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ANOTHER FILES – THE TREE OF DECEIT
file 02: the curse of memory
1
Ishii stood in front of the door, took deep breaths and then pressed the intercom b.u.t.ton.
After a while, the door opened and Minowa Yuuko showed up.
Ishii jolted upon seeing that face.
Her pale skin, smooth features and almond eyes stood out conspicuously.
The face of the Yuuko in front of Ishii overlapped with the face of the woman Ishii knew. They really did look alike.
– No, there’s no way.
Ishii shook his head. There was no way she was her.
‘I am Ishii of the Setamachi precinct. There were a number of things the police wanted to ask you about regarding the incident…’ said Ishii after he had regained his senses.
'Come in,’ said Yuuko, urging him inside.
'E-excuse me.’
Ishii went through the entrance to the living room at the end of the corridor, with Yuuko leading him.
There were a number of cardboard boxes by the wall.
'I’m sorry for the mess. I was preparing to move…’
Yuuko sounded apologetic.
Yuuko had been engaged to the murdered Mochizuki. She had probably been preparing to move so that they could live together.
It was like she had fallen from to pit bottom from the peak of happiness.
'Please sit down.’
'Thank you.’
Ishii sat at the dining table chair as he was told.
'Are you alone?’ asked Yuuko as she sat down opposite him.
Detectives were supposed to work in pairs.
That was what Ishii had planned on doing too, but Gotou, who was supposed to come with him, had gone away somewhere alone after the interrogation with Matsuda.
'I am alone today.’
'I see…’
There was a silence.
Ishii didn’t know where to start.
'So what is it that you are here for today…’
Yuuko looked anxious, like she couldn’t bear with the silence.
'Ah, please excuse me. I would like to hear about the day of the incident once more in detail…’ Ishii said hurriedly.
He might find out something if he heard the situation in detail.
'In detail…?’
'Yes. When did you go to that shrine?’
'Just as I said the first time, it was at about seven.’
'What did you go there for?’
'We had a meeting at his house about our marriage that day. We were heading back…’
Yuuko’s eyes narrowed.
Perhaps she was remembering happier days, but those days wouldn’t come again.
'Do you always go to the shrine when returning from Mochizuki-san’s house?’
'No.’
'Then why?’
When Ishii asked that, Yuuko’s expression stiffened. She looked displeased.
'I talked about that already.’
'Please tell me once more.’
'Do you know about… the tree of deceit?’
'Yes.’
There was a rumour that if you lied in front of the cedar tree at the shrine, you would be cursed.
'I wanted to confirm it before we married.’
'Confirm what?’
'Toshiki-san’s feelings…’
After saying that much, Yuuko sniffled.
Couples had used that place to confirm each other’s feelings when Ishii was in high school too. It was probably the same thing.
It was too much to think that this incident had occurred as a result.
A question suddenly came up in Ishii’s head.
If Yuuko had wanted to confirm her fiancé’s feelings in front of the tree of deceit, did that mean Yuuko doubted Toshiki’s love?
'About Mochizuki Toshiki-san, er…’
Ishii fumbled for words, not sure how to ask.
'Because Toshiki-san didn’t usually express his love aloud…’ said Yuuko in a hoa.r.s.e voice. She seemed to have sensed what Ishii was thinking.
'I see… Then what happened afterwards?’
When Ishii urged Yuuko to continue, she went completely pale.
Perhaps she had remembered the moment of the incident.
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she did, she covered her face with both hands.
Her shoulders were shaking. Quiet sobs slipped out of her.
'Are you all right?’
All Ishii could do was speak to her.
'I’m sorry… I’m fine.’
After a while, Yuuko sniffled and lifted her head.
Their eyes met.
A memory from ten years ago flashed through Ishii’s head.
He had seen a woman’s back in front of the large cedar tree. A woman with long black hair. Ishii had called out to her.
She had turned around in response.
She had had a coquettish smile on her face –
'What is it?’
When Yuuko called out to Ishii, he came back to his senses.
'Ah, no, it’s nothing. S-so what happened afterwards?’
Ishii urged Yuuko to continue while averting his gaze.
'For a while, we talked at the shrine…’
'How long was that?’
'I don’t remember clearly, but I don’t think it was that long.’
'After that?’
'We were going to leave, when…’
Yuuko’s gaze wandered, like she was searching for something.
'A man showed up?’
'Yes…’
'Did he suddenly come at you?’
'No.’
Yuuko shook her head.
'Then…’
'That man appeared in front of us with a knife and said this.’
'What did he say?’
Ishii cleared his throat and swallowed.
’“You Mochizuki Toshiki?” That’s what he said…’
'Is that true?’
Ishii leant forward.
If what Yuuko said was true, that would mean Matsuda had lied –
The suspect, Matsuda, had said that he had just happened to a.s.sault Mochizuki and stab him with a knife for money.
However, Yuuko’s testimony just now said that Matsuda had shown up in front of them and said, 'You Mochizuki Toshiki?’
That would mean Matsuda hadn’t just happened to a.s.sault Mochizuki – he had been aiming for him from the start.
'Excuse me… Did you realise something?’ asked Yuuko, sounding anxious.
'Ah, excuse me.’
Ishii hurriedly at up.
'Would it be acceptable if I asked you another question?’ asked Ishii. Yuuko nodded.
'Did Mochizuki-san incur anyone’s enmity?’
'Enmity…?’
'Yes.’
Ishii held his breath and waited for Yuuko’s response.
Matsuda had been hired by someone to kill Mochizuki – that was Ishii’s theory.
'There’s no way. Not Toshiki-san…’
'Are you sure?’ asked Ishii without thinking.
Something rattled in the back of his head. Something that he had shut away was trying to leap out. An ominous feeling –
'Toshiki-san was a kind person… Though I don’t know about his work, he was somebody who understood other people’s pain. n.o.body could hate him.’
Ishii couldn’t believe it.
It was as unrealistic as a fairy tale.
– Gla.s.ses monkey.
A voice rang in his ears.
Mochizuki’s voice. Malicious, slimy, scornful and hostile –
'That’s a lie. There must have been somebody who hated him. It’d be strange otherwise.’
