Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 9 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue

Two months had passed since the battle at the Nightless Castle.

…Not that those two months had been so uneventful that I could sum them up just like that.

Cleaning up after the vampire rebellion, discussing the course of Siesta’s treatment, the incident at my university, that other incident on Natsunagi’s birthday—there were all sorts of things worth mentioning, but the business I had today was just as important as any of them.

Even though there was no school, I got up early, showered, had my coffee, took the unusual step of styling my hair, and left my apartment in high spirits. But then…

“It’s not fair.”

For some reason, I’d found myself in an interrogation room at the police station.

“Who’d have figured you’d be implicated in a robbery?” said the red-haired police officer, lobbing a false accusation at me.

“That’s a lousy way to put it. All I did was capture the robber by accident.”

“Hmm, really? I’ve already put it on the record, though.”

“What for? I haven’t given you any kind of statement yet.”

I said “yet,” but it wasn’t as if I had anything to confess.

I’d left my place in a good mood, but then I’d crashed into a robber fleeing the scene of a crime and landed here before I knew what was happening. It was almost as if my classic trouble-magnet predisposition had activated for the first time in a while.

“Well, I really wanted to talk to you about something else. I just needed to get you here.”

“Arresting me on a separate charge, huh?” I retorted.

Ms. Fuubi gave a little smile and lit a cigarette. This room was definitely no smoking…

“It feels like you’re always summoning me. Why don’t you come to me every once in a while?”

“Where am I supposed to go, huh? That crummy apartment of yours?”

“Not what I meant. You could come visit Siesta.”

“I doubt she particularly wants to see me.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. I thought Siesta trusted her, at the very least.

“How’s she doing? The same?”

“Yeah. But preparations are underway.”

“For the heart transplant?”

In the end, Natsunagi and I had talked it over with Noches and the rest of our group and made our decision. Stephen was making a perfect copy of Siesta’s heart at that very moment.

As a matter of fact, Siesta had had an artificial organ transplanted into her body once before. It had put her in a near-death state, although it had ended up saving her life. That said, what Stephen was trying to create now was a heart that would be completely compatible with her body and make Siesta regain consciousness.

“I heard the detective might lose her memories and personality if you go down that route.”

“If that happens, we’ll meet her for the first time again.”

After I’d fought Siesta at the Nightless Castle, I’d talked with her. She’d only been able to listen, but in the end, she’d approved of my choice. Someday, we’d start our story all over again, ten thousand meters in the sky.

It had been about ten months since Siesta had first fallen asleep. We were finally taking big steps forward with the promise I’d made to wake her up someday.

“So, Ms. Fuubi. What did you want to discuss?” Considering what was on my schedule after this, I didn’t have too much time to chat.

The policewoman exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke. “It’s about Arsene, the Phantom Thief.”

So that was it, huh? That name seemed to come up a lot whenever I saw Ms. Fuubi lately.

“We received some information, and I wanted to make sure you heard it.”

“Have Natsunagi sit in on this, too, then. In fact, shouldn’t you have gone to her in the first place?”

“Well, as a rule, Tuners aren’t supposed to interfere with one another.”

So that was why she was going through me, huh? And she wanted me to pass on what I heard to Natsunagi. I got the feeling I was being used for her own convenience, but maybe that was all just part of the job of being an assistant.

“We’ve received an analysis of one of the supernaturals, who are said to have been created by the Phantom Thief,” Ms. Fuubi said. “The Inventor was the one researching it for us, and the report’s made its way around to me.”

“Come to think of it, he had Drachma looking into that, hadn’t he?”

I’d seen it in progress at the hospital. Drachma had been in what had looked like a special operating room, studying the body of Greed the supernatural.

“And? What did it say?”

“They detected a substance in its body that can’t possibly have come from the world as we know it. The report they sent me said some specialized stuff about unknown atomic nuclei, but it’s all Greek to me.”

…If we were talking about atoms that didn’t exist in the known periodic table, there were similar rumors about Yggdrasil, the tree Seed had been sealed into.

“Are you telling me the Seven Deadly Sins also came from some distant galaxy?”

“No clue. It could just be that there’s still lots of stuff humans haven’t managed to observe with our current level of science and technology.”

“I see. So it might just be something we don’t recognize.”

That reminded me of when Drachma had told Natsunagi that her word-soul ability was based in a previously unknown organ near her larynx. Were scientists and doctors like Stephen about to reach uncharted territory, beyond the bounds of mankind’s understanding?

“So if the Phantom Thief made those unknown supernaturals, what on earth is he?”

According to Ms. Fuubi, Arsene might be the same person as the infamous criminal Abel A. Schoenberg. But who was he actually?

“Arsene uses a power that’s beyond human knowledge to steal all sorts of things, and the people he steals from aren’t even able to recognize the loss.”

“…No way. Are you saying that everything, even the very idea of those particles that ‘don’t exist on Earth,’ was originally stolen by the Phantom Thief?”

Did she mean Arsene had stolen knowledge and ideas from the world as well? If someone could do that, he’d be—

“I really don’t want to say he’d be ‘a god.’”

