Denpa Teki na Kanojo - Volume 2 - Chapter 4

Cocoon of Delusion

Ame hadn’t noticed Jyuu’s actions yet, and oddly enough, he was grateful for that. He behaved well both at school and on the way home, without mentioning the Gouger in the slightest. 

Honestly, he felt a bit guilty toward Ame, as if he was excluding her or something. Of course, he didn’t do it out of malice—not that it mattered in this case. Another reason why he kept her at a distance was because of Kusaka. Jyuu lost courage the moment he found out about that man. That weak side, which surprised even himself, restricted his actions.

Jyuu realized how pathetic and weak he was.

“Jyuu-sama.”

Jyuu turned to the sound of Ame’s voice and finally realized that he was still at school, standing in the hallway on his way back from the bathroom. There was still some time left in the lunch break. It seemed that he ended up daydreaming after pondering where to kill time.

“...Hey. What are you doing here?”

“I’m on my way back from the library.”

“You like books, don’t you?”

“I really like the shape of books—simple yet complete.”

The book Ame held to her chest read, ‘I Love you so Much, I Want to Kill you.’  Probably another novel or something.

Feeling the gazes of the other students passing by the hallway, Jyuu moved to the side of a deserted staircase. Ame followed suit and stood next to him.

“What would you do if you came across a problem you couldn’t solve?”

Despite the suddenness of the question, the girl responded nonchalantly.

“Is it a problem you just can’t solve?”

“Yes, it is. Let’s say it’s math—what would you do if a problem like that appeared on a test?”

The problem he just couldn’t solve was The Gouger.

He asked in the hope of getting some leads about the case.

This kind of roundabout way of doing things was a bit childish, but he compromised.

Ame answered without much thought.

“I doubt whether it’s really a problem.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Far from an answer, I doubt that it’s even a problem in the first place.”

Ame rephrased it in a way that was easier for Jyuu to understand.

“It’s just a random string of numbers and symbols, and there’s a chance there’s no hidden meaning or rules behind it. In that case, it doesn’t form a problem, so there’s no solution. No matter how hard you think about it, you won’t be able to solve it.”

For a moment, Jyuu thought she was being sarcastic toward him, who was investigating the incident. However, Ame wasn’t that kind of person. Ochibana Ame had always been sincere toward Jyuuzawa Jyuu.

So, she doubts it...? What does that mean? Did I misunderstand something?

Just as Jyuu was about to get a grasp on something, the chime announcing the end of lunch break rang.

All his accumulated thoughts scattered at the slight interruption.

Jyuu quickly turned away, trying to hide his disappointment in himself at least in front of her.

However, Ame said quietly, “Jyuu-sama, if you have any worries, please share them with me. I’ll help you with all my heart and soul.”

Jyuu silently waved one hand and walked away. He didn’t turn around, afraid she’d see how happy he was to hear that.

***

On a Saturday afternoon after school, Jyuu and Yukihime bought hot dogs from a street vendor and ate them for lunch as they walked. They talked about how, based on the TV news, The Gouger hadn’t appeared and there hadn’t been any particular progress. 

“The Gouger hasn't appeared because it’s afraid of us.”

“No way.”

The summer heat was as intense as always, but the town bustled with people enjoying the pleasant weather. Despite the hustle and bustle, the two of them passed through a main street with a movie theater and a pharmacy, went under the highway, and went further away from the downtown area.

Gradually, the crowds thinned out, and a quiet residential area came into view.

There were high-rise apartment buildings, along with dilapidated ones. Next to a large supermarket, there was a park where children were playing around the fountain. Homeless people slept on the benches. Those who seemed to be deliverymen also enjoyed their lunch break there.

“Jyuuzawa-kun, look there. It’s a new product!”

Yukihime pointed to a convenience store in front of the supermarket.

There was a poster in the window saying, “New! Kimchi Ice Cream!”

“Hey, let’s try it.”

“Didn’t you just eat?”

“C’mon, I’m sure it’s delicious. Let’s go.”

Yukihime pulled Jyuu’s hand like a child asking for a toy. The housewives, mistaking them for a couple, smiled at them.

