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crimsonstonetranslations · 5 months ago

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Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Another Files - The Lamenting Doll - file 02

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Another Files - The Lamenting Doll ( file 01 )

file 02 - shadow of the departed

1 -

The window wiper moved nonstop. Despite that, large droplets of rain fell onto the freshly wiped surface and continued to wet the windshield. It almost felt like they were underwater.

The sound of raindrops violently hitting against the roof of the car irritated him. Although Gotou had started the car, he couldn’t even leave the parking spot where they had stopped due to the overwhelming downpour.

“This rain is just the worst,” he grumbled as he glared across the windshield. “If you have time to complain, you should figure out something else to do,” said Yakumo, sitting in the back seat.

He leaned against the seat and yawned nonchalantly whilst messing with his dishevelled hair. “Even if you tell me to do something...” Gotou shrugged in earnest.

Earlier, they had heard news through the radio that the Chuo expressway had been closed due to a landslide. From their current location in Yamanashi, Tokyo was roughly a hundred and thirty kilometres away.

Not an impossible distance to travel through the regular road, but it would take them longer than usual to drive amidst this pouring rain, and most importantly, the roads in this mountain were steep. Making the wrong move would only make matters worse for them. “Good grief. What a useless bear, only good for being large,” said Yakumo, mocking him.

“My bad for being useless. Besides, you’re the one responsible for this entire situation,” Gotou replied loudly until his voice echoed throughout the car. Even so, Yakumo maintained an innocent look. Instead, Haruka, who had been sitting next to him, jolted. Gotou seemed to have startled her.

He felt guilty towards Haruka, but Gotou couldn’t help complaining. They were rendered helpless in this rainstorm because of Yakumo. Besides, he was no comic book superhero. No way he had a method to stop the landslide.

Yet Yakumo spoke as if everything had been Gotou’s fault. It would’ve been strange for Gotou to not be irritated instead. “For your information, I wasn’t the one who led us into this situation,” said Yakumo, throwing a cold look towards Isshin, sitting on the front passenger seat.

Isshin’s age wasn’t too far from Gotou, yet how he donned monk robes, with a dignified expression like that of a Buddha’s, combined with the way he carried himself, made him appear more senior. He was great at taking care of others and couldn’t sit still upon witnessing those in trouble.

In the first place, everything had started because Isshin hadn’t been able to refuse the request to resolve a spiritual phenomenon at the sake factory acquainted with one of the families supporting the temple, so he had to ask for help from Yakumo. Regardless, the person with the idea to use Gotou as a driver had been none other than Yakumo.

“You’re the one who got me involved even though I had nothing to do with this!” threatened Gotou, turning towards the back seat. Such threats did nothing to shake Yakumo, who simply responded, “To think you could say something like that.”

“Ha?” “Who was it again that’s been involving an unrelated university student into all sorts of cases, countless times?”

Having that brought up was a critical hit. All this time, Gotou had been relying on Yakumo’s abilities, bringing in a variety of cases to get his assistance.

While Haruka had been the one who had brought more cases to him recently, that didn’t change the fact that Gotou himself had involved Yakumo in a number of cases. “Aah, fine. I was the one at fault.”

“Good thing you understood,” said Yakumo nonchalantly. Gotou felt like beating him, but Isshin interrupted.

“There’s a hotel about five kilometres ahead. Let’s try asking if they have any vacant rooms,” Isshin suggested as he looked at his phone. “Riverside Fuji Hotel that’s next to the Kamanashi river, right?” said Haruka, who was also staring at her phone.

Apparently she had come across the same hotel as Isshin after making a search. Saying this and that wouldn’t improve their situation.

“Anyway, let’s try heading there—” After receiving the hotel’s address from Isshin, Gotou entered it into the car navigation before starting the car.

- 2

- Upon alighting the car, Haruka was immediately struck by pouring rain.

She had known how heavy the rain was ever since she had been inside the car, but after exiting, it was worse than she had imagined, her hair was soaked instantly. “Waah,” she exclaimed whilst running into the hotel lobby.

Despite it only being a few metres away, not just her hair, her blouse was also drenched and even the insides of her shoes were wet from stepping in a puddle. “How awful,”

Even after wiping the droplets from her hair and blouse, the wetness wouldn’t go away. Gotou and Isshin were drenched as well, but they didn’t appear to pay any mind and directly walked towards the front desk.

Haruka turned towards the side to see Yakumo, shaking his head like a dog to get rid of the water clinging to his hair. Yakumo’s bed head was a trademark of his, but now that his hair was all flat and stuck together, it gave a different impression than usual.

This is not bad. “What are you looking at?” asked Yakumo, lifting his left eyebrow.

“I-I’m not looking at anything in particular…” Haruka hurriedly averted her eyes.

Her face started burning, feeling as if her heart’s contents were exposed. “This hotel seems rather old...” said Yakumo, casting his gaze throughout the hotel lobby as if he had lost interest with Haruka.

“Is that so?” Haruka responded in disbelief, but upon closer inspection, the hotel did look old. The hotel’s interior walls were white, with brownish red carpet. As Yakumo had said, the hotel appeared to have been established for a long time.

“Furthermore, it’s dark,” commented Yakumo as he lifted his gaze. Now that he mentioned it, that was probably true. The ceiling was like an atrium that extended to the second floor, which normally would’ve given the feel of an open space. Yet for some reason, it felt dark and gloomy here.

Even so, it might’ve felt that way partly due to the constant downpour outside. Rather than the hotel’s age, Haruka was more curious about how few employees there were in this hotel. There was but a single young man employed at the front desk speaking with Gotou and Isshin; beside that there was no other people in sight that could be a hotel employee.

The lobby was quiet and felt deserted. “That’s...” mumbled Yakumo as he stared in the direction of the front desk.

What is it? Haruka turned to look, finding Gotou and Isshin discussing something with the employee at the front desk.

Could it be that they weren’t able to get a room? Not long afterwards, Gotou and Isshin approached Yakumo and Haruka.

“Are there rooms available?” asked Haruka to the two men, though she already suspected the reply. The two simultaneously made a difficult face.

“There is, but there’s only one twin room that’s vacant,” said Isshin, rubbing his bald head troublingly. “One room…?”

“Well, if we’re all guys, we could’ve just squeezed in to fit into the two beds, but that’s not the case, right,” said Gotou, glancing at Haruka. I see.

Honestly, Haruka wasn’t too keen on having four people in one room either. Not that she was wary towards Isshin or Gotou. As a woman, there were things that she wouldn’t want to show.

But she couldn’t act picky in this situation. Rather than sleeping in the car, squeezing to sleep in a cramped room was still the better choice. Since she was drenched, she wanted to take a shower as well.

“It’s fine even if we’re in the same room,” said Haruka, making Isshin and Gotou look at each other in response. After a brief silence, Gotou grinned. “Even if Haruka-chan doesn’t mind, it’d be bad if something happens, right?”

“Don’t worry. I trust that Gotou-san nor Isshin-san aren’t the kind of person to do anything strange.” “No doubt about us, but we don’t know for sure about him,” said Gotou with an implied gesture as he peered towards Yakumo.

Feeling Gotou’s stare on him, Yakumo’s eyebrow twitched and he exhaled a long sigh. “Don’t tell me Gotou-san thinks I’m going to do something?” he said, glancing at Gotou.

“Precisely,” said Gotou in reply, riling him. “I have the right to choose as well. Whatever happens, I’m not touching that troublemaker,” said Yakumo, sounding fed up.

Even though he meant to refute Gotou’s accusation, it really pained Haruka to hear that. Yeah, I am in fact a troublemaker! Besides, I also have the right to choose!

While Haruka cursed in her thoughts, the young employee at the front desk ran in their direction. Seeing him up close, his face didn’t look dependable at all.

The nametag he wore said ‘Oohori’, and above his name the word ‘trainee’ was printed. Well, if he were still under training, it wasn’t surprising for him to not seem dependable.

Despite that, to think that they would make a trainee tend to the front desk alone—this hotel seemed to be more understaffed than Haruka had imagined. “Um...” Oohori greeted hesitantly.

“What?” asked Gotou. Oohori appeared to stutter briefly, but he immediately cleared his throat and said, “My deepest apologies. Upon checking again, there’s also a single room available...if you wish, I could get the room prepared.”

“Thank goodness,” said Isshin in relief. “We’re in luck. With this, we have one problem settled,” said Gotou in agreement.

Haruka stroked her chest in relief as well. Yet for some reason, Yakumo’s expression appeared complicated.

“What’s wrong?” asked Haruka. Running a hand through his hair to get rid of the water, Yakumo mumbled, “Something’s off.”

“What is?” “If I could put it into words, I would’ve said it already.”

Well, that’s true. “If it’s bothering you that much, feel free to stay in the same room as Haruka-chan,” Gotou chimed in with a grin.

“Who said I wanted that?” Yakumo glared at Gotou. “Oh, pissed off, are you?”

“Not really.” “Just be honest.”

“Please stop talking like I’m some kind of deviant. I’m not so starved that I’ll go for any woman whoever they are.” “Enough already,” Haruka spontaneously interrupted.

Perhaps to Yakumo, he was merely getting back at Gotou’s mockery. But to Haruka, it hurt to hear Yakumo say such things. She couldn’t stand being dragged into their unproductive conversation any longer.

After checking in and receiving their keys, they proceeded to board the elevator. The room keys weren’t the keycard type, but were instead cylinder shaped old keys with a plate of the room number.

Yakumo and the rest were on the third floor, room 301. Haruka was one floor above them on the fourth floor, room 404. The elevator door opened at the third floor and Yakumo, Isshin, as well as Gotou stepped out.

“Have a good rest,” said Isshin, waving his hand with a friendly smile. Haruka nodded, “Yes,” before pressing the close button on the elevator.

Right before the door closed, Yakumo suddenly shoved his arm to halt the door. The elevator door creaked and opened once again. “What’s wrong?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo stared at her with a serious expression. “Once you’re in the room, check places like underneath the bed, inside the closet, and the bathroom cupboard. If there are any picture frames, check behind it as well.” “Why?”

Haruka didn’t feel that she needed to go out of her way to do those things. “Just in case.”

“Hence, in case of what I have to check them?” “In case you find something that looks like a talisman pasted, let me know immediately.”

“T-talisman?” “At hotels, they tend to put talismans in places that are hard to see inside rooms that have ghosts.”

“Eh?” What’s the meaning of that?

Haruka wanted to confirm, but the elevator door had closed before she had the chance to ask. Hearing the sound of the pulley being pulled upwards made her realise how serious the situation was.

Yakumo’s words earlier signified the possibility that a ghost may be present in this hotel. Perhaps Yakumo had already seen something back in the lobby. In that case—

While she was deep in her thoughts, the elevator arrived at the fourth floor and the door opened. The corridor that extended straight ahead felt awfully long. She was aware that the glum atmosphere could be attributed to the heavy rain, yet it was terrifying regardless.

Don’t worry about it. Although she tried to tell herself that, Haruka wasn’t able to make a single step from the elevator. If she were to encounter a ghost while all alone, screaming wouldn’t solve anything.

Thinking that, without her realising, the elevator door began to close again. Haruka hurriedly slipped through the gap in the door, exiting the elevator.

With its doors closed, the elevator descended to the lower floors. She shouldn’t have forced herself to alight at the fourth floor. She could’ve returned to the third floor and asked Yakumo to inspect the room together at least. That way, perhaps she would have a better peace of mind.

But if she were to do that, Gotou would probably let the two of them be by themselves on purpose. That wouldn’t be so bad—no, that would be impossible.

Not that she disliked Yakumo, but her heart wasn’t prepared. Wait, if that were the case, that would mean she’d be okay with it so long as her heart was prepared. Haruka changed her mood and walked towards room 404.

As soon as she reached the room, she would inspect the entire room and as Yakumo had instructed, contact him immediately if she discovered a talisman or the like. Haruka convinced herself as she stood in front of the room she would be staying in.

It’s still scary after all. Why did Yakumo had to say it at the last minute like that? She felt like she’d be able to sleep peacefully if only Yakumo hadn’t said anything.

No use even thinking about it. Haruka prepared her heart before inserting the key into the keyhole.

- 3

- Once they had entered the hotel room, Gotou immediately let out a long sigh.

It was a simple room with two beds and a sofa, but at the very least he could breathe easy now. Today had been a long one.

He never would have thought he’d come all the way to Yamanashi Prefecture and had no choice but to spend the night here. All because of Yakumo.

He had a mountain of complaints, but if he were to say it aloud, Gotou was certain he would be retaliated with insults a hundredfold. Besides, their situation wouldn’t change even if he were to complain. Rather than that—

“Is it really alright?” he asked Yakumo, who was already sitting on the sofa. “About what?”

Yakumo’s expression was showing clear suspicion. “About Haruka-chan.”

“What about her?” “Earlier you spoke as if a ghost would appear,” urged Gotou.

“Oh, that,” Yakumo answered listlessly. “I never said a ghost would appear.” “That was what you said.”

“No. I only sensed something was off, so as a precaution, I asked her to do an inspection.” Now that he mentioned it, that was true. Yakumo never said a word implying that a ghost was present, just that—

“What was it that was bothering you?” “If I knew, I would’ve explained it already. As I said before, it was just a precaution—”

“If you say something like that, Haruka-chan would get scared.” “She’s not going to get scared over just that,” said Yakumo with a shrug.

That may be true. Haruka had resolved a number of cases with Yakumo thus far. She had experienced so many spiritual phenomena that she’d gotten sick of it, not to mention having seen crime scenes more terrifying than a typical police detective would.

Even if a ghost were to appear, she might get scared, but surely she’d be able to handle it calmly without panicking. Haruka used to be a frail woman who could only cry, but humans could grow stronger with time.

“Well, you’re right.” “Gotou-san, instead of worrying about others, you should worry about yourself instead.”

“Ha?” “Perhaps a ghost might appear in this room instead—is what I’m saying.”

“W-what?” Gotou frantically walked all over the room to check below the bed and inside the closet. Witnessing Gotou’s antics, Isshin complained, “What a busy man,”

It was impossible for him to stay still. There might be a ghost in this room. “If you have time to complain, come help out as well,” urged Gotou. “That isn’t necessary,” Isshin replied with a calm look on his face.

“Why not?” “There are no ghosts in this room. Right, Yakumo?”

The moment Isshin threw the conversation at Yakumo, the man simply extended his arms in a joking manner. Seeing that made Gotou understood.

If there really was a ghost in this room, they wouldn’t have to go into all the trouble of searching for a talisman as Yakumo’s left eye should be able to see it. To think he hadn’t realised something as simple as that; perhaps that was the very evidence that Gotou was the scared one.

“Dammit...” Gotou grumbled, landing his bottom on the bed right as their room door was knocked. Isshin replied, “One moment,” whilst moving to answer the door.

The employee named Oohori, who had been in the front desk previously, stood there while holding a folding mattress and a fitted sheet. “I’ve come to prepare the bed,” Oohori said politely.

“Ah, please do.” Isshin ushered Oohori into the room.

“Excuse me. I need to use the sofa, is that alright?” said Oohori. Yakumo then stood up to make room. After temporarily placing the mattress and fitted sheet on the bed, Oohori began working with the sofa. Apparently the sofa could be turned into a bed, such that the once twin room could have one more bed for a third person.

“Are there no other hotel employees around?” Yakumo asked Oohori, who was doing his work. Unlike his typically rude and roundabout manner of speech, Yakumo sounded very polite.

“It’s just me alone at the moment,” replied Oohori with a bitter laugh. He appeared to be holding back in front of guests, despite actually wanting to air his grievances.

“Are you always by yourself?” asked Yakumo again. “Not always. But today everyone’s out because of something, so I’m by myself...”

“Aren’t the rooms fully occupied? Must be tough if there’s no one else to lend a hand.” “A majority of the rooms aren’t usable as they’re under renovation. Only two groups of guests had booked a reservation, so I thought it’d be fine, but…”

Oohori stopped his hand momentarily and his face turned sour once again. It appeared that Oohori, who was still under training, had been entrusted with running the hotel since the number of usable rooms had been limited, but then Gotou and the others had suddenly arrived.

“Since the situation became like this, they said they’ll come to help, so I believe your stay here wouldn't be impacted.” As Oohori finished setting up the bed, now drenched in sweat, he spoke, “If you’ll excuse me—” as he was about to leave the room.

At that moment, Yakumo called out to stop him. “Do you need something?” Oohori turned around, still holding the doorknob.

“Pardon, but do you have any children, Oohori-san?” Oohori was stunned upon hearing Yakumo’s sudden question. “No. I’m still a bachelor…”

“I see. Sorry about that.” “Then, excuse me—”

Yakumo stopped Oohori from leaving once again. “One more thing. Have you ever heard any rumours of a ghost appearing in this hotel?“

“A ghost…?” Oohori was flabbergasted over all the questions directed at him. Well, anyone would’ve had the same reaction if they were interrogated like that.

Yakumo waited for an answer, staring straight at Oohori. Oohori appeared confused for a moment, but eventually replied, “I’ve never heard of such rumours even once.”

“I see. My apologies for asking all these questions,” said Yakumo, bowing politely. Oohori responded, “Not at all—” before leaving the room.

“Oi, Yakumo. Why were you insisting about a ghost earlier?” said Gotou after waiting for the door to close. He had mentioned that something had been bothering him, but from the way he had spoken to Oohori earlier, he now seemed certain about it.

“I know now what’s been bothering me,” said Yakumo as he brushed his bangs upwards. “What?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo placed his index finger between his eyebrows. “When we entered this hotel, I saw someone’s figure entering the area behind the front desk,” he said calmly. “What about it?”

That didn’t sound particularly strange. Gotou had seen an entrance to and from the area behind the front desk that had been covered with a curtain. Perhaps an office space was behind there. It would be normal for employees to enter and exit to and from that office.

“Do you still not realise?” “Ha?”

“Earlier, Oohori-san said he was all alone.” As soon as Gotou understood what Yakumo was trying to say, his body began to shiver.

Come to think of it, when he had been talking to Oohori at the front desk, he hadn’t seen anyone entering the area behind the front desk. In other words, that person had only been visible to Yakumo.

And they had been none other than a ghost. -

4 -

“Huh?” Haruka exclaimed spontaneously. She had managed to insert the key into the keyhole and unlocked it. Yet somehow the door itself wouldn’t open.

No matter how much she pushed or pulled, the door refused to budge. As she deliberated calling the front desk employee, for the final time, Haruka attempted to push the door whilst putting her body weight onto her shoulder.

The door opened with a creaking sound. As it turned out, the door frame didn’t seem to fit properly. Like this, she would have trouble entering and leaving the room. Haruka decided to contact the front desk later on.

Thank goodness. She entered the room feeling relieved. The next second however, Haruka spontaneously halted her steps.

This room was incredibly dark. The further it was from the door, the darkness became more intense, to the point that the furthest part of the room appeared to be painted with black ink. “What’s with this room…?”

Haruka wavered at first, but she soon discovered the cause. The windows inside the room were entirely covered by blackout curtains. Typically when a guest first checked in to their hotel room, the blackout curtains would be left open. Someone seemed to have left it closed.

Haruka released her hand from the door and began stepping further into the room. Walking in as the door closed with a thud, the room became enveloped in darkness.

She fumbled around for the curtains and opened them. Due to the rain, you couldn’t exactly call the room bright, but she could at least see the state of the room.

She wouldn’t have to go through this trouble, had she turned on the lights first earlier. Embarrassed by her poor technique, Haruka walked towards the bathroom. First of all, she needed to dry her wet hair. Otherwise, she would catch a cold.

The bathroom was in the same room as the toilet, similar to that of one person apartments. Perhaps because it hadn’t been used in a long time, the washbasin and the toilet lid was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Well, not that she could complain. “Towel, towel...”

She tried looking for them, but didn’t find any. Perhaps it could be in the bedroom?

Haruka exited the bathroom and gazed across the bedroom. There was a bed, and a sideboard with television and a telephone on top. She couldn’t find a towel anywhere she looked.

I give up. Haruka reached for the telephone handset on top of the sideboard to contact the front desk.

There should have been the beeping sound normally heard from the speaker, but she couldn’t hear anything even after putting the handset against her ear. Haruka continued to try and press the extension number written on the telephone, but forget being connected, she couldn’t even hear the sound of a button press.

It seemed that this phone was completely broken. This left her no choice but to leave the room and approach the front desk directly.

As she headed for the door, Yakumo’s words came to her mind. In case you found something that looks like a talisman pasted, let me know immediately.

He had mentioned that talismans would be placed in rooms that were haunted by ghosts. Haruka could just inspect the room upon returning from the front desk. But once it piqued her curiosity, she couldn’t ignore the thought in her mind.

No, towel comes first. Haruka told herself that.

Yet as soon as she reached for the doorknob, she felt someone’s stare from behind. Don’t turn around.

Despite thinking that, her neck slowly turned as if pulled by something. There was no one there.

Only the sound of rain hitting against the window. Perhaps her nerves were becoming too sensitive.

Haruka decided to leave for the front desk immediately. Yet when she was about to face the door again, somehow her gaze was drawn towards a shadow underneath the bed. There was nothing over there.

Although she thought as much, she still grew restless. It was all Yakumo’s fault that she felt this way. Because of all that talk about talismans, Haruka grew anxious and unable to remain composed in the room.

Surely her nerves would calm down once she confirmed that there was no such talisman sticking underneath the bed. Firming her resolve, Haruka approached the bed, went down to her knees, and crouched to peek underneath it—

- 5

- “I’m going out for a bit.”

After Oohori had left their room, Yakumo seemed to be thinking about something, before suddenly saying that and headed for the door. “Where are you going?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo stopped walking and turned. He appeared unenergetic as usual and it was impossible to read what he was thinking.

“It’s bothering my mind, so I’d like to take a brief look.” “You mean Haruka-chan’s room?”

“Why did it come to that? I saw a ghost at the front desk. It has nothing to do with her room.” “I see...”

It was true that since he had seen the ghost at the front desk, Haruka’s room had nothing to do with it. “Wait up. I’m going too,” Gotou slapped his knees and stood up.

When Yakumo had said that it was bothering him, it was possible something might happen. Gotou felt uncomfortable ignoring it. “I’ll go as well,” said Isshin as he also stood up.

“Even if the number of people increases, it wouldn’t make a difference,” said Yakumo, messing with his dishevelled hair in annoyance. Gotou could tell just by looking. Yakumo appeared slightly flustered, far from his usual self.

“This police detective will assist you. You should be thankful,” said Gotou, puffing out his chest. Yakumo burst into laughter. “Gotou-san is a police detective?”

What did you say now? “What do you think I am?”

“A bear whose only quality is his loud voice.” “You little—”

Even though someone had the intention to help him, he had to say something that made that intention disappear. “Don’t get all baited like that. Surely you’re well aware of Yakumo’s personality,” Isshin reminded Gotou so that he managed to swallow his nearly erupting anger within his stomach.

Isshin was right after all. Yakumo wasn’t the type to say things honestly and was a handful to deal with. If he got riled up over the smallest of things, his body wouldn’t last instead. “Anyway, let’s go,” said Isshin.

Once they were in the corridor, Gotou looked upwards to the ceiling. Perhaps due to having just listened to a ghost story, the whole atmosphere felt glum. “So, where do we start?” asked Gotou.

“Right,” Yakumo touched the tip of his chin. “Actually, I’d like to ask around to gather information, but Oohori-san’s the only employee around at the moment.” “In that case, just ask him.”

“Gotou-san, are you really a police detective?” “What?”

Gotou wanted to lay a hand on him, but Isshin, sensing what was about to happen, put himself between Gotou and Yakumo. “We’ve already questioned him. Even if we were to ask him again, he may not know much since he’s still a trainee,” explained Isshin.

Yakumo nodded. “Precisely.” Having mentioned that, Oohori’s nametag did have the word ‘trainee’ above his name. Knowing so, Yakumo hadn’t pried too deeply when Oohori had come to their room.

