Bungo Stray Dogs - Volume SS1 - Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Ministry of Justice / Morning / Sunny

No matter how you sliced it, there was no way this wouldn’t be the worst day of my life.

I drove my Aston Martin to the Ministry of Justice headquarters, rubbing my puffy eyes along the way. The morning sun gave me a stabbing headache.

I’d barely gotten any sleep last night. My body felt heavy as if it was covered in mud; some of that must’ve been delayed muscle soreness. I’d clearly pushed myself too hard breaking through that enemy siege.

Fighting. Gunfire. Hand-to-hand combat. My skill.

I sighed.

“You’re late, Tsujimura. Enjoy sleeping in this morning?”

I looked up to find Detective Ayatsuji standing in front of the entrance. The leader of the sniper unit must have brought him here today.

“There was nothing enjoyable about my morning. I couldn’t even sleep last night.”

“I can tell. You look awful. And I’m going to make sure you look even worse the next time you’re late to our meeting.”

I only had the energy to glare back at him with my head still hung low.

“Come on, let’s go. You know how childish these big-baby bureaucrats can get when you leave them waiting.”

The detective and I walked side by side into the Ministry of Justice headquarters. It was new with cream-colored sparkling floors, clearly displaying the reflections of all who walked over it. The ceiling seemed almost endlessly high, and the lobby was so big that you could probably play an entire game of baseball in it. The people coming and going were distinguished, wearing crisp suits that seemed brand-new. I bet looking good in a suit while wandering through the lobby was in their job description.

I, on the other hand, was nothing like them. I’d been called here to take responsibility for my actions.

In the fighting the previous day—when we were under siege by the city’s counterterrorist task force—I ended up severely injuring one of their men…with my skill. I’d punctured his lungs, and he still hadn’t regained consciousness. He was hovering between life and death.

And that’s why I was summoned here.

The shoot-out was inevitable. My fighting could pass as self-defense. Unfortunately, the rules were different for a member of the Special Division for Unusual Powers, especially one who’d used her skill to maim a police officer—someone with governmental authority. Because now politics were involved.

The Division had the privilege of handling something as confidential as skills, and that privilege extended to us agents, who were given special rights to use our own skills. Furthermore, we were a secret organization unknown to the public. What if the Division rampaged out of control? What if we suddenly turned on the government? That was precisely what so many high-up bureaucrats feared, and they were constantly pressuring the government to revoke our privileges.

There were people like that in the Ministry of Justice as well. Hence, we were in their building.

“So when are we meeting them?” Detective Ayatsuji asked.

“In a moment,” I replied, looking down at my watch. I stood in a corner of the lobby to wait. “Ughhh, I can’t believe this is happening… I was just trying to do my best,” I muttered almost instinctively, despite the fact that I was actually planning on waiting in silence.

“Indeed,” the detective replied, still facing forward. “Kyougoku set us up and pitted us against the city’s counterterrorist task force—and now a man who’s supposed to protect and serve the people of the city is in critical condition. This tragedy happened thanks to our lack of critical thinking and your inexperience with your skill. Having said that, you’re not the one to blame given how seriously you took everything. They’re being unreasonable.”

“Detective.” I glared at him. “Don’t you think you could have phrased that a little better?”

“How so? ‘Don’t worry about it, rookie. You’re still new. Just be more careful next time’?” I could tell from his expression that he wasn’t holding back. “Maybe that’d work if you had a desk job with the police, but there is no ‘next time’ when it comes to human life.”

I was speechless. The detective was absolutely right.

Nearly all Special Division agents were skill users themselves. You’d have to look really hard to find an organization with this many, even within the government. I was a Special Division agent, and I had an incredibly unique skill. Now, if you asked me whether my skill was valuable or powerful—well, that was another story. Especially since mine didn’t listen to my orders.

My skill lurked in my shadow by my feet. It didn’t really take a distinct shape; instead, it was like this vague, skill-derived life-form was making my shadow move on its own. Basically, all I knew was that it had horns like a goat, walked on two legs, and attacked with what looked like a black scythe. The rest was up in the air. Even straining my eyes didn’t help me see it any more clearly. I had no idea what it was thinking, either.

I called it my Shadow Child.

That very moment, it was hidden in my shadow, thinking about something. I didn’t know when it would appear or who it would attack; I didn’t even know whose side it was on. Sometimes, I’d be walking, and I’d sense it watching me, which sent chills down my spine.

A monster lurked inside me. This bizarre thing lingered among the shadows of my life.

“Detective,” I said hoarsely. “Have you ever wished you didn’t have your skill?”

“Well, that’s a rather mature question. I don’t mind answering, but I doubt someone as immature as you would be able to handle it. You’d need to stress over a question like that for another ten or so years. How long ago did your skill awaken?”

I didn’t even have to count on my fingers because I already knew exactly how long it had been.

“…Five years.”

“Very little is known about how and why skills are acquired, but there is usually some trigger. In your case, it was your mother’s death five years ago at Reigo Island. Gaining a skill or two after a tragedy like that isn’t surprising, regardless of whether the person gaining the skill wants it or not.”

In the Reigo Island Massacre five years ago, tourists visiting the island started to suspiciously disappear one by one.

Ever since my mother died during the incident, I’d had to deal with this strange, unstable skill. My mentor at the Division described it as my mother’s “memento.” Regardless, it was thanks to Mom that I manifested this skill and got scouted by the Division. So in a sense, I have her to thank for being an agent. My mentor told me to “call it a gift from your mother.”

However, I could still vividly remember the black, cold Shadow Child piercing that special task force member’s chest. There was no hostility—only a pure, obvious desire to kill.

This…was a gift?

My mom hadn’t been fit for motherhood. I bet I wasn’t fit for daughterhood, either.

She’d barely spoken to me for the last few years before her death. My mother felt like a complete stranger, and I just knew she saw me as some creepy girl. I doubt she even liked me much.

Was my Shadow Child really proof that she cared about me?

“Detective, you’re the one who solved the ‘Reigo Island’ case, right? What was my mother like?”

“Good question. I don’t really remember things that fail to interest me.”

My shoulders fell. “…Oh.”

“I’m lying. I remember every last detail, but none of it is the sort of information you want.”

He raised his gaze as if he was thinking back to the past.

“By the way, do you know the details about that incident?” Detective Ayatsuji asked. “Those murders were the collective efforts of the entire island. They killed tourists in secret and made it look like the victims were taking an extended stay on the island, continuously drawing money from their accounts. There would have been far more victims if I hadn’t solved the case, but that doesn’t mean that I found everyone responsible for those murders.”

When I glanced in his direction, his expression still hadn’t changed.

“There were seventeen islanders involved, but the eighteenth one—the leader—is still at large. He’s a very careful, cunning man. All I know is he was the one who encouraged the other seventeen to commit the murders. Also, eyewitnesses said he was missing the tip of his left ring finger. We don’t know his real name or what he looks like. The police call him the Engineer because of his job on the island.”

The eighteenth murderer… He was the only one absent when Detective Ayatsuji got to the island; that’s why the detective’s skill didn’t kill him despite the fact that he’d been the most involved in the murders.

Regardless, the detective solved the case, and when he had all seventeen criminals die in “accidents” via his skill, their gruesome fates attracted the government’s attention.

The detective and I were deeply connected to both the Reigo Island Massacre and the Engineer.

Detective Ayatsuji shot me a sidelong glance. “Did you join the Division and get assigned to me…so you could seek revenge for what happened?”

I didn’t respond.

Revenge.

Of course a young girl would want to avenge her murdered mother.

Me, on the other hand… I wasn’t sure. Did I want revenge? Was that why I’d taken this job? I’d asked myself that too many times to count, but I still didn’t have an answer.

“At any rate, it all comes back to Kyougoku,” Detective Ayatsuji told me. “He’s well-informed of the criminal network here. We might find a clue as to the Engineer’s whereabouts. But first, we need to deal with the issue in front of us.” He looked ahead. “Here he is. The messenger from hell, here to ferry you to the underworld.”

When I lifted my head back up, I noticed someone approaching.

“Oh! If it isn’t Detective Yukito Ayatsuji! I have heard so much about you! What an honor it is to finally meet you!”

