Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

 At the beginning of the mystery, cop a feel 

“You’re the ace detective?” 

Class was done for the day, and the sun was going down. In a classroom, someone had hauled me up by my shirtfront and right out of my nap to interrogate me. 

My bleary eyes couldn’t really make out her face. I checked back through my memories, but I didn’t recognize her voice. 

Apparently, I was being threatened by some girl I didn’t know. I had no clue why. 

I’d spent the whole school day, from the morning bell until class was over, facedown on my desk. This girl struck me as the type who’d run for student government; maybe she couldn’t stand seeing her classmate sleep his life away and had done me the favor of waking me up but got a little rough…or something? 

No, if we were in the same class, I would at least remember her voice. 

This girl really was a total stranger to me. 

Then what was this? Why was I being hauled up by my collar? And the progressive tense there is literal—she was still holding me. 

My sleep-addled brain wasn’t up to deducing much of anything. Of course it wasn’t; I’m no detective. 

Wait, detective? 

Didn’t this girl say “detective” a minute ago? 

“Don’t just stand there—answer me. Are you Kimihiko Kimizuka, the ace detective people are talking about?” 

It was the first time in a year that I’d heard that awful word. Detective. 

“You’ve got the wrong guy. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” 

“Wait.” 

“Gweh,” I wheezed. Humans normally aren’t supposed to make sounds like that. 

Impossible as it was to believe, she’d shoved her fingers into my mouth. 

“If you’re going to ignore my question, don’t expect mercy. I’ll touch the dangly thing at the back of your throat.” 

“This’s…really unfair…” 

Finally, I got a clear look at her face. 

Strong-willed and sharp eyes. Long eyelashes. A prominent nose and tense lips. 

A little of her long black hair was pulled into a stylish ponytail high on the side of her head, like any contemporary high school girl. 

…But I didn’t remember anyone like her going to my school. I can’t believe I didn’t even notice such a dangerous character. I guess I’m not as sharp as I used to be. 

“So you are Kimihiko Kimizuka, right?” 

Hearing my full name over and over felt weird. Reluctantly, I nodded. 

“Answer me properly. Use your words.” 

“…Khah!” 

Her fingertips touched my uvula, and bile welled up from the pit of my stomach. 

“Ugh, you’re the worst. Getting this much spit all over the fingers of a girl you’ve just met—what is wrong with you?” 

I wanted to ask her who put the fingers in my mouth in the first place, but they were still touching the back of my mouth, and her other hand was gripping my uniform shirt. It was practically a new type of torture. 

“Guh…ungh…” 

“Huh? Come on, you’re crying? A big boy of eighteen, and getting a girl’s fingers all sticky with your drool isn’t enough for you? You want to cry and throw a tantrum? You had other ways you wanted to play?” 

I could hear my dignity as a human being crashing down around me. I couldn’t blink back the tears or swallow the drool. What the hell? What did I do to deserve this? 

“Oh, I see. Yes, of course: You wanted me to hold you close, didn’t you?” 

She pressed my face to her chest. 

The marshmallowy softness and the sweet scent of her perfume threatened to dissolve my brain. 

And the sound of her heart— That’s weird. For some reason, it seemed terribly familiar. Could I possibly be sensing something maternal in a girl my own age? 

… Nope. No way. Not touching that. 

Caught between pleasure and agony, I yelled and wrenched myself free. 

“That’s too bad. I wouldn’t have minded playing with you for a bit longer.” 

“……… Hff … hff, don’t use your body to play games with people. Don’t push some stranger’s face into your boobs,” I snapped 

For the first time, she smiled faintly. “I’m Nagisa Natsunagi,” she said. The name was seasonally appropriate—meaning “calm summer shore”—and she held out her right hand for me to shake. 

“…Go wash that first, all right?” 

 Assistant and client; the detective is out 

“I’d like to place a request.” 

A few minutes later, Natsunagi had returned from the bathroom and taken the seat in front of me so that we were facing each other. 

“Don’t you have something to say to me first?” 

“Yes, I’d like to request an apology for getting my fingers dirty.” 

“I’m supposed to apologize?!” 

Again, she was being totally unfair. It was so unfair that you could pull together all the unfairness in the world and still not have enough to cover it. 

“Well, when you do something people don’t like, offering an apology is the natural course of action, isn’t it?” 

“It sure as hell is, so I could say the same to you!” 

“Oh, come on. Anyone would think I’d done something to you that you didn’t like.” 

Yeah, actually—that’s exactly what I’ve been saying! 

What is her deal? Is this girl trying to improv a comedy sketch with me a few minutes after we’ve just met? 

“You’re saying you wouldn’t mind if somebody pulled a stunt like that on you?” I asked. 

“Huh? …Th-that’s a good question.” Natsunagi’s gaze abruptly began to wander. “You’re right; I guess I wouldn’t want someone doing that to me. That’s normal. Yeah…” 

“Huh? Why are you blushing a little? What was that last part supposed to mean?” 

Hey, her sadist character just evaporated. As a matter of fact, I was starting to wonder whether she was compensating. 

… Maybe I should check. 

“Would you rather be loved, or…?” 

“Love.” 

“Would you rather tie up someone else, or…?” 

“Be tied up.” 

“Money’s tight this month, so…” 

“I’ll pay. How much do you need?” 

“Wow, you’re really a masochist.” 

“Wha—?!” Natsunagi’s lips trembled as if I’d just confronted her with a shocking revelation. 

Seriously, what happened to the girl I was talking to a few seconds ago? 

“I-I’m not! I don’t have… preferences like that! …And hey, would you not derail the conversation? I’m here because I have a request for you!” 

Was it anger, embarrassment, or the sunset light creating the flush on her cheeks? Natsunagi smacked the desk and stood up. So her default is being aggressive, then. 

For a little while after that, her shoulders were heaving as she caught her breath. 

“I’m looking for someone,” she said. Her eyes were incredibly serious. 

I see, a missing person. That’s why she wanted an ace detective, hmm? 

“You are Kimihiko Kimizuka…aren’t you?” 

… Geez. She’s not going to let me go until she gets an answer. 

“Yes. I’ve been a Kimizuka since before I was born, and I’ve been a Kimihiko since the day of.” 

“And you’re an ace detective?” 

“Unfortunately, you’ve got the wrong guy. I don’t have a granddad who was a detective, and I’ve never been force-fed a weird drug and ended up looking like a little kid.” 

“The wrong guy?” Natsunagi’s eyebrows jumped. “But I saw it in the paper.” 

“The paper?” 

When I heard that, I thought back…but I didn’t know what Natsunagi was referring to. 

“The evening edition three days ago, about an admirable high school boy who caught a bag snatcher.” 

“Oh, that, huh?” 

“Yes—but if that was all, I wouldn’t be doing this.” Then Natsunagi opened her school bag and upended it, dumping its contents all over the floor. “These are all articles about you.” 

It was a massive number of newspaper clippings. 

“…You checked into me?” 

Each of the articles had my name and headshot… Well, that was part of why I asked; I hadn’t known which incident Natsunagi had seen in the paper. 

“Um, ‘Super high school boy shuts down billing fraud before it happens!’ ‘Finding pets is his specialty: Boy K. locates another lost kitten.’ ‘Life-saving expert saves two lives on his way to school!’ —If you insist you’re not an ace detective, what in the world are you?” 

This is what my routine looks like these days. I still get dragged into things constantly, and by now, I’m completely used to it. 

I didn’t think that would necessarily make me an “ace detective,” but… Well, I knew what she was trying to say. 

“You’re exaggerating. C’mon, don’t overestimate me.” 

The fact that I run into incidents, and that I luck into resolving them, is all due to the way trouble always finds me. It’s not like I have any special skills. 

Way back when, those experiences did make me overconfident. However, a year ago, I was forced to see that they were absolutely worthless. 

So I don’t want anybody thinking I can do more than I can. Sorry, but I’m no detective. Right now, I’m pretty sure this tepid life suits me best. 

“How modest,” Natsunagi said. 

“Gee, thanks.” 

“That wasn’t a compliment.” 

“What, it wasn’t?!” 

“You can’t even see your own abilities right; why would I compliment you?” 

Aha. Apparently, that had been her brand of sarcasm. 

“Well, if even I can’t see my own abilities right, what makes you think someone else can do better?” 

“You’re saying no one can know you better than you? Awfully full of yourself.” Natsunagi crossed her arms, hugging her own chest, and gave a little snort. “Subjective opinions are the least reliable things in the world. What’s important is always objective fact. Am I wrong?” Natsunagi asked, yanking on my shirt again and pulling me toward her. 

Her moist lips were right there. Her breath was sweet and warm. Her ruby-red eyes were boring a hole right between mine. 

She continued. “The things you did are solid fact. That means how we praise those achievements, and how they compare with others, is entirely up to ‘someone else.’ Don’t you think?” 

Her straightforward, haughty gaze reminded me very strongly of someone else. Someone who didn’t exist anymore. 

“…So you said you were looking for somebody?” Yeah, I’d had all I could take of being that close. I pushed Natsunagi’s shoulders away, and we stood facing each other. 

“Yes…?” 

I know; she got me good. But for the sake of my pride, let me stress that Natsunagi hadn’t argued me down or persuaded me in any particular way. 

It was just that now that I’d seen that shadow of someone else in her, it was all I could do. 

Geez. I’m well trained, huh? 

“You’ll accept the role of detective?” Suddenly, the emotion on Natsunagi’s face turned to shock. There was something unexpectedly childlike about the way her expression changed from moment to moment. 

