend} of Ms. Sakita's."

"Otherwise, no one would come to this mound, the one place nobody wants to go near, to pray every day."

"Childhood friend..."

Thus, Shouta Nozawa becomes the first suspect. His motive is to take {revenge} for the murder of his childhood friend.

Of course, this is assuming the incident two years ago was not an accident.

"Were there any other students she was close to? Who were the students Ms. Sakita played Mr. Kokkuri with?"

After a moment's thought, the principal shook his head. "Well..."

I was hoping to grasp something from the accident two years ago, but it can't be helped.

After leaving the Fox Mound, we asked the principal for permission to investigate the school.

"Sir. What are we going to do now?"

"Uhm, let's see..."

After thinking a bit, I chose to---

       >look into Misa Sakita's accident.

        >gather information from the students.

   

We could try to learn more about the accident, but I don't think we'll learn anything particularly useful, considering the principal basically told us everything we needed to connect it to that random flashback.

        >gather information from the students.

We decided to leave the Fox Mound and gather information from the remaining students on campus.

[Cut to black]

We want to gather information from more students, but we don't want to do so in a way that creates uneasiness.

To narrow it down to the bare minimum, we have Shouta Nozawa, who was a childhood friend of Misa Sakita's.

And Yuka Kamiyama, who tried to tell us something at the hospital yesterday. I should try to learn more about those two I think.

Yuka Kamiyama was particularly concerning. ---"Did Kaori really commit suicide?" She must know something about Kaori Itou's death.

I wasn't able to listen to it that time due to an unexpected accident, but if she's attending school, I would love to hear the rest of the story.

The light outside the window is gradually fading, even though it is only a little after 4:00 PM. The clouds are getting darker too.

Classes have already ended and many students have gone home. The quietness of the after-school hours makes for a perfectly eerie atmosphere.

Mr. Kogure, who has been established as a scaredy-cat, is fidgety and restless. He wants to go home as soon as possible.

"...Sir. Did you hear something?" I listened carefully, and sure enough, I can hear a woman's voice coming from somewhere in the school building.

The voice was hysterical, but I didn't hear any sobbing in particular. Was she in a quarrel? "Let's go, Mr. Kogure."

[Cut to black]

"...Why!? Answer me, Nozawa-kun!"

I followed the voice and came to find the person I was looking for.

"Hey! Why are you so quiet!?" The one raising her voice was Yuka Kamiyama. She was a different person from the one I had met at the hospital.

Her brow was wrinkled, her face was twisted, and her clenched fists were shaking. That figure seemed to be afraid of something.

And Kamiyama gazed at Shouta Nozawa, who was at the Fox Mound earlier.

"You still can't get over Misa!?"

"...That's none of your business."

This Misa is probably Misa Sakita. Does Kamiyama know her?

(It seems that Yuka Kamiyama has {romantic feelings} for Shouta Nozawa.) Mr. Kogure looked at them and quietly commented on their situation.

A female student stands between them. Her name being Mari Horikawa. The girl I met on the first day of the investigation. I could never forget what she said to me then.

She spoke unfeelingly, even while knowing that her classmate, Kaori Ito, was dead.

"What of it?"

Mari Horikawa. Yuka Kamiyama. Shouta Nozawa. The relationship between the two women isn't clear, but at any rate, these disparate dots became connected as a line.

"Stop it. You're not going to change his mind by doing this." Horikawa chided with a cool-headed voice.

Compared to Kamiyama's hysterically angry stare, Horikawa has a composed and chilly gaze.

I get a sense of an unexpected power dynamic.

"Come on. Go home already, Ms. Kamiyama."

"...You said if I did just as you said, things would work out...!"

"I know. So, just be elated as always and do as I say."

I could feel Kamiyama's body trembling violently. If I were a little closer, I might even hear the sound of her teeth clenching.

It was not just anger. It was a complex mix of emotions within her, an intense clash of reason and instinct. And the one that won was---

[A thunderclap, then a cut to black]

At that moment, I heard incredibly loud thunder. I looked out the window and saw smoke coming from the wooded area where the Fox Mound was located. Lightning had struck.

This may not be the duty of a police officer, but we can't overlook the possibility of a fire.

Mr. Kogure and I nodded to each other and started running toward the mound.

The Fox Mound had changed into a tragic figure. "Oh, this is horrible..."

Lightning seemed to have struck this mound, burning it black and destroying it.

Still, how could lightning strike such a small mound without hitting a tree? It's too good to be happenstance.

But how else to explain it other than to call it happenstance?

I couldn't help but cry---

              >"This is Mr. Kokkuri's curse!"

      >"This is just a coincidence!"

Let's be 'rational'.

      >"This is just a coincidence!"