Unable to bear the embarrassment, Jyuu had no choice but to buy ice cream. Being with Yukihime made him feel like he was becoming weaker and weaker.

When Jyuu returned, Yukihime was sitting on the railing and talking to someone on her phone.

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m with Jyuuzawa again today. As for where we’re going today...”

Jyuu sat down next to her and waited for her to finish the call.

Noticing this, Yukihime cut the conversation short. 

“Sorry. It’s Endo.”

“I don’t mind. Here, eat it before it melts.”

Jyuu handed her the ice cream, and Yukihime’s eyes lit up with excitement. She innocently scooped up ice cream with a disposable spoon, eating it with gusto. 

“Thank you. I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek as thanks.”

“No need.” Jyuu stared at her in disgust. “...You really love to eat, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Are you good at cooking too?”

“Haha, of course not.” Yukihime spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“I’m good at cutting, but that’s it. Still, I think that even if you’re not good at cooking, there’s still hope.”

“Like what?”

“Like having a boyfriend who’s a good cook.”

Yukihime stopped eating and peered into his face.

“By the way, Jyuuzawa-kun, do you cook for yourself?”

“To an extent.”

“See, I knew it!”

Knew what? Jyuu wondered, but he didn’t argue back. It’d be best to just ignore such things.

One of the children playing in the park approached Yukihime and stared at her ice cream.

Yukihime noticed and smiled, “Do you want some?”

The child nodded, and Yukihime gently spoon-fed him the ice cream.

“Here, aah~”

After that, Yukihime offered a spoonful of ice cream to Jyuu, who was watching the scene.

“Here, have some too, Jyuuzawa-kun!”

“No.”

“Oh, are you being shy?”

Unable to keep up with the situation, Jyuu averted his gaze and looked toward the park.

Children were playing in the fountain. Seeing them having so much fun inevitably reminded him of the incident.

“Hey, aren’t you mistaken about something?”

“What?”

“I’m serious about catching The Gouger.”

“...And a girl leisurely eating ice cream is a nuisance?”

“Yes.” 

“You’re the one who’s mistaken, Jyuuzawa-kun.”

“...Huh?”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re serious or not.”

After finishing her ice cream, Yukihime threw the container into the trash in front of the convenience store.

She lightly licked her lips. “Look, let’s say there’s a problem, and two people are trying to solve it. One of them tries his hardest, risking his life. The other is half-joking and half-hearted. Which one do you think is more likely to come up with the right answer?”

“The former.”

“Bzzt-bzzt! That’s wrong!” Yukihime waved her index finger in front of her face and shook her head.

“It’s the smart ones! It has nothing to do with the attitude or desire to investigate. Some people reach the truth without much thought, and some others can’t even get a grip of it no matter how hard they try. That’s just how it is.”

“I disagree. It’s strange that hard work doesn’t pay off.”

“If hard work is always rewarded, there wouldn’t be any dissatisfaction in the world.”

“That may be true, but still...”

Yukihime chuckled.

“You’re a good person.”

“Where’s this coming from?”

Yukihime smiled as she met Jyuu’s sharp gaze.

Jyuu stood up, trying to escape the soft atmosphere.

He fished out some documents from his pocket, looking through it. He’d looked through nearly a quarter of the total, but so far, he hadn’t found any clues that could lead him to The Gouger.

***

After walking for about 15 minutes from the park, the two arrived in front of the house they were looking for.

It was an old two-story house. The exterior was ordinary, and the dirt and cracks on the walls made it seem like an ancient building. He didn’t have a clear impression of the house’s past. Still, it didn’t seem very spacious, and would definitely be cramped for six children to live in.

The victim was a five-year-old boy, the youngest of the six siblings in the house.

The incident occurred on a weekday evening, while the children were coming home from school one after another, and the mother was busy preparing dinner. The boy was playing alone in front of the house. The mother had confirmed he was there. But then, when things got more relaxed, the boy disappeared.

They asked the children in the neighborhood, but no one had seen him. The boy wasn’t good with people, and didn’t have many friends even at kindergarten, hence why he played in front of the house. It was difficult to imagine that he’d wander off on his own. The mother searched the neighborhood for a while, and when the sun went down, she rushed to the police station. By that time, The Gouger was well-known, so the police responded quickly. And yet, the boy was never found.