It was a man wearing a dark-gray Brioni suit. Everything about him was well trimmed and neat, from his nails to his goatee. His cheeks were dimpled, and there wasn’t even a single spiteful wrinkle you’d normally expect most middle-aged bureaucrats to have. His appearance, polished to perfection, sent one distinct message. Bureaucracy was big on looks, attitude, and voice—all exterior, no interior.

Deputy Director Sakashita of the Ministry of Justice’s Judicial Affairs Bureau, one of the snakes infesting the central government. Standing by his side in a black suit was his run-of-the-mill private secretary, who was quietly holding some files.

“Everyone in the know around here has been going on and on about how you’re one of the most dangerous skill users in the entire country…but just between you and me, I have nothing but respect for your abilities. Your powers of investigation and observation and, most of all, your skill that ruthlessly eliminates the most despicable of criminals. I would love to discuss a few of these brutal cases of yours sometime.”

With a radiant smile, the deputy director firmly shook Detective Ayatsuji’s hand as if he were sending some sort of invisible energy into his body. Not once had he even glanced in my direction.

“Deputy Director Sakashita, thank you for coming all this way,” the detective began without even batting an eye. “Did you read the case report?”

“No, I only heard a brief summary.” Sakashita’s smile was as brilliant as the sun. “I wanted to hear the details directly from you if possible. Come, let’s chat over a cup of tea.”

“Wait,” I cut in. “I’m responsible for what happened, not Detective Ayatsuji or the Special Division. The report says as much.”

“Hmph.” The deputy director raised an eyebrow at me as if he had just noticed my existence. “It’s not up to you to decide that, young lady. It’s what the folks at the top of the food chain get to decide. They’re the ones who make the rules.”

“The rules?”

“Hmm… All right. How about I tell you the truth? Maybe that would make you feel better.” He spread out his arms wide and grinned. “What happened wasn’t your fault. The problem lies with the rules—the organizational structure. The Special Division is a cancer upon this nation. They hide skill users and their crimes, and they try to make everyone believe that skills have absolutely no effect upon the world. Then they abuse their privileged position and keep anyone else from monitoring skill users. It’s a vast, evil conspiracy, the kind you see in the movies.”

“What?!” I instinctively cried.

“You don’t agree? Well, the average citizen would feel differently if they knew the truth. Just like how a doctor removes cancerous tissue, it’s my job to remove the Division from its privileged position. And thanks to you, I can now do just that.”

Sakashita faintly smirked like an executioner smiling one last time at his prisoner. The Ministry of Home Affair’s Special Division and the Ministry of Justice’s judicial branch got along like cats and dogs, like oil and water, like the north wind and the sun. As adversaries, they had been at odds with each other and gone back and forth in a power struggle over the years.

The Ministry of Justice, which presided over the judicial system, the police, and governmental prosecution, sought impartial justice for all people, regardless if someone was a skill user or an ordinary citizen.

But the Special Division for Unusual Powers felt differently. They claimed that the individual variation between skills was far too great, to the point that each skill had to be handled differently if abused. Some people could control their targets without even touching them. Others could read minds. There were even some skill users who could move at the speed of light. In other words, they were all so different from one another that a blanket rule for dealing with them would do no good.

To the Ministry of Justice, the Special Division was a pain in the ass trying to tell them how to uphold the law and do their job.

Sure…the Special Division wasn’t perfect. They were willing to manage skill users by any means necessary. There were even rumors that they’d given a criminal organization in Yokohama permission to practice business utilizing their skills and even endorsed them, although with limitations. On top of that, there was a decent number of people who sarcastically called the Division the Watchers, since they would only monitor and not go after these criminals. We weren’t these defenders of justice who never got our hands dirty. That much I understood.

“But the Special Division for Unusual Powers is indispensable,” I argued. “Regular police forces can’t even understand skill-based crimes, much less crack down on them. That’s exactly why we exist. Please, I have to ask you to—”

“I’m afraid I have no interest in your opinion,” the deputy director snapped, cutting me off. “We called you here to be the tool that I need to crush the Special Division with. I’ll bring this up at the next council meeting, If you don’t mind, Detective Ayatsuji, I will need to borrow your assistant at that time.”

The detective simply shrugged without saying a word. Sakashita started walking ahead, flashing a smile made for television.

“There’s nothing more to discuss,” he said. “We’re going to start gathering evidence and put an end to this once and for all.”

But right before he left the lobby, he looked back one more time and faintly smirked.

“My heart goes out to that police officer on death’s door, but he really chose the perfect time to get stabbed.”

The deputy director and his secretary began to head toward the elevator in the back.

“Hey!”

“Hold it,” Detective Ayatsuji demanded, sticking out his arm to stop me from running off.

“But if we don’t do something, he’s going to—!”

“What are you, some sort of middle school yokel? Don’t let his little taunts irk you.” He shot me an icy glare. “Good grief… You know what? Today’s your lucky day. I’m going to teach you how to deal with scum like him. Watch carefully.” Detective Ayatsuji looked over to the deputy director. “Deputy Director Sakashita.”

The deputy director turned around.

“I forgot one thing. I’d like to hear about the officer who was stabbed in the right breast.”

“The right?” Sakashita furrowed his brow. “Wasn’t he stabbed in the left side?”

“Exactly. It was his left breast. That proves you were lying when you said you only heard an outline of the report,” Detective Ayatsuji frankly replied. “It’s no surprise, really. A bureaucrat as crafty as you wouldn’t ignore a report that could spell your foe’s downfall.”

Sakashita frowned slightly. It must have been true, then.

Detective Ayatsuji, on the other hand, was unfazed. “The report included another crucial detail: the instigator who gave the police a fake break-in order.”

“…I believe it was that skill user, Kyougoku, who was thought to be dead?”

“But he’s alive, and he has a mind-altering spirit-control skill. He also gets a sick kind of joy out of harassing me and my assistant.”

“And? What are you trying to say?”

“It’s simple. I thought about what insidious thing someone who sicced a special task force on us would do next. For example: He might be secretly controlling central government officials in order to dissolve Tsujimura’s employer. Does that ring any bells?”

“What?” Sakashita’s face immediately changed colors. “Are you claiming that I’m being controlled? Preposterous. I have neither the reason nor the motive to do as that man says.”

“I told you that he can control minds. And if you’re really Kyougoku’s puppet, then we’ll need to detain you before you commit any crimes.”

“Detain me? I… I’m not being manipulated by any skill.” The deputy director’s expression stiffened.

“That’s what they all say. I can’t trust an amateur’s self-diagnosis, though.”

“This is absurd!”

“But I wonder… Oh, I do happen to know of a group that specialize in skills. One quick checkup, and they can prove your innocence. They’re called the Special Division for Unusual Powers. Ever heard of it?” Detective Ayatsuji faintly smirked. Deputy Director Sakashita’s face, meanwhile, gradually turned pale. “The Division has an expert in recovering memories. Let’s have him take a look at you.”

“Memories…?” Sakashita’s face couldn’t have been any paler. “You can’t be serious about this, Detective Ayatsuji! If you do that, then I—”

“Would be in big trouble?” the detective teased.

But Sakashita didn’t reply.

“Yes, of course, you would be in trouble if someone saw through the countless, venomous lies you’ve been spewing.” Detective Ayatsuji glared at the man as if he were an insect. “But even I can see the truth here. You lied about more than just the report. ‘What an honor it is to finally meet you’? Remind me: Who’s the one who called me a cold-blooded reaper behind closed doors again?”

The deputy director’s expression froze. He seemed to have no idea how Detective Ayatsuji could even know such a thing.

“It’s nothing to be surprised about. It’s only natural that a detective would look into his client. You used a third party to get me to do your dirty work. You never approached me directly. Were you afraid of getting involved in skill-based affairs?”

“He used you?” I chimed in, taken aback.

“Yep. This snake in an expensive suit climbed his way to the top of the Ministry of Justice after his political opponents died or were caught in scandals. His former boss, the minister of justice, died in an accident after a twenty-five-year-old voluntary manslaughter case was exposed. The rival for his current position lost his job when his wife’s crimes came to light. All cases the government hired me to solve, and solve them, I did.”

“Wait just a second,” I pleaded. “So Deputy Director Sakashita…used you to make those who got in his way die in accidents…?”