Yakumo wasn’t only remarkable due to his ability to see ghosts, the sharpness of his mind played a part as well. That was how he had managed to solve many cases thus far. Gotou understood the situation now, but the problem remained on how they should proceed onwards.

“If we can’t question that Oohori guy, who else should we be questioning?” asked Gotou. Yakumo shook his head in disbelief. “I feel like crying, thinking about all the valuable taxpayer money used to pay such a useless man’s salary.”

“This bastard! Say that once again!” Gotou lifted his fist upwards, but Isshin stopped him once again.

“Please calm down. Your brain could deteriorate if you’re so quick to get emotional.” Yakumo’s words may be harsh, but Isshin’s were just as harsh despite being spoken calmly. He really was Yakumo’s uncle after all—

“None of your business. If you’re saying that, does that mean you have any ideas?” said Gotou, attempting to pressure Isshin, yet Isshin’s friendly smile didn’t subside. “There was a convenience store on our way to this hotel, right?” said Isshin.

Indeed, there had been a convenience store about fifty metres away near here. “Don’t tell me you want to go shopping at the convenience store?”

“If there isn’t anyone we can question at the hotel, why don’t we try asking around there?” So that was what he meant.

If there was a ghost in this hotel, that meant someone had died here previously. Convenience store employees had to be made up of local residents, so they should be able to gather information by asking there. Gotou understood the fact, yet he didn’t want to agree just like that.

“Well, let’s give it a try,” he said with a sour face, and Isshin nodded. Gotou felt incredibly uncomfortable as it was like he had been caught acting all stubborn and narrow-minded. If he said anything further, perhaps he’d really be exposed.

“Let’s be on our way—” said Gotou, walking towards the elevator with quicker steps. Isshin followed suit, but Yakumo remained still in the corridor. His gaze seemed empty, as if he wasn’t looking at anything despite having his eyes open.

“What’s up? You’re not going?” called Gotou. Yakumo slowly turned. “Yes. I’ll leave it to you two.”

“What are you going to do?” “I’m going to find out where the ghost went.”

I see. Only Yakumo could confirm where the ghost he had seen had gone.

“Understood,” Gotou replied before boarding the elevator with Isshin. -

6 -

With fearful movements, Haruka peeked underneath the bed— There was nothing like a pale figure lying there in a pool of blood; only shadows were present.

As it turned out, she had simply imagined the eyes of someone staring at her. Furthermore, there were no talismans pasted anywhere.

With this, I can be rest assured. Haruka was about to stand up when she noticed an object that had dropped under the bed. Behind the bed frame leg, around an angle that was difficult to see.

That object was a red shoe. Even so, it wasn’t a size any human could wear. Around a centimetre in size, the shoe likely belonged to a doll.

Haruka extended her hand and picked up the shoe. Why did something like this drop here?

Perhaps someone had forgotten about it. An object as small as this could remain undiscovered when the room had been cleaned. Either way, she needed some towels first and foremost.

Her hair had gotten fairly dry, but having gotten rained on, Haruka would like to take a shower to feel refreshed. When inquiring about the towels at the front desk, she would hand over this dropped item as well. Haruka pocketed the doll shoe and as she headed for the door, someone called to her.

“Hey.” She turned around immediately.

And yet, no one was there. Her nerves were becoming sensitive after all. She needed to think about something else—

At the corner of her vision as she turned for the door again, was a person’s face. “Hya-!” Haruka screamed as she jumped back.

As her back crashed against the wall, the television on top of the sideboard shook. What was that just now?

With all her might, Haruka held herself back from panicking, her eyes scanning across the entire room. Then—

She spotted the face that she had seen earlier. Displayed near the bed headboard was a framed piece of painting. It portrayed a woman standing at the seashore with sorrowful eyes.

A bust-up view of the woman, its composition was similar to that of Da Vinci’s renowned painting, Mona Lisa. Due to the oil painting’s realism style, it appeared almost lifelike.

Haruka felt relief after knowing what she had just seen earlier. Yet once again, Yakumo’s words came to her mind. Yakumo had requested her to examine the back of any picture frames as well. Upon further observation, the picture frame’s placement above the headboard appeared unnatural.

There’s no way. Despite thinking so, Haruka climbed onto the bed, took off the picture frame and flipped it around.

Thank goodness. There was no talisman at the back.

With this she could really be at ease. It was only as she was about to put the frame back in place that Haruka noticed the fist-sized hole on the wall where the frame used to hang.

The painting seemed to have been deliberately hung above the headboard to cover up this hole. Could this hole be connected to the room next door?

Haruka brought her face closer to the hole. Dark—

There was no sign of a light source from the other end of the hole. Still, she felt terrified at the thought that she was being observed through this hole.

Simply putting the frame back in place didn’t sit right with her, so Haruka decided she’d bring it up with the front desk. They might not be able to seal the hole shut immediately, but perhaps they could at least cover it up. Haruka was about to draw her face away when—

Her eyes met with it. On the other side of the hole, an eye suddenly appeared, gazing intently at Haruka.

Wide open, the whites were clearly visible. In contrast, its pupil was small and the blood vessels appeared prominent and red.

Haruka couldn’t let out a sound. Her body was thrown backwards and she fell on her back. Her breathing grew difficult.

Haruka tried to lift her body and stared at the hole once more. I must’ve been seeing things. That has to be it.

Haruka tried to convince herself before she hurriedly returned the picture frame to its place to block the hole. The woman in the painting stared at her.

Haruka felt like their gazes met. The eye she had seen from within the hole earlier came back into her mind.

Had she really just been seeing things? She truly felt there had been an eye staring at her through the hole. Haruka could simply get the picture frame out of the way and look into the hole to confirm. Even so, it’d be impossible for her to peek into that hole once again.

Anyway, let’s get out of this room. Haruka got off the bed to head for the door.

That instant, her legs became weak from fear, causing her to fall to her knees. She turned to find the woman in the painting looking at her still.

That was obvious since it was a painting after all. But in Haruka’s current state, she wasn’t able to think clearly. I have to run.

Using the wall as a support so she wouldn’t fall, Haruka stood up and walked towards the door. She reached for the doorknob and pulled it, but somehow the door didn’t budge.

“Why?” Desperately, Haruka tried her hardest to pull it.

The door still wouldn’t open. You’ve got to be kidding me.

She continued turning the doorknob as she occasionally turned to look at the room. At that moment, the picture frame fell onto the bed with a thud.

The hole— The hole in the wall became visible.

And then. From within that hole—

An eye— Wide open, the eye moved from left to right as if searching for Haruka.

So she hadn’t been mistaken after all. Haruka couldn’t bear it anymore.

With lightning speed she opened the nearby bathroom door and jumped inside. Her hands were trembling.

No, it wasn’t just her hands. Her entire body was shaking nonstop that she lost control of it herself. Haruka struggled to calm her uneven breathing before contemplating what she had to do next.

That eye wouldn’t be able to find her while inside this bathroom. However, she couldn’t shut herself in here forever. That’s right, Yakumo-kun.

She could contact Yakumo to ask for help. Haruka hurriedly searched for her phone in her pocket, but couldn't find it.

She had left her phone on the sideboard. Haruka thought about retrieving it, but she immediately rejected the idea. Heading to retrieve the phone on the sideboard meant she would be seen by the eye inside the hole.

Honestly, she didn’t have the courage to do that. What should I do?

Confused, Haruka sat in place whilst wrapping her arms around her own shoulder. Gurgle—

Haruka jolted at the sound and lifted her face. “What is it now?”

Gurgle— Gurgle gurgle—

It sounded like someone coughing. Took her a while until she realised that the sound had come from the water pipes.

She didn’t know whether the pipes had made such noises merely out of their poor condition, or because of a spiritual phenomenon. Even so, perhaps the bathroom wasn’t a safe place either.

Scary— Yet in order to escape her fear, she had to open the door once more and leave this room.

Haruka gathered her strength and stood up to exit the bathroom. Right then, she spotted a black shadow standing on the other side of the frosted glass on the bathroom door.

The shadow was somewhat spread out so she couldn’t tell whether it was a male or female, but it was unmistakably the shadow of a person. “No way...”

Don’t come any closer! Haruka screamed within her heart, but the shadow came closer in her direction as if mocking her. This is bad.

Haruka held the bathroom door from the inside. She didn’t know whether such a thing would be effective against a ghost or not. Either way, she had no other ideas.

Please! Don’t go in! Haruka couldn’t even open her eyes. She closed her eyes shut, chanting those words over and over in her heart.

Just how much time had passed since then— Suddenly, she had a feeling that the shadow before her eyes had disappeared.

To tell the truth, she was scared. If the shadow were still standing where it had been once she opened her eyes, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to maintain her sanity. Regardless, standing still like this wouldn’t solve anything.

Surely it’ll be fine. Haruka convinced herself and slowly released the tension on her eyes.

Her vision gradually returned. The shadow—wasn’t there.

The shadow that had been across the frosted glass had disappeared without a trace. Haruka sighed in relief.

However, the problem was what came after this. Her courage to leave the bathroom had vanished entirely. “What should I do…?”

As she lowered her head came an unsettling click, and the bathroom lamp started flickering. “Please…enough already...” Partly sobbing, Haruka begged as she looked upwards to the lamp fixed on the ceiling.

As if signalled by her gesture, the lamp with its once flickering yellow light then went out— The bathroom became dark.

Why is it like this? Maybe the lamp hadn’t been installed properly. That had to be it.

Haruka gulped before extending her hand in the direction of the lamp. At that moment, her reflection came in the mirror.

She mustn’t look. Despite knowing that, she had already seen it unintentionally. The mirror didn’t reflect just her.

A doll with a faint smile was also reflected there. “Nooooo!”

In full blown panic, Haruka screamed until her throat felt like it would rip. -

7 -

“Anyway, this rain sure is awful,” Gotou mumbled as he turned to watch the neverending rain from the hotel lobby. The rain was comparable to a bucket of water turned upside down.

“It certainly is,” said Isshin, who stood next to him, nodding as he stared at the rain. “Like this, we wouldn’t be able to see Mount Fuji even though we came all the way to Yamanashi.”

“We’re not here on holiday. Mount Fuji isn’t going anywhere either, we can always see it some other time.” “Well, that’s true,” Gotou replied with a sigh. As Isshin had said, they hadn’t come to Yamanashi for a holiday. Besides, the downpour might subside tomorrow.

For now, it was more important for them to find the identity of the ghost Yakumo had seen. “In that case, let’s quickly head there,” he said, looking at the convenience store located about fifty metres ahead.

“You’re planning to go through this pouring rain without an umbrella?” asked Isshin. The rain was so heavy that it would obstruct one’s line of vision. Gotou would’ve liked to use an umbrella, but unfortunately he didn’t have one with him.

“Let’s just make a run for it.” “That’s not necessary—”

Isshin was about to say something, but Gotou had ignored him and dashed outside. Obviously he got drenched in an instant, but if he sat still worrying about the fact, he would only get even more soaked.

Gotou crossed the road that had practically turned into a river and ran for the eaves of the convenience store. He took deep breaths upon reaching. He was drenched until water dripped from his hair. His socks were completely soaked as well.

“This rain is really…” Gotou wiped the droplets off his jacket as he turned towards the road he had just passed earlier.

He thought Isshin would’ve followed right after him, yet amidst the rain, the monk’s figure was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t able to see clearly thanks to the rain, but Isshin was probably still inside the hotel, hesitant to go outside.

Geez, Gotou grumbled on the inside as he lit a cigarette. Surely Isshin would give in soon enough and come over here. Even if he didn’t, Gotou could simply gather information all by himself.

As he had that thought, he saw Isshin walking over towards him. The entire opposite of Gotou, Isshin calmly walked through the heavy rain.

To no one’s surprise, Isshin’s hand was holding an umbrella. “If you have an umbrella, why didn’t you say so earlier?” protested Gotou after waiting for Isshin to arrive.

Gotou disliked the idea of a pair of uncles walking around sharing an umbrella, but it was a better option than getting drenched from running through the rain. Isshin went underneath the convenience store eaves and said as he folded the umbrella, “I told you so.”

“I didn’t hear anything.” “I said let’s borrow umbrellas from the front desk, but you had run off by yourself.”

“Ugh.” Come to think of it, when they were about to leave the hotel, Isshin had been saying something, but Gotou hadn’t listened and ran off alone instead.

“Don’t go running into things without considering the consequences. It’s better if you stop for a moment and use your head.” “Shut up. I don’t need an umbrella with this much rain.”

“As expected, wild bears sure are tough.” “Who are you calling a bear?!”

“Anyway, let’s hurry up and ask them,” Paying no attention to the irritated Gotou, Isshin entered the convenience store.

Gotou felt annoyed, but as Isshin had said, they better settle matters quickly. Gotou threw the cigarette he had been smoking to an ashtray in front of the convenience store, and followed Isshin inside. “Welcome,” greeted a woman who seemed to be in her fifties, with a voice so devoid of emotion.

It left Gotou to wonder, shouldn’t it be written in convenience store employee handbooks that the employees should greet customers full of emotion? “Excuse us, but we’d like to ask something...” said Gotou, approaching the female employee tending to the store.

“Yes?” replied the woman with a confused look as she took a step back. A drenched man suddenly walked towards her. Her response was understandable.

“Actually, this is my job,” said Gotou, showing his police badge. “A police? Really?”

The woman’s voice became guarded. Furthermore, her hand was already reaching for the emergency call button underneath the counter. “A real one, of course.”

“From which department? Is there an ongoing case?” said the woman, bombarding him with questions. He was being heavily suspected. Did he not look like a detective all that much?

“No, that's why…” “He may look like this, but he’s the real deal,” said Isshin to help. “Although he looks like a bear with a scary face, he’s cowardly and gets lonely easily like a rabbit.”

Acting familiar, Isshin patted Gotou’s shoulder. Who’s a lonely rabbit around here—!

Gotou really wanted to protest, but held himself back. Saying the wrong things now would only raise further suspicion on them.

Isshin displayed a friendly smile, softening the woman’s expression in response. “What a strange combination,” said the woman as she stared back and forth between Gotou and Isshin.

Certainly, a police detective and a monk standing next to each other might be an uncommon scenario. “I think so too. The truth is, we came here to ask about something—” Isshin said in a polite tone.

“About what?” “Actually—we’re staying at that hotel over there,” Isshin pointed at the hotel.

“Yes.” “As I said earlier, this man is a coward and he made a ruckus saying he’d seen a ghost at the hotel. I’ve told him that there’s nothing to worry about, but being a coward, he said he wouldn’t believe it until he knew for certain.” Isshin explained while looking at Gotou, acting like he was in disbelief.

You’re joking me! The person who had made claims about the existence of a ghost hadn’t been Gotou, but Yakumo. Aside from that, he wasn’t that much of a coward to be complaining simply because there was a ghost.

He had a mountain of things to say, but decided to stay quiet to avoid overcomplicating the conversation. “It felt rude to ask hotel employees whether there were any rumours of the place being haunted, so we decided to ask local residents while going shopping,“ Isshin continued politely.

Gotou couldn’t accept that the story placed all the blame onto him, yet he was also impressed that Isshin could make up a story as smoothly as that. “Did you really see a ghost at that hotel?” The woman asked Gotou, her face filled with suspicion.

Gotou hadn’t actually seen a ghost, but explaining the real situation was too much of a trouble, not to mention it would go against Isshin’s story. “I did.” Gotou gave her a short answer.

“Was the ghost of a little girl?” said the woman as she lowered her voice. Come to think of it, he had forgotten to ask Yakumo what the ghost had been like. But based on her response, it might be better for him to align the conversation.

“Yes.” “So it was true...” said the woman, reaching for her mouth.

“Do you know anything about it?” “Please don’t mention it elsewhere that I’m the one who told you this.”

“Understood,” Gotou replied with a nod. The woman glanced at the hotel across the rain before she began her explanation—

- 8

- “Nooooo!”

Haruka screamed to the point that her throat felt like it would rip. Strength left her knees and they trembled, making her fall sitting down in place. Haruka covered her face with both hands and closed her eyes shut.

Even so, she was well aware that the entity she had seen wouldn’t disappear just from her doing that. The reflection on the mirror returned to her mind once again.

This bathroom was cramped. There shouldn’t be anyone else but her in here. Nevertheless, she was certain that she had seen the shadow of a person standing behind her when she had been looking at the mirror. The shadow was black, so she hadn’t been able to see its face clearly. Yet she had felt as if the shadow had faintly smiled at her.

Haruka kept still for a while. The next second, something suddenly grazed her nape— It made her jolt and stood up.

Out of reflex, the mirror that she had been avoiding came into her sight. However—

Reflected on the mirror was her face, tense out of fear, and nothing else. The shadow she had seen earlier had already disappeared. Was I mistaken?

No, that couldn’t be it. She was certain there had been a shadow reflected in the mirror. If it had been a ghost, perhaps the ghost was still inside the bathroom. Waves of terror washed over her.

Let’s get out of here quick. As she touched the bathroom door, there was a thud and the room shook lightly.

Surprised, Haruka halted her movements. She had forgotten all about it from panic, but she now recalled the reason why she was in the bathroom.

In her room was a hole in the wall, and someone had peeked at her through said hole. Scared, she had evacuated into the bathroom to escape from that eye. Thinking about how she might get stared at again by the terrifying eye after getting out of here made her body paralyse in fear.

Despite that, she couldn’t stay inside the bathroom forever. She wanted to leave the hotel room, but the door wouldn’t move even when pushed or pulled. She’d like to ask for help, but her phone was on the sideboard next to the bed.

What should I do? Haruka sat down again and covered her face with both hands.

“Yakumo-kun...” she whispered a name as she held back the tears that welled up. Along with that, she remembered the line that Yakumo had always said.

Spirits of the dead were no monsters or a new kind of entity, they were clusters of emotions of humans that had passed away— Yakumo, with his red left eye and its ability to see spirits of the dead, had been able to understand the feelings of wandering ghosts and had resolved various cases based on that theory.

Nothing could get solved by sitting around in the bathroom. Following Yakumo’s theory, she might be able to resolve this situation by finding out the reason why the ghost had been wandering.

Haruka firmed her resolve. She took her hands off her face, stood up, and faced the mirror. She would be lying to say that she wasn’t scared.

Her knees were still shaking and her breathing was irregular. Regardless, there was nothing else she could do now. Things wouldn’t sort itself out if she were to sit around hoping help would arrive.

“Hey, are you there?” Haruka called towards the mirror. No response.

“Who are you? What’s the reason you’re wandering around?” Haruka asked once more. The silence continued.

Unlike Yakumo, Haruka couldn’t see ghosts. Occasionally she could, but only partially, like the eye and the shadow from earlier, not to mention unstable. She had doubts on whether she’d be able to clearly sense what they wanted.

But she couldn’t think of any other way besides this. Haruka gulped until her throat made a sound, and stared back at the mirror.

She nodded firmly at herself, tensed up from fear. “Hey, why are you wandering around? Can you tell me?”

As if answering Haruka's call, the bathroom lights that had gone out began to flicker. Then—

Within the dimness, a dark shadow emerged behind Haruka’s reflection in the mirror— -

9 -

“Two uncles sharing an umbrella together, how gross—” As Gotou and Isshin returned to the hotel lobby, they were greeted by a mocking smile from Yakumo.

“Not that we’d like to, more like we had no choice,” They only had one umbrella, so they had no choice but to share during their return trip from the convenience store.

“Seems to me that you liked it though,” Yakumo grinned and sat on the lobby sofa. “There’s no way.”

“I wonder.” Gotou had a lot to say, but he had a feeling the more he denied it, the more he’d get cornered. He swallowed his anger and sat on a sofa across from Yakumo. Isshin sat next to him as well.

“So, did you two find anything?” asked Yakumo. “Before that, how are things on your end?” asked Gotou in return.

Yakumo said he had been searching for where the ghost had gone. Prior to sharing the information he had gathered, he would like to hear Yakumo’s side of the story. “How are what?”

“You were looking for the ghost, right? Did you find it?” “No,” Yakumo shook his head.

“What? You were speaking so arrogantly, yet you turned up with no results, huh,” cursed Gotou. Yakumo blatantly scowled. “I never meant to say it arrogantly, and although I couldn’t find the ghost, I did get some results.”

To Gotou, his words had merely sounded like he was trying to act tough. “What kind of results?” “A number of things.”

“That’s why I’m asking, what are those things exactly?” urged Gotou. Yakumo laughed bitterly with a troubled gesture before he began speaking. “I told you that the ghost I saw had entered the area behind the front desk, right?”

“Yes.” He had certainly said so.

“Since the ghost had gone there, there had to be something there. So I went to check for myself.” So that was how it was.

“You asked that trainee employee Oohori to let you get inside?” “No.”

“You just went inside as you liked?” “Yeah. Since that person wasn’t aware of any ghost story here, I thought it’d be troublesome to ask for his permission, so...”

As it turned out, Yakumo had stealthily sneaked inside while Oohori was away from the front desk. Gotou glanced at the front desk, unable to spot Oohori’s presence there.

“Don’t act too reckless. What would you do if you were discovered?” If Yakumo were caught trespassing into the area behind the front desk, he might get reported to the authorities.

“I’ve got that taken care of,” “Taken care of?”

As Gotou questioned him back, Yakumo turned in the direction of the stairs. There, Oohori could be seen descending the stairs, walking towards them. He held a lightbulb in his hand. “Apologies for the inconvenience. I’ve replaced it, so it should be fine now—” said Oohori, bowing politely to Yakumo.

“Thank you.” Seeing Yakumo respond to him with a smile, Gotou could hazard a guess as to what he had done.

Most likely, Yakumo had deliberately sabotaged the light bulb in their room and had requested Oohori to replace it. That way, he could freely get into the area behind the front desk. “Ah, could I ask you one thing?” Yakumo stopped Oohori who was about to leave.

“What is it?” “Is Oohori-san really the only one working today?”

“Ah, yes. What about it…?” “No. I just thought it must be tough…”

“Thank you for your concern—” Oohori made a business smile before returning to the front desk. “Is something bothering you?” Gotou asked Yakumo after waiting for Oohori to be some distance away.

“When I went to the area behind the front desk earlier, I found a strange object,” said Yakumo, narrowing his eyes. “A strange object?”

“A shoe.” “A shoe?”

“Yes. A red shoe that was probably a woman’s shoe, and it was missing the other half—” said Yakumo, with a face as if he had known everything. A single lone shoe was indeed peculiar, but someone could simply have forgotten it in the hotel room and the front desk had been holding on to it.

Or perhaps, it could belong to another employee that had forgotten the shoe there. “Did that shoe have anything to do with the ghost?”

“I have no idea,” said Yakumo, full of confidence. “You have no idea…? How careless of you…”

“I refuse to accept being told that by a clumsy bear like Gotou-san.” “Bear this, bear that, you’re so noisy!”

“What’s wrong with calling a bear, a bear?” This bastard!

Gotou was at the limit of his patience. He wanted to beat this man even if just for a single punch. He raised his fist, ready to land it on Yakumo’s face, but Isshin immediately caught his arm and calmed him down. “Now, now.”

The bug in his stomach wouldn’t sit still, but Gotou knew more obviously than seeing fire that if he were to hit Yakumo, he’d be retaliated constantly afterwards. Gotou clicked his tongue and cooled his anger.

“So, did you two get anything on your end?” asked Yakumo, as if the conversation earlier had never happened. “There weren’t any stories in particular about a ghost in this hotel,” said Gotou.

“I see...” Yakumo responded with a slightly disappointed look. “However, there was a case that took place in this hotel one year ago.”

“A case?” “That’s right. Once, a woman and her four-year-old daughter stayed in this hotel previously.”

“Then?” “When the mother left her child inside the room to go shopping, an incident happened—” said Gotou, pausing his sentence to observe Yakumo’s expression.

“Cut the suspense and continue the story.” It was blunt of him, but perhaps Gotou was acting a little too dramatic. Gotou cleared his throat and continued.

