The Creeping Madness
With the rainy season in full swing, gloomy and cloudy skies were a common sight.
Every year, at this time of year, she’d be depressed by the humidity, but this year, the existence of entertainment cheered her up.
His dexterity was truly astonishing.
As if it was nothing but child’s play, he effortlessly fulfilled his mission.
Until recently, she was getting fed-up with the tedious work, but today was different.
For that child to be the next prey—...
A smile crept on her lips. When she approached the ‘prey’ with a camera, he scowled at her, calling her a horrible person. But after she told him that the documentary was necessary for the report, he quietly relented.
She took the first shot.
After turning away from the glare of her flash, the ‘prey’ was stunned to see her.
...What a lovely expression.
Then, another shot.
This time, the ‘prey’ didn’t look away, and their picture was taken from the front.
Hey, say something?
When they did, it was a silly question that didn’t deserve an answer.
Are you stupid?
She captured that foolish expression.
You’re still saying that?
“—Why are you doing this...!?”
Because it’s fun, you idiot.
***
“Again with this rain...”
Upon leaving the game center in the neighboring town, the murky sky greeted Jyuu with a downpour. While he was dilly-dallying, the cloudy weather had taken a turn for the worse.
While he didn’t prefer clear weather, Jyuu disliked the rain. The feeling of isolation, restricting his vision—he hated it all. After all, if he were to fix his gaze at the rain, his consciousness would become hazy, and in turn, everything would become blurry.
Thus, Jyuu bought a plastic umbrella at the convenience store, before deciding to go home while sending the raindrops a death glare.
Humans think when they are silent, and convey their thoughts when they are speaking.
While the boundaries were unclear and sometimes overlapped, it could be said that humans were always thinking about something.
It could be a proper reasoning, a rumination of memories, a wild delusion, or even music.
In Jyuu’s case, it was mostly misapprehensions. Be it the past or the future, he didn’t want to think about it.
Come what may.
After all, regardless of what may happen, time would still pass, and one would still grow old. As such, it didn’t matter if he didn’t think about it. He merely chose what he’d enjoy best.
What’d be fun to do?
To grant his wishes.
What’d be easy to do?
To give up hope.
Once, he had exchanged that question with Ame.
Even though the person herself said that she served him out of her own accord and sense of duty, she didn’t always seem like she was having fun.
Despite that, she never got tired of following him around.
To her, what’d fun be?
Staring at the raindrops drizzling down the surface of the umbrella, Jyuu pondered.
Even if he knew, it wasn’t like he’d grant it or anything. Besides, he was just thinking about it to kill time. Although people seemed to perceive him as a player, Jyuu’s relationships were extremely bland. He’d rarely invite anyone out.
While he had a few long-term friends of his own, he didn’t have a best friend, let alone a girlfriend. Despite having normal desires, he didn’t seem to be interested in a deeper relationship.
It was as if he didn’t want to have anyone he could trust.
Even if he did, Jyuu wouldn’t know what to do in the first place.
Due to that, he admired Miya for being approachable.
Jyuu wondered how a psychiatrist would diagnose someone who didn’t even trust his own parents like him.
...Surprisingly, I might not be that different from her.
Jyuu laughed deprecatingly.
Perhaps, Ochibana Ame set her eyes on him because she could feel that they were similar in a way.
“I don’t want to think about it...”
At the thought of being the same as her, Jyuu recoiled in disgust.
The dense rain clouds covering the sky showed no sign of dispersing. It might rain all night today.
A police car siren was blaring from somewhere.
Another incident...?
On a day like this, he preferred to sleep while watching films.
After getting off the train, Jyuu stopped by a rental film store a short walk away from the station.
The store had a system in which when someone rented a film, they’d earn some points. Based on how many points their membership card had, they’d be able to rent a film for free. To see how many points he currently had, Jyuu fished for his card inside his pocket.
At that moment, he saw someone at the alley near the film store.
The girl, who leaned on her left side against the wall, had no umbrella. Judging from her uniform, they must’ve attended the same school. Then, it’d be convenient.
Amidst the heavy rain, Jyuu was alone with the female student.
Did he feel bad towards her?
As he thought so, the female student toppled forward, her body brushing against the wall. Seeing that she had no attempt to break the fall whatsoever, Jyuu rushed over to her. She fell face first into the ground.
I shouldn’t get myself into any trouble—
—While the thought did occur, it didn’t stop him, and Jyuu ended up coming to her aid.
In a case like this, I should call for help, right?
But when Jyuu’s hand was about to reach for his phone, it stopped midway.
He seemed to recognize the back of the collapsed girl.
“Hey, are you okay?”
As he called out to her, Jyuu shook her shoulders.
There was no response.
The female student, half-buried in a puddle, didn’t budge in the slightest.
It was at that moment when Jyuu saw some red liquid dissolving into the puddle. Discarding his umbrella, he rushed to pick her up. Her limbs were powerless, while her head drooped back.
“Hey—!”
The girl had fainted. However, when he tried to support the back of her head, he felt something slimy. Jyuu immediately understood that it was blood. Nevertheless, he remained appalled by the strange sensation oozing on his fingertips.
The back of a human head shouldn’t feel like a deflated water balloon.
“Hang in there—! Hey, stay strong—!”
As if trying to revive her, Jyuu didn’t stop screaming. Then, he examined her face.
Previously, her features were indiscernible due to the darkness of the narrow streets with only a few streetlights.
But now, they were clearly visible.
Despite this, it still took him a good five seconds to register the image.
Even though the corners of her lips were torn, her nose bent, and one of her eyes was crushed, Jyuu recognized the girl.
“...Fujishima.”
She was none other than Fujishima Kanako—Jyuu’s classmate, who was also the class representative.
The girl, who despised Jyuu for being a delinquent, hollowly stared at him.
From her slightly agape lips, only a black void could be seen. Apparently, all of her front teeth were smashed. Her cheeks were deformed, akin to crushed clay. It was as if seeing the face of someone being pressed against a glassy surface. Blood dribbled down her nose and mouth, streaking her chin, and tainting her uniform red under the rain shower.
A droplet of rain fell on her eyeball, but she showed no reaction whatsoever.
...and that alone made it clear that she had passed.
...They said that corpses are supposed to be cold, but I don’t understand.
As Jyuu held her within his arms under the drizzle of rain, such was his thought.
Somehow, his suspended thought process returned to its course, and he concluded that it was in no way an accident.
Someone had killed Fujishima Kanako.
—Who?
The feelings that awakened inside of him—what were they?
A sense of justice?
He didn’t think so.
At the same time, it was neither anger nor sadness.
He was never on good terms with Fujishima Kanako. He doubted that’d ever change in the future. Kanako would go on loathing him, and somewhere along the way, he’d probably end up hating her as well.
After high school, they probably wouldn’t even remember, much else see each other again.
Hence, Jyuu didn’t think that he’d mourn her death.
Hence, his distorted vision, or the tears that welled up in his eyes, were because he was upset by the sudden turn of events.