“No, I can’t be a detective. But—” 

“But?” 

“If you’ll settle for an assistant, I’ll take the job.” 

Natsunagi gave a wry, chagrined smile. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Sorry, but that’s been my position for four years. “And? Who are you looking for?” Just finding someone shouldn’t take all that long, I thought and stretched. 

With a perfectly straight face, Natsunagi replied, “Good question. I don’t know. I want you to find out who I’m looking for.” 

Well, I suppose that tracked. For a girl who’d declared that subjective opinions were the least reliable things in the world, it was a very appropriate problem. 

 Say, whose heart is this? 

“So then, what? You’re saying you’ve had this constant feeling that you’re forgetting someone lately, but you can’t remember who?” 

On the way home, after that conversation, Natsunagi and I had stopped in at a café, and we were discussing her request again over coffee. 

“Right. There’s somebody I absolutely have to find and talk to, but I have no idea who they are. I couldn’t even begin to guess their age or gender, or where they live… Ooh, this is good.” 

Smiling faintly, Natsunagi raised her mug to her lips. Even just caffeinating herself, she was as pretty as a picture. Lucky her. 

As for me, I have no idea how many times my old partner told me she’d forget my boring face if she didn’t see it for a couple of days. 

“…What? Why are you staring at me like that?” Natsunagi finally seemed to have registered my gaze; she pushed her chair back a bit. Stealing glances at me, she fidgeted with the hem of her short skirt. 

“You want to be watched?” 

“…—!” 

Something whacked me over the head, like a paper fan from a slapstick show. 

“…You’re being unfair.” 

“You’ve been making a lot of weird assumptions for a while now, Kimizuka… And is ‘unfair’ a speech tic of yours or something?” 

“When someone’s being unfair, I have to say so. That’s all.” 

It’s why I was saying it for the first time in a year. I didn’t actually want to, you know. 

“All right, getting back on topic.” I took a swallow of my coffee, too. “This mystery person you’re looking for—let’s call them ‘X.’ You don’t have even the tiniest clue about X?” 

“Nope. I don’t even know why I’m so obsessed. It’s just…at random moments, I start wanting to see them. Even though I don’t know who they are.” Natsunagi gazed out the window. 

“Roughly when did this start? Has it been this way for as long as you can remember, or since you started high school, or…?” 

“One year ago.” She seemed very sure about that. 

Natsunagi said she didn’t know X’s gender or nationality or age, but apparently she was certain about when she’d started thinking about them. 

“What happened a year ago?” 

“I almost died, but I didn’t. Well, to be more specific, someone gave me my life.” 

If she’d gone out of her way to rephrase, the point was significant. 

For some reason, Natsunagi’s life had been in peril, but this wasn’t the language you’d use to describe a narrow escape. In that case— 

“The heartbeat I let you hear in the classroom—that wasn’t mine.” 

“—An organ transplant, huh?” 

Natsunagi gave a small nod. “I’ve had a heart ailment ever since I was little. While I waited for the day they could do the transplant, I was in and out of the hospital all the time… I couldn’t even go to school.” 

“I see. No wonder I didn’t know you.” 

“Right. After all, you couldn’t possibly have missed such an adorable girl otherwise.” 

“Sorry, I’ve had this big chunk of earwax plugging my ear since yesterday, so I can’t hear… Ow, ow, ow, ow! Don’t grab my little finger! Stop squeezing—you’ll break it!” 

“Well, you’re the one who broke the conversation.” 

“That argument makes zero sense!” 

You get to be a sadist or a masochist, not both. Don’t get greedy. 

I sighed, but Natsunagi ignored me and went on. 

“Then, one year ago, they found a compatible donor, and I was finally able to receive a heart transplant. That’s when I started to get flickers of X’s presence in the back of my mind.” 

“You mean you’ve already been looking for a year?” 

“No. I had to be on bed rest for a while after the transplant; even if I’d wanted to do something about it, I couldn’t. But I finally started going to school recently, and I’d read articles about you, Kimizuka.” 

I see. I was finally getting a picture of the time line and the rough shape of events. We might be able to clear up this issue a lot sooner than I thought. 

“Memory transference,” I said. 

Natsunagi tilted her head slightly. Apparently, it was a foreign concept to her. 

In that case, putting it like this might make it easier to understand. 

“This X you’re looking for—they’re someone the former owner of your heart wants to see.” 

“…That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever…” 

“If you really think so, then why was your heart transplant the first thing you told me about?” 

Natsunagi fell silent. 

“You said you’d started to sense X’s shadow a year ago. When I asked what had happened back then, you said an organ transplant had saved your life. So you yourself just admitted that there’s a correlation between X and your heart transplant. Am I wrong?” 

“…You’re kind of a jerk, Kimizuka.” 

Natsunagi glared at me from under half-lowered eyelids. Guess I was right. 

“The phenomenon of memory transference hasn’t been scientifically proved, but there have been multiple cases of it. In 1988, a Jewish woman named Claire Sylvia received an organ transplant in America, and a few days later, her eating habits changed drastically. She developed a taste for peppers, which she’d never liked, and for fast food, even though she was a ballet dancer who always used to avoid it. Later, when she talked to her donor’s family, she learned that those were things he’d liked.” 

“That could have been coincidence, couldn’t it?” 

“That’s not all. In her dreams, Claire saw her donor’s first name. She asked his family, and that was indeed his name. And that’s just one of many… Want more?” 

“…You’re kind of a jerk, Kimizuka.” 

It didn’t matter what she thought of me; if she was convinced, that was fine. 

“So what? Does that mean this heart is the one who wants to meet X, not me?” 

“Probably. I’m guessing X is the donor’s family member, lover, or friend… Something along those lines.” 

“I see…” Natsunagi slipped a hand over the left side of her chest, biting her lip softly. 

“Well, there you go: Congratulations. Problem solved.” 

Well, I helped her out this far. She can pay me in coffee. 

On that thought, I got up, leaving the bill, but… 

“Huh? Where do you think you’re going?” Natsunagi was glaring daggers at me. “If you say you’re leaving now, I’ll double-kill you.” 

“That’s very…original. Geez, okay.” Cowed by her hostility, I reluctantly returned to my chair. “I thought the conversation was over.” 

“What gave you that idea? Weren’t you looking at a girl who’d put her hand on her chest, biting her lip forlornly?” 

“I thought you were just indulging in a sentimental epilogue.” 

“You have no human feelings, do you?” 

Human feelings? Nah, I threw those away in a back alley somewhere a year ago. “Think what you want. Natsunagi, like I said, the owner of that heart is the one who wants to meet X, not you. It’s just a memory from when they were alive. This has nothing to do with you.” 

“You’re wrong!” Natsunagi smacked the table and stood up. “That’s wrong. This isn’t just a memory—it’s a regret. Even if their body is dead, they let me inherit their heart. That’s how badly they want to meet X. This heart gave me life, and I want to pay it back. It’s the least I can do. I want to help this heart find who it’s looking for.” 

The way she spoke had changed from what it had been earlier. It was proof that she was saying what she really felt, compelled by her emotions. 

“So all this is really for yourself.” 

“Sure, I’m doing it for myself. This heart is mine. That means I’m the one who wants to see X.” 

“That’s not what you said before.” 

“…Just shut up and help me.” 

A moist towelette came flying across the table, thwacked me in the face, and clung there. It was indeed moist and really gross. 

“…I assume you’re going to compensate me?” 

When I peeled the wet cloth off my face, my eyes met Natsunagi’s grumpy ones. 

“I paid you in advance by letting you touch my chest, remember?” 

“Classic extortion.” 

“If that’s not enough for you, I’ll expose your weird habits to the entire student body.” 

“And like I said, I could sure as hell say the same to you!” 

“Ngh… Listen, do you think I really am one of those people …?” 

“If you want someone to give you advice, that is the literal worst way to go about it.” 

Nonsense aside… 

“Well, I did say I’d do it.” 

I’d already agreed, and I couldn’t really go back on my word. 

“No matter what, the client’s interests must be protected.” 

That’s something she used to tell me, over and over. 

“All right then, tomorrow. We’ll meet in front of the station at two in the afternoon.” 

“Huh? Tomorrow?” 

“Yeah. It’s already late today.” 

Left with no choice, I took the check and got up, getting ready to leave. 

“You want to see X, right?” 

 This is not a date, of course… 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” 

It was the weekend, and I’d been standing in the shadow of a pillar on the station-front plaza, checking my watch, when something thumped me lightly on the shoulder. 

When I turned around, there was Natsunagi, dressed in street clothes and swinging a small handbag around. 

Her off-the-shoulder blouse generously exposed her white collarbones, and her denim shorts highlighted her long, slim legs. It was as if she’d dressed for the “summer” that was part of her name. 

“Can you stop eyeing up a female classmate who isn’t even your girlfriend?” 

“Not sure I want to hear that from someone who shoved her boobs against a classmate who wasn’t even her boyfriend.” 

“You liked it, though.” 

“……” 

Damn. She got me there. 

“Never mind that. Natsunagi, you’re ten minutes late. Be punctual.” Since I couldn’t deny her accusation, I changed the subject. 

“Girls need their time to get ready, no matter what they’re doing.” Natsunagi pouted, and there was vivid lipstick on those lips. 

I see; that’s true. She looked about 30 percent more grown-up than she did the day before. 

“That so? Sorry.” 

“You’re awfully cooperative now.” 

“Well, I appreciate having a pretty girl next to me, too.” 

“…Hmph. I don’t mind hearing that,” Natsunagi murmured, looking up through her lashes at me from about ten centimeters below. 

