We are the chick. The world is our egg. Let's play Kara no Shoujo.

Reiji: "Mamiya? Is he related to Mamiya Shinzo?"

Uozumi: "According to the data I requested, his father's name is Shinzo. Now where did I hear that name ----"

Reiji: "I asked you about it before, remember? I said he was an artist that Kyoko liked."

Uozumi: (embarrassed spluttering) "R-really?"

But for those two to be parent and child, of all things---

Vice-Principal Saeki might know something about that if I ask him.

Reiji: "Thanks, Uozumi."



Reiji: "It's too early to say. I need a little time to see how things pan out. Be ready to make a move at any time, okay?"

Uozumi: "----Got it."

All right... Time to visit the academy.



Reiji: "Vice-Principal Saeki----"

I find the vice-principal in the faculty room.



Saeki comes over, looking drained.

Saeki: "I was just contacted by the police. They said that the body found earlier was Mizuhara-san..."

Reiji: "Yeah... I'm afraid so."



Reiji: "...Let's put an end to it. There's something I need you to tell me. It's about Mamiya Shinzo ----"



Reiji: "No... His son Shinji may possess an important lead to the case... However, we don't know anything for certain---"

Saeki: "His son, you say..."

Reiji: "Yes, he's been publishing novels under a pen name, Katsuragi Shin. He was a prime suspect for a period of time in last month's case as well."



(While this is a "BINGO" to the player, it's not particularly meaningful to Reiji, who doesn't actually get to see those segments...)

Reiji: "An atelier...?"

(Now what, you might ask, is an 'atelier', since many of us may have only heard the name as part of a japanese RPG series? This wikipedia link might help a little. From what we saw, it's likely a single-person art studio the size of a house, but not quite looking like a proper house, as Toko2 observed.)

Saeki: "Yes; he was evading taxes or something, as he had it constructed under his newborn son's name... I recall an old friend told me he rarely used it, if ever..."

Reiji: "In Shimo-Ochiai..."

An atelier, all but abandoned ----

It may be worth the time to check it out.

Reiji: "Do you know the exact address?"

Saeki: "Yes, I'm sure it was at ---"

I write down the address Saeki tells me.

Reiji: "Thank you very much, Vice-Principal."



Reiji: "...Like I said, we don't know anything for certain yet."

Saeki: "Indeed... Tokisaka-san, please, find the truth."

Reiji: "Of course. I'll get to the bottom of this."

... Well, this doesn't sound good for either Shinzo or Katsuragi, as far as their roles in the case go.

*sigh* Why is it always the pretty ones that are crazy?

The sun has completely set by the time I get back home.



(She sounds tired)

Reiji: "I'm back, Yukari. ... Are you okay?"

She looks pale.



Reiji: "I see..."

Yukari: "Takashiro-san just called a little while ago. He said he wants you to call him back."

Reiji: "Takashiro? Got it."

I wonder if he's discovered something.

(Remember several days ago we asked Shugo to look into Tojiko's murder?)

I pick up the receiver and dial the number for Takashiro's office.

Shugo: "Hello, this is the Takashiro Detective Agency."

Reiji: "It's me, Tokisaka. You told me to call you back; have you discovered something?"

Shugo: "Yeah. There's an eyewitness account of a person dressed in black at Kinpukuji on the evening of April the 5th."

(The time and location of Tojiko's disappearance.)

Reiji: "Are you serious!?"

Finally, we hit paydirt --

Shugo: "It seems the outfit wasn't completely black, and as far as they could tell from a distance, it was a female."

Reiji: "A female...?"

Shugo: "They couldn't be certain, though."

Reiji: "That's pretty vague, man..."

Shugo: "Well, what are you gonna do? It happened a whole week ago."

Reiji: "Thanks, Takashiro."

Shugo: "Nah, it's no big deal. Give me a call if anything else pops up."

He hangs up.

A woman dressed in all black, eh?

Reiji: "Hmm----"



Reiji: "What about it?"

Yukari is staring at the magazine I left on the table.

Yukari: "Why do you have this, Nii-san?"

(She's talking rapidly, clearly agitated.)

Reiji: "Well... I found it in Mizuhara-san's room."


