"I'm getting hungry.
Want to grab something on the way?"
"Ah, that's right.
It's almost 8 PM.
We had a late lunch today, so I didn't realize.
We can go get something after we finish hearing her story."
"You've sent four officers there...
They're probably pretty worn out by now.
Hopefully Furude-san ordered them something to eat."
Ooishi and Kumagai had passed through Okinomiya and were getting closer and closer to Hinamizawa.
They hurried on their way, driving through the dark streets.
"I wonder what Rika Furude wants to talk to you about..."
"Probably something outrageous.
...That village, you know, used to be called Onigafuchi Village.
They took the name Onigafuchi, the 'Demon's Abyss', from the local swamp."
"And like an abyss, it's hard to know its depth, huh?
...What are you planning to do about her protection?"
"Depending on what she tells us, we might have to move her to a safer location.
The whole of Hinamizawa is like a lion's den.
You never know what can happen in that village.
For now, we just need to hear what she has to say."
"The head of the Furude family is in danger, and the successor of the Sonozaki family is trying to protect her.
...Who would even be capable of killing Rika Furude under those circumstances?
The only people I can think of are the Kimiyoshi family."
"I've never heard of them getting up to anything fishy...
I guess there must be a fanatical religious sect lurking in the village...
I wonder what secret lies at the bottom of that swamp."
The road they were on was cutting through the rice fields.
...Leading them to pass by the scene of Jirou Tomitake's murder.
"Takano left Tomitake there.
I'm sure of that, but I wonder what he actually died of.
Forensics didn't find any drugs in his system, did they?"
"They didn't find anything, but that doesn't prove it either way.
There are hundreds of strange chemicals in this world.
There's no proof that a drug wasn't used.
It must just be one that we're not aware of.
I'm sure of that.
There must be some kind of drug out there that can make someone claw out their throat and die.
I'm going to grill the culprit about it once I make the arrest.
Of course, it would be easier if that's what Rika Furude is going to tell me.
...Kuma-chan, you must have learned exactly how false charges are made, seeing what happened in Gifu today."
"Hahahaha. That was horrible.
If that guy was at our station, I'd never forgive him."
"He flat out refused to admit he made a mistake.
The Gifu police department as a whole is still convinced that the body belongs to Miyo Takano.
But we'll operate under the assumption that she lives.
The top of the department will make the final decision.
It's obvious that they made a simple mistake.
They're just desperately covering it up because they'll be in trouble if they admit it.
They really need to rethink their attitude."
The car suddenly shook.
The concrete road had ended, leaving only gravel.
At the point where the gravel road begins, you're officially in Hinamizawa.
They continued to drive through the woods for a while.
"......Kuma-chan.
Stop the car!"
"What?"
Ooishi had told him to stop immediately.
Kumagai quickly slammed on the brakes.
Their seatbelts tightened up, keeping them in their seats.
"What's wrong?"
"...That car over there... I wonder what it's doing."
Ooishi tapped on the rearview mirror.
There was a van parked just off the road.
Rather beat up, it looked like it was used for a private company.
There was no reason for someone to park their car here, especially at this time of night.
...Kumagai also thought it looked suspicious.
The car seemed empty, but there was a light flashing in the woods nearby.
...Probably a flashlight.
"Strange that a van is out here at this hour.
I'm surprised you even saw it."
"It's like I keep telling you.
A detective always has to pay attention to his surroundings.
...I wonder what he's doing there.
Is he dumping something illegally?
Is he dumping someone's body?
Maybe it's a pair of lovebirds on a secret date?
Well, that can't be it, judging by the van.
...Hello, Okinomiya Security? Do you read me?
Na ha ha, good evening, and good night."
"This is Okinomiya Security. Reading you loud and clear."
"I need a license number scanned.
XX XX-XXXX."
"That's XX XX-XXXX?
It might take a while."
"We'll wait."
"Ooishi-san, according to this map, there's a facility of the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation here."
"What in the world is a 'facility' of the NTT?"
It was listed as a facility, but it wasn't staffed; it was just a place where machines were installed.
Kumagai wasn't sure how telephone lines actually work, but either way it seemed like some kind of connecting device was located there.