“The girl, who was left alone in the room, fell from the window—” Putting it into words, Gotou felt a squeezing pain in his chest.

He had to deal with all sorts of cases on the regular and he should’ve gotten used to handling tragedies with fatal casualties. Even so, the deaths of young children had always left an unpleasant feeling in his chest no matter how many times he encountered them. After a moment of silence, Yakumo muttered, “Rather than a case, that was more like an accident.”

“I thought so too. But from what we heard, something was amiss,” Isshin added. “What was amiss?”

“Apparently, the window that the girl had fallen from should’ve been out of reach for a child of her height.” “And yet, she fell from it...?”

“That’s right. According to the person who discovered her, there was a chair under the window.” “A chair that was part of the hotel room?”

“Uh-huh. Judging from the circumstances, that meant the girl had shifted the chair all by herself, climbed on top, and fell from the window—” “How did you find out about the situation to that level of detail?”

It was understandable for Yakumo to question that fact. “The husband of the convenience store employee that we visited to gather information from had been working in this hotel when the incident happened.”

“I see...so what I saw...” Yakumo mumbled as if talking to himself whilst folding his arms. Gotou couldn’t clearly grasp what he was saying as his voice was too quiet.

“What? Say it clearly.” said Gotou. Yakumo grimaced in displeasure. “No need to make a ruckus, I’ll explain eventually.”

Yakumo shook his head in disbelief, throwing a sharp gaze on Gotou before he continued, “The ghost I saw at the front desk was of a little girl around four years old—” “In that case…”

“We still have no evidence, but I think it was unmistakably her since the girl in that story died a year ago here.” “The problem now is why the girl is wandering in this hotel,” said Isshin as he rubbed his bald head.

Certainly, that was the most important point. According to Yakumo’s theory, ghosts linger in this world due to some unfulfilled desire. In other words, the ghost of that little girl had lingered for a reason.

The local police had closed the incident as an accident, but Gotou had another thought. “Seems like you have something in mind, Gotou-san,” said Yakumo who was able to guess what he was thinking.

“It’s my own instinct talking, but—” Gotou said before he continued, “perhaps the girl didn’t die from an accident, but was murdered.” “That’s an unpleasant line of thinking. Do you have any basis for it?” Yakumo threw him a look full of doubt.

“I told you it was just my instinct.” “Like this, Gotou-san is a police officer after all, right? Surely you’re not so stupid as to carelessly say things according to instinct without some kind of basis.”

“That first part was unnecessary.” “Save the complaints and get talking,” said Yakumo, lifting his left eyebrow.

Geez. What an unendearing guy. “However you look at it, I felt the part about a chair being moved under the window was off.”

“Well, that’s true.” “If she was older, there’d be a possibility of it being a suicide, but for what reason would a four-year-old child deliberately move a chair under the window?”

“Perhaps she wanted to climb to play? Nao often does that too. She’ll climb onto a chair and then jump down,” interrupted Isshin. Having no children of his own, Gotou had no opinion, but as Isshin had spoken from experience, such a thing might be possible after all.

Despite this, the odd feeling within Gotou didn’t go away. “Suppose she did want to play that way, she wouldn’t jump out the window, right?” Children had very little sense of danger. Particularly once they were fixated on something, they had the tendency to not pay attention to their surroundings.

Even knowing that, it felt impossible for the girl to have played by climbing onto the chair and then jumping out the window. Isshin also responded, “You’re right...”

“What do you think happened, Gotou-san?” asked Yakumo. His gaze was as if testing Gotou.

“I’m thinking the girl might have been pushed out the window by someone.” “Pushed out...”

“Yes. After pushing the girl out the window, the culprit placed the chair next to the window to make it appear like an accident.” “Interesting analysis coming from someone like Gotou-san, but the basis is still weak,” said Yakumo.

“I’m well aware that the basis is weak. It’s just that, if she had died from an accident, there’d be no reason for her to be haunting this hotel, right?” If she had died from being killed and now held a grudge towards the person who had killed her, that would be reason enough for her to still be lingering about this hotel.

“I’ll take Gotou-san’s analysis into consideration for the time being. Rather than that, do you know where the girl had fallen down?” Yakumo asked as he stood up. “Yes. I’ve asked about it.”

“Please take me there.” “Got it,” Gotou stood up in response, before walking outside. Yakumo and Isshin followed behind him.

Once he had passed the automated door at the hotel lobby entrance, he stopped. Large droplets of rain were still pouring just as hard as before.

The spot where Gotou and the rest stood had a roof so they weren’t hit directly by the rain, but it was almost like they were being sprayed with water because of the raindrops blown by the wind. “I was told she had been lying there—” said Gotou, pointing about 10 metres in front of the hotel lobby entrance.

“From which floor did she fall from?” asked Yakumo. “The fourth floor,” replied Gotou, starting to feel uncomfortable.

It was about fifty metres above ground. If only there had been shrubs underneath to cushion the fall, yet the ground was made of concrete instead. The moment she had fallen, she’d already be beyond saving.

“Hold on. Which room number was she in?” asked Yakumo, frowning with a serious expression. “If I’m not mistaken...404.”

As soon as Gotou said that, Yakumo reached for his phone and called someone. Watching him made Gotou come to his senses.

The room from where the girl had fallen was the same room Haruka was currently staying in. Looking from outside, the room lights weren’t on. It was incredibly dark outside from the rain, so it was unnatural for her not to have the lights on.

Yakumo clicked his tongue as he ended the call. “How is it?”

“She’s not answering,” said Yakumo, gritting his teeth, Gotou then shouted, “Let’s go!” and started running.

- 10

- Suppressing her fear, Haruka stared intently at the reflection in the mirror.

Its face was indiscernible, but based on the stature and hairstyle, Haruka could tell that she was a little girl. Why would such a small child be wandering?

As Haruka questioned that fact, her chest stung as if she’d been stabbed. Haruka had no idea what had happened, but since this little girl had emerged as a ghost, that could only mean she was already dead.

Why did this little girl had to die— The fear that had once enveloped Haruka’s entire body disappeared at the thought.

Perhaps this girl was carrying a deep sorrow. Haruka couldn’t understand the feelings of ghosts like Yakumo could. Yet even if just a bit, she could sympathise with this child’s feelings and wanted to do something for her.

“Please. Tell me, why are you in a place like this?” asked Haruka to the shadow on the other side of the mirror. The girl gave no answer.

Perhaps she had actually said something, but Haruka couldn’t hear her. In times like this, Haruka became incredibly envious of Yakumo.

If only she had an ability like Yakumo’s, she’d be able to respond to the reflection in the mirror— “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you properly…” said Haruka without realising.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Not out of fear. A mixture of sadness, frustration, and disappointment overflowed from her chest. Seemingly out of pity for Haruka, the girl in the mirror appeared to be saying something.

“Hey, what should I do to break your attachment to this world?” asked Haruka to the girl as she held onto the mirror. No reply.

In exchange, the girl pointed in the direction behind Haruka. Following the girl’s fingers, Haruka turned around.

There was nothing but the white bathroom walls there. Could there be something on these walls? Haruka felt around the wall and tried examining it, but she didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Haruka, turning towards the mirror again. The girl kept pointing behind Haruka.

Sorry, I don’t see anything, Haruka mumbled in her heart, when a thought emerged in her mind. She had assumed that this girl had been pointing at the bathroom wall, but perhaps she had instead been pointing at the room on the other side of the wall.

“There’s something in the room?” Haruka’s question made the shadow in the mirror nod.

So that was it. Due to her panic, she hadn’t looked at the room interior closely, but perhaps therein laid the reason that this girl had been wandering.

Haruka touched the bathroom door. The image of an eye came to her mind.

The eye that had watched Haruka through the hole in the wall— She’d be seen by that eye once again if she returned to that room.

Haruka briefly had that thought, but she got rid of it immediately. Surely that eye had really been the girl reflected in the mirror.

There’s no need to be afraid. Haruka firmed her resolve and slowly opened the bathroom door.

Its hinges creaked and the door eventually opened. The room was dimly lit and quiet.

She could see the door leading to the corridor. Earlier, the door hadn’t budged at all, but if she were to try again, perhaps it would open. Once she escaped from the room, she would ask Yakumo for help—

She considered the idea for a moment, but Haruka shook her head, attempting to rid herself of said thought. If the door still refused to open after she tried again, she would remain trapped in this room.

Furthermore, the girl in the mirror might become angered if Haruka tried to escape, and could make her go through something even more terrifying. Most importantly, her desire to help the wandering girl was stronger.

Why would the ghost of a little girl be wandering in a hotel room? Even if just a little, she wanted to understand her feelings. Haruka drew her breath, gathered all the courage in her stomach, and walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom.

The painting had fallen on top of the bed. Then, a fist-sized hole where the painting had used to hang.

Earlier, an eye had been staring at her from that hole, but now there was nothing there. Haruka sighed in relief before scanning the entire room and turning the gears in her head. What exactly was the girl trying to show her?

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t come up with an answer. Haruka was about to give up when at that moment, she remembered something.

Back when she had been searching for any talismans pasted under the bed, she had found something. Haruka had picked it up and kept it in her pocket. She hurriedly shoved her hand into her pocket and took out the item.

A red shoe that seemed to be that of a doll’s. Perhaps the reason why the girl had been wandering was because she had been looking for this shoe.

For little girls, losing such an important doll shoe full of memories would be considered a huge problem. If she were to return this, the ghost of the little girl might be able to rest in peace.

Haruka firmly held onto the red shoe. She felt someone staring at her back and slowly turned around— A girl was standing there.

Her face had been blurred when she had appeared in the mirror, but now it was clearly visible. She was an adorable girl with a round face and big eyes.

“Is this yours?” Haruka handed over the red shoe she’d been holding on towards the girl.

In an instant, a smile formed in the girl’s face. Seeing her overjoyed face made the tension Haruka had been feeling this whole time disappear without a trace.

She even had to hold herself together so she wouldn’t collapse on the spot. However, that sense of relief was short-lived.

The girl made a terrified expression and pointed behind Haruka. What is it?

Turning around, Haruka’s eyes widened. Once again, an eye peered from within the hole in the wall—

Was I mistaken? Was what the girl had been looking for not this shoe? The eye—

Its appearance red and angry, the eye glared at Haruka. Haruka couldn’t act calm anymore.

She then held her head and screamed— -

11 -

The moment Gotou stepped out of the elevator, he heard a scream. After briefly exchanging glances with Yakumo and Isshin, they sprinted as fast as they could towards room 404, where Haruka was at.

“Oi! Haruka-chan! Are you alright?” he called out whilst banging on the door, but there was no reply. A terrible premonition passed through his mind.

He turned the doorknob, trying to open the door, but the door wouldn’t move an inch even when pushed or pulled. “What are you doing? Open it quickly!” urged Yakumo.

Yakumo was usually composed, but he must’ve grown restless after hearing Haruka’s scream. “I know,” Gotou responded. With his entire strength, he slammed his body against the door until it opened with a bam. Gotou nearly got knocked forward.

“Move out of the way,” Yakumo shoved Gotou to the side and went inside the room. They immediately found Haruka there.

Sat in the middle of the room, her body was shaking violently. “Are you alright?” asked Yakumo.

Haruka, who couldn’t grasp the situation at first, gradually showed an expression of relief and hugged Yakumo as she shed her tears. She had to have gone through something terrifying.

Gotou understood how she felt, but somehow he felt embarrassed watching them instead. Yakumo stayed quiet for a while, and only spoke after waiting for Haruka to calm down. “What happened?”

Haruka nodded quietly upon hearing Yakumo’s words, wiped her tears, and began explaining after she stood up slowly. Occasionally she would sob as she hadn’t stopped crying completely, but the gist of the story was conveyed.

As it turned out, Haruka had experienced a spiritual phenomenon in this room. Despite that, Gotou was impressed that she had continued to deal with the situation by thinking about the reason why the ghost of the little girl had been wandering, and had subsequently taken action.

All that remained was to leave the rest to Yakumo. “Yakumo, did you get anything?” asked Isshin after Haruka finished her story.

“Wait a moment,” said Yakumo, stepping away from Haruka and walking further into the room. Gotou and the others couldn’t see anything. But such wasn’t the case for Yakumo.

Gotou, Haruka, and Isshin waited as they stared at Yakumo’s back. Yakumo’s red left eye would surely discover something unbeknownst to the three of them. “So that was how it was...” muttered Yakumo shortly after.

“What did you get?” asked Gotou eagerly. “Please calm down a little,” grumbled Yakumo before facing Haruka. “Your analysis was half correct.”

“Eh?” Haruka exclaimed in surprise. “Firstly, the ghost of the little girl that you saw was of a child named Mahiro-chan that had died a year ago.”

“The girl whose story we heard at the convenience store?” asked Gotou to confirm. Yakumo nodded. “When her mother had gone out to shop a year ago, Mahiro-chan had been playing with her doll in this room. Unfortunately, the window was open at the time.”

The tone of Yakumo’s voice instantly turned depressing. Without needing to mention it, Gotou could more or less predict what came afterwards.

“Don’t tell me, Mahiro-chan accidentally dropped the doll through the window?” said Gotou. With a gloomy expression, Yakumo nodded. “That’s right. She had been throwing it upwards, imitating how adults would play with young children the same way, but the doll had gotten thrown out the window. It would’ve been better if the doll had fallen all the way down, but it had gotten stuck on the awning below the window instead.”

“So Mahiro-chan had fallen over whilst trying to retrieve it—was what you meant,” said Gotou. Isshin closed his eyes with a pained look on his face, while Haruka pressed her hand onto her chest as if holding back something.

Gotou himself couldn’t help but feel suffocated. Surely Mahiro had wanted to retrieve her doll, but since the window had been out of reach, she had moved the chair inside the room under the window and had climbed onto it.

Then, she had lost her balance and fell down. Unfortunate was the only way to describe it. If only she had been slightly older, she might’ve been able to realise the danger of the situation, but Mahiro hadn’t had such an awareness.

Her mother probably hadn’t thought that her daughter would move a chair next to the window and climb it in the few minutes she had been away. They had finally discovered the cause behind Mahiro’s death, yet on the contrary, it made Gotou understand less as to why Mahiro would be wandering.

As Gotou raised that question, Yakumo narrowed his eyes. “I’ve said this earlier, but only half of her analysis was correct.” said Yakumo, turning towards Haruka. “What do you mean by half?” Haruka looked back at Yakumo, demanding answers.

“The girl called Mahiro became a wandering spirit because she was looking for her red doll shoe—” said Yakumo. Haruka stared at the one half of a doll shoe pair in her hand. “But…when I handed this over to her, the eye over there…” said Haruka as she gripped the red shoe tightly.

“That’s why I said you were half correct.” “Eh?”

“Mahiro-chan had in fact been haunting this hotel looking for her doll shoe. But now, she’s trying to convey something else.” “Something else?”

“That’s right. I first saw her at the hotel front desk. Why was she in such a place?” “So why was she?” asked Gotou in place of the dumbfounded Haruka.

“The shoe. That was the hint.” “The doll shoe?”

“No, not that. The single lone red shoe that I found in the area behind the front desk.” Now that he mentioned it, Yakumo had definitely said something like that. The problem was—

“What does that have to do with this?” “Instead of explaining it with words, it’ll be faster to see it for ourselves. Things should be reaching its limit—” said Yakumo before exiting the room.

Just what did he mean by all that? Gotou exchanged glances with Haruka and Isshin.

No one seemed to know the answer. Despite their dissatisfaction, they could only follow after the man. Nodding to each other, the three left the room after Yakumo—

- 12

- Haruka followed Gotou and Isshin out of the room.

Yakumo, who was already in the corridor, stood in front of the door next to Haruka’s room. “Is there something in that room?” asked Haruka, swallowing her fear.

Right now, Yakumo was standing in front of the room at the other end of the hole that was in her room. “Yes. To be more precise, this actually isn’t a guest room.”

“Is that so?” “This is a linen room,” said Yakumo.

Looking closer at it, there was in fact a sign indicating that it was a linen room, and a plate declaring ‘staff only’ was also stuck there. Linen rooms were dedicated rooms meant to store fitted sheets, pillow covers, towels, and the like.

She had initially thought that this had been a guest room, but since this turned out to be a linen room, what was that eye from earlier? “Is there something in that linen room?” asked Gotou.

“Yes. Gotou-san, please open this up,” Yakumo pointed at the door. “Even if you say to open it…is it alright for us to enter as we please?”

“It’s fine since this is an emergency.” Despite his words, Yakumo’s voice didn’t sound urgent one bit.

Confused, Gotou grabbed onto the doorknob, pushing and pulling it. The door appeared to be locked; there were no signs of it opening. “It’s not opening.”

“Don’t you carry any crowbars with you or something?” “No way I have something like that,”

“Then it can’t be helped. Let’s ask him to open it,” said Yakumo, looking at the stairs. Who did Yakumo mean by him? Pondering that fact, Haruka turned in the direction Yakumo was looking to find Oohori there.

“What are all of you doing?” asked Oohori. His voice was trembling a little.

“Actually, we’d like to open this door. Could you lend us the key?” said Yakumo, displaying a faint smile. “Why do you want to open it?”

Oohori’s question was to be expected. There should be no reason for hotel guests to open a linen room. Even if he was still a trainee, there was no way he would lend the key to them. “Surely you know the reason, Oohori-san,” Yakumo spoke as if he had known everything, and large droplets of sweat began forming on Oohori’s forehead.

There was no mistaking it, Oohori was hiding something. “There’s nothing but fitted sheets and towels inside,”

He was trying his hardest to hide his panic, yet his voice was shaking entirely. “Is that really true?” Yakumo urged him.

“Really.” “It’s best if you stop lying.”

“Lying?” “From the beginning, I’ve felt odd.”

“I’m saying, what’s so odd?” “Although you’re still under training, you didn’t know whether a room was available. It’d be understandable if the hotel was larger, but at this scale, don’t you think it’s odd?”

Certainly, at first they had been told that there had been one room available. Moments later, they had been told again that apparently there had been one more vacant room, and that room had then become Haruka’s room.

“That was merely my mistake...” “Is that so? Then, what do you have to say about this?” Yakumo handed a single shoe that appeared to be a woman’s—that he had seemingly taken out of thin air—to Oohori.

“W-where did you…” “In the employee rest area behind the front desk.”

“You went trespassing inside?” asked Oohori in an accusatory tone. “Please don’t redirect the conversation,” said Yakumo, glaring at Oohori.

“I’m not redirecting...” “In that case, please answer. Who does this shoe belong to?”

“This was, um...The morning shift staff forgot about it...” “Oh? How strange. In the middle of a rain as heavy as this, would anyone go home forgetting their shoe?”

“What nonsense have you been rambling about? With what authority are you doing something like this...” “We do have authority,” interrupted Gotou.

“Eh?” Oohori exclaimed with a surprised look on his face. “Despite his looks, this guy’s a police officer,” Yakumo clarified.

That instant, Oohori turned his heel and quickly ran away while screaming. “Gotou-san! Catch him!”

Even without Yakumo shouting at him, Gotou had already gone after Oohori. Oohori ran down the stairs intending to escape, but Gotou tackled the man’s back and he fell rolling down the stairs.

Gotou then held him face down. Everything happened so quickly that Haruka had no idea what had happened and was left agape.

“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Isshin, who couldn’t grasp the situation either as he shook his head and reached for his chin. “Before I explain, Gotou-san, please get the linen room key from him,” ordered Yakumo.

While restraining Oohori, Gotou removed the bundle of keys from Oohori’s pants before throwing it to Yakumo. “Here.” Yakumo skillfully caught the throw, separating the linen room key once he had singled it out to open the door.

Just what on earth lies within that room? Haruka peered into the linen room through Yakumo’s back and her eyes grew wide.

Inside there was a woman. Strangely, the woman’s hands and legs were tied with duct tape, while her mouth was taped shut.

“Well, this is how things are,” said Yakumo as if they could understand everything just by looking. Haruka didn’t understand a single thing.

- 13

- Half agape, Haruka sat on a sofa at the hotel lobby.

Right at that moment, Oohori was being dragged away by uniformed policemen. The woman that had been trapped in the linen room had been carried to the hospital as well. Yakumo had just finished explaining Oohori’s actions.

As it turned out, the woman who had been trapped in the linen room had been Oohori’s lover. The night before, Oohori had suspected her of cheating and they had had a huge fight. Oohori hadn’t believed his girlfriend. Because of that, he had suspected that she would meet up secretly with her cheating partner while he had been at work.

He had then come up with the idea of locking up his girlfriend. However, if he were to lock her up in his apartment, the door could easily be opened from the inside.

Hence, he had decided to drag his girlfriend all the way to the hotel where he worked and had locked her in the linen room. This hotel’s linen rooms only locked from the outside, so he could easily lock her up.

It was raining heavily today with strong winds, there was renovation work on some of the hotel rooms, and he was working alone; all those factors had supported the execution of his plan. Furthermore, luckily, the room next to the linen room had been vacant, to Oohori’s relief.

Yet suddenly Haruka and the others had arrived because of the rain. Oohori had wanted to send them away by saying that there was only one room available, but had reconsidered as it would be bad if other employees found out, and therefore had intended to get another room ready—but he had made a miscalculation.

Due to ongoing renovations, the number of usable rooms had been limited, and he had been left with no option but to use room 404. He had planned to take his girlfriend out of the linen room before other employees arrive and lock her elsewhere, but he had gotten discovered by Yakumo beforehand.

“Good grief. Causing nothing but trouble for other people,” Sitting in front of Haruka, Gotou grumbled as he looked outside. “Well, don’t say that. This time, Haruka-chan was troubled the most,” said Isshin, smiling softly as he sat next to Gotou.

“No, I...” Haruka shook her head, but to be honest, she had been so terrified when she had been trapped in the room, that she had thought she wouldn’t be able to come out safely. It turned out the door wouldn’t open due to the poor fitting of the door frame, and the lights had been flickering because it hadn’t been installed properly.

Meanwhile, the room wall had a hole in it because a drunken guest had punched through it about a month prior. As a temporary measure, they had hung a painting to cover it up.

However, the painting had fallen down as the woman trapped in the linen room had been thrashing around. Unable to make a sound as her mouth had been sealed shut, the woman had peeked into Haruka’s room through the hole, seeking for help.

After having it explained logically like this, it may not sound like it was a big deal. Yet Haruka had been panicking at the time.

“Well, either way, this was all thanks to her,” said Yakumo, who had been sitting next to Haruka as he slowly stood up. Standing at the end of his sight had to be none other than that girl called Mahiro.

Haruka had thought Mahiro had been trying to tell Haruka about her red doll shoe, but she really had been telling her about the woman that had been trapped in the linen room next to Haruka’s. Mahiro, who had been searching for her red doll shoe all this time, had witnessed a woman wearing red shoes being forcefully dragged and locked up, and had desperately tried to deliver a message to help her.

Yet Haruka had grasped the message incorrectly. “I get it. I’ll make sure to deliver it, so you can go ahead—” said Yakumo, half crouching to meet the four-year-old girl’s height. His gaze then travelled to a distance.

He must’ve been discussing something with Mahiro. “What did she say?”

“She wanted us to deliver her doll’s red shoe to her family,” Yakumo explained. Haruka stared at the red coloured doll shoe, still within her hands.

“Is that so...” Mahiro had already passed—such was the reality that just hit her, making Haruka struggle to breathe.

Mahiro had fallen because she had wanted to retrieve her doll— She must have been sad, but her mother must be carrying a deep sadness as well, alongside the guilt of causing her daughter’s death by leaving her alone in the room.

“Also, she wanted us to send her thanks to her mother,” said Yakumo, straightening his posture. No matter what, they had to convey Mahiro’s words of gratitude to her mother.

Haruka felt it was the only thing that she could do. “Don’t tell me you guys are planning to go visit that Mahiro girl’s mother?” asked Gotou, frowning his forehead.

“Of course. Any objections?” asked Yakumo, glancing in Gotou’s direction. “No,” Gotou shook his head.