Before Ishii realised, he had said it.
'Eh?’
'Ah, no. Excuse me.’
Ishii quickly covered it up, but it was too late.
'What do you know about Toshiki-san?’
Yuuko glared at him.
Under that pressure, a cold sweat covered Ishii’s forehead.
’T-that’s not it.’
'What’s not it?’
'I was his cla.s.smate…’
'Eh?’
Yuuko’s force left her in her shock.
'Mochizuki Toshiki-san and I were cla.s.smates in high school.’
'Is that so…’
'I’m sorry. That image was a bit different from how he was back then, so I just…’
Ishii wiped the sweat off his forehead.
For a while after that, neither of them said anything.
'Then you know about my older sister.’
How long was that silence? Yuuko spoke in a voice that sounded like it could fade away at any time.
'Your older sister?’
When Ishii said those words, he had an unpleasant feeling.
– They look similar.
That feeling had come back to him.
Perhaps – that thought popped up, but he erased it. He didn’t want to believe it.
'My sister was named Kosaka Yukari.’
Yuuko’s confession hit Ishii’s head like an incredible impact.
He had almost forgotten that name. No, to be correct, he had been trying to forget that name –
'Are you really Kosaka Yukari-san’s… younger sister?’
'Yes.’
'But your family names…’
'If you were cla.s.smates, you know about the incident with my sister, yes?’
'Ah, yes…’ replied Ishii. His body wouldn’t stop shaking.
'After that incident, my parents had a divorce. I was taken in by my mother, so…’
'I see…’
That was all Ishii could say.
He had felt it from the time he first met Yuuko. Now he knew why he had thought they looked alike. No, he had actually known, but he had rejected the thought.
The memories he had shut away were coming back all at once.
'Why did this happen…’ said Yuuko to herself.
Tears rolled down her cheeks silently.
'No, I…’
Ishii had no way of knowing why fate operated the way it did.
'Two people important to me have died in the same place… I wonder if this is the curse of the tree of deceit…’
'W-what are you saying? A c-curse…’
'It makes me want to think that way. Perhaps my sister also…’
’S-stop!’
Ishii stood up. He wouldn’t let Yuuko say any more.
His chair fell behind him loudly.
Yuuko stared at Ishii. Her eyes looked like Kosaka Yukari’s.
– You killed her.
It was like they were saying that.
He couldn’t breathe.
'P-please excuse me.’
Ishii fled the room.
He ran down the stairs.
He tried frantically to shut away the memories, but it was no use.
The memories of that day ten years ago came to him against his will –
It had been a day in his third year of high school. Ishii had been climbing the stone steps to the shrine.
To meet somebody.
After climbing up the stairs, that person had looked up at the tree of deceit with sad eyes.
– Excuse me.
Ishii had called out to her.
She had slowly turned around.
– Kosaka Yukari.
The moment Ishii thought that, he tripped on something and fell forward.
While bearing with the pain, Ishii slowly stood up.
He didn’t remember where he had run from, but at some point, he had reached the bottom of the shrine’s stone steps.
There was a black cat sitting on the steps.
'Aaaagh!’
Ishii yelled at the cat, not knowing what he was doing.
2
Haruka went step by step up the stone stairs.
She really was out of breath.
'Yak.u.mo-kun, wait.’
She called out to Yak.u.mo, who was a bit ahead of her.
'You end up like that because you don’t get enough exercise,’ said Yak.u.mo as he turned around.
Haruka knew that without his saying it.
Haruka stopped and turned around to look at the stone steps she had climbed.
For a moment, she felt dizzy.
They were rather high up. If she fell here, she wouldn’t be able to get away without an injury.
She was about to start climbing again when something black jumped out from the bushes by the steps.
'Aahh!’
She leapt back instinctively, lost her balance and made a misstep.
– I’m going to fall.
She had just thought that when Yak.u.mo grabbed her arm just in time, so that she could regain her balance.
'You are so clumsy it’s unbelievable,’ said Yak.u.mo, sounding exasperated.
Though Haruka didn’t like his tone, he had saved her.
'Thanks.’
Haruka gave Yak.u.mo her honest thanks, which made him snort and start climbing the steps again.
Haruka was about to follow him when she heard a purr from behind her.
'Ah!’
There was a black cat sitting right in front of her. This cat had probably leapt out earlier.
'I almost fell, you know,’ said Haruka to the cat, but there was no way for the cat to understand. It just c.o.c.ked its head, looking confused.
'Stop lagging behind.’
Yak.u.mo called out to her from the top of the steps.
'I know,’ muttered Haruka. She started climbing the steps again.
Since she had almost fallen earlier, this time, she held the railing tightly as she carefully walked onwards.
After reaching the top of the stairs, she turned around and saw the town spread out before her.
It was evening. The scenery, dyed orange, had an unspeakably vivid beauty.
'If you s.p.a.ce out, you’ll fall again,’ said Yak.u.mo while stifling a yawn. He walked straight for the cedar tree.
'Wait!’ called out Haruka, running after Yak.u.mo.
'This is the tree of deceit…’
Haruka expressed her awe as she looked up at the huge tree from its roots.
What with Mai’s incident, the towering cedar tree seemed to have a mysterious spiritual energy to it.
'Looking at this tree makes you think there might really be a curse,’ said Haruka to herself.
'Curses comes from the belief in the power of language,’ said Yak.u.mo as he looked up at the cedar tree with narrowed eyes.
'Belief in the power of language?’
Haruka had heard the words before, but she didn’t know the details.
'To put it simply, it’s the power to make something real by saying it.’
'Like a superpower?’
'No. It’s a subjective impression.’
'Subjective impression?’
'Yes. For example, people write the character for “person” in their palm when they’re nervous, right?’
'Yeah.’
'That’s a kind of power word or curse. It’s the same as somebody in sports saying they’ll definitely win right before a match. They do that and give themselves suggestions.’
'I see.’
Now that Yak.u.mo said that, Haruka had an idea of what he meant.
'Romance is also like the power of language.’
'That so?’