“I have done no such thing!” Sakashita hollered, impressively flustered. “Even if I did, they were all criminals!”

“Who’s to say you didn’t set them up?” the detective asked.

“There’s no way you can prove that!”

“Indeed. But what was it you said a moment ago? I believe it was ‘the average citizen would feel differently if they knew the truth.’”

“No, I— That was justified! That is— I was telling the truth! Why would you—? Wait…!” Deputy Director Sakashita took a step back in a panic.

“Quit throwing a tantrum. You’re a big-shot bureaucrat, are you not? Regardless, I’ve said my piece. Anyone who secretly hires a skill user to dispose of his rivals will surely be able to create an incredible new system once he gets rid of the Division. You’ll have to show me sometime. But don’t come to me for help when they find the skeletons in your closet.”

The deputy director’s face went back and forth between turning pale and red, but he couldn’t argue.

I was at a loss for words. All Detective Ayatsuji had done was cite real-life examples and Sakashita himself, and yet he somehow managed to turn the deputy director’s own anti-Division rant against him. The detective’s deductive powers weren’t the only thing exceptional about him. He carefully observed other people and promptly came up with the right words to shut them down. He was incredibly quick on his feet.

Then again, Detective Ayatsuji probably just liked bullying people. He did look strangely excited to put Sakashita in his place.

“E-either way, I’ll still be questioning your little assistant at the next council meeting. Now if you’ll excuse me!”

The deputy director strode toward the back of the lobby, pushing through the people passing by. I still made sure to stick my tongue out at him one last time.

“I feel so much better now, Detective Ayatsuji!” I said, beaming.

“Hmph. It must be wonderful having nothing but sunshine and rainbows filling your head.” He coldly stared down at me. “Nothing has changed. Now Sakashita will just switch to attacking you directly. He’ll frame you and put the Division’s leadership into question. Then all the misconduct I hinted at will get swept under the rug.”

“Huh?” My brain suddenly froze. “Then I…”

“Allow me to phrase this in a way that a young girl like you can understand,” the detective lamented like a poet. “You might get canned.”

“That’s not good!”

“Correct.” The detective started to tap his head. “That probably isn’t good at all.”

Unbelievable!

I shoved Detective Ayatsuji out of the way and stormed off after the deputy director. I had to do something.

“You should hurry,” the detective advised in the background. “Let him get away now, and you’ll never have another chance to stop him.”

He was right. There was no telling what Sakashita was going to do, but if I didn’t act, I was going to find a pink slip in my mailbox within the coming days.

It wasn’t like I’d thought things through. I hadn’t seen past the deputy director’s silver tongue and found something I could use against him, either. But I couldn’t simply back down. I had to prove that as a top-class agent.

I saw Sakashita up ahead walking straight for the elevator in the very back; I vaguely remembered that this one went to the top floor. Only a select few government officials had permission to go there, meaning I had to stop him before he got on.

“Deputy Director Sakashita!” I shouted, but he didn’t even turn around; he continued to stroll toward the elevator. I was just going to have to be more forceful. “Deputy Director! We need to talk!”

His secretary had already pressed the call button. Perfect timing. The doors to the elevator quietly opened almost the instant the deputy director arrived.

“Wait!”

I picked up the pace. I had to make some sort of plea, or I would have no future.

Sakashita took a key card out of his pocket, then held it over the authentication panel. It must have been some sort of pass to the top floor.

The deputy director glanced at me blankly, and then his secretary took a step by his side and pressed the CLOSE DOOR button. We were only sixteen feet apart now, which was close enough to catch him if I sprinted.

The elevator began to close…when I suddenly heard a shout from behind.

“Tsujimura, it’s a trap! Drag the deputy director out of there!”

I didn’t even need to turn around to know that it was Detective Ayatsuji’s voice.

Every strand of hair on my head stood on end.

That same moment, I took off running. The elevator doors were already halfway closed when I saw the deputy director’s eyes open wide in utter astonishment.

All of a sudden, a roar echoed from within the elevator. It was extremely loud and unpleasant, like a colossal tree collapsing or iron being shredded. But there was no time to check what the sound was. I simply had to trust Detective Ayatsuji.

Am I gonna make it in time?

I reached the elevator within three steps, grabbed Sakashita by the lapel, and pulled him with all my might as the inside of the elevator was swallowed into darkness. The subsequent ear-piercing metallic screech made me disoriented. I just kept pulling as hard as I possibly could.

“Whoaaaaaa!”

Sakashita crashed into me, and the two of us fell over backward. I hit the back of my head and immediately blacked out.

“Tsujimura!”

That voice was the only thing I could hear. After that, I heard approaching footsteps, followed by an explosion.

“Tsujimura, get up,” came a voice right above me.

I cracked open my eyes and could sort of see Detective Ayatsuji’s face, although I couldn’t make out his expression.

“What…happened…?” I asked him.

“The elevator collapsed.”

A chill ran down my spine. I shifted my eyes toward the elevator. On the other side of the half-open door was just a dark elevator shaft. Black metal powder was scattered across the floor in front of the elevator.

“Is Deputy Director…Sakashita…okay…?”

“Yeah, you saved him,” the detective quietly replied. “Half of him, at least.”

It wasn’t until that moment that I finally checked to see what I was holding on to.

There was the deputy director, facedown…in his gray suit…with his spinal cord and intestines hanging out.

His lower body was missing. There was a fresh trail of blood from the elevator door to his upper half.

Detective Ayatsuji approached the elevator and peered into the dark shaft as if he were staring inside the body of some sort of long creature.

“The serpent,” the detective mused. “‘The next victim will be devoured by the mizuchi…’ So there’s our serpent, huh?”

The crowd in the lobby began to stir. The elevator had collapsed, leaving a mangled dead body and blood and flesh.

It was only a matter of time before the chaos started to spread until the entire lobby was in a frenzy…

The desk phone rang right when Asukai removed his leather gloves and started to take a bite of a new kind of pickled vegetable.

Thanks to his years of experience, he could tell what kind of call was coming just by hearing the phone ring. The way it rang when a bully beat up a kid, when a group of filthy men was seen gathered in a back alley, when his new coffee dripper had arrived—the sound was different for each one. His coworkers laughed at him about it, but none of that mattered once you were a special high-level inspector for the military police. Although sometimes, this kind of intuition changed the path of a case.

Asukai swiftly turned to the phone on his desk. He was all too familiar with the urgency of this ringing.

This was a murder.

The moment he answered, he discovered his gut instinct was right. After confirming the details, he hung up, grabbed his coat, and rushed out of the office all while ordering three of his subordinates to come with him.

Once outside, he checked to make sure his gun was loaded. It was a government-issued 9mm, with a magazine capacity of nine rounds. There was one round in the chamber.

Although fully loaded, he hoped he would never have to even remove the safety.

After putting his leather gloves back on, he stepped into his car with his subordinates and began to head to the scene of the crime.

The murder had occurred at the Ministry of Justice’s underground elevator pit. The city police and security had already sealed off the area and were awaiting Asukai’s arrival.

After parking in the underground lot, Asukai started walking toward the building when he noticed two familiar faces turn in his direction.

“Oh, Asukai. I figured you’d come.”

“Detective Ayatsuji. Hey.” Asukai bowed; he’d already been told that these two would be here. “Looks like you’ve had a rough time.”

“Me? The deputy director’s the one who had a rough time, having to bid farewell to his lower half.”

Asukai followed the detective’s gaze to an elevator with its doors removed, exposing the inside. He didn’t even have to take a peek to know what had happened; the stench he had grown so accustomed to was more than enough. It reeked of blood.

The walls inside the elevator were warped, and iron powder was scattered about. Splattered on the floor was a pool of human blood, around half of which was most likely from the victim’s lower body. His bespectacled secretary’s corpse was there as well; the young man’s spine had snapped upon impact when the elevator plunged to the bottom.

“Deputy Director Sakashita’s a big name around here,” Asukai stated, frowning at the dreadful sight. “We’ll need a media strategy before this gets out of control.”

The victims were Deputy Director Sakashita of the Ministry of Justice and his secretary. According to the report from the Ministry of Justice’s security, the elevator they were both in suddenly dropped. There had been a few dozen eyewitnesses in the lobby as well.

