Volume 4 Chapter 2 (1/2)
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”Takenoko takenoko nyokiki!!”
”First nyoki!!”
”First nyoki!!”
”Nya ha ha! You were taken out right off the bat!”
”It's a bit of an old gaet how to play it☆”
A group of fivethe time of their lives at a table a short distance away Theya fair bit of alcohol because they were roaring with laughter at conversations that did not seehter reached the tableat
Hmm
For this twintailed a was a new experience It made me wonder if I should really be there Still, I hadn't ordered any alcohol and oing to warn
”There's nothing on this ht for a farth to spare in their intestines”
My sister was a large-breasted woman in her twenties who still wore a tank top and hot pants She held a glass filled to the bri an alcohol lamp) and frowned as she replied to me
”They have salads down at the bottom”
”What kind of salad has 'plenty of beef tongue'!? The vegetables clearly aren't the priirl with lots of subcutaneous fat can't carelessly eat this kind of thing”
”Don't worry, don't worry You're in e, your ator of so? And if you're that worried, just take a run after eating”
”That may work for you, but you're asome villain out of it”
”I only e I couldn't do it on a straight city road”
The fact that she thought that showed she was normal proved just how much of a monster she was At any rate, she was someone I didn't want involved in the schedule ic
Meanwhile, excited voices were still co from the other table
”Huh? You've only been ordering oolong tea, haven't you?”
”No, no I'm fine This has shochu in it”
”You don't have to say that If you don't drink, just say so It's nothing to be ashamed of I won't force you to drink, so don't worry Nya ha ha ha ha!!”
While the voices sometimes jumped up in volue plate of beans
Munch, munch
”Ahh, edamame is delicious I think these have to rank at 1”
”No, that would be dadachaetables!? What's this!? Is !?”
”Of course I am!! And what's with that fried beef!? Girls are supposed to think even chicken is too greasy!”
”Sorry, but it's looking like I have a big job coet any proper human food, so I want to fill my head with as many memories of civilization as I can”
”Oh, is that so? I've got a troublesome issue at hand too”
My sister winked while downing the clear liquid with 90+ alcohol content as if it were cool water
”Let's hope we don't run into each other”
”That's for sure If two Hishi+gale incident, it would feel like the end of the world I'd iet resolved, but no one involved would be around to tell the tale”
”I'll be right back I need to go to the bathroom!” said someone from the other table
”Oh? Guys don't use some kind of euphemism there?”
”Eh? Do you seriously say you're off to pick flowers? I thought that was an urban legend”
A young man in a business suit stood up from that table
Due to the layout, he approached our table and so I spoke up
”Detective, what are you doing here?”
The instant I did, the man in the cheap suit froze in place That detective froation Department 1 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Depart to be oiled He was Detective Uchile An unpleasant sweat covered the expression of a man who had just made the worst mistake of his life
And he suddenly tried to cry his way out of it
”Noooooooooooo!! I' why you two are here! I'm just not!! Let's keep to ourselves here, okay? I really don't get a chance like this often!! Pleeeeeeeease!!”
”Detective, your friend Enbi-chan here has the kind heart of the Virgin Mary, so I won't count this as cheating on ht here and now”
”Enough nonsense! Just pro women than a unifor wrong shut me out because they say I look too scary! But this tiht attendant who kindly reached out to me!! This is the only paid vacation left, but she went out of her way to schedule this on my day off! If I miss this chance, it's all over! My days of youth will end and I'll be a lonely ed man instead!! So please!!”
You're supposed to be a police detective, so what on earth are you talking about?
Of course, a normal love life was impossible for thisIt was probably his way ofdid happen
Also…
”Detective, it painshere It's already too late”
”Don't be so oe here!!”
”(Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle)”
”What's with that glitter in your eyes!? You want to destroy this group date and cause a commotion just for fun, don't you!? I won't let you! I won't! Defense!! Defense!!”
”Detective, look over here”
I diverted 's eyes as he posed like a basketball player for no reason
”Your cell phone is going to receive an eht will end without our interference So let's go dive headfirst into the serious and bloody suspense part of the night☆”
”Please wait!! Let y! I'll break otherwise I really, really will!”
