Not a detective

Page 110

In this case, monsters are like some kind of "contagious disease," constantly spreading among these murderers.

Ōmura Takesuke ← (Kill) ← Fukushima Midori ← (Kill) ← Ono Takayuki + Doi Mizuka ← (Kill) ← Ogawa Sumire ← (Kill) ← Yoshimura Shuku.

Omura Takesuke → (possessed) → Fukushima Midori → (possessed) → Ono Takayuki + Doi Zuika → (possessed) → Ogawa Sumire → (possessed) → Yoshimura Saku.

Both occur at almost the same time and repeat continuously.

"I understand."

Asakawa Riku gradually pieced together the whole story.

But he doesn't plan to tell anyone yet.

On the one hand, his reasoning still had many gaps in the details, and there was not enough evidence to prove that this was the final truth. If there were any deviations, he did not want to interfere with the police's thinking and lead them astray. On the other hand, he was unsure about the confidentiality rules of the supervisory department for ordinary people, and whether he could not casually talk about "possessed monsters".

If the police find out that this thing exists... it might not be a good thing.

"So, these photos are missing one person, right?"

He had noticed it a long time ago.

—There was no corpse of Yoshimura Saku on the screen.

"Yes, we've been cautious about Yoshimura Seki. He hasn't come out since he went into the rented room, and we don't dare to barge in."

As Inspector Takahashi spoke, the technicians switched the camera to the scene, where police officers armed with riot shields and firearms surrounded the area, ready for action.

The seasoned detective finally realized that there was definitely something unusual about this case, so...

"This time, I really need your help."

He and the other detectives, including high-ranking officers from the police station, all stood up and bowed respectfully to Asakawa Riku, the sound of their uniforms rustling filling the air.

The agents of the Non-World Surveillance Department are their last saviors at this moment.

"The mistake you made was not contacting me immediately, but the good thing you did was not to rush in rashly; at least you knew to ask for help."

Asakawa Riku smiled and was the first to push open the door and walk out of the room.

Yoshimura Saku is the end point of the possession cycle, which is also the [possession target] of the monster at this moment!

"Then, I'll end all of this."

Spring of Events: Chapter Twenty-Nine - The Infant

Asakawa Riku was immediately taken to Kabukicho by a police car.

As he sat in the car, he couldn't help but wonder if the Inspection Department, or Kirisame Aoi, knew in advance that this case was the work of a "possessed monster."

That's why she entrusted the case to him, because Asakawa Riku is a rare case of "zero inspiration".

Without inspiration, there is no possibility of contact with monsters, and with his strong spirit, he is absolutely unable to be possessed by monsters, thus becoming an absolutely safe person to deal with them.

If that's the case, that woman's calculations are truly far-reaching...

But Riku Asakawa agrees with this idea, and he doesn't want innocent police officers to be possessed and then sacrificed. He can handle this kind of thing by himself.

Upon arriving at his destination and getting off the bus, he immediately asked Inspector Takahashi to relay his instructions:

"Only I can go in. Everyone else should stay outside and not approach or enter the house, no matter what happens."

“Support? I don’t need any support. If I get into trouble, I’ll escape on my own. Then please contact us to bring tanks and rocket launchers here.”

After saying these words, Asakawa Riku walked steadily toward his destination without any fear.

The encirclement of heavily armed police officers cleared a path for him.

This impressive display made Asakawa Riku, who still had the mindset of a young man, feel a little smug. He even thought that after this incident, he should ask for a reward and get the Inspection Department's iconic black trench coat. In this kind of situation, he should make a cool and stylish entrance. It was much better than still wearing the uniform he had rushed to school and hadn't had time to change out of.

The boy, dressed in his school uniform, ventured alone into an unknown den of demons. He couldn't imagine how he appeared to others at that moment.

But at the same time, he also felt ironic... He, who once called himself a "volunteer policeman," never expected that one day he would actually be fighting alongside real police officers.

His elation and arrogance quickly subsided, and Asakawa Riku's eyes returned to a calm sharpness, showing that he had returned to his optimal fighting form.

He made all the necessary preparations and walked to the front of Yoshimura Shuo's rented house.

Without knocking or ringing the doorbell, they simply smashed the doorknob and forced their way in.

...

A heavy atmosphere immediately filled the entryway.

The room was dark, with almost no light except through the door behind it, and it got darker the further you went in.

In Kabukicho, where land is incredibly valuable, even these cheap rental apartments require exorbitant rents, and people are forced to live in such cramped spaces.

The entryway is a hallway, which serves as both the living room and kitchen, with a gap next to it used as a toilet and bathroom.

Riku Asakawa had anticipated seeing a chaotic scene with things scattered everywhere, even piles of garbage bags. He envisioned mountains of clutter with nowhere to stand, but reality was quite different.

In Yoshimura's home, everything is neatly arranged, and all items are kept within storage areas, making excellent use of the limited space.

At least on the surface, he looked clean, and Asakawa Riku felt that he might have a prejudice against fat people.

But the stench still wafted into my nostrils... This wasn't coming from garbage, so—

At the end of the entrance hallway is a door, which leads to the only room in the rented apartment and the last area.

After kicking open the door, they saw Yoshimura's corpse.

"what happened……"

It was in the same state of disarray, ravaged by flies and maggots, and stained with blood on the floor of the room.

The stench was coming from here. In the pitch-black room, there was a scene of an evil ritual, with horrific limbs and organs scattered all over the floor, turned into real garbage.

We thought the final culprit, possessed by a monster, was already dead?