“…What?” 

“Nothing…” 

“Come on, what?!” 

“Nothiiing.” 

No, seriously, what the heck? 

I looked down at Natsunagi, whose position made her boobs impossible to miss. 

“……Staring much?” Natsunagi glared at me coldly, hugging herself. The tables had turned. 

“No, not your boobs. I was just, you know, observing your collarbones.” 

“Ew! At least check out my boobs like a normal person!” 

“You’ve got a fine pair for somebody your age.” 

“What does age have to do with collarbones?! Why are you talking like some collarbone critic?! …What even is a collarbone critic anyway?!” 

“…Hmm. Have we had a conversation like this before?” I asked. 

“I sure hope not; once is way more than enough for me.” Harried, Natsunagi pressed a hand against her forehead. “…Hey, when did I get cast as the character who makes all the comebacks?” 

“It’s good to switch up the roles every once in a while.” Well, to be honest, it’s not like I really wanted that position, either. “Okay, we should head out.” I smacked Natsunagi on the shoulder and set off, taking the lead. 

“Where are you going? Listen, they’ll arrest you unless you put some clothes on.” 

“Hey, if you want to steal the funny role back, you need more buildup.” 

… Still, this is weird. 

Oddly, when Natsunagi joked around, it struck a chord in me. 

After we’d walked for about ten minutes, our destination came into view. 

“Um, Kimizuka? I’m pretty sure I’ve got the wrong idea, but is that where we’re going?” 

“We’re looking for someone. So this isn’t all that weird.” 

Even so, Natsunagi frowned, seeming unconvinced. “Are you planning to have them look for X?” 

“No, we’re laying the groundwork. If you want to shoot the general, first shoot his horse.” 

“The general is X… So the horse is…the heart?” 

“Right. First, we’re going to check into the donor who saved your life.” 

This “X” that Natsunagi was looking for had to have been close to the heart’s former owner. 

In that case, pinpointing who the donor was would have to come first. 

“Then shouldn’t we be going to a hospital?” 

“I’d love to, but unfortunately, I don’t have any medical connections.” 

“…That means you do know somebody here.” 

“Well, don’t get so tense. C’mon, we’re going in.” 

And so we stepped into the towering skyscraper that housed the Metropolitan Police Department. 

 Blow your head off 

“Hey. It’s been a while, you damn kid. Finally decided to turn yourself in?” 

A woman finally entered the room where we were waiting and dropped heavily onto the sofa across from Natsunagi and me, kicking out her long legs in a lazy way. 

“Ms. Fuubi, I’m not sure women should sit with their legs spread like that.” 

“Shove it. Gender’s got nothin’ to do with getting by here.” As she spoke, she lit a fat cigar. 

Striking was one way to describe her face—flashy was another—and she wore her uniform in an incredibly casual way. Her blazing-red hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. 

Nobody who was seeing her for the first time would have believed it, but Fuubi Kase was a police inspector. 

Considering the fact that she’d been a beat cop when I first met her five or six years back, for somebody who was (probably) in her late twenties, she seemed to be making good progress in her career. 

“So what did you pull this time? Theft? Murder?” 

“I haven’t done anything. As a matter of fact, I recently got a public commendation for catching another burglar.” 

“You’re the first one on the scene of a solid seventy percent of all the crimes in this district. You really can’t blame us for suspecting you stage them.” 

“It just happens. It’s how I’m wired.” 

My bad luck with Ms. Fuubi began right when she became a police officer and started showing up at crime scenes. 

I must have left an impression in her mind as that suspicious kid who was almost always at a murder scene. I’d really love to clear up that misunderstanding, but she still seems to think I’m sketchy. 

“It is, huh? And you wired yourself up to a real detective?” 

“…No idea. If I had to say, it felt more like she drew me to her, twisted me tight around her little finger, and then went off somewhere far away by herself.” 

That’s right: Extremely far away. Somewhere you couldn’t find on any map; a distant, unreachable— 

“Hah! Well, that’s true.” Smiling slightly, Ms. Fuubi gave a husky laugh. “And what about you? You workin’ solo now?” 

“…No, there’s nothing I can do on my own. Besides, it looks like I’m not even on their radar; things have been so peaceful it’s scary.” 

“Well, damn. You’re pretty heartless. The dead tell no tales, huh?” 

I had no intention of saying that much. After all, she’d probably haunt me for it. 

“Ow!” 

Just then, a sharp pain ran through my foot. When I looked down, Natsunagi’s sneaker was stomping on it. 

“What was that for?” 

“Huh? Oh, um, just for…reasons? And hey, don’t shut me out like this.” 

Don’t stomp a guy for “…reasons?” Seriously. 

“Uh, so, Ms. Fuubi. Getting down to business, I wanted to speak with you about this girl, my friend—” 

“So your girlfriend?” 

“No, that’s why I said them separately.” 

Ms. Fuubi’s eyes went to Natsunagi, seated beside me. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Nagisa Natsunagi. I’m here on Mr. Kimizuka’s introduction.” 

“Mr. Kimizuka”… That had a very different ring to it. 

And hey, Natsunagi can behave politely in public, huh? 

“So you just wanna ‘speak with’ me and make an ‘introduction,’ huh? Fine. Let’s hear it. Briefly,” Ms. Fuubi said and lit her second cigar. 

A few minutes later… 

“I see.” 

When we’d finished our story, Ms. Fuubi exhaled one last, long puff of smoke, then stubbed out the butt in the ashtray. 

“I get what’s going on… But why’d you come here?” Narrowing her already sharp eyes even further, she glared at us. “You want us to look for the person who donated her heart? You know we’re not doctors, right?” 

“Finding people is technically a job for the police.” 

“Not finding organ donors.” 

Obviously irritated, Ms. Fuubi crossed her legs. 

“There, what did I tell you? This was the wrong place,” Natsunagi whispered, jabbing me with her elbow. Well, just hang on a minute. 

“Police organizations aren’t completely disconnected from these incidents. In fact, if the police aren’t present, they can’t even declare a potential donor brain-dead.” 

By law, all cases in which brain death is declared have to be reported to the First Investigation Division of the National Police Agency’s Criminal Affairs Bureau. Autopsies are also performed under the supervision and direction of the chief of the police station in each jurisdiction. That means, when I chose to come here, I wasn’t that far off base. And besides— 

“I didn’t come to the police. I came to you.” 

Not just anyone would do. This was the kind of thing I could ask because it was Ms. Fuubi. 

“And what does that get you?” 

“Ms. Fuubi, you aren’t like ordinary police officers.” 

“I’m not? How so?” 

“Your resolution.” 

Or maybe it would be better to say her goals. 

This woman isn’t like the officers who want money and power. That’s why—and I mean this in the kindest way possible—she’s not really bound by common sense. 

“There’s no way I can release a donor’s personal information to an average Joe.” 

“I know.” 

“Besides, I’m with a different jurisdiction, and my position doesn’t come with the authority to disclose information.” 

“I know that, too.” 

“Then why did you come to me?” 

“Because I figured you’d manage anyway. Since it’s you.” 

“…What’s wrong with you?” 

Looking a little embarrassed, Ms. Fuubi raked her fingers roughly through her red hair. “Look. You already know I want to get to the top here. That means I don’t want to run any risks that could trip me up.” 

“Ha-ha, pretty late to pretend you have common sense, don’t you think?” 

“I’m gonna blow your head off.” 

She pointed her gun at my forehead. 

“…Um, I pretty sure this would count as a risk.” 

I mean, take a look. Even Natsunagi is all tense. 

“Well, that’s how it is. Sorry, sweetheart, but go home, wouldja?” Holstering her gun, Ms. Fuubi stretched. 

“No… Please. No matter what it takes, I…” 

“You can ask as nicely as you want, but I can’t do what I can’t do.” With that, she stood up, rolling her shoulders. “Besides, I’m busy. I’m scheduled to stop at the big house after this.” 

Big house? … Oh. I get it now. 

Natsunagi seemed confused, but the explanations would have to wait. “You’re going to meet somebody?” 

Ms. Fuubi stopped, one hand on the door. “Somebody you know real well. So, y’know, if you’re planning to follow me, it’s a free country.” 

Bingo, huh? Geez, she’s the opposite of straightforward. 

“Just for the record, let me ask. Does this person have good ears?” 

At that, Ms. Fuubi turned back. 

“Yeah. He never forgets the sound of a heart once he’s heard it.” 

 No, not that kind of euphemism 

After the fifteen-minute drive from the Metropolitan Police Department to the big house, we followed Ms. Fuubi through heavy security, then headed down, deep underground. 

We went down stairs, then down more stairs. As we did, the number of lights decreased, and our footsteps echoed more. 

“You’ve only got until I finish my job upstairs. That’s about twenty minutes. Can you stick to that?” Ms. Fuubi tossed her question back at us over her shoulder. 

“Of course.” 

Even though she’d shoved us away by pretending not to care what we did, she was showing us the way, which pushed her past “not straightforward” to “way too nice.” I mean, she’d actually given us a ride over here in a police car. 

“You aren’t going to see him, Ms. Fuubi?” 

“Ha. No matter what I say, he won’t talk. It’s a waste of time.” 

“If he’s giving you trouble, he must really be something else.” 

“As if you’ve got nothing to do with him. You’re the one who brought him in.” 

“I know nothing about that. Tell it to the deceased detective.” 

“Don’t use your partner as a pardon,” Ms. Fuubi said, giving my head a little shove. “There you go. We’re here.” 