"This is just a coincidence!" was also what I said to convince myself.

But my words were not convincing, and they disappeared into the woods.

"T-that's right, isn't it, sir? It must be just a coincidence, right?" Mr. Kogure's follow-up, with his teeth chattering, adds to the lack of persuasiveness.

[Cut to black]

We then returned to the school building again to look for Kamiyama and the others, but it appeared that they had already left the school, so we were unable to talk to them.

The investigation is now on its fourth day, yet no hard evidence has been found.

On the contrary, the undecipherable reality only adds to my confusion.

...What am I doing? I'll never be able to solve the case if I keep on like this.

I was reminded that although I have the title of "Lieutenant," I am nothing more than a novice detective in training.

I'm completely powerless...

Oof. Junya may be having a depressive episode, but I gotta stop here. This post may be short, but there's a good reason for that. Same as why I couldn't post last Friday. But either way, we learned something very important, which will help us a lot when we try to figure this case out. Hopefully, we'll see more of that trio.

Anyway, see you next time!

Episode 1 - Mr. Kokkuri - Part 7

 Don't forget to read the first part, or the previous post if you haven't!

In the last part, we learned a ton of stuff, in particular, the meaning behind the talismans, and their connection to fox spirits and possession. Now, we'll choose how to continue the investigation, whether believing in the supernatural aspects or not. Let's begin, shall we?

Future Direction of the Investigation

To begin with, is this case really a suicide?

                           >At this stage, the likelihood is high.

       >It may not be suicide.

I think they did kill themselves, considering the results of the autopsy, but if they did it out of their own free will is still up in the air.

                            >At this stage, the likelihood is high.

If it was suicide, then why did they choose to die by their own hands?

        >We still don't know why.

                            >Because they were cornered by somebody.

   

We saw nothing proving they had suicidal ideations, so they probably were forced to do it.

                            >Because they were cornered by somebody.

Who is that "somebody"?

                  >Someone human.

  >Mr. Kokkuri.

   

Let's be realistic. This time at least.

                  >Someone human.

Since our opponent is a human being, what is their motive?

                              >Performing a ritual. (Conclusion)

    >Enmity. (Conclusion)

Honestly, I can only see a ritual being the reason to remove someone's blood. Don't worry, it won't change much.

                              >Performing a ritual. (Conclusion)

What if we consider this to be part of a ritual?

The theory that these women died as a result of participating or being involved in some ritual, while a bit far-fetched, remains open to consideration.

The unique factor of Mr. Kokkuri, when considered in the context of a ritual, is also within the realm of understanding as a human handiwork.

The keyword of 'ritual' is just a package, so to speak.

Although our info is still muddled, and we don't have the full picture yet, I believe this will help us in the investigation of this human-caused murder case.

"Mr. Kogure, let's proceed with this investigation as if the culprit was human. After all, how could a person die because of a curse?"

"Y-yessir! You're right, sir!" Despite feeling some bad aftertaste in my heart, I still denied the "Mr. Kokkuri's curse" theory.

Partly so I could bring myself, who was lost in unseen anxiety, back to reality.

[Cut to black]

...Nn? Reality? Damnit! I just remembered we still have some paperwork to do from this morning.

Alas, reality is a harsh thing. There are no car chases to pursue criminals or shotguns to fire, like in the dramas.

In reality, we spend a great deal of time sitting in front of the computer and filing documents.

A police drama would never fly if they just did paperwork, that's why they highlight only the interesting bits, and it's always an awkward situation whenever someone who joined the force due to this dramatized image of detectives becomes appalled.

Being a real detective, I rushed back to my desk and spent a good four hours staring at my computer...

[Cut to black again]

"Hey, do you want to have lunch together?" She suddenly called out to me.

Her smile was so beautiful as she smiled innocently at me.

"Let's leave together." Before I knew it, she was right beside me. She was my first friend in high school.

The days when I went home with ......-kun naturally became fewer and fewer. I'm sorry, ......-kun.

One day, I introduced her to ......-kun. "This is ......-kun."

She didn't say anything and just looked at ......-kun.

"Do you know what Mr. Kokkuri is?" She invited me to play a game called "Mr. Kokkuri's fortune-telling".

It's the supernatural divination that's all the rage at school these days. I don't believe in Mr. Kokkuri. But she invited me, so I couldn't refuse.

"Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Kokkuri. Does she like ......-kun?"

She asked Mr. Kokkuri about the relationship between ......-kun and me.

Mr. Kokkuri answered "yes". I saw her beautiful face twitch into ugliness.

"Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Kokkuri..." Her questions began to escalate.

"Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Kokkuri..." She asked her questions with a drawn-out sneer.

