Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 9 - Chapter 1.04

  The star arrives late

Once we’d accepted the Parasol Witch’s—Marie’s—request, we exchanged contact information with her, then went our separate ways for the evening.

Natsunagi was headed for the party most of the graduates would apparently be attending, so I thought I’d stay at Saikawa’s mansion and have a fun sleepover or something. However, Saikawa gave me a perfectly blank “Huh?” look in response to that idea, so I meekly headed home through the dark streets by myself.

“Maybe I’ll get Rill to pay attention to me.” Looking up at the beautiful starry sky had reminded me of her, so I got out my phone and sent her a text.

Reloaded, the Magical Girl.

Two months ago, Rill had taken a lot of damage in her fight against Gluttony, and she’d been undergoing treatment in Japan ever since. As we’d assumed, she was going to be using a wheelchair from here on out. Aside from that, though, her wounds had almost healed up, and she was scheduled to go back to her home country soon.

I texted her a brief report on recent events, including the Parasol Witch’s Pandemonium-fueled urban legend, and the fact that we’d agreed to take her case.

Just then, I sensed a presence. Someone was watching me, staying around thirty meters or so behind me. If it had been someone who’d found themselves feeling sorry for the poor social outcast and come to hang out, I’d have been totally on board, but I really doubted that was the case. Not that I had a friend like that anyway.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I know what this is.”

I hadn’t spent eighteen years dealing with my trouble-magnet predisposition with nothing to show for it. Turning around, I called out to the shape in the shadows. “Did you need me for something, Man in Black?”

He had a dark suit and sunglasses. There was a frightening lack of individuality about him, and he watched me with a face as expressionless as a robot’s. After a few seconds, he turned and started walking away; I was probably supposed to follow him. Before long, we reached a car that was parked on the shoulder of the road, and he motioned for me to get in.

We didn’t speak during the drive. The Man in Black steered the shiny black car through the dark streets at full speed, while I used that free time to think. This guy had clearly been following me personally, after I’d split up with Nagisa Natsunagi, the Ace Detective. But why?

“I guess I’ll just have to ask them directly.”

…Whoever it was behind this Man in Black.

An hour later, the car came to a stop as we reached our destination. We were in front of a tall building. At the direction of the Man in Black, we climbed up and up until we reached the roof, which turned out to have a heliport on it. A helicopter was already sitting there, as if it had been waiting for me.

A different Man in Black sat in the pilot’s seat. Sighing, I climbed in. I’d at least wanted the day of my high school graduation to end peacefully. Ignoring my grumbling, the helicopter’s rotor began to spin, lifting us into the sky.

About five minutes after takeoff, I finally found out who’d summoned me.

“What’s the matter, human? You’re very docile today.”

A voice spoke from the empty seat opposite me. The next moment, a man appeared, as if he had crawled out of the darkness. He wore a pure white suit and a tie as red as blood. Narrowing his golden eyes, he smiled, mocking me. “Entertain me more. Or, what, are you afraid of the sky? Afraid of demons?”

The Vampire, Scarlet.

We’d last met two months ago at the Diet Building, the night that was shattered by the fight with Gluttony and the horde of undead.

“Tuners do the craziest stuff… How much does it cost to charter a helicopter?”

“Ha! Every time you open your mouths, you paupers speak of money. At least enjoy the dazzling view of the night sky from the aircraft.”

“Hey, that’s not very nice. I could get Saikawa to take me for a ride in a helicopter if I groveled and begged.”

“That’s a name that takes me back. Is the girl doing well?”

Scarlet and Saikawa had met before. When had it been—last summer? On the roof of a TV studio, Scarlet had asked Saikawa if she wanted him to resurrect her parents, and she’d refused. What had he thought of her back then?

“That aside, human. You’d already realized that I was the one who summoned you, hadn’t you?”

“I had a feeling. I was really hoping it’d be some gorgeous woman I’d never met, though.” There was no point in looking at beautiful city lights from a helicopter with another dude. “But Scarlet, you’re right that we need to have a good, long talk.”