The air down here on this floor was even more stagnant than the rest of the dark interior. The smell of mold almost made me wrinkle my nose. 

“Twenty minutes, you hear? You’re not getting any more. You either, sweetheart; understand?” 

With that final warning, Ms. Fuubi lightly raised a hand, then started back up the stairs we’d just come down. 

The ones she left behind were me and— 

“…Um, Kimizuka? Probably should’ve asked earlier, but weren’t we headed to someone’s house?” 

—Natsunagi, who was looking around a little restlessly. 

“Yeah. This is the house, Natsunagi.” 

“Where, exactly?!” 

Where? If I had to say, well … 

“I mean, it is a prison.” 

“I noticed that; I’m asking why!” Natsunagi pulled on my ear mercilessly. Apparently, she only played innocent in public. “I was visualizing a log cabin–style place, and now we’re here in all this concrete with iron bars all over the place.” 

“Mm-hmm. Because it’s a prison.” 

“What happened to the house, huh?” 

“It’s a euphemism.” 

“A-a euphemism?” 

“…Now listen…” 

Why does she seem a little excited? She’s exactly what I thought she was. 

“It’s a slang term for ‘prison.’ Sometimes they call it ‘the big house’ instead. It’s common knowledge.” 

“Common knowledge to who?” 

“Common knowledge if you’ve been flying overseas with attaché cases full of unknown contents since you were in middle school.” 

“Boy, sure hope I never get to know anybody like that.” 

You’re standing next to one right now. 

“So? Why are we here?” 

Natsunagi seemed to be more used to the place now. She was looking around, trying to peer in through the iron bars. 

“Not over there. She said the one we’re here for is all the way at the end.” I took the lead, walking in front of Natsunagi. 

“Who’s here?” 

“Some old guy.” 

“Be serious.” 

“Some old guy who gave up on being human.” 

“Well, seeing how he’s down here, he might as well have given up his humanity, but…” 

“No, that’s not what I meant.” This was an extremely serious fact, and an irreversible one. “The man we’re about to meet is literally not human.” 

Say this daily routine of mine—of ours—and all the little bits and pieces that aren’t routine happened to be a story. If there were people who were hoping that story would be a genuine mystery, I’d like to take the opportunity to apologize. I don’t think this story will be what they’re here for. 

“Kimizuka, that man…” Natsunagi caught the edge of my sleeve hesitantly. 

In the very back of the basement, there was a small steel room that was completely enclosed. When we looked in through the only window—a small glass plate in the door—we saw a seated man with chains wrapped around his arms. 

After a pause, the shutter door slid open with a dull creak. 

“Hey, it’s been a long time—Bat.” 

At the sound of my voice, the man twitched. There was stubble on his chin, and his blond hair was messy. At last, his face slowly, sluggishly turned toward us. 

“Now, there’s a sound that brings back memories—ace detective.” 

 Heart, Bat, and pseudohuman 

I knew this particular jailbird. 

His name—his alias—was Bat. I never wanted to see this guy again if I could help it. 

But as Ms. Fuubi had hinted, he might be able to solve Natsunagi’s problem. Reminding myself that this was work, I faced Bat. 

“Unfortunately, I’m not an ace detective.” 

Sorry, but the only ones here are the assistant and a client. 

“Hmm? …Oh, you’re— Yeah, I see. Watson, huh?” His unfocused eyes glared at me, and then the corners of his lips quirked up slightly. 

“Your Japanese is as good as ever.” 

“Ha-ha! It’s an essential skill for a guy like me. Besides, I’ve been living here for years now; I’ve forgotten my mother tongue.” 

I’m pretty sure he was from northern Europe. However, those rare emerald eyes of his were dull and cloudy now. 

“Do your eyes still work?” 

“Nah, they’re useless at this point. It doesn’t really matter to me whether I’ve got eyes or not, though.” 

“I hear it matters to most people.” 

“We’ve got the same eyes now, Watson. Like a dead fish.” 

“That’s the worst news I’ve heard this century. Also, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call me that.” 

“Ha-ha! What, you all done playing assistant?” 

… Well, that was the plan anyway. “I’m here because I wanted to talk to you, Bat.” 

“Huh. I bet. Unless there were special circumstances, there’s no way you two would come all the way down here to see me.” 

You two, huh? True, when I first met this guy, I wasn’t alone. 

That was a long time ago, though. 

“Sure, go ahead and talk. Life in here is boring as hell. It’ll make for a good way to kill time.” With a hint of life in his voice, Bat urged me to go on. 

“I see. In that case, I’ll introduce you right away. The girl next to me is Nagisa Natsunagi; she’s a classmate of mine.” 

“Nagisa…Natsunagi?” At that, Bat moved his head slightly, turning those cloudy eyes on the girl next to me. 

“…It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Natsunagi.” 

She’d briefly flinched, but she promptly resumed her usual resolute expression, facing the prisoner in front of her squarely. 

“I came today because I wanted to ask you about my heart.” 

A few minutes later… 

“I see; so that’s what it was. No wonder.” 

When Natsunagi had finished telling him about her problem, Bat cracked his neck audibly. 

“Long story short, you came to ask me if I had any idea who owned that heart.” 

“Yes, that’s right… But…” Natsunagi leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Can he actually tell something like that?” 

Oh, right. Come to think of it, I hadn’t filled Natsunagi in on that part yet. 

“Uh, so, he’s…” 

“Hey, that was pretty rude, sweetheart.” 

“Ack! He heard us.” Natsunagi looked off into the distance, embarrassed. 

Well, of course he did. After all— 

“Ha-ha! At this distance, I don’t even have to try. If I feel like it, I can hear people talking a hundred kilometers away.” 

That’s where “Bat” got his code name. 

This guy wasn’t human. He was part of the group my old partner fought against right up until the moment she died: a pseudohuman. 

“Well, I lost my sight in exchange. Besides, my phenomenal ears aren’t any use in here. As long as the door to this cell is shut, this place is soundproof. Wonder if this is what the undead feel like? Ha-ha!” Bat’s joke at his own expense wasn’t very funny. “Now that I can use my ears, though, picking up the sound of your heart is a cakewalk for me.” 

“That’s crazy…” 

“Some things are, y’know. Big world out there.” Bat smiled at Natsunagi. 

It sounded like a good argument, but it wasn’t. He was still as good as ever at messing with your head when you talked to him. That had to be why Ms. Fuubi had been so adamant about putting a time limit on our visit. 

“…Let’s say I believe you. What are you planning to do, after you listen to my heart?” 

Although she was still wary, Natsunagi prompted Bat to go on. 

“I’ve got a database of the hearts of all the people I’ve met over the past few decades. I’ll check it against that and see if I find any hits.” 

“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever—! And what even are the chances that you just conveniently ran into the owner of this heart before…?” 

“No, Natsunagi. It may be safe to get our hopes up a little.” 

“Kimizuka? What do you mean?” 

After all, this guy didn’t have an ordinary career. He was a pseudohuman who flew all over the world, following orders. 

It was possible he met the owner of Natsunagi’s heart while they were alive. And, using his augmented ears with their extraordinarily sharp hearing, he could even tell different heartbeats apart. That’s an ability he really has. 

“I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, Natsunagi, but I know this man well. I first met him four years ago—above the clouds, at ten thousand meters.” 

That’s right. It was that day—the day I met the ace detective. 

This guy was a fellow passenger on that plane. 

“Ha-ha, has it been four years already? That takes me back… Hey, why don’t we reminisce for a bit?” Bat’s dull eyes gleamed slightly. 

“Sorry, but we don’t have that kind of time. Ms. Fuubi gave us a set visitation window.” 

“Oh, the broad with an ass as big as her attitude? Eh, it’ll be fine. How about I slip you a little intel about us afterward? You’ll be able to put her in a good mood that way.” 

“What are you trying to pull, Bat?” 

I know they say not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but he was being way too cooperative. Even if banter was part of our relationship, Bat and I were definitely not on the same team. 

“I’m not trying to pull anything. It’s just been a long time since I had guests, so my mood’s a bit better than normal.” 

And I’m supposed to believe that? 

… Still, if we put him in a bad mood at this point, we could end up wasting our hard-won hint. 

“Sorry, Natsunagi. This is going to take a little while.” 

Geez. If that’s how it is, no way to go but forward. 

I thought back to what had happened on that day, four years ago. 

 Is there a detective on the plane? 

“What am I doing on a beautiful day like this?!” 

The weather really didn’t have much to do with anything, but…as I gazed through the window at the clouds, ten thousand meters up, in my second year of middle school, all I could do was curse my own fate. 

The source of my worries was sitting in the luggage compartment above my seat. But there was no telling what would have happened to me if I’d refused a request from those men in black. 

Man, if this isn’t rotten luck, then what is it? 

Just as I was lamenting my own fate—I heard the sentence that would change my life. 

“Is there a detective on this plane?” 

At first, I thought I’d misheard it. 

After the second time, though, I accepted the reality: Some sort of situation that required a detective was unfolding on this plane. 

I’ll be honest with you, though. This was far from my first run-in with mysterious problems. I wasn’t kidding when I said trouble always seems to find me. 

That being the case, I thought I’d probably be able to duck-and-weave my way out of this one, too. If I closed my eyes, the storm would blow over before I knew it. 

Naive, I know. I’ll admit it. 

However, what was different this time around… 

What made me open my eyes was… 

…first and foremost, the fact that she was in the seat next to mine. 

“Yes, I’m a detective.” 

That was how we met: me, Kimihiko Kimizuka—and her, Siesta. 