Reiji: "Sure ---- You don't have to worry about getting fingerprints on it."

I haven't checked it for prints, but since a magazine passes through the hands of all kinds of people, there's no point in trying. Despite that, Yukari takes great care as she flips the pages.



Reiji: "Yeah, the new one, right? It's still April."

It's common for monthly magazines to be ahead by a month.

Yukari: "...Please wait a second."

Yukari stands and goes into the hall. What's she doing...?

She returns immediately. In her hands is a similar magazine.



Reiji: "You buy them too?"

Yukari: "Yeah... Beacuse Tsuzuriko's novel was published in it."

Murmuring that, she flips through the pages.

There's Tsuzuriko's novel: "The Everlasting Pearl."



Reiji: "The 13th----?"

I look at the calendar. Today is April the 12th.

Reiji: "Tomorrow...?"

Yukari: "Yes... Some bookstores might sell it one day early, but---"

Reiji: "...Toko went missing yesterday."

Yukari: "That's right. In addition... Did you see the back cover?"

Reiji: "The back...?"

I flip over the May issue on the table. And plain as day, there's a red seal: "Sample."

Reiji: "A sample...?"

Yukari: "This... probably wasn't purchased in a bookstore."

Reiji: "Well, now..."

I think I can finally feel the pieces starting to fall into place.

(but can YOU, dear reader?)



It's time... Let's put all the pieces of the puzzle together and figure out what to do from now.



(Choose - yes or no?)

What points to that most strongly?



Moving on, then. The killer... No, let's not get ahead of ourselves. As things stand, who is most suspicious?

Start by picking a single person. If we widen our scope, then things will start to lose focus.



(Okay, here we go. All of these questions need answers.

Is this one case or two, and why?

Who is the most suspicious person in this case?

Not necessarily the killer. What Reiji's trying to do at this point is identify a single suspect who should be elevated to the attention of the police.

For this, we need a name and we need evidence. Things we saw in Toko2's head are not evidence! What evidence can you take to the police to support your idea?)

I'd say they're the same case, as only the four limbs were disposed of. As for suspect, I'm caught between Mamiya Shinzo and Katsuragi Shin... but think I might have to go with Katsuragi Shin because of what seems to be a link with Mizuhara's mother (the magazine found in Mizuhara's room being a sample, which would probably be distributed to the authors rather than the public, and the photo of him in there, which I think Reiji noted didn't come from the magazine). He'd also have a link with Tsuzuriko, as she recognised him when they met in Moon World.

EDIT: I guess the eyewitness account did say that the suspicious person appeared to be female from a distance, but it was probably dark due to it being in the evening? There's also the possibility they thought that Katsuragi was female. Either way, the only suspicious female person I can think of right now (apart from Mizuhara's mother) is Nene, and she seems to be involved in something to do with Toko1 rather than the murders.

Was Katsuragi Shin published in "Art and Literature" as well? I can't remember.

I think his Shell of Sheol story was in 'Art and Literature'?

Oh duh. It was just mentioned in one of the recent updates. BRAIN FART LOL

Anyway, the fact that the magazine isn't available to the public yet means that only the authors and the publishers would have their hands on a sample, meaning that Mizuhara Toko must be connected to Katsuragi Shin somehow (from Reiji's perspective, anyway). As for Tojiko, she didn't recognize him when meeting in Moon World though - Reiji had to say his name before Tojiko knew who he was. And the person in black that she met looked female anyway. Wanna bet that was Toko's mom? :(

Side note: I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the game switching perspectives so much. It feels sort of like cheating somehow, because we're picking up narrative clues from the other perspectives.

Ah yeah, forgot that Tojiko didn't recognise his face when they met in Moon World, sorry. ; Is it possible that she would have recognised him if he'd come up to her afterwards, though? Then again, given that Mizuhara's mother seems likely to be an accomplice in some way, it's also possible that the person in black was her, yeah. Do you think she'd have been likely to follow her? She did know Mizuhara from school, after all.

I can't remember if Reiji ever saw Tojiko meeting Toko2's mom, but I think that if you met somebody claiming to be your classmate's mom, you'd be more inclined to trust her, right? An oh. Toko2's mom might've heard that Tojiko would be heading to the party from Toko2, right? And the murderer did say that he "chose" Tojiko to be remade. (Or was that the first girl? It's so hard to keep things straight. D:) So this could be a premeditated thing where Toko2's mom headed out before the party to try and ambush Tojiko, couldn't it?