'Yeah. If there’s someone you like, leaving it as is won’t do anything. There won’t be any developments in your relationship.’
'Mmhm.’
'But by expressing your feelings in words, the situation changes. If the person you like has the same feelings, then you can develop your relationship into a romantic one.’
'And if they don’t have the same feelings?’
'By failing, you can move on, right? Depending on the situation, by conveying your feelings, the other person might become conscious of you and start having romantic feelings for you as well. The power of words changes relationships. It’s a curse.’
– I see.
Now that Haruka understood, she looked at Yak.u.mo.
What would happen if I put the curse of love into practice now – that impulse came to her, but she stopped herself.
She was very afraid of changing their current relationship.
'In that meaning, the legend of the tree is itself a curse.’
Yak.u.mo ran a finger along the cedar tree’s trunk.
Perhaps it was just as he said.
People like Mai who believed in the rumour about the tree of deceit would be afraid that they were cursed if they lied in front of the tree.
That feeling itself could be the curse.
'Aaaagh!’
Haruka was about to speak when she heard something like a shriek.
It sounded like it came from the bottom of the steps.
Haruka looked at Yak.u.mo’s face. Then, she turned around and ran to the steps.
When she peered down, she saw a man crouching at the bottom of the steps.
A man she knew – it was Ishii.
'Ishii-san…’
Haruka was going to call out to him, but Yak.u.mo stopped her.
He shook his head silently.
Haruka was confused, but she obeyed Yak.u.mo.
It seemed like Ishii hadn’t noticed them.
For a while, Ishii just stayed there, but then he slowly stood up, took off his gla.s.ses and rubbed his eyes before walking away.
It looked like he’d been crying –
'Yak.u.mo-kun…’
When Haruka looked at Yak.u.mo, he sighed.
'Ishii-san holds the key to this case.’
Haruka had no way of understanding what Yak.u.mo meant –
3
'Ah, what a pain!’
The words slipped out of Gotou’s mouth as he stepped into the archives room in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the precinct.
– I want you to investigate whether anybody has died at the shrine in the past.
That was Yak.u.mo’s request.
At first, Gotou searched the database, but nothing came up.
When he asked the person in charge, they said that only doc.u.ments from the past five years were included in the database. If Gotou wanted to find anything else, it would be in the archives.
That was why Gotou had come here, but there were four steel racks taller than he was. They were packed with files – when Gotou saw them, he completely lost his energy.
He’d thought it’d be simple work, but it looked like he’d been naive.
Gotou really hated menial work.
– I should’ve left this to Ishii.
Gotou was filled with regret, but he started checking the files one by one, taking them from the rack and placing them back afterwards.
When he did simple work like this, he ended up thinking about unnecessary things.
The first thing that came to his head was Matsuda’s face.
His heart beat unsteadily.
Matsuda had confessed, but Gotou couldn’t see Matsuda as a guy who’d a.s.sault someone for money.
He had those eyes –
Matsuda’s eyes were filled with a strong will. They weren’t the eyes of somebody who’d fallen to greed. Gotou coudl tell Matsuda was trying to protect something.
– Who’s he covering for?
And if he is, who the h.e.l.l was he trying to protect?
Gotou couldn’t think of someone Matsuda would try to protect to the point of sacrificing his wife and daughter.
'd.a.m.n it!’
Gotou shook his head to clear it, but it was no use.
The next thing that came to mind was, for some reason, Ishii’s face.
Ishii was always useless, but this time, he seemed even weirder than usual.
Maybe he was shaken because the victim was his cla.s.smate, but Gotou didn’t feel like that was all.
It was like he was afraid of something.
Maybe Ishii knew something big about the case. Or maybe he was related somehow –
'No, there’s no way.’
Gotou said that aloud to reject his own thought.
Ishii was still the detective Gotou was partnered with. There was no way Gotou would be able to investigate if he suspected him.
'The h.e.l.l am I thinking…’
Gotou smiled self-derisively and focussed on searching the files.
'Found it…’
After a while, Gotou finally found the file he was looking for.
Gotou glared at the file.
Somebody had died at that shrine before.
It was ten years ago.
A local female high school student had been found dead at the bottom of the shrine’s steps.
Cause of death was a cerebral contusion –
The police had investigated it as both a case and an accident.
In the end, it was decided that it wasn’t a case and was just an accident.
'It stinks…’
Gotou took the file with him and left the archives.
He went up the stairs and left the precinct through the front entrance. Then, he took out his mobile and called Yak.u.mo.
After three rings, Yak.u.mo answered in his sleepy tone. 'Found it.’ Gotou lit a cigarette. The smoke felt heavy in his lungs.
'What? You asked me whether somebody died at the shrine in the past, right?’
He sounded pretty uninterested when he was the one who’d asked Gotou to do it in the first place. 'Man…’
'Ten years ago, a girl’s corpse was found at the bottom of the stairs to the shrine.’
'At first, the investigation looked at it as both a case and an accident, but in the end, it was said to be an accident.’
Yak.u.mo’s voice changed, though just slightly. Gotou could tell since he’d known him for so long. When Yak.u.mo got like this, he felt something. 'So what are you going to do?’ asked Gotou hopefully. Yak.u.mo had said the incident at the shrine in the past was related to the current case with Mochizuki. What conclusion would Yak.u.mo draw – Gotou was curious.
'What?’
Yak.u.mo spoke like it was a matter of fact. Always using me like a gofer – 'If you want to see them, come get them yourself.’
'Hah?’ The unexpected response confused Gotou. 'Gotou-san, you want to show me the files to solve the case, yes?> 'You’re the one who told me to look for them.’
