Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 8 - Chapter 1.3

 Sixth-sense fantasy

“Pandemonium,” Reloaded told me. “The demon horde.”

That was her answer to the question I’d asked her on the roof of the hospital, under the night sky: “What the heck was that?”

“So that was the cause?”

“Yep. What you encountered was one of those demons.”

Reloaded looked at me and snorted for some reason, then gave me the rundown.

“Pandemonium” was a blanket term for bizarre phenomena caused by countless monsters, demons, and spirits that had adapted to the modern age. Apparently, it was a global crisis that had broken out here in Japan. I couldn’t really picture it, though.

“Then are snake-necked demons, water sprites, and Miss Hanako of the Toilet part of this?”

“They don’t include super-famous legends like those in Pandemonium these days. It’s only evil spirits that haven’t really gotten established here yet. They just keep wreaking havoc.”

Ah. Still, from the way she was talking, this wasn’t the first time Pandemonium had happened.

“This crisis has broken out time and again for ages, all over the world. There’s a collection of material on it that includes past records and predictions for the future.” Reloaded was looking down at a thick tome that lay open by her hand. It was a whole lot like the kind that turned up in anime or manga. And if the book seemed straight out of an anime, so did the girl who had it. She flipped it closed and thumped her magic staff on the ground.

“Sealing Pandemonium is Rill’s current job.”

Reloaded, the self-styled Magical Girl.

I’d first met her at the Federal Council a little over three months ago. This Tuner had spent most of the meeting arguing with Ms. Fuubi, Mia, and Siesta.

At first glance, she looked like the sort of magical girl who’d be at home in a fictional world, but there was also something slightly futuristic about her costume and her staff. It was like a magic-science hybrid.

“So what exactly was happening?”

The stairs had been endless, I hadn’t been able to get out of the hospital, and a mysterious red hand had attempted to drag me into the darkness. Trying to run away had nearly led me right off the roof.

“The cause is in you.” Reloaded narrowed her eyes. “You wanted to stay here forever, didn’t you? That’s why it went after you.”

“No way. I was running so hard because I wanted to get home, not hang out in a creepy, dark hospital…”

No, wait. Earlier, I had wished to stay in the hospital just a little longer. Siesta was here, and I hadn’t wanted to leave yet.

“Basically, if you have a strong wish to stay in a building, that curse prevents you from leaving. There’s an evil spirit that cast it on this building.”

Reloaded told me that its name was Parasite.

Should I be picturing something like an earthbound spirit that had possessed the hospital itself? If I’d jumped to my death, would I have become part of the curse? It was a pretty convincing urban legend.

“In other words, blame your ultra-needy feelings toward the Ace Detective.”

“Don’t talk like you saw it.”

She couldn’t have been watching me this whole time, could she?

“So as a Tuner, how are you going to deal with this?”

If we left it alone, someone else would get dragged in next.

“With this,” Reloaded said, pulling out a small piece of wood and showing it to me. For a second, it looked like a wooden grave tablet, and there was something that looked like a spell written on it.

“Apparently, a Diviner left it behind long ago. That position doesn’t even exist anymore.”

“Meaning it’s a retired Tuner position?”

“Yeah. Rill’s job is just to deal with it by doing what others have done before. This is a pretty easy one.”

With a whirrr, Reloaded jumped, rising to the top of the water tower, then promptly returned. She must have left that wooden tag up there. The former Diviner must have left it to seal Pandemonium.

“And we’re done here.”

“We can’t thank that former hero enough, huh.”

This global crisis was quietly happening all over the world, though. That meant the Ace Detective would probably be getting a new mission soon. When it happened, what could I do for Natsunagi?

That was when I remembered I hadn’t even thanked Reloaded yet. “Either way, you saved my butt. Sorry for causing you trouble.”

If she hadn’t been here, right about now, I would’ve been…

“Oh, that was nothing.”

With a flick of her hand, Reloaded swept her orange hair back. She wasn’t acting especially proud, but her self-confidence came through in the gesture. Even though she had to be about my age, she really did look more grown-up.

A few months ago, when I’d first met her at the Federal Council, I’d thought she was a prickly, bossy-princess type, but now that I was actually talking to her, she seemed surprisingly down-to-earth.

“All right, what now?” Reloaded tapped her own shoulder with her staff. “Rill saved your life. What will you do for her?”

“…You’re telling me to pay you back? Seriously?” Geez. There went my good impression. “So heroes don’t save the common folk for free?”

“What common folk? Rill doesn’t see any of those here.”

Reloaded scanned the area in an exaggerated way. Apparently, I didn’t count as an adorable, helpless civilian.

“What are you trying to get me to do?”

“Be Rill’s familiar.” The magical girl pointed her staff at me sharply.

She’d said the same thing several months back at the Federal Council, but Siesta had turned her down.

“Frankly, as enemies of the world go, Pandemonium isn’t all that formidable. Not compared with Seed.”

Reloaded explained that global crises were assigned levels corresponding to how disastrous they were. The Ace Detective’s “Primordial Seed” crisis would have been ranked A-class. Pandemonium was C-class and not likely to plunge the whole world into grave danger anytime soon.