Well, the most suspicious person (to us) is obviously Shinji, but a lot of that is because of evidence we saw from Toko2's perspective, i.e. the location of her murder likely being his atelier, and how he's fashioning his victims to look like the Kara no Shoujo, his father's work...

I can't really think of anything to link him explicitly, though, besides the photograph, and even that's a stretch. Or maybe the magazine. I'm stuck. :/

I think it was the second girl who the killer said they had chosen? Although I guess we can assume that they've been choosing all the girls for whatever they have in mind. ; So it's possible that the killer heard about Tojiko going to the party from Mizuhara's mother and got her to help them lure Tojiko to wherever they were (as they speak as if they're the ones who knocked her out and stuffed her in the suitcase, etc. in their monologue).

As far as the question goes, I guess that the most suspicious person would still be the killer? As it seems Mizuhara's mother is mainly in this as an accomplice.

Regarding Shinji/Katsuragi, I guess only limbs being found could point to a link with Kara no Shoujo? Although I think the magazine and the photo are less of a stretch, as evidence... the photo and the magazine being a sample suggest that he's linked to Mizuhara (and her mother) more deeply than just Mizuhara reading his works, I think. Reiji doesn't have reason to suspect Mizuhara's mother of being an accomplice (I think?), but maybe those apparently-personal things turning up in the house of one of the victims is suspicious enough for him.

Hmm...is it one case or two? Gonna say one. I think. But for right now... Shinji's the most suspicious, and the magazine is what connects Toko2 with him, because you can't have any access to the magazine without knowing someone in the industry, and let's say Toko2-Mama and Shinji have some arrangement with each other that requires Mama to stuff flesh into eggs...or something, and Shinji going crazy.

The photograph though, is how we can tell that Toko2 knew the killer, or at least how he looked like. But Reiji doesn't know that.

It might be an interesting experiment for someone else to try showing this story to an uninformed player while removing all the other-perspective scenes and see what the effect is. Will the story still work? Will it make any sense?

I don't think it's necessarily a big flaw, as tv/movies will jump from character to character all the time, but it does contribute to the general feeling of confused purpose this game sometimes gives. Are we supposed to play it like a mystery? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Most of the time when we're asked questions the answers are pretty obvious unless we've screwed up somewhere; other times it requires a leap or just plain luck. Some items are stumbled across by pure chance; you couldn't possibly have predicted they'd be there or be relevant no matter how good a detective you were. (Not the magazine; Reiji COULD have discovered that through searching, even if it was our knowledge that pushed him that way.) Yui's handwriting was something we had to pick in order to live in the first case but while it was fairly obvious that we needed to gather handwriting samples, knowing whose handwriting we needed and how to get it is more luck than deduction.

Knowing that Kusaka was super-suspicious was obvious by the time we got there, you can't avoid knowing that even if you suck at detecting. But you can easily not have the clue needed to get past the bad end, just because of the way the game presents the point-and-click section. And so on.

Watching the playthrough where Kazuna's...well, not in a coma and happily greeting Reiji on the phone when Shugo talks about the evidence, is super depressing as frick.

Yeah, the Kazuna situation is narratively interesting but I want to wait to talk about that until we reach a main ending.

So, do we have a consensus? Who is the most suspicious, Shin(ji), Mizuhara Mio, Nene, or someone else? Evidence of magazine or evidence of Woman In Black or something else entirely?

I think the consensus is Shinji and magazine.

I agree.

Well the game kind of pushed us in the Shin direction didn't it...I'm standing with what I said.

Shinji for sure. I think the photo is better evidence than the magazine, because it suggests both that Toko2 would known what he looked like (and since we can guess that Tojiko knew her killer, that's important) and that he may have had some kind of personal connection to her or her mom (since it seems to be a personal photograph). The magazine only tells us the latter.

Good point. Can't we vote for both pieces of evidence, the magazine and the photo?

Nope. You only get one choice.

I think that the photo is slightly better evidence, so I'll switch to that.