'Oi, wait a sec…’ Yak.u.mo hung up without waiting for Gotou to finish. 'I’ll just bring them then. Honestly,’ muttered Gotou. He put his cigarette out in his portable ashtray and stared walking towards the parking lot. After reaching his car, he looked up without thinking and saw the clouds in the sky dyed orange – 4 – Why did things turn out this way? Ishii thought while tottering down the path from the shrine to the station. However, no matter how he did so, he wouldn’t find an answer. Ishii himself knew that best. 'I…’ He had started speaking when he heard a piercing honk. 'Eek!’ Ishii fell. Then, a truck screeched to a stop. 'Idiot!’ A fierce-faced man stuck his head out of the driver’s window and shouted at Ishii. It looked like Ishii had been thinking too much and had tried to cross the road while ignoring the red light. 'I-I’m sorry.’ Ishii hurriedly stood up and went back to the sidewalk. He almost died. The truck’s engine roared as it drove away. 'Something’s wrong with me…’ Ishii wiped the sweat off his forehead. When he found out that Yuuko, the witness to the crime, had been the younger sister of his high school cla.s.smate Kosaka Yukari, he had become more agitated than necessary. Come to think of it, there was no way Mochizuki’s murder had anything to do with the incident ten years ago. It was just a coincidence. 'Right. It’s got nothing to do with it,’ Ishii said to himself. He leant against the guard rail and took out his mobile phone. He had to focus on investigating Mochizuki Toshiki’s murder right now. Ishii called Gotou for further orders. After a number of rings, Gotou answered in a very displeased voice.
'Ah, Ishii Yuutarou speaking.’
’S-sorry.’
'I finished questioning the witness…’
'It was…’ Ishii didn’t know where to start.
'Actually..’ After a pause, Ishii told Gotou the circ.u.mstances of the incident that he had heard from Yuuko. – You Mochizuki Toshiki? When Ishii relayed Matsuda’s question, Gotou interrupted.
'I can’t say anything for certain with just the information on hand, but…’
'If what she said is true, that would mean Matsuda did not a.s.sault Mochizuki at the shrine by chance, but that he had intended on a.s.saulting him from the start.’ Ishii gave his theory in one breath.
'Yes.’
'Yes.’
'I don’t know.’ It was the truth. Both testimonies sounded true to Ishii.
'I’m sorry…’ Ishii could tell Gotou’s words were directed at himself. However, those words came out naturally.
'Ah, no, I’m sorry…’
'I’m so…’
'Y-yes sir.’
Ishii thought what Gotou was saying was correct, but even if Ishii knew it in his head, there were things he couldn’t do. Ishii had always lived while observing other people’s expressions. Trying his best not to stand out, trying his best not to get on people’s nerves – it was like a defence mechanism. Even if he didn’t think he was at fault, if he just apologised, he could fix the situation. At some point his life, that had become a habit.
It sounded like Gotou was grumbling. Ishii almost said 'I’m sorry’ instinctively, but he managed to stop himself. 'So, I wanted to ask what I should…’
'B-but…’
'E-eh…’
'U-understood.’
Ishii was about to say 'Sorry’ again but hurriedly swallowed it. 'Er…’
'Detective Gotou…’
After that comment, Gotou hung up. Ishii was putting his mobile away when he realised he’d forgotten to tell Gotou something. The fact that Yuuko’s older sister, Kosaka Yukari, was Mochizuki Toshiki’s cla.s.smate. He thought about calling again, but he changed his mind. 'It’s got nothing to do with it,’ murmured Ishii. He looked up and noticed a man standing on the opposite side of the road. He wore a black suit. He had long hair and wore sungla.s.ses. His lips were turned up in a faint smile. – That man. Ishii had seen this man with a strange presence before. Feeling drawn towards him, Ishii was about to approach when a large bus pa.s.sed in front of his eyes. He stepped back in surprise. By the time the bus had gone out of Ishii’s sight, the man had already disappeared – 5 'Honestly…’ Gotou said that without thinking after he finished his call with Ishii. Why was Ishii so hesitant? Even though detectives should be more unreserved, Ishii always seemed afraid of something. However, it wasn’t that Gotou disliked Ishii. Rather, he had expectations for him. He wanted to do something for him. Gotou had always been awkward, so he didn’t know how to put things into words – he always ended up speaking strictly. He thought that Ishii would probably have grown more smoothly if he had paired with somebody else. 'What the h.e.l.l am I thinking about?’ Gotou shook his head to clear it and started walking. He pa.s.sed through Meisei University’s front gates and went to prefabricated building behind Block B. 'Sorry to bother.’ Gotou opened the door to the room at the very back for the Movie Research Circle. 'If you know you’re a bother, please go home,’ said Yak.u.mo, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he sat on the chair by the wall. That was his response. 'You’re the one who called me here.’ 'I don’t need you, Gotou-san, but those doc.u.ments.’ Yak.u.mo pointed at the brown envelope Gotou was holding. 'Here.’ Gotou threw the files to Yak.u.mo. Yak.u.mo caught the envelope, quickly too the files out and started reading them. 'Honestly…’ grumbled Gotou as he sat down. 'What is Ishii-san doing today?’ asked Yak.u.mo, eyes on the files. 'Working another case.’ 'The murder case at the shrine then.’ 'Yeah.’ 'Is it OK leaving him alone?’ 'He’s not some brat. He’s gotta work on his own sometimes.’ 'Can you really say that about someone else?’ Yak.u.mo looked at Gotou mockingly. 'What do you mean by that?’ 'Exactly what I said.’ 'This brat…’ Gotou clicked his tongue. After a pause, the door opened. 'Gotou-san.’ Haruka was the one who came in. She had a plastic bag from the convenience store. 'Hey. It’s been a while.’ 'You look well.’ Haruka sat down next to Gotou with a smile. 'I’m not,’ grumbled Gotou, putting his chin in his hand. 'Is there a case?’ 'How are you doing, Haruka-chan?’ 