Discomfort may be the closest thing to describe this feeling.
The discomfort of having someone you knew being ruined by someone else.
She may be an overbearing, vexing woman whom he was unlikely to get along with, but she didn’t deserve to be killed in such a ruthless manner. Even compared to himself, she should've been classified as a good person.
Who killed her?
As if to suppress Jyuu’s emotions, which was about to rampage, the rain intensified.
The sound of rain rang in his ears.
As the rain surrounded him and Fujishima Kanako like a cage, there was a feeling of stagnation.
Jyuu glared at the dark sky as if it was his sworn enemy.
...There’s no way, right?
***
The next day, the newspaper listed the obituary of Fujishima Kanako—
—as a new victim of a serial murder case.
“The girl from the other day—Fujishima Kanako, wasn’t she? We went to the same school together.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Paying no heed to her accusing gaze, he nodded casually.
When all was said and done, he’d usually lost all interest.
He was capricious, akin to a child who easily got tired of his toys.
Fully knowing that, she didn’t say anything further.
In the first place, she wasn’t blaming him for the death of Fujishima Kanako. After all, the girl wasn’t all that important to her, so it wouldn’t matter if she were to disappear from this world.
In terms of priority, Fujishima Kanako didn’t have that much value.
However, since her acquaintance was murdered, as a human, she should at least blame him, right?
Not only that, it was the first time that someone she knew fell prey to the mission.
By feigning being angry even if briefly, her humanity was satiated.
With that, her conscience no longer hurt.
Though, Fujishima Kanako’s expression at that time was quite lovely...
“Hey, come here.”
He embraced her from behind, but she slipped away.
“I want to go home.”
“Why?”
“The final exam is close.”
“How serious. Well, you’ve always been that way.”
“If my grades fall, my mother would be worried.”
“Oh, then that’s not good. You better study seriously.”
Convinced, he sat down on the sofa and started flipping through a magazine.
As she coldly stared at him, she pondered to herself.
...How’d Jyuuzawa Jyuu react to Fujishima Kanako’s death?
***
At a facility inside the crematorium, Fujishima Kanako’s funeral proceeded quietly.
Most of her classmates—including Jyuu, attended, each bidding farewell to her remains.
Amongst them, there were several investigators dressed in plain attires. They stared at Jyuu in suspicion, but didn’t say a word. Even if they suspected him, there was no evidence.
On the day Fujishima Kanako’s body was found, a passerby who arrived later notified the police instead of Jyuu. The passerby himself was an office worker in his late fifties. Without bothering to talk to Jyuu, he immediately reported it.
At the sight of an unmoving boy with a bloody girl in his arms, the office worker must’ve been disturbed. Jyuu, who was in a state of panic at the time, didn’t care. As such, nothing could prepare him for what was about to come.
The police, who barged into the scene, took Jyuu as an important witness.
The following interrogation was excruciating.
“Were you and her on good terms?”
“Neither.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was neither good nor bad.”
Suspicious of Jyuu’s nonchalant behavior, the detective grilled him for three hours. During that time, he was met with a lot of questions. He was asked about his daily routine, friends, school grades, and even his type of girl or the TV programs he watched. After being inquired of school, his delinquency became apparent. Nevertheless, he had no criminal records.
Therefore, despite having acted on his own and lacking an alibi, Jyuu eventually got released.
The basis for that was because no murder weapon was found in his belongings, along with the fact that he didn’t flee from the crime scene.
Regardless, he was still on the list of suspects in the serial murder case.
If not for the interrogating detective, Jyuu wouldn’t have suspected that Fujishima Kanako’s death had anything to do with that case. Come to think of it, despite being aware of the ongoing crime, it never occurred to him that it’d befall someone he knew.
After it dawned on him, Jyuu remained calm and went home by himself.
“As one of the 11 members of the class committee, Fujishima Kanako played an active role, and thus had garnered the trust of her surroundings...”
As he read his speech, Nakamizo—the homeroom teacher—wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief.
Some of his classmates were crying, and Miya was one of them. Kanako’s parents broke down in tears.
Jyuu didn’t cry.
With a stern look, he finished burning the incense, before briefly explaining to Nakamizo about the incident at the police station, and left immediately afterwards.
The extraordinary space, dedicated to funerals, was unbearable.
It was as if he was forced to bear witness to the fact that he’d inevitably die someday.
Even though my classmate died, why am I only thinking about myself...?
Surprised by his own selfishness, Jyuu had a rare urge to see his mother. After all, if she—if Jyuuzawa Benika was there, she’d definitely beat and scold him. But he, who didn’t even know where she was, had no way of seeing her.
Jyuu looked up towards the cloudy sky.
Nowadays, smoke no longer billows from the chimney of a crematorium. It was designed so that the smoke from burning the remains was hidden from the public eye.
They’re being considerate, so it’s an improvement, I guess....
The rising smoke gave an illusion that the soul of the dead had ascended to heaven.
However, they probably decided that was something everyone could do without—
—that it was enough for them to think that the deceased had returned to nothingness.
Is it just a matter of forgetting about it?
As his mind rambled on, Jyuu consolidated his own thoughts.
***
The next day, on his way to school, Jyuu bought some weekly magazines at the station kiosk.
During lunch break, his surroundings merely spoke about the exam, and Jyuu was the only one who read a weekly magazine.
He needed any information he could get.
—What kind of person murdered Fujishima Kanako?
—How did they murder her?
Somehow, he regretted having ignored the news until now. Despite being small, there were articles highlighting the serial murder case.
In terms of age, the victims ranged from elderly to junior and high school students, while the ratio of men to women was around 50:50. From the fact that the culprit didn’t touch any of the victim’s belongings, it was highly likely that the culprit was killed for the sake of it.
—That was all he could surmise from reading the articles.
Even though more than 10 people had fallen victims, the article section itself was small, attesting to the cruelty of the world.
In recent days, violent incidents were nothing short of new.
The trending topic was ‘Egurima’—about the kidnapping of kindergarteners, who’d then be released, but not before having their eyes gouged out. Despite having escaped with their lives, the perpetrator had mercilessly deprived them of their important organs, garnering the attention of mass media. The number of the victims had already exceeded 30.
Since none of the victims wore glasses, rumors spread that ‘children with glasses won’t be targeted’, and an article reported that a lot of parents were making their children wear glasses recently.
Other than that, there was a featured article about a serial killer who indiscriminately murdered people by attaching a small bomb in a package. It’d be slipped inside a mailbox, and explode when opened. There were nearly 110 casualties, with the culprit still being at large. The story of the package exploding at the dining table, killing a family of four, was written with a realistic approach.
To the mass media, who tilted towards cruel and sensational cases, the case of Fujishima Kanako may have just been another one of those unsolved cases. While their lack of sensitivity was concerning, not even himself minded about it until it happened to someone he knew.
Television often warned people to not think too highly of themselves. Since that in itself was a pitfall to justify themselves. As for Jyuu, he never thought of himself as special.
