The Zashiki Warashi of Intellectual Village Volume 2 Chapter 3

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The value of land inside the ZR Yamanote Line was generally ridiculously expensive, but Ochanomizu was a student district. That meant a thorough enough search would turn up apartments cheap enough for a student.

But that meant the apartment was meant for a student. Normally, a single man with a job would be ashamed to live in one. In fact, the landlord would usually refuse someone like me, but I had managed to avoid that.

It seemed the female college students felt safer when they knew a police officer lived in the same apartment building.

I was a bit annoyed that the landlord used my private information as a sales point, but it was the best place I could find. As a pitiable public servant, I could not afford to do anything about it.

And so…

I was in the living room the apartment had despite only being meant for students. The table held quickly-made toast, milk, a premade salad, and simple scrambled eggs made in the microwave. While I ate that breakfast, my cell phone rang.

It was my sister-in-law's number.

It was likely about the cardboard boxes in the corner of my room.

"Did you get them?" she asked.

"Yes, unfortunately. Three boxes is going too far."

"Don't be picky. They contain Intellectual Village-made rice, summer vegetables, soy sauce, miso, mirin, and sake. You would have to wait to even make a reservation to get that from a restaurant."

That was true. And if word got out I had it, it would probably bring in tons of thieves and robbers.

"Please, give me a break. You know I can't cook."

"Um, this may be an awkward question, but how do you survive, Hayabusa-kun?"

"These days, you can make a dinner by buying a premade salad and side dish at the supermarket, throwing a pack of white rice in the microwave, and adding hot water to a cup of miso soup."

"That is not how to live a happy life."

I wanted to protest that I simply used the extra time for things other than food.

But before I could, I heard the sound of a struggle over the phone.

"Um, nee-san? What is going on?"

"The Yuki Onna and Nekomata are fighting behind me. They cannot agree whether to watch The Unknown Secrets of the Antarctic or The Pet Café that Cats Love. …Now, now, stop that! If you keep acting that selfishly, Shin.o.bu will grow to hate you."

The sounds of a struggle immediately ceased.

My nephew's rare disposition seemed to have taken effect once more. Weren't the Yuki Onna and Nekomata both deadly Youkai? Then again, my disposition making them hate me and my brother's disposition making them fear him were quite something too.

After being sure the commotion was over, I returned to the conversation.

"Could you at least send cuc.u.mbers or tomatoes or something else you can slice up and eat as is? I don't even know what to do with a squash. I don't like getting a long line of brand-name crops the gourmets of Akasaka would drool over and just watching them rot."

"I will take that into consideration, but I cannot do anything about what I already sent you. If you are not going to learn to cook, you can use them to get to know your neighbors."

Having said that, my sister-in-law ended the call.

She probably just ran away because she did not like how the conversation was going.

But…

I was the one police officer living in an apartment building meant for students. I was never going to get to know my neighbors very closely. There would be a larger rift between us than between an elementary school student and a frightening looking PE teacher. If I rang my neighbor's doorbell, they would probably think some incident had happened.

Then again, I couldn't stand for brand-name crops on a level where a bunch of grapes cost 30 thousand yen to rot away into organic fertilizer, so I nervously headed to the neighboring room.

I rang the doorbell and a female voice so unambitious I wondered if she had low blood pressure came over the intercom.

"What is it…?"

"Um, my family went a little overboard in sending me summer vegetables, so do you have room for any?"

I heard frantic footsteps, a crash, and then a shout of "Slippers!? Where are my slippers!?" from beyond the door.

The door shot open and a college girl in a track suit with a towel around her neck and a compress on her shoulders charged out with a full-faced smile.

"How wonderful, you Kasajizou!! Now I can escape this life of soaking ramen in water to infinitely double it in size!!"

"How low on money are you!?"

Despite all that trouble, I still had to leave for work at the same time. As much as I would have loved some more time. After closing the front door of my apartment, I headed on foot to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

My workplace was in a nice place like Sakuradamon. That was why I wanted a place to live in Ochanomizu.

"Oh, if it isn't the detective."

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing here, mystery freak?"

When I turned around toward that sudden voice from behind, I'm betting my expression was not a pleased one. A girl with twintails named Hishigami Enbi was smiling at me.

That mystery freak could be summed up as "a suspicious person who frequently appears at the crime scenes of bizarre murders".

The mystery freak preferred to wear revealing outfits such as swimsuits, but now she was wearing the obvious outfit of a student: a short-sleeved blouse and a wine-red pleated skirt. I was fairly certain it was the uniform of a nearby high cla.s.s girl's school. I had no idea if the kneesocks were a designated part of the uniform.

Knowing her, she would say she chose to wear them herself because they were necessary to solve a murder. But as long as you did not look too deeply, she was just a nice rich girl.

There were even banks and heavy industry companies that used the name Hishigami.

If you flipped through the channels during primetime, you would probably find a commercial for a company affiliated with her family.

"I'm just headed to school. You're the one out of place here, detective. I thought you usually used the subway."

"Why do you think I would be walking to work in this horrid heat while dressed in a suit, mystery moron?"

"Hah hahn. The suit looks cheaper than necessary, but it also looks new. Did your boss tell you to hurry up and break it in so you can run around in it?"

"…That's right, dammit," I replied in annoyance.

Police detectives did not wear cheap suits because they had no fashion sense. While it was not as bad as the police dramas where everything was resolved in 60 minutes, a police detective was one of the few jobs that required physical labor in a suit. The suit would get muddy, b.l.o.o.d.y, and torn by suspects armed with blades. And so no one would wear a custom-made high-cla.s.s suit.

And since we had to run around a lot, a brand new suit could be a bit restrictive. That was why we intentionally put an extra burden on a new suit to break it in.

For that reason, police detectives gave the impression of being the public servants with zero fashion sense who wore cheap ma.s.s-produced suits that were horribly beat up.

"By the way, detective, what are you pursuing now?"

"I can't tell a civilian that. Employees have a duty to keep secrets."

"I'm feeling a bit depressed. You could always let me join in if it's something I would enjoy."

The mystery freak pouted her lips, but we had arrived near the famous rich girl's school. Enbi waved and then left.