Looking out the window, the rain had stopped for some time before they realised it.

#shinrei tantei yakumo #psychic detective yakumo #shinrei tantei yakumo translation #psychic detective yakumo translation #yakumo saitou #saitou yakumo #manabu kaminaga

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pwurrz · 6 months ago

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it’s cute to think how kuya, quincy and eiden all tease yakumo in their own unique way.

kuya can be a bit mean with his teasing but his goal is simple, to get yakumo to be unable to speak because he’s so flustered. he uses his teasing as a.. complicated, almost backhanded way to boost yakumo’s confidence. does it work? well, yes actually!

quincy has a slightly hidden playful side, that comes out from time to time, after you’ve known him for a while. he uses affectionate touches and words of praise in general, as his love language, but also as a way to be more honest with himself instead of always keeping his thoughts to himself. the way that yakumo reacts so adorably is definitely good encouragement to keep being honest. if he’s started being more direct with his verbal praise for the sake of someone who might misinterpret his words easily, then.. that’s just a coincidence, surely.

and eiden.. well, he’s a bit of both! he loves to remind yakumo just how loved and cherished he is, as well as praising him for all sorts of things, big and small! he uses compliments and words of encouragement as a way to boost yakumo’s confidence, but he can’t help but get carried away sometimes when he sees the cute way the serpent responds to being called cute, or handsome. it’s like he doesn’t know how lovely he is, and eiden just won’t stand for that!

#nu carnival #yakumo ♡#kuya #quincy ♡#eiden #yakuya #quincamo #yakuei #mouser muses

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one-winged-dreams · 4 months ago

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Bittersweet

ship: adriel x yakumo shinonome (crimson skies) source: code vein word count: 1109

I couldn't sleep last night so I wrote a fic instead. i took one of my sleep meds at the time so i'm glad it's not as incoherent as i was afraid it would be but boy howdy do i love me some angst.

tag list: @dearly-beeloved @adoredbyalatus @kylilah @dorothys-wife @the-sleeping-city

@dear-gambler @goldenworldsabound @sunstar-of-the-north @mahitosoulmate @faerie-circle-ships

The tradeoff from light pollution to unabated starlight was always a bittersweet sight to behold when one stepped out onto the terrace at night. It was a beautiful canvas of stars at the price of the city lights that used to make them seem so much dimmer.

But now there were no lights, no more city to outshine them. Only the natural beauty of the cosmos as a backdrop.

Bittersweet.

“I want to take a bath…” Adriel had said.

“By yourself or is that an invitation?” Yakumo had responded, light-hearted as usual.

It always took Adriel so long to get undressed, unbuckling, unfastening, unBELIEVABLE at how intricate his attire was.

When at last came the bodysuit, Yakumo was the one to pull the zipper down his back, leaving a shiver and one singular kiss to the back of his neck.

Adriel’s glasses went carefully in their case.

They had just missed the sunset when they came out to the terrace hot spring, and maybe Yakumo had made a joke about how it was because Adriel had taken so long to get undressed.

And maybe that made Adriel smile a little bit.

They sat next to each other in the water, close enough to mean something, far enough to make it more of a question than an outright statement.

“So you've been wanting to call me your boyfriend this whole time, huh?” Yakumo only half teased. More of a statement in itself. A way to air out the topic.

“I've… thought about it…” Adriel responded softly, hugging his knees. “Dreamed about it…”

Yakumo shot him a light-hearted but playful smile.

“Oh? And what did these dreams consist of?” He asked. “You can't just say something like that and not expect me to be curious.”

Adriel was quiet for a moment before speaking, his gaze fixed firmly on his lap.

“I dreamt about… what it would have been like if we had met before… everything. Before…”

“Before we became Revenants,” Yakumo solemnly finished for him.

Adriel simply nodded.

More silence stretched on, accumulating a slight chill to it in the night air, the hot spring warm as it was doing little but not much to make it less cold.

“I would have… liked to go on dates with you,” Adriel finally spoke, the timbre of his voice's vibrations shaking off whatever cold the silence had accumulated. “To the park… To a Cafe… maybe see a movie or…” He trailed off, losing the mettle to dream any further in the waking hours where he was shackled by bitter reality.

“That… would have been nice,” Yakumo agreed with an attempt at a casual nod.

It was quiet again for just a moment before Yakumo spoke all at once as if to make up for those lost seconds.

“I would have taken you on so many dates.”

Adriel blinked in surprise at Yakumo, who suddenly seemed to find the night sky very interesting.

“We would have gone to so many places. I would have taken you to do so many things. Shown you off to everyone.” Finally, he looked at Adriel. “I would have tried to make you smile until your cheeks hurt.”

Smiles from Adriel were hard to come by. A rare commodity, even from a guy as kind as he was.

But not impossible

“I think that would have been… very easy for you.” Adriel’s tone and expression were ambiguous, but there wasn't exactly a lack of any smile whatsoever.

“You think so, huh?” Yakumo chuckled, leaning his side against Adriel’s until his cheek rested against the top of his head.

The smile had broken any and all containment, small and fragile as it was.

“Mh… It seems to come easy to you even now,” came his soft reply. “I wonder… what kind of dates we would have gone on…”

Yakumo thoughtfully rubbed up and down Adriel’s opposite arm.

“I would have taken you to so many places,” he began. “I would have pulled out all the stops, opening doors for you, pulling out your chair, holding your hand.”

Adriel’s smile brightened a bit more as Yakumo's softened.

Yakumo paused and then hummed.

“... I would have bought you flowers.”

Adriel pulled away to look up at him in surprise.

“Flowers…?” He asked, his voice soft and almost breathless. As if the concept left him in disbelief.

Yakumo simply nodded at him, giving a thoughtful gaze.

“Yeah. You're always wearing dark colors, I think you'd look pretty in something lighter. I would have gotten you a bouquet of white daisies.”

Seemingly surprised, for a moment Adriel just regarded him with wide eyes, a light blush tinting his cheeks. His gaze returned to his knees as his eyes softened in a melancholic fashion.

“I don't… really wear light colors all that often. Or at all anymore, really…” he mumbled before closing his eyes. “But... I had this pretty white sundress once. I liked to go to the park in it. When I wore it I felt... cute.”

Yakumo found the mental image of that quite indulgent. He hummed wistfully, a thoughtful smile on his face.

“I bet you were adorable. I'd have bought every damn daisy in the flower shop just to see you sitting there on a bench in your sundress, holding them in your arms and looking like a dream.”

Once again, Adriel paused, before suddenly burying his face in Yakumo's shoulder.

“I think I would give anything to have been able to live that life with you…” he responded in a near whisper.

Yakumo considered coaxing him away from that line of thinking. There wasn't any use getting caught up in what-ifs. All that mattered were the memories, the things that DID happen. All languishing in regret did was hurt in the long run.

But that image that had been conjured in his mind had taken root like so many flowers of idealism in his heart.

He buried his face in Adriel’s hair.

“Me too… I'd… want to be normal with you.”

The palpable type of silence returned, though the sound of the water around them seemed a bit more distant. At least for a moment.

“But I'm… I'm glad I got to meet you in any life,” Adriel broke the silence entirely. “As long as I got to meet you… that's all I care about.”

Yakumo took a deep breath, the scent of Adriel’s hair a consolation for the melancholy that bubbled within him. After pressing a kiss to the top of Adriel’s head, he sighed.

“I'm glad… I met you too. No matter what life… I'd always want to meet you. I'd always want us to be together.”

#self ship #self shipping #dream fics #crimson skies

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articularreview · 5 days ago

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⚠️Random impressions for Shinrei tantei Yakumo - the worth of a spirit⚠️

Here in case you missed it.

Be careful if you haven't read it yet.

The fact that Miyuki was preserving Unkai's head all this time doesn't surprise me at all.

It makes me happy how Yakumo is finally aware that there are people who care about him.

I was a bit surprised that Yakumo's heterochromia is most likely the reason why some ghosts are so unstable. I don't remember Ukikumo facing that problem (I'm not sure tho), so maybe that's the case.

Haruka's “nosy” trait rubbed on him lol.

It's cute how he smiled when he remembered her.

Eishin is an unapologetic troublemaker lmao

That's just cruel. Let the man rest.

Didn't Miyagawa use to hit his head? (Not with the same force as Gotou ofc, but he used to)

I like their vibe.

Proud of my girl Haruka.

She can now respond to Yakumo's sarcasm with no problem at all now.

Wow Haruka is more diligent than I thought (I had a hunch but it's still impressive. It makes sense since she goes to a prestigious university after all)

Oh so that's one of the girls who were in the prologue then...

The way he puts his hand on her head is so adorable😭

Yakumo has been bad with technology from day 1😂

Considering the complete version setting, I'm not sure if he still is tbh.

Ooh so Gotou, Ishii, Miyagawa and Eishin will be investigating together. That's interesting.

Is this the same guy who Miyuki was talking to in the beginning?

Makoto and Haruka whispering in front of Yakumo is so funny. It's like they forgot he's in front of them.

That's some messed up shit. Considering what happened during the war, it's to be expected I guess.

That's Unkai's body right? It's gotta be.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

#shinrei tantei Yakumo #manabu kaminaga #yakumo

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meewz · 1 year ago

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yakumo leaves a trail of kisses down quincy’s neck and chest, stopping and hovering in place over one of his pecs.

“m-mr. quincy..” he wants to ask permission, but the idea of voicing his wants is far too embarrassing. luckily, it seems that quincy can read his mind.

“you wanna bite me?”

yakumo stutters, surprised at being read so easily. the tips of his ears burn, he’s sure quincy can see them. he responds by planting an eager and sloppy kiss to the center of quincy’s chest, trying not to give in to his urges before he has explicit consent.

suddenly quincy’s massive hands grab at yakumo’s hips, pulling them closer together and slotting their hips in such that their quickly growing hard-ons grind against each other. yakumo tries to muffle his wanton moan against quincy’s neck.

“wanna mark me up? wanna lay your claim? show everyone that i’m yours?”

each sentence is followed by a grind that leaves yakumo speechless and shaking. the most he can do is nod frantically, digging his fingertips into quincy’s shoulders and holding on for dear life. at yakumo’s inability to respond, quincy chuckles and gently bites at the sensitive shell of his ear.

“you wanna inject me with your venom and have your way with me?”

a jolt of pleasure rushes through yakumo’s body so quickly and intensely it makes him tear up. he thinks he lets out an embarrassing noise, judging by quincy’s chuckle, but he can’t remember. his head feels fuzzy. all he can thinking about is being inside of quincy and taking him.

“m-mr. quincy.. y-you shouldn’t joke about things like that.” a last ditch attempt to convey to quincy just how desperate he was without full on begging. his tongue feels heavy in his mouth, he needs to bite quincy, he needs to-

“who said i was joking?”

yakumo can’t take it anymore. he digs his teeth into the supple flesh of quincy’s pectoral muscle, moaning at the taste of blood in his mouth. he doesn’t consciously inject his venom, it had been dripping from his fangs in desperation for a while, and he’s sure the larger man will be feeling its effects in no time. quincy grunts in pain, surprised by the sudden assertiveness, and yakumo pulls away apologetically.

“i-i’m sorry, mr. quincy,” he pants, already missing the feeling of something in his mouth. his pupils narrow into slits upon seeing the mark he left on quincy’s chest.

“i promise i’ll make it up to you.”

#mouser mews #yakumo ♡#quincamo #quincy ♡#nu carnival smut #top yakumo this time because i wanted to try something a little different :)

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beginngsining · 2 months ago

Note

N r s f w ( for the nsfw)

n = no; what’s off the table for each of them?

Body fluids other then cum, excessive pain for Yakumo.

r = restraints; does anyone like bondage? who’s the one to tie them up?

Kaia likes bondage and Eiden doesn't mind it. Yakumo needs convincing but they each take turns to tie the others up.

s = submission; who likes to submit? what are they like when they do, and what roles do the others assume?

They are submissive in their own ways. Yakumo is submissive and does what he is told when he is praised when isn't in dom mode. Eiden and Kaia can become submissive and praise the one pleasuring them.

f = fair; does anyone like to tease? who doesn’t respond well to it?

Kaia and Eiden love to tease Yakumo since he is very cute when teased. Yakumo doesn't hate it though.

w = window; has anyone got an exhibitionist streak? what’s the closest they’ve come to getting caught?

Kaia is the one who is the closest to that as she doesn't care who sees her naked. She has almost been caught numerous times.

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sadmanyeyes · 3 months ago

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Chapter 122:

So Monster!Shiva tears off Ganesa's head and is now the Second Devil King. Pai is horrified but Yakumo tells her that's not her Shiva anymore. But Pai refuses to listen and runs up to Shiva, yelling for him to stop. Shiva responds by blasting the place to rubble, forcing Yakumo to save Pai by cushioning her fall with his body.

Standing in the wreckage, Shiva is confronted by the injured former Devil King who reveals he didn't just take his powers but the powers of the previous Devil Kings from past generations. He calls him a monster, saying even if he didn't want it, he'll need to keep on performing the humanization ritual to keep his level of power from weakening, knowing he'll end up like the same Kuato-looking fucker he looks like now. He won't even be allowed to die because he's the last bastion of the triclops' histories and stories. He's the new Devil King; welcome to the high life. Then that winged lady whose name I keep forgetting swoops down to strike at him, not willing to let him take her master's throne...

Meanwhile, Pai asks Yakumo if he's okay. He says he's used to this...and she calls him stupid. She roughly treats his wounds before breaking down crying, asking for his forgiveness and saying Shiva isn't like that. So Shiva offers his two cents on the subject by dropping the corpse of the winged lady in front of them as he floats down, holding out his hand and telling Pai to come to him. He says they can always live together and be one forever. Yakumo tells her not to, saying Shiva just wants her powers because she's another Parvati. Shiva restates, with less ambiguity, that Pai is his and Pai moves over to him, apologizing to Yakumo...only for Haan to burst through the roof and snatch her up, saying he'll never let Shiva have her.

End of chapter.

#3 x 3 eyes #liveblog #manga #haan is useful again #maybe my stomach won't churn when i see him from now on

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gatheringfantasies · 3 years ago

Text

“Is it not quite interesting, how many worlds there are? The amount of possibilities that lies beneath us all yet we don’t think of it. We do what we do without thinking of the great scheme of things. The most simplest choice can affect someone greatly and not one person is immune to it, not even I in the many parallel worlds there are.”

“Even choices that weren’t yours still affects you in some way, isn’t that beautiful? After all, most of us don’t choose our deaths and yet dear Yuyuko will say it is beautiful in which I agree.”

“What death brings is the unknown, uncertainty. Just like the choices we all make. We all don’t know what results will fully bloom until the time comes, it amuses me though.”

“There are mes in different worlds I have talked to that treats Ran and Chen quite differently, which brings change as small as such action is. Of course, computers are tools and if they don’t run properly then you must fix the problem whatever it may be even if you must discipline them. That is what I believe but that is my love, as I want the best for them even if I must be harsh. While another me will think differently, one wouldn’t think a version of themselves would be so different in their thought process.”

“Alas, that different train of thought could have been made by the smallest change of choice made by them or by someone. I’m sure some will not care of my words, some may even disagree and that is fine. All I said were observations I’ve concluded upon what I know.”

“Sorry, did I ramble on for too long? Did I take too much of your time? Surely you don’t mind an old lady like myself speak her thoughts out. With that, I bid you adieu.”

#guest muse: yukari yakumo #SORRY!#Border of death came up #and I felt like trying out my Yukari!#I love her so much!#b-but I'm not sure if people would want me to muse her!#more so since she tends to talk a lot!#a woman who likes hearing her own voice!#t-this can be an open starter if you wanna respond to her

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fisheito · 13 days ago

Text

Crimson Phantom: the one that gfkion got me

Flashback to my old yakutier list: in the top tier, you'll notice that one of these is not like the others:

SO WHAT IS IT DOING THERE????????

Perhaps the reason Crimson Phantom R5 ranks so high is cuz of the PERSONAL HISTORY i got with it. The straw that broke the fish's back? the last drop of water that makes the cup run over and spill onto my socks MOST iRRITATINGLY?Hm. Maybe. Prepare yourself for the longest post yet:

Let me give you a timeline...

May 2022: start playing nuca during Mystical Banquet. First SSR is Endless Banquet Garu. I am intrigued by his musculature and adorable puppy eyes. July 2022: Idol Fest. I only care about Olivine. Captain Oli is the one SSR i get, and i am exceedingly happy. October 2022: Eerie Escapade. I pull for Garu, but get 3 Yakumos. I am bitter and ignore him entirely. November 2022: I don't have many SSRs, so I consider building my 2-star vampire yaku. This would involve unlocking his rooms for the stat boost. I ask Friend A, who also plays nuca, what his rooms are like. Friend A says "it was roleplay cringe but free' I respond, "i expected as much" and do not build up vampire yaku. December 2022: I get Friend B to start playing nuca. Since we live together, it is very easy to spark impromptu , impassioned nuca discussions in the middle of the kitchen. February 2023: Friend B discovers the main menu- Past Events and Galleria, most notably. Their eyes sparkle as they look thru the events they missed. "When did you start playing?" they ask. "Since THIS event." i say, pointing to the Mystical Banquet banner. "Can I see who you have?" I give them my phone. They express mild awe as they scroll. We continue life as usual. March 2023: Friend B gets Spring Chaos Edmond and i am JEALOUS. I say so- regularly and loudly. During one such griping session, this occurs:

Me: you JUST started playing . you cannoT be destroying me in the rolls like this!!! i'm getting NOTHING!! Friend: but you have so many units that I don't! That I didn't even have a chance to get!!! Me: none of them are Beautiful Bride Edmond??!!! Friend: BUT YOU HAVE VAMPIRE YAKUMO Me: ?????????? so??? Friend: GOD HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL AND I'M SO SAD I MISSED HIM Me: you can have him. he's not doing anything over here. i wanted garu!! Friend: YOU HAVEN'T EVEN UNLOCKED HIS ROOMS? THAT'S NOT FAIR. GIVE HIM TO ME. I'LL TREAT HIM RIGHT Me: i wish i could dude i wish i could

Please imagine the utmost confusion on my face the moment my friend equated Bride Edmond's beauty to Vampire Yakumo's.

Because,, from the moment I started nuca, I had zero interest in yakumo's general aesthetic. I was long soured off the vibes due to an extensive history of dating sims shoving a Certain Guy into my face:

"Certain Guy AKA 1st potential love interest is imperious red/black guy who's also kinda the True Ending so we're only giving you the illusion of free will and you will be disappointed by the lack of care we give to other routes compared to this guy. You wanted a character that wasn't him? HAHAHA nah that nobody dies in a ditch offscreen. You were SUPPOSED to fall in love with the 1st guy we showed you and find his attitude problems attractive for the rest of your blissfully coupled life." (The freshest wound at the time was Nobunaga from that Specific branch of the ike series)

Butbutbut!! Yakumo is not imperious??? He's nothing like what you're describing??

Yes, dear reader, your assessment is fair. UNfORtUNATeLY, I'm a shallow ho and just the LOOK of his redblack skeleton embroidery was enough to repel me. The only thing that kept Yakumo in the Neutral zone was that his story self was Wibbly.

Looking at VAMPIRE yakumo, however... This was not wibbly. Here, with his hair slicked back and his torso seemingly widened and his generic bishonen-vampire-halloween-cosplay ...... it irked me. I did not like it. This look was everything I hated about those redblack domineering types haunting my past. The one interesting thing about yakumo (his wibble. his personality subversion of the aggro trope) and they GOT RID OF IT? Nah. I'm not into it. I refuse it out of principle.

I was steadfast in my dismissal of vampyaku for months.. But that was because I played alone- without outside influence.

Then that March conversation with Friend B happened.

SUDDENLY, SOMEONE introduces the POSSIBILITY that YAKUMO in THIS form can be attractive? Huh? Seriously? People think that?Legitimately never occurred to me. Unfortunately, my friend's words are in my head now.

During that convo (a convo which, unbeknownst to me, caused the first cracks in the healthy moderation i held for this game), i jokingly offered to unlock vampire yaku's rooms so my friend could watch them. A peace offering. "PLEASE!!!!!", they yelled,, with effusive sincerity.

Ah... well now I had to commit...

Determined to give my friend a Nice Thing, I threw excess knives at yakumo in my spare time. "I might as well unlock these rooms, and see how bland they are, and maybe sorta achieve vindication when I show them to my friend and they find out how Not Worth It vampire yakumo is compared to bride edmond" (I am fueled by spite and pettiness.)

thus, with time... ROOM 1 UNLOCKED!

Yakumo is wallowing again. Nothing new. He's handling the new cooking duties well, though. Good for him! Eiden is perceptive and wonderful, as usual... ah, eiden, beloved eiden.....i adore him and all the Sense he brings to these traumatised clan members ☺ Oop, there they go! initiating the cliche roleplay! Biting. Blood. Yep. Guess we're doing this.

AND NOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT ROOM 2

I was so self-satisfied when i unlocked R2. I mean, i wasn't going to show my friend until i unlocked EVERYTHING, but so far? From what I saw? this ain't it. this is SAD. this is... so very unsexy.

the only thing anchoring me to the present while watching this room was eiden's cheeky self. As Friend A remarked long ago, this was indeed cringe roleplay (but eiden is free).

I'm not very adept at voice reading/recognition, but i still felt something was up with yaku's voice. Meaning, it was different. he was REALLY laying it on heavy... It being the Role? Where was his tremulous soft voice? Naaaaaah, here in R2 we got yaku DROPPING octaves like they're on fire and affecting a drawl that...i think... is supposed to add to the seductive dangerous mood? i think? i'm really not good at parsing the horny from the Not fjkdrhgdu

with every extended vowel leaking thru yaku's fangs MY ANTI-NOBUNGA DEFENSES ARE BRISTLING yaku is REALLY playing it [Count Drakumo] up and he is NOT himself and, wait, he's spiralling? ooohhhhhh ok this is not good this is not fun he is not having fun

yes ok we've been over this my boner is dead killed by sadness that's just me not everybody is like me and i should let ppl like what they like MOVING ON

ROOM 3: OOOh Girl How they gonna react after THAT disastrous scene Woah!

Yakumo, angry???? Standoffish???? REfusing to be near Eiden? Interesting.... I mean. No! Not interesting! There's nothing interesting about vampire yakumo! Cliche as hell!!! Conventionally decent-lookin whatever-man is growling and hiding his face in a shadowy corner while saying things like "oh i'm a horrible monster .who could truly love me?!" and "stay away!! i'll only hurt you!!!"

Eiden: starts spouting truths about how the perception of "bad" and "undesirable" traits don't negate an entire person's positive traits and that someone's value can't be determined by such rigid thinking

Me: dammit eiden. stop making sense. i'm trying to hold a grudge here .............i'm starting to get hungry...

ROOM 4: OOPS I LOVE EIDEN AGAIN

I LOVE YOU EIDEN AND READING THIS ROOM MADE ME LOVE YOU EVEN MORE yakumo is, once again, spiralling in his self-hatred. i, on the other side of the screen, am getting weary. tbh, if you asked me to react to yakumo in real time, i would not know how to behave appropriately. i probably would have dismissed his concerns in some way (empty reassurances or bored ignoring).

but eiden??? ebeatutiiful emotionally UNconstipated FULL OF EMPATHY FIBRE eiden? candid... communicative... accepting yet not encouraging the dark thought patterns. . a self-aware king...

so when eiden gets in front of that mirror to demonstrate the self-talk "training":

I AM SO ENDEARED AND IM LO IBVE UHJIJM....

When Eiden gives yaku a chance to try, poor snakey doesn't know what to say. So Eiden whispers all these nice words and affirmations while standing behind yaku, expecting him to repeat them outloud THEN OF COURSE THE SILLY GUY ESCALATES TO HORNY AND I HAVE TO 🤣🤣🤣

ok, i'll begrudgingly admit... pretty cute interaction... and funny... if there's one way to win me over it's The Funny... how dare. how dare this room make me smile. I'm having a little giggle. Over a Yakumo room. THANKS eiden. For injecting humour into anything and making everything seem more tolerable...