Fine. Switching my vote to photo. Though I don't see why he can't take both. Seems like a pretty arbitrary restriction to me.

Oh, I think I realized something from the first case...

I think the reason why that creep-o-vision before finding Yui's body was different and seemed more like this case, with the whole pruning away the excess limbs, was because it was showing Kobayashi Yuko's murder, and not Kazuna's?

Remind me who Kobayashi Yuko was again? It's been a while since I read the first case.

Kobayashi Yuko is from this case, her being the first victim identified by the broken fractures.

Ahhhh, I see. Right. I can never keep those names straight.

As things stand, who is most suspicious?



The man identified as Mamiya Shinji. He does seem suspicious, but do I have any evidence to back that up?

I flip through my notebook.



(You have to pick one - but either will do, and as you'll see, he does mention them both.)

The photograph of Katsuragi Shin ---- rather, of Mamiya Shinji ---- that was in Mizuhara's room.

No matter how you look at it, it's strange that she had this in her possession. Had she met the man before? And if not, were they related in some other way?

I'm curious about why the May issue of "Art and Literature" was left there. If that's really a sample issue, not in common circulation, then that raises the possibility that he's an acquaintance of hers.

The same holds true for Tsuzuriko. When he stopped by Moon World, Tsuzuriko was in unusually high spirits. If he had called out to her on the street... She might well have gone with him.

Furthermore, Takashiro told me that a witness saw a person dressed in black. It appeared to be a female, but... If it was too dark to see clearly, there's a good chance the witness was mistaken. He's a small guy, and it wouldn't be strange to see his hairstyle on a woman.

Let's move on. How were the corpses disposed of? Mizuhara's four limbs were probably thrown out of a vehicle. However, [Katsuragi Shin] told me that he couldn't drive a car. That leaves the strong possibility of an accomplice.

An accomplice who can drive ---- That's the person who carries the parts away from the murder scene.

That crime scene, then... Let's pick out a place that seems suspicious.



Mamiya Shinzo's atelier in Shimo-Ochiai. It's under Mamiya Shinji's name, and is said to be unused at present. The perfect place to carry out murders unseen.

Tomorrow... I'll call Uozumi, and we'll go search it...

(Now, since we've actually gotten through this bit, I want to talk a little bit about the Bad End we'll be avoiding...)

I tell them the address and set down the receiver. Now everything's ready. We're finally closing in on the solution to this case.

At the moment, he's just a suspect. Nonetheless, I believe he's the killer. If I didn't, we wouldn't be able to act.



I suppose I should take the Seibu-Shinjuku Line ----



Yukari runs out after me.

Reiji: "What's wrong, Yukari? I was just heading out for a bit."

Yukari: "Y-yeah... Nii-san, have a safe trip."

Reiji: "Yeah, I will. You don't need to worry about me."

Yukari: "Okay..."

If anything, her expression turns even more forlorn. I pat her on the head, then head off toward the station.



Something about it is different from the other houses. This was built to serve as Mamiya SHinzo's atelier.



Uozumi's already arrived.

Reiji: "You didn't come in a patrol car?"

I didn't see one parked on the road as I approach.

Uozumi: "This is a search without a warrant. The police can't be seen to be involved."

Reiji: "So you didn't get a warrant?"



Reiji: "...If that's the case, then we won't be able to go inside, will we?"

Uozumi: "Yep, that's how it is. All we can do is see if he'll answer our questions voluntarily. ... Then again, it doesn't look like anybody's home."

Uozumi looks up at the building. It is indeed completely silent - there's no sign of human presence.

Reiji: "...But people have been in and out. There's some fresh footprints here."

I crouch down and point to the ground near the entryway.

Uozumi: "---This one's a woman's."

Uozumi mutters, indicating the smaller set.

Reiji: "So we're dealing with at least two people... Unless these belong to one of the victims."



Reiji: "A joint murder ---- Or perhaps the killer's accomplice?"

Uozumi: "Well, that's assuming the guy who lives here is the murderer. There's no proof of that yet, though ----"

Uozumi draws closer to the building.



I edge closer to the entryway and take a whiff. There's a faint, rotten odor hanging in the air.

Reiji: "Is that... a corpse?"

Uozumi: "---We're going in."