'Actually, there was some trouble…’ Haruka glanced at Yak.u.mo. Yak.u.mo seemed to be focussing on the files and didn’t even lift his head. 'When you say trouble, is it ghost trouble?’ asked Gotou. Haruka nodded. 'Do you know the tree of deceit/’ 'Yeah. The one at the shrine, right?’ Where Mochizuki Toshiki was murdered. 'My friend was possessed by a woman’s ghost there.’ 'When?’ 'Yesterday.’ – I see. Gotou understood now. Yak.u.mo was investigating Haruka’s request when he showed up at that shrine. At the same place, on the same day, a murder case and a spiritual phenomenon – it made sense for Yak.u.mo to think they were related. 'So it really was you, Haruka-chan.’ 'What do you mean by “really”?’ Haruka puffed her cheeks out in a sulk. – Troublemaker. Yak.u.mo teased Haruka by calling her that. Because she always picked up trouble due to her kind nature. It was to the point, but Haruka didn’t like it. She didn’t want to trouble Yak.u.mo – she wanted to support him. – A strong girl. 'It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.’ Gotou shrugged. At this point, Yak.u.mo lifted his head. 'Couldn’t you be a bit quieter?’ Yak.u.mo said, sounding displeased. He ran a hand through his messy hair. Though his tone irritated Gotou, he wouldn’t be able to keep up if he bothered with everything Yak.u.mo said. 'Ah, my bad.’ 'As long as you understand,’ Yak.u.mo said placidly. It was irritating, but Gotou restrained himself. 'So what did you find out?’ asked Gotou. Yak.u.mo looked at Haruka. 'Before that, food.’ 'Right. Here.’ Haruka put the plastic bag from the convenience store on the table. Haruka stuck his hand in and took a rice ball and a bottle of tea from inside. 'Would you like to eat as well, Gotou-san?’ 'Sorry about this.’ Gotou was just getting hungry, so at Haruka’s invitation, he decided to take a rice ball. 'So how about it?’ Gotou asked again, rice ball in hand. 'The ghost possessing your friend is undoubtedly the woman in these files, Kosaka Yukari.’ Yak.u.mo placed a photograph from the files on the table. 'What sort of person is she?’ Haruka peered at the photo. Kosaka Yukari was thin and had a sensitive-looking face, but she could probably be called a beauty. 'Ten years ago, this woman fell from the shrine’s steps and died,’ responded Gotou. Eyes wide, Haruka put her hands over her mouth. 'Fell and died…’ 'But why would a woman who died in an accident possess Haruka-chan’s friend?’ Gotou didn’t understand. 'I don’t know the reason either, but the spirit that has possessed her keeps saying the same thing.’ 'What?’ 'I’ll kill you – ’ Upon hearing Haruka’s response, a chill ran down Gotou’s spine. 'Who does she want to kill?’ asked Gotou. Yak.u.mo raised his left eyebrow. 'It’d be easy work if I knew that.’ 'Well, yeah.’ 'Rather than “who”, it might be better to find out “why” first.’ 'I see.’ It was just as Yak.u.mo said. To hate someone to the point of wanting to kill them, there had to be an appropriate reason. If they found out what it was, they would probably find out who the person was naturally. 'So do you have any ideas?’ asked Gotou. Yak.u.mo grimaced. 'This is only a theory, but…’ 'What?’ 'What if her fall ten years ago was not an accident but a murder?’ 'Don’t be ridiculous!’ Gotou yelled without thinking. 'Please don’t speak so loudly.’ Yak.u.mo put his fingers in his eyes to complain. 'Stop whining. The police aren’t stupid. They wouldn’t say it was an accident without any evidence.’ 'I looked at the files, but the reason the police decided it was an accident was because they found no evidence that said it was a murder.’ 'Urgh…’ Gotou couldn’t retort. It was just as Yak.u.mo said. The police had looked into the possibility it was a murder at first, but they found no evidence for it. In short, they’d said it was an accident because the other possibility was ruled out. 'If Kosaka Yukari-san was killed by someone, it would make sense for her to be wandering this world with strong hatred even after ten years had pa.s.sed.’ 'Hatred because of her murder…’ said Haruka, sounding pained as she put her hand to her heart. Yak.u.mo nodded. 'But who the h.e.l.l killed her and why?’ 'I don’t know. I said this earlier, but Kosaka Yukari-san’s being murdered is only my theory.’ 'That’s true, but…’ Even though Yak.u.mo said it was a theory, it seemed true to Gotou. Kosaka Yukari was killed by someone. To take revenge, she wandered the world and possessed Haruka’s friend – While thinking, Gotou suddenly came to his senses and let out an 'Ah!’. He had almost forgotten the reason he had come here. Gotou wasn’t investigating the case ten years ago to save Haruka’s friend. It was because Yak.u.mo had said it might have something to do with Mochizuki’s murder. 'So how is Kosaka Yukari, who died ten years ago, related to Mochizuki’s murder?’ 'Gotou-san, you can read, can you not?’ Yak.u.mo looked at Gotou like he were something dirty. 'You making fun of me!?’ 'Correct.’ Yak.u.mo clapped his hands. 'You brat! Want me to punch you?’ 'You respond with violence so quickly. Just like a wild bear.’ 'Who’s a bear!?’ 'Who else besides you, Gotou-san?’ 'If you don’t stop it, I really will punch you!’ Though Gotou was shouting, it was ineffective against Yak.u.mo. He opened his mouth wide and yawned. Beside him, Haruka stifled her laughter. With responses like these, Gotou lost his nerve. 'Explain what you mean.’ Gotou got back on topic. Yak.u.mo’s eyes narrowed slightly. 'Did you not notice anything upon looking at Kosaka Yukari-san’s history?’ 'What? Gotou stole the files from Yak.u.mo and focussed his eyes on them, but he still didn’t understand. 'Just tell me already.’ Gotou threw the files onto the table. 'Is that the att.i.tude you should take when asking somebody for something?’ Yak.u.mo put his chin in his hand. 'Stop putting on airs,’ said Gotou. Yak.u.mo shook his head, seeming truly exasperated. 'I’m not putting on airs. I am just asking for you to act like an adult.’ 'Ah, man, I got it. Please. Please tell me,’ said Gotou, half in despair. 'Your att.i.tude isn’t great, but I’ll let it pa.s.s.’ Yak.u.mo shrugged. Gotou wanted to punch him, but if Yak.u.mo’s mood worsened here, they’d get nowhere. Gotou took deep breaths to calm himself. 'So what is it?’ urged Haruka. 'Yeah, tell us already.’ 'Kosaka Yukari-san, who died ten years ago, was born in the same year as Mochizuki-san, who was killed this time.’ 'What?’ Gotou hurriedly looked at the files. It was just as Yak.u.mo said. They were born in the same year. 'Furthermore, their school was also the same.’ 'Wha!’ Gotou looked at Kosaka Yukari’s history, written in the files. – Kaisei High School, comprehensive courses. The same school as Mochizuki’s. 'So the two would have known each other…’ 'It is likely.’ 'What the h.e.l.l is this…’ Gotou felt himself growing paler. It could be a coincidence, but he didn’t think it was. The two cases were related – he was almost sure of it. 6 It was already dark. Ishii staggered along the street in front of the station. Gotou had given him a number of instructions, but he didn’t know where to start – or rather, he didn’t feel like doing anything. He still hadn’t accepted reality. 'Ishii-san.’ Just as Ishii took a deep sigh, somebody called out to him. When he turned around, he saw Hijikata Makoto running towards him. The woman had well-defined features on her elegant face and wore a grey trouser suit. For some reason, Makoto was kind to Ishii, but Ishii wasn’t good with her. It wasn’t her fault. It was just that they didn’t meet under good circ.u.mstances. When Ishii first met Makoto, she had been possessed by a ghost. She was completely normal now, but the image of her with her eyes wide as she screamed 'I’ll kill you’ was still vivid in his mind. ’M-Makoto-san… Ishii greeted Makoto with a twitching smile. 'You’re alone today.’ 'Eh, ah, yes…’ She was probably talking about Gotou. It felt like she was scolding him for not working in a pair, so he felt fl.u.s.tered. 'Did something happen?’ asked Makoto, peering at Ishii’s face. 'Eh?’ 'You look down.’ ’T-that’s not true.’ 'That’s a lie.’ 'No, I, er…’ 'There’s no point hiding it. It’s written on your face.’ Ishii frantically touched his face. When Makoto saw that, she laughed happily. Ishii replied to that with a wry smile. 'Right. Ishii-san, do you have some time?’ Makoto clapped her hands together. 'No, er… I could say I have time, but I could say I don’t…’ 'Shall we have tea?’ 'Eh, but…’ 'It’s fine, isn’t it? You need to take a breather every once in a while.’ 'But…’ Ignoring Ishii’s hesitation, Makoto smiled and started briskly walking towards a nearby cafe. Ishii followed her, as if he was being dragged along. At first, Ishii had thought of Makoto as a graceful woman, but that image had changed recently. Completely the opposite of Ishii, Makoto was decisive and active. When she opened the cafe door, there was the sound of a bell. The dark and narrow shop had a counter on the left with square tables on the right. 'How about here?’ ’S-sure.’ Ishii sat down at the table at Makoto’s urging. There was a clock with a large pendulum on the wall. Perhaps it was broken, as the clock’s needles were pointed at the wrong time, and the pendulum was no longer moving. When Ishii saw that, his sleeping memories woke up once more. – I’ve come to this shop before. When he was in high school. The same seat. The clock had still been working then. Toshiki had been in the opposite seat. This is what he’d said. – I have a request. – No. No. No. I don’t want to remember. 'Are you all right?’ asked Makoto. 'Yes, it’s nothing.’ Ishii shook his head. A waiter with brown hair – probably a student part-timer – came to take their order. Makoto ordered coffee, so Ishii did the same. After taking one sip of the coffee brought to him by the waiter, Ishii felt a bit better. When he looked up, he saw Makoto staring at his face. Ishii, who was an extremely late bloomer, had next to experience being looked at by women. With no idea how to respond, he started stirring his coffee with a spoon for no reason. 'So what happened?’ Makoto’s question made Ishii’s hand stop. It looked like Makoto was trying to listen to Ishii’s worries. 'No, I…’ 'Please don’t hide it.’ 'No…’ 'Ishii-san, you’re not somebody who can lie.’ 'Is that so?’ Ishii couldn’t relax, feeling like Makoto had seen right through him. 'Please talk, if you don’t mind my listening. That said, all I can do is listening.’ Makoto shrugged. 'No, but…’ Ishii was grateful for Makoto’s feelings, but he couldn’t just chat about information related to the case. Furthermore, Ishii himself didn’t know why he was so disturbed. He couldn’t explain feelings he didn’t understand himself to somebody else. An awkward silence continued. 'It must be the incident at the shrine,’ said Makoto without delay. Ishii felt terrified. 'What?’ 'The victim was your cla.s.smate, right, Ishii-san?’ 'W-why do you…’ Ishii’s shocked expression made Makoto laugh. 'I am a newspaper reporter. I know that much.’ 'Ah, I see…’ Ishii wiped the sweat from his forehead. 'Were you close?’ 'Eh?’ Ishii didn’t understand the question. 'With the victim.’ 'We… weren’t that close…’ replied Ishii with a bitter smile. Even though he was just sitting still, his heart was pounding and it hurt to breathe. 'Is that so?’ Though Makoto replied, her brows furrowed in confusion. Ishii drank all his coffee all at once, trying to clear the uncomfortable air. 'How was your high school life, Ishii-san?’ Ishii’s heart skipped a beat at Makoto’s question. He wasn’t sure how to respond. There was nothing he could talk about. No, the truth was a lot had happened, but he didn’t want to talk about it. If he talked about it, his heart would creak under the pain. 'N-normal. How was yours, Makoto-san?’ Ishii asked, avoiding the conversation. 'I was… a gloomy student.’ 'I wouldn’t have guessed that.’ Ishii meant it. Makoto was normally good at taking care of other people and seemed like an older sister type. Ishii had thought that she would have been the same in high school, liked by everyone. 'Since my dad was a police officer, people usually stayed away from me.’ 'Ah…’ Makoto’s father had resigned for certain reasons, but he had been the chief of the police before. When young, even if you didn’t want it to, your parents’ t.i.tles were enough to make people attack you. 