To him, no one other than his mother could assert herself as special without any shame. But from what he gathered on TV, most people seemed to think that they were special to a greater or a lesser degree.
In today’s world, how many people seriously think of a violent incident as a calamity that might befall them one day?
Any disaster was someone else’s problem.
Is that what it means to be too complacent about peace?
As Jyuu pondered about such things, Miya suddenly peered at the weekly magazine from beside him.
“Apparently, Jyuu-kun is into this kind of thing...”
He wasn’t going to hide it or anything.
Jyuu flipped through the pages and deliberately stopped at the juicy section.
Usually, it’d be effective to repel women.
“Recently, there’s a lot of beautiful models. They almost seem like celebs.”
“That’s true. Oh, how about this girl? Her waist is so thin, I might get jealous!”
...But it didn’t seem to work on Miya.
Rather curiously, she glanced at the nudes that filled the page.
Reluctantly, Jyuu closed the weekly magazine.
“This is a man’s secret bliss. Go away, woman.”
“Jyuu-kun, are you looking into that case?”
“...Your eyes are sharp.”
“Why?”
“Just to fill time.”
“But Jyuu-kun, don’t you usually sleep when you’re free?”
“I’m tired of that.”
“Jyuu-kun, I think Fujishima-san has feelings for you.”
That made him stop in his tracks.
Pretending to be calm, Jyuu smiled in astonishment.
“...No way, what are you talking about?”
“She was doing her best, you know?”
“I mean, didn’t she think of me as her enemy?”
“She was always concerned about you.”
“No, she was just keeping an eye on me...”
“If she truly disliked you, she would’ve ignored you. But she didn’t, so she did all she could to look after you.”
“...What are you getting at?”
“I’m looking out for you.”
“That’s enough.”
Jyuu pushed the weekly magazine into his desk and abruptly ended the conversation.
“It’s nothing. I’m not interested. I don’t care. The case doesn’t matter to me.”
As she stared intently at Jyuu, Miya seemed to sense that it’d be useless to pursue the matter.
Instead, she raised her right index finger and smiled.
“If you have any trouble, feel free to consult me.”
“What’d that do?”
“Well, just try it, and you might end up having fun?”
“What’s that...?”
He laughed a bit, but was grateful for those words.
“I don’t really understand, but thanks anyway.”
***
After school, Jyuu didn’t go home right away.
He only said greetings to Miya, and strolled around the school for a while, aiming for a certain classroom.
He had never been to a preparatory class before.
Looking into the classroom through the window, students could be seen sitting in an orderly manner, silently moving their brushes.
They probably wouldn’t take any kind of disturbance kindly. Therefore, instead of opening the door, Jyuu decided to remain quietly.
Around 20 minutes later, the classroom door opened. The teacher was the first to come out. Jyuu made sure to not be seen in the hallway. To avoid the line of students, he went to the stairs as he waited for the person he was looking for.
Obscuring bangs, petite body, brisk movement...
“Hey.”
Jyuu received an immediate response as expected.
“Jyuu-sama, is something the matter?”
“Wanna go home together?”
“With, me...?”
“Who else?”
“I’ll gladly accompany you home.”
As she chirpily responded, Ame nodded happily. At the sight, the gazes of her surrounding classmates weren’t favorable in any way, but she didn’t seem to mind.
He didn’t have time to worry about that, either.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Together with Ame, Jyuu left the school.
***
Since most of the students had left, the way home was fairly empty.
As the two walked side by side, their long shadows extended on the asphalt, illuminated by the twilight.
Jyuu held his bag in his right hand, and the weekly magazine he had just brought under his left arm. He had it tucked under there so that Ame would notice it. He was making sure that the topic would come up as naturally as possible.
The attempt was successful.
“Did an article catch your attention?”
Upon noticing the weekly magazine, Ame initiated a conversation, which was unusual of her.
This is it...!
“The Random Street Serial Murder Case.”
He sent a sideway glance at Ame, but she was unfazed.
Jyuu abruptly stopped walking, and Ame followed suit.
Around them, there were some office workers on their phones, along with a few housewives who seemed to be on their way home from shopping. None of them paid attention to the two.
Should I do it?
Should I break the question—once and for all?
After briefly questioning himself, Jyuu’s mind was made up.
He inhaled, exhaled, and spoke quietly.
“I’d like to ask you something.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Did you murder Fujishima Kanako?”
His pronunciation was fluent, while his tone was crisp—however, Ame reacted as if she didn’t hear it.
Jyuu asked once again.
“Did you murder Fujishima Kanako?”
‘Did Ochibana Ame kill her?’
In the rain, as he held the body of Fujishima Kanako, such suspicion arose.
Nothing triggered it, as the thought merely occurred—
—If it’s Ochibana Ame, she should be capable of such a feat, right?
Thinking of Fujishima Kanako as a hindrance to her relationship, Ame decided to get rid of her.
Whether or not she intended to do it from the beginning, he couldn’t say. Heck, it might’ve been an argument gone wrong. After all, didn’t the two have a staring match in the hallway before? Then, what if instead of the school, they quarreled in a secluded place, where no one could stop them?
As for his basis, it was the murderous intent she had once directed towards Benika.
He pictured a scenario in which Fujishima Kanako denied the bonds of her past life, enraging Ame, ultimately leading to her own demise.
Then, is it one of those tragedies driven by utter delusions and philosophy?
Of course, there were plenty of loopholes as well, with the biggest one being the modus operandi. Based on that, the culprit of the crime was determined to be a serial killer.
Moreover, both the media and the police had painted the culprit as a man.
Nevertheless, Jyuu had another theory.
Ochibana Ame might’ve played a part in the serial murder case.
While the main perpetrator may be a man, there might be a woman helping him.
The man committed the murder, while the woman aided him with her wits.
Isn’t that quite possible?
Due to insufficient evidence, the culprit hadn’t been arrested.
Therefore, if it was Ochibana Ame, shouldn’t it be plausible?
Somewhere out there, existed a man who sympathized with her delusions, and she colluded with him.
Afterwards, she justified her guilt with her delusions, and led a normal life.
Heck, she might be following him around just to kill him one of these days.
The last one was but a creeping anxiety, but once he thought of the possibility, he couldn’t get rid of it.
Hence why, Jyuu confronted Ame about it.
Rather than going about it in a roundabout way, it’d be more effective to ask her directly.
The merry laughter of the passing housewives reached his ears. They were relieving stress by venting to each other.
Only after said laughter diminished that Ame, who stood petrified like a statue, flinched.
“I didn’t kill her.”
She’s denying it.
Of course, Jyuu didn’t believe her for even a second.
“Really? It took you quite a while to answer.”
Considering her quick-wittedness, her previous reaction was too slow. Moreover, it took her so long to muster such a short reply.
Didn’t that mean that he was right on the mark?
“It was an unexpected question, so it took me by surprise.”
“What’s so unexpected about it? Are you surprised that I’m suspecting you?”
“It’s the fact that Jyuu-sama is investigating Fujishima Kanako’s death.”