Afterwards, I wiped away my sweat with a handkerchief and stopped at a convenience store for water when I couldn't stand it anymore. Finally, I made it to my workplace in Sakuradamon.

It was the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the symbol of the city's law and order.

Due to the influence of police dramas, it seemed to have become the symbol of j.a.pan's police force as a whole. Looking at that awe-inspiring building was enough to improve even my mood a bit. It always made me realize my job would directly affect people's lives for better or worse.

The uniformed police officer standing in front of the entrance gave me a faithful salute.

However, the usual fastidious greeting did not accompany it.

Instead, a middle-aged police officer whispered to me.

"Oh, Uchimaku-san. You probably shouldn't look inside right now."

"Eh? Is something going on? Things do seem a bit noisy… Are they filming a drama?"

The front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was one of the leading location filming spots in all of j.a.pan. But to prevent terrorism, the inside shots were all done on sets back at the studio. I highly doubted a request to directly film inside would have been approved.

In response, the middle-aged police officer shook his hand side to side and said, "No, no. Um, it's summer break, so it seems a group of elementary school children is being given a tour. Naturally, they weren't allowed to bring in their cell phones or any other recording devices."

"Oh… Yeah, I don't want to get caught up in that."

With that offhand comment, I peered through the gla.s.s door and into the front lobby. Even through the gla.s.s, I could hear a chaotic deluge of voices.

"Do you have katsudon!?"

"Where's Investigator Itako from TV?"

"Can you show us the investigation headquarters!?"

There were a lot more kids than I had expected. It looked like more than 100 but not quite 200. A young female police officer was waving a small flag in front of them, so she looked somehow like a bus tour guide.

I whispered to the middle-aged police officer who was still hanging around for some reason.

"Looks like the Sakura Police have plenty to do. Oh, wow. Look at the face of the big guy from the organized crime countermeasures division. I've never seen him look so exhausted. I gotta snap a photo of this."

"Wait, don't do that, Uchimaku-san! If he notices, he'll constrict your carotid artery!!"

"You say that, Nakada-san, but I can see your shoulders shaking as you try to hold back laughter."

Just as I held up my phone, my eyes met with those of the big man displayed on the small screen.

That fifth dan in judo (openweight) opened wide the eyes of his stone-like face and pointed straight at me.

"That's a detective from Department 1!!"

"Bh!?" I spat out.

Well over 100 children all turned to look in my direction.

"A detective?"

"A detective from Department 1!"

"Investigation Department 1 is where they shoot handguns all the time to kill the criminals!!"

"Th-th-that b.a.s.t.a.r.d!! He turned them on me because Department 1 is more popular!!"

Just to be clear, detectives in Investigation Department 1 did not shoot handguns all the time. It would be a lot easier if we could, but we prided ourselves at being the best in the world when it came to capturing criminals alive.

The middle-aged police officer then said, "Uchimaku-san! If you're going to run, do it quickly! You can enter through the materials delivery entrance. Otherwise, the children will surround you!!"

"No, it's a bit late for that! Wah! This is like a store during a really good sale!!"

I need to turn their focus somewhere else!! But is there any job more popular than a detective from Department 1!?

Just as I started to panic, a G.o.d of salvation appeared.

Mezu Gen. He was an older man with deep wrinkles on his face. His hair was a very shiny black because it was dyed. While he was not as muscular as the large man from the organized crime countermeasures division, his sharp gaze held enough force to silence a fifth dan in judo. He was the leader of my department. However, he was often called "cute" by the young female police officers because of his habit of wearing the necktie he received as a father's day present.

"…What is this commotion?"

Instead of answering his simple question, I pointed at him and raised my voice as loud as I could to announce, "That's the chief of Department 1!!"

To make a long story short, he slammed his fist down on my head later on.

But do not forget that the department chief pointed at a man in the prime of his life who came running up after a jog around the imperial palace (accompanied by an extremely annoyed looking bodyguard in black) and shouted "That's the superintendent general!!"

I worked for Investigation Department 1 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

But that did not mean I was always having meetings at the investigation headquarters or rushing out to suspects' houses based on an important new piece of investigative information.

Sometimes not much was going on.

The department chief would not call out to a low-ranking detective like me often, yet he suddenly did just that.

"Uchimaku, you have the safety cla.s.s today, right?"

"…What?"

Since I had nothing better to do, I had been trying to work up my own original blend by mixing together several different types of coffee beans, but now my eyes opened wide.

The department chief went on to say, "Y'know, the safety cla.s.s where you head out to a school to put on a puppet show and kamishibai. The materials you need are here. Be there in half an hour. That is all."

"Wait, wait, wait! That isn't a job for Department 1. What about the Life Safety Division or Traffic Division? In fact, why is anyone from the main police department doing it? Can't an officer from the school's area handle it?"

"Normally, yes. But it seems middle and high school students these days don't like kamishibai or puppet shows, so they keep falling asleep. They want a detective who has felt real danger to more effectively explain the recent SNS trouble. Someone who reeks of blood should give it more tension."

"Geh."

As the department chief breathed a heavy sigh, I recalled a certain fact.

It had been me who had brought an end to the SNS murders back in May.

"But won't we get complaints if we use an actual incident to draw their attention?"

"The police's job is not just to resolve crimes that have been committed. We must also prevent crimes before they are committed. We will use whatever means we have available to us. But be careful. Make sure to hide all personal information."

The department chief placed a giant envelope on my desk and quickly left.

I had no choice but to check inside the envelope.

"How am I supposed to know what to say when I have to be there in half an hour?"

"I can still hear you, Uchimaku. I did not tell you until now because I did not want to deal with your complaining. Do you understand now? Then get going."

The safety cla.s.s was a school activity, so I could not be late. I glanced through the materials, put them back in the large envelope, and left.

While I rode the elevator to the first floor, it stopped midway down. A detective from the Life Safety Division got on. Unlike me, he was the type of detective that always wore a nice suit.

"Hey, Uchimaku."

"Toujou-san."

"I heard you have to go out in this heat to present a safety cla.s.s at a middle school. This is the middle of summer break, so the students probably won't be happy about it. Try not to lose the attention of every single student in the school while they're gathered in the gym. Nee ha ha."