'That’s why I practically had no friends as a kid – I just read a lot of books. And I wasn’t good at talking with people – I talked with practically no one.’ 'Is that so…’ It wasn’t that Ishii doubted Makoto’s story, but it sounded so different than how she was now that it didn’t seem real. 'Since I didn’t have much of a presence, at one point, my cla.s.smates bullied me, calling me a ghost. Everyone said that they’d be cursed if they approached me…’ Makoto’s expression relaxed, but there seemed to be a sadness in the back of her eyes, a dark shadow. 'Makoto-san…’ 'When I approached, people would hold their breath and run away.’ 'Wha…’ That was incredibly malicious bullying. People could do unimaginably mean things. They didn’t understand the pain and sadness of the people who underwent that. From the bottom of Ishii’s stomach, anger started bubbling up. 'They’d even put salt on my desk when I went to school.’ 'That’s awful!’ shouted Ishii, unable to bear it. Makoto looked a bit surprised. Her eyes went wide, but finally, she smiled gently. 'Ishii-san, you really are a kind person.’ Makoto’s words were gentle, enveloping the anger within Ishii. It made him feel strangely embarra.s.sed. He looked away without thinking. 'No, not really…’ 'No, you are kind, Ishii-san. You understand other people’s pain.’ Makoto looked at Ishii’s face. She was wrong. It wasn’t that Ishii understood other people’s pain – he had just experienced the feelings of somebody being bullied himself. 'Wasn’t it tough?’ asked Ishii. Makoto smiled. 'Yes… It was tough then. But…’ 'What is it?’ 'Now, I think of it as a good experience.’ 'Good experience?’ Ishii had no idea why she thought that. 'It’s because of my experiences as a student that I’m who I am now.’ 'What do you mean?’ 'At that time, I think that if I was on the side of the bullies then, I would have had a different life.’ 'Is that how it is?’ 'Yes. I wouldn’t have become a newspaper reporter, and I wouldn’t have met you either, Ishii-san.’ 'A philosophical view.’ Ishii couldn’t think of it that way. 'I started thinking that way because of a novel.’ 'A novel?’ 'Yes. Have you read The Count of Monte Cristo?’ 'It’s a story of revenge, right?’ Ishii hadn’t read it before, but he had seen an anime based on it a few years ago, so he knew the general idea. A man who had been imprisoned on false pretences crawled out of despair for revenge. 'There’s a line in it like this. “Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good life is to live.”’ 'I see,’ said Ishii. If you didn’t experience despair, you couldn’t feel happiness. You could think of it that way. 'I feel a bit embarra.s.sed.’ Makoto smiled bashfully and took a sip of her coffee. She hadn’t lived an easy life either – she had had many troubles. Now that Ishii knew that very obvious fact, he felt strangely close to her. 'Now it’s your time, Ishii-san.’ 'Yes?’ 'What sort of student were you?’ 'No, there’s nothing for me to talk about…’ As he said that, he saw the clock. The memories of ten years ago suddenly came back to him. – Gla.s.ses monkey. A voice rang in his ears. Even though Makoto was in front of him, for some reason, he saw Mochizuki’s face. His malicious eyes glared at him, like a snake. – No. Ishii’s hands turned into fists. Blood rushed to his face. – Oi. Gla.s.ses monkey. Ma.s.sage my shoulders. – Gla.s.ses monkey. Buy me juice. – Why’s a gla.s.ses monkey wearing clothes? Take them off. Take them off and dance. Ishii covered his ears, but the words kept coming. – Gla.s.ses monkey. From today on, you’re my slave. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t stop sweating. – No. No. No. 'No!’ shouted Ishii, shaking his head frantically. He felt like he was falling backwards into a deep, dark hole. 'Ishii-san.’ When Makoto called out to him, Ishii opened his eyes and lifted his head. Makoto looked at him, seeming worried, and held his hand. 'Makoto-san…’ 'Are you all right?’ The feeling of Makoto’s fingers helped Ishii regain his reason. 'Ah. Yes.’ 'Sorry. I asked something I shouldn’t have.’ 'No… I just…’ Ishii took deep breaths. – I can’t think like Makoto does. He realised that anew. He couldn’t say it was a good experience even if his mouth split open. The injuries on his heart couldn’t be healed with time. He would always continue to run in fear. That was why, even now – he couldn’t forgive Mochizuki. 'Please excuse me for today.’ Ishii bowed towards Makoto, stood up and fled the cafe. 7 'I don’t get it,’ groaned Gotou, scratching his chin. He understood from Yak.u.mo’s explanation that Mochizuki had been a cla.s.smate of Yukari, the girl who fell and died from the stone steps ten years ago at this shrine. However, Gotou had another question. 'What don’t you understand?’ Haruka c.o.c.ked her head. 'What I want to know is who’s lying.’ 'Lying?’ Come to think of it, Gotou hadn’t told Haruka the case summary. Gotou explained to Haruka what had happened at the shrine last night. In this case, Matsuda, the suspect, and Yuuko, the witness, and the victim, Mochizuki, all had different testimonies. The strangely off testimonies warped and hid the truth. 'That’s…’ Haruka sounded surprised. Gotou looked to Yak.u.mo for an answer. Yak.u.mo ran a hand through his messy hair with his usual sleepy eyes. 'So what’s going on?’ asked Gotou. Yak.u.mo looked annoyed. 'Nothing’s going on.’ 'What?’ 'I’m saying that deciding whose testimony is true at this stage would be dangerous.’ Yak.u.mo was speaking incredibly vaguely. 'Say it in a way I’ll understand.’ 'And are they even lying?’ Yak.u.mo’s unexpected question made Gotou confused for a moment, but – 'Somebody’s got to be lying or things wouldn’t line up,’ said Gotou agitatedly, but Yak.u.mo looked at him with extremely cold eyes. 'That isn’t definite.’ 'What?’ 'Gotou-san, you are a helpless idiot.’ 'What did you say?’ 'You are useless, with a uselessly large body.’ Yak.u.mo smiled at him mockingly. 'I’ll beat you to a pulp!’ Gotou stood up, raising his fist.