After the practice run, Yaku ends up spilling his actual fears about his dual natures... but eiden insists that he can handle both.

yaku: if i think these dark thoughts does that make me a bad person eiden: well we all have layers n stuff so go wild yaku: if. if i. wanna lock u away all for myself and gnaw on your bones forever and keep u attached to my skin like an anglerfish absorbs mates into their flesh. will u hate me??? eiden: girl let your freak flag fly. i can take u ;););)

OKAY. SO MAYBE I CAN SORT OF SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR *NOT-AS-SAD* HORNY. THIS IS QUITE NICE (i comment mildly, gesturing to the emotional catharsis and deepening your understanding of another person). Now that yaku is emboldened in uh, being himself? all versions of himself? let's see how boinking is gonna go. hopefully it will be quite the departure from R2's struggle hours...

FUFIOKIN. ROOM 5: BANE OF MY EXISTENCE

The FIRST thing that strikes me when the room starts is

EIDEN YOU ARE SO HOT WHAT TH BRWOIJAOIEWFSKAESFKJLFEA?

INIPPL?

EIDEN'S HANDS? I'M BITING THEM? LET ME BITE THEM??? Yeah so i'm just staring at eiden displayed proudly in the mirror and a bird could probably land in my mouth with how it was hanging open, thinking, "yall know how to lewd your protagonist, nuca.... respect....." i'm distracted, but i need to move the room along so

.? ⚠! (ALERT NOISE) (ping!) the only yakumo room i've unlocked at this point is the OG SSR/Story H. i may have seen idol r2, too. so my current image of yakumo at this point is: -wet -crying -subby little baby

therefore, him saying he's GOING TO TEASE EIDEN causes my brow to upturn. 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨 really? really, yakumo? YOU? are you even capable of doing that? can you do more than one thing [be wet baby]? i doubt it. these games always choose one niche for a character and stick to it... you caNNOT drift into switchery. try it i dare u (<- famously lesser-known last words)

eiden, in line with "i can take all of you", responds that he likes both. and btw, this ain't one-sided. he warns that he's about to weaponise bottoming again. if yakumo thinks he can just lead eiden around, lolollololo l good luck. my boy's gonna squeeze him dry (seriously. i have zero faith in yakumo's ability to stay in control of any situation)

OK! so! they're fukin *mundane hand gesture. rollin it along*

yakumo slows his roll and is all, actually, part of the fun is looking at you confused and needy :3 so he's going at a super lax pace and adjusting his dick angle and some other tactical penis feint that's edging eiden into horny frustration

as if i'm cheering on my fave racehorse, i start YELLING when eiden ~~snatches back the reins~~~~

WEAPONISE! 👏THAT!! 👏BOTTOM!!!!!!!👏🏭🎬ATTABOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!📣📣📣🔊📢🔊🎖🥳📣🔊📢

wait what ........HOW HAS HE NOT LOST IT? if eiden went off on me like that, uhhhhhhhhhhh hahahaha rest in pesis i'm losing immediately but... crybaby.... is holding it together? in fact, he somehow TAKES CONTROL AGAIN??????? THET F ????

idk guess i'm shocked with processing another side of yakumo that i didn't expect,, i avoided yakumo because his look served potential for "2000s toxic seme" energy. but i tolerated him because his ACTUAL personality was NOT That. yet... now he's showing that exact domineery junk and i'm ..ok with it? Is it specifically because i've only seen him be pathetic in every other room?!

i'm just gonna...a. take a moment here to... maybe sort of understand the predicament i'm in along with my growing . something. admiration? for yakumo. uhhh.... hmmmm..........

yeah ok whatever people can be freaks about nipples i guess

SHIT I FORGOT HE HAS COLD HANDS . SHIT. I FORGOT I LIKE COLD HANDS SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M INTO THAT?

NOT THE NECK BITING AGAIN AHAHAHAHAAHHAHHA FOR REAL?????? VAMPIRE COSPLAY SERIOUS????? (<- my voice has gone an octave higher as i start panic laughing)

i don't know why i didn't expect that here. do i just not think ahead? it's stupid count drakumo. of course he's gonna suck blood. at least twice. maybe the rest of you saw it coming, and rolle dyour eyes. ahahaha, how very trite. how very standard.

did the active shattering of my preconceived yakumo.png weaken me THAT much? was i sudddenly swept up into the revelation thata game was Finally going beyond the yaoi dichotomy? to make someone subby AND dommy? Was i SO swept up that the "cringe vampire roleplay" bypassed my eyerolling sensor?!?!?!

i've got a single nervous bead of sweat making its way down my back and it's cuz of the very simple combo of hole/temperature/neck

so while i'm taking another impromptu wary pause , stewing at how DEVASTATED i may or may not be idk whatever it's not a big deal that the neck bite isn't shown on screen

LOGIC: that makes sense. animating and drawing that separate pose in this setup would be way too much work for 2 sentences. HORNY: TEAR INTO HIM. SUCK HIM DRY. LET ME

SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

yeah for real. I'M feeling attacked right now. eiden trying his best not to splort from the three-pronged feel-up (struggling like an amorous salmon up a waterfall) when suDNDEnly

......?

*RECORD SCRATCH* ?!?!?!?!?!??!?????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!???!!!!!??????????????????????? ?????!?!?!?!?????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????E?!?FKFOO>>>>?VFF??A""????":??"??????!?!!??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

👆

WHAT WAS THAT?

*runs into the adjacent room like it's a reality tv privacy booth* *slams the door and stares incredulously at the camcorder* *points toward the room i just left*

IS THAT ALLOWED?

Is Yakumo legally allowed to say "fuck"?????

*falls into a hushed and baffled whisper* i don't have enough Japanese comprehension to parse exactly what yakumo said oh god i wish i had the comprehension is this a translator liberty? is it real? because if the original speech was actually more reserved but the translators were like "bro that ain't sexy. just write FUCK"?? i guess that wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility? but if yakumo legitimately said "fuck" ...... AND dropped the honorific from eiden's name?! .......... huh! ohhhhhhhh *ruffles my hair out of confusion* did he really say that? i mean ok he's a grown ass snan i shouldnt ' be scandalised like i hear d an infant say FUCK as its first word , 11 months out of the womb ....... *deep breath* ok. don't dwell on it. gotta return to the task at hand. *steadfastly turns the doorknob and returns to my previous location*

so eiden looks like what i feel right now (in the key of: !?!?!?) thankfully the surprise doesn't last long in the face of his shamelessness (blessed be eito), so he tries to repeat after yakumo but yakumo's drilling him so hard that brain mysgh muysh can't really... speak..prororperly

SUHUT THE FUCCK UP YAKUMO I'VE NEVER BEEN SO OFFENDED BY SUCH A SHORT SENTENCE GO AWAY WITH YOUR THIRTY SHADES OF COUNT DOMKUMO PARADING IN HERE THINKIN YOU CAN DISH OUT ORDERS LIKE THSI WHEN YOU'R E NORMALLY A SOBBING MESS BY NOW=====----

*pinches in between my brows* uueugh...... eiden doesn't get to finish his task but they go at it until the screen goes white with that powerful SPLOOSH we all know and love

and yakumo FINALLY breaks character getting juiced released a bit of his control i guess we hear an "uhu" at last. he uses his pathetic wibble to ask eiden for more because he's still hard. of course he is...... mans is never done.......dick ouroboros with the way he never ends.......

BUT THEN EIDEN PULLS A FACE THAT GRABS MY ENTIRE BRAIN AND FLOODS ME WITH SO MUCH AFFECTION

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY JUST LOOK AT HIM SLUTTY BLEP i was having an out-of-body experience i was suddenly going over every BL i've ever played and how none of the protags were ever this unabashedly INTO IT (of course we are only here because we build upon the foundations of our gay ancestors THANK YOU GAYASS SPIRITS OF YORE , ) BUT! i'm experiencing a grand realisation of how far we've come and how eiden being a slutty versatile dweeb enriches my life to untold measures and his stupid cute little ;P thirsty look is going to sustain me for years and also i love it so much i'm going to screenshot it and keep it in my gallery just so i can look at it whenever i think about homophobia existing ever . i love u eiden get that dick and hole forever💖

now that yakumo is all vulnerable and Himself and freed from his edgy persona , he's just pounding into eiden liek 🥺 i'm just a normal snokai right? 🥺😥 so it's ok to act the way i truly want to❓ you'll accept all of me? 😖 i'm not a horrible irredeemable monster ?? 😧💦 you still want me? here?? with you???🥺🥺🥺 i'm allowed to make you feel good??😢?😭?😥 of course eiden affirms all this with a big moany yes (in surprisingly eloquent words despite the state of his anus)

and to top it all off, the room provides a full circle of plot by letting eiden complete his failed "repeat after me" task from before..- with a horny addendum about how he can't get enough of yakumo's dirty expressions, because of course our boy has to get the last word.

ahhh,,, like an epic movie,, it all comes together. loose ends tied and fucklines affirmed. tasks fulfilled; pervert's journey complete;; we, the audience, can go home with satisfied closure.

after-credits sceNe: when the post-nut clarity hits yakuei, i am brick'd with overwhelming concern about eiden's leg. how has it NOT cramped this entire time, being held up like that.? what was that? at least 15 minutes?! of lifting up one leg and spreading it so wide? damn, boy, is ya potassium that powerful? no calf cramps? nothing? eiden your sexual athleticism is unrivalled. i am in awe.

Note!

When i first watched these rooms, I didn't have headphones. Months later, i finally got to watch the scenes WITH SOUND. and i was so very pleased to hear that yakumo's voice in R5 was a nice middle ground between his suuuuper drawly heavy cosplay mode R2 angstvoice,, and his regular uhuu soft voice. it's definitely more himself, but with the added confidence of roleplaying ehuehue so it's just nice!! to hear him being more secure in himself!! and enjoying the situation!! but also teasing eiden and enjoying the power plays?? yay! near the end he returns almost fully to his regular voice due to , you know, whiny pleady 🥺 feels-too-good things afoot and that just .... upped the affection for me.... ugh... so he CAN do both......

in future watches, i eventually take the time to look at yakumo's face instead of eiden's. . .

and i do NOT like where my subsequent thoughts go

oh no he's hot.......................

WE RETURN TO REALITY. IT IS SOME TIME BETWEEN MARCH AND MAY (2023). I HAVE AT LAST UNLOCKED ALL OF CP YAKUMO'S ROOMS. I AM IN MY ROOM AND I AM SHOOKETHED. Shortly, I seek out Friend B, the catalyst for this train of horror and realisation. I tell them the task is done. Eventually, i give them my phone so they can watch their beloved vampire yakumo rooms. I couldn't even hand it over with the derisive scoff I THOUGHT I would show. the look of absolute dismissal that used to appear whenever someone mentioned crimson phantom yakumo. No, i handed it over with thinly concealed amusement . perhaps even excitement, that someone would soon share in something that so pleasantly surprised me. A part of me wished for them to return my phone with a disappointed "tch". to tell me that, oh, that wasn't very good after all. you were right. i could have missed out on vampire yakumo and lost nothing. Unfortunately, they returned my phone later that evening . their eyes glittered with the glee of someone whose hopes were beautifully fulfilled. "OH MY FUCKING GOD I KNEW it was gonna be amazing!", they bubbled. "Yeah." is all i could say... . I spend the following weeks slowly falling victim to yakumo's charms. By June, I am putting up posters of him all over my room while talking about how much i hate him.

SUMMARY: like nuca itself, it started as a joke and now the quences have conned. i'm suffering the cussions, reperfully. eiden did NOT help. he was beautiful and amazing from every angle and that added to the positive associations with these rooms,, and by extension, yakumo. and now? now i hate this snakeboy for what's he's done to me. i'm p sure he's actively moving the goalposts on my preferences as i type. i'm scared. he has too much power . that this mushy noodle would subvert tropes by following the old kabedon-seme script then DO IT AGAIN by hitting me with the SUBVERT REVERSE BEAM #2 and now i dream about railing him under the moonlight.

it was all downhill from that accursed roleplay. eiden's a gayteway drug. he fkoin got me. and now yakumo's got me too

#if any of you actually make it through this entire post #it'll feel like you just took a thorough psychic reading of my brain and tbh i fear for this new level of mental link #if you saw me immediately after my first playthru of r5 #i would have been angrily kicking up the papers all over my floor and tearing apart pillows #barking indignantly about how some boring-ass touching and basic bitch dirty talk #and bitey roleplay did me in #well....... you can't help what kicks you behind your knees and leaves you for dead on the cold sandy floor.....#nu carnival yakumo

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musou-fuuin · 3 years ago

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The Impact of The Vampire Incident

A nice set of headcanons under the cut!

The Hakurei Shrine was once home to many shrine maidens, not just Reimu. They all worked to protect humans from youkai and also to help maintain the Hakurei Barrier.

Reimu was made a part of the Hakurei Shrine as a trainee at nine years old. She underwent vigorous training and ended up growing a close bond to the other women at the shrine, who affectionately referred to each other as sisters. This was the life of the maidens at the Hakurei Shrine, but that would all change one day when a certain mansion appeared in Gensokyo.

The powerful vampire, Remilia Scarlet and her servants had successfully found their way into Gensokyo, and as her first act upon arrival, Remilia set out to the human village with a couple of her servants to begin a slaughter.

Of course, the sudden attack alarmed the Hakurei Shrine maidens who were quick to respond and attempt to stop the vampire, ordering Reimu to stay behind at the shrine due to the fact that she was still a trainee. Once at the human village, the shrine maidens confronted Remilia Scarlet, but were no match for her.

There are no vampires native to Gensokyo, so the mikos had no experience in fighting one, let alone one as powerful as Remilia. Every single one of the maidens that left the shrine that day never came back. Remilia killed them all.

It was at this point that Yukari Yakumo had to step in and stop Remilia from causing any more destruction herself. A large battle ensued between the two powerful youkai until Yukari came out as the victor.

The threat was dealt with, but there was still a state of emergency. All of the shrine maidens were dead, and the only one left was the trainee, Reimu who was twelve years old at this time. In this urgency, Yukari anointed Reimu as the new Hakurei Shrine Maiden herself, and together they created The Spell Card Rules.

Immediately after the rules were put into place, Remilia started another incident known as the Scarlet Mist Incident. Of course with Reimu being the shrine maiden now, it was her duty to stop Remilia in a danmaku battle. The vampire would be Reimu’s first true test as a shrine maiden, and one where she would come out victorious.

Ever since then, Reimu’s been only getting stronger with the guidance of Yukari Yakumo to help her along the way. As for Remilia, Reimu was incredibly angry with her at first but knew that as a woman who’s supposed to embody purity, she couldn’t hold on to those ugly feelings of hate and malice forever. So eventually, she learned to forgive Remilia, but not before getting revenge by kicking her ass.

No other girls from the human village have shown signs of shamanism ever since Reimu was first made a trainee, and it’s because of this that Reimu is alone at the Hakurei Shrine.

#Just Beyond Our Reach (ooc)#headcanons

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crimsonstonetranslations · 1 year ago

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Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Another Files - The Dead’s Wish - file 01

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Another Files - The Dead’s Wish

file 01 - sightings at the theatre

Moonlight shone across the sky—

With its reddish hue, the semicircle moon stood out amidst the nighttime sky. Lines of clouds formed on its surroundings, giving it the impression of a human eye.

Hirose Umi walked towards the auditorium, her body trembling against gusts of dry wind as she carried a cardboard box filled with costumes.

The campus festival was approaching soon, and the theatre circle Umi was in would be performing a stage play at the auditorium.

All this time they had only been rehearsing using the cramped clubroom, but starting the day after tomorrow, they would begin the dress rehearsal at the auditorium where their actual performance would take place.

She was excited to rehearse just like how the real performance would play out. However, as they were running short of time and manpower to transport all the costumes, props, and other items, they had to do it that day until late into the night.

“Ugh, why didn’t they just have the first years do this kind of thing?” complained Eriko, who walked alongside Umi.

“There’s no helping it. We don’t have enough people,” scolded Umi.

Even so, Eriko’s displeasure didn’t subside. “In that case, Tomoko should’ve helped out as well. Not to mention that she’s a first year student. She’s getting cocky just because she landed the female lead role.”

“I’ll listen to your complaints once our work here is done.”

“Umi, you’re fine about the whole thing?”

“About what?”

“Well, isn’t it odd?”

“What are you referring to, exactly?”

“To me, you should have gotten that lead role.”

“No. It was Chairperson Kurokawa-san who decided upon that...”

“That’s where the problem is.”

“Why?” Umi asked, although she already knew.

“Those two are dating, right? It’s possible she was given the lead role because of their relationship.”

“Kurokawa-san isn’t the type of person that would let his personal life interfere with his work...” said Umi with a smile, fully aware that her words came out awkwardly.

Nevertheless, a stage play wasn’t performed solely by the lead role. She knew that all the roles that make up a performance each have an important part to play.

Even so, Tomoko, who was chosen as the lead role, was the lover of Kurokawa, the producer behind this entire performance. So, a part of her couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

And she hated the part of her that felt that way.

“Anyway, let’s carry the items quickly,” said Umi with a sigh whilst stepping into the auditorium.

They went past the main entrance and walked further inside. A narrow corridor lit by bluish-white fluorescent light extended ahead of them.

Umi momentarily held her breath.

For some reason, she had always found the auditorium corridor to be mildly terrifying. Aside from the lack of lighting that made the corridor dim, a musty smell seemed to have been ingrained here.

Despite that, she couldn’t just stand staring into space at this kind of place. Slowly, she walked across the corridor.

“Also, why did they even go out of their way to choose this ill-boding manuscript?” blurted Eriko as she followed Umi.

“Ill-boding?” Umi asked back as she slowed down her pace to match with Eriko’s.

“You should’ve heard, right? About the cursed manuscript—”

“Ahh...” Umi faintly responded.

At this campus festival, they were going to perform a play called The Tower of Judgement. It was said that the manuscript had been written by a member of the theatre circle about ten years ago.

It told the love-hate story of a man and a woman adapted from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

If that were only the case, no one would pay it any mind; the trouble began in the story behind the script.

The person who had written the script was called Suzuki, and he had died before he had ever managed to see his work being performed. At the time, lighting equipment had fallen and hit his head when the theatre circle had been doing their dress rehearsal at the auditorium.

In the end, that performance had been cancelled.

Since then, there had been a few attempts to perform the script, but various problems had always emerged, such as the lead role getting injured or the stage being damaged, and so no one had successfully performed it to this day.

That was why, The Tower of Judgement was dubbed a cursed manuscript among the theatre circle members.

“Even though they didn’t have to use a cursed manuscript from ten years ago…” said Eriko, pouting.

“But the manuscript is good.”

Umi’s opinion was genuine.

Upon reading the manuscript for the first time, the hairs on her body stood up at how touching the work had been.

Her first impression on the work had been the reason why she had wanted the lead role. And perhaps that had made her feel a little jealous towards Tomoko.

Umi sighed. After placing the box on the floor, she turned the handle of the metal door at the end of the corridor.

With a clack, the door opened.

Behind the door was the backstage; pitch darkness enveloped the area.

She flicked the switch at the wall. But for some reason, the lights didn’t turn on.

Thanks to Eriko saying strange things earlier, she had an ominous feeling.

Well, there was no use in worrying about such minor details. She merely came here to place the box backstage. The light from the corridor should be enough.

“Aah!”

Eriko suddenly screamed and dropped her box.

“What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“A voice—”

“Eh?”

“A man’s voice, he said, ‘I’m going to kill’...” said Eriko with a stiff expression.

Umi listened intently. She could hear the groaning sound of the air vents, but that was all.

“Are you sure you didn’t mishear?”

“No. I really did hear it. Seriously.”

Umi thought her friend was joking at first, but Eriko’s expression was too serious for that.

“But—” said Umi before her voice was drowned by a scream coming from Eriko.

Eriko fell sitting down, trembling, and turned to Umi with a horrified look.

“What is it?”

“Just now…I saw it...”

“What did you see?”

“A man, o-over there…” Eriko pointed towards the inner part of the backstage area.

With fear, Umi hesitantly turned around. There was no one there. It was not possible for anyone to be there. Eriko was probably just nervous.

“There’s nothing,” said Umi, trying to sound cheerful.

But Eriko refused to listen.

“I’m sure there was someone...”

“There isn’t.”

“Don’t tell me…this is the curse of that manuscript.”

“There’s no way.”

“I can’t take it anymore!”

Eriko covered both of her ears with her hands and refused to budge as her body became stiff.

Like this, it was difficult to force her to come along. Umi had no choice but to go back and forth to carry Eriko’s share of boxes as well.

“Wait here for a while, okay?” said Umi to Eriko, before carrying the box inside.

As Umi carried the box further in, there was a thud.

At that moment, the backstage became enshrouded in complete darkness. The metal door was closed, so the light from the corridor could no longer enter.

Perhaps Eriko was actually trying to scare her.

“Eriko! Stop joking, hey!” Umi yelled, but there was no response from Eriko.

“Hey! Stop it already!”

Umi placed the box where she stood and began feeling around for the door handle.

Unfortunately, the intense darkness left her struggling to find it.

“Eriko! Open up!” She called with all her strength, but as expected, there was no answer.

Out of fear, tears began to flow from Umi’s eyes. This was going overboard for a prank.

“I’m serious, please, stop it...” she pleaded as she heard the sound of something being dropped.

Her shoulders shook, startled.

The noise didn’t come from the direction of the door. It clearly came from the direction of the stage.

A man, o-over there…

Eriko’s words earlier flashed through her mind.

She didn’t want to look. No. Even though she didn’t want to, as if pulled by an unstoppable force, her face turned towards the stage.

Over there was—

A black figure.

At first she thought it might be Eriko, but it wasn’t. The face couldn’t be seen clearly, but judging by the build, there was no mistaking that it had to be the figure of a man.

“W-what on earth...”

Umi stepped backwards.

As she did, her foot tripped on something and she fell sitting in place.

Upon lifting her face as she held back the pain, Umi’s breath suddenly choked.

The black figure had already been right in front of her eyes for an unknown amount of time. A pair of blood red eyes stared directly at Umi.

Umi screamed, and she lost consciousness soon after.

After her class had ended, Ozawa Haruka briskly walked past the back of building B.

A dry gust of wind caressed her cheek. As it was the middle of autumn, she felt the air getting colder, yet pleasant.

With the campus festival approaching soon, tents were starting to be propped up and each of the clubs were starting their own preparations.

Haruka, too, was going to perform in her orchestra circle’s recital and was supposed to be in the rehearsal now, but today she had asked to skip.

There was a problem that she had to settle.

Haruka arrived in front of the two-storey prefabricated building, before opening the clubroom door at the very end of the first floor. A door with a plate that read <Movie Research Circle> stood ahead of her.

“Hey.”

Inside the room was a table and a few chairs, as well as a fridge and a sleeping bag. Rather than a clubroom, the place gave more of the impression of someone’s personal room.

The Movie Research Circle was in fact nothing more than a name, and a university student—quite literally—lived here.

Said student submitted the bare minimum documents to the student affairs office and squatted here, turning this room into his private living quarters.

“Oh, it’s you—” spoke the owner of the room—Saitou Yakumo—sitting on his chair devoid of energy.

As usual, he was dressed minimally with a white shirt and jeans. He had a well-defined face, but his hair was messy and gave off a sloppy impression.

Also, while he was concealing it with a black contact lens, Yakumo’s left eye was actually a bright shade of red.

That wasn’t all. His red eye had the ability to see the spirits of the dead.

With that ability, he had managed to solve various spiritual cases.

Haruka too had met Yakumo through a spiritual case. Back then, Yakumo had not only uncovered the reason why the spirit had lingered in this world, he had even revealed an undiscovered murder case.

Since then, Haruka had gotten involved in a number of cases with Yakumo.