Uozumi puts a hand on the atelier's door.

Reiji: "We're going --- Hey, we don't have a warrant, right?"

Uozumi: "This is an emergency!"

Uozumi slams into the door with his broad shoulders. I could swear I just saw the building shake.

Uozumi: "Shit! One more time!"

A crash, and the door topples inward.

Uozumi: "Let's go!"

Uozumi dashes inside. A moment later, and I'm right on his heels.

What

You would think that the killer would at least refrigerate his precious replicas of Kara no Shoujo.

Maybe they couldn't fit in the fridge?

(Also, you coloured your avatar! ... Is that a banana doing the yandere trance?)

Got to say, I'm kind of curious about that bad end now/what you have to do to get it. What happened Reiji I thought you were smarter than that.

Obviously the answer is to install a meat locker in this run down suburban home.

(YES! Kaneda drew and coloured it for me <3)

Fail to find enough clues to direct the cops to the atelier.

Ah, okay. I guess it might be easier to guess who it is later, then, if there's a particular reason for it...?

I suppose if it's impossible to apply logic to it, we can just go with the person having the same psychic sense to detect which choices you made as Mizuhara did. |D;

As soon as I'm inside, I have to cover my mouth with my hand. The stench of death in the air is overpowering.

I can feel it, scraping against the back of my throat. I can feel it, soaking right into my eyes.

Reiji: "Hey, Uozumi---"



Uozumi points to the windowsill.



... A table, stained completely red, is illuminated by light from the window.

Reiji: "That's... not paint, is it?"

I mutter, barely hearing it as I look over the paintings.

Uozumi: "This is no time for jokes. Shit... We've hit the goddamn jackpot."

Uozumi grimaces.

Reiji: "... A saw."

It's casually laid on the ground. The blade gleams dully, but the handle is caked with blood and bits of flesh. Other unidentifiable scraps are scattered on the floor.

Uozumi: "It looks like there's a roo further in. ...I've got a bad feeling about what we're going to find in there."

Reiji: "Further in..."

It's just as Uozumi says. The horrible stench is coming from another room. There aren't any dead bodies in here. Which means ----

Reiji: "...Let's go."

There's no turning back now. I turn the knob and push the door inward.

(screen fades to white)

Reiji: "Ugh!"

I pinch my nose, gagging on the miasma in the room; it's almost physically painful to breathe. This is ----



(trying to stitch together a large panning image)

Lined up beside the walls are four objets d'art. The shells of eggs are used as receptacles for the bodies of the girls. Their skin is pure white --- It must be plaster or clay. But this is ----

Gulping uncomfortably, I approach for a closer look.

Uozumi: "Reiji ---"

Reiji: "...I know."

Each of the four girls' bodies are missing their limbs.

They all have the same face.

However, one of them looks to be still in the midst of production. Her face hasn't been covered in clay.

Reiji: "...Toko."

Decay hasn't yet taken its toll on Mizuhara Toko's face. With her eyes closed and head down, she could easily just be sleeping.

Uozumi: "...Let's get out of here for a moment, Reiji. If we stay in here we're gonna go crazy."

Reiji: "...Yeah."

I nod, glancing at the other, completed girls. One, fallen to the ground, has familiar unkempt hair.

Reiji: "...I'm sorry I was too late... Tojiko."

After apologizing to her, I let Uozumi lead me out of the room.



Uozumi runs off. Even in a nightmarish situation like this, he's still a police officer to the core.

I take out a cigarette and light it. I have to get rid of the dead-body smell that's still clinging to my nose and throat.

Uozumi returns almost immediately.

Uozumi: "The cavalry will be barging in here soon."

After saying that, Uozumi also puts a cigarette into his mouth.

Reiji: "Did they say anything?"

Uozumi: "Huh? Hell if I care."

Uozumi turns away from me. I wonder what they said to him. They probably chewed him out for acting on his own.

Reiji: "Has Mamiya Shinji been apprehended?"



Reiji: "...He's gonna get away if you guys move too slowly."

Uozumi: "We can't do things like the Special Higher Police did. ... Isn't that why I came all the way over here?"

(Wikipedia link basically the old secret police of Japan from 1911-1945)

Reiji: "Well, from what I can see, you're more brutal than they are."