The next morning, he was found lying on a bench on the platform of a deserted train station. Since it was an old station, there were no security cameras installed, so they never found out who’d left it there.

Looking up at the house, Yukihime said, “I wonder what criteria the Gouger uses to select children. Do you think the children he targets have something in common?”

“Commonalities, huh...?”

Jyuu looked at the photos of the children’s faces in the file.

He couldn’t find any common features in their appearance. If there was one, it’d be that none of them wore glasses, which would prove the theory that “children who wore glasses aren’t targeted,” as reported in some weekly magazines. But he didn’t think it was particularly true.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything in particular. Even if there was, we probably wouldn’t understand it.”

“If we could find out, we might be able to come up with some countermeasures.”

It’d be awkward to stay too long and accidentally bump into the victim, so the two decided to leave early. He even patrolled the surrounding area just to be sure.

He’d looked at various parts of the crime scene based on the document, but hadn’t found anything so far.

He could only guess at the perpetrator’s motive and means of crime.

...What is this case all about?

Jyuu felt something was off about The Gouger’s case.

The existence of The Gouger, and his actions, were simply strange. What he was doing was undoubtedly evil, yet something was strange.

The strangeness was akin to eating food while pinching one’s nose. No matter how much one chomped on the food, they wouldn’t be able to taste the essential part

“That’s right, Hikaru-chan’s cooking is delicious.”

“What is this all of the sudden?”

“Weren’t you curious about that earlier, Jyuuzawa-kun? Hikaru-chan is good at all things home economics. She even helped me out in middle school!”

“That’s good.”

“Did something happen with Hikaru-chan?”

“Nothing.”

“So, what happened to Ame?”

“Shut up.”

“Maybe it’s because nothing happened?”

“...”

“Human relationships are difficult. Sometimes, you feel like you can’t handle your own feelings, and then you have to consider other people’s feelings too. It’s actually quite easy once you get the hang of it. But Jyuuzawa-kun, even though you’re lazy, you have a strong sense of responsibility. You also seem to have trouble making compromises. Is that the flip side of not wanting to be abandoned? Could that psychology have been at work in why you couldn’t ignore this incident?”

“...Hey, stop stepping into people’s hearts with your dirty feet.”

“I’m at least wearing slippers.”

Yukihime had a similar vibe to Miya Satsuki, but unlike Miya, she kept her distance from others, which was a complete mess. She was too innocent. Her personality of trying to get closer whenever she got the chance, and the fact that she didn’t seem to mean any harm, made her really difficult to deal with.

Jyuu clicked his tongue and tried to say something, but Yukihime pressed her fingertips against his lips.

Jyuu glared at her, but Yukihime looked around, pleading with her eyes to be quiet.

Jyuu followed suit, and then heard something—a muffled voice.

As soon as they heard that, the two of them started running toward the location. They passed several buildings, avoided some pesky cars parked on the street. They increased their speed, scanning the surroundings.

Yukihime tapped Jyuu on the shoulders and pointed to a nearby alley with her thumb. It was narrow, so Jyuu took the lead, with Yukihime following behind.

They headed in that direction, muffling their footsteps, and saw the scene they’d expected.

A man was attacking a girl.

The girl was still young, maybe a second-grader at most. Meanwhile, the man looked to be in his late thirties. He pressed sticky tape over the girl's mouth, breathing heavily as he struggled to bind her arms and legs. The girl cowered, helpless at the sight of the knife in his hand. 

In times of peace, people tend to think if push came to shove, they could survive by lashing out or screaming as loud as they could. But in reality, most people who found themselves in such a situation were unable to do so and ended up becoming victims.

When Jyuu saw tears in the girl’s eyes, something inside him snapped.

Still, he didn’t rush forward recklessly, worried about the girl’s safety.

“What are you doing there?”

The man immediately reacted to Jyuu’s voice, which was filled with unbridled anger, and turned to look in his direction. He was slightly overweight, carrying a backpack, with bloodshot eyes.