”Sure, sure But the countdown has already begun Three, two, one”
Zero
At thattone
He brought it to his ear in annoyance and a grim male voice came out
It was the chief of Department 1
”You have a case, Uchiet to the scene”
”………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Me no speak japanese”
”I already know you're just about the biggest idiot out there, so you don't have to remind me I'll send the details in an email”
The detective then reached for the glass on our table
More specifically, he grabbed the glass ulped down the clear liquid inside
”Ah! My spirytus!”
”Gwaaaaaahhh!? You got an indirect kiss with hiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmm!?”
He conored our shouts
”Bh!? Spiry-gwah!?” he choked
He was immediately left unsteady on his feet as he spoke into the cell phone
”I can't, chief! I' entry, but unfortunately, a police officer can't exactly drink and drive”
”Take a cab And no, on't reimburse you for the fare”
The call ended there and the detective remained motionless
Completely motionless
There was only one kind of case an off-duty police detective would be called to
Plenty of incidents both large and small occurred in Tokyo on a daily basis, but it was not often they were sent straight to the metropolitan police and had off-duty detectives called in This clearly had soht it behind a normal incident
I lent my shoulder to the detective as about to collapse frohts as aited for a taxi to pass by the nighttime street
”In Odaiba, the idol group Tarot Girls 22 was having a live broadcast event as guests on an internet radio show, but a man burned himself to death It may be called net radio, but they tend to have videos these days, so the footage of the human pillar of fire's death throes was sent all around the world”
”Why do you know all this?
”I said it was a live broadcast, didn't I? This isn't classified police information The broadcast station has apparently stopped trans sites Every erously titled threads”
”Ugh…”
”But when I say this was net radio, I don't mean it was a studio rented out by amateurs It's a division and subsidiary of japan's most well-known national broadcast station The top levels of the station were afraid newspapers and TV wouldn't be necessary in five years' tiain the kno It was less a way of gaining actual profits and e that would weed them out Think of it like an investment to learn about the enemy”
The coirl must have been a problem because we didn't seem able to catch a taxi
”The victim was a twenty-four year old man named Usuta Manabu He was on the net radio's sound staff, but he was a freelancer with a bottom-level position It isn't known if he left any kind of will behind From what I've seen on the video sites, he dumped a plastic bottle of a flahter It anic solvent for paints that isn't as flashy as gasoline Art staff could easily bring souarded TV station, so there would probably have been sorab”
”That's…hic…sad to hear He probably regretted his decision as soon as he lit it”
”Probably The weak flaain, there wasn't ulfed in the flao that far, he should have prepared soht have killed hier than a few minutes”
Incidentally, the detective's Investigation Department 1 had a section dedicated to fires It was a bit of a stretch to say a suicide qualified, but the special circu it a ”mere suicide”
The spread of the flames to the broadcast station's equipment and the interrupted live broadcast would likely be treated as more important than the man's death
In the worst case, it could be registered as arson against the station rather than suicide
If that happened, Usuta Manabu would be treated as a perpetrator rather than a victim Of course, it was a lot the same when a train hit someone The focus was always e than on the person killed
It was said that the law prioritized public welfare over the circumstances of individuals, but it was important to remember that was harsher than it sounded
”Then what are saying?” asked the detective with a suspicious look in his eyes ”Soht bring social unrest, so the well-known Department 1 has to send all its forces out to quickly fix it? Hic”
”Well, it was a net broadcast, so the codes don't really apply and I'-Or-Other Coain, this was related to a subsidiary of a national broadcast station, so who knows”
We finally caught a taxi
I stuffed the detective into the back seat and then sat next to him
The ed feet to the broadcast station in Odaiba
”What's this? Are you trying to get a peek at tonight's hottest murder scene? Sorry, but I can't let you do that If you're just interested in what doesn't concern you, I'll refuse to drive you”
”He's a detective from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Departet there ASAP to solve the case”
”What's this!? You mean the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Departetting your autographs or so!?”