Jyuu’s suspicion deepened due to the fact that she went slightly off-topic.
“Didn’t you think of Fujishima as some sort of nuisance?”
“I didn’t.”
“...Eh?”
Jyuu didn’t see that coming.
“I didn’t particularly mind her.”
“Why?”
“Because Jyuu-sama also didn’t.”
At first, Jyuu thought that she might be deceiving him. However, neither her tone nor expression suggested any of that. If anything, it was the attitude of someone with a clear conscience.
“The enemy of Jyuu-sama is my enemy, and the opposite is also true. In addition...”
“What is it?”
“The bond between me and Jyuu-sama can’t be surpassed by anyone else.” Ame asserted with absurd conviction.
...Moving along, Jyuu asked.
“Then, putting aside my thoughts, what did you personally think of Fujishima?”
“She’s... somewhat stubborn, I guess?”
“...Huh? Wait a minute—that’s right! Back then, didn’t the two of you have a staring match in the corridor? What were you guys talking about?”
Previously, Jyuu ignored it on purpose because it was a conversation between women.
However, now that Fujishima Kanako—one of the involved parties—was no longer with them, Jyuu didn’t feel guilty for doing so. Perhaps, it was a sign that he was overcoming her death.
As she didn’t seem to mind the question, Ame simply answered.
“She told me to stay away from Jyuu-sama.”
“Is that all?”
“I was also told that by getting involved with Jyuu-sama, I’d only be setting myself back.”
“...Well, she wasn’t exactly wrong.”
“Even so, she didn’t say that for my sake.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rather, it was Jyuu-sama she was worried about. To her, it might’ve seemed as if I was pestering you.”
Well, that self-observation wasn’t exactly wrong, either. But Jyuu didn’t say anything and listened.
“Also, this is just my guess, but she might be envious.”
“Of what?”
“Of me being by Jyuu-sama’s side.”
“Where did you get such a wild idea...?”
“To me, she seemed to want to talk with Jyuu-sama more. But her beliefs—or something like her reputation, got in the way. In her eyes, I was probably an eyesore. After all, she couldn’t wrap her head around what existed between me and Jyuu-sama—that is, our bond from the previous life...”
In the first place, it was unlikely for the serious Kanako to agree with Ame’s story...
Jyuu desperately tried to process the new information.
“...You truly didn’t see Fujishima as a bother?”
“That’s right.”
“You also didn’t try to get rid of her because she disagreed with you, right?”
“That’s right.”
From her demeanor, no malice could be felt.
“It might be too late to say this, but for me personally, I never disliked her.”
Is she being honest or is it just acting?
Contrary to expectation, Jyuu couldn’t see through her.
“You really didn’t kill Fujishima?”
“That’s right, I didn’t kill her.”
Jyuu took her words for it.
After all, despite acting like a denpa (radio wave), she’d refrain from ever lying to him. Even if she did it out of pure delusions, Jyuu chose to believe in her.
“You’re really telling the truth?”
“Yes, it’s the truth.”
Dejected, Jyuu slumped his shoulders. He lowered his gaze, before looking up at the sky with an indescribable expression.
She was very convincing.
Despite that, there was still a chance that she was the culprit.
Even if so, he wouldn’t be able to accuse her. Fully aware of that, Jyuu opted to not think about it.
“Jyuu-sama.”
“What?”
“Are you free today?”
“Why?”
“If you are, would you like to come over to my house?”
Ever since they met, it was a first for her to invite him.
Ame’s private life was surrounded by mystery. Jyuu didn’t even know that she had a sister.
While his curiosity was piqued, he couldn’t guess her motive.
“Why? What’s in your house?”
“I’d like to show you something—it’s related to the Random Street Murders.”
“What’s that...?”
“If you come to my house, you’ll understand.”
...Was it the power of insistence, or the power of suspense?
Jyuu’d be unoccupied for the rest of the day.
Nevertheless, accepting her invitation and not feeling uneasy about it were two different things.
She isn’t trying to show me evidence of murder, right?
What if she suddenly revealed a corpse?
Even worse, what if he was ambushed by the man who was her accomplice?
By going there, wouldn’t he be walking into a trap?
Despite being somewhat hesitant, Jyuu accepted the offer regardless. He’d like to solve the case in his own way. As such, if Ame had any information, he should at least hear it.
If any of the aforementioned things happened, well...
I’ll worry about it when it happens.
“Got it, let’s go to your house.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
With a smile, Ame started walking as if to lead Jyuu. Hunching his back, Jyuu followed after her, without forgetting to toss the weekly magazine into a trash can he found along the way.
Ochibana Ame’s house was located in a residential area about 500 meters away from Jyuu’s apartment. According to Ame, the house itself was less than 10 years old, and was bought by her father three years ago. Apparently, her entire family moved to this city.
True to her words, what appeared in front of Jyuu was a new two-story house. The majestic gate made it seem as if a guard dog would appear at any moment, but there wasn’t.
Jyuu was somewhat intimidated by how huge the house was.
As for Ame’s family, they didn’t seem like your average middle-class family.
Still, would it be a good idea to turn back?
“...A-are you a lady?”
“You jest.”
Was it an attempt at being humble, or to sidetrack him?
After answering that, Ame pushed the gate open. Following her, Jyuu didn’t miss the nameplate that said, ‘Ochibana.’ Treading on the sloping stone pavement, he finally arrived at the door.
Ame produced a key from her bag and unlocked the door.
“I’m home.”
She probably had to raise her voice due to the vastness of the house.
Then, she turned on the light on the porch, and prompted Jyuu to remove his shoes. At the front door, the two changed into slippers. At that moment, a woman who looked like her mother showed up.
An elegant-looking woman, whose age was difficult to tell.
“Welcome back, Ame. ...Who is he?”
“Let me introduce you. This is Jyuuzawa Jyuu-kun, he’s a friend from the same school.”
“Ooh, I see.”
Exclaiming in surprise, the woman draped her hand over her mouth. Despite the slight exaggeration, it probably wasn’t an act.
Her eyes resembled Ame’s, only with gentleness.
As the woman smiled softly, she treated him with courtesy.
“I’m Ame’s mother—Kaoruko. Thank you for always taking care of my daughter.”
“N-no, uh, it’s nothing...”
When Kaoruko bowed her head, Jyuu imitated her, albeit tensely.
This is kind of awkward...
“We’ll be having an exam soon. So, I invited him to study together.”
Kaoruko listened to Ame’s explanation without the slightest suspicion. Was it because she trusted her daughter? Or because that was just how she was? Could it be... she didn’t think badly of Jyuu?
...I-it’s as if I’m being seen as her boyfriend.
Well, even if there was such a misunderstanding, it couldn’t be helped.
Jyuu would like to make it clear, but he decided to go with the flow for now.
On a side note, ever since they first met, Jyuu had never seen Ame this polite. Instead of asking further questions, Kaoruko took Ame’s words for it, and returned inside.