“What kind of response was that? Even though I took the time to visit,” said Haruka.

Yakumo lifted his head slightly. “Did I ever ask you to visit? If you don’t like it, please leave.”

With his long, slender finger, Yakumo pointed at the door.

His manner of speech was irritating, but if she were to be offended by trivial things like this, Haruka wouldn’t have been able to get along with Yakumo up to this point.

Laughing bitterly, Haruka sat on a chair across from said man.

After a moment of pause, Haruka popped a question, “Hey, Yakumo-kun, are you interested in stage plays?”

That instant, Yakumo threw a disgusted look towards Haruka.

“I’ll tell you ahead of time, I refuse to handle it,” said Yakumo in an immediate rejection.

“I haven’t said anything...”

“I already knew without you having to say anything. Most likely a friend of yours from the theatre circle saw a ghost in the auditorium or something, and you’ve come to ask me for help, right?”

Haruka had long since known that Yakumo had a sharp mind. Even so, this prediction of his was way too spot on.

“Why did you think so?”

Regardless, Haruka still asked.

“You’re a simpleton, an overly simplistic one. You should be aware of that about yourself.”

“Yes, I may be a simpleton…but that doesn’t answer my question,” Haruka protested.

Yakumo let out a sigh of disbelief and said, “The reason was easy enough. Whenever you wanted to ask for some help, you’d enter the room by greeting ‘Hey’ whilst putting on an innocent look.”

“Is that so?” Haruka faintly mumbled, not that she didn’t realise that fact.

“Then, how did you know that a friend of mine from the theatre circle saw a ghost at the auditorium?”

It may have been obvious that she had been looking for help on something, but how could Yakumo have guessed it so accurately?

“Even a monkey would have known such a thing.”

“Monkey…?”

“Like this. Out of nowhere, you started a conversation on stage plays. Knowing you, I don’t think you’d be interested in watching stage plays. That’s why I deduced that there had to be a friend of yours from the theatre circle that had asked for help.”

Spelled out that way, perhaps the conversation topic really had been abrupt.

“How did you know that it was in the auditorium?”

“During campus festivals, all stage plays are performed at the auditorium, right? I figured it was about time that they started the dress rehearsals, so based on the timing, they saw a ghost at the auditorium…something like that.”

Yakumo’s logical explanation left Haruka no room to deny it.

She wasn’t sure whether she was supposed to be impressed, but if Yakumo had figured out that much, this conversation should be fast and straightforward.

“You’re right. Umi, who’s in the same seminar as me, said that she saw a ghost in the auditorium two days ago. And she said that ever since, strange events had occurred in the auditorium…If it goes on, it might interfere with the performance, so I wanted you to help her,” pleaded Haruka.

Yakumo glanced at her in rejection. “I refuse.”

“Please!” Haruka put her hands together and leaned her body forward.

“Don’t put your ugly face any closer than that.”

Why does it have to be my face that gets commented on.

“Like this, I’m a woman too, you know?”

“So what?”

“So what..? You don’t feel that your words towards me are rude?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I felt so,” said Yakumo blatantly.

Haruka’s mood turned glum. However, she couldn’t back down just from it.

“Anyway, I want you to help.”

“Go ask someone else.”

“It can’t be anyone else but Yakumo-kun. Please—”

Haruka bowed her head deeply.

“That’s why, I already said that I refuse.”

“Why…? Even though I’ve already accepted her request…”

“That’s precisely why I called you a troublemaker. You make promises easily without thinking them through.”

“But I can’t just let her be.”

“Just dump that self-sacrificial mentality into the trash can.”

Yakumo swayed his hand as if swatting away a fly.

Seeing his attitude, Haruka exclaimed, “Oh, right.”

“It’s not much, but there’s a reward this time. Since if this goes on, Umi won’t be able to join the performance,” she said, and Yakumo lifted his left eyebrow.

When she finally thought that Yakumo had bought her story, her hope soon vanished.

“So, you picked up some trouble because you were blinded by money?”

Yakumo threw a cold gaze at Haruka.

“It’s not like that.”

“But you just said that there was a reward involved. Turns out you’re pretty calculative yourself.”

“Isn’t it you that’s aaaalways interested in money!?” said Haruka in an angry, high-pitched tone.

Yakumo had treated her as if she were a slave for money.

“Don’t get worked up.”

“I’m not worked up. I won’t ask for your help anymore. Thanks.”

Haruka stood up whilst slamming both of her hands on the table before walking towards the door.

She felt bad for having to take back her promise with her friend, but since Yakumo had no intention of helping, there was nothing she could do.

Haruka desperately wanted to do something. But alas, Haruka couldn’t see the spirits of the dead the way Yakumo did.

Whilst she had gotten carried away by her emotion and said she would never ask Yakumo’s help anymore, it was true that Haruka couldn’t do anything by herself.

“So, how much was the reward?”

Reacting towards Yakumo’s voice, Haruka turned.

Whether he had gotten blinded by the reward or he had pitied Haruka, it seemed that Yakumo was finally willing to get involved.

Together with Yakumo, Haruka went to the auditorium.

As she walked, a question emerged in her mind.

“Hey, Yakumo-kun,” she called.

Yakumo briefly replied, “What?”

“Don’t you think this case is a little strange?”

Before they had left the Movie Research Circle clubroom, she had explained the outline of the case to Yakumo.

According to Umi—the person in need of assistance—the spiritual phenomenon had been caused by a cursed manuscript.

Umi was deeply concerned that if they insisted on performing it at this state, somebody would become a victim.

“What’s strange about it?”

“Well…I’ve never heard of a manuscript being cursed...” said Haruka.

Yakumo immediately did an exaggerated sigh, purposefully so that Haruka would see.

“You knew that the story was suspicious, yet you easily agreed to help anyway?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just curious if such cases really existed,” emphasised Haruka.

“Hm,” Yakumo hummed whilst touching his sharp chin. “not that there was never any.”

“Eh?”

“If I’m not wrong, it used to be called tsukumogami.”

“Tsukumogami?” Haruka heard about the term before, but not the details.

“A god or a spirit that occupies an object.”

“So, this time there’s a ghost possessing a manuscript—”

“Your stupidity really is beyond saving,” said Yakumo interrupting Haruka’s sentence.

She didn’t recall saying something so strange to warrant being called stupid.

“Well, because you said something like that.”

“That’s why I said you’re stupid. I merely said such cases did exist. I never said that it applies to this case.”

Yakumo was right.

If they were to assume things without knowing anything, they would easily miss the truth behind the case. Yakumo often said that.

However, Haruka couldn’t easily agree.

“That’s true, but people have been able to attribute their experiences to it. Apparently all this time, whenever they tried to perform the manuscript, all sorts of misfortune occurred...”

“Have you confirmed it?”

“Eh?”

“I’m asking whether you’ve confirmed when the manuscript was attempted to be performed, and what incidents actually happened?”

“About that...”

“You wouldn’t be able to see the truth if you swallowed the rumours. Besides, such kinds of rumours must have been exaggerated over time.”

Precisely.

Haruka’s argument was completely annihilated. When it came to conversations, she just couldn’t win against Yakumo. As she walked lethargically, the auditorium came into sight before she knew it.

“This auditorium was used during the university entrance ceremony, right?” said Haruka as she jogged her memory.

The university entrance ceremony had been held at the auditorium. Haruka recalled being tense as she participated in the ceremony; enthusiasm mixed with anxiety had been wallowing within her at the time.

“I think so, yes,” nodded Yakumo.

Now that she thought about it, Yakumo must have been in the same auditorium to attend the university entrance ceremony. Perhaps they had even crossed paths.

Haruka felt giddy at the thought for some reason.

But now was not the time to daydream. There was something else that caught her attention.

“Did you see any ghosts during the entrance ceremony?”

“No,” Yakumo shook his head.

“So there aren’t any ghosts in the auditorium?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo ruffled his already tousled hair as he yawned. “I never said that.”

“But...”

“Perhaps the ghost only appeared after the entrance ceremony. Also, ghosts don’t always stay in the same place.”

“Ah, is that so…”

Yakumo was right.

There were many possibilities. While he hadn’t seen a ghost in the auditorium during the university entrance ceremony, they couldn’t immediately conclude that there weren’t any ghosts there.

“Besides, I didn’t attend the university entrance ceremony,” added Yakumo.

“Eh? Why?”

“Obviously because it’s troublesome.”

As she had imagined that they had come across each other at that time, Haruka felt disappointed.

Well, Yakumo had always been like this. He went by his own flow and disliked things that were inefficient or unnecessary. Even when it came to studying, he merely attended class as needed and required in order to pass, and went about as he pleased the rest of the time.

While Haruka was lost in thought, they had soon reached the front of the auditorium.

“Haruka—”

A student ran to approach Haruka.

It was Umi. She had a well-defined and elegant face profile; fitting for a theatre circle member.

“Sorry, I’m a little late.”

“No problem.”

“Ah, this is Saitou Yakumo. He’s knowledgeable about supernatural things—” said Haruka to introduce.

Yakumo nodded lightly. “Hello.”

He gave off a friendlier impression than usual. Was it because he was blinded by the reward, or because Umi was pretty?

After introducing themselves, Umi politely bowed her head. “I’ll leave it to you.”

Umi’s anxiousness only further emphasised her usual charm. Almost as if she awakened other people’s inclination to protect her.

Haruka’s thoughts ended up wandering further to unrelated things: if only she could genuinely show her vulnerable sides like this, perhaps her distance with Yakumo could grow closer—

“So, where did the ghost appear?” said Yakumo, casually bringing up the main topic at hand.

“Over here.”

Umi led the two of them. Together, Haruka and Yakumo stepped foot into the auditorium.

In the entrance hall of the auditorium, a number of students were busy going about as they rushed for event preparations.

“Umi-chan—” called a male student wearing a tracksuit whilst waving his hand.

“Nagami-san,” replied Umi with a little smile.

“You look unwell, are you alright?” asked the student as he observed Umi’s face.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still anxious because of that thing?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“If you have any troubles, I’m always here to listen. No need to hesitate to tell me about it,” said the student, patting Umi’s shoulder before walking away.

“Who was that?” asked Haruka as she watched his back leave.

“Nagami-san. He plays the role of my lover in this performance,” answered Umi.

“What did he mean by that thing?”

From their conversation earlier, that point had made Haruka curious.

“Nothing important. A while ago, there was a time when I felt like someone had been following me and I told him about it…”

Umi’s face turned sour.

Regardless of the actual details of the situation, it seemed that Umi regretted telling the matter to Nagami.

Perhaps it had something to do with the case. Haruka turned towards Yakumo. However, Yakumo didn’t seem to care and went back to asking, “So, where was it?”

“It’s this way.”

Umi ushered them over to the beginning of a corridor.

“Over there—” she said weakly as she pointed towards the corridor that extended straight ahead.

The corridor expanded along the side of the hall. Due to the lack of windows, the atmosphere inside the corridor appeared dimly lit even during daytime.

“You saw the ghost in this corridor?” asked Haruka.

Umi shook her head. “See the metal door at the end of this corridor?” said Umi pointing at the opposite end of the corridor.

As Umi had mentioned, Haruka could see a grey metal door at the end of the gloomy corridor.

“Yes.”

“Behind that door is the backstage area…I saw it there…”

Not only did the tone of her voice rise, her fragile looking shoulders trembled slightly. She must have been recalling the night when the incident had happened.

The feel of her unwillingness to walk across that corridor was clearly displayed.

“In that case, quickly lead us there,” Yakumo said straightforwardly.

Umi immediately jumped and blurted, “Eh? No…I…”

Umi’s head hung listlessly.

“Are you alright?” asked Haruka, glancing at Umi’s face who shook her head weakly.

Umi also played a role in this performance as a significant supporting cast. Once the performance began, she would have no choice but to enter the backstage area. In her current state, she wouldn’t be able to stand on the stage.

“Good grief...” mumbled Yakumo who then walked into the corridor, discarding the idea of Umi ushering the two of them.

After saying “Wait a moment, okay?” to Umi, Haruka chased Yakumo’s back.

The walls of the corridor were filthy and atop of being narrow, very little light shone in, resulting in a terrifying atmosphere.

“This feels creepy,” said Haruka.

Yakumo snorted. “You feel that way because you knew a ghost had appeared.”

“But, doesn’t this corridor feel a little too dark?”

“Corridors in auditoriums and halls are mostly like this, aren’t they,” said Yakumo nonchalantly. He then walked across the corridor with no hesitation.

Putting it that way, perhaps it was true. Corridors of halls or auditoriums that Haruka had gone through during her orchestra club’s recitals in the past had mostly been similar to this one.

Firming her resolve, Haruka continued going after Yakumo’s back.

“It’s here, huh—”

Yakumo halted his steps in front of the metal door at the end of the corridor.

The grey covered door appeared heavy; perhaps it also had a soundproof purpose.

As Yakumo casually reached the door handle, Haruka spoke, “Wait a minute.”

“Why?” said Yakumo with a blatantly annoyed expression.

“Is it really alright?”

“What is?”

“Because…the ghost appeared behind this door, right?”

Perhaps the ghost would suddenly jump out as soon as the door was open.

“So then what?”

“Eh?”

“How can I possibly live if I get surprised each time I see a ghost,” said Yakumo as he narrowed his eyes.

“That’s true…”

Yakumo’s red left eye was always capable of seeing ghosts. Haruka recalled, Yakumo once said that ghosts exist everywhere.

To Yakumo, ghosts weren’t anything particularly special nor surprising, rather something that always were.

“Besides, we won’t find anything out just by standing here,” said Yakumo as he yawned lazily, before opening the door just like that.

Haruka glanced at the backstage area past Yakumo’s back.

A dark space akin to a large, gaping void stood ahead. Cardboard boxes, a podium, chairs, and various items were scattered messily all over the place.

Yakumo stepped into the area, casting his gaze into the surroundings.

“Do you see anything?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo narrowed his eyes. “No—”

“So there aren’t any ghosts?”

“Yes, for now—”

Yakumo had said earlier that ghosts didn’t always stay in the same place. Hence, it was too early to decide whether the spiritual phenomenon Umi had experienced had been genuine or not.

While Haruka was lost in thought, Yakumo walked towards the stage.

“Ah, wait for me.”

Haruka hurriedly followed suit.

Right now, the stage was illuminated by lights, and a number of students appeared to be arranging the appearance of the stage.

As he briefly glanced across their work, Yakumo nonchalantly walked towards the opposite wing of the stage.

“Hey, Yakumo-kun,” called Haruka.

Yakumo stopped mid-walk and turned around. “What?”

“What do you mean, what? You’ll get scolded if you carelessly walk onto the stage.”

“They seem fine with it, though?” Yakumo shrugged, before looking at the direction of the students doing their work.

Haruka turned to their direction as well. They appeared to be in the middle of building a tower-like structure.

She didn’t know what kind of story was going to be performed, so she could only imagine how this tower structure would come into play. Even so, the tower appeared to be built sturdy enough to be climbed.

“What are you two doing over there?” A sudden voice directed at her made Haruka jolt.

She turned to see a man standing there. The man had a tall figure with a green jumpsuit on. He was so skinny that his cheekbones appeared prominent, with facial hair growing around his mouth.

“No, I...”

“Sorry, we’re just looking around for a bit,” Yakumo answered effortlessly in place of Haruka’s stuttered words. Yakumo’s ability to adapt to the situation never failed to impress Haruka.

Even though he hated socialising most of the time—

“Sorry, you’re going to interfere with our work, so please step aside,” said the man.

So we got scolded, after all.

“Sorry, we’ll step aside soon...” said Yakumo before hopping down the stage. However, he suddenly turned his heel and called towards the man in the jumpsuit. “Um...”

“What?”

“Did anything strange happen whilst you guys are working here?”

Hearing Yakumo’s question, Haruka then understood.

If there had been a ghost that had appeared at the backstage area, perhaps the man in the jumpsuit had seen something as he had been working here.

“Anything strange?” the man tilted his head, answering Yakumo’s question with another question.

“Yes. Ghost sightings, for example?” asked Yakumo as he gave a judging look.

“Ahh, that? The story that Hirose has been exaggerating about lately?” said the man, scowling.

“Yes, do you know something about it?”

“Something what?”

“Have you seen any ghosts yourself?” said Yakumo.

The man burst into laughter. “Never. Hirose was probably just exhausted.”

“Was the rehearsal tough?”

“That was one of the factors…but she must have been unable to accept it...” the man narrowed his eyes as he stared into the distance.

“Unable to accept what?”

“Sorry, please ask someone else,” he replied harshly before returning to resume his work.

As they went past the audience seats and exited towards the entrance hall through the back door, they saw Umi sitting on a sofa with her head hung.

“Umi,” called Haruka, and Umi lifted her face.

Her face looked terrible.

“How was it?” asked Umi in a whimper.

Unfortunately, Haruka couldn’t give an answer. She turned towards Yakumo for help.

“Right now, there are no ghosts in the backstage area,” said Yakumo sincerely.

Umi’s expression instantly turned glum.

“I really did see it...” said Umi through rough breaths.

“I know. I’m not saying you were lying,” said Yakumo whilst ruffling his hair in annoyance.

“But…”

“I’m only saying there is currently none. Ghosts are typically bound to the place where they died or places with memories attached to them. But not always for certain. Sometimes they move places due to certain reasons.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, it’s just one possibility…”

“In that case…what should I do…?” Umi asked Yakumo, filled with anticipation.

“It’s alright, please try to calm yourself down,” said Haruka as she sat beside Umi and reached for her shoulder.

Through the palm of her hand, she could feel that Umi’s frail shoulder was trembling.

“There’s no way I can calm down. After all, I have to rehearse at that place after this...”

Haruka now understood that was why Umi had been impatient.

She had to go backstage for the rehearsal. So long as this case wasn’t over yet, Umi wouldn’t be able to stand on the stage.

“Yakumo-kun, isn’t there anything you can do?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo lightly clicked his tongue. “Easy for you to say.”

“Like this, she’s really scared...”

“I know. But there’s nothing I can do as we don’t know the situation.”

Yakumo’s argument was right.

Despite that, Haruka couldn’t leave Umi in such a state. As she emphasised that fact, Yakumo sighed in disbelief.

“I’ll do what I can. But before that, there are a few things I’d like to confirm,” said Yakumo, staring straight at Umi.

Umi held her breath, before saying in confusion, “About what?”

“Firstly, I’d like to borrow the manuscript,” said Yakumo.

Umi took out a manuscript in a blue cover from her bag and handed it towards Yakumo.

Yakumo accepted it and flipped through its pages.

“Could there be something hidden within the manuscript?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo threw a disgusted look. “Don’t make me repeat the same thing over and over again.”

“Eh?”

“You always see past the truth because you easily jump to conclusions. Remember, we’re in the stage of gathering as much information as we can in order to grasp the situation.”

Yakumo’s words made Haruka reflect on herself a little.

Yakumo’s manner of speech may be irritating, but he was right. Haruka realised she had been desperate to be able to do something soon, so she had ended up asking something pointless.

“Sorry.” Haruka obediently apologised.

Yakumo’s eyes widened. “Looks like it’s going to snow tomorrow.”

“Why?”

They might be in the middle of fall season, but it was still too early for snow.

“Since you apologised so obediently,” Yakumo casually added.

Just how stubborn did you think I was?

Haruka wanted to protest, but she stopped herself. If she were to retaliate recklessly, who knew just how much worse Yakumo’s response would be.

“Besides that, there’s one more thing—” said Yakumo, lifting his index finger.

“What?”

“What about the other one?”

“Eh?”

“There was another person with you when you experienced the spiritual phenomenon, right? I’d like to hear their story as well,” explained Yakumo.

Haruka agreed. “That’s right.”

When Umi had witnessed the spiritual phenomenon, apparently one more person had been with her.

They might be able to gather more information by hearing their story as well.

Haruka turned to see Umi’s face on the verge of tears.

“About that…I couldn’t reach her,” said Umi with a trembling voice.

“How so?” asked Haruka.

“Apparently she hasn’t been coming into campus…so I tried to call her, but she never answered…”

Haruka felt an ill premonition.

Something might have happened to that person.

“Yakumo-kun—” called Haruka.

Yakumo nodded firmly. “Could you tell me her name and address?” asked Yakumo.

Umi then gave Eriko’s name and address whilst double checking from the contact list in her phone.

Once he had collected all that information, Yakumo stepped away from them for a while and began calling someone from his phone.

“Don’t tell me, something happened to Eriko?” asked Umi with a hopeless gaze.

“That’s...”

They couldn’t comment anything about that for the time being.

Hence, right now Yakumo was in the middle of doing something to confirm.

“What should I do?”

Umi covered her face with both of her hands.

“It’s alright,” said Haruka.

Even so, she didn’t say so with any basis whatsoever. They were merely empty soothing words. Haruka knew she should have said something wiser, but nothing came to her mind.

Moments later, Yakumo who had finished the call returned to where Haruka and Umi had been.

“Yakumo-kun,” called Harula.

Yakumo lightly nodded. “I asked Gotou-san to do a house welfare check on that woman named Eriko.”

“Is that so…”

Gotou was a police detective and a close acquaintance of Yakumo, and together they had solved countless cases. Naturally, he also knew about Yakumo’s red left eye and its ability to see spirits of the dead.

Either way, everything would be fine should they trust Eriko into Gotou’s hands.

“So then, what now?” asked Haruka, turning Yakumo’s face sour.

They still hadn’t gotten a good picture of the situation.

Frankly, they might have already hit a dead end.

“Dress rehearsal’s about to begin!” called a student that appeared to be part of the committee staff.

The students who had been gathered at the entrance hall began pouring into the auditorium.

Umi got up as well, but her body froze, unable to walk to the same direction. She had to be terrified of going to the backstage area.

“I understand your feelings, but it’s best if you participate in the dress rehearsal,” said Yakumo.

“B-but...”

Umi bit her lower lip.

“At least, as far as I could tell earlier, there weren't any ghosts backstage,” Yakumo narrowed his eyes.

“There weren’t...”

“Yes. So, there shouldn’t be anything that could have been caused by ghosts.”

“R-really?”

Umi was still in disbelief.

Haruka knew that feeling well. No matter how many times other people said ‘it’s alright’, the horror felt after having witnessed a ghost wouldn’t simply disappear.

“We’ll be watching close by as well. So if anything happens, we’ll come to assist you right away,” said Yakumo in a dependable tone.

Despite that, Umi remained uncertain.

“Hirose! What are you doing?” shouted a harsh sounding voice.

They turned to see a man standing at the door that connected to the auditorium.

The man had a square shaped face with a prominent jawline, whilst his shoulder length hair was tied up. He had a sharp gaze, and gave off the impression of a sensitive person.

“That’s Kurokawa-san, he’s the director of this performance,” whispered Umi.

Even Haruka recognized that man. Kurokawa, chairperson of the theatre circle and the director of this stage play.

According to Umi’s story, he and Tomoko—who became the lead role—were lovers.

“You’re the only one left, Hirose. Don’t fall behind.”

With large strides, Kurokawa approached to pressure Umi.

The tone of his voice was merciless, as if filled with hostility, that it made Haruka suspicious that he might have harboured some resentment towards Umi.

“S-sorry...”

“Quickly go get prepared now!”

Kurokawa pushed Umi’s back.

Umi was still terrified, but she was ushered into the auditorium.

He may be the circle chairperson, but that was going too far.

Haruka wanted to tell Kurokawa that, but Yakumo stopped her.

Yakumo then stood in front of Kurokawa and presented a formal smile.

“Excuse me. We would like to watch the rehearsal for a while. Would that be alright?”

Hearing Yakumo’s words, Kurokawa made a blatantly displeased expression.

“Why?”

“The truth is, I’m a writer for the humanities magazine published by the campus. This time, I’d like to cover the theatre circle’s performance—” said Yakumo, face plastered with a fabricated smile.

Haruka was amazed by how he could lie so smoothly like that.