"But that's just an ordinary van.
It doesn't look like it belongs to the NTT."
"If it is them, shouldn't their name be on the van...?"
"...Maybe some other company is contracted to do it.
Anyway, we should just go and ask."
Ooishi wasn't sure if that was the case.
After all, why would any phone company go to do maintenance so late at night?
"Let's go and check what's going on.
Furude-san is waiting for us, so we need to be fast."
"Yes sir."
His well-honed detective instinct was trying to tell him something.
This feeling wasn't one that Ooishi could easily explain.
He has a strong sense that something was suspicious, without any real reasoning behind it.
...Ooishi trusted that he could judge others' character with that sense.
"Kshh...h... ...Nightingale 2 to Nightingale 1.
A vehicle has stopped nearby.
Two people got out.
......They're probably police officers.
They're approaching and will make contact in less than a minute."
It was pitch-black, yet they could see the two newcomers clearly.
They were probably using a night vision scope.
"Roger.
Attention, all units.
Nightingales 2 through 5, wait for the green light.
Nightingales 7 and 8, make sure the surrounding 100m are clear."
"Roger.
Nightingale 4 and 5, do you copy?"
"Nightingale 4, roger."
"Nightingale 5, roger."
"Nightingale 7, roger."
"Nightingale 8, roger."
"This is Nightingale from HQ, Nightingale from HQ...
There's been some trouble during the modification of the phone facility.
They're two police detectives.
We request clearance to open fire."
"Roger. Wait for the order."
By the time Ooishi and Kumagai reached the phone facility, they were being watched from all directions.
There were two pairs of binoculars
and two sniper rifles pointing at them.
The Mountain Dog operatives worked in two-man units, a sniper and spotter, to secure the means of retreat.
They had all taken different positions, so that they could shoot Ooishi no matter where he tried to run.
They were all in camouflage suits, hiding deep in the woods.
Ooishi, of course, had no chance of spotting them.
The snipers had their rifles trained on the detectives' heads.
...Ooishi and Kumagai had no idea...
that they were on the verge of losing their very lives.
The snipers' rifles had their safeties on, but a flick of their thumbs would release them.
In other words, they were ready to shoot if given the order...
The detectives found the fenced-in machinery right behind the parked van.
There was a sign there saying that it was the property of the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, and another sign warning people to keep away.
"Hello~ Good evening~"
"...Sorry, but could you step back? We're in middle of a maintenance operation."
There were four men working there, wearing blue overalls.
They had a toolbox open, and were working on some wires.
"Sorry to interrupt.
We're from the police.
We were wondering what you guys were doing, since it's pretty strange to see a van parked out here."
"Good evening, officers.
We're almost finished here."
"Who are you guys?
You're not from the NTT, are you?"
"Oh, we're not, no.
We're from Okonogi Electrics.
...Huh?
Oh, sorry, I'm out of business cards."
"Okonogi Electrics... Where's your office located?"
"...Er?
Well, it's in Okinomiya..."
"Could you give me the phone number and address of your office?"
"...W... Why do you want to know?"
"...........
You forgot
the telephone number?"
Ooishi looked at them with a piercing glare.
Their response was very suspicious.
Usually, the vehicle of an electric company is full of various types of electrical equipment and repair tools.
However, the van parked there had nothing inside, and it looked just like an ordinary car.
Also, a company vehicle usually has the name of the company painted on it.
...But this one was just a plain van with no markings on it.
None of that was the reason that Ooishi found them suspicious, though.
It was their attitude that bothered him.
They didn't sound nor look like typical contractors.
They were obviously not electricians.
It was far too late in the day, and there were far too many of them.
They were also clearly suspicious of Ooishi.
However, that was all he could tell just by looking around.
He found them suspicious, but had no idea what they were up to.
One of the men told Ooishi the phone number.
Kumagai wrote down the number so he could ask the station to call and confirm it was real.
"We're not doing anything suspicious..."
"Na ha ha ha!
You guys are very suspicious!
Who are you?
If you're really a contractor, you should have proof of that.
But you don't have anything.
Besides, everything about you seems off."