“I’ll prepare some tea and cakes.”
“Jyuu-sama, my room is on the second floor, follow me.”
After her mother disappeared, Ame reverted back to her usual attitude.
As he climbed the stairs after her, Jyuu asked.
“In front of your parents, you’re like a different person.”
“That was but a temporary camouflage for me to blend in the world.”
So, according to Ame’s perception, her current self was the truth.
What’d her mother think of this?
With that thought in mind, Jyuu went upstairs and was led to her room at the end of the corridor.
“Come in.”
As per her words, Jyuu stepped into her room.
The room itself was about 10 cm wider than Jyuu’s room, and consisted of a TV, a bed, a study desk, a wardrobe, and a large bookshelf. In addition, there were also VCRs and DVDs.
The tidy room suited her image. While Jyuu didn’t know what an average high school girl’s room would look like, he was certain that Ame’s room would be different. And indeed, no girly fancy goods or fads could be seen. The room was plain and bland, without any shades of pink. The way the white sheets spread over her bed without any wrinkles showed her meticulousness.
“You may sit wherever you like.”
“Okay.”
Jyuu put his bag against the wall and sat down near it. Leaning against the wall, Jyuu sat cross-legged as he restlessly glanced around. Only then did he realize, for the first time, he was in a girl’s room. Moreover, a girl that was of the same age.
Life sure is unpredictable...
Who’d expect that denpa girl’s room would also be the first girl’s room he ever entered?
As Jyuu pondered about that, Ame opened the window to change the air in the room. The dusk sunshine—tinted with red, flowed in along with a cool breeze. With that, they wouldn’t need the air conditioner.
Ame opened her closet and took out a folding table.
Then, she started arranging some reference books and a pencil case on top of it.
“...Huh? What are you doing?”
“The study preparation. Jyuu-sama, please take out your own tools.”
“Hey, wasn’t the thing just now supposed to be a lie? We shouldn’t be studying for real...”
Ame tilted her head.
“Yes, of course it is. Was it just a pretense, or did you intend to study for the exam?” She asked.
Jyuu answered in embarrassment.
“Don’t you know my grades? Even if we study together, our levels are too different...”
“You don’t have to worry about school grades.”
Instead of comforting him, Ame affirmed it.
“The value of Jyuu-sama can’t be defined with that.”
“Then, with what?”
“Of course, with heart.”
In the end, he decided to relent to the girl who said those words without faltering.
She was a gifted girl in the preparatory class.
As part of the pretense, she advised that they should do a bit of studying.
After all, if her parents were to see them discussing without opening any textbook, there might be a misunderstanding. Thus, Jyuu opened his bag in an attempt to take out his pencil case and textbooks—
—In an attempt, because it turned out that he left them at school.
Even in the face of exams, his usual habits didn’t change.
“Let’s use mine.”
As if she had foreseen it, Ame had prepared writing utensils for Jyuu.
Then, as a formality, Jyuu started studying for the exam in the form of asking Ame to teach him.
...Five minutes later, his head was filled with protests—
—Which part of this is a pretense!?
However, it dissolved after 10 minutes.
All this time, Jyuu’d always brushed his schoolwork aside. To him, all teachers were the same—somewhat good, somewhat bad. He thought the same went for the lessons, but he changed his mind.
Unexpectedly, Ame’s teaching method was good. Like usual, she was monotone, but for some reason, that made her explanation not only pleasing to the ear, but also easy to understand. Jyuu was also fascinated by the way her fingertips glided over the notebook; fluidly writing letters and formulas.
Before, she’d sent him a letter, summoning him to the gymnasium. Her handwriting at the time was coherent and beautiful. Moreover, the pen pressure was low, producing smooth writing.
...She’s really smart.
Jyuu couldn’t help but admire her.
Or was it because he just lacked the knowledge?
Which is the real you...?
It had gotten to the point where he asked such a foolish question.
“Jyuu-sama, are you listening?”
“...Ah, my bad.”
“Then, let me start over.”
Neither angry nor dismayed, Ame explained in a calm tone. Perhaps influenced by her aura, Jyuu let her teach him with surprising obedience.
***
After about an hour, Ame declared a short break.
She went downstairs to fetch tea and cakes from her mother.
Left alone, Jyuu slumped his shoulders.
“What’s gotten into me...”
If it weren’t for her delusion, she’d have led a life that had nothing to do with him. Perhaps, let alone speak, they’d never know of each other’s existence.
...It’s a strange relationship, indeed.
“...Well, even so, it’s just a delusion.”
Upon looking at the open notebook, he was impressed at how much his study had progressed. With this, if his test scores were to improve—coupled with the fact he’d re-dyed his hair, Nakamizo—the homeroom teacher—would think that Jyuu’d undergone a full rehab.
While there was nothing wrong with that, it was somehow anticlimactic. Also, what if everyone ended up thinking that it was thanks to Ame?
Absent-mindedly, Jyuu glanced at the bookshelf. The number of books could easily exceed 500. Glancing at the spine of the book, Jyuu’s jaw dropped.
The shoujo manga was understandable, but there were also magazines featuring Atlantis and Mu, a thick psychic phenomenon encyclopedia, Introductory to Supernatural Powers, E.T encyclopedia, and a complete collection of world’s bizarre murders. Also, lastly, anime magazines...
The bookshelf was composed of miscellaneous genres—or rather, with peculiar preferences...
Jyuu pulled out one of the books, and sighed at the incomprehensible anime illustration. On the cover, ‘Assemble! Warriors Bound by the Bonds of the Previous Life!’ Was written in red.
...Is this the reason why she’s THAT delusional?
On a closer inspection, there was even a DVD, software, and anime of it.
The root of her delusions was right there.
Jyuu felt a chill down his spine.
“...She’s still watching this kind of thing at her age.”
Jyuu grew out of anime and manga after he graduated from elementary school. He only watched television from time to time, and didn’t read books that often. As such, he couldn’t understand why she had such a hobby despite being in high school.
...Somehow, he’d gotten a glimpse into the enigmatic subconscious of Ochibana Ame.
Despite his astonishment, he still thought that her hobby was silly—
—but strangely, that didn’t change his view of her, perhaps because he’d interact with her on a daily basis.
Hearing footsteps approaching from the direction of the stairs, Jyuu quickly returned the book onto the shelf.
He felt guilty for touching her belongings when she was away.
As the door opened, Jyuu unintentionally averted his gaze.
However, what appeared was a girl exuding an intimidating aura like a demon.
She sported the same ponytail as when they met before.
“...What are you doing here?”
Ochibana Hikaru—Ame’s younger sister, glared at Jyuu.
If looks could kill...
“Not only did you continue to harass my onee-chan, you have the guts to come to our house...”
“Long time no see, Hikaru.”
“Don’t speak so casually to me!”
Jyuu ducked to dodge the roundhouse kick that came with that protest.
Judging from the wind pressure that passed overhead, Hikaru was dead serious.