"Chehh. I take it I was the only one that didn't know about this 'surprise party'."

"You need to be around some living people every once in a while. It's not healthy to deal with nothing but murder cases."

Once the elevator reached the first floor, Toujou-san left.

While it was true I dealt with nothing but murder cases, I did try to keep my focus on living people.

The middle school was within walking distance. Most of the police officers gathered there were uniformed officers from the "usual" station. I felt out of place as the only murder case detective in the bunch.

And…

"…You can't be serious."

"Is something the matter?" asked the school's female director in a refined manner.

That was a very difficult question to answer.

Outside the window of the faculty room, I could see the mystery freak waving at me with a big smile on her face.

This is her school?

A very bad feeling wrapped around me despite having no proof anything was going to happen. But just as I expected, my cell phone rang. After receiving the never-before-heard threat of "come on out or I'll charge into the faculty room and kiss you", I had no choice but to exit the school building.

"h.e.l.lo, detective."

"What do you want, mystery freak? I'm kind of busy."

"So am I. I need to get to the gym soon for the school a.s.sembly. But let's talk first. If you ignore me, I'll forcibly have my way with you here."

I let out a heavy sigh.

My mental state was similar to some chocolate melting under the hot sun.

"If you're interested, I take it this is about some kind of incident."

"That's right. What about you, detective? Why are you here for this SNS safety cla.s.s? Are you using it to get into the school because you caught the same scent I'm after?"

I had no ulterior motive for being here, but was something actually happening around the mystery freak?

"If it's urgent, I'll hear you out. Despite how you act, you are civilian and I am a police officer."

"So you understand."

I had tried to warn her by emphasizing the fact that she was a civilian, but the mystery freak did not give in at all.

She glanced away from me and beckoned someone over with her hand.

"Okay, Tomoe-chaaan. This is the detective I was talking about. There's no distinction or division between adult and child with him, so he's our ally."

I do too have a division and distinction there!!

It would be a major problem if I still acted like a middle schooler at this age!!

"…Detective?"

A face peered out from behind a pillar along a nearby outside pathway.

She was a girl with an appearance that made you think her braided hair was to help with her school records. She wore gla.s.ses, but she looked more like an athlete or martial artist than a bookish girl. Her body was wrapped in supple muscles. She appeared to have a better figure than the mystery freak.

However, both her muscles and figure did not look natural. It may have been the popular thing to do, but it appeared she had done a fair bit of "grooming". She was the type who would have tons of diet ebooks on her phone.

You weren't supposed to push yourself too hard while still growing, but the world was a harsh place.

"No, Enbi. It can't be a detective. I don't think he can help us."

She seemed openly hostile, but it would have been jumping the gun to a.s.sume she was hiding something she felt guilty about. During some sort of incident, even the most innocent normal citizen did not want to approach the police.

"Tomoe, he isn't that kind of detective."

"Enbi, I decided to ask you for help because you gather information using several different routes, but I am opposed to using him. Forget my request. I'll do this on my own."

This Tomoe-chan turned her back on us and muttered one last comment.

Her voice was quiet, but it possessed a piercing sharpness.

"I can't trust the police. They can't do anything."

After watching Tomoe-chan leave, Enbi sighed.

Now then…

"I'm not trying to show off, but explain to me what is going on. This smells really fishy to me."

"Fine, but neither of us has much time. We can continue this in the afternoon. Let's finish with this school day first."

As expected, the best I could manage in the SNS safety cla.s.s was to make sure it did not absolutely fail. There was no way I could give much of a presentation when I was suddenly thrown up on stage with no script or rehearsal time. Think of it as the school expecting some high-level acrobatic flying while all I delivered was a safe emergency landing. That required some skill too, but it was tragically difficult for others to tell.

But at least the mystery freak had managed to suppress her laughter while listening to me speak.

After finishing with the school day, Enbi and I met up outside of the school.

"Detective, do you want to get lunch somewhere?"

"It's exactly noon. Everywhere will be busy."

"…Oh. That's a sad statement that shows what sort of restaurant you eat at."

"More importantly, tell me if you know of anything that might be a serious issue."

"We can speak while we walk." The mystery freak raised her index finger while taking the lead. "I will omit any uncertain information if that is okay with you."

"Just tell me what you can."

"Lately, Jinmensou have been spreading among high school girls in Shibuya."

"…In Shibuya?"

I had thought every restaurant in a student district like Ochanomizu would be packed at lunchtime, but we found an empty café a bit off the major roads where the employees were dressed as masters and maids. The mystery freak swiftly moved to a table in the back like she had done it a thousand times before.

"This place makes all the sales it needs for the day with the morning meals they sell in front of the station. Everything else is just a hobby."

"I don't care about the restaurant. Tell me about this incident. What was that about high school girls in Shibuya? I've never seen those creatures except on TV."

You could say they were synonymous with lies.

Most anyone could easily tell just how much truth there was in any rumor that began with "according to some high school girls in Shibuya".

The police received a lot of unreliable-sounding reports and tips, but the credibility dropped considerably if that term was mentioned.

After ordering a hot sandwich and an iced coffee produced in some place with a horribly long foreign-sounding name, the mystery freak said, "Well, just think of that as a symbol or a framework that was easy to use. The Jinmensou problem has reached one of our students. That would be middle school girl in Ochanomizu. It might have reached some elementary school students as well. Think of it as being a problem for all minors who hang out in Shibuya."

"Just to check: are you sure there really is something to this?"

"Of course."

I glanced through the menu and grimaced.

Why is there not a single thing on the menu spelled with less than 50 characters?

The mystery freak ignored my hesitation and ordered something for me without asking.

"Jinmensou, those giant tumors in the shape of a human face, are spreading among those girls. You came from an Intellectual Village, so you know what a Jinmensou is, right?"

"…A Youkai."

"The story goes that they appear as a symbol of evil deeds when a person has lied or sinned too much. It's the same as the Futakuchi Onna. But they do not have the ability to kill as they merely appear on the surface of the body."

Seeing one in an Intellectual Village was one thing, but it bothered me a bit that Jinmensou were appearing in the great metropolis of Tokyo.