It was a familiar face. It was the man who’d persistently talked to Kagami Sakura that day.

Jyuu took a step forward, and the man moved away from the girl, throwing the tape at him. The next moment Jyuu knocked it down, the man threw his knife. Whether by chance or purpose, Jyuu swatted away the knife that flew straight toward his face with his fist. The back of his hand was torn and bleeding, but Jyuu couldn’t move because Yukihime was right behind him. 

Without even waiting to see the result of the knife throw, the man ran off like a rabbit. 

Yukihime stopped Jyuu when he tried to chase after the man. Then, she proceeded to remove the tape that had been stuck on the girl’s mouth. The girl looked like she was about to burst into tears, so Yukihime took a card from her pocket and placed it in her hand. When the girl saw this, her expression calmed down a little. 

“Hurry!”

Jyuu urged Yukihime and ran out after the alley, chasing after the man. However, the man was nowhere to be seen. Jyuu didn’t think he was fast, so he thought he could catch up quickly, but perhaps the man had fled while he was hesitating.

In contrast to the impatient Jyuu, Yukihime calmly glanced at the only car nearby.

“That’s suspicious.”

“Huh?”

“That man was trying to kidnap a girl, right? Do you think he’d carry her all the way back on his shoulder?”

The two approached the car and tried to peer into the driver’s seat, but the man, seemingly having seen them in the rearview mirror, revved up the engine and sped off. The two ran after the car that left a black line on the asphalt. 

The roads around here were complicated, with many twists and turns. Cars couldn’t go fast enough on roads with few straight lines. Passersby looked on in shock as the two sprinted, wondering what on earth was going on. 

Jyuu ran, intending to leave Yukihime behind, but she easily kept up with him. 

The chase ended in less than a minute.

The car screeched to a halt, and the man jumped out and ran into a nearby apartment building.

It was a seven-story apartment building surrounded by tall trees.

“I wonder if he lives there? Doing something so close is stupid, or should I say, bold...?” Yukihime commented as she ran. 

Jyuu didn’t say anything and entered the apartment building’s entrance lobby. He saw the elevator doors closed. Yukihime stopped Jyuu as he headed for the stairs, and checked the light display to see which floor the elevator had stopped on—the fifth floor.

“Let’s go!”

“Wait a minute.”

Yukihime looked around the mailboxes lined up in the entrance lobby. After checking the number of rooms on the fifth floor, she peered through the gap at the mail left in the mailboxes.

Jyuu was annoyed, but Yukihime checked carefully and said it was probably this one.

“This room, no. 505, the resident’s name is Hashimoto Masami.”

“Why do you think it’s this one?”

“Because there was a newsletter in the mail.”

Yukihime said that it was a newsletter from a fan club of a company that made 18+ PC games. The games were popular because of their extremely graphic content, and all the characters were all little girls.

“Not necessarily saying he’s a lolicon, but in this particular case, I think it does apply.”

“Room 505, right?”

The two got into the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor.

As the elevator started to move, Jyuu caught his breath. He was drenched in sweat from running in the lingering heat of summer. The fans on the elevator’s ceiling turned on, blowing in a slightly cool breeze. Yukihime was sweating as well, but her breathing had returned to normal.

Jyuu said as he looked at the lamp indicating the floor, “What’s that card from earlier?”

“The one I gave to that girl? It’s a card from a TV anime popular among children—Fruity Pair! Moreover, it's a limited edition, so it’s difficult to obtain.”

Jyuu was a bit impressed by Yukihime’s foresight.

Perhaps because she was childish herself, she was good at dealing with children.

I wonder if that child will remember what happened earlier? It’d be best if she just forgets...

With a child’s flexible mind, she could forget it as she grew up. At least, he hoped so.

Finally, the elevator doors opened. The apartment was U-shaped, and one side of the hallway was an open structure. Going through there, the two of them looked for Room 505. They found it without any trouble, and Jyuu pressed the room’s intercom.

No response. The few attempts he made after that had the same result. Jyuu began to suspect this wasn’t the room. Yukihime peeked inside through the newspaper box on the door. She saw the shoes in the entrance and confirmed that they were the ones the man had been wearing.