She was no longer the girl who had first smiled at me.

"Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Kokkuri..."

"Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Kokkuri..."

This is bullying. When I realized this, my mind had already reached its limit.

My heart was scarred and stained like old rags when I learned that my friend had betrayed me.

Help me. Help me, ......-kun.

I ran for my last peace of mind. I ran as hard as I could. I knew he was the only one who could save me.

[Wheels scraping against concrete could be heard before a scream and hit sounded out.]

But the last thing I heard was not his voice, but the sirens of an ambulance in the distance...

Monday 2:09 PM

Metropolitan Police Department

A night later---

It wasn't until around 2:00 p.m. that I was released from the hell of paperwork that had lasted since yesterday.

I was stretching to loosen my stiffened body from desk work when I received a call from Mr. Kogure.

He suggested, "Let's check the crime scene again." In this industry, we have a saying that goes: "Be onsite a hundred times." [By the way, this translation may not be accurate, as Japanese sayings sometimes remove connectives, leaving only kanji, as in here.]

The clues to solving crimes are left at the scene of the crime. Therefore, this phrase comes from a lesson learned by our predecessors: when your investigation gets stuck, you should reexamine the crime scene as many times as you need to.

Mr. Kogure wanted to put it into practice. And without a doubt, we were stuck. It was the right decision.

He can be a little unreliable at times, but that's what senior detectives are for. He knows how to deal with these kinds of situations.

We, without delay, decided to meet at the Hanamine High School gate in 30 minutes.

Monday 2:39 PM

Hanamine Private High School

Hanamine High School, despite being the proverbial eye of the storm of this case, seemed to have completely resumed its normal routine.

Students leave school after class, chatting with each other. From the school grounds, one can hear the voices of boys and girls engaged in club activities.

It is an after-school scene that can be found anywhere. It's as if the whole incident was just a fantasy.

The incident has not been made public to the media due to a decision by the upper management. Thanks to this, the students are not being hounded by hyena-like reporters and are enjoying a peaceful school life.

But how could they be so indifferent when two students from their own school died one after the other?

"Sir, I'm going in." Kogure-san had already passed through the school gate and was about to head for the principal's office.

With a hard-to-describe feeling, I followed behind his large back.

A staff member led me into the principal's office, which was an astonishingly imposing room.

The reception setup looks very luxurious, with a large, sturdy desk.

If it weren't for the trophies and certificates of commendation housed in glass cases, the interior would remind visitors of the CEO's office of a large corporation.

This room tells me that the Hanamine Private High School is in extremely good business condition.

The police must be sensitive when investigating a private facility. Moreover, when it comes to schools, unrelated children could become involved. Naturally, careful investigation is required to avoid such cases.

Furthermore, this time the request for cooperation in the investigation was voluntarily done, so the permission and presence of the responsible party, the school principal, was required.

When the principal saw us, he blatantly frowned. Of course, no one would be happy to be visited by the police.

We didn't expect to be welcomed at the beginning either. But we couldn't just sit back and do nothing too.

"Can I help you?" The old gentleman, all gray from hair to beard, asked, not bothering to hide his discomfort.

{Shintarou Nagamine}. That is the principal's name. His record said he was 64 years old.

"I already told you everything I knew about the incident, didn't I?" Someone snorted a "hmph" as if to demean the principal's words.

It was Mr. Kogure. It seems he doesn't like the principal's complacent attitude. His reaction is quite understandable.

"Why, for a school where two students died, it's quite peaceful, isn't it?" He said with outrageously straightforward sarcasm.

Mr. Kogure apparently can make a mighty statement when he is dealing with a human being. As for the principal, his mouth twitches and spasms as he tries to suppress his anger.

"I greatly regret those girls' deaths as well. However..." The principal speaks indifferently as if reading out a canned speech.

Theatrical expressions of heartache. Words denying responsibility. The dead students can rest in peace this way.

[SLAM]

Mr. Kogure banged on the glass table, interrupting the principal from continuing. Then he rebuked---

"Two students are dead! Those students should be no different from your own children! Or are they just another source of money for you!?"

Amazing, Mr. Kogure. I almost applauded instinctively.

The principal thought about it for a moment, then agreed to cooperate and be present for the investigation.

Now, here's the important part.

I---

             >Asked about Yuka Kamiyama.

   >Asked about Mari Horikawa.

   >Showed him the Ouija board.

   

I originally chose this option, but it barely gave me anything, so I'll show two options together.

             >Asked about Yuka Kamiyama.

"Mr. Principal, could you tell us about a student named Yuka Kamiyama?"

"Yuka Kamiyama...?" The principal stroked his chin as he pulled on the threads of his memory.

...But, his answer was not the one I hoped for.