Youkai disliked modern cities, so they tended to gather in rural areas. It was possible someone was forcibly altering that aspect of the Youkai so the Jinmensou would spread through these Shibuya high school girls.

The mystery freak put mustard on the hot sandwich when it arrived which made the picky master frown.

"These Jinmensou are a very serious problem when they appear in the sensitive adolescent school society. You would likely be isolated if those around you found out something that creepy had appeared on your body. …And that goes double for a girl's skin. They hold irresponsible dreams in regards to their skin.

"Would they really be purged like that?"

"It wouldn't be so bad with a simple scar or burn. After all, it isn't your fault if you get hurt. But a Jinmensou is a Youkai. And it appears in response to lies and sins. Not only does an ugly tumor several centimeters large appear, but everyone a.s.sumes it's your fault. These people can't help but be socially purged at an accelerated rate."

Isolation.

Ostracism.

A student who had no place in the inescapable framework of a school might feel enough fear to end their own life.

Was that the issue the mystery freak was worried about?

No.

That did not include a "criminal" which is what she would be most interested in.

"I understand that this leaves a lot unknown about the appearance of the Jinmensou," she continued. "But what if this is a Youkai-related Package that allows someone to freely make these face-shaped tumors appear or disappear? That would give this person the ability to ostracize any student in a school at any time. Doesn't that sound like it would lead to crime? For example, it could be used to control the frightened girls affected by it."

If that was true, it was indeed a problem with a great risk.

If the situation only advanced below the surface due to the restrictions of a school society, talk of it could definitely spread around without the organizations of adults learning of it.

But…

"…? What's wrong, detective?"

"Nothing."

I was unable to work up any motivation without a murder or a corpse and this seemed outside the usual realm of her twisted interests.

"Hm? Are you feeling unmotivated because it's outside the jurisdiction of Department 1?"

"My job can be rather vague. You could say it's my job to resolve any major incidents or matters that are not handled by other departments."

And if I went back to the office, I would just be given another annoying job by the department chief.

I decided to make up a lie about feeling sick from the anxiety of suddenly going up on stage so I could avoid heading back for a while.

"Let's do some investigation. Where should we start?"

"Shibuya, of course. I'm meeting someone there."

"Who?"

"One of the rumored high school girls. We won't get anywhere without first seeing one of these Jinmensou for ourselves."

We rode the train to the ZR Shibuya station.

"Did you meet this high school girl on the internet?"

"Yes, but I'm not entirely sure it was really a high school girl I was talking with. It might have been some group of gaudy guys who are trying to become kidnappers. That's why I asked you to come along, detective."

"Just as you explained in the gym today, SNSs are filled with dangers. It only makes sense to bring along some insurance. Kee hee hee."

Please don't laugh like that. Just thinking about how awkward and nervous I was on that stage makes me want to die.

We left the station and headed to a plaza surrounded by countless buildings. The plaza doubled as a large bus roundabout and was often used as a meeting point.

I beg you, Mr. Uniformed Police Officer. I'm one of you. Just because I have a girl clinging to my side doesn't mean you need to glare at me with such suspicion.

"But this Jinmensou issue has a delicate side to it, right? Will she really open up to someone like me? I'm a guy, I'm an adult, and I'm with the police. That's three distinct boundaries."

"I'd say it depends on the person. Some girls might want to ask for help from someone larger than themselves."

"But that girl at your school held some pretty blatant hostility towards me. What was her name? Tomoe-chan?"

"Hachikawa Tomoe-chan. Her situation is a bit unique."

"No, people like you who can talk to a police officer so cheerfully are the exception."

"Oh, c'mon, detective. Surely you don't think you're a whisky-drinking, trench coat-wearing, tough-looking nice guy who lives in a hard boiled world. You're more like a cute little animal."

"I'll have to disagree if you're trying to say I fill the role of a mascot. But anyway…"

I trailed off before I could continue.

I sharpened my senses and checked my surroundings again.

The mystery freak called out, "Oh, it's Tomoe."

The same Hachikawa Tomoe-chan from before was glaring our way from in front of a convenience store at the base of one of the large buildings surrounding the plaza.

I suddenly recalled that she had said she would "do this on her own".

"Hey, mystery freak. She isn't the high school girl afflicted with a Jinmensou you were talking about, is she?"

I received a blatant click of the tongue in response.

But from Tomoe-chan rather than the mystery freak.

"If that was the case, I wouldn't use such a roundabout method. It would have been simpler just to talk with you at school."

"I suppose that's true."

"…You're such an idiot. You had enough information to figure that out. If you had thought about it at all, you would have known right away."

Yes, but it's my job to ask those things you can "know right away" dozens or even hundreds of times while watching the reaction of the people I ask.

Hachikawa Tomoe-chan pointed at my nose.

"Anyway, I don't need anyone as useless as you here. If this Shibuya high school girl learns a policeman is here, she might turn right around and run away. Then we will lose any hint we might have gotten."

"So you're saying…um…"

"Hachikawa. Hachikawa Tomoe."

I of course already knew that, but calling her by her name before she had introduced herself would only have increased her distrust of me. Playing dumb could be a real pain.

"Hachikawa-san, are you here to contact the same person as the mystery frea-…I mean, as Hishigami-san?"

"That's right. I was the one that asked Enbi for help after meeting this girl online. If I had known that would lead to someone as troublesome as you tagging along, I never would have done so!"

I felt a bit bad for the mystery freak, but this was the normal reaction.

It would have been stranger if some boring man wearing a suit was not rejected upon trying to join a group of sensitive adolescent girls.

However…

"We can talk about this later." I said.

"…What?"

"Move away from the entrance to that convenient store. Pay attention while walking through the city. The siren attached under the eaves is on."

That was an SOS indicating a robbery.

It had been this I had initially noticed, not Tomoe-chan.

I turned to the mystery freak and said, "I'm going in. You take Hachikawa-san away from here. The robber might try to flee. Stay away from any obvious paths and wait. Understand?"

"Detective, did you bring your handgun?"

"Don't underestimate me."

I was of course going to handle this unarmed.

I was a police officer. I would have a chance to be of some use outside of extreme exceptions like Zashou Island where every single villager was guilty and armed with hunting weaponry.