Asakawa Riku was immediately thrown into disarray. He had even prepared himself to fight Yoshimura Shuo, but he never expected to see such an outcome.

At the end of the maze, a wall appeared... Could his reasoning have been wrong?

In the end, Yoshimura Saku visited Ogawa Sumire, was possessed by a demon, killed her, stole the stolen goods, and fled home. This means the demon should be inside him now. Could it be that someone else visited Yoshimura Saku, was transferred to another host by the demon, and escaped? But weren't the police constantly surrounding and monitoring this place?

Could it be that they can't see monsters? But wouldn't a monster killing someone be noticed? It's impossible for all of us to have zero senses.

This monster must possess a person, and it must not have the ability to kill remotely or teleport... otherwise it cannot escape and must still be in this room!

Otherwise, this would be a classic case of a "locked-room murder."

Asakawa Riku stood still, but his mind was racing. Yoshimura Shuo's house used to be occupied, but according to the police investigation, he should be living alone.

According to the neighbors' testimonies, although this person lived in Kabukicho, he never brought women home, and no one else ever entered or left the room.

What exactly happened...? A murderer who appeared out of thin air and then disappeared just as suddenly.

Could it be that the monster actively broke free from its possession, killed its host, and then roamed the room, only that Asakawa Riku couldn't observe it?

Thinking of this, Asakawa Riku took out his phone, preparing to call Chizuko-senpai.

While letting the police in might allow them to observe the monster's movements, there's a risk of possession. It's better to have a specialist in dealing with monsters.

But just as he was about to make the call, a faint sobbing sound suddenly interrupted him:

"Waaah..."

Asakawa Riku was stunned for a moment. He looked in the direction of the sound and found that there was a baby lying in the corner of the room.

The baby was only wearing a diaper, and its small body was stained with blood. It was probably frightened by the sight of the corpse and started crying louder and louder.

Perhaps because the room was too dark, and the baby's breathing and heartbeat were very weak, Asakawa Riku's senses failed to notice for a moment.

Such a small baby... Could it be Yoshimura Shuo's child?

He's a single dad? I've never heard of that before! When...?

etc--

Asakawa Riku stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

baby.

Operation.

idol.

anaesthetization.

instrument.

swag.

Backpack.

Possession.

value.

lover.

Chaebol (conglomerate).

alternately.

Chamber of Secrets.

monster.

murderer.

A flood of keywords suddenly rushed into Asakawa Riku's mind, completely overturning the puzzle he had imagined.

Yes, his original reasoning was wrong, completely wrong! Although all the parts were gathered, the most important thing was missing.

Now, the correct pattern has finally been found... the real [truth].

Although still thinking, instinct forcefully took over consciousness, raising both arms to block in front of the face.

The wailing infant leaped into the air, its sharp fingernails like knives, slicing through Asakawa Riku's skin—

Spring of the Items: Chapter Thirty - The Cat Again

Nekomata, also known as cat demon or cat demon, is a black cat with two tails in legends.

It has large, pointed ears and double-serrated teeth. It is a type of cat demon and is said to be able to walk upright.

The earliest version comes from the Japanese ghost story, which describes the story of a cat's fetus that was born after the cat died. The cat demon is an old cat, usually appearing as an old woman, with a body about twice the size of a human. Large cat demons can even grow to the size of a calf, with a tail that forks into two at the end.

"So... this time, the possessing yokai is the Nekomata."

Asakawa Riku looked at the agile and strangely erratic baby in front of him and his expression turned solemn.

After all, he had spent a year with Chizuko-senpai and often listened to her talk about all sorts of things about yokai. Over time, he remembered quite a lot of things.

The Nekomata is a relatively well-known yokai, so Asakawa Riku's impression of it was particularly deep.

I remember what Chizuko-senpai said:

"The Nekomata possesses terrifying power and an extremely ferocious nature. It belongs to the realm of 'evil' demons. It is said that before eating breakfast, it speaks in a human voice, devours people, and then transforms into their bodies to seek out its next prey. The Nekomata is ruthless and cruel, with no rules. As soon as it sees a person, it will indiscriminately harm them. The Nekomata's two tails fork into two strands. The greater its demonic power, the more obvious the forking. The best Nekomata is a pure two-tailed cat. Encountering one is no good."

Perhaps because his inspiration was zero, the baby in Asakawa Riku's eyes was still an ordinary human baby. He did not grow a tail, nor did he turn into a cat.

For this reason, Asakawa Riku could not tell how much the cat had grown, or whether its tail was completely forked.

But he was surprised that the baby's fingernails could scratch his arm.

After all, it had been several years since Asakawa Riku had mastered "invulnerability to blades and spears." At that time, he was immune to most sharp weapons, and even blades would shatter.

Yet the cat managed to penetrate his defenses, and the wound on his arm stung and bled, an experience he hadn't had in a long time.

The fact that it could injure Asakawa Riku shows that it is definitely not a simple creature. No wonder the previous victims were easily dismembered.

"Waaaaah!!"

The baby, accompanied by eerie cries, lunged at Asakawa Riku again, but this time he was prepared and managed to dodge it by sidestepping.

The sharp nails and teeth just grazed his body, which meant the cat was almost as fast as him... How terrifying.

Although the baby's appearance did not change drastically in Asakawa Riku's eyes due to possession, it was now crawling on its hands and knees and jumping off the ground, behaving like a cat. In particular, its eyes, which shone in the darkness, resembled the vertical pupils of a predator, highlighting the evil demon's strong aggression.

This kind of purely evil monster actually fits Asakawa Riku's impression of monsters better.

Without hesitation, he swung his leg and kicked the baby.