Inspector Asukai slowly surveyed the scene of the crime and said, “The elevator should have an emergency brake mechanism, but—”

“That was destroyed, too,” Ayatsuji interrupted. “The deputy director’s death must have been premeditated.”

“Really?” Asukai raised an eyebrow. “So someone who was watching Sakashita remotely destroyed the emergency brakes and cut the cables after he got on the elevator…”

And if that was true, then the murderer had to have been in a place where they could see this elevator—the first-floor lobby. Therefore, every single person in that lobby needed to be questioned and have their belongings inspected.

But right as Asukai reached that conclusion, Ayatsuji suddenly muttered, “That’s not what happened.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Look at that.”

Ayatsuji pointed at the authentication panel inside the elevator. It required scanning a key card.

“This panel gives access to the office space on the top floor, and the elevator will take you there if you scan your ID card on the panel. But if you look closely, there’s another thinner dummy panel stuck on top of it that sends a special wired signal only when a certain individual scans his ID.”

When Asukai leaned in closer, he realized that there was, in fact, another perfectly sized magnetic display around one millimeter thick on top of the original cream-colored scanner. It had the exact same design as the original. Only a specialist would have ever noticed.

The dummy panel was halfway torn off, exposing the thin-film circuit on the back. It had wires that extended all the way to the outside of the elevator. These must have been connected to some sort of detonator.

“Let me get this straight,” Asukai began. “This dummy panel was set to detect Deputy Director Sakashita’s card and drop the elevator when he was inside, sending him falling to his death?”

Ayatsuji nodded. “The culprit’s a careful one. There was no smell of explosives in the lobby. They also used a bomb that left no residue so that nobody could trace its origins. Furthermore, the electric cord and the panel itself were all built from standard retail parts you can find at any hardware store, so it’ll be nearly impossible to track the killer via physical evidence alone. To make matters worse, the bomb wasn’t remotely controlled, either, so analyzing radio frequencies won’t do us any good. This was really well-thought-out.”

Asukai rapidly began to calculate his next steps. The criminal made extra sure they couldn’t be traced, but this wasn’t a scheme that any punk on the street could come up with. The culprit needed specialized knowledge, which should naturally narrow down the list of suspects.

Asukai decided to check if his suspicions were correct. “But this must’ve taken some specialized knowledge to create, right? Could that help us find our culprit?”

Ayatsuji shook his head. “Maybe if this were a normal case. But this didn’t require any specialized knowledge. Anyone could have done it.”

Asukai curiously tilted his head to the side. “What makes you say that?”

“Because Kyougoku was behind this,” the detective replied, narrowing his eyes. “All the incidents involving the well are merely a game he designed. Just like with the botulinum killer, he taught this murderer how to commit the ‘perfect crime’ using an elevator. In other words, even without expertise, anyone with enough persistence and discretion could have done this.”

“But…why would Kyougoku go through all that trouble?”

“Asukai. Say someone murders a person using a kitchen knife. Would the knife manufacturer be charged with a crime?”

“Huh?” Asukai seemed perplexed for a moment, but he eventually managed to reply, “No… I don’t think they would.”

“There’s your answer,” Ayatsuji said. “Just like with the botulinum killer, this person committed murder because they wanted to. The mastermind who taught the culprit how to commit the perfect crime is a mere tool the culprit used. Thus, the mastermind can’t be targeted by my skill. That’s why he does this.”

None of Kyougoku’s crimes could be prosecuted.

In normal criminal cases, trying someone as an instigator meant proving they were directly related to the commission of the crime. However, if the perpetrator carried out the crime on their own with the intent to kill, then there would need to be solid evidence that Kyougoku drove them to murder or that the murder would never have happened without his involvement.

Nevertheless, the military police and the Special Division weren’t pushovers; they would step on more than a few toes to get what they wanted. They could find an excuse to collar someone, either for another crime or by getting the criminal to turn themselves in. So why was Kyougoku so obsessed with keeping his hands clean?

Tsujimura, who had been standing behind Ayatsuji and Asukai in silence, suddenly spoke up.

“In other words, what appears to be an isolated incident with a single murderer targeting a single victim is just a scheme to challenge Detective Ayatsuji.”

The detective didn’t reply but continued to focus on a single point in space in silence.

Asukai observed Ayatsuji’s expression.

Ayatsuji and Kyougoku—yin and yang, right and wrong. Both of these men were of a world beyond Asukai’s comprehension. The reason Kyougoku refused to commit any crimes himself was solely because he wanted to challenge Ayatsuji’s skill—the ultimate power, one that defied fate and never failed to kill its target. Put simply, all Kyougoku wanted to do was test the infallible nature of Ayatsuji’s skill.

Nevertheless, there was something still bothering Asukai.

Kyougoku was taunting Ayatsuji. That much was clear. If Kyougoku made even a single mistake that exposed his crimes, then Ayatsuji’s skill would kill him, and Ayatsuji would “win.”

However, what was the reverse? Kyougoku squealing with excitement because he defeated Ayatsuji and tarnished his reputation? Was that actually plausible? All of Kyougoku’s challenges had been to “solve a perfect crime.” Therefore, even if Ayatsuji failed to find the perpetrator or solve the mystery, nothing would happen. No matter how many times he accepted these challenges, he wouldn’t die, let alone even get hurt.

Kyougoku, on the other hand, would meet his demise if he made the smallest of mistakes, and their match would be over.

So why does Kyougoku continue to challenge Ayatsuji when he’s at this much of a disadvantage?

“Let’s begin our investigation,” Ayatsuji muttered, interrupting Asukai’s train of thought. “We’ll check the surveillance footage. It doesn’t matter how perfect the crime was; there should be a video of the elevator being tampered with. Then we’ll see our ‘mizuchi charmer’ doing just that.”

“But…where should we even start?”

“He most likely rigged the elevator after learning that we were coming here today,” Ayatsuji insisted. “Kyougoku’s trying to challenge me, after all. We’ll check the footage around the machine room from last night up to this morning.”

Asukai swiftly ordered his team to retrieve the footage.

There was a ton of video, but Ayatsuji nonetheless reviewed everything: the entrances and exits, the elevator pit in the basement, and the area around the machine room on the rooftop.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so monitors in the Ministry of Justice’s security room displayed surveillance footage. As one would expect from a central government facility, the high-quality video captured everything. In fact, the visuals were so crystal clear that one could even see the color of people’s eyebrows as they walked by.

Ayatsuji quietly observed the footage like a hawk. His gaze was relentlessly sharp, like a cruel king glaring at his frightened retainer. Asukai absent-mindedly watched him.

Asukai knew three criminals who confessed after being exposed to that piercing gaze alone. In a single investigation, Ayatsuji could handle the workload of an entire police department solo. So although Asukai wanted to keep up with Ayatsuji, he wasn’t expecting to find a clue in all this footage before the detective did.

Instead, he decided to use his time to speak to his younger colleague.

“Tsujimura.”

Tsujimura, who’d been watching the surveillance footage, turned in his direction.

“How many years have you been at this job?”

“Two,” was her honest reply. She stared at him, trying to glean the intent of his question.

“Are you scared?”

She seemed genuinely surprised. “Of what?”

“Your job’s dangerous. Death follows you wherever you go.”

Tsujimura faintly smirked. “The same goes for you, Asukai. You’re overseeing lots of gruesome cases.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he replied, his expression serious. “I’ve known Detective Ayatsuji for a while, so I know most agents in the Division aren’t willing to do what you’re doing. Nobody wants to get involved with a Special A-Grade Dangerous Skill User, especially the ‘cold-blooded reaper’—not even the toughest agents.”

Tsujimura stared right back into Asukai’s eyes.

“Tsujimura, did you volunteer for this job so you could get revenge?”

“No,” she immediately declared.

“You were almost too quick to deny it,” Asukai replied. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t lie to me, but if you’re lying to yourself, I’d fix that as soon as possible.”

After a few moments of silence, Tsujimura quickly glanced at Ayatsuji.

The detective was completely focused on the surveillance footage. He was observing a dozen or so people on nearly just as many monitors, watching their each and every move while taking note of even the smallest details of their outfits. Concentration like that wouldn’t be easy to break.