Ms. Fuubi gave a cynical smile. “Sadly, I’m an atheist.”

“…Yeah, I’m not religious myself.”

There was no way gods existed. Not Arsene the Phantom Thief, and not some guy with an incomprehensible nature like the Singularity. The closest thing we had was a detective as beautiful as a goddess.

“But why share that information with me now?”

“Like I said, the Phantom Thief steals everything, so we don’t even realize when something’s gone. I’m sharing this intel with you so we at least have some sort of insurance.”

Ah. So even if Ms. Fuubi forgot, I’d remember. Should I have considered that a tiny gesture of trust? Or was she just doing it out of her own self-interest?

“Kimihiko Kimizuka. I hate to admit it, but you’re the one at the heart of the story. No matter what massive incident you get pulled into or how much danger you land in, you always make it back. Even after a trip to a vampire fortress.”

Yeah—even I found that strange. Two months ago, the situation had been hopeless, but I’d still managed to make it home safe and sound. Me, Natsunagi, Siesta—and no one else.

“We couldn’t save everyone.”

I still didn’t know how that incident at the castle had really ended. I didn’t have the right to know, either. Not after I’d turned my back on them.

“It’s arrogant to try and save everyone,” Ms. Fuubi said, giving me a sharp look.

Ookami had told me the same thing. This world was overflowing with evil, and there were countless people out there begging for help. As we were now, we couldn’t save all of them.

“Nagisa Natsunagi won’t give up on anyone, though. That’s the sort of detective she wants to be.”

As her assistant, that meant I couldn’t give up, either. I had to keep working hard to stay with her, to walk by her side.

Renewing that resolution to myself, I stood up. Ms. Fuubi had told me everything she’d needed to.

“Okay, I’ll head out, then.”

“Sure. Tell the Ace Detective ‘hi’ from me.” She raised her hand in a casual wave.

Bowing to Ms. Fuubi, I left the police station.

“Sorry for the wait.”

I’d spotted the person I was meeting sitting in a seat on the first floor of a certain theater. After double-checking my ticket, I sat down beside her.

“Finally. I thought you’d stood me up again.”

“I’ve never stood you up, period. I’ve just been late.”

“That’s no excuse,” Natsunagi grumbled.

“Go easy on me today. I was hauled in by Ms. Fuubi.”

“Huh? Then, what, you broke out of jail to come here? I’d better report that…”

“That’s not what I meant!” I retorted, in as strong a whisper as I could manage. The curtain hadn’t risen yet, but this wasn’t the sort of place where you were allowed to be noisy.

“You bought a brochure, huh?”

“Yes! I’ve never been to a musical before, so I’m really looking forward to it.” Natsunagi fidgeted restlessly, opening the brochure on her lap.

Today was, in fact, the opening performance of the musical starring Yui Saikawa.

“Have you seen any musicals before, Kimizuka?”

“Yeah, once with Siesta.”

It had been in New York, on actual Broadway. That was an extravagant experience.

“…So this isn’t your first time.” For some reason, Natsunagi looked a little bummed. In any case…

“Saikawa’s finally back,” she said.

It had been three months since her aphonia diagnosis. After singing during the battle at the Nightless Castle, Saikawa had begun to recover, and she’d been able to resume rehearsals for the musical two weeks later. Today’s performance marked her return to show business.

“I’m so glad.” I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

There were no surefire treatment methods for diseases with major psychological causes. That was why we hadn’t been able to rely on Stephen this time: The Inventor didn’t work miracles that couldn’t be replicated.

But Saikawa had beaten it. She’d conquered her illness all on her own.

What exactly had set her on the path toward recovery? Was it taking her time and facing her own feelings? Or realizing she’d still be shiny-clean and pretty, even if she was all muddy?

“I bet it was because Yui wanted so badly to sing for someone else’s sake,” Natsunagi said with a smile.

Two months ago, we’d explained to Saikawa the truth about Marie and her situation. We’d told her what Marie actually was, and conveyed what it would mean if Saikawa sang the song she’d learned from her. Saikawa had understood, accepting the feelings and the voice that Marie had entrusted to her, and on that day, she’d managed to sing.

After it was all over, Saikawa’s voice had still been a little hoarse, but she’d managed to tell us, “Feelings don’t disappear. I’m going to prove it.”

“To Scarlet?” I’d asked.

Unexpectedly, she said, “To Scarlet, and to Albert.”

That was a name neither I nor Saikawa could ever forget; it was one we should never forget.

The detective wasn’t the only one.

The idol had also inherited someone’s dying wish, which she would carry with her into the future.

“It’s starting,” Natsunagi murmured, and a moment later, the lights went out.

A sound rang out, signaling the beginning of the performance, and the curtains opened. A girl in a nun’s habit stood alone in the center of the stage. There wasn’t a single sound in the quiet space. Clasping her hands in front of her as if she were praying, the girl began to sing.

“Say.

Right now…

Can you hear me?

Can you hear my voice?”

Softly, ever so softly, the diva freed the voice she’d locked away, her blue eyes twinkling.

I offered a prayer along with her.

I prayed that her song would be heard all the way in heaven. That it would reach the world’s hidden side.