“Calm down. I just came to study together for an exam—”
Look, look... Jyuu showed the array of textbooks and notebooks on the desk, but it did nothing to dissuade Hikaru.
“You’re just making an excuse. Don’t try to pull a fast one on me. You’re after my onee-chan’s body! Right now, you’re just waiting for an opportunity to do it! How filthy you are! You’re an absolute devil to take advantage of my onee-chan’s naivety!”
Without dodging it this time, Jyuu caught her kick, absorbing the impact as it was.
As she stood on one leg, Hikari seemed shaken.
“W-what!? You’re going to sink your poisonous fang on me, too!? Are you kidding me!? As if I’ll let a man like you take our chastity!”
Seeing how she desperately tried to hold her uplifted skirt with a blush, Jyuu wryly smiled.
When Jyuu released her leg, Hikari regained her balance and quickly braced herself.
Judging from her uniform, she must’ve found unfamiliar men’s shoes at the entrance as soon as she returned home, and charged straight to this room. Her enthusiasm, along with her propensity to take action, and the intensity of her assumptions certainly resembled that of her sister.
...Though, they were equally as bothersome to him.
“You...”
“W-what?”
“Do you know why I became the target of your sister’s delusions?”
After hearing that, Hikaru was slightly surprised, and dejectedly released her stance.
Even when she was riled up, her mind was sharp—as expected of Ame’s younger sister.
Instead of asking further, she seemed to understand what he was implying.
“I mean, isn't your sister smart? Then, she should’ve chosen someone better, so why me?”
As for Ame’s ‘bond from the previous life’, he didn’t think any sane person would understand.
There had to be someone who was better suited for Ame than he was.
No rational girl would understand the reason why Ame chose him.
As such, what would her own sister think about it?
As if her rage had subsided, Hikaru spoke calmly.
“...So, you didn’t understand.”
“About what?”
“The reason why my onee-chan chose you.”
“Isn’t it just the influence of manga, anime, and occult magazines?”
“Of course not—! She isn’t a denpa—!”
...But she is, isn’t she?
However, to not add fuel to the fire, Jyuu didn’t say a word.
“Then, won’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know.”
Sulking, Hikaru averted her gaze.
“Someone like you should just be left hanging. It’s better that way.”
Jyuu wasn’t angered by Hikaru’s cheeky attitude.
Despite his blunt attitude, he’d rarely get mad. Satsuki Miya and Ochibana Ame may have seen it—Jyuu’s true self.
Seeing Hikaru’s abject refusal, Jyuu gave up pursuing the matter.
“You’re telling me to ask her directly.”
“I doubt onee-chan will answer, I mean, she’s a girl, so of course she can’t!”
“Yeah? She’s a girl, so what?”
“Nothing! Why don’t you just disappear from her life!? Just deny all that stuff about the bond from the previous life, what’s so difficult about it!?”
“When it comes to denying, I’ve done it many times.”
“Then you must’ve been lackluster about it! Be serious about it! Straight up reject her! Scream that it’s not you, over and over again until it finally gets through her! Besides, you also don’t like it, right!? So why haven’t you cut her off!?”
“That’s...”
‘I’m a bit slow.’ Jyuu muttered to himself.
From the time he first met her, his impression of Ochibana Ame had changed significantly.
At first, he considered her a nuisance—no, even now, he still did.
But that’s not all...
“Hikaru-chan, what are you doing?”
Ame called out from behind Hikaru, who stood upright in front of the door.
As she brought a tray with tea and cakes, she eyed the two of them in suspicion.
“O-Onee-chan! I always told you to not erase your presence when we’re inside?”
“Yes, you mentioned.”
With a cool expression, Ame passed by Hikaru, entered the room, and placed the tray on the table.
“Come to think of it, Jyuu-sama and Hikaru-chan have met before, haven’t they?”
“Yeah, in town...”
Unable to say that she attacked him, Jyuu forced a smile.
To her little sister, who was silent as if admitting her mistake, Ame spoke.
“Hikaru-chan, I’m always happy to see how lively you are, but I won’t forgive you for being rude to Jyuu-sama.”
“Onee-chan! Like I said, don’t refer to him like that! He’s just a delinquent...”
“Hikaru-chan.”
Even though Ame’s intonation sounded normal to Jyuu, it seemed that her sister registered it differently.
Hikaru visibly turned blue. After a while, she nodded reluctantly.
“I, I got it, already...”
So, this is the power dynamic between the two...
If judged solely based on their heights, Hikaru seemed taller and more fit, but in reality, she was at the mercy of her older sister.
Jyuu, who was an only child, could feel some kind of sisterhood that he couldn’t understand, and felt a bit jealous.
Relenting, Hikaru decided to leave, but before she closed the door, she didn’t forget to remind Jyuu.
“If you lay a finger on my onee-chan, I’ll chant nembutsu until you kill yourself!”
“I don’t get it.”
Deflecting Hikaru’s malice, Jyuu waved his hand.
***
“Did my little sister cause you any trouble?”
“No, not really. She’s a fun girl.”
Such were Jyuu’s honest feelings. Despite all that, he still found it difficult to hate Hikaru.
He liked exuberant women. In that case, Ochibana Ame shouldn’t be his type at all—in fact, far from being his type, she fell under the category of people-he-wasn’t-good-with.
...More importantly, why is she so close?
“My little sister seems to be popular at school.”
Ame spoke as she transferred the tea and cake from the tray to the table.
Jyuu took a sip of his tea, and laughed in satisfaction at the right amount of bitterness.
“She certainly seems like it. So what? Did she receive a love letter or something?”
“That’s correct. It’s the first time I’ve seen a bunch of love letters outside of manga.”
“Wow, she’s impressive. Well, I don’t really care.”
Objectively speaking, Ochibana Hikaru was certainly cute.
She didn’t only have a strong temperament, but was good-looking, as well.
For a middle schooler, she was well-developed, yet her features still had some youthfulness to them.
“My little sister has a charming personality that attracts people to her. Unlike me, she’s also good at cooking. She’s also quite active and would participate in several extracurricular activities. Furthermore, she also attends a karate dojo despite being a pacifist, kind, and good girl at heart. ...This is due to her older sister’s selfishness.”
Excuse me, Ame added.
You’re pretty good yourself.
Of course, Jyuu didn’t dare to say it out loud.
By removing those obstructing bangs, and giving herself a modern hairstyle, she’d surely be a head turner. Also, at that point, she would no longer be known as the gloomy honor student.
As he sliced the shortcake with his fork, Jyuu pretended to be casual about it.
“How about you? Won’t you change your hairstyle?”
“My hairstyle?”
Ame pondered as she touched her bangs.
“Do you dislike my current hairstyle, Jyuu-sama?”
“No, don’t mind me, I just think that you’re selling yourself short. Your face’s pretty good, so why don’t you show it more often? Otherwise, it’d be a waste. Even Miya said that you’re cute.”
He lied about the last part. However, at the risk of stating his own honest opinion, he dared to borrow a third party’s name. Of course, it stung his pride a bit.