"...Officer... please don't cause us any trouble...
Just leave us alone. We need to finish up our job here..."
Judging from their progress, it didn't look like they'd be cleaning up any time soon.
In fact, it almost seemed like they were just getting started.
"Nfu fu fu!
It's pretty obvious that you're lying, son.
You should have studied the role a little better if you wanted to pretend to be an electrician."
Ooishi raised his voice threateningly.
The members of the Mountain Dogs gradually started to look more and more annoyed...
Ooishi looked over their expressions
and gave them a big wide grin.
However, Ooishi had no idea.
He thought he could handle these suspicious people with no issues.
Of course, in reality, they were horrific demons that he had no chance against.
Meanwhile, Kumagai was heading back to the car.
He was intending to contact the police department.
He was going to call the station using the radio.
Then, in turn, the police department would contact the NTT.
......That way, it would become clear who they were really dealing with.
"HQ to Nightingale 1.
You have permission to fire."
"Nightingale 7, clear."
"Nightingale 8, clear."
The sniper was still aiming at Kumagai's head as he headed back toward their car.
The safety, that last line protecting Kumagai's life, was disengaged.
The sniper put his finger on the trigger.
He was wearing a glove with the fingertips cut out.
The finger poking through the hole was very rough and merciless.
For as soon as he slightly moved that finger, he would take someone's life.
"Nightingale 1 to sniper team, all green."
Kumagai heard a quiet noise.
It was similar to the sound of the jump rope that he used to use as a whip when he was little.
...And that was the last thought Kumagai had in this world.
Kumagai collapsed onto the gravel.
That was it.
He didn't even twitch.
".........Ugh... Agh! ...Ooooooh..."
Ooishi was laying on his back on the concrete after getting shot in the chest.
His lungs were filled with blood, which began to pour out of his mouth.
...Ooishi only realized that he'd been shot when the world began to blur before his eyes...
As his world keeled over, he saw a man in a work uniform leveling a gun at him, but it didn't matter anymore as he started drowning on his own blood...
"This is Okinomiya Security.
We've scanned the license plate number.
...............Detective Ooishi?
...............Detective Ooishi, please come in.
...............Huh?
.........Did we lose the signal or something............?
...Detective Ooishi, come in............"
"He's not answering."
"Ooishi-san wanted a plate number scanned?
Whose car is it?"
"It's just a villager's car.
...No one special."
"...Who is it?
It must be someone suspicious if Ooishi-san is asking about them."
"It really seems like nobody out of the ordinary.
No accidents...
No tickets..."
"Ha ha ha... He probably got pissed off after that car passed him or something.
He can be a pretty stubborn guy sometimes."
"This is Nightingale...
Both targets eliminated.
Resuming the mission."
"Roger.
Be sure to dispose of their vehicle.
Major, Nightingale just terminated two officers. They're resuming their mission."
"...Sweet dreams, Ooishi-san.
Too bad, he was getting so close to catching me.
Hee hee hee hee...
......Can I get a cup of coffee?"
"Absolutely.
This is getting complicated.
There are still several officers at R's house, and her friends are there as well.
R must know that she's getting murdered tonight.
Someone is leaking information.
I think we should postpone the plan."
"We have to have her corpse by tomorrow.
That's what's most convenient for the people in charge.
We have to execute this mission tonight."
The crucial part of this final mission was the death of Rika and what came after that.
They couldn't just kill her whenever they wanted.
Doing it at the right time was vital.
"Maybe she's panicking at the Dogs' excessive security?"
"......No.
...It's not that information is being leaked.
She's predicting it.
She knew that Tomitake was going to die, and she even knew how my body was going to be found...
She's the queen.
She's the genuine heir to the blood of Oyashiro-sama, her priestess, and the queen positioned at the top of Hinamizawa's supernatural phenomena.
It's impossible to hide things from God.
Assassinating Rika Furude won't be so easy.
...Hee hee. All right, Rika-chan.
Let's see which of us deserves to inherit the legend of Oyashiro-sama.
Your death will be the final curse of Oyashiro-sama, and it will mark the finale of this legendary village.
When that happens, my plan will become the real curse.