“Even if you say that…the air of the rehearsal wouldn’t be good with an outsider present. Besides, I would like for our performance to be witnessed only by those who can appreciate it. I’d be troubled if the article takes an undesired direction.”

“Rest assured. We won’t interfere with the rehearsal, and before it gets published, I’ll have you run through the article for approval. If you don’t like the contents, feel free to reject it.”

In the end, Kurokawa finally gave in to Yakumo’s pressure and nodded.

“What an arrogant person,” blurted Haruka as they watched Kurokawa’s back enter the auditorium.

“It’s because he has the personality of a genius,” said Yakumo as he held back a yawn.

That reaction—

“Don’t tell me you knew him?”

“I’ve heard the rumours before. He had a great passion, but because of his personality, he invited a lot of antipathy.”

“Is that so…”

“Anyway, let’s go.”

Yakumo walked towards the auditorium entrance.

“Would it be alright?” asked Haruka towards Yakumo’s back.

“We’ve gotten permission.”

“Not that. About Umi.”

As Haruka mentioned that name, Yakumo stopped and stared into the ceiling.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe…? How irresponsible…”

“Don’t complain. For the time being, most likely this case was only her misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Yes. I’ve yet to see the ghost she mentioned. Furthermore, there wasn’t any particular spiritual related incident.”

“Well, that’s true...”

“With this being the case, it’s best that we assume she merely overreacted.”

Haruka understood what Yakumo was trying to say.

Umi was the only person terrified of the ghost’s presence. On top of that, despite having gone to the backstage area where the apparent sighting had been, Yakumo hadn’t seen any spirits there.

However, if that were the case, something else was off.

“Then, why are you still here?”

Knowing Yakumo, he normally would’ve left if he couldn’t verify the spiritual phenomena.

“Because I’m getting rewarded. So I’ll put in the amount of effort that I’m paid for,” answered Yakumo who then entered the auditorium.

Is that really the case?

Haruka couldn’t help but think that Yakumo must have sensed something.

Haruka sat on the audience seat at the centre of the auditorium. Yakumo was next to her, sitting comfortably as he read through the script with a serious expression.

On the stage, the theatre circle members were preparing to rehearse the play all the way from start to finish.

Normally, outsiders with no business to be there like Haruka and Yakumo would have been asked to leave, but Kurokawa as the circle chairperson and director of the performance had given his permission.

Despite that, it was hard to say that they had permission as they had lied their way to one.

Haruka felt uncomfortable thinking about it.

“Did you find anything?” asked Haruka after she had waited for Yakumo to finish reading the script.

“None,” answered Yakumo briefly, before placing the script on an adjacent seat and putting his hands behind his head.

“Is that so...”

Haruka let out a small sigh. She felt rather disappointed as she had hoped they would discover something from reading the script.

“This script is well written,” muttered Yakumo.

“What’s the story like?”

“The story was based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, with a woman as the protagonist and a modern setting.”

“Hamlet? Is that the one where the protagonist kills his wife out of suspicion?” said Haruka.

Yakumo hung his head, sighing as if trying to say how pathetic Haruka was. “That’s Othello.”

Haruka’s face heated up out of embarrassment from being corrected by Yakumo.

She shouldn’t have pretended to know better.

“Hamlet is the story of revenge against the protagonist’s uncle who murdered his father, took away his mother, and seized the throne.”

“Oh, that one.” Haruka finally remembered after hearing Yakumo’s explanation.

She didn’t know the details, but that was probably more or less how the story went.

“The beginning of the story follows Hamlet, but in the middle, it transitions into an original story.”

“I see.”

“Enough talking now,” said Yakumo as he turned towards the stage.

Kurokawa, who had been instructing the performers on stage, had returned to the audience seat.

The performers were now on standby backstage. At the same time, the lighting turned dim.

At last, the dress rehearsal was about to begin.

Haruka observed the stage with a tense expression.

Moments after the light had dimmed, a spotlight was cast onto the centre of the stage, illuminating the figure of a woman.

She must be Tomoko, who played the lead role.

The play began with an extended monologue by her.

Tomoko may have been a first year student, but her delivery of lines was crisp. She gave a strong performance and her presence felt spectacular.

Haruka was being drawn further into the play’s universe.

Once Tomoko’s monologue was over, the spotlight was changed to stage-wide lighting.

Umi emerged from the stage wing and talked to Tomoko. Perhaps due to the spiritual phenomenon she had experienced, Umi’s facial expression appeared awful, and her lines weren’t delivered well.

Suddenly, the stage turned pitch black.

The lights seemed to have gone out.

“Lighting team, what are you doing?”

“Quickly turn it back on.”

Sounds could be heard from multiple directions.

However, the lights still didn’t return.

As Haruka began to think that there had been technical issues with the equipment, there was a loud thud of something falling down that shook the audience seats.

At first she thought there could have been an earthquake, but the situation was off.

“This is bad…” mumbled Yakumo who slowly stood up.

“Why?”

Without answering Haruka, Yakumo rapidly walked towards the stage.

Whilst unaware of the situation, Haruka followed suit.

She tripped several times as it was dark, but she finally arrived in front of the stage.

What happened?

As Haruka thought that way, the stage lights returned.

She reflexively held her breath at the sight in front of her.

Umi’s body froze on stage, her eyes cast on the tower set that had collapsed.

It appeared that she had barely avoided getting crushed.

Haruka was momentarily relieved, but her thoughts quickly shifted.

Tomoko should have been where the tower had fallen.

Hesitating, Haruka slowly turned to see a human hand sticking out from underneath the fallen set. Perhaps it was Tomoko’s.

“Call an ambulance immediately!” Yakumo urged Haruka.

“Ah, y-yes.”

With trembling hands, Haruka took out her phone before pressing the numbers one-one-nine.

“So it’s true, this manuscript really is cursed…”

Overlapping with the sound of dialling tone, Umi’s heartbreaking cry reached Haruka’s ears.

The situation had become serious.

Sitting on a sofa at the auditorium entrance hall, Haruka let out a long sigh, hands supporting her head.

Everything had gone well at first when she had been asked for help by Umi—a friend from the same seminar—until she had come to this auditorium with Yakumo to confirm the identity of the ghost that Umi supposedly had seen.

During the investigation, they had been watching the rehearsal of the theatre circle that Umi was in. However, in the middle of the rehearsal, there had been an accident.

The lights had suddenly gone out and a stage set had collapsed.

Umi had been unscathed, but Tomoko who played the lead role had gotten crushed by the set and had to be brought to the hospital in an ambulance.

A commotion ensued within the members of the theatre circle.

“Things are getting complicated, huh...”

Haruka reacted to the voice, lifting her head to find Yakumo standing in front of her.

With a serious expression, Yakumo ruffled his already messy hair.

“How did it get like this?” Haruka asked Yakumo hopelessly.

Before the rehearsal had begun, they had examined the stage and Yakumo had confirmed there hadn’t been any ghosts there. Despite that, an accident had happened.

“Beats me. I don’t know either,” answered Yakumo, expressionless as usual.

Indeed, Yakumo didn’t like drawing conclusions without sufficient proof at hand; but he had to have some thoughts about this incident. Even so, Haruka couldn’t fully accept Yakumo’s answer just now.

“Did you see anything when the lights were out?” asked Haruka to Yakumo.

Though currently concealed with a black contact lens, Yakumo’s left eye was actually red. And that wasn’t all; with that left eye he could also see the spirits of the dead—in other words, ghosts.

Haruka may be unable to, but Yakumo might have seen something others hadn’t.

“Nothing...” said Yakumo as he shrugged.

Haruka felt a brief pause before he had answered.

“You saw something, didn’t you?”

“I told you, I didn’t see anything.”

“But, if it was a ghost’s doing, surely you’d see something, right?” pressed Haruka.

Yakumo shook his head in disbelief. ”You missed an important detail from the beginning by having that line of thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly as I said. You need to be more attentive and look at your surroundings.”

“I’m looking, though.”

“Don’t you see that there’s a grain of rice stuck on your cheek?” said Yakumo whilst pointing at his own cheek.

Eh? No way!

Haruka immediately felt around her right cheek. Yet there wasn’t any rice grain or the like stuck there. She examined her left cheek as well and couldn’t feel anything.

“Is there really a rice grain on my face?”

“No. I lied.”

“What?”

Haruka thought about throwing all sorts of words at him, but she stopped herself.

She was certain Yakumo would have retaliated tenfold if she did.

Rather than that, Yakumo hadn’t answered her question.

“You—”

Interrupting Haruka’s words, two men approached them.

They were Detective Kazutoshi Gotou and Detective Ishii Yuutarou, members of the Unsolved Cases Special Investigations Division.

“Hey!” called Gotou as he casually waved.

He had a square shaped face, with a large build akin to a bear’s, and a hardened appearance. However, he had a strong sense of justice and a rather old-fashioned way of thinking.

“H-Haruka-chan!”

Skipping steps, Ishii ran towards Haruka.

He wore silver framed glasses and a cleanly pressed suit, giving the impression of an intellectual. Even so, striking a conversation with him would reveal his actually cheerful and friendly nature.

“You brat. You got involved in something troublesome yet again,” grumbled Gotou.

“Just so you know, I didn’t do anything. I got involved against my own will,” replied Yakumo, mixed with a sigh.

“Your conduct is terrible on most days, so it turned out this way.”

“A detective who often sleeps during work hours doesn't get to comment about my day-to-day conduct.”

“What did you say?”

“Being short-tempered like that is a sign that you’re a narrow-hearted person.”

“I’m going to kill you!”

“Ishii-san, please arrest this blockhead on the basis of criminal intimidation.”

“Hah? Try me if you can!”

Ishii hurriedly stopped Gotou, who looked like he was about to beat up Yakumo.

“Let go of me!”

Gotou landed a punch on top of Ishii’s head.

While he had endured the brunt of Gotou’s temper many times, Ishii still looked pitiful.

“Anyway, how is Tomoko’s condition?” asked Yakumo in a carefree tone.

“We heard from the hospital earlier. Her back was bruised and the bone on her left leg was fractured, but her life isn’t in any danger,” explained Ishii in place of Gotou, whose anger hadn’t subsided.

“Thank goodness—” Haruka patted her chest out of relief.

“It’s too early to be relieved. This isn’t over,” said Yakumo with a serious expression.

He was right.

They have yet to determine the reason why things had turned out this way.

“Could it be because the manuscript really is cursed after all?” Haruka blurted spontaneously.

“A cursed manuscript? What’s that?” interrupted Gotou.

Yakumo must have not explained anything to Gotou and Ishii. Even at this point, he didn’t have any intention to do so.

In the end, Haruka had to explain all the details thus far.

Her friend from the same seminar, Umi, had confided to Haruka about the ghost she had seen at the backstage area.

Next, she also elaborated in depth about how the stage play performed by the theatre circle this time around had been a manuscript from ten years back with a history behind it.

“I-in other words, this case might have something to do with that cursed manuscript…?” said Ishii with a trembling voice after Haruka had finished telling her story.

“Yes.”

“Eeek!” Ishii jumped, letting out a weird noise.

Gotou yelled, “Shut up!” and slapped his head.

“Don’t tell me, that person named Eriko whose house you’ve requested to look into had something to do with all this?” asked Gotou with a serious tone.

“Yes,” Haruka promptly answered.

When Umi had seen the ghost, Eriko had been with her. As Eriko had been uncontactable, Yakumo had requested Gotou and Ishii to look into her.

“Say that from the beginning. I had no idea,” protested Gotou.

However, Yakumo simply put on an indifferent expression, pretending to be clueless. In the end, Haruka had to be the one to apologise. “Sorry.”

“So, how was it?” said Yakumo, yawning.

“What is?” Gotou asked back.

“I meant about that person named Eriko. From the flow of conversation, you should have known, you know.”

Gotou didn’t like that attitude of Yakumo. He clicked his tongue before instructing Ishii by waving his chin.

“We went to her house…but she wasn’t there,” said Ishii, adjusting the position of his glasses with the tip of his finger.

“Not there?” asked Yakumo with a suspicious look.

“Yes. According to her older sister who was at home at that time, Eriko had suddenly collapsed and had been brought to the hospital.”

Hearing Ishii’s explanation, Haruka’s back shivered.

“How is her condition?”

“She’s in a coma, but the cause isn’t known.”

“Is that so—” muttered Yakumo, placing his index finger on his forehead and began thinking.

All this time, Yakumo had been able to solve all sorts of cases not solely because of his ability to see spirits of the dead through his red left eye.

His remarkable ability to think and sharp analytical skills had been an important factor.

Everyone there waited for what Yakumo was about to say next. Yet Yakumo didn’t say a word and walked towards the door leading to the auditorium.

“Oi! Where are you going?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo slowly turned. “Examining the fallen set,” he replied as if it was the most natural thing.

“Huh?”

“Don’t just stand there, come over here quickly,” ordered Yakumo as he opened the auditorium door and went inside.

“That brat…” said Gotou with a disgusted face.

Haruka felt the same. Yakumo had always given a half-baked explanation if he hadn’t been certain of himself yet.

There were many things they wanted to say, but they could only rely on Yakumo in this situation.

Haruka exchanged glances with Gotou and Ishii, before they all followed Yakumo into the auditorium.

As Haruka, Gotou, and Ishii entered the auditorium, Yakumo had already gone up the stage. He was crouching as he examined the collapsed set with a serious gaze.

The three of them travelled across the corridor and followed Yakumo onto the stage.

“Did you find anything?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo showed a displeased look on his face.

“You could never progress because you’re always having people do things in your stead like that,” said Yakumo as he stood back up.

“You bastard! Looking for a fight?”

Gotou was riled up and furious, but Yakumo didn’t flinch.

“Oh my. I merely stated the fact.”

“You’re messing with me?”

“No. I’m making a fool out of you.”

“What did you say?!”

Ishii quickly stopped his superior who was about to hit Yakumo. As a result, Ishii ended up becoming Gotou’s punching bag—the same flow as earlier.

Despite the dire situation, Haruka instinctively laughed.

“You’re so laid back even though things are like this,” commented Yakumo immediately.

For Haruka, it was Yakumo that appeared laid back to her. But there was no use in her pointing that out, as Yakumo would never have acknowledged it.

Rather than that—

“Did you find anything now?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo made an exaggerated face of annoyance. “Seriously. Gotou and you are just the same. Why are you both this stupid?”

“What’s with th—”

“That’s why I told you already, right!”

A shout reverberated throughout the auditorium, interrupting Haruka’s sentence.

All of them turned towards the source of the voice to see a man in a green jumpsuit furious around the backstage area.

He was the person who had built the collapsed stage set.

In front of him, two students stood whilst hanging their heads.

“What’s all this commotion?” said Gotou in a prompt response as he approached the three of them together with Ishii.

Their faces were filled with suspicion. Even so, as Gotou and Ishii showed them their officer badges, their expression froze.

Perhaps there was something going on.

Yakumo turned to Haruka, nodding, before he walked towards Gotou. Haruka followed after him.

“So tell me, what’s going on?” asked Gotou.

The three men didn’t answer. Yet they didn’t seem like they had any intention to escape either, so they must at least have some intention to respond.

“Were you the ones responsible for building the set?” asked Gotou, and all three people nodded in unison. Next, Gotou asked for their names.

The man in the green jumpsuit was a third year student named Iida. The other two were second year students named Miyazawa and Abe.

“Then, what were the three of you on about?” asked Gotou again.

Miyazawa and Abe stood awkwardly, dropping their gaze to their feet.

“They forgot about the counterweight,” said Iida with a cursing tone.

“Counterweight?” asked Ishii as he took out his notepad.

“Yes. I’ve instructed them to place a counterweight on the bottom of the set so that it wouldn’t collapse, but…” said Iida who then glared at Miyazawa and Abe.

“We’ve already placed it…” said Miyazawa in a murmur.

“If it were placed, there was no way the set would have fallen. After all, there was no counterweight to be found where the set had fallen!” Iida yelled until his face turned red.

“There, there,” said Ishii, calming Iida who appeared as if he was about to devour Miyazawa and Abe.

“In other words, the set collapsed because the counterweight that was supposed to be at the bottom was missing?” asked Gotou.

Iida nodded.

“So it was the two of you that were assigned to place that counterweight from the start?” interrupted Yakumo, speaking out as well.

“Yes,” Miyazawa nodded.

“You said earlier that you’ve already placed the counterweight, are you certain about that?”

Miyazawa nodded again, “Yes.”

“I’ve told you already that the counterweight wasn’t there!” yelled Iida in anger as they didn’t believe him.

“Could you please be quiet for a second?” Yakumo glared at Iida.

Defeated by the pressure, Iida finally went silent whilst looking displeased.

After a moment of pause, Yakumo threw the same question at the other second year student, Abe. “You. Did you recall placing the counterweight?”

After glancing at Iida and Miyazawa back and forth, Abe answered with a humming voice, “I feel like we did place it. But also maybe not...”

He chose a middle ground between Iida and Miyazawa.

“Alright. Thank you very much—” Yakumo stopped asking questions.

Gotou requested for each of their phone numbers as he stated that he may need to question them again at a later time, before dismissing them for the time being.

“Then this was an accident,” said Gotou with a sigh once the three of them had left.

“That’s true. Once backup arrives and the location is investigated, this case is over,” said Ishii in agreement.

Haruka too was certain upon hearing their statements earlier. The spiritual phenomenon Umi had experienced had led her to believe that the fall of the set had also been a spiritual phenomenon, but she might have been mistaken based on those statements.

“Was this purely an accident?” said Yakumo, the only person who expressed doubt.

“What do you mean?” asked Haruka immediately.

“I meant as I said. Before the set collapsed, the lighting had some issues, right?”

“Yes.”

As Yakumo had said, the lights had suddenly gone out, and the set had collapsed afterwards.

“Somehow the lighting ran into some issues, and then somehow the set also collapsed right at that time—isn’t it too great to be a coincidence?”

“Perhaps it was so,” said Haruka.

Yakumo snorted. “I have a hunch that someone’s behind all this—” he said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Someone behind this? What are you saying?” asked Gotou.

“We’ll confirm that for certain now,” said Yakumo, a thin smile forming on his face.

“Sorry, I feel like I ended up getting you guys involved.”

As they walked at the entrance hall, Haruka apologised to Ishii who was next to her.

Yakumo had said that he had wanted to look into something and had left with Gotou. Because of that, together with Ishii, Haruka had been requested to ask around those who had been involved.

She felt dissatisfied. Why couldn’t Yakumo at least explain a few things to her?

But Yakumo had always been like this. Haruka had been asked countless times by Yakumo to gather information whilst kept in the dark.

“No problem at all. Even if for just a little, I’m glad to be of help to you, Haruka-chan!”

Ishii energetically gave a salute.

“Thank you,” said Haruka sincerely. If Ishii—who was a policeman—was here, she could gather information more smoothly.

“So, who should we be asking first?” asked Ishii.

The question made Haruka feel troubled. She never thought about any such order.

“Right…Let’s just start with whoever’s closest in proximity,” answered Haruka as she observed her surroundings.

She found one person she recognized.

The student who played the role of Umi’s lover in this performance. If she wasn’t mistaken, his name was Nagami.

He was sitting on a sofa at the entrance hall with his head hung.

Haruka ran towards Nagami and greeted him “Sorry, excuse me.”

“Ah, you are…” said Nagami after he turned to see Haruka’s face.

“I’m Ozawa, Umi’s friend. This is Ishii-san from Setamachi precinct police.” said Haruka.

Nagami’s face hardened. “P-Police…?”

Nagami appeared cautious.

“Don’t worry. We just want to confirm something,” said Ishii with a smile, and Nagami’s expression relaxed.

At times like this, instead of Gotou, Ishii’s friendly impression could make his conversation partner let their guard down.

“Confirm what?”

“Where were you when the set collapsed?” asked Ishii.

“I was on standby in the backstage area.”

“Was there anyone else besides you?”

“I think there were quite a number of people.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It may not be visible, but there were many actors on standby and plenty of staff who were occupied backstage.”

“I see…”

Ishii nodded as if impressed.

Nagami was right. Whilst out of view from the audience seat, many things were happening behind the scenes or backstage during a performance.

“Was it an accident?”

This time Nagami asked a question.

“No, we have yet to confirm it…” said Ishii dodging the question, but Nagami appeared dissatisfied, leaning his body forwards.

“If it wasn’t an accident, this incident might have something to do with him,” implied Nagami.

“Him?” Haruka tilted her head.

Nagami expanded his nose boastfully. “Umi-chan was being followed by someone.”

As he mentioned that, Haruka was reminded that Umi had indeed said so.

Umi didn’t make a big deal out of it, so Haruka merely listened and forgot about it.

“Do you have any idea who was following her?” asked Ishii.

Nagami shook his head. “No, but since Umi seemed really troubled by it, I got concerned and offered to listen to her worries. That’s why, I think that man was behind this case, there’s no mistaking it,” said Nagami eagerly.

While his accusatory and roundabout way of speech felt odd, this topic couldn’t easily be ignored.

“But…Umi said she saw a ghost…”

“Hence I’m saying the real identity of that ghost must have been a stalker. Umi was scared. But she only told me about it—”

“Oh...” Haruka’s response was vague.

Just how long have Nagami been mentioning Umi’s name so familiarly?

“I think I can protect Umi,” muttered Nagami.

A manly thing to say, but Haruka sensed something was off.

Nagami must have been confident that he’s doing the right thing, but he didn’t think of the other person’s feelings. After all, when they had come across Nagami, Umi had tried to avoid him.

Perhaps this was merely her own suspicion.

Nevertheless, Nagami was the one who felt like a stalker to Haruka.

As they entered the auditorium, Haruka found Kurokawa and Umi conversing in the audience seat.

“Sorry, could I have a moment of your time?” greeted Haruka, and both of them turned at the same time.

Kurokawa’s expression was glum, as if holding back his anger. On the other hand, Umi’s brows were lowered, her eyes glassy with tears.

“Umi…” said Haruka, and Umi ran away, escaping that place.

“Are you the chairperson of the circle? Could we ask you a few questions?”

Before Haruka could chase Umi, Ishii had already begun speaking to Kurokawa. Because of that, she had no choice but to stay put.

Maybe this could be their chance to ask Kurokawa why Umi was crying.

“What questions?” asked Kurokawa in an angered tone.

“We would like to confirm a few things about the collapsed stage set,” said Ishii as he adjusted his silver framed glasses with the tip of his finger.

“Sure thing. But please be quick. I need to rethink a lot of arrangements,” said Kurokawa blatantly.

That way of speaking—

“You…don’t intend to cancel this performance?” asked Haruka.

Kurokawa nodded as if it was natural. “Of course. I have to substitute the role, as well as rearrange the stage set,” said Kurokawa calmly.

Still, Haruka couldn’t understand it. “Tomoko-san was injured, you know?”

“I know. That’s why I’m contemplating on who can take her place.”

Well, that was true, but that wasn’t what Haruka was wondering about.

“Aren’t you worried?” asked Haruka.

Kurokawa frowned.

“Worried about what?”

“About what? Tomoko-san, of course. Isn’t she your lover?”

“Don’t get me wrong.”

“Eh?”

“Of course I’m worried.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better for you to go visit her right now…”

“Even without you telling me, I’m planning to go there later. But right now, it’s more important to find someone to substitute her role,” said Kurokawa firmly.

“B-but...”

“Me and Tomoko’s relationship isn’t like what you’re thinking.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to explain. You probably wouldn’t understand either.”

As Kurokawa had said, Haruka felt she wouldn’t be able to accept it even when explained. Their way of thinking was too different.

Haruka was certain she wouldn’t be able to communicate with that man any further than this.

Kurokawa had a remarkable passion for stage play. But as a result, it felt like he was putting everything else aside.

“We would like to ask a few things regarding the collapsed set accident…” Ishii repeated his question when Haruka had run out of words to say to Kurokawa.

“That’s why I said, please hurry. The conversation didn’t progress because of unnecessary things,” said Kurokawa, glaring at Haruka.

It was true that they had deviated from the main topic because of Haruka’s interruption, but she had hoped Kurokawa could reflect on his words a little bit.

