episode_0109

Today’s content contains disturbing material, so those who do not wish to read it are advised to skip the latter part.

***

As Takuya repeatedly walked home with Momiji, this had gradually become their daily routine.

“Hello, kids~”

As we were walking, someone—more precisely, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties—spoke to us.

Sōta, Momiji, and I immediately grew wary of the stranger who suddenly spoke to us.

Since Momiji was being stalked, our caution was only natural when someone approached us out of the blue.

At our overly sensitive reaction, the woman who had greeted us looked a little flustered.

“Oh, k-kids, I’m not a strange person~”

Of course, her words had no effect.

“Suspicious person!”

Sōta, who was clinging tightly to my side, shouted.

At Sōta’s words, the woman shook her head and said,

“N-no~ I’m a police officer~”

“Hmm, suspicious…..”

As I looked at her with an expression of utter suspicion, the suspicious person claiming to be a police officer fumbled inside her jacket and pulled something out.

And that something was indeed an item that could certainly identify her as a police officer.

『Sato Miwako』

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough.

I knew that faking something like that was the easiest thing in the world, especially if it wasn’t someone else, so I couldn’t be reassured by just that.

Therefore, I requested something else to confirm her identity.

“Do you perhaps have a business card or something else?”

“A business card? Oh, just a moment?”

At my words, the woman named Miwako looked flustered for a moment, then rummaged through her clothes in various places before opening the zipper near her jacket’s chest with a look of discovery and handing me a business card.

“Uh, here.”

And clearly stated on it were ‘Investigative Division 1’ and the name ‘Sato Miwako’.

Seeing the clear identification, I glanced at Sato Miwako—no, Ms. Miwako—for a moment before speaking.

“If I check later and it’s not real, I’ll report you.”

“Ah! Goodness, you’re strict! So, do you know anything?!”

My wariness seemed to finally push Ms. Miwako past her limit, and she burst out in anger, but I, wearing an expression of indifference, put the business card into my spatial pocket and said,

“So, what was the question you were about to ask?”

At my words, Ms. Miwako, who had been angry, regained her composure and said,

“Do you know about the gym teacher kidnapping incident that happened recently?”

“Yes, I know. More precisely, I saw the police dispatched at that time.”

Though, to be exact, I was the one who called the police.

At my answer, Ms. Miwako nodded and said,

“Then, on the day that incident occurred, was there anyone who went near that mountain?”

“Someone who went to the mountain…..”

I pondered for a moment about how to answer, then a good idea came to mind.

‘At that time, I hadn’t received my body penalty yet. If I describe someone with roughly that build, they won’t get suspicious, right?’

Of course, it would have been easier to just say I didn’t know, but I thought it better to set up a story to avoid any potential suspicion.

“I’ve seen someone.”

“What?! Really?!”

At my words, Ms. Miwako’s eyes widened, and she grabbed my shoulder, asking me to explain in detail.

Seeing her even pull out a notepad to take notes, I momentarily wondered if I’d spoken unnecessarily, but I proceeded to describe the general appearance at the time.

“It was dark so I couldn’t see well, but definitely, they were in the early 160s in height, with short hair, and wore something like a running suit? Anyway, similar clothes.”

At my words, Ms. Miwako quickly jotted things down in her notepad. After writing down my last statement, she tapped the notepad with her ballpoint pen, closed it, and said,

“Thank you for cooperating with the investigation.”

“No problem. But why are you looking for that person? Are they involved in some crime?”

At my question, Ms. Miwako shook her head and then answered as if it were nothing serious.

“We’re just investigating to see if there might be anyone else involved, just in case. So, don’t worry about it anymore and go home.”

‘Fortunately, it seems my identity hasn’t been discovered.’

More precisely, it seemed I was under suspicion, but they hadn’t yet drawn any clear outline.

And thinking that way, I felt somehow at a disadvantage.

It felt like I had unnecessarily blown things out of proportion when I could have just said I didn’t know and ended it easily.

Late regret washed over me, but I soon thought that what was past was past, and nodded at the policewoman’s words.

“Okay.”

Having finished my answer, I watched the policewoman walk away to gather information from others, and cheered her on.

‘Well, you won’t find anything, but good luck!’

On that day, I had thoroughly checked that no one had seen me, and my physique had completely changed due to the penalty.

No one would recognize me in this state.

Thinking that, Momiji, Sōta, and I started walking again.

We safely headed home once more.

And there was one person who watched Takuya and his companions with displeasure.