I point to the ruined door of the atelier.

Uozumi: "...Somehow I doubt I'm getting through this one with my badge intact."

(I know nothing about Japanese police procedure, especially in this time period. I'm pretty sure by modern standards in the US, if you can smell a corpse from outside the building, you ARE justified in declaring it an emergency and breaking in.)

Reiji: "...Sorry I dragged you into this."



Uozumi stubs out his cigarette.

I see a number of officers jogging up the narrow lane.

Reiji: "...Commissioner Yaginuma came too, eh?"

I never thought I'd see him running out at the front of the pack.

Yaginuma; "Uozumi!!"

(screen flashes)



Yaginuma: "You fool, how many times have I warned you about disrupting the chain of command!?"

Uozumi: "---Yes, sir!"

Uozumi snaps to attention at once.

Yaginuma: "If something had gone wrong, it would already be too late! Do you understand!? This organization is a machine, and you are just one cog in it! You got it!?"

Uozumi: "Yes! I hear you loud and clear, Commissioner!"



Yaginuma snorts, then stalks off to issue orders to the members of the forensics team as they arrive.

Reiji: "Always gotta keep the organization in mind when you make decisions, eh?"

Uozumi: "...That's how the police force works nowadays."

Uozumi doesn't sound particularly regretful.



Reiji: "Stuff like that just rubs me the wrong way, though. ... But forget about that - is your chin all right, man? It sounded pretty bad when he hit you."

Uozumi: "Please, you could barely call that a hit. --- Time to get to work."

With that, Uozumi heads off toward the atelier.



It looks like I'll just get in their way... And to drive that point home, Yaginuma seems to be treating me as if I'm not here.



Natsume-san strides into the atelier.

Reiji: "Well, well, here's something you don't see every day. Natsume-san's actually visiting a crime scene."

Natsume: "Hey, it's close, and I figured I could use a little exercise. So you're the one that discovered it, Tokisaka-san?"

Reiji: "Yeah... They're inside."

I gesture toward the inner room, where the bodies of Toko and the other girls are.

Natsume; "Then I'm going to take a peek, okay?"

I follow her inside.

Natsume: "Good Lord... This is terrible."

Even Natsume-san can't keep the abject shock from her voice.



She peers closely at the macabre collection of girls-turned-sculptures.

Natsume: "Hmm... This looks like paper clay. It sucked the moisture right out of them and got all soggy. And look at this... The same face on every one, eh?"

Reiji: "Is that how you see it?"

Natsume: "Yep. The bridge of the nose, the shape of the jaw----Looks like a running theme here, doesn't it?"

Reiji: "---You might be right about that."

Choosing a similar appearance for each had to have been deliberate.

Natsume: "Well, we'll have the finer details after I've taken them back to my place. It might take a while, though."

Reiji: "Thanks in advance, Natsume-san."

I go outside to find Commissioner Yaginuma, his investigators lined up before him.



They quickly disperse to carry out their duties.

He's quite skilled, but ----

Yaginuma: "Sergeant Uozumi, you are hereby reassigned from the violent crimes division to Special Crimes. Understood?"

Uozumi: "Yes, sir!"

It's roughly what Uozumi predicted ---- It's great that he's not being taken off duty, but it looks like he's being pulled off the case.

Reiji: "Uozumi ----"

As he walks over to me, I try to think of something to say.



Reiji: "...Sorry for making you come with me."

Uozumi: "Oh, stop apologising already. I don't have to work under him anymore. My prayers have been answered!"

Uozumi claps me on the back, chuckling heartily. He then leaves the crime scene, his cigarette still clamped in his mouth.



Reiji: "Yeah..."

I'm sure he wanted to be involved in the investigation until the very end. I know how he feels - things are going to get a lot tougher with him out of the picture.

Natsume: "There are too many in there for me to look over at my place, so they might be shipped to the forensic hospital. I'm sure I'll end up over there myself."

Reiji: "I'm counting on you."

Natsume: "Yeah, just leave it to me."

I suppose I'll just keep an eye on what the police do for a while ----

(It's not over yet!)

(Now what?)