Hee hee hee hee!"
It was now past 8 PM.
Mion ordered some noodles for us. Her treat.
We also ordered some food for the four officers, and we all ate together.
We were supposed to call it a night as soon as we talked to Ooishi, but he's still not here.
However, we all took it easy, assuming that they'd get here sooner or later.
It's getting late.
Once you get to Hinamizawa, there aren't many places to get something to eat.
I'm sure they're having a quick dinner before coming here.
However, the four officers seem anxious.
They all had families, but Ooishi didn't tell them how late they'd have to be out here.
They're hoping that Ooishi will bring other officers to relieve them so they can go home.
They called the station, but all they said was that Ooishi was on his way,
and we should wait, because he'll be here soon.
"......That Ooishi sure is late."
"I'm sure he's stuck in traffic.
It's still rush hour..."
"Those officers have been here since this afternoon, right?
They must be tired by now..."
"I know.
It sucks that they don't even know when they can go home."
"Should we patrol outside so they can get some rest?
We can have Satoko set up some traps to prevent strangers from coming in here."
"Oh ho ho!
Good thinking, Shion-san!
However, just think... this is our house.
We already have several traps set up around this place!"
"R-Really?
We should be careful when we're around here..."
With our stomachs full, the mood in the house had returned to a lighthearted one.
True, we shouldn't be so relaxed, but knowing that Ooishi would be here shortly made us feel relieved.
...But he's so late.
He said he'd be here in an hour.
Mion mentioned he might have gotten stuck in traffic.
But I'm sure Ooishi was considering that.
That's why he told me it'd take him about an hour.
And it had now been one hour since the time Ooishi was supposed to get here.
......I want to believe that he's getting something to eat on the way, but I'm starting to get concerned.
Ooishi still hasn't shown up.
It's almost eleven o'clock.
The officers are completely exhausted.
They had even started to smoke cigarettes outside.
My friends are becoming tired, too.
Satoko is yawning.
It's way past our bedtime.
Everyone else is getting tired and sleepy. We've been spending our time watching TV and reading manga.
I can feel my fear succumbing to sleepiness.
Today is almost over.
I'm going to survive the day I'm supposed to die.
Does that mean that I escaped my deadly fate?
No... I'll have to fight endlessly from tomorrow on.
...I was going to discuss that with Ooishi.
Since he's not here, I don't know what to do from this point on...
Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking the silence.
"Is that Ooishi-san?"
"......Hello... This is the Furude residence..."
"I'm sorry to call you this late. This is Komiyama calling from the Okinomiya police department.
By any chance, is Detective Ooishi there with you?"
"...No.
We've been waiting for him for a long time."
"I see...
We'll send out more officers, so will you tell the ones there to leave once their relief comes?"
"...Okay, I'll do that.
....So, where is Ooishi...?"
"We got a call from him this evening saying he was heading there directly, so we thought he'd be with you already.
The officers were supposed to return after Ooishi arrived, but they haven't come back, so we were wondering what was going on."
That's what I'd like to know, but arguing with the man on the phone wouldn't accomplish anything.
I hung up and gave the message to the officers downstairs.
It looked like everyone already heard our exchange on the phone.
"I wonder what's going on...
He's way too late..."
"Maybe he ran into some important case that he had to take care of."
"He would have called us if so.
He told us that he was on his way.
I think he'd call us if something was going on..."
"Was he attacked by Tokyo...?"
"No way... ahahahahaha!
But... If they're really as scary as Rika-chama told us... that might be possible."
"...He probably had something to take care of.
I bet he forgot to call us.
Remember, he's a tough guy!
No one can take him down that easily!"
"I do hope he gets here soon...
Haaaaaaaw......."
Satoko yawned.
Everyone laughs, but some of them are trying not to yawn themselves.
We can't stay up forever.
We decided that we'd call it a night once the replacement officers arrived.
I'm sure I've survived past the time I was supposed to die.
That's probably because the police were protecting me.
Perhaps both Takano and the Mountain Dogs are also on my side, and they took care of the murderer...
I don't know who is changing my fate...
Maybe my fate hasn't been changed, and I'm going to get killed soon anyway.