Her hair and eye color made it unlikely she was Japanese, and her symmetrical features were as delicate as spun glass. Her dress’s unique design reminded me of a military uniform from some other country. All together, those elements gave her a beauty that was practically unreal. 

This miracle of a girl had been right next to me, and up till that very moment, I hadn’t even registered her existence. I couldn’t believe myself—and I forgot everything, even the situation I was in. 

“What’s your name…?” 

However, this was a fateful encounter of a different sort. 

“Perfect timing. You—be my assistant.” 

“Huh?” 

No sooner had she spoken than the girl caught my hand and stood up. 

“This way, please!” 

“We’ll be right there.” 

The girl strode off, following the cabin attendant…and since she was pulling me by the hand, I followed her. Under the stunned, open-mouthed gazes of the other passengers, our weird procession advanced. 

What is this? What’s happening? 

… Oh, right. A detective, huh? 

The girl’s vivid presence had almost erased it from my memory already—right now, something was happening on this plane, and a detective was needed to resolve it. And she’d called me…her assistant? 

This beautiful girl who had me by the hand was a detective, and I was her assistant. 

I’d been born as a magnet for unusual situations and had spent the past dozen or so years surviving all sorts of trouble, and even I was having a really hard time following this development. 

The girl didn’t notice my confusion and said, “Siesta.” Just one word, and she didn’t even look back as she said it. “That’s my name.” 

“…Kinda weird one,” I finally managed to say. 

“It’s a code name.” 

“A code name?” 

“People do have those, usually.” 

“No they don’t, usually.” They don’t, do they? Usually? 

“Then what’s your name?” 

“Kimihiko…Kimizuka.” 

“I see. I’ll call you ‘Kimi,’ then.” 

“…Is that a nickname?” 

When I asked her that, for the first time, Siesta looked back at me. 

“Good question. What do you think it is?” 

The smile she flashed me was a hundred million watts of adorable. 

But this was no time for romantic comedy shenanigans. 

The cabin attendant led us to the cockpit, which was the worst possible place to have problems on a plane. 

“I’ve brought a detective and the detective’s assistant.” 

My title is spreading way too fast … 

I didn’t even have time to make a retort, though, as the situation was still evolving. 

When the attendant knocked on the door, I heard an electronic beep, followed by a lock disengaging, and then the heavy door opened. 

“Holy…” I couldn’t believe my eyes. 

Two men, the pilot and copilot, were sitting in the seats of the cramped cockpit. 

The older one—probably the pilot—was gripping the control stick, his face ashen. The younger man, the copilot, was doubled over and unconscious—while another man was sitting cross-legged on top of him. 

“Hey, you actually found a detective?” 

The man had striking blond hair and emerald eyes. 

He was speaking Japanese, but his features and the color of his skin suggested he was from northern Europe. 

From his spot on top of the copilot’s body, the man glanced coolly from my face to Siesta’s and back. 

“You’re younger than I expected, but whatever. So. Which one’s supposed to be the detective?” he asked mockingly. 

Was he trying to intimidate us, to maintain as much of an advantage as he could? 

He hardly needed to, though; we were already in deep shit. Even I hadn’t run into a hijacker before, and my knees went weak despite my attempts to keep them steady. 

“First of all, what’s your name?” Siesta asked. 

The pilot was still pale, the copilot was still unconscious, and the flight attendant was so sweaty that her makeup was running, but she was the one person who hadn’t frozen up. Ignoring the incapacitated adults, this teenage girl barred the hijacker’s way, all alone. 

“Bat. It’s a code name,” the man said. 

Siesta turned to me. “There, you see? Everybody has a code name.” 

“Look, I don’t care!” 

I seriously could not care less about that! This really isn’t the time! 

For some reason, Siesta looked a little proud of herself, but I made her face forward again, toward Bat the hijacker. 

“I am Siesta, and this is my assistant, Watson. We grew up together on Baker Street.” She lied like it was nothing. Her nerves were way too steady. “Well, Bat? What are you trying to do? Why have you called me, the ace detective, here?” 

Oh, right. Yeah. 

Thanks to Siesta’s carefree attitude, I’d almost forgotten the actual situation. 

“Ha-ha, ha-ha! You’re funny, girl. I like it; this might be fun.” 

Bat laughed, then spoke from his spot on top of the copilot. 

“Deduce why I’ve hijacked this plane. If you get it right, I won’t snap the pilot’s neck.” 

In that moment—the lives of six hundred passengers and crew members were entrusted to the skill of a single detective. 

 Hijacker vs. ace detective 

“The reason you hijacked this plane?” 

Siesta echoed his words, putting a finger to her delicate chin. 

“You called me here just to make me deduce that?” 

“Yeah, that’s right. I wanted to play a little game. A high-stakes game with the lives of all six hundred passengers in the balance… Sound like fun?” Bat smirked, letting his gaze crawl all over us. Just looking at this guy made me feel sick. “All you two have to do to win is guess why I hijacked the plane. That’s it.” 

“In other words, if we guess correctly, everyone’s lives will be spared, and if we get it wrong, they die?” 

“Right. Nice and simple.” 

“Yes, it is. If we fail, though, you’ll meet the same fate we do.” Siesta fixed piercing eyes on Bat. 

“…True. If I’m on a plane that’s going down, I’ve got no way to save myself.” 

“Meaning you don’t value your life?” 

“If I don’t get my kicks somehow, I don’t feel like I’m really alive, et cetera, et cetera.” 

“I see. You’re terribly bored, then.” 

Siesta was surprisingly fearless as she spoke with the hijacker. It felt as if there were invisible blades hidden in their joking exchange. 

Was this battle about to escalate…? 

“Yeah, I’m bored. The boredom got so bad that I went and hijacked a flight in a distant foreign country.” 

“All right, then that’s it.” 

However, in the next instant— 

“You hijacked the plane because you were desperately bored.” 

—she gave her final answer. 

Without so much as phoning a friend, Siesta played her hand. 

“…Siesta, wait, just hang on a second. Are you serious?” 

His motive for the hijacking was—boredom? 

That couldn’t be right. They’d just been teasing at this grand showdown between a hijacker and an ace detective; this was a punchline. We wouldn’t get away with this. The lives of the six hundred people on this plane were riding on that answer, remember? 

“Of course I’m serious. The man said so himself, didn’t he? He was bored, so very bored that he hijacked the plane.” 

“…Yeah, but he was probably just messing with you, don’t you think?” 

“Oh? Then you’re saying he lied?” 

“Huh?” 

Siesta’s eyes turned from me to Bat. “The ace detective frightened him, and he accidentally let something slip. To cover for himself, he’ll say it was a lie to force me to admit a loss and end the game. Thus, we can infer that he’s a coward?” 

As she spoke, she didn’t show a flicker of fear. 

“—Ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Amazing! Ahhh, well done. Brilliant. That courage of yours is really something.” Bat started to laugh. It was quiet at first, but gradually, as if he couldn’t fully contain it, he began to guffaw, holding his sides. “Ahhh, I can’t believe it. That’s just insane. Never thought someone would talk me into a corner like that. Well, you got me. I’m beat.” 

Hey, whoa, are you kidding me? 

Had he genuinely hijacked the plane just because he was bored? 

Or had Siesta’s incredibly bold bluff wiped out his will to fight? 

“That ended faster than I thought it would, but you win some, you lose some. I’ve already achieved my objective, so I’ll bow out here.” 

Bat got down from the copilot’s body and walked toward us. 

“Ah, don’t worry. That one’s only unconscious, not dead. I’ll probably get arrested once we reach the airport, but I haven’t killed anybody. If I move into the big house for a while, they’ll let me leave again eventually.” 

Sighing, Bat sauntered past us, heading back to the seat he’d occupied originally. 

“All right, wake me up when we land. Oh, and the media’ll be a pain in the ass, so get me a sweatshirt or something to hide my face, wouldja?” 

Then, just as he was about to make his exit… 

“My, you really are a liar.” Siesta’s words held no emotion whatsoever. 

“…What are you talking about?” Bat stopped in his tracks. 

“Oh, nothing really.” 

“—Listen here, Miss Detective. You’re right. The real reason I tried to hijack this plane is something else. Out of consideration for your bravery, I’m pretending I lost for you, see? C’mon, don’t make me say everything.” 

So that really was the case, huh? 

I thought he’d backed down awfully fast, but apparently he just respected Siesta’s recklessness. 

If I’d said I wasn’t interested in knowing the truth, I would’ve been lying, but we could have the police figure that out after the plane was safely on the ground. 

Right now, the important thing was to make sure this guy didn’t change his mind. Let’s just let him return to his seat without disturbing him. That thought was why I was the assistant here. 

“He’s right, Siesta. He’s responding like an adult, so let’s take a page from his book and go back where we came fr—” 

“No, that wasn’t the lie I was talking about.” 

… Oh, I see. 

I guess nobody who was capable of responding like an adult would be calling herself an ace detective in the first place. 

“The part where you said you had no qualms about risking your own life in this hijacking. That was a lie, wasn’t it? You were actually scared of dying, weren’t you?” Siesta lit the fuse again. 

“…What are you saying?” Bat still had his back to us, but he wasn’t moving, and his voice was low. 

“You backed down too fast.” 

“From what?” 

“When you admitted I’d won. Japan has a reputation for airline security; there’s no way a man who would hijack a Japanese plane all by himself, in this day and age, would withdraw so easily because of one girl.” 

…That had actually been bothering me as well. 

For having prepared such a huge prop, he’d given up far too easily. I’d been trying to convince myself that we were just lucky, but…Siesta hadn’t let it slip past her. 