But I frowned in confusion upon subduing the culprit who was shouting while threatening the cashier with something like an awl.

The criminal was a high school girl.

And when her skirt flipped up, I caught a glimpse of something on her thigh.

"…A Jinmensou?"

A report had to be submitted in the process of handing the criminal over to the local police station, so my department chief naturally learned of what happened. He shouted angrily at me with incredible force over the phone, but even he seemed hesitant to be too angry since no one was hurt, no damage was done, and the (attempted) robber had been arrested.

As I killed time in the police station's standard waiting room, a young detective from the station approached me with a clipboard in hand.

"I am Inoue."

"Hi, I am Uchimaku."

"Thank you for your help. We will handle investigation if you do not mind."

"Sure, sure. Um, do I need to sign this?"

"Yes."

I spoke to Inoue-san while using a ballpoint pen to sign my name on the paperwork on the clipboard.

"I would like to hear her motive if that's okay."

"That is fine, but isn't this more a job for the Life Safety Division than Department 1?"

"…? Has she already said something?"

"A bit." Inoue-san lowered his voice to a whisper. "This was an attempted robbery, so she was of course after money. However, the main issue is why she wanted that money."

"…Have you confirmed that she has a Jinmensou?"

"She showed it to us," replied Inoue-san. "She has a tumor about 5 cm across resembling a human face on her right thigh. It looks similar to the b.u.mp left by a bug bite."

According to the mystery freak, someone could freely cause these Jinmensou to appear or disappear and could therefore threaten the targeted girls. But for a simple robbery?

As I thought, Inoue-san said something I did not expect.

"The girl…Her name is Sayama Yae by the way. She says she needs the money to pay an exorbitant medical fee to treat the Jinmensou."

"To treat it?"

"Yes." Inoue-san paused for a beat. "With cosmetic surgery."

After hearing what I needed to hear, I left the police station. It was already evening. The mystery freak had been troubling the uniformed police officer at the entrance with a barrage of curious questions, but now she ran over to me.

I looked around and asked, "Hey, where's Hachikawa-san?"

"She left. It looked like this was quite a shock to her."

"Had it been a shock for a violent crime to occur so nearby or for the person with a hint to the Jinmensou incident to be taken in by the police?"

"More importantly, detective, what did the high school girl who committed that attempted robbery say?"

"I can't reveal information on an ongoing investigation."

"Is she in debt over cosmetic surgery that insurance won't cover?"

I quickly checked over my suit for any listening devices.

The mystery freak shook her index finger and said, "Tsk tsk. If you think about it, you will come across several odd points, Uchimaku-kun."

"Oh, is that so."

"Don't ignore me!!"

I started to walk to the subway station, but the mystery freak ran up and latched onto my back.

Stop that! That police officer is getting a dangerous look in his eyes!!

"For one thing, it doesn't make sense to commit a crime after promising to meet with me or Tomoe. I can only think she was planning to get arrested from the beginning. But what would leave her with so few options? I can't think of very many situations."

"What if the person who gave her the Jinmensou demanded she bring them money?"

"Then she would have tried to make sure the robbery succeeded." The mystery freak moved from my back and circled around in front of me. "That high school girl might have been thinking of opposing the person behind the Jinmensou from the moment she initially contacted Tomoe to meet her. But she must have reached some sort of limit in the time between then and now. Since it was a robbery, it must have to do with money. And if the girl was trying to oppose the Jinmensou, then it isn't hard to guess how she would do so."

If the Jinmensou disappeared, she would have nothing more to fear.

So she would remove it by force.

But it was a giant tumor 5 cm across on her thigh. This was different from healing a pimple. If she used a blade to cut it off, she would need to call an ambulance.

In that case, it would be quickest to leave it to a professional.

But…

"What good would it do to have the Jinmensou surgically removed? I thought you suspected the criminal could somehow cause the Jinmensou to appear and disappear. And this is a Youkai that appears as a symbol of lies and sins. Won't it just appear again if you try to forcibly remove it?"

"Perhaps. But how is that a problem for the clinic being paid to remove it?"

"If a Jinmensou appears, they can surgically remove it. If it appears again, they can surgically remove it again. …That cycle is perfect for them. It ensures repeat customers, so the clinic probably loves it. It's entirely possible they have been whispering something about these Jinmensou just like they use the characteristics of obesity and acne to their advantage in their advertis.e.m.e.nts."

We had been a.s.suming the criminal was using the isolated system of a school, but cosmetic surgery did seem to provide the criminal with more to gain.

No matter how deeply the cosmetic surgery clinic was related to this as a whole, it seemed we needed to look into it.

At 11:30 that night, I finished my work for the day and decided to leave the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. When I reached the first floor lobby, Toujou-san from the Life Safety Division entered with a lot of subordinates in tow.

"Huh? Were you out for a nighttime raid?" I asked.

"Yes. In fact, you're the one that gave us this extra work."

"We stopped by the cosmetic surgery clinic related to the Jinmensou. We checked any places that had received an unnatural number of new patients recently and found it right away. It was Kaguya Beauty Clinic in Harajuku. It was a stereotypical 'pitfall'."

"Ah…"

So it was an illegal business that targeted minors. This was common with OB/GYN, cosmetic surgery, or other clinics that deal with delicate issues. They would charge exorbitant prices and then open up pathways to various underground means of earning money for those who could not pay. These "pitfalls" were designed so people would not be able to pay.

This had mostly started after all abortions in which the mother's life was not threatened had been banned by the Newborn Protection Law meant to fight the tide of j.a.pan's low birthrate. These sorts of business had started appearing and spreading what fields they dealt in.

"So where did this pitfall lead? A subcontractor in charge of phone scams?"

"A group that stockpiles cell phones and resells them. It does not look suspicious if high school girls constantly buy the latest phones. This might be related to a large criminal organization. Now we need to meet with the Organized Crime Countermeasures Division. Thanks for the all-nighter you gave us, Uchimaku-kun. Maybe I'll treat you to something later."

"…Was the clinic involved in giving the girls the Jinmensou?"

If so, all the loose ends had been tied up.

Toujou-san shrugged and said, "We looked through everything, but that was probably done elsewhere."