I don't know if it's because of the police or because of the Mountain Dogs, but the only thing I know for sure is that I'm still alive.
Soon, I heard the noise of someone walking on the gravel on the shrine grounds.
One of my friends suggested that it might be Ooishi, but I doubt it.
I don't want to expect him and be disappointed when it's not...
I'm starting to think like Hanyuu.
"Good evening. I'm Komiyama,
I'm from the Okinomiya police department."
It wasn't Ooishi. Two of his fellow detectives had arrived instead.
They were going to stay downstairs and have the four officers return home.
They also told my friends to leave.
"We'll stay here to protect her, so please go home.
Your families must be worried about you."
"......Thank you so much, everyone.
The detectives are here, so I'm okay now."
"Are you sure?
We'll stay here tonight if you like."
"......I'm fine.
Besides, I don't have any extra pajamas and blankets for you guys."
"See you tomorrow, then.
We'll try and stay with you as much as we can from now on.
How about we do club activities here, after school?"
"That would be wonderful!"
"......Meep.
My floor might break with all these people here."
"Wa ha ha ha! It might really break!"
"Well Rika-chama.
We're going home now, but be careful.
Do not go out alone in the dark under any circumstances."
"......I'll be careful."
"All right.
See you tomorrow."
"...Yes.
See you tomorrow."
See you tomorrow.
...Am I really going to see them tomorrow...?
...I have no clue.
I've tried so many things over the past one hundred years.
I've done many things, and I have memories of most of them.
That's why I feel so scared on the day I die... it's the only day that I have no memory of.
I don't even know if I'm approaching or escaping my death right now.
All I know is that this fear is going to continue until I find some kind of solution...
As I started getting ready to go to bed, Satoko suggested that I should sleep in my regular clothes, rather than in my pajamas.
She was thinking that I should remain dressed, just in case someone tries to attack me in my sleep.
It sounded ridiculous, but she was just trying to be considerate.
I decided to do what she told me to.
Satoko seemed so sleepy until a few minutes ago, but she suddenly started passionately explaining to me all the traps she set on the shrine grounds.
She assured me that strangers will end up trapped if they tried to sneak inside this building.
To someone else, it might sound like she was just trying to brag, but Satoko was trying to make me feel better.
......After everyone else left, she noticed how scared I looked.
Satoko's kindness, and everyone else's kindness.
I feel it was the right decision for me to talk to my friends.
Even if that won't end up changing my fate.
"............Rika."
Hanyuu showed up again.
She looked upset, so she was probably still thinking that I could get killed at any minute.
But I'm actually starting to feel a little better...
I might get killed tomorrow, but I feel like I can rest safely at least tonight.
I'm more concerned about the fact that Ooishi didn't show up.
Still, even if he didn't, the other detectives are here, and will stay on guard downstairs without sleeping.
As long as they're here, I think I'll be safe tonight.
"...What's wrong?
Are you hungry?
I didn't eat anything sweet today.
Do you want me to drink some juice?"
Hanyuu would usually cheer right up when I suggested drinking some juice...
but not this time.
Her face looked pale...
as if she wasn't
even alive.
Something out of the ordinary had clearly happened.
"What's wrong?"
".........It's almost time."
That sounded far more like a declaration than a prediction.
Even Hanyuu doesn't have any memories of my death.
There's no way she can tell when I will be killed.
......However, she sounded so certain just now.
Perhaps... we can feel it in the very cells of our body.
Our bodies understand fate far better than we do.
Up until now I felt reassured, that we could get through it somehow if we're all together.
But as I clung to that life preserver with a hole leaking air... I was starting to drown in a sea of despair, and struggling to keep my head above water.
No, I can't let myself feel that way...!!
I have to believe!
"...It's okay, Hanyuu.
...I'm going to fight.
Even if I get killed tomorrow, I'm not going to die tonight...!"
"............."
Hanyuu just gave me a look of faint sadness.
That silence told me that my pitiful hope was going to push me down into a futile reality.
I stared at Satoko as she continued to brag about her traps.
...If I'm getting killed shortly, Satoko won't be safe either.
I quickly interrupted her talk about traps.