“Everyone tells me to reconsider,” Tsujimura quietly muttered. “That it’s too dangerous. But I have a full grasp of the detective’s skill, and I don’t think it’s dangerous.”

“Really?”

“Really. His skill only works on individuals or groups that commit murder or particularly vicious attempts at murder. It needs evidence that they had the intent to kill, that they were the only one who could have committed the crime. And the target must be the culprit in a case that Detective Ayatsuji was hired to solve. Those are the conditions. Once he takes on a case, the criminal will always die in an accident, regardless of what happens. Even if the case gets canceled midway, once his skill activates, there’s no stopping it. Just like how once you say something, you can’t unsay it.”

Asukai reflected on what she said. Ayatsuji’s skill was absolute. If his deductions were correct, then the criminal died; otherwise, nothing would happen. It was basically an infallible truth detector.

And if Ayatsuji failed to identify the criminal, the Division would “dispose” of him. A homicide detective who couldn’t determine the truth was nothing more than a walking time bomb. Ayatsuji knew this, and yet he continued investigating. If he got it right, the criminal died. If not, he died. But despite the risk, the detective had solved every single case that’d come to him.

A chill ran down Asukai’s spine when he thought about the mental fortitude Ayatsuji must have had.

I get it now.

That was when it finally hit Asukai. That was what “winning” was to Kyougoku. He wanted to make Ayatsuji mess up and get taken out by the Division. That’s why Kyougoku kept producing these perfect crimes and risked his life to challenge the detective. And Ayatsuji kept working on cases despite knowing that.

A man who could create the perfect crime versus a man who could solve the perfect crime.

If even the smallest piece of evidence was connected to Kyougoku, the Sorcerer would die. If Ayatsuji missed even one criminal, the detective would die. It was like walking a tightrope over a pool of sharks. It all came down to who fell off the tightrope first.

“Damn it!”

The sudden, furious roar echoed throughout the room, causing everyone to jump.

“Damn you, Kyougoku! Is this your little game?!” Ayatsuji shouted, slamming his hands against the desk. His terrifying rage made everyone’s hair stand on end.

“Did you find something, Detective?”

“Are you people blind? Look at the man on the screen.”

Everyone’s gaze shifted toward the monitor displaying an employee-only entrance. But the footage, which was timestamped along with the date and camera number, showed a few different people.

“Rewind it five seconds,” Ayatsuji demanded. A security officer promptly followed his orders.

The screen then displayed a man wearing a collared shirt. He had well-kept hair and calm eyes. He honestly looked like some run-of-the-mill bureaucrat who had just gone for a round of golf with the director of some private-sector corporation. There was nothing particularly suspicious about him.

Asukai closely observed the man, since according to the detective, there was something unnatural about him—perhaps his clothing or whatever he had on him.

“You can’t be serious. This doesn’t take a genius to figure out. Anybody can see that this is our guy,” Ayatsuji suddenly said, insulting everyone staring at the screen.

“Ah!” Tsujimura shouted out of nowhere. “It can’t be…!” she groaned.

“Did you notice something, Tsujimura?” Asukai asked.

“Look here.” She pointed at the screen, her hand trembling. “His finger…!”

That was when Asukai noticed it as well. The man was missing the tip of his left ring finger.

“Normally, Kyougoku likes to use puppets who don’t even know they’re being controlled. But some accept orders directly to do his dirty work. People who follow his every command, willing to die for his cause… Kyougoku calls them his ‘familiars’ or ‘shikigami.’ His spirits must be possessing these familiars via his skill. We’ve never had any idea who or where these people are. Until now, that is.”

Ayatsuji then surveyed everyone in the room. “This proves one thing, though. The eighteenth criminal from Reigo Island—the Engineer—is Kyougoku’s familiar,” he added with a strained voice.

“Is that…true?” Tsujimura said. “The Engineer…is involved, too?”

“It’s right up Kyougoku’s alley.” Ayatsuji nodded. “The Engineer was behind the elevator incident, and he knew we’d watch this footage. Check it out.”

Ayatsuji resumed the video.

The man, who was missing a part of his ring finger, switched the heavy-looking golf bag to his other shoulder and stopped in place. He then glanced up at the security camera and smirked as if to say, “Catch me if you can.” It was extremely subtle; normally, no one would have noticed it, but when they saw that smirk, it became as clear as day.

“There should be more footage of the Engineer after he finishes setting up the trap,” Ayatsuji told the security officer. “Forty-five minutes to an hour later.”

The security officer began fast-forwarding the video, and it wasn’t long before that man appeared again. It was the same camera fifty minutes later, displaying the same man.

“…Look at his bag. It has four cylindrical cartridges in the side pocket. They’re demolition charges—the chemicals inside react to cause a steam explosion that can take down buildings. He used that to make the elevator collapse. That’s why we couldn’t detect any explosive residue on the scene.”

Ayatsuji pushed a few switches, arranging still images of the Engineer entering and leaving the building so they were side by side.

“He went from six cartridges…down to four,” Asukai muttered while staring at the screen.

“Do you think they were spares?” Tsujimura asked.

“No, this is the Engineer,” Ayatsuji said. “He carefully plans every detail in advance. I highly doubt he would need that many spares. There must be another reason…”

The detective suddenly fell silent. It was as if he’d sent his soul into the depths of his mind, leaving his human shell behind.

“…Detective Ayatsuji?” Tsujimura timidly peeked at his face.

“Asukai, I need a list of every building in a four-mile radius that has elevators with card-based security. I also need you to set up an investigation HQ and deploy the local police. This murder was a warning.”

“A warning?”

“The Engineer still has four bombs on him because he’ll be using them. He intends to kill at least one more person, and soon.”

“He’s going to kill again?!”

“If he didn’t refill his supply of explosives, his next target must be close. With time for transport and setup, they’re likely within four miles.”

“Contact HQ and gather every city police officer available. Send out images of this man’s face,” Asukai ordered his subordinates. They immediately nodded, then spread out in different directions to handle their duties.

“All we need to do now is let the police do their job,” Ayatsuji commented as he watched.

“Detective Ayatsuji!” Tsujimura leaned forward. “I’ll join this investigation, too!”

After observing her for a few moments, Ayatsuji replied, “Am I hearing things? Your mission was to supervise me, not arrest the killer. My job was to solve the mystery of the well, not force my way on to a manhunt. I believe your only duty right now is to wait here.”

“But…! It’s the Engineer!”

Ayatsuji didn’t reply. He observed Tsujimura’s expression, trying to look beyond the desperation on her face.

“I…I have…to ask him about my mother, and you need to help me. Don’t you at least owe me that? As the man who solved the Reigo Island murders?”

After a few seconds of silence, the detective pulled out his pipe and replied, “I don’t owe you that.”

“But—!”

“But I wouldn’t mind helping, depending on what you have to offer. I need something in return. Hmm… How about you do anything I say for an entire day of my choosing?”

“A-anything…?” Tsujimura’s expression froze for a split second, but she soon made up her mind and said resolutely, “All right. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

“It’s settled, then.” Ayatsuji tapped his pipe.

“I’ll go get the car!”

Ayatsuji and Asukai watched as she sprinted out the door.

“Are you sure about this, Detective Ayatsuji? She’s obsessed with this Engineer. He killed her mother, after all… But if she’s so focused on revenge, then Kyougoku might exploit her clouded judgment, right?”

“If she lets that happen, then that was the extent of her worth. I’m not her father; it’s not my job to worry about her.” The warmthless voice naturally turned Asukai’s head. “Also, let me correct you on one point. The Engineer isn’t the object of her revenge. He didn’t kill her mother.”

“He didn’t? Then who is she actually—?”

Ayatsuji slowly turned his head and locked eyes with Asukai. For a brief moment, the seasoned agent’s heart stopped. He felt like a small animal before a snake.

“Me.”

Cold air escaped the detective’s throat.

“I killed Tsujimura’s mother. She was one of the Reigo Island killers.”

My silver Aston Martin was hurtling down the street. The city looked no different than usual today. The warm sunlight illuminated the asphalt, and a roadside shop’s sale flag fluttered in the wind.