Since Jyuu was the one who spoke, Ame listened attentively, but she didn’t seem to care about hairstyles.
To begin with, she probably didn’t have that much interest in fashion.
“Even if I failed to achieve something by not doing so, I won’t feel any sense of loss.”
Such was Ochibana Ame’s standpoint regarding her own appearance.
Jyuu doubted that the current him would be able to change that.
Perhaps, the frustration appeared on his face, and Ame added in a hurry.
“Of course, if Jyuu-sama asks me to change my hairstyle, I’ll change it tomorrow...”
“...It’s unnecessary. Leave it as it is.”
After all, she was simply being true to herself. Besides, even if he was the only one who was aware of it, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing...
...Am I being possessive?
The conversation ended there, and the two decided to continue studying for the test while enjoying tea.
Unbeknownst to even himself, utterly caught up in Ame’s pace, Jyuu had concentrated.
Before he knew it, it was half past six.
...But he couldn’t just leave? After all, there was still the main issue.
Jyuu, who somehow prepared for the exam, cut to the case.
“Just hurry up and tell me. What do you want to show me?”
“Then, I shall arrange for it.”
“...For what?”
As Jyuu tilted his head, Ame pushed the books to the corner of the table. After making space, she took something from the drawer and laid it on the table.
It was a laptop.
“...Is this it?”
Is she bragging?
But then, Ame opened her laptop and connected it to the line at the corner of the desk.
Jyuu, who was completely ignorant about computers, asked Ame. She proceeded to explain that she had connected the laptop to a telephone line.
When not in use, she’d just leave the cable on the desk. In spite of that, the room wasn’t the slightest bit cluttered thanks to her storage technique.
“Please wait a moment.”
Upon starting up the computer, Ame operated the mouse.
Without anything to do, Jyuu chugged the rest of the tea. The cold bitterness rejuvenated his throat. Even so, when Jyuu was wondering ‘What’s so fun about using a computer?’ Ame had finished preparing.
“Please take a look.”
Ame presented the monitor screen at Jyuu.
At first, he had no idea what it was.
A photo of something.
The focus was perfect, while the image was crisp.
He began to process the whole picture, and then the details—
—At last, it dawned on him.
Immediately, cold sweat trickled down his neck.
“T-this is... a dead body—!”
Ame silently nodded.
It was a photo depicting a gruesome corpse. The corpse was lying on its side. Akin to a smushed piece of clay, its chin was distorted. Not only was its face disfigured and swollen, it was also sunken in several spots. Moreover, its eyes and noses were also ruined.
While the image only showed the corpse’s upper torso, from the outfit, Jyuu could tell that it was a woman.
He didn’t want to look at it for too long.
No, if possible, he wanted to erase the picture from his memory.
Why would Ame show him such a thing?
“This is a picture of a victim of the Random Street Murder from two weeks ago.”
“...What did you say?”
Jyuu didn’t know the details, but shouldn’t it be customary for such incidents to not be disclosed to the public? Furthermore, no bereaved family would take kindly to the tragic picture of their relative being exposed to the world.
“According to the article, the 23-years-old victim, a female, used to work for a publishing company.”
“Hold on, where did you get this image?”
“From the internet.”
Ame explained that there was something called an imageboard website, where many images would be posted. Sometimes, it wouldn’t be strange for those images to depict voyeurism—and sometimes, corpses from incidents or accidents.
Apparently, there was also a post related to the kindergarten child who seemed to be the victim of the infamous Egurima.
A kindergarten whose eyes were gouged out—!
Moreover, the bulletin board seemed very active.
What’s so fun about looking at those?
Nevertheless, Ame seemed to frequent the website.
“It’s like a hangout place for awful people. Aren’t they going too far? But how do you know that the image is the victim of the incident?”
Weren’t the corpses so badly disfigured that not even the bereaved families could tell them apart?
“I’ll explain from the beginning.”
Ame’s explanation could be summarized as such:
She’d been following the serial murder case for quite some time. Inherently, she had a penchant for murder cases. Apparently, even before Jyuu had asked her on the train, Ame had already made some assumptions about the identity of the killer. Then one day, she stumbled across this image on her regular imageboard.
As a result of the investigation, she also discovered that it was definitely the picture of the victim.
“Wait, wait, like I said, how did you find out?”
After all, it wasn’t a movie, nor did she hack into the database.
To the half-skeptical Jyuu, Ame typed on the computer and showed another image.
“On the same day, this image was also posted.”
Somehow, it was even more repulsive than the first image shown. Jyuu unconsciously covered his mouth and held his breath. Something akin to anger pulsated in his stomach.
The photo depicted an average-looking woman who was neither mutilated nor disheveled.
Still, it was the worst picture ever.
He was at a loss for words.
On her tear-stained, salivating face, only despair and madness could be seen.
The photo itself, which captured her from the front, wasn’t blurry in the slightest.
Did the culprit take her picture as she desperately begged for her life?
In such a way, a glimpse to the side of humans he couldn’t turn away from was also captured.
Upon knowing that they’d be killed and that no help would arrive, anyone would surely do the same.
Therefore, the woman must’ve desperately, humbly, earnestly pleaded for help, over and over again.
After putting the woman into that situation, the culprit killed her, and later documented her remains.
Just imagining those made Jyuu nauseous.
“Deplorable...”
In contrast, Ame continued to explain as usual.
“A photo of the victim was published in a weekly magazine, so I was able to confirm her identity.”
She showed Jyuu clippings from weekly magazines.
Again, a picture of an average-looking woman that could be found anywhere.
However, after witnessing her corpse, Jyuu couldn’t afford to look at the picture the same way.
As a result, he also felt uncomfortable at Ame’s nonchalant behavior.
“...Even after looking at these pictures, are you still fine?”
“What’s your definition of fine?”
“Well, you don’t seem to be feeling sick or angry.”
“That’s because I’m used to it.”
“How can that be?”
“In my previous life, I went through many battlefields, and witnessed many horrendous sights. Corpses piled up like mountains, devoured by vultures. Among them, there were nasty fights between famished humans trying to prey at each other...”
“...Okay, got it, enough of that.”
Seeing that Ame was about to get sidetracked, Jyuu put a stop to her explanation.
Ame had compared it to numerous battlefields.
A coping mechanism—either that, or just a strong delusion. Could she simply overcome discomfort and fear by deluding herself? Or was he the one overthinking?
Ever since he saw Fujishima Kanako’s corpse, the unease that welled in his heart had yet dissipated.
“Is it possible to trace the posted image back to the perpetrator?”
“I think it’ll be difficult. If you go to a company, school, or internet café where you’re allowed to bring discs, you can just post it from there. I don’t think the culprit would be so careless as to send it from home.”
“Now, I wonder about that. Let’s say they understood the risks. Then, why would they post it on the internet? That’s a rather dangerous gamble, isn’t it?”
“The culprit may be a collector.”
“What do you mean?”
“To them, this must be a commemorative photo of some sort.”