God, how annoying!! You're the one that's too interested in what doesn't concern you!!
The detective who reeked of alcohol was of little use
”Hic Anyway…can you get going?”
”Sure, sure This is when you ask ht!? I'm on it!!”
The woh because she drove us quite recklessly fro district to Odaiba
”Hic By the way, driver”
”What is it!? Ask ! Do you want to know about any suspicious passengers I've had!?”
”You called it a murder scene just now, didn't you? What do you mean?”
”That's what everyone's saying They say there's no way it was just a suicide”
Yes, yes
Let Enbi-chan handle that one
”The social unrest youto bewith a suicide”
”What?”
”Everyin, but there's clear ood frequency A lot of people are saying there was nothing wrong with the sound staffelse”
”Soated the suicide?”
”I told you the guest was Tarot Girls 22, reht now and it see they're cursed or that a wo”
”Hee hee hee☆ The mystery voice on the CD, huh?” added the driver
”Well, it's a coend”
The TV industry had a way of gathering occult stories Some would say everyone related to the production of a certain advertise bizarre deaths one after another, so in the pond behind the reporter in the instant they switched to the outside camera on the weather forecast, and so after the station's broadcast time had ended
One genre of those was the mystery voice on a CD Those ru was recorded along with the artist's voice There were a few fas with that rumor
”So instead of Tarot Girls 22 being caught up in the sound staff member's suicide, those people think the sound staffTarot Girls 22”
”Do you think that's possible?”
”It's hard to say”
If this was a fictional hed and said it was obviously some kind of clever trick made to look like the curse had done it, but unfortunately, this world was filled with irregular beings known as Youkai
Not that this was any ti as obvious as ”truth is stranger than fiction”
”Was it a suicide or so more? Was it done entirely by human hands or was an elusive Youkai involved? And if a Youkai was involved, was it an intentional act of the Youkai's or was a hue? We have no choice but to investigate every possibility”
However, I could only glean so e boards and video sharing sites Without heading to the scene of the cri myself, I couldn't even plan what to do next
The taxi crossed a brightly lit bridge
”Would it really be that hard to just seal off this bridge?”
”Try learning a thing or two about economics”
”I bet I could get it i a kitchen ti it to the botto the police”
”Hic Do that and you're on your own”
Once we had crossed the bridge, ere on obviously reclaimed land
There was a large-scale park and shopping doe national TV station Froular area of reclaimed land to the other, it all looked like an unreal TV set
I was pretty sure the area had lately had an Edo-style revival can They had tried to raise the water quality of Tokyo Bay to properly bring back the old Edo-style sushi+ or so like that
The word ”ecological” tended toless wasteful, but the introduction of new facilities for the environ the bay's coast Madoka had likely been delighted with all thetraded around
The woman driver then asked a question
”Where should I stop? Will the shoppinglot work?”
”We've got an actual police officer with us, so there's no need to hold back Pull right up to the front of the TV station like a VIP's limo”
”Heh heh I've alanted to do that”
I don't knohere she learned how to do it, but the tires screeched as she brought the taxi around the front entrance circle
Despite how late it was, the area was filled with people
Irritated security guards were keeping nor, but they could not keep thea cauessed they had been unable to stop the flood of people after the following scenario played out: Their own reporters et in and no one else? → This isn't fair! It's a violation of the freedom of the press!!
The showy arrival of the taxi wasof the SLR cameras
They took picture after picture hoping it was a famous celebrity, a station VIP, someone related to the incident, or just anyone they could sell to a sports newspaper later
But it turned out to be none of those
Okay!! It's time for the arrival of the (future) most lovey-dovey couple in the world!!
As for Police Sergeant Uchi out of the back seat…
”Yay!! Are you getting soood evening? Departh Oh, no Here it comes… Oehhhhhhhhh!?”