“What were they talking about?”

It was none other than the culprit stalking Momiji.

***

It was October, and the chill of winter was gradually beginning to set in.

At a certain supermarket’s logistics warehouse.

There, a person with shaggy hair and thick glasses was organizing logistics.

“Tsutomu! Please come over here for a moment.”

“Ah… yes…”

Asagi Tsutomu.

In his early thirties, Asagi Tsutomu was a freeter who had been laid off from his job three years ago and had been living off part-time work ever since.

No. More precisely.

“Could you not come in starting tomorrow?”

“What? Why so sudden…?”

“Well, the economy isn’t doing so well~”

“…..Understood.”

He was a man who had just become unemployed.

After receiving his termination notice, Tsutomu left the supermarket that day, carrying a plastic bag containing fruits and meat given as a farewell gift—or, more accurately, a severance gift—and headed towards the old apartment building where he lived.

Swish swish~

Upon arriving in front of the apartment building, he saw the landlady sweeping the ground with a broom.

“Oh my, young man, why are you back so early? Don’t you usually work later?”

“I was told not to come to work starting tomorrow, so I left early.”

At his words, the landlady patted Tsutomu’s shoulder with a sympathetic expression, encouraging him.

The problem was that Tsutomu’s expression soured at the landlady’s physical contact, but fortunately, she didn’t see his face.

“Cheer up, you’ll find a good place next time. Oh, but don’t fall behind on rent. Ho ho!”

“…..Understood.”

With the brief words of comfort concluded, Tsutomu nodded in greeting as usual and then entered his room. No. He tried to enter.

“Oh, he’s still young, but instead of part-time work, he should get a proper job.”

At the landlady’s voice, which he heard before closing the door, Tsutomu quickly slammed the door shut, then threw his bag into the room.

“That damn old hag!!”

He said that, stomping towards the refrigerator.

Upon reaching the refrigerator, he opened the door, took out a container hidden in the corner, and then, opening the lid, he smiled as if he hadn’t been angry just moments before.

“Haa… As expected, only you are my solace…..”

Anyone seeing him would have thought he had a secret dessert, but what was contained inside was not something so gentle.

What Tsutomu saw when he opened the lid was a corpse cruelly stored, dismembered—more precisely.

“Mimiko, Rurutang.”

They were the heads of the young girls he had murdered.

He looked at the heads, seemingly finding solace and reassurance, before carefully placing them back into the refrigerator.

Then, using the tatami floor as a chair, he sat down in front of his computer.

After sitting in front of his computer, Tsutomu booted it up and then accessed a certain folder.

And in that folder were…

[Mimiko]

[Rurutang]

.

.

.

Files containing his horrific acts were lined up, including what appeared to be stalking photos of the young girls whose corpses were just in the refrigerator.

Perhaps, if anyone else had seen those photos, they would have immediately screamed for this person to be executed, even without further evidence.

“Hehe, they all turned out so well.”

But to Tsutomu, they were treasures more precious than anything.

Tsutomu, gazing contentedly at the pictures of the girls he had murdered or stalked, then scrolled down and found a name at the very bottom.

[Momiji]

Upon seeing that name, Tsutomu instantly gnashed his teeth.

The reason he gnashed his teeth was simple.

“If it weren’t for these brats, Mi-chan would have been mine already!”

It was because of the kids who were protecting the little girl he had targeted as if guarding her.

More precisely, it was because of the plan he couldn’t execute because of them.

Originally, the child, Momiji, was supposed to fall into Tsutomu’s hands much earlier, but he couldn’t because of those children.

No. If it were simply because of the children, it might have been fine.

However, seeing the police present at that time plunged Tsutomu into fear.

He had simply happened to pass by and speak to them, but Tsutomu’s delusional brain interpreted it as a warning.

A warning that if he approached Momiji any further, he would be reported.

It was the kind of thought Tsutomu would have, given his guilt was so overwhelming it felt like his feet were breaking.

As a result, Tsutomu stared at his monitor, biting his fingernails in anxiety and trembling his leg.

“Damn it, damn it!”

Tsutomu, who had been trembling his leg in anxiety, soon composed himself and mumbled as he watched the three walk together amicably.

“Right. M-me? Afraid of something like this?! Absolutely not!”

He mumbled that with bloodshot eyes like a madman, then abruptly got up, put on his clothes, and headed somewhere.

Momiji, no. The snowball Takuya had set rolling was growing impossibly large.