Unlike the harsh insults that Haruka often received from Yakumo, hatred could actually be felt from the words that came out of Kurokawa.

Ishii cleared his throat and said, “We heard from Iida-san earlier, apparently the set had collapsed because the counterweight that was supposed to be placed at the bottom had been missing…”

“It seems so.”

“Is there anything else that you know of?”

“Not really? Because Iida said so, I think that was the case,” said Kurokawa apathetically.

“Do you really have no idea?”

“What do you mean?”

Even towards Ishii, Kurokawa emanated a sharp gaze with no mercy.

“Did something strange happen, perhaps?”

“No…Well, someone once wrote on social media that Tomoko should be withdrawn from the lead role, but that was about it.”

“Do such things happen frequently?”

“Anybody could have the tendency to think that they would do a better job than someone else, right?”

His statement—don’t tell me Umi wrote that? No, Umi wouldn’t do something like that.

“Well, maybe you’re right. Is there anything else?” said Ishii.

“Anything else?”

“A ghost sighting, for example?”

As Ishii mentioned that, Kurokawa sighed in disbelief.

“The one that Hirose had been blabbering about how she and her friend apparently had seen?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t tell me that the police are suspecting this to be the work of a ghost?” said Kurokawa challengingly.

“No, it’s not like that…but, how do I say this...We are looking into all sorts of possibilities, so...”

Seeing Ishii scrambling for words, Kurokawa snorted.

“She’s always making a fuss about ghosts, she’ll never be able to fully deliver her role.”

Rather than towards Haruka and Ishii, Kurokawa’s words felt as if they were directed at Umi.

“You’re referring to Umi?” asked Haruka.

Kurokawa laughed bitterly.

“She may have talent, but Hirose has always acted whilst being concerned about her surroundings. If she keeps that up, she’ll never be able to land a lead role. Especially not for this one.”

Unlike earlier, Kurokawa’s words just now didn’t feel as sharp.

I wonder why I feel that way?

Before Haruka could find the answer, Kurokawa said, “That’s enough, right?” and ended the conversation.

Returning to the entrance hall, Haruka saw Umi’s figure sitting on a sofa.

She was spacing out, staring into emptiness.

“Ishii-san, please wait for a moment,” said Haruka before running towards Umi.

“Umi,” she called.

The person being called slowly turned her head. As Haruka had suspected, Umi’s eyes were red. She had cried back in the auditorium after all.

“Are you alright?” asked Haruka.

Umi smiled clumsily. “Yes.”

“What happened earlier?” Haruka sat next to Umi.

“No...” Umi dropped her gaze to her feet.

She may have talent, but Hirose has always acted whilst being concerned about her surroundings.

Kurokawa’s words flashed in Haruka’s mind.

Why was that the only sentence that didn’t feel as sharp? Haruka still didn’t have the answer.

“Did something happen with the director?” asked Haruka.

Umi shook her head until her hair swayed along. “It was nothing. I simply couldn’t meet his expectations…”

Umi’s voice trembled slightly.

“Isn’t that the director’s duty?”

“It’s not like that. It all boils down to my own feelings...”

“You’re still concerned about the ghost?”

“Well, that too...but, that wasn’t the only thing Kurokawa-san had said.”

“What do you mean?”

Haruka’s question made the corners of Umi’s lips droop.

“The truth is, I wanted the lead role.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But in the end, Tomoko was chosen...”

Umi covered her face with both of her hands.

“...”

“The protagonist of the story this time is a tough woman. Kurokawa had repeatedly said that I had to be strong-willed. However, I always worry about my surroundings and tend to be reluctant as a result.”

“Even so, if you were to practise diligently…”

“That’s not it,” Umi shook her head.

“No?”

“It wasn’t just about acting. I’ve always been that way. Even when I like someone, if I know that a friend of mine likes the same person, I would withdraw. I dislike conflict and I can’t stand seeing someone else suffer because of my selfishness…”

“I see...”

“That weakness of mine comes through even when I act…that’s why Kurokawa gave the lead role to Tomoko...”

Haruka felt she could understand as she shared a similar trait with Umi. She prioritised how others around her would react and would keep her opinions to herself.

She also understood how she had turned into such a person.

“In the end, we all wish to make ourselves look good...” said Haruka unknowingly.

“Eh?” Umi lifted her face in surprise.

“Sorry. I wasn’t talking about you. After listening to your story, I thought I too have a similar side to myself…” said Haruka in a whimper.

“...”

The look on Umi’s face was as if asking for Haruka to continue.

“In my case, rather than disliking conflict or being unable to stand making others suffer, I’m more concerned about how others perceive me.”

Even as she talked, Haruka felt her chest beginning to burn as if she was picking on her own scars.

However, those were her honest feelings.

While it sounded like it was a good thing to say that she acted whilst being considerate of her surroundings, she cared far too much about people’s opinion of her.

“I feel like I’m the same…” said Umi, forming a faint smile.

“The same?”

“Yes. I realised it after listening to you. I suppose I’m always worried about how people see me.”

“Umi...”

“I know Kurokawa-san had expectations for me. Yet in my desperation to meet that expectation, I ended up being too focused on not failing. That wasn’t what was necessary for the role this time, but I couldn’t understand it.”

“So that’s how it was.”

“Perhaps Kurokawa-san had seen through that part of me, so he didn’t entrust the lead role to me…My feelings are much better now. Thank you,” said Umi as she stood up.

Amazing. All this time, Umi emanated a weak aura that made others want to protect her, but now all of that was gone without a trace.

“I knew it, I do want to play that role after all,” muttered Umi.

“In that case, why don’t you ask Kurokawa-san one more time?” said Haruka enthusiastically.

She knew it wasn’t an appropriate thing to say whilst Tomoko was injured.

Even so, she had a feeling that Umi’s hope would vanish if she were to give up here.

“But, how do I bring it up at a time like this...”

“Kurokawa-san must have been waiting for you to ask for that role,” said Haruka.

She didn’t say that without any basis whatsoever.

Haruka began to suspect that Kurokawa’s words back then that didn’t feel as sharp had in fact been because Kurokawa had expectations toward Umi.

“Haruka...”

Before Umi could finish her sentence, Haruka’s phone rang at a poor timing.

She wanted to ignore it at first, but the person calling was Yakumo. There might have been new developments in the case.

Haruka said to Umi, “Sorry, give me a moment,” before moving a few distance away to answer the call.

“Hello?”

<Tell me what you’ve found out so far,> said Yakumo once Haruka had picked up the call.

Even if asked to explain what she knew, it was honestly difficult. They had yet to be able to clarify anything.

Haruka had no choice but to elaborate what she had obtained one after another to Yakumo.

<I see. I understand the big picture now,> said Yakumo after Haruka had finished her story.

It was as if he already knew everything.

“What did you understand?”

Yakumo evaded Haruka’s question as usual.

Haruka thought about asking again, but scrapped the idea.

Even if pressed for answers, Yakumo would refuse to talk about it.

Rather—

“What are we going to do after this?”

<I’d like to request your help on something.>

However she thought about it, Haruka felt an ominous premonition from Yakumo’s request—

“Regarding Tomoko’s substitute, Ozawa Haruka will be playing the lead role—”

Kurokawa announced the fact amidst the meeting conducted in the entrance hall, attended by the entire cast and staff involved.

Predictably, sounds of surprise could be heard from all directions.

As the performance inched closer in just a few more days, she who wasn’t even a circle member was somehow chosen to be the lead role.

They must be displeased. And more importantly, they had to be riddled with anxiety.

Haruka glanced towards Umi, standing with her head hung. Just how did Umi feel upon hearing that?

Haruka desperately wanted to talk to her, but right now she couldn’t.

“Is it going to be alright, entrusting the job to an amateur?”

Unable to withstand the situation, the person who spoke up was the person who played the role of Umi’s lover: Nagami.

“She’s not an amateur. She’s an actress who’s part of an agency and has already undergone acting courses,” said Kurokawa smoothly.

“Acting isn’t a one person job, you know.”

“I know that even without you saying it. That’s why we’ll start the rehearsal now,” said Kurokawa with disregard.

“Will she be able to memorise the lines?” Nagami retaliated once more. He was still sceptical.

Despite that, he had a solid argument. There were only a few more days before the performance was going to be held. Memorising the lead role’s lines for a two hour long performance was no easy task.

“For today it can’t be helped that you have to rehearse while carrying the script, but on the day of the performance I expect you to have memorised everything. You can do it, right?” asked Kurokawa.

Haruka answered, “Y-yes.”

“Can she really do it? It’s not funny if she ends up withdrawing halfway through.”

“Enough with your comments! She hasn’t even tried yet!” roared Kurokawa before Nagami finally shut his mouth.

“In that case, let’s start with the greetings…” ushered Kurokawa once the air had calmed down.

Haruka stepped forward hesitantly.

All the glares directed at her hurt. She wanted to escape so badly—unable to bear the position she was at. Yet, she couldn’t run away.

“U-um, that…I-I’ll be in your care...”

She was so tense that she stuttered and her words didn’t come out properly.

Majority of the people there laughed bitterly.

Haruka felt as if her face was spewing fire, but she hung in there.

It was obvious that she had no acting experience and there was no way she had been part of an agency. She had never received any acting courses either.

Despite that, Haruka now stood here and was given the lead role.

There was in fact a reason behind all of this.

Yakumo had requested her to do so and she had no choice but to oblige for the sake of resolving the case.

Even so, Haruka didn’t understand how having her become the lead role could contribute to the resolution of this case.

With orders from Kurokawa, the rehearsal was soon to begin and everyone began their preparation.

“You just have to stand in the middle of the stage and read the lines from the script,” Kurokawa said to Haruka, before leaving to go to the audience seat.

At this point, Haruka couldn’t simply stand still. She then walked towards the backstage area to standby.

The gazes of the cast members and staff there felt incredibly painful.

It was understandable. She had come out of nowhere and taken the lead role. Surely not a single person there was able to accept that fact.

Even Umi gazed intently at Haruka from afar.

The staff was busy going all over the place, while the actors stretched whilst doing vocal exercises.

Haruka was the only person not knowing what to do, standing by herself amidst the dimly lit space.

Not long after, Kurokawa’s voice could be heard shouting from the audience seat, “Now, let’s start the rehearsal. Starting from the first scene.”

Haruka suppressed the wavering in her heart. She walked into the dark stage, script on hand, and stood at the designated spot.

As if having predicted the timing, the spotlight shone above her.

Haruka narrowed her eyes, blinded by the light.

Her legs grew stiff at the thought of having to act amidst this spectacle.

“Your lines!” Kurokawa yelled from the audience seat as Haruka wasn’t saying a thing.

Right. She needed to read her lines.

However, as she glanced at the script, her vision went pitch black.

Commotion could be heard from many places.

“Hey! The lights are out again!” yelled Kurokawa.

Even back then, the lights had gone out at first. What followed had been a loud thud, before the set had collapsed onto Tomoko.

Don’t tell me—

As she had that thought, she had already heard a creaking sound.

Haruka focused her eyes. Despite being in darkness, she could see the stage set falling in her direction.

I have to run! she thought, but her body froze and refused to budge.

No good. I’m going to get crushed.

Someone grabbed Haruka’s arm, yanking it away by force before pulling her into an embrace.

BAM!

Accompanied by a loud thud, the set fell right before Haruka’s eyes.

Apparently she was safe because someone had pulled her arm away.

But, who did?

As if answering Haruka’s question, the lights that had been out then returned.

The first thing Haruka saw was Yakumo’s face.

“Yakumo-kun—”

“Looks like you were unharmed,” said Yakumo, forming a little smile.

“Yes. But, how come...” Haruka said in a trembling voice.

If the set had collapsed twice, then this was no longer a mere accident, but a deliberate act of someone.

“Gotou-san will catch the perpetrator soon enough,” said Yakumo, right as yelling came from backstage.

What followed was the sound of Gotou’s deafening voice, “DON’T YOU DARE RUN AWAY! STOP RESISTING!”

Brawling noises could then be heard.

“What’s happening?” asked Haruka.

That instant, a man jumped out of the backstage area and climbed onto the stage.

He was the man in the green jumpsuit, Iida.

“Don’t think that you can escape!”

Gotou and Ishii ran out to chase him.

Iida tried to run towards the opposite stage wing, but Yakumo casually stuck out his foot, making the man fall down hard. Gotou then ambushed him from above and handcuffed his hands behind his back.

“What’s actually going on?” asked Haruka in confusion.

Haruka wasn’t the only one in bewilderment. Umi, Nagami, other members of the cast, even members of the staff came surrounding the stage.

“Exactly what you’re seeing,” mumbled Yakumo, who then threw a sharp glare at Iida.

“I don’t understand at all. Explain properly!” urged Haruka.

Yakumo ruffled his bedhead hair with an annoyed expression before opening his mouth. “The culprit who made the set collapse was him,” he said, pointing at Iida who was being held by Gotou.

“Stop saying such nonsense! What did I even do?” yelled Iida, twisting his body.

“Be quiet,” snapped Gotou, and Iida went silent as he got intimidated by the pressure.

“How could he be the culprit?”

Haruka couldn’t understand.

Besides, the cause of the set’s collapse earlier had been due to Miyazawa and Abe forgetting to place the counterweight.

“Simple enough. Because he was the only person who could have done it,”

Haruka wasn’t following the meaning behind Yakumo’s words. “What are you saying?”

“When I saw the set being erected at the stage for the first time, the counterweight had been there.”

“Eh?”

“I’ve already confirmed there had been a counterweight on the bottom of the set that collapsed.”

Haruka hadn’t paid any attention to that at all, while Yakumo had taken a closer look at it.

But, if that were the case—

“After the set had collapsed, the counterweight wasn’t there, right?”

That was what they had said.

“That’s right. In other words, someone had relocated it afterwards.”

“And that someone was Iida-san?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo nodded.

“He scolded his juniors and claimed that they had forgotten to place the counterweight. But as I said, most likely the counterweight had been moved later. Having that in mind made his behaviour become suspicious. Hence I set up a trap.”

“Don’t tell me that trap is…” said Haruka, and Yakumo nodded firmly.

Haruka had stood on this stage whilst bearing the weight of the “lead role” all because Yakumo had instructed her to do so.

He must have already requested Kurokawa’s cooperation ahead of time via phone call.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for Haruka to be assigned the lead role.

“Yes. But because there was no evidence, I had arranged such that he would attempt the same thing again.”

“You’re saying that you guys were making him attack me on purpose?”

“More or less so,” said Yakumo calmly.

Perhaps even Gotou and Ishii had secretly known about Yakumo’s plan as they had been on standby to catch Iida.

Haruka wished she had been warned in advance if she had to be put in danger like this.

“But, why would Iida-san attack me?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo narrowed his eyes.

“Because you’re the lead role.”

Iida gritted his teeth, whether out of anger or frustration.

“Wait a moment. Why would I be attacked because I was the lead role?” asked Haruka.

“To be more precise, he wanted a certain woman to be the lead role in this stage play.”

“What do you mean?”

“Recall again the social media post Kurokawa had mentioned,” explained Yakumo, resulting in Haruka turning towards Kurokawa.

Kurokawa stood there expressionlessly, so Haruka couldn’t tell what the man was thinking.

When questioning Kurokawa earlier, he had mentioned that someone had written a threatening post in social media about how Tomoko should be withdrawn from the lead role.

“So, the person who wrote that was Iida-san?”

“Correct. He wanted Umi-san to play the lead role. Regardless, Kurokawa-san didn’t adhere to his wishes. That’s why he made the set collapse to injure Tomoko-san, so that Umi would replace her to play the lead role.”

“Why would he do something like that...?”

“Someone’s been stalking Umi-san, right?”

“Ah…”

Haruka didn’t know the full details, but Nagami had said so.

“That stalker was none other than him,” said Yakumo pointing at Iida.

“Stop messing around! I’m not a stalker! I’m merely watching over Umi!” yelled Iida.

“Eh?”

Umi stepped backwards slightly.

“Umi has talent! I’m certain she’ll become a great actress! That’s why I have to protect her! BUT THAT BASTARD KUROKAWA GOT HIS FEELINGS INVOLVED AND CHOSE THAT BRAT TOMOKO TO PLAY THE LEAD ROLE! NOT TO MENTION HE LET AN AMATEUR STAND ON THE STAGE, HOW RIDICULOUS!” growled Iida with all his might.

It appeared that Iida had really fallen for Umi not just as an actress, but also as a woman.

Unfortunately, due to his deep and unreasonable love, he couldn’t accept the role assignment Kurokawa had done.

So that Umi could become the lead role, he had injured Tomoko by collapsing the set on purpose. He thought it would certainly make Umi become the lead role. Yet unexpectedly, Haruka had come into the picture.

Because of that, apparently he had tried to use the same method to endanger Haruka.

“I said be quiet,” said Gotou as he pressed Iida’s head against the floor to silence him.

“But could the set really fall just from having the counterweight missing?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo shook his head. “No. That’s why he had waited backstage for the right timing to push the set into collapse.”

“I see...but why would he use the same method twice?”

He should have known that he’d get found out if he repeated the same method.

“That was the key to the case.”

“What do you mean?”

“As you were suddenly chosen as a substitute, he panicked. He didn’t have the time to come up with a different method.”

Yakumo’s explanation made Haruka understand.

That was the reason Yakumo had rushed to carry out this trick. If not, they wouldn’t have been able to gain evidence of Iida’s wrongdoing.

Iida had walked right into the trap that Yakumo had set up.

“You should’ve used a different method to express your love,” said Yakumo while slowly approaching Iida.

“Shut up! It’s all Kurokawa’s fault! Assigning roles while getting his feelings involved! Umi’s ability actually exceeds Tomoko’s!”

“I know that without you telling me,” Kurokawa spoke up, interrupting Iida’s allegations against him.

“W-what?”

Iida had a surprised look on his face.

“Did you really think that Kurokawa-san had assigned the roles in this play with his feelings involved?“ asked Yakumo.

“Of course!” roared Iida.

“You really don’t understand, do you.”

“What?”

“Kurokawa-san had intended to make Umi-san the lead role from the start.”

“Eh?” blurted Haruka spontaneously.

Even Umi who had been watching from afar showed a face of disbelief.

“Kurokawa-san has been waiting for Umi-san to firm her resolve and step forward to ask for the lead role without worrying about the people around her. This lead role required that sort of confidence.”

“Wha…?”

Iida’s eyes widened in shock.

Haruka turned towards Kurokawa. The man’s face remained expressionless. Wonder what that director could be thinking of.

Nevertheless, Haruka felt Yakumo’s words were right. The reason had been the look in Kurokawa’s eyes when he had spoken of how Umi had talent.

As Yakumo had said, Kurokawa had put out his hope and waited for Umi to take action.

“Liar. Because...he had chosen his own lover for it...” said Iida in resistance.

“You still don’t understand? In the end, Kurokawa-san wanted Umi-san to be the lead role. That was why he asked his lover to become the substitute until Umi-san is ready to play the part.”

Ah, so that was how it was.

If it had been his lover, he’d be able to explain the truth beforehand. Hence he had asked for Tomoko’s help.

“If that were the case, why didn’t he just say so from the start?” said Iida, still in denial, though his voice was shaking.

“It would have been meaningless if he did, right?”

“What?”

“Besides, Kurokawa-san had been giving feedback to Umi-san about her shortcomings the whole time. Yet she still hadn’t changed. Since words wouldn’t work, Kurokawa-san took a risk and chose a harsher method.”

“Why would he go that far…?” Iida said in confusion.

“Simply put, it’s already his nature as a director,”

“His nature?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo ruffled his hair into a further mess with an annoyed expression.

“If he were to come across an unpolished gem right before his eyes, he’d do anything to make it shine—if he wasn’t such a person, he wouldn’t be able to become a director.”

“I see,” said Haruka in agreement.

Any director would try their best to develop a talent that was right before their eyes.

The same thing would apply in the field of music or sports.

His actions may have invited many misunderstandings, but Kurokawa was an enthusiastic director with a strong sense of ideology.

Perhaps Umi had realised it too.

Because of that, even when she had been treated coldly and scolded often, Umi had never once criticised nor retaliated against Kurokawa’s harsh words.

“If you truly cared about Umi-san, you shouldn't have been thinking about getting rid of others, and instead do it in a respectable way like Kurokawa-san,” said Yakumo.

Iida gave up and laid down listlessly.

After he had finished his explanation, Yakumo slowly walked to approach Umi.

“You’ve heard it now, right?” he said.

Umi nodded, “Yes—”

“Everything from here on is up to you.”

“I already have that intention,” said Umi firmly. She then stepped down from the stage and stood in front of Kurokawa, who was in the audience seat.

Her expression was tough—unlike usual—as if she was holding back her shortcomings thus far.

“Kurokawa-san. Please. Let me play the lead role this time!” bowed Umi as she pleaded.

Umi didn’t merely want the lead role only after hearing the truth that Yakumo had revealed. Even prior to that, there had been a change in Umi’s heart.

The very proof was the difference between Umi now compared to how she was before—weak and could only rely on other people.

“If you want to do it, do it in earnest. We don’t have much time,” answered Kurokawa in a firm, yet warm tone.

He must have also felt the change within Umi.

With this, it’s all over, thought Haruka.

However, she was suddenly reminded of the main issue at hand.

“So, the spiritual phenomenon that Umi saw...”

“It had nothing to do with this case,” said Yakumo straightforwardly.

“So Umi was mistaken about what she saw?”

“I never said that. There actually was a ghost backstage.”

“But, when you were there, you didn’t see it, right?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo grimaced. “You still don’t understand?”

“I don’t, that’s why I asked.”

“The ghost went on to possess that woman named Eriko-san.”

“How do you know that?”

Yakumo threw a cold gaze at Haruka’s expression of surprise.

“Are you a fool? Gotou-san and I just now went to confirm that.”

So that was how it was.

Even so, Yakumo had in fact left without so much of an explanation. If he had wanted to check on Eriko’s condition, he could’ve said so…

“Then, what about that ghost possessing Eriko-san?”

“The ghost has gone away from her body.”

“Thank goodness...”

“Right now, he is right there,” said Yakumo as he pointed at a spot in the audience seat.

Haruka couldn’t see anything. But Yakumo must have been able to see a ghost there.

“Would it be alright?” Haruka asked hesitantly.

He might have let go of Eriko’s body, but someone else might end up witnessing another spiritual phenomenon if he was still lingering in the area.

“He has no ill intentions.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The identity of that ghost is none other that the scriptwriter of this play, the author of The Tower of Judgement.”

“So that’s how it is…”

The student who had died from an accident without having the chance to see the script he had written come into life on stage—

“Kurokawa-san, there’s a message for you,” said Yakumo, suddenly turning towards Kurokawa.

“A message?” Kurokawa’s face turned suspicious.

“Yes. He said that he wanted to change the dialogue on the sixth line of the last page of the script into: ‘Why did you not try to live on?’” said Yakumo.

Kurokawa quickly grabbed the manuscript and stared at it with a serious expression.

Moments later, he clapped his hands as if he understood something and began writing something down on the script with a red pen.

“Don’t tell me, the reason why the ghost has been lingering was...” said Haruka.

Yakumo nodded. “Yes. There was a dialogue in the script that he wanted to correct.”

“Is that so...”

That had been the reason why spiritual phenomena had repeatedly occurred whenever they were about to perform The Tower of Judgement. He didn’t harbour any resentment towards anyone. He was merely still expressing enthusiasm towards his work even after his death.

Gotou and Ishii then helped Iida stand up, before dragging him away.

“With this, everything is really over.”

“Let’s go.”

Haruka had only just felt relief when Yakumo was quickly about to leave.

“We might as well watch the rehearsal, don’t we?”

“It would be a waste to watch it now,” mumbled Yakumo as he walked away.

Yakumo was right. Many things may have happened, but perhaps it was better for her to wait and witness the final outcome of this work.

Haruka then walked following Yakumo’s footsteps.

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