"Do you have proof of that?"

"The disturbance was too great. If Kaguya Beauty Clinic controlled everything, they would have kept it all on a lower scale that would have been harder to find."

I see.

That meant the clinic was simply profiting off of something someone else was causing.

The true criminal behind it all was elsewhere.

"Understood. Call me if it looks like you'll need Department 1 for anything."

"It is our job in the Life Safety Division to ensure you are not needed."

I parted ways with Toujou-san and left the building.

It was very late at night, but the roads still had cars on them. That said, there were not many options when it came to eating out. Bars would still be open, but they got expensive if you used them as a primary source of food.

I had no choice but to enter a nearby convenience store and put a microwaveable side dish into a shopping basket.

That was when I ran into the mystery freak.

"Detective."

"I'm going to stop asking how you always show up like this. And I won't tell you anything about the clinic. That's police information."

"I doubt you found anything. That clinic itself was nothing important."

"The clinic itself?" I asked as the mystery freak grabbed a package of drinkable yogurt.

"I was able to get my hands on a list of people who used Kaguya Beauty Clinic. It wasn't just high school girls. The list contains everyone from housewives to elementary school kids. But I recognized some of the names on the list."

In this case, she did not simply mean she saw the names of some acquaintances.

She went on to say, "Detective, do you remember the SNS murders case you solved back in May?"

"What about it?"

"Go back over it again. That will tell you how deep this goes."

How deep.

That was what the mystery freak said.

"Can I a.s.sume something dangerous is lurking down below all this?"

"If there was not, I would not give you such an unnatural warning. You were the one who directly solved that case even if I helped a bit. The ones behind the Jinmensou likely view you as the most dangerous person to them. So what if you do not stop at the beauty clinic and dig deeper? The odds are good the criminals will take direct action against you."

"Understood." I checked on the contents of my basket. "If they introduce themselves so obviously, I will have an easier time arresting them."

The mystery freak smiled a bit and patted my shoulder.

"You'll be fine with that mindset. …But really be careful. If I'm right, these aren't people who will hold back from attacking just because their enemy is a police officer."

Enbi headed on to the register, paid for her drinkable yogurt, and left the store.

That mystery freak was accustomed to mysterious serial murders, so this must be truly dangerous if she felt the need to warn me so seriously.

I decided to remain focused as I paid at the register and left the convenience store.

But…

I never thought I would be taken out not even 50 meters from the convenience store.

A sudden blunt blow to the back of my head sent me to the ground where I was then a.s.saulted by a storm of violent kicks and punches.

When I came to, I was in the police hospital.

The sky outside the window was orange. I a.s.sumed it was dawn, but it turned out to be sunset. The electrodes attached to me and tube on my arm were enough to tell me something horrible had happened to me.

"You aren't looking too good," said Toujou-san of the Life Safety Division from where he sat on a folding chair.

I frowned in the hospital bed and asked, "Um, why are you here, Toujou-san?"

"The witness report said it was a group of boys. As a street fight, it was handed over to our division. …I'm not sure how anyone could tell exactly how old they were since it was dark and they were wearing full face helmets, but people tend to a.s.sume late night attacks like that are the work of boys." Toujou-san gave a slight smile. "But they have guts to attack and try to kill a police officer. We'll make sure to find who did this."

"…Um, what exactly is the situation? My memories are hazy after the first hit, so I don't really know what happened."

I doubted I had been able to escape in that situation.

Had this enemy simply been giving me a warning instead of trying to kill me?

Or had something caused them to stop before they finished the job?

"Oh, is that so? The attack occurred in the early morning last night near a convenience store in Ochanomizu. A group of four or five helmeted males - well, technically we don't know for sure they were male, but that's what the witness said - beat you to a pulp on the side of the road. But the attackers ran off when the witness screamed. It seems the attackers were speaking j.a.panese."

"I see. Good…."

It was not my survival I was glad of.

It was that this witness had not been hurt after letting out that scream.

And if I was the only victim, that meant the mystery freak had not been involved despite being nearby.

Toujou-san toyed with the remote to the room's TV.

"What do you think of the situation, Uchimaku?"

"I don't like it."

I had been injured just after receiving a warning.

Unless some unrelated group of boys had coincidentally decided to attack me at that moment, the attacker's intent might very well have been to a.s.sa.s.sinate me.

In this country, not many deadly weapons were easily obtained.

But it took skill to sneak up behind a detective who had some knowledge of judo and kendo.

Had the attackers run away when the witness screamed because they had decided killing the witness as well would make the attack stand out too much?

If that was the case…

Whoever was behind the attack had not given up on taking my life. The odds were good they would try to use some other method of eliminating me.

"Don't look so grim. I don't know who did this, but they can't do anything while you are here in the police hospital. You can stay here until I put an end to this."

"I can't do that."

If my opponent saw street violence as but one card among many options with which to kill me, they might be a highly skilled specialist.

It was possible they possessed a card that allowed them to kill a target in a police hospital while making it look like the target's condition merely took a turn for the worse.

The police hospital may have been secure, but my location could not be hidden while I was hospitalized.

If the enemy arrived to kill me, my safety was not guaranteed.

I gathered my strength to sit up and felt a dull pain in my head and across the rest of my upper body. I grimaced, but ignored with the pain. I could not remain on the defensive. To survive, I had to go on the offensive and hunt down the ident.i.ty of my enemy.

"Wait, wait. Aren't you getting a little too hot-blooded? Are you okay?"

"No. It's because I'm a coward that I feel the need to go on the offensive here."

Merely changing from the hospital gown and into my suit was enough to make me want to scream, but I had to bear with it.

"I want to talk with the person who saved my life. Can you get me that information?"

"I can, but you explain this to your department chief. I'm not going to save you from him." Toujou-san pulled out a notepad and flipped through the pages. "Let's see, it was a student from Ochanomizu. Her name is Hachikawa Tomoe-san. She is a minor in middle school, so be careful with how you handle this. At her age, the people around her will probably make a bigger deal out of this than she will."

Hachikawa Tomoe-chan, the witness of the attack, lived in a family-oriented apartment in Ochanomizu. It was seven in the evening, so I was not sure if the pillar of the family, the father, would be home yet. I could smell the scents of dinner being prepared.