The commemorative photos of their victims... It wasn’t that far-fetched.
After all, he often saw it in movies.
The culprit would then look through his collections, reminiscing about the time when they killed the victim...
Then, the culprit must’ve been a twisted psycho.
“The psyche of a collector isn’t just about wanting to collect some pictures. They have a conflicting desire of wanting to both share the picture and hide it. However, since it’d be boring if they were to show everything at once, they preferred to do it in small doses. They want people to envy their collections. By making those people aware that they have a secret collection, the culprit manipulates the curiosity and interest of others. To reveal it in small doses in order to stimulate other’s desires and satiate them—such is the psychology of a collector.”
As for Jyuu, he didn’t collect anything in particular. In the past, he used to collect strange-shaped stones, but had since thrown them away. Nevertheless, he could get what Ame was saying.
A secret collection did sound tempting.
To have something so amazing, you didn’t want to reveal them all at once.
It was childish, yes, but not implausible.
While no one replied to the post, it seemed to have garnered quite an attention. As for why the netizens were quiet, they probably didn’t want to risk the site getting reported. Therefore, the culprit must’ve been proud.
...How disgusting.
As she clicked on the internet, Ame tapped into the mind of the criminal.
“From how the murder was committed, the culprit was most likely a male. The victims died from being beaten up in the face, chest, abdomen, and back of the head. Although, some were also strangled to death.
“The culprit was assumed to use some kind of blunt weapon, and possesses considerable physical strength. It can be concluded that he’s a lanky human with a sturdy physique. Manual labor must be his routine. He has to be a martial artist, or at least someone who has experience in martial arts. What concerns me is the wires, from which you can feel the intent to stop the victim’s breath.
“This is purely my assumption, but I think that there are two criminals—one who kills the victim with brute force, and the other who makes sure that the victim is dead. There’s a division of roles. Nevertheless, the police seem to conclude that the culprit acted alone. That’s understandable, since it’d be difficult to assign a motive to a duo. What benefit would the duo possibly gain from murdering people in cahoots?”
Rain abruptly cut her words and shifted her gaze from the computer to Jyuu.
“I don’t think the police can be relied on this one.”
“Why?”
“Because there are too many incidents.”
Even Jyuu, who mostly watched variety shows on TV, could see that.
In the news, violent incidents were reported one after another every day.
A murder case in which the Daruma at the election office was switched with a corpse. On the chest of the limbless corpse, the words ‘Pray for Election’ was written with blood. A kidnapping-murder case in which only the severed head of the female captive was delivered to her parents by a courier. A homeless serial murder case that was popular among children, and even inspired the development of a certain game.
At a conspicuous place, a family of five were found to have died by hanging. On closer inspection, it turned out that all of them were poisoned and then hanged.
The series of random incidents happened all over the place.
The most popular was “Egurima”, which only targeted kindergarteners. In other places, there were also sniper incidents using modified guns, or the scattering of harmful chemicals by bikers, and many more.
Certainly, compared to those, given the degree of impact they had on society, the unforeseeable incident that Fujishima Kanako was involved in would probably be categorized as relatively mild.
While the police didn’t cut corners, they couldn’t be said to have conducted an all-out investigation, either. Even the media had moved on from doing an in-depth analysis of the case. Was it only natural for people to shift to more bizarre and horrific cases?
“It’s a rotten world. Well, I already knew.”
“Does Jyuu-sama intend to catch the culprit?”
“...Huh? What makes you think that?”
“You seem to be interested in this case.”
“Well, that’s... My classmate was killed, what do you expect? Though, wanting to catch the culprit sounds too extreme.”
“I see...”
However, Ame was unperturbed. Inwardly, Jyuu clicked his tongue.
She’s seen through me.
In spite of her delusions, Ochibana Ame seemed to be watching Jyuu intently.
Was it just another one of her coping mechanisms? Although, in this case, she wasn’t completely wrong.
The pair of sharp eyes hidden underneath her bangs seemed to have grasped his intent.
Then, does that mean she could sympathize with him?
“Before, you told Miya that sometimes, it’s better to not decide right away. What do you mean by that?”
Unable to bear her gaze, Jyuu changed the subject.
Perhaps sensing his unease, Ame answered in her usual tone.
“To not decide about what?”
“About the answer.”
“Then, what is the answer supposed to be?”
“I don’t feel like doing Zen talks right now...”
“I’m not trying to engage in a philosophical conversation. I personally think that worrying is part of life. So to speak, as long as you’re still alive, you’re still in a process. Therefore, there’s no such thing as conclusions or answers.”
To the confused Jyuu, Ame continued to explain.
“For example, why do people commit suicide?”
“That’s... because it’s painful, the reality.”
“Yes. They choose death as a way to escape from the painful reality. Such was the answer—the conclusion that they came up with, and that is to not go on. That way, they wouldn’t have to worry anymore.”
When she put it that way, the words that Ame had previously spoken to Miya began to sound ominous.
“Those who have the answer won’t hesitate. They’d just proceed. Whether or not the choice is really right doesn’t matter. After all, they’ve already reached the answer.”
“What about you?”
“I have my answer, too.”
—Is it to live as a servant of Jyuuzawa Jyuu?
Can Jyuu believe that?
Ame, who said that she had the answer, yet also gave such a scary example, contradicted herself. However, Jyuu didn’t point that out. Otherwise, it’d be presumptuous of him, who always acted half-heartedly.
At the very least, Ochibana Ame seemed to have figured it out. He should’ve been deeply troubled with that, but he wasn't.
Despite having caught a glimpse of her thought process, he didn’t mind it in the slightest.
“Have you ever wanted to kill someone? I have.”
“If it’s an enemy of Jyuu-sama...”
“No, I don’t mean that, I mean, personally speaking.”
“I’ve never had that kind of urge before, but...”
“Hmm?”
“If Jyuu-sama was murdered by someone, I’d kill them.”
A silent affirmation—one that Jyuu knew wasn’t false.
He disliked that part of her...
...And at the same time, liked it somewhat.
Alright, he’d like to not think about that anymore.
Looking at the time, it was almost seven o’clock. He better go home soon. Jyuu decided to go home before they could ask him to stay for dinner. After all, he’d rather not come face to face with Ame’s father...
“You’ve helped me a lot. You’re superb at teaching.”
Seeing Jyuu standing up with his bag, Ame quickly typed something on her laptop.
After that, she stared into his eyes.
“At first, I thought that Jyuu-sama intended to catch the culprit, but I’m relieved to hear that’s not the case.”
“Why should I? Sounds troublesome.”
“That’s better. Avoid unnecessary danger.”
Rather than not wanting Jyuu to be in danger, Ame probably thought it was her duty as his servant to ensure that he was out of harm’s way.
Upon hearing that Jyuu had no intention to do so, Ame lowered her guard and revealed the last bit of information to him.
“I was wondering if I should show you this...”
Ame showed another image to Jyuu.
What was reflected on the monitor was a panicked girl with tears and snot running down her face—
—Fujishima Kanako.