Monogatari Series - Volume 30 - Chapter 1.22

022

“I understand every detail, Araragi-senpai. You don’t need to say anything else, and you don’t need to worry about anything. All your worries rest on my shoulders now. I swear on the name of Tokugawa Ieyasu that I will find Shinobu-chan. So please, Araragi-senpai, continue on your way to Senjougahara with Araragi-senpai.”

“But, Kanbaru…”

“In all honesty, I implore you not to abandon your honeymoon here. Of course, if there was an imminent danger to Shinobu-chan’s life, there would be no room for choice—but that is not the case. If you still insist on leaving your bride to search for Shinobu-chan, then you may as well shoot me dead.”

I didn’t have a gun on me.

Nor should an ordinary guy like me even possess such a thing.

“We aren’t some high school kids skipping school to search for her anymore. It’s time to grow up.”

You’re one to talk.

Still a student yourself. 

But she was right. Much has changed since the time when I ran around town trying to find Shinobu as she was on her journey of self-discovery. Now, I find myself lost in an unfamiliar land without even a sense of direction.

Wandering aimlessly could make me the one who’s lost.

And the god of lost children was far, far away.

“Besides, if I am granted Araragi-senpai’s permission to move on my own, I have a method that could drastically improve the chances of finding her compared to if you were to search for her yourself. Please understand that I don’t say this out of any desire to prioritize Araragi-senpai. I know how important Shinobu is to you, Araragi-senpai. That’s why, in this instance, you should leave it all to me.”

I couldn’t keep track of whether she meant Hitagi or me, but… it seems she had a way?

I thought it made sense that I should be the one most attuned to finding Shinobu, given our spiritual bond and master-servant relationship. But I couldn’t find her on my own back in high school. To my frustration, I had to wait for her to come out of hiding on her own accord.

In the first place, it was rather irregular for Shinobu to break free from my shadow… Maybe it hadn’t been wise to let her drink a considerable amount of blood before inspecting the stone.

That might have temporarily allowed her independent action.

Metaphors about parent and child didn’t seem appropriate anymore… But maybe like a Bluetooth smartwatch?

Even so, it was still daytime… Ahh, I see.

The heavy rain helped too. Even in a place named after sunlight such as Nikko30, there wasn’t a single ray of sunlight right now—that could be considered dangerous, though.

What if the fickle mountain weather changed again…? Neither of us knew the area well. Actually, Shinobu was worse off. At least I had a smartphone with a map app, but unlike Kagenui-san, who treated her Shikigami like a little sister, I hadn’t even given Shinobu a kid’s cell phone.

Because she wasn’t my daughter. 

No, it’s no use; I just can’t sit still any longer. 

“I guarantee it. Also, if you move, it’s highly probable that our strategy will fail. The best thing for Shinobu-chan is for you to go with Araragi-senpai to Senjougahara.”

“I trust you wholeheartedly. If you say it is necessary for me to wear a Naoetsu High School girl’s uniform to find Shinobu, even at my ripe age of twenty-four, I will gladly do it. However, if you say not to do anything, I’d at least like to know what you’re planning.”

“I’m gonna do something that you’d stop me from doing if I told you. That’s all I can say.”

It was tempting to point out which of us it was that hadn’t changed since school, but I suppose we were both alike in our stubbornness. The wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature—including the fact that when I look straight into the eyes of my devoted junior, I can’t help but concede.

And that was certainly a hint.

She’d revealed as much of her strategy as possible, just barely toeing the line.

Even I, who wouldn’t hesitate to employ any means necessary to find Shinobu, would be compelled to stop what she had in mind.

“……”

Ah, so that’s it—she would ask that conman for a hand. Not the monkey’s paw, at least.

I had come to know of it only after becoming a cop to apprehend him, but through her mother or her aunt, Kanbaru had a direct connection to Kaiki Deishuu, the infamous conman who wreaked havoc in our hometown. It seems that even during high school, unbeknownst to me, she had met with that man.

He had suddenly vanished from the public eye at some point (which might be a natural consequence for a criminal), so I had assumed her ties with him had been severed as well. Even the free-spirited Gaen-san seemed to have decided against approaching the Kanbaru family—but it was quite surprising that she still kept in contact with him.

Right, he might be very skilled at tracking down a runaway girl. In this particular field, his expertise, annoyingly, may well surpass that of Gaen-san. 

Even though I am well aware that the world doesn’t always run on justice and righteousness, and even if I tried to put aside personal feelings, as a police officer, it irks me to rely on a criminal’s help in a tough situation. But, as Kanbaru said, the chances of finding her were the highest this way.

In fact, there was no one else to lend a hand. Not even a foot.

Even if I disregard our history, as an agent of law enforcement, my presence would undoubtedly put that conman on high alert. And as for assurances, the notorious criminal would never deceive Kanbaru—no matter how reckless an illicit investigation may be, her safety was guaranteed.

Certainly, a decision had to be made.

A painful one.

“Got it. I’ll leave everything to you. I grant you carte blanche. But I’ll bear all responsibility. Even if things don’t go well, you don’t need to worry. So, without feeling any pressure, please do your best.”

“Leave it to me! Now hurry up and go, Araragi-senpai. There’s a minivan waiting for you in the parking lot. From here on out, it’s just the two of you. Just a return to the way it should be, the real honeymoon.”

It was really paradoxical to think that not pursuing the runaway Shinobu would be best for her. As baffling as it may be, when urged like that, I knew that my mission was clear—to make my way to Oku-Nikko as soon as possible.

Without waiting for me to leave fully, Kanbaru took out her smartphone and began pushing a number on the touch panel that she seemed to remember by heart. Had I gone back on my word and arrasted that conman who played a big part in my motivation to become a police officer, it would not have been impossible. But such betrayal was out of the question.

Actually, I was glad I didn’t.

Kanbaru probably thought I’d moved far away when she began the call, but just like how Shinobu regained the power to temporarily break away from her shadow seal, my five senses, too, were enhanced—sharper than they had any right to be. Just as I was tiptoeing through the dark, I could barely make out the familiar voice of my junior from over a dozen meters away.

“My name is Kanbaru Suruga. My special skill is the double jump.”

Are you still saying that?

Maybe she had matured since she refrained from saying anything about Araragi-senpai—but she was no criminal, and I had no intention to eavesdrop. On the contrary, I wanted to quicken my pace so as not to overhear, but I couldn’t go faster than the speed of sound—in between the rain’s cacophony, I could just make out Kanbaru’s next line.

“Sorry to bother you while you’re so busy, Sengoku-chan, but I need a bit of your help—it’s not about a doujinshi, no. Not as a manga artist, but as a specialist——”