…What a pain.

The situation would be a lot easier to handle if both parents were home. I did not want the father thinking I had intentionally come by while he was away.

The front entrance automatically locked, so I could not even enter the apartment building. I entered the room number to call them over the intercom. As expected, Hachikawa Tomoe-chan's mother sounded displeased when I said I was a police detective. Although she did not start talking about warrants and lawyers based on what she had seen on TV dramas, so it could have been worse.

But I needed her consent. If she refused to let me in, there was nothing I could do. If I abused my power and claimed she was obstructing the duties of a public servant, I would be stuck writing an apology in the seiza position by the end of the day. I would probably have my pay reduced for a week as well.

What is she going to do?

Just as I started wondering that, I heard footsteps belonging to someone other than the mother. The mother then called out the name Tomoe. The speaker then produced the sound of a door opening. I tilted my head in puzzlement and Hachikawa Tomoe-chan came running out to the front of the apartment building before long.

"D-dete-detective!? What are you doing out of the hospital!? You were bleeding so much!"

"My injuries were not life threatening. And even if I am a police officer, I am still a working member of society. Everyone knows you have to work if you are able."

"Everyone knows that…?"

"Well, I know I look pretty pathetic with all these bandages, but I'm doing fine. You don't need to worry about me. More importantly, do you mind if I ask some questions about last night? The attack might have been related to the Jinmensou incident."

Tomoe-chan fell silent.

Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Why are you pursuing this so seriously? This is just another job to you. Unlike me, you have plenty of other incidents to worry about."

I decided it was best to hide the fact that I wanted a chance to strike back before the enemy could make their next move. It was likely out of guilt over not being able to save me that she was actually speaking with me and being fairly polite.

"I can't say this is the job I want to work on most, but it comes in second. I do my job because I want to, so I am willing to risk my life for it. Is that so strange?"

"…You're an idiot," muttered Tomoe-chan. "But you might have more guts than that person."

…That person?

She may have been referring to the person that had caused her dislike of the police.

But gathering information about the attack came first.

"It would be a huge help if you could go through everything you know about last night's attack. First of all, what were you doing there?"

"That convenience store may be a good distance from here, but it is a convenient place for reading magazines without buying them. I use it as a destination when I go jogging."

"…You jog that late at night?"

"I do it just before going to bed. My mom-…My parents let me as long as I keep my cell phone's GPS on."

Hachikawa Tomoe-chan had a nice figure wrapped in supple muscles, so she did seem the type who would be mindful of such things.

"Okay, about the attackers then. I remember nothing beyond the first strike from behind. Do you know where they came from or where they went when they left?"

"…? It wasn't toward the subway station. I think they ran off in the direction of some convoluted back alleys."

"Were they on foot or did they have a vehicle?"

"I don't know. They ran away on foot, but they might have had a vehicle waiting further on."

"I was attacked with blunt weapons, but did do you remember what those were?"

"Hmm… I think one guy had some kind of stick. And one had a sock."

"A sock?"

"It was long and stretched out. It was swollen like something was stuffed inside. Something to weigh down one end."

This was going to be difficult. If they did not all use the same sort of weapon, I had less of a hint for my investigation.

If they had used weapons that not many people have such as stun guns or a special sort of baton, I might have been able to hunt them down based on the information alone.

I asked a few more questions, but did not receive much useful information. Partway through, I changed my tactic to seeing if Tomoe-chan was lying, but I saw nothing suspicious in her words or eye movements.

"Thank you very much."

"…You're welcome."

"Just to be safe, you should probably stop your nighttime jogs for the time being. Do you mind if I tell your parents that as well?"

"Tell them whatever you want," said Tomoe-chan while averting her gaze. She then added, "But I will not stop pursuing this Jinmensou incident."

Oh, come on.

Don't you know that is much more dangerous than your nighttime jogs?

You're looking right at a man who was beaten to a pulp over it.

"I can't leave it to that person. I would just get an arbitrary promise and nothing would ever actually be done about it."

"Um, you mentioned 'that person' before as well. Do you mean Hishigami Enbi-san?"

At their school, Tomoe-chan had told the mystery freak she would do this on her own because she could not trust a police detective.

But…

"Eh? Oh. No, no. It isn't her. I have no reason to blame Enbi."

"Then…"

"It doesn't matter who it is," cut in Tomoe-chan sharply. "But if you don't know, that means Enbi really did keep quiet about it."

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

This is starting to sound dangerous.

Not only was Hachikawa Tomoe-chan hiding something, but the mystery freak knew what it was. I had a feeling it would be dangerous to not get the information out of her here, but she was not a suspect. I could not forcibly interrogate her, so there was nothing I could do if she was not willing to tell me.

…I'll get it out of the mystery freak later.

"Anyway, I will pursue this Jinmensou incident no matter what happens. Detective, you should not be wandering around with your injuries. You should get back to the hospital. Good night."

Tomoe-chan then ran back into the apartment building. The lock activated, so I could not pursue her further.

"…Now then."

What could I do now besides asking the mystery freak for information related to Hachikawa Tomoe?

The day before, the mystery freak had told me to check the list of people who used Kaguya Beauty Clinic and to look for a connection to the SNS murders from May.

It pained me to simply do what the mystery freak told me to do, but it was my best bet.

But despite my attempt to look cool, the real world was not the same as a police drama in which any case could be solved in 60 minutes. In reality, the police were not blessed with an environment that allowed them to focus on a single case until it was solved. We often had to handle multiple cases in parallel and sometimes private problems that had no relation to the case got in the way as well.

And so at 7:30 that evening…

"Uchimaku, we're going drinking tonight. You're coming whether you like it or not."

"What?"

As soon as I arrived back at work, the department chief, Mezu Gen, told me that with a stern expression. I could only stare at him in shock while still wrapped in bandages.

Needless to say, the department chief and I were not on friendly enough terms to go drinking together.

And regardless of how well we might get along, being asked to go drinking with your boss did not seem as if it would lead to a fun time.

The department chief must have had his own thoughts on the matter because the wrinkles of his usual stern expression grew threefold.