Oh, dear
I hope this shocking footage isn't released so soon after the suicide by burning
Tarot Girls 22 was the roup in japan
As their nairls froroup of 56 girls that had 14 each of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Coins
They could be seen as the first of the fusion of beautiful girls and occult mysteries that were coained an odd popularity through fortune telling and spiritualism and this was the result of the already-popular idol industry taking that in for themselves
Thefeature of Tarot Girls 22 was how they were divided between the Major Arcana group and the Minor Arcana group, but therelease or a national tour
Each e unit, so which group they were in made little difference The way the idols were used without taking into account their individual popularity or sales helped increase their ”credibility” from a spiritual standpoint
The choreography of their dancing and their positions on stage during concerts all had tarot s included, so after any event, enthusiastic fans known as Arcana Readers would give their personal interpretations on video sites or ious disputes” would break out
”Well?”
We entered the TV station and the detective see a spectacular amount, so he asked me a question
”Hic How did souarded national TV station that's been designated a possible terrorist target?”
”Try actually reading the docu help was called in as an es set up in the station☆”
”You're setting up your own bugs while pretending to look for theh… And then you 'find' them so they trust you”
”Bugs aren't illegal if you just carry the them on”
In truth, I had to begin by using cold reading toleaked out, so it could be a lot of trouble
The detective looked annoyed and doubt gradually appeared on his face
”Wait a sec Ugh When did you begin preparing for this? It couldn't have been after the suicide Hic”
”And that an before that”
”Before that?”
”A part of it did anyway Want to hear about it?”
I attached earphones to my smartphone and put one half in his ear
Eh heh heh I've alanted to share a set of earphones like this!
”Ugh What is this?”
”Tarot Girls 22's latest song It's titled Suain Shh Listen carefully at 1:55”
At that moment, he clearly frowned
It sounded like silk being torn
No, it sounded like a young wos and tear her entire body in two That was how ghastly the screa was
”Let ain Hic What is this?”
”Who can say? The ru best left undisturbed by using spiritualise pheno around them and this is just one of them”
”Are you serious?”
”If a single person's grudge would do things as obvious as this like on an insane spiritual TV special, no one would need people like us Things are different with a collection of grudges that takes forh”
As hispered to each other, a young female staff member walked over to us Her name was Akashi+ Mitsu Her job title was assistant director, but she was actually just a part ti us around
”You are from the police, aren't you? The scene is this way Oh, Enbi-chan What are you doing here?”
”Bug Breakers needs to do our thing before the inspection can begin☆ If the , they can listen in on what the police are saying And if they knohat the initial investigation turned up, they can come up with a countermeasure”
Akashi+ Mitsu-chan's face grew obviously pale at my made-up excuse She rudely bit at her thu was bothering her
”(Hey,me here?)”
”(About what?)”
”(That AD didn't even question it when you ht this was supposed to be a suicide)”
”(Then do your best to catch up to me☆)”
Whether as an anti-terroris stalkers out, we did not head down a straight hallway and take a single elevator The hallways took turn after turn and we repeatedly switched between elevators before finally reaching our destination
We passed by people famous froh with theet excited Or perhaps he was just thatdrunk Either way, it was cute
”Oh, Enbi-san”
A girl leaving a kitchenette spoke to me and the detective actually stopped this time
The fourteen-year-old girl was theto the Empress of the Major Arcana Her body was quite well-developed for her age, but there was a heavy look across her entire face It was as if she walked around with a label saying ”At school, I'm the inconspicuous library committee member”
Her name was Anemura Kaede
As far as the mysterious suicide case was concerned, she was not all that important
However, I was a bit interested in the fact that she had left the kitchenette alone
”Where's your usual er?”
”You mean Itano-san?”
Just as she finished asking that, a woman in a suit poked her head out from the stairwell
She was the Itano Ryou ere just discussing She looked to be in her late twenties and she had a nice enough body and a beautiful enough face to ed into a swimsuit, but she was far too unsociable for that
Currently, she spoke quietly
”Is there a refrigerator in the kitchenette? If not, we'll have to head out to buy ice”
”Oh, there is one Are the other girls really doing that badly?”