“You were probably executing this hijack on instructions from someone else. In addition, you yourself were ordered to crash and die with the plane. Am I wrong?” 

“……” 

His silence indicated that she wasn’t. 

“But you don’t want to. You’re actually afraid to die, so you used us to give yourself an excuse that would let you survive. Correct?” 

A hijacker had been given orders to die by somebody else. He’d obeyed the order initially, but when it got down to the wire, he’d realized he valued his life. 

Thus, he’d come up with the idea of calling a detective and staging a deduction game: By making us guess his reason for the hijack, then aborting the attempt, he’d saved his own life along with the lives of the passengers. 

“When we reach the airport, the cops will arrest me,” Bat had said, sighing—but that sigh had been one of relief, not regret. 

If the hijack ended in failure, Bat would be killed by whoever had ordered it. Which was why he’d decided to have the Japanese police protect him until the storm blew over. 

…Meaning it hadn’t mattered what his reason was. 

Siesta could have said anything—money, securing a prisoner’s release, a diplomatic issue, or any other reason—and Bat would have thrown up a plausible smoke screen to convince her she’d guessed right. After all, the one who’d most wanted this hijack to fail was Bat himself. 

…Hmm. But in that case… 

“In that case, why did he go out of his way to play his game? If he started wanting to give up on the hijack, he could have just surrendered. He didn’t have to pull something like this, did he?” 

No need to go to the trouble of finding and summoning a detective. All he’d had to do was get off the plane on his own, then turn himself in. 

“His pride probably wouldn’t allow it,” Siesta murmured. “You didn’t want to lose by default. You wanted to fight and be defeated. Even if it was only an act.” 

Was that how it was? 

The man stood there, with his back to us, and he didn’t say a word. 

Not a single word. 

“Hey, tell me one thing before the end.” 

As Siesta and I started back to our seats, Bat stopped us. 

“How did you know all that?” 

Finally, having been soundly beaten by the ace detective, the villain of this story asked her why he’d lost. 

“What gave it away? Was it really just because I backed down too fast, or—?” 

“Haaah. That was a factor as well, but…” Sounding unenthused, Siesta turned around. “I already knew about you.” 

“…What do you mean?” 

“I knew you’d be on this plane today and that you were planning to hijack it. I know about your companions who ordered you to do it. Everything.” 

… Wait, what? 

Knowing all that, she’d boarded this flight anyway? 

Had she known how all this would play out from the very beginning? 

“First-rate detectives resolve incidents before they even occur, you see. I was just a bit late, since I let myself fall asleep.” Siesta ran her fingers through her hair. 

Is that where she got her code name? She doesn’t look Hispanic. 

“…I see. So that’s what it was.” With his back still turned to us, Bat responded to Siesta’s explanation impassively. “Well, I really am glad I asked that one thing, just in case, before the end.” 

“Assistant, get down,” Siesta murmured from beside me. 

“The thing is, when first-rate agents find a young sprout, we mow it down before it can grow.” 

The moment Bat said that, or maybe the moment before, a powerful shock ran through me. 

“Ow, ow, ow…” 

The next thing I knew, I was on my butt on the floor. Had something— Had Siesta pushed me? 

“Hey, Siesta, what the heck was… Huh?” 

Siesta was right in front of me. Dark-red liquid was pulsing out of her shoulder and streaming down her clothes. 

Beyond her, Bat was standing still, raking his hair up with his fingers—and from his head, or rather, from his ear, he’d sprouted something like a tentacle with a razor-sharp tip. 

“Change of plans. I’ll slaughter you and leave the rest.” 

 Mystery meets sci-fi/fantasy 

“…Ghk.” 

“Siesta!” I ran to the fallen detective—fallen because she’d protected me. 

“Rgh, I shouldn’t have hired an assistant… You haven’t been any use at all so far…” 

“That’s not fair at all! You’re the one who press-ganged me, all right?!” 

She’s right about me being useless, though! 

No, but this was no time to be having a petty argument. 

“What is that thing…?” 

The tentacle from Bat’s right ear was twisting and writhing as if it had a mind of its own. It was a grotesque color, like what you’d get if you mixed dark green and purple. It seemed capable of stretching and contracting freely as well; there was no telling how wide its range was. 

“He’s a pseudohuman.” Shakily, Siesta got to her feet, holding her wounded shoulder. “That man is a member of the clandestine organization SPES. They use powers beyond human understanding to create pseudohumans. They’re not publicly known, but they’re a threat to the world.” 

“Pseudohumans…? That’s insane. Then he’s— Bat isn’t…?” 

He’s not human? She’s saying he’s a monster? 

“With him, it’s still only his ear. He merely stole a prototype and forcibly attached it to himself. Basically, he’s a half pseudohuman.” 

“Siesta, how do you know all this…?” 

“Then, because he’d betrayed the organization, he was assigned this task as punishment.” 

“I asked you a question, Siesta! How do you know this stuff?!” 

Don’t tell me she’s from that other group, too? 

However, Bat’s deep voice erased that doubt. 

“You know your stuff, huh?! In that case, taking your corpse back to them as a little memento would be a better plan!” 

The tentacle streaked toward us again. 

“Hang on, assistant.” 

“Huh? …Whoa!” 

I flew through the air—or rather, Siesta had hugged me to her and leaped out of the way. 

Her snow-white hair stung my cheek. 

Her name was Siesta, a nap taken during the daytime—and the sight really did seem as surreal as a daydream. 

“Are you human?” 

“Are you stupid, Kimi? Do I look like a monster?” 

“I’m just saying I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.” 

“…I’d bet anything you don’t have a girlfriend, Kimi.” 

But this wasn’t the time for a dumb conversation. 

With six hundred passengers on the plane, of course people had noticed the racket. 

“H-hey! Wh-wh-what the hell is that?!” 

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!” 

It started with the people who’d come up here to see what was going on, and a wave of screams and angry yelling began filling the plane. 

“L-ladies and gentlemen! Please remain calm!” 

The cabin attendant, whose makeup was completely ruined by now, hastily went to soothe the passengers. But the plane was already in pandemonium. 

“Argh, if this is how it’s gonna be, I don’t even care,” Bat said. “I’ll just kill every human I don’t need.” 

“—! Wait, just think about this! If you do that, the plane will crash, and you’ll die, too!” I shouted. 

“Ha! I’ll let the pilot live. Wait, who are you again?” 

“I’m the ace detective’s assistant!” 

Goddammit, now she’s got me saying it. Behold the power of conditioning. 

“My, you called me an ace detective. What a model apprentice.” 

“I just said what sounded good. Also, I’m your assistant, not your apprentice.” 

Argh, really? I did it again. Damn, she’s good. 

“Seriously, though, what the heck is that thing?” I asked. “You said ‘pseudohuman’ like it was nothing, but…” 

I was hanging on to Siesta as we evaded Bat’s attacks. 

“Pseudohumans are monsters created around a core consisting of a certain object. This one fights with his ear, but there are loads of others who fight with their eyes or nose or teeth.” 

“—You fight these monsters, Siesta?” 

“Yes, although this is the first time I’ve ended up in actual combat with one. Kimi, you know nothing about the world, do you?” 

“Hey, no law-abiding middle schooler would know that much about the underworld.” 

“Perhaps, but you’re a middle schooler flying across the ocean with a mysterious attaché case.” 

“Wait, how much do you know?!” 

She’d even had her eye on me? 

Plus, that attaché case has nothing to do with this business, does it? I swear, I genuinely don’t know anything, all right? 

“What are these jokers even after anyway? Were they planning to use the hijacking to declare war on Japan or something?” 

“In Latin, the word SPES means ‘hope’—and their goal is to grant ‘salvation.’ ” As Siesta explained, she took a great leap, still holding me. 

“Sounds like some sketchy religion…” 

In the next instant, Bat’s sharp tentacle plunged into the floor where we’d been just a moment ago. 

We were flying at ten thousand meters. If he put a hole in the body of the plane, this story was over. 

“I can’t believe a threat this huge to us was hiding out in Japan!” Bat complained. 

“Any detective worth her salt works in secret. As a matter of fact, none of your companions even knew I existed, did they?” Siesta taunted. 

She was projecting an aura of cool composure, but as close as we were, I could tell from the way she was breathing that she wasn’t in good shape. 

She’d burned through quite a lot of her energy. That was only natural. She was fighting while protecting me, and I was deadweight. 

“Ha-ha! In that case, all your sneaky secrets are gonna be pointless after today.” 

“Oh? But you can’t go back to your organization, remember? You won’t be able to tip them off.” 

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. If I bribe them with information about you, even that short-tempered bunch may have a change of heart.” 

“You sure it’ll be that easy?” 

“Ha! You talk like you know.” 

Once again, like a flying snake, the sharp, writhing tentacle darted toward Siesta. 

We were on an airplane, with no possible access to any effective weapons, which meant we had to stay on the defense. This was a battle of attrition that we were going to lose. 

“What’s the matter? You’re breathing pretty hard.” 

“…I was being careful to hide that.” For the first time, Siesta’s expression clouded over slightly. 

“Ha-ha, these ears are custom-made. The acoustic cells concentrated in the tip of this tentacle can even pick out the heartbeat of someone a hundred kilometers away.” 

“…I should’ve gathered more intel. I suppose I really can’t disguise my heart rate.” 

Even if she was an ace detective, she wasn’t all-knowing. Sweat broke out on Siesta’s forehead. 

Right now, though, there was nothing I could do. 