Jyuu was only looking at the man’s face and the murder weapon, but Yukihime seemed to be paying close attention to the details.

“Jyuuzawa-kun, do you think he’s The Gouger?”

“I don’t know, but it’s possible. Either way, I hate people like that.”

“Me too.”

“The problem is, how do we open this...”

If they banged on the door, would the man give up and open it? They could also shout that he was a sex offender, but that’d attract too much attention.

Jyuu was thinking about going to the manager’s office and explaining the situation, when Yukihime spoke, “Jyuuzawa-kun, do you want to get inside no matter what?”

“I won’t let him get away.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Leave it to me then.”

Yukihime pulled something out of her belt. It was the knife the man had been carrying. Apparently, she’d sneakily snatched it away.

“It’s cheap, but still usable.”

With a blank look on her face, Yukihime brandished the knife and stabbed it at the door lock. A metallic sound echoed. Broken pieces scattered at her feet. After the tenth thrust, the lock was completely broken. After gazing regretfully at the chipped tip of the knife, Yukihime grabbed the doorknob. The door opened without difficulty.

“Shall we go in?”

“...What the hell are you doing?”

“I broke in.”

Jyuu was stunned by Yukihime’s boldness. He didn’t even know what to say. Maybe, somewhere in his mind, he knew she was just that kind of person.

Fearing that they’d get caught by the police if they got the wrong room, Jyuu stepped into the entrance hall before Yukihime.

It was dark and eerily quiet inside. The lights were off and the blinds were closed. He was wary the man would jump on them, but that didn’t happen.

“I know you’re there! Come out!”

In the dark room, only Jyuu’s voice echoed.

There was no reply. Without taking off their shoes, the two of them went further in. There weren’t many rooms, so it wasn’t long before they found where the man might be.

There was a room with a tightly shut door. Jyuu grabbed the doorknob, but it was locked.

Standing there, Jyuu called out to the man again, “Get out!”

He kicked the door, but there was no response from inside.

Should he just break it down? Grasping his intention, Yukihime smashed the door lock in the same way as before.

Jyuu pushed the door open and entered the room first.

There was the man.

Just like the entrance hall, the curtains were closed, and the lights were off. In the dimly lit room, only the computer screen shone brightly. The light was reflected on the man’s sweaty face.

He stared intently at the computer screen, as if unaware of their presence. On the screen, there were several photos of young girls that seemed to have been taken secretly. The man grumbled, gripping a mouse with his right hand and biting the nail of his left thumb.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit...!”

Jyuu’s eyes, grimacing at the creepiness, were finally getting used to the darkness.

The walls were completely covered in posters. There was a wide variety, from idols to anime. It was as if the space itself was made of posters. Scattered at the man’s feet were instant foods, snacks, empty cans, plastic bottles, magazines, manga—so much so that there were barely any room to walk. The figurines displayed on the bookshelf by the wall were all in the shape of young girls.

On a closer look, the faces of the figurines were bizarre. Every single one of them had hollow eyes. They must’ve been gouged out with an awl or something. The figurines, smiling adorably without eyes, only seemed creepy.

Jyuu asked, leaving Yukihime behind.

“Are you The Gouger?”

The man didn’t answer. He didn’t take his eyes off the screen.

Blood was flowing from the tip of his thumb, trickling onto his knees, but the man continued to bite his nail without caring.

“Answer me! Are you The Gouger?!”

“This isn’t fair.”

“What?”

The man said while being immersed in his screen. It was as if he was talking to himself.

“T-this isn’t fair, this isn’t fair at all! This is against the rules! The Gouger is doing what he wants, so why am I being blamed? It’s not fair! This is foul play, this is...”

The man turned toward Jyuu and Yukihime, and without wiping his bloody mouth, he shouted, spitting saliva.

“All of you will die! You’re all going to die!”

“Are you The Gouger?”

“You’re finished! This is the end!”

Jyuu tore a poster off the wall. He could’ve hit the man, but he still had something he wanted to ask.

When the poster was torn off, the man let out a strange, pained cry. Perhaps, he felt like the shell that encased his world had been broken.

“Answer me! Are you The Gouger?!”