However, this familiar scenery was slowly being contaminated. A patrolman was listening intently to his wireless radio. The military police were hastily setting up a post. A crowd of cop cars whirled by, sirens blaring.

Because at this moment, the entire four-mile radius around the Ministry of Justice was under martial law; right now, a murderer was preparing for his next kill.

“Let’s start by searching the nearest facilities,” I suggested from behind the wheel. “First, we’ll check out the nearby hospital, then we’ll move on to the industrial factories.”

However, Detective Ayatsuji didn’t reply. He quietly stared out the back seat window.

“Detective, are you listening?”

“What should I do, hmm?” the detective suddenly wondered aloud.

“To the Engineer?”

“No. To you.” Detective Ayatsuji lifted his head and looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Did all the sunshine and rainbows filling your head make you forget our deal? You promised to do anything I say for an entire day of my choice.”

“Urk!”

Oh, right.

I’d almost forgotten because that entire moment had gone by like a blur.

“There are two main points to this deal: One is the day I choose, and the other is that you’ll do anything. Put simply, I’m not limited to just one command. There are countless things I can order you to do for an entire day. Fairy tales talk about getting ‘three wishes,’ but this goes far beyond that. An entire day… I could get a couple hundred wishes out of you, even.”

Once he was done with his verbose gloating, I hastily checked my rearview mirror.

The detective was faintly smirking.

That was when it hit me.

He set me up!

The moment he showed us that surveillance footage, it was already too late. He knew it would end up like this.

“You know what? The deal is—”

“Off? Sure, I’m fine with that,” the detective easily assured me. “In that case, I’ll get out of the car and report you to the Special Division for going rogue.”

“Ngh…!”

I couldn’t argue with that.

“Yes, that’s the face I wanted to see,” Detective Ayatsuji nonchalantly said. “You know, I’ve really grown to appreciate the face you make when you’re frustrated. Maybe I should have a dollmaker carve me a replica for my collection.”

Speaking to this man made me sometimes forget that as his overseer, I had life-and-death power over him.

I’m an agent, damn it…

“You’re free to make fun of me all you want,” I began, “but don’t forget that if I tell the Division that you’re ‘in danger of going out of control,’ it’ll be all over for you!”

“Interesting. You would betray their trust in you by filing a false report. An act befitting your idea of a top-class secret agent.”

“Nnngh…!”

There was no way to argue with that, either.

“Don’t be so down,” the detective said to me. “You may be a crude, inexperienced troublemaker, but you have redeeming qualities. You’re still young, and you learn fast. It’s a good thing you got assigned to work with me; you would be absolutely useless otherwise. I hope you can absorb everything I teach you and become a decent servant as soon as you possibly can.”

Everything fell onto the car floor when I slammed the brakes.

“I am not your servant!”

“Not yet, you aren’t.” His expression remained blank. “I’m looking forward to our little deal, though.”

But right before I could argue any further, my cell phone started to ring. It was most likely Inspector Asukai calling me about the Engineer.

“Tsujimura speaking.”

After pressing the button for the mic on my earphones, I immediately discovered that I was wrong. It wasn’t Asukai.

“…Sakaguchi?!”

The Engineer blended in with the crowd.

That weekday morning, the people came and went with cheerful looks on their faces. The Engineer watched these “unremarkable” people with similar cheer.

Each of the passersby appeared to be individuals with their own dignity. But that was merely a misconception—or at least, that was how the Engineer felt. These people were “parts” and most certainly not independent individuals. They were just components of a massive system. Thousands and thousands of “parts” merged into a colossal machine—society.

However, the Engineer wasn’t like them. He’d killed numerous people in the perfect crime. He had cheated the system. Would a component secretly destroy an enormous system from the inside? The answer was no. In other words, he was not a component of the system. He was not a “part.”

Therefore, he alone was different from the rest. He was an independent, complete “individual.”

The Engineer was walking with a golf bag over his shoulder while softly humming an old jazz tune. Bet the cops expect I’m driving, he thought. Therefore, they would be monitoring the roads, searching cars, and checking highway surveillance footage.

I can see right through them because I understand how they—the system’s components—work, but they don’t understand how a complete individual like me works. Information inequality at its finest. That’s why I’ve never been caught.

And that was why he was traveling on foot to outsmart them. This way, he would also be able to quickly respond to any changes. Obviously, he’d already memorized every possible escape route in the unlikely event that he had to flee.

Being a complete individual came with responsibility. It was an antisocial existence; nobody was there to help if you failed. This wasn’t a life just anyone could live. The heavy burden and guilt would crush most people. But that didn’t matter, for the large majority of people wouldn’t gain anything from betraying the big system. People were weak, so they needed to band together. They prioritized creating a big system—the bizarre system they called society—over gaining individuality.

The Engineer ascended the staircase into the building. The people passing by felt nothing toward him. He held the glass door for one person who thanked him with a smile and a bow. That actually felt kind of nice.

If these “parts” knew what I was about to do inside this building, they’d shriek in terror. I’m aware that they’re just measly parts, but they have no idea that I’m an individual. Another example of information inequality.

After making his way into the janitorial hall, he took out the workman uniform in his bag, swiftly ran his arms through the sleeves, and began heading even farther down the passage, visualizing the building’s layout in his head.

The Engineer eventually stopped in front of a locked metal door standing between him and his destination. However, this did not take him by surprise. Nothing was impossible as long as he obeyed the well.

After examining his surroundings to make sure he wasn’t being watched, he whipped out a can of compressed air from his bag, flipped it upside down, and sprayed the doorknob.

When you turn canned air with alternative CFCs upside down and spray, low-temperature liquid gas comes out. Not cold enough to kill a human being, but enough to make the lock brittle and relatively easy to break.

After meticulously spraying, he turned the doorknob while ramming into the door as hard as he could with his shoulder. The metal instantly snapped, and the door opened.

The well is a fountain of information. It blessed me with the techniques and knowledge needed to become an individual instead of a part—and it mentally prepared me, too.

If only I had its help five years ago for Reigo Island, I could’ve committed an even more perfect crime. That random detective wouldn’t have exposed the events that happened there, and my accomplices wouldn’t have been killed while I happened to be away. It was such a shame.

But there’s no use lamenting the past. What’s important now is the present.

The Engineer leaped down onto the area below while recalling the steps to set up the bomb.

The city police were most likely checking the hospitals and factories right now. In fact, they were probably searching every place with an elevator that could be destroyed and kill someone. Their calculations were logical and well-founded given the trend.

And that’s exactly why they won’t be able to stop me.

The Engineer dropped down—onto the empty, elevated railway.

Where could you kill the most people with only four demolition charges? The answer was here.

This railway went through the entire town. The Engineer gazed at the cityscape around him. The station itself was not far in the distance. People were coming and going on the streets below.

The Engineer checked his watch. It was a race against time now. Before the next train came, he would plant the demolition charges on the rails and destroy them. He’d rehearsed this more times than he could count; he knew that with this method, the charges’ vibrations wouldn’t bring the train to a sudden stop.

With this, I will be one step closer to becoming an independent individual—to becoming special, unlike all the rabble. And someday, I’ll be like him…

Once the Engineer set up the second demolition charge, he lifted his head, sensing a presence—multiple people.

There was a voice.

And that voice said to me…

“Too bad, Engineer. You lose,” Detective Ayatsuji declared.

Agents surrounded the Engineer with their guns drawn, causing the man to freeze on the tracks. He was carrying a golf bag and wearing a workman’s uniform with well-kept hair hanging over his almond-shaped eyes. He was the eighteenth Reigo Island murderer and Kyougoku’s familiar.

“Government dogs,” the Engineer muttered. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

“I figured it out from your crime patterns,” Detective Ayatsuji said. “You showed the demolition charges on camera to make us think you’d hit another elevator, only to go elsewhere and cause greater destruction. That way, you could completely tarnish the reputations of both me and the military police. I determined you’d aim for a bigger target, like a train station.”

The detective surveyed the area.

“If you blew up these tracks, the train would easily derail and fall on the town below. It would’ve been catastrophic. You would have killed not just everyone on the train but countless people in the town as well. That’s the most damage you could inflict with those four tiny demolition charges I’m sure you’re so proud of. However, we already contacted the rail company and had them stop the trains, so your little scheme isn’t going to work.”