“If I just had a weapon or something…” 

Obviously, but we were ten thousand meters up. 

All we had available was what was already here, and security wouldn’t even allow a knife onto a plane. None of the passengers could possibly have anything resembling a weapon in their luggage… 

No. There was one person. 

“Siesta, buy me thirty seconds.” 

“Assistant?” 

“I’ve got an idea.” 

Even at a time like this—or maybe because it was a time like this—my mind was running on all cylinders. 

I’ve been getting dragged into trouble since I was born. Over the course of my life, I’ve survived more ugly situations than I’ve eaten slices of bread. My past experience was telling me this hunch had to be the best solution. 

“All right. You haven’t been doing anything, so no complaints here.” 

“Just let me have my moment, wouldja?!” 

As we lobbed nonsense at each other, I ran hell-for-leather back to my seat. 

“Move it, move it! Out of the way!” 

Shoving my way through the passengers, who were clogging the aisles in confusion, I made it to my seat—and hauled that attaché case out of the overhead luggage compartment. 

Naturally, I had no idea what was in it. I didn’t know whether it would be useful in this situation. Was the cat in the box alive or dead? 

However, during the carry-on luggage inspection at the airport, I’d noticed the personnel exchanging looks. 

I’d been concerned about the level of Japanese airport security…but thanks to that, I could take this gamble. 

“Siesta! Catch!” 

Running back would take too long; I threw the ridiculously big silver attaché case toward the battlefield with all my might. 

“Ghk! That’s not gonna happen!” Instead of targeting the bloodied Siesta this time, Bat redirected the tentacle and smashed the attaché case—but as a result, the contents ended up right in Siesta’s hands. 

And then—Siesta shot the tentacle with her newly acquired musket. 

“Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!” 

My bet had paid off. 

Spraying a grotesque fluid around, the tentacle slithered back into Bat’s ear. 

Siesta didn’t stop there. She closed the distance between herself and Bat all at once, wrestled him to the floor, shoved the gun against his throat, and— 

“Bang!” 

—mimicked the sound of a gunshot. 

Bat was nonplussed, but Siesta was calm and composed. “There,” she said. “As of now, you’re dead.” 

Bat shot her a look, obviously wondering what she was talking about. 

I didn’t know what was going on here, either. So she wasn’t going to finish him off…? 

“Now your comrades won’t come after you. After all, you’re only a corpse.” 

“…You little rat. Are you mocking me?” Bat snarled as she withdrew the gun. 

“Well, you don’t want to die, correct?” 

“…Ha! After this, that’s off the table. I was going to use you as bait, and you beat me. They’ll bump me off for sure.” 

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll have the media report that you died here.” 

“Who exactly are you…?” 

“I’ll also have the Japanese police shelter you. It’s all right. I have a reliable connection.” 

Bat laughed with disbelief… Frankly, I wanted to do the same. 

What on earth was this girl? The word detective was kind of underplaying this, I thought. 

“If you don’t kill me here, you’ll regret it.” 

“Why?” 

“I’m vindictive. I swear I’ll get you back for making a fool of me.” 

“You won’t be able to.” Siesta got up, releasing Bat. “The red bullet I shot into you a minute ago was made from my blood, you see? Anyone who’s hit with that blood becomes absolutely unable to defy their master. Meaning, your tentacle will never be able to attack me again.” 

“…How the hell does that work?” 

“Trade secret.” 

“Did somebody hire you for this, too?” 

Siesta smiled faintly. 

“No—I was born to be an ace detective. It’s how I’m wired.” 

I see. Apparently, there are people in the world with even worse DNA than mine. 

Still, that aside… 

“Sorry to interrupt while you’re putting a neat bow on everything, Siesta, but…” 

I had major questions about something in that conversation. 

“That ‘red bullet’ you mentioned—where did you find that sort of time?” 

I’d thrown the attaché case, Bat had destroyed it…and Siesta had caught the long-barreled gun as it fell, then fired at the tentacle. Was she saying she’d had time to make such a special bullet in those scant few seconds? 

No, that really wasn’t possible. 

Meaning the work had to have been done on the bullet already …and Siesta had to have known about it. I had a bad feeling about this. 

Nonchalant as ever, Siesta said, “I was the one who told them to have you bring that attaché case onto the plane in the first place.” 

“So you were pulling my strings all along?!” 

And that was how our dazzling three-year adventure began. 

 Even now, I remember 

“That was how I met Bat—and the former ace detective.” 

Lengthy as it was, I’d finally filled Natsunagi in on the old memory Bat and I shared. If I was telling stories from four years ago, there was no way to avoid the topic of my former partner. 

It had been a long time since I’d talked about her, and while not all the memories were good—for reasons incomprehensible to me—they put a smile on my face. 

“I see… Okay. I understand your story, but, uh,” Natsunagi said, surreptitiously sidling back, “doesn’t that mean he’s super-dangerous?” 

She backed up all the way to the opposite wall, trying to put some distance between herself and Bat. 

“Ah, hmm, well.” 

“Is that all you have to say? You’re a pretty dangerous character yourself, Kimizuka.” 

Come to think of it, I hadn’t filled Natsunagi in on my issues with getting dragged into stuff…but she really should have caught on back when she found out I knew people on the police force and in prison. 

“Also, I don’t want a guy like him listening to my heart…” 

Well, yes, she had a point. Having that nasty tentacle on her chest could be a devastatingly traumatic experience for an adolescent girl. I wouldn’t want it happening to me, either. 

“No, no. I can hear your heart just fine from here—and in fact, sweetheart, I’ve already identified it.” 

Bat guessed what Natsunagi and I were worried about and headed us off. 

…But what had he said just now? Did he mean he already had an idea of who Natsunagi’s donor was? 

“Bat, are you saying you’ve met the owner of Natsunagi’s heart?” 

“Yeah. That was the point of that old story.” 

It was? 

The guy was making as little sense as ever. What could that story have to do with Natsunagi’s heart? He wasn’t saying her donor had been in the story, on that plane four years ago, was he? 

“—Oh.” 

Behind me, Natsunagi murmured quietly. 

“What is it? Did you figure something out?” 

“…Well, it’s just…I thought it was strange.” 

If we were talking “strange,” Natsunagi had been strange from the moment I met her…but cracking a joke right now would have felt wrong. 

“You see, I’m not actually the type who does that sort of thing.” 

“What are you talking about, Natsunagi? You’ve been acting kind of weird for a while now.” 

“You’re right. I am weird. Sometimes I don’t understand why I do certain things—it’s like I stop being myself.” Natsunagi’s usual composure had vanished, and she was hugging her shoulders slightly. “I mean, I’m not the type who’d do a thing like that to a boy I’d just met.” 

Was she talking about what had happened in the classroom the previous day? That she wasn’t actually that audacious? 

In that case, what had pushed her to do it? Well, I had talked to her about something similar the day before. 

“Memory transference—that’s what you said, Kimizuka. Remember? That means I wasn’t the one who did that. I bet the owner of this heart made me do it.” 

By that logic, before they died, Natsunagi’s donor could do “that sort of thing.” 

Someone who didn’t care about shame or their reputation or the means, as long as it was for an end they believed was right. 

I knew just one person who could pull off such a trick. 

And that person—had died exactly a year ago. 

… No. Don’t tell me. 

A coincidence like that would never happen. That’s just ludicrous. 

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My hands and feet grew numb, and my teeth chattered. 

Stop it. Please stop. 

Don’t follow me anymore. 

I’m not your partner now. 

Isn’t that right? 

You’re already dead, aren’t you? 

“Denial isn’t a good look for you, Watson.” 

When I looked up, Bat was gazing at me with those cloudy eyes. Like he was telling me not to close mine. 

“This is the answer.” 

The sharp tentacle I’d seen that day emerged from Bat’s ear. Still that grotesque shade, as if someone had mixed dozens of paint colors together, and that sickening slug-like way of moving. 

“Don’t do it, Bat.” 

“Do what?” 

“If you kill someone, you’ll hang for it.” 

“Right. If,” Bat said. “But you know I can’t kill her with this, don’t you?” 

“Stop!” 

The tentacle sharpened into a spike, took aim at Natsunagi’s heart, and—a few centimeters before it touched her, the tip crumbled away. 

That phenomenon triggered a memory for me. 

It was something a certain someone had said, four years ago: 

“Your tentacle will never be able to attack me again.” 

Anyone who was hit with that blood became absolutely unable to defy their master, she’d said. 

Bat’s tentacle hadn’t been able to attack Natsunagi…or to be precise, the heart that was inside her. That meant— 

“Siesta, is it you?” 

The nostalgia I’d felt in that sunset classroom, when Natsunagi had held me in her arms—the trigger had been the heartbeat of my worst and dearest former partner. I’d met her again for the first time in a year. 

“The moment you walked in, I had assumed that girl was your partner.” 

Now that he mentioned it, when we’d shown up, Bat had gotten oddly nostalgic… Had it been because he’d heard the sound of his mortal enemy’s heart? 

Bat couldn’t see, so when he’d heard that heartbeat, he’d mistaken Natsunagi for Siesta. Was that why our conversation hadn’t gelled at the beginning? 

“When did that ace detective die?” Bat asked, narrowing his eyes. 

“…A year ago. On a faraway island, in a distant ocean.” 

“I see. Even if she was an enemy, that’s a shame.” 

“Yeah. Out of nowhere, just like that, it was over.” 

“‘Just like that’? Don’t be an idiot. Even after she died, the detective has come back to you.” 

For a moment, Bat’s words made my chest feel tight. 