The man began to tremble, and he started biting his thumb. His teeth pierced the skin and blood spurted out.

We aren’t getting anywhere. Let’s somehow get the man outside.

When Jyuu took a step to approach him, the man swung his right hand to the side. He had a hidden baton.

The man let out a roar and charged forward. Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking echoed behind him, and the curtains shook violently in the wind that blew in.

Surprised, the man swung his baton at the curtains. There was no response. A small figure jumped up, blending into the turned-up curtains. They smashed the man's arm, knocking the baton loose, then struck him in the stomach and jaw.

A small girl with obstructing bangs silently looked down at the man suffering on the floor.

“Why are you here...?”

Staring at the man, Ame said, “He isn’t The Gouger.”

“Y-yes, it’s not me!”

“I know. It’s not you,” Ame declared.

As Jyuu tried to protest, Yukihime whispered to him, “Leave it to her.”

“I’m not The Gouger! I haven’t done anything yet! I wanted to do so many things, but I didn’t!”

“Certainly. You’re a failed copycat criminal who admired The Gouger. However, the fact remains that you committed a shady act against a child. Apologize to the child and their parents, and swear that you’ll never do it again.”

“B-but...”

Ame glanced at the shelf in the room, then back at the man.

“If you apologize sincerely, the crime will be light. Even if you got sued, found guilty in court, and sentenced to prison, you’ll be out by January next year.”

“Huh?”

“If you resist, the crime will be more serious. In that case, you might not even make it to the next summer. Do you want to spend your time behind bars, agonizing?”

“Ah, uh...”

The man was clearly flustered, but he still couldn’t give up. His eyes darted around restlessly.

Ame continued quietly, “Are you sure about that?”

“...I-I get it.”

The man slowly rose to his feet.

Jyuu braced himself, but the man simply stood there, seemingly at ease, without moving any further.

"Let’s go to the police.”

The man nodded obediently and began to walk away as per Ame’s words.

Not understanding what was going on, Jyuu and Yukihime followed him. The four left the room. The man remained quiet even after they left the apartment. He wasn’t tied up, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d tried to run away, but he seemed completely ignorant.

The four of them headed for the nearest police station. Just to be on the safe side, Jyuu and Yukihime walked on either side of the man, with Ame following behind them. During the entire walk, Jyuu held back from asking Ame many questions.

When they arrived at the police station, Ame explained to the police officer that a girl had been sexually molested. The girl’s name, phone number, time of the crime, etc. The man honestly admitted to the crime, so the police immediately contacted the girl’s parents, and after confirmation, arrested the man. Jyuu and Yukihime explained that they just happened to be passing by and that they had no connection to the man. Afterward, they left the police station.

About 100 meters away from the police station, Jyuu finally asked Ame what had happened.

“Explain. Why did he suddenly become so quiet?”

“Because he has something important to do in January of next year, and also next summer.”

“Something important?”

“There were a lot of DVDs on the shelves in the room. It was the entire robot series that was aired three years ago and was called a masterpiece. The director’s innovative and unique direction was a huge hit. I also watched it every week.”

“So what?”

“The sequel will be aired from January of next year. The DVDs are all limited editions, so the man must’ve been a big fan. He probably couldn’t afford to miss it.”

“...No way. Just for that reason? It’s just anime.”

“It's just anime, but some fans treat it as a vital source of energy in their lives. When moving, many prioritize whether the apartment can receive local and satellite broadcasts over factors like the building's age, rent cost, or transportation convenience.”

“...Then what about next summer?”

“A new movie by a director who is considered a leading figure in the Japanese animation world will be released.”

Jyuu lost interest in listening to the explanation midway through.

How stupid. How can someone give up just because of that?

He also didn’t understand why Yukihime was so convinced after hearing Ame’s story.

“Next, let me ask a question.”

Ame stood in front of Jyuu and Yukihime, staring back and forth between them.

“Were you two seriously looking for The Gouger?”

Jyuu and Yukihime looked at each other once, then nodded.

Ame sighed in amazement.

“How did you know we were there? Were you following us?”

Jyuu had forgotten that this girl was an expert at tailing people.

Before the summer breaks, he’d been followed for days without even noticing.