There are hundreds of students at Hanamine High School. And since they are replaced every year, it would be impossible to remember them unless they are very remarkable students.

After this dialogue is over, it goes back to the standard route.

   >Asked about Mari Horikawa.

"Mr. Principal, could you tell us about a student named Mari Horikawa?"

"Ms. Horikawa? What's the problem with her?" The principal seems to know about her.

"No, there's nothing particularly wrong with her, but we had a little talk in the school building the day Kaori Ito died..."

"I was wondering if that was the case. Her parents told me that she was born with a heart condition and came to the U.S. about two years ago to have an operation."

"A surgery in the U.S.?"

"Yes. Her parents didn't want to talk about it, so they didn't tell me much."

"She continued her studies after the surgery and had no problems with her academic performance, and because of her great aspirations, she transferred to the third grade at her age as a special exception."

"I see..." So, if Horikawa was involved in the case, it was during the short period after she moved in.

We obtained some unexpected information, but it is not directly related to the resolution of the case.

Instead of questioning the principal, I think a search of the school would be more fruitful.

"Sir, what do you think of showing him the Ouija board we found the other day?"

"Well... since we found it in this school, maybe it'll tell us something."

I had little hope but decided to show the principal the Ouija board just in case.

"T-this is!"

As soon as he saw it, the principal clearly became upset. "Do you know anything about this?" The principal nodded silently.

"...Please follow me. I have a place I'd like to show you."

The principal led us to the back of the school building, which was thickly overgrown with trees.

This is also where I witnessed the girl who was trying to burn the Ouija board.

"It's here?"

"No, do you see that narrow forest trail over there?"

I didn't notice it the other day, but I do see a small path. Is this part of the school's compound?

When I looked at Mr. Kogure's face, it was completely pale and shivering slightly. He must be imagining horror fantasies yet again.

If you're that scared, you shouldn't imagine it... Let me guess, this time it's the ghost of a fox waiting for us in the woods, isn't it?

Following the principal, we passed through a wooded area and came to a space that appeared to have been artificially quarried.

"Please look at that."

Following the principal's fingertip, I saw what looked like a stone monument. "The students call it the {Fox Mound}."

"Fox mound..." Foxes again?

It was a small standing stone with a strange presence. I don't know how to describe it, but it seemed to have a cold, raw atmosphere, making me feel restless.

"Who!?" Suddenly, the principal berated someone, and we almost jumped. No, Mr. Kogure did actually jump.

With the sound of rustling and stepping on fallen leaves, a figure emerged from the trees.

"Who are you...?"

"I'm {Shouta Nozawa} from the third year."

The principal nods as he remembers.

The student, who identified himself as Shota Nozawa, was a tall, strong, sportsman-type boy.

Mr. Kogure sniffs like a dog with a puzzled expression on his face.

"I don't smoke."

"Ah, no, I absolutely didn't mean to suspect you... it's just that I have a duty to guide the young people correctly, and I..."

Instead of Mr. Kogure's slurred excuses, I ask him, "Nozawa-kun... was it? What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Nozawa asks bluntly.

"Why would you come to a place like this if you didn't have any business here? What were you doing here?"

"A place like this!?" The principal rushes to intervene as the boy raises his eyebrows and tries to lash out at me.

"Nozawa-kun. They don't know what the mound stands for. Forgive them."

The Nozawa boy reluctantly calmed his anger after being chided by the principal. "...Who are these people?"

The principal hesitated for a moment before answering, "This is the police. They are investigating the incident from the other day."

Shouta Nozawa's eyes widened as he looked at me and Mr. Kogure. "Huh, they're detectives? Very different from the dramas, aren't they?"

Of course. Those are actors. You can't lump us together.

However, I swallowed the words that were about to come out of my throat, thinking that it would be unprofessional to correct a child at every turn.

"Mr. Detective, please catch the culprit." With that, Shouta Nozawa ran off.

Please catch the culprit, eh? He said he was in the third grade, but he might have been a classmate of the deceased student.

But when I asked the principal, I found that he was in a different class from both Narumi Hasebe and Kaori Itou.

"I asked his responsible teacher, and he told me that Nozawa-kun comes here every day to pray."

"To pray?"

"Yes. This mound is said to have a long history, but at present, it's a memorial to the departed soul of a student named {Misa Sakita}, who passed away two years ago."

"It's a memorial for a student?"

"Correct, and there's a reason for this."

The principal, this time with a heartbroken look on his face, began to recount the events of two years ago.

I'll stop here, and sorry for the small delay. I didn't have as much time as I would like, so the translation may be somewhat awkward, sorry again. But, next time, we'll learn of the true beginning of this case, and the connection between everything.

So, see you then!