"Looking at your face while drinking is not my idea of a pleasant evening," he said. "Chief Superintendent Mishima invited us. Refusing would affect both of our futures. If you understand, then get ready."

"Wait!! That's two ranks higher than superintendent! Why does someone like that have his eyes on someone unimportant like me!?"

Above a superintendent was a senior superintendent, and another step above that was the chief superintendent.

In terms of numbers, this was at a level even higher than billion or trillion. This was more like a number like googol that you could live your everyday life just fine without knowing about. That was how little in common there was between someone in a dead-end detective job like me and a senior superintendent or chief superintendent.

By the way, there were only two positions higher than chief superintendent.

"Because you did something that stood out enough for him to notice you. And don't forget that it is thanks to you that I am caught in the middle of this."

The department chief gave me a horrible glare as we boarded a taxi. The atmosphere in the taxi was so awkward the driver remained silent as he drove us to a residential district in Ningyocho. I had not known that high-cost area filled with office buildings had a residential district. And naturally (?) we stopped somewhere with no sign, main entrance, or parking lot. It did not even have the bare minimum of what one would expect of a bar. It looked like the sort of house you could see anywhere.

"Is this the chief superintendent's house?"

"…That's enough. Do not say anything more, Uchimaku."

We entered what looked exactly like the small yard of a house, the department chief knocked on the back door, and a woman wearing a kimono answered.

"Mezu-sama, Uchimaku-sama. We were expecting you. Come in. Mishima-sama has already arrived."

The woman in a kimono had a pin mic on her collar and an earphone in one ear. When she led us inside, the scenery completely changed. The building had looked like a small house from outside, but it was a small but luxurious j.a.panese-style bar inside. This limited s.p.a.ce could likely rival the top floor of a resort hotel.

"…What is this place?"

"Did you think Ginza and Akasaka were as good as it gets? Only the nouveau riche get excited over that. In a world where people truly spare no expense, the bars do not have signs."

The bar had a counter and a few tables, but it was empty except for a single customer at the counter. This was not because the place was doing poorly. Its prices were so ridiculously expensive, it could function with this alone.

That one person raised a hand.

"Hey, hey. Over here, over here. Sorry about the sudden invitation."

He was Chief Superintendent Mishima.

A lowly detective like me would never have any chance to speak with someone like him even if we were in the same building. He was in his late thirties, but he looked like the perfect example of the bachelor living it up. He was of course older than me, but he must have looked like he had just learned to walk from the department chief's perspective. The department chief was old-fashioned and had also always hated the elite, so there must have been a powerful force at play for him to be obeying without complaint.

Rising to chief superintendent by one's late thirties was rare even in the elite Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. People like him tended to rise through the ranks quickly, but that alone was not enough to explain it.

That monster smiled and said, "C'mon, sit, sit. This is a bit of an odd bar that only serves c.o.c.ktails with a sake base, so sorry about that. But they're quite good if you give them a chance. It's all on me, so drink as much as you want."

Anyone who took up that offer in a high cla.s.s bar that did not list a single price on its menu was most likely not a working member of society.

So why did the chief superintendent call us here?

But without giving any hint towards that answer, Chief Superintendent Mishima began some pointless small talk.

"Uchimaku-chan, I've heard you get along quite well with the middle school aged daughter of the Hishigami family."

"Bh!?"

That's the first thing you bring up!?

The department chief's look grew even sterner, but the chief superintendent's tone remained unconcerned.

"Oh, I'm not trying to find fault. In fact, that takes talent. The Hishigami women invite disaster, after all. It seems that is actually a rule in that family. Grabbing the reins of one of them and not being thrown off is quite a feat."

"Wait…eh? What are you saying?"

"If you don't understand, you don't need to. Oh, right. We have been arguing over who to choose to be the next 'police chief for a day'. You have a youthfulness to you that is popular with middle school girls, so who do you think it should be? Who are the popular idols right now?"

"I don't know!! I can't keep track of the names and faces of those idol units with dozens of members!!"

"Do you think Omikuji Maidens or Fortune Telling Girls would be better?"

"I think Seman[1] Stars would be best."

The department chief glared at me, but what was a poor public servant like me supposed to do? If I had remained silent, he still would have glared at me!

After that, Chief Superintendent Mishima insisted that I try some sake-based c.o.c.ktails that had been turned into psychedelic reds and blues. Those upside down triangle c.o.c.ktail gla.s.ses could hold a larger volume than I thought.

I also spotted some junmai daiginjo made by my brother behind the counter.

They were named Red Yukata and Black-Haired Beauty, so he must have been fond of that Youkai despite how much she was afraid of him. Looking as frightening as him may have worked against him in some ways.

"You aren't looking any different."

"Oh. This is not enough to get me drunk."

"That isn't what I meant. Normally, when people are brought to this sort of bar and forced to drink this kind of expensive drink, they want to make informed comments even if they can't tell the difference from normal drinks. I used to do it myself."

Oh, that's what he means.

This may have been the very best the city had to offer, but I grew up in an Intellectual Village. After drinking entire cardboard boxes full of the finest j.a.panese sake in the country or even the world, I had lost all sense of its value.

In college, I had searched out the greatest hidden bars the city had to offer and found none of them could compare to the stuff back home, so I eventually gave up on caring about the quality of sake at all.

But sadly, it was not based on my skill, so I could not brag about it to anyone.

"Oh, right. Uchimaku-chan, I heard about your achievement in that convenience store robbery. You arrested the robber with no injuries or damage, right? It was the best conclusion for both the victim and the criminal."

Only a child would get excited over being praised here.

As an adult, I had to be extra careful of the department chief who had remained silent for a looooooooooong time now.

"Oh, um…sorry about all that."

"No, no. I don't mind. The regulations regarding that are there to allow the police to do their job as efficiently as possible. If you had waited for a police officer in that jurisdiction to arrive, someone might have been stabbed inside the convenience store," said Chief Superintendent Mishima with a big grin on his face. As an adult, I could sense something unsettling like the alcohol was sending him in a negative direction. "Uchimaku-chan, this shows that you have grown enough to instinctually sense what the purpose of a police officer is. You do not need the rules to com