Frankly, dealing with Gluttony had been the top priority last time, so my discussion with Scarlet had ended prematurely. If he’d contacted me today, did that mean we’d get to continue our conversation from that night?

Scarlet didn’t answer. Instead, he abruptly opened the helicopter’s hatch, letting in a blast of wind.

“—What are you trying to pull?” Shielding my face from the wind with my arm, I watched to see what he’d do.

The vampire bit his left thumb, then thrust that hand out of the hatch. Blood flowed from the wound and, caught by the wind, was scattered over the city.

“Ha! Ha-ha! It’s a feast of blood. Rejoice, mankind.”

“…I bet all of today’s weather reports ended up being wrong.”

The vampire’s blood rain fell toward the lights of the town. Smiling, Scarlet let it flow for thirty seconds or so, then closed the hatch and returned to his seat.

“Why would you do that? Do you have some sort of grudge against humans?”

“A grudge? What a simplistic idea.” Haughtily resting his chin on his hand, Scarlet gave me a mocking smile. “On the contrary, I’m protecting them. By letting my blood fall from the sky, I’m showing them that I am here.”

“Showing who that you’re here?”

“Let’s see. If I were to put it simply, so that even a foolish human could understand it…”

“Do you always have to be an ass?”

“Enemy vampires, shall we say. At present, they would harm mankind as well.”

“…So you vampires are fighting each other?”

Was Scarlet implying that these enemy vampires were the ones who were threatening to bring about the vampire rebellion? Was he trying to stop them?

“But before, you made and commanded a whole horde of undead yourself. You said you were doing it to help people, but it caused plenty of chaos.”

“Ha! You’ve developed quite a mouth, human.” Scarlet crossed his legs, and a small smile formed on his face. “I needed to grasp the extent to which I could control my own abilities, in preparation for what is to come. If you wish to condemn that as human experimentation, do as you please.”

I had no response for that. I didn’t have the power to question a Tuner’s idea of justice.

“Is that why you summoned me today? To talk about that? Do you want us to help you avert the vampire rebellion? In that case, Natsunagi’s the one who’ll need to—”

“No, quite the opposite,” Scarlet interrupted firmly. “Don’t meddle in my job.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Putting a stop to the vampire rebellion is my task. I won’t let the detective interfere.”

“Why are you telling me this when Natsunagi’s not around?”

“You are most likely to be able to persuade that woman. She’s a difficult one to manage,” Scarlet said with a snort. Had he picked up on something about Natsunagi during the incident at the Diet Building?

“But the Federation Government said preventing the vampire rebellion was the Ace Detective’s mission.”

“Perish the thought. Do you genuinely think they meant that?”

His question reminded me of the conversation I’d had with Ice Doll two months ago.

Ice Doll had said Natsunagi didn’t have enough power to be a Tuner, and that she’d only been given the position of Ace Detective because she was able to control me, the Singularity.

“…So they gave her that mission in name only?”

They’d known Nagisa Natsunagi wouldn’t be able to shut down the vampire rebellion.

“It’s not as if I think she’s completely useless. Unlike those at the top,” Scarlet said, causing me to look up at him. “However, as the Vampire, this mission is one I should undertake. Conversely, no doubt there is a mission that only the Ace Detective can carry out. Am I wrong?”

“The detective’s…mission. Protecting the interests of her clients.”

Extending a helping hand to her neighbors and granting their wishes. Maybe Scarlet was trying to say the detective’s job should involve helping the people around her.

“You don’t appear convinced.” It felt as if he’d read my mind, and a chill ran through me. “No matter.” At some point, Scarlet had acquired a wine glass, and he swirled its contents around. “You’ve been warned. The rest is up to you.”

“That’s one nasty threat.”

What would happen if we ignored his warning? What became of people who defied the vampire king?

At that moment, even I didn’t have the courage to come right out and ask him.