“Still, Rill wants to get this over with ASAP. The individual enemies may not be that tough, but there are a lot of them. That’s why she needs you.”

“I’m not proud of this, but I have to say, I’m not as sharp as the Ace Detective or the Information Broker, and I’m nowhere near as strong as the Assassin or the Vampire.”

“Rill knows that.”

Oh, you do, huh? Then why me? I was about to ask, but then it hit me. “You need a decoy, huh?”

For the first time, Reloaded gave a little smile. “Bingo. You draw all sorts of disasters to you. Rill’s going to use that to trap her enemies, then take them all out fast.”

“That idea sounds really familiar.”

The déjà vu made me rub my temples. This was going to be a pain.

“As the Singularity, that’s your mission, you know.”

Reloaded gazed at me with narrowed eyes.

The “Singularity.” I’d heard that term a few times before. People said it was an irregularity that sometimes changed the state of the world and even overturned the future the Oracle saw, but…

“Sorry, that doesn’t really click for me. A knack for getting dragged into trouble still feels more accurate.”

“Haaah. For the person at the heart of all this, you’re so chill about everything.” Reloaded rolled her eyes as if she was dealing with a little kid who was a handful. “Rill doesn’t know everything about it, either, but anyone who does this job hears about you whether they want to or not.”

“So what, I’ve got a worldwide fandom?”

“Rill doesn’t get why you’re acting so proud of that, but yes, in a way. The world could end up revolving around you, and Rill’s not the only one who wants you. Other Tuners have targeted you before.”

I had no idea people had been fighting over me. Siesta must have won that battle.

“Geez. So she wanted me around badly enough to do a thing like that, huh? She’s a real problem, isn’t she?”

“What’s that little smirk for?” Reloaded gave me a dubious look, then got the conversation back on topic. “Anyway. It’s Rill’s turn to use you. You’re going to help her out with this job.”

“Didn’t Siesta already turn down that proposal?”

“The Ace Detective is napping below us as we speak, isn’t she? Rill doesn’t have time to listen to her if she’s not even gonna wake up. Besides…” Rill spun her staff around so that its handle pointed at my throat. “Rill thinks it’s pretty clear which of us is in control here.”

“They’ll let anybody be a hero these days, huh?” How had someone this dangerous managed to become a Tuner? Not fair.

I heaved a big sigh and shrugged.

“How…?” Reloaded asked. “How can you smile in a situation like this?”

I didn’t realize I was.

Rill seemed confused—weirded out, even—as she withdrew her staff.

“Oh, no real reason. It’s just…you’re not the first one to drag me into something this way.”

That one had gone for my throat—well, technically, she’d shoved her fingers down my throat and forced me to take her job. Now she was a Tuner and my precious partner. Was this another coincidence, another encounter like that one?

“Well, I do owe you.”

Besides, whatever I learned here would come in handy later. The Ace Detective was bound to be assigned a new mission soon. My job was to be right there with Natsunagi, supporting her. If I could learn a few things from another Tuner beforehand, I’d benefit from this, too.

Then there was my nature as the Singularity. What would happen if I tackled a global crisis with Reloaded, fully aware of what I was? Finding out might not be a bad idea.

“I want to check on one thing, though,” I said.

Reloaded motioned for me to continue.

“Since I’ll be helping you with your job, you’ll keep me safe, right?”

Long ago, a detective had recruited me as her business partner—but before we’d left on our journey around the world, she’d sworn to protect me no matter what happened.

“Haaah. You’re pretty naive, aren’t you?” Reloaded gave me a cold look. “The moment you step onto a battlefield, you’re responsible for your own life. That’s Tuner 101.”

“And who exactly is trying to force me onto that battlefield, huh?”

“If you become an extremely cute pet, Rill supposes she could protect you.”

Yeesh. She’s pretty reckless for an owner—uh, employer, I mean.

“As a matter of fact, Rill’s staff can transform into a collar and leash.”

“Why do you fight with a weapon that assumes you’ll be keeping a human as a pet?”

“Shake.”

Since there didn’t seem to be any other options, I knelt and took the hand Reloaded held out to me.

“Good boy.” She ruffled my hair, and I felt like I might be about to discover something about myself.

“So, Kimihiko.”

“Wait, first-name basis?” I stood up as reality crashed back in.

“You may call Rill ‘Rill’ as well.”

“Not sure how that gives you permission.”

“Give Rill your phone. Rill will enter her contact information.”

Well, if we were going to be working together, we needed a way to stay in touch. I got out my smartphone and handed it to her.

“Listen, can I ask one thing?” I said. Reloaded was standing a little distance away, messing with my phone. “Why are you the Magical Girl?”

I’d been wondering about that for a while. At the Federal Council a few months back, Reloaded had said her position used to be called the “Magician,” but she’d had them change it to the “Magical Girl” when she took over.

“No real reason. It’s just…” Reloaded tossed my phone back to me. “A long time ago, Rill knew a girl who liked magical-girl anime. That’s all.” She turned on her heel.

When I glanced up at the sky, there seemed to be more stars in it than usual.