He glanced at Inspector Asukai behind him, who nodded to confirm.

Detective Ayatsuji had predicted the Engineer’s moves from the very beginning. He’d sent the city police to search other facilities with elevators to put the Engineer off guard, then he positioned Asukai and other agents here. If the Engineer traveled on foot, that narrowed down the target to this station.

In other words, he saw right through the Engineer.

“I see… So you’re the Homicide Detective.” The Engineer, slightly pale in the face, glared at Ayatsuji.

“No need to rush. We’ll have plenty of time for introductions later. I have a lot to ask you first,” the detective told him. “I can’t wait. You seem far more loose-lipped than Kyougoku.”

After collecting the demolition charges, one of the agents reached for the golf bag when—

“Don’t open it up yet,” Detective Ayatsuji sharply demanded. “This man almost certainly killed the deputy director, but if I see concrete evidence of the murder, my skill will activate and kill him. It would be quite the sight, of course, but he doesn’t deserve such a quick, easy death.”

The agent quickly stepped away from the bag.

Once the detective’s skill activated, there was no way to cancel it. Proving a criminal did the crime was no different from sentencing them to death. That was why he couldn’t allow himself to see the evidence just yet—that bag most likely contained hard evidence. If it had a drill with a silencer or spare wire, then the skill would activate immediately.

“Tsujimura.” The detective suddenly shifted his gaze at me and pointed toward the criminal with his chin. “You’ve probably been really stressed lately. Cuff him. Make sure to give his arms a good twist while you’re at it, too.”

I decided to take him up on the offer and reached for the handcuffs at my waist.

“You’re under arrest,” I told the Engineer.

“Sorry, but I won’t go down that easy.”

He swiftly pulled out a demolition charge and pressed it against his throat. Not even a second later, every agent had their guns pointing at him.

Detective Ayatsuji was the only one unfazed. “You’re a surprisingly boring man. Brandishing a bomb like that? You watch too many movies. Do you really think we’d let a vile criminal like you escape just because you’re threatening to take your own life?”

“Who knows? I bet you folks have a lot of questions for me… Can’t have me die just yet.”

“Drop the explosive!” I shouted at the Engineer, my gun aimed at him.

“Sure, I’ll be more than happy to accommodate…if you drop your weapons and bring me a getaway car.”

When I glanced at Detective Ayatsuji, he was blankly observing the Engineer.

It was a strange position to be in. We couldn’t let him escape, of course, but I wanted to keep the risk of killing him to a minimum.

I rapidly began to rack my brain for a solution. Perhaps I could talk with him until he let his guard down. There were more than enough agents here to nab him.

“If you think I won’t shoot you, you’re wrong,” I growled, slowly tiptoeing closer to the Engineer. “Do you remember the Reigo Island murders five years ago?”

“What?”

“You were part of the group behind that. And my mother was among the seventeen killers,” I said, keeping my emotions in check.

“Oh?” The Engineer looked slightly amused. “The agent’s mother was a murderer, huh? So you’re using your hereditary murder skills to solve cases. Intriguing.”

An almost uncontrollable rage briefly swelled in my chest, but I managed to force it into the back of my mind.

“I don’t know how much she was involved in the murders, but I do know that you’re the only one left who knew her as a murderer,” I quietly replied, readjusting my grip on my pistol and making sure he was still in my sights. “I won’t let you get away. Not until I hear the truth from you.”

“Oh, I remember Reigo Island, all right.” He smirked. “I led the whole effort. I’m the only one who understands the real meaning behind it. Nobody knew what it meant to take the life of another and how it changed you. They were just focused on making it look like those tourists were still alive so they could continue sucking their bank accounts dry. Real money-hungry slobs, which was why it was so easy to manipulate them. Like teaching a dog tricks.”

The Engineer stepped toward me. That smug smirk looked plastered onto his face.

This vile man disgusted me to my very core. The sweat in my pistol-holding hand began to burn.

“I know nothing about my mother during the last few years of her life,” I said. My head was pounding as if it were trying to send a warning to my heart. “If she really was a murderer, then I’ll discard the mother I thought I knew. But if she was just your little puppet, then I’ll have to take revenge on Detective Ayatsuji for killing my poor mother, who was simply being controlled. Did my mother bloody her own two hands? Or did she only contribute to your scheme?”

I could feel my chest burning as I spoke.

Why am I talking about this? I’m only trying to buy us some time. Where’s this even coming from?

“You’re real cute when you’re angry, young lady,” the Engineer said, grinning. “I just remembered: There was a woman who looked just like you when she got angry. About your age, too. Pale eyes, a small scar on her right ear…”

My mother.

She’d told me when I was little that she got that scar at work.

“Such a plain, boring, submissive woman. I barely even remember what she did now. She died when a burning house collapsed on her.”

It was as if a bolt of lightning were surging through my veins.

“…You…!”

My blood was boiling. I couldn’t kill this man until we got enough information out of him.

But…

“A puppet, huh? I’ve used people like puppets in many of my murders.”

The Engineer’s gaze was gentle; it felt like he could see right into the most vulnerable chamber of my heart.

“Men can be controlled with money and ego, but women are easier. Especially weak-willed ones. Your mother was eating out of my hand. Want me to show your body how I managed that?”

All reason began to crumble. I firmly cocked my gun and took another step forward.

“Stop, Tsujimura. Don’t take the bait.”

Detective Ayatsuji’s voice sounded strangely muffled and far away. My index finger was convulsing.

“We can’t have you destroying evidence that easily, Tsujimura.”

That voice came out of nowhere, followed by a shadowy figure whirling by like a black wind.

It only took three moves. The back of the Engineer’s left knee was kicked in, his right pinkie was snapped backward, and his left elbow was halfway rotated in the opposite direction. Honestly, it felt to me like each part happened at the same time.

Before the Engineer could even scream, the shadowy figure grabbed the demolition charge, tossed it into the distance, and pulled the criminal’s shoulder joint back while slamming him onto the ground. It was over in the blink of an eye.

“Good work, Tsujimura. We’ll take over from here.”

Another individual slowly approached the Engineer from the opposite side. He wore a russet suit and round glasses, similar to how you’d expect a college professor to dress. Quiet and mild mannered, he nonetheless had a razor-sharp, frigid glow behind his eyes.

“Sakaguchi,” I muttered.

“Do you remember what I told you? ‘Don’t ask a cowboy to lasso a lion.’ The moment a high-ranking Ministry of Justice bureaucrat was murdered, this case became too big for a detective agency to handle. That man is a lion, and it’s the Special Division’s duty to pursue him.”

Two individuals stood by Sakaguchi while he spoke. One was a woman dressed in a casual suit, chewing gum and defiantly glaring at her surroundings with a sword in hand. Hanging at her waist was a black sheath given only to people who worked for the government.

The other individual, a tall man wearing a black suit with biker gloves, was the one who’d neutralized the Engineer in the blink of an eye. The fact that his center of gravity wasn’t even budging proved that he was a highly trained martial artist.

They worked directly under Sakaguchi. Superb fighters even within the Special Division, they were also Sakaguchi’s bodyguards. A testament to how many enemies my mentor had.

My mentor, Ango Sakaguchi—assistant counselor, Special Division for Unusual Powers, Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Sakaguchi,” Detective Ayatsuji quietly muttered.

“Hello, Detective.” Sakaguchi politely smiled. “My apologies for not personally stopping by very often. I will have you compensated for your services later, as per usual.”

The man wearing biker gloves grabbed the Engineer by the shoulder and single-handedly hoisted him to his feet. No surprise there—I’d seen this guy crush an apple in one hand. There was no escaping that vise grip.

“I wouldn’t recommend taking over this case, Sakaguchi,” Detective Ayatsuji said. “We still don’t have a picture of Kyougoku’s whole plan. Boxing this case up while we’ve yet to understand it all will just fan the flames.”

“The Special Division won’t burn down, Detective Ayatsuji,” Sakaguchi said, smirking. “Nobody can manage that. We’re here to deny the Ministry of Justice the means to attack us. They’ll claim that as an opposing organization, we conspired to have Deputy Director Sakashita murdered. Therefore, we need to find the ringleader behind this man in order to prove the Special Division’s innocence.” He coldly glared down at the Engineer.