(fade out and return to Reiji)

Got to say I'd assume that would be the case, yeah. ; Then again, I also know nothing about Japanese police procedure (modern or during this period), so who knows.

Having returned to my office for the time being, I let out a huge sigh and sit down on the sofa.

I put a cigarette in my mouth, but before I can find a match ---- The telephone on my desk jangles noisily.

I almost never get phone calls here. --- Well, the caller just might not know that I'm always out.

Reiji: "Hello, you've reached the Tokisaka Detective Agency ----"

Uozumi: "Reiji! We've been had!"

Reiji: "Uozumi..? What's wrong? What happened?"

It's so unexpected that the words aren't sinking in.



Reiji: "What did you say ----!?"

Uozumi: "A student named Kuchiki Toko - she's the granddaughter of the hospital director and a student of Ouba Girls Academy. A special search party has just been sent out."

Reiji: "I'm on my way."

Uozumi: "Hey, wait a ---"

I hang up without listening to Uozumi's words.

Toko was abducted ---?

Her condition requires her to be kept in bed. How the hell was she kidnapped? The place should be crawling with doctors.

Reiji: "Shit!"

I need to get over there. There'll be time to puzzle over things later.



They're parked in front, but in a place where they won't attract notice. I check for Uozumi, don't see him, and head for the entrance.



It looks like it's business as usual at the desk, too. I suppose they don't want people finding out ----

Uozumi: "Reiji!"

Uozumi beckons me to the corner of the hallway.

Reiji: "Uozumi, what's the situation here?"

Uozumi: "Keep your shirt on. We'll talk inside."

With that, he heads into a nearby room.

Reiji: "---So? Out with it."

It's a reception room. The two of us are the only ones here.



Reiji: "...Toko's injuries are so serious that she can't move around by herself. That's probably why she was kidnapped."

Uozumi: "...You know her?"

Reiji: "Yeah --- We met while I was at the academy."

Uozumi: "I see."

Reiji: "I don't know what condition she's in at the moment, but if we don't find her quickly, her life will be in danger. ---- Uozumi, where're the director and the other doctors?"

Uozumi: "They're probably at the crime scene, inside the hospital room ---- Whoa, hold up, Reiji!"

He grabs me by the arm as I'm about to run off.

Reiji: "What?"



Reiji: "...Are you trying to say this is Mamiya Shinji's doing?"

That can't be ----

Uozumi: "...I have no idea. But when you look at the age of the victim... doesn't it start to smell fishy?"

Reiji: "I... I don't know. However, his personal physician is here. If he saw Mamiya on the premises, he should have noticed ----"

Uozumi: "...I guess we need to look into that too, eh?"

Reiji: "Yeah. ...Look, let's get a move on."

I lead Uozumi toward Toko's hospital room.

////

Uozumi: "---Pardon me, I'm Uozumi from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."

I enter the room behind Uozumi. The staff members are assembled within.



Fumiya's face is the picture of curiosity upon seeing me.

Ahh -- That's right. I guess I never told him that I'm a detective.

Reiji: "---Hello."

But this isn't the time to explain myself.



The bed is empty. There are tubes left lying on it from the equipment that had been connected to Toko.

There are no windows, and only a single doorway. Large machines are lined up against the far wall.

Aside from under the bed, I don't see any place where someone could hide.

Reiji: "Could you explain the situation to me, Dr. Kuchiki?"

Dr.K: "Sure."

Dr. Kuchiki nods and stands up from his chair.



Dr.Y: "About one hour ago ---- Around 1 P.M. ---- Murase-kun left this room to attend to some business... Correct?"

He glances to his side, where Murase is standing.



Reiji: "And that's when she disappeared?"



Reiji: "And when was that?"

Fumiya: "...I think it wasn't more than a few minutes after 1 P.M."

He rolls up his glove a bit and nods, checking his watch.

Reiji: "And during that time, nobody came near this room... Correct?"



Reiji: "Nobody passed by until Kuchiki-san came over?"

Dr.Y: "Well... I believe a number of people went down the hallway, but I would have noticed immediately if someone had taken Toko-san out. But that didn't happen."

Reiji: "I see..."

Judging by the circumstances, we have a closed-room mystery on our hands----

(probably a good point to pause so you can speculate before the investigation kicks in)