Siesta had come back to me—yeah. That would be poetic, wouldn’t it? If it was true. 

She’d be the last person to do a thing like that, though. She was a logical ace detective—this theory was too convenient, too trite, too emotional. 

…Besides, I’d been a lousy assistant. 

Yeah, I admit it. I’d complained constantly… But really, I knew how incredible Siesta was and how much I was her polar opposite. 

I was just her shadow, a dark shape following a beautiful girl dancing as lightly as a dream in the bright sunlight. 

That’s why… That’s why I knew saying that Siesta had come back to me definitely wasn’t right. 

After all, she would have forgotten me long before now. 

“It’s a coincidence,” I murmured, but I wasn’t really talking to Bat. It was a reminder to myself. “Running into Natsunagi, and her having Siesta’s heart, is all just—” 

That was when Natsunagi slapped me across the face. 

“…Did the heart’s owner make you do that, too?” I asked. 

“No!” 

When I looked at her, she was crying. “I did that on my own! I hit you because I wanted to!” 

Her eyes were red, her face was crumpled, and she erupted at the top of her lungs. 

“Kimizuka, I dare you to say that one more time! This is coincidence? This reunion is coincidence?! Come on! Why are you being so irresponsible and fatalistic? This is a reunion; don’t brush it off! These are feelings! You were together for three years, and she wants to be with you even after she died! That’s the only wish this little heart has! I’ve been— This heart has been looking for you this whole time, Kimihiko Kimizuka! So it could see you again… Just so it could see you! And then you try to shut it down with a word like coincidence! These feelings matter!” 

The next thing I knew, I’d run to her and pulled her slim body into my arms. 

I understand. I see it now. 

It was like I’d said—the heart inside Natsunagi was searching for someone. 

“X,” the person Natsunagi had been trying to find for the past year, that Siesta had been trying to find, was…me. 

Siesta had wanted to see me? 

“Are you there?” I asked. 

There was no answer. Of course there wasn’t. 

The detective was already dead. 

But… 

“It’s been a long time, Siesta.” 

…the warmth of this chest was definitely hers. 

“Actually, I had a ton of things I wanted to say to you.” 

How hard do you think life was for me after I became your assistant? 

I was forced to smuggle a gun, and we wound up in a paranormal battle with a shadowy organization, and our names spread through underworld society, and I ended up having to travel the world with you for three whole years while fleeing from our pursuers; we were flat broke and living hand to mouth while fighting a bunch of pseudohumans, sleeping out in the open during hurricanes, and sometimes on days when we won big at a casino, we’d jump on the bed at a resort hotel together, and then the next day, we’d be penniless again. We traveled across deserts, and through jungles, and over mountains and oceans, and then, and then— 

“—Why’d you go and die first, you moron?” 

I didn’t have feelings for you or anything. 

It was the same for you, wasn’t it? 

You and I weren’t lovers, and I’m sure we weren’t even really friends. 

We were detective and assistant—just business partners, in an odd way. 

But … But still … 

You recruited me, remember? You can’t just die and leave me after that. At least tell me good-bye before you go. 

“Is that why you came back?” 

To say good-bye? 

Or maybe… 

“I’m looking forward to continuing this relationship.” 

As Natsunagi spoke, she smoothly stepped away from me. 

Her face was— No, I really must have been imagining it that time. 

But I could almost see a faintly familiar hundred-million-watt smile. 

 The detective is already dead 

After that, Ms. Fuubi came to pick us up, and Natsunagi and I followed her out of the prison. 

“Did you get to ask your questions?” Hands on the police car’s steering wheel, Ms. Fuubi directed the question at us, in the back seat. 

“…Yes, more or less.” 

Natsunagi’s eyes were still red, and I answered for her. 

“Wow. His lips have gotten surprisingly loose.” 

“It probably depends on the topic. He won’t say a word about that other subject, will he?” 

“That other subject” was why Siesta had captured Bat alive on that plane. Ms. Fuubi had taken him into custody after that, but even four years later, she apparently hadn’t managed to get any significant information out of him. 

Just so you know, ever since Siesta’s death, we’d been in a cease-fire with SPES. Or to be more accurate, they’d stopped going out of their way to fight me. I guess it means I was only ever the ace detective’s flunky as far as they were concerned. Too bad. 

“Well, I’m glad you two got what you wanted anyway. You’d better be damn grateful to me.” 

Ms. Fuubi seemed to have forgotten that we had just followed her because she had business here. Either way, I really was damn grateful. 

There was just one thing, though. A question I couldn’t get out of my mind. “You knew everything to begin with, didn’t you, Ms. Fuubi?” 

“What’re you talking about?” 

“About who Natsunagi’s heart belonged to.” 

“What makes you think that?” 

“That’s a good question, and I’m not sure how to answer it. Just a vague hunch.” 

I had nothing solid to base it on. But after she’d brought us right to the man we needed to see, I couldn’t believe that it meant nothing. 

And if so, then maybe Ms. Fuubi’s objective was— 

“Natsunagi.” 

I was positive this was something I needed to say, right now. 

Still facing forward, I spoke to the girl sitting next to me. 

“No matter who that heart belongs to, it’s okay for you to live your own life. You don’t have to replace anyone.” 

I saw Ms. Fuubi’s reflection deflate in the rearview mirror. 

Sorry, but I’ll leave smiting the pseudohumans to you people. I’m not going to drag Natsunagi into this. I won’t let you make her Siesta’s replacement. 

“Kimizuka…” 

When I glanced to the side, Natsunagi was gazing at me, stunned. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“…Nothing.” 

Before long, she shook her head slightly. 

“—Thanks!” 

She smiled, like a flower bursting into bloom. 

“Ahhh, well, that was a lot.” 

After Ms. Fuubi had dropped us off outside the station, I stretched. 

I swear. My first proper job in a year…and to make matters worse, it unexpectedly dredged up a bunch of past trauma and random other stuff. I felt like I’d just gotten the beating of my life. 

“Is it my fault?” Natsunagi peered into my face, unusually apologetic. 

“I didn’t say that. As a matter of fact, I’m grateful to you.” 

“Huh…?” Her already large eyes grew even wider. 

“Thanks to you, well, uh…” 

Hmm. Even I couldn’t put it into words very well. But when I met Natsunagi, then ended up facing my past again… 

“I started thinking it wasn’t okay to stay like this.” 

Or at least, I think I did. I can’t say for sure just yet. 

“If so, then I—” Natsunagi bit her lip. She seemed to be thinking hard. 

What was it? Was she still worried about something? 

I considered asking, but then— 

“Thanks for today.” 

—I turned to go, pretending I hadn’t noticed anything. 

After all, I’d already taken care of Natsunagi’s request. 

There was no need for me to be involved with her anymore. We should cut ties here and now. 

Needless to say, Natsunagi and I weren’t lovers, and I’m sure we weren’t even really friends. 

Detective (stand-in) and client—that was all our relationship was. Now that the request was cleared up, we had no relationship at all. 

Which meant I needed to leave Natsunagi quickly. 

She’d managed to get a new life. That meant she shouldn’t be bound by Siesta. 

And since I could become a trigger that made her think about Siesta, she shouldn’t get involved with me, either. 

“See you around.” With those thoughts in my mind, I took a step toward the station’s ticket gate— 

“Wait.” 

—or tried to, until slim fingers caught my right hand. 

“…What’s the matter, Natsunagi?” 

“No, um…” 

Her fingers were still closed around mine. Her eyes were on the ground; she was opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then closing it again. 

I knew what she wanted to say, what she was trying to be kind enough to say. 

But I couldn’t let her. 

This was her life. I couldn’t make her shoulder someone else’s burden. 

Over our silent heads, an idol song was blaring from the huge screen outside the station. It was probably some sort of promo video. A middle school girl was singing a pop song, winking flirtatiously at the camera. It was also making the silence about 20 percent more awkward. 

“If you don’t have anything to say, I’m leaving.” 

“…You’re kind of a jerk, Kimizuka.” That was the third time she’d said that to me. 

Yeah, I know. Something really glitched out when my personality was created. Sorry about that. 

Leaving Natsunagi behind, I made another attempt to head for the ticket gate, when— 

“Excuse me!” 

—somebody else showed up and stopped me again. 

I glanced to the side. Natsunagi was there. She’d tilted her head in confusion. It hadn’t been her this time. 

I looked down slightly, and then the owner of the voice came into view. 

It was a middle school girl. Her face was half-hidden by a hood, but the eye that peeked out at me was shining a bit too brightly, and the aura around her couldn’t possibly belong to an ordinary person. 

Actually, I got the feeling I’d seen her somewhere before… 

Natsunagi and I both looked waaay up, and a very familiar-looking idol was still singing her song on the giant screen. 

“Um, actually, I’m an idol singer.” 

Hey, come on, I just finished a job. Why are clients showing up back-to-back like this? … Wait, if there is a reason … 

I looked over at Natsunagi—at her heart. 

As it turned out, my sixth sense was right on the money. 

“I have a problem I’d like an ace detective to solve!” 

Goddammit. So I have to explain this whole thing again? 

“Sorry, I’m not actually a detective…” 

But then— 

“Yes, I’m sorry; the slacker here is only an assistant.” 

—Natsunagi sent me a quiet, significant look. She was telling me, This is the path I’ve chosen. 

“Huh? Then…” 

“It’s all right, though.” 

Natsunagi spoke to the bewildered idol. 

To her new client. 

“If you need a detective, you’ve found one. I’m the ace detective—Nagisa Natsunagi.” 

The detective is already dead. 

But her last wish will never die.