Yak.u.mo nodded in satisfaction. 'Gotou-san, did you want to kill me just now?’ – What? Gotou didn’t think Yak.u.mo would ask that question now. He’d said many times that he’d beat Yak.u.mo to a pulp or that he’d kill him, but he’d never actually acted on it. It was natural. It was just a part of his banter with Yak.u.mo. 'Of course not,’ denied Gotou. Yak.u.mo smirked. – What’s so funny? 'Gotou-san, even if you don’t mean it, what would other people think?’ 'I see!’ exclaimed Haruka, who seemed to have understood what Yak.u.mo was hinting at. However, Gotou didn’t understand. 'What are you talking about?’ 'To explain this situation from another angle, a detective from criminal affairs was irritated by a university student’s rude manner and threatened him, raising his fist and saying 'I’ll beat you to a pulp’ – that is how it would seem. If I sued the police, it might become an intimidation case.’ 'That’s just quibbling…’ Gotou ground his teeth together. 'It isn’t quibbling. It’s a fact that you said you’d beat me to a pulp, Gotou-san.’ 'That’s true, but…’ 'Though I didn’t feel any fear from that, there are some people who would have been afraid from hearing that from a detective, yes?’ 'Fear, eh…’ Gotou looked at his clenched fist. He kind of understood what Yak.u.mo was saying. 'In short, even if you didn’t mean that as a threat, some people might have taken it that way.’ 'Yeah, but that’s got nothing to do with this case, right?’ 'It does,’ said Yak.u.mo firmly. 'What do you mean?’ 'Like the earlier example, perspective can change what seemed to happen, but that doesn’t make it a lie.’ Gotou finally understood. The testimonies weren’t lies. The viewpoints might just be different – that was probably Yak.u.mo’s point. It was true that perhaps that was the case. 'This is difficult.’ Haruka furrowed her brows and put her chin in her hands. 'It’s not difficult. Cases occur because of differences in points of view.’ 'Yeah,’ agreed Gotou. It wasn’t just this time. As Yak.u.mo said, there were unexpectedly many cases that occurred because of differences of opinion. It was like that with stalkers. From the view of the victim, they didn’t feel anything but fear for their safety, but the person doing it sometimes just had pure feelings of love. 'Furthermore, to determine the lie in the testimony, rather than who, it would be better to determine where,’ Yak.u.mo said slowly, narrowing his eyes as he looked into the distance. 'You mean the scene of the crime?’ asked Gotou. Yak.u.mo snorted, sounding disappointed. 'You really are an idiot.’ 'What?’ 'Even if somebody lied, that doesn’t mean their whole testimony is a lie, correct.’ Gotou finally understood. 'So how do we determine that?’ 'n.o.body would have any difficulties if we knew that,’ Yak.u.mo said, cutting Gotou down. – Well, that’s true. 8 Ishii stood at the shrine where the murder occurred. A human figure was drawn on the ground beside the tree of deceit. There were still blood. A black bird let out an uncanny call as it flew off. He had returned home. He didn’t know why he was here. He would go home for now. He started walking slowly. 'Gla.s.ses monkey.’ Ishii heard a voice from behind him. He pretended not to hear it. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he couldn’t turn around. However, the owner of the voice wasn’t kind enough to let that pa.s.s. Ishii was kicked in the back. The impact forced Ishii to fall forward. A sharp pain shot through his nose. When Ishii looked up, he was standing there. – Mochizuki Toshiki. The man who should have been stabbed. – Why him? Mochizuki wore a blazer uniform, his hands in his pockets as he smirked. When he smiled, he showed his canines and his nose twitched. It was an unpleasant smile. Ishii had always hated Mochizuki’s smile – 'What’re you looking at me like that for?’ Mochizuki kicked Ishii’s stomach. His body contorted in pain. Without a pause, Mochizuki grabbed Ishii’s hair. There was a ripping sound as some of Ishii’s hair came out. However, Mochizuki didn’t care – he pushed Ishii’s head into the cedar tree. There was a dull thud. 'Disobeying me even when you’re just a gla.s.ses monkey? You’re a hundred years too early for that.’ 'I-i…’ Ishii’s voice shook. 'Ah!’ exclaimed Mochizuki in surprise. He let go of Ishii. There was blood on Mochizuki’s uniform. Ishii put his hand to his nose and felt something wet. It seemed like he had a nosebleed. 'Do something about this. You got it dirty.’ Mochizuki glared at Ishii with a click of his tongue. It wasn’t Ishii’s fault that he had a nosebleed. It was because Mochizuki had kicked him, making Ishii fall and hit his nose. But that logic wouldn’t work on Mochizuki. ’M-my bad,’ replied Ishii, swallowing his shame. Then, Mochizuki kicked him in the behind. 'What are you talking so impolitely to me for?’ Ishii and Mochizuki were cla.s.smates, but they had an absolute power relationship. Uppercla.s.sman and undercla.s.sman – no, it was more than that. He probably only thought of Ishii as a slave. 'I-I’m sorry.’ 'You think that apology’s enough for me to forgive you?’ 'Eh?’ 'Kneel. Head to the ground. Prostrate yourself.’ 'I-i didn’t do…’ Mochizuki slapped Ishii, cutting off his words. 'Don’t talk back to me! You wanna die?’ Mochizuki’s sharp gaze shot through Ishii. He lost his will to oppose him. He couldn’t fight back. Mochizuki would just come back him with the same power multiplied. All he could do was bear it. He hated how worthless he was, but that was how he was. 'I sincerely apologise.’ Ishii knelt and put his head to the ground. As Ishii bore with the humiliation, he heard laughter in his ears. Mocking, hateful laughter – Ishii lifted his head just slightly. It was her voice. Standing next to Mochizuki, she looked at Ishii like he was an animal in a cage. 'Ten thousand yen tomorrow as a cleaning fee,’ said Mochizuki. Then, he walked away with her. As Ishii watched them leave, he felt his emotions well within him. 'I’ll kill you…’ he muttered, gripping his hands into tight fists. – I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you. The words repeated in his heart like a curse, growing into a yell and slipping out of his mouth. 'I’ll kill you!’ Then, she and Mochizuki disappeared into the darkness. For a moment, his vision went black. When Ishii could see ag
A pang of pain shot through his forehead.