“I found out about this from Endo yesterday. I started tailing you today.”

Ame believed Jyuu when he said that he had started dating Yukihime, but became worried when he became gloomier. If the cause was his relationship, then something had to be done. Ame didn’t ask the two, perhaps out of consideration or caution. Then, she contacted Endo to see if she knew anything about them. Yukihime didn’t tell Endo to keep quiet, so she confessed without hesitation. She probably wasn’t very happy with what Jyuu and Yukihime were doing. Besides, Yukihime had told Endo where she’d gone with Jyuu every day. When Ame heard that, she immediately took action.

“Did you have to follow us? You should’ve just joined us.”

“That’s... it’s as you said, Jyuu-sama.” Ame bowed and apologized.

What could’ve caused her not to simply join up with Jyuu and Yukihime?

Jyuu pondered about it for a bit, but didn’t really understand.

It was impressive how Ame managed to find the girl’s name and phone number after Jyuu and Yukihime had left to chase the man.

Ame raised her head and fixed her gaze on Yukihime.

“Yukihime, do you have any excuses for what happened this time?”

“None.” Yukihime admitted her mistake while twirling the knife. “I’m sorry for keeping it a secret.”

“I know you don’t have any feelings for him, so it’s fine.”

“I lied about going out with Jyuuzawa. Still, we’ve been spending time quite often lately. Are you jealous?”

“Is that knife evidence?”

“Oh, you’re dodging the question? That’s unusual for you.”

“You’re the one who’s unusual for having feelings for someone.”

“He’s quite interesting.”

“He’s my master, after all.”

“Are you bragging?”

“I am.”

Ame and Yukihime looked at each other with straight faces. Neither of them backed down, so it looked like they didn’t get along. But perhaps, it was because they knew each other well that they were being so frank.

Even so, something else stood out to Jyuu. Despite being suspicious of their actions, Ame made no attempt to stop them. If she knew he was looking for The Gouger, wouldn’t she have stopped him? So why didn’t she do so right away this time?

“Jyuu-sama, let’s stop now. There’s no point in doing this.”

“What are you talking about...?”

“This is a waste of time.”

“Not because it’s dangerous?”

“No. Except for coincidences like today, there’s no danger.”

“No danger? I’m looking for The Gouger.”

“Yes, there’s none.”

“Why?”

“Because the probability of an encounter between Jyuu-sama and The Gouger is almost zero.”

“Did you make a deduction based on the documents?”

“Yes.”

“Explain.”

Usually, when Jyuu asked her, she’d immediately start talking. But today, that wasn’t the case.

Ame looked down, unsure of how to respond to Jyuu.

“...Yukihime, can you go home now?”

"Sure thing! I've been hogging Jyuuzawa for a while, so I'll back off a bit."

Yukihime turned away, raised one hand, and said “See you later” as she left.

Jyuu had doubts about Ame.

Did she know something?

“What do you know that I don’t?” Jyuu urged.

No matter how long he waited, Ame still wouldn’t say anything. The two faced each other on the street, standing out like sore thumbs. Some passersby glanced their way, but the moment Jyuu glared at them, they quickly looked away.

The sky was clear. The heat was sweltering.

The lingering heat went on forever.

The chirps of the surviving cicadas could be heard somewhere.

Ame finally raised her head and said, “Jyuu-sama, you mustn’t investigate this matter.”

“Why?”

“Because it won’t be resolved no matter what you do.”

“It won’t?”

“It won’t.”

“How come? Do you know something?”

“I don’t know anything. But I can imagine that this matter won’t be resolved. That’s just how it is. Getting involved will only burden you.”

“What are you talking about?! Be honest with me!”

Growing impatient, Jyuu raised his voice, but Ame was unfazed.

In the first place, there was no way intimidation would work on this girl.

“Jyuu-sama, please think about this carefully.”

“Think about what?”

“If that’s what you truly wish, I believe we can conclude this matter.”

It couldn’t be resolved, but it could be concluded.

Things were getting more and more unclear.

To the confused Jyuu, Ame repeated with a serious look on her face.

“So, please think carefully about it, Jyuu-sama.”