”Two or three of the that corpse Although thatfar too excited about it all”
Hm
Would that be the military-obsessed Chariot or the brown-skinned Sun?
It seehtening footage of the suicide to vote which idol had the best reaction When seeing a man burn himself to death, it seemed some people lost their cool and others kept up the mask of an idol The question hich was more unnatural
Meanwhile, Kaede-chan the Empress crossed her arirl may not have realized it, but the pose pushed her breasts up with her arms
”U do I have to stay here?”
”Oh, can you not relax at the scene of a suicide? There's a futon in the dressing room, but you could probably relax more back at home”
”Um, there is that, but it's been several hours since it happened Just staying in the station this late makes it hard to relax”
Akashi+-chan the AD opened her cell phone and let out a scream
”Oh, crap! It's this late!? I think I' the Labor Standards Act!!”
”Co this late, Enbi-san?”
”This doesn't fall under the category of 'labor' If you're a volunteer, you can slip through all sorts of loopholes Help me out, detective”
As I spoke, I pointed to the detective's chest with my thumb
The lovely young man in a suit responded halfheartedly to my demand for an explanation
”Eh? If the police are keeping you here to help, hic, you won't be punished even if you stay too long U paid, it doesn't violate the Labor Standards Act Hic”
But so else surprised Kaede-chan the Empress
”Eh? Um… He's a police detective? But he looks like he's drunk”
”Yeah… If you've got a problem with it, I can always leave In fact, I'd much rather leave This was supposed to be my day off! Hic!!”
”You still haven't gotten over that horrible group date? It clearly wasn't going anywhere”
”Hic hic!!”
”U?”
Either because this coe of a police officer or because aso friendly with him, the AD and the Empress looked utterly shocked
”I or one of the other officers should explain the situation to you later Hic If there're no probleh, I feel sick”
”Oh, yes Please make it quick if you can I don't want to miss school tomorrow too”
Manager Itano Ryou glared at Kaede-chan the E
”Ane rooirls could easily snap at you”
We left that show business pair and once more started toward the scene of the incident
Just hearing the ter studio and lass, but this had been a live broadcast event with an audience They see shows on television
Having so such a major performance had likely been a complete disaster for the producers
The entire stage was sealed off with yellow tape, but the audience seating was not What appeared to be a forensics teaerprints and footprints with cheet a look at it all because a girl with slender pants under her et some photos, had her cell phone confiscated by a unifor up and down as he held it just out of her reach
Isn't that Eternity of the Major Arcana?
As I approached the scorched-se, I called out to the detective
”The victim, Usuta Manabu, was a member of the sound staff”
”You already told me that in the taxi Hic”
A blackened ht from the perspective of the audience, that is It was curled up in the fetal position and was the Usuta Manabu I hades of that of that could still be seen in his corpse Of course, that was nothingout from his blackened skin
The floor was burnt black for about three meters around the corpse
”What do you think?”
”Hm? From the state of the body, the fla A sprinkler probably could have put thee floor axed until it shi+ned That's why the flames spread there”
The detective went ahead and lifted up the yellow tape and stepped onto the stage
I, on the other hand, sat in a front-row seat like an audience member
”There was no room for any kind of trick in this case The live ide broadcast proves that He suddenly interrupted the event by running out froe, dunited it with a cheap lighter”
”We still can't say that for sure Burp The flae and he ran out onto the stage to escape Maybe the bottle only contained water”
”That doesn't explain the lighter”
”It could've been a prank Hic He could have been pretending to kill hi hiht Hic It's possible the man didn't know the bottle contained a flammable substance”
”If that's the case, on't find anything investigating the scene”
I tried crossing s in the seat, but the detective refused to be seduced
”But it ht not a bad idea to look into”
”Usuta Manabu had borrowed money from several different consumer moneylenders In other words, he had a lot of debt”
”You mean he had a motive for suicide? Hic What about it?”
”There was suspicion surrounding hiathered and sold infor the station's performers to pay back his ridiculous amount of debt”
”And what does that have to do with the suicide?”
”This has created a scandal for the national idol group Tarot Girls 22”