The detective shrugged. “So you’re going to torture him, huh?”

“We won’t need to resort to those measures,” Sakaguchi replied. “He’ll be dying to confess to everything on his own.”

I silently watched their exchange. Sakaguchi was a top-level agent who had completed many important skill-based cases over the years, earning his lofty position at a young age. He specialized in data gathering and analysis and tracked down enemy skill users using his unimpassioned intellect and judgment. I’d been training to be an investigator when he took me under his wing at the Special Division.

“Our job here is done. It’s in the Division’s hands now,” Asukai began as he returned his gun to his holster. “Let’s head out.”

“Can I say something, Inspector Asukai?” an agent asked while putting away his gun. “There’s something bothering me.”

Asukai turned around. “What is it, Yoshino?”

“It’s a sound. What is this sound…?”

The young agent named Yoshino frowned, his eyes wandering the sky. He had short hair and freckles and was probably around the same age as me or a little younger. Maybe it was the slightly oversized suit, but he seemed a little undependable.

“I don’t hear anything…”

Noticing Asukai’s eyes searching the skies naturally got me looking around as well, but I didn’t see or hear anything unusual.

“I definitely can,” Yoshino insisted. “There it is again. It’s like…something being rubbed together. Like fabric…or rope… And it’s getting louder and louder.”

A rope being rubbed together?

“Hey, Detective.”

The Engineer’s sudden voice drew our eyes toward him.

“What?” Detective Ayatsuji coldly replied.

“He told me to say hi for him,” the Engineer began. “The Sorcerer. That, and he has some valuable information for you.”

After a few moments of silence, the detective frigidly smiled. “Oh?”

“He said he only wants to tell you since he’s known you for so long. And also, the Special Division and other guys can’t listen in.” The Engineer slyly smirked. “There’s a radio and a hands-free mike in my coat pocket. Use those.”

Detective Ayatsuji glanced at Sakaguchi, who pondered for a moment before softly nodding.

The detective searched the man’s coat until he found a communicator. It was turned on. After carefully observing it to make sure there were no traps or tricks, he put the earbuds in and narrowed his eyes.

Ayatsuji heard a voice—one he wished he would never have to hear again.

“First, allow me to make one thing clear,” the voice began. “There’s no need to worry much. I have no intention of harming you.”

It was a quiet, hoarse voice that he knew all too well.

“Kyougoku,” he suddenly said. “What’s something you despise?”

“Where did that come from, Detective?”

But Ayatsuji didn’t reply, so Kyougoku reluctantly answered, “Well…I do dislike unfinished novels.”

“Then that’s what you are to me: an unfinished novel.”

A few seconds went by until Kyougoku cackled mirthfully. “What an honor.”

“What was so important that you had to go through your lackey to talk to me?” Ayatsuji asked. “Must be tough being a lonely old man, Kyougoku.”

“Didn’t you know? Picking on young lads like yourself is a pastime of the elderly.”

“Just get to the point.”

“I have a favor to ask of you.” Kyougoku’s laugh was ominous and hoarse. “Of course, you will be rewarded for your help. Out of courtesy, since we’re such close friends. Kubo over there—you and your people call him the Engineer—I’ll give you a chance to speak with him. And in return, I want you to let him go.”

“…What?” The wrinkle in Ayatsuji’s brow creased even more.

“Detective Ayatsuji, what is Kyougoku telling you?” Sakaguchi asked. He was standing slightly away from the detective, who was alone with the headset over his ears so that the Division, the Engineer, and the other agents couldn’t hear the conversation.

“Kyougoku…,” Ayatsuji muttered, pulling the microphone away from his mouth slightly, “…is demanding we release the Engineer.”

“…Absurd.”

The rest of the agents murmured among each other. Although overcome with surprise, the Engineer eventually smiled.

“Ha-ha… Ha-ha-ha-ha! Yes! Incredible!” He burst out laughing. “He saw through all this!”

“Kyougoku, can you hear me? I’m going to have to decline,” Ayatsuji said. “If you’re not going to show up, then stay out of it. We’re taking your underling with us.”

“I said you would be rewarded for your troubles. In exchange, I’ll give you all a chance—to save your distinguished allies.”

Ayatsuji narrowed his eyes.

“Can’t you hear that sound?! I don’t know what it is, but it’s getting close!” Yoshino shouted as he stared into the sky.

Immediately, all the agents got into stance with their weapons.

“I figured it out… I know where it’s coming from! It’s an enemy attack! The noise is coming from right here!” Yoshino screamed while pointing his gun…

…at his own chin.

“I have to stop the enemy!”

And just like that—

“Yoshino, don’t!” Asukai yelled.

—he pulled the trigger.

The 9mm bullet passed right through his chin and tongue, then was sent spiraling through his skull. It shattered his sphenoid bone, throttled his cerebellum, and destroyed his brain stem and parietal lobe before exiting through the top of his head. The bullet gradually slowed down, scattering bone, blood, and brain matter in its wake.

The impact knocked Yoshino’s head back, throwing him off balance and causing him to trip over the train’s safety rail behind him. It was only around forty feet until he hit the ground below, soon followed by the screams of passersby. All the while, everyone simply watched the shocking event unfold in mute horror.

“People often say my skill is weak,” Kyougoku whispered in Ayatsuji’s ear. “But at the right time and place, it can be very effective. By the way, I had an itsuki possess that fellow. A strangling ghoul that makes those it possesses hang themselves with rope. It appears in the Taiping Yulan and Strange Tales—”

“I will kill you. If not with my skill, then with my own two hands. Be ready, Kyougoku.”

“Oh dear. Your threats are no good for this old heart of mine, Ayatsuji.”

The phantom’s voice was immediately followed by even more screams.

“I can hear it… I can hear it! It’s a rope!”

“The voices… I can hear them in my head!”

“Get it out! Ugh, this goddamned sound…!”

Three of the five remaining agents screamed in rage and confusion as they placed their pistols under their jaws in unison. Their faces were completely serious, determined.

“Drop your weapons!” Asukai yelled.

“All of you, get ahold of yourselves!” Tsujimura cried. “You’re being attacked by the enemy’s skill!”

There wasn’t much else they could do when the agents already had their guns against their own chins.

“They, too, will lose their heads if you don’t release Kubo—the Engineer. Hmm… Saying that out loud makes it sound so trite, even embarrassing. But, well, it’s the truth.”

“Stop this, Kyougoku,” Ayatsuji promptly demanded. “We get it. I’ll play your little game. Just stop making these agents kill themselves.” He shot Sakaguchi a piercing glance. “Sakaguchi, even if we let a scrub like this go, we’ll have other chances to catch him. Release the Engineer.”

“But—”

“It’s not up for discussion. Do it,” the detective barked.

“…Very well,” Sakaguchi said with a scowl. “But this man’s face is known to the police citywide now. There’s no way he’ll escape.”

“You hear that, Kyougoku?” Ayatsuji said into the radio.

“Yes, I did. I’m not worried, though.”

All of a sudden, Tsujimura looked down at the tracks. “The tracks…are shaking.”

When Ayatsuji followed her gaze, he noticed the fine sand on the dark-gray tracks was almost convulsing, and the tremors were gradually getting more violent.

“So that’s how you’re going to do this? Damn it,” the detective spat. “Everyone, off the tracks! Now!”

A train was rapidly approaching—not a single person missed it.

“What’s going on?” Asukai muttered in bewilderment. “None of the trains should be running—”

“Everyone, get to the edge of the tracks! Drag anyone pointing a gun to their head if you have to!” Sakaguchi hollered.

They all immediately leaped into action. The train screeched closer, only a few dozen yards away.

Once everyone got off the tracks, the locomotive came to a gradual stop before them. It was a single black vintage passenger train.

“Ayatsuji, I want you to board that train car together with Kubo. A special voyage, just for you two,” Kyougoku said with a laugh.

The door automatically opened with the sound of compressed air releasing. The inside of the car was bright—and completely empty.

“Kyougoku, I’m only going to say this once,” Ayatsuji began. “You better not regret letting me on this train.”

“Yes, I thought you might